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2025-01-09   

The world approved a bitterly negotiated climate deal Sunday committing wealthy historic polluters to $300 billion annually for poor and vulnerable nations that had demanded far more to confront the crisis of global warming. After two exhaustive weeks of chaotic bargaining and sleepless nights, nearly 200 nations banged through the contentious finance pact in the early hours beneath a sports stadium roof in Azerbaijan. Nations had struggled to reconcile long-standing divisions over climate finance. Sleep-deprived diplomats, huddled in anxious groups, were still revising the final phrasing on the plenary floor before the deal passed. At points, the talks appeared on the brink of collapse, with developing nations storming out of meetings and threatening to walk away should rich nations not cough up more cash. In the end -- despite repeating that no deal is better than a bad deal -- they did not stand in the way of an agreement, despite it falling well short of what they want. The final deal commits developed nations to pay at least $300 billion a year by 2035 to help developed countries green their economies and prepare for worse disasters. That is up from $100 billion now provided by wealthy nations under a commitment set to expire -- and from the $250 billion proposed in a draft Friday. That offer was slammed as offensively low by developing countries, which have demanded at least $500 billion to build resilience against climate change and cut emissions. A number of countries have accused Azerbaijan, an authoritarian oil and gas exporter, of lacking the experience and will to meet the moment, as the planet again sets temperature records and faces rising deadly disasters. Wealthy countries and small island nations have also been concerned by efforts led by Saudi Arabia to water down calls from last year's summit to phase out fossil fuels. The United States and EU have wanted newly wealthy emerging economies like China -- the world's largest emitter -- to chip in. The final draft encouraged developing countries to make contributions on a voluntary basis, reflecting no change for China which already pays climate finance on its own terms. Wealthy nations said it was politically unrealistic to expect more in direct government funding. Donald Trump, a sceptic of both climate change and foreign assistance, returns to the White House in January and a number of other Western countries have seen right-wing backlashes against the green agenda. The deal posits a larger overall target of $1.3 trillion per year to cope with rising temperatures and disasters, but most would come from private sources. bur-np-sct/lth/jjDrop in Boxing Day footfall ‘signals return to declining pre-pandemic levels’21 jilipark 。

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks rode their dominant defense to a big win over a division rival to vault into first place in the NFC West. No, it isn’t 2013. These are the 2024 Seahawks, who, after struggling mightily against the run earlier this season, held the visiting Arizona Cardinals to 49 rushing yards in Sunday's 16-6 victory . The defensive line kept Kyler Murray under consistent pressure thanks to a dominant performance from Leonard Williams, the secondary flew around to smack away passes, and safety Coby Bryant scored on a 69-yard pick-6. Sunday's defensive performance was reminiscent of the Seahawks of a decade ago and a promising sign that first-year coach Mike Macdonald’s system is starting to click. Macdonald, who coordinated Baltimore's NFL-best defense last year, was leading one of the worst rush defenses in the league earlier this season. But Seattle consistently stuffed the Cardinals, who came in as the fifth-best running team in the league at 149.4 yards per game. “Three games in a row now we played pretty decent on defense,” Macdonald said. “There is an expectation and standard here throughout the course of our Seahawks history that we’re trying to live up to and build on. So that’s the idea.” At 6-5, the Seahawks drew even with the Cardinals in the tightly bunched division. The teams play each other again in two weeks at Arizona. Last month's trade for linebacker Ernest Jones IV has clearly paid off. Seattle hasn't allowed a running back to rush for more than 79 yards since its Week 8 loss to Buffalo, which was Jones' first game in a Seahawks uniform. He has led the team in tackles in every game he's played and has helped resurrect the run defense. The Seahawks' run game continues to underperform. Seattle got 65 yards on the ground Sunday, with the Cardinals holding Kenneth Walker III to 41 yards on 16 attempts. Zach Charbonnet had 22 yards on six carries. Walker hasn’t topped 100 yards since Week 1. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb needs to think of something different to get the running backs involved. Williams single-handedly disrupted the Cardinals with 2 1/2 sacks, four quarterback hits, three tackles for loss and one pass defensed. “I thought he was dominant,” Macdonald said. “I knew he played great and then I looked at the stat line and he played out of his mind.” The Seahawks finished with five sacks, seven quarterback hits, five tackles for loss and six pass deflections against the Cardinals, shutting down a team that had averaged 29.3 points over its previous three games. Geno Smith finished with 254 yards passing and a touchdown, but he threw another momentum-stalling interception. Smith was picked off on a third-and-6 play on the Arizona 18-yard line at the start of the fourth quarter, ending an 11-play, 73-yard drive. Smith has an NFL-most 12 interceptions this season, more than in either of his previous two seasons as the Seahawks' full-time starter. “That was a huge drive for us. ... Obviously made a terrible mistake down there, something I got to clean up,” Smith said. “But it was a big drive. We wanted to put the game ahead at least two scores.” The offensive line has contributed to the problem. Guard Anthony Bradford left with an ankle injury, and the line struggled to protect Smith, who was sacked five times. Macdonald said Bradford is expected to miss next week's game. 77 — Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the team with six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown, marking the fourth consecutive game that Smith-Njigba has led the team in receptions. He topped 100 yards receiving in the previous two games. “He’s getting open,” Smith said. “He’s catching the ball. He’s doing a great job in the screen game. All-around great player. I just think the way that teams are playing us coverage-wise, I feel like it’s the ultimate sign of respect.” The Seahawks play at the struggling New York Jets on Sunday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Ange Postecoglou relishing Tottenham’s key run of fixtures before Christmas

No, it isn’t 2013. These are the 2024 Seahawks, who, after struggling mightily against the run earlier this season, held the visiting Arizona Cardinals to 49 rushing yards in Sunday's 16-6 victory . The defensive line kept Kyler Murray under consistent pressure thanks to a dominant performance from Leonard Williams, the secondary flew around to smack away passes, and safety Coby Bryant scored on a 69-yard pick-6. Sunday's defensive performance was reminiscent of the Seahawks of a decade ago and a promising sign that first-year coach Mike Macdonald’s system is starting to click. Macdonald, who coordinated Baltimore's NFL-best defense last year, was leading one of the worst rush defenses in the league earlier this season. But Seattle consistently stuffed the Cardinals, who came in as the fifth-best running team in the league at 149.4 yards per game. “Three games in a row now we played pretty decent on defense,” Macdonald said. “There is an expectation and standard here throughout the course of our Seahawks history that we’re trying to live up to and build on. So that’s the idea.” At 6-5, the Seahawks drew even with the Cardinals in the tightly bunched division. The teams play each other again in two weeks at Arizona. Last month's trade for linebacker Ernest Jones IV has clearly paid off. Seattle hasn't allowed a running back to rush for more than 79 yards since its Week 8 loss to Buffalo, which was Jones' first game in a Seahawks uniform. He has led the team in tackles in every game he's played and has helped resurrect the run defense. The Seahawks' run game continues to underperform. Seattle got 65 yards on the ground Sunday, with the Cardinals holding Kenneth Walker III to 41 yards on 16 attempts. Zach Charbonnet had 22 yards on six carries. Walker hasn’t topped 100 yards since Week 1. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb needs to think of something different to get the running backs involved. Williams single-handedly disrupted the Cardinals with 2 1/2 sacks, four quarterback hits, three tackles for loss and one pass defensed. “I thought he was dominant,” Macdonald said. “I knew he played great and then I looked at the stat line and he played out of his mind.” The Seahawks finished with five sacks, seven quarterback hits, five tackles for loss and six pass deflections against the Cardinals, shutting down a team that had averaged 29.3 points over its previous three games. Geno Smith finished with 254 yards passing and a touchdown, but he threw another momentum-stalling interception. Smith was picked off on a third-and-6 play on the Arizona 18-yard line at the start of the fourth quarter, ending an 11-play, 73-yard drive. Smith has an NFL-most 12 interceptions this season, more than in either of his previous two seasons as the Seahawks' full-time starter. “That was a huge drive for us. ... Obviously made a terrible mistake down there, something I got to clean up,” Smith said. “But it was a big drive. We wanted to put the game ahead at least two scores.” The offensive line has contributed to the problem. Guard Anthony Bradford left with an ankle injury, and the line struggled to protect Smith, who was sacked five times. Macdonald said Bradford is expected to miss next week's game. 77 — Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the team with six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown, marking the fourth consecutive game that Smith-Njigba has led the team in receptions. He topped 100 yards receiving in the previous two games. “He’s getting open,” Smith said. “He’s catching the ball. He’s doing a great job in the screen game. All-around great player. I just think the way that teams are playing us coverage-wise, I feel like it’s the ultimate sign of respect.” The Seahawks play at the struggling New York Jets on Sunday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl1 2 3 Ludhiana: In a landmark action against environmental violations, two residents of Basant Avenue have been charged with chopping down park trees and stealing the wood. The case, prompted by complaints from local environental activists that have also fought for clean water in the Buddha Dariya, marks one of the first instances of legal action for tree felling in the city, highlighting growing concerns over diminishing green cover. Basant Avenue residents B D Goyal and Tarsem Singh, are charged with stealing and damaging public property by cutting down four park trees in violation of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984. Environmental activist dentist Dr Amandeep Bains had filed this complaint on behalf of his team from the Public Action Committee that had planted these trees two decades ago. On Dec 5, hired workers hacked down these fully grown trees and carried away their wood allegedly on the orders of the two accused. Dr Bains claimed to have witnessed this chopping incident and confronted the contractor, who gave him the names of the individuals responsible. Dr Bains said in his police statement that: “This is not just tree cutting but a theft and a blatant disregard for public property.” Environmental activists welcomed the police action, describing it as a breakthrough in their efforts to curb illegal tree felling. “This is likely the first FIR (first-information report) of its kind in Ludhiana,” said Kapil Arora, another activist involved in the case. “Despite multiple complaints in the past, no action was taken. This step will set a precedent and discourage people from cutting down trees.” Arora emphasised the urgent need to protect Ludhiana’s shrinking green cover. “Tree felling has become alarmingly common because there’s little fear of consequences. This FIR shows that such acts will no longer go unpunished,” he added. Background, implications The trees in question were part of a park in Basant Avenue, a space meant to enhance the neighbourhood’s environment. Activists had raised the issue on social media before filing the complaint. They allege that the accused not only damaged public property but also hired contractors to dispose of the felled trees. The FIR highlights the growing awareness and activism around environmental conservation in urban areas like Ludhiana, where rapid development has taken a toll on green spaces. We also published the following articles recently Activist climbs tree to protest corruption in Girnanagar gram panchayat A gram panchayat member and RTI activist, Sunil Tukaram Sonawane, climbed a tree outside the Nashik Zilla Parishad office to protest alleged corruption. He claimed inaction on his complaints against the Girnanagar gram panchayat sarpanch. Police and fire brigade personnel rescued him after a 20-minute standoff. Sonawane alleges illegal appointments within the panchayat. No charges were filed against him. HC sends petition against tree felling to larger bench, stay on govt order remains The Madhya Pradesh High Court has referred a case challenging the state government's order permitting the felling of 53 tree species to a larger bench. This follows a previous dismissal of a similar petition by the Indore High Court bench. The petitioners argue this exemption contradicts a Supreme Court ruling and leads to deforestation. Navi Mumbai: Trees near Belapur fort cut for buildings, Centre orders action Residents of Navi Mumbai's Kille Gaonthan are celebrating a victory in their fight to protect trees slated for removal due to a residential project near the historic Belapur fort. Following citizen complaints, including one by Anuradha Shenoy, the Union forest ministry has intervened, directing state officials to investigate the tree felling and proposed highway widening. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword .Percentages: FG .429, FT .738. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

Northwest B.C. First Nation Nadleh Whut’en has confirmed the identification of potential unmarked graves at the site of the former Lejac Indian Residential School, located at Tseyaz Bunk’ut near Fraser Lake. Earlier in May, the First Nation had said it would search the residential school site using both ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetometry to detect irregularities underground. Lejac Indian Residential School operated from 1922 to 1976, impacting children from over 70 Nations. Nadleh Whut’en's announcement on November 30 follows nearly two years of geophysical surveys that began after Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation revealed in 2021 that they had identified around 200 potential burial sites at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Nadleh Whut’en said the preliminary findings from GPR and magnetometry surveys at Lejac uncovered geophysical signatures consistent with burials. These results are part of ongoing efforts to locate and honour the children who died while attending residential schools in Canada, the First Nation said. The survey, conducted by the guiding team of the project, which translates to "Let's Look for our Children" in Dakelh, covers a 142,500 square-meter area (about 27 football fields). The research is a response to survivor testimony and archival records that suggest numerous children may have been buried in unmarked graves at Lejac. During its operation, at least 7,850 Indigenous children, including day scholars, attended the residential school, which subjected students to harsh conditions, including forced labor, abuse, and the loss of cultural identity. The school’s cemetery, where some graves are marked, has long been known to survivors. However, the recent surveys suggest there are additional unmarked graves that have not been accounted for. “The work is hard and it takes a long time – and we are bringing information forward as we receive it because survivors have a right to know,” Nadleh Whut’en Chief Beverly Ketlo said about the importance of these findings. The Lejac Indian Residential School has had an active cemetery on the grounds since it was founded in 1922. "We have always known that there were children buried at Lejac because many of their graves are marked in a cemetery. I want you to ask yourself if your elementary school had a cemetery,” Ketlo added. Ketlo said this is not just a thing of the past but the horrors experienced at Lejac are still very real for the survivors who lived through this "genocide.” “Lejac relentlessly taught the children that they were inferior. They were forcibly taken from their families, lands, and cultures, leading them to believe that everything about their identity was wrong,” she said. The geophysical surveys, which were conducted in winter 2023 and spring/summer 2024, used advanced technologies to detect disturbances beneath the surface that could indicate burial sites. GPR sends radar pulses into the ground, revealing underground conditions, while magnetometry detects metal objects and magnetic changes. This data is being analyzed by two independent teams of experts and will guide future steps in the search for missing children. Former Chief Archie Patrick of Stellat’en First Nation, a survivor of Lejac, expressed hope that these efforts would help bring justice to those affected. “Lejac is still with me. I continue to deal with the upheaval of being taken from my parents, and the daily trauma of living at that place. But I am so pleased that the stories of survivors are finally being brought to light.” The findings are part of ongoing work, and no immediate plans for excavation or exhumation have been made. The guiding team, made up of survivors and inter-generational survivors, is overseeing the research and will determine the next steps. The federal government has committed to funding these efforts, and an estimated 20 years of work remain to uncover the full truth about the missing children from residential schools across Canada.The New Orleans Saints look like bandits in a way after some recent injury news came to the surface in the NFC. Marshon Lattimore 's injury Since being traded to the Washington Commanders , Lattimore has not played a single down for the NFC East foe. Washington has continued to see some success, but their defense would undoubtedly improve with him on the field. The Commanders just ruled out Lattimore for Week 12 as well. Dan Quinn says Marshon Lattimore won't play Sunday. Quinn says he's optimistic Lattimore could play against the #Titans in a week. He says the bye in 2 weeks won't determine when Lattimore plays. If he's ready before the bye, he'll play. Here's Lattimore at practice today @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/HDsRESOOui Lattimore has been dealing with a hamstring injury for a bulk of this season. It caused him to miss time in New Orleans, and now, it is affecting his availability for Dan Quinn's defense. The Saints got some backlash at the deadline for not garnering a second round pick for the top-flight CB. In reality, garnering a third round pick and day three draft stock was a win for the Saints in the long run. Lattimore had a great career in New Orleans, but injuries have mounted for him in recent seasons, including 2024. Without him, their secondary has still played fairly well since he was dealt away. Lattimore played in just seventeen games combined between the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 season. Before 2022, the CB was had played in at least thirteen games in every season of his NFL career. For the Saints, we will see how they choose to address the CB position during this offseason. They have a lot of faith in young CB Alontae Taylor, but his time playing outside has not been consistent. He was playing in the slot until Lattimore was traded away. Rookie Kool-Aid McKinstry also has plenty of fans in the organization. Drafting a cornerback early in the 2025 NFL Draft could make sense, too, though. Regardless, the value that the Saints got in return for Lattimore looks pretty impressive, considering his lack of availability that continues to grow in Washington. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The clock may have just struck midnight on the 2024 Colorado season. Deion Sanders’ No. 16 Buffaloes appeared on a mission to the Big 12 championship game — and maybe even beyond into the College Football Playoff — but all of that is in doubt after Kansas ended CU’s five-game winning streak on Saturday night at Arrowhead Stadium. Here are three takeaways from the Buffs’ 37-21 loss that drops them to 8-3 on the season and 6-2 in Big 12 play: Through 10 games, the CU defense hadn’t faced a rushing attack it couldn’t stop — or at least contain enough to win the game. That stopped against the Jayhawks, who did whatever they wanted to do on offense for every second of the 60-minute game. And what they wanted to do was get the ball to veteran running back Devin Neal, who proceeded to carry the ball 37 times for 207 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught the ball four times for 80 yards and a touchdown for a grand total of 287 yards of total offense and four scores. The Buffs have faced just about every good running back the Big 12 has to offer — and there are a lot of them — but Neal looked like the best of the bunch on this day. Colorado’s offense has been missing something — namely someone — for a few weeks now. The Buffs could handle the loss to sophomore Omarion Miller, who suffered a season-ending injury in early October. Freshman Drelon Miller is capable of filling that void, but maybe not the one left open by the injury to Jimmy Horn Jr. in recent weeks. The veteran wide receiver has dealt with a handful of injuries this season and just hasn’t been able to put together any kind of impact performance since his dazzling season debut, when he finished just shy of 200 receiving yards. Shedeur Sanders was able to find Travis Hunter eight times for 125 yards and two touchdowns, but the CU offense just couldn’t keep up with what KU was doing on the other sideline. Good luck trying to figure out these Big 12 tiebreakers, folks. While Arizona State was beating BYU in the desert at the same time the Buffs were losing at Arrowhead, it caused a jumble at the top of the conference that is going to be tough to sort out with now four two-loss teams at the top of the standings (barring an Iowa State loss to Utah late Saturday night). The Buffs aren’t dead yet, but they missed a big opportunity to take sole possession of first place in the Big 12 and essentially put one foot in the conference title game on Dec. 7. Now, who knows?By 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.” Related Articles 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.

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