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Keeping warm at the right price; A quick look at what you can do as the temperatures drop

Discussion under way over civil disobedience movement: Salman Akram Raja says PTI wants to lead country to path of prosperity and there should be no obstacle in political process ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja Saturday said he could not say anything right now on the call of civil disobedience, as there were no contours of it before him. Talking informally to the media in Lahore, when asked about PTI founder Imran Khan’s decision to begin civil disobedience if his demands were not met, Salman Akram replied, “Look, deliberations are under way and I can’t talk on it right now and will be able talk after the deliberations”. To another query about the possibility of talks with the government, he maintained that discussions were on and all angles were being looked into and there was nothing that they (PTI) reject. “We want to lead the country to the path of prosperity, political process should continue and there should be no obstacle in the political process. Whatever needs to be done for peace and prosperity in the country will be done,” he said.

My Favorite Podcasts of 2024 (Premium)United States President-elect Donald Trump suggested Sunday that Mexico should become a state of the U.S. due to a trade imbalance between the two countries, prompting President Claudia Sheinbaum to reiterate that Mexico is “a free, sovereign and independent country.” In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” program, Trump railed against the trade deficits the United States is recording with Mexico and Canada, which together with the U.S. are the signatories to the USMCA free trade pact. “We’re subsidizing Canada to the tune of over $100 billion a year. We’re subsidizing Mexico for almost $300 billion,” he said, significantly exaggerating the United States’ trade deficits with both countries. “We shouldn’t be — why are we subsidizing these countries? If we’re going to subsidize them, let them become a state. We’re subsidizing Mexico and we’re subsidizing Canada and we’re subsidizing many countries all over the world,” Trump said. “All I want to do is I want to have a level, fast, but fair playing field,” he added. While Mexico has a significant trade surplus with the United States, it is not as large as Trump claimed. The United States’ trade deficit with its southern neighbor was US $152.47 billion in 2023 and $141.85 billion in the first 10 months of 2024, according to the United States Census Bureau . Although Trump signed the USMCA deal, which superseded NAFTA in 2020, he evidently believes that trade between the three North American countries is not fair. In October, he pledged to renegotiate the pact . Since the trade agreement took effect, Mexico has become the world’s top exporter to the United States, ousting China from that position in 2023 . Trump has pledged to impose a 25% tariff on all Mexican and Canadian exports to the United States on the first day of his second term, although his stated motivation for doing so is not the trade imbalance but what he described as the “long simmering problem” of drugs and migrants entering the U.S. via its southern and northern borders. Trump said in a social media post on Nov. 25 that his proposed tariff on Mexican and Canadian goods would “remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!” At her morning press conference on Monday , Sheinbaum was asked about the president-elect’s “let them become a state” remark in reference to Mexico and Canada. She initially expressed her desire to cease “dialogue” with Trump “through the media,” but added that “obviously Mexico is a free, sovereign and independent country.” “We all know that and we always have to defend it,” Sheinbaum said. “I understand that this subsidy he speaks about has to do with the increase in Mexico’s exports to the United States, which now exceed [Mexico’s] imports [from the U.S.],” she said. “But yesterday, at the event we were at in Nuevo Laredo, I stated that the only way to compete with other regions of the world is by maintaining and strengthening the [North American] trade agreement, the USMCA,” Sheinbaum said. “... More than looking at each other as competition, we have to look at each other as complementary. It was President Trump who signed the USMCA and the United States has had a lot of benefits from the agreement,” she said. Sheinbaum previously said that her government would implement its own reciprocal tariff on U.S. exports to Mexico if Trump goes ahead with his Nov. 25 tariff threat. However, she has expressed confidence that the proposed U.S. tariff won’t end up being imposed on Mexican exports. Meanwhile, the Mexican government has countered that a 25% tax on Mexican exports would have a negative impact on the U.S. economy and consumers . Trump’s “Meet the Press” interview was his first sit-down interview since he won the United States presidential election on Nov. 5. In a discussion with NBC journalist Kristen Welker that lasted more than an hour, the president-elect made a range of remarks that were directly or indirectly related to Mexico. Here is a selection of those comments. ( Sheinbaum previously rejected Trump’s claim that she agreed during their call to “stop migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our southern border.”) Mexico News DailyPolice report reveals assault allegations against Hegseth, Trump's pick for defense secretaryEC to meet Congress netas to hear concerns on poll process

A lawyer for argued in a filing on Monday that the woman who on Sunday accused the rapper of raping her when she was 13 must reveal her identity or drop the lawsuit altogether. In the lawsuit, originally filed in October, a woman identified only as “Jane Doe” sued Sean “ ” Combs for allegedly raping her at a party following the the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, when she was 13. The suit was to include the allegation that Jay-Z (aka Shawn Carter) was also present and participated in the assault. Jay-Z’s lawyer Alex Spiro said in a filing in Manhattan federal court on Monday that the Jane Doe has not provided substantial evidence to justify her anonymity, saying her “vague assertions of potential harm fall far short of the stringent requirements.” “Mr. Carter deserves to know the identity of the person who is effectively accusing him — in sensationalized, publicity-hunting fashion — of criminal conduct, demanding massive financial compensation and tarnishing a reputation earned over decades,” Spiro wrote. “He has never been accused of, let alone engaged in, any sexual misconduct.” Spiro also pointed to other sexual misconduct lawsuits against Combs — who was recently as he awaits trial for sex trafficking charges — brought forward by this woman’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, which Spiro said do not meet the criteria to proceed anonymously. In a statement on social media Sunday, Jay-Z wrote that he had anonymously sued Buzbee, claiming that the lawyer was trying to blackmail him. When Buzbee wrote that he had sent a request for mediation to resolve the matter, Jay-Z responded saying, “What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle.” He went on to accuse Buzbee of “fraud” and write “I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!” Buzbee saying that “my firm sent his lawyer a demand letter on behalf of an alleged victim and that victim never demanded a penny from him.” He went on to say that Carter “has tried to bully and harass me and this plaintiff” and promised to “litigate the facts in court, not in the media.” THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day More from The Hollywood Reporter

NonePep Guardiola has warned that he will walk away from Manchester City if he doesn’t feel the love. The City boss is in the biggest crisis of his glittering managerial career and has just signed a two-year contract extension at the Etihad. Guardiola made it clear that he believes he can lift the four-in-a-row champions out of a slump that saw them lose five successive games before throwing away a three-goal Champions League lead against Feyenoord in midweek. City travel to Liverpool knowing that defeat at Anfield will leave them 11 points behind Arne Slot ’s runaway leaders. And Guardiola suggested that if he could quit a Barcelona team that included Lionel Messi , Xavi and Andres Iniesta then he would not hesitate to make the same decision in Manchester. Guardiola said: “I was in Barcelona. I would say my club, where I was born. I was there for four years, 14 titles. I had Messi, the best player ever. Neymar was coming - and I said ‘I’m leaving'. “People asked ‘why are you leaving your hometown with this generational player and with Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, all the players that changed the world , won World Cups and European Cups?’ “I left because I felt it - and here is the same. If I extend, it’s because I feel it. I'm not sitting here just for what I've done. “Still I'm happy, still I want to try. But I don't want to stay in the place where I feel I'm a problem. I don't want to just because the contract is there. My chairman knows it. I asked him to give me the chance to try to come back - especially when everybody comes back (from injury) and you see what happens. “It would have been easy for me to go while we were doing well, but I don't want to now. I had the feeling that I still have a job to do and I want to do it. I want to do it.” Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £240 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.

Martial law to miracle survival: South Korea's president YoonNEW YORK, Dec. 07, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Y-mAbs Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company” or “Y-mAbs”) (Nasdaq: YMAB), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel radioimmunotherapy and antibody-based therapeutic products for the treatment of cancer, today announced the presentation of CD38-SADA in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) preclinical data and trial in progress posters at the 66 th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition being held on December 7 –10, 2024, in San Diego, California. A poster titled “ CD38-SADA, a S elf- A ssembling and D is- A ssembling Bispecific Fusion Protein for Two-Step Pretargeted Radioimmunotherapy of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma ” characterizes the selective binding of CD38-SADA to DOTA-chelated lanthanide metals and high-avidity binding to CD38, a tumor specific antigen overexpressed across a range of lymphoma cells. Data from this poster demonstrate anti-tumor efficacy of CD38-SADA when used with Lutetium 177 (Lu 177 )-DOTA in a two-step approach to pre-targeted radioimmunotherapy (“PRIT”). Tumor responses in a xenograft mouse model were rapid and dose-dependent, further supporting the clinical development of CD38-SADA PRIT in patients with CD38-positive lymphoid malignancies. “This preclinical analysis provides important insights into the unique pharmacology of CD38-SADA and its therapeutic potential for NHL,” said Brian H. Santich, Ph.D., the lead author and co-inventor of the SADA PRIT technology platform. “The anti-tumor efficacy positively correlated with increasing doses of Lu 177 -DOTA and CD38-SADA, which informed the study design and initial dosing regimen of our Trial 1201 in patients with NHL.” In addition, Y-mAbs presents a trial-in-progress poster from its ongoing Phase 1 (Trial 1201) clinical study evaluating the safety and tolerability of CD38-SADA PRIT with Lu 177 -DOTA in adults with relapsed or refractory NHL. Trial 1201 is a first-in-human, dose-escalation, open-label, multicenter study composed of two parts. Part A includes dose escalation of the CD38-SADA bispecific fusion protein to define the optimal safe dose of the CD38-SADA protein, the administration interval between CD38-SADA and Lu 177 -DOTA, and the Lu 177 -DOTA dose for tumor imaging. In Part B, dose escalation of Lu 177 -DOTA will establish the optimal therapeutic dose of the radioactive payload. For each part, the escalation is based on a 3+3 trial design of 4 planned dose levels. “We are pleased to share the details of this Phase 1 clinical trial, which is investigating a potentially transformative approach to pre-targeted radioimmunotherapy for patients with relapsed and refractory NHL,” said Vignesh Rajah, MBBS, DCH, MRCP (UK), Chief Medical Officer. “This is our second clinical program evaluating the SADA PRIT technology platform and our first in hematological malignancies.” The abstract details are below: Abstract Title: “ CD38-SADA, a Self-Assembling and Dis-Assembling Bispecific Fusion Protein for Two-Step Pretargeted Radioimmunotherapy of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma” Format : Poster Presentation, ID: 1599 Date and Time: Saturday, December 7, 2024, 5:30 PM-7:30 PM Abstract Title: “ CD38-SADA Pretargeted Radioimmunotherapy (PRIT) with Lutetium 177 (Lu177)-DOTA in Adult Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: A First-in-Human Phase 1 Trial” Format : Poster Presentation, ID: 4434.1 Date and Time: Monday, December 9, 2024, 6:00 PM-8:00 PM Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), including Dr. Nai-Kong Cheung, developed the SADA technology for radioimmunotherapy, which is exclusively licensed by MSK to Y-mAbs. Dr. Cheung has intellectual property rights and interests in the technology, and as a result of this licensing arrangement, MSK has institutional financial interests in the technology. About Y-mAbs Y-mAbs is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, radioimmunotherapy and antibody-based therapeutic cancer products. The Company’s technologies include its investigational Self-Assembly DisAssembly (“SADA”) Pretargeted Radioimmunotherapy Platform (“PRIT”) and bispecific antibodies generated using the Y-BiClone platform. The Company’s broad and advanced product pipeline includes the anti-GD2 therapy DANYELZA® (naxitamab-gqgk), the first FDA-approved treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory high-risk neuroblastoma in the bone or bone marrow after a partial response, minor response, or stable disease to prior therapy. About CD38-SADA PRIT CD38-SADA is a bispecific fusion protein that tightly binds to the CD38 antigen and to select radionuclides chelated to tetraxetan (or “DOTA”). CD38-SADA contains a p53-derived domain that drives the self-assembly of CD38-SADA tetramers, which possess four distinct binding sites for CD38. In the first step of pre-targeted radiotherapy, non-radiolabeled-CD38-SADA tetramers are infused and bind with high avidity to CD38-positive tumors, while unbound CD38-SADA disassembles into low molecular weight monomers that are removed by the kidney. The second infusion delivers the “radioactive payload,” which binds to the CD38-SADA on tumor cells for localized irradiation. CD38-SADA PRIT with Lutetium 177 (Lu 177)-DOTA is now under clinical investigation in Trial 1201 (NCT05994157). Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our business model, including financial outlook for 2024 and beyond, including estimated operating expenses, use of cash and cash equivalents and DANYELZA product revenue and sufficiency of cash resources and related assumptions; expectations with respect to the Company’s future financial performance; implied and express statements regarding the future of the Company’s business, including with respect to expansion and its goals; expectations with respect to the Company’s plans and strategies, development, regulatory, commercialization and product distribution plans, including the timing thereof; expectations with respect to the Company’s products and product candidates, including potential territory and label expansion of DANYELZA and the potential market opportunity related thereto and potential benefits thereof, and the potential of the SADA PRIT technology and potential benefits and applications thereof; expectations relating to key anticipated development milestones, including potential expansion and advancement of commercialization and development efforts, including potential indications, applications and geographies, and the timing thereof; expectations with respect to current and future clinical and pre-clinical studies and the Company’s research and development programs, including with respect to timing and results; expectations regarding collaborations or strategic partnerships and the potential benefits thereof; and other statements that are not historical facts. Words such as ‘‘anticipate,’’ ‘‘believe,’’ “contemplate,” ‘‘continue,’’ ‘‘could,’’ ‘‘estimate,’’ ‘‘expect,’’ “hope,” ‘‘intend,’’ ‘‘may,’’ ‘‘might,’’ ‘‘plan,’’ ‘‘potential,’’ ‘‘predict,’’ ‘‘project,’’ ‘‘should,’’ ‘‘target,’’ “will,” ‘‘would’,’ “guidance,” “goal,” “objective,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Our product candidates and related technologies are novel approaches to cancer treatment that present significant challenges. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including but not limited to: risks associated with the Company’s financial condition and need for additional capital; the risks that actual results of the Company’s restructuring plan and revised business plan will not be as expected; risks associated with the Company’s development work; cost and success of the Company’s product development activities and clinical trials; the risks of delay in the timing of the Company’s or its partners’ regulatory submissions or failure to receive approval of its drug candidates; the risks related to commercializing any approved pharmaceutical product including the rate and degree of market acceptance of product candidates; development of sales and marketing capabilities and risks associated with failure to obtain sufficient reimbursement for products; risks related to the Company’s dependence on third parties including for conduct of clinical testing and product manufacture as well as regulatory submissions; the Company’s ability to enter into new partnerships or to recognize the anticipated benefits from its existing partnerships; risks related to government regulation; risks related to market approval, risks associated with protection of the Company’s intellectual property rights; risks related to employee matters and managing growth; risks related to the Company’s common stock, risks associated with macroeconomic conditions, including the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and sanctions related thereto, the state of war between Israel and Hamas and the related risk of a larger regional conflict, inflation, increased interest rates, uncertain global credit and capital markets and disruptions in banking systems; and other risks and uncertainties affecting the Company including those described in the “Risk Factors” section included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, and the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended March 31, 2024, and September 30, 2024, and future filings and reports by the Company. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SADA®, SADA PRIT®, DANYELZA® and Y-mAbs® are registered trademarks of Y-mAbs Therapeutics, Inc. Investor Contact: Courtney Dugan VP, Head of Investor Relations cdu@ymabs.com

West Ham's Antonio in hospital after road traffic incidentManufacturing sector's struggle for revival

CHICAGO (AP) — Aidan Laughery rushed for three touchdowns and No. 22 Illinois topped Northwestern 38-28 on Saturday to reach nine victories for the first time since its 2007 Rose Bowl season. Pat Bryant dashed in to score off Luke Altmyer’s 43-yard pass early in the third quarter as Illinois (9-3, 6-3 Big Ten) struck for touchdowns just over 4 minutes apart early in the third quarter to open a 28-10 lead in what had been a tight game. Bryant's 10th receiving touchdown tied a school record. Altmyer, who threw for 170 yards, had a TD himself on a keeper from the 1-yard line early in the second quarter. David Olano added a field goal in the fourth to cap Illinois' scoring. Laughery, a sophomore running back, rushed for a career-best 172 yards and topped 100 for the first time. He entered with only one TD this season and two for his career. He had a career-long 64-yard run for a score early in the second half. Coach Bret Bielema said he wasn't surprised by Laughery's explosive performance as the Gibson City, Illinois product rounded back into form after being hampered by a hamstring injury earlier this season. “I thought today would be a day that could happen,” Bielema said. “Today some of those turned into big home run hits we've kind of been waiting on all year.” Laughery said he's been prepping for this kind of game, when he carried the ball 12 times for an average of 14.3 yards. “Finally, the opportunity was there,” said Laughery, who got the game ball. “You know you gotta' hit one and it came together today.” He credited the Illini offensive line with opening space for his breakout performance. “Those guys were covering them (Northwestern's defense) all day long,” Laughery said. “It was awesome running behind the looks we were getting” Northwestern’s Devin Turner intercepted Altmyer twice, including for a 13-yard touchdown return late in the first quarter. Thomas Gordon caught Jack Lausch's 15-yard TD pass with a minute left, then the Wildcats added a two-point conversion to complete the scoring. Northwestern (4-8, 2-7 Big Ten) didn’t pack it in as hosted its second game this season at Wrigley Field, this time on a breezy sunny day with game-time temperature of 20 degrees. It looked like the Illini might run away after Bryant’s 10th receiving touchdown 4:52 into the third. He entered tied for the Big Ten lead. But Luke Akers kicked his second field goal of the game, a 34-yarder, with 5:35 left in the third quarter to cut it to 28-13. Lausch led the Wildcats on their next possession and finished it with an 11-yard touchdown toss to A.J. Henning to narrow the Illini lead to 28-20. Then Mac Resetich intercepted Lausch’s pass 50 seconds into the fourth quarter. Laughery powered up the middle for 31 yards and his third TD about two minutes later to quell the Wildcats' momentum. Northwestern dominated in possession time — 34:32 to 25:28 —and plays — 90 to 53. The margin was even more pronounced in the first half, but the Wildcats settled for a 13-yard touchdown return on Turner’s second pick of the game with 2:14 left in the first quarter and Akers’ 21-yard field goal that opened the scoring 6:29 in. Illinois led 14-10 at the half on Laughery’s 30-yard TD run midway through the first quarter and Altmyer’s keeper 1:39 into the second. Akers missed wide to the right on a 44-yard attempt as time ran out in the half. Both teams’ leading pass receivers were injured. Northwestern’s Bryce Kirtz was knocked out of the game in the first quarter with a lower-body injury after two receptions that upped his total yards to 598. Illinois’ Bryant went to the locker room with about 5 minutes left in the first half after Turner collided with him as he plucked his second interception. Bryant returned, however, for the second half. Illinois: Is in line for a prestigious bowl game appearance and a chance to tie the school record of 10 wins, most recently set during their 2001 Sugar Bowl season. “We wanted to put ourselves in a good position on this day to get to nine wins and see where it can go,” Bielema said. “Just a fun day overall. I don't know what the future holds. It think we're a team that can play with anybody in the country.” Northwestern: Finished its second season under coach David Braun at 4-8 overall and 2-7 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats dropped their final three and five of the last six. Illinois is headed to a bowl game. Northwestern opens its 2025 season at Tulane on Aug. 30. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football . Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25

Earth just experienced its second-warmest November on record — second only to 2023 — making it all but certain that 2024 will end as the hottest year ever measured, according to a report Monday by European climate service Copernicus. Last year was the hottest on record due to human-caused climate change coupled with the effects of an El Nino. But after this summer registered as the hottest on record — Phoenix sweltered through 113 consecutive days with a high temperature of at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit — scientists anticipated 2024 would set a new annual record as well. In November, global temperatures averaged 14.10C (57.38F). Last year's global average temperature was 14.98C (59F). FILE - People are silhouetted against the sky at sunset Nov. 12 as they run in a park in Shawnee, Kan. Jennifer Francis, a climate scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Cape Cod, who wasn't involved in the report, said the big story about November is that "like 2023, it beat out previous Novembers by a large margin." People are also reading... Iredell County deputies charge 7 people in drug trafficking investigation 3 men face arson charges in Statesville house fire that severely burned woman Top vote-getter Houpe: Why am I not chairman of Iredell board of commissioners? Statesville native Tomlin leads Delaware State to MEAC volleyball title, NCAA berth 4 pounds of marijuana, gun seized by Mooresville police officers Iredell-Statesville Schools closed Tuesday due to snow, ice Tiny, 4 more dogs seeking homes at Iredell County Animal Services New school chairman rules 2 fellow board members out of order in Iredell 3 Eagle Scouts and 1 grateful Iredell County resident Get to know Mooresville basketball player Cadence Lane Families prepare for mass deportations: 'A sad and painful time' Now streaming and on DVD: 'It Ends With Us' just prompts head shakes Colombia native brings tastes of his homeland to downtown Statesville Statesville native's book offers clues to 5 hidden treasures McKinnon breaks record, Arnold shows offensive burst in Lake Norman’s hot start This also likely will be the first calendar year in which the average temperature was more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, the report said. The 2015 Paris Agreement said human-caused warming should be limited to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and ideally below 1.5. In the following years, the world's top scientist said limiting to 1.5 was crucial to stave off the worst impacts of climate change, such as increasing destructive and frequent extreme weather events. Scientists say the main cause of climate change is the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. That "does not mean that the Paris Agreement has been breached, but it does mean ambitious climate action is more urgent than ever," said Copernicus Deputy Director Samantha Burgess. A young family visiting Washington cools off from the warm weather in a fountain Nov. 6 at the base of the Washington Monument. Francis said the new records are "terrible news for people and ecosystems." "The pace of warming is so fast that plants and animals cannot adapt as they always have during previous changes in the Earth's climate. More species will go extinct, which disrupts natural food webs they're a part of. Agriculture will suffer as pollinators decline and pests flourish," she said, also warning that coastal communities will be vulnerable to sea-level rise. Heat waves over the oceans and a loss of reflective sea ice and snow cover probably contributed to the temperature increase this year, experts said. Copernicus said the extent of Antarctic sea ice in November was 10% below average, a record. Oceans absorb about 90% of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases, later releasing heat and water vapor back into the atmosphere. Last year's record heat was caused partly by an El Nino — a temporary natural warming of parts of the central Pacific that alters weather worldwide. People walk Nov. 27 on an autumn-colored ginkgo tree-lined avenue in Tokyo. But that ended this year and a cooling effect that often follows, called La Nina, failed to materialize, leaving the scientific community "a little perplexed by what's going on here ... why temperatures are staying high," said Jonathan Overpeck, a climate scientist at the University of Michigan. One explanation is that an El Nino releases more heat to the atmosphere because of warmer ocean waters, then "we're not getting the cooling effect that often in decades gone by helps bring the temperature back down," Overpeck said. "So it does look like this could be contributing to the acceleration of global warming. But this year, he said, "is such a big jump following yet another jump, and that's a scary thing." How forecasts of bad weather can drive up your grocery bill How forecasts of bad weather can drive up your grocery bill It's no secret that a warming world will drive food prices higher, a phenomenon increasingly known as " heatflation ." What's less known, but a growing area of interest among economists and scientists alike, is the role individual extreme weather events — blistering temperatures in Texas , a destructive tornado in Iowa — may have on what U.S. consumers pay at the supermarket. At first glance, the answer might seem logical: A drought or flood that impacts agricultural production will, eventually, drive up prices. But it's not that simple, because what consumers pay for groceries isn't only reflective of crop yields or herd sizes, but the whole supply chain. As Grist reports, that's where it gets interesting: Economists are beginning to see a growing trend that suggests weather forecasts play a part in sticker shock. Sometimes the mere prediction of an extreme event — like the record-breaking temperatures, hurricanes, and wildfires forecasters are bracing for this summer — can prompt a spike in prices. It isn't the forecast itself to blame, but concerns about what the weather to come might mean for the entire supply chain, as food manufacturers manage their risks and the expected future value of their goods, said Seungki Lee, an agricultural economist at Ohio State University. "When it comes to the climate risk on food prices, people typically look at the production side. But over the last two years, we learned that extreme weather can raise food prices, [cause] transportation disruptions, as well as production disruptions," said Lee. How much we pay for the food we buy is determined by retailers, who consider the producer's price, labor costs, and other factors. Any increases in what producers charge is typically passed on to consumers because grocery stores operate on thin profit margins. And if manufacturers expect to pay more for commodities like beef or specialty crops like avocados in the future, they may boost prices now to cover those anticipated increases. "The whole discussion about the climate risks on the food supply chain is based on probabilities," Lee said. "It is possible that we do not see extreme temperatures this summer, or even later this year. We may realize there was no significant weather shock hitting the supply chain, but unfortunately that will not be the end of the story." Supply chain disruptions and labor shortages are among the reasons food prices have climbed 25 percent since 2020 . Climate change may be contributing as well. A study published earlier this year found " heatflation " could push them up by as much as 3 percentage points per year worldwide in just over a decade and by about 2 percentage points in North America. Simultaneous disasters in major crop and cattle producing regions around the world — known as multi-breadbasket failure — are among the primary forces driving these costs. Crop shortages in these regions may also squeeze prices, which can create volatility in the global market and bump up consumer costs. Historically, a single, localized heat wave or storm typically wouldn't disrupt the supply chain enough to prompt price hikes. But a warming world might be changing that dynamic as extreme weather events intensify and simultaneous occurrences of them become the norm. How much this adds to consumers' grocery bills will vary, and depends upon whether these climate-fueled disasters hit what Lee calls "supply chain chokepoints" like vital shipping channels during harvest seasons. "As the weather is getting more and more volatile because of climate change, we are seeing this issue more frequently," he said. "So what that means is the supply chain is getting more likely to be jeopardized by these types of risks that we have never seen before." Lower water levels slow down barges on the Mississippi River An ongoing drought that plagued the Mississippi River system from the fall of 2022 until February provides an excellent example of this. The Mississippi River basin, which covers 31 states, is a linchpin of America's agricultural supply chain. It produces 92 percent of the nation's agricultural exports, 78 percent of the world's feed grains and soybeans , and most of the country's livestock. Vessels navigating its roughly 2,350 miles of channels carry 589 million tons of cargo annually . Transportation barriers created by low water, seen above, hampered the ability of crop-producing states in the Corn Belt to send commodities like corn and soybeans, primarily used for cattle feed, to livestock producers in the South. Thus emerged a high demand, low supply situation as shipping and commodity prices shot up , with economists expecting consumers to absorb those costs . Past research showing that retail prices increase alongside commodity prices suggests that the drought probably contributed to higher overall food costs last year — and because droughts have a lingering impact on production even after they end, it may be fueling stubbornly high grocery prices today. But although it seems clear that the drought contributed to higher prices, particularly for meat and dairy products, just how much remains to be gauged. One reason for that is a lack of research analyzing the relationship between this particular weather event and the consumer market. Another is it's often difficult to tease out which of several possible factors, including global trade, war, and export bans , influence specific examples of sticker shock. While droughts definitely prompt decreases in agricultural production, Metin Çakır, an economist at the University of Minnesota, says whether that is felt by consumers depends on myriad factors. "This would mean higher raw ingredient costs for foods sold in groceries, and part of those higher costs will be passed onto consumers via higher prices. However, will consumer prices actually increase? The answer depends on many other supply and demand factors that might be happening at the same time as the impact of the drought," said Çakır. In a forthcoming analysis previewed by Grist, Çakır examined the relationship between an enduring drought in California, which produces a third of the nation's vegetables and nearly two-thirds of its fruits and nuts , and costs of produce purchased at large grocery retailers nationwide. While the event raised consumer vegetable prices to a statistically significant degree, they didn't increase as much as Çakır expected. This capricious consumer cost effect is due largely to the resiliency of America's food system . Public safety nets like crop insurance and other federal programs have played a large part in mitigating the impacts of adverse weather and bolstering the food supply chain against climate change and other shocks. By ensuring farmers and producers don't bear the brunt of those losses, these programs reduce the costs passed on to consumers. Advanced agricultural technology, modern infrastructure, substantial storage, and efficient transport links also help ensure retail price stability. A 2024 study of the role climate change played on the U.S. wheat market from 1950 to 2018 found that although the impact of weather shocks on price variability has increased with the frequency of extreme weather, adaptive mechanisms, like a well-developed production and distribution infrastructure with sufficient storage capacity, have minimized the impact on consumers. Still, the paper warns that such systems may collapse when faced with "unprecedented levels of weather variability." Last year was the world's warmest on record , creating an onslaught of challenges for crop and livestock producers nationwide. And this year is primed to be even more brutal , with the transition from El Niño — an atmospheric phenomenon that warms ocean temperatures — to La Niña , its counterpart that cools them. This cyclical change in global weather patterns is another potential threat for crop yields and source of supply chain pressures that economists and scientists are keeping an eye on. They will be particularly focused on the Midwest and stretches of the Corn Belt, two regions prone to drought as an El Niño cycle gives way to a La Niña, according to Weston Anderson, an assistant research scientist at the University of Maryland and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Those growing regions for corn and soybeans are what he'll be watching closely as La Niña develops. It's something Jennifer Ifft, an agricultural economist at Kansas State University, is also thinking about. "If you have a very severe drought in the Corn Belt ... that's going to be the biggest deal, because that's gonna raise the cost of production for cattle, hogs, poultry," said Ifft. "So that would probably have the largest inflationary impacts." As of January , U.S. beef herd inventory was at its lowest in 73 years, which multiple reports noted is due to the persisting drought that began in 2020 . Americans, the majority of whom are already spending more on groceries than last year, are poised to soon see "record" beef prices at the supermarket. Food prices are also expected to rise another 2.2 percent in 2024 , according to the USDA's Economic Research Service. In a world enmeshed in extremes, our already-fragile food supply chain could be the next system teetering on the edge of collapse because of human-caused climate change. And costlier groceries linked to impending risk is the first of many warning signs that it is already splintering. This story was produced by Grist and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media. Get the daily forecast and severe weather alerts in your inbox!The crypto space is teeming with presale events, yet the current rivalry between Crypto All-Stars (STARS) and BlockDAG (BDAG) is exceptionally fierce. Crypto All-Stars has captured widespread interest with its meme coin charm, while BlockDAG has made impressive strides, rapidly growing in the presale market. BlockDAG (BDAG) has accumulated over $158 million in less than a year. Its presale achievements are unmatched, making it the focal point in the community. But does this make it the superior option? We’ll compare their numbers, technology, and community support to see. The Reality Behind Crypto All-Stars Promises Crypto All-Stars has gathered over $6.2 million in its presale, thanks to its unique MemeVault staking platform, catering to various meme tokens. 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BlockDAG’s methodical planning and steady progress have secured its reputation within the crypto community, proving its readiness for sustained success, while Crypto All-Stars still needs to demonstrate its capability to fulfill its early promises. The Issue of Openness Transparency issues plague Crypto All-Stars, with increasing chatter on platforms like Reddit and social media about the anonymity of its team and overall secrecy. Reports of users being removed from the Telegram group for inquiring about the project's leaders exacerbate these concerns. Meanwhile, BlockDAG champions transparency with its community-driven approach. It has recently updated its website for a better user experience and introduced a structured, 5-step bonus system to maintain user engagement. Regular AMA sessions with its top leaders and straightforward updates underscore BlockDAG’s commitment to openness, setting it apart in a sector often criticized for its lack of transparency. Deciding the Better Pick While Crypto All-Stars has made its mark in the meme coin arena, its opaque operations and indefinite strategic plans have sparked notable worries. Conversely, BlockDAG has not only shown rapid growth by raising over $158 million in under a year but also boasts a clear, community-oriented strategy. BlockDAG’s cutting-edge DAG technology promotes scalability and speed, critical for enduring success. As a dominant force in the crypto presale coin market, BlockDAG is well-positioned to deliver substantial outcomes. For those looking for a reliable, transparent, and user-focused project, BlockDAG emerges as the clear superior choice. Presale: https://purchase.blockdag.network Website: https://blockdag.network Telegram: https://t.me/blockDAGnetworkOfficial Discord: https://discord.gg/Q7BxghMVyu Join our WhatsApp Channel to get the latest news, exclusives and videos on WhatsApp _____________ Disclaimer: Analytics Insight does not provide financial advice or guidance. Also note that the cryptocurrencies mentioned/listed on the website could potentially be scams, i.e. designed to induce you to invest financial resources that may be lost forever and not be recoverable once investments are made. You are responsible for conducting your own research (DYOR) before making any investments. Read more here.Counting underway in Ireland electionPresident and general manager of studio operations at Tyler Perry Studios dies in plane crash

By John Ogunsemore A former presidential aide, Reno Omokri has said President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove fuel subsidy was not hasty or rushed as being insinuated in some quarters . Omokri, who was a social media aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, stated this in a Facebook post on Saturday. He was reacting to a recent remark by Catholic Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, that Tinubu and his predecessors found themselves in power by accident and were therefore not fully prepared before assuming office. Omokri said Tinubu showed his readiness to govern by removing fuel subsidy at the outset of his administration. The ex- presidential aide insisted that Tinubu displayed great wisdom in taking action during his honeymoon period, when Nigerians historically gave new administrations the benefit of the doubt because of their euphoria that the old unpopular regime was gone. He stressed that such decisive action must be taken immediately and by surprise or it will never happen. “There was absolutely nothing like a rushed or hasty removal of fuel subsidy. “President Tinubu did the right thing. It was a masterstroke. “If you want to take such a decisive action in Nigeria, you do it immediately and by surprise, or it will never happen. If you alert people, you, as President, will have paralysis from analysis. “The day you give notice by announcing that you plan to remove it, you will start receiving calls from the owners of Nigeria. “Emirs and First Class traditional and spiritual leaders will come to your house and office to pressure you not to remove it. “Activists will rally Nigerians to take to the streets. The Nigerian Labour Congress will go on strike. The media will exaggerate its effects and paint doomsday scenarios,” he said. He added, “And the result is that you, as President, would be in a catch-22 position between the devil and the deep blue sea. “If you go ahead, you will appear insensitive. If you demurred, you look weak,” he added. Omokri maintained that Tinubu’s actions showed that, unlike Bishop Matthew Kukah claimed, he was ready to be President and had planned ahead. “That is why he hit the ground running on his first day and week by passing more policies and initiatives than any other administration before him, except Murtala Muhammad’s military government, on his first day, first week, first month and first 100 days. “In one week, Tinubu has achieved what Buhari would have taken one year to complete. This vindicates what I said during the campaigns, that any of the major Presidential candidates would have been better than Buhari. “Whether it is the immediate removal of fuel subsidy, flotation of the ,naira, the granting of Local Government autonomy, or the implementation of Student Loans to federal and state universities, all achieved with enthusiastic alacrity in his first year, one thing nobody can accuse President Tinubu of is not being prepared or decisive.”Ghana counts ballots after tight presidential race