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Milton Keynes: Two women killed on Christmas Day pictured for first timeBOSTON — The actual field where North Carolina will play Connecticut on Saturday within Fenway Park was hidden, Friday afternoon, under a black plastic inflatable bubble that looked like a giant Hefty bag. Everything else was in place for a football game played under the Green Monster, newly festooned with bowl-sponsor logos. In much the same way, no one could see Bill Belichick on Friday, as hidden from view as the turf itself. Yet Belichick’s presence was palpable, if not tangible. North Carolina’s new coach has kept a low profile, and will again this weekend. His alleged whereabouts are noted only by whispered rumor, like Sasquatch. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get the latest sports news delivered right to your inbox six days a week.
Stocks closed higher on Wall Street as the market posted its fifth straight gain and the Dow Jones Industrial Average notched another record high. The S&P 500 rose 0.3%. The benchmark index’s 1.7% gain for the week erased most of its loss from last week. The Dow rose 1% as it nudged past its most recent high set last week, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.2%. Markets have been volatile over the last few weeks, losing ground in the runup to elections in November, then surging following Donald Trump's victory, before falling again. The S&P 500 has been steadily rising throughout this week to within close range of its record. It's now within about 0.5% of its all-time high set last week. “Overall, market behavior has normalized following an intense few weeks,” said Mark Hackett, chief of investment research at Nationwide, in a statement. Several retailers jumped after giving Wall Street encouraging financial updates. Gap soared 12.8% after handily beating analysts' third-quarter earnings and revenue expectations, while raising its own revenue forecast for the year. Discount retailer Ross Stores rose 2.2% after raising its earnings forecast for the year. EchoStar fell 2.8% after DirecTV called off its purchase of that company's Dish Network unit. Smaller company stocks had some of the biggest gains. The Russell 2000 index rose 1.8%. A majority of stocks in the S&P 500 gained ground, but those gains were kept in check by slumps for several big technology companies. Nvidia fell 3.2%. Its pricey valuation makes it among the heaviest influences on whether the broader market gains or loses ground. The company has grown into a nearly $3.6 trillion behemoth because of demand for its chips used in artificial-intelligence technology. Intuit, which makes TurboTax and other accounting software, fell 5.7%. It gave investors a quarterly earnings forecast that fell short of analysts’ expectations. Facebook owner Meta Platforms fell 0.7% following a decision by the Supreme Court to allow a multibillion-dollar class action investors’ lawsuit to proceed against the company. It stems from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm. All told, the S&P 500 rose 20.63 points to 5,969.34. The Dow climbed 426.16 points to 44,296.51, and the Nasdaq picked up 42.65 points to close at 2,406.67. European markets closed mostly higher and Asian markets ended mixed. Crude oil prices rose. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.41% from 4.42% late Thursday. In the crypto market, bitcoin hovered around $99,000, according to CoinDesk. It has more than doubled this year and first surpassed the $99,000 level on Thursday. Retailers remained a big focus for investors this week amid close scrutiny on consumer spending habits headed into the holiday shopping season. Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, reported a quarter of strong sales and gave investors an encouraging financial forecast. Target, though, reported weaker earnings than analysts' expected and its forecast disappointed Wall Street. Consumer spending has fueled economic growth, despite a persistent squeeze from inflation and high borrowing costs. Inflation has been easing and the Federal Reserve has started trimming its benchmark interest rates. That is likely to help relieve pressure on consumers, but any major shift in spending could prompt the Fed to reassess its path ahead on interest rates. Also, any big reversals on the rate of inflation could curtail spending. Consumer sentiment remains strong, according to the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index. It revised its latest figure for November to 71.8 from an initial reading of 73 earlier this month, though economists expected a slight increase. It's still up from 70.5 in October. The survey also showed that consumers' inflation expectations for the year ahead fell slightly to 2.6%, which is the lowest reading since December of 2020. Wall Street will get another update on how consumers feel when the business group The Conference Board releases its monthly consumer confidence survey on Tuesday. A key inflation update will come on Wednesday when the U.S. releases its October personal consumption expenditures index. The PCE is the Fed's preferred measure of inflation and this will be the last PCE reading prior to the central bank's meeting in December.Disapproval for Sir Keir Starmer’s government is at a record high according to data in a new poll. According to the poll conducted by YouGov, 62% of those surveyed said that they disapprove of the government’s record to date up from 32% in the weeks following Labour’s landslide success in July. Such significant disapproval ratings so early into a premiership are almost unheard of, with Boris Johnson’s government sitting at just 44% six months after his general election win in 2019. Government approval ratings are down from 29% in July to just 17%, capping off a difficult second half of the year for Starmer who has been blighted by ‘ freebie-gate ’, farmers protests , fury over the removal of the winter fuel allowance and the surge of Reform UK in his short time in number 10. Outcry over policies such as the winter fuel allowance has seen Labour’s favourability fall sharply with older voters, with a staggering 82% of those surveyed over the age of 65 saying that they disapprove of the government’s performance to date – The highest figure recorded since the weekly tracker began in 2011. The survey gets no better amongst Labour voters, with an eye-watering 39% of Labour voters saying that they disapprove of the government’s performance to date. The Prime Minister has caused anger from his own side on several occasions and has been criticised publicly by trade unions and backbench MPs. Early into the government’s tenure, the refusal to remove the two-child benefit cap saw Starmer faced with his first MP rebellion as seven MPs were suspended from the party for voting against the government. The removal of the winter fuel payment , a measure introduced and celebrated by New Labour also saw Starmer faced with friendly fire whilst the decision earlier this month to reject the WASPI women’s fight for compensation saw Labour MPs turn on the Prime Minister on social media and in the Commons. Across Europe and North America, the approval ratings of centre-left parties are in similar decline, with the poll serving the government with a reminder that Britain is no outlier. In Germany and France, Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron look set to be ousted from power by figures from the right whilst the same is set to happen in Canada as Justin Trudeau continues to flounder. The election of Giorgia Meloni in Italy and the re-election of Donald Trump in the US mean that Starmer could be set to be the only centre-left leader at next year's G7 meeting in Canada.
Crown Castle Inc. stock underperforms Thursday when compared to competitorsUS to send $1.25 billion in weapons to Ukraine, pushing to get aid out before Biden leaves officeSebastian Zapeta, 33, who federal immigration officials said is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the US illegally, was arraigned in Brooklyn criminal court. He appeared briefly before a judge and wore a white jumpsuit over a weathered black hooded sweatshirt. He did not speak. He will remain jailed ahead of his next court date on Friday. The apparently random attack occurred on Sunday morning on a stationary F train at the Coney Island station in Brooklyn. Police said on Tuesday that identification of the victim was still “pending at this time”. Authorities say Zapeta approached the woman, who was sitting motionless in the train car and may have been sleeping, and used a lighter to set her clothing on fire. The woman quickly became engulfed in flames, while the suspect then sat at a bench on the subway platform and watched, according to police. Video posted to social media appeared to show the woman standing inside the train ablaze as some people look on from the platform, and at least one officer walks by. NYPD chief of transit Joseph Gulotta said that several officers had responded to the fire and one stayed to keep the crime scene “the way it’s supposed to be” while the others went to get fire extinguishers and transit workers. They were eventually able to douse the fire, but “unfortunately, it was too late”, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said — the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. During Zapeta’s court hearing on Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg said Zapeta at one point fanned the flames on the woman using his shirt. He said a 911 call from a subway rider helped identify Zapeta. Mr Rottenberg added that under interrogation Zapeta claimed he did not know what happened, noting that he consumes alcohol. But he alleged that Zapeta identified himself to interrogators in images related to the attack. Zapeta was taken into custody on Sunday afternoon while riding a train on the same subway line after police got a tip from some teenagers who recognised him from images circulated by the police. A Brooklyn address for Zapeta released by police matches a shelter that provides housing and substance abuse support. The shelter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Federal immigration officials said Zapeta had been previously deported in 2018 but at some point reentered the US illegally. The crime — and the graphic video of it that ricocheted across social media — deepened a growing sense of unease among some New Yorkers about the safety of the subway system in a city where many residents take the subway multiple times each day.
Eddie Howe insists “there is more to come” from Newcastle star Alexander Isak. The Swede is challenging for the crown of best striker in the world with his current scoring streak of 11 goals in 12 games... and rivals like Erling Haaland out of form. Isak has scored seven goals and made two assists in his last nine league games and Howe wants that form to continue to grab a rare win at Old Trafford on Monday. Isak is being helped by prolific winger Jacob Murphy who has six assists for the season... only behind Mo Salah and Bukayo Saka in the top flight. Boss Howe said Isak’s “cool, calm” attitude keeps his stock rising, and vowed to keep pushing his goals talisman to even greater heights. He said: “There is a lot more to come from him. Our job is to help him deliver that. Of course the main responsibility is for Alex to keep his focus, ignore the plaudits and keep helping the team not be selfish. It is about Newcastle and he plays his part. “He is what you see on the pitch. He doesn’t get overly emotional which for a striker is a great quality because that coolness you see and calmness in front of goals is part of his personality, part of what he is. He seems to have an extra half a second when other players don’t. "With Alex the beauty of his attitude is that he wants to improve. We give him information and he is responsive. He is not a closed shop. He is in no way thinking he has arrived at a certain place. He knows he has to keep adding to his game. The challenge is great for him to keep scoring freely as he is now. Everyone else can say where he is in the pecking order of world football. "His game is in a good place at the moment. My job is to not sit back and appreciate that, my job is to try and find areas he can improve, push him towards that and never stop pushing him. He has all the ingredients in there and football never stops evolving and changing and he has to evolve with it.” Newcastle have won only once in 29 games at Old Trafford in the Premier League era, in 2013 with a Yohan Cabaye goal. Howe reckons the three away games in nine days, including a trip to Spurs and Arsenal , will define where they will finish this season, with Champions League places up for grabs. Howe added: “It is great for the Premier League. That you never quite know what will happen. Unpredictability brings excitement. The challenge for us is to be the team who is consistent, a team who can produce results when not expected. We are going into a run of games now which will really test us and will be one of the deciding factors on where we will finish. We go to some tough away grounds but we look forward to those and try to maintain our good form. “It will be down to our attitude firstly. Man U is a fixture we should try to attack and keep our rhythm and be the best version of ourselves. We will try to grab it if we can.” Newcastle (4-3-3): Dubravka, Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Gordon, Isak, Murphy Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Amazon's Prime Video is broadcasting the Premier League Boxing Day round of fixtures on December 26-27. Each match can be streamed free with an Amazon Prime subscription or by signing up for an Amazon Prime 30-day free trial .
Direct Line rebuffs ‘highly opportunistic’ approach from Aviva
Richard Drury Blackstone Secured Lending ( NYSE: BXSL ) is a strong investment option in the BDC market: the investment firm supported its dividend with net investment income in the September quarter and continued to exhibit very strong balance sheet quality. Blackstone Secured Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of BXSL, ARCC either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.US stocks retreat from records ahead of employment dataLions actually have some competition for most injured starters in NFL | Sporting News
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is expected to announce that it will send $1.25 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Friday, as the Biden administration pushes to get before leaving office on Jan. 20. The large package of aid includes a significant amount of munitions, including for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and the HAWK air defense system. It also will provide Stinger missiles and 155 mm- and 105 mm artillery rounds, officials said. The officials, who said they expect the announcement to be made on Monday, spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public. The new aid comes as Russia has launched a barrage of attacks against Ukraine’s power facilities in recent days, although Ukraine has said it intercepted a significant number of the missiles and drones. Russian and Ukrainian forces are also still in a bitter battle around the Russian border region of Kursk, where Moscow has to help reclaim territory taken by Ukraine. Earlier this month, senior defense officials acknowledged that that the all of the remaining $5.6 billion in Pentagon weapons and equipment stocks passed by Congress for Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in. Trump has talked about getting some type of negotiated settlement between Ukraine and Russia, and spoken about . Many U.S. and European leaders are concerned that it might result in a poor deal for Ukraine and they worry that he won’t provide Ukraine with all the weapons funding approved by Congress. The aid in the new package is in presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon to take weapons off the shelves and send them quickly to Ukraine. This latest assistance would reduce the remaining amount to about $4.35 billion. Officials have said they hope that an influx of aid will help strengthen Ukraine’s hand, should Zelenskyy decide it’s time to negotiate. One senior defense official said that while the U.S. will continue to provide weapons to Ukraine until Jan. 20, there may well be funds remaining that will be available for the incoming Trump administration to spend. According to the Pentagon, there is also about $1.2 billion remaining in longer-term funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is used to pay for weapons contracts that would not be delivered for a year or more. Officials have said the administration anticipates releasing all of that money before the end of the calendar year. If the new package is included, the U.S. has provided more than $64 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022.