Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Wednesday.
The world agreed to move away from fossil fuelsAfter two weeks of furious debate, diplomats from almost 200 counties at the U.N. climate summit in Dubai approved a global pact today that explicitly called for "transitioning away from fossil fuels." The sweeping agreement, which came during the hottest year in recorded history, was the culmination of decades of climate science showing that the burning of oil, gas and coal was dangerously heating the planet. That consensus has long been clear, but negotiators at the previous 27 summits failed to come to such an agreement. Simply including the words "fossil fuels" in the pact was a potentially trajectory-altering moment, my colleague David Gelles wrote. "The text is not as clear as many leaders, activists and scientists had hoped," David wrote. "Nevertheless, the inclusion of explicit language calling for a move away from coal, oil and gas is being hailed as a major breakthrough." Specifically, the deal called on countries to accelerate a global shift away from fossil fuels during this decade and to quit adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by midcentury. It also called on nations to triple the number of renewable energy systems installed around the world by 2030. My colleague Lisa Friedman, who has covered the U.N. climate conferences for more than a decade, said that "many leaders said it sends the signal that the era of fossil fuels is coming to an end, which is something I could not imagine this body doing even five years ago."
Fed officials forecast three interest rate cuts in 2024In a remarkable shift, Federal Reserve officials announced today that they expected to cut borrowing costs three times in the coming year. The forecast came after a meeting today in which the Fed, for the third consecutive time, opted to hold rates steady at the current range of 5.25 to 5.5 percent. The extended pause was widely anticipated, but the policymakers' rate-cut projections were even more optimistic than many analysts expected. Stocks rallied after the Fed's announcement.
The Supreme Court will hear major abortion pill casesThe Supreme Court justices announced today that they would decide on the availability of a commonly used abortion pill, in what is set to be the most significant abortion ruling since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. The cases challenge the availability of the abortion drug mifepristone, including whether the F.D.A.'s approval of it is lawful. The justices' decision to rule on the challenges sets up a high-stakes confrontation over the drug that could sharply curtail access to medication that is used in more than half of all pregnancy terminations in the U.S. Separately, the Supreme Court said it would decide the scope of the obstruction charge central to the election-interference case against Donald Trump and hundreds of other Jan. 6 cases.
The House approved a Biden impeachment inquiryThe Republican-led House of Representatives voted this evening to approve a formal impeachment inquiry into President Biden, pushing forward with a yearlong investigation that has so far failed to produce evidence of high crimes or misdemeanors. Republicans said that the vote, which passed 221-212, was needed to give them full authority to carry out their investigations amid anticipated legal challenges from the White House. They have focused heavily on Hunter Biden, who is under indictment on federal tax and gun charges, and the work he did for companies and partners overseas. More top news
A.I. cheating fears may have been overblownMany large public school districts, including those in Los Angeles and New York City, have blocked students' access to ChatGPT based in part on concerns that the A.I. tool would facilitate a rise in cheating. But new research from Stanford University suggested that access to chatbots had little effect on the frequency of cheating in high schools. In surveys this year, 60 to 70 percent of students said they had cheated — roughly the same as before the release of ChatGPT.
Cruises that offer a respite from the winter blahsIf you live in a place where it's been getting cold, you may have considered escaping the winter for a few days — or longer. We gathered a list of some of this season's most anticipated cruises to sunny spots and explained what each offered. The most eye-popping option is Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, the world's largest new cruise ship, which can carry more than 7,000 passengers. But you can go smaller on itineraries that range from the Caribbean to the South Pacific.
Dinner table topics
Cook: This za'atar and labneh pasta has the texture of an alfredo but with a bright tang that brings levity. Watch: "Apollo 13" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas" were among the 25 films selected for preservation this year in the Library of Congress's National Film Registry. Listen: Our music critic picked seven new songs that you should hear right now. Research: Flaxseeds have many potential benefits. But they can't do everything. Gaze: The Geminids meteor shower will reach its peak tonight. Game: Wirecutter picked out several free video games that are worth trying out. Compete: Take our quiz to see how well you know these novels with academic settings. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.
All I want for Christmas is in this PowerPoint presentationWhen Michelle Miller-McNair asked her children to make Christmas lists this year, she was expecting a piece of paper or perhaps an emailed link. But her 13-year-old daughter wanted to make a bigger impression: She put together an 18-slide PowerPoint presentation explaining why she needed several gifts, including Nike sneakers and a necklace from Kendra Scott. Many other kids have taken a similar strategy with their lists this year, inspired by a growing crop of social media videos in which some parents seem impressed — and perhaps even convinced — by the sales pitches to Santa. Have an industrious evening. Thanks for reading. Sarah Hughes was our photo editor today. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com. A correction: Yesterday's newsletter misidentified the position that Senator Mitch McConnell holds. He is the Senate minority leader, not the Senate majority leader.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
-
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario