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Prosecutor seeks new sentence for Menendez brothers over murder of parents, report
World News

Prosecutor seeks new sentence for Menendez brothers over murder of parents, report

Erik and Lyle Menendez have spent 34 years in prison. Photo: AFP / VINCE BUCCI A Los Angeles prosecutor said he is asking the court to resentence Erik and Lyle Menendez after they have spent 34 years in prison for the shotgun murder of their parents, the Associated Press reported, after new evidence emerged indicating they were sexually abused by their father for years. Los Angeles county district attorney George Gascon was due to announced his decision at a press conference on Friday. The AP, citing an official with knowledge of the decision, said Gascon would recommend to a judge that the brothers be resentenced. They are both serving life in prison without parole for the 1989 murders. The Menendez brothers, now 56 and 53, were convicted after the second of two highly publicised trial...
Mattel, Hasbro lower guidance ahead of holiday season
Business

Mattel, Hasbro lower guidance ahead of holiday season

Shoppers at a Walmart store on Black Friday in Secaucus, New Jersey, on Nov. 24, 2023.Victor J. Blue | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesMattel and Hasbro decreased their end-of-year guidance ahead of the key holiday season as toy sales continue to slide during the third quarter.Earnings per share for both toy giants beat out Wall Street expectations while revenue missed, according to consensus estimates compiled by LSEG.But mixed results for both companies' third quarters were reflected in the updated year-end guidance for 2024.Mattel said it expects sales for the last three months of the year to be "comparable to slightly down" from its prior guidance update. Hasbro, meanwhile, lowered its expected revenue guidance. It now expects revenue to decline between 12% and 14% for consumer products, down ...
What can the US teach NZ about gun control? More than you might expect
World News

What can the US teach NZ about gun control? More than you might expect

First published on By Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato professor of law* Police seized 35 firearms and 15,000 rounds of ammunition from a New Lynn property in Auckland last week. Photo: Supplied / NZ Police The current inquest into the worshippers killed in the Christchurch mosque attacks has been examining gun laws at the time of the 2019 atrocities, and how lax controls helped the terrorist acquire his weapons. Inevitably, it has also put the spotlight on the coalition government's proposed changes to the Arms Act, and how changes to licence vetting procedures and regulation might affect public safety. Firearms control is a complex and contentious issue - but New Zealand can learn from other countries' experience. It may surprise many, but one such coun...
Pandemic preparedness Bill C-293 controversy in Alberta’s agriculture sector
Politics

Pandemic preparedness Bill C-293 controversy in Alberta’s agriculture sector

A private members bill currently making its way through the Senate in Ottawa is ruffling a few feathers in Alberta. Bill C-293, the Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness Act, says it aims to prevent the risk of and prepare for future pandemics and to promote transparency and accountability in relation to the Government of Canada’s efforts to do so.The bill’s summary says it’s critical to build on the lessons learned from previous outbreaks of serious diseases, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Ebola virus disease (EVD), Zika virus disease, tuberculosis, H1N1 flu and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19.)However, members of the Prairie province’s poultry, beef, and pork industries are concerned about language in the bill they say targets producers.Alberta responded quickly to...
Volkswagen’s Scout Motors reveals first EVs, plans for plug-in hybrids
Business

Volkswagen’s Scout Motors reveals first EVs, plans for plug-in hybrids

Scout Terra pickup truck and Scout Traveler SUV conceptsScoutNASHVILLE, Tenn. — Volkswagen-backed Scout Motors revealed its first electric vehicles Thursday and announced plans for the brand to expand its lineup to include an emerging type of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in addition to EV models.Scout, a former American vehicle brand from 1961 to 1980, was expected to exclusively offer EVs in a bid for the German automaker to expand its presence in the U.S. However, slower-than-expected adoption of EVs and higher costs have led it to change course and include extended-range electric vehicles, or EREVs."Being a startup that moves quickly, we can pivot," Scout CEO Scott Keogh, a longtime auto executive who previously led VW's operations in the U.S., told CNBC. "The pivot that we made a nu...
US fast-food chains hold the onions after McDonald’s E. coli outbreak
World News

US fast-food chains hold the onions after McDonald’s E. coli outbreak

By Brad Brooks, Reuters Quarter Pounders are marked as unavailable and 'Back Soon' in the Drive Thru lane at a McDonald's restaurant on 22 October 2024 in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo: Mario Tama / Getty Images via AFP US fast-food chains are pulling fresh onions out of their menu items after the vegetable was named as the likely source of an E. coli outbreak at McDonald's restaurants that has sickened 49 people and killed one. Restaurant Brands International, parent of McDonald's rival Burger King, and Yum Brands said they were removing fresh onions from menu items. Roughly 5 percent of Burger King locations have removed onions from the menu, a Burger King spokesperson said in a statement. McDonald's said on Thursday that Taylor Farms was the supplier of the sliced onions that have been r...
Rapper Ghetts’ guide to London: I once bought a car on Apple Pay
Life Style

Rapper Ghetts’ guide to London: I once bought a car on Apple Pay

Greengate, just between Essex and London. I live with my missus, my 12-year-old and my five-year-old.Where was your first flat?Plaistow — I lived with my mum, brother and sister there in the early Nineties. I actually haven’t ever had a job before I started doing music. That sounds so mad to say. Where would you recommend for a first date?It depends on the person — maybe a restaurant in central. I love a Turkish restaurant, I’m a simple guy. My missus likes expensive restaurants, so I’ve been to a few — I like Roka, the black cod there is nice. But if it’s more of an activities date, I’m dying to go to The Cube in Canary Wharf.The sushi at Roka©Ming Tang-EvansWhich shops do you rely on?There’s a shop in Greengate called Alkaline Roots, you can get all your natural stuff, your natural soa...
Where Vanguard sees opportunity to earn income right now
Business

Where Vanguard sees opportunity to earn income right now

With the Federal Reserve rate-cutting cycle now underway, income investors may want to take a closer look at their portfolios. The central bank slashed the federal funds rate by a half-percentage point in September and fed funds futures prices suggest a 93% probability that rates will drop another 25 basis points in November, according to the CME FedWatch Tool . One basis point equals 0.01%. Futures point to a 74% likelihood of another quarter point cut in November. In this environment, Vanguard likes higher-quality, fixed-income assets. The money manager expects the economy to slow to below-trend growth but avoid recession, and anticipates the yield curve will revert to its typical upward-sloping angle. "Historically, when economic growth has slowed but stayed positive, higher-quality fix...
Bruce Springsteen performs at Kamala Harris rally, calls Donald Trump an ‘American tyrant’
World News

Bruce Springsteen performs at Kamala Harris rally, calls Donald Trump an ‘American tyrant’

Musician Bruce Springsteen performs during a campaign event for Democratic presidential nominee, US Vice President Kamala Harris with former President Barack Obama at the James R Hallford Stadium on October 24, 2024 in Clarkston, Georgia. Photo: Alex Wong By Jarrett Renshaw and Nandita Bose, Reuters Thousands gathered to hear US Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the battleground state of Georgia for a star-studded rally with rock legend Bruce Springsteen, entertainer Tyler Perry and former President Barack Obama. Ahead of Harris' remarks, film director Spike Lee warned a packed crowd at the James R. Hallford Stadium not to be "bamboozled" into voting for Donald Trump, and Springsteen performed melancholy laments "The Promised Land," and "Land of Hope and Dreams." "Donal...
Deal blocked between Coach, Michael Kors owners
Business

Deal blocked between Coach, Michael Kors owners

Coach and Michael Kors.Michael M. Santiago | Eduardo Parra | Europa Press | Getty ImagesA federal judge blocked Tapestry's acquisition of Capri on Thursday following a brief trial last month in New York.In her order, Judge Jennifer Rochon granted the Federal Trade Commission's motion for a preliminary injunction to block the proposed merger, which would marry America's two largest luxury houses and put six fashion brands under one company: Tapestry's Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman with Capri's Versace, Jimmy Choo and Michael Kors. Tapestry's stock surged 10% after the order was filed while Capri's plunged about 50%.In a statement, Tapestry said it plans to appeal the order, "consistent with our obligations under the merger agreement.""Today's decision granting the FTC's request for ...