Saturday, November 15

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After Hunter Biden’s pardon, White House considers broader clemency
World News

After Hunter Biden’s pardon, White House considers broader clemency

By Bianca Flowers for Reuters Since Joe Biden's pardon of his son Hunter, civil rights activists and politicians have called for clemency for other people they believe were unfairly convicted or sentenced. Photo: Mandel NGAN / AFP The White House is listening to demands for President Joe Biden to extend the same grace to thousands of people wronged by the US judicial system as he did to his son Hunter, officials say. Since Biden's pardon of Hunter on Sunday, a growing chorus of civil rights activists and lawmakers have called for broader clemency for other people they believe were unfairly convicted or sentenced. Defence attorneys and civil rights groups are ramping up efforts to highlight compelling cases, working in conjunction with state legislators to draft letters to the White H...
India’s elderly population to reach 319 million by 2050, requires unified action
Health

India’s elderly population to reach 319 million by 2050, requires unified action

The elderly population currently stands at about 104 million in India which is projected to rise to 319 million by 2050, calling for a unified action to address healthcare challenges, experts said on Friday.  Healthy ageing is about fostering physical, mental, and social well-being in order to enable people to live long, healthy, and fulfilling lives. Experts said that the government has been addressing this subject through laudable initiatives but over the years, major issues around elderly healthcare have emerged. “In order to enable older persons to preserve their independence, remain active, and participate completely in their communities throughout their lives, supporting surroundings and policies are needed,” said Anil Rajput, Chairperson, Assocham National Council on CSR, which i...
Outlook for Dec. 9-13, 2024
Business

Outlook for Dec. 9-13, 2024

Next week's inflation data could derail a market that appears to be priced for perfection, ahead of the Federal Reserve's meeting later this month. The November consumer price index set to release Wednesday is expected to show an increase of 0.2% and 2.6% month on month and year over year, respectively, according to FactSet. If that's the case, it would mean no change from the prior month , but also show stubborn inflation. A surprisingly hot report could curtail hopes for a December rate cut from the Fed. The CME Group's FedWatch tool shows an 87% probability of lower rates this month after the release of new U.S. jobs data on Friday. Strong inflation data would also throw a wrench in the recent stock advance. The rally shows no signs of slowing down, but it's also expensive, spurring inv...
Iraq considers Syria intervention as rebels advance
World News

Iraq considers Syria intervention as rebels advance

By Timour Azhari for Reuters Anti-government fighters celebrate in Syria's northwestern Idlib province in November. (file photo) Photo: ABDULAZIZ KETAZ Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim ruling parties and armed groups are weighing the pros and cons of armed intervention in Syria, viewing as a grave threat the advance of Sunni Islamist rebels who have taken two Syrian cities and now bear down on a third. Baghdad has a dark history with Syria-based Sunni fighters, thousands of whom crossed into Iraq after the 2003 US invasion and fuelled years of sectarian killing before returning again in 2013 as Islamic State to conquer a third of the country. The Syrian rebels currently advancing in Syria, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, have disavowed Al Qaeda and IS and say they have no ambitions in Iraq, but the...
Lawful gun owners feel cheated by new federal firearms ban
Politics

Lawful gun owners feel cheated by new federal firearms ban

The federal government expanded its ban on firearms on Thursday, adding 324 makes and models of guns to the prohibited weapons list, and lawful gun owners in Alberta feel they’re being unnecessarily targeted. The move follows the May 2020 ban of 1,500 makes and models of firearms, including the AR-15 and Ruger Mini-14. The number grew to more than 2,000 by November of this year as new variants were identified.The federal government says it is working with provinces, territories and police on a planned buyback of prohibited weapons from individual owners. It has already run a pilot project on collecting banned firearms from businesses.Lethbridge’s Justin Thomson was one of three Canadians who were hand-picked to compete in the World Pistol Caliber Carbine (PCC) Competition in the Czech Repu...
Magic can’t save ‘Harry Potter’ star Rupert Grint from US$2.3M tax bill – National
Entertainment, Movies

Magic can’t save ‘Harry Potter’ star Rupert Grint from US$2.3M tax bill – National

By Staff The Associated Press Posted December 1, 2024 9:27 am Updated December 2, 2024 8:23 am 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Former “Harry Potter” film actor Rupert Grint faces a 1.8 million-pound (US$2.3 million) bill after he lost a legal battle with the tax authorities. Grint, who played Ron Weasley in the magical film franchise, was ordered to pay the money in 2019 after H.M. Revenue and Customs, the U.K. tax agency, investigated his tax return from seven years earlier. ...
Meta shares rise on potential TikTok ban in U.S., closing at record
Business

Meta shares rise on potential TikTok ban in U.S., closing at record

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms Inc., arrives for the Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, California, on Sept. 25, 2024.David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesMeta shares continued their extended rally on Friday, rising 2.4% and closing at a record after a federal appeals court upheld a law requiring China's ByteDance to sell TikTok or face an effective U.S. ban.The Facebook parent has climbed 77% this year after almost tripling in 2023, pushing Meta's market cap close to $1.6 trillion.Alongside Meta, Amazon also closed at an all-time high on Friday and is up 49% this year. Apple slid slightly from its high on Thursday. The hefty gains this year among tech's megacaps helped lift the Nasdaq to a record. The index rose 0.8% on Friday and has gained 32% in 2024.Meta CEO Mark Zuckerb...
Workday shares pop 9% on inclusion in S&P 500
Business

Workday shares pop 9% on inclusion in S&P 500

A close-up of the Workday logo on its headquarters in Pleasanton, California.Smith Collection | Archive Photos | Getty ImagesWorkday shares jumped almost 10% in extended trading on Friday after S&P Dow Jones Indices said the cloud software vendor will be added to the S&P 500.It will replace Amentum Holdings on the index effective Dec. 23, according to a statement. The index has picked up a handful of other prominent technology stocks this year, including Dell and Palantir.Workday, founded in 2005 and based in Pleasanton, California, went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2012. In 2017 Workday switched its listing to the technology-centric Nasdaq. In November, Workday said it delivered $193 million in net income on $2.16 billion in quarterly revenue, which was up 16% year ov...
United Healthcare CEO shooting: Executives worry about safety
Business

United Healthcare CEO shooting: Executives worry about safety

Closed circuit screenshots of a person of interest in the UnitedHealthcare CEO killing.Source: NYPDUnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot Wednesday doing something countless other American executives routinely do: Walking unaccompanied to an investor event held by his company.But Thompson's death this week in the heart of corporate America's capital has sent shockwaves throughout the business world, forcing companies to rethink the risks in even the most routine executive responsibilities."Everyone's scrambling to say, 'Are we safe?'" said Chuck Randolph, chief security officer for Ontic, an Austin, Texas-based provider of threat management software. "This is an inflection point where the idea of executive protection is now raised to the board level. Everyone I know in the in...
TikTok’s future in U.S. uncertain after court upholds law that could ban it – National
Politics

TikTok’s future in U.S. uncertain after court upholds law that could ban it – National

A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied TikTok’s petition to overturn the law — which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January — and rebuffed the company’s challenge of the statute, which it argued had ran afoul of the First Amendment.“The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” said the court’s opinion, which was written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg. “Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to ...