Albertsons terminated its $25 billion bid to merge with Kroger today after courts blocked the deal then sued Kroger, alleging a breach of contract that led to the deal’s demise. The formal termination ends a two-year effort by the chains to combine that regulators argued would lead to higher prices for shoppers. Albertsons, the parent company of Safeway, said it was suing due to rival Kroger’s failure to take “any and all actions” to get the deal approved. “Given the recent federal and state court decisions to block our proposed merger with Kroger, we have made the difficult decision to terminate the merger agreement,” Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran said. Albertsons is seeking billions of dollars in damages along with a $600 million termination fee. Kroger called the claims baseless in a statement and said it will defend against them in court. “This is clearly an attempt to deflect responsibility following Kroger’s written notification of Albertsons’ multiple breaches of the agreement, and to seek payment of the merger’s break fee, to which they are not entitled,” a Kroger spokesperson said. Albertsons operates around 2,300 stores and had alluded to the possibility of store closures and layoffs if the deal was blocked. However, the company sounded a positive note today, touting recent investments in new technology. Two different courts blocked the deal on Tuesday, siding with federal and state antitrust regulators who moved to stop the deal by arguing that the merger would eliminate competition between the traditional grocery chains, causing higher prices and reducing leverage for unionized workers. A combined Kroger and Albertsons would have had the second biggest share in the U.S grocery industry with about 11% based on 2023 industry market share information from GlobalData. Walmart would have continued to hold the top spot with about 17% of the market. “Walmart, Costco and other grocery giants are the clear winners in this scenario,” said Blake Droesch, analyst with eMarketer. “The merger would have created a formidable grocery competitor to Walmart. But without the merger, Walmart remains in a league of its own.” The deal became a symbol of surging grocery costs and faced fierce regulatory opposition. U.S. food prices have risen by 25% over the last four years, and while food inflation is showing signs of cooling in 2024, grocery bills remain a concern for shoppers. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission sued along with attorneys general from eight states and the District of Columbia. Washington state sued on its own to block the deal. In both of those cases, judges ruled on Tuesday that the deal would unlawfully decrease competition. Colorado had also sued to block the deal. Kroger defended the proposed combination, saying it would bring prices down at Albertsons stores, where it said prices are 10-12% higher than its own. The merged company would fund price cuts through cost savings it expects from a larger operation, and a larger customer base to drive revenue for Kroger’s data consulting business. The rulings against the deal are the result of Kroger’s unwillingness to listen to regulators’ feedback and to sell off assets that would have allowed deal clearance, Albertsons said. Had the deal proceeded, Kroger would own approximately 5,000 stores across the United States. The companies had argued at trial that selling 579 of the stores, particularly in western U.S. states where Kroger and Albertsons are located near each other, would preserve competition. U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson, who oversaw the FTC case, disagreed, raising doubts that the proposed buyer of the stores, C&S Wholesale Grocers, could become a successful competitor. Albertsons claims that Kroger rejected stronger candidates for the sale. Several analysts had predicted a quick termination of the deal and said that Kroger would not appeal the decision to block the deal. “We are disappointed by the Court’s decision, but not surprised, given the narrow view of competition adopted by the FTC and pushback and lawsuits from multiple state attorneys general,” Telsey Advisory Group analysts said after the deal was blocked. Albertsons on Wednesday also said it would bump its quarterly dividend up to 15 cents a share from the current 12 cents a share, and it approved $2 billion in share buybacks, though that includes previously authorized share repurchases. Kroger shares were up 1.4%. Albertsons stock, which has fallen about 20% this year, was down marginally in midday trade on Wednesday.Additionally, the meeting also outlined a series of measures aimed at further opening up the economy and promoting international cooperation. This includes policies to facilitate foreign investment, improve market access for foreign firms, and enhance intellectual property protection. Such initiatives signal China's continued commitment to globalization and integration with the global economy, which is likely to attract more foreign capital and boost investor confidence.
Throughout the year, the Sanctum Duo has showcased their exceptional talent in various prestigious tournaments, leaving a trail of victories in their wake. Their dedication to the sport and their unwavering commitment to excellence have been the driving forces behind their success, cementing their status as the best women's doubles pair in the world.
Water Ways Reports Share ConsolidationFBI Director Wray says he intends to resign before Trump takes office in January
Irish premier Simon Harris has said Fine Gael will gain seats in the General Election despite a further fragmentation of Irish politics. Fine Gael won 35 seats in the 2020 election, but 18 of those TDs did not seek re-election in Friday’s poll. An exit poll puts the party’s support at 21%, a fraction of a percentage behind the main opposition party Sinn Fein. Mr Harris, the outgoing Taoiseach, was elected with 16,869 first preference votes, well above the quota. He celebrated with his wife Caoimhe, his parents Bart and Mary, his sister Gemma and his political team at the count centre in Greystones, Co Wicklow. Ahead of his re-election, Mr Harris told reporters he was “cautiously optimistic” about the election result and said it was “clear that my party will gain seats”. “It’s also clear that Fine Gael will top the poll in at least 10 constituencies, many more than we did the last time, that we will gain seats in constituencies where we haven’t had seats in many years, like Tipperary South and Waterford, and that we will add second seats in other constituencies as well,” he said. “I think the people of Ireland have now spoken. We now have to work out exactly what they have said, and that is going to take a little bit of time.” In one of the five consecutive broadcast media rounds he did from the Greystones count centre, he said there were a lot of areas where there were “straight shoot-outs” between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael for final seats. He described the Sinn Fein vote as “pretty significantly down”, the Fianna Fail vote as “marginally down” and the Fine Gael vote as “static” compared with its 2020 vote. He said it was “a very close, a very competitive election” and that “we haven’t seen a Sinn Fein surge or anything like it”. He said: “It was predicted by many that I would become the Taoiseach for a brief period of time, take over from Leo Varadkar, and then have to rebuild my party from the opposition benches as Sinn Fein led a government. “We don’t know what’s going to happen on government formation yet, but that is now looking less likely than it was.” He acknowledged that it was “a very difficult day” for the Green Party and paid tribute to their work in the coalition government, alongside his party and Fianna Fail. “Definitely, politics in Ireland has gotten much more fragmented,” he said. Fine Gael minister Helen McEntee said that her party’s campaign had been “positive”. “The feeling on the doors was very much that people were relatively happy with the government,” she said on RTE Radio. “It will come down to the last seats and it will come down to transfers,” she said of the final result, adding that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael were performing better than the exit poll estimated.
Kaduna state Governor, Uba Sani, has appointed Dr. James Atung Kanyip as Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs as part of a major shake-up in his administration. This was made known in a statement by Malam Ibraheem Musa, Chief Press Secretary to the governor. The governor also announced the creation of a Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, with Barde Yunana Markus named as its inaugural commissioner. According to the Governor, the appointments, which take effect immediately, are aimed at bolstering security and enhancing governance in the state. “Langton, a legal scholar and seasoned administrator, has held various roles, including Deputy Chief of Staff, and brings a wealth of experience in human rights law. Markus, a former Jema’a Local Government chairman, is tasked with addressing humanitarian challenges, including disaster response and welfare for vulnerable groups. “In addition, Governor Sani appointed Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed as Commissioner for Finance. Mohammed, a former Managing Director of Peugeot Automotive Nigeria, is expected to leverage his extensive banking experience to drive economic reforms. “Farida Abubakar Ahmed, a veteran journalist and public relations expert, has been named Executive Director (Radio) at Kaduna State Media Corporation (KSMC), while Vitus Azuka Ewuzie will serve as Senior Special Assistant on Legal Matters,” Musa said. While congratulating the appointees, Governor Sani urged them to see their roles as opportunities to serve the people of Kaduna State, particularly the poor and underserved. He emphasized the importance of innovation and commitment to delivering inclusive development. Other key appointments include Hon. Victor Mathew Bobai as Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Abdulmutallib Isah as Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties, and Abdulhaleem Ishaq Ringim as Special Assistant on Economic Matters. The governor expressed confidence that the new team would accelerate the administration’s efforts to deliver on its development agenda.
In a “People’s Town Hall” that attracted more than 300 attendees from 25 cities and towns across the region, state Sen. Jo Comerford reminded her “bosses” — the people — that they are the force behind democracy and to make their voices heard as the country heads into another term under President-elect Donald Trump. “In our view about government, you are the most powerful, and we’re going to need that power as we go into this next two years; it is going to be a hard two years,” Comerford said. During the virtual event last Thursday, the senator — who will wrap up her third term representing the Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester District at the end of the year — gave an overview of her biggest achievements for the western half of the state, specifically in disaster relief, climate mitigation and health care. She then outlined a direction for her fourth term, which involves defending and protecting the rights established in the state, continuing to build momentum from past work and finding innovative solutions to existing challenges. “This session, going forward, I’m inviting you to be organizers with me,” Comerford told those who attended the town hall. “This is going to be really important for the things that we want to accomplish.” While Comerford touched on nine priorities for the state, three rose to the top of the list: housing, increasing education funding to rural communities, and protecting natural and working lands. Many residents asked Comerford about the security of reproductive rights and immigrants under Trump’s incoming administration, and while Comerford acknowledged that neither she, nor anyone on Beacon Hill, can be certain of what will happen, the state is committed to protecting and upholding these rights. “I got into state service in the second two years of the Trump administration,” said Comerford, referring to her first term that started in January 2019. “Why I wanted to run was I believe states can do great things. I’ll show you what we’ve done in these last years to make our commonwealth more equitable, safer, more secure for the greatest possible diversity of people.” Article continues after... Cross|Word Flipart Typeshift SpellTower Really Bad Chess Comerford began the town hall with a progress report. Over the past term, she has filed 71 bills, 19 of which were signed into law and implemented by Gov. Maura Healey’s administration. Some of these bills include establishing a permanent disaster relief resiliency fund in the wake of devastating floods to many farms in the communities she represents; creating a gender “X” option on all state documents; and requiring solar siting to look at the built environment or disturbed land before installing solar on forested and agricultural lands. “I’m proud of these, right?” Comerford said. “I’m proud of, for example, in 2022 we passed legislation to protect providers offering and individuals seeking reproductive health care and gender-affirming care.” In addition, two bond bills were passed during the term, including a housing bond bill and the recent $4 billion economic development bond bill, the latter of which was signed into law late last week. In terms of state funding, Comerford helped secure more than $2.36 million in budget earmarks and more than $44 million in bonding earmarks, but she admits that there is no way to track how much of that funding goes to western Massachusetts. She filed a bill to require the state government to publish how much state funding is distributed to each town and region, so legislators can ensure equitable funding. “I want to see it every which way, because I want to make sure that we’re getting a fair shake of public tax dollars,” Comerford said. Piggybacking on equitable funding, Comerford said public education money is among her top priorities, especially for districts with very small or declining enrollments. Along with state Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Deerfield, Comerford filed “An Act to Provide a Sustainable Future for Rural Schools” to help drive funding to smaller districts. However, the real problem, Comerford said, won’t be solved with legislation because the issue lies in education funding formulas. Neither the state education formula or the municipal local aid formula have been reviewed in at least 10 years, which is why she promises to push hard for such a review. “We must open these formulas. They are not working for us. We can make them work, and it will be game-changers for our communities,” she said. An additional legislative priority, Comerford said, is the formation of an independent state municipal and public safety building authority, which would provide financial support for cities and towns to update aging infrastructure. Attendees at the virtual hearing pointed to Northfield as an example, as the rural town still needs a new fire station after voters rejected plans for a $13.5 million public safety complex last year . Comerford said that municipalities not only need space to operate, but buildings to establish public safety and community. “We’ve met with the Legislature on this, we’ve met with the lieutenant governor on this and we are going to push it. It’s a priority bill of the Massachusetts Municipal Association,” Comerford said. Many attendees tuned into the town hall to learn more about the state’s position on federal policies that Trump has endorsed, including the mass deportation of immigrants and the dissolution of the U.S. Department of Education. “The Department of Education was an act of Congress, so as much as Mr. Trump may think that he can abolish it very quickly, there are many people who would tell him differently,” Comerford said. Currently, the state has codified the right of both providers and residents to supply and seek gender-affirming and reproductive health care, Comerford said. The Safer Communities Act, which would prohibit local police cooperation with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, is coming back to the Legislature this session, and she encourages residents to write to their representatives to support the bill. Yet even with the state taking a stand to protect these rights, Comerford said she’s proactively organizing and listening to grassroots organizations that lead advocacy for these social services, such as Reproductive Equity Now, ACLU, the MIRA Coalition and the Truth School. She’s planning a “know-your-rights” event for education constituents outlining their state civil rights. “We have demonstrated a willingness, both a financial and a policy willingness, to protect and defend and care for our people,” she said. Taking care of Massachusetts residents also applies to the land that Comerford’s constituents live on. “I think we want the green revolution here,” she said. “I just don’t think we want to be steamrolled by multinational corporations, and I don’t think we want to cut trees or take natural or working lands when we don’t have to.” Both the Massachusetts Municipal Association and Comerford previously raised concerns about municipalities losing control over solar siting under the provisions of the climate bill Healey signed into law on Nov. 21. However, Comerford pointed out some aspects of the law that empower municipalities, such as funding for local governments to intervene on state solar siting and permitting processes. Rural towns with populations under 7,500 receive this funding automatically. Solar siting has been streamlined into one application, but feedback from every municipal government department is included on the single permit. “Our communities are stewarding this land, and it’s beautiful and we’re proud of it, but it means they can’t develop this land,” she said. “Some are worried about how they’re going to pay a firefighter or a teacher, so we have to really transition and change the PILOT formula, and we need to codify this, the value of this land.” In addition to funneling millions of dollars into climate mitigation and public transit, the state continued to fund housing development with the housing bond bill. Comerford said she met with Housing Secretary Edward Augustus about the upcoming five-year housing plan and the available funds for building housing in western Massachusetts. While Comerford said she would not overstep municipal jurisdiction on housing, she is working to provide local governments with the tools and resources to build a mixture of market-rate and affordable units. At the end of every question, Comerford rattled off local and statewide organizations that are advocating for these causes. She finished the virtual event by asking attendees to attend hearings on Beacon Hill, in person or virtually, and get western Massachusetts voices heard. Comerford has observed how testimony from her constituents creates change, and how Boston is beginning to listen. “I love this job, I love doing it, I love the people I represent, I am in awe of you every day,” Comerford said. “Our democracy is really fragile right now, and we need you to believe in our government and make us work.”The Monkey Zu hairstyle has not only captivated the fashion world but has also sparked a larger conversation about self-expression and creativity. 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Gus Malzahn is resigning as Central Florida's head coach to become Florida State 's offensive coordinator, a person familiar with the hire told The Associated Press on Saturday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Seminoles have not confirmed Malzahn's move, which is pending a state background check. ESPN first reported the decision. The Knights made official that Malzahn is leaving in a statement released a day after UCF (4-8) concluded its season with a 28-14 loss to Utah. “We would like to thank Coach Malzahn for his contributions to our football program over the past four seasons, including our transition into the Big 12 Conference," the school said. "We appreciate his professionalism and dedication to our student-athletes throughout his tenure at UCF and wish he and his wife, Kristi, the very best in their future endeavors.” Malzahn finished with a 28-24 mark in four years at UCF, the last two ending with losing records after joining the Big 12. He coached at Auburn for eight seasons before being fired in 2020. Malzahn replaces offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins, who was fired Nov. 10 following a 52-3 loss at Notre Dame. The Seminoles rank 131st out of 134 in total offense and scoring offense, averaging 15.8 points a game heading into Saturday night's rivalry game against Florida. The Seminoles (2-9) have dropped significantly since going 13-1 last season and winning the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. The Knights, meanwhile, struggled mightily in Malzahn's fourth season — most of it because of quarterback issues. Four players took snaps from center as the Knights finished 2-7 in conference play. It was the program's worst record since going 0-12 in former coach George O’Leary’s final season in 2015. Florida State coach Mike Norvell fired Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and receivers coach Ron Dugans amid the Seminoles' season-long skid. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
APPLE'S top boss has shared some of the iPhone's latest and greatest tricks with The Sun – including a genius photo tip that everyone needs to know. Tim Cook knows a thing or two about the iPhone , and revealed a long list of clever new iPhone hacks that you're able to try today. The Apple chief spoke to The Sun's Sean Keach during a special Christmas visit to the company's Regent Street store in London this week. It timed in with the launch of Apple Intelligence in the UK, which is a fun and handy selection of AI-powered features for your devices. The iPhone gets updated all the time, of course – but Tim revealed why this latest upgrade is extra special. “It means that generative AI is coming to your iPhone, your iPad , and the Mac, and it’s going to be in all of the apps that you use every day, like Mail and Messages and Notes,” Tim told The Sun, speaking at one of Britain’s most iconic Apple stores. Read more on iPhone “So it’s deeply integrated and you will experience it and it will make a profound difference in your life.” He added: “It will profoundly change how you use your iPhone.” It sounds great, but what does it actually do? Well it turns out that one of the best tricks is in the Photos app. Most read in Phones & Gadgets There’s a new feature called Clean Up that lets you instantly improve photos by removing almost anything. “You can take a photo and if there’s a third person in the photo that you prefer not to be there, you can clean up the photo and remove the person,” Tim explained. He explained: “All of us are photographers, right? We’ve all become photographers, and we all need to clean up some of our photos.” All you need to do is tap the Clean Up button and – as if by magic – a rogue tourist ruining your stunning holiday snap disappears into thin air. That’s great, but I don’t get the impression Tim Cook has a lot of free time for holidaying. So it’s no surprise that the Apple boss admitted one of his favourite new Apple Intelligence tricks is a time-saving feature in the Mail app. It’s busy work running a company worth nearly four trillion dollars, after all. “I get hundreds of emails a day,” Tim told us. “And so one of the things I use it for in a significant way is to summarise my emails. “With one click, you can take a very long email and summarise it into something that you can move through fairly quickly. “You can also – if you’re replying to people in Messages, as an example – it will suggest smart replies. “And you’ll be amazed at how useful these are. It’s not 100%, but it’s really, really good and it will change how you do things.” There are a few other clever tricks Tim told Sun readers they should definitely be trying out. One is called Genmoji, and it’s pretty much a dream come true for emoji fans. It lets you create almost any emoji that you can dream up – Tim boasted that he’d made a Christmas-themed Big Ben emoji earlier that day. Very festive. Then there’s Image Playground, which lets you create fun images from scratch. You can even insert your own face – or your friends and family – into fun cartoon creations using the feature. So there’s a mix of business and leisure with these features, which Tim hopes will mean there’s something for everyone. “All of these things add up to be significant,” Tim told The Sun. “I think that people are going to find, sort of like they did when we brought apps to iPhone, that it wasn’t a matter of your favourite app. “It was all of the apps that you use throughout the day. “This is now going to be the next level of iPhone.” Once you've updated to Apple Intelligence, try these out... Genmoji Open the emoji panel on your keyboard, then tap the smiley face icon with a plus symbol on it. Then enter a description for the Genmoji that you want to create, tap Done, then tap Add on the Genmoji that you want to use. Mail Summaries Go to the Mail app and tap on an email. Then just tap the new Summarise button. Clean Up Go into Photos, select an image, then tap the Edit button (it has three sliders as an icon). Now tap on Clean Up, then tap, brush, or circle the object or person that you want to remove. Once you're happy, hit Done and your changes will be saved. Image Playground You'll find this feature inside the new Image Playground app. You can either create an image from a concept (like a theme or place), a description, or inspired by a person in your photo library. Once you're happy with the image, tap Done to save it to your gallery. Smart Reply Go to the Messages app, tap on a conversation, then press the text field. A suggested reply might then appear – and then Apple Intelligence will draft it for you. If you like it, send it! To see if you've got an iPhone update waiting, just go to Settings > General > Software Update. Picture Credit: Apple Tim also thinks that, on the whole, AI is a good thing for humanity. The Sun asked him whether it’s still important to build AI tech despite public fears over the speed at which AI is progressing, worries around privacy, and even job safety. But the Apple chief – who also spoke to The Sun earlier this year about his future-gazing Apple Vision Pro headset – is convinced that AI is a good thing, generally speaking. “The reason I’m excited about it is because it improves our lives,” Tim said. “It doesn’t just change our lives, it makes them better. “And so we’ve always viewed technology as being something that should better humanity, not subtract.” He pointed out that AI has already been in Apple devices for a while now. So while it might feel like these AI upgrades are coming all at once, they’ve actually been trickling in behind the scenes for a while. Importantly, some of the might even save your life. Tim points out the Apple Watch can detect atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heart rhythm. If it’s not treated, it can lead to heart failure, blood clots, and ultimately a stroke . “Things like the watch we have: we’ve had AI powering the watch forever,” Tim told The Sun. “So if you have AFib, AI determines that on the watch and sends you a notification. “If you have a high heart rate, a low heart rate, if you run the ECG, you’re using AI. “All of these things that people didn’t know were AI have been building for a long time. “And now we have generative AI, that will take this to the next level. “But what we’re going to do is we’re going to do it thoughtfully and deliberately. “We’re going to make sure the things that we put out there better humanity, not subtract from it.” READ MORE SUN STORIES Here's the official list of Apple devices with processors powerful enough to support the new Apple Intelligence features... iPhone 16 (A18) iPhone 16 Plus (A18) iPhone 16 Pro Max(A18 Pro) iPhone 16 Pro(A18 Pro) iPhone 15 Pro Max(A17 Pro) iPhone 15 Pro(A17 Pro) iPad Pro(M1 and later) iPad Air(M1 and later) iPad mini(A17 Pro) MacBook Air(M1 and later) MacBook Pro(M1 and later) iMac(M1 and later) Mac mini(M1 and later) Mac Studio(M1 Max and later) Mac Pro(M2 Ultra) Picture Credit: Apple / The Sun Apple Intelligence arrived in the UK this week with the iOS 18.2 update. For iPhone owners, the new features are available on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max.Soccer-Leverkusen romp to 5-0 win over Salzburg in Champions League
HP OmniBook Ultra Flip Review: A Great Business Laptop, AI AsideFulham midfielder, Carl Bérgsson, shared his thoughts on the hard-fought draw against Arsenal in a post-match interview, emphasizing the team's collective effort and spirit in the face of a formidable opponent.