Puerto Rico may enter new year in darkness after sudden blackout
More than a million households were in the dark - the latest in a series of blackouts since Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Water rates in Northern Ireland suggested to help address wastewater crisis
Manager of Lough Neagh Partnership praises actions so far on lake’s algae crisis but warns of wider problems
The introduction of water rates in Northern Ireland could address crumbling wastewater infrastructure and the impact on waterways, it has been suggested.
It comes as the Stormont executive works to halt an environmental crisis at Lough Neagh, where noxious blooms of blue-green algae have covered the surface of the water across the past two summers.
Continue reading...Finland seizes a tanker, getting tough on hybrid warfare – The Economist
- Finland seizes a tanker, getting tough on hybrid warfare The Economist
- What to know about Finland, Russia's 'shadow fleet' and a severed undersea cable NPR
- Tensions with Russia rise amid power line sabotage The Hill
- Finnish investigators find an anchor drag mark on the Baltic seabed after suspicious cable damage The Associated Press
- Owner seeks release of oil tanker seized in Finland cable probe Reuters
US military court clears way for possible plea deals for 9/11 suspects
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin sought to throw out a possible deal in a case complicated by accusations of CIA torture.
Puerto Rico suffers nearly island-wide power outage on New Year’s Eve
Puerto Rico's energy infrastructure has struggled to recover after 2017's Hurricane Maria, a powerful Category 4 storm.
Johnnie Walker, BBC radio DJ, dies aged 79
Pioneering presenter was best known for hosting Sounds of the 70s and the Radio 2 Rock Show
The veteran BBC DJ Johnnie Walker has died at the age of 79, it has been announced.
Walker, who hosted Radio 2’s Sounds of the 70s and the Radio 2 Rock Show, began his career as a pirate DJ in the 60s on the offshore station Swinging Radio England, then Radio Caroline, before joining Radio 1 in 1969. He left the station after causing controversy by describing the Bay City Rollers as “musical garbage” and clashing with his bosses over an insistence on playing album tracks.
Continue reading...Portraits of catastrophe and courage in 2024 – Yale Climate Connections
- Portraits of catastrophe and courage in 2024 Yale Climate Connections
- What climate records were broken in 2024? Al Jazeera English
- A year of extreme weather that challenged billions BBC.com
- World endures 'decade of deadly heat' as 2024 caps hottest years on record The Guardian
- Europe suffered 3 of world’s 10 costliest climate disasters in 2024 Euronews
Lawmakers take on prior authorization reform as health insurance frustrations mount
Nearly one in four doctors say the practice of prior authorization has led to serious issues for patients
In the wake of the killing of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, and the outpouring of frustration about insurance coverage, prior authorizations have emerged as a particular roadblock in healthcare.
Prior authorization requires medical providers to get an insurer’s approval before patients receive healthcare or medications.
Continue reading...Houthis claim to ‘hit’ Jerusalem power station, Ben-Gurion Airport – The Jerusalem Post
- Houthis claim to 'hit' Jerusalem power station, Ben-Gurion Airport The Jerusalem Post
- World Health Organization chief caught in Israeli bombing of Yemen NBC News
- Middle East live updates: Israel threatens Houthis with 'miserable fate' ABC News
- How Israel should respond to the Houthis: Make them fear us more than we fear them - opinion The Jerusalem Post
- Houthis claim overnight missile attacks on Israel, US aircraft carrier The Times of Israel
Belgian woman runs marathon every day in 2024 in world record bid
The 55-year-old ran 15,444 kilometres (9,596 miles) over the course of a year.
One Of Ukraine’s Drone Boats Just Shot Down A Russian Helicopter – Forbes
- One Of Ukraine’s Drone Boats Just Shot Down A Russian Helicopter Forbes
- ‘I’m Hit, I’m Going Down!’ - Naval Drone Downs Russian Helicopter Forbes
- Ukraine Says Drone Downed Russian Military Helicopter at Sea Bloomberg
- Ukraine war latest: In world first, Ukrainian sea drone downs Russian helicopter Kyiv Independent
- Ukraine says it shot down Russian helicopter using a naval drone The Associated Press
‘Preying on investors’: how software firm MicroStrategy’s big bet on bitcoin went stratospheric
Company’s share price has risen twentyfold after it changed its strategy to become first ‘bitcoin treasury company’
In the summer of 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic upended economies around the world, an obscure US software firm decided to diversify. MicroStrategy, whose head office is situated next to a shopping mall and metro station in Tysons Corner, Virginia, had decided the steady business of “software as a service” was not racy enough.
Instead, it would branch out by investing up to $250m in alternative assets – “stocks, bonds, commodities such as gold, digital assets such as bitcoin or other asset types”.
Continue reading...Gaza’s 2024: A year of war and misery
Al Jazeera takes a closer look at events in Gaza over 2024, as Israel continued and escalated its brutal war.
South Korea plane crash investigators turn to black boxes in search for vital clues
Experts hope flight recorders will provide answers to key questions surrounding crash in which 179 died
As investigators set to work unpicking the cause of Sunday’s devastating plane crash in South Korea, the black boxes carried on the aircraft will be of prime importance, with retrieval of data from the cockpit voice recorder under way.
All but two of the 181 people onboard died in the disaster, with the victims aged from three to 78. The Korean airline’s chief executive, Kim E-bae, said he wanted “to bow my head and apologise”, according to a statement on the company’s website, adding it was “difficult to determine the cause of the accident”.
Continue reading...Celebrations as the world begins to welcome the New Year
Cities around the world are getting ready to ring in 2025 in style.
Why has the Pitt and Jolie divorce taken eight years?
The pair were married for two years - but it has taken four times that time to reach a divorce deal.
Why has the Pitt and Jolie divorce taken eight years?
The pair were married for two years - but it has taken four times that time to reach a divorce deal.
Xi says China’s economy on course to expand by 5% despite Trump concerns
President seeks to allay fears that world’s second-largest economy will falter in 2025 because of high US tariffs
China’s economy is on course to expand by 5% in 2025, according to its president, Xi Jinping, meeting official growth targets and rebutting concerns that Donald Trump’s incoming US administration will harm Beijing’s prospects in the new year.
Using his annual address to the nation, Xi sought to allay fears that the world’s second-largest economy would falter over the next 12 months after the government battled to prevent a slide towards recession during 2024.
Continue reading...Manmohan Singh: India’s Last Liberal – Jacobin magazine
- Manmohan Singh: India’s Last Liberal Jacobin magazine
- Former Indian PM Manmohan Singh: In his own words BBC.com
- Govt begins land identification process for Manmohan Singh memorial The Tribune India
- Manmohan Singh was India’s economic freedom fighter The Economist
- Chorus for Bharat Ratna for Manmohan Singh grows in Congress as Telangana House passes resolution The Indian Express
What is a state funeral and who will attend Jimmy Carter’s?
There will be multiple days of ceremonies and services in Washington DC and Georgia to honour the former president.