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Oklahoma Democrats mourn Fred Harris, former US senator and presidential candidate

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Nutanix to Present at Upcoming Investor ConferenceBAKU: After three sleepless nights of back and forth among negotiators, all it took to seal a contentious global deal on climate finance was the hammering of a gavel. And just as quickly, the denunciations began. In a year expected to be the hottest on record, the fate of the fight against climate change was haggled over for two weeks inside Azerbaijan’s Olympic Stadium, which has never held the Olympics but was transformed into a cavernous, windowless maze of conference rooms. The key issues showed no sign of resolution by the scheduled closing time of 6:00 pm on Friday, with Azerbaijan only convening a final session after midnight more than a day afterwards. But at nearly 3:00 am on Sunday, Azerbaijan’s stoic, silver-haired COP president Mukhtar Babayev raised the gavel. The deal, he announced, had been adopted. Most of the delegates took to the floor, some applauding loudly and others - such as those from oil producer Saudi Arabia - just watching politely. But no sooner was word of the deal out than countries were lining up to lodge complaints. Cuba and India both took to the floor to denounce it, as did Chile and typically amenable Switzerland. In a fiery address, India’s representative said the figure agreed in the deal - $300 billion a year to be paid by wealthy countries to poorer ones worst affected by climate change - was “abysmally low”. Chandni Raina accused Babayev of ignoring objections and going ahead to announce the agreement by consensus - a tactic repeatedly used at UN climate talks. “This has been stage-managed and we are extremely, extremely disappointed with this incident,” she said as she looked at him, while climate activists in the back of the room roared and pounded their desks in approval. Babayev, unflinching, responded, “Thank you for your statement.” Down-to-wire talks India is known for its fierce independence and criticism of Western climate policies, but it had not been as visible as some other countries, both rich and poor, in the breakneck diplomacy to reach the COP29 deal. During a pause in the closing session, John Podesta, a close adviser to outgoing US President Joe Biden, smiled broadly as he shook hands and chatted with his Chinese counterpart, who in turn was seen speaking to Saudi officials who then passed around a telephone. Panama’s negotiator Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez, a recognizable presence in Baku with his national hat and outspoken criticism of rich nations - which hours earlier he said had been offering “crumbs” - told AFP as the closing session got underway, “We are beginning to see the light.” Mindful of the lessons of the troubled 2009 Copenhagen climate summit, the Azerbaijani hosts made sure to attend to practicalities, with a coffee stand remaining open late into the night for bleary-eyed participants. But as the clock ticked, some delegates came to the plenary hall with hulking suitcases as they rushed to catch their flights, with one activist dozing off on a desk next to a plastic bag full of nuts and potato chips. Azerbaijan, an authoritarian oil and gas exporter, had come under heavy criticism for its handling of COP29. Its president, Ilham Aliyev, opened the conference in an unusually confrontational way by attacking Western nations that have criticized his rights record and praising fossil fuels as a divine gift. But after pounding the gavel on a deal, in a plenary room named after Azerbaijan’s national poet, the usually taciturn Babayev took a short victory lap. “Since the beginning of this journey, people doubted that Azerbaijan could deliver. They doubted that everyone could agree. They were wrong on both.” — AFP

If you were hoping for a picturesque snow covered scene to go along with your Thanksgiving dinner, you may be in for disappointment, as the National Weather Service is predicting rain for Thursday and through much of the week. After weeks of prolonged drought, any type of precipitation is certainly welcome, NWS Meteorologist Caity Mensch told the Herald on Sunday — except perhaps to those hoping to have fluffy white fields as a backdrop to their holiday gatherings. “Sadly, it’s going to mostly be a rain event,” Mensch said. The week will start with a dry and mostly sunny Monday, according to the meteorologist, with high temperatures pushing into the low 50s. Heavy winds blowing through the weekend should “be on the decrease by then,” Mensch said. Overnight, the temperature will drop just below freezing Monday into Tuesday, and there is a slight chance it starts to rain early on the following morning. ‘The first chance we’ll have for another system is Tuesday morning,” Mensch said. “Right at commute time.” That system, “will not look like the rain event we just had” this past week, according to the meteorologist, but will instead be a “quick shot,” amounting to about a quarter-of-an-inch in precipitation. Temperatures on Tuesday are expected to top out in the lower 50s, according to NWS, and the chance of rain approaches 100% before 3 p.m. but should clear by evening. Overnight lows, the weather service predicts, will hover just above freezing. Wednesday is expected to be mostly sunny around Boston, with a high temperature in the mid-to-upper 40s and some light wind. Clouds are forecast to arrive overnight, when the mercury will again fall to just above freezing. Thanksgiving Day travelers will likely have a dry-if-cloudy start to their journeys, but may run into wet conditions on their way home that evening, when the chance of rain stands at 60%. There is some chance that some Bay State residents may see a few flurries on Thursday night, according to Mensch, but only those living in higher elevations like the Worcester Hills or in the Berkshires. Even then, any snow that falls will likely be “very wet” and unlikely to accumulate, he said. Despite this year’s forecast of a washed-out holiday, according to Mensch, it’s not uncommon to see some flurries this time of year. The mean date for a tenth-of-an-inch of snow for Boston is November 28, she said. The date by which we generally see a full inch of snow covering the Boston Common, according to NWS, is December 11th. Even with last week’s rain and the water predicted to fall in the coming days, it may be some time before the region clears any declared drought conditions . “It takes several weeks of dry conditions for us to officially enter a drought,” Mensch said. “It’s will take a roughly symmetrical amount of time for us to get out of one, so we’ll have to wait and see when that condition clears. Across the country, snowy weather has arrived in full force. In California, where two people were found dead in floodwaters on Saturday, authorities braced for more rain while grappling with flooding and small landslides from a previous storm. The National Weather Service office in Sacramento, California, issued a winter storm warning for the Sierra Nevada through Tuesday, with heavy snow expected at higher elevations and wind gusts potentially reaching 55 mph. Total snowfall of roughly 4 feet was forecast, with the heaviest accumulations expected Monday and Tuesday. Heavy snow also fell in northeastern Pennsylvania, including the Pocono Mountains. Higher elevations reported up to 17 inches, with lesser accumulations in valley cities including Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. Around 35,000 customers in 10 counties were still without power, down from 80,000 a day ago. — Herald wire services contributedNutanix to Present at Upcoming Investor Conference

AI to surpass humans in translationKim Kardashian's representative said she did not take money to pose with Tesla robot and Tesla cybertruck. Kim Kardashian who is close to Ivanka Trump and was seen speaking with Elon Musk on several occasions dropping enough hints for people to conclude that she has gone MAGA said she did not take money from Tesla to pose with its futuristic robot. Kardashian posted a series of photographs of herself on Instagram and X posing in front of and inside a Tesla Cybercab with an Optimus robot in the driver's seat. A representative for Kardashian told the New York Times that no payments were received in exchange for the posts. Kardashian's connection with the Trumps is not new and the first photo of Ivanka Trump with Kardhasian emerged in 2023 when Kardashian held a birthday celebration at Funke, an Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. The group photograph that Kardashian posted included Lauren Sánchez, the partner of Jeff Bezos, and Ivanka Trump. Ivanka is not in her father's inner circle any more Kardashian still has strong footholds in the MAGA territory. But why would she post with Tesla futuristic products if she was not advertising for them and if she has received no money from Tesla? Returning favor to the Trump family? The NYT report said the Trump family has aided her on that front in the past and will soon be back in power politically and hence her coziness with the Trumps will remain intact. In 2018, Kardashian, whose father was a prominent attorney and businessman, became involved in an effort to help free Alice Marie Johnson, who was sentenced to life in prison for her involvement in a 1996 cocaine smuggling operation. Kardashian met Donald Trump at the White House where she told him Johnson's story. In 2020, Kim let Trump down after she decided to not endorse any presidential candidate. “I was disappointed in Kim,” Donald Trump said in an interview. “With Kim, I did a lot of prison reform that she couldn’t get done with anybody else.” “I let people out of prison that I thought were deserving to be let out,” he added. “And then after it was all over, she announced that she’s not supporting me. And she only did that to be cool in Hollywood.” In this election too, Kardashian did not endorse any candidate and kept silent after Donald Trump's win. When she posted the Tesla photos this week, it was seen as an advertisement for Elon Musk and therefore a pitch for Trump. Get all the Latest News , City News , India News , Business News , and Sports News . For Entertainment News, TV News, and Lifestyle Tips visit Etimes.Tribune News Network LONDON: His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has visited Westminster Palace, the seat of the British Parliament. His Highness the Amir delivered a speech before a number of members of the British Parliament, in which he expressed his deep thanks and appreciation to the Speakers of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, the members of the two Houses, and the friendly British people for the warm reception and generous hospitality with which His Highness and the accompanying delegation were received during the visit. His Highness the Amir pointed out in his speech that the State of Qatar has developed its constitutional system in harmony with its traditions and cultural specificity, stressing that the first interaction between the two countries began with their signing of the 1868 Treaty, noting the growth and multiple partnerships that relations have witnessed since then. His Highness the Amir recalled the description of the late Queen Elizabeth II of the relations between the two countries, during a previous visit by His Highness, as being that of two long-standing and trusted friends, adding that the feelings of mutual affection between the two ruling families are embodied in the bonds that unite the Qatari and British peoples, formed through education, diplomacy, business, culture and tourism. His Highness the Amir also touched on his educational experience at Sherborne School and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, noting that it represented an opportunity to build long-lasting friendships and fond memories of training and educational lessons, which in turn inspired ongoing cooperation between the two countries. In this regard, His Highness the Amir referred to the participation of the Qatari Amiri Air Force in the joint squadron of Typhoon aircraft with British and Qatari pilots, stressing that this squadron worked to secure the country's airspace during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, while another squadron is training Qatari pilots on advanced Hawk jet trainer aircraft. His Highness noted that his visit represents an opportunity to discuss increasing joint military, defence and security cooperation, by strengthening defence policy, strategy and practices, in terms of equipment and training. Regarding the two countries' cooperation at the governmental level, His Highness the Amir indicated that they have been working together for decades to solve many major global challenges, considering that this unified approach is of particular importance at this time when the framework of global diplomacy is about to collapse. Regarding the war on the Gaza Strip, His Highness the Amir stressed that the State of Qatar has worked since the first day of the conflict as a mediator alongside its partners in an effort to stop the violence, release hostages and detainees, and enable the delivery of humanitarian aid. His Highness pointed out that there is still much work to be done, especially in the Gaza Strip, which was almost completely destroyed. His Highness the Amir also stressed the two countries' position on resolving the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution through the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state, considering that this is the path to achieving true peace and the desired prosperity. Regarding the two countries’ strategic partnership in investment, His Highness the Amir expressed his keenness to enhance mutual cooperation in this regard, noting that Qatari companies have invested more than £100 billion in the British economy, and are pumping billions of dollars annually into the tourism sector. His Highness also expressed Qatar’s aspiration to increase investment in the infrastructure, science and technology sectors, including artificial intelligence, defense and education, in addition to healthcare and health technology. Regarding educational exchange between the two countries, His Highness the Amir stressed that cooperation in this field enhances relations that will benefit both countries in the distant future, noting that more than three thousand Qatari students are studying in various cities in the United Kingdom, in addition to tens of thousands of graduates. His Highness the Amir praised the British universities operating in the State of Qatar, by offering their programmes to students within the country and from the entire region. In their speeches, Sir Lindsay Hawley, Speaker of the House of Commons, and Lord MacFall, Speaker of the House of Lords, welcomed His Highness the Amir and the accompanying delegation, stressing the strength of Qatari-British relations. They expressed their countries’ keenness to consolidate these relations in various fields, and their countries’ aspiration to continue close cooperation on regional security and stability issues in the region. His Highness the Amir was accompanied during the visit by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, and a number of Their Excellencies members of the official delegation. Copy 03/12/2024 10

Exeter City take credit as they end Wycombe's winning runWell, it has been a while since I have written. While we were in the process of moving to a retirement community, at least two important things have happened for Cambridge. They are the mayoral election and the governor’s ENOUGH Act grant award to Moving Dorchester Forward for Cambridge and Dorchester County. The election occurred on our moving day, and I was happy to have had the chance to vote for Lajan Cephas, the mayor-elect. The ENOUGH Act award occurred about a week later. Each are steps forward for a community that has had its challenges but is now on a positive path. To keep things continuing to move in the right direction, many things must happen. The one thing that the Cambridge and Dorchester communities need to do to help ensure that things continue to move in the right direction is to become involved. That means you. The political process and governance do not mean that the people that are routinely impacted by them simply take a step back, claim that their job is done because they voted and let those elected or fulfilling the obligations of state or federal grants to simply do their work without communicating with and reporting to the public. That means for the work of the new City Council and the mayor you need to go to the meetings or at least watch them on Town Hall streams. Those meetings are recorded so you can watch them any time. You can also join CAN, the Cambridge Association of Neighborhoods, and become involved that way. The city provides over the internet the agendas for all its public meetings including supporting documents for some of them. With the ENOUGH Act grant and other grants that the city receives from the state and federal governments, for that money to benefit the community it needs to be used correctly and spent in such a way that the community benefits and more funding can become available. For instance, the grant awarded to Moving Dorchester Forward is meant to help Cambridge and Dorchester County develop a program to address child poverty and be awarded an even larger implementation grant of up to $5 million. In this grant cycle, three Maryland communities were able to receive grants of $3 million each because of the work that they had already done. The work of the Moving Dorchester Forward team has only just begun. If you participate in a nonprofit addressing children’s issues or a church community, find out more about where and when they are meeting and what is being done. Why do you need to do this? Because if you do not, you will receive information from friends and family or others from social media that will be inaccurate, biased or intended to lead you to think differently than the facts can show if you are personally involved. Our society has become too lazy and relies on what someone else tells them as we make our decisions about who to elect or who we want to be appointed to a committee or board that addresses issues of interest to the community. Glenn Steckman, the new city manager, is eager to hear from you and to speak with and listen to community groups to learn more from you about your concerns so that city staff and the Cambridge Police Department can be more responsive to what is happening or not happening in the community. For instance, I know that juvenile delinquency is often a topic of discussion. Here is a link to a police report on juvenile delinquency in Cambridge from almost a year ago, choosecambridge.com/DocumentCenter/View/2422/Juvenile-report . Another link is from a fall 2024 crime report found at choosecambridge.com/DocumentCenter/View/2580/2024Q3-Public-Report - It will show you on Page 28 what the juvenile statistics are for the city. If you want to learn more, you can attend the city police advisory committee meetings that happen on a regular basis and are open to the public. Get involved. Be part of the solution.Krispy Kreme, Inc. (NASDAQ:DNUT) Stock Position Increased by Geode Capital Management LLC

Bogota (Colombia), Dec 28 (AP) 2024 was a brutal year for the Amazon rainforest, with rampant wildfires and extreme drought ravaging large parts of a biome that's a critical counterweight to climate change. A warming climate fed drought that in turn fed the worst year for fires since 2005. And those fires contributed to deforestation, with authorities suspecting some fires were set to more easily clear land to run cattle. Also Read | Azerbaijan Airline Plane Crash: Russian President Vladimir Putin Apologises to Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev After Fatal Flight 8432 Crash. The Amazon is twice the size of India and sprawls across eight countries and one territory, storing vast amounts of carbon dioxide that would otherwise warm the planet. It has about 20 per cent of the world's fresh water and astounding biodiversity, including 16,000 known tree species. But governments have historically viewed it as an area to be exploited, with little regard for sustainability or the rights of its Indigenous peoples, and experts say exploitation by individuals and organised crime is rising at alarming rates. Also Read | Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket Successfully Completes 'Hotfire Test’ Paving Way for Its Launch. “The fires and drought experienced in 2024 across the Amazon rainforest could be ominous indicators that we are reaching the long-feared ecological tipping point,” said Andrew Miller, advocacy director at Amazon Watch, an organisation that works to protect the rainforest. “Humanity's window of opportunity to reverse this trend is shrinking, but still open.” There were some bright spots. The level of Amazonian forest loss fell in both Brazil and Colombia. And nations gathered for the annual United Nations conference on biodiversity agreed to give Indigenous peoples more say in nature conservation decisions. “If the Amazon rainforest is to avoid the tipping point, Indigenous people will have been a determinant factor," Miller said. Wildfires and extreme drought Forest loss in Brazil's Amazon — home to the largest swath of this rainforest — dropped 30.6 per cent compared to the previous year, the lowest level of destruction in nine years. The improvement under leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva contrasted with deforestation that hit a 15-year high under Lula's predecessor, far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, who prioritised agribusiness expansion over forest protection and weakened environmental agencies. In July, Colombia reported historic lows in deforestation in 2023, driven by a drop in environmental destruction. The country's environment minister Susana Muhamad warned that 2024's figures may not be as promising as a significant rise in deforestation had already been recorded by July due to dry weather caused by El Nino, a weather phenomenon that warms the central Pacific. Illegal economies continue to drive deforestation in the Andean nation. “It's impossible to overlook the threat posed by organised crime and the economies they control to Amazon conservation,” said Bram Ebus, a consultant for Crisis Group in Latin America. “Illegal gold mining is expanding rapidly, driven by soaring global prices, and the revenues of illicit economies often surpass state budgets allocated to combat them.” In Brazil, large swaths of the rainforest were draped in smoke in August from fires raging across the Amazon, Cerrado savannah, Pantanal wetland and the state of Sao Paulo. Fires are traditionally used for deforestation and for managing pastures, and those man-made blazes were largely responsible for igniting the wildfires. For a second year, the Amazon River fell to desperate lows, leading some countries to declare a state of emergency and distribute food and water to struggling residents. The situation was most critical in Brazil, where one of the Amazon River's main tributaries dropped to its lowest level ever recorded. Cesar Ipenza, an environmental lawyer who lives in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, said he believes people are becoming increasingly aware of the Amazon's fundamental role “for the survival of society as a whole". But, like Miller, he worries about a “point of no return of Amazon destruction”. It was the worst year for Amazon fires since 2005, according to nonprofit Rainforest Foundation US. Between January and October, an area larger than the state of Iowa — 37.42 million acres, or about 15.1 million hectares of Brazil's Amazon — burned. Bolivia had a record number of fires in the first ten months of the year. “Forest fires have become a constant, especially in the summer months and require particular attention from the authorities who don't how to deal with or respond to them,” Ipenza said. Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Guyana also saw a surge in fires this year. Indigenous voices and rights made headway in 2024 The United Nations conference on biodiversity — this year known as COP16 — was hosted by Colombia. The meetings put the Amazon in the spotlight and a historic agreement was made to give Indigenous groups more of a voice on nature conservation decisions, a development that builds on a growing movement to recognise Indigenous people's role in protecting land and combating climate change. Both Ebus and Miller saw promise in the appointment of Martin von Hildebrand as the new secretary general for the Amazon Treaty Cooperation Organisation, announced during COP16. “As an expert on Amazon communities, he will need to align governments for joint conservation efforts. If the political will is there, international backers will step forward to finance new strategies to protect the world's largest tropical rainforest,” Ebus said. Ebus said Amazon countries need to cooperate more, whether in law enforcement, deploying joint emergency teams to combat forest fires, or providing health care in remote Amazon borderlands. But they need help from the wider world, he said. “The well-being of the Amazon is a shared global responsibility, as consumer demand worldwide fuels the trade in commodities that finance violence and environmental destruction,” he said. Next year marks a critical moment for the Amazon, as Belém do Pará in northern Brazil hosts the first United Nations COP in the region that will focus on climate. “Leaders from Amazon countries have a chance to showcase strategies and demand tangible support," Ebus said. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)New UNL music building will allow students more creativityEdmonton's Yellowhead Trail conversion cost increases by $105 million: city budget 2025