Market Wrap: All-Share Index sheds 0.35% as SUNUASSUR tops gainers and HMCALL dominates tradesLONDON — A woman who claimed mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor "brutally raped and battered" her in a Dublin hotel penthouse was awarded nearly 250,000 Euros ($257,000) on Friday by a civil court jury in Ireland. Nikita Hand said the Dec. 9, 2018, assault after a night of partying left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced the woman to do anything against her will and said she fabricated the allegations after the two had consensual sex. His lawyer had called Hand a gold digger. The fighter, once the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship but now past his prime, shook his head as the jury of eight women and four men found him liable for assault after deliberating about six hours in the High Court in Dublin. He was mobbed by cameras as he left court but did not comment. He later said on the social platform X that he would appeal the verdict and the "modest award." Hand's voice cracked and her hands trembled as she read a statement outside the courthouse, saying she would never forget what happened to her but would now be able to move on with her life. She thanked her family, partner, friends, jurors, the judge and all the supporters that had reached out to her online, but particularly her daughter. "She has given me so much strength and courage over the last six years throughout this nightmare to keep on pushing forward for justice," she said. "I want to show (her) and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and justice will be served." The Associated Press generally does not name alleged victims of sexual violence unless they come forward publicly, as Hand has done. Under Irish law, she did not have the anonymity she would have been granted in a criminal proceeding and was named publicly throughout the trial. Her lawyer told jurors that McGregor was angry about a fight he had lost in Las Vegas two months earlier and took it out on his client. "He's not a man, he's a coward," attorney John Gordon said in his closing speech. "A devious coward and you should treat him for what he is." Gordon said his client never pretended to be a saint and was only looking to have fun when she sent McGregor a message through Instagram after attending a Christmas party. He said Hand knew McGregor socially and that they had grown up in the same area. She said he picked her and a friend up in a car and shared cocaine with them, which McGregor admitted in court, on the way to the Beacon Hotel. Hand said she told McGregor she didn't want to have sex with him and that she was menstruating. She said she told him "no" as he started kissing her but he eventually pinned her to a bed and she couldn't move. McGregor put her in a chokehold and later told her, "now you know how I felt in the octagon where I tapped out three times," referring to a UFC match when he had to admit defeat, she said. Hand had to take several breaks in emotional testimony over three days. She said McGregor threatened to kill her during the encounter and she feared she would never see her young daughter again. Eventually, he let go of her. "I remember saying I was sorry, as I felt that I did something wrong and I wanted to reassure him that I wouldn't tell anyone so he wouldn't hurt me again," she testified. She said she then let him do what he wanted and he had sex with her. A paramedic who examined Hand the next day testified that she had never before seen someone with that intensity of bruising. A doctor told jurors Hand had multiple injuries. Hand said the trauma of the attack had left her unable to work as a hairdresser, she fell behind on her mortgage and had to move out of her house. Police investigated the woman's complaint but prosecutors declined to bring charges, saying there was insufficient evidence and a conviction was unlikely. McGregor, in his post on X, said he was disappointed jurors didn't see all the evidence prosecutors had reviewed. He testified that the two had athletic and vigorous sex, but that it was not rough. He said "she never said 'no' or stopped" and testified that everything she said was a lie. "It is a full blown lie among many lies," he said when asked about the chokehold allegation. "How anyone could believe that me, as a prideful person, would highlight my shortcomings." McGregor's lawyer told jurors they had to set aside their animus toward the fighter. "You may have an active dislike of him, some of you may even loathe him – there is no point pretending that the situation might be otherwise," attorney Remy Farrell said. "I'm not asking you to invite him to Sunday brunch." The defense said the woman never told investigators McGregor threatened her life. They also showed surveillance video in court that they said appeared to show the woman kiss McGregor's arm and hug him after they left the hotel room. Farrell said she looked "happy, happy, happy." McGregor said he was "beyond petrified" when first questioned by police and read them a prepared statement. On the advice of his lawyer, he refused to answer more than 100 follow-up questions. The jury ruled against Hand in a case she brought against one of McGregor's friends, James Lawrence, whom she accused of having sex with her in the hotel without consent. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
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TPCODL Wins Prestigious Kalinga Safety Excellence Award at National Safety Conclave 2024NexPoint Residential Trust, Inc. (NYSE:NXRT) reported in a recent 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that Brian Mitts, the Chief Financial Officer, Executive VP-Finance, Secretary, and Treasurer of the company, has resigned from his positions effective December 31, 2024. In light of Mr. Mitts’ resignation, the Board of Directors has appointed Paul Richards as the new Chief Financial Officer, Executive VP-Finance, Treasurer, and Assistant Secretary, and David Willmore as the Chief Accounting Officer, Assistant Treasurer, and Assistant Secretary. These appointments are effective as of January 1, 2025. The Board additionally declared that Mr. Richards will assume the roles of principal accounting officer and principal financial officer at NexPoint Residential Trust as of January 1, 2025, following Mr. Mitts’ departure. Until the end of his tenure, Mr. Mitts will continue to serve in his current capacities. The company stated in its filing that Mr. Richards has no significant interest, either direct or indirect, in any transaction that necessitates disclosure under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K. As per the disclosure in the filing, forward-looking statements were made regarding the company’s officers. These statements are based on current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that could result in actual outcomes differing from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Investors are advised to review the company’s filings with the SEC for a comprehensive discussion of risks and factors impacting such statements. The filing expressed that the statements contained within are the company’s views as of the date of the filing and that, unless required by law, NexPoint Residential Trust does not commit to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. Pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the report was signed on behalf of NexPoint Residential Trust, Inc. by Brian Mitts, the outgoing Chief Financial Officer, Executive VP-Finance, Secretary, and Treasurer, on December 27, 2024. This article was generated by an automated content engine and was reviewed by a human editor prior to publication. For additional information, read NexPoint Residential Trust’s 8K filing here . NexPoint Residential Trust Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) NexPoint Residential Trust is a publicly traded REIT, with its shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NXRT,” primarily focused on acquiring, owning and operating well-located middle-income multifamily properties with “value-add” potential in large cities and suburban submarkets of large cities, primarily in the Southeastern and Southwestern United States. Featured Stories
Topline Elon Musk backed Germany’s far-right Alternative for Deutschland party, known as the AfD, in an opinion piece published in a German newspaper on Saturday, wading deeper into international politics as the billionaire has become a fixture in Trump’s orbit. Key Facts Chief Critic Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told CNN last week Musk’s political opinions carry heavy weight given his proximity to Trump, warning “what Elon Musk thinks tends to eventually be what the president of the United States thinks. And if the United States takes an official position in favor of neo-Nazis in Germany, I mean, it is absolutely catastrophic.” Tangent Vice President-elect JD Vance has also expressed support for the AfD, responding sarcastically to posts on X criticizing the party’s hardline immigration stance as dangerous, writing on Dec. 21 “It’s so dangerous for people to control their borders. So so dangerous. The dangerous level is off the charts.” Key Background Musk penned the op-ed after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government collapsed earlier this month, prompting a snap election scheduled for Feb. 23. Musk’s piece was published in a newspaper owned by the Axel Springer media group, which also owns Politico. The AfD is sharply against immigration and has been accused of using Nazi and white supremacist rhetoric, including a campaign advertisement that showed a naked white woman being accosted by a dark-skinned man in an Arabic head scarf and urged Europeans to “vote for AfD, so that Europe will never become ‘Eurabia.’” Musk, who has become a fixture at Trump’s side since he won the November election and was appointed to head a newly created government efficiency department, has made numerous statements in support of the AfD on X recently, writing earlier this month that the party’s anti-immigration policies “sound reasonable” and questioning in June why the party is labeled far-right. Further Reading Elon Musk pens German newspaper opinion piece supporting far-right AfD party (The Guardian) Elon Musk endorses far-right German political party, wading deeper into global politics (CNN) Elon Musk backs AfD party in German newspaper opinion piece (Reuters)
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U.S. president-elect Donald Trump says he told Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky during a Christmas Day visit that he should run for prime minister of Canada. “I just left Wayne Gretzky, ‘The Great One’ as he is known in ice-hockey circles,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform Wednesday afternoon. “I said, ‘Wayne, why don’t you run for prime minister of Canada, soon to be known as the governor of Canada — you would win easily, you wouldn’t even have to campaign.’ He had no interest,” Trump wrote. His comment about being governor of Canada refers to Trump repeatedly suggesting the country become a U.S. state, which Ottawa insists is a joke. Trump added that it would be “fun to watch” if Canadians launched a movement to get the retired hockey player to seek office. The Canadian Press has tried to contact Gretzky through his agents. Experts have said that Ottawa is rightfully focused on the prospect of damaging tariffs under the looming Trump presidency instead of pushing back on rhetoric about annexing or purchasing Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leads a minority government that could be toppled by a confidence vote next year, following the surprise resignation of finance minister Chrystia Freeland. Trump also expressed Christmas greetings to Trudeau, again referring to him as a governor and claiming that Canadians would see a tax cut of more than 60 per cent if the country became an American state. “Their businesses would immediately double in size, and they would be militarily protected like no other country anywhere in the world,” Trump wrote in a post that also alluded to his desire to annex Greenland and the Panama Canal. Gretzky has previously backed Conservative politicians, such as former Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown during his run for the party leadership. During the 2015 federal election, Conservative leader Stephen Harper interviewed Gretzky in front of hundreds of supporters as the Tories unsuccessfully sought re-election. At the event, Gretzky told Harper he thought he had been an “unreal prime minister” who had been “wonderful to the whole country.” Gretzky later said he always follows a prime minister’s request, regardless of political stripe, noting he had once hosted a lunch for former Liberal prime minister Pierre Trudeau. Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press