Transatlantic balance buoys sterling towards pre-Brexit berth: Mike Dolan
Moment doorbell camera catches 'thief' barging into shop and 'stealing phone' - as 'shaken up' victim appeals for help and issues safety warning By GEMMA PARRY Published: 22:55 GMT, 13 December 2024 | Updated: 23:18 GMT, 13 December 2024 e-mail View comments The moment a 'thief' barged into an Essex shop was captured on a doorbell camera - as the 'shaken up' victim appeals for help and issues a safety warning. Ellie Meyers, who owns home interior store Ellie's Finishing Touches, shared a post on social media showing the moment a man barged into her shop on Main Road in Gidea Park earlier this month. The footage, captured on a doorbell camera, shows a man wearing a black coat, black trousers and black trainers approaching the shop just after 4pm on December 3. His face is clearly captured on the camera when he rings the bell, which Ms Meyers answers to advise him that the shop is closed. But, the footage then shows him forcing his way into the store, before making his way to the back. Ms Meyers says that he then took her mobile phone before leaving the shop. Taking to Instagram , she wrote of her ordeal, urging women in the area to 'be careful'. 'Earlier today at 4pm [December 3] this man knocked at my shop door', she wrote. 'I told him I was closed and he requested a leaflet. I locked the door and returned to give him said leaflet. 'I only had the door edged open because I was on my own but he continued to speak in broken English forcing himself in pretending he wanted to buy something. Ms Meyers's doorbell camera captured the man very clearly as he knocked on her shop door The man, wearing a black coat, black trousers and black shoes approached the shop in Essex just after 4pm on December 3 Ms Meyers said she answered the door and advised that the shop was closed Ms Meyers said the man barged his way into the store despite being told it was now closed 'I stood at the front door as I was scared stiff and kept asking him to leave but he pretended to not understand me. He then made his way to the back of the shop and kept trying to lure me back there to 'show me' something, to 'buy something' and to 'make appointment' this was an out of sight area so I stood at the front as I was scared of what he might do. 'Luckily after 10 minutes of trying he left and said he would 'come back tomorrow'. The unfortunate thing is that I then realised he had stolen my phone. 'I'm thankful this was all that happened as the phone is just materialistic. It could have been a lot worse had I followed him to the back of the shop 'Local people please be careful, especially any women on their own. Please look out for this man and let me or the police know if and where you see him. 'I'm quite a tough person but this has really shaken me up, you never really know what you'll do until you're in a situation like that!' It comes following a spate of phone thefts in nearby Swale and Medway. Kent Police have issued an appeal alongside the CCTV image captured by Ms Meyers's doorbell camera, after multiple thefts in the area, three of which happened in Sittingbourne on December 5. Ms Meyers said the man 'pretended he didn't understand' her when asked to leave the store He left around 10 minutes after he first entered the shop and walked off to the left Ms Meyers realised her phone was missing after he left and went to see where he had gone Police say a man entered separate hairdressers in town and enquired about an appointment for his partner. Staff later realised their phones had been taken while they were distracted. Later on the same afternoon, a similar theft was reported at a hairdressers in Strood. Inspector Allen Searle said: ' We are treating these incidents as linked as in each case staff at the businesses had phones stolen while they were distracted by a potential customer. 'We are now issuing an image of a man who may be able to assist our enquiries and are urging anybody who recognises him to get in touch with us.' Anyone with information should call Kent Police on 01795 419119, quoting reference 46/206483/24. MailOnline has contacted Essex Police for comment. Instagram Share or comment on this article: Moment doorbell camera catches 'thief' barging into shop and 'stealing phone' - as 'shaken up' victim appeals for help and issues safety warning e-mail Add commentWEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump's supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in his political movement into public display, previewing the fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare the tensions between the newest flank of Trump's movement — wealthy members of the tech world including billionaire Elon Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and their call for more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump's Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. The debate touched off this week when Laura Loomer , a right-wing provocateur with a history of racist and conspiratorial comments, criticized Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence policy in his coming administration. Krishnan favors the ability to bring more skilled immigrants into the U.S. Loomer declared the stance to be “not America First policy” and said the tech executives who have aligned themselves with Trump were doing so to enrich themselves. Much of the debate played out on the social media network X, which Musk owns. Loomer's comments sparked a back-and-forth with venture capitalist and former PayPal executive David Sacks , whom Trump has tapped to be the “White House A.I. & Crypto Czar." Musk and Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tasked with finding ways to cut the federal government , weighed in, defending the tech industry's need to bring in foreign workers. It bloomed into a larger debate with more figures from the hard-right weighing in about the need to hire U.S. workers, whether values in American culture can produce the best engineers, free speech on the internet, the newfound influence tech figures have in Trump's world and what his political movement stands for. Trump has not yet weighed in on the rift, and his presidential transition team did not respond to a message seeking comment. Musk, the world's richest man who has grown remarkably close to the president-elect , was a central figure in the debate, not only for his stature in Trump's movement but his stance on the tech industry's hiring of foreign workers. Technology companies say H-1B visas for skilled workers, used by software engineers and others in the tech industry, are critical for hard-to-fill positions. But critics have said they undercut U.S. citizens who could take those jobs. Some on the right have called for the program to be eliminated, not expanded. Born in South Africa, Musk was once on an a H-1B visa himself and defended the industry's need to bring in foreign workers. “There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent," he said in a post. “It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.” Trump's own positions over the years have reflected the divide in his movement. His tough immigration policies, including his pledge for a mass deportation, were central to his winning presidential campaign. He has focused on immigrants who come into the U.S. illegally but he has also sought curbs on legal immigration , including family-based visas. As a presidential candidate in 2016, Trump called the H-1B visa program “very bad” and “unfair” for U.S. workers. After he became president, Trump in 2017 issued a “Buy American and Hire American” executive order , which directed Cabinet members to suggest changes to ensure H-1B visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants to protect American workers. Trump's businesses, however, have hired foreign workers, including waiters and cooks at his Mar-a-Lago club , and his social media company behind his Truth Social app has used the the H-1B program for highly skilled workers. During his 2024 campaign for president, as he made immigration his signature issue, Trump said immigrants in the country illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country" and promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. But in a sharp departure from his usual alarmist message around immigration generally, Trump told a podcast this year that he wants to give automatic green cards to foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges. “I think you should get automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country," he told the “All-In" podcast with people from the venture capital and technology world. Those comments came on the cusp of Trump's budding alliance with tech industry figures, but he did not make the idea a regular part of his campaign message or detail any plans to pursue such changes.Trump To End Daylight Saving Time? Calls It ‘Hassle for the Nation’
FROM Caspering to throning, the language of love can be difficult to understand. Whether you are playing the field or hunting for The One, we translate the dating dictionary’s newest entries . . . SLEDGING: Beware of this as the temperature drops. Sledging sees people dragging out relationships they are no longer interested in just for the convenience of a festive fling. Come spring , they will be gone. THRONING: If someone dates for social status and to boost their reputation rather than love, they are guilty of throning. READ MORE ON GEN Z DATING WOKEFISHING: A cousin of catfishing, wokefishing is when someone pretends to be socially conscious to attract a partner. If your dating bio has hashtags like #EcoWarrior but your recycling bin is always empty, this is aimed at you . . . POCKETING: This is when you are kept hidden from your partner’s social circle. If you have not met their family and do not hang out with their friends, you are being pocketed. Most read in Fabulous It could be a sign they do not see a future with you, or they are seeing someone else. CASPERING: Ghosting, but friendlier — like that loveable movie ghost. Instead of suddenly disappearing, your date will send sporadic replies and vague excuses until the connection slowly fizzles. REVENANTING: Just when you think they are gone for good and you have moved on, they return. They might offer some sort of an apology or excuse to win your over, or they will assume you are happy to pick up where you left off. COLLABOR-DATING: For Gen-Z singletons , dating and content creation go hand in hand. And collabor-dating is not just about meeting someone you fancy, it is about bonding over shared projects, such as creating playlists or making TikToks. Every date becomes a creative partnership, blending love and likes into one photo-genic package. FREAK MATCHING: Inspired by singer Tinashe ’s viral TikTok track Nasty, it is less dirty than it sounds. Freak matching is connecting with someone over your shared quirks and unique interests. In 2025, it is less about fitting a mould and more about showing your true — weird — self. SHADOW PHASING: In the early stages of a relationship, shadow phasing is when someone hints at their new partner on social media without going fully public. They will share glimpses — a cropped photo here, a hand-hold there — while the couple quietly build a stronger connection away from their screens. FLEX DATING: Gen Z are all about keeping things casual but impactful, and Flex meet-ups are the ultimate way to fit dating into their busy lives. READ MORE SUN STORIES Think of quick, last-minute hangouts with a shared goal, like a workout, grabbing a smoothie or running an errand. These spontaneous dates let singles get to know each other without over-committing. To have someone to have sex with (60%) To have someone to cuddle with when it’s cold (50%) To avoid feeling lonely in this magical time of year (40%) To avoid answering questions about being single (30%) To have someone to bring to Christmas and New Year’s parties (20%)
Ontario government set to match federal 2-month tax ‘holiday’ on some itemsSale Sharks stopped free-scoring Bristol in their tracks as they moved into the Gallagher Premiership play-off places with a stunning 38-0 victory at Ashton Gate. Bristol had high hopes of going top above west country rivals Bath, but Sale did not allow them any time or space on the ball and Bears’ trademark running game hit the buffers. Scrum-half Raffi Quirke set the tone when he breached Bristol‘s defence inside three minutes, and the Sharks never looked back. Tom Roebuck added a second try before half-time, then captain Ben Curry’s interception score sealed the deal midway through the third quarter, before Roebuck’s fellow wing Tom O’Flaherty secured a bonus point 14 minutes from time. Centre Rob du Preez kicked three penalties and three conversions, while fly-half George Ford dropped a goal as Sale’s statement win served notice of their title credentials. Bristol had collected a try-scoring bonus point in each of their last nine league games, equalling the Premiership record. Sale, in stark contrast, were without a point of any description on their Premiership travels this term, but those statistics were shredded on a spectacular night for Alex Sanderson’s team. England prop Ellis Genge withdrew from Bristol‘s starting line-up after suffering a back spasm, while it weas confirmed before kick-off that Bears fly-half AJ MacGinty faces four months out due to a knee injury. Sale produced a lightning start, rocking Bristol when Quirke made a blistering break from 35 metres out to claim a superb solo touchdown that Du Preez converted. Sale then suffered an injury blow when centre Luke James departed the action after taking a knock to his shoulder, but it did not disrupt impressive early Sharks momentum as Du Preez kicked a penalty. Bristol could not get going, and their cause was not helped midway through the first-half when Harry Randall was yellow-carded for pulling back Sale hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie off the ball. Randall had barely left the pitch before Sharks extended their lead courtesy of impressive approach by their forwards that led to Ford freeing Roebuck with a long pass, and he applied a simple finish. Du Preez’s conversion made it 17-0, before Bristol suffered another injury setback when their top try-scorer Gabriel Ibitoye went off due to an apparent hamstring problem. Ford then underlined Sale’s dominance by landing a drop-goal as the visitors took a 20-point lead with them into the interval. Bristol could find no way into the contest, and after Du Preez kicked a second penalty, Curry intercepted home skipper Fitz Harding’s speculative pass to cross from close range, and Du Preez’s conversion saw Sale hit 30 points. He completed his penalty hat-trick midway through the second period, and all Bristol could concentrate on was trying to break their points duck in a game that had seen them emphatically outplayed. Sale had other ideas as they raced to a five-point maximum in thrilling fashion when O’Flaherty broke clear from just outside his own 22, then linked with Quirke before finishing in style. It said everything about a game when Sale took their chances magnificently, building on rock-solid foundations provided by an imperious defensive display. Bristol, though, were left to reflect on failing to score a point in a Premiership game for the first time since 2016. PA