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By CLAIRE RUSH President-elect Donald Trump has once again suggested he wants to revert the name of North America’s tallest mountain — Alaska’s Denali — to Mount McKinley, wading into a sensitive and decades-old conflict about what the peak should be called. Related Articles National Politics | Inside the Gaetz ethics report, a trove of new details alleging payments for sex and drug use National Politics | An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump National Politics | Trump again calls to buy Greenland after eyeing Canada and the Panama Canal National Politics | House Ethics Committee accuses Gaetz of ‘regularly’ paying for sex, including with 17-year-old girl National Politics | Trump wants mass deportations. For the agents removing immigrants, it’s a painstaking process Former President Barack Obama changed the official name to Denali in 2015 to reflect the traditions of Alaska Natives as well as the preference of many Alaska residents. The federal government in recent years has endeavored to change place-names considered disrespectful to Native people. “Denali” is an Athabascan word meaning “the high one” or “the great one.” A prospector in 1896 dubbed the peak “Mount McKinley” after President William McKinley, who had never been to Alaska. That name was formally recognized by the U.S. government until Obama changed it over opposition from lawmakers in McKinley’s home state of Ohio. Trump suggested in 2016 that he might undo Obama’s action, but he dropped that notion after Alaska’s senators objected. He raised it again during a rally in Phoenix on Sunday. “McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president,” Trump said Sunday. “They took his name off Mount McKinley, right? That’s what they do to people.” Once again, Trump’s suggestion drew quick opposition within Alaska. “Uh. Nope. It’s Denali,” Democratic state Sen. Scott Kawasaki posted on the social platform X Sunday night. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski , who for years pushed for legislation to change the name to Denali, conveyed a similar sentiment in a post of her own. “There is only one name worthy of North America’s tallest mountain: Denali — the Great One,” Murkowski wrote on X. Various tribes of Athabascan people have lived in the shadow of the 20,310-foot (6,190-meter) mountain for thousands of years. McKinley, a Republican native of Ohio who served as the 25th president, was assassinated early in his second term in 1901 in Buffalo, New York. Alaska and Ohio have been at odds over the name since at least the 1970s. Alaska had a standing request to change the name since 1975, when the legislature passed a resolution and then-Gov. Jay Hammond appealed to the federal government. Known for its majestic views, the mountain is dotted with glaciers and covered at the top with snow year-round, with powerful winds that make it difficult for the adventurous few who seek to climb it. Rush reported from Portland, Oregon.
President-elect Trump wants to again rename North America’s tallest peakKINGSTON, Jamaica— Over 400 Jamaicans gathered in Kingston on Sunday for the Run for Rights 5K Walk and Run, an event organised by Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ). Marking JFJ’s 25th anniversary, the event aimed to raise awareness about critical human rights issues in Jamaica while fostering community solidarity. Participants wore colourful outfits representing key advocacy themes: blue for human rights, yellow for child rights, green for climate justice, and purple for victims of gender-based and domestic violence. The initiative underscored JFJ’s mission to create a Jamaica free from discrimination and violence. Speaking at the event, Kingston Mayor Andrew Swaby lauded JFJ’s efforts to promote justice and equality. “This initiative not only brings awareness to critical issues but also mobilises the community to take meaningful action,” said Mayor Swaby. JFJ’s Executive Director, Mikel Jackson, expressed gratitude to attendees, emphasising the significance of collective action. “Your presence here today shows the power of unity. Every step taken is a step toward raising awareness and a stronger sense of responsibility to protect the most vulnerable in our society,” she said. In a news release, JFJ highlighted significant milestones, including justice for Michael Gayle, a mentally ill man reportedly beaten to death by security forces. JFJ successfully brought the case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), resulting in a $3 million compensation for Gayle’s family. JFJ noted its ongoing advocacy in cases like those of Matthew Lee and Mario Deane. In 2023, the organisation documented 289 cases out of over 300 reports for closer monitoring. Beyond legal advocacy, JFJ has expanded its outreach programs, including mobile legal clinics for marginalised individuals and school-based interventions to prevent youth involvement in legal conflicts. While the primary goal of the Run for Rights was to raise awareness, any net proceeds will support JFJ’s legal and advocacy programs, JFJ said. As JFJ looks ahead, the organisation says it remains steadfast in advancing social justice and empowering vulnerable communities through education and advocacy.
DETROIT -- For a second time, a Delaware judge has nullified a pay package that Tesla had awarded its CEO, Elon Musk, that once was valued at $56 billion. On Monday, Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick turned aside a request from Musk's lawyers to reverse a ruling she announced in January that had thrown out the compensation plan. The judge ruled then that Musk effectively controlled Tesla's board and had engineered the outsize pay package during sham negotiations . Lawyers for a Tesla shareholder who sued to block the pay package contended that shareholders who had voted for the 10-year plan in 2018 had been given misleading and incomplete information. In their defense, Tesla's board members asserted that the shareholders who ratified the pay plan a second time in June had done so after receiving full disclosures, thereby curing all the problems the judge had cited in her January ruling. As a result, they argued, Musk deserved the pay package for having raised Tesla's market value by billions of dollars. McCormick rejected that argument. In her 103-page opinion, she ruled that under Delaware law, Tesla's lawyers had no grounds to reverse her January ruling “based on evidence they created after trial.” On Monday night, Tesla posted on X, the social media platform owned by Musk, that the company will appeal. The appeal would be filed with the Delaware Supreme Court, the only state appellate court Tesla can pursue. Experts say a ruling would likely come in less than a year. “The ruling, if not overturned, means that judges and plaintiffs' lawyers run Delaware companies rather than their rightful owners — the shareholders,” Tesla argued. Later, on X, Musk unleashed a blistering attack on the judge, asserting that McCormick is “a radical far left activist cosplaying as a judge.” Legal authorities generally suggest that McCormick’s ruling was sound and followed the law. Charles Elson, founding director of the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware, said that in his view, McCormick was right to rule that after Tesla lost its case in the original trial, it created improper new evidence by asking shareholders to ratify the pay package a second time. Had she allowed such a claim, he said, it would cause a major shift in Delaware’s laws against conflicts of interest given the unusually close relationship between Musk and Tesla’s board. “Delaware protects investors — that’s what she did,” said Elson, who has followed the court for more than three decades. “Just because you’re a ‘superstar CEO’ doesn’t put you in a separate category.” Elson said he thinks investors would be reluctant to put money into Delaware companies if there were exceptions to the law for “special people.” Elson said that in his opinion, the court is likely to uphold McCormick's ruling. Experts say no. Rulings on state laws are normally left to state courts. Brian Dunn, program director for the Institute of Compensation Studies at Cornell University, said it's been his experience that Tesla has no choice but to stay in the Delaware courts for this compensation package. The company could try to reconstitute the pay package and seek approval in Texas, where it may expect more friendlier judges. But Dunn, who has spent 40 years as an executive compensation consultant, said it's likely that some other shareholder would challenge the award in Texas because it's excessive compared with other CEOs' pay plans. “If they just want to turn around and deliver him $56 billion, I can't believe somebody wouldn't want to litigate it,” Dunn said. “It's an unconscionable amount of money.” Almost certainly. Tesla stock is trading at 15 times the exercise price of stock options in the current package in Delaware, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas wrote in a note to investors. Tesla's share price has doubled in the past six months, Jonas wrote. At Monday’s closing stock price, the Musk package is now worth $101.4 billion, according to Equilar, an executive data firm. And Musk has asked for a subsequent pay package that would give him 25% of Tesla's voting shares. Musk has said he is uncomfortable moving further into artificial intelligence with the company if he doesn't have 25% control. He currently holds about 13% of Tesla's outstanding shares.
President Bola Tinubu on Monday declared that corruption in all its ramifications, is bad for the people. Tinubu made the declaration while answering a question during his first presidential media chat about the intention of his administration to fight corruption. The Nigerian leader said increasing the minimum wage of workers in the country to ₦70,000 is part of the measures adopted to fight corruption in the country. He stressed the need to identify the root causes of corruption and deal with such causes. “Corruption in all ramifications is bad for the people, but first of all, pay attention to the causes. Why are the people corrupt? “The lack of social amenities, lack of funds, their children’s education...” “There are so many anti-corruption mechanisms that can be put in place that will help the people not to be corrupt, paying them good and living wages. I moved from ₦35,000 to ₦70,000; to me, that’s anti-corruption,” President Tinubu said. The President added that as part of measures towards fighting corruption, he has made more money available to the state and local governments and is always open about how much the government is making on a monthly basis. According to him, transparency is one of the tools used to fight corruption. Tinubu noted that it is difficult to eliminate corruption, but it can be reduced to the barest minimum by meeting the people’s needs. “It’s very difficult to say you will eliminate it (corruption), you will reduce it to the barest minimum, meet the people’s needs, ” he said.In a significant presidential move, U.S. President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 federal inmates on death row, effectively halting their impending executions. The decision was made public ahead of the transition to President-elect Donald Trump's administration. Biden's clemency action is a clear opposition to Trump's execution expansion plans. Despite facing criticism from Trump's camp and some Republican lawmakers, Biden stands firm on his commitment to ending the death penalty at the federal level, a promise he made during his 2020 campaign. Biden's decision has been lauded by human rights organizations, who view it as a pivotal step towards nationwide abolition. The move, however, excludes death row inmates convicted of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder, sparking varied reactions across the political spectrum. (With inputs from agencies.)
More than 10,000 civil servants jobs could be cut as part of Labour's push for 5% savings across its departments, a government source has said. Headcount in the civil service topped 513,000 this year, a 33% increase on 2016 levels and the eighth year in a row that the total has risen, according to the Institute for Government . Ministers now recognised civil service numbers "have gone up and up and in reality that is not going to be able to continue," the source told the BBC. On Monday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves launched a spending review that will force ministers to cut budgets in the run up of the 2029 general election. Current spending plans mean that ministers will face tough choices over how to allocate money in the later years of this Parliament. To save money, ministers are already looking at voluntary redundancy schemes across various departments. A government spokesperson said the plans were to make sure "every part of government is delivering on" priorities. "We are committed to making the civil service more efficient and effective, with bold measures to improve skills and harness new technologies," the spokesperson said. But a government source told the BBC there was an acceptance that the civil service had become too big and unwieldy. The government is already risking a confrontation after unions reacted with anger to proposals for a 2.8% pay increase for teachers, NHS staff and senior civil servants next year. Inflation - which measures price changes over time - is predicted to average 2.6% next year. Last week Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer drew ire from one of the largest civil service unions after claiming "too many people in Whitehall are comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline". Pat McFadden, the minister in charge of the Cabinet Office, echoed the PMs comments on Monday when announcing plans to shake-up to civil service hiring to make government "think a little bit more like a start-up". McFadden said he did not have a "target for headcount" in the civil service, claiming his focus was on making officials more productive. Mike Clancy, general secretary of the Prospect trade union, said: "We need a clear plan for the future of the civil service that goes beyond the blunt headcount targets that have failed in the past. "This plan needs to be developed in partnership with civil servants and their unions, and we look forward to deeper engagement with the government in the coming months."Syndax Pharmaceuticals Reports Inducement Grants Under NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)Japanese author Haruki Murakami is back with his latest work of fiction... Fiction The Lion Women Of Tehran by Marjan Kamali is published in paperback by Simon & Schuster The Lion Women Of Tehran is a powerful, moving story about freedom and friendship by Iranian-American novelist Marjan Kamali. At a time when political turmoil builds up in Iran, Ellie and Homa – two best friends from different upbringings – are forced into living very different lives. Kamali takes us on a journey of friendship, showing us the beauty of long-lasting ties of sisterhood, and highlights the importance of freedom for women around the world. It’s an emotional journey and one that helps readers realise the power that women hold, and the impact of their lion voice. Trial By Fire by Danielle Steel is published in hardback by Macmillan Trial By Fire by Danielle Steele is a story about loss, love and the courage it takes to move forward after difficult times. Dahlia de Beaumont, born to a French mother and American father, is owner and CEO of the family perfume business. The traumatising loss of her parents and later her young husband result in her focusing her time and energy into her four children and perfume empire. She brings up her children alone and can’t imagine loving another man as she did her husband. During a trip to San Francisco, wildfires erupt in Napa Valley, and she’s compelled to offer aid. Not only will this risk her life and her future but will also create new opportunities to build relationships and cement that which is important in her life. This expansive novel explores themes of loss, love, resilience, personal growth, and the opportunity for a renewed chance at love. It offers an intimate portrayal of loss and healing, which feels deeply personal. The author’s ability to weave love and family into a story of grief is powerful, highlighting how important connections are during challenging times. The City And Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami, translated by Philip Gabriel, is published in hardback by Harvill Secker Wistful, nostalgic, powerful and poignant – there are so many more ways you could describe Haruki Murakami’s latest novel, The City And Its Uncertain Walls. Based on a novella he wrote many years ago, it tells the story of a young man’s journey into an imaginary city to find the true self of his girlfriend who has gone missing. Inside the city, with its mysterious high walls and other notable quirks, he finds a job in a library as a dream reader, working alongside his girlfriend. But she has no memory of their love story or their previous life together. And so begins a quest, and one which takes you the reader along every step of the way, making you question your own journey and how far you would travel for love. The novel is also an ode to libraries and books, the physical realm of which has dissipated in an age of technology. Non-fiction Cher: The Memoir, Part One by Cher is published in hardback by HarperCollins As autobiographies go, Cher’s is certainly not short on subject matter. So much so that her new release is Cher: The Memoir, Part One, taking the reader up to the early 1980s. Her story is truly remarkable, starting with a family background she describes as like the “opening of a Dickens novel”. The supporting characters read like the stars on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame and non-stop anecdotes include teenage dates with Warren Beatty, Phil Spector brandishing a gun and an encounter with a fish-shaped sex toy in Salvador Dali’s studio. Behind the glamour is her relationship with controlling husband Sonny Bono, who she says helped her become a star but treated her like a servant. Her sense of humour is apparent throughout, although some of her wit is lost in the written word. A fascinating read and insight into a true pop icon, part two can’t come quick enough. Children’s book of the week Tales From Muggleswick Wood by Vicky Cowie, illustrated by Charlie Mackesy, is published in hardback by Bloomsbury Children’s Books East Yorkshire-based writer Vicky Cowie presents a stunningly bound gift edition combining five of her previous short stories, framed within a narrative of a grandmother reading to her grandchildren across a wholesome weekend sleepover at her countryside home. Interconnecting tales Muggleswick Wood, Kevin The Kelpie, The Biggest Blooming Beetle, The Secret Of Snittington Hall and Melvin The Mole are presented as bedtime tales, lovingly told to cousins creating a sweet, fantastical world young readers can dive into; vividly imagining the landscape and characters as easily as you might Kenneth Grahame’s Toad Of Toad Hall. With gorgeous illustrations from Charlie Mackesy – who you might recognise from The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse – this timeless collective brings to mind Beatrix Potter and A. A. Milne’s most beloved characters, and is a perfect gift for any young reader (aged four to eight years) this Christmas, to be handed down through generations.
Wellington bakery Myrtle will close before Christmas, with its last day of trade on December 21. Owners Sarah Bullock and Jacob Brown say they’ve made the decision with a “heavy heart” as their “cherished site” is set to be turned into apartments. Myrtle won Outstanding Bakery at the Welly Hospo Awards, held on Monday last week. Popular Wellington bakery Myrtle has announced it will be closing down before Christmas, one week after being crowned the capital’s best bakery. Operating at the foot of Mt Victoria on Kent Tce since 2021, the small-batch bakery has become popular for its handmade bread and baked goods. In a statement on social media, owners Jacob Brown and Sarah Bullock announced the venue will close just before Christmas, with its last day of trade being December 21.
South Korea's leader prompts dismay by briefly declaring martial law. Here's what to knowAn elaborate parody appears to be behind an effort to resurrect Enron.