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VICTORIA — British Columbia Premier David Eby says Canada’s premiers and the federal government have hatched a game plan over possible U.S. tariffs, where Conservative premiers lobby their Republican counterparts and left-leaning leaders court the Democrats, while the federal government focuses on president-elect Donald Trump. Eby says the premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talked about using their political diversity and connections to approach politicians and business leaders in the United States, as talks over Trump’s proposed 25 per cent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico ramp up. He says it has been discussed that Conservative premiers Danielle Smith in Alberta, Doug Ford in Ontario and Nova Scotia’s John Houston are well-placed to lobby their contacts with Republican governors and business leaders. In a year-end interview, Eby says as a New Democrat leader he will likely have more in common speaking with Democrat governors and business leaders from the West Coast states. He says Canada’s diversity of representation, ranging from the right and left sides of the political spectrum, can bring leverage and advantages in tariff talks. Eby also says — if it is deemed helpful — he is prepared to appear on American’s right-leaning Fox News TV network as did premiers Ford and Smith. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2024. Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press
In partnership with Manchester-based travel company Travel Counsellors, Cheesewright recently presented a vision of how holidays might evolve by 2054, reshaping how and where we travel. Space tourism could be the hallmark of future holidays, no longer exclusive to billionaires such as . Cheesewright highlights that advancements in technology that could reduce the cost of space travel, making zero-gravity experiences accessible to the average traveller. According to , he encouraged travel agents to start discussing space tourism as a possibility, saying, “In 2054, will space tourism not just be for the billionaire few, but for the masses? Maybe.” Most Read on Euro Weekly News This aligns with the ongoing development of space tourism by companies like Blue Origin, which has already taken civilians to the edge of space, and SpaceX, which recently completed a private spacewalk. Supersonic jets could revolutionise long-haul travel by slashing flight times. Companies like Venus Aerospace are already working on hypersonic technology, potentially making high-speed travel a commercial reality. Cheesewright also predicts that electric jets, quieter and more eco-friendly, will dominate short-haul routes by the 2050s. reported that improvements in battery capacity and efficiency will drive these advancements, drastically cutting aviation’s environmental impact. Rising temperatures and extreme weather could shift holiday preferences. “We’re going to see migration north and new destinations,” Cheesewright explained, suggesting traditional summer hotspots may become less appealing. This could lead to the creation of artificial beaches in alpine regions, repurposing winter resorts for summer getaways. Sustainability and overtourism concerns are also influencing preferences. Cheesewright believes travellers will increasingly seek lesser-known destinations ( ) to avoid overcrowded tourist hotspots. Future holidays might satisfy travellers with a longing to disconnect. Hotels could embrace retro charm with real keys over swipe cards, plus holiday offerings free of digital distractions. Meanwhile, Artificial Intelligence will play a significant role in personalising trips, while promise to eliminate long queues and pre-flight stress, transforming the travel experience.
In a message to the American people, the King expressed “great sadness” at the news of Mr Carter’s death, describing him as “a committed public servant” who “devoted his life to promoting peace and human rights”. He added: “His dedication and humility served as an inspiration to many, and I remember with great fondness his visit to the United Kingdom in 1977. “My thoughts and prayers are with President Carter’s family and the American people at this time.” Mr Carter, a former peanut farmer, served one term in the White House between 1977 and 1981 and spent his post-presidency years as a global humanitarian, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Carter had “lived his values in the service of others to the very end” through “decades of selfless public service”. Praising a “lifelong dedication to peace” that saw him win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, Sir Keir added: “Motivated by his strong faith and values, President Carter redefined the post-presidency with a remarkable commitment to social justice and human rights at home and abroad.” Tributes to Mr Carter followed the announcement of his death by his family on Sunday, more than a year after he decided to enter hospice care. His son, Chip Carter, said: “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love.” US President Joe Biden, one of the first elected politicians to endorse Mr Carter’s bid for the presidency in 1976, said the world had “lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian”. He said: “Over six decades, we had the honour of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well. “With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us.” Vice President Kamala Harris said Mr Carter “reminded our nation and the world that there is strength in decency and compassion”. “His life and legacy continue to inspire me — and will inspire generations to come,” she said. “Our world is a better place because of President Carter.” Other UK politicians also paid tribute to Mr Carter. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said he was “an inspiration” who “led a truly remarkable life dedicated to public service with a genuine care for people”. Scottish First Minister John Swinney described the former president as “a good, decent, honest man who strove for peace in all that he did”, while Welsh First Minister said he was “a remarkable man” and “a humanitarian and scholar”. Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair said Mr Carter’s “life was a testament to public service”. He added: “I always had the greatest respect for him, his spirit and his dedication. He fundamentally cared and consistently toiled to help those in need.” Gordon Brown, another former prime minister, said it was a “privilege” to have known Mr Carter, who “will be mourned, not just in America, but in every continent where human rights are valued”. Mr Carter is expected to receive a state funeral featuring public observances in Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington DC before being buried in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. A moderate democrat born in Plains in October 1924, Mr Carter’s political career took him from the Georgia state senate to the state governorship and, finally, the White House, where he took office as 39th president in the wake of the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War. His presidency saw economic disruption amid volatile oil prices, along with social tensions at home and challenges abroad including the Iranian revolution that sparked a 444-day hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran. But he also brokered the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel, which led to a peace treaty between the two countries in 1979. After his defeat in the 1980 presidential election, he worked more than four decades leading The Carter Centre, which he and his late wife Rosalynn co-founded in 1982 to “wage peace, fight disease, and build hope”. Under his leadership, the Carter Center virtually eliminated Guinea Worm disease, which has gone from affecting 3.5 million people in Africa and Asia in 1986 to just 14 in 2023. Mrs Carter, who died last year aged 96, had played a more active role in her husband’s presidency than previous first ladies, with Mr Carter saying she had been “my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished”. Earlier this year, on his 100th birthday, Mr Carter received a private congratulatory message from the King, expressing admiration for his life of public serviceNone
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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The very close election for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat heads next to a hand recount even as election officials announced a machine recount of over 5.5 million ballots resulted in no margin change between the candidates. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The very close election for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat heads next to a hand recount even as election officials announced a machine recount of over 5.5 million ballots resulted in no margin change between the candidates. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The very close election for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat heads next to a hand recount even as election officials announced a machine recount of over 5.5 million ballots resulted in no margin change between the candidates. The statewide machine recount — in which ballots were run again through tabulators — that wrapped up this week showed Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs with a 734-vote lead over Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin, who is a Court of Appeals judge. Most county election boards reported minor vote changes from the machine recount requested by Griffin. But State Board of Elections data showed the post-recount lead exactly the same as what Riggs held after all 100 counties fully completed their ballot canvass in November. Griffin led Riggs by about 10,000 votes on election night, but that lead dwindled and flipped to Riggs as tens of thousands of qualifying provisional and absentee ballots were added to the totals through the canvass. Griffin, who already has pending election protests challenging the validity of more than 60,000 ballots counted statewide, has asked for a partial hand-to-eye recount, which county boards will start Wednesday or Thursday. The partial hand recount applies to ballots in 3% of the voting sites in all 100 counties, chosen at random Tuesday by the state board. Once the partial recount is complete, a statewide hand recount would be ordered if the sample results differ enough from the machine recount that the result would be reversed if the difference were extrapolated to all ballots. Riggs, who was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2023 and now seeks an eight-year term, again claimed victory Tuesday. In a campaign news release, spokesperson Embry Owen said Griffin “needs to immediately concede – losing candidates must respect the will of voters and not needlessly waste state resources.” Riggs is one of two Democrats on the seven-member court. Through attorneys, Griffin has challenged ballots that he says may not qualify for several reasons and cast doubt on the election result. Among them: voter registration records of some voters casting ballots lack driver’s license or partial Social Security numbers, and overseas voters never living in North Carolina may run afoul of state residency requirements. State and county boards are considering the protests. Griffin’s attorneys on Monday asked the state board to accelerate the matters before it and make a final ruling early next week. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. “Our priority remains ensuring that every legal vote is counted and that the public can trust the integrity of this election,” state Republican Party spokesperson Matt Mercer said in a news release. Final rulings by the state board can be appealed to state court. Joining Griffin in protests are three Republican legislative candidates who still trailed narrowly in their respective races after the machine recounts. The Supreme Court race and two of these three legislative races have not been called by The Associated Press. The key pending legislative race is for a House seat covering Granville County and parts of Vance County. Republican Rep. Frank Sossamon trails Democratic challenger Bryan Cohn by 228 votes, down from 233 votes before the recount. Sossamon also asked for a partial hard recount in his race, which was to begin Tuesday. Should Cohn win, Republicans will fall one seat short of the 72 needed in the 120-member House to retain its veto-proof majority — giving more leverage to Democratic Gov.-elect Josh Stein in 2025. Senate Republicans already have won 30 of the 50 seats needed to retain its supermajority in their chamber. The AP on Tuesday did call another legislative race not subject to a protest, as Mecklenburg County GOP Rep. Tricia Cotham won her reelection bid over Democrat Nicole Sidman. A machine recount showed Cotham ahead of Sidman by 213 votes, compared to 216 after the county canvass. Cotham’s switch from the Democrats to the Republicans in April 2023 secured the Republicans’ 72-seat veto-proof majority so that Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes could be overridden by relying solely on GOP lawmakers. Advertisement AdvertisementNearly half of American teenagers say they are online "constantly" despite concerns about the effects of social media and smartphones on their mental health, according to a new report published Thursday by the Pew Research Center. As in past years, YouTube was the single most popular platform teenagers used — 90% said they watched videos on the site, down slightly from 95% in 2022. Nearly three-quarters said they visit YouTube every day. There was a slight downward trend in several popular apps teens used. For instance, 63% of teens said they used TikTok, down from 67% and Snapchat slipped to 55% from 59%. This small decline could be due to pandemic-era restrictions easing up and kids having more time to see friends in person, but it's not enough to be truly meaningful. X saw the biggest decline among teenage users. Only 17% of teenagers said they use X, down from 23% in 2022, the year Elon Musk bought the platform. Reddit held steady at 14%. About 6% of teenagers said they use Threads, Meta's answer to X that launched in 2023. Meta's messaging service WhatsApp was a rare exception in that it saw the number of teenage users increase, to 23% from 17% in 2022. Pew also asked kids how often they use various online platforms. Small but significant numbers said they are on them "almost constantly." For YouTube, 15% reported constant use, for TikTok, 16% and for Snapchat, 13%. As in previous surveys, girls were more likely to use TikTok almost constantly while boys gravitated to YouTube. There was no meaningful gender difference in the use of Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook. Roughly a quarter of Black and Hispanic teens said they visit TikTok almost constantly, compared with just 8% of white teenagers. The report was based on a survey of 1,391 U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 conducted from Sept. 18 to Oct. 10, 2024.
LEWISTON, N.Y. (AP) — Jaeden Marshall scored 21 points as Niagara beat Le Moyne 88-69 on Sunday. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * LEWISTON, N.Y. (AP) — Jaeden Marshall scored 21 points as Niagara beat Le Moyne 88-69 on Sunday. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? LEWISTON, N.Y. (AP) — Jaeden Marshall scored 21 points as Niagara beat Le Moyne 88-69 on Sunday. Marshall shot 5 for 8 (4 for 6 from 3-point range) and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line for the Purple Eagles (6-7). Justice Smith added 15 points while going 6 of 12 from the floor, including 1 for 3 from 3-point range, and 2 for 3 from the line and had five rebounds. Zion Russell shot 4 for 7, including 3 for 3 from beyond the arc to finish with 11 points. AJ Dancier finished with 17 points and four steals for the Dolphins (5-10). Le Moyne also got 11 points and 10 rebounds from Ocypher Owens. Dwayne Koroma had nine points and six rebounds. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. AdvertisementLatest News Today Live Updates December 30, 2024: 2024 year-ender: Top 10 worst climate disasters and their staggering damage costs revealed in THIS shocking report
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ANDOVER, Mass. , Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- TransMedics Group, Inc. ("TransMedics") (Nasdaq: TMDX), a medical technology company that is transforming organ transplant therapy for patients with end-stage lung, heart, and liver failure, today announced that on December 9, 2024 , TransMedics granted non-qualified stock options to purchase an aggregate of 20,612 shares of its common stock and an aggregate of 13,576 restricted stock units to 3 employees, each as a material inducement for each employee's entry into employment with TransMedics. The grants included stock options to purchase 18,922 shares of TransMedics' common stock and 12,463 restricted stock units granted to Gerardo Hernandez , the Company's Chief Financial Officer. The grants were approved by the Compensation Committee of the TransMedics Board of Directors and were granted in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) and pursuant to the TransMedics Group, Inc. Inducement Plan. TransMedics granted non-qualified stock options to purchase 20,612 shares of TransMedics' common stock and 13,576 restricted stock units in the aggregate. The stock options were granted with a per share exercise price of $69.84 , the closing price of the common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market on December 9, 2024 . Twenty-five percent of the shares subject to each option will vest on the first yearly anniversary of the date of the employee's start of employment, with the remainder vesting in equal monthly installments over the subsequent three year period, subject to the employee's continued service with the Company through the applicable vesting date. The options have a 10-year term and are subject to the terms of the TransMedics Group, Inc. Inducement Plan. Twenty-five percent of each restricted stock unit award will vest on the first four anniversaries of the date of the employee's start of employment, subject to the employee's continued service with the Company through the applicable vesting date. The restricted stock units are subject to the terms of the TransMedics Group, Inc. Inducement Plan. About TransMedics Group, Inc. TransMedics is the world's leader in portable extracorporeal warm perfusion and assessment of donor organs for transplantation. Headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts , the company was founded to address the unmet need for more and better organs for transplantation and has developed technologies to preserve organ quality, assess organ viability prior to transplant, and potentially increase the utilization of donor organs for the treatment of end-stage heart, lung, and liver failure. Investor Contact: Brian Johnston 332-895-3222 Investors@transmedics.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/transmedics-reports-inducement-grants-under-nasdaq-listing-rule-5635c4-302330724.html SOURCE TransMedics Group, Inc.
In this article ULTA Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Beauty products on the shelves at Ulta Beauty. Brian Cassella | Tribune News Service | Getty Images Ulta Beauty on Thursday beat Wall Street's fiscal third-quarter expectations, fending off fears of fiercer competition and slowing demand for makeup and skincare. The retailer hiked its full-year outlook slightly to reflect the better-than-expected results. For the fiscal year, it said it now expects net sales to range from $11.1 billion to $11.2 billion, compared with its previous guidance for $11 billion to $11.2 billion. It said it now expects full-year earnings per year to range from $23.20 to $23.75, up from $22.60 to $23.50. For the full year, the comparable sales forecast ranges from a decline of 1% to flat. The comparable sales metric tracks sales at Ulta stores open at least 14 months along with online sales, Despite the raised outlook, the company expects holiday-quarter comparable sales to decline by the low single digits. In a news release, CEO Dave Kimbell said he's "proud of the progress" the company's made and "encouraged by early signs that our efforts to reinforce our market position and drive improved performance are gaining traction." Here's what the beauty retailer reported for the three-month period ended Nov. 2 compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG: Earnings per share: $5.14 vs. $4.54 expected Revenue: $2.53 billion vs. $2.50 billion expected Ulta shares rose more than 10% in after-hours trading. Beauty has been a strong category for many retailers, holding up over the past couple of years even as inflation stretched families' budgets and many shoppers pulled back on discretionary purchases. The category's resilience caused companies, including Target , Walmart , Kohl's and Macy's , to expand their offerings of makeup and skincare. Yet Ulta began to hint at potential troubles in April, with Kimbell warning of cooling beauty demand at an investor conference. In recent quarters, Ulta's results have reflected discerning shoppers and heightened competition. The company missed earnings results and cut its full-year outlook in August after a drop in same-store sales. It marked the first time that the retailer missed Wall Street's expectations in about four years. Shares of the company have fallen, too. As of Thursday's close, Ulta's stock is down about 19% so far this year, trailing the S&P 500's approximately 28% gains during the same period. For the fiscal third quarter, the retailer reported net income of $242.2 million, or $5.14 per share, compared with $249.5 million, or $5.07 per share, during the year-ago quarter. Revenue rose from $2.49 billion in the year-ago period. Comparable sales increased 0.6% year over year, as the retailer saw a tiny uptick in traffic and average ticket. Customer transactions across its website and stores grew 0.5% year over year and average ticket, the amount spent by shoppers during those visits, rose 0.1% year over year. On the company's earnings call, Kimbell said the launch of new brands, rollout of digital tools and in-store events helped drive Ulta's better performance in the quarter. For example, he said, Ulta is selling an exclusive line of makeup tied to the release of Universal 's "Wicked" movie. It also added new features for online, including virtual try-on enhancements and new digital buying guides. And it had in-store events, including workshops where customers received coaching from Ulta's stylists on how to get "salon-worthy blowouts" For beauty retailers, including Ulta, the holidays are a critical time of year. Kimbell said the company is "encouraged by our performance through Cyber Monday." Still, he hinted of a still challenging backdrop. He said the company is ready for the shopping season, even as "our insights suggest that economic concerns are driving a greater focus on value." On the earnings call, CFO Paula Oyibo said the company continues to take a "cautious view of the consumer and operating environment" and factored that into its forecast. She said the compressed holiday season, which has five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, could also hurt sales. Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. NBCUniversal is the distributor of "Wicked."Trimble and Mallon sanctioned DUP ministers over rotation plan
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After 45 years, authorities in California were finally able to tell the Gonzalez family who they believe killed their loved one. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office used DNA and forensic genealogy to identify the suspected killer, who turned out to be the same man who reported finding Esther Gonzalez’s body to authorities. On Feb. 9, 1979, 17-year-old Gonzalez was walking to her sister's house in Banning, California, about 85 miles east of Los Angeles. She never made it home. The next day, her body was found in a snowpack off a highway near Banning, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release . She was attacked during her walk, raped and bludgeoned to death, authorities said. Deputies described the unidentified man who found the body as "argumentative," according to the news release. The man, later identified as Lewis Randolph "Randy" Williamson, called the county sheriff to report the body and said he didn't know whether it was a man or woman. Williamson was later asked by sheriff's investigators to take a polygraph test. The district attorney's office said he agreed to the test and passed, which "at the time, cleared him of any wrongdoing," according to the release. Nearly five decades later, the district attorney's office said a cold case homicide team used forensic genealogy to confirm Williamson is Gonzalez's suspected killer. Forensic genealogy is surging across the country as investigators analyze DNA in addition to traditional genealogy research to generate leads for unsolved cases. Jason Corey, the master investigator for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, said the technique is a tremendous addition to an investigator’s toolbox. "I think it will be a great investigative tool moving forward in the future," Corey said. "It will help do a lot of good and not only identify victims, but it will help point the investigators in a direction with their investigative leads that will help bring those suspects to justice." Even as the Gonzalez case went cold, Riverside County detectives kept searching. The homicide team continued to investigate the case for decades after Gonzalez’s death. The team uploaded a semen sample from the crime scene into the Combined DNA Index System, but there weren't any leads. In 2023, detectives sent various items of evidence to a genetic lab in Texas that specializes in forensic genealogy and identifying victims in unsolved murders. Earlier this year, a crime analyst laid out all the facts of the case. Then, the light bulb went off. "Although Williamson was seemingly cleared by the polygraph in 1979, he was never cleared through DNA because the technology had not yet been developed," the district attorney's office said. Conducting another polygraph was not an option, as Williamson died in Florida in 2014. However, a blood sample had been collected during his autopsy. Authorities in Florida sent the sample to the California Department of Justice, which confirmed Williamson's DNA matched the DNA semen sample recovered from Gonzalez's body. Corey said this case was in Riverside County's cold case unit since it launched about five years ago. Over the years, multiple investigators have worked on the case. That all came to an end this Wednesday. "I can't imagine what it’s like for them," Corey said. "That whole family has just been devastated over the years. This is a day-in and day-in, day-out thing. I don’t think this is something that ever got easier for them as time went on." "I don't know if you can say you're happy that it's done because it's still, it's still a terrible tragedy, but I hope it can bring them some closure," Corey said. The latest development in the cold case does bring peace and closure to the Gonzalez family, Esther's older sister Elizabeth said. She was happy to hear her sister's suspected killer was finally identified. "We are very happy that we finally have closure," Elizabeth Gonzalez, 64, wrote in an email to CNN. "We are happy about it, but since the guy has died, a little sad that he won’t spend any time for her murder." Esther and Elizabeth Gonzalez grew up very close as they were only one year apart in age. Esther is now remembered by her family for her shy yet funny and mild-mannered personality. She the fourth out of seven children. Esther's oldest brother, Eddie, wrote on Facebook , "The Gonzalez family would like to thank the Riverside County sheriff’s department on a job well done. After 40 years, the Gonzalez family has closure."
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