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☆ Russian troops are likely still at their key bases in Syria, and it will be 'obvious' if they try to leave: senior analyst
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-11 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia hasn't mass-evacuated troops and gear out of its key bases in Syria. Russia said it's trying to work out a deal for its bases with the new Syrian government. The Russian military is still stationed at its Syrian bases after the fall of Bashar Assad's government, and analysts say an evacuation will be easy to spot. According to Russian state media, rebel forces now control the Latakia province, where these bases are located. "When Russian forces deployed to Syria in 2015, they flew almost 300 sorties in two weeks, and that was before base expansion," Massicot added.

Persons: it's, Bashar Assad's, Assad —, Dara Massicot, you'd, Massicot, Dmitry Peskov, Assad, Mohammed al, Bashir, Hayat Tahrir, Abu Mohammad al, Al, who's Organizations: Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Financial, Institute for, Kremlin, Tartus Locations: Russia, Syria, Africa, Latakia, Tartus, Washington, Khmeimim, Moscow, Assad Syria, Hayat, Al Qaeda

☆ He won the Spanish Scrabble championships, yet he doesn’t speak Spanish
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-11 | by ( Lex Harvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A New Zealand man hailed as a Scrabble phenom dominated the Spanish World Scrabble Championships – despite reportedly not speaking the language. Widely known as the “Tiger Woods of Scrabble,” Richards has won nearly 200 tournaments, including multiple world titles, and is ranked No. 1 by the World English-language Scrabble Player’s Association (WESPA). “It’s most likely that he’s wired differently; he doesn’t even study the pages word by word,” Fagerlund told CNN. “He had a hand that was the most obvious one, the one that a computer would give to you, and he didn’t use it,” Olaizola told La Cadena SER.

Persons: Nigel Richards, ” Benjamín Olaizola, Richards, ” Richards, Español, ”, Liz Fagerlund, ” Fagerlund, “, Olaizola, ” Olaizola Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Cadena SER, Internacional, Scrabble Player’s, Christchurch Scrabble, La Cadena SER Locations: Zealand, Spanish, Granada, Spain, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, New Zealand

☆ The billionaire owners of the Nets and Liberty plan to launch a media brand around the 'zeitgeist of Brooklyn' in 2025
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-11 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The billionaire owners of the Nets and Liberty are hatching a media brand rooted in Brooklyn culture. BSE Global plans to launch a new brand in early 2025, focusing on the "zeitgeist of Brooklyn." A trio of billionaires is looking to turn "Brooklyn" into a media brand in the vein of the youth and pop-culture outlet Complex. BSE plans to launch the new global media brand in early 2025 with a focus on "capturing and sharing the zeitgeist of Brooklyn," spokesperson Sheerin Salimi confirmed to Business Insider. "They're trying to be like the voice of Brooklyn," a second person with direct knowledge of BSE's plans said.

Persons: Sheerin Salimi, Joe Tsai, Clara Wu Tsai, Julia Koch, Koch, megadonor David Koch, Salimi, Breanna Stewart, Rob Kim, Brooklyn, Sam Zussman, Rich Antoniello, Marc Ecko, BuzzFeed, DeJuan Wilson, Bryan Bedder, Wilson, who's, Complex's, Stefan Breskin, Zion Olojede, Erika Turner, Lucas Wisenthal, Vox, Ellie Organizations: Nets, Liberty, BSE, New, BSE Global, Brooklyn Nets, Brooklyn Nets , New, Brooklyn Nets , New York Liberty, Barclays Center —, Business, BI, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Magazine, IMG, longtime, BuzzFeed, NTWRK, Endeavor, Nike, Aia Adriano, Digital, Big Tech, New York Times, Vox Media's, York, BSE's New York Liberty, NBA's Brooklyn Nets, There's YES, New York Yankees, Network, New York Knicks Locations: Brooklyn, New York, Brooklyn Nets ,, Brooklyn Nets , New York, New York City, BSE's, Liberty

☆ Sports Illustrated takes over naming rights of pro soccer venue Red Bull Arena
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-11 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The New York Red Bulls have a new stadium naming rights partner. On Wednesday, the Major League Soccer 2024 Eastern Conference Champions announced a 13-year naming rights deal with Sports Illustrated. Effective immediately, the 20,000-capacity Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, will be renamed Sports Illustrated Stadium. It marks the first stadium naming rights deal in the sports publication's history. That includes all New York Red Bulls games, Gotham FC games, international soccer games, and all concerts and events.

Persons: David Lane Organizations: New York Red Bulls, Major League Soccer, Sports, Bull, Illustrated, Gotham FC Locations: Harrison , New Jersey

☆ Alexander Brothers Sex Trafficking Indictment
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-11 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In particular, the defendants used the following means and methods, among others, to carry out their sex trafficking scheme: a. The ALEXANDER BROTHERS used their wealth and positions to create and facilitate opportunities to rape and sexually assault women. The ALEXANDER BROTHERS worked together and with other men to arrange events and domestic and international trips they used as bait to recruit, entice, harbor, transport, and maintain multiple women. d. Some trips and events were organized by the ALEXANDER BROTHERS well in advance and involved domestic and international travel. The ALEXANDER BROTHERS worked together and with others to recruit women to attend these events and trips.

Persons: ALEXANDER, OREN ALEXANDER, TAL ALEXANDER

A torture device discovered at Saydnaya prison in Damascus on Monday. Clothing strewn across the floor of a cell inside the Saydnaya prison as a Syrian man awaits news about an imprisoned relative Monday. The dynasty built and operated a network of detention centers scattered across Syria, according to the human rights group Amnesty International. The Human Rights Data Analysis Group, an independent scientific human rights organization based in San Francisco, has counted at least 17,723 people killed in Syrian custody from 2011 to 2015 — around 300 every week — almost certainly a vast undercount, it says. Syrians wait for news Monday about their relatives incarcerated at Saydnaya prison.

Persons: Assad, nooses, Emin Sansar, Bashar al, AnadoluAnagha Subhash Nair, —, Abdulaziz Ketaz, Saydnaya, Hafez Assad, Getty Images Hafez Assad, Richard Engel, Gabe Joselow, Alexander Smith Organizations: NBC, Getty, Anadolu, NBC News, Amnesty International, Amnesty, Getty Images, United Nations Locations: DAMASCUS, Syria, Syria’s, Damascus, Anadolu, Saydnaya, AFP, San Francisco, London

Russia is providing sanctuary to Bashar al-Assad, having transported the former Syrian leader there “in the most secure way possible” after the swift collapse of his regime, Russia’s deputy foreign minister told NBC News in an exclusive interview Tuesday. “Russia is not a party to the convention that established the International Criminal Court,” Ryabkov said when asked if the Kremlin would hand over Assad for trial. Separately, in March 2023, the court issued an arrest warrant for Putin for “war crimes” in overseeing the unlawful abduction and deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia. And last month, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza. Israel, Ryabkov said, should observe that agreement and it should “not infringe” on Syria’s territorial integrity.

Persons: Bashar al, Assad, ” Sergei Ryabkov, ” Ryabkov, Vladimir Putin, Omar Haj Kadour, Ryabkov, Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Assad “, “, Russia “, Israel “, Netanyahu, Evan Gershkovich, ” Organizations: NBC News, Russian, Getty, Criminal, ICC, U.S, Islamic State, ISIS, Wall Street Locations: Russia, Syria, Hama, AFP, Hague, Netherlands, China, United States, Israel, Ukraine, Gaza, U.S, Iraq, Libya, Tahrir, Golan, ”, Germany, Slovenia, Turkey

The show is also one of three ambitious projects released this year reimagining beloved Latin American classics treasured by book lovers for their use of magical realism. In addition to “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” Netflix also recently adapted Juan Rulfo's Mexican novel "Pedro Páramo" into a film. Magical realism is having its TV momentGarcía Márquez, who won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1982, was best known for novels and short stories that use magical realism to blur the lines between fantasy and reality. An important literary tool for many Latin American authors, magical realism allows these writers to both explain sociopolitical realities and the abstract feelings associated with them. "The power of magical realism is that we don’t see it as magical realism.

Persons: Gabriel García Márquez’s, Juan Rulfo's, Pedro Páramo, Max, Laura Esquivel's, Cruz Castillo, Castillo, Ana, Christina Ramón, ” Ramón, Ramón, “ It’s, ”, Márquez, It’s, Laura Mora, Alex García López, ” Mora, Manuel García Rulfo, Juan Preciado, Preciado, García Márquez, Rulfo, Mexican Esquivel, Azul, Tita de la Garza, Salma Hayek Pinault, Rodrigo García, Gonzalo García, Alexis García López, García López Organizations: Netflix, National Hispanic Media Coalition, University of California, Columbia University, Foundation, New, Reuters Locations: Los Angeles, Macondo, Márquez’s, Colombia, Spanish, London, Cuba, Havana

The share of adults with literacy skills at the lowest measured levels increased substantially as the gap between the high-skilled and low-skilled in the United States expands, according to new data from the National Center for Education Statistics’ latest survey of adult skills. The survey was previously administered in 2017, when 19% of U.S. adults ranked at the lowest levels of literacy. In 2023, that figure increased to 28%, a change that NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr called “substantial” in a news conference announcing the survey Monday. “It is larger than what we would normally see in an international assessment, particularly literacy, which is a fairly stable construct,” she said.

Persons: Peggy Carr Organizations: National Center for Education Statistics Locations: United States, U.S

☆ Israel strikes and advances into Syrian territory after Assad's overthrow, fueling alarm
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-10 | by ( Freddie Clayton | Freddie Clayton Is A Freelance Journalist Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The exact location of Israeli forces was unclear. And U.S. NATO ally Turkey said Israel was "once against displaying its occupying mentality," condemning its actions while Syria strives for "peace and stability." But Israel’s ground offensive carries “significant risks,” especially if they are going beyond the buffer zone as Netanyahu hinted, warned Michael A. Horowitz, a geopolitical and security analyst. The roughly 155-square-mile buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights was created after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. Netanyahu said Sunday that the agreement that established the zone had “collapsed” after Syrian soldiers abandoned their positions amid the overthrow of Assad.

Persons: Nadav Shoshani, Avichay Adraee, Israel’s “, Israel's, Israel, Netanyahu, Michael A, Horowitz, ” Horowitz, Assad Organizations: Syrian Observatory, Human Rights, IDF, Gaza, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United Nations Charter, . Security, NATO, United, ISIS, NBC, Sunday, Syrian Scientific Studies, Research, Reuters, News Locations: U.K, Damascus, Israel, ”, Lebanon, Qatar’s, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Russia, United States, Golan, Barzeh

A grenade was found inside a man’s carry-on luggage at LaGuardia International Airport, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The passenger was going through security at the New York City airport on Monday when the weapon of war was discovered in his bag. It was determined to be a real, albeit inert, grenade, according to the TSA. He told TSA officers that he got the grenade as a gift from a museum. The passenger who had packed the grenade was allowed to continue on to his flight, the TSA said.

Organizations: LaGuardia International, Transportation Security Administration, New, TSA, Port Authority Police Locations: New York City

☆ Global airline revenue to top $1 trillion for the first time in history
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-10 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —The global airline industry will likely rake in more than $1 trillion in revenue next year, as passenger numbers look set to hit an all-time high of 5 billion, the International Air Transport Association said Tuesday. IATA also predicted that airlines’ average profit per passenger would increase to around $7 next year, up sharply from just $2.25 18 months ago. IATA expects airlines in Africa, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region to be less profitable than the industry average. Global conflicts are also driving costs higher because of the big stretches of airspace closed to commercial flights, Walsh said. The group, which acquired Hawaiian’s parent company in September, is targeting $1 billion in additional profit from the combined entity in 2027.

Persons: Willie Walsh, ”, Walsh, Biden, Trump, ” Walsh Organizations: London CNN, International Air Transport Association, Airbus, Boeing, Scientists, Aviation, Alaska Air Group, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines Locations: Africa, Latin America, Asia, Pacific, United States, Seattle, Tokyo, Seoul

☆ I was born in the 'Silicon Valley' of India and watched it change from a quiet, green city to an international tech hub
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-10 | by ( Charissa Cheong | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

There are too many people and a limited water supply due to a decreasing number of lakes. I've never struggled with water supply in the past: I have access to a well, rainwater harvesting, and facilities to store water from the public supply. But this year, I noticed the public water supply was running out more frequently, so even I had to buy water a few times. There are opportunities in tech and other industries serving that community, such as schools, public transport, and cooking. It's going to take a long while for anything to change, so I still think Bengaluru will continue to be "India's Silicon Valley."

Persons: Vikram Chandrashekar, Chandrashekar, It's, I've, I'm, they're, that's Organizations: Indian Institute of Science, Raman Research, Infosys, Wipro, Texas Instruments, Oracle, Jobs Locations: Bengaluru, India, Valley, J.P, Nagar, Silicon Valley, there's, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Mysore, Mangalore, Silicon

☆ It's not just the US. Housing around the world is more expensive than it was prior to the 2008 peak, the IMF says.
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-10 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Housing around the world is the most unaffordable it's been in decades, the IMF said. AdvertisementHousing affordability is lower than levels recorded prior to the 2008 financial crisis, according to a new analysis of 2023 housing data. In the US, mortgage rates have climbed in recent years, influenced by the Fed's rate-hiking cycle as it fought high inflation. AdvertisementZillow thinks home prices could rise 2.6% in 2025, while mortgage rates could remain elevated, but see "choppy" swings. Redfin, meanwhile, saw home prices rising another 4% next year, while mortgage rates remain stuck near 7%.

Persons: it's, —, Fu, Deniz Igan, Freddie Mac, Igan, Zillow, Redfin Organizations: Monetary, IMF, IMF's Finance, Development

☆ Alaska Airlines plans new nonstop flights to Japan, Korea in $1 billion postmerger profit push
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-10 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Alaska Air Group expects to grow profits by $1 billion through 2027, and plans to ride the wave of high-end travel demand to get there. The airline will launch nonstop service between its home hub of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Tokyo's Narita International Airport in May on Hawaiian's Airbus A330-200s, and between Seattle and Seoul, South Korea's, Incheon International Airport in October, Alaska said Tuesday. By 2030, Alaska plans to serve at least a dozen international destinations from Seattle using wide-body planes, reshaping the carrier. The carrier said Tuesday that it authorized a $1 billion share buyback. It raised its fourth-quarter earnings estimates to 40 cents to 50 cents a share, up from a previous outlook for 20 cents to 40 cents.

Organizations: Alaska Air Group, Hawaiian Airlines, Boeing, Airbus, Seattle - Tacoma International Airport, Tokyo's, Airport, Incheon International Airport Locations: Alaska, Seattle, Seoul, South Korea's, Incheon, Tokyo

☆ Drone strikes UN vehicle on way to inspect Ukrainian nuclear plant
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-10 | by ( Daria Tarasova | Michael Rios | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An armored vehicle belonging to the UN’s atomic watchdog was hit by a drone strike on its way to inspect a Ukrainian nuclear power plant on Tuesday, in an attack President Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed on Russia. “The driver of a second IAEA vehicle in the convoy saw the Kamikaze drone coming from behind and slamming into the targeted vehicle,” the agency said. “I have said in the past that attacking a nuclear power plant is a no-go. Attacking those who care for the nuclear safety and security of these plants is also absolutely unacceptable,” he said. Following the drone strike Tuesday, the IAEA said its personnel eventually reached the nuclear plant to complete a staff rotation.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Rafael Mariano Grossi, “, ” Organizations: CNN, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ At age 21, climber Tommy Caldwell pushed his kidnapper off a cliff. Here's what he learned from the experience.
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-10 | by ( Julia Pugachevsky | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In 2000, Tommy Caldwell and three other climbers were kidnapped in Kyrgyzstan. In "The Devil's Climb," a National Geographic documentary, famed rock climbers Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold ("Free Solo") break a world record by climbing a treacherous Alaskan mountain in under 12 hours. Caldwell told Business Insider that he "just didn't experience trauma the way that a lot of people would expect" from the kidnapping. He told BI that he's learned two major things about trauma and high-stress situations since that day 24 years ago. Beth Rodden, Tommy Caldwell, Jason Smith, and John Dickey after their rescue.

Persons: Tommy Caldwell, Caldwell, Alex Honnold, Beth Rodden, Jason Smith, John Dickey, he's, Mike Caldwell, Greg Child, Peter Levine Organizations: Geographic Locations: Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz

☆ Top Russian official says internal corruption surged in 2024, with 30,000 officials caught for graft this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-10 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He told state media that 30,000 officials were disciplined for corruption in 2024. AdvertisementRussia's prosecutor-general said on Monday that detections of corruption among officials have jumped this year, with a 30% increase in bribery cases compared to 2023. Igor Krasnov told state media that almost 30,000 Russian officials were caught and disciplined for breaking anti-graft rules in 2024. Krasnov said that at least half of all corruption cases involved bribery and that almost 19,000 such crimes were discovered in the first nine months of 2024. That's nearly as many as the 20,300 bribery cases his office found in 2023, Krasnov added.

Persons: Igor Krasnov, Krasnov, That's, DIB, Vladimir Putin, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Sergei Shoigu, Mark Galeotti Organizations: hemming Russia, US, Reagan National Defense, Royal United Services Institute Locations: Washington, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Ex-Abercrombie and Fitch CEO requests a hearing to determine if he's mentally fit to be tried on sex trafficking charges
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-10 | by ( Laura Italiano | Alice Tecotzky | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Attorneys for Mike Jeffries asked a judge to rule on whether he is mentally fit for trial. The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch is seeking to delay his federal sex-trafficking case on mental competency grounds. The defense will have until December 24 to file papers telling US District Judge Nusrat Choudhury how much of their competency motion can be sealed. AdvertisementThe defense has until February 6 to file a doctor's report in support of the competency motion, the spokesperson said. During his time at Abercrombie, Jeffries steered the brand toward a more sexualized image, complete with shirtless models greeting shoppers.

Persons: Mike Jeffries, Fitch, Jeffries, Nusrat Choudhury, Brian Bieber, Matthew Smith, Les Wexner, Jeffrey Epstein Organizations: Abercrombie, US, of, of New York, Prosecutors, Eastern Locations: Manhattan, Eastern, of New, Court, Florida, America, New York, of New York

☆ Argentina’s economy: What Milei’s chainsaw approach has delivered in a year
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-10 | by ( Hanna Ziady | Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

London/Bogota/Buenos Aires CNN —Javier Milei swept to power in Argentina a year ago on a ticket to tackle chronic hyperinflation and overhaul the long-suffering economy. In one regard — slashing the size of the state — he has proven so successful that Donald Trump’s government efficiency tsars want to replicate his approach. Homeless people at the gates of the closed Retiro train station during a general strike on May 9, 2024, in Buenos Aires. But the adjustment has proved painful in a country where roughly every 10th person is employed in the public sector. But capital controls, which limit the flow of foreign currency into and out of the country, are giving investors pause.

Persons: Buenos Aires CNN — Javier Milei, Donald Trump’s, Natalia Burone, Lucas Aguayo, ”, Hans, Dieter Holtzmann, Friedrich Naumann, it’s, Milei —, Holtzmann, Milei “, Matteo Maffia, Milei, “, you’d, ” Maffia, I’m, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, Donald Trump, Carlos Barria, Kimberley Sperrfechter, ” Milei, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Luis Lacalle Pou, Ursula von der Leyen, Santiago Pena, Eitan Abramovich, European Union —, Flor Maffia, Diego Fenoglio, “ There’s Organizations: Buenos Aires CNN, International Monetary Fund, Investors, CNN, Monetary Fund, Friedrich, Freedom, Milei, “, of Government, America, KNG Securities, Capital Economics, South, Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Paraguay's, Mercosur, European Union, Bolivia — Locations: Bogota, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Latin America, Retiro, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, German, United States, Palm Beach , Florida, Argentine, Spain, Montevideo, Bolivia, Europe

☆ ‘No winners’: China’s Xi warns US against a trade war
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-10 | by ( Juliana Liu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese leader Xi Jinping has warned the United States against restarting a trade war, saying there would be “no winners” even as he vowed to defend the country’s economic interests. “Tariff wars, trade wars, and technology wars go against the historical trend and economic laws, and there will be no winners,” Xi said according to state broadcaster CCTV. China has always believed that only when China is good can the world be good. “We doubt this marks an end to China’s recent export boom,” Zichun Huang of Capital Economics wrote in a research note. “It is likely that China would continue to improve trade relations through lower export tax rebate and clearer rules including government procurement,” Citi economists wrote on Monday.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, Donald Trump, ” Xi, Jake Sullivan, Biden, Trump, “, Zichun Huang, ”, Economists Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Nvidia, US National Security, NBC, China’s Foreign, Reuters, Capital Economics, Communist, ” Citi Locations: China, Hong Kong, United States, Washington, Beijing, “

☆ Meet the 2 Australian chefs who walked away from top restaurants to serve up premium meals in nursing homes
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-10 | by ( Erin Liam | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

David Martin and Harry Shen are chefs from St Vincent's Care, a nursing home in Melbourne. The chefs understand that not all nursing homes have the budget, but they hope to raise standards. Martin, now 35, is an executive chef manager at St Vincent's Care, a nursing home facility in Australia. Apart from working under top chefs, including Donovan Cooke, Shen had also picked up shifts at Australian nursing homes in the past. AdvertisementThe chefs are well aware that not all nursing homes have the same luxuries of staffing and budgets to prepare premium meals.

Persons: David Martin, Harry Shen, Vincent's, Martin, hasn't, Donovan Cooke, Shen, St Vincent's, —, Gordon Ramsey, Michael Deane, Culinaire, Andrea Maier, Wee Shiou Liang, David Martin Martin Organizations: St, Mayo Clinic, Nursing, Michelin, World Health, Population, National University of Singapore's, Healthy, Gerontology, Singapore University of Social Sciences Locations: Melbourne, Australia, London, Kew, It's, Vincent's, New South Wales, Victoria

☆ US wildlife officials move to add iconic monarch butterfly to threatened species list
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-10 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Every winter, millions of monarch butterflies journey thousands of miles across North America to spend winters in the forests and mountains of central Mexico. The US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the monarch butterfly as threatened with extinction under the Endangered Species Act. The butterfly’s eastern migratory population is estimated to have declined by roughly 80%, while the western migratory population plunged by more than 95% since the 1980s, according to US wildlife officials. Eduardo Rendón-Salinas, the lead of the monarch butterfly program for WWF-Mexico, previously told CNN that the climate crisis is a major contributing factor to the decline. Rendón-Salinas said what’s happening to monarch butterflies is representative of what pollinator species such as bees, birds and other butterflies face globally.

Persons: Eduardo Rendón, milkweed, Salinas, ”, Donald Trump —, Clay Bolt, ” Martha Williams, ” Williams Organizations: CNN, and Wildlife Service, International Union for Conservation, Nature, World Wildlife Fund, WWF, Wildlife, “ Locations: North America, Mexico, Salinas, California

☆ Woman arrested with 10kg of meth wrapped as Christmas presents at New Zealand airport
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-10 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A Canadian woman has been arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle drugs into New Zealand — by disguising them as Christmas presents. New Zealand Customs officials said 10.2 kilograms (22 pounds) of methamphetamine worth up to $2.2 million was discovered in the woman’s carry-on luggage when she arrived at Auckland Airport on a flight from Vancouver on Sunday. The passenger “just made Santa’s naughty list,” New Zealand Customs said in a Facebook post. The woman, whose name and age were not released, was held on charges of importation and possession for supply of a Class A controlled drug. Six suspects were arrested in a sting operation involving officers from New Zealand, Australia and Canada.

Persons: ”, Paul Williams, ” Williams, Andrew Coster Organizations: CNN, New Zealand, New Zealand Customs, Auckland Airport, Sunday, New, NZ Customs, Zealand Customs, ” New Zealand Police Locations: New, Vancouver, New Zealand, Auckland, Zealand, North America, Australia, Canada

☆ Police vehicle crash responding to a bomb threat toward Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene results in death of woman
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-10 | by ( Hanna Park | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A motorist was killed Monday in a traffic accident with a police officer responding to a bomb threat at the home of Congresswoman Majorie Taylor Greene, authorities said. Greene, a Republican who represents Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, said in a statement that her local police department in Rome, about 60 miles northwest of Atlanta, received the bomb threat via email. The collision resulted in the death of the other driver, Tammie Pickelsimer, Rome Police spokesperson Kelly Madden confirmed to CNN. The threat directed at Greene comes in the wake of multiple false threats made against various members of Congress. “The individual responsible for this crime has effectively committed murder in our small community of Rome, Georgia,” Greene said.

Persons: Majorie Taylor Greene, Greene, Tammie Pickelsimer, Kelly Madden, “, ”, ” Greene, Lori Trahan, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, Republican, Congressional, Rome Police Department, Rome Police, FBI, ” CNN, Massachusetts Democrat, Democratic Locations: Rome, Atlanta, Floyd, Russian, Massachusetts, Rome , Georgia

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