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Build beautiful: Thomas Heatherwick’s campaign to ‘humanize’ buildings

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:55 GMT

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Google Play EN_Google_Podcasts_Badge Created with Sketch. Acast Thomas Heatherwick’s designs have become icons in his home city of London, including the eye-catching cauldron at the 2012 Olympic Games and the reimagined Routemaster bus. The British designer’s projects have popped up around the world — and not without controversy.In this week’s edition of Power Play, host Anne M...

St. John’s Prep-Xaverian with rare doubleheader

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:55 GMT

Lou Silva and Paul Sullivan know exactly what St. John’s Prep and Xaverian are dealing with right now.The Catholic Conference powers are playing on Thanksgiving and then again a week later at Gillette Stadium for the Div. 1 state title. There have been many scenarios floated on social media ranging from cancelling the Thanksgiving Day matchup to even using junior varsity players.What adds to the drama: the Catholic Conference title still has not been settled. St. John’s Prep would clinch the CC championship outright with a win, but a Xaverian win and a Catholic Memorial win over BC High would create a three-way tie for the title. To take it one step further, should Xaverian win and BC High knock off CM, it would give Xaverian and St. John’s Prep a share of the league championship, though many would claim the Hawks would be a worthy claimant of the title based on head-to-head.As of right now, officials from both schools have indicated to the Boston Herald that they ...

Chicago Bears and quarterback Justin Fields look to better handle Minnesota Vikings pressure in rematch

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:55 GMT

The play happened 5 1/2 weeks ago, but Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields still can recite the details and his thought process all the way up through D.J. Wonnum crunching him to the Soldier Field grass.It was, after all, just two starts ago for Fields.With a free rusher, Wonnum, to his left on the first play of the Bears-Minnesota Vikings game on Oct. 15, Fields needed to drift to his right and get the ball out quickly to fullback Khari Blasingame. But in the second before Wonnum got to him, Fields worried that a Vikings cornerback was sitting on the route — not expecting Blasingame to go deep — and he didn’t want to throw an interception on the first play of the game.“Learning from that, I’ve just got to sail it over his head and move onto second and 10,” Fields said Wednesday at Halas Hall.Instead, Fields’ day started with that sack and ended in the third quarter with another sack — and Fields dislocating his right thumb. The B...

Israel-Hamas truce deal for hostage release hits last-minute snag, now expected to start Friday

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:55 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An agreement for a four-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of dozens of Hamas-held hostages and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel appeared to have hit a last-minute snag when a senior Israeli official said it would not take effect until Friday, a day later than originally announced.The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for the over 1.7 million Palestinians who have fled their homes under weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful for the fate of their loved ones captured during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.Israel’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced the delay late Wednesday, without providing a reason. Israeli media reported that some final details were still being worked out.The Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, which played a key role in mediating with Hamas, said early Thursday that a new time for the agreement to go into force would be announced “in the coming hours....

4 Indian soldiers killed in fighting with rebels in disputed Kashmir

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:55 GMT

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Four Indian soldiers were killed in a gunbattle with rebels fighting against New Delhi’s rule in disputed Kashmir, officials said Thursday.The fighting started Wednesday, days after Indian troops started searching for militants in dense forests based on information that at least two rebels were hiding there, a military official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with official policy. Intermittent firing at regular intervals continued for all of Wednesday, the official said. Troops continued their search Thursday in the mountainous and forested area of southern Rajouri district near the highly militarized Line of Control that divides the Himalayan region between India and Pakistan.Two officers were among the four killed. An officer and two of the soldiers were from a special forces unit, the military official said.The army wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that rebels were also injured in the gunbattle and were surrounded by Indian troops. It did n...

US electric vehicle sales to hit record this year, but still lag behind China and Germany

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:55 GMT

Electric vehicle sales are expected to hit a record 9% of all passenger vehicles in the U.S. this year, according to Atlas Public Policy. That will be up from 7.3% of new car sales in 2022.It will be the first time more than 1 million EVs are sold in the U.S. in one calendar year, probably reaching between 1.3 million and 1.4 million cars, the research firm predicts. Although the numbers show significant progress for electrification, the nation is lagging behind countries like China, Germany and Norway. EVs reached 33% of sales in China, 35% in Germany, and 90% in Norway for the first six months of 2023, according to a BloombergNEF EV outlook published in June. These figures include both battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid EVs.In those countries, ambitious government zero-emissions targets, vehicle tax incentives and subsidies, and affordable options play a role in a consumer’s decision to adopt a plug-in vehicle.Several factors helped boost U.S. EV adoption this year...

Prime minister and international partners address Kazakhstan’s investment landscape and sustainable infrastructure

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:55 GMT

Kazakhstan Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov (pictured), leaders of top international companies, and experts reviewed Kazakhstan’s emerging opportunities and challenges in building investment infrastructure for long-term sustainable growth as part of the Kazakhstan Global Investment Roundtable (KGIR) on 17 November in Astana, writes Assem Assaniyaz in Business, International. In his welcoming speech, Smailov said that “despite the current global challenges, Kazakhstan’s economy is showing steady growth.” “Last year, the total volume of foreign direct investment (FDI) increased by 18% and reached $28 billion. In the past six months of this year, approximately $14 billion more have been attracted to the national economy,” he said.Smailov added that the stability of the country’s sovereign credit rating is regularly confirmed by international rating agencies, such as Fitch, S&P Global, and Moody’s. Investments, he emphasized, are “the main factor of Kazakhstan’s economic growth.”...

Motorcyclist killed, passenger injured in crash near San Martin

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:55 GMT

SAN MARTIN – A motorcyclist was killed and his passenger was seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash Wednesday afternoon near San Martin, according to the California Highway Patrol.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | The three latest fatal crash victims on Highway 4 have been identified Crashes and Disasters | 20-year-old California driver doing donuts at intersection dies in crash, sheriff says Crashes and Disasters | Driver arrested in hit-run death of San Lorenzo pedestrian Crashes and Disasters | Less driving but more deaths: Spike in traffic fatalities puzzles lawmakers Crashes and Disasters | Hit-and-run driver kills man standing outside disabled vehicle on Oakland freeway The collision happened around 2:45 p.m. at Uvas and Watsonville roads, the CHP said in a news release.A 68-year-old Los Gatos man was riding a 2004 Harley-Davidson eastbound on Uvas Road toward the intersection and, per a wi...

Kraken score 4 times in 1st in 7-1 victory over NHL-worst Sharks

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:55 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde each had a goal and an assist in Seattle’s four-goal first period and the Kraken beat the NHL-worst San Jose Sharks 7-1 on Wednesday night.Brandon Tanev and Adam Larsson also scored in the opening 20 minutes to help the Kraken get to the .500 mark for the first time this season at 8-8-5. They won for the fourth time in 10 home games, and have points in their last five games.Jared McCann scored his team-leading ninth goal early in the second, Eeli Tolvanen added two third-period goals and Joey Daccord made 13 saves. Bjorkstrand finished with three assists and Jamie Oleksiak had two.“I think we’re feeling it,” Bjorkstrand said. “Maybe a few lucky bounces off the glass, but no, we like playing together, and I think it just kind of went our way today. First period was a little bit back and forth. I mean, I thought we created some good chances. And in the second period, I think we kind of took over.”Mike Hoffman scored for San Jose in th...

Uno to showcase new program in Japan in his bid for a Grand Prix Finals spot

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:12:55 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Two-time World champion Shoma Uno will showcase his new programs at the NHK Trophy as he bids for a spot in figure skating’s Grand Prix Final.Now coached by Stephane Lambiel, himself a former two-time world champion, Uno has unveiled two new programs this season which will be on display in Osaka.“I’m aiming to demonstrate through the new programs that ice skating is much more than just executing jumps,” Uno told Japanese broadcaster NHK. “I’ve been trying to pay a lot more attention to spins and other details.”Uno, runner-up at the Cup of China earlier this month, will start as the favorite at his home Grand Prix, the sixth in the International Skating Union’s series, which he has won the previous two years.A third consecutive title here would qualify him for the Dec. 7-10 Grand Prix Final in Beijing, where the top six skaters from each discipline compete.Adam Siao Him Fa of France, Ilia Malinin of the United States and Kao Miura of Japan have already qualified for Beij...