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Syrians cheer end of 50 years of Assad rule at first Friday prayers since government fellArticle content The Saskatchewan NDP Opposition is lamenting the price at the pump for Wednesday’s morning commute after it was “blocked” from tabling a motion to suspend the gas tax for six months. “It will remain the highest in the Prairies after the Sask. Party today blocked the Saskatchewan NDP’s emergency motion to suspend the provincial gas tax and give drivers some much-needed relief,” the NDP said in a news release Tuesday afternoon. Leading up to the first session of the 30th legislature, which began Monday, Opposition Leader Carla Beck said her caucus planned to introduce an emergency motion Tuesday in the Legislature that would drop gas prices by 15 cents per litre starting Wednesday. An attempt by Opposition finance critic Trent Wotherspoon to do just that failed Tuesday after members of the Sask. Party denied leave to table it. During question period, Finance Minister Jim Reiter made it clear the Sask. Party would not support calls for a temporary suspension of the tax. Reiter said the government is prioritizing permanent, long-term tax relief that it argues will have a greater effect on affordability. The government announced Monday that its first piece of legislation will be the Saskatchewan Affordability Act. The bill is to enact the Saskatchewan Party’s election campaign commitments to address affordability issues, including personal tax relief to save a family of four more than $3,400 over four years. The province also plans to continue not charging the federal carbon levy on home heating, introduce a home-renovation tax credit and increase benefits for people with disabilities and families with kids in sports and arts. “Hardworking people who have never struggled before are cutting back on the essentials,” Beck clapped back in Tuesday news release. “They can’t wait until tax season next year to find out if they’ll even benefit from the government’s programs.” The NDP says pausing the gas tax before the holidays would save families hundreds of dollars over the next course of the suspension. The issue was a major part of Beck’s campaign leading up to last month’s provincial vote; similar motions have already been passed in Alberta, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador. The governing United Conservative Party in Alberta and the Manitoba NDP have paused provincial fuel taxes this year, though Alberta’s came back into force in April. Manitoba has decided to extend its pause while Ontario has budgeted a pause until the end of 2024. The NDP has been calling for a pause on the gas tax for months and even forced a vote in early May during the last session of the legislature to suspend the tax; it also failed. “It’s something that would save Saskatchewan families hundreds of dollars at a time when they desperately need it,” Beck said when the party continued calls for a suspension later that month. — with files from Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark leaderpost.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe. Share this Story : Sask. NDP 'blocked' from tabling emergency motion to suspend gas tax Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr
Arizona Speaker-elect Steve Montenegro told Breitbart News Saturday that Arizonans rejected Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) and Democrats’ agenda by expanding Republicans’ control over the state House. Montenegro spoke to Breitbart News Saturday host Matthew Boyle after Arizona Republicans in the state legislature successfully expanded their majority. He said that Democrats tried to move heaven and earth to flip the Republican majority. “It’s really powerful to see what happened because, in a certain way, it was ground zero. Democrats made it their centerpiece, they spent over $20 million on their messaging, on their, to flip the House,” Montenegro told Breitbart News Saturday . The Arizona Speaker-elect said that Gov. Hobbs pitched her vision and Arizona voters said, “Absolutely not.” Montenegro said that Republicans have a three-pillar platform agenda to protect Arizonans’ freedom: Protecting the American dream by advancing sound economic policy Making sure Arizonans have safe communities by cracking down on illegal immigration, fentanyl trafficking, and curbing cartel activity Protecting Arizonans’ individual rights and liberties Montenegro said that Arizona Republicans are discussing how to help Tom Homan — Trump’s former Immigration and Customs Enforcement head and now-border czar — combat illegal immigration and “protect our people.” He noted that his family legally immigrated to the United States from El Salvador. Montenegro wrote on Friday, “Common-sense measures will better secure our elections, like government-issued photo ID for in-person voting, banning unsupervised ballot drop boxes & more. Hopefully, our Governor respects the will of the people and joins us, but we can always take these improvements directly to the voters if we must.” He added , “Another area of elections we can and should improve deals with signature verification. Stronger Voter ID requirements for absentee ballots can speed and better secure the process. Growing support for this in the State House.” Breitbart News Saturday airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 from 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. Eastern. Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3 .DAMASCUS (AP) — Exuberant Syrians observed the first Friday prayers since the ouster of President Bashar Assad , gathering in the capital's historic main mosque, its largest square and around the country to celebrate the end of half a century of authoritarian rule. The newly installed interim prime minister delivered the sermon at the Umayyad Mosque, declaring that a new era of “freedom, dignity and justice” was dawning for Syria. The gatherings illustrated the dramatic changes that have swept over Syria less than a week after insurgents marched into Damascus and toppled Assad. Amid the jubilation, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with allies around the region and called for an “inclusive and non-sectarian” interim government. Blinken arrived in Iraq on a previously unannounced stop after talks in Jordan and Turkey, which backs some of the Syrian insurgent factions. So far, U.S. officials have not talked of direct meetings with Syria's new rulers. The main insurgent force, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has worked to establish security and start a political transition after seizing Damascus early Sunday. The group has tried to reassure a public both stunned by Assad's fall and concerned about extremist jihadis among the rebels. Insurgent leaders say the group has broken with its extremist past, though HTS is still labeled a terrorist group by the United States and European countries. HTS's leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, appeared in a video message Friday congratulating “the great Syrian people for the victory of the blessed revolution.” “I invite them to head to the squares to show their happiness without shooting bullets and scaring people,” he said. “And then after, we will work to build this country, and as I said in the beginning, we will be victorious by the help of God.” Syrians celebrate in the historic heart of Damascus Huge crowds, including some insurgents, packed the historic Umayyad Mosque in the capital's old city, many waving the rebel opposition flag — with its three red stars — which has swiftly replaced the Assad-era flag with with its two green stars. Syrian state television reported that the sermon was delivered by Mohammed al-Bashir, the interim prime minister installed by HTS this week. The scene resonated on multiple levels. The mosque, one of the world's oldest dating back some 1,200 years, is a beloved symbol of Syria, and sermons there like all mosque sermons across Syria were tightly controlled under Assad's rule. Also, in the early days of the anti-government uprising in 2011, protesters would leave Friday prayers to march in rallies against Assad before he launched a brutal crackdown that turned the uprising into a long and bloody civil war. “I didn’t step foot in Umayyad Mosque since 2011," because of the tight security controls around it, said one worshipper, Ibrahim al-Araby. “Since 11 or 12 years, I haven’t been this happy.” Another worshipper, Khair Taha, said there was “fear and trepidation for what’s to come. But there is also a lot of hope that now we have a say and we can try to build.” Blocks away in Damascus' biggest roundabout, named Umayyad Square, thousands gathered, including many families with small children — a sign of how, so far at least, the country's transformation has not caused violent instability. “Unified Syria to build Syria,” the crowd chanted. Some shouted slurs against Assad and his late father, calling them pigs, an insult that would have previously led to offenders being hauled off to one of the feared detention centers of Assad’s security forces. One man in the crowd, 51-year-old Khaled Abu Chahine — originally from the southern province of Daraa, where the 2011 uprising first erupted — said he hoped for “freedom and coexistence between all Syrians, Alawites, Sunnis, Shiites and Druze.” The interim prime minister, al-Bashir, had been the head of a de facto administration created by HTS in Idlib, the opposition's enclave in northwest Syria. The rebels were bottled up in Idlib for years before fighters broke out in a shock offensive and marched across Syria in 10 days. Similar scenes of joy unfolded in other major cities, including in Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Latakia and Raqqa. US and its allies try to shape a rapidly changing Syria Al-Sharaa, HTS' leader, has promised to bring a pluralistic government to Syria, seeking to dispel fears among many Syrians — especially its many minority communities — that the insurgents will impose a hard-line, extremist rule. Another key factor will be winning international recognition for a new government in a country where multiple foreign powers have their hands in the mix. The Sunni Arab insurgents who overthrew Assad did so with vital help from Turkey, a longtime foe of the U.S.-backed Kurds . Turkey controls a strip of Syrian territory along the shared border and backs an insurgent faction uneasily allied to HTS — and is deeply opposed to any gains by Syria's Kurds. In other developments, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey’s Embassy in Damascus would reopen Saturday for the first time since 2012, when it closed due to the Syrian civil war. The U.S. has troops in eastern Syria to combat remnants of the Islamic State group and supports Kurdish-led fighters who rule most of the east. Since Assad's fall, Israel has bombed sites all over Syria, saying it is trying to prevent weapons from falling into extremist hands. It has also seized a swath of southern Syria along the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, calling it a buffer zone. After talks with Fidan, Blinken said there was “broad agreement” between Turkey and the U.S. on what they would like to see in Syria. That starts with an "interim government in Syria, one that is inclusive and non-sectarian and one that protects the rights of minorities and women” and does not “pose any kind of threat to any of Syria’s neighbors,” Blinken said. Fidan said the priority was “establishing stability in Syria as soon as possible, preventing terrorism from gaining ground, and ensuring that IS and the PKK aren’t dominant” — referring to the Islamic State group and the Kurdistan Workers Party. Ankara considers the PKK within Turkey's borders a terrorist group, as it does the Kurdish-backed forces in Syria backed by the U.S. A U.S. official said that in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Fidan both told Blinken that Kurdish attacks on Turkish positions would require a response. The official spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic talks. The U.S. has been trying to limit such incidents in recent days and had helped organize an agreement to prevent confrontations around the northern Syrian town of Manbij, which was taken by Turkey-backed opposition fighters from the U.S.-backed Kurdish forces earlier this week. In Baghdad, Blinken met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, saying both countries wanted to ensure the Islamic State group — also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh — doesn't exploit Syria's transition to re-emerge. “Having put Daesh back in its box, we can’t let it out, and we’re determined to make sure that that doesn’t happen," Blinken said. The U.S. official who briefed reporters said that Blinken had impressed upon al-Sudani the importance of Iraq exercising its full sovereignty over its territory and airspace to stop Iran from transporting weapons and equipment to Syria, either for Assad supporters or onward to the militant Hezbollah group in Lebanon. ___ Lee reported from Ankara, Turkey. Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed to this report. Albert Aji And Matthew Lee, The Associated PressThe London Underground changes coming to the network in 2025
JAMAICA, N.Y. , Dec. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The New Terminal One at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) today announced that Turkish Airlines will begin operations at the new terminal when it opens in 2026. Turkish Airlines will also unveil a brand new, state-of-the-art lounge for its premium customers, launching the next phase of the award-winning airline's growth at its top U.S. gateway. The New Terminal One, set to be the largest international terminal in the United States , will offer best-in-class amenities and innovative technology for a transformational and efficient travel experience. The New Terminal One is a key component of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's $19 billion transformation of JFK Airport into a world-class gateway, which will include two new terminals, the modernization and expansion of two existing terminals, a new ground transportation center, and an entirely new, simplified roadway network. Turkish Airlines, which currently flies 19 times weekly from JFK Airport to its hub at Istanbul , providing seamless connections to its extensive global network, will continue to offer top-tier service from the new terminal. As part of its expansion in the JFK market, Turkish Airlines will open an 11,000-square-foot lounge in the New Terminal One – twice the size of the airline's lounge at the existing Terminal 1. The new lounge will feature premium amenities, expansive views of JFK Airport's airfield and provide direct boarding access to aircraft, offering unmatched convenience for Turkish Airlines' business class customers and top-tier frequent flyers. Recognized for its exceptional in-flight service, Turkish Airlines recently received the World Class Award from the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) for the fourth consecutive year, placing it among just 10 airlines in the world to have received this prestigious recognition. Turkish Airlines was also chosen as the Best Airline in Europe nine times by Skytrax. Over the years Turkish Airlines also received accolades from Skytrax and other prestigious organizations numerous times for its Business and Economy Class offerings and Lounges. Turkish Airlines offers service to 351 destinations, including 25 in the Americas. Turkish is a member of the Star Alliance and will join other alliance members at the New Terminal One: LOT Polish Airlines, EVA Air and Air China. "We are thrilled to welcome Turkish Airlines to the New Terminal One at JFK, where their commitment to world-class customer service aligns perfectly with our mission to provide an unparalleled customer experience," said The New Terminal One Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Aument . "We look forward to working closely with our colleagues at Turkish Airlines to elevate the travel experience for customers from 2026 and beyond." Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee Prof. Ahmet Bolat stated: "We are excited to bring Turkish Airlines' world-class service to the New Terminal One at JFK, further enhancing our passengers' travel experience with a state-of-the-art-lounge. This move underlines our commitment to continue our growth in the U.S market." In addition to Turkish Airlines, the New Terminal One has partnered with several other global carriers, including Air France, KLM, Etihad, LOT Polish Airlines, Korean Air, EVA Air, Air Serbia, SAS, Neos and Philippine Airlines. Air China is also partnering with the terminal on elevating the travel experience for Chinese customers visiting New York . The New Terminal One is focused on improving the customer experience by collaborating with potential airline partners. This includes working with airline teams across all customer journey touchpoints. Set to be JFK Airport's largest terminal when complete, the New Terminal One will offer a world-class customer experience and additional widebody aircraft gate capacity – providing international airlines a unique opportunity to grow their service at JFK, the top global gateway to the U.S. About The New Terminal One The New Terminal One at John F. Kennedy International Airport is a bold and exciting project to develop a world-class international terminal that will serve as an anchor terminal in the Port Authority's $19 billion transformation of JFK into a global gateway to the New York metropolitan area and the United States . The New Terminal One will set a new standard for design and service, aspiring to obtain a Top 5 Skytrax ranking and be considered one of the finest airport terminals in the world. The New Terminal One is being built on sites now occupied by Terminal 1 and the former Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, where it will anchor JFK's south side. Construction is taking place in phases. The first phase, including the new arrivals and departures halls and first set of 14 new gates, is expected to open in 2026. At completion, anticipated in 2030, the New Terminal One will be 2.6 million square feet, making it the largest terminal at JFK and nearly the same size as LaGuardia Airport's two new terminals combined. The New Terminal One will be a 23-gate, state-of-the-art, international-only terminal. Sustainably designed and future-focused, the terminal will feature expansive, naturally lit public spaces, cutting-edge technology, and an array of amenities, all designed to enhance the customer experience and compete with some of the highest-rated airport terminals in the world. The New Terminal One consortium of labor, operating, and financial partners is led by Ferrovial, JLC Infrastructure, Ullico, and Carlyle. The New Terminal One is being built by union labor and is committed to local inclusion and labor participation, focusing on diversity and capacity-building opportunities, including ambitious participation goals of 30% for minority and women-owned enterprises, 10% for local business enterprises and 3% for service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. To learn more about the New Terminal One at JFK International Airport, visit https://www.anewjfk.com/projects/the-new-terminal-one/ About Turkish Airlines Established in 1933 with a fleet of five aircraft, Star Alliance member Turkish Airlines has a fleet of 491 (passenger and cargo) aircraft flying to 351 worldwide destinations in 130 countries (298 international destinations and 53 domestic destinations within Turkiye). More information about Turkish Airlines can be found on its official website www.turkishairlines.com or its social media accounts on Facebook, X, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/turkish-airlines-to-begin-operations-at-the-new-terminal-one-at-jfk-and-unveil-world-class-lounge-302331710.html SOURCE The New Terminal One at JFK
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BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — In the wee hours Sunday at the United Nations climate talks, countries from around the world reached an agreement on how rich countries can cough up the funds to support poor countries in the face of climate change. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — In the wee hours Sunday at the United Nations climate talks, countries from around the world reached an agreement on how rich countries can cough up the funds to support poor countries in the face of climate change. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — In the wee hours Sunday at the United Nations climate talks, countries from around the world reached an agreement on how rich countries can cough up the funds to support poor countries in the face of climate change. It’s a far-from-perfect arrangement, with many parties still unsatisfied but some hopeful that the deal will be a step in the right direction. World Resources Institute president and CEO Ani Dasgupta called it “an important down payment toward a safer, more equitable future,” but added that the poorest and most vulnerable nations are “rightfully disappointed that wealthier countries didn’t put more money on the table when billions of people’s lives are at stake.” The summit was supposed to end on Friday evening but negotiations spiraled on through early Sunday. With countries on opposite ends of a massive chasm, tensions ran high as delegations tried to close the gap in expectations. Here’s how they got there: What was the finance deal agreed at climate talks? Rich countries have agreed to pool together at least $300 billion a year by 2035. It’s not near the full amount of $1.3 trillion that developing countries were asking for, and that experts said was needed. But some delegations said this deal is headed in the right direction, with hopes that more money flows in the future. The text included a call for all parties to work together using “all public and private sources” to get closer to the $1.3 trillion per year goal by 2035. That means also pushing for international mega-banks, funded by taxpayer dollars, to help foot the bill. And it means, hopefully, that companies and private investors will follow suit on channeling cash toward climate action. The agreement is also a critical step toward helping countries on the receiving end create more ambitious targets to limit or cut emissions of heat-trapping gases that are due early next year. It’s part of the plan to keep cutting pollution with new targets every five years, which the world agreed to at the U.N. talks in Paris in 2015. The Paris agreement set the system of regular ratcheting up climate fighting ambition as away to keep warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. The world is already at 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 degrees Fahrenheit) and carbon emissions keep rising. What will the money be spent on? The deal decided in Baku replaces a previous agreement from 15 years ago that charged rich nations $100 billion a year to help the developing world with climate finance. The new number has similar aims: it will go toward the developing world’s long laundry list of to-dos to prepare for a warming world and keep it from getting hotter. That includes paying for the transition to clean energy and away from fossil fuels. Countries need funds to build up the infrastructure needed to deploy technologies like wind and solar power on a large scale. Communities hard-hit by extreme weather also want money to adapt and prepare for events like floods, typhoons and fires. Funds could go toward improving farming practices to make them more resilient to weather extremes, to building houses differently with storms in mind, to helping people move from the hardest-hit areas and to help leaders improve emergency plans and aid in the wake of disasters. The Philippines, for example, has been hammered by six major storms in less than a month, bringing to millions of people howling wind, massive storm surges and catastrophic damage to residences, infrastructure and farmland. “Family farmers need to be financed,” said Esther Penunia of the Asian Farmers Association. She described how many have already had to deal with millions of dollars of storm damage, some of which includes trees that won’t again bear fruit for months or years, or animals that die, wiping out a main source of income. “If you think of a rice farmer who depends on his or her one hectare farm, rice land, ducks, chickens, vegetables, and it was inundated, there was nothing to harvest,” she said. Why was it so hard to get a deal? Election results around the world that herald a change in climate leadership, a few key players with motive to stall the talks and a disorganized host country all led to a final crunch that left few happy with a flawed compromise. The ending of COP29 is “reflective of the harder geopolitical terrain the world finds itself in,” said Li Shuo of the Asia Society. He cited Trump’s recent victory in the US — with his promises to pull the country out of the Paris Agreement — as one reason why the relationship between China and the EU will be more consequential for global climate politics moving forward. Developing nations also faced some difficulties agreeing in the final hours, with one Latin American delegation member saying that their group didn’t feel properly consulted when small island states had last-minute meetings to try to break through to a deal. Negotiators from across the developing world took different tacks on the deal until they finally agreed to compromise. Meanwhile, activists ramped up the pressure: many urged negotiators to stay strong and asserted that no deal would be better than a bad deal. But ultimately the desire for a deal won out. Some also pointed to the host country as a reason for the struggle. Mohamed Adow, director of climate and energy think tank Power Shift Africa, said Friday that “this COP presidency is one of the worst in recent memory,” calling it “one of the most poorly led and chaotic COP meetings ever.” The presidency said in a statement, “Every hour of the day, we have pulled people together. Every inch of the way, we have pushed for the highest common denominator. We have faced geopolitical headwinds and made every effort to be an honest broker for all sides.” Shuo retains hope that the opportunities offered by a green economy “make inaction self-defeating” for countries around the world, regardless of their stance on the decision. But it remains to be seen whether the UN talks can deliver more ambition next year. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. In the meantime, “this COP process needs to recover from Baku,” Shuo said. ___ Associated Press reporters Seth Borenstein and Sibi Arasu contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Advertisement Advertisement
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There are thousands of dividend-paying stocks in the market, and it can seem overwhelming to many investors to figure out which are the best income investments for their portfolios. If you're looking to create a passive income stream that you don't have to worry about, a dividend-stock index fund could be a better fit for you either in place of or in addition to investing in high-quality dividend stocks individually. One in particular that could be worth a closer look is the Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF ( VYM -0.55% ) , which could be one of the best worry-free ways to not only create a passive income stream but also to grow your portfolio's value over time. Here's a rundown of what you need to know about this exchange-traded fund (ETF) and what it could do for you. About the Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF As its name suggests, the Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF invests in a portfolio of stocks with, well, high dividend yields. More specifically, the ETF tracks an index of mostly large-cap stocks that are expected to maintain above-average dividend yields. There are currently 536 stocks in the index, and the median market cap is $148.5 billion. It's a weighted index, meaning that larger companies make up more of the ETF's assets, but no single stock accounts for more than 4% of the total portfolio. Top holdings include some companies you'd probably expect to find, such as JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) , ExxonMobil ( XOM -0.01% ) , and Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) , but you'll also find some tech-focused companies like Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) and Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) . These are just a few examples, but the key takeaway is that the stocks owned by this ETF are generally long-established companies with steady cash flows. At the current price, the ETF has an annualized yield of about 2.7%, but keep in mind that it passes through dividends from the underlying stocks, and therefore its dividend yield can vary (and be somewhat unpredictable) from quarter to quarter. Like most Vanguard funds, the High Dividend Yield ETF is a low-cost index fund, with a 0.06% expense ratio. This means that for every $1,000 you invest, your annual investment costs are just $0.60. Note that this isn't a fee you have to actually pay; it will simply be reflected in the performance over time. A solid combination of growth and income Now, a 2.7% yield might not get you too excited, but keep in mind that this ETF is designed to produce a solid combination of share-price appreciation as well as income that grows over time. It is best approached as a total return investment, and over the past decade, it has generated a 10.2% annualized return for investors. For context, a $10,000 investment compounded at this rate would be worth about $26,400 after 10 years, about $69,800 after 20 years, and approximately $184,300 after 30 years. Of course, past performance doesn't guarantee any level of future returns, but the point is that this isn't just a great way to create an income stream. It can build serious wealth in your portfolio over time.FARGO — When Steve D. Scheel received the North Dakota Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award, he couldn’t help but thank the leaders and staff at Scheels. “If there was ever a Team Rough Rider Award, this would be it,” he said Tuesday, Nov. 26, at the Fargo store. ADVERTISEMENT The former Scheels board chairman, president and CEO became the 50th recipient of North Dakota’s highest citizen honor. Employees looked on from the second floor of the sporting goods retailer’s headquarters as state officials unveiled a portrait of Scheel. “Part of the joy that Theodore Roosevelt had was that he had found purpose in seeking new frontiers,” North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said. “Today, we’re celebrating another legendary North Dakota who found his frontier. Some might say that he found it in sporting goods. He might have found it in retail, but I think you know from the presentations this morning that the joy of his frontier was creating others and inspiring others to lead and creating opportunities for others.” Scheel became Scheels president, CEO and chairman in 1989. He is credited with taking the Scheels brand from a home and hardware store to a sporting goods chain. Scheel said he wanted to make his company not just about selling sporting goods. He wanted to create a customer experience for families. He added a number of attractions, including Ferris wheels in 16 stores and Fuzziwig’s Candy Factory in 19 stores. “Steve had the vision,” Scheels CEO Matt Hanson said. “Vision is part of Steve’s legacy.” Scheel said it took him too long to understand the value of entertainment and attractions in retail. He mentioned studying other stores such as Cabela’s and Toys R Us. He said he got strange looks as he brought the ideas up at board meetings, but the changes paid off. Over his 35 years as the Scheels leader, Scheel helped expand his company to 13,000 associates at 34 stores. Scheels went from having a presence in three to 16 states. ADVERTISEMENT Scheel also focused his time on “the culture of leadership,” Hanson said. In 2001, Scheel changed the title of manager to leaders, and he dubbed himself “head cheerleader.” Scheel is known for his philanthropy, from donating money for large sports complexes like the Scheels Arena in Fargo to creating a program for employees to donate $500 to a person in need. “It’s easy to look around Fargo-Moorhead and see all the good Steve has done,” Hanson said. “What you won’t see is all the other things he’s done anonymously. But even more important is how Steve has developed a culture of giving back in our 34 stores.” In an emotional moment, Burgum recalled going to Scheels as a child and dreaming about buying a Schwinn bicycle. He said he saved enough money for the purchase by working on his family farm and local grain elevator. “I remember the day I bought that bike,” Burgum said. “Take yourself back to the first time you walked into a Scheels store and had a dream about, if you worked hard, that you might be able to do something.” Scheel said he has been surrounded by talented people, and he is proud of his staff. “Mine hasn’t been a job, hasn’t been a career,” he said. “It’s been a love affair, a love affair with the retail business and our people at Scheels for over five decades” ADVERTISEMENT
NEW YORK (AP) — If anybody knows Deion Sanders' mind, it might be Travis Hunter. And the two-way Colorado star says Coach Prime is indeed staying put with the Buffaloes. “I got a lot of insight. He ain’t going nowhere. He’s going to be right where he's at right now,” Hunter said Friday in Manhattan, where he's a heavy favorite to win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night. In his second season at the school, Sanders coached No. 20 Colorado to a 9-3 record this year and its first bowl bid since 2020. Hunter, Sanders and the Buffaloes will face No. 17 BYU (10-2) in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28. Sanders' success and popularity in Boulder has led to speculation the flashy and outspoken former NFL star might seek or accept a coaching job elsewhere this offseason. Sanders, however, has dismissed such talk himself. Hunter followed Sanders from Jackson State, an HBCU that plays in the lower level FCS, to the Rocky Mountains and has already racked up a staggering string of individual accolades this week, including The Associated Press player of the year. The junior wide receiver and cornerback plans to enter the 2025 NFL draft and is expected to be a top-five pick — perhaps even No. 1 overall. But he backed up assertions from Sanders and his son, star Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, that both will play in the Alamo Bowl rather than skip the game to prepare for the draft and prevent any possible injury. “It's definitely important because, you know, I started this thing with Coach Prime and Shedeur and most of the coaches on the coaching staff, so I want to finish it off right,” Hunter said. "I didn't give them a full season my first year (because of injury), so I'm going to go ahead and end this thing off right. It's going to be our last game together, so I'm going to go out there and dominate and show the loyalty that I have for him. “Definitely looking forward to it. I'm just excited to go out there and play football one more time before the offseason.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Authorities in Los Angeles confirmed Tuesday that the cause of death for Ryan Kobayashi, the grief-stricken father who flew from Hawaii to search for his missing daughter , was suicide. A medical examiner’s report said he suffered “multiple blunt force traumatic injuries.” Police said previously he was found around 4 a.m. Sunday in a parking lot at Los Angeles International Airport. Kobayashi, 58, had been in the city for 13 days in search of his 31-year-old daughter, Hannah, who mysteriously disappeared after missing a layover at LAX earlier this month. Hannah’s aunt, Larie Pidgeon, told the Daily Beast on Monday that Kobayashi had gone as far as searching for his child in the city’s seediest areas, like Skid Row. After many sleepless nights while contending with the agony of the situation, however, Pidgeon told the Beast that Ryan “couldn’t take it” anymore and died of a “broken heart.” Pidgeon was emphatic that Ryan’s death didn’t involve foul play and police have since confirmed that to be true. The LAPD have yet to release a significant update on Hannah’s case, but Pidgeon said detectives told her Monday they believe Hannah is still in LA. Donald Trump was caught on camera offering to buy a young girl’s hair in a cringe-worthy encounter at his golf course in Palm Beach, Florida. The president-elect was driving his golf cart when he spotted the girl. “Oh I love that hair! I want her hair! Can I buy your hair? I’ll pay you millions for it,” he said. Trump then invited her to sit next to him and take a photo. The girl smiled while Trump did his signature thumbs up for the picture. “That’s amazing,” an onlooker said. “You can say you were with the president, and you played golf with him.” As Trump patted the girl goodbye and she hopped off the cart, the same onlooker said, “say, ‘Thank you, Mr. President.’” The same golf course was the site of an attempted assassination on the president-elect in September. Trump is shown surrounded by security in the video. "Can I buy your hair?" President-elect Donald Trump complimented a kid's hair while golfing at his club in West Palm Beach. pic.twitter.com/nlH215l6wd Sexual supplements are nothing new, but Popstar Labs is revolutionizing the industry by focusing on an area that has thus far been overlooked: semen health. Crafted by leading men’s sexual health experts, Popstar Volume & Taste is a first-of-its-kind daily supplement that is formulated to enhance semen volume, improve taste, and support semen health. 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Boebert became the first sitting representative of Congress to join the video message platform earlier that day, following the footsteps of disgraced former Reps. Matt Gaetz and George Santos, who both charge hundreds of dollars on Cameo for personalized videos. While House Ethics rules allow for members to make $31,815 outside of their role in Congress, they aren’t allowed to receive “a payment of money or a thing of value for an appearance, speech, or article.’” While it’s untested how this rule applies to Cameo, Boebert likely doesn’t want to be the one to find out. The embattled Republican rep has been at the center of several controversies since joining Congress in 2020. Her more notable incidents include vaping and being disruptive during a performance of Beetlejuice , and live-tweeting Nancy Pelosi’s movements during Jan. 6. She’s also been fined by the Ethics Committee for refusing to wear a mask on the House floor. YouTuber MrBeast said allegations that contestants were mistreated on his Amazon Prime game show were “blown out of proportion.” The influencer, real name Jimmy Donaldson, and Amazon were hit with a class action lawsuit earlier this year that alleged Beast Games contestants were subjected to “unreasonable, unsafe, and unlawful employment conditions.” The suit contains allegations that some contestants were hospitalized and others endured sexual harassment on set. “We have tons of behind the scenes [footage] dropping when the show does to show how blown out of proportion these claims were,” MrBeast tweeted Monday. “Just can’t release it now because it would spoil the games.” He released a trailer for the show, which features 1,000 people in a series of challenges for a $5 million prize. Earlier this month, the online influencer’s company disclosed it had fired 10 employees after an third-party investigation into workplace culture substantiated some harassment and misconduct allegations. The probe found no evidence to support sexual misconduct. We have tons of behind the scenes dropping when the show does to show how blown out of proportion these claims were. Just can’t release it now because it would spoil the games. Tech gifts can be tricky—not everyone is looking for a sophisticated smartwatch or a flashy mechanical keyboard. Tile —a powerful and compact bluetooth tracker—is a practical and affordable tech gift anyone will love—especially those prone to misplacing things. You can attach a Tile tracker to almost anything like wallets, keys, luggage, cars, and even pets. Once paired, you can use the Tile app to play a chime (if your item is within range) or view its last location. As an added bonus, you can use Tile trackers to find your phone. 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During a segment Monday night celebrating a judge’s dismissal of special prosecutor Jack Smith ’s election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump , Fox News host Laura Ingraham turned to the election racketeering charges brought against Trump in Georgia. As she discussed Fani Willis , the prosecutor in the Georgia case, a photo of New York state Attorney General Letitia James appeared on the screen. Both women are Black. Minutes later, The Ingraham Angle host sought to “explain” the mixup. “Earlier we accidentally showed a graphic that had a photo of another vicious anti-Trump figure, Letitia James, when we were talking about Fani Willis,” Ingraham said. “That was our mistake. They both hate Trump.” James brought a civil suit against Trump and the Trump Organization that resulted in a $450 million judgment, which Trump’s lawyers have appealed. Social media users were quick to argue the fraud case probably wasn’t the source of Ingraham’s confusion. Earlier this year, she mixed up attorneys Nathan Wade and Terrence Bradley, both Black men connected to Willis. “We made a mistake, and we are sorry for that,” Ingraham said at the time. Ingraham: Earlier we accidentally showed a graphic that had a photo of another vicious anti-Trump figure, Letitia James when we were talking about Fani Willis. That was our mistake. They both hate Trump pic.twitter.com/CT1cHGO388 Wendy Williams was labeled as “permanently incapacitated” in new court documents by her guardian, less than a year after revealing her dementia and aphasia diagnosis to the public. Her guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, and her legal team, wrote in court documents obtained by The U.S. Sun that Williams “has been afflicted by early-onset dementia and, as a result, has become cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.” The revelation came amid an ongoing legal battle over the Lifetime series Where is Wendy Williams? , a documentary that showed the former TV host dealing with alcohol addiction, alongside health and financial issues. Past court documents claimed that the series exploited Williams, and said that she did not have the ability to consent to the series due to her health ailments. The new filing asked for information of her “health, familial relationships, and finances” to be redacted in an effort of privacy, according to the outlet. Williams was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and primary progressive aphasia in 2023, revealing her health conditions publicly earlier this year. Bird flu has been found in raw milk in California, state regulators said Sunday, prompting a recall. Raw milk with a “best by” date of Nov. 27 from Raw Farm, which is in Fresno County, is being pulled from shelves, and consumers who already bought some are being told by the California Department of Public Health not to drink it. “Public health experts have long warned consumers against consuming raw milk or raw milk products due to elevated risks of foodborne illness,” the state health agency said . “Drinking or accidentally inhaling raw milk containing bird flu virus may lead to illness. In addition, touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands after touching raw milk with bird flu virus may also lead to infection.” Pasteurized milk kills bacteria and viruses like E. coli, listeria, and H5N1, otherwise known as bird flu. And yet an emerging trend is seeing rising demands for raw milk. Among its proponents is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , whom Donald Trump named to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. A vaccine skeptic, Kennedy also wants to remove fluoride from public water, even though it has been shown to prevent tooth decay. President-elect Donald Trump has come out swinging at Mexico and Canada before he’s even taken his seat back in the Oval Office—but the country’s neighbors to the south aren’t taking his threats lying down. Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum responded harshly after Trump announced Monday that goods that enter the U.S. from her country and Canada would be subject to 25 percent tariffs. Warning that Mexico could retaliate with its own tariffs, she said, “One tariff would be followed by another in response, and so on until we put at risk common businesses.” Trump has claimed the tariffs are necessary to encourage both countries to stop the influx of drugs and migrants at the border. But Sheinbaum shot back at his reasoning, saying the flow of drugs “is a problem of public health and consumption in your country’s society.” Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. As a child, receiving socks as a present was your first lesson in accepting disappointment with a smile. Now, socks are one of the best gifts to unwrap during the holidays. Bombas is a mission-driven clothing company that specializes in comfy socks, shirts, slippers, bralettes, and underwear . For every piece of essential clothing you purchase, Bombas will donate one in return. If you buy three pairs of socks today, Bombas will donate three pairs. For the holidays, readers can save 15 percent on select Bombas packs ; new customers can take an additional 25 percent off all socks and get free shipping on orders over $125. What makes Bombas socks special is the innovative design that’s all in service for superior comfort. 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The website for Trump Guitars lists for sale an “American Eagle Series” with the campaign slogan “Make America Great Again” on the neck of the guitar. The instruments are “custom designed and developed by a veteran-owned company with the help of a master luthier,” according to the company, which also says that the guitars are manufactured by “multiple providers” that are “both domestic and international.” A guitar that has been signed by the president-elect costs at least $10,000; a non-signed guitar goes for $1,250. Some of Trump’s other recent money-making endeavors include watches, sneakers, and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). Coming Soon! The Limited Edition “45” Guitar. Only 1,300 of each Acoustic and Electric Guitars MADE — Some personally signed! https://t.co/DY4LkF4feh pic.twitter.com/0ghYmjLxKo A baby gorilla was accidentally killed at a zoo in Canada when it was struck in the head by a door, officials said Thursday. The 2-year-old female gorilla, Eyare, was roaming from room to room when a zookeeper activated the wrong hydraulic door to separate her, according to the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo . The accident left the ape with “traumatic head injuries” and veterinary staff administered CPR. The zookeeper “was immediately removed from the workplace following the incident,” the zoo said. The zoo said it launched an investigation into the incident and “doesn’t take these findings lightly.” All zookeepers will undergo retraining to prevent further accidents. “This tragedy has struck us all in the deepest way imaginable,” said Colleen Baird, director of Animal Care, Health and Welfare, in a statement. “Eyare’s short but impactful life brought so much joy to our community, and she will be deeply missed by all. We will do everything we can to prevent future incidents.”Zhongchao Inc. ( NASDAQ:ZCMD – Get Free Report ) was the target of a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 22,800 shares, an increase of 41.6% from the November 30th total of 16,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 721,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.0 days. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Zhongchao Stock Performance Shares of Zhongchao stock opened at $1.65 on Friday. Zhongchao has a 1 year low of $1.00 and a 1 year high of $5.10. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $1.44. Zhongchao Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) See Also Receive News & Ratings for Zhongchao Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Zhongchao and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Home | Editorials | Rewind The Year When Half Of The World Voted Rewind: The Year When Half of the World Voted The largest election year in history, 2024 saw a rise in right-leaning governments and coalition formations across the globe but also underscored the resilience of democracy By Telangana Today Updated On - 28 December 2024, 11:51 PM Dr Akhil Kumar, Anudeep Gujjeti As 2024 draws to a close, it has been the largest election year in the history of global politics, with almost half of the world’s population exercising their franchise. Simultaneously, the year also witnessed protests leading to widespread public outrage over the organisation and outcomes of the elections. The Pew Research Center’s report, Global Elections in 2024: What We Learned in a Year of Political Disruption, elucidates growing frustration with political elites, challenges to traditional political parties and widespread dissatisfaction with the status quo. These factors created fertile ground for the rise of populist movements across the globe. The trend was evident in countries such as the United States and Germany where right-wing populism remains strong, and in Mexico, where left-wing populism is on the rise. No Free and Fair The conduct of free and fair elections is intended to facilitate a stable transition of power, but this has not been proven true in all cases. Bangladesh is a prominent example of this failure. The political landscape in Bangladesh faced significant challenges, beginning with the main opposition party’s boycott of the January elections, followed by widespread political unrest, culminating in deadly protests. By August, as the situation escalated, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee the country by seeking asylum in India. Within Europe, several countries experienced large-scale protests spilling onto the streets. In France, protests erupted over changes to New Caledonia’s voter registration rules. In Romania, unrest followed after the constitutional court annulled the first round of voting, citing concerns over alleged external interference from Russia while post-election protests continued in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi, driven by discontent over the decision to put EU accession negotiations on hold. • There was a slight rise in left-wing populism in a few countries, such as Mexico, where the Morena party, only a decade old, now dominates the nation’s politics Within African nations, protests emerged in several countries: in Ghana, over alleged voter roll manipulation; in Senegal, against election delays; in Tanzania, over the dissolution of various administrative regions; and in Tunisia, against the repression of electoral opponents. Several other countries also witnessed protests over the manipulation of electoral rolls, such as Venezuela, Russia and Indonesia. In April, South Korean voters handed a majority of seats in the National Assembly to the opposition Democratic Party, signalling a rebuke to President Yoon Suk Yeol and his People Power Party. By early December, tensions escalated when Yoon declared martial law, accusing Democratic Party leaders of engaging in ‘anti-state’ activities. However, the National Assembly acted swiftly, voting unanimously to overturn his decision and lift martial law. • The most dramatic defeat for a long-time incumbent party may have occurred in the southern African nation of Botswana, where the Botswana Democratic Party lost power for the first time in nearly 60 years and was reduced to four seats in Parliament The elections in 2024 resulted in a rise in right-leaning governments, coalition formations, and populist movements across the globe. It was a challenging year for incumbents across the globe. In cases, where incumbents retained power, they did so with a reduced majority, like in India where Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost its majority in the elections held in April-May. In Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party — which has governed the country for most of the post-World War II era — and its coalition partner, Komeito, lost their majority in parliament. The African National Congress in South Africa failed to win a majority of National Assembly seats for the first time since the end of apartheid. Right Rises, Left Leaps Back Reflecting the rise of right-wing space in global politics, Conservative parties made significant inroads in the majority of these electoral contests, with mainstream centre-right parties taking the lead in countries such as Finland and Panama, while both centre-right and far-right parties achieved success in countries like Belgium and Portugal. Instances of increased vote shares for far-right parties were generally incremental, as observed in the European Union’s parliamentary elections. France, Romania, Germany, Portugal, Austria and the UK all witnessed the rise of right and far-right parties gaining a foothold as a result of the disenchantment with the political class in those countries. According to data from the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance and the National Democratic Institute, elections were held in 62 countries, with right-leaning governments securing victories in 25 of them, representing 42.4% of the total share. • Putin won an unprecedented 5th term as president of Russia in an election marred by violence, alleged voter fraud and hardly any independent monitors to document irregularities. There were three token contenders but none offered voters any choice Left- and centre-aligned parties joined forces to block Marine Le Pen’s right-wing populist National Rally from gaining power in France. Despite this, Le Pen’s party significantly increased its seat count by winning 31.5% votes in the National Assembly. By early December, the National Rally, in an unexpected move, joined the New Popular Front, a coalition of left-leaning parties, to bring down the government of conservative leader Michel Barnier after just three months in office. In 2024, seven of the largest nations within the G20 voted in national elections. Of these, three countries elected right-leaning parties while three chose left-leaning. Vladimir Putin won an unprecedented fifth term as president of Russia in an election marred by violence, alleged voter fraud and hardly any independent monitors to document irregularities. There were three token contenders but none offered voters any real choice. There was a slight rise in left-wing populism in a few countries, such as Mexico, where the Morena party, only a decade old, now dominates the nation’s politics. The Labour Party won an overwhelming parliamentary majority, bringing 14 years of Conservative Party rule to an end in the UK. However, the most dramatic and significant electoral outcome occurred in Sri Lanka. Anura Kumara Dissanayake who won only 3% of votes in the last elections secured a landslide victory in both the presidential and parliamentary elections, with voters expressing their profound dissatisfaction with the traditional political elite in the history of Sri Lankan politics. It’s the Economy, Stupid This phrase was coined by James Carville, an American political consultant and strategist in Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 US presidential election. It is the economy that determines whether voters are satisfied with a government and if they will re-elect or vote it out. As per the survey by the Pew Research Center in June 2024, 64% of its respondents across 34 countries rated their economies negatively. In the same survey, 82% of South Koreans and 76% of Japanese rated their economy negatively. Interestingly, this year, polling itself came under significant scrutiny, raising questions about the methods and techniques employed to gauge voter sentiment. In several instances, pollsters predicted a tight race, such as in the US elections, or prematurely declared a clear victory for a single party like in India, only for the actual results to contradict these forecasts. The truth became evident: no one can truly know how the electorate will vote or which way the political winds will blow. • The Labour Party won an overwhelming parliamentary majority, bringing 14 years of Conservative Party rule to an end in the UK Amidst growing economic and geopolitical strife, with the Ukraine war, conflicts in the Middle East and rising trade tensions between the US and China, the world’s two largest economies, this wave of fractured mandates poses significant challenges for governance. Minority governments often struggle to make decisive policy choices, which could have far-reaching implications for global issues ranging from climate change to international security. 2025 — Multipolar Disorder The end of 2024 also marked the waning of the unipolar world order, giving way to what some describe as multipolar disorder. Traditional conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas confrontation, continue to disrupt global supply chains and exacerbate humanitarian crises. Civil wars in West Asia, Africa and Myanmar have led to mass migrations, placing additional strain on already rigid borders in the US and Europe, where governments have frozen asylum applications and tightened immigration policies. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs projects that 305 million people will require humanitarian assistance in 2025. The sheer scale of humanitarian need underscores the urgency for global cooperation and resource mobilisation. China’s assertive rise has intensified tensions in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, threatening free navigation and further destabilising supply chains. The geopolitical rivalry between the US and China is set to intensify, with Taiwan emerging as a focal point of contention. As Donald Trump prepares to take office, all eyes will be on his administration’s approach to trade and tariffs. Trump’s threats of additional tariffs on Chinese imports and his emphasis on defending Taiwan will likely escalate the already fraught relationship between the world’s two largest economies. The economic landscape in 2025 is laden with challenges, with the US-China trade relationship serving as a critical variable, potentially triggering ripple effects across global markets. • The most dramatic and significant electoral outcome occurred in Sri Lanka. Anura Kumara Dissanayake who won only 3% of votes in the last elections secured a landslide victory in both the presidential and parliamentary elections An often-overlooked consequence of these conflicts has been the surge in global defence spending. From Japan to Germany, countries are prioritising stockpiling weapons for deterrence. This arms build-up reflects a growing sense of insecurity in a fragmented international system. However, many of these nations are led by politically fragile governments, making decisive foreign policy actions risky. Domestic political considerations are expected to play a more significant role in shaping foreign policies, as leaders prioritise the survival of their governments over bold international initiatives. In 2025, as global discussions on AI governance gain momentum through initiatives like the AI Action Summit in Paris, Canada’s G7 Presidency and Rwanda’s focus on Africa’s AI role, developing countries must recognise that mere participation in regulatory frameworks is insufficient. While efforts such as the UN’s Global Digital Compact and the EU’s AI Act will shape global norms, they predominantly reflect the priorities of developed nations. Without significant investment in AI research, infrastructure and talent, developing nations, such as India, risk becoming passive consumers rather than leaders in the AI revolution. • In 2024, seven of the largest nations within the G20 voted in national elections. Of these, three countries elected right-leaning parties while three chose left-leaning Climate change will also be another defining issue next year. With Conference of Parties (COP) 30 scheduled to take place in Belem, Brazil, countries will face critical decisions about financing green technology and meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. However, Trump’s return casts doubt on the US commitment to international climate agreements. Potential withdrawals or renegotiations could shift the dynamics of global climate diplomacy, placing greater pressure on major economies like China and India to take the lead. Despite its limitations, the largest election year in history underscores the resilience of democracy. From Europe to Asia, voters exercised their democratic rights, even as their choices resulted in fractured mandates and minority governments. This raises important questions about the interplay between domestic politics and foreign policy. In a world where leaders are increasingly constrained by fragmented legislatures and polarised societies, foreign policy decisions will be scrutinised not only for their global implications but also for their domestic political impact. For instance, countries like France and Germany, which are grappling with internal political struggles, may adopt more cautious foreign policies to avoid destabilising their governments. As borders become more rigid and rightward political shifts reshape immigration policies, the world is entering a phase of cautious nationalism. The freezing of asylum applications for Syrian refugees in European nations and interlinking economic policies with national security reflect this trend. The world in 2025 stands at a crossroads. Political fragmentation, economic uncertainty and geopolitical rivalries define the landscape. Yet, this period of uncertainty also presents opportunities for innovation and collaboration. Whether it is resolving long-standing conflicts, addressing climate change, or managing trade tensions, the actions of leaders in 2025 will have profound implications for the future. (Dr Akhil Kumar is a PhD, Department of Political Science University of Hyderabad. Anudeep Gujjeti is Assistant Professor, Centre of Excellence for Geopolitics and International Studies, REVA University, Bengaluru, and Young Leader, Pacific Forum, USA) Follow Us : Tags 2024 elections Elections geopolitics global politics Related News Opinion: Falsehood trumps limping truth Pichai urges Google staff to ensure products remain trusted info source Vijay’s maiden political entry was successful: Rajinikanth Editorial: Diplomatic balancing act