The Money Factory Launches Affiliate Program Empowering Content Creators
OTTAWA — The federal government is hoping a temporary break on GST will address a 'vibecession' that has gripped Canadians, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Monday. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Thursday that starting Dec. 14 the goods and services tax will be taken off a slew of items for two months to help with the affordability crunch. In a news conference on Monday, Freeland said there's a disconnect between recent good news on inflation and interest rates and how Canadians are feeling about the economy, something she said is being referred to as a "vibecession." The finance minister said the tax cut is meant to help bridge that gap and stimulate consumer spending. "One of the positive impacts of this measure is to help Canadians get past that vibecession because how Canadians feel really does have a real economic impact," Freeland said. The federal government also plans to send $250 cheques in the spring to Canadians who were working in 2023 and earned up to $150,000. Trudeau acknowledged last week that even though inflation is down and interest rates are falling, Canadians are still feeling the bite from higher prices. And while the government can't help with prices at the check out counter, it said it can put more money in people's pockets. The GST break and cash gifts are estimated to cost the federal government $6.3 billion. BMO estimates the stimulus amounts to 0.3 per cent of GDP. "That is hefty. But, it will do little to change economic behaviour, or even touch the aforementioned issues of productivity and affordability in comparison to, say, something like permanent income tax reductions," wrote BMO senior economist Robert Kavcic in a report. "In fact, when set against an incoming U.S. administration that is gearing up for a significant pro-growth policy push, it seems like energy would be better spent on measures with a more lasting impact." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2024. Nojoud Al Mallees, The Canadian PressNEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball switched a pair of series involving the Tampa Bay Rays to the first two months of the season in an attempt to avoid summer rain at open-air Steinbrenner Field, their temporary home following damage to Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay is scheduled to play 19 of its first 22 games at home and 37 of 54 through May 28, then play 64 of its last 108 games on the road. The Rays are home for eight games each in July and August. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get updates and player profiles ahead of Friday's high school games, plus a recap Saturday with stories, photos, video Frequency: Seasonal Twice a weekColumn: Brady Corbet’s epic movie ‘The Brutalist’ came close to crashing down more than onceColumn: Brady Corbet’s epic movie ‘The Brutalist’ came close to crashing down more than once
"History, in all societies, is complicated," said S Jaishankar at the book launch, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Saturday attended the launch of Indian historian Vikram Sampath's book 'Tipu Sultan: The Saga of the Mysore Interregnum' at the Indian Habitat Centre here in Delhi. S Jaishankar described Tipu Sultan as a "very complex figure in history," highlighting both his resistance to British colonial control and the controversial aspects of his rule. Speaking at the event, S Jaishankar said, "Tipu Sultan is actually a very, very complex figure in history. On the one hand, he has the reputation as a key figure who resisted the British colonial control over India, and it is a fact that his defeat and death can be considered a turning point when it came to the fate of peninsular India." However, S Jaishankar also noted the "adverse" effects of Tipu Sultan's rule in the Mysore region. "At the same time, he evokes strong adverse sentiments even today in many regions, some in Mysore itself," he added. S Jaishankar further emphasized that Indian history has focused more on Tipu Sultan's battles with the British, and "underplaying" or "neglecting" other aspects of his rule. "Contemporary history writing, certainly at the national level, has focused largely on the former, and underplaying, if not neglecting the later. Let's be honest, this was not an accident," he said. Asserting that History is complicated, S Jaishankar said that "cherry-picking of facts" in the case of Tipu Sultan has led to the advancement of a "political narrative". "History, in all societies, is complicated, and politics indulges in cherry-picking the facts. This has happened in the case of Tipu Sultan. By highlighting the Tipu-English binary, to the exclusion of a more complicated reality, a particular narrative has been advanced over the years," he said. S Jaishankar reaffirmed that under PM Modi's government, India has seen the emergence of alternative perspectives. "In the last 10 years, the changes in our political dispensation have led to the emergence of alternative perspectives. We are no longer prisoners of a vote bank, nor it is politically incorrect to bring out inconvenient truth," he added. Speaking further about the book, S Jaishankar said, "As someone from the diplomatic world, I was really struck by info and insights which are provided in this volume on Tipu Sultan. We in India have tendered to mainly study post-independence foreign policy -- perhaps this too was a conscious choice. But the fact is that many of our kingdoms and states forayed into international affairs in previous centuries in pursuance of thier particular interests, and some, by the way, continued to do so even till independence. The interaction of Tipu's missionary with their French and English counterparts is really fascinating." Promoted Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com S Jaishankar concluded by saying that open-minded scholarship and genuine debate are central to India's evolution as a pluralistic society and vibrant democracy. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)The top US court will hear arguments on January 10 on whether the law that would ban the platform violates free speech rights. Washington, DC – The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear TikTok’s bid to block a law that would ban or compel the sale of the video platform over its links to China. The top justices signalled on Wednesday that they are willing to reconsider a decision by a lower court that upheld the law, but they stopped short of issuing an injunction to immediately suspend the US government’s effort to block TikTok. The Supreme Court will hear oral argument in the case on January 10, nine days before the government’s deadline to impose the ban. US President Joe Biden approved the law, dubbed the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act , in April after years of proclaimed concerns that the popular social media app may be used to steal Americans’ data and manipulate public opinion. At the core of the case is determining whether banning TikTok is a violation of free speech rights granted by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. The government argues that the ban falls under legitimate regulations of foreign-owned companies. TikTok is owned by the China-based technology firm ByteDance. “The parties are directed to brief and argue the following question: Whether the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, as applied to petitioners, violates the First Amendment,” the Supreme Court said on Wednesday. TikTok, which says it has 170 million monthly US users , called the law in a filing to the Supreme Court a “massive and unprecedented speech restriction”, invoking the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on January 20. “The act will shutter one of America’s most popular speech platforms the day before a presidential inauguration,” TikTok’s lawyers wrote. “This, in turn, will silence the speech of applicants and the many Americans who use the platform to communicate about politics, commerce, arts, and other matters of public concern.” Trump’s ‘warm spot’ Trump previously said he has a “warm spot” for TikTok, and he met its CEO Shou Chew on Monday. TikTok noted in its petition to the Supreme Court that the US government has only raised the potential of data breaches and content manipulation without proving that these concerns have materialised. The platform’s lawyers said the ban is motivated by “the content posted by TikTok’s users and alleged editorial choices by TikTok Inc. in disseminating that content”. Some US politicians have accused TikTok of boosting pro-Palestine content and spreading anti-Semitism – allegations that the platform has categorically denied. A panel of judges on an appeals court earlier sided with the government’s argument that the effort against the platform is not about curbing free speech. “The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” the judges wrote . “Here the government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.” US Attorney General Merrick Garland welcomed that ruling. “Today’s decision is an important step in blocking the Chinese government from weaponising TikTok to collect sensitive information about millions of Americans, to covertly manipulate the content delivered to American audiences, and to undermine our national security,” he said in a statement. The Supreme Court is the highest level of appeal in the US judicial system. When it takes up a case, it signals that it is of significant national importance and that it merits to be heard at the top of the judiciary. So, while the Supreme Court’s order does not mean TikTok will defeat the ban, the decision keeps the challenge alive. If the justices had dismissed the case, the litigation would have ended with the lower court’s ruling. Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell filed a brief in support of the law on Wednesday, portraying the lawsuit as a delay tactic by TikTok to buy time until Trump becomes president. “This is a standard litigation play at the end of one administration, with a petitioner hoping that the next administration will provide a stay of execution,” he wrote. “This Court should no more countenance it coming from foreign adversaries than it does from hardened criminals.” The legal fight over TikTok comes amid intensifying competition between the US and China . The US federal government and several states and companies have already banned the application from their official devices. Earlier this week, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University filed a motion backing TikTok’s case. They called the ban “an egregious form of content discrimination”, citing US politicians’ publicly voiced warnings about political content on the platform. “At least 20 other legislators justified their support for the act’s provisions in content- and viewpoint-based terms, citing risks ranging from the proliferation of Chinese propaganda, to the sharing of content harmful to minors, to the alleged suppression of pro-Ukraine and pro-Israel views ,” the groups wrote.
FILE PHOTO: Nov 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Oracle Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (1) during the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images/File Photo FILE PHOTO: The new GM logo is seen on the facade of the General Motors headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., March 16, 2021. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File Photo General Motors plans to enter Formula One with its Cadillac brand in 2026 after announcing on Monday an agreement in principle with the Liberty Media-owned sport. Hailing a landmark move to become the 11th team on the starting grid, the carmaker said it had also registered with the governing FIA as a power unit manufacturer to become a full works outfit by the end of the decade. They will be the first new team since U.S.-owned Haas debuted in 2016 and GM the sixth engine maker after Audi, Ferrari, Honda, Mercedes and Red Bull/Ford. GM will partner with TWG Global and Mario Andretti -- the last U.S. world champion in 1978 -- will serve as a director on the team's board. "My first love was Formula One and now, 70 years later, the F1 paddock is still my happy place," said Andretti in a Cadillac statement. "To still be involved at this stage of my life; I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming." General Motors bosses were at the Las Vegas Grand Prix last weekend to put the seal on a project that was rejected by Formula One last January despite FIA approval. "With Formula One’s continued growth plans in the U.S., we have always believed that welcoming an impressive U.S. brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport," said Liberty Media's outgoing CEO Greg Maffei. "We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula One. "We are excited to move forward with the application process for the GM/Cadillac team to enter the Championship in 2026." FIA SUPPORT FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who was an early backer of an Andretti bid and has continued to push behind the scenes to get a deal over the line, expressed full support for the latest development. "All parties, including the FIA, will continue to work together to ensure the process progresses smoothly," he said in a statement. An investigation by the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee into possible 'anticompetitive conduct' also concentrated minds and changed the dialogue, sources said. Formula One had said in January it doubted the original Andretti bid would be competitive or add value but kept a door open for 2028 when partner General Motors could provide an engine. That bid was presented as an Andretti Cadillac entry, with Andretti Global led by Mario's son Michael -- a former F1 racer and 1991 CART champion who was seen by some as a more confrontational figure. Michael Andretti has since taken a step back from his day-to-day operational role and handed over to Dan Towriss, the CEO of TWG Global which owns and operates Andretti Global. The BBC separately quoted senior sources as saying GM and TWG will pay an anti-dilution fee, split between the 10 existing teams, of $450m to secure the entry. The current fee is 200 million, but new rules will apply from 2026. GM will also need to buy in an engine for 2026 and 2027, with Ferrari seen as a leading candidate given that they will have a spare supply when Sauber become Audi. "This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level," said GM president Mark Reuss. Cadillac has already assembled a team to work on aerodynamics, chassis and component development, software, and vehicle dynamics simulation. Andretti also has a base at Silverstone in England with a number of personnel employed, including former F1 chief technical officer Pat Symonds as executive engineering consultant REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel nowThe top 10 football teams in Maine as voted on by reporters from the Press Herald, Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel, Sun Journal and Forecaster, with first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points. Through games of 11/23/24 Comments are not available on this story. Send questions/comments to the editors. « PreviousJEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — “My Driver and I” was supposed to be made in 2016, but was scuttled amid Saudi Arabia's decades-long cinema ban. Eight years later, the landscape for film in the kingdom looks much different — and the star of “My Driver and I” now has an award. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — “My Driver and I” was supposed to be made in 2016, but was scuttled amid Saudi Arabia's decades-long cinema ban. Eight years later, the landscape for film in the kingdom looks much different — and the star of “My Driver and I” now has an award. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — “My Driver and I” was supposed to be made in 2016, but was scuttled amid Saudi Arabia’s decades-long cinema ban. Eight years later, the landscape for film in the kingdom looks much different — and the star of “My Driver and I” now has an award. Roula Dakheelallah was named the winner of the Chopard Emerging Saudi Talent award at the Red Sea International Film Festival on Thursday. The award — and the glitzy festival itself — is a sign of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to shaping a new film industry. “My heart is attached to cinema and art; I have always dreamed of a moment like this,” Dakheelallah, who still works a 9-5 job, told The Associated Press before the awards ceremony. “I used to work in voluntary films and help my friends in the field, but this is my first big role in a film.” The reopening of cinemas in 2018 marked a cultural turning point for Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy that had instituted the ban 35 years before, under the influence of ultraconservative religious authorities. It has since invested heavily in a native film industry by building theaters and launching programs to support local filmmakers through grants and training. The Red Sea International Film Festival was launched just a year later, part of an attempt to expand Saudi influence into films, gaming, sports and other cultural fields. Activists have decried the investments as whitewashing the kingdom’s human rights record as it tightly controls speech and remains one of the world’s top executioners. With FIFA awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia this week, Lina al-Hathloul, a Saudi activist with the London-based rights group ALQST, said Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman “has really managed to create this bubble where people only see entertainment and they don’t see the reality on the ground.” These efforts are part of Vision 2030, an ambitious reform plan unveiled in 2016 to ease the economy’s dependence on oil. As part of it, Saudi Arabia plans to construct 350 cinemas with over 2,500 movie screens — by this past April, across 22 cities, it already had 66 cinemas showing movies from the local film industry, as well as Hollywood and Bollywood. (The Red Sea International Film Festival attracts a host of talent from the latter industries, with Viola Davis and Priyanka Chopra Jonas also picking up awards Thursday.) The country’s General Entertainment Authority last month opened Al Hisn Studios on the outskirts of Riyadh. As one of the largest such production hubs in the Middle East, it not only includes several film studios but also a production village with workshops for carpentry, blacksmithing and fashion tailoring. “These facilities, when they exist, will stimulate filmmakers,” said Saudi actor Mohammed Elshehri. “Today, no writer or director has an excuse to imagine and say, ‘I cannot implement my imagination.’” The facilities are one part of the equation — the content itself is another. One of the major players in transforming Saudi filmmaking has been Telfaz11, a media company founded in 2011 that began as a YouTube channel and quickly became a trailblazer. Producing high-quality digital content such as short films, comedy sketches and series, Telfaz11 offered fresh perspectives on Saudi and regional issues. In 2020, Telfaz11 signed a partnership with Netflix to produce original content for the streaming giant. The result has been movies that demonstrate an evolution on the storytelling level, tackling topics that were once off-limits and sensitive to the public like secret nightlife in “Mandoob” (“Night Courier”) and changing social norms in “Naga.” “I think we tell our stories in a very simple way, and that’s what reaches the world,” Elshehri says of the changing shift. “When you tell your story in a natural way without any affectation, it will reach every person.” But the films were not without their critics, drawing mixed reaction. Social media discoursed ranged from pleasure that Saudi film were tackling such topics to anger over how the films reflected conservative society. 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. As Hana Al-Omair, a Saudi writer and director, points out, there are still many stories left untold. “We certainly have a long time ahead of us before we can tell the Saudi narrative as it should be,” she said, acknowledging that there are still barriers and rampant censorship. “The Goat Life,” a Malayalam-language movie about an Indian man forced to work without pay in Saudi Arabia, is not available on Netflix’s platform in the country. Movies that explore political topics or LGBTQ+ stories are essentially out of the question. Even “My Driver and I,” featured at the Red Sea festival alongside 11 other Saudi feature-length films, was initially too controversial. It centers on a Sudanese man in Jeddah, living away from his own daughter, who feels responsible for the girl he drives as her parents are absent. It was initially blocked from being made because of the relationship between the girl and the driver, filmmaker Ahd Kamel has said, even though it’s not a romantic relationship. Now in 2024, the film is a success story — a symbol of the Saudi film industry’s evolution as well as the growing role of women like Kamel behind the camera and Dakheelallah in front of it. “I see the change in Saudi cinema, a very beautiful change and it is moving at a wonderful speed. In my opinion, we do not need to rush,” Dakheelallah said. “We need to guide the truth of the artistic movement that is happening in Saudi Arabia.” Advertisement Advertisement