Aurelia Butler

More stories

  • 150 Shares139 Views

    in Elections

    Saudi Arabia Is Working to Undercut a Pledge to Quit Fossil Fuels

    Despite endorsing the declaration at last year’s U.N. climate summit, officials have tried to eliminate the same language in at least five U.N. forums, diplomats said.As United Nations climate talks enter their final week in Azerbaijan and G20 leaders gather in Brazil, diplomats from Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, are working to foil any agreement that renews a pledge to transition away from fossil fuels, negotiators said.“Maybe they’ve been emboldened by Trump’s victory, but they are acting with abandon here,” said Alden Meyer, senior associate with E3G, a London-based climate research organization, who is at the talks in Azerbaijan. “They’re just being a wrecking ball.”Negotiators say it’s part of a year-long campaign by Saudi Arabia to foil an agreement made last year by 200 nations to move away from oil, gas and coal, the burning of which is dangerously heating the planet.Saudi Arabia was one of the signatories to that deal, but has been working ever since to bury that pledge and make sure it’s not repeated in any new global agreements, according to five diplomats who requested anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations.With varying degrees of success, the Saudis have opposed transition language in at least five U.N. resolutions this year, the diplomats said. The Saudis fought it at a United Nations nuclear conference, at a summit of small island nations, during discussions of a U.N. blueprint for tackling global challenges, at a biodiversity summit and at a meeting of the Group of 20 finance ministers in Washington in October, according to the diplomats.Saudi government officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.The election of Donald J. Trump has cast a pall over the climate negotiations in Azerbaijan, known as COP29. Mr. Trump has promised to withdraw the United States from the global fight against climate change and increase the American production of fossil fuels, which is already at record levels. That may be emboldening Saudi officials at the current climate talks, analysts say. On Saturday, Yasir O. Al-Rumayyan, the chairman of the board at Saudi Aramco, the state petroleum company, sat ringside with Mr. Trump at a U.F.C. fight in Madison Square Garden in New York City.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • 138 Shares119 Views

    in Elections

    Texas Education Board to Vote on Bible-Infused Lessons in Public Schools

    A new curriculum would focus on Christianity more than other religions. A kindergarten lesson on the Golden Rule, for example, would teach about Jesus and his Sermon on the Mount.Texas education officials are expected to vote on Monday on whether to approve a new elementary-school curriculum that infuses teachings on the Bible into reading and language arts lessons.The optional curriculum, one of most sweeping efforts in recent years to bring a Christian perspective to more students, would test the limits of religious instruction in public education.It could also become a model for other states and for the administration of President-elect Donald J. Trump, who has promised to champion the conservative Christian movement in his second presidential term. In the ascendant but highly contested push to expand the role of religion in public life, Texas has emerged as a leader. It was the first state to allow public schools to hire religious chaplains as school counselors, and the Republican-controlled legislature is expected to renew its attempts to require public-school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments.The new curriculum, which covers kindergarten through fifth grade, would be optional, although school districts would receive a financial incentive to adopt it. The Texas State Board of Education sets standards for what students must be taught and approves a selection of curriculums, and individual schools and school districts choose which ones they will teach.Texas has about 2.3 million public-school students in kindergarten through fifth grade who could be taught the new curriculum.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • 163 Shares159 Views

    in Elections

    Burglars Break Into Windsor Castle Estate, Home of Prince William, Kate and Family

    The intruders entered a farm building on the castle estate last month and stole an Isuzu pickup and a quad bike, according to the local police.Intruders broke into the grounds of Windsor Castle last month and stole two vehicles, the police confirmed on Monday, a significant security breach at the sprawling royal estate west of London that is the primary residence of Prince William, his wife Catherine, and their three children.William, the heir to the throne, and his family are believed to have been at home at the time of the burglary, according to The Sun, a London tabloid, which first reported the incident on Sunday. King Charles III and Queen Camilla also stay often at Windsor Castle, but were not there at the time.A spokesman for the Thames Valley Police said they had received a report of a burglary on Crown Estate land shortly before midnight on Oct. 13. The intruders scaled a fence at Shaw Farm, a an active farm located on the estate, according to The Sun.“Offenders entered a farm building and made off with a black Isuzu pickup and a red quad bike,” the police spokesman said. “No arrests have been made at this stage and an investigation is ongoing.”The Sun reported that after climbing over the six-foot fence to enter the grounds, the intruders used the truck, which had been stored in the barn, along with the bike, to crash through a farm gate on their way out. The gate is a five minutes’ drive from Adelaide Cottage, where William and Catherine live with their children, Prince George, 11, Prince Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6.Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace, where William and Catherine have their offices, declined to comment on the incident, in keeping with their policy of not commenting on security issues.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • 88 Shares159 Views

    in Elections

    22 Thanksgiving Recipes Our Recipe Testers Loved

    Pickle biscuits, sour cream pound cake, esquites stuffing and more new recipes we think you’ll adore, too.A pear and cranberry crisp tastes like pie, but is far easier to assemble.Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Yossy Arefi.By More

  • 125 Shares149 Views

    in Elections

    COP29 Climate Talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, Head Into Final Stretch

    Senior ministers are arriving in an effort to break a deadlock over the summit’s main goal: funding to help lower-income countries hit hard by global warming.More than halfway through the United Nations climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, negotiators from nearly 200 countries remain far apart on a number of the key issues up for debate.As nations try to agree on a plan to provide potentially trillions of dollars to developing countries suffering from the effects of climate change, divisions remain over how much money should be made available, what kind of financing efforts should count toward the overall goal and how recipient countries should gain access to the funds.Negotiations often go into overtime. But with just four days to go, many attendees fear that this could be the first summit since the Copenhagen talks in 2009 to conclude without a deal.“There is a high risk this could collapse,” said a senior negotiator for a major European country, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.Simon Stiell, the United Nations climate chief, pleaded on Monday with countries to stop fighting and to reach a deal.He warned against a dynamic “where groups of parties dig in and refuse to move on one issue, until others move elsewhere.” He added, “This is a recipe for going literally nowhere.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • 88 Shares149 Views

    in Elections

    Today’s Wordle Answer for Nov. 19, 2024

    Scroll down for hints and conversation about the puzzle for Nov. 19, 2024.Welcome to The Wordle Review. Be warned: This page contains spoilers for today’s puzzle. Solve Wordle first, or scroll at your own risk.Wordle is released at midnight in your time zone. In order to accommodate all time zones, there will be two Wordle Reviews live every day, dated based on Eastern Standard Time. If you find yourself on the wrong review, check the number of your puzzle, and go to this page to find the corresponding review.To avoid spoiling the game for others, make sure you are posting a comment about Wordle 1,249.Need a hint?Give me a consonantNGive me a vowelOOpen the comments section for more hints, scores, and conversation from the Wordle community.Today’s DifficultyThe difficulty of each puzzle is determined by averaging the number of guesses provided by a small panel of testers who are paid to solve each puzzle in advance to help us catch any issues and inconsistencies.Today’s average difficulty is 4.5 guesses out of 6, or moderately challenging.For more in-depth analysis, visit our friend, WordleBot.Today’s WordClick to revealToday’s word is GOING, a verb. According to Webster’s New World College Dictionary, it refers to the act of moving or traveling along.Our Featured ArtistCiara Quilty-Harper is an English Irish illustrator living in Barcelona. Ms. Quilty-Harper works entirely by hand, distilling fleeting impressions into hazy elements depicted in luminous colors. For Ms. Quilty-Harper, the details are loaded with enormous meaning; she believes that the smallest features in our surroundings often leave the greatest impact. She works in a range of techniques, casting an attentive eye and a cinematic lens on daily life.Ms. Quilty-Harper studied at University of the Arts London and Escola Massana in Barcelona, where she created her book, “Lemon Yellow,” which was subsequently published and won multiple awards. She is working on a second book.Further ReadingSee the archive for past and future posts.If you solved for a word different from what was featured today, please refresh your page.Join the conversation on social media! Use the hashtag #wordlereview to chat with other solvers.Leave any thoughts you have in the comments! Please follow community guidelines:Be kind. Comments are moderated for civility.Having a technical issue? Use the help button in the settings menu of the Games app.See the Wordle Glossary for information on how to talk about Wordle.Want to talk about Spelling Bee? Check out our Spelling Bee Forum.Want to talk about Connections? Check out our Connections Companion.Trying to go back to the puzzle? More

  • 88 Shares149 Views

    in Elections

    Today’s Wordle Answer for Nov. 18, 2024

    Scroll down for hints and conversation about the puzzle for Nov. 18, 2024.Welcome to The Wordle Review. Be warned: This page contains spoilers for today’s puzzle. Solve Wordle first, or scroll at your own risk.Wordle is released at midnight in your time zone. In order to accommodate all time zones, there will be two Wordle Reviews live every day, dated based on Eastern Standard Time. If you find yourself on the wrong review, check the number of your puzzle, and go to this page to find the corresponding review.To avoid spoiling the game for others, make sure you are posting a comment about Wordle 1,248.Need a hint?Give me a consonantRGive me a vowelAOpen the comments section for more hints, scores, and conversation from the Wordle community.Today’s DifficultyThe difficulty of each puzzle is determined by averaging the number of guesses provided by a small panel of testers who are paid to solve each puzzle in advance to help us catch any issues and inconsistencies.Today’s average difficulty is 4.5 guesses out of 6, or moderately challenging.For more in-depth analysis, visit our friend, WordleBot.Today’s WordClick to revealToday’s word is FRAIL, an adjective. According to Webster’s New World College Dictionary, it means “slender and delicate; not robust; weak.”Our Featured ArtistCiara Quilty-Harper is an English Irish illustrator living in Barcelona. Ms. Quilty-Harper works entirely by hand, distilling fleeting impressions into hazy elements depicted in luminous colors. For Ms. Quilty-Harper, the details are loaded with enormous meaning; she believes that the smallest features in our surroundings often leave the greatest impact. She works in a range of techniques, casting an attentive eye and a cinematic lens on daily life.Ms. Quilty-Harper studied at University of the Arts London and Escola Massana in Barcelona, where she created her book, “Lemon Yellow,” which was subsequently published and won multiple awards. She is working on a second book.Further ReadingSee the archive for past and future posts.If you solved for a word different from what was featured today, please refresh your page.Join the conversation on social media! Use the hashtag #wordlereview to chat with other solvers.Leave any thoughts you have in the comments! Please follow community guidelines:Be kind. Comments are moderated for civility.Having a technical issue? Use the help button in the settings menu of the Games app.See the Wordle Glossary for information on how to talk about Wordle.Want to talk about Spelling Bee? Check out our Spelling Bee Forum.Want to talk about Connections? Check out our Connections Companion.Trying to go back to the puzzle? More

  • 138 Shares119 Views

    in Elections

    The Race to Lead Trump’s Treasury Dept. Is Becoming a Cliffhanger

    Howard Lutnick? Scott Bessent? Marc Rowan? Kevin Warsh? The president-elect’s list of candidates has grown longer, clouding the future of the department.Who will get the key to head up the Treasury Department?Kevin Lamarque/ReutersRowan and Warsh shake up Treasury raceFew of the unfilled positions in Donald Trump’s cabinet are as important as Treasury secretary. But the question of who will fill the role is only getting cloudier.Allies of two candidates, Howard Lutnick, the transition co-chair, and Scott Bessent, a top economic adviser, publicly stumped for them this weekend. But The Times reports that the president-elect himself wants somebody “big” for the role and is now considering Marc Rowan, the C.E.O. of Apollo Global Management, and Kevin Warsh, a former Fed governor.Elon Musk, Dan Loeb and others are weighing in. Musk threw his support behind Lutnick over the weekend, calling Bessent “business as usual,” an especially cutting criticism in the Trump camp. That said, The Times reports that Trump has privately griped about Lutnick hanging around too much and potentially manipulating the transition process for his own benefit.Loeb backed Bessent, arguing that choosing Lutnick might rattle investors, including in the $28 trillion market for Treasury bonds and notes. That said, Bessent is also being floated for positions such as chair of the White House’s National Economic Council.Trump has told associates that he is impressed by Rowan, The Times reports. The president-elect tends to value wealth and status on Wall Street, and Rowan, a co-founder of Apollo who helped turn the firm into a $733 billion investment giant, has plenty of both.Rowan would be likely to reassure many on Wall Street, particularly given how unorthodox some of the other cabinet choices have been. But it’s unclear whether he would want to take such a public role, especially given his current work at Apollo. (How hard it would be to extricate Rowan from any “key man” provisions in the firm’s funds is another question.)We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More