Sunday, December 21

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Nike renews its contract with the NFL until 2038
Business

Nike renews its contract with the NFL until 2038

Nike football shoes are seen in a store in Krakow, Poland, on Aug. 29, 2024.Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesNike has renewed its partnership with the National Football League for another 10 years after the league briefly opened the bidding process to competitors and held talks with other companies. Under the terms of the deal, Nike will continue to be the exclusive provider of uniforms and sideline, practice and base layer apparel for all 32 NFL teams through 2038. Nike has been the NFL's exclusive apparel provider since 2012. "This partnership renewal is a testament to the strength and success of our collaboration with the NFL," Nike's newly appointed CEO Elliott Hill said in a news release. "As we embark on this new chapter, we're committed to co-creating cutting-edge solutions t...
Meta donates $1.7 million to Trump’s inaugural fund
World News

Meta donates $1.7 million to Trump’s inaugural fund

US President-elect Donald Trump, left, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo: AFP Meta Platforms has donated US$1 million (NZ$1.7 million) to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural fund, a company spokesperson told Reuters in an emailed response. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news, said the donation was a departure from past practice by CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Meta. Zuckerberg had declined to endorse either Donald Trump or Joe Biden for this year's election, in a media interview that took place before Biden stepped down as the Democratic nominee and was replaced by Kamala Harris. The billionaire CEO, however, had complimented Trump's reaction to the 13 July assassination attempt as "one of the most badass things I've ever seen in my life", among his recent attem...
Biden announces biggest single-day clemency before leaving office – National
Politics

Biden announces biggest single-day clemency before leaving office – National

President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. It’s the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history. The commutations announced Thursday are for people who have served out home confinement sentences for at least one year after they were released. Prisons were uniquely bad for spreading the virus and some inmates were released in part to stop the spread. At one point, 1 in 5 prisoners had COVID-19, according to a tally kept by The Associated Press.Biden said he would be taking more steps in the weeks ahead and would continue to review clemency petitions. The second largest single-day act of clemency was by...
Kylie Minogue’s guide to London: Louie in Covent Garden, Chiltern Firehouse and Claridges
Life Style

Kylie Minogue’s guide to London: Louie in Covent Garden, Chiltern Firehouse and Claridges

Currently it’s largely suitcase-based as I’ve been doing so much travel for work, but Melbourne, Australia, is home. I’ve just been in Tokyo and Seoul for work and next stop is New York. I’ll be spending the start of 2025 in Oz rehearsing for my Tension World Tour which kicks off in February in Australia.Where was your first flat in London?When I first started visiting London I stayed in Portobello. I migrated south-west for my first flat in Chelsea. My life there was based around King’s Road, World’s End, Kensington Market, Hyper Hyper etc. I absolutely loved my first flat. I often had one or two girlfriends living with me. Parties were had and mayhem would ensue. Where do you stay in London? I came across a photo of me and my grandma Nain having high tea at Claridge’s in the Nineties. I ...
Tesla stock hits record, boosted by 69% pop since Trump victory
Business

Tesla stock hits record, boosted by 69% pop since Trump victory

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk watch the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket in Brownsville, Texas, on Nov. 19, 2024.Brandon Bell | Via ReutersTesla shares jumped to an all-time high on Wednesday, surpassing their prior record reached in 2021, sparked by a post-election rally and Wall Street's increased enthusiasm for Elon Musk's electric vehicle company.The stock rose to a closing high of $424.77, which is about $15 above its previous peak of $409.97 on Nov. 4, 2021.Tesla's market value has swelled by about 71% this year, with almost all of those gains coming since Donald Trump's election victory early last month. The stock's 38% rally in November marked its best monthly performance since January 2023 and its 10th best on record.Musk poured $277 ...
The new hottest trade on Wall Street: Quantum computing stocks
Business

The new hottest trade on Wall Street: Quantum computing stocks

Investors looking for the next big technology trend may want to keep an eye on quantum computing stocks. The group skyrocketed Tuesday after Google announced Willow , a chip it said "can reduce errors exponentially as we scale up using more qubits" and performed better than its 2019 predecessor. A qubit, or quantum bit, is a unit used to encode data in such computers. GOOGL 5D mountain Alphabet pops for a second day after Willow launch As parent company Alphabet touted the news as a big win for quantum computing, shares of the search giant rose 4% Wednesday, building on a nearly 6% gain in the previous session. The breakthrough from Google lifted other quantum computing stocks , including little-known contender Rigetti Computing . Shares surged to new highs during Wednesday's session after...
Stocks making the biggest moves midday: AVGO, GEV, SFIX, GME
Business

Stocks making the biggest moves midday: AVGO, GEV, SFIX, GME

Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading: Broadcom — Shares added 7% following a report from The Information that the semiconductor manufacturer was assisting Apple in creating an artificial intelligence chip. Shares of Apple traded less than 1% higher. C3.ai — The enterprise artificial intelligence software company shed 9% following a downgrade to underweight from neutral at JPMorgan. Analyst Pinjalim Bora cited a stretched valuation as the catalyst behind the change, adding that he now expects the stock to underperform in 2025. Macy's — Shares shed less than 1% after the department store chain cut its fiscal-year forecast . Macy's now expects adjusted earnings per share between $2.25 and $2.50, compared to its previous outlook of between $2.34 and $2.69. GE Vernova — Sh...
UK and EU leaders want a reset after Trump’s win — and now voters want it too
Business

UK and EU leaders want a reset after Trump’s win — and now voters want it too

A man holds an American flag depicting president-elect Donald Trump at Parliament Square in London.Jeff J Mitchell | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesAs U.K. and EU leaders seek to reset relations ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House, public sentiment also appears to be shifting in favor of closer ties across the continent, according to a new survey.The majority of Britons (55%) think the U.K. should realign with the EU under a second Trump term, and prioritize stronger relations with Brussels over the U.S. (17%), research from the European Council on Foreign Relations showed Thursday. There was also reluctance for Britain to follow Trump's lead on major foreign policy issues such as China and Ukraine.On the continent, the feeling is mutual, with pluralities of ...
South Korea turmoil after Yoon’s martial fiasco bodes ill for its stock market
Business

South Korea turmoil after Yoon’s martial fiasco bodes ill for its stock market

People walk inside the Korea Exchange (KRX) building, as stock markets in Asia as a whole have been affected by the intensifying political turmoil over president Yoon Suk Yeol's role in martial law, in Seoul, South Korea, on Dec. 9, 2024.Daniel Ceng | Anadolu | Getty ImagesSouth Korean markets have had a dismal 2024, with the so-called "Korea discount" in its stock markets widening compared to other global peers. The recent political upheaval is expected to entrench this phenomenon.The country's benchmark stock index, Kospi, has lost over 7% this year and the underperformance of the South Korean market signals its "Corporate Value-Up" program, announced in February this year, has failed to address the "Korea discount."The "Korea discount" refers to South Korean securities trading at lower ...
Video points to Assad regime’s involvement in large-scale trafficking of illicit drugs
World News

Video points to Assad regime’s involvement in large-scale trafficking of illicit drugs

By Tim Lister, Kareem Khadder and Nechirvan Mando, CNN A social media video has surfaced, allegedly showing a warehouse in Syria stacked with captagon, an illicit drug that had transformed the country into a narco-state under former President Bashar al-Assad's rule. The large warehouse was reportedly located at the headquarters of a military division near Damascus that was commanded by Assad's brother Maher. CNN is unable immediately to verify the location. A voice commenting over the video says that it is "one of the largest warehouse facilities of captagon manufacturing of pills". Piles of pills are seen on the floor along with drug-making equipment. If confirmed, the discovery would support claims by the United States and others that the Assad regime had been involved in actively expor...