The Palisades Fire advancing on homes in Los AngelesEthan Swope/Associated Press/Alamy Fast-moving wildfires in the Los Angeles area are burning out of control long after fire season normally ends in California. Powerful Santa Ana winds are not unusual for this time of year but they have arrived after months of drought. The combination has led to a disastrous series of fires, in a possible indication of how climate change is shifting the way fires behave in the state. “While Santa Ana fires are nothing new in southern California, this type of explosive fire event has never happened in January before,…
Author: Team_Benjamin Franklin Institute
Go ahead and recycle your Christmas tree. But please, the Belgian authorities say, don’t try to eat it.The country’s federal food agency delivered that unusual warning this week after a suggestion from the climate-friendly city of Ghent. If you’re trying to cut down on holiday food waste, the city recently said on an environment page of its website, why not make a “delicious spruce needle butter” with the leftover needles from your holiday tree?“It’s a breeze,” the city’s post read. “That way your Christmas tree is not 100 percent waste.”The city acknowledged that there could be health dangers in the…
Taiwan is investigating whether a ship linked to China is responsible for damaging one of the undersea cables that connects Taiwan to the internet, the latest reminder of how vulnerable Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is to damage from China.The incident comes as anxiety in Europe has risen over apparent acts of sabotage, including ones aimed at such undersea communication cables. Two fiber-optic cables under the Baltic Sea were severed in November, prompting officials from Sweden, Finland and Lithuania to halt a Chinese-flagged commercial ship in the area for weeks over its possible involvement.In Taiwan, communications were quickly rerouted after the damage…
US stocks sold off on Tuesday, while government bond yields jumped, after strong jobs and services data prompted investors to bet the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates just once this year.Wall Street’s S&P 500 share gauge fell 1.1 per cent, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite closed 1.9 per cent lower.Electric-car maker Tesla and semiconductor giant Nvidia were among the biggest fallers, sliding more than 4 per cent and 6 per cent respectively.In government bond markets, the 10-year US Treasury yield — a global benchmark for fixed-income assets — rose 0.08 percentage points to 4.69 per cent, its highest level…
Credit: Gino Reyes, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons President Biden has been making a series of moves in the waning day of his presidency that make it clear – he’s trying to punish Donald Trump and the American people on his way out the door. Whether it’s commuting child murderers or handing out awards to people who got Americans killed, it’s obvious to me the bitter old man is trying to torch the country as payback for being ousted. On Monday, he did so again. Biden, in what can only be described as a reckless move, has chosen to release…
Just moments before stepping onto the iconic stage at the Beverly Hilton to host the 2025 Golden Globes, Nikki Glaser experienced an unexpected wardrobe malfunction—but handled it with her signature humor and grace.In an Instagram video shared ahead of the awards ceremony, the comedian was seen dramatically lip-syncing to Taylor Swift’s “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” from the pop star’s 2024 album “The Tortured Poets Department.”Dressed in a stunning gold Prabal Gurung gown, Nikki Glaser strutted confidently around backstage, belting out the emotional track with playful flair.Article continues below advertisementNikki Glaser’s Hilarious Wardrobe Malfunction Goes ViralMEGAHowever, toward the end…
WHAT IF CHINA AND THE US ACTUALLY GOT ALONG? Following the end of the war of resistance against Japanese aggression in 1945, Chiang Kai-shek, head of the KMT-led nationalist government, invited Mao, head of the Communist forces, to the wartime capital of Chongqing to discuss China’s future and the relationship between the two rival parties. Under the auspices of the US and encouraged by the then Soviet Union, Mao flew to Chongqing for 43 days of talks, known as the Chongqing Negotiations, which led to a peace pact known as the Double Tenth Agreement. Although the two long-time enemies did…
French president says Paris will engage with the incoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump on the ‘Iranian question’.French President Emmanuel Macron has called Iran the main “strategic and security challenge” for Europeans in the Middle East, raising concern over Tehran’s nuclear programme. Speaking to French ambassadors posted around the world on Monday, the French president also criticised Iran over backing for what he called “dangerous groups” across the Middle East and supporting Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine. “The acceleration of the nuclear programme brings us close to the point of no return,” Macron said. France is party to the…
The Detroit Lions overpowered the Minnesota Vikings in a 31-9 beatdown on “Sunday Night Football” to clinch the top seed and a first-round bye in the NFC. Here are five takeaways from the regular season finale: NFC runs through DetroitAfter dismantling the Vikings on Sunday night, the road to the Super Bowl runs through the Motor City after the Lions claimed back-to-back NFC North titles.Despite QB Jared Goff’s two interceptions, Detroit was balanced in all phases. With six catches for 77 yards, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown became the third player in NFL history to have 115+ receptions and 10+ receiving…
For those who didn’t experience the violence, Jan. 6, 2021, might feel like it’s in the past — but it’s not for me. I keep reliving the five horrific hours of that cold Wednesday afternoon, as I tried to protect elected officials, regardless of their political ideology, and their staffs inside the Capitol building — all without firing my gun.For my efforts doing my duty as a Capitol Police sergeant, I was beaten and struck by raging rioters all over my body with multiple weapons until I was covered in my own blood. My hand, foot and shoulder were wounded.…