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Climate protesters try to bring Berlin traffic to a halt

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:53:40 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — German climate activists tried bringing traffic to a standstill in Berlin on Monday morning by gluing themselves to streets all over the capital.Members of the group Last Generation have repeatedly blocked roads across Germany in the past year in an effort to pressure the government to take more drastic action against climate change. On several occasions, they have glued themselves to the roads, enraging some motorists and prompting accusations of extremism from conservative politicians.In addition to the road blocks, the activists said Monday they would also block traffic by marching very slowly through the city later in the day.In the morning, there were about 20 road blocks across the city, German news agency dpa reported.“We will no longer accept that the government has no plan to stop the destruction of our livelihoods,” Last Generation said in a statement. ”We are resisting now.”According to the Berlin police, up to 500 officers will be on the streets in th...

Airport strikes lead to cancellations in Berlin, Hamburg

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:53:40 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Employees at Berlin and Hamburg airports staged walkouts on Monday in an ongoing dispute over salary raises, leading to flight cancellations in both German cities.In Berlin, all departures and 70 out of 240 incoming flights were canceled, German news agency dpa reported. Due to a walkout announced at short notice by trade union ver.di, the airport in Hamburg announced in the early morning that 31 of 160 departures had been canceled.The walkouts started at 3:30 a.m. and were supposed to last until midnight.The union wants to increase pressure on employers with whom it is negotiating bonuses for special working hours, for example at weekends, and rules on overtime pay.The union has staged frequent walkouts over recent months to underline its demands, with local transport, hospitals and other public services hit. On the weekend, German government officials and labor unions reached a pay deal for more than 2.5 million public-sector workers, ending a lengthy dispute and hea...

Syrian state media say Israeli artillery shells border town

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:53:40 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s state media said Israel shelled targets in southern Syria early on Monday, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, causing unspecified material damage. There was no immediate comment from Israel.The report on the state SANA news agency said Israeli forces targeted the town of Talat Qars al-Nafl in Quneitra province but did not mention any casualties. The pro-government Al-Watan newspaper posted a video of the attack, showing an explosion from what it said was one of the targets being hit in the distance.A Britain-based war monitor, the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the shelling targeted militias linked to the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group in Quneitra. It said that Israel had struck targets in the same area last Tuesday. Israel, which has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment next door, has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets in government-controlled parts of neighboring Syria in recent years, but rarely acknowledges the...

Amazon Indigenous woman wins Goldman environment prize

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:53:40 GMT

SÃO PAULO (AP) — When Alessandra Korap was born in the mid-1980s, her Indigenous village nestled in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil was a haven of seclusion. But as she grew up, the nearby city of Itaituba, with its bustling streets and commercial activity, crept closer and closer.It wasn’t just her village feeling the encroachment of non-Indigenous outsiders. Two major federal highways paved the way for tens of thousands of settlers, illegal gold miners and loggers into the region’s vast Indigenous territories, which cover a forested area roughly the size of Belgium.The influx posed a grave threat to Korap’s Munduruku people, 14,000-strong and spread throughout the Tapajos River Basin, in Para and Mato Grosso states. Soon illegal mining, hydroelectric dams, a major railway and river ports for soybean exports choked their lands — lands they were still struggling to have recognized. Korap and other Munduruku women took up the responsibility of defending their people, over...

The man in a hurry: King Charles III rushes to make a mark

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:53:40 GMT

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III is a man in a hurry.After waiting 74 years to become king, Charles has used his first six months on the throne to meet faith leaders across the country, reshuffle royal residences, stage his first overseas state visit and hold a sleepover at Windsor Castle that included the coach of the England soccer team. Then there was the big news: He opened the royal archives to researchers investigating the crown’s links to slavery.“We are already surprised by the Prince Charles who was turned into King Charles and who we still call Prince Charles, because that’s how we think of him,” quipped royal historian Robert Lacey. “But, actually, he’s become a monarch quicker than people expected.”With the coronation just weeks away, Charles and the Buckingham Palace machine are working at top speed to show the new king at work. And the public is seeing a new kind of sovereign as he tries to slim down the monarchy and show that it is still relevant in a modern, multi-cult...

Credit Suisse: Net asset outflows topped $68 billion in Q1

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:53:40 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Ailing Swiss bank Credit Suisse on Monday reported over 61 billion Swiss francs (over $68 billion) in net asset outflows in the first quarter, when Switzerland’s government arranged for its takeover by rival UBS, and said investors are continuing to withdraw assets this month.The Zurich-based bank cited “significant net asset outflows” as it posted its first-quarter results that were skewed by the rescue plan, which was ordered by Switzerland’s financial markets regulator and included the write-down of some 15 billion francs in debt tied up in a particular type of bond. The takeover by UBS is expected to close in the coming months, and was designed in part to help stabilize the global financial system that had been roiled by the collapse of two U.S. banks. The reputation of 167-year-old Credit Suisse had been pummeled in recent years over stock price declines, a string of scandals and the flight of depositors worried about the bank’s future amid global financial turmoi...

Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray lament “missed opportunity” to sweep Wolves into offseason

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:53:40 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS – Most of the heavy lifting was already done, and it looked like the Timberwolves were headed for hibernation.Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. orchestrated an absurd 11-0 run over the final two minutes of regulation in Sunday’s gripping Game 4, putting the Nuggets on the precipice of the second round and the verge of the first sweep in franchise history.Down 96-95 with 12 seconds left, Jokic went to the free-throw line for two looks, a place he hadn’t visited once in Friday’s Game 3. On a night when the two-time reigning MVP hung 43 points on 26 shots, including five 3-pointers, Jokic missed. His errant free throw changed the complexion of the comeback and the game.“We had (an) opportunity,” lamented Jokic, who hit the second free throw to force overtime but whose team defense evaporated in the extra session.First Jokic took the blame for the free throw. If he had made both, maybe the Wolves wouldn’t have mustered a game-winning shot to stave off elimination. Th...

Germany's foreign minister: Parts of China trip 'more than shocking'

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:53:40 GMT

German Foreign Minister Annalena Bärbock described her recent visit to China on Wednesday as "more than shocking". She said Beijing is increasingly becoming a rival system rather than a trading partner or competitor.Baerbock made the remarks after her visit to Beijing, where she warned of any attempts by China to control Taiwan.Beijing has always claimed that Taiwan is a Chinese province, governed democratically. It also never ruled out using force to take the island under control.Baerbock also stated that China wants to follow its rules instead of the international order based on rules. Beijing, in turn, asked Germany to back Taiwan'reunification' and said China-Germany were not enemies but partners.Baerbock told the German Bundestag on Wednesday that "some of what she saw was more than shocking".She didn't elaborate, but her comment came after she had said that China was becoming aggressive and repressive both internally and externally.She said that for Germany, China is both a co...

How to use flowcharts to visualize workflows

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:53:40 GMT

A flowchart is a technique for visualizing a workflow. By making a flowchart, you can leave more effective results at work.After reading this article you will know:● What is a workflow?● What is a flowchart?● How to use flowchartsPlease read this article and use flowcharts at work.What is a workflowWorkflow (or business flow) refers to the sequence of operations. It is a content and diagram that shows which work should be given to whom. Presenting a workflow can help you work more smoothly, improve your decisiveness, and increase your productivity.Example of workflowFrom manufacturing to sales of product A:1. Outsourced manufacturing (OEM)2. Purchase product3. Quality check4. Delivered to Warehouse ASales5. Packaging6. Wholesale7. Sales8. Reach your customers9. Marketing10. Sales11. Reach the customerWhy Use Flowcharts?A flowchart is a way to make the workflow easier for others to understand. By drawing the actual work in a way that is easy to visualize, it becomes easier to underst...

1 dead after shooting in Exposition Park

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:53:40 GMT

One person is dead after a shooting Sunday night in Exposition Park, authorities said.  Calls about the incident, located in the 3700 block of Vermont Avenue, near Exposition Boulevard, came in at around 8:30 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department told KTLA that three suspects approached the victim, described only as a Black male in his 30s, as he was sitting in the passenger side of a vehicle. An argument ensued and shots were fired. The three suspects then fled.  Paramedics responded to the scene and the victim was taken to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.  L.A. police on the scene of a fatal shooting in Exposition Park on April 23, 2023. (KTLA)Details about the fatal shooting are limited, but so far, no arrests have been made and authorities have not provided any additional details about the suspects.