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Despite being cold and a bit of a windchill this Wednesday, a recent research conducted by a group says we are actually losing winter days or above-freezing temperatures. Edmonton experienced an annual average loss of three winter days or days with temperatures above zero degrees, from 2014 to 2023. If you compare that to other major cities like Vancouver and Toronto, they are experiencing 19 and 13 lost winter days and our neighbour city, Calgary, is losing an average of five days every year. Back here in Edmonton, while the three or five days of lost winter days are noticeable, it is not detrimental for snow valley, as they doing what they can to adapt to changing winter weather using new technologies. “We’re always mitigating those types of things with snow-making systems being more efficient, so it’s a matter of being able to manage your industry in your time because there’s only one time of year you can go,” said Tim Dea, Snow Valley Skill Hill. But according to professor Gre King, climate change will be the biggest driver of the temperature shift from burning coal, oil and gas. And while some people are looking forward a warmer winter, they are missing the bigger picture. “Really devastates road systems, if you think about the infrastructure and how we clear sidewalks and how we deal with ice because you have more likely to have different types of precipitation at these warmer temperatures,” said Greg King, Environmental Studies Professor at University of Alberta. Ecosystems like the timing of trees to leaf out will be changing which could affect insects and birds ... adding that this trend will likely increase in the future “I would say a very high probability,” said King.
NBC Sports makes its first foray into doing an NFL alternate broadcast on Saturday when it puts the matchup between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs into the realm of the Madden video game universe. The Madden altcast will be streamed on Peacock with the main broadcast airing on NBC, beginning at 1 p.m. EST. It is the first time NBC has done an alternate broadcast of an NFL game. CBS has done at least one game on Nickelodeon since the 2020 season, while ESPN/ABC have the “ManningCast” as well as animated presentations featuring ” The Simpsons ” and ” Toy Story.” Amazon Prime Video also has “Prime Vision with Next Gen Stats” during “Thursday Night Football.” “It’s ironic that you want to make the video game as much as actual live play as possible and now you are doing the opposite of trying to make the real game look like the video game,” said Josh Helmrich, the NFL’s senior director of media and Next Gen Stats. The altcast on Peacock will blend video game elements — such as Madden 25 graphics, route trees, player cards, button icons on eligible receivers and player ratings — with live action. GenuisIQ will provide real-time data via the league’s Next Gen Stats. There will also be times when animations from the video game _ such as touchdown celebrations — will be used instead of live action. NBC has used the “Sunday Night Football” games the last two weeks as test broadcasts to make sure all the technology was working as well as build cohesion in the studio in Stamford, Connecticut, with the announcers doing the game. Paul Burmeister will handle the play-by-play with Madden NFL expert Kurt Benkert and six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Chad Ochocinco providing commentary. Ochocinco will serve as a real-time player “ratings adjuster.” Henry Leverette, who won the Ultimate Madden Bowl championship ring in February, will also be part of the broadcast. Burmeister noted earlier this week that there will be more hard core football schematic chess match talk on the altcast compared to what might happen on a traditional football broadcast. “I’m really excited to toe that line and weave this in to show how much parallel the game has to the real game itself,” Benkert said. “I think will resonate really well with the younger audience and with people that are used to seeing it in the video game that way.” While the Madden video game is known for the high camera view above the quarterback, that will be used only for replays or to show formations before plays. The traditional sideline camera will be used the most since that better shows route trees and other features most associated with the game. In an added twist, Ochocinco will be able to adjust a player’s rating depending on what happens during the game. The Texans (9-5) have clinched the AFC South while the AFC West champion Chiefs (13-1) are looking to remain the conference’s top seed. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce were two of only six players to begin the season with 99 overall ratings in the Madden game. Houston’s highest-rated players in Madden are offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (95) and running back Joe Mixon (93). Eleven players on the Texans and Chiefs rosters have a Madden rating above 90. The Madden altcast also takes on personal meaning for NBC Sports Executive Producer of NFL Fred Gaudelli, who was Madden’s producer during the final seven years of his broadcast career. Madden joined ABC’s “Monday Night Football” in 2002 before Madden and Gaudelli moved to NBC for the start of “Sunday Night Football” in 2006. “The one thing John held fast is you couldn’t put something in the video game that you couldn’t do in a real game,” Gaudelli said. “I had some memorable times picking his brain about the advent of the video game and what led him to it. He has been foremost in my mind as we’ve all tried to strategize what this should look like on Saturday.” ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflWhy Clearway Energy (CWEN) Is Among the Best Wind Power and Solar Stocks to Invest in NowOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s Republican attorney general dismissed a felony assault charge Friday against a police officer who slammed a 71-year-old man to the ground, breaking his neck, during an argument over a traffic ticket. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s Republican attorney general dismissed a felony assault charge Friday against a police officer who slammed a 71-year-old man to the ground, breaking his neck, during an argument over a traffic ticket. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s Republican attorney general dismissed a felony assault charge Friday against a police officer who slammed a 71-year-old man to the ground, breaking his neck, during an argument over a traffic ticket. Gentner Drummond announced that he had intervened in the case and dismissed the aggravated assault and battery charge against Oklahoma City Police Sgt. Joseph Gibson, 28. Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna charged Gibson this month after body-worn camera video released by police showed Gibson throwing Lich Vu to the ground after Vu touched Gibson during the argument following a non-injury traffic accident Oct. 27. “As attorney general, I will not permit Oklahoma police officers to face criminal prosecution for conduct adhering to their training,” Drummond said in a statement. “While the outcome of this incident is unquestionably devastating for Mr. Vu and his family, I do not believe the officer exhibited criminal intent.” Prosecutors said Vu suffered a brain bleed and a broken neck and eye socket. There was no immediate response to messages sent to Behenna seeking comment on Drummond’s decision. She said previously that after evaluating the case, prosecutors determined Gibson’s actions were an unreasonable use of force. Drummond said Vu should not have touched Gibson during the argument. 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. “No individual is allowed to hit or push an officer, regardless of whether he or she doesn’t understand English well or comes from a different culture,” Drummond said. “The simple truth is, this unfortunate incident never would have occurred if Mr. Vu had kept his hands to himself.” The use of force prompted outrage in Oklahoma City’s Vietnamese community, particularly since the video shows Vu had difficulty communicating with Gibson during the interaction and appeared not to understand what the officer was telling him. Gibson’s attorney, former Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter, said Drummond’s decision to drop the charge was “well reasoned and correct.” Mark Nelson, president of the Oklahoma City Fraternal Order of Police, said no officer wants to see someone injured and he hopes Vu makes a swift and full recovery. “However, our members often have to make split-second decisions, and they cannot control the outcome of every situation,” Nelson said in a statement. “Unfortunately, when someone resists law enforcement, they increase the risk of harm to themselves or others.” Advertisement Advertisement
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Attorney General James Secures $500,000 from Auto Insurance Company Over Data BreachCanon U.S.A. Earns BenchmarkPortal’s Prestigious Center of Excellence Certification for 16th Consecutive Year Canon U.S.A. has received BenchmarkPortal’s esteemed certification as a Center of Excellence for Customer Solutions for the 16th consecutive year. BenchmarkPortal, renowned for its rigorous evaluation criteria, again awarded this honor to Canon, citing the company’s consistent dedication to efficiency and effectiveness in its Customer Solutions Center. The certification is granted to contact centers ranking in the top 10 percent, following meticulous audits and comparisons of performance indicators among peer organizations. The evaluation prioritizes Canon’s Customer Solutions Center’s outstanding performance across cost and quality-related parameters, surpassing industry benchmarks. “Maintaining high levels of excellence in the center over a period of years is a wonderful testimony to the contact center management team, the frontline agents – as well as senior managers, who support and encourage this excellence,” says . “Canon U.S.A., Inc.’s contact center professionals have shown exceptional dedication and results, for which I commend them.” Canon joins an elite group of only 10 companies worldwide to achieve the Center of Excellence certification for 16 consecutive years. “We are pleased to once again earn this prestigious certification and are proud to be recognized by BenchmarkPortal for a 16th consecutive year,” says . “This honor is a testament to Canon’s tireless pursuit of providing strong service and support to our customers. We appreciate the collective efforts and commitment of our Customer Solutions Center team, who embody Canon’s commitment to providing outstanding service delivery.”ST. ALBANS CITY — As each morning reminds us: It’s cold outside. Every winter, our planet tilts its northern half away from the sun, shortening the days and lowering the temperatures, yet everybody needs a place to stay warm. This year more than most, the follow-up question has become: “At what price?” As the debate around energy use continues, Vermont and its residents face the age-old challenge of finding the best way to heat their homes at the cheapest cost. From heat pumps to wood stoves, there are more options available than ever, but the conversation has also gotten more complicated, especially as the state wrestles with its own age-old problem — keeping taxes low. To get a comprehensive solution to your heating needs, the Messenger recommends talking to a professional heating specialist. But in the meantime, here’s our next best effort to explain what Vermonters need to know as they deal with another cold winter and rising heating costs. Layers, movement and energy In Vermont, most of the state’s underlying social issues are related to housing in some way, and heat joined the list this summer, thanks in part, to the Clean Heat Standard. But then, Vermont has always been cold. So what changed his past year? Like everything else since the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest conversation around indoor heating has been spurred by rising costs, changing demographics and a lackluster housing stock. Admittedly, explaining all that isn’t going to help anyone actually keep their homes warm. Instead, this past week, I sat down with Dwight Decoster, who thinks a lot about how to keep a place toasty. He’s the head of the Champlain Valley Weatherization program, a Colchester-based nonprofit where he and his team upgrade 240 homes per year as part of a state-funded program. To meet with Decoster, a homeowner can apply to the program through the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, where applicants are weighed and ranked according to need. There’s a point system, but if you fit the state’s criteria, Decoster’s crew could show up to take a look over your property and start identifying the best ways to bring it up to 21st century heating standards. Through the program, a client can get their homes weatherized for free. “It’s one of the best kept secrets in Vermont ,” he said. To get started with a new client, Decoster said it requires two visits by energy experts to lay out what they do with each house, because it takes so much time to help people wrap their heads around the concept of what they want to do. Decoster said he tends to start his conversations about heat by relating it to how people get ready to go outside in the winter. To weatherize your home — like to weatherize yourself — you start with putting on your hat. Since heat rises, Decoster and his team look into the roof and the attic to make sure everything is nice and tight. Then, they focus on the foundation to keep your footers dry, followed by the final check — the exterior walls. To keep the warm air in and your house zipped up, they usually add a few layers — usually including some sprayed cellulose insulation — and then you essentially have a house buttoned up for the winter. The weatherized results should better encapsulate the thermal energy that’s generated in a house. Every home has some sort of heat-generating device, but Decoster said a house that leaks hot air is essentially throwing away the energy costs needed to generate it. “The (investment) payback on air sealing is like seven years,” he said. “The average payback on insulation is 10 to 12 years. So you see how obviously, customers want to get their biggest bang for their buck. But air sealing and insulation need to go together.” Decoster and his crew often start with a blower to kick-off each weatherization project. The machine forces air into a house, and a thermal imaging device can identify the various sources heat may be leaking from. Decoster compared the process to trying to stop up the light that can be seen outlining a closed door. If a door’s gap isn't tight enough, that’s plenty of space for it to shine through. Heat functions in the same way, as thermal energy moves toward a colder low pressure space. Usually, weatherization involves adding more insulation, but Decoster said doing so is kind of moot until those holes can be tightened up. Along those same lines, any homeowner can make necessary adjustments today to help prevent heat from escaping, he said. Check to make sure there is a weather strip on your door. For a quick test, Decoster said shut your front door, turn out the lights inside, turn on the porch lights and check for any silhouetting. Lock your windows at night. Even with double locking windows, the extra pressure against the frame creates a better air seal. Look on the outside of the house, by taking a walk around it. Check for any faults in air paths that could lead in and out, like range hoods or bathroom fans. Insulate your attic hatch. Decoster said he spent an hour adding a weather strip to the attic when he first moved into his house, and it can completely change the airflow throughout a structure. If you’re a little more DIY, Decoster said spraying insulation can be done by a relatively handy person. He recommends cellulose over fiberglass insulation, as it's cheaper and much greener from an environmental perspective. History and energy use Ask energy expert Jim Stiles about the most efficient heating solution he can think of, and he heads underground. “The one that has really captured my attention for many decades now is the groundsource heat pumps, or sort of, twist on that, a thermal energy network,” he said. Stiles is the chair of the City of St. Albans Climate & Energy Advisory Committee. The group’s focus has been on fixing up city property to find cost efficiencies, but he can imagine a much bigger mission of helping establish an underground thermal network for the city. The idea is far from being a reality any time soon, but the concept behind the technology is to create a system of underground pipes that holds thermal energy — via warm water or coolant — that each building attached to the system could easily share. It’s kind of like huddling for warmth, but on a streetwide level and if huddling was more of a shared utility. “It’s ideal in terms of where you most hope to be,” Stiles said. “For the people and places where it makes good engineering sense, it has other advantages because of the reduced demand for electricity.” While such a system could be beneficial for Vermont, Stiles recognizes the steep ask required for such a system. The infrastructure would include installing underground pipes — likely taking a few million in grant funding — and there’s no previous success to point to in Vermont to show the proof of concept. In the grand scheme, however, the concept does solve the basic problem for Vermonters, Stiles said. There’s a natural lack of heat in Vermont’s northern climate, and a row of weatherized homes connected to a thermal network would be able to capture a lot of the heat that currently goes to waste in many of Vermont’s neighborhoods. The cost to do it, however, is just too much in the current economic climate, especially as oil companies tend to sink millions into securing their holds on energy markets, Stiles noted. “It’s there, but it’s value engineering,” Decoster said. “A lot of these really energy efficient builders, they'll give you a package. ‘This is the most energy efficient I can build. And we back off from there.’” But then again, that’s how most efficiency upgrade discussions tend to head. In the long run, energy efficiency saves money, but the upfront costs are usually too expensive until there are more adopters. Decoster gave his own example. He knows people in the climate field who can construct houses that heat and cool themselves, adapt to the weather, have zero emissions and can generate their own electricity. Getting to green is possible. But making that technology affordable, that’s another question. “In Vermont, you’d be talking the top tenth of 1% that can afford that technology, the average Vermonter, no way,” Decoster said. “In my house, I have a wife who’s really good who knows when to put the shades up when she wants them. She knows how the air flows in her house.” As for the debate around the Clean Heat Standard, those rhetorical guidelines around the latest climate tech have hyper-focused on air source heat pumps. Underground systems, as considered by Stiles, also use heat pumps, but the difference primarily lies in the source of the heat itself. Air from Vermont’s cold winters — compared to the earth a few hundred feet down — tends to be much colder, making it a worse heat source for a heat pump. Using them as the only source of heat was generally frowned upon by those interviewed for this piece, due to their inefficiencies related to Vermont’s climate. The Vermont Public Utility Commission, however, is still hacking out new rules to try to encourage the use of heat pumps, although the final details could end up being much different. With that said, everyone interviewed for this piece encouraged the use of heat pumps as a secondary source, as they still deliver heating efficiencies. This past May, Americans for Prosperity — a conservative think tank — even ended up sending out a five-part mailer campaign to stir up a political defense against the Clean Heat Standard, as it tied into complaints around affordability. The policy’s effectiveness was also under contention. As proposed, the Clean Heat Standard’s stated goal was to essentially lower the overall amount of energy used by Vermont by giving fuel providers and distributors the additional task of helping Vermonters with the transition to cleaner alternatives. In theory, the effort would have shielded Vermont residents from the ebbs and flows of gas prices, which are affected by much bigger players in the world — both private and public — than the State of Vermont. Instead, the effort is currently leaning toward a much simpler solution set of some sort of fee system to collect incentive dollars to help pay for heat pump house conversions, although the exact rules — as well as the policy’s effectiveness — are still in contention. They are due in January. Getting a heat pump Most people have seen a heat pump without recognizing it. Like electrical panels, air conditioners and cell towers, the devices are literally designed to be as inconspicuous as possible. Vermont, as a state, is one of the earliest adopters of the device, installing 63,000 of the units last year. “It’s kind of like a small filing cabinet tipped on its side horizontally, connected to a refrigerant line,” he said. Some sit outside a home like an air conditioner. Some are fitted inside a house’s already-installed heating system, with mini-splits functioning as space heaters. The really fancy ones take advantage of underground thermal systems, as Stiles preferred. VGS technicians install a ductless mini-split heatpump at a residential dwelling. To create heat, they essentially function like reverse air conditioners, pulling heat from one source to shoot hot air into an enclosed space, or to warm up liquid when attached to a water heater. Installing them, however, can be tricky. Tim Perrin, VGS’s director of energy management and services, explained some of the considerations with me this past week over Zoom. Many households can benefit from a heat pump, Perrin said, but so much depends on the set-up of each house and its existing heating source. In Vermont, for example, roughly 6 in 10 households rely on gas-powered furnaces attached to a central air system. In such cases, Perrin said even an air source heat pump could help carve out some efficiencies, as the heat pump can do much of the heavy lifting to bring a home up to higher temperature before it becomes a better trade-off to switch to a primary fuel source and warm a space up the rest of the way. Usually, the time to switch between two heating sources is when the temperature measures between 40 and 50 degrees. The extra device also gives property owners some options, Perrin said. They can switch to whatever heating option works best at each temperature, and if there’s a major upswing in fuel prices, households can more easily adapt. But that doesn’t mean that heat pumps can be programmed and forgotten. There is something of a learning curve to running the devices, Perrin said. Unlike a central heating system, where you can set a temperature and wait for the furnace to kick in, heat pumps can be a little more finicky. They require annual cleaning, and heat exchange is often localized — depending on the design, of course. Relatedly, solutions often require some customization to fit each space. Like Decoster, Perrin also stressed the importance of weatherization attached to all these conversations. Heating a space is a combination of both generation and retention, and there’s not much point in addressing one without tackling the other. In older houses, for example, past construction techniques often created houses that were a little more loose and actually encouraged air flow, Stiles said, which robbed the house of its heat. Instead, people hunkered down in limited parts of the house, dressed with the expectation of the cold. “They dressed very warm and lived very cold in the winter,” Stiles explained. These days, we’ve made some progress. During a custom-fit, Perrin said a heat pump expert will examine the space to double check for weatherization issues, as well as, begin the conversation around potential conversion. “This is where understanding the heating needs of a home might be effective to find that technical balance point,” Perrin said. “At some point, the outside air temperature is just able to heat the home and it starts to be necessary to have some sort of supplemental heating source to support the home on really cool days.”
AP Sports SummaryBrief at 5:27 p.m. ESTBy TravelPulse (TNS) While 2024 was a year that brought about significant, continued post-pandemic recovery for the travel industry, it was also a period of time marked by instability in some locations around the world. From attacks on the rail lines during the Paris Olympics to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, not to mention the war in Ukraine, the global travel realm in 2024 was fraught with challenges. It is against this backdrop that the international security and medical services provider Global Guardian recently released its 2025 Global Risk Map. Published annually, the map is meant to help travelers better understand the current global risk landscape. In order to develop its guidance, experts at Global Guardian assess a long list of country-specific security risk factors and indicators, including crime, health, natural disasters, infrastructure, political stability, civil unrest and terrorism. For 2025, Global Guardian’s assessment results underscore the reality that disruption globally and domestically continues to increase, and now more than ever travelers need to be prepared when exploring the world. As part of the latest assessment, Global Guardian highlighted a handful of specific global regions that are at particular risk of destabilization over the next year and beyond. Here’s a closer look at those regions, along with insights from Global Guardian CEO Dale Buckner, who recently spoke with TravelPulse at length about the risks travelers may face in 2025. Here are the regions at risk of destabilization in 2025: Israel’s existential battle against Iran is set to continue into 2025, says the Global Guardian report. “In July 2024, Israel assassinated Hamas’ political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) safehouse in Tehran, and Iran has pledged revenge,” the report explains. “This comes as Iran and its web of regional proxies took their war on Israel out of the shadows and into the open following October 7, 2023, with seven live fronts.” Global Guardian also predicts that Israel’s regional war will shift from Gaza to the West Bank and Lebanon in the year ahead, heightening tensions with Hezbollah, while Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean will persist. The report adds that as “we enter 2025, Israel may assess that its strategic window to prevent a nuclear Iran is rapidly closing and choose to act.” The ongoing civil war in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), is also of concern, according to Global Guardian’s risk analysis. The conflict “has created a dire humanitarian situation with ethnically motivated violence on the rise,” says the report. Some of the areas of concern in the Latin American region include Venezuela and Mexico, according to Global Guardian. The risk in Venezuela is tied to the country’s long-standing territorial dispute with neighboring Guyana, says the report. “Since 2019, the U.S. Department of State withdrew all diplomatic personnel from U.S. Embassy Caracas and suspended all operations,” explains Buckner. “Violent crimes, such as homicide, armed robbery, kidnapping, and carjacking, are common in Venezuela. Shortages of gasoline, electricity, water, medicine, and medical supplies continue throughout much of Venezuela. Simply put, Venezuela is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for Western travelers and should be avoided.” In Mexico, meanwhile, the problems include drug cartel-related violence and theft, among other issues, says the report. Mexico recently inaugurated its first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, and like her predecessors she will face challenges “reining in cartel violence, corruption, extortion, theft and kidnapping,” says the report. “As such, security continues to be a top concern in Mexico’ ” says the report, which categorizes Mexico as “high risk” when it comes to travel for 2025. Countries classified as high risk experience regular conflict, criminal activity or civil unrest — and have not effectively managed those risks. The Global Guardian report also suggests there may be heightened risks in Mexico now that Donald Trump has been reelected U.S. president. “Bilateral relations between the U.S. and Mexico could dramatically deteriorate. Trump has promised a mass deportation operation, which could sour relations between the U.S. and Mexico, increasing risks to businesses operating in Mexico,” the report adds. Asked to comment on Mexico’s high-risk designation, Buckner stressed that the situation in the country is extremely nuanced, adding that it’s a vast oversimplification to call the entire country high risk. “There are pockets of Mexico that are wildly safe and wonderful to visit and people shouldn’t hesitate to go,” Buckner told TravelPulse. “And there are also pockets that are unsafe and dangerous.” The good news, added Buckner, is that Mexico’s new president is focusing a great deal of effort and energy on addressing the problems surrounding drug cartels, which are the source of a great deal of the risk. Buckner was quick to add however, that as long as there’s demand for drugs, the drug cartel situation is likely to remain problematic. “The U.S. is driving the drug demand — we consume more drugs then the rest of the world,” explained Buckner. “It’s really overly simplified to paint Mexico as the bad guy, because if there wasn’t demand, we wouldn’t need the supply. But the demand is real and violence comes with that.” Representatives for Global Nexus, a government and public affairs consultancy that advises travel and tourism companies and interests in Southern Mexico, told TravelPulse that while drug-related violence has been known to occur, it involves members of the drug cartel targeting each other, they’re not targeting tourists. “There is an ongoing battle between small drug vendors who use the beach to sell product to tourists hanging out on the beach,” explained Ruben Olmos, Global Nexus president and CEO, in reference to the Quintana Roo region, which is popular with tourists. “There have been cases where gunfire has been exchanged between these groups. They are targeting themselves. They are fighting over ‘This is my beach’ and they initiate a shootout.” However, added Olmos, that the U.S. State Department’s risk categorization for Quintana Roo (which is separate from the Global Guardian risk assessment) has not changed. Located on the State Department’s Mexico page, the risk assessment for Quintana Roo remains in the “Exercise Increased Caution” category, which is below the top risk categories of “Do Not Travel” and “Reconsider Travel.” The Exercise Increased Caution designation means “Be aware of heightened risks to safety and security,” explains the State Department’s website. Olmos also pointed out that Mexico is the only country that has a map on the U.S. State Department website that covers every single state in the country, providing details for travelers about which states are safest. In June 2024, thousands of young people took to the streets in Kenya to protest a controversial tax bill. The protesters were met with heavy-handed policing, including the use of live fire and mass arrests, says the Global Guardian risk report. Despite the local security response, protests continued. The success and tenacity of the Kenyan movement has triggered similar protests or dissent in other countries including Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, and Nigeria, says Global Guardian. That is just a portion of the risk Global Guardian sees for Sub-Saharan Africa over the course of 2025. “With multiple conflicts escalating across the continent, aging leaders leaving behind unclear successions, and entrenched regimes with dissipating legitimacy, Sub-Saharan Africa now looks much like the North African and Arab world in the early 2010s,” says the report. “While the dynamic unfolding in Africa might not yet merit the label of “African Spring,” a significant change to the continent’s political status quo is coming.” Several countries received an extreme or high-risk designation on the new Global Guardian risk map for 2025, including more than a few that are popular with leisure travelers or tourists. Extreme risk countries are those that Global Guardian says are “actively engaged in conflict, while also experiencing severe criminal activity and civil unrest.These countries are insecure; state institutions are too weak to manage militant groups or large-scale disasters.” They include Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Lebanon, Mali, Niger, Somalia, Ukraine, West Bank, Gaza and Yemen. The current list of high-risk countries, which are countries that experience regular conflict, criminal activity or civil unrest and have not effectively managed those risks, includes Bangladesh, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Iraq, Israel, Jamaica, Kenya, Libya, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, South Sudan, Uganda, Venezuela Officials from the Jamaica Tourist Board provided a statement to TravelPulse in response to Global Guardian’s designation of the country. “Last month, Global Guardian, a private security provider, released its 2025 Global Risk Map, which included Jamaica, amongst other destinations,” said the Tourist Board. “It is important to note that the crime rate against visitors is notably low at 0.01% and the majority of Jamaica’s tourism product remains unaffected.” The country’s tourism officials added that Jamaica has welcomed 3 million visitors this year and boasts a high repeat visitor rate of 42%. “The island is consistently ranked among the top destinations for international travel and visitors continue to come with confidence to enjoy all that Jamaica has to offer,” the statement adds. When it comes to Jamaica, Buckner offered similar comments to those of Mexico, noting that the situation is impacted by drug-related violence and the experience on the ground is nuanced and cannot be painted with a broad brush. “In the same vein as Mexico — Jamaica can be a wonderful place to visit,” says Buckner. “There are pockets of beauty and low crime and as long as you are careful, it’s a very low threat.” Buckner, a retired Army colonel, maintains that the world is indeed a more risky place heading into 2025. The challenges in the Middle East and Ukraine are at the forefront of the instability, but are hardly the only cause for concern. “Israel has now gone to Gaza and cleaned out Hamas, they’re now moving north into Lebanon, and we are convinced Israel will strike Iran,” Buckner said during an interview that took place prior to Israel’s strike on Iran. “If that occurs you are going to see violence across the Middle East.” “But there are over 100 conflicts across the globe,” continues Buckner. When you combine that reality with other challenges the world is currently grappling with, including the destabilizing influences of climate change, there are plenty of risks for travelers to bear in mind when planning a journey for the coming year. He wraps up by offering a few tips for travelers, a check-list of sorts, to work through when planning or considering travel to a specific country in 2025: — If you don’t know who to call or how you are going to negotiate if someone is kidnapped, you shouldn’t go there. — Consumers need to read the fine print on travel insurance because it does not cover war zones, terrorism or natural disasters, says Buckner. And travelers are often surprised and find out too late that these types of events are not covered. — If you get stuck or stranded, if you don’t know who you are going to call to get you out of that situation, know what organizations locally or internationally are available to help you. ©2024 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Visit at travelpulse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
SBP issues updated framework for exchange companiesPSV staged a dramatic Champions League comeback against 10-man Shakhtar Donetsk in Eindhoven, winning 3-2 from two goals down in the 87th minute. The visitors went in front after just eight minutes from a quick breakaway, with Yukhym Konoplia setting up Danylo Sikan, whose shot squeezed beyond PSV keeper Walter Benítez. Oleksandr Zubkov doubled Shakhtar’s lead with a superb curling finish in the 37th minute, putting the Ukrainians in control of the match. Despite PSV having numerous efforts on goal, Shakhtar looked largely untroubled until Pedro Henrique was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Johan Bakayoko in the 69th minute. That allowed the hosts to pile on the pressure, but they were kept out until Malik Tillman’s free kick squeezed past Dmytro Riznyk at the near post. Tillman brought Peter Bosz’s side level on 90 minutes with a thumping strike from outside the area. With Shakhtar’s defence all at sea, Ricardo Pepi finished off a passing move with a shot that went in off the post, his 95th-minute winner sparking delirium among the home supporters. Benfica came from behind twice to end 10-man Monaco ’s unbeaten Champions League start, scoring two late headers to grab a thrilling 3-2 away win. Monaco’s Eliesse Ben Seghir got his side off to the perfect start, breaking the deadlock in the 13th minute by rifling home from Aleksandr Golovin’s cut-back. Ángel Di María and Nicolás Otamendi both went close for Benfica before half time, with Monaco’s Breel Embolo smacking a shot off the post soon after the restart. That miss that proved costly when Benfica’s Vangelis Pavlidis made the most of Caio Henrique’s weak header to steal the ball and equalise. Both sides then had goals ruled out for offside by VAR, before Monaco defender Wilfried Singo picked up his second yellow card just before the hour mark. Despite that setback, Monaco retook the lead as substitute Soungoutou Magassa charged on to Christian Mawissa’s angled pass and drilled home for his first goal for the club. But Di María had the final say, crossing for Arthur Cabral to level in the 84th minute, then picking out Zeki Amdouni to head home the winner four minutes later. Borussia Dortmund eased past hosts Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 to stay firmly on course for a top-eight finish and an automatic place in the last 16. Jamie Gittens fired last year’s finalists into a deserved lead in the 41st minute, finishing well after Danijel Zagorac had spectacularly kept out Donyell Malen’s point-blank header. Ramy Bensebaini headed in Dortmund’s second goal from a corner early in the second half. Forward Serhou Guirassy, back after a short illness, got on the scoresheet late in the game. The substitute broke clear of the Zagreb defence and ran on a deflected pass before slotting the ball through the keeper’s legs. Lille boosted their bid for a top-eight finish with a 2-1 away win at Bologna , whose hopes of reaching the knockout rounds look slim. Ngal’ayel Mukau opened the scoring for the visitors just before the break, and while Jhon Lucumi got Bologna’s first Champions League goal in the 63rd minute, Mukau struck again just three minutes later to earn victory. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Earlier on Wednesday, Red Star Belgrade came from a goal down to thrash visitors Stuttgart 5-1 and earn their first league-phase points in emphatic fashion. Ermedin Demirovic volleyed in from close range to give the visitors a fifth-minute lead but Silas, on loan from Stuttgart, levelled for the hosts seven minutes later. With Red Star’s fans growing louder, their team took the lead in the 31st minute with a fierce volley from Rade Krunic. Red Star were able to break through Stuttgart’s high line at will, wasting chances with two consecutive counters before Silas firing over the bar from close range. Mirko Ivanic then headed in at the far post in the 65th minute to make it 3-1 before another Nemanja Radonjic added gloss to the scoreline with two goals off the bench. Girona ’s struggles in the competition continued as they lost 1-0 at Sturm Graz in Wednesday’s other early kick-off. Mika Biereth’s second-half goal, scored on the rebound after Paulo Gazzaniga’s save, secured the hosts’ first points of the league phrase and their first win over a Spanish side in Europe.
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