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Teenage girl among 2 killed in house fire on Clearwater River Dene NationBillionaire Elon Musk had accused MacKenzie Scott of being one of the "super rich-ex-wives" who would contribute to "reasons that Western Civilization died" following which Scott doubled her donations to philanthropic causes. Now, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who recently admitted to using Ozempic-like weight loss drugs, has taken a fresh dig at her over her charitable donations. Musk shared an X post by John LeFevre on Monday that criticizes Scott's donations to nonprofits that focus on liberal issues like immigration rights, LGBTQ+ rights, racial equity, and social justice causes. WNBA star tells Elon Musk to 'go back to Africa' after Donald Trump failure Musk warned he's 'making enemies and will get hurt' if he doesn't quit politics LeFevre sounds alarm over the same post, saying: "She's just getting started." Musk agrees with LeFevre's criticism as he reshared the post with a single-word comment: "Concerning." Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos has donated over $19 billion to more than 2,450 non-profit organizations through her organization Yield Giving since 2019. Courtesy of Amazon's rising share values, Scott's net worth is above $30 billion and she shows no signs of slowing down on donations. Musk, a close ally to President-elect Donald Trump , is the world's richest man and has made more than $270 million to help Trump win. This is not the first time he has attacked Scott for supporting progressive issues. In a now-deleted X post from March, Musk wrote: "'Super rich ex-wives who hate their former spouse' should be listed among 'Reasons that Western Civilization died.'" Two weeks after his post, Scott announced she was doubling the size of her donations to $640 million across 361 nonprofits. DON'T MISS: Russia attacks Ukrainian energy system with drone missiles on Christmas Day [NEW] More than 30 feared to be dead in Azerbaijan plane crash en route to Russia [CHILLING] Drone warning issued as mystery sightings surge - new tech used to fight back [EXCLUSIVE] Concerning https://t.co/C11Lnm8XeH — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 23, 2024 On Dec. 18, Scott announced that Yield Giving had given "about $2,004,400,000 in gifts to the 199 organizations." "Roughly 75% of them are non-profits that support the economic security and opportunity of people who are struggling by improving access to affordable housing, jobs that provide stability for themselves and their families, child development and post-secondary education, healthcare, and financial counseling, business coaching, and low-interest rate loans focused on increasing economic potential and building wealth. The others support well-being through other means, such as work on human rights and natural resources conservation," she wrote. Scott also explained the gift-making process where instead of withdrawing funds from a bank account or stock portfolio that "increases the wealth and influence of leaders who already have it," she withdraws them from "a portfolio of investments in mission-aligned ventures, with leaders from the populations they are serving, or from generally undercapitalized groups like women and people of color." "In this way, the money can help address these issues twice, first by advancing economic mobility and unlocking the innovation and social benefit that comes from incorporating diverse needs and perspectives in the world being constructed around us, and next in the hands of experienced non-profit teams creating value through their transformative models of care and change," Scott explained.
Salesforce Inc CRM reported third-quarter financial results after the market close on Tuesday. Here’s a look at the key metrics from the quarter . Q2 Earnings: Salesforce reported third-quarter revenue of $9.44 billion, beating the consensus estimate of $9.35 billion. The enterprise cloud solutions company reported adjusted earnings of $2.41 per share, missing analyst estimates of $2.44 per share, according to Benzinga Pro . Total revenue was up 8% on a year-over-year basis. Operating margin came in at 20%, and non-GAAP operating margin was 33.1%. Cash flow from operations was up 29% year-over-year and free cash flow was up 30% year-over-year to $1.78 billion. The company ended the quarter with remaining performance obligations of $26.4 billion, up 10% year-over-year. “We delivered another quarter of exceptional financial performance across revenue, margin, cash flow and cRPO,” said Marc Benioff , chair and CEO of Salesforce. “Agentforce, our complete AI system for enterprises built into the Salesforce Platform, is at the heart of a groundbreaking transformation. The rise of autonomous AI agents is revolutionizing global labor, reshaping how industries operate and scale.” Don’t Miss: ‘American Exceptionalism Trade’ Gains Steam As Dollar, S&P 500 Surge In Lockstep: Bank Of America Salesforce said it repurchased $1.2 billion worth of its stock in the quarter and returned $400 million to shareholders in the form of dividend payments. Guidance: Salesforce expects fourth-quarter revenue to be in the range of $9.9 billion to $10.1 billion. The company anticipates fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.57 to $2.62 per share. Salesforce sees full-year 2025 revenue of $37.8 billion to $38 billion. The company expects full-year adjusted earnings to be between $9.98 and $10.03 per share. “With Agentforce, we’re not just witnessing the future — we’re leading it, unleashing a new era of digital labor for every business and every industry,” Benioff said. Management will further discuss the quarter on a conference call with analysts and investors at 5 p.m. E.T. CRM Price Action: Salesforce shares were up 7.72% in after-hours, trading at $357 at publication Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro . Photo: Shutterstock. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.《TAIPEI TIMES》 Minister unveils Chip Team Taiwan initiative
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Simon Harris’s Fine Gael party and coalition partner Fianna Fail look set to return to government after the Irish election, but the prime minister could face a battle to keep his post after his popular support appeared to drop. With counting still ongoing, early tallies and the official exit poll showed little to separate the two main incumbent parties and the opposition Sinn Fein. With no party having enough support to govern alone, the status quo will likely remain after Fine Gael and Fianna Fail ruled out a deal with Sinn Fein. Although the overall outcome looks increasingly clear, it’s far from certain Harris will emerge with the upper hand in what could be difficult negotiations with Fianna Fail. Micheal Martin’s party trailed in the official exit poll, but early results suggest it could emerge with the most first-preference votes — the simplest gauge of popular support — putting him in a better position in talks. “It’s far too hard to call at this stage as to who will come out as the largest party,” Harris told RTE on Saturday. “What is clear is that Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein will be tightly bunched when it comes to final seats.” Martin predicted his Fianna Fail would outperform the exit poll, telling reporters there’s a “route to a very strong finish” for his party. But he cautioned that electoral fragmentation meant forming a government would be “challenging.” To be sure, the picture could change as counting takes in second-choice and subsequent preferences to determine final makeup of the Dail or parliament. A tight race is far from what Harris envisaged when he called the vote early — it wasn’t scheduled to be held until March — to try to capitalize on Fine Gael’s surge in support since he became Taoiseach in April. The media dubbed it the “Harris hop” and the 38-year-old made his campaign slogan “new energy” — despite being a former health minister and established government figure. A giveaway budget and what appeared to be a slump in support for Sinn Fein made it seem the optimal time to seek a new mandate. But Harris’s campaign was beset with slip-ups, starting with Ryanair Holdings Plc Chief Executive Officer Michael O’Leary using a Fine Gael event to make a jibe about teachers serving in government. The worst, though, was a viral video of Harris walking away from a disability care worker and dismissing her view that the government wasn’t doing enough. He later apologized. “Fine Gael may be a little bit disappointed that they didn’t make more gains,” said Lisa Keenan, political science assistant professor at Trinity College Dublin, though she added that given the campaign gaffes, Harris is also likely to be somewhat relieved. “We’ve seen a stabilization there.” From a commanding poll lead as late as September, Fine Gael appears to have slipped back into a three-party scramble to win the popular vote. It’s a key moment. Whoever forms the next government will enjoy a budget surplus and soaring tax receipts from U.S. companies including Apple Inc. operating there. What to do with Ireland’s billions has been a key focus of the election, with parties competing on spending ideas — even as the reelection of Donald Trump in the U.S. and his threat of trade tariffs injected a sense of caution. Worryingly for Harris, the exit poll also showed the premier trailing his two main rivals on the question of who should be next Taoiseach. Only 27% said they want the Fine Gael leader leading the country, while 35% said they would like Fianna Fail’s Martin, and 34% preferred Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald. McDonald’s strength comes from her support among young people, and that gels with the exit poll showing housing and homelessness were the biggest issues for voters, followed by the cost of living. Data published on election day showed homelessness in Ireland reached a record figure of almost 15,000. Sinn Fein’s steady rise has shaken up Irish politics since McDonald took over from Gerry Adams as president in 2018, becoming its first leader unconnected to the sectarian violence in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles. Its left-leaning agenda appealed to voters struggling with a housing shortage and rising inflation. While its support is well below the start of the year, when Sinn Fein appeared on course to form a government, the exit poll and early counting shows McDonald has established Sinn Fein as an electoral force. That has major implications for Irish politics. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael led every government since the state was formed 100 years ago, and while that looks set to continue, Sinn Fein’s emergence changes the dynamic. Still, without the option of a coalition with Fine Gael or Fianna Fail, Sinn Fein has no clear route to power. That means the focus in the coming days and likely weeks will be on Fine Gael and Fianna Fail and the arrangement they come to. Early tallies suggest Fianna Fail will improve on its performance in 2020, when the party that was in power during the 2008 financial crash reentered government for the first time in almost a decade. It’s possible that it wins several more seats than Fine Gael, which would give it considerable bargaining power in coalition talks and potentially restoring Martin, who served as prime minister for almost two years as part of the job share agreement between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael last time, as Taoiseach. Any deal between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail would not be the end of the story. Even combining their support, the two parties are likely to fall short of the 88 seats needed for a majority in the 174-seat parliament. The third coalition partner last time, the Green Party, face losses — not unusual for minor parties and also reflecting trends for green parties across Europe. Tallies suggest it could lose the majority of its 12 seats. But other smaller parties are expected to make gains. The Social Democrats, whose leader Holly Cairns gave birth on election day, could pick up seats. Labour are also optimistic. Although vote counting began at 9 a.m. on Saturday, a fuller picture is not expected until Sunday. Then the negotiations will begin. ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
BRUSSELS (AP) – Even before the French and German governments collapsed, Europe’s economy had enough difficulties. An auto industry that’s struggling. Where to find billions for defence? And now Donald Trump threatening tariffs. Solutions will be harder to find. Where once there was the so-called French-German axis to push Europe ahead, now there’s a vacuum. French Prime Minister Michel Barnier resigned on Thursday after losing a vote of confidence, and while President Emmanuel Macron will appoint a successor, the new head of government will lack a majority. Elections are not constitutionally permitted until at least June. Germany’s coalition led by Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz with the Greens and pro-business Free Democrats fractured in November, triggering an early election on February 23. Talks to form a new government could last into April. At least Germany’s likely new chancellor, conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz, appears open to loosening constitutional restrictions on borrowing to enable pro-growth spending and investment, said managing director Europe at Eurasia Group Mujtaba Rahman. France, however, could be facing “complete paralysis on the economic question,” Rahman said. “It’s highly unlikely they’re going to get a political equilibrium that has a mandate to implement a credible fiscal course correction.” “And that’s obviously a problem for Europe because it means the great potential of the European economy is not what it otherwise should be, because you don’t have France and Germany firing on all cylinders,” he said. Then there’s Europe’s lagging business environment, dissected by former European Central Bank head Mario Draghi in a report that contains recommendations such as common borrowing to support public investment; European Union (EU)-wide industrial policy; and integrating financial markets to help startups raise capital. Yet “nothing can move in Europe without Franco-German alignment,” Rahman said. Meanwhile, Europe’s auto industry has sought a review of tough EU emissions standards in 2025 instead of 2026, saying slackening demand for electric cars means they won’t be able to avoid heavy fines and that the money would be better used to develop new electric vehicles. French economist and head of research at the National Center for Scientific Research Anne-Laure Delatte said financial markets remain cautious but are not overly alarmed by France’s political instability. But economic weakness in France and Germany could have broader implications for the EU. “This could either weaken Europe’s position globally or shift power and influence to other European countries like the Netherlands or Spain, which are performing well at the moment,” she said. France is expected to see growth of 1.1 per cent this year and 0.8 per cent next year, while Germany’s economy is expected to shrink 0.1 per cent this year, the second consecutive year of contraction, and rebound modestly with 0.7 per cent next year. Germany faces headwinds from a shortage of skilled labour, excessive bureaucracy and higher energy prices, and efforts to address those issues have been stalled by squabbling in Scholz’s coalition. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is equipped with serious powers, especially on trade, a key EU authority delegated to Brussels by member countries. But there’s only so much von der Leyen can do without political backing from the two biggest member countries, whose national budgets are bigger than the EU’s. The most urgent matter may be how to respond to US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20. European officials are trying to defuse a potential trade conflict involving new US tariffs or import taxes on European goods that would seriously ding the continent’s export-focused economy. Europe could decide not to retaliate to any US tariffs, thus avoiding a mutually destructive tit-for-tat cycle. The bloc could also commit to buying US liquefied natural gas to mollify Trump, or spend billions more on defence for Ukraine to answer his complaint that European countries don’t meet NATO commitments on defence spending. Europe is seeing only modest growth as consumers pummeled by inflation remain cautious about spending. The economy is expected to expand 0.8 per cent this year and 1.3 per cent next year for the 20 EU member countries that use the euro currency, according to the European Commission. While the direct impact on growth is small, the political logjam means Europe is missing an important opportunity to engage Trump, said chief economist at Berenberg Bank Holger Schmieding. “It would be ideal if Europe – at the moment when Trump is not yet in office – would prepare a big offer for Trump, such as: We spend significantly more on defence, if on trade and on Ukraine you don’t disappoint us. This is unfortunately not happening.” “The risk is that Trump on trade might be tougher on us than otherwise because Germany and France are missing in action,” he said. Von der Leyen can offer to get countries to purchase more US natural gas and remind Trump that the EU could retaliate, but “the offer that Europe can make to Trump is small, rather than a big offer where there would be German and French money behind it.” The EU commission estimates that as much as EUR500 billion (USD528 billion) will be needed over the next decade to help meet the bloc’s security needs. Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius has indicated common defence bonds could raise that enormous sum. But moving ahead without Germany, the bloc’s biggest member, is hard to imagine. The big issues such as defence and competitiveness “require the fiscal and parliamentary resources of the biggest member states and the question is whether Germany and France are in a position to enable that at the European level,” said Rahman. “I think the answer is probably yes, but I feel a bit less certain than I would have had Germany and France not had this very difficult political time.”Despite Mary Lou McDonald’s confidence around shaping a coalition without Fine Gael and Fianna Fail – the two parties that have dominated the landscape of Irish politics for a century – the pathway to government for Sinn Fein still appears challenging. With counting following Friday’s election still in the relatively early stages – after an exit poll that showed the main three parties effectively neck-and-neck – there is some way to go before the final picture emerges and the options for government formation crystalise. Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader, Simon Harris, has dismissed talk of a Sinn Fein surge and said he was “cautiously optimistic” about where his party will stand after all the votes are counted. Meanwhile, Ireland’s deputy premier and Fianna Fail leader, Micheal Martin, insisted his party has a “very clear route back to government” as he predicted seat gains. The counting process could last days because of Ireland’s complex system of proportional representation with a single transferable vote (PR-STV), where candidates are ranked by preference. The leaders of the main three parties were all re-elected as TDs on Saturday evening, topping the polls in their respective constituencies. The early indications have turned the focus to the tricky arithmetic of government formation, as the country’s several smaller parties and many independents potentially jockey for a place in government. Ms McDonald told reporters at the RDS count centre in Dublin that she would be “very, very actively pursuing” the potential to form a government with other parties on the left of the political spectrum. The smaller, left-leaning parties in Ireland include the Social Democrats, the Irish Labour Party, the Green Party and People Before Profit-Solidarity. Ms McDonald said her party had delivered an “incredible performance” in the election. “I think it’s fair to say that we have now confirmed that we have broken the political mould here in this state,” she said. “Two party politics is now gone. It’s consigned to the dustbin of history and that, in itself, is very significant.” She added: “I am looking to bring about a government of change, and I’m going to go and look at all formulations. “If you want my bottom line, the idea of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael for another five years, in our strong opinion, is not a good outcome for Irish society. “Obviously, I want to talk to other parties of the left and those that we share very significant policy objectives with. So I’m going to do that first and just hear their mind, hear their thinking. But be very clear, we will be very, very actively pursuing entrance into government.” In Friday night’s exit poll, Sinn Fein was predicted to take 21.1% of first-preference votes, narrowly ahead of outgoing coalition partners Fine Gael and Fianna Fail at 21% and 19.5% respectively. Prior to the election, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael both ruled out entering government with Sinn Fein. Fine Gael leader Mr Harris rejected suggestions Sinn Fein had broken new ground. He told reporters in his count centre in Greystones, Co Wicklow: “Certainly we haven’t seen a Sinn Fein surge or anything like it. “I mean, it looks likely, on the figures that we’ve seen now, fewer people, many fewer people would have voted Sinn Fein in this election than the last one. “In fact, I think they’re down by around 5% and actually the parties, particularly the two parties, the two larger parties in government, are likely to receive significant support from the electorate. So definitely, politics in Ireland has gotten much more fragmented.” He said it was too early to tell what the next government would look like. “I think anybody who makes any suggestion about who is going to be the largest party or the construct of the next government, they’re a braver person than I am,” he said. “Our electoral system dictates that there’ll be many, many transfers that will go on for hours, if not days, before we know the final computations at all. “But what I am very confident about is that my party will have a very significant role to play in the years ahead, and I’m cautiously optimistic and excited.” Fianna Fail’s Mr Martin told reporters at a count centre in Cork he was confident that the numbers exist to form a government with parties that shared his political viewpoint. Mr Martin said it “remains to be seen” whether he would return to the role of Taoiseach – a position he held between 2020 and 2022 – but he expressed confidence his party would outperform the exit poll prediction. “It’s a bit too early yet to call the exact type of government that will be formed or the composition of the next government,” he said. “But I think there are, there will be a sufficiency of seats, it seems to me, that aligns with the core principles that I articulated at the outset of this campaign and throughout the campaign, around the pro-enterprise economy, around a positively pro-European position, a government that will strongly push for home ownership and around parties that are transparently democratic in how they conduct their affairs.” Asked if it would be in a coalition with Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Social Democrats, he said that would be “racing a bit too far ahead”. The final result may dictate that if Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are to return to government, they may need more than one junior partner, or potentially the buy-in of several independent TDs. Mr Martin said it was unclear how quickly a government can be formed, as he predicted his party would gain new seats. “It will be challenging. This is not easy,” he added. The junior partner in the outgoing government – the Green Party – looks set for a bruising set of results. Green leader Roderic O’Gorman is in a fight to hold onto his seat, as are a number of party colleagues, including Media Minister Catherine Martin. “It’s clear the Green Party has not had a good day,” he said. The early counting also suggested potential trouble for Fianna Fail in Wicklow, where the party’s only candidate in the constituency, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, is considered to have a battle ahead, with the risk of losing his seat. Meanwhile, there is significant focus on independent candidate Gerard Hutch who, on Saturday evening, was sitting in fourth place in the four-seat constituency of Dublin Central. Last spring, Mr Hutch was found not guilty by the non-jury Special Criminal Court of the murder of David Byrne, in one of the first deadly attacks of the Hutch-Kinahan gangland feud. Mr Byrne, 33, died after being shot six times at a crowded boxing weigh-in event at the Regency Hotel in February 2016. A Special Criminal Court judge described Mr Hutch, 61, as the patriarchal figurehead of the Hutch criminal organisation and said he had engaged in “serious criminal conduct”. The constituency will be closely watched as other hopefuls wait to see if transfers from eliminated candidates may eventually rule him out of contention. In the constituency of Louth, the much-criticised selection of John McGahon appeared not to have paid off for Fine Gael. The party’s campaign was beset by questioning over footage entering the public domain of the candidate engaged in a fight outside a pub in 2018. The Social Democrats have a strong chance of emerging as the largest of the smaller parties. The party’s leader, Holly Cairns, was already celebrating before a single vote was counted however, having announced the birth of her baby girl on polling day.Zayn Malik fans left devastated after he CANCELED Newcastle concert moments before going on stage as singer apologised