Unyielding Connectivity: Optical-Fibre Triumph at SiachenTV’s Dr. Oz invested in businesses regulated by agency Trump wants him to lead
NEW YORK , Dec. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This holiday season, Monport Laser is redefining the spirit of giving with its highly anticipated "Christmas Laser Bonanza" . Known for its industry-leading laser engraving machines, Monport Laser is offering a spectacular lineup of deals, rewards, and giveaways designed to spark creativity and make every creator's holiday truly magical. Whether you're a professional engraver, a small business owner, or a DIY enthusiast, this is your chance to bring home premium laser engraving tools at unparalleled prices. A Holiday Bonanza Like No Other Monport Laser's Christmas Laser Bonanza is packed with exciting opportunities to save big, win amazing prizes, and upgrade your engraving game. With deals designed to suit a wide range of budgets and needs, this festive event ensures that no creator is left behind. 1. Massive Discounts – Save up to $5,800 on top-of-the-line CO2 laser engravers, making high-end machines more affordable than ever. 2. Tiered Savings – Enjoy additional discounts: 3. Spin to Win – Test your luck and spin the wheel for a chance to win incredible prizes, including FREE fiber laser or CO2 laser engravers ! Keep the festive spirit alive by participating during the following dates: Don't miss this limited-time opportunity to add premium laser engraving machines to your creative toolkit for free! 4. Free Laser Tube Replacement – Get a complimentary laser tube replacement six (6) months after purchasing any 100-150w CO2 Laser Machine Engraver, ensuring uninterrupted creativity and peace of mind. 5. Share & Win – Share your Monport Laser experience on social media and enter a special giveaway to win a $50 gift card – because joy is always better when shared! Celebrate Creativity This Holiday Season The Christmas Laser Bonanza is more than just a sale – it's a celebration of creativity. Monport Laser's cutting-edge machines empower creators to produce stunning custom gifts, intricate decorations, and professional-grade products. From personalized holiday ornaments to engraved keepsakes, the possibilities are endless. This festive event makes it easier than ever to turn your imagination into reality while enjoying exclusive perks. Explore a World of Possibilities Whether you're engraving glassware for holiday dinners, creating leather-bound journals as gifts, or designing wood ornaments to adorn your tree, Monport Laser machines offer unmatched precision and versatility. Beginners and professionals alike can take advantage of the advanced features, intuitive controls, and exceptional performance Monport Laser is known for. Why Monport Laser? Monport Laser stands out as a trusted leader in the laser engraving industry. With a reputation for innovation and reliability, Monport's engravers are built to handle projects of all sizes – from hobbyist creations to professional-grade production. Here's what makes Monport a top choice for creators: Join the Monport Laser Community By participating in the Christmas Laser Bonanza, you're not just upgrading your engraving tools – you're joining a vibrant community of creators who share your passion. Monport Laser is committed to supporting its customers with tutorials, resources, and dedicated support to help you unlock your full creative potential. Shop the Christmas Laser Bonanza The Christmas Laser Bonanza is available exclusively online at Monport Website and through authorized Monport Laser retailers. Whether you're shopping for yourself or searching for the perfect gift for the creator in your life, these unbeatable offers make it the ideal time to invest in premium laser engraving technology. About Monport Laser Monport Laser specializes in advanced laser engraving and cutting solutions, offering a wide range of products to meet diverse creative needs. Known for its cutting-edge technology, exceptional quality, and outstanding customer support, Monport is dedicated to fueling the creativity of its global community. With a strong focus on innovation, Monport continues to empower creators to bring their ideas to life. For more information about the Christmas Laser Bonanza, visit [ Company Website ] and discover the deals and rewards waiting for you this holiday season. View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/monport-laser-unwraps-the-christmas-laser-bonanza--spark-your-creativity-with-unbeatable-festive-offers-302334290.html SOURCE Monport LaserNo. 2 Ohio State takes control in the 2nd half and runs over No. 5 Indiana 38-15
Pope Francis will visit the French Mediterranean island of Corsica in December, days after skipping the reopening of Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral which was ravaged by a fire in 2019, the Vatican said Saturday. Francis, 87, declined an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to attend the Notre Dame reopening ceremony in Paris on December 7. He will however head to Corsica's capital Ajaccio for a conference on the Catholic faith in the Mediterranean one week later on December 15, the Vatican said. Some French bishops were "annoyed" by the pope's decision to stay away from the Notre Dame gala, according to one bishop speaking on condition of anonymity. But the head of the Bishops' Conference of France (CEF) Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort said: "The star of the Notre Dame reopening ceremony is Notre Dame itself." The pope had not wanted his presence to be a distraction from the essential point of the occasion, he added. "It's not a snub aimed at France," said another bishop. Francis's one-day trip to Corsica will be the first papal visit to the island, where 90 percent of its 350,000 population is Catholic, according to the local Church, and religious traditions remain deeply rooted. He will give two speeches, preside over a mass and meet Macron during his nine hours on the island, the Vatican said. "It is a historic event, we will give ourselves the extraordinary means to put on an exceptional welcome for the Holy Father," said Bishop of Ajaccio Francois-Xavier Bustillo said in a video posted on social media. Francis, who will celebrate his 88th birthday on December 17, has been to France twice since becoming head of the worldwide Catholic Church in 2013. He visited Strasbourg in 2014, where he addressed the European Parliament, and last year went to Marseille for a meeting of Mediterranean area bishops, where he met Macron. He has yet to make a state visit to France, one of Europe's main majority-Catholic countries. He is also yet to make state visits to Spain, the United Kingdom or Germany. The Argentine pontiff prefers visiting smaller or less established Catholic communities, from Malta to Mongolia. The Corsica visit was championed by the popular media-friendly Bustillo, who was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in September 2023. "It will not be a state visit, but a pastoral visit. It will be a beautiful moment, a moment of hope and joy," he told AFP. In addition, the head of the Catholic Church is scheduled to be at the Vatican on December 7-8 for a service at which he will create 21 new cardinals. Rescheduling appointments over coming months would appear to be tricky, given the multitude of events due to take place in Rome in 2025, a Catholic jubilee year. Bustillo is one of the active cardinals Francis has appointed in the Mediterranean region, with the pope keen they "work together to meet the specific challenges of the area", a bishop told AFP on condition of anonymity. Those issues include migration, global warming and interreligious dialogue. Corsica will be the 47th overseas visit for Francis and his third this year, after a long tour of the Asia Pacific in early September and a trip to Belgium and Luxembourg the same month. cmk-bur/tw/jmBlame it on the food and drink?
Jonah Goldberg: What if most Americans aren't bitterly divided?
Jonah Goldberg Among elites across the ideological spectrum, there's one point of unifying agreement: Americans are bitterly divided. What if that's wrong? What if elites are the ones who are bitterly divided while most Americans are fairly unified? History rarely lines up perfectly with the calendar (the "sixties" didn't really start until the decade was almost over). But politically, the 21st century neatly began in 2000, when the election ended in a tie and the color coding of electoral maps became enshrined as a kind of permanent tribal color war of "red vs. blue." Elite understanding of politics has been stuck in this framework ever since. Politicians and voters have leaned into this alleged political reality, making it seem all the more real in the process. I loathe the phrase "perception is reality," but in politics it has the reifying power of self-fulfilling prophecy. Like rival noble families in medieval Europe, elites have been vying for power and dominance on the arrogant assumption that their subjects share their concern for who rules rather than what the rulers can deliver. Political cartoonists from across country draw up something special for the holiday In 2018, the group More in Common published a massive report on the "hidden tribes" of American politics. The wealthiest and whitest groups were "devoted conservatives" (6%) and "progressive activists" (8%). These tribes dominate the media, the parties and higher education, and they dictate the competing narratives of red vs. blue, particularly on cable news and social media. Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of Americans resided in, or were adjacent to, the "exhausted majority." These people, however, "have no narrative," as David Brooks wrote at the time. "They have no coherent philosophic worldview to organize their thinking and compel action." Lacking a narrative might seem like a very postmodern problem, but in a postmodern elite culture, postmodern problems are real problems. It's worth noting that red vs. blue America didn't emerge ex nihilo. The 1990s were a time when the economy and government seemed to be working, at home and abroad. As a result, elites leaned into the narcissism of small differences to gain political and cultural advantage. They remain obsessed with competing, often apocalyptic, narratives. That leaves out most Americans. The gladiatorial combatants of cable news, editorial pages and academia, and their superfan spectators, can afford these fights. Members of the exhausted majority are more interested in mere competence. I think that's the hidden unity elites are missing. This is why we keep throwing incumbent parties out of power: They get elected promising competence but get derailed -- or seduced -- by fan service to, or trolling of, the elites who dominate the national conversation. There's a difference between competence and expertise. One of the most profound political changes in recent years has been the separation of notions of credentialed expertise from real-world competence. This isn't a new theme in American life, but the pandemic and the lurch toward identity politics amplified distrust of experts in unprecedented ways. This is a particular problem for the left because it is far more invested in credentialism than the right. Indeed, some progressives are suddenly realizing they invested too much in the authority of experts and too little in the ability of experts to provide what people want from government, such as affordable housing, decent education and low crime. The New York Times' Ezra Klein says he's tired of defending the authority of government institutions. Rather, "I want them to work." One of the reasons progressives find Trump so offensive is his absolute inability to speak the language of expertise -- which is full of coded elite shibboleths. But Trump veritably shouts the language of competence. I don't mean he is actually competent at governing. But he is effectively blunt about calling leaders, experts and elites -- of both parties -- stupid, ineffective, weak and incompetent. He lost in 2020 because voters didn't believe he was actually good at governing. He won in 2024 because the exhausted majority concluded the Biden administration was bad at it. Nostalgia for the low-inflation pre-pandemic economy was enough to convince voters that Trumpian drama is the tolerable price to pay for a good economy. About 3 out of 4 Americans who experienced "severe hardship" because of inflation voted for Trump. The genius of Trump's most effective ad -- "Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you" -- was that it was simultaneously culture-war red meat and an argument that Harris was more concerned about boutique elite concerns than everyday ones. If Trump can actually deliver competent government, he could make the Republican Party the majority party for a generation. For myriad reasons, that's an if so big it's visible from space. But the opportunity is there -- and has been there all along. Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch: thedispatch.com . Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!Michigan's defense of national title fell short, aims to cap lost season with win against Ohio State
Q3 Net Sales Increase of 14.6% to $843.7 million ; Comparable Sales Increase of 0.6% Q3 GAAP Diluted EPS of $0.03 , Q3 Adjusted Diluted EPS of $0.42 Increases Full Year 2024 Guidance PHILADELPHIA, PA, Dec. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Five Below, Inc. (NASDAQ: FIVE) today announced financial results for the third quarter and year to date period ended November 2, 2024. For the third quarter ended November 2, 2024 : Ken Bull, Interim CEO and COO of Five Below said, "We are pleased to report third quarter results that exceeded our outlook. We delivered stronger performance across a broader group of our merchandise worlds compared to the second quarter and improved our operational execution. We were encouraged to see the positive results from the initiatives we undertook to add newness and deliver value in key categories. We opened a record 82 new stores during this period with new store performance also surpassing our expectations. Our merchant and operational teams across the organization are focused on our key priorities of product, value and store experience, and I want to thank them for their efforts in delivering these results." Mr. Bull continued, "We will build on this progress and are focused on delivering for our customers in the all-important fourth quarter. Our solid Black Friday weekend results were an encouraging start to the holiday season, though the highest volume selling days lie ahead. In addition, this year we have five fewer shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, which is reflected in our outlook." For the year to date period ended November 2, 2024 : Appointment of Chief Executive Officer Five Below also announced today the appointment of Winnie Park to the role of Chief Executive Officer, effective December 16, 2024. Ken Bull, Chief Operating Officer, who was serving as Interim CEO, will continue in his role as COO, and Tom Vellios will remain Executive Chairman. This announcement was made concurrently this afternoon and can be found at investor.fivebelow.com/investors. Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2024 Outlook: The Company expects the following results for the fourth quarter and full year fiscal 2024: For the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2024 : For the full year of Fiscal 2024 : Conference Call Information: A conference call to discuss the financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 is scheduled for today, December 4, 2024, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available online at investor.fivebelow.com, where a replay will be available shortly after the conclusion of the call. Investors and analysts interested in participating in the call are invited to dial 412-902-6753 approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. Non-GAAP Information: This press release includes adjusted operating income, adjusted net income, and adjusted diluted income per common share, each is a non-GAAP financial measure. The Company has reconciled these non-GAAP financial measures with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures within this filing. The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures not only provide its management with comparable financial data for internal financial analysis but also provide meaningful supplemental information to investors. Specifically, these non-GAAP financial measures allow investors to better understand the performance of the Company's business and facilitate a meaningful evaluation of its quarterly and fiscal year 2024 diluted income per common share and actual results on a comparable basis with its quarterly and fiscal year 2023 results. In evaluating these non-GAAP financial measures, investors should be aware that in the future the Company may incur expenses that are the same as or similar to some of the adjustments in this filing. The Company's presentation of non-GAAP financial measures should not be construed to imply that its future results will be unaffected by any such adjustments. The Company has provided this information as a means to evaluate the results of its ongoing operations. Other companies in the Company's industry may calculate these items differently than it does. Each of these measures is not a measure of performance under GAAP and should not be considered as a substitute for the most directly comparable financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools, and investors should not consider them in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of the Company's results as reported under GAAP. Forward-Looking Statements: This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which reflect management's current views and estimates regarding the Company's industry, business strategy, goals and expectations concerning its market position, future operations, margins, profitability, capital expenditures, liquidity and capital resources, store count potential and other financial and operating information. Investors can identify these statements by the fact that they use words such as "anticipate," "assume," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "future" and similar terms and phrases. The Company cannot assure investors that future developments affecting the Company will be those that it has anticipated. Actual results may differ materially from these expectations due to risks related to disruption to the global supply chain, risks related to the Company's strategy and expansion plans, risks related to our ability to attract, retain, and integrate qualified executive talent, risks related to disruptions in our information technology systems and our ability to maintain and upgrade those systems, risks related to the inability to successfully implement our online retail operations, risks related to cyberattacks or other cyber incidents, risks related to increased usage of machine learning and other types of artificial intelligence in our business, and challenges with properly managing its use; risks related to our ability to select, obtain, distribute and market merchandise profitably, risks related to our reliance on merchandise manufactured outside of the United States, the availability of suitable new store locations and the dependence on the volume of traffic to our stores, risks related to changes in consumer preferences and economic conditions, risks related to increased operating costs, including wage rates, risks related to inflation and increasing commodity prices, risks related to potential systematic failure of the banking system in the United States or globally, risks related to extreme weather, pandemic outbreaks, global political events, war, terrorism or civil unrest (including any resulting store closures, damage, or loss of inventory), risks related to leasing, owning or building distribution centers, risks related to our ability to successfully manage inventory balance and inventory shrinkage, quality or safety concerns about the Company's merchandise, increased competition from other retailers including online retailers, risks related to the seasonality of our business, risks related to our ability to protect our brand name and other intellectual property, risks related to customers' payment methods, risks related to domestic and foreign trade restrictions including duties and tariffs affecting our domestic and foreign suppliers and increasing our costs, including, among others, the direct and indirect impact of current and potential tariffs imposed and proposed by the United States on foreign imports, risks associated with the restrictions imposed by our indebtedness on our current and future operations, the impact of changes in tax legislation and accounting standards and risks associated with leasing substantial amounts of space. For further details and a discussion of these risks and uncertainties, see the Company's periodic reports, including the annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if any of the Company's assumptions prove incorrect, the Company's actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by the Company in this news release speaks only as of the date on which the Company makes it. Factors or events that could cause the Company's actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all of them. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by any applicable securities laws. About Five Below: Five Below is a leading high-growth value retailer offering trend-right, high-quality products loved by teens and pre-teens. We believe life is better when customers are free to "let go & have fun" in an amazing experience filled with unlimited possibilities. With most items priced between $1 and $5, and some extreme value items priced beyond $5 in our incredible Five Beyond shop, Five Below makes it easy to say YES! to the newest, coolest stuff across eight awesome Five Below worlds: Style, Room, Sports, Tech, Create, Party, Candy and New & Now. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Five Below today has over 1,750 stores in 44 states. For more information, please visit www.fivebelow.com or find Five Below on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook @FiveBelow. Investor Contact: Five Below, Inc. Christiane Pelz Vice President, Investor Relations 215-207-2658 [email protected] Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (in thousands) Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) (in thousands, except share and per share data)ChargePoint Holdings, Inc. CHPT reported its third-quarter results after Wednesday's closing bell. Here's a look at the details from the report. The Details: ChargePoint reported quarterly GAAP losses of 18 cents per share, in line with estimates. Quarterly revenue came in at $99.61 million, which beat the $89.84 million consensus estimate. Read Next: UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Fatally Shot Outside NYC Hotel “We are encouraged by record EV sales in the industry, and we continue to see network utilization driving the need for more charging infrastructure." said Rick Wilmer , CEO of ChargePoint. "Our third-quarter results exceeded our expectations, and demonstrate that our strategy, focus on operational excellence, and rigorous cash management are translating to tangible results." Outlook: ChargePoint expects fourth-quarter revenue of $95 million to $105 million, versus the $101.26 million estimate. CHPT Price Action: According to Benzinga Pro , ChargePoint shares are up 18.03% at $1.44 after-hours after gaining 5.17% during Wednesday’s regular trading session. Read More: Art Cashin’s Lessons: Cuban Crisis Trades To Timeless Wall Street Wit Image: Courtesy of ChargePoint Holdings, Inc. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
A surprising figure will assist the New York Jets in their search for a new coach and general manager, and fans are not necessarily thrilled with it. The Jets are retaining The 33rd Team, a media and technology organization that bills itself as a football think tank, to assist the organization in the search for a new coach and general manager. The interesting angle is that The 33rd Team is co-founded by longtime Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum . Jets are retaining The 33rd Team to support them on their upcoming general manager and head coaching searches. Former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and Vikings general manager Rick Spielman will lead the project for the NFL Technology and Media company. The 33rd Team... pic.twitter.com/NfRwDt39cA — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 25, 2024 Tannenbaum was a member of the Jets organization from 1997 to 2012, including a stint as GM from 2006 to 2012. The Jets went to two AFC Championship games during his tenure, but the ensuing collapse has not made him popular among Jets fans. His recent media career, and some of the takes he has put forward during it, have not exactly enhanced his reputation. Unsurprisingly, there was a great deal of skepticism toward giving Tannenbaum any role in the Jets’ process, with some joking that Tannenbaum might wind up trying to hire himself. The Jets saw this and said "Get Mike Tannenbaum on the phone" https://t.co/cajMd8FgbX — Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) November 25, 2024 I wouldn’t let Mike Tannenbaum decide what I was having for lunch https://t.co/KLtSN2CyvW — Soapboxmox (@SoapBoxMox) November 25, 2024 This is why the Jets are perpetually bad. The leadership decisions are atrocious. FYi, our wonderful team owner, @woodyjohnson4 fired Mike Tannenbaum as a GM years ago for making poor football decisions...and now he's in charge of making the two most important football decisions. https://t.co/ALaxuMs6qe — Ladi Dadi (@Loki_013) November 25, 2024 Asking Mike Tannenbaum for advice on who should be your next head coach and GM should be enough reason to be forced to sell your franchise https://t.co/xVrvS2HeEy — Sweet Lou (@Louis_Ville) November 25, 2024 It is not clear how much of a hands-on role Tannenbaum will have with the search, and the Jets are under no obligation to act on his recommendations. Letting someone the team fired a decade ago have any say in the search process is not exactly cause for confidence, though. Maybe he will end up getting the old band back together . The Jets are in the hunt for a new GM after firing Joe Douglas earlier this month. Many Jets fans hold ownership responsible for the current mess , though, and a move like this will only reinforce those perceptions. This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.
The PGA Tour announced its schedule of seven post-season tournaments for the fall of 2025 on Tuesday with no Las Vegas event on the calendar for the first time since 1983. The lineup is one fewer than this year and tees off with the Procore Championship in Napa, California, on September 11-14, two weeks after the 2025 Tour Championship. Absent from the schedule is the Shriners Children's Open in Las Vegas. After the Ryder Cup next September at Bethpage Black, the PGA Tour events resume with the Sanderson Farms Championship on October 2-5. The PGA Tour's Japan stop, the Baycurrent Classic, will be October 9-12 at Yokohama Country Club followed by the Black Desert Championship on October 23-26 in Utah. The World Wide Technology Championship at Los Cabos, Mexico, will be November 6-9 followed the next week by the Bermuda Championship and the RSM Classic on November 20-23 at Sea Island, Georgia. "With events in four US states, Japan, Mexico and Bermuda, the conclusion to the 2025 golf calendar promises to be exciting for our fans worldwide," said Tyler Dennis, PGA Tour chief competitions officer. Under tighter qualifying rules for the 2026 PGA Tour approved by the Player Advisory Council last month, only the top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings will secure exempt status with the 50 who reach next year's BMW Championship being exempt into signature events for 2026. Those ranked 51st and beyond will take FedEx Cup points into the fall to try and accumulate eligibility points for the 2026 campaign. Three PGA Tour Challenge season events will be played next December -- the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas hosted by Tiger Woods, the LPGA-PGA mixed-team Grant Thornton Invitational and the PNC Championship parent-child event. Tour commissioner Jay Monahan also announced Tuesday that the PGA is searching for a new chief executive officer whose job would be to grow the business side of the operation in light of the $1.5 billion investment in PGA Tour Enterprises by Strategic Sports Group, a set of team sports owners. js/bb
Unify League explainer: Could this really challenge UEFA's Champions League?
You're reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool's Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources , and more. Learn More Payments infrastructure company and newest ASX stock, Cuscal (ASX: CCL), made its debut on the ASX on Monday but had a shaky orientation to class, shedding 9% on its first day of trading. Listed at an initial public offering (IPO) price of $2.50 per share at midday, Cuscal's shares slipped to lows of $2.26 shortly afterwards. They finished the day at $2.29 apiece, the market's first ever quotation for the payments company. With the regulatory environment clamping down on the fintech sector, one might wonder what the appetite for such stocks is in the broader scheme of things. Still, more than 2.5 million shares exchanged hands today, about 13% of the entire float. Let's take a closer look. ASX stock makes shaky debut Cuscal listed its shares on the ASX on Monday in a fairly lacklustre debut. Right from the outset, the ASX stock was heavily sold before finishing more than 8% lower on the day. This is actually the company's second... Zach BristowMaharashtra deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Ajit Pawar on Saturday won from his traditional Baramati assembly constituency by defeating his nephew and NCP (SP) candidate Yugendra Pawar by more than one lakh votes. The 65-year-old politician, thus, settled the score with his uncle Sharad Pawar (83), inflicting on him the first-ever defeat in this family bastion. Though Sharad Pawar himself was not in the fray, the high-stakes contest was being seen as a battle between him and Ajit. Ajit Pawar, who parted ways with his uncle last year and was seeking an eighth term from this seat in Pune district, polled 1,81,132 votes while Yugendra Pawar polled 80,233 votes. He, thus, defeated his younger brother Shriniwas' son by 1,00,899 votes. Five months ago, Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) had triumphed in Baramati in the Lok Sabha elections, with incumbent MP and Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule defeating Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra by a margin of 1.5 lakh votes. Both the NCP factions did not leave a single stone unturned during the assembly campaign, and even Sharad Pawar's wife Pratibha Pawar and Sule's daughter Revati were seen campaigning for Yugendra, while Ajit Pawar brought his mother on stage during his concluding rally in Baramati. While Sharad Pawar told the people of Baramati that they needed a new leadership, alluding to Yugendra Pawar whom he described as a highly-educated candidate, Ajit cautioned people not to fall prey to the "emotional pitch" by the senior Pawar. The deputy chief minister also highlighted his development record in the area, and vowed to make Baramati "the number one tehsil in the country". After Saturday's results, Ajit Pawar, who along with several other NCP legislators sided with the BJP-Shiv Sena government in 2023, could claim to be the real political heir of his estranged uncle who founded the NCP in 1999. Sunetra Pawar, now a Rajya Sabha member, thanked the people of Baramati for reposing their faith once again in `Dada' (elder brother in Marathi, as Ajit is fondly called). Sharad Pawar, 83, started his political career in Baramati where he contested his first assembly election in 1967, and so far, he or a candidate backed by him had never tasted defeat in the constituency. Following the split in the NCP in 2023, Ajit Pawar managed to get the party name and symbol from the Election Commission of India, forcing the Sharad Pawar faction to rename itself as NCP(SP) with a new symbol -- 'Man Blowing Turha'. With his party winning 37 seats (out of the 59 it contested) so far and leading on four seats, Ajit in a post on X on Saturday evening said, "Our victory today makes our shoulders heavy with the huge responsibilities the people of Maharashtra have bestowed upon us for the next 5 years. We shall spend every moment working to fulfil their aspirations. We shall not spend a single moment speaking against anyone, we will speak only and only for the development of Maharashtra and the welfare of its people."
Here's what to know about the new funding deal that countries agreed to at UN climate talksPresident-elect Donald Trump on Friday said he will nominate prominent investor Scott Bessent as US Treasury secretary, ending days of twists that saw high profile candidates pitted against each other for the cabinet position with vast influence over economic, regulatory and international affairs. Wall Street has been closely watching who Trump would choose , especially given his plans to remake global trade through tariffs and extend and potentially expand the raft of tax cuts enacted during his first term. The choice of Bessent, who has spent his career in finance, gives Wall Street an advocate for tax reform and deregulation. Some strategists said his nomination was a relief as he understands markets and his appointment could reduce the chance of severe tariffs . The announcement – the most prominent of a flurry of Friday night appointments by Trump – caps a week where big name Wall Street luminaries’ chance at the job oscillated on a daily basis. Other names that had been considered included Apollo Global Management Chief Executive Marc Rowan and former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh. Investor John Paulson had also been a leading candidate, but dropped out , while Wall Street veteran Howard Lutnick, another contender, was appointed as head of the Commerce Department. The choice came after days of deliberations by Trump as he sorted through a shifting list of candidates. Bessent spent day after day at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida providing economic advice, sources said, a proximity to the president-elect that may have helped him prevail. “Scott is widely respected as one of the world’s foremost international investors and geopolitical and economic strategists,” said Trump as he announced the nomination in a statement released on Truth Social. Bessent, from South Carolina, has spent his career in finance, working for macro investment billionaire George Soros and noted short seller Jim Chanos, as well as running his own hedge fund. As a money manager, he made a large bet on Trump winning after spotting what he called an anomaly in the market – that political and market analysts were too negative on what a Trump victory would mean. Bessent, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, has advocated for tax reform and deregulation, particularly to spur more bank lending and energy production, as noted in a recent opinion piece he wrote for The Wall Street Journal. The market’s surge after Trump’s election victory, he wrote, signaled investor expectations of “higher growth, lower volatility and inflation, and a revitalized economy for all Americans.” “Bessent has been on the side of less aggressive tariffs,” said Oxford Economics’ Ryan Sweet, adding that picking him makes the steep tariffs Trump proposed on the campaign trail less likely. Bessent follows other financial luminaries who have taken the job, including former Goldman Sachs executives Robert Rubin, Hank Paulson and Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s first Treasury chief. Janet Yellen, the current secretary and first woman in the job, previously chaired the Federal Reserve and White House Council of Economic Advisers. As Treasury secretary, Bessent will essentially be the highest-ranking U.S. economic official, responsible for maintaining the plumbing of the world’s largest economy, from collecting taxes and paying the nation’s bills to managing the $28.6-trillion Treasury debt market and overseeing financial regulation, including handling and preventing market crises. The Treasury boss also runs US financial sanctions policy, has influence over the US-led International Monetary Fund, World Bank and other international financial institutions, and manages national security screenings of foreign investments in the United States. Bessent will face challenges, including safely managing federal deficits that are forecast to grow by nearly $8 trillion over a decade due to Trump’s plans to extend expiring tax cuts next year and add generous new breaks, including ending taxes on Social Security income. Without offsetting revenues, this new debt would add to an unsustainable fiscal trajectory already forecast to balloon US debt by $22 trillion through 2033. Managing debt increases this large without market indigestion will be a challenge, though Bessent has argued Trump’s agenda will unleash stronger economic growth that will grow revenue and shore up market confidence, opens new tab. Bessent will also inherit the role carved out by Yellen to lead the Group of Seven wealthy democracies in providing tens of billions of dollars in economic support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion and tightening sanctions on Moscow. But it is unclear whether he will pursue this, given Trump’s desire to end the war quickly and withdraw US financial support for Ukraine. Another area where Bessent will likely differ from Yellen is her focus on climate change, from her mandate that development banks expand lending for clean energy to incorporating climate risks into financial regulations and managing hundreds of billions of dollars in clean-energy tax credits. Trump, a climate-change skeptic, has vowed to increase production of US fossil fuel energy and end the clean-energy subsidies in President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. The Treasury secretary is also the administration’s closest point of contact with the Federal Reserve. Both Yellen under Biden and Mnuchin under Trump typically met weekly with Fed Chair Jerome Powell, often over breakfast or lunch. Bessent has floated the idea of creating a “shadow” Fed chair. This would entail nominating as early as possible a presumptive Powell successor to the Fed Board who would then deliver their own policy guidance so that, as Bessent told Barron’s last month, “no one is really going to care what Jerome Powell has to say anymore.” Bessent has since said he no longer thinks the idea of a shadow chair is worth pursuing, the Wall Street Journal reported. Powell’s term as Fed chair expires in May 2026. Bessent, along with John Paulson, had been an early favorite for job earlier in the year according to a Reuters report at the time and seemed to be in pole position a week after election day, on Nov. 12, when Paulson exited the race citing “complex financial obligations”. However, there were many twists in the race for the top position. On 13 November, banker Howard Lutnick, who was leading a transition team to vet personnel and draft policy, emerged as a top contender. Lutnick, however, was taken out of the running after Trump nominated him to lead his trade and tariff strategy as head of the Commerce Department. The pool of candidates then widened when Rowan, and former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh were under consideration as well as Republican US Senator Bill Hagerty, sources with knowledge of the transition process said at the time. Reporting by Steve Holland, Alexandra Ulmer, David Lawder, Lawrence Delevingne, Ann Saphir, Costas Pitas, Nathan Layne and Jasper Ward, Reuters
Jonah Goldberg: What if most Americans aren't bitterly divided?None
Adventure Commodities unveils hulling plant to boost sesame quality