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A New Brunswick entrepreneur whose family pioneered the baby eel industry in Canada is suing Ottawa again after it told her she would likely lose nearly 90 per cent of her business to First Nations and other people who want to get in on the lucrative fishery. In a filing in the Court of King’s Bench in Fredericton on Dec. 9, Mary Ann Holland accuses the defendants, who include three successive federal fisheries ministers and eight high-ranking officials in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, or DFO, of having “engaged in a carefully calculated plan” over the years to drive her “out of business,” and give it away to First Nations and other fishers. “Such a plan represents patent gross abuse,” that they know will cause her companies, Brunswick Aquaculture and Alder Seafood, great damage, the lawsuit states. She complains that Ottawa did little to enforce the fishing rules on the water, and was, in effect, in cahoots with First Nations leaders who told their people to exert their Aboriginal right to pluck eels out as they wished. Holland declined to be interviewed for this article. But she has stewed about Ottawa’s decisions in recent years to allow more First Nations to catch the elvers and its lack of enforcement on waters in southwestern New Brunswick where she’s a licence holder, a spring fishery that’s been cancelled a few times because of poaching and spasms of violence. Now the trouble has boiled over. Holland’s late husband, Philip Holland, was the first commercial eel licence holder in the Maritimes, setting up the practice and developing overseas markets for the creatures 36 years ago. The Holland family has held a licence continuously since 1988. Mary Ann Holland has argued in other lawsuits against Ottawa and First Nations that they are destroying her business. The Wolastoqey Nation dismisses her claims and says they have a traditional right to fish. In the latest filing, Holland says DFO has invited some of the people who worked for her to become licence holders. A spokeswoman for the department said officials were aware of the allegations in Holland’s lawsuit, which have not been tested in court. “As the department is a named party and this matter is now before the courts, it would be inappropriate for DFO to comment,” said Debra Buott-Matheson in an email to Brunswick News. One of Holland’s colleagues in the baby eel industry in Nova Scotia warned that no one in the fishing industry would be safe from federal confiscation of their licences without any financial compensation. In a two-page letter sent Dec. 5 to nine enterprises in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that have elver, or baby eel, commercial licences, Jennifer Ford, the director of the elver review team in the Maritimes for DFO, outlined the latest proposed changes following consultations. Ford – who is named as a defendant in Holland’s lawsuit – said the federal fisheries minister, Diane Lebouthillier, favoured “broadening the benefits” of the elver fishery to boost First Nations’ participation and give people already working for the commercial elver industry a shot at having their own licenses. She said redistributing existing quotas was the only way of ensuring the species’ long-term survival. A table attached to the letter showed that of the nine licence holders, before 2022, eight of them had a quota of 1,200 kilograms each (a ninth had a quota of 360 kg). The new proposal would see all their quotas – or total allowable catch – significantly reduced by between 60 and nearly 90 per cent. Holland’s company fares the worst, going from 1,200 kg annually down to 123 kg. The letter appears to be the last straw for Holland, whose lawyer filed the legal paperwork only a few days later. Stanley King, whose in-laws have owned Atlantic Elver Fishery near Kejimkujik National Park in southwestern Nova Scotia since the early 1990s, said the department was being unfair to hard-working entrepreneurs who’d developed the business. “The process has been an exercise in futility,” he said of the letters sent from the minister seeking the industry’s input into the changes. “It was a sham consultation. They didn’t listen to one thing we said.” He also described it as a “five-year coup de grâce of DFO mismanagement that’s destroyed an entire industry that took 30 some odd years to create.” King said the industry wasn’t against First Nations having access to the fishery. But the proper process to follow, he said, was the “willing buyer-willing seller” model to ensure there would be no animosity between the fishermen. Such a model has been used in other fisheries, including crab and lobster, since the Supreme Court ruled 25 years ago that Aboriginal people have a right to pursue a moderate income from fisheries, a case that pitted Donald Marshall Jr., an adult eel fisherman, against the province of Nova Scotia. For the most part, those new agreements have reduced tension on the water. According to Holland’s lawsuit, Ottawa also proposed buying out her licence in 2021 but it didn’t go anywhere. DFO eventually decided to reduce the commercial eel quotas unilaterally. It’s not the first time in recent years DFO has made such a move. It reduced the number of traps of crab fishers in Tofino, B.C., by half in 2022, after a court ordered that part of the fishery had to be Indigenous. No compensation was offered. “I want other fishermen to realize this is now the government’s path forward,” King said. “Other fishermen should be very afraid and should pay very close attention, because they will be next.” As prices for the translucent baby eels have risen, people have fought over the spring run in dozens of rivers in the Maritimes. The violence and unauthorized fishing got so bad that the federal fisheries minister suspended the season in the Maritimes this year. The popularity of the American eels in Asian cuisine and the collapse of stocks in Europe has pushed prices up markedly. Buyers who ship the eels to Asia, where they’re grown in tanks to adulthood and then made into sushi or other tasty dishes, have paid as much as $5,000 a kilogram for them, although prices have moderated this year to closer to $4,000 per kg. It is the most lucrative seafood by weight in Canada. Holland’s lawsuit does not specify how much damages she’s seeking. No statement of defence has been filed.League fines Hawks $100,000 for Young missing NBA Cup gamePALERMO, Calif. (AP) — Two children were wounded in a shooting Wednesday at a small religious K-8 school in Northern California and the shooter died from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot, sheriff’s officials said. The children’s conditions were not immediately known. The shooting occurred Wednesday afternoon at the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists, a private, K-8 school in Palermo, a community of 5,500 people about 65 miles (104 km) north of Sacramento. Related Articles Nation | Abandoned mines in the US pose dangers to people and property when land gives way Nation | Dog food recalled in 7 states for salmonella risk after puppy litter gets sick, FDA says Nation | White House says at least 8 US telecom firms, dozens of nations impacted by China hacking campaign Nation | Powell: Fed’s independence from politics is vital to its interest rate decisions Nation | United Healthcare CEO kept a low public profile. Then he was shot to death in New York Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea said the 911 calls reported “an individual on campus who had fired shots at students,” and said that the shooter did not appear to have a connection to the school. The motive was not immediately known, he continued. One student was flown to a nearby hospital, Honea said. Authorities rushed students to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene to be reunited with their families, the sheriff’s office said. The school has been open since 1965 and caters to fewer than three dozen children, according to its website.
Former Boise State coach Chris Petersen still gets asked about the Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma on the first day of 2007. That game had everything. Underdog Boise State took a 28-10 lead over one of college football's blue bloods that was followed by a 25-point Sooners run capped by what could have been a back-breaking interception return for a touchdown with 1:02 left. Then the Broncos used three trick plays that remain sensations to not only force overtime but win 43-42. And then there was the marriage proposal by Boise State running back Ian Johnson — shortly after scoring the winning two-point play — to cheerleader Chrissy Popadics that was accepted on national TV. That game put Broncos football on the national map for most fans, but looking back 18 years later, Petersen sees it differently. "Everybody wants to talk about that Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl game, which is great how it all worked out and all those things," Petersen said. "But we go back to play TCU (three years later) again on the big stage. It's not as flashy a game, but to me, that was an even better win." Going back to the Fiesta Bowl and winning, Petersen reasoned, showed the Broncos weren't a splash soon to fade away, that there was something longer lasting and more substantive happening on the famed blue turf. The winning has continued with few interruptions. No. 8 and third-seeded Boise State is preparing for another trip to the Fiesta Bowl, this time in a playoff quarterfinal against No. 5 and sixth-seeded Penn State on New Year's Eve. That success has continued through a series of coaches, though with a lot more of a common thread than readily apparent. Dirk Koetter was hired from Oregon, where Petersen was the wide receivers coach. Not only did Koetter bring Petersen with him to Oregon, Petersen introduced him to Dan Hawkins, who also was hired for the staff. So the transition from Koetter to Hawkins to Petersen ensured at least some level of consistency. Koetter and Hawkins engineered double-digit victory seasons five times over a six-year span that led to power-conference jobs. Koetter went to Arizona State after three seasons and Hawkins to Colorado after five. Then when Petersen became the coach after the 2005 season, he led Boise State to double-digit wins his first seven seasons and made bowls all eight years. He resisted the temptation to leave for a power-conference program until Washington lured him away toward the end of the 2013 season. Then former Boise State quarterback and offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin took over and posted five double-digit victory seasons over his first six years. After going 5-2 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he left for Auburn. "They just needed consistency of leadership," said Koetter, who is back as Boise State's offensive coordinator. "This program had always won at the junior-college level, the Division II level, the I-AA (now FCS) level." But Koetter referred to "an unfortunate chain of events" that made Boise State a reclamation project when he took over in 1998. Coach Pokey Allen led Boise State to the Division I-AA national championship game in 1994, but was diagnosed with cancer two days later. He died on Dec. 30, 1996, at 53. Allen coached the final two games that season, Boise State's first in Division I-A (now FBS). Houston Nutt became the coach in 1997, went 4-7 and headed to Arkansas. Then Koetter took over. "One coach dies and the other wasn't the right fit for this program," Koetter said. "Was a really good coach, did a lot of good things, but just wasn't a good fit for here." But because of Boise State's success at the lower levels, Koetter said the program was set up for success. "As Boise State has risen up the conference food chain, they've pretty much always been at the top from a player talent standpoint," Koetter said. "So it was fairly clear if we got things headed in the right direction and did a good job recruiting, we would be able to win within our conference for sure." Success didn't take long. He went 6-5 in 1998 and then won 10 games each of the following two seasons. Hawkins built on that winning and Petersen took it to another level. But there is one season, really one game, no really one half that still bugs Petersen. He thought his best team was in 2010, one that entered that late-November game at Nevada ranked No. 3 and had a legitimate chance to play for the national championship. The Colin Kaepernick-led Wolf Pack won 34-31. "I think the best team that I might've been a part of as the head coach was the team that lost one game to Nevada," Petersen said. "That team, to me, played one poor half of football on offense the entire season. We were winning by a bunch at half (24-7) and we came out and did nothing on offense in the second half and still had a chance to win. "That team would've done some damage." There aren't any what-ifs with this season's Boise State team. The Broncos are in the field of the first 12-team playoff, representing the Group of Five as its highest-ranked conference champion. That got Boise State a bye into the quarterfinals. Spencer Danielson has restored the championship-level play after taking over as the interim coach late last season during a rare downturn that led to Andy Avalos' dismissal. Danielson received the job full time after leading Boise State to the Mountain West championship. Now the Broncos are 12-1 with their only defeat to top-ranked and No. 1 seed Oregon on a last-second field goal. Running back Ashton Jeanty also was the runner-up to the Heisman Trophy. "Boise State has been built on the backs of years and years of success way before I got here," Danielson said. "So even this season is not because of me. It's because the group of young men wanted to leave a legacy, be different. We haven't been to the Fiesta Bowl in a decade. They said in January, 'We're going to get that done.' They went to work." As was the case with Danielson, Petersen and Koetter said attracting top talent is the primary reason Boise State has succeeded all these years. Winning, obviously, is the driving force, and with more entry points to the playoffs, the Broncos could make opportunities to keep returning to the postseason a selling point. But there's also something about the blue carpet. Petersen said he didn't get what it was about when he arrived as an assistant coach, and there was some talk about replacing it with more conventional green grass. A poll in the Idaho Statesman was completely against that idea, and Petersen has come to appreciate what that field means to the program. "It's a cumulative period of time where young kids see big-time games when they're in seventh and eighth and ninth and 10th grade and go, 'Oh, I know that blue turf. I want to go there,'" Petersen said. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!
AP Trending SummaryBrief at 6:02 p.m. ESTBoise State's legacy includes winning coaches and championship moments
New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has clarified that the increase in GST from 12 per cent to 18 per cent on the sale of second-hand EVs will apply only to business entities involved in the resale of used electric vehicles. This increase in GST does not apply to individuals selling second-hand electric vehicles. During the 55th GST Council meeting press conference on Saturday, the panel approved an increase in the GST rate on used EVs sold by businesses to 18 per cent from 12 per cent earlier. While clarifying that the tax even for business entities would not be on the entire resale amount and only the margin value, Sitharaman said, “When the discussions happened, it was on that margin value. The 18 per cent GST will be levied only on the margin value between purchased product price and resale price.” For example, if a used car dealer purchases an EV for Rs 9 lakh and resells it for Rs 10 lakh, the tax will apply only to the Rs 1 lakh profit margin. However, direct transactions between individuals do not come under this tax. The GST has been increased to bring uniformity in the GST rate charged for businesses on the sale of used EVs with that of used petrol and diesel vehicles with larger engine capacities, which are already taxed at 18 per cent. This clarification came alongside the Council’s official release, which detailed that the decision was aimed at standardising the tax treatment for all vehicles, including used petrol, diesel, and electric vehicles. The Finance Minister also made it clear that the GST on new EVs remains at 5 per cent as the Government’s policy is still aimed at promoting the use of electric vehicles in order to reduce pollution. The GST council has recommended an increase to 18 per cent in the GST rate on the margin value of used car sales for specified petrol vehicles with 1200 cc or more and diesel vehicles with 1500 cc or more, and all EVs sold by business entities to bring uniformity among the second-hand sales, senior officials clarified.
Former Boise State coach Chris Petersen still gets asked about the Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma on the first day of 2007. That game had everything. Underdog Boise State took a 28-10 lead over one of college football's blue bloods that was followed by a 25-point Sooners run capped by what could have been a back-breaking interception return for a touchdown with 1:02 left. Then the Broncos used three trick plays that remain sensations to not only force overtime but win 43-42. And then there was the marriage proposal by Boise State running back Ian Johnson — shortly after scoring the winning two-point play — to cheerleader Chrissy Popadics that was accepted on national TV. That game put Broncos football on the national map for most fans, but looking back 18 years later, Petersen sees it differently. "Everybody wants to talk about that Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl game, which is great how it all worked out and all those things," Petersen said. "But we go back to play TCU (three years later) again on the big stage. It's not as flashy a game, but to me, that was an even better win." Going back to the Fiesta Bowl and winning, Petersen reasoned, showed the Broncos weren't a splash soon to fade away, that there was something longer lasting and more substantive happening on the famed blue turf. The winning has continued with few interruptions. No. 8 and third-seeded Boise State is preparing for another trip to the Fiesta Bowl, this time in a playoff quarterfinal against No. 5 and sixth-seeded Penn State on New Year's Eve. That success has continued through a series of coaches, though with a lot more of a common thread than readily apparent. Dirk Koetter was hired from Oregon, where Petersen was the wide receivers coach. Not only did Koetter bring Petersen with him to Oregon, Petersen introduced him to Dan Hawkins, who also was hired for the staff. So the transition from Koetter to Hawkins to Petersen ensured at least some level of consistency. Koetter and Hawkins engineered double-digit victory seasons five times over a six-year span that led to power-conference jobs. Koetter went to Arizona State after three seasons and Hawkins to Colorado after five. Then when Petersen became the coach after the 2005 season, he led Boise State to double-digit wins his first seven seasons and made bowls all eight years. He resisted the temptation to leave for a power-conference program until Washington lured him away toward the end of the 2013 season. Then former Boise State quarterback and offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin took over and posted five double-digit victory seasons over his first six years. After going 5-2 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he left for Auburn. "They just needed consistency of leadership," said Koetter, who is back as Boise State's offensive coordinator. "This program had always won at the junior-college level, the Division II level, the I-AA (now FCS) level." But Koetter referred to "an unfortunate chain of events" that made Boise State a reclamation project when he took over in 1998. Coach Pokey Allen led Boise State to the Division I-AA national championship game in 1994, but was diagnosed with cancer two days later. He died on Dec. 30, 1996, at 53. Allen coached the final two games that season, Boise State's first in Division I-A (now FBS). Houston Nutt became the coach in 1997, went 4-7 and headed to Arkansas. Then Koetter took over. "One coach dies and the other wasn't the right fit for this program," Koetter said. "Was a really good coach, did a lot of good things, but just wasn't a good fit for here." But because of Boise State's success at the lower levels, Koetter said the program was set up for success. "As Boise State has risen up the conference food chain, they've pretty much always been at the top from a player talent standpoint," Koetter said. "So it was fairly clear if we got things headed in the right direction and did a good job recruiting, we would be able to win within our conference for sure." Success didn't take long. He went 6-5 in 1998 and then won 10 games each of the following two seasons. Hawkins built on that winning and Petersen took it to another level. But there is one season, really one game, no really one half that still bugs Petersen. He thought his best team was in 2010, one that entered that late-November game at Nevada ranked No. 3 and had a legitimate chance to play for the national championship. The Colin Kaepernick-led Wolf Pack won 34-31. "I think the best team that I might've been a part of as the head coach was the team that lost one game to Nevada," Petersen said. "That team, to me, played one poor half of football on offense the entire season. We were winning by a bunch at half (24-7) and we came out and did nothing on offense in the second half and still had a chance to win. "That team would've done some damage." There aren't any what-ifs with this season's Boise State team. The Broncos are in the field of the first 12-team playoff, representing the Group of Five as its highest-ranked conference champion. That got Boise State a bye into the quarterfinals. Spencer Danielson has restored the championship-level play after taking over as the interim coach late last season during a rare downturn that led to Andy Avalos' dismissal. Danielson received the job full time after leading Boise State to the Mountain West championship. Now the Broncos are 12-1 with their only defeat to top-ranked and No. 1 seed Oregon on a last-second field goal. Running back Ashton Jeanty also was the runner-up to the Heisman Trophy. "Boise State has been built on the backs of years and years of success way before I got here," Danielson said. "So even this season is not because of me. It's because the group of young men wanted to leave a legacy, be different. We haven't been to the Fiesta Bowl in a decade. They said in January, 'We're going to get that done.' They went to work." As was the case with Danielson, Petersen and Koetter said attracting top talent is the primary reason Boise State has succeeded all these years. Winning, obviously, is the driving force, and with more entry points to the playoffs, the Broncos could make opportunities to keep returning to the postseason a selling point. But there's also something about the blue carpet. Petersen said he didn't get what it was about when he arrived as an assistant coach, and there was some talk about replacing it with more conventional green grass. A poll in the Idaho Statesman was completely against that idea, and Petersen has come to appreciate what that field means to the program. "It's a cumulative period of time where young kids see big-time games when they're in seventh and eighth and ninth and 10th grade and go, 'Oh, I know that blue turf. I want to go there,'" Petersen said. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Qatar tribune Agencies In a working class neighborhood of Bucharest, pensioners like Ana Sandu wait for the afternoon to buy food when prices are lower, as inflation dampens hopes of a better life in the EU state heading into key elections. Traditionally loyal to the Social Democrats, the 65-year-old Sandu has little faith that any government will offer a remedy. She hinted at favoring far-right contender Calin Georgescu in a presidential runoff vote on December 8. Living on a monthly pension of about $400, suffering from diabetes and with a husband suffering from Parkinson’s disease, Sandu depends on money sent by her son working abroad. Romania is one of Europe’s poorest countries and she spends more than 300 lei ($60) just on medicine and at least $150 on electricity, water and other utilities. “I don’t even think about buying meat. I buy vegetables,” she said. “I come to the bazaar in the afternoon because it’s cheaper,” she said showing a bag of grapes that cost just 6 lei ($1). While Romania’s inflation has fallen from 10 percent last year, it remains high with consumer prices at an annual rate of 5.1 percent in October, according to the EU statistics office. Far-right politicians are banking on voter anger about the economy amid the political uncertainty after Georgescu’s shock win in the first-round of the presidential election. Romania is bracing for a legislative election on Sunday plus the run-off vote between Georgescu, an admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and a pro-European centrist contender. Romania’s constitutional court could still cancel the December 8 vote. “All these elections are very important for the future and for solving one of the key economic problems of Romania these days, that is inflation,” Cristian Valeriu Paun, professor of international finance at the University of Economic Studies in Bucharest, told AFP. He said inflation was deeply linked to Romania’s excessive deficit. The debt to GDP ratio is close to 55 percent now and worsening day by day. There are solutions like clamping down the limitation of tax evasion and the acceleration of reforms as well as market liberalization and privatization of state-owned companies, he said. “Unfortunately, all these logical solutions need more time than Romania has and a very determined government and parliament that could implement them with determination.” Radu Burnete, executive director at the Concordia confederation of private companies in Romania, said Romania’s budget deficit must be dealt with “urgently” but added “no candidate spoke openly about this elephant in the room”. For Burnete, Georgescu’s first-round win was driven by economic woes and factors ranging from the poor quality of public services, to the weak bureaucracy and poor management of state-owned companies. “As frustration mounted and mainstream candidates failed to convince, a new face became appealing to a large segment of the population, despite the complete lack of economic sense in their political platform,” he said. He said Romania’s future lies in the EU and NATO but it must also better handle its economy. “Romania urgently needs reforms that require political will and commitment to navigate the current economic challenges,” he told AFP. Back in the market, Adrian Dragnea, married with a three-year-old son, also wanted a better life. “We are not on the edge of survival but certainly this is not what we want out of life,” he said. The 39-year-old said he understood that Romania’s economic problems would not be solved overnight. “We will go through a rough patch ... People expect everything will be rosy in one day but that’s a long-term thing,” he said. “It’s certainly not easy to see others living from one day to the next in a precarious situation, but you can’t really help other than going to the polls and hoping for better.” Copy 03/12/2024 10
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Canada's top 25 fugitive list is out — here's what they're wanted forStock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq rise as Wall Street heads for strong weekly gainsMan City crisis continues as Feyenoord come from three down to draw(The Center Square) — The next step toward faster permits in Pennsylvania starts with a simpler application process. So says Gov. Josh Shapiro, who traveled to Hazle Township in Luzerne County last week to sign an executive order launching the Pennsylvania Permit Fast Track Program, intended to improve efficiency for complex development projects in the commonwealth. The press conference was held at the site of a newly completed warehouse developed by NorthPoint Development, a primary player in the Hazelnut Project, a 1,300-acre technology campus in Hazle Township that will house tech infrastructure. “This new development will help PA continue to stay at the front of the pack when it comes to attracting jobs to the area,” said NorthPoint Vice President Brian Stahl. The governor’s office hopes to shake off Pennsylvania’s reputation for red tape and slow starts. The Fast Track program should reduce the time it takes for projects, like the one in Hazle Township, to get off the ground and create jobs along the way. The program tasks the Office of Transportation and Opportunity – another Shapiro administration creation via executive order – with overseeing complex high-impact economic development and infrastructure projects. Other work already underway includes the Bellwether District in Philadelphia and the Martinsburg Community Digester. For initiatives within the program, the office serves as a shepherd, facilitating the connections, applications and studies required to move a project forward. Key to the program is a public-facing dashboard that shows progress on the work being done, providing increased transparency for stakeholders affected by ongoing development projects. “Today’s executive order strengthens that critical partnership between private developers and permitting agencies, fostering a streamlined, transparent, and effective process,” Stahl said. “This collaboration accelerates investments, creates meaningful jobs, generates vital tax revenue, and further strengthens the economy for all Pennsylvanians.” Hazleton’s Republican mayor, Jeff Cusat, spoke about the common ground he shares with the Democratic governor. “Under my leadership, we’ve made critical updates to our code department, issuing thousands of permits and business licenses,” he said. “I’m glad to see the state also taking action to speed up their permitting processes.” “It takes everyone working together to get a project like this over the finish line and the township has worked incredibly hard to make this a successful public-private partnership,” said Dr. Anthony Grigoli, chairman of the Township Supervisors Board for Hazle Township. If the program can build upon the successes of earlier phases of the administration’s economic plan, which have dramatically slashed wait times in licensing and permitting processes across industries, officials believe the state can draw new business that may have been otherwise deterred by red tape. Brian Kirshner, who leads the Office of Transportation and Opportunity, hopes to see the state perform more competitively. “Speed and service are what companies care about,” he said.
Police hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO's masked killer after 'brazen, targeted' attack on NYC street NEW YORK (AP) — A gunman killed UnitedHealthcare’s CEO on Wednesday in a “brazen, targeted attack” outside a Manhattan hotel where the health insurer was holding its investor conference, police said, setting off a massive search for the fleeing assailant hours before the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting nearby. Brian Thompson, 50, was shot around 6:45 a.m. as he walked alone to the New York Hilton Midtown from a nearby hotel, police said. The shooter appeared to be “lying in wait for several minutes” before approaching Thompson from behind and opening fire, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Police had not yet established a motive. “Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” Tisch said, adding that the shooting "does not appear to be a random act of violence.” Surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows someone emerging from behind a parked car, pointing a gun at Thompson’s back, then firing multiple times from several feet away. The gunman continues firing, interrupted by a brief gun jam, as Thompson stumbles forward and falls to the sidewalk. He then walks past Thompson and out of the frame. “From watching the video, it does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said. UnitedHealthcare CEO kept a low public profile. Then he was shot to death in New York NEW YORK (AP) — Brian Thompson led one of the biggest health insurers in the U.S. but was unknown to millions of people his decisions affected. Then Wednesday's targeted fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk thrust the executive and his business into the national spotlight. Thompson, who was 50, had worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group Inc for 20 years and run the insurance arm since 2021 after running its Medicare and retirement business. As CEO, Thompson led a firm that provides health coverage to more than 49 million Americans — more than the population of Spain. United is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, the privately run versions of the U.S. government’s Medicare program for people age 65 and older. The company also sells individual insurance and administers health-insurance coverage for thousands of employers and state-and federally funded Medicaid programs. The business run by Thompson brought in $281 billion in revenue last year, making it the largest subsidiary of the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group. His $10.2 million annual pay package, including salary, bonus and stock options awards, made him one of the company's highest-paid executives. Hegseth fights to save Pentagon nomination as sources say Trump considers DeSantis WASHINGTON (AP) — A defiant Pete Hegseth fought to save his nomination to be Donald Trump's defense secretary Wednesday as the president-elect considered possible replacements in the face of growing questions about the former Fox News host's personal conduct and ability to win Senate confirmation. Hegseth met with legislators on Capitol Hill, conducted a radio interview and released an opinion article denying allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking. He insisted he was “not backing down one bit," that Trump was still supporting him and he planned to return Thursday for more meetings with lawmakers. But the president-elect's team was looking at alternatives including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Trump himself remained quiet about Hegseth while issuing a flurry of statements on social media Wednesday about other nominees and his news coverage. Hegeth, asked if he'd meet with Trump on Thursday, said he'd meet with him “anytime he'd like." Hegseth is the latest nominee-designate to be imperiled by personal baggage after the recent withdrawal of Trump’s initial pick for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, whose vulnerabilities were well-documented. But Hegseth’s past, including the revelation that he made a settlement payment after being accused of a sexual assault that he denies, was not widely known. Supreme Court seems likely to uphold Tennessee's ban on medical treatments for transgender minors WASHINGTON (AP) — Hearing a high-profile culture-war clash, the Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed likely to uphold Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The justices’ decision, not expected for several months, could affect similar laws enacted by another 25 states and a range of other efforts to regulate the lives of transgender people, including which sports competitions they can join and which bathrooms they can use. The case is being weighed by a conservative-dominated court after a presidential election in which Donald Trump and his allies promised to roll back protections for transgender people, showcasing the uneasy intersection between law, politics and individual rights. The Biden administration's top Supreme Court lawyer warned a decision favorable to Tennessee also could be used to justify nationwide restrictions on transgender healthcare for minors. In arguments that lasted more than two hours, five of the six conservative justices voiced varying degrees of skepticism of arguments made by the administration and Chase Strangio, the ACLU lawyer for Tennessee families challenging the ban. Peter Navarro served prison time related to Jan. 6. Now Trump is bringing him back as an adviser WASHINGTON (AP) — Former White House adviser Peter Navarro, who served prison time related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, will return to serve in Donald Trump’s second administration, the president-elect announced Wednesday. Navarro, a trade adviser during Trump’s first term, will be a senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, Trump said on Truth Social. The position, Trump wrote, “leverages Peter’s broad range of White House experience, while harnessing his extensive Policy analytic and Media skills.” The appointment was only the first in a flurry of announcements that Trump made on Wednesday as his presidential transition faced controversy over Pete Hegseth, Trump’s choice for Pentagon chief. Hegseth faces allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement, and Trump has considered replacing him with another potential nominee. As he works to fill out his team, Trump said he wanted Paul Atkins, a financial industry veteran and an advocate for cryptocurrency, to serve as the next chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He wrote on Truth Social that Atkins “recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before.” Trump also said he was changing course on his choice for White House counsel. He said his original pick, William McGinley, will work with the Department of Government Efficiency, which will be run by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy with the goal of cutting federal spending. Now David Warrington, who has worked as Trump’s personal lawyer and a lawyer for his campaign, will serve as White House counsel. Israeli strikes on a Gaza tent camp kill at least 21 people, hospital says KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes tore through a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza on Wednesday, sparking fires and killing at least 21 people, according to the head of a nearby hospital, in the latest assault on a sprawling tent city that Israel designated a humanitarian safe zone but has repeatedly targeted. The Israeli military said it struck senior Hamas militants “involved in terrorist activities” in the area, without providing additional details, and said it took precautions to minimize harm to civilians. The strike on the Muwasi tent camp was one of several deadly assaults across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. An Israeli attack in central Gaza killed at least 10 more people, including four children, according to Palestinian medics. Israel’s devastating war in Gaza, launched after Hamas’ October 2023 attack, shows no signs of ending after nearly 14 months. Hamas is still holding dozens of Israeli hostages, and most of Gaza’s population has been displaced and is reliant on international food aid to survive. Israel is also pressing a major offensive in the isolated north, where experts say Palestinians might be experiencing famine. The Biden administration has pledged to make a new push for a Gaza ceasefire now that there's a truce in Lebanon between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah, ending more than a year of cross-border fighting. Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump demanded this week the release of hostages held by Hamas before he is sworn into office in January. South Korean President Yoon's martial law declaration raises questions over his political future SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — President Yoon Suk Yeol’s stunning martial law declaration lasted just hours, but experts say it raised serious questions about his ability to govern for the remaining 2 1/2 years of his term and whether he will abide by democratic principles. The opposition-controlled parliament overturned the edict, and his rivals on Wednesday took steps to impeach him. One analyst called his action “political suicide.” Yoon’s political fate may depend on whether a large number of people in coming days take to the streets to push for his ouster. Here's a look at the political firestorm caused by the martial law declaration, the first of its kind in more than 40 years. Yoon's declaration of emergency martial law on Tuesday night was accompanied by a pledge to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces at a single stroke.” He vowed to protect the country from “falling into the depths of national ruin.” Yoon, a conservative, cited repeated attempts by his liberal rivals in control of parliament to impeach his top officials and curtail key parts of his budget bill for next year. French lawmakers vote to oust prime minister in the first successful no-confidence vote since 1962 PARIS (AP) — France’s far-right and left-wing lawmakers joined together Wednesday in a historic no-confidence vote prompted by budget disputes that forces Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his Cabinet members to resign, a first since 1962. The National Assembly approved the motion by 331 votes. A minimum of 288 were needed. President Emmanuel Macron insisted he will serve the rest of his term until 2027. However, he will need to appoint a new prime minister for the second time after July’s legislative elections led to a deeply divided parliament. Macron will address the French on Thursday evening, his office said, without providing details. Barnier is expected to formally resign by then. A conservative appointed in September, Barnier becomes the shortest-serving prime minister in France’s modern Republic. White House says at least 8 US telecom firms, dozens of nations impacted by China hacking campaign WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House official on Wednesday said at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations have been impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger offered new details about the breadth of the sprawling Chinese hacking campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. Neuberger divulged the scope of the hack a day after the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued guidance intended to help root out the hackers and prevent similar cyberespionage in the future. White House officials cautioned that the number of telecommunication firms and countries impacted could still grow. The U.S. believes that the hackers were able to gain access to communications of senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures through the hack, Neuberger said. “We don’t believe any classified communications has been compromised,” Neuberger added during a call with reporters. Harris found success with women who have cats, but Trump got the dog owner vote: AP VoteCast WASHINGTON (AP) — The lead-up to the 2024 election was all about cat owners. But in the end, the dogs had their day. President-elect Donald Trump won slightly more than half of voters who own either cats or dogs, with a big assist from dog owners, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters. Dog owners were much more likely to support the Republican over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Cat owners were split between the two candidates. About two-thirds of voters said they own a dog or cat, but pet owners don't usually get much attention from politicians. This year, however, past comments by Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, about “childless cat ladies” briefly became a campaign issue — and Taylor Swift signed her Instagram endorsement of Harris in September as “Taylor Swift Childless Cat Lady.” Harris did end up decisively winning support from women who owned a cat but not a dog. Still, those voters were a relatively small slice of the electorate, and pet owners as a whole did not seem to hold Vance's remarks against the GOP ticket. Childless or not, women who only owned a cat were more likely to support Harris than were dog owners, or voters who had a cat and a dog. About 6 in 10 women who owned a cat but not a dog supported Harris, according to AP VoteCast. She did similarly well among women who did not own either kind of pet.By Connor Smith The stock market was rallying across the board, but the Nasdaq Composite was having an especially merry Christmas Eve session. The tech-heavy index was up 1%, which would be its best performance on Christmas Eve since 2000, according to Dow Jones Market Data. The S&P 500, up 0.7%, was on track for its best Christmas Eve since 2011. The Dow, up 0.4%, would mark its best performance on the holiday since 2022. Technology stocks have been rallying for much of the month as Wall Street seemed to favor Big Tech and chip stocks in the face of sticky inflation data. The Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF is up 1.6% today, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF is up 0.8%.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are rising toward records Tuesday after Donald Trump’s latest talk about tariffs created only some ripples on Wall Street, even if they could roil the global economy were they to take effect. The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% and was on track to top its all-time high set a couple weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 81 points, or 0.2%, to its own record set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.5% higher, with less than an hour remaining in trading. Stock markets abroad were down, but mostly only modestly, after President-elect Trump said he plans to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he takes office. Stock indexes were down 0.1% in Shanghai and nearly flat in Hong Kong, while Canada's main index edged down by just 0.1%. Trump has often praised the use of tariffs , but investors are weighing whether his latest threat will actually become policy or is just an opening point for negotiations. For now, the market seems to be taking it more as the latter. Unless the United States can prepare alternatives for the autos, energy products and other goods that come from Mexico, Canada and China, such tariffs would raise the price of imported items all at once and make households poorer, according to Carl Weinberg and Rubeela Farooqi, economists at High Frequency Economics. They would also hurt profit margins for U.S. companies, while raising the threat of retaliatory tariffs by other countries. General Motors sank 8.2%, and Ford Motor fell 2.6% because both import automobiles from Mexico. Constellation Brands, which sells Modelo and other Mexican beer brands in the United States, dropped 3.9%. Beyond the pain such tariffs would cause U.S. households and businesses, they could also push the Federal Reserve to slow or even halt its cuts to interest rates. The Fed had just begun easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high a couple months ago to offer support to the job market . While lower interest rates can boost the overall economy and prices for investments, they can also offer more fuel for inflation. “Many” officials at the Fed's last meeting earlier this month said they should lower rates gradually, according to minutes of the meeting released Tuesday afternoon. Unlike tariffs in Trump's first term, his proposal from Monday night would affect products across the board. Trump’s tariff talk came almost immediately after U.S. stocks rose Monday amid excitement about his pick for Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent. The hope was the hedge-fund manager could steer Trump away from policies that balloon the U.S. government deficit, which is how much more it spends than it takes in through taxes and other revenue. The talk about tariffs overshadowed another set of mixed profit reports from U.S. retailers that answered few questions about how much more shoppers can keep spending. They’ll need to stay resilient after helping the economy avoid a recession, despite the high interest rates instituted by the Fed to get inflation under control. Kohl’s tumbled 17.6% after its results for the latest quarter fell short of analysts’ expectations. CEO Tom Kingsbury said sales remain soft for apparel and footwear. A day earlier, Kingsbury said he plans to step down as CEO in January. Ashley Buchanan, CEO of Michaels and a retail veteran, will replace him. Best Buy fell 4.7% after likewise falling short of analysts’ expectations. Dick’s Sporting Goods topped forecasts for the latest quarter thanks to a strong back-to-school season, but its stock lost an early gain to fall 1.4%. A report on Tuesday from the Conference Board said confidence among U.S. consumers improved in November, but not by as much as economists expected. J.M. Smucker jumped 5.4% for one of the biggest gains in the S&P 500 after topping analysts' expectations for the latest quarter. CEO Mark Smucker credited strength for its Uncrustables, Meow Mix, Café Bustelo and Jif brands. Big Tech stocks also helped prop up U.S. indexes. Gains of 2.8% for Amazon and 2% for Microsoft were the two strongest forces lifting the S&P 500. In the bond market, Treasury yields rose following their big drop from a day before driven by relief following Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.30% from 4.28% late Monday, but it’s still well below the 4.41% level where it ended last week. In the crypto market, bitcoin continued to pull back after topping $99,000 for the first time late last week. It's since dipped back toward $91,600, according to CoinDesk. It’s a sharp turnaround from the bonanza that initially took over the crypto market following Trump’s election. That boom had also appeared to have spilled into some corners of the stock market. Strategists at Barclays Capital pointed to stocks of unprofitable companies, along with other areas that can be caught up in bursts of optimism by smaller-pocketed “retail” investors. AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.Canadian companies excited about AI but slow to adopt it: AI tech leaders
Boise State's legacy includes winning coaches and championship momentsMinister hails regional cooperationSunday the Tampa Bay Buccaneers return to action, heading North to face the New York Giants for an early afternoon kickoff. This will be the first of the final seven games of the season. In the Bucs' current position, each one of those games will be crucial in deciding their postseason fate. Fortunately, they will have one of the league's easiest remaining schedules, beginning with a Giants' group seemingly committed to tanking the rest of the season. Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Regardless, Tampa Bay should not expect a pushover and frankly need a strong performance in conjunction with a win to keep their hopes alive. For star offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs, that partially rests in the Bucs' mentality after the extended break. "Coming off the bye you feel a little bit better, you get away... reset your mind. At the same time, you got to stay positive, you can't shell up," Wirfs said. "This is a turning point, it's going to go one way or the other... with the right mindset, we can make it go the way we want it to go." The Bucs sit behind the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South standings who tout a 6-5 record. Their division rival possess two wins over them already, making their climb to reclaim supremacy in the South all the more difficult. Related: Bucs Fans All Saying The Same Thing About Bucky Irving That also means Wirfs and the Bucs cannot afford any slip ups. The Bucs' depth and morale took a bruising over their last four games, ending on the wrong side of gut wrenching defeats while losing leaders both temporarily and for the season. Wirfs came out of that gauntlet stretch with his own physical concerns with a knee flare up, but looks poised to take his usual spot on the offensive line this weekend. Nonetheless, this game will revolve less around those aspects and test the Bucs mentally. They have the pieces and capacity to handle an admittedly inferior team but will execute themselves to return to the win column. Related: Can Mayfield Get 'Explosive' with Anticipated Evans Return?Inter take Champions League lead with narrow win over Leipzig
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NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are rising toward records Tuesday after Donald Trump’s latest talk about tariffs created only some ripples on Wall Street, even if they could roil the global economy were they to take effect. The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% and was on track to top its all-time high set a couple weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 81 points, or 0.2%, to its own record set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.5% higher, with less than an hour remaining in trading. Stock markets abroad were down, but mostly only modestly, after President-elect Trump said he plans to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he takes office. Stock indexes were down 0.1% in Shanghai and nearly flat in Hong Kong, while Canada's main index edged down by just 0.1%. Trump has often praised the use of tariffs , but investors are weighing whether his latest threat will actually become policy or is just an opening point for negotiations. For now, the market seems to be taking it more as the latter. Unless the United States can prepare alternatives for the autos, energy products and other goods that come from Mexico, Canada and China, such tariffs would raise the price of imported items all at once and make households poorer, according to Carl Weinberg and Rubeela Farooqi, economists at High Frequency Economics. They would also hurt profit margins for U.S. companies, while raising the threat of retaliatory tariffs by other countries. General Motors sank 8.2%, and Ford Motor fell 2.6% because both import automobiles from Mexico. Constellation Brands, which sells Modelo and other Mexican beer brands in the United States, dropped 3.9%. Beyond the pain such tariffs would cause U.S. households and businesses, they could also push the Federal Reserve to slow or even halt its cuts to interest rates. The Fed had just begun easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high a couple months ago to offer support to the job market . While lower interest rates can boost the overall economy and prices for investments, they can also offer more fuel for inflation. “Many” officials at the Fed's last meeting earlier this month said they should lower rates gradually, according to minutes of the meeting released Tuesday afternoon. Unlike tariffs in Trump's first term, his proposal from Monday night would affect products across the board. Trump’s tariff talk came almost immediately after U.S. stocks rose Monday amid excitement about his pick for Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent. The hope was the hedge-fund manager could steer Trump away from policies that balloon the U.S. government deficit, which is how much more it spends than it takes in through taxes and other revenue. The talk about tariffs overshadowed another set of mixed profit reports from U.S. retailers that answered few questions about how much more shoppers can keep spending. They’ll need to stay resilient after helping the economy avoid a recession, despite the high interest rates instituted by the Fed to get inflation under control. Kohl’s tumbled 17.6% after its results for the latest quarter fell short of analysts’ expectations. CEO Tom Kingsbury said sales remain soft for apparel and footwear. A day earlier, Kingsbury said he plans to step down as CEO in January. Ashley Buchanan, CEO of Michaels and a retail veteran, will replace him. Best Buy fell 4.7% after likewise falling short of analysts’ expectations. Dick’s Sporting Goods topped forecasts for the latest quarter thanks to a strong back-to-school season, but its stock lost an early gain to fall 1.4%. A report on Tuesday from the Conference Board said confidence among U.S. consumers improved in November, but not by as much as economists expected. J.M. Smucker jumped 5.4% for one of the biggest gains in the S&P 500 after topping analysts' expectations for the latest quarter. CEO Mark Smucker credited strength for its Uncrustables, Meow Mix, Café Bustelo and Jif brands. Big Tech stocks also helped prop up U.S. indexes. Gains of 2.8% for Amazon and 2% for Microsoft were the two strongest forces lifting the S&P 500. In the bond market, Treasury yields rose following their big drop from a day before driven by relief following Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.30% from 4.28% late Monday, but it’s still well below the 4.41% level where it ended last week. In the crypto market, bitcoin continued to pull back after topping $99,000 for the first time late last week. It's since dipped back toward $91,600, according to CoinDesk. It’s a sharp turnaround from the bonanza that initially took over the crypto market following Trump’s election. That boom had also appeared to have spilled into some corners of the stock market. Strategists at Barclays Capital pointed to stocks of unprofitable companies, along with other areas that can be caught up in bursts of optimism by smaller-pocketed “retail” investors. AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.
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