President Joe Biden pardons 39 Americans from non-violent crimes, defers 1500 sentences
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Paper Boat Creative The rise of Bitcoin to new all-time highs has created numerous winners, but perhaps none more so than MicroStrategy Incorporated ( MSTR ). The stock is up over 400% so far this year, even including a sizable draw-down If you liked this idea, sign up for a no-obligation free trial of my Seeking Alpha Marketplace service, Timely Trader ! I sift through various asset classes to find the best places for your capital, helping you maximize your returns. Timely Trader seeks to find winners before they become winners, and keep you out of losers. In addition, you get access to our community via chat, direct access to me, real-time price alerts, a model portfolio, and more. Sign up today! Josh Arnold has been covering financial markets for a decade, utilizing a combination of technical and fundamental analysis to identify potential winners early on in their growth cycles. Josh's focus is mainly on growth stocks. His goal is efficient and profitable use of capital, which overly rigid buy-and-hold strategies do not allow. Timely Trader Learn more. Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of MSTR either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
BEIRUT — Israel's military launched airstrikes across Lebanon on Monday, unleashing explosions throughout the country and killing at least 31 while Israeli leaders appeared to be closing in on a negotiated ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group. Israeli strikes hit commercial and residential buildings in Beirut as well as in the port city of Tyre. Military officials said they targeted areas known as Hezbollah strongholds. They issued evacuation orders for Beirut's southern suburbs, and strikes landed across the city, including meters from a Lebanese police base and the city's largest public park. The barrage came as officials indicated they were nearing agreement on a ceasefire, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's Security Cabinet prepared to discuss an offer on the table. Bulldozers remove the rubble of a destroyed building Monday that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon. Foreign ministers from the world’s leading industrialized nations also expressed cautious optimism Monday about possible progress on a ceasefire. “Knock on wood,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said as he opened the Group of Seven meeting outside Rome. “We are perhaps close to a ceasefire in Lebanon," he said. "Let's hope it's true and that there's no backing down at the last-minute.” A ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon was foremost on the agenda of the G7 meeting in Fiuggi, outside Rome, that gathered ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, in the last G7 encounter of the Biden administration. For the first time, the G7 ministers were joined by their counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as well as the Secretary General of the Arab League. Thick smoke, flames and debris erupt Monday from an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in Tayouneh, Beirut, Lebanon. Meanwhile, massive explosions lit up Lebanon's skies with flashes of orange, sending towering plumes of smoke into the air as Israeli airstrikes pounded Beirut's southern suburbs Monday. The blasts damaged buildings and left shattered glass and debris scattered across nearby streets. Some of the strikes landed close to central Beirut and near Christian neighborhoods and other targets where Israel issued evacuation warnings, including in Tyre and Nabatiyeh province. Israeli airstrikes also hit the northeast Baalbek-Hermel region without warning. Lebanon's Health Ministry said Monday that 26 people were killed in southern Lebanon, four in the eastern Baalbek-Hermel province and one in Choueifat, a neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs that was not subjected to evacuation warnings on Monday. The deaths brought the total toll to 3,768 killed in Lebanon throughout 13 months of war between Israel and Hezbollah and nearly two months since Israel launched its ground invasion. Many of those killed since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah have been civilians, and health officials said some of the recovered bodies were so severely damaged that DNA testing would be required to confirm their identities. Israel claims to have killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Lebanon's Health Ministry says the war has displaced 1.2 million people. Destroyed buildings stand Monday in the area of a village in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel. Israeli ground forces invaded southern Lebanon in early October, meeting heavy resistance in a narrow strip of land along the border. The military previously exchanged attacks across the border with Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group that began firing rockets into Israel the day after the war in Gaza began last year. Lebanese politicians have decried the ongoing airstrikes and said they are impeding ceasefire negotiations. The country's deputy parliament speaker accused Israel of ramping up its bombardment to pressure Lebanon to make concessions in indirect ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah. Elias Bousaab, an ally of the militant group, said Monday that the pressure has increased because "we are close to the hour that is decisive regarding reaching a ceasefire." Israeli officials voiced similar optimism Monday about prospects for a ceasefire. Mike Herzog, the country's ambassador to Washington, earlier in the day told Israeli Army Radio that several points had yet to be finalized. Though any deal would require agreement from the government, Herzog said Israel and Hezbollah were "close to a deal." "It can happen within days," he said. Israeli officials have said the sides are close to an agreement that would include withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and a pullback of Hezbollah fighters from the Israeli border. But several sticking points remain. A member of the Israeli security forces inspects an impact site Sunday after a rocket fired from Lebanon hit an area in Rinatya, outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel. After previous hopes for a ceasefire were dashed, U.S. officials cautioned that negotiations were not yet complete and noted that there could be last-minute hitches that either delay or destroy an agreement. "Nothing is done until everything is done," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Monday. The proposal under discussion to end the fighting calls for an initial two-month ceasefire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River. The withdrawals would be accompanied by an influx of thousands more Lebanese army troops, who have been largely sidelined in the war, to patrol the border area along with an existing U.N. peacekeeping force. Western diplomats and Israeli officials said Israel demands the right to strike in Lebanon if it believes Hezbollah is violating the terms. The Lebanese government says such an arrangement would authorize violations of the country's sovereignty. On paper, being more sustainable and eco-friendly while shopping sounds great—so why don't more people do it? There is growing consumer consciousness about the environmental impact of where people choose to shop and the sustainability of the products they buy. According to McKinsey, over 60% of individuals surveyed in 2020 said they would be willing to pay more for a product that is packaged in an eco-friendly way. Since 2019, products marketed as being environmentally sustainable have seen a 28% growth in revenue compared to 20% for products with no such marketing, a 2023 McKinsey and NielsenIQ report found. Much of this is thanks to the preferences and attitudes of Gen Z, who, on average, care more than their older counterparts about being informed shoppers. The younger generation also has more social justice and environmental awareness altogether. Shoppers are willing to spend around 9.7% more on a product they know is sourced or manufactured sustainably, with 46% saying they would do so explicitly because they want to reduce their environmental footprint, according to a 2024 PwC report. Sustainable practices consumers look for from companies include production methods, packaging, and water conservation. But despite the growing consciousness around being more environmentally responsible, consumer actions don't always align with their values. In psychology, this is defined as the "say-do gap": the phenomenon wherein people openly express concern and intention around an issue, but fail to take tangible action to make a change. According to the Harvard Business Review in 2019, most consumers (65%) say they want to buy from brands that promote sustainability, but only 1 in 4 follow through. So why don't people actually shop sustainably, despite how much they express a preference for eco-friendly products—and how can we close the gap? The RealReal examined reports from the Harvard Business Review and other sources to explore why some shoppers want to buy sustainably but struggle to follow through. This lack of action isn't due to a lack of caring—in many cases, it's hard to know how to be a sustainable consumer and other factors are often outside of shoppers' control. But the more people shop sustainably, the easier and more accessible that market will be for everyone—making it much easier for folks to buy aligned with their values. There are many obstacles preventing shoppers from upholding eco-friendly habits as much as they may want to—but not all of these barriers are necessarily real, or accurately understood. Shopping sustainably simply isn't convenient or accessible for many. Those who live in apartment buildings are 50% less likely to recycle , according to Ipsos. Reasons for this can vary from lack of space to buildings being excluded altogether because of recycling contamination issues. Many believe that sustainable products are too expensive or of a lower quality. The former is often true, which does create a hurdle for many: The manufacturing processes and materials for sustainable products are pricey. For instance, organic cotton requires an intensive production process free of certain chemicals or pesticides; by definition, true eco-friendly products can't be mass-produced, further upping their price tag. Using recycled materials for packaging, or obtaining an eco certification, can also be expensive. However, although the narrative of eco-friendly products being more expensive is true, there is often more of an effort to use better quality materials that last longer than their noneco-friendly counterparts. This could end up saving consumers money in the long run: By paying more upfront, they can get more wear out of sustainable fashion, for instance. There is also undeniable political rhetoric surrounding eco-friendly products—however, despite many Conservative politicians decrying sustainable products, members of all generations are increasingly choosing to prioritize shopping sustainably regardless of their political affiliation, according to research from NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business . This finding shows a trend toward seeing sustainability as a nonpartisan subject everyone can benefit from, no matter where they lie on the political spectrum. Some might think eco-friendly clothing, in particular, is not fashion-forward; after all, many of the top clothing retailers in the world partake in fast fashion. However, brands are increasingly being recognized as 'cool' and 'trendy' for supporting environmentally ethical practices, particularly as younger generations prioritize sustainability, as noted before. Many increasingly popular online stores are taking advantage of this paradigm shift by offering secondhand shopping options that are not only fashionable, but also more affordable, like ThredUp or Poshmark. Additionally, many legacy large-name brands are hopping on the sustainability movement and are gaining appreciation from loyal customers. Amazon's Climate Pledge Friendly program partners with third-party certification bodies to make it easier for shoppers to identify eco-friendly products as they browse the website. H&M's newly launched H&M Rewear program debuts a resale platform that allows the resale of all clothing brands—not just their own. Similarly, Patagonia's Worn Wear program allows shoppers to trade in and buy used gear and clothing. The federal government is also working to close this gap. The Environmental Protection Agency's Safer Choice program is attempting to make sustainable shopping easier for consumers and companies alike. It includes a directory of certified products, a list of safer chemicals to look out for on labels, a "Safer Choice" label that products can earn to denote they are eco-friendly, and resources for manufacturers looking to adopt more sustainable practices. Most of all, though, the biggest way shoppers can shift toward sustainable shopping is through their behaviors and attitudes amongst their peers and communities. Studies show that humans largely care what others think of their actions; the more shoppers make environmentally conscious shopping the norm, the more others will follow suit. From an economic perspective, the more consumers shop eco-friendly, the more affordable and accessible these products will become, too: Sustainable products are currently more expensive because they are not in high demand. Once demand rises, production rates and prices can lower, making these products more accessible for all. Story editing by Carren Jao. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. This story originally appeared on The RealReal and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Big Ten slate features Indiana-Ohio State showdown and Penn State-Minnesota matchup Things to watch this week in the Big Ten Conference: No. 5 Indiana (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten, No. 5 CFP ) at No. 2 Ohio State (9-1, 6-1, No. 2 CFP), Saturday, noon ET (Fox) This marks the 98th matchup between these two teams, but it's only the fourth time both teams have been ranked. Although Indiana is unbeaten, its soft schedule means the Hoosiers aren't assured of making the 12-team field if they lose this game. The only team with a winning record that Indiana has beaten is Washington (6-5). Ohio State needs a win to have a realistic shot at a rematch with top-ranked Oregon in the Big Ten championship game. Ohio State has beaten Indiana 28 straight times since the Hoosiers posted back-to-back victories in 1987-88. No. 4 Penn State (9-1, 6-1, No. 4 CFP) at Minnesota (6-4, 4-3), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (CBS) This is likely Penn State's biggest obstacle on its way to a potential playoff berth. The Nittany Lions' lone remaining regular-season game is a Nov. 30 home matchup with Maryland (4-6, 1-6). Minnesota has had an extra week to prepare this game since its 26-19 loss at Rutgers on Nov. 9, which snapped a four-game winning streak. Penn State and Minnesota have split their last four meetings, with the home team winning each time. Penn State DE Abdul Carter has multiple tackles for loss in each of his last three games. He ranks second among all Bowl Subdivision players in tackles for loss (17 1⁄2). Southern California RB Woody Marks rushed for a career-high 146 yards in a 28-20 win over Nebraska. Marks has six 100-yard rushing performances this season. Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai is the first Scarlet Knight to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons since Ray Rice did it three straight years from 2005-07. Monangai has run for 1,028 yards this season and rushed for 1,262 yards last year. Oregon OLB Matayo Uiagalelei recorded a sack and had a game-clinching interception as the top-ranked Ducks won 16-13 at Wisconsin last week. He has 8 1⁄2 sacks this season to rank second in the Big Ten. Four of the top seven Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks in passer rating are from the Big Ten. Indiana's Kurtis Rourke is second, Ohio State's Will Howard is third, Penn State's Drew Allar is fifth and Oregon's Dillon Gabriel is seventh. ... Illinois QB Luke Altmyer has thrown 18 touchdown passes with only three interceptions. The only Power Four quarterback with a better touchdown/interception ratio while throwing at least 10 touchdown passes is Clemson's Cade Klubnik, who has 26 touchdowns and four interceptions. ... Rutgers' three Big Ten wins matches its largest total since joining the league in 2014. Rutgers also had three conference wins in 2014, 2017, 2020 and 2023. A victory Saturday over No. 24 Illinois would give Rutgers three straight Big Ten wins for the first time. ... Washington's 31-19 win over UCLA was its 20th straight home victory, representing its second-longest such streak in school history. The Huskies won 45 straight home games from 1908-17. ... Wisconsin heads to Nebraska this week having won its last 10 matchups with the Cornhuskers. Penn State justifiably is favored on the road against Minnesota, but Bet MGM's 12 1⁄2-point spread seems way too big. Expect this game to have a single-digit margin. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Toronto police board approves $1.2B proposed budget for 2025MTN Nigeria Communications PLC (MTN Nigeria), the nation’s largest mobile network operator, saw its market capitalisation soar by N388.42 billion after news surfaced that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is considering an upward review of telecom tariffs 10 years after telcos began lobbying. MTN Nigeria, with 80.38 million subscribers, closed trading with a market cap of N3.69 trillion on Friday. By Monday, this rose to N3.74 trillion, reaching N4.07 trillion on Tuesday. Its share price followed suit, climbing from N175.50 to N178 and N194. Trading volume fluctuated, rising from 2.55 million to 3.32 million before falling to 1.58 million. “After that update about a potential price increase, investors have swung to action immediately,” tweeted Rufybaba, an investment manager. However, Airtel Africa Plc, with 54.45 million subscribers, experienced no movement in its stock price over the same period, staying flat at N2,156.90 per share with a market cap of N8.11 trillion. It is important to note that the telco is in the middle of a share buyback program. Sector Challenges The telecom sector has struggled with foreign exchange fluctuations and a harsh operating environment. Both telcos have reported losses due to FX volatility. In 2023, MTNN and Airtel recorded a combined N1.29 trillion in FX losses. For the nine months ending October 2024, MTN Nigeria reported a N514.93 billion loss despite a 33.7 percent growth in service revenue to N2.37 trillion. It declared negative earnings per share (EPS) of N24.51 kobo in the period. Airtel’s revenue for the same period fell 46.9 percent to $755 million. Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria, described the sector as being in crisis. “Investments will not continue to come. No one will put in a dollar and continue to get 66 cents... We are in a big crisis,” he said. Read also: MTNN raises N72.18bn from CP issuance as offer sees 144% subscription MTN and Airtel have cut back on network infrastructure investments due to mounting operational costs and FX exposure. Between January and September 2024, MTN’s core capital expenditure (capex) dropped 27.79 percent to N217.64 billion, while Airtel’s capex fell by 36.59 percent to $149 million. This decline has left Nigerians grappling with unreliable networks. To adjust, telcos have advocated for increased tariff prices, especially as their average revenue per user (ARPU) continues to fall. The ARPU of telecom companies declined by 40.87 percent to $1.85 in the quarter ending September 2024, compared to $3.12 in the same period in 2023. MTN’s ARPU dropped from $3.24 to $2.09, while Airtel’s fell from $3 to $1.60. “There should be no delusion; if the tariff doesn’t go up, we will shut down,” Toriola of MTNN emphasised. Following months of lobbying, Bosun Tijani, the minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, has finally acknowledged the need for price adjustments, stating, “We think there may be a need for that” in a December 20 interview on Arise TV. A report by TechCabal suggests that the NCC is likely to approve new tariffs for calls, SMS, and internet bundles, with changes expected to take effect in January 2025. While the exact figures remain unclear, a 2022 proposal by telcos requested a 40 percent hike. “This is a critical moment for the industry,” Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), emphasized the importance of a review. “It will be a very good development, and by this, the Government has been able to rescue the sector from imminent collapse. It is the best for the progress of the industry and our digital economy,” Despite this, the NCC is reportedly cautious about the financial burden on Nigerians, who are already dealing with record-high inflation of 34.6 percent as of November. Adebayo noted that while operators are aware of the financial stress Nigerians are facing, a price review is imperative for improved network quality. “We fully understand and appreciate the financial stress that Nigerians are experiencing today. Prices will need to rise, but action needs to be measured through sustainable conversations and partnerships with the government. It is time to address this head-on,” he added.
Sumedha Lakmal Introduction Willdan Group, Inc. ( NASDAQ: WLDN ) stock has performed tremendously over the last year, which may have been considered an AI-adjacent play for many, driving up the company’s shares by over 100% YTD. I wanted to take a look at the Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.Ulta Beauty earnings beat by $0.62, revenue topped estimates