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Penticton vaccine discrimination complaint against B.C. Union dismissedStock market today: Wall Street slips as the 'Magnificent 7' weighs down the market NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are closing lower as Wall Street ends a holiday-shortened week on a down note. The S&P 500 fell 1.1% Friday and the the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 333 points, or 0.8%. The Nasdaq composite dropped 1.5%. The “Magnificent 7” stocks weighed on the market, led by declines in Nvidia, Tesla and Microsoft. Even with the loss, the S&P 500 had a modest gain for the week and is still headed for its second consecutive annual gain of more than 20%, the first time that has happened since 1997-1998. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.62%. 10 tips from experts to help you change your relationship with money in 2025 NEW YORK (AP) — As the calendar changes to 2025, you might be thinking about how to approach your relationship with money in the new year. Whether you’re saving to move out of your parents’ house or pay off student loan debt, financial resolutions can help you stay motivated. If you’re planning to make financial resolutions for the new year, experts recommend that you start by evaluating the state of your finances in 2024. Then, set specific goals and make sure they’re attainable for your lifestyle. An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump's political coalition WEST 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 the president-elect’s political movement into public display. The argument previews fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare tensions between the newest flank of Trump’s movement — that is, wealthy members of the tech world who want more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump’s Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. A 9th telecoms firm has been hit by a massive Chinese espionage campaign, the White House says WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House official says a ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. Administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies, as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon. But Anne Neuberger, a deputy national security adviser, said Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks. Most Americans blame insurance profits and denials alongside the killer in UHC CEO death, poll finds WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials share responsibility for the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO — although not as much as the person who pulled the trigger. So says a new poll from NORC at the University of Chicago. It finds that about 8 in 10 Americans say that the person who committed the killing has “a great deal” or “a moderate amount” of responsibility for the Dec. 4 shooting of Brian Thompson. Still, some see suspect Luigi Mangione as a heroic figure. About 7 in 10 adults say coverage denials or health insurance profits also bear at least “a moderate amount” of responsibility for Thompson’s death. Another jackpot surpasses $1 billion. Is this the new normal? Remember this moment because it probably won’t last: A U.S. lottery jackpot is projected to soar above $1 billion, and that's still a big deal. Friday’s Mega Millions drawing is worth an estimated $1.15 billion. The prize has evoked headlines across the country, despite the nation's top 10 jackpots already having boasted billion-dollar payouts. Jonathan Cohen is the author of the book “For a Dollar and a Dream: State Lotteries in Modern America.” He says he expects jackpots to continue to grow in size. Larger payouts attract more media attention, increase ticket sales and bring in new players. How the stock market defied expectations again this year, by the numbers NEW YORK (AP) — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The benchmark index posted its first back-to-back annual gains of more than 20% since 1998. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing. But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin and gold surged and “Roaring Kitty” reappeared to briefly reignite the meme stock craze. Richard Parsons, prominent executive who led Time Warner and Citigroup, dies at 76 NEW YORK (AP) — Richard Parsons, one of corporate America’s most prominent Black executives who held top posts at Time Warner and Citigroup, has died. He was 76. Parsons died Thursday at his Manhattan home. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2015 and cited “unanticipated complications” from the disease for cutting back on work a few years later. Financial services company Lazard confirmed his death. Parsons was a longtime member of the company's board. His friend Ronald Lauder told The New York Times that the cause of death was cancer. Parsons stepped down Dec. 3 from the boards of Lazard and Lauder’s company, Estée Lauder, citing health reasons. He had been on Estée Lauder’s board for 25 years. Israel strikes Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital while the WHO chief says he was meters away JERUSALEM (AP) — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen has targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and multiple ports. The World Health Organization’s director-general said Thursday's bombardment took place just “meters away” as he was about to board a flight in Sanaa. He says a crew member was hurt. The strikes followed several days of Houthi attacks and launches setting off sirens in Israel. Israel's military says it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the airport in Sanaa, power stations and ports. The Israeli military later said it wasn’t aware that the WHO chief was at the location in Yemen. At least three people were reported killed and dozens injured in the Sanaa airport strike. Holiday shoppers increased spending by 3.8% despite higher prices New data shows holiday sales rose this year even as Americans wrestled with still high prices in many grocery necessities and other financial worries. According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, holiday sales from the beginning of November through Christmas Eve climbed 3.8%, a faster pace than the 3.1% increase from a year earlier. The measure tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards. This year, retailers were even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there were five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mastercard SpendingPulse says the last five days of the season accounted for 10% of the spending. Sales of clothing, electronics and Jewelry rose.None
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel gets 5-year contract extension
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Palantir, Anduril sign partnership for AI training in defense
OTTAWA - Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said foreign interference did not tip the scales in the Conservative party’s last leadership race that installed Pierre Poilievre at the helm. But he offered up Thursday that he changed some of the language he was using after getting pushback from an Indian diplomat that some of his comments could sound like he was endorsing ideas of Sikh nationalism. Brown, who was a candidate for the leadership in 2022, was summoned to a House of Commons committee Thursday to answer questions on the 2022 race after a report from a committee on national security referred to allegations of Indian interference in an unspecified Conservative leadership campaign. “I don’t believe foreign intervention affected the final outcome of the Conservative leadership race,” Brown told the House of Commons public safety and national security committee Thursday. A CBC/Radio-Canada article this week quoted several confidential sources from Brown’s campaign alleging that representatives from India’s consulate interfered to undermine his leadership bid. On Monday, Brown posted on social media about the committee’s summons to say that he had no new evidence to add, and that the public inquiry on foreign interference was the proper venue to evaluate the allegations. Brown insisted to the committee Thursday that no members of the Indian government reached out to him or his campaign workers during his leadership bid, saying the relationship was “already very strained” at that point. The CBC News story also contained allegations that his national campaign co-chair Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner was pressured to withdraw her support for Brown — something she denied. When NDP MP Alistair MacGregor quizzed him on the news report, asking why she left the campaign, Brown said she left seeking to launch her own leadership bid to replace UCP leader Jason Kenney in Alberta — not from pressure from India. “At no time when we talked about her departing the campaign did she ever say it was over pressure from the consul general,” he said. He said the article likely referred to a conference call more than a month before she left, after the consul general raised concerns with Rempel Garner about Brown using the words “Sikh nation.” “The consul general had expressed directly to (Rempel Garner) that, obviously that was something they didn’t agree with, that it could be viewed in nationalistic terms towards the Sikh community,” he said. That led him to change the language he was employing to a Punjabi term that he said meant the same thing. Liberal MP Jennifer O’Connell asked if that’s “an appropriate election activity by a foreign government,” charging it was a clear instance of foreign interference. Brown replied that Indian officials “have been more robust in their opinions than some of us would be comfortable with.” A bombshell report by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians into foreign interference released last spring referred to “India’s alleged interference in a Conservative Party of Canada leadership race.” Brown said he was not under any kind of non-disclosure agreement with the Conservative Party that prevents him from speaking publicly about what happened during the race. He said he believes it’s important to guard against foreign meddling in democracy but that he does not want to get drawn into partisan debates on Parliament Hill. Brown was not included as a witness in the public inquiry into foreign interference, which wrapped up hearings earlier this fall with a final report due in the new year. He was disqualified from the party’s 2022 leadership race due to allegations related to financing rules in the Canada Elections Act. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2024.
D ear Heloise: I’m having a buffet luncheon this month to celebrate the holidays with the women of a club to which I belong. I’m serving ham and roast beef with side dishes. However, several of the members have asked to bring a dish that they make and enjoy. Two want to bring a pie, one wants to bring a pasta dish, and another woman wants to bring her mother’s chocolate cake. Even my sister wants to bring a dish — a large fruit salad. How do I politely say, “No, thanks,” to these kind offers? They mean well, but I’ve already planned the menu. — H.K., in Connecticut H.K., why would you say, “No, thanks”? These ladies want to help you with the cost and work of doing a luncheon for the club. No menu should be so rigid that it can’t accommodate a few additional items. When someone arrives with a dish to share, thank them graciously and place the dish on the serving table. Before everyone starts to serve themselves, announce who brought what. A good host knows how to adapt with grace. — Heloise Dear Heloise: I get paint splatter all over my clothes and in my hair when I paint. What can I do to minimize this problem? — J.D., in Nebraska J.D., I had the very same problem, but I figured it out. First, get an apron made of very thick material. (You can usually find something like this at a hardware store.) Keep this if you like painting or plan to do more painting in the future. Next, get a shower cap to cover your hair. You can either use latex gloves to cover your hands or take a piece of round cardboard and cut a slit or hole big enough to slide the handle of your paint brush through. It acts as a shield for your hand. — Heloise Dear Heloise: There is little to no reason to use throwaway items to open a jar, as gadgets have been made for this purpose for years. For this reason, I’ve had my rubber disc for perhaps 40 years and a shaped grip for 25 or more years. It’s similar to buying plastic bottles; why use them when there are reusable ones available that can be washed time and time again? Thanks for all that you offer us. — R., in California Dear Heloise: My husband and I wear a medical dog tag with our name and phone numbers in case of an emergency. On the back side are our Medicare number and secondary insurance number. It’s just for peace of mind when we’re out in public, walking, driving, at the gym, etc. Don’t forget an ID for your furry friends as well. Love your suggestions. — P., via email Dear Heloise: After purchasing odd-sized toys and finding them too large for some bags but too small for others, I found a solution at the dollar store: plastic holiday tablecloths! They’re sturdy for wrapping and easy to cut with scissors, with the plus of nothing poking through like with wrapping paper. Joy to the world! — J.M., in Connecticut Send a money-saving or time-saving hint to Heloise@Heloise.com . Get local news delivered to your inbox!Watch gift guide: 15 timepieces under S$200 to S$3,000, from Timex, Swatch, Tudor and moreTulane QB Mensah transfers to DukeNone