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More than two dozen Indigenous water and wastewater employees are working toward their diploma at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in a program customized to serve their needs as well as the needs of their 23 communities throughout B.C. The students are participating in a Water and Wastewater Technology diploma funded by the federal government. They will complete the two-year program over the next four years to allow for a work-life balance as they continue working in their communities alongside their studies. The program covers the operation, maintenance and treatment of water and wastewater systems using both in-class time and hands-on learning. “It’s a very multi-disciplinary field,” says Satwinder Paul, associate teaching professor and program co-ordinator. The program focuses on protecting public health and the environment. “They’re learning about water chemistry, water sciences, mathematics. But they’re also learning about mechanical, electrical and instrumentation components.” When students graduate, they have the education and skills to work in basic to advanced water and wastewater treatment systems. The program aligns with TRU’s strategic goals as well, said School of Trades and Technology Dean Baldev Pooni. “Two of the goals are ‘Eliminate achievement gap’ and ‘Honouring truth and reconciliation rights,’” he said. “This program contributes to these goals in a small but effective way for the Indigenous communities.” This is the fourth time the program has been offered in partnership with the federal government, and the first group of new students since the pandemic. Since receiving a request from the federal government to offer the program again, it took two years to reach out to 197 Indigenous communities throughout B.C., recruit and create this class. Map of water and wastewater technology cohort 2024 Paul and Water Treatment Program Support Michael Hartt relied on existing relationships with those communities to put the word out. “We recruit them, we help them fill out their applications and related documents, and collect their transcripts,” Paul says of the prospective students. “All the information was disseminated and collected here and then it was passed on to the registrar to do their part.” Entry qualifications require prospective students to have their Grade 12 diploma (or equivalent) and to be working with their nation’s water or wastewater treatment department. Full support from their communities is required as the delivery format is intensive. Their course work is divided into four terms. The first term, which runs from October 2024 to March 2025, sees students attend classes for a full seven-day week each month for seven-hour days. The latest cohort includes students from 23 Indigenous communities from as close as Whispering Pines and as far as West Moberly Nation. They’re set to graduate in 2028. The program responds directly to community requests for education, says Tina Matthew, executive director of TRU’s Office of Indigenous Education. “This program meets the national and provincial need for safe, drinkable water in rural and remote Indigenous communities,” she says. “When so many First Nations communities in this province do not have access to clean, safe drinking water, this provides an opportunity for TRU to provide invaluable training for First Nations individuals to become certified technicians who live and work in their own communities.” For Krista Derrickson, manager of utilities and public works for the Westbank First Nation, the program is an opportunity to add even more education to her tool kit. Derrickson has worked in the industry for more than 20 years and is certified as both a water and a wastewater operator, but is looking forward to adding a water quality certification. “I just thought it was a great opportunity to get education in a format that I feel will be more supportive,” she said. While the federal government has made headway in addressing long-term water quality issues at Indigenous communities across the country (there are currently no long-term boil water advisories in B.C.) there is still progress to be made. That’s where these grads come in. They’ll be ensuring the water and wastewater in their communities are properly treated for future generations.Intel’s interim co-CEOs, Michelle Johnston Holthaus and David Zinsner, have opened the door to a possible spinoff of Intel’s foundry and manufacturing division, giving insight into Intel’s woes and Pat Gelsinger’s ouster. Intel surprised the industry when it that CEO Pat Gelsinger was retiring. Although the company and Gelsinger put a positive spin on it, reports soon indicated that Gelsinger was given a choice of being fired or retiring, making his retirement nothing short of an ouster. In the days since, critics and industry experts have been trying to piece together what happened and where the breakdown between Gelsinger and Intel occurred. The Manufacturing Question One of the hallmarks of Gelsinger’s attempt to turn Intel around was his emphasis on reinvigorating the company’s in-house manufacturing, something that sets it apart from much of the industry, as it both designs and builds its own chips. Unfortunately, in recent years, Intel’s manufacturing has fallen behind its competitors, especially TSMC. The company even had to outsource some of its manufacturing to TSMC, an embarrassing state of affairs for a company that was once king of the semiconductor industry. Gelsinger’s tenure marked a return to the company’s focus on manufacturing, with the executive even for losing the “maniacal” focus on manufacturing the company once had. A major component of Gelsinger’s focus on manufacturing was an attempt to position Intel as a TSMC competitor in the field of custom foundry services for other companies, with hopes to , Nvidia, Qualcomm, Amazon, and others. Despite Gelsinger’s efforts, Intel’s foundry business . The company ultimately announced plans to , although the funds Intel accepted from the US CHIPS Act of any such spinoff. The Theory One of the leading theories pertaining to Gelsinger’s ouster is that Intel’s board may have wanted to pursue a more aggressive spinoff than the CEO wanted—especially when considering how focused he was on returning Intel to its former manufacturing glory. Recent comments by Holthaus and Zinser seem to confirm this theory. “Pragmatically, do I think it makes sense that they’re completely separated and there’s no tie?” Holthaus said of Intel’s product and manufacturing divisions, . “I don’t think so. But someone will decide that.” “That’s going to happen,” Zinsner said, speaking of the ongoing separation of the foundry’s business and process operations. “Does it ever fully separate? That’s an open question for another day.” Intel Has a Problem Extending Beyond the Top Job The more details emerge from Intel post-Gelsinger, the more it becomes apparent the company has issues that extend beyond who holds the top spot at the company. The company’s board of directors has had a shocking lack of experience in the semiconductor industry, at least until just recently. The company appointed Eric Meurice, former CEO of ASML Holding, and Steve Sanghi, interim CEO of Microchip Technology to the board in early December. The lack of experience in the semiconductor industry among the company’s board is a critical weak point that likely played a significant role in where Intel is today. That lack of experience likely contributed to poor decisions that saw the company squander its manufacturing and technological lead and may have been a factor in the board growing tired of quarterly losses as Gelsinger rebuilt the company’s manufacturing. While it’s true that Intel suffered some of the worst quarterly losses in its history, rebuilding a company’s manufacturing process is an expensive endeavor, but an endeavor Intel must see through if it wants to regain its former glory. The stakes are especially high now, with the incoming Trump administration promising steep tariffs on foreign imports. Intel is uniquely positioned to once again become the leading semiconductor manufacturer, both for its own chips and for those of its competitors, giving companies an American-owned option for their manufacturing needs. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely the current board of directors has the fortitude to see the company through the expensive, difficult return to its roots, prioritizing short-term profit over long-term gain. Intel Needs a Steve Jobs Steve Jobs’ return to Apple is legendary, an account that will be taught in business school for decades to come. Like Intel, Apple had all the ingredients necessary to be a computing powerhouse, but it needed a strong leader who could help the company return to its roots. Apple, much like Intel, increasingly appears to have an exceptionally ineffective board that has directly contributed to the company’s current situation. In fact, the only redeeming decisions the board helped make were bringing Jobs back, giving him the role of interim CEO, and agreeing to his terms—and that’s where it gets interesting. One of Jobs’ terms for taking on the role was the authority to remove board members and restaff the board with individuals who would be a force for good within Apple, which he set about doing. The rest is history, with Apple under Jobs going on to achieve levels of greatness previously unimaginable. A leader like Steve Jobs is exactly what Intel needs: a leader who isn’t afraid to shake things up, including cleaning out the board of directors and restaffing it with individuals who understand the industry and can be a force for good. Until that happens, Intel’s fortunes will continue to go from bad to worse, and any CEO the company hires will be as hamstrung as Gelsinger was.

MUMBAI: BMC-run Nair Hospital Dental College, located in Mumbai Central, has won the Best Social Service in the Asia-Pacific Region award from the United States-based Pierre Fauchard Academy. The recognition highlights the college’s community outreach efforts, including its innovative ‘Portable Dental Van on Wheels’ initiative. Through this programme, the college organises dental camps in old age homes, prisons, schools for blind students, orphanages, and settlements of sex workers, raising oral health awareness with the help of professors, trainees, and students. The award was presented to the college’s dean, Dr Neelam Andrade, by Pierre Fauchard Academy international president Dr Sheryl Billingsley at a ceremony in New Delhi. Established in 1936, the Pierre Fauchard Academy honours outstanding contributions to dentistry and is named after the French pioneer widely considered the father of modern dentistry. Acknowledging the honour, Dr Vipin Sharma, additional municipal commissioner (western suburbs), said the recognition brings heightened expectations for Nair Dental College to continue serving the public with advanced technology and superior care. Civic chief Bhushan Gagrani also stressed the need for the BMC to uphold its commitment to quality healthcare. Founded in 1933, Nair Hospital Dental College is Mumbai’s second-oldest dental hospital. It treats 1,000–1,200 patients daily, with over 3.5 lakh patients receiving care annually. Beyond patient care, the institution is deeply invested in social welfare, making its mark with impactful community service initiatives that extend its reach beyond clinic walls.

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DETROIT (AP) — If Donald Trump makes good on his threat to slap 25% tariffs on everything imported from Mexico and Canada, the price increases that could follow will collide with his campaign promise to give American families a break from inflation. Economists say companies would have little choice but to pass along the added costs, dramatically raising prices for food, clothing, automobiles, booze and other goods. The president-elect floated the tariff idea, including additional 10% taxes on goods from China, as a way to force the countries to halt the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into the U.S. But his posts Monday on Truth Social threatening the tariffs on his first day in office could just be a negotiating ploy to get the countries to change behavior. High food prices were a major issue in voters picking Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris, but tariffs almost certainly would push those costs up even further. For instance, the Produce Distributors Association, a Washington trade group, said Tuesday that tariffs will raise prices for fresh fruit and vegetables and hurt U.S. farmers when other countries retaliate. “Tariffs distort the marketplace and will raise prices along the supply chain, resulting in the consumer paying more at the checkout line,” said Alan Siger, association president. Mexico and Canada are two of the biggest exporters of fresh fruit and vegetables to the U.S. In 2022, Mexico supplied 51% of fresh fruit and 69% of fresh vegetables imported by value into the U.S., while Canada supplied 2% of fresh fruit and 20% of fresh vegetables. Before the election, about 7 in 10 voters said they were very concerned about the cost of food, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters. “We’ll get them down,” Trump told shoppers during a September visit to a Pennsylvania grocery store. The U.S. is the largest importer of goods in the world, with Mexico, China and Canada its top three suppliers, according to the most recent U.S. Census data. People looking to buy a new vehicle likely would see big price increases as well, at a time when costs have gone up so much they are out of reach for many. The average price of a new vehicle now runs around $48,000. About 15% of the 15.6 million new vehicles sold in the U.S. last year came from Mexico, while 8% crossed the border from Canada, according to Global Data. Much of the tariffs would get passed along to consumers, unless automakers can somehow quickly find productivity improvements to offset them, said C.J. Finn, U.S. automotive sector leader for PwC. That means even more consumers “would potentially get priced out,” Finn said. Hardest hit would be Volkswagen, Stellantis, General Motors and Ford, Bernstein analyst Daniel Roeska wrote Tuesday in a note to investors. “A 25% tariff on Mexico and Canada would severely cripple the U.S. auto industry,” he said. The tariffs would hurt U.S. industrial production so much that “we expect this is unlikely to happen in practice,” Roeska said. The tariff threat hit auto stocks on Tuesday, particularly shares of GM, which imports about 30% of the vehicles it sells in the U.S. from Canada and Mexico, and Stellantis, which imports about 40% from the two countries. For both, about 55% of their lucrative pickup trucks come from Mexico and Canada. GM stock lost almost 9% of its value, while Stellantis dropped nearly 6%. It's not clear how long the tariffs would last if implemented, but they could force auto executives to move production to the U.S., which could create more jobs in the long run. However, Morningstar analyst David Whiston said automakers probably won't make any immediate moves because they can't quickly change where they build vehicles. Millions of dollars worth of auto parts flow across the borders with Mexico and Canada, and that could raise prices for already costly automobile repairs, Finn said. The Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. said tariffs on tequila or Canadian whisky won’t boost American jobs because they are distinctive products that can only be made in their country of origin. In 2023, the U.S. imported $4.6 billion worth of tequila and $108 million worth of mezcal from Mexico and $537 million worth of spirits from Canada, it said. “Tariffs on spirits products from our neighbors to the north and south are going to hurt U.S. consumers and lead to job losses across the U.S. hospitality industry,” it added. Electronics retailer Best Buy said on its third-quarter earnings conference call that it runs on thin profit margins, so while vendors and the company will shoulder some increases, Best Buy will have to pass tariffs to customers. “These are goods that people need, and higher prices are not helpful,” CEO Corie Barry said. Walmart also warned this week that tariffs could force it to raise prices. Tariffs could trigger supply chain disruptions as people buy goods before they are imposed and companies seek alternate sources of parts, said Rob Handfield, a professor of supply chain management at North Carolina State University. Some businesses might not be able to pass on the costs. “It could actually shut down a lot of industries in the United States. It could actually put a lot of U.S. businesses out of business,” he said. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who talked with Trump after his call for tariffs, said they had a good conversation about working together. "This is a relationship that we know takes a certain amount of working on and that’s what we’ll do,” Trudeau said. Trump's threats come as arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico have been falling . But arrests for illegally crossing the border from Canada have been rising over the past two years. Much of America’s fentanyl is smuggled from Mexico, and seizures have increased. Trump has sound legal justification to impose tariffs, even though they conflict with a 2020 trade deal brokered in large part by Trump with Canada and Mexico, said William Reinsch, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former Clinton administration trade official. The treaty, known as the USMCA, is up for review in 2026. In China’s case, he could simply declare Beijing hasn't met obligations under an agreement he negotiated in his first term. For Canada and Mexico, he could say the influx of migrants and drugs are a national security threat, and turn to a section of trade law he used in his first term to slap tariffs on steel and aluminum. The law he would most likely use for Canada and Mexico has a legal process that often takes up to nine months, giving Trump time to seek a deal. If talks failed and the duties were imposed, all three countries would likely retaliate with tariffs on U.S. exports, said Reinsch, who believes Trump's tariffs threat is a negotiating ploy. U.S. companies would lobby intensively against tariffs, and would seek to have products exempted. Some of the biggest exporters from Mexico are U.S. firms that make parts there, Reinsch said. Longer term, Mary Lovely, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said the threat of tariffs could make the U.S. an “unstable partner” in international trade. “It is an incentive to move activity outside the United States to avoid all this uncertainty,” she said. Trump transition team officials did not immediately respond to questions about what he would need to see to prevent the tariffs from being implemented and how they would impact prices in the U.S. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum suggested Tuesday that Mexico could retaliate with tariffs of its own. Sheinbaum said she was willing to talk about the issues, but said drugs were a U.S. problem. ___ Rugaber reported from Washington. AP reporters Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit, Stan Choe and Anne D'Innocenzio in New York, and Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.Injury: Trevor Zegras underwent surgery

New Kensington man sentenced in kidnapping case called 'a single woman's worst nightmare'Ousted Syrian leader Assad flees to Moscow after fall of Damascus, Russian state media say DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Russia media say ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad has fled to Moscow and received asylum from his longtime ally. The reports came hours after a stunning rebel advance swept into Damascus to cheers and ended the Assad family’s 50 years of iron rule. Thousands of Syrians poured into streets echoing with celebratory gunfire, joyful after a stifling, nearly 14-year civil war. But the swiftly moving events raised questions about the future of the country and the wider region. The rebels face the daunting task of healing bitter divisions in a country still split among armed factions. One rebel commander said “we will not deal with people the way the Assad family did." Analysis: Collapse of Syria's Assad is a blow to Iran's 'Axis of Resistance' MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — For Iran’s theocratic government, it keeps getting worse. Its decadeslong strategy of building an “Axis of Resistance” supporting militant groups and proxies around the region is falling apart. Hamas has been batttered by Israel's campaign in Gaza. In Lebanon, Israeli bombardment has crippled Iran’s most powerful ally, Hezbollah, even as Israel has launched successful airstrikes openly inside of Iran for the first time. And now Iran’s longtime stalwart ally and client in Syria, President Bashar Assad, is gone. Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency that toppled Syria's Assad? BEIRUT (AP) — Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the militant leader who led the stunning insurgency that toppled Syria’s President Bashar Assad, has spent years working to remake his public image and that of his fighters. He renounced longtime ties to al-Qaida and depicts himself as a champion of pluralism and tolerance. The extent of that transformation from jihadi extremist to would-be state builder is now put to the test. The 42-year-old al-Golani is labeled a terrorist by the United States. He has not appeared publicly since Damascus fell early Sunday. But he and his insurgent force, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, stand to be a major player in whatever comes next. Trump says he can't guarantee tariffs won't raise US prices and won't rule out revenge prosecutions WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump says he can’t guarantee his promised tariffs on key U.S. foreign trade partners won’t raise prices for American consumers. And he's suggesting once more that some political rivals and federal officials who pursued legal cases against him should be imprisoned. The president-elect made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday. He also touched on monetary policy, immigration, abortion and health care, and U.S. involvement in Ukraine, Israel and elsewhere. Trump often mixed declarative statements with caveats, at one point cautioning “things do change.” The hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO's elusive killer yields new evidence, but few answers NEW YORK (AP) — Police don’t know who he is, where he is, or why he did it. As the frustrating search for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killer got underway for a fifth day Sunday, investigators reckoned with a tantalizing contradiction: They have troves of evidence, but the shooter remains an enigma. One conclusion they are confident of, however: It was a targeted attack, not a random one. On Sunday morning, police declined to comment on the contents of a backpack found in Central Park that they believe was carried by the killer. Thompson was shot and killed Wednesday outside of a hotel in Manhattan. Trump calls for immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and says a US withdrawal from NATO is possible WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is pushing Russian leader Vladimir Putin to act to reach an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine. Trump describes it as part of his active efforts as president-elect to end the war despite being weeks from taking office. Trump also said he would be open to reducing military aid to Ukraine and pulling the United States out of NATO. Those are two threats that have alarmed Ukraine, NATO allies and many in the U.S. national security community. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says any deal would have to pave the way to a lasting peace. The Kremlin's spokesman says Moscow is open to talks with Ukraine. Gaza health officials say latest Israeli airstrikes kill at least 14 including children DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian health officials say Israeli airstrikes in central Gaza have killed at least 14 people including children, while the bombing of a hospital in northern Gaza has wounded a half-dozen patients. Israel’s military continues its latest offensive against Hamas militants in northern Gaza, whose remaining Palestinians have been almost completely cut off from the rest of the territory amid a growing humanitarian crisis. One airstrike flattened a residential building in the urban Bureij refugee camp Sunday afternoon. That's according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the nearby city of Deir al-Balah, where the casualties were taken. South Korea's democracy held after a 6-hour power play. What does it say for democracies elsewhere? SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A short-lived martial law decree by South Korea's leader last week raised worries about budding authoritarianism around the world. In the end, though, democracy prevailed. President Yoon Suk Yeol announced that he was declaring martial law and giving his government sweeping powers to crack down on protesters, ban political parties and control the media. Members of the military blocked lawmakers from using the legislature's constitutional power to cancel the power grab. But the National Assembly within hours unanimously voted to do so. Trump's return may be a boon for Netanyahu, but challenges abound in a changed Middle East TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is jubilant about President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House. Trump's first term policies skewed heavily in favor of Israel, and he has picked stalwart Israel supporters for key positions in his administration. But much has transpired since Trump left office in early 2021. The turmoil in the Middle East, the lofty ambitions of Netanyahu’s far-right governing coalition and Netanyahu’s own personal relationship with the president-elect could dampen that enthusiasm and complicate what on the surface looks like a seamless alliance. College Football Playoff's first 12-team bracket is set with Oregon No. 1 and SMU in, Alabama out SMU captured the last open spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, bumping Alabama to land in a bracket that placed undefeated Oregon at No. 1. The selection committee preferred the Mustangs, losers of a heartbreaker in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game, who had a far less difficult schedule than Alabama of the SEC but one fewer loss. The inaugural 12-team bracket marks a new era for college football, though the Alabama-SMU debate made clear there is no perfect formula. The tournament starts Dec. 20-21 with four first-round games. It concludes Jan. 20 with the national title game in Atlanta.

Trenton forecast: cloudy with a chance of more crap (L.A. PARKER COLUMN)Thousands of people took to the streets of the Slovakia capital Thursday to protest against Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova who has dismissed several heads of major cultural institutions and halted projects steered by LGBT+ associations under the pretext of promoting "Slovak culture". Simkovicova, a 53-year-old former television anchor, has been a controversial figure since taking office in October 2023. "I am frustrated and very angry about the way culture is being destroyed and organizations are falling apart," Svetlana Fialova, a 39-year-old visual artist and lecturer, told AFP. "What is happening in Slovakia is ... what is happening in Georgia, Hungary and other countries, where people who collaborate and play to Russian tunes are coming to power and trying to suppress democracy and culture," she said. "The culture of the Slovaks should be Slovak -- Slovak and none else," Simkovicova said in one early speech. Nominated by the nationalist Slovak National Party (SNS), she has also slammed "LGBT+ ideology" for causing Europe to "die out". Her views have appealed to Prime Minister Robert Fico from the centrist Smer party, whose objections to liberal values echo Viktor Orban, the prime minister of neighbouring Hungary. Simkovicova had worked notably for the Slovan TV channel, known for spreading conspiracy theories, xenophobia and pro-Russian views. Slovak National Gallery director Alexandra Kusa lost her job in August in what opponents said was part of Simkovicova's purge. "Culture ministry staff accompanied by a lawyer showed up in my office one day with a bunch of flowers and a notice," she told AFP. Kusa, who has been reduced to the post of exhibition curator, said the ministry had launched a derogatory campaign against her. She says she was punished for backing Matej Drlicka, the National Theatre director, who was sacked a day earlier. The head of the country's heritage institute was dismissed this week. "We are not compatible with the ministry. Their idea of culture is completely different from ours," Kusa said. She accuses the ministry of launching "an era of bullying and intimidation". "It's pure destruction and demonstration of power. It's terrible." The ministry did not respond to AFP's request to comment. Simkovicova also targets public media. In June, she pushed through a law reforming the state-run RTVS broadcaster into a new company, STVR, which is under her control. Analyst Pavol Hardos told AFP that wielding political influence over cultural institutions had a precedent in Slovakia. "This is something we experienced in the 1990s during the illiberal regime of Vladimir Meciar, when there were ideological tests and tests ... of who is a good nationalist, a good Slovak, and who isn't," he said. What is new is the government's "commitment to purge cultural institutions from anyone who is in any way perceived as potentially a political enemy", Hardos said. Open-minded and liberal people are "being targeted as a potential troublemaker, and people who are often enough real experts in their areas are being sidelined or thrown out," he added. Hardos said that while it was premature to talk about "an illiberal regime", Fico is walking in Orban's footsteps. The government is also targeting LGBT+ rights organisations. Early this year, Simkovicova said they would not get "a cent" from her ministry. She has recently curbed public subsidies for LGBT+ groups. "This concerns any project with links to LGBT+," said Martin Macko, head of the Iniciativa Inakost NGO. He said attacks on the minority were growing, as were the number of people being treated by the NGO's therapists. The situation has incited protests among artists, cultural institution staff and the public, who turn their backs on directors named by Simkovicova or read protest statements on theatre stages. Large rallies were held this year, mobilising tens of thousands of people. Two petitions written by artists have solicited 400,000 signatures in the EU member country of 5.4 million people. In the Slovak parliament, the opposition initiated a vote to dismiss Simkovicova, but the attempt fell through. "No culture ministry employee prevents anyone from being creative or expressing themselves," Simkovicova told the press. sc-anb-frj-kym/tw