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Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. Declares Quarterly Common Stock DividendAs the investigation into the case continues and justice is sought for the victim, the repercussions of this tragic incident will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact on the community. It serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of human relationships and the need to remain vigilant in safeguarding the well-being of all individuals, especially in the face of unexpected and distressing circumstances.Donald Trump ’s vow to carry out the largest deportation campaign in American history would separate families and hurt the economy, witnesses testified during a Tuesday Senate hearing, as a top Republican on the committee warned that undocumented people living in the country should “get ready to leave”. The president-elect has outlined an aggressive second-term immigration agenda that includes plans to declare a national emergency and deploy the US military to round up and expel millions of people living in the country without documentation. Trump has also vowed to end humanitarian protections for millions of people who fled violence, conflict or other disasters in their home country. The hearing, convened by Democrats on the Senate judiciary committee, set out to explore the economic and human toll of a large-scale deportation operation. But the session also revealed the ideological tensions that have for decades thwarted legislative attempts at immigration reform. “If you’re here illegally, get ready to leave. If you’re a criminal, we’re coming after you,” said Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Senate judiciary committee. When Republicans assume the Senate majority next year, Graham promised his party would bring forward a “transformational border security bill” that would expand capacity at detention centers, boost the number of immigration officers and “finish the wall”. Many of Trump’s most controversial immigration policies, including family separation, proved deeply unpopular during his first term in office. But a post-pandemic rise in global migration led to a surge of asylum claims at the US-Mexico border during the early years of the Biden administration. Americans strongly disapproved of Biden’s handling of the issue, and ranked immigration as a top election issue. The November election was a “referendum on the federal border policies for the Biden-Harris administration”, the senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican and the ranking member on the judiciary committee’s immigration subcommittee, declared during the hearing. The Democratic senators insisted that there were areas of common ground between the parties – repeatedly stating their support for the removal of immigrants with criminal records and the need for better controls at the border. And they emphasized the broad support for protecting Dreamers, people brought to the country as children. “Instead of mass deportations, [let’s have] mass accountability,” said the senator Dick Durbin, the committee’s Democratic chair. “Let’s fix our broken immigration system in a way that protects our country and honors our heritage as a nation of immigrants.” Democrats turned to their witnesses – an immigration expert, a retired army major general and an undocumented prosecutor – to make the case that mass deportations would do far more harm than good. “The president-elect’s mass deportation plans would crash the American economy, break up families and take a hammer to the foundations of our society by deporting nearly 4% of the entire US population,” Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan American Immigration Council, testified to the committee. An analysis by his group estimates that it would cost nearly $1tn to carry out Trump’s mass deportation plan and slash the annual GDP by between 4.2% and 6.8% – a level on par with the recession of 2008. Asked how Trump’s plans could impact Americans financially, Reichlin-Melnick said it would exacerbate inflation and cause food prices to rise. “A single worksite raid in 2018 under the Trump administration at a beef plant in Tennessee led to ground beef prices rising by 25 cents for the year that the plant was out of operation following the raid,” he said. Randy Manner, a retired US army major general and anti-Trump Republican, cautioned against using US troops to assist with a politically decisive domestic mission that he warned could undermine military readiness and erode public trust in the institution. “The US military is the best trained in the world for its war fighting mission, but it is neither trained or equipped for immigration enforcement,” he said. Among the witnesses invited to testify was Foday Turay, an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia who fled Sierra Leone as a child and testified that he did not know he was undocumented until he went to apply for a driver’s license. He is shielded from deportation by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. As a father, a husband, an immigrant and a prosecutor, Turay said the threat of mass deportations would affect him “on a personal level, on a community level and on a societal level. “If I were to be deported, my wife and our son would be left without money to pay the mortgage. My son would also be without a father,” he said. He also warned that the widespread deployment of immigration agents could chill the ability of law enforcement to pursue criminals. “As a prosecutor, I know how delicate the ties between law enforcement and immigrants can be if immigrants are afraid to cooperate with the police or prosecutors like myself because they’re afraid of deportation,” he added. “Mass deportation hurts all of us, our families, our community and our society.” Republicans invited Patty Morin, the mother of 37-year-old Rachel Morin, who was beaten, raped and killed in August 2023 during a hiking trip. Officials say the suspect in her death was in the US illegally after killing a woman in his native El Salvador. Trump, with the support of the Morin family, has cited the murder as part of his appeal for stricter border controls. “The American people should not feel afraid to live in their own homes,” Patty Morin told the committee. “We need to follow the laws that are already on the books, we need to close our borders. We need to protect American families.” Seeking common ground, the Democratic senator Peter Welch of Vermont asked Morin if she would support a deportation policy that targeted undocumented people with a criminal record while pursuing a legal remedy for those who have lived and worked in the US with no criminal record. “Are we saying it’s ok to come to America in an unlawful way?” Morin replied. “There has to be some kind of a line, a precedent, of what is lawful and what isn’t lawful.” The senator Alex Padilla, a California Democrat who has been sharply critical of Trump’s immigration proposals, accused his Republican colleagues of distorting data and conflating fentanyl deaths with immigration. Citing federal statistics, he said the vast majority – more than 80% – of people prosecuted for trafficking the drug into the country were US citizens. “If that’s a concern, then let’s address the heart of the concern and not just use it as a sound bite to further attack immigrants,” he said. Ahead of the hearing, Padilla was among a group of Democratic senators who sent a letter to the president urging Biden to extend humanitarian protections to certain groups and to expedite the processing of applicants for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which shields from deportation undocumented people brought into the US as children. “We urge you to act decisively between now and the inauguration of the president-elect to complete the important work of the past four years and protect immigrant families,” the letter said. Earlier this week, the White House released a memo outlining Biden’s priorities for his final days in office that did not include any reference to immigration-related actions.
Dickey's Barbecue Pit Brings Back Kids Eat Free Promotion Starting December 26As Sarah's physical strength waned and her hope of finding her grandmother began to fade, she turned to the plants around her not just for sustenance, but also for comfort. The act of foraging and preparing her meals became a ritual that grounded her in the midst of uncertainty and fear. She found solace in the simplicity of survival, in the basic instinct to keep going no matter the odds stacked against her.Alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer charged in 7th deathThe marine enforcement squad has increased the frequency of its day-and-night patrol following instructions from the District Collector and the Fisheries department to impound fishing boats used for catching juvenile fish species in violation of the minimum legal size (MLS) regulations. A hired fishing boat and the Karunya Marine Ambulance will be used by the 10-member squad to nab the suspects. “Two boats have already been impounded with around 4,000 kg of trash fish as part of the checks. The use of banned fishing nets and fishing activities conducted beyond the permitted hours will also be strictly enforced,” said a police officer with the enforcement squad. He added that the special drive was launched last week with the support of newly joined patrol squad members. Fisheries department sources said the district’s fishing harbours would also be monitored to curb the practice. They added that private agents in the sector had been encouraging the collection of trash fish to meet the demands of fertiliser factories outside the State. It was also suggested that both native and migrant fishers had become involved in the network to earn additional income. Last year, the checking squads reportedly impounded nine boats carrying juvenile fish stock. Hefty fines were imposed on the boat owners to compound the offence. Beypore and Puthiyappa harbours were frequent sites of the activity, which was allegedly exposed with the support of a few local country boat operators. A recent study by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute found that the implementation of MLS regulations and the ban on juvenile fishing led to a 41% increase in the yield of threadfin breams in Kerala, indicating positive results. The study also recommended the stringent enforcement of mesh size regulations for fishing nets to achieve further progress in the sector. Fisheries department officials said the government had already introduced a MLS for the capture of around 60 fish species, which must be strictly adhered to protect the region’s fisheries resources from rapid depletion. They added that hefty fines, up to ₹2.5 lakh, would be imposed on violators if the percentage of juvenile fish in the catch exceeded 40%. Published - December 23, 2024 11:37 pm IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Kozhikode / Kerala / crime
As we mourn the loss of Liu Dabeili, may we also take this opportunity to reflect on the importance of self-love, acceptance, and authenticity in a world that often values superficial beauty over genuine substance. May her legacy serve as a reminder to prioritize health, well-being, and inner beauty above all else.The global display market is witnessing a significant shift towards OLED technology, with Omdia, a leading global technology research firm, forecasting that by the year 2025, the shipment of small and medium-sized OLED panels will surpass 1 billion units for the first time. This milestone reflects the growing popularity and adoption of OLED displays across various consumer electronic devices.
Japanese tycoon Masayoshi Son and President-elect Donald Trump have announced plans for technology and telecoms giant SoftBank Group to invest $100 billion in projects in the United States over the coming four years. Trump said the investments in building artificial intelligence infrastructure would create 100,000 jobs, twice the 50,000 promised when Son pledged $50 billion in U.S. investments after Trump's victory in 2016. Son, a founder and CEO of SoftBank Group, is known for making bold choices that sometimes pay big and sometimes don't. SoftBank has investments in dozens of Silicon Valley startups, along with big companies like semiconductor design company Arm and Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. The stock market rally and craze for AI has boosted the value of its assets, but it's unclear whether its investments will create that many jobs. Son founded SoftBank in the 1980s, expanding it from a telecoms carrier to encompass renewable energy and technology ventures. A leading figure in Japan’s business world, he was an early believer in the internet, pouring billions into Silicon Valley start-ups and other technology companies. Son comes from a humble background. While at the University of California, Berkeley, he invented a pocket translator that he sold for $1 million to Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp. He has made a career of risk-taking, pushing adoption of broadband services when the internet was still relatively new in Japan. His $20 billion takeover of U.S. mobile phone carrier Sprint Nextel Corp. in 2012 was Japan’s biggest foreign acquisition at the time. Son is philosophical about his missteps, such as SoftBank's $18.5 billion investment in co-working space provider WeWork, which sought bankruptcy protection last year. SoftBank also invested in the failed robot pizza-making company Zume. Son is canny: SoftBank-related spending on lobbying and donations to U.S. politicians and parties runs into the billions of dollars. And both times Trump was elected, Son was quick to show his support. SoftBank has benefitted in recent months from rising values of some investments, such as U.S.-based e-commerce company Coupang, Chinese mobility provider DiDi Global and Bytedance, the Chinese developer of TikTok. Son built his fortune on early investments in search engine Yahoo and China's Alibaba, an astute initial outlay of $20 million in what has become an e-commerce and financial empire with a market cap of more than $200 billion. SoftBank has investments in T-Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, Microsoft, Nvidia and ride-sharing platform Uber, among hundreds of other companies that it groups together in its Vision Funds. The Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund and Abu Dhabi national wealth fund are among the biggest investors in those funds. The hundreds of start-ups that have received SoftBank investments include Nuro, a robo-delivery company; the dog-walking app Wag; South Korean logistics company Coupang; the Southeast Asian ride-sharing app Grab; and the office messaging app Slack. After several rough years, SoftBank returned to profitability in the last quarter, helped by returns from its Vision Fund investments. A big factor? Royalties and licensing related to its holdings in the UK-based computer chip-designing company Arm, whose business spans smartphones, data centers, networking equipment, automotive, consumer electronic devices, and AI applications. SoftBank investor presentations have sometimes featured images of a goose labeled “AI Revolution” laying golden eggs. Son has said he believes artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence within a decade, affecting every industry, from transportation and pharmaceuticals to finance, manufacturing, logistics and others and that companies and people working with AI will be the leaders of the next 10 to 20 years. SoftBank's roughly 90% stake in Arm has positioned it well for expansion of AI applications since most mobile devices operate on Arm-based processors. Trump and Son said the $100 billion that SoftBank has promised to invest will go to building AI infrastructure, but the nature of that spending remains unclear. The eventual impact of AI on jobs remains an open question, but much of its infrastructure is based on energy-guzzling data processing centers that are likely to employ relatively few people once they are built. Even if SoftBank actually invested the promised $50 billion last time Trump was headed to the White House, it's unclear how many jobs that created. Shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic complicated matters. Foxconn Technology Group, a Taiwan company best known for making Apple iPhones, won Trump’s praise after saying in 2017 it would build a $10 billion complex employing 13,000 people in a small town just south of Milwaukee. But that investment was scaled back drastically. SoftBank itself says it had 65,352 employees as of March. Officials in Tokyo praised Son's initiative, viewing it as a goodwill gesture at a time of huge concern over whether Trump will impose blanket tariff hikes on imports from allies like Japan, as well as China. “Generally speaking, I believe expansion of investment through steady accumulation of efforts between Japanese and U.S. companies would help further strengthen Japan-U.S. economic ties, so I find it delightful,” said Yoji Muto, Japan's Trade and Industry minister. Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed.The significant trading volume of 415.1 billion RMB within half a day indicates the active participation of both institutional and retail investors in today's market activities. The sheer magnitude of the trading volume highlights the intense trading activity and the heightened emotions among market participants. The total turnover of over 1.5 trillion RMB showcases the sheer scale of the A-share market and its importance in the global financial landscape.In a tense and closely contested battle, the match came down to the final point. With both players giving it their all, the tension in the arena was palpable. In a moment of sheer brilliance, Haoshuai unleashed a lightning-fast forehand smash that left his opponent scrambling to return the ball. The crowd held their breath as the ball sailed past the young challenger and landed on the table, securing a remarkable victory for Haoshuai.
With the onset of winter, it's also a time to indulge in seasonal delights that warm both the body and the soul. Nothing beats sipping on a steaming cup of hot cocoa or cider while snuggled under a soft blanket. Comfort foods such as hearty soups, stews, and casseroles become a regular fixture on the dinner table, providing both nourishment and warmth on cold winter nights.In the post-match interviews, Raul Jimenez spoke out about the incident, expressing his disappointment at not being awarded the penalty. "It was a clear foul, there's no doubt about it," he said. "I don't understand how the referee and VAR could overlook such a blatant infringement. It's frustrating to lose a game in this manner."Quarterback Joe Burrow's home broken into during Monday night game: Officials
The Gunners have undergone a period of transition in recent years, with new manager Mikel Arteta looking to reshape the squad and build for the future. Ashworth's experience and expertise could prove invaluable in helping Arsenal establish themselves as contenders once again.
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is taking some time to reflect after Chrystia Freeland's bombshell resignation as finance minister, Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Tuesday. That comes as the number of Liberals who are calling for Trudeau to step aside appears to have grown. "The prime minister, as I understand it, a number of caucus colleagues have said that the prime minister has said that he will reflect on both the decision that minister Freeland made, but also what he's heard from members of his own caucus," Jonathan Wilkinson said in an interview with The Canadian Press. "I think we all need to give him a little time to reflect, and I respect that fact that he's going to take some time to reflect." The House of Commons is now on its holiday break, giving Trudeau a few weeks to decide on his next move before MPs return to Ottawa on Jan. 27. Freeland's decision to walk away from the top cabinet job came three days after Trudeau had informed her she would be moved out of the finance portfolio in the next cabinet shuffle. The news came out just hours before she was set to present the government's fall economic statement in the House of Commons. That kicked off a day of turmoil on Parliament Hill that began with an unexpected cabinet meeting, followed by hours of confusion about which minister might table the important financial update, or if it would be introduced at all. Several Liberal MPs demanded an emergency caucus meeting, and during that evening gathering, some of them called for Trudeau to step aside as party leader. New Brunswick MP Wayne Long, one of 23 caucus members who signed a letter back in October calling for Trudeau to quit, remains adamant that it's time for Trudeau to go. He said this time "is so different than times before." "We certainly have more MPs than last time. So, if I had to guess how many more right now, I'd say we're probably at 40 to 50 right now," Long said. The attempt to oust Trudeau earlier in the fall ultimately failed to garner support from anyone in cabinet. This time, Long said, at least five cabinet ministers believe it's time for a change at the top — though he did not identify them. "I certainly am one to say to my colleagues, to ministers in particular: 'Let's come out of the shadows,'" Long said. "Let's openly, once and for all, state how we feel and let's move forward with what we know has to happen." Several former cabinet ministers have called for Trudeau to go, including former environment minister Catherine McKenna on Tuesday. "Every Liberal MP should be calling on the prime minister to resign," she said in a post on social media. "The surest way to elect a Conservative majority and lose all the progress we've made is for him to stay. And we need to focus on tariff threat from the U.S. It's over." But most current cabinet ministers, when asked, have backed the prime minister publicly. Before question period on Tuesday Treasury Board President Anita Anand and Diversity Minister Kamal Khera, replied "yes" when asked if they support the prime minister. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said the same. Prince Edward Island MP Sean Casey isn't convinced this attempt to push Trudeau out will work any differently than when he and 22 colleagues asked the prime minister to resign in October. At the time, Liberal MPs told reporters that Trudeau pledged to reflect on what was said. The very next day, he publicly stated his intention to stay on as leader. Casey does not think the prime minister will take a walk in the snow now, either. "There's not a single indicator in anything that he says or does that would tell me otherwise. He seems to be absolutely committed and he has throughout the piece, he's been remarkably consistent," Casey said. Whenever Trudeau has been asked if he intends to lead the Liberals in the next election the response has been an unambiguous "yes." Trudeau typically holds a cabinet retreat before the return of Parliament and a long-anticipated cabinet shuffle is likely to come soon. He replaced Freeland immediately with longtime friend and ally Dominic LeBlanc, who officially is now the minister of public safety, finance and intergovernmental affairs. Anand also holds two portfolios, juggling Treasury Board with transport, which she took on after Pablo Rodriguez stepped aside to prepare a run for the Liberal leadership in Quebec. There are also at least five sitting ministers who do not plan to run in the next election, including Housing Minister Sean Fraser, whose announcement on Monday about his future was completely overshadowed by Freeland's bombshell. It has been a tumultuous fall for the government. The Liberals survived three non-confidence votes in the House of Commons and have struggled to advance legislation because of a filibuster on a Conservative privilege motion related to misspending at a now-defunct green technology fund. On Tuesday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre once again called on NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to topple the government. Poilievre said Canada needs an election because U.S. president-elect Donald Trump "can spot weakness from a mile away" and the Trudeau government is weak. Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet also said a new Parliament is needed "as soon as possible," and he wants to see an election called in January. Blanchet said Trudeau has lost the political, moral and ethical authority to govern. On Monday, Singh called for Trudeau to step down but did not make a firm comment on whether the NDP would vote non-confidence in the Liberal government, saying only that "all options are on the table." The NDP, which ended a formal supply-and-confidence agreement to support the Liberals in September, has since voted with the government on all three non-confidence motions, trying to spin it as voting against the Conservatives rather than with the Liberals. Singh has repeatedly said a Poilievre-led Conservative government would cut things New Democrats have fought for like dental care, pharmacare and other social programs. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 17, 2024. — With files from Nick Murray and Michel Saba David Baxter, The Canadian PressWomen will for the first time make up a majority of state legislators in Colorado and New Mexico next year, but at least 13 states saw losses in female representation after the November election, according to a count released Thursday by the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics. While women will fill a record number of state legislative seats in 2025, the overall uptick will be slight, filling just over third of legislative seats. Races in some states are still being called. "We certainly would like to see a faster rate of change and more significant increases in each election cycle to get us to a place where parity in state legislatures is less novel and more normal," said Kelly Dittmar, director of research at the CAWP, which is a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. As of Wednesday, at least 2,450 women will serve in state legislatures, representing 33.2% of the seats nationwide. The previous record was set in 2024 with 2,431 women, according to the CAWP. The number of Republican women, at least 851, will break the previous record of 815 state lawmakers set in 2024. "But still, Republican women are very underrepresented compared to Democratic women," Debbie Walsh, director of the CAWP, said. From left, House Maj. Whip Reena Szczepanski, D-Santa Fe, Rep. D. Wonda Johnson, D-Church Rock and Rep. Cristina Parajon, D-Albuquerque, talk July 18 before the start of a special session, in Santa Fe, N.M. By the most recent count, 19 states will have increased the number of women in their state legislatures, according to the CAWP. The most notable increases were in New Mexico and Colorado, where women will for the first time make up a majority of lawmakers. In New Mexico, voters sent an 11 additional women to the chambers. Colorado previously attained gender parity in 2023 and is set to tip over to a slight female majority in the upcoming year. The states follow Nevada, which was the first in the country to see a female majority in the legislature following elections in 2018. Next year, women will make up almost 62% of state lawmakers in Nevada, far exceeding parity. Women in California's Senate will make up the chamber's majority for the first time in 2025 as well. Women also made notable gains in South Dakota, increasing its number by at least nine. Four of South Carolina's Sister Senators, from left, Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, D-Walterboro, Sen. Mia McLeod, I-Columbia, Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, and Sen. Penry Gustafson, R-Camden, stand in front of the Senate on June 26 with their John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award in Columbia, S.C. At least thirteen states emerged from the election with fewer female lawmakers than before, with the most significant loss occurring in South Carolina. This year, the only three Republican women in the South Carolina Senate lost their primaries after they stopped a total abortion ban from passing. Next year, only two women, who are Democrats, will be in the 46-member Senate. No other state in the country will have fewer women in its upper chamber, according to the CAWP. Women make up 55% of the state's registered voters. Half the members in the GOP dominated state were elected in 2012 or before, so it will likely be the 2040s before any Republican woman elected in the future can rise to leadership or a committee chairmanship in the chamber, which doles out leadership positions based on seniority. A net loss of five women in the legislature means they will make up only about 13% of South Carolina's lawmakers, making the state the second lowest in the country for female representation. Only West Virginia has a smaller proportion of women in the legislature. West Virginia stands to lose one more women from its legislative ranks, furthering its representation problem in the legislature where women will make up just 11% of lawmakers. Many women, lawmakers and experts say that women's voices are needed in discussions on policy, especially at a time when state government is at its most powerful in decades. Walsh, director of the CAWP, said the new changes expected from the Trump administration will turn even more policy and regulation to the states. The experiences and perspectives women offer will be increasingly needed, she said, especially on topics related to reproductive rights, healthcare, education and childcare. "The states may have to pick up where the federal government may, in fact, be walking away," Walsh said. "And so who serves in those institutions is more important now than ever." November 7, 2024: Trump Victory Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.Cancer is a complex and devastating disease that continues to claim countless lives worldwide each year. While there are various factors that can contribute to the development of cancer, experts have identified three major risk factors that are closely linked to this deadly disease. Among these risk factors, lifestyle choices play a crucial role in determining an individual's likelihood of developing cancer. In this article, we will delve into the science behind these three significant risk factors and explore how lifestyle interventions can mitigate the risk of cancer.