panaloko.con Croatia’s incumbent president wins most votes at polls but still faces runoffNordstrom Reports Third Quarter 2024 EarningsAlthough the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls are due only in 2027, political experts suggest that the increasing number of temple-mosque disputes in the state and the resultant polarisation have started to set the political narrative. ET Year-end Special Reads What kept India's stock market investors on toes in 2024? India's car race: How far EVs went in 2024 Investing in 2025: Six wealth management trends to watch out for Analysts point to the recent bypolls in the state where slogans like "Batenge to Katenge" (divided we perish) played a key role in ensuring Hindu unity . And it is in this backdrop that the experts feel that the intensifying temple-mosque polarisation pitch has its own implications. "During the bypolls, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's 'Batenge to Katenge' slogan was seen as a response to the Samajwadi Party 's (SP) attempt to create caste-based mobilisation using the PDA (Backwards, Dalits, Minorities) move. The outcome (of the bypolls) was clearly in favour of the BJP ," political analyst Rajeev Ranjan told PTI. Of the nine Assembly seats that went to bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won seven, while the main opposition SP secured the two remaining seats. "Recent developments indicate that the process of polarisation may intensify further as 2027 approaches," Ranjan added. Artificial Intelligence(AI) Java Programming with ChatGPT: Learn using Generative AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Basics of Generative AI: Unveiling Tomorrows Innovations By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Generative AI for Dynamic Java Web Applications with ChatGPT By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Mastering C++ Fundamentals with Generative AI: A Hands-On By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Master in Python Language Quickly Using the ChatGPT Open AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Performance Marketing for eCommerce Brands By - Zafer Mukeri, Founder- Inara Marketers View Program Office Productivity Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance A2Z Of Money By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Marketing Modern Marketing Masterclass by Seth Godin By - Seth Godin, Former dot com Business Executive and Best Selling Author View Program Astrology Vastu Shastra Course By - Sachenkumar Rai, Vastu Shashtri View Program Strategy Succession Planning Masterclass By - Nigel Penny, Global Strategy Advisor: NSP Strategy Facilitation Ltd. View Program Data Science SQL for Data Science along with Data Analytics and Data Visualization By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI and Analytics based Business Strategy By - Tanusree De, Managing Director- Accenture Technology Lead, Trustworthy AI Center of Excellence: ATCI View Program Web Development A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Pam Moore By - Pam Moore, Digital Transformation and Social Media Expert View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI-Powered Python Mastery with Tabnine: Boost Your Coding Skills By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Office Productivity Mastering Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and 365 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital marketing - Wordpress Website Development By - Shraddha Somani, Digital Marketing Trainer, Consultant, Strategiest and Subject Matter expert View Program Office Productivity Mastering Google Sheets: Unleash the Power of Excel and Advance Analysis By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Mastering Full Stack Development: From Frontend to Backend Excellence By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Financial Literacy i.e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By - CA Rahul Gupta, CA with 10+ years of experience and Accounting Educator View Program Data Science SQL Server Bootcamp 2024: Transform from Beginner to Pro By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Such expert opinions are fuelled by a recent spate of claims -- from the existence of a Shivling in Varanasi's Gyanvapi mosque to similar assertions in Sambhal, Badaun, Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar and Bulandshahr. In the latest case, a petition was filed in Badaun earlier this month, claiming that a Neelkanth Mahadev temple existed where the Jama Masjid now stands. A local court will hear the maintainability of the plea in January. Meanwhile, violence erupted in November during a court-ordered survey of Sambhal's Shahi Jama Masjid, leaving four people dead. Hindu groups have claimed that a Hariharanath temple previously existed where the Mughal-era mosque stands. Political observers feel that such claims may gain currency in the run-up to 2027 polls, impacting the political climate in Uttar Pradesh. Former vice-chancellor of the Lucknow University and social activist Professor Roop Rekha Verma accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government of promoting communal polarisation. "Such incidents are happening across the country, but these cannot be dismissed as a mere coincidence given the political groundwork for the 2027 Assembly election," she told PTI. Verma argued that after the opposition's relatively strong performance in the Lok Sabha polls held earlier in the year, the ruling party has intensified its efforts to regain political space. In the general election, the BJP secured 33 of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, while its allies Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and Apna Dal (S) won two seats and one seat respectively. The SP captured 37 seats, while the Congress won six and one seat went to the Azad Samaj Party. Responding to recent surveys and excavations in Sambhal's mosques, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said, "These people will keep searching and digging until one day, they dig their own government out. They believe in systems, not democracy." State BJP spokesperson Harish Chandra Srivastava hit back at Yadav. "The SP and the Congress want to climb the ladder of power by ignoring justice and indulging in appeasement politics. But the people are now aware of the truth," he told PTI. Citing past communal incidents, Srivastava said, "Who will answer for the massacres and violence in Sambhal during the 1978 and 1982 riots, where countless Hindus were killed and their houses burnt? Why did those victims not get justice?" SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary feels that the "BJP's ploy" would backfire. "Their motives are anti-people and their strategy will turn against them. In 2027, Akhilesh Yadav's PDA strategy will prevail," he said. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat recently called for restraint in raising new temple-related disputes. Speaking in Pune on December 19, he said, "The Ram mandir (in Ayodhya) holds a special place for Hindus, but raising such issues to become leaders of Hindus in new places is not acceptable." Professor Sushil Kumar Pandey from the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University said communal polarisation is likely to grow in the coming days. "Many Hindu worship sites were destroyed during the Islamic rule. With favourable political conditions and the Ram mandir's construction, revisiting historical grievances will undoubtedly escalate communal tensions and have political ramifications," he added. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )

Wall Street ends lower as tech stocks declineAP Business SummaryBrief at 4:24 p.m. EST

The financial technology, or fintech, industry was one of the hardest hit parts of the stock market in the post-pandemic bear market, but there are still some excellent opportunities. PayPal ( PYPL -1.45% ) is one great example with a stock price that is still about 70% below its 2021 peak and excellent turnaround progress in 2024, while SoFi ( SOFI -3.74% ) is an app-based bank with tremendous momentum. However, these are two very different businesses. Here's a rundown of the bull cases for both stocks and what to keep in mind before you decide which is best for you. PayPal wiped the slate clean and is now moving forward After growth stagnated in the post-pandemic era and management didn't have a clear path to restoring the once-strong momentum, PayPal decided to make some big leadership changes. Not only was former Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) executive Alex Chriss named CEO, but the entire executive leadership team was replaced. The focus of the team was initially on efficiency. In the most recent quarter, PayPal's revenue grew by just 6% year over year, but thanks to efficiency improvements, earnings per share (EPS) soared by 22%. Management continues to buy back stock hand over fist, and the company is doing a great job with engagement, as evidenced by a 9% increase in transactions per active account. However, many of the most exciting moves PayPal has made aren't reflected in the numbers yet. For example, the company announced it is creating an advertising platform and hired the former head of Uber 's (NYSE: UBER) ad business to run it. It rolled out its Fastlane checkout product recently, as well as its PayPal Everywhere cash-back, debit-card initiative. And PayPal has announced several key partnerships, most notably with Shopify (NYSE: SHOP) to offer PayPal as a checkout option to U.S. customers. In short, PayPal's efficiency efforts have been paying off. In 2025, its growth initiatives started to show results. SoFi is one of the best products of the SPAC boom Hundreds of companies went public through blank-check companies, or SPACs (special purpose acquisition companies) in the 2020 to 2021 time frame, and to be honest, the bulk of them didn't turn out well for investors. SoFi -- which used one of Chamath Palihapitiya's SPACs to go public -- is a notable exception. I don't say that just because it's one of the few with a share price above the $10 initial SPAC valuation. I say that SoFi is one of the best products of the SPAC era because not only has it sustained incredible growth momentum, but it has become profitable in the process. Over the past three years, SoFi's member base has more than tripled, with 35% year-over-year growth in the most recent quarter. About 8.5 million financial services products like bank accounts, investment accounts, and credit cards have been opened in that period. And SoFi's deposit base grew from zero when it first got its banking charter in early 2022 to $24.4 billion in customer deposits. As mentioned, SoFi has become consistently profitable, and its bottom-line income could soar in the next few years as the business continues to scale. Two great fintech opportunities To be perfectly clear, I don't think anyone will go wrong with either of these stocks. In fact, they are the two largest fintech investments I own in my portfolio (in full disclosure, SoFi is the bigger position). PayPal shines when it comes to profitability, but there's a lot that needs to go right for sustainable growth to return to the business. On the other hand, SoFi is growing at an impressive pace and has been growing rapidly for years but just recently became profitable and is still in full growth mode. The best choice for you depends on which of those profiles fits best with your investment style.

With nearly all of the votes counted, left-leaning Mr Milanovic won 49% while his main challenger Dragan Primorac, a candidate of the ruling conservative HDZ party, trailed far behind with 19%. Pre-election polls had predicted that the two would face off in the second round on January 12, as none of the eight presidential election contenders were projected to get more than 50% of the vote. Mr Milanovic thanked his supporters but warned that “this was just a first run”. “Let’s not be triumphant, let’s be realistic, firmly on the ground,” he said. “We must fight all over again. It’s not over till it’s over.” Mr Milanovic, the most popular politician in Croatia, has served as prime minister in the past. Populist in style, the 58-year-old has been a fierce critic of current Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and continuous sparring between the two has been a recent hallmark of Croatia’s political scene. Mr Plenkovic has sought to portray the vote as one about Croatia’s future in the EU and Nato. He has labelled Mr Milanovic “pro-Russian” and a threat to Croatia’s international standing. “The difference between him (Mr Primorac) and Milanovic is quite simple: Milanovic is leading us East, Primorac is leading us West,” he said. Though the presidency is largely ceremonial in Croatia, an elected president holds political authority and acts as the supreme commander of the military. Mr Milanovic has criticised the Nato and European Union support for Ukraine and has often insisted that Croatia should not take sides. He has said Croatia should stay away from global disputes, thought it is a member of both Nato and the EU. Mr Milanovic has also blocked Croatia’s participation in a Nato-led training mission for Ukraine, declaring that “no Croatian soldier will take part in somebody else’s war”. His main rival in the election, Mr Primorac, has stated that “Croatia’s place is in the West, not the East”. However, his bid for the presidency has been marred by a high-level corruption case that landed Croatia’s health minister in jail last month and which featured prominently in pre-election debates. Trailing a distant third in the pre-election polls is Marija Selak Raspudic, a conservative independent candidate. She has focused her election campaign on the economic troubles of ordinary citizens, corruption and issues such as population decline in the country of some 3.8 million. Sunday’s presidential election is Croatia’s third vote this year, following a snap parliamentary election in April and the European Parliament balloting in June.Secretaries of State are being told that any outgoings which are not contributing towards one of Labour’s “priorities” must be cut as Rachel Reeves vows to wield “an iron fist against waste.” In letters sent by Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones, departments will be told to brace for “difficult” spending decisions in order to restore trust in the Government’s handling of the public finances. Every pound of departmental spending will be face a “line-by-line review” involving external finance experts from banks and think tanks in order to ensure it represents value for money, the Treasury said. The Chancellor will on Tuesday launch the next round of Government spending, and is expected to warn departments that they “cannot operate in a business-as-usual way when reviewing their budgets for the coming years”. She will insist that areas focused on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s “plan for change”, which includes targets to improve living standards across the country and build 1.5 million homes, must be prioritised. Ms Reeves said: “By totally rewiring how the Government spends money we will be able to deliver our plan for change and focus on what matters for working people. “The previous government allowed millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to go to waste on poor value for money projects. We will not tolerate it; I said I would have an iron grip on the public finances and that means taking an iron fist against waste. “By reforming our public services, we will ensure they are up to scratch for modern day demands, saving money and delivering better services for people across the country. That’s why we will inspect every pound of Government spend, so that it goes to the right places and we put an end to all waste.” Under the Treasury’s plans, departments will ensure budgets are scrutinised by “challenge panels” of external experts including former senior management of Lloyd’s Banking Group, Barclays Bank and the Co-operative Group. These panels, which will also involve think tanks, academics and the private sector, will advise on which spending “is or isn’t necessary”, the ministry said. The Treasury said work has already begun, with an evaluation of the £6.5 million spent on a scheme that placed social workers in schools finding “no evidence of positive impact on social care outcomes”. “Departments will be advised that where spending is not contributing to a priority, it should be stopped,” it said. “Although some of these decisions will be difficult, the Chancellor is clear that the public must have trust in the Government that it is rooting out waste and that their taxes are being spent on their priorities.” Ms Reeves had already announced efficiency and productivity savings of 2% across departments in her autumn budget as she seeks to put the public finances on a firmer footing. In a speech in east London, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden hinted at a further squeeze. “At the Budget the Chancellor demanded efficiency and productivity savings of 2% across departments – and there will be more to come,” he said. “As we launch the next phase of the spending review at its heart must be reform of the state in order to do a better job for the public.”

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HTEC führt ROI-Rechner für Entwicklererfahrungen und Webinar-Serie für Engineering Effectiveness einIf finding the right present and making sure the recipient gets it on time leaves you feeling anxious, you’re not alone. More than half of Americans say that gift-giving stresses them out . Concerns about on-time delivery are so common that people share holiday deadlines for each shipping service . And in the event that you can’t meet these deadlines, there are now handy etiquette guides offering advice for how to inform the recipient. If you’ve sent late gifts thanks to shipping delays , depleted stocks or even good old-fashioned procrastination , our new research may offer some welcome news. In a series of studies that will soon be published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology , we found that people overestimate the negative consequences of sending a late gift. Why do people tend to overestimate these consequences? Our findings indicate that when people give presents, they pay more attention to norms about gifting than the recipients do. For example, other researchers have found that people tend to be reluctant to give used products as presents because there’s a norm that gifts should be new. In reality, though, many people are often open to receiving used stuff. We found that this mismatch also applies to beliefs about the importance of timing. Many people worry that a late gift will signal that they don’t care about the recipient. They then fear their relationship will suffer. In reality, though, these fears are largely unfounded. Gift recipients are much less worried about when the gift arrives. Unfortunately, aside from causing unnecessary worry, being overly sensitive about giving a late present can also influence the gift you choose to buy. A U.S. Postal Service worker places packages on a parcel sorting machine on Dec. 12, 2022. Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images To test how lateness concerns affect gift choice, we conducted an online study before Mother’s Day in 2021. We had 201 adults participate in a raffle. They could choose to send their mother either a cheaper gift basket that would arrive in time for the occasion or a more expensive one that would arrive late. Concerns about lateness led nearly 70 per cent of the participants to choose the less expensive and more prompt option. In another study, we conducted the same kind of raffle for Father’s Day and got similar results. Aside from finding that people will choose inferior items to ensure speedier delivery, we also found that givers may feel that they can compensate for lateness with effort. In another online study of 805 adults, we discovered that participants were less likely to expect a late delivery to damage a relationship if they signaled their care for the recipient in a different way. For example, they believed that putting an item together by hand, versus purchasing it preassembled, could compensate for a present being belated. If sending something late isn’t as bad as expected, you may wonder whether it’s OK to simply not send anything at all. We’d caution against going that route. In another online study of 903 participants, we found that recipients believed that not receiving anything at all was more likely to harm a relationship than receiving something as much as two months late. That is, late is better than never as far as those receiving gifts are concerned. You may want to keep that in mind, even if that new gaming console , action figure or virtual reality headset is sold out this holiday season. It could still be a welcome surprise if it arrives in January or February. Rebecca Walker Reczek _, Professor of Marketing, The Ohio State University_ Cory Haltman , Ph.D. Candidate in Marketing, The Ohio State University Grant Donnelly, Assistant Professor of Marketing, The Ohio State University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

NEW YORK (AP) — No ex-president had a more prolific and diverse publishing career than Jimmy Carter . His more than two dozen books included nonfiction, poetry, fiction, religious meditations and a children’s story. His memoir “An Hour Before Daylight” was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2002, while his 2006 best-seller “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” stirred a fierce debate by likening Israel’s policies in the West Bank to the brutal South African system of racial segregation. And just before his 100th birthday, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation honored him with a lifetime achievement award for how he wielded "the power of the written word to foster peace, social justice, and global understanding.” In one recent work, “A Full Life,” Carter observed that he “enjoyed writing” and that his books “provided a much-needed source of income.” But some projects were easier than others. “Everything to Gain,” a 1987 collaboration with his wife, Rosalynn, turned into the “worst threat we ever experienced in our marriage,” an intractable standoff for the facilitator of the Camp David accords and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. According to Carter, Rosalynn was a meticulous author who considered “the resulting sentences as though they have come down from Mount Sinai, carved into stone.” Their memories differed on various events and they fell into “constant arguments.” They were ready to abandon the book and return the advance, until their editor persuaded them to simply divide any disputed passages between them. “In the book, each of these paragraphs is identified by a ‘J’ or an ‘R,’ and our marriage survived,” he wrote. Here is a partial list of books by Carter: “Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President” “The Blood of Abraham: Insights into the Middle East” (With Rosalynn Carter) “Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life” “An Outdoor Journal: Adventures and Reflections” “Turning Point: A Candidate, a State, and a Nation Come of Age” “Always a Reckoning, and Other Poems” (With daughter Amy Carter) “The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer” “Living Faith” “The Virtues of Aging” “An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood” “Christmas in Plains: Memories” “The Hornet’s Nest: A Novel of the Revolutionary War” “Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis” “Faith & Freedom: The Christian Challenge for the World” “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” “A Remarkable Mother” “Beyond the White House” “We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work” “White House Diary” “NIV Lessons from Life Bible: Personal Reflections with Jimmy Carter” “A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power” “A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety”Ministers warned of cuts as ‘every pound’ of spending to face review

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Peter Frank paddled from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in June to the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland this month in his 1982 Sawyer Loon decked canoe, but he’s still got a long way to go. The 23-year-old is about a quarter of the way on his planned journey of roughly 6,000 miles to complete the Great Loop route. This continuous watercourse includes part of the Atlantic and Gulf intracoastal waterways, the Great Lakes, part of the Canadian Heritage Canals and inland U.S. rivers. For Frank, the voyage is largely a way to express his gratitude for still being alive and having the ability to take on the physical challenge, almost a decade after a car accident left him with 14 broken bones and nearly paralyzed. He was hiding in a pile of leaves to surprise a friend when a carful of teens drove through the pile without knowing he was there. “It’s my form of showing the appreciation for being alive and being able to walk and do the things that I can do,” he said during a break in Annapolis, Maryland, earlier this month, a day before setting out again. He also enjoys writing about his experiences on his blog at whereispeterfrank.com and meeting people along the way. “I’m grateful to be out here and to share this story,” Frank says. “In some regard, I feel that I have a responsibility to document the things that I experience for people who don’t get to experience them or that dream of experiencing them. That is why it’s important to me.” Clad in a rabbit-fur hat and clothes he made himself to resemble a pirate, he generally paddles between six and 10 hours a day in his 1982 decked vessel, its shell hollowed to stow supplies. Many nights, he sleeps in a tent by the water. However, he often gets invitations from readers of his blog to stay in their homes. To keep warm, he’s picked up a 1970s vintage heavy down coat, an ultra-light Patagonia jacket he found in a thrift store, 1950s German military cold-weather mittens, a set of warm thermals and several wool socks. Recently, when he felt underdressed, he designed and sewed his own pants that he quilted over cotton flannel for extra layering. He carries 10 portable power banks, plus cords and outlet plugs. He says his electronics bag alone, holding only batteries and cords, weighs almost 25 pounds. “I find that 10 is a good amount and will keep me charged on GPS, radio, cameras and phone battery through any predicament,” he says. “I also carry a solar panel as a backup and can charge almost anything I need.” He doesn’t carry much for self-defense: only a small filet knife for fish and a pocket knife for cutting rope. Frank says he’s confident in his ability to protect himself, such as being mindful in bear country, tying up food or simply avoiding populated areas. “In the long run, it’s never been much of a concern, and anything beyond my control isn’t something I can prevent with anything I can take with me,” he says. The Eagle Scout, who still visits with a local scout troop in his hometown, prepared a hearty portion of his food for the long adventure. He dehydrated game meat and ground beef in an oven and vacuum-sealed it for the trek. Frank earns some income by writing about his experience. His blog also helps him pay grocery bills via his “Rotisserie Chicken Fund,” where people can click to send him money. “Every now and then, somebody will send me $20 online, which helps out a lot for like food and stuff, but in the meantime, I also write for magazines, and the magazines will publish my work,” he says. Frank made long-distance trips by bicycle, unicycle and canoes before. For example, he’s already explored Florida by canoe, which took him about 11 months, ending in May 2023. That’s a significant portion of what he’s trying to do now. He knows he’ll eventually tie his canoe to mangroves during one stretch to sleep. “I really, really do enjoy them,” Frank says of the adventures. “I enjoy being alive most of all, and so I guess for me these expeditions are not only my college and my education, but it’s also my form of worship in a way, my giving thanks to the world for being alive and being able to walk.” The Great Loop is his most challenging trip yet. While the journey is a bucket-list route for avid boaters, it’s rarely done with reliance on muscling a canoe. Frank also travels clockwise, which he says is the harder route because he’s paddling against the current on inland rivers for more than 25% of the trip. Frank launched his trip on June 27 in Escanaba, Michigan, where he’s from. He paddled into Canada and crossed Lake Ontario, where he camped on islands. On his way south, he went through New York City, floating by the Statue of Liberty. While he’s given some long study to the Great Loop route, not everything has been perfectly mapped out for the canoeist. He says he’s had to do some wayfinding on his own. While leaving New York, he took the Delaware and Raritan Canal, using portages he says he found that weren’t mentioned in route plans. Frank says he hopes to write an informational guide to fill in some gaps about details of the route. He’s also thinking about writing an autobiography. “I’d like to put something together that’s purely educational that would be a guide, and then I’d like to put something together that’s kind of like the story of a young man finding himself in a world that he doesn’t fully understand yet,” Frank says. He was living with his parents before he started traveling when he left home to unicycle across the U.S. for charity when he was 19. “I’ll sometimes go back and visit for a couple of months between expeditions, but for the last three years I’ve just been traveling full time,” he says. Everything he owns is in his canoe. He says he doesn’t need much money to keep on flowing. “Is this comfortable or practical? Absolutely not,” he said, “but through the struggles of following my dreams with little to nothing, I’ve developed the capacity to enjoy less, and as a result, I live well with little.” He also describes the trip as a voyage in self-discovery. “It’s very hard to picture where I will be three years from now, as I’m still young and growing, but I’m hoping that on this journey, this very long journey of self-discovery, I’ll perhaps find that,” he says. He estimates it will take roughly 17 months to finish the loop. He’ll need to complete it by next November, he says, due to a natural deadline set by the freezing of the lakes he’ll need to cross. “I would say that nature is my biggest competitor, most definitely,” Frank says. Get local news delivered to your inbox!2 Stocks to Buy Before Prices Skyrocket: Act Now

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A big housing development that would be the centerpiece of a mixed-use neighborhood in San Ramon is beginning to come into view.Ghana's opposition leader John Mahama officially won the country's election on Monday, easily defeating the ruling party candidate after voters punished the government's economic management and high living costs. Mahama won 56 percent of the votes in Saturday's presidential ballot, compared to the ruling party candidate and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, who secured 41 percent, the electoral commission said announcing official results. The landslide comeback for former president Mahama ended eight years in power for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) under President Nana Akufo-Addo, whose last term was marked by Ghana's worst economic turmoil in years, an IMF bailout and a debt default. "These eight years have witnessed some of the darkest periods of our governance," Mahama told crowds of supporters blowing horns and whistles in his party office in Accra. "This mandate also serves as a constant reminder of what fate awaits us if we fail to meet the aspirations of our people." Bawumia, a former central banker, had already quickly conceded defeat on Sunday, acknowledging Ghanaians wanted change after the government failed to shake off widespread frustration. Bawumia also said the Mahama's National Democratic Congress (NDC) party had won the parliamentary vote in Saturday's election. Official results for the parliament are still being tallied. Mahama, 66, had previously failed twice to secure the presidency, but in Saturday's election he managed to tap into expectations of change among Ghanaians. He promised to "reset" Ghana, usher in economic revival and renegotiate parts of the country's $3 billion IMF accord. In his acceptance speech, Mahama promised reforms and "severe" measures to bring Ghana back on track. "The journey is not going to be easy... because the outgoing government has plunged our dear nation into the abyss," he said. "I am certain that we shall win the battle." With a history of democratic stability, Ghana's two major parties, the NPP and NDC, have alternated in power equally since the return to multi-party politics in 1992. But Ghana's economic woes dominated the 2024 election, after the continent's top gold producer and world's second cacao exporter went through a debt crisis, the default and currency devaluation. Turnout for Saturday election was 60.9 percent, a slide in participation from 79 percent in the 2020 election, results showed. With a slogan "Break the 8" -- a reference to two, four-year terms in power -- Bawumia had sought to take the NPP to an unprecedented third mandate. But he struggled to break from criticism of Akufo-Addo's economic record. While inflation slowed from more than 50 percent to around 23 percent, and other indicators stabilised, economic concerns were still a clear election issue for most Ghanaians. That frustration opened the way for a comeback from Mahama, who first came to the presidency in 2012 when he was serving as vice president and then President John Atta Mills died in office. During campaigning, the former president also faced criticism from those who remember his government's own financial tribulations and especially the massive power blackouts that marred his time in office.