Why is the Taliban Holding American Ryan Corbett Hostage?

No Bigs: FedRes Signals Three - Count 'Em - THREE Rate Reductions in an Election Year

It seems every other day there is a conservation-related problem‚ with species being declared extinct and lost from the biodiversity of Earth’s natural world. Today however‚ we bring good conservation news from the bird keepers of Chester Zoo in the UK‚ where two incredibly rare Mitchell’s lorikeet chicks (Trichoglossus forsteni mitchellii) have hatched. The first of the precious new arrivals hatched on September 9‚ with their sibling following just two days later. These lorikeets are among the most endangered species in the wild‚ as a subspecies of the scarlet-breasted lorikeet (Trichoglossus forsteni). The remaining few live on the islands of Bali and Lombok in Indonesia‚ and conservationists found just seven of the subspecies in Bali in 2020. The population has been decimated because of the illegal wildlife trade that sees these birds hunted and trapped from their habitat on these islands. The market is driven by the idea of giving brightly colored birds as gifts‚ with more colorful birds seen as more desirable. The IUCN label the scarlet-breasted lorikeet as "endangered"‚ as previous reports suggest a population of around 50 still persist.        “The unrelenting pace of the illegal wildlife trade has pushed the species to the edge of existence‚ so in 2018 Chester joined an important conservation breeding programme where every new addition is helping to protect the future of the species. We’re now home to 12 of these beautiful parrots‚ which is sadly more than what has been recorded in the wild in recent years‚” said Zoe Sweetman‚ Parrot Team Manager‚ in a statement sent to IFLScience.        Fortunately there is a safety-net population in the form of captive individuals across zoos and parks‚ which is of vital importance to the future survival of the species. In Chad‚ a successful reintroduction programme from captive bred individuals has seen the scimitar-horned oryx downgraded from "extinct in the wild" to "endangered" after over 500 calves were born.The team at Chester say the precious new arrivals will one day join the endangered species breeding program‚ helping to further boost the population. The team is also committed to working in Indonesia‚ both to protect the birds but also to try and change attitudes around the wildlife trade itself. “Many of Indonesia’s birds have now largely disappeared from their forest homes. This is why we’ve been working with our partners in Java‚ the Cikananga Conservation Breeding Centre‚ for more than a decade to rescue birds and provide the skills to breed them in their own country. Part of this work also includes working with local communities to try and change the culture from trapping birds‚ to helping protect them‚ which is a huge task in itself‚" said Andrew Owen‚ Head of Birds at Chester Zoo. The team say that the new pair are being monitored closely‚ with regular weight checks on the new arrivals‚ and they plan to determine the sex of the young lorikeets with DNA samples from their feathers.

A woman whose only source of income was selling items online discovered that a judge had ruled against her and she owed $250‚000 to country singer Luke Combs. Nicol Harness was selling homemade tumblers and T She told WFLA-TV that she sold only 18 tumblers with the likeness of the singer and made $380 off their sale. The lawsuit was filed in an Illinois court against her and several others for selling counterfeit merchandise. The lawsuit was already settled before she found out about it‚ and she was ordered to pay $250‚000. “It’s very stressful. I don’t have money to pay my bills‚” Harness said. “I just want this resolved. I didn’t mean any harm to Luke Combs. I quit selling the tumbler. I pulled it down. I just don’t understand.” She found out something was wrong when she couldn't access the money in her Amazon account. “I sent so many messages to Amazon asking for answers but couldn’t figure it out‚” she explained. Harness then found that an email notice about the lawsuit was sent to her account but went to the junk folder in October. It said that she would have to respond within 21 days‚ but she says she didn't see the email until it was too late. In Florida‚ lawsuits are required to be delivered by hand‚ but Illinois just passed a new law that says lawsuits can be delivered through email. Harness said she wanted to apologize to Combs. “I would tell him I’m sorry‚ like I said I didn’t mean any harm‚" she said. "I’m a supporter of Luke Combs. I respect him. This is not something I meant to go wrong like this. I just want to get back to my day-to\day life.”Combs responds After making headlines‚ Harness was able to get a response from the performer. Combs posted a message about the lawsuit to his Instagram account on Wednesday. "I was completely and utterly unaware of this‚" Combs said in the video. He went on to explain that the lawsuits were intended to go after large companies that make millions off of counterfeit merchandise‚ not individuals like Harness. "That makes me absolutely sick to my stomach‚" he added. "It makes me sick‚ honestly‚ that this would happen‚ especially at the holidays‚ I can't imagine being in her shoes." He said that he was able to obtain her phone number and he apologized to her personally. He also gave her a gift of $11‚000‚ double the value of what was locked up in her Amazon account. "She was never supposed to be involved in any of this‚ no fan should ever have to be involved in anything like this‚" he added. He also said he would add a tumbler to his online shop and give the proceeds from sales to Harness to help with her medical bills. Thousands of fans praised him for his magnanimous response. Here's a local news report about the lawsuit: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged more than 500 points on Wednesday‚ closing above 37‚000 for the first time‚ according to reports.The historically high close for stock index came on the same day that the Federal Reserve announced plans to maintain current interest rates. A Federal Open Market Committee statement notes that "the Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 5-1/4 to 5-1/2 percent."During a press conference‚ Federal Reserve board of governors chair Jerome Powell said "tight policy is putting downward pressure on economic activity and inflation‚ and the full effects of our tightening likely have not yet been felt." He noted that "we believe that our policy rate is likely at or near its peak for this tightening cycle‚" but also said that officials are "prepared to tighten policy further‚ if appropriate."Data released on Wednesday listed 4.6% as the median projection among Fed officials for the rate by the end of 2024.While the rate of inflation has been on the decline‚ Americans' have still been experiencing the persistent erosion of the purchasing power of their hard-earned dollars over time."The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.1 percent in November on a seasonally adjusted basis‚ after being unchanged in October‚" according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Over the last 12 months‚ the all items index increased 3.1 percent before seasonal adjustment."President Joe Biden‚ who aims to secure another four-year term during the 2024 presidential election‚ declared in a December 12 statement‚ "Today’s report demonstrates continued progress bringing inflation down and lowering costs for American families. Inflation is now at 3.1 percent — down by nearly two thirds from its peak." "While Congressional Republicans fight for the wealthy and big corporations‚ leaving hardworking families to pay the price‚ I'll keep fighting to bring down costs and grow our economy with a strong middle class‚" Biden claimed in the statement.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Cult of the Lamb has what is possibly the funniest‚ most interactive team of developers and publishers I've had the pleasure of encountering online. Massive Monster and Devolver Digital recently revealed the Sins of the Flesh update‚ which prompted a variety of joke comments from fans asking for the roguelike to add sex. Long story short‚ we're getting sex in-game. That's not the end of the chaos coming with the big update though‚ as the team now reveals that it's adding guns. Continue reading Cult of the Lamb dev doesn’t stop at sex‚ now adds guns to the chaos MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Upcoming PC Games‚ Cult of the Lamb beginners guide‚ How to get lumber and stone in Cult of the Lamb

The mace head‚ discovered by accident in Wilków‚ Poland‚ may date as far back as the 12th century. The post This Medieval Mace Head Was Just Discovered In Poland By A 12-Year-Old Boy appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Scientists say this discovery has helped them confirm a long-held hypothesis that the Tyrannosaur’s dietary habits changed as it got older. The post Scientists Just Analyzed The Stomach Contents Of A Tyrannosaur — And Learned It Was A Picky Eater appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Trailer for 'CIVIL WAR' Seems to Have California and Texas Fighting on the Same Side

Did You Know Jesus Wasn't White? If You Live in the South This ‘Pastor’ Assumes You Don't