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top.646 Drought, fires and deforestation battered Amazon rainforest in 2024Olivier Le Moal Author's Note: This article is part of our monthly series that tries to discover the five best buys in the CEF arena at that point in time. Certain parts of the introduction, definitions, and sections describing selection criteria/process may have High Income DIY Portfolios: The primary goal of "High Income DIY Portfolios" Marketplace service is high income with low risk and preservation of capital. It provides DIY investors with vital information and portfolio/asset allocation strategies to help create stable, long-term passive income with sustainable yields. The portfolios are designed for Income-Investors (including retirees or near-retirees). We provide seven portfolios: 3 buy-and-hold, 3 Rotational portfolios, and 3-Bucket NPP Model Portfolio. This includes two High-Income portfolios, two DGI portfolios, and a conservative NPP strategy portfolio with low drawdowns and high growth. For more details or a two-week free trial, please click here . Financially Free Investor is a financial writer with 25 years investment experience. He focuses on investing in dividend-growing stocks with a long-term horizon. He applies a unique 3-basket investment approach that aims for 30% lower drawdowns, 6% current income, and market-beating growth on a long-term basis and he focuses on dividend-growing stocks with a long-term horizon. High Income DIY Portfolios Learn more Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of ABT, ABBV, CI, JNJ, PFE, NVS, NVO, AZN, UNH, CL, CLX, UL, NSRGY, PG, TSN, ADM, BTI, MO, PM, KO, PEP, EXC, D, DEA, DEO, ENB, MCD, BAC, PRU, UPS, WMT, WBA, CVS, LOW, AAPL, IBM, CSCO, MSFT, INTC, T, VZ, CVX, XOM, VLO, ABB, ITW, MMM, LMT, LYB, RIO, O, NNN, WPC, ARCC, ARDC, AWF, CII, CHI, DNP, PEO, USA, UTF, UTG, RFI, RNP, RQI, EVT, EOS, FFC, GOF, HQH, TLT either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Disclaimer: The information presented in this article is for informational purposes only and in no way should be construed as financial advice or recommendation to buy or sell any stock. The author is not a financial advisor. Please always do further research and do your own due diligence before making any investments. Every effort has been made to present the data/information accurately; however, the author does not claim 100% accuracy. The stock portfolios presented here are model portfolios for demonstration purposes. For the complete list of our LONG positions, please see our profile on Seeking Alpha. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Indian football needs a poster boy, says Sudeva Delhi FC’s Anuj Gupta at News9 Global Summit

WOLF INVESTOR DEADLINE: Wolfspeed, Inc. Investors with Substantial Losses Have Opportunity to Lead Shareholder Class Action LawsuitThe co-hosts of Fox & Friends Weekend were faced with a tricky job on Sunday morning — navigating the feud that has broken out amongst supporters of President-elect Donald Trump over H-1B visas for highly skilled immigrants, which significantly escalated on Saturday. “America First” acolytes on the far-right want stricter, draconian immigration measures applied to both illegal and legal migrants when Trump takes office in January. Among the loudest voices pushing this argument are far-right activist Laura Loomer , and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon . In contrast, the Silicon Valley “tech bro” contingent led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy , which backed his election, wants better legal immigration routes such as the H-1B program to fill skills gaps in key sectors such as engineering, science, and technology. Yesterday afternoon, the president-elect came out in support of Musk and the latter argument, saying he had always been a “believer” in the program and had employees at his properties in the country on H-1B visas. During the campaign and in his first term he had been against it , so the about-face has confused some of his core supporters. This schism in MAGAworld, before Trump even re-enters the White House, is awkward leaving Fox News tip-toeing through something of a minefield, as Mediaite reported. Co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy noted that the president-elect coming out in favor of the H-1B visa “left a lot of people confused.” Trying to rationalize support for skilled worker visas, her colleague Charlie Hurt remarked: “The idea of having a program that allows an Elon Musk to come into the country, I don’t think anybody has a problem with that, and certainly Donald Trump doesn’t have a problem with that. The problem with the program is that it’s been so abused and turned into a system where it is designed for big tech employers to get, maybe not cheap labor, but cheaper labor.” Will Cain, who co-hosted with the two, added: “We’re not an algorithm. We’re not a company. We are a country. We’re a nation. We are a people. And that purpose of that nation is to serve Americans.” Campos-Duffy then suggested that tech CEOs such as Musk might have to pay American tech workers more attractive wages and pay themselves a little less if the talent pool was smaller through a more restrictive immigration policy. “If you limit those visas and only bring in the Elon Musks and the really exceptional people, what you’re going to see is that there’s a tighter market and the wages will have to be — you’ll have to pay wages that young math students like my son-in-law, who is married and has to support a family, would want to be part of,” she said. “And that may mean, guys, guess what? Fox News alert! It may mean that big tech bosses make a little less money and they have to pay their workers a little better. I think all of us would be okay with that.” Sounding remarkably Campos-Duffy added that the federal government should invest in educational opportunities in underserved communities to train the next generation to take the jobs currently being filled by skilled immigrants. As deft as the presenters might have tried to be in tackling what is a thorny issue, Steve Bannon was having none of it. The former Trump adviser and host of the WarRoom podcast took to the social media platform Gettr, and referencing the Mediaite article, wrote: “Stop with the ‘Tip-Toe’...” “Choose a Side: Either Stand with American Citizen Workers or with Globalist Elitist Tech Oligarchs Who Feast on Foreign Indentured Servants ...Simple.”

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" To keep reading, please log in to your account, create a free account, or simply fill out the form below.Actress Gal Gadot has revealed the scary moment her daughter had to be delivered during emergency surgery earlier this year due to a “massive blood clot” being discovered in her brain. The Wonder Woman star, 39, explained on social media how she had been diagnosed with the clot during her eighth month of pregnancy . It came after she had been enduring “excruciating headaches ” that confined her to bed. Gadot, who sweetly announced the birth of her fourth baby girl in March, opened up on the scary health issues in an Instagram post on Sunday. She said she was doing so to “raise awareness and support others who may face something similar”. Writing alongside a photo of her cradling her daughter while in a hospital bed, she said: "In February, during my eighth month of pregnancy, I was diagnosed with a massive blood clot in my brain. For weeks, I had endured excruciating headaches that confined me to bed, until I finally underwent an MRI that revealed the terrifying truth. In one moment, my family and I were faced with how fragile life can be. It was a stark reminder of how quickly everything can change, and in the midst of a difficult year, all I wanted was to hold on and live.” The Hollywood star went on to reveal she had to be “rushed” to hospital and underwent emergency surgery within hours of arriving. She continued: "My daughter, Ori, was born during that moment of uncertainty and fear. Her name, meaning ‘my light’, wasn’t chosen by chance." Gadot, who has three more daughters with husband Jaron Varsano, revealed she told him prior to the surgery that their new daughter would be the “light waiting for me at the end of this tunnel”. She has said she has now “fully healed” and is "filled with gratitude” for her life thanks to the help of the medical team who supported her. And she confessed the experience had taught her a lot of lessons, including the importance of listening to our bodies and raising awareness. She admitted she had not been aware of the chances of developing cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) for pregnant women in their 30s, which she said was three in 100,000 per year. She added: "It’s so important to identify early because it’s treatable. While rare, it’s a possibility, and knowing it exists is the first step to addressing it. The actress said the past year had been one of “profound challenges and deep reflections” and she had been unsure if she should share her story but decided to in the hope of helping others. "Sharing this is not meant to frighten anyone but to empower,” she went on. "If even one person feels compelled to take action for their health because of this story, it will have been worth sharing.” Gadot announced she had welcomed another baby girl with a similar photo of her hugging the baby in a hospital bed in March. At the time she said the pregnancy was “not easy and they made it through” but did not share any more details. Gadot married property developer Varsano, 49, in 2008. Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads

Celebrating 50 years of Pat at LoughryPhotos: Remembering former President Jimmy CarterMiddle East latest: Syrians celebrate Assad's fall as US seeks a peaceful political transition

Described by the Queen Mother as the only man since her husband "to have had the effrontery to kiss me on the lips", Jimmy Carter's presidency was never far from controversy . Her Majesty would later recall how the moment - just months after he was sworn in as US leader - caused her to take "a sharp step backwards, although not far enough". It was just one of the numerous mishaps that plagued Carter during his ill-fated time in the White House. The Nobel Peace Prize winner died this afternoon after living out his final months in his hometown. Confirming his death, the Carter Centre posted on X: “Our founder, former US President Jimmy Carter , passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia." Following his death at 100, the outpouring of tributes to America's 39th leader showed the depth of affection felt more for what he did after his presidency than during it. Before his death today, Carter defied illness and death for years. When his melanoma spread to his brain in 2015, he drew praise for announcing it publicly. Even as he underwent treatment, he continued to teach Sunday school in his home town's Baptist church. Within months, he announced that he was cancer-free. Four years later, Carter fell at least three times, at one point breaking a hip and at another requiring 14 stitches. Each time he bounced back, even showing up for a Habitat for Humanity home-building project shortly after one stumble. But he has slowly retreated from public life lately, making fewer and fewer appearances or statements and was unable to attend President Biden's inauguration in January 2021. However, he lived long enough to outlast two presidents who followed him and his own vice president, Walter Mondale. He became the longest-living president in March 2019 when he passed former President George H.W. Bush, who died four months before. Although Carter, nicknamed Jimmy Cardigan after once wearing a jumper for a televised speech, left the White House after one of the biggest landslide defeats of the modern era, he was one of very few US leaders to be memorialised while still alive. The evolution of his legacy was unusual as he had such a long period between the end of his unpopular presidency and the announcement at the weekend that he would undergo no further treatment to die peacefully at his home. Carter's time in the White House was marred by his struggles to respond to formidable challenges, including a major energy crisis, high inflation, and unemployment. He took office after Gerald Ford left the entire US government in disarray. Carter entered the Oval Office facing mounting challenges - an energy crisis, Soviet aggression and, above all, a deep mistrust of leadership by voters. In foreign affairs, he reopened US relations with China and tried to broker peace in the historic Arab-Israeli conflict, but was damaged late in his term by a hostage crisis in Iran. Carter's diagnosis of America's "crisis of confidence" did little to boost his flagging popularity, and in 1980 he was defeated in the general election by Ronald Reagan. Over the following decades, Carter built a distinguished career as a diplomat, humanitarian and author, pursuing conflict resolution in countries around the globe. He was awarded the Noble Peace Prize in 2002 "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development." President Carter taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from this remarkable man. https://t.co/dZHL0Nu0Tj Born in Plains, Georgia, in October 1924, Carter attended the US Naval Academy graduating in 1946. Already, he had a solid moral compass installed in him by his nurse mother, "Miz" Lillian. She set an example for her son by crossing the strict lines of segregation in 1920s Georgia to counsel poor African American women on health care. Shortly after passing out of the navy, he married Rosalynn Smith, having four children together. But tragedy struck in July 1953 as while he was preparing to serve as an engineering officer on the submarine Seawolf, his father, Earl, died from cancer. Carter returned home and was able to rebuild his family's struggling peanut warehouse business after a crippling drought. Ironically the legume became the symbol of his presidential campaign. Active in community affairs and a deacon at the Plains Baptist Church, he launched his political career with a seat on his local board of education. In 1962, he won the election to the Georgia State Senate as a Democrat, running for the governor's office four years later, finishing a disappointing third. The loss sent Carter into a depression, which he overcame by finding renewed faith as a born-again Christian. He ran again for the governorship in 1970 and won. A year later, Carter was featured on the cover of Time magazine as one of a new breed of young political leaders in the South, known for their moderate racial views and progressive economic and social policies. Initially, Carter was a political phenomenon, a new-generation Democrat who, after a single term as governor of the Peach State, shocked the political world by beating a host of better-known rivals to capture his party's presidential nomination in 1976. A year later, he would oust the incumbent Republican president, Ford. Over four years in office, he sought to restore trust in government following the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal, ushering in reforms meant to transform politics. He mediated the historic Camp David Accords, making peace between Israel and Egypt, an agreement that remains the foundation of Middle East relations. But a sour economy, rocketing inflation, and a 444-day hostage crisis in Iran where 52 American diplomats were held captive undercut his public support. Ultimately, it cost him his re-election bid, losing to Ronald Reagan in 1980. Carter spent his post-presidency, however, on a series of philanthropic causes around the world, like building houses for the poor, combating disease, promoting human rights in places of repression, monitoring elections and seeking to end conflicts. His work as a former president in many ways came to eclipse his time in the White House, eventually earning him the Nobel Peace Prize and rehabilitating his image in the eyes of many Americans. "Between the time he left office and entered hospice care, he got to sit back and enjoy the adulation of a grateful nation," Jeffrey Engel, the director for the presidential history centre at Southern Methodist University, said. "The passage of time smoothed out the rough edges of his political career. "If Carter had died in 1982, there would be less adulation than he is receiving right now." Joseph Crespino, the Jimmy Carter Professor of History at Emory University, called his resilience "remarkable." "Instead of sulking about not winning the second term, he used his influence and prominence from his position in politics to help millions of people and win the Nobel Peace Prize," he said. When asked about regrets, Carter spoke of his in his autobiography "A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety." The former president said he was upset by how his kiss with the Queen Mother was portrayed. He wrote how he didn't regret puckering up to Her Majesty, describing it as "lightly on the cheek" as the pair said goodnight after dinner at Buckingham Place in May 1977. However, much like his presidency, its impact never left those affected most by his actions. To her dying day, the Queen Mother had two hates, as detailed in her 2009 biography - oysters and being kissed by a US president.

Mufti Mohammad Kased, the unrecognised martyr

How co-writing a book threatened the Carters' marriageMohamad Faizal Bin Ramli Introduction With the election over and the GOP in slim control of both the Senate and House, plus the White House, odds are that the current tax rates enacted in 2017 will be extended beyond their current Read The Full Report on iREIT®+Hoya iREIT®+HOYA Capital is the premier income-focused investing service on Seeking Alpha. Our focus is on income-producing asset classes that offer the opportunity for sustainable portfolio income, diversification, and inflation hedging. Get started with a Free Two-Week Trial and take a look at our top ideas across our exclusive income-focused portfolios. With a focus on REITs, ETFs, Preferreds, and 'Dividend Champions' across asset classes, members gain complete access to our research and our suite of trackers and portfolios targeting premium dividend yields up to 10%. Retired Investor has been investing since the 1980s and has a background in data analysis and pension fund management. He writes articles to help others prepare for retirement by investing in CEFs, ETFs, BDCs, and REITs. He is a long only investor and shares strategies for trading options with a focus on cash-secured-puts. He is a contributing author to the investing group iREIT®+HOYA Capital The group helps investors achieve dependable monthly income, portfolio diversification, and inflation hedging. It provides investment research on REITs, ETFs, closed-end funds, preferreds, and dividend champions across asset classes. It offers income-focused portfolios targeting dividend yields up to 10%. Learn more . Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby breaks Lemieux's franchise record for assistsJimmy Carter, 39th US president, Nobel winner, dies at 100(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) , (THE CONVERSATION) In whether President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for is fit for the job, it’s easy to lose sight of why it matters. It matters a lot. To speak of telling truth to power seems terribly old-fashioned these days, but as , I know that is the essence of the job. The director of national intelligence is the , though the CIA director has remained somewhat co-equal in that role. The director of national intelligence is responsible for both the , where the most crucial and sophisticated intelligence is presented, and for the work of . Most of the President’s Daily Brief items are still done by the CIA, but the , daily in most administrations but one or two times a week in the . The issues in those briefings lean toward the immediate and tactical: What is the situation on the ground in the Ukraine war? If action X is taken, how will Russian President Vladimir Putin respond? But intelligence strives to push presidents and their colleagues to think more strategically: What are the implications of hypersonic missiles? What is the trajectory of the relationship between Russia and China? What are China’s geostrategic objectives, and what is the role of the in that vision? The , who is my friend and former colleague from when she was the deputy national security adviser in charge of the National Security Council policy committees and , providing the intelligence support to those committees. As director of national intelligence, Haines sits atop the 17 agencies that make up what is called . She does not run those agencies. Nor does she have full control of their budgets. Rather, the director of national intelligence coordinates them, which sometimes seems like the proverbial herding of cats. She assembles a combined budget for intelligence, but many of the big agencies, such as the National Security Agency, which , belong to the Pentagon. The creation of the director of national intelligence position was a direct result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The was vividly damning between agencies in the run-up to 9/11. In meetings in New York that summer, CIA and FBI officers were literally unsure what they could tell each other: The former wondered whether the FBI people were really cleared to hear this, while the latter feared that talking might blow a case they were working on. That lack of coordination played a role in letting the plotters slip through intelligence, often in plain sight. The result of the commission’s work was the , which created the director of national intelligence position. Before that, the director of central intelligence wore two hats, as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency and loose coordinator of the broader intelligence community. Hardly surprisingly, directors of central intelligence spent most of their time running the CIA, for that was the source of their troops – and their troubles when they arose. A had recommended breaking the director of central intelligence’s conflict of interest – coordinating agencies and their budgets while running one of them – and creating a director of national intelligence position. for whom I worked as chair of the National Intelligence Council, constantly emphasized “integration.” Across agencies, integration mostly means talking to each other and sharing information. This works against the natural tendency to scoop your colleagues. Across disciplines, integration means better aligning what information intelligence agencies collect with what analysts need. If presidents want to know what the CIA thinks about a particular issue, they can simply ask. Usually, though, the question is what does the intelligence community think, and then the question goes to the , the director of national intelligence’s interagency group for intelligence analysis. The National Intelligence Council is organized like the State Department, with officers for regions and functions. Once a question has been presented, the relevant national intelligence officer will convene his or her council colleagues from the other agencies. They will argue about the answer to the question, a process sweetly called “coordination,” then agree on the answer. If need be, the process can be done in a few hours. Major strategic analyses – national intelligence estimates – like one done in 2022 on the implications of the , may take months. In all cases, though, the analysis carefully records where there are differences of view in the intelligence community. In my last year chairing the National Intelligence Council, of the 700 or so analyses we did, about 400 were responses to questions – called “taskings” in governmentese – from the national security adviser or one of the deputies. National intelligence officers are national experts from inside or outside federal government, and their deputies – the heart and soul of the NIC – are all assigned from intelligence agencies. The largest number come from the CIA, but I worked with a cyber analyst from the Secret Service and a wonderful analyst from the New York Police Department. What was striking then and has struck me both times I’ve had the privilege of running a U.S. intelligence agency is the dedication of the officers. They work for the nation, not for a political party or ideology. As chair of the NIC, I had no idea of the politics of my people, save for the several closest to me. For them, telling truth to power is not a slogan. It is what they do. They are always worried about “politicizing” – producing an assessment to suit a policymaker’s preference or, worse, being pressured to do so. , for instance, give up a year of their lives to come to work at 4 a.m., learn their briefs and then fan out across Washington to brief senior officials. They like being “on the team” of the person they brief, but they become uncomfortable if the conversation turns political. The director of national intelligence sets the tone for that resolutely nonpolitical stance and through principles articulated in the agency’s . As chair of the NIC, for instance, I’d receive regular assessments of both the quality of our analyses and whether we risked becoming “politicized.” For their part, do politicians and agency leaders like it when their pet projects are assessed by intelligence as unwise or infeasible? Of course not. I’ve been on that side of the intelligence-policy divide as well. But the United States is much the better for it. This story is part of a of Cabinet and high-level administration positions. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: .