Why Bill Shorten embodies the best, and worst, of Australian politicsDonald Trump made a political statement on Sunday, prompting his own supporters to voice their disagreements with him. Trump over the weekend marked the passing of fellow former President Jimmy Carter, who died after receiving hospice care in his home . Trump took to Truth Social after the news broke, saying in part, "The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude." ALSO READ: Poor Trump supporters are about to get a rude awakening — but we shouldn't be celebrating MAGA fans on Trump's Truth Social page didn't like that from Trump. Theodore Winters , who describes himself as a "conservative Republican artist," laughed at the president elect's comment. "Lol, I know you’re being nice. But you’re tripping," Winters wrote. "Carter was a terrible president and damaged The United States Of America to such an extent that we are STILL dealing with his horribly policy decisions and his inflation repercussions in 2024." He then added, "I get it. He just passed. And we have to be respectful and nice. But let’s still keep it real." An account that promotes posts by Trump's appointees, Commieskillpuppies, said, "I appreciate your graciousness toward him but it won’t win you any points from the leftists." "They’re soulless. Besides a skunk by any other name would still stink to high heaven," the user then added. "He was not a good President. But he wasn’t our worst. Biden wins that award." A Truth Social user who proclaims "Trump is my president" in their bio, Chicabonita2145, said, "Jimmy Carter was the worst President in history." "He sold the Panama Canal for $1 to settle a dispute. Also the Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States," the user then added. "Carter came from a peanut farm his own brother was a fool and I will never forget he kept our American citizens hostages. He is part of the deep state club and always will be. I don’t care about Carter." John 55 🇺🇸 , who identifies as an "America First" veteran, chimed in: "Jimmy Carter pardoned all the Vietnam draft dodgers that forced other men to take their place! Many of these men did not come home." "Personally, I think Carter lived a long life to suffer for the pardons to the draft dodgers he pardoned," he added.India's Sports Community Mourns Dr Manmohan Singh's Demise
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AGNC Investment Corp. Declares Monthly Common Stock Dividend of $0.12 per Common Share for December 2024A hit West End musical based on a beloved TV sitcom is one of the major events to look out for in January. Peter Andre is set to perform at two Suffolk venues (Image: Sisco Entertainment) When: January 15 Where: Spa Pavilion, Undercliff Road West, Felixstowe, IP11 2DX Cost: £47 Featuring singer Peter Andre the tour shows the nostalgic musical journey from New Jersey to the West End and Broadway and features hit songs like Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry and Can't Take My Eyes Off You. It is also going to the The Apex in Bury St Edmunds on January 18. READ MORE: 7 of the biggest celebrities spotted in Suffolk in 2024 Sam Lupton takes on the roll of Del Boy (Image: Trevor Leighton) When: January 7 until January 11 Where: Ipswich Regent Theatre, 3 St Helen's Street, Ipswich, IP4 1HE Cost: From £15 Join Del Boy as he sets out on the rocky round to find his soulmate, Rodney and Cassandra prepare to say "I do", and Grandad takes stock of his life and decides the time has finally arrived to get his piles sorted. The musical features cherished material from John Sullivan's much-loved TV show with the original script and score written by his son Jim and comedian Paul Whitehouse. Learn what night is like for wildlife (Image: Gregg Brown) When: January 11 Where: Lackford Lakes, Bury St Edmunds, IP28 6HT Cost: £5 The special event will focus on the thousands of birds which fly in to spend a night on the lakes. Learn about the winter birds of Lackford through family-friendly activities, including a bedtime story for children to enjoy in one of the hides. Street food takeovers are coming to Wrights Cafe (Image: Sarah Lucy Brown) When: January 10 Where: Wrights Cafe, Unit 2, 2, Cornhill, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1BE Cost: subject to trader Wrights in Bury St Edmunds is hosting pop-up events with street food vendors from across Suffolk. It kicks off with Samu Kitchen which will be serving up plant-based dishes to celebrate Veganuary. READ MORE: Two restaurants shortlisted for national kebab award The comedian will make audiences laugh in Ipswich (Image: Gaby Jerrard) When: January 17 Where: Ipswich Regent Theatre, 3, St Helen's Street, Ipswich, IP4 1HE Cost: £30.80 Omid Djalili's new show Namaste will see him peacefully bow to his inner anger as he unleashes a torrent of comedic vitriol upon the state of the world. The actor and comedian's production company was spotted filming around the University of Suffolk earlier this year.
Workday called for a 25% adjusted operating margin in the current quarter, below Wall Street’s estimate of 25.5%.
SINGAPORE, Dec 29 : Over 10,000 Sikhs gathered in Singapore on Sunday to promote community, understanding, and harmony, marking the conclusion of Naam Ras, a four-day religious and cultural fair. Singapore’s Law and Home Minister K Shanmugam and Zaqy bin Mohamad, a senior minister of state for Manpower and Defence, attended the festivities. They also welcomed interfaith groups representing non-Sikhs to the biennial gala ‘mela’ which ran from December 26 to 29. The ministers were honoured with the traditional Sikh Saropas (scarves). Malminderjit Singh, Chairman of the Sikh Advisory Board here said the Naam Ras Kirtan Darbar is a ground-up event designed to foster community, understanding, and harmony. He added that the event was organised by the Singapore Sikh community, along with support from well-wishers, donors, and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) of Singapore. Overall, more than 50,000 Singapore Sikhs attended the four-day carnival-style festival, showcasing the community’s deep cultural links to its ancestral homeland in Punjab and northern India. Minister Shanmugam congratulated the Sikh organisations, led by gurdwaras and social services units here, for organising the event. “Events like this build greater bonds in the community,” he said, noting the gathering of people from all over the region at the event. “It is one of the largest Sikh gatherings outside of India,” said Professor Nirmal Singh Randhawa who hails from Amritsar and has been part of the biennial event since the beginning as a lead advisor and preacher of Sikh cultures. Sikhs from the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand and the Southeast Asian countries, where the community has flourished over a century but maintained close relations with their ancestor homes, attended the event. Volunteers, including migrant workers from northern India, ran the show that showcased the lifestyle of Sikhs, a flourishing but minority community of 12,000 in the prosperous city-state. The event, which was held from 5.30 to 10 pm each evening, gave non-Sikhs insight into backgrounds and cultures and offered a unique opportunity to explore the rich traditions of the Sikh faith, said Malminderjit Singh. The show included performing arts, Sikh traditional music and live drama performances on Sikh history. (PTI)
Boxing Day shopper footfall was down 7.9% from last year across all UK retail destinations up until 5pm, MRI Software’s OnLocation Footfall Index found. However, this year’s data had been compared with an unusual spike in footfall as 2023 was the first “proper Christmas” period without Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, an analyst at the retail technology company said. It found £4.6 billion will be spent overall on the festive sales. Before the pandemic the number of Boxing Day shoppers on the streets had been declining year on year. The last uplift recorded by MRI was in 2015. Jenni Matthews, marketing and insights director at MRI Software, told the PA news agency: “We’ve got to bear in mind that (last year) was our first proper Christmas without any (Covid-19) restrictions or limitations. “Figures have come out that things have stabilised, we’re almost back to what we saw pre-pandemic.” There were year-on-year declines in footfall anywhere between 5% and 12% before Covid-19 restrictions, she said. MRI found 12% fewer people were out shopping on Boxing Day in 2019 than in 2018, and there were 3% fewer in 2018 than in 2017, Ms Matthews added. She said: “It’s the shift to online shopping, it’s the convenience, you’ve got the family days that take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.” People are also increasingly stocking-up before Christmas, Ms Matthews said, and MRI found an 18% increase in footfall at all UK retail destinations on Christmas Eve this year compared with 2023. Ms Matthews said: “We see the shops are full of people all the way up to Christmas Eve, so they’ve probably got a couple of good days of food, goodies, everything that they need, and they don’t really need to go out again until later on in that week. “We did see that big boost on Christmas Eve. It looks like shoppers may have concentrated much of their spending in that pre-Christmas rush.” Many online sales kicked off between December 23 and the night of Christmas Day and “a lot of people would have grabbed those bargains from the comfort of their own home”, she said. She added: “I feel like it’s becoming more and more common that people are grabbing the bargains pre-Christmas.” Footfall is expected to rise on December 27 as people emerge from family visits and shops re-open, including Next, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis that all shut for Boxing Day. It will also be payday for some as it is the last Friday of the month. A study by Barclays Consumer Spend had forecast that shoppers would spend £236 each on average in the Boxing Day sales this year, but that the majority of purchases would be made online. Nearly half of respondents said the cost-of-living crisis will affect their post-Christmas shopping but the forecast average spend is still £50 more per person than it was before the pandemic, with some of that figure because of inflation, Barclays said. Amid the financial pressures, many people are planning to buy practical, perishable and essential items such as food and kitchenware. A total of 65% of shoppers are expecting to spend the majority of their sales budget online. Last year, Barclays found 63.9% of Boxing Day retail purchases were made online. However, a quarter of respondents aim to spend mostly in store – an 11% rise compared with last year. Karen Johnson, head of retail at Barclays, said: “Despite the ongoing cost-of-living pressures, it is encouraging to hear that consumers will be actively participating in the post-Christmas sales. “This year, we’re likely to see a shift towards practicality and sustainability, with more shoppers looking to bag bargains on kitchen appliances and second-hand goods.” Consumers choose in-store shopping largely because they enjoy the social aspect and touching items before they buy, Barclays said, adding that high streets and shopping centres are the most popular destinations.Chinese ESG models take the lead in building a sustainable future