TV star Charlotte Crosby said she has tightened security around her home with 24-hour monitored CCTV and patrol dogs, days after masked thieves carrying a machete attempted to rob her home. The former Geordie Shore star, who is nearly eight months pregnant, thanked a security company “for all the hard work this week” after adding the protections to her home. “Trebling our security measures, worth every penny to feel safe again in my own home,” the 34-year-old said in a post to her Instagram story. “Scumbags are gunna get a big shock the next time they even step foot on any perimeter of my land.” It comes after her fiance, Jake Ankers, said on social media that a group of men carrying a machete entered their home on Thursday evening while they were in the house with their two-year-old daughter. The businessman said one of the four men “had a red balaclava on” and was carrying the weapon at the top of the stairs. Durham Constabulary were alerted at 7pm on Thursday to reports of an aggravated burglary in Houghton-le-Spring, a town in the Sunderland area. A spokeswoman for the force said: “Officers attended the area, however the suspects left the scene before their arrival. “Nobody was injured in the incident and no items are believed to have been taken.” She added that an investigation is under way and anyone with information is asked to contact police. After the incident, Crosby was admitted to hospital after experiencing “serious pains” in her stomach, but confirmed her baby is “all fine”. Ankers appeared with the reality star on BBC Three reality show Charlotte In Sunderland. Crosby is best known for appearing in the MTV reality series Geordie Shore and winning the 12th series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2013. She and Ankers got engaged in October 2023 after she gave birth to their first child in 2022.CITRUS farms in Florida have been battered after two hurricanes in two weeks swept over the South-eastern coast of United States between September and October this year. One of the world’s largest citrus producers, the state expects crop yields in 2024 to be at their lowest in close to 100 years after Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton tore through Florida. This has exacerbated beverage manufacturer F&N’s difficulties in securing its supply of orange juice, said its chief executive officer Hui Choon Kit in an interview with The Business Times. “The prices just keep going up, and we have no choice but to pass them on to customers. So that is something that’s very real to us, and the only thing we can do right now is look for alternative sourcing or alternative countries,” he added. Securing a continued supply of raw materials for the long term has been F&N’s primary focus in managing its climate-related risks over the last few years. Supply chain disruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic and uncertainties in the production of raw materials due to the increasing frequency of severe weather events have led Hui to turn to local sourcing as a key risk management strategy. “If I cannot get my raw materials, our factories will go down. We need to make sure that we have sources of supply that can take us through the next 20, 30, 40, 50 years. Otherwise we have to close shop,” he said. To this end, the company is in the midst of developing its first large-scale dairy farm in Malaysia in its bid to go upstream. Construction of the first phase of the farm is expected to be completed soon. However, F&N has announced that milk production, which was originally intended to begin in January next year, could be delayed by between six and 12 months, as the Malaysian government has suspended the import of dairy cows from the US due to an avian flu outbreak. The dairy farm is meant to be a one-stop shop providing a reliable supply of milk to F&N – this involves growing its own animal feed for the cows. The company is also looking to incorporate technological solutions that will mitigate methane emissions at the farm. “I never thought we’d become farmers... When I joined the company 20 years ago, I never thought we would go upstream. But it is just such that, in order to grow that business, we need to have reliable supply,” said Hui. “The primary objective is to be able to develop or to deliver products in a reliable way to our customers, and we know that the quality is there,” he added. In addition to having a stable supply, building the farm in Malaysia – which is one of F&N’s biggest markets – also means situating production closer to market. This would lower logistical costs, as well as the emissions that would arise from transportation. This would also provide Malaysian consumers greater accessibility to fresh milk – a healthier option than powdered or recombined milk, which is made by mixing water, milk powder and milk fats. The country consumes more milk than it produces locally. Dairy, so far, is the only commodity for which it makes business sense for F&N to go upstream. However, Hui does not discount similar opportunities for other commodities in the future. That being said, there are some raw materials not suitable for cultivation in South-east Asia’s tropical climate. One of them is soybean. A major ingredient in one of F&N’s product lines, soybean is best grown in cold temperatures. Finding the right suppliers allows the crop to be grown in an environmentally responsible and also financially sustainable manner. “We also need to make sure that these guys can continue to support us in the future. They have their practices such that they can continue to supply soy,” said Hui. F&N sources soybeans entirely from Canada, due to deforestation concerns in other markets. That being said, Hui acknowledges that customers might still have to get used to changes in the formulation and taste of some beverages, as the company may sometimes have to switch to alternative sources despite their best efforts to maintain supply from their usual partners. “Customers like a certain taste, and that’s why they keep coming back to us. But we also have no choice but to work with them so they can understand that we cannot always be getting the same ingredients or raw materials. So then, you will have to get used to some tweaks in the taste. But that is just a reality that we face. I don’t think we have a real solution as to how that can be resolved quickly,” he said. “We’re all creatures of comfort. We like what we’re used to, but when you’re faced with no choice, I think people will switch and say: ‘Okay, I can accept this.’” Notwithstanding the long-term challenges in maintaining a stable procurement network, F&N is also relying on product innovation to access new markets and customers, especially Malaysia and Thailand, which are the biggest contributors to its revenue. Given that soft drink beverages have generally appealed to younger customers, the company is looking to develop health-focused products for older customers – including the elderly – such as soy-based drinks. “That is something that we are working towards to capture a larger segment – looking at more times in the day that you will consume a product,” he added. Leveraging on the wellness trend has been beneficial for the company, as its zero-sugar beverages, such as 100 Plus Zero Sugar, have been quite well-received, said Hui. It is currently working with health-related institutes to develop beverages that could be clinically proven to be healthier. “We still believe that the product must taste good. We’re not selling medicine,” said Hui. The food and beverage segment continues to be the biggest contributor to F&N’s revenue. According to the latest earnings update for its entire fiscal year ended Sep 30, 2024, the segment recorded a 4 per cent increase in revenue to S$1.9 billion, while profits jumped 21 per cent compared with the previous financial year. Overall, the company’s revenue increased by 3 per cent to S$2.2 billion, and its net profit rose 13 per cent to S$150.2 million. However, the group’s overall performance was dragged down by its publishing and printing segment, with revenue declining by 9 per cent to S$201.3 million due to reduced print orders and the closure of unprofitable business units. While the company has started a sustainable packaging and printing line, it is not enough to offset the declines in traditional printing, noted Hui. F&N will focus on its growing educational consulting and content business in this segment. The company is working with education ministries overseas to develop educational content and textbooks, and to train teachers in their use. “That has proven to gain some traction, and we hope that it will then create a momentum of its own, as other countries start looking and say: “I want to upgrade my workforce as well.’” Shares of F&N have increased considerably, jumping 25 per cent from July this year when Thai Beverage (ThaiBev) announced its plans for a share swap agreement with F&N and Frasers Property. Responding to comments that its shares have been undervalued, Hui said that F&N will work together with ThaiBev – which is now the company’s majority shareholder after the share swap deal – to figure out how to build a clearer future for the group. “So when it comes to valuation, that is something that’s very difficult to talk about. What we’ve always said is that what we can do is to make sure that our business continues to deliver and grow and give good returns to shareholders.” Hui acknowledged that F&N’s very small free float of 12 per cent makes it difficult to attract institutional investors. “So it becomes a bit of a chicken-and-egg (issue). Unless our valuation is higher, they would not be very keen for us to to increase the float,” he said.WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden kicked off his final holiday season at the White House on Monday by issuing the traditional reprieve to two turkeys who will bypass the Thanksgiving table to live out their days in southern Minnesota. Biden welcomed 2,500 guests to the South Lawn under sunny skies as he cracked jokes about the fates of “Peach” and “Blossom” and sounded wistful tones about the last weeks of his presidency after a half-century in Washington power circles. “It’s been the honor of my life. I’m forever grateful,” Biden said, taking note of his impending departure on Jan. 20, 2025. That's when power will transfer to Republican President-elect Donald Trump, the man Biden defeated four years ago and was battling again until he was pressured to bow out of the race amid concerns about his age and viability. Biden is 82. Until Inauguration Day, the president and first lady Jill Biden will continue a busy run of festivities that will double as their long goodbye. The White House schedule in December is replete with holiday parties for various constituencies, from West Wing staff to members of Congress and the White House press corps. Biden relished the brief ceremony with the pardoned turkeys, named for the official flower of the president's home state of Delaware. “The peach pie in my state is one of my favorites,” he said during remarks that were occasionally interrupted by Peach gobbling atop the table to Biden's right. “Peach is making a last-minute plea,” Biden said at one point, drawing laughter from an overflow crowd that included Cabinet members, White House staff and their families, and students from 4H programs and Future Farmers of America chapters. Biden introduced Peach as a bird who “lives by the motto, ‘Keep calm and gobble on.’” Blossom, the president said, has a different motto: “No fowl play. Just Minnesota nice.” Peach and Blossom came from the farm of John Zimmerman, near the southern Minnesota city of Northfield. Zimmerman, who has raised about 4 million turkeys, is president of the National Turkey Federation, the group that has gifted U.S. presidents Thanksgiving turkeys since the Truman administration after World War II. President Harry Truman, however, preferred to eat the birds. Official pardon ceremonies did not become an annual White House tradition until the administration of President George H.W. Bush in 1989. With their presidential reprieve, Peach and Blossom will live out their days at Farmamerica, an agriculture interpretative center near Waseca in southern Minnesota. The center's aim is to promote agriculture and educate future farmers and others about agriculture in America. Separately Monday, first lady Jill Biden received the official White House Christmas tree that will be decorated and put on display in the Blue Room. The 18.5 foot (5.64 meters) Fraser fir came from a farm in an area of western North Carolina that recently was devastated by Hurricane Helene . Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm lost thousands of trees in the storm “but this one remained standing and they named it ‘Tremendous’ for the extraordinary hope that it represents,” Jill Biden said at the event. The Bidens were also traveling to New York City on Monday for an evening “Friendsgiving” event at a Coast Guard station on Staten Island. Biden began his valedictory calendar Friday night with a gala for hundreds of his friends, supporters and staff members who gathered in a pavilion erected on the South Lawn, with a view out to the Lincoln Memorial. Cabinet secretaries, Democratic donors and his longest-serving staff members came together to hear from the president and pay tribute, with no evidence that Biden was effectively forced from the Democratic ticket this summer and watched Vice President Kamala Harris suffer defeat on Nov. 5. “I’m so proud that we’ve done all of this with a deep belief in the core values of America,” said Biden, sporting a tuxedo for the black-tie event. Setting aside his criticisms of Trump as a fundamental threat to democracy, Biden added his characteristic national cheerleading: “I fully believe that America is better positioned to lead the world today than at any point in my 50 years of public service.” The first lady toasted her husband with a nod to his 2020 campaign promise to “restore the soul of the nation,” in Trump’s aftermath. With the results on Election Day, however, Biden’s four years now become sandwiched in the middle of an era dominated by Trump's presence on the national stage and in the White House. Even as the first couple avoided the context surrounding the president's coming exit, those political realities were nonetheless apparent, as younger Democrats like Maryland Gov. Wes Moore , Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Biden's Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg not only raised their glasses to the president but held forth with many attendees who could remain in the party's power circles in the 2028 election cycle and beyond. ___ Associated Press writer Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis contributed to this report.OTTAWA, ON , Nov. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Royal Canadian Mint is delighted that the one-of-a-kind 2024 10 kg 99.99% Pure Gold Coin – The Dance Screen (The Scream Too) , an exquisite numismatic tribute to the art of acclaimed Haida master carver Chief 7IDANsuu ( James Hart ), sold for $1,561,250 .00 CAD (including Buyer's Premium), after a live auction conducted by Heffel Fine Art Auction House (Heffel). This rare, pure gold masterpiece was sold to an anonymous bidder on November 20, 2024 , and beat the previous record for a coin offered at auction in Canada , held by The Ultimate , a one kilo pure platinum coin also produced by the Royal Canadian Mint. "We are thrilled by the collector interest in this unique coin and delighted that the skill of the Royal Canadian Mint and the talent of Chief 7IDANsuu ( James Hart ) have been recognized by the buyer of this rare and beautiful 10 kg pure gold masterpiece," said Marie Lemay , President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. "It has been an extraordinary privilege to auction The Dance Screen (The Scream Too) 10kg pure gold coin," said David Heffel , President of Heffel Fine Art Auction House. "The profoundly significant artwork by the esteemed Chief James Hart , showcased on its face, stands as an enduring icon of Canadian art, embodying the rich traditions and cultural narratives of the Haida Nation. We are honoured to have placed this masterpiece in a distinguished collection and look forward to seeing its legacy continue to inspire." Impeccably crafted from 10 kg of 99.99% pure Canadian gold, The Dance Screen (The Scream Too) re–creates carved images from the original red cedar panel carved by Chief 7IDANsuu on its reverse. The reverse design of the flagship coin of the 2024 Opulence Collection brings together traditional Haida figures—a Shaman, the Beaver, Raven, Eagle, Frog, Orca and Mother Bear with cubs—whose life deeply depends on the Salmon, represented in human and animal form along the edge. Six pearlescent pieces of responsibly sourced abalone shell are inlayed along the coin's edge, where their aquatic hues shimmer in the light and their shapes evoke the Haida copper shields that serve as traditional markers of wealth. The imposing coin's obverse features the effigy of His Majesty King Charles III by Canadian artist Steven Rosati , surrounded by an engraving of subtle sketch lines from the original carving. About the Royal Canadian Mint The Royal Canadian Mint is the Crown corporation responsible for the minting and distribution of Canada's circulation coins. The Mint is one of the largest and most versatile mints in the world, producing award-winning collector coins, market-leading bullion products, as well as Canada's prestigious military and civilian honours. As an established London and COMEX Good Delivery refiner, the Mint also offers a full spectrum of best-in-class gold and silver refining services. As an organization that strives to take better care of the environment, to cultivate safe and inclusive workplaces and to make a positive impact on the communities where it operates, the Mint integrates environmental, social and governance practices in every aspect of its operations. For more information on the Mint, its products and services, visit www.mint.ca . Follow the Mint on LinkedIn , Facebook and Instagram . About Heffel Fine Art Auction House Since 1978, Heffel has connected passionate collectors across the world with outstanding works of art, with sales totaling nearly $1 billion . With offices in Toronto , Vancouver , Montreal , Ottawa and Calgary , Heffel has the most experienced team of fine art specialists in Canada and provides superior client service to both sellers and buyers internationally. For more information, media are asked to contact: Royal Canadian Mint, Alex Reeves , Senior Manager, Public Affairs, 613-884-6370, reeves@mint.ca ; Heffel Fine Art Auction House, Rebecca Rykiss , National Director, Brand and Communications, 416-961-6505 ext. 323, rebecca@heffel.com
Andy Murray will coach Novak Djokovic through the Australian OpenNoneNone
Coimbatore Congress infighting in the open, 'Mayura' Jayakumar among 3 booked for issuing threats to INTUC leaderThe latest development came hours after thousands of his supporters, defying government warnings, broke through a barrier of shipping containers blocking off Islamabad and entered a high-security zone, where they clashed with security forces, facing tear gas shelling, mass detentions and gunfire. Tension has been high in Islamabad since Sunday when supporters of the former PM began a “long march” from the restive north-west to demand his release. Khan has been in a prison for more than a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases that his party says are politically motivated. Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, led the protest, but she fled as police pushed back against demonstrators. Hundreds of Khan’s supporters are being arrested in the ongoing night-time operation. Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters that the Red Zone, which houses government buildings and embassies, and the surrounding areas have been cleared. Leaders from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, have also fled the protest site. Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan’s army took control of D-Chowk, a large square in the Red Zone, where visiting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is staying. Since Monday, Mr Naqvi had threatened that security forces would use live fire if protesters fired weapons at them. “We have now authorised the police to respond as necessary,” Mr Naqvi said Tuesday while visiting the square. Before the operation began, protester Shahzor Ali said people had taken to the streets because Khan had called for them. “We will stay here until Khan joins us. He will decide what to do next,” Mr Ali said. Protester Fareeda Bibi, who is not related to Khan’s wife, said people have suffered greatly for the last two years. “We have really suffered for the last two years, whether it is economically, politically or socially. We have been ruined. I have not seen such a Pakistan in my life,” she said. Authorities have struggled to contain the protest-related violence. Six people, including four members of the security services, were killed when a vehicle rammed them on a street overnight into Tuesday. A police officer died in a separate incident. Dozens of Khan supporters beat a videographer covering the protest for the Associated Press and took his camera. He sustained head injuries and was treated in hospital. By Tuesday afternoon, fresh waves of protesters made their way unopposed to their final destination in the Red Zone. Mr Naqvi said Khan’s party had rejected a government offer to rally on the outskirts of the city. Information minister Atta Tarar warned there would be a severe government reaction to the violence. The government says only the courts can order Khan’s release. He was ousted in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in Parliament. In a bid to foil the unrest, police have arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters since Friday and suspended mobile and internet services in some parts of the country. Messaging platforms were also experiencing severe disruption in the capital. Khan’s party relies heavily on social media and uses messaging platforms such as WhatsApp to share information, including details of events. The X platform, which is banned in Pakistan, is no longer accessible, even with a VPN. Last Thursday, a court prohibited rallies in the capital and Mr Naqvi said anyone violating the ban would be arrested. Travel between Islamabad and other cities has become nearly impossible because of shipping containers blocking the roads. All education institutions remain closed.
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Biden opens final White House holiday season with turkey pardons and first lady gets Christmas tree