Sunken WWII destroyer USS Edsall discovered 82 years after Japanese battle


The USS Edsall, which was sunk during World War II with more than 200 servicemen on board, has been located at the bottom of the Indian Ocean, according to the U.S. Navy. The 314-foot destroyer was called the "dancing mouse" for erratic movements during its final battle with Japanese battleships

Nov. 12 (UPI) -- The wreckage of a U.S. warship, sunk by Japanese forces more than 80 years ago during World War II, has been found at the bottom of the Indian Ocean, according to the U.S. Navy.

The destroyer USS Edsall was located about 200 miles east of Christmas Island by the Royal Australian Navy. The warship was sunk off the coast of Australia on March 1, 1942, three months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. More than 200 servicemen were killed.
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The U.S. Embassy in Australia announced the USS Edsall's discovery Monday in a post on X, as the United States celebrated Veterans Day and Australia honored Remembrance Day.

On Remembrance Day in Australia and Veterans Day in the U.S., we honor those we have lost and those who have served.

Alongside @CN_Australia, Ambassador Kennedy thanks the @Australian_Navy for discovering USS Edsall, sunk off the coast of Australia during WWII. Lest We Forget. pic.twitter.com/haklYuHwQo— U.S. Embassy Australia (@USEmbAustralia) November 11, 2024

"Captain Joshua Nix and his crew fought valiantly, evading 1,400 shells from Japanese battleships and cruisers before being attacked by 26 carrier dive bombers, taking one fatal hit. There were no survivors," U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy said in a statement Monday as she commemorated the servicemen.

Nix's evasive actions to try to save the ship also were commended by the Japanese who said the Edsall performed like a "Japanese dancing mouse," an animal known for its erratic movements.

The Edsall, which was commissioned in 1919, was traveling alone south of Java in 1942, when it encountered the Japanese battleships. The Edsall had been escorting convoys between Australia and Indonesia.

While most of the ship's crew were lost in the sinking, it was revealed during war crimes trials that several survivors were picked up by the Japanese fleet and later executed.

"On behalf of the U.S. Navy, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Royal Australian Navy for locating the final resting place of the destroyer USS Edsall, lost in a valiant battle against the Imperial Japanese Navy in the early days of World War II," Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti wrote in a statement.

"The commanding officer of Edsall lived up to the U.S. Navy tenet, 'Don't give up the ship,' even when faced with overwhelming odds," Franchetti added.

"The wreck of this ship is a hallowed site, serving as a marker for the 185 U.S. Navy personnel and 31 U.S. Army Air Force pilots aboard at the time, almost all of whom were lost when Edsall succumbed to her battle damage."

While the Australian Navy discovered the wreckage in 2023, there had been no confirmation that it was the USS Edsall. Its staff used "advanced robotic and autonomous systems normally used for hydrographic survey capabilities to locate the USS Edsall on the seabed," according to Chief of Navy, Vice Adm. Mark Hammond.

"This Remembrance Day I am honored to acknowledge the role of the Royal Australian Navy in the discovery of the wreck of USS Edsall, a warship that holds a special place in our naval history," Hammond said.

"As we reflect on the legacy of the USS Edsall, we honor the sailors who faced tremendous challenges with bravery and determination. Their stories are an integral part of our shared maritime history and commitment to service," Hammond added.

"We honor their families and hope this discovery will be a reminder of the enduring respect and appreciation we have for their loved ones."

U.S., Finland and Canada agree to icebreaker collaboration pact

The Coast Guard Cutter Healy breaks ice for the first time in 1999 and soon might be joined by world-class icebreakers after U.S., Canadian and Finish leaders agreed to the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort Pact. Photo by U.S. Coast Guard

Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Political leaders in the United States, Finland and Canada announced Wednesday that the three nations will build world-class icebreakers for the Arctic and polar waters.

President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finland President Alexander Stubb agreed to the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort Pact in a memorandum of understanding.

"We have embarked on a transformative partnership that strengthens our ability to uphold international rules and maintain security in the Arctic and Antarctic regions," the three leaders said in a news release issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Biden, Trudeau and Stubb initially agreed to the ICE Pact during a NATO Summit in Washington in July and formalized the agreement with the memo of understanding.

"By jointly developing and producing world-class Arctic and polar icebreakers, we are laying the foundation for a resilient and competitive shipbuilding industry capable of meeting both national and global demand for these critical assets," the leaders said.

They said the agreement "underscores our collective commitment to peace, stability and prosperity in the Arctic and polar regions."

Building icebreakers faster and on a larger scale while combining resources helps to lower costs to build the specialty vessels.

The pact says the three nations will work together to share information, knowledge and resources to design and build world-class icebreakers to keep shipping lanes open in the Earth's polar regions.

The agreement also provides for enhanced exchange of information, workforce development and greater engagement among allies and their partners, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The pact further supports greater research and development of world-class icebreakers while supporting high-quality manufacturing jobs in the maritime infrastructure industry, according to the DHS.

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Florida schools pull more than 700 books from libraries for 2023-24 academic year


More than 700 books were removed from Florida school library shelves for the 2023-24 school year, according to the state Department of Education. But the department claims no books are banned. PEN America says book ban efforts have also targeted public libraries, calling it "an effort to impose ideological control on the bounds of culture." A banned books display is seen at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, California Sept.22, 2022. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 13 (UPI) -- More than 700 books were removed from Florida school library shelves for the 2023-24 school year, according to the state Department of Education.

The total is nearly two times the 400 books removed from Florida schools in the prior school year.

The state Department of Education claims the books taken off school library shelves by complaints from a parent, a student or county residents are not book bans.

"There are no books banned in Florida and sexually explicit materials do not belong in schools," the Florida Department of Education said in a statement cited by local outlet WUWF. "Once again, far left activist groups are pushing the book ban hoax on Floridians."

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According to Florida Freedom to Read's Stephana Ferrell, the practice does indeed amount to a ban and the list of banned books in Florida schools is growing.

"And right now, what's happening is one or two loud people in a particular district can dictate for all what is available, and it runs against, again, what a majority of parents are telling their school districts they want," Ferrell said.

She added that among the many books removed from Florida schools are classic literature and literature regularly used in advanced placement exams that prepare students for college-level coursework.

Publishers, authors and Florida school district residents have filed suit against the book bans, alleging First Amendment violations caused by what they call "a regime of strict censorship" in schools.

Removals vary by school district with some districts not pulling any from the shelves while some saw more than 100 removed.

Books that were removed from shelves in various Florida districts include Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, 1984 the Graphic Novel by George Orwell/Adapted by Fido Nesti and the graphic adaptation of Anne Frank's Diary by Ari Folman.

The removed books also include Maya Angelou's I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Sophie's Choice by William Styron and Toni Morrison's Song of Soloman.

Among the books banned in Florida schools is The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Ayn Rand's Fountainhead and several titles by Stephen King.

According to PEN America, 10,046 books were banned from schools across the United States for the 2023-24 academic year.

PEN America says book ban efforts have also targeted public libraries as those who want to ban the books have tried to use municipal governments and statehouses to limit what Americans can read.

"Taken all together, this is hardly a narrow effort to constrain access to books by young people; it's an effort to impose ideological control on the bounds of culture," said Jonathan Friedman, Director of PEN America's U.S. Free Expression Program."

Staff of publisher Hachette issues open letter to protest new conservative book imprint


Hachette staff were critical of the launch of the book imprint “Basic Liberty” and hiring of publisher Thomas Spence, who is a visiting fellow at the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation which is a right-wing Washington think-tank that organized the controversial Project 2025 initiative poised to reshape the U.S. government and strip certain Americans of legal rights. File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A team of U.S. employees at Hachette Book Group wrote an open letter to management to protest a new conservative book imprint created in wake of last week's Donald Trump victory headed by a known far-right publisher, and called on Hachette to reconsider its choice.

The anonymous group criticized launching the book imprint, Basic Liberty, and the hiring of conservative book publishing outlet Regnery's ex-president and publisher Thomas Spence

Spence is a visiting fellow at the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation, which is a right-wing Washington think-tank that organized the controversial Project 2025 initiative poised to reshape the U.S. government and strip certain Americans of legal rights.

In addition, a U.S.-based editor at one of Hachette's British divisions also resigned citing the launch.

"As employees of HBG, we stand together in firm disapprobation of the Heritage Foundation, Project 2025, and any conservative movement or thought that strips away sacred rights and the humanity of people," read part of the letter posted to the xoxopublishingg Instagram account.

It assed that the crew "disavowed" HBG and Hachette UK CEO David Shelley's "unsympathetic and insensitive remarks."

The global publisher Hachette Book Group -- that has a specialty in conservative book publishing -- launched its new U.S. imprint in the wake of Trump's election victory last Tuesday.

"The dignity, rights and freedoms of all people should be upheld by everyone, especially those in positions of power," the Hachette employees wrote.

On Nov. 7, Shelley announced its Basic Books Group will add "Basic Liberty" into its portfolio, characterized as a "new conservative imprint that will publish serious works of cultural, social and political analysis by conservative writers of original thought," he said.

He also announced Spence as executive editor of the Basic Liberty imprint.

"We condemn HBG's decision to put profit before its own people, to let the promise of financial gain overtake morality and conscience, and to platform a person who contributes to the advancement of the Heritage Foundation's vision for America," the letter continued.

On Friday, in a statement on social media, Alex DiFrancesco -- the U.S.-based editor who stepped down at Jessica Kingsley Publishers, a division of Hachette -- wrote how the books its division publishes as "of great importance toward the project of making the world better, more understanding and more compassionate."

"I have felt, in these two and a half years, that not only our division, but the wider company stood behind such work," DiFrancesco wrote. "After the announcement about the formation of Basic Books' Liberty imprint, I can no longer say I feel this way."

However, the mission of Hachette Book Group, an HBG spokesperson told The Bookseller, is to "reach a broad spectrum of readers by making it easier for everyone to discover new worlds of ideas, learning, entertainment and opportunity. We publish books from all sides of the political debate."

"Since 1950, Basic Books' award-winning titles have helped shape public debate through the academic expertise of their authors, the serious approach to how subject matter is treated, and the rigor of its editorial process," HBG said, adding that it "continues to build on HBG's legacy of reaching readers of all backgrounds and beliefs."

Its employees say they call on HBG "to recognize the responsibility it has as one of the world's leading publishers," which the group said is to act "with empathy and compassion for all people, urging those in charge to "reevaluate" the decision to move forward with creating Basic Liberty and hiring of Spence.

11 hospitalized after explosion at Louisville food-coloring factory

Nov. 12 (UPI) -- An explosion at a food-coloring factory Tuesday in Louisville, Ky., hospitalized at least 11, including two in critical condition.

The explosion occurred at the Givaudan Sense Colour's factory at 1901 Payne St. in Louisville at about 3 p.m. EST and caused part of the factory's roof to collapse.

Seven of the 11 injured workers are undergoing treatment at University of Louisville Hospital, where two are in critical condition and five are in stable condition.

The workers suffered burns and trauma injuries from the blast and falling debris. Several being treated were decontaminated due to exposure to different types of chemicals.

Many workers initially were listed as missing and trapped inside the building, but Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said all workers and managers are accounted for and no fatalities occurred.

Local officials issued a shelter-in-place order for residences and commercial properties located within a mile of the factory in Louisville's Clifton neighborhood after the explosion occurred but lifted the order at 4:39 p.m.

The factory is located in a mostly residential area, and the explosion damaged many windows on properties in the area.

A local weather camera located some distance from the factory recorded the explosion, and the video shows a spark followed by thick smoke filling the air, WAVE reported.

Part of the factory collapsed due to the explosion, the cause of which is under investigation. Some have suggested an ammonia leak at the food-coloring plant could be to blame.

The Louisville Fire Department confirmed an ammonia leak was detected and many people in the area said they smelled ammonia, WLKY reported.

Ammonia can be very flammable and explode when it leaks and collects inside a closed space, according to the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

A leaking liquid ammonia tank caused an explosion at a peanut oil processing plant and the release of a toxic cloud in Dakar, Senegal, that killed 129 and injured 1,150 in 1992

How China’s censorship machine worked to block news of deadly attack


By AFP
November 13, 2024

It took officials nearly 24 hours to reveal that dozens had died

 - Copyright AFP Hector RETAMAL

Mary YANG

At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man ploughed his car into pedestrians exercising around a sports centre in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday night.

Footage showing bodies lying on the pavement appeared on social media in the hours after the crash but had vanished by early Tuesday morning, and local police reported only “injuries”.

It took officials nearly 24 hours to reveal that dozens had died — in one of the country’s deadliest incidents in years.

Here AFP looks at how China jumps into action to block information it does not want shared:


– Social media scrub –

China heavily monitors social media platforms, where it is common for words and topics deemed sensitive to be removed — sometimes within minutes.

On X-like social media platform Weibo, videos and photos showing the bloody moments after the incident late Monday night were swiftly deleted.

Videos of the aftermath posted to Xiaohongshu, China’s equivalent to Instagram, were also taken down.


– 24-hour delay –

Chinese officials did not reveal that dozens had died until almost 24 hours after the attack, with state media reporting the 35 deaths shortly after 6:30 pm on Tuesday.

Soon after, the hashtag “Man in Zhuhai rammed the crowd causing 35 deaths” jumped to the No. 1 trending topic on Weibo and reached 69 million views within an hour.

The fatal crash happened on the eve of China’s largest airshow, taking place in the same city, a showpiece event promoted for weeks by the country’s tightly controlled state media operation.


– State narrative –

State media in China also acts as a government mouthpiece.

The state-backed newspaper Global Times on Wednesday morning published a short story on the “car ramming case” on page 3 — a stark contrast to the front page feature on fighter jets at the airshow nearby.

The Communist Party’s People’s Daily included Chinese President Xi Jinping’s instructions to treat injured residents and punish the perpetrator in a short block of text on its front page.

State broadcaster CCTV’s flagship evening news programme, Xinwen Lianbo, on Tuesday spent about a minute and a half on Xi’s directive to “treat those injured” during the 30-minute show, but shared no footage from the city.

– ‘Order from the top’ –

AFP reporters on the scene in Zhuhai late Tuesday night saw delivery drivers placing online orders of flower bouquets beside flickering candles to commemorate the victims.

But just a few hours later, cleaning staff cleared away the memorial, with some telling AFP they were acting on an “order from the top”.

A handful of people at the site were blocked from taking videos by a police car and security guards shouting: “No filming!”

– Long history –

China has a long history of clamping down on the spread of information, sometimes leading to costly delays in response.

Authorities in 2008 worked to stifle news of contaminated milk that poisoned about 300,000 children — days before the start of the Beijing Olympics.

The Chinese government that year also restricted foreign media access when protests broke out after an earthquake in southwest Sichuan province killed an estimated 70,000 people.

And Chinese censors delayed an early response to Covid-19, penalising local health officials who warned of a fast-spreading coronavirus.

35 dead, 43 injured in vehicle attack at sports center in China



Nov. 12, 2024 

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a 62-year-old driver to be "severely punished in accordance with the law" after crashing his vehicle into a crowd of people at a sports center in Zhuhai, killing 35 people and injuring 43 others. File Photo by Gianluigi Guercia/UPI | License Photo



Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A man drove a vehicle into a crowd at a sports center in Zhuhai, China, killing 35 people and injuring 43 others, police said.

The Zhuhai Municipal Public Security Bureau said in a statement that the "serious and vicious" attack Monday evening appeared to be deliberate on the part of the 62-year-old driver.

The driver, identified by the surname Fan, was detained at the scene, but was comatose due to a self-inflicted knife wound to the neck, police said.

A preliminary investigation found Fan was angry about the division of assets from his divorce, the statement said.

Investigators determined Fan, driving a small off-road vehicle, had crashed through a gate at the sports center and steered into a crowd of people who were exercising.

State-run Chinese news agency Xinhua reported Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Tuesday for Fan to be "severely punished in accordance with the law."

The attack took place on the eve of the annual Zhuhai airshow, which featured the debut of China's J-35A stealth fighter jet.

The incident is the latest in a string of violent incidents targeting civilians.

At least 11 people were killed in September when a bus crashed into a group of students and parents outside a school in Shandong, and that same month a 10-year-old boy on his way to a Japanese school in Shenzhen was fatally stabbed by a Chinese man.

Three people were killed and 15 injured in a knife attack at a Shanghai supermarket in an October incident on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Victor Shih, an expert on Chinese politics at the University of California, San Diego, said tensions are high in the country as a result of economic factors.

"When domestic demand is so weak and the largest property bubble the world has ever seen has popped, the wealth of the vast majority of households is shrinking and that will inevitably cause a lot of social tensions," Shih told The New York Times.

Judge blocks Louisiana law requiring Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools


On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge John deGravelles issued an order giving an injunction to temporarily stop its enforcement setting the stage for a likely U.S. Supreme Court battle while the judicial proceedings play out, and further ordered Louisiana’s attorney general to inform the state’s schools. File photo by Michael Kleinfeld/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A federal judge on Tuesday blocked a Louisiana requiring the Bible's Ten Commandments to be displayed in the state's publicly-funded schools.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge John deGravelles issued an order granting a preliminary injunction to temporarily stop its enforcement, setting the stage for a potential U.S. Supreme Court battle while the judicial proceedings play out.

He wrote that the law is "facially unconstitutional" and "in all applications" that will "irreparably harm."

Gov. Jeff Landry signed House Bill 71 into law after state lawmakers approved the measure, making Louisana the first state in the country to require the Ten Commandments be displayed in public elementary, high school and state-funded universities.

It required the biblical inscriptions to be displayed in "large, easily readable font" inside classrooms by the start of 2025.

In addition to blocking the law, deGravelles, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, further ordered Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill to "provide notice to all schools that the Act has been found unconstitutional."

Previously, Murrill had dismissed prior testimony by a professor of law, history and religious studies at Oregon's Willamette University who told the court America's Founding Father's were advocates of a separation of church and state and the law was not "at the core of the U.S. government and its founding."

"This law, I believe, is constitutional, and we've illustrated it in numerous ways that the law is constitutional. We've shown that in our briefs by creating a number of posters," Murrill had told reporters as she complained about the relevancy of that testimony.

Landry told parents against the law to "tell your child not to look at" the Ten Commandments, with Murrill agreeing.

"Again, you don't have to like the posters," Murrill said. "The point is you can make posters that comply with the Constitution."

The suit seeking to block the law was promoted by a broad coalition of parents of Jewish, Christian, Unitarian Universalist and nonreligious faiths with the American Civil Liberties Union and its Louisiana chapter, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation.

The group contends the law "substantially interferes with and burdens" a parent's First Amendment right to raise children with a religious doctrine of their own choosing.

The law, "sends the harmful and religiously divisive message that students who do not subscribe to the Ten Commandments ... do not belong in their own school community and should refrain from expressing any faith practices or beliefs that are not aligned with the state's religious preferences," according to the complaint.

Heather L. Weaver, senior staff attorney for the ACLU's Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, said Tuesday's ruling should "serve as a reality check for Louisiana lawmakers who want to use public schools to convert children to their preferred brand of Christianity."

"Public schools are not Sunday schools, and today's decision ensures that our clients' classrooms will remain spaces where all students, regardless of their faith, feel welcomed," Louisiana is the first state to require the Ten Commandments in schools since a 1980 Supreme Court ruling struck down a similar law in Kentucky which blurred the line between the intended separation of church and state.

Meanwhile, other states like Texas and Tennessee have been actively considering similar laws. And a similar lawsuit in Oklahoma is ongoing.

The Louisiana law had the support of President-elect Donald Trump who said after it was initially passed, 

"I LOVE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS, AND MANY OTHER PLACES, FOR THAT MATTER. READ IT -- HOW CAN WE, AS A NATION, GO WRONG???" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform when the bill was signed into law.

"THIS MAY BE, IN FACT, THE FIRST MAJOR STEP IN THE REVIVAL OF RELIGION, WHICH IS DESPERATELY NEEDED, IN OUR COUNTRY."

Kentucky to get nation's first TNT plant since 1980s


Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky receives a tour of the Scranton, Pa., Army ammunition plant on Sept. 22. TNT for ammunitions is on track to be produced in Kentucky after the U.S. Army awarded $435 million to Repkon USA to build a TNT plant there. File Photo via Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 12 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army has awarded a $435 million contract for Repkon USA to build the nation's only TNT production facility in a rural community in Graham, Ky.

Once it becomes operational, the Kentucky facility will be the first U.S.-based supplier of TNT since 1986. The military currently relies on single-source providers for the materials needed to produce them.

"This award will re-establish TNT production swiftly and at scale on U.S. soil for the first time in decades," Army officials said in a service statement.

TNT is the primary ingredient in ammunition, bombs and grenades, but the U.S. military currently gets all of its TNT from overseas sources.

The new Kentucky facility does not have a timeline to be built or become operable and is a "major step forward in rebuilding our industrial base and ensuring we have the critical capabilities to support our warfighters," Army Acquisition Chief Doug Bush said in a prepared statement.

"Reshoring TNT products gives us the ability to control and secure our chief supply chain for this vital component, especially in an era of increasing global challenges," Bush said.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the U.S. military has been trying to diversify its suppliers to produce 155mm artillery shells


The TNT plant will provide Kentucky residents with more than 50 jobs in addition to creating more construction jobs while the project is underway.

Graham is an unincorporated community located in Muhlenberg County about 135 miles southwest of Louisville.

Climate Action Tracker: Global warming projections flatline with no improvement since 2021


Climate Action Tracker said Thursday there has been a three-year standstill in global warming projections, with no improvement since 2021. based on the aggregate effect of current climate policies, the world is on a path toward 2.7 degrees Celsius of warming. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Climate Action Tracker said Thursday there has been a three-year standstill in global warming projections, with no improvement since 2021.

Based on the aggregate effect of current climate policies, the world is on a path toward 2.7 degrees Celsius of warming, the report said.

"Despite an escalating climate crisis marked by unprecedented wildfires, storms, floods, and droughts, our annual global temperature update shows global warming projections for 2100 are flatlining, with no improvement since 2021," Climate Action Tracker said in a statement.

CAT said 2024 has been marked by minimal overall progress on the global warming climate crisis.

"This three-year standstill underscores a critical disconnect between the reality of climate change and the urgency that governments are giving to the policies needed to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, driving global warming at a rate of close to 0.3 degrees Celsius per decade," the group said.

CAT's annual climate report said while Donald Trump's election will impact projected temperature levels due to expected rollbacks of climate change policies, it's uncertain to what extent.

"It could add 0.04 degrees Celsius of warming by 2100 to our current policy estimate of 2.7 degrees Celsius (assuming the rollback of policies is limited to the United States) to a few tenths of a degree to our optimistic scenario of 1.9 degrees Celsius (assuming the U.S. net zero target is permanently removed)," CAT's statement said. "This would be very damaging to the prospects of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius"

Climate Analytics CEO Bill Hare said the full impact of Trump's election won't be known until he takes office, but added there is a "clear energy momentum in the U.S. now that will be difficult to stop."

"Clearly, we won't know the full impact of the US elections until President-elect Trump takes office, but there is a clean energy momentum in the US now that will be difficult to stop," Hare said. "While the Trump administration will undoubtedly do its best to throw a wrecking ball into climate action, the clean energy momentum created by President [Joe] Biden, being actioned across the country, is likely to continue at significant scale."

The CAT global climate crisis update said while clean energy investments are now double those for fossil fuels, fossil fuel subsidies "remain at an all-time high and funding for fossil fuel-prolonging projects quadrupled between 2021 and 2022."

CAT said a peak of global warming emissions is expected by the end of the decade, but projections lack the steep decline necessary to reach the Paris Agreement climate goals.

That emissions peak is also expected to be at a much higher level than three years ago, according to the CAT report.

"We are clearly failing to bend the curve. As the world edges closer to these dangerous climate thresholds, the need for immediate, stronger action to reverse this trend becomes ever more urgent," said CAT report lead author Sofia Gonzales-Zuniga of Climate Analytics in a statement.

The report focused on climate polices in the seven largest sources of global warming emissions plus the UAE, Azerbaijan and Brazil.

China, the United States, India, the European Union, Indonesia, Japan and Australia are the largest sources of emissions.

FBI arrests CIA official in document leak of Israeli military plans against Iran


CIA official Asif W. Rahman was arrested by the FBI Tuesday in Cambodia on two counts of violating the Espionage Act in classified documents leaks about Israeli military plans. He will appear Thursday in a Guam court. Pictured is an Israeli F-15I Ra'am fighter jet, loaded with a mix of Python, Sidewinder, and Sparrow air-to-air missiles, ready to counter an Iranian missile attack on Israel on April 13, 2024. Photo courtesy Israel Defense Forces/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 13 (UPI) -- CIA official Asif W. Rahman was arrested by the FBI Tuesday in Cambodia on two counts of violating the Espionage Act in classified documents leaks about Israeli military plans. He will appear Thursday in a Guam court.

According to the New York Times, citing court documents and a source familiar, Rahman faces two counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information.
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He worked for the CIA abroad and had a top-secret clearance that gave him access to classified documents.

The highly classified leaked documents prepared by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency included satellite imagery detail regarding Israel's plans to strike Iran.

The leaks late last month came just before Israel's military hit Iran in retaliation for an Oct. 1 Iranian missile attack on Israel. They were marked Top Secret and appeared to come from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

The documents included details on Israeli Air Force missile launches and drone launches done in preparation for the attack on Iran.

The documents revealed types of aircraft and weapons contemplated using and the movement of munitions and also tracked Israeli military exercises as the attack on Iran was being planned.

Included in the documents was information noting the possible existence of weapons that included "Golden Horizon" air-launched ballistic missile and a weapon known as ROCKS, created by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, maker of the Iron Dome missile defense system.