Thursday, March 5

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Ottawa set to bypass Ford government with money to end encampments
Politics

Ottawa set to bypass Ford government with money to end encampments

The Trudeau government is threatening to bypass Queen’s Park on funding to address encampments in municipalities, Global News has learned, potentially cutting the province out of decisions on how the money should be spent. In mid-September, Canada’s Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Minister Sean Fraser sent a letter to provinces with an offer of $250 million to help find shelter for people living in encampments.Fraser said while the federal government was initially looking for cost-matching agreements with provinces, the Ontario government didn’t respond to the offer forcing Ottawa to go directly to municipalities.“We will no longer wait for them to muster the political will to act as winter gets closer and lives are put at risk,” Fraser said in a statement shared with Global News.A...
Starboard Value’s Jeff Smith says Salesforce has ‘a lot more to go’
Business

Starboard Value’s Jeff Smith says Salesforce has ‘a lot more to go’

Jeff Smith, chief executive officer and chief investment officer of Starboard Value LP.Chris Goodney | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesSalesforce shares jumped 98% in 2023 in part after the business software maker increased its adjusted operating margin after Starboard Value and other activist investors raised concerns about the company's financial performance. Starboard now sees more room for improvement."They've been doing a great job executing, improving their margins, moving up in the Rule of 40 or Rule of 50 for their for their industry, and we think there's a lot more to go," Starboard CEO Jeff Smith told CNBC's David Faber at the 13D Monitor Active-Passive Investor Summit in New York on Tuesday.The rule of 40 refers to the idea that a company's revenue growth rate and profit margin should a...
Former Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries indicted for sex trafficking
World News

Former Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries indicted for sex trafficking

The defendants are expected to appear in court in Florida. File pic Photo: AFP Mike Jeffries, the former chief executive of Abercrombie & Fitch, has been indicted on sex trafficking and prostitution involving dozens of men. The charges were unveiled on Tuesday, a decade after Jeffries left the retailer he built over 22 years into a popular clothing brand known for sexually charged marketing. Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith, and a third defendant James Jacobson, who allegedly served as a recruiter, were each charged with one count of sex trafficking and 15 counts of interstate prostitution. Jeffries and Smith are expected to appear later on Tuesday (US time) in federal court in Florida, court records show. All three defendants were arrested on Tuesday. Brian Bieber, a lawyer for ...
Mark Carney says he’s ‘taking steps’ for possible electoral run – National
Politics

Mark Carney says he’s ‘taking steps’ for possible electoral run – National

Mark Carney said he is thinking about running for elected office in Canada, but remained guarded about when or where, in a conversation with Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith. The conversation was the clearest signal yet from the former governor of the Bank of Canada that he is eyeing a more political future, and comes weeks after he was tapped to chair an economic advisory task force for the Liberal Party and the prime minister.Carney joined Erskine-Smith on his podcast in an episode published on Friday.The MP for Beaches—East York, who has already announced he will not run in the next federal election, talked about the difference between “giving advice and being a decision maker” before asking Carney, “Are you going to put your name on a ballot at some point?”“I’m taking steps that support t...
How Belize Made Me Believe in the Caribbean Again
Life Style

How Belize Made Me Believe in the Caribbean Again

Before I leave Belize, I travel back to Placencia. Willie and Abby take me to Tom Owens Caye, a small island now owned by marine conservation nonprofit ReefCI (reefci.com), I join a group of international volunteers, keen divers who prefer to dive with purpose, paying around $1,000 a week to be trained in scuba spearfishing. Together, we learn how to humanely cull those beautiful yet harmful invasive fish (rather than spike our own feet or other volunteers), how to fillet the fish, and preserve the fins we’d most like to see dangling from ears. I’ve been a diver since my early twenties, mostly in southeast Asian waters, where lion fish are native, have many predators, and numbers are kept at bay. Source link
‘Swicy’ items take over restaurant menus as Gen Z seeks heat
Business

‘Swicy’ items take over restaurant menus as Gen Z seeks heat

A general view of atmosphere during 'Sonic Desert' presented by Coca-Cola Spiced and Topo Chico in partnership with BPM Music on April 13, 2024 in Thermal, California. Randy Shropshire | Getty ImagesThe hottest food and drink trend this year isn't just spicy — it's also sweet."Swicy," a portmanteau of sweet and spicy, has taken over restaurant marketing. While the term hasn't actually appeared on menus, the shorthand has become a popular way to describe the resurgence of foods and drinks marrying sweet and spicy flavors. The Food Institute even dubbed it the "Summer of Swicy" this year.Nearly 10% of restaurant menus have "sweet and spicy" items, up 1.8% over the last 12 months, according to market research firm Datassential. Over the next four years, its menu penetration is expected to ris...
U.S. Republican says Trudeau, not Trump, is NATO threat on defence spending – National
Politics

U.S. Republican says Trudeau, not Trump, is NATO threat on defence spending – National

A U.S. Republican congressman is calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a “threat” to NATO’s stability and success, saying Canada’s defence spending and military contributions aren’t enough. U.S. Rep. Mike Turner made the comments in an op-ed in Newsweek suggesting “Trudeau, not (Donald) Trump, is a threat to the stability and success of NATO” because of the country’s long-standing lag on a plan to hit the agreed upon target for members to spend two per cent of their GDP on defence.This past summer, Defence Minister Bill Blair and Trudeau announced Canada expected to invest at least two per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) in defence by 2032, calling it a “credible, responsible, and achievable target date.”Until then, Trudeau had not offered a concrete timeline to hit the two-per-ce...
Harvey Weinstein has chronic myeloid leukemia: reports – National
Entertainment, Movies

Harvey Weinstein has chronic myeloid leukemia: reports – National

Descrease article font size Increase article font size Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), NBC News reported on Monday, citing sources. Weinstein is currently undergoing treatment for CML, a type of bone marrow cancer, while in prison at Rikers Island in New York to face trial on rape charges, according to the NBC report.Craig Rothfeld, Weinstein’s legal healthcare representative, declined comment when asked by Reuters on the status of his health, citing respect for Weinstein’s privacy.Weinstein, 72, has been beset with health problems, his lawyers had earlier said. He was rushed to the hospital from Rikers Island jail in September to undergo heart surgery. ...
Walmart will start delivering prescriptions as CVS, Walgreens struggle
Business

Walmart will start delivering prescriptions as CVS, Walgreens struggle

Walmart will start to deliver prescriptions to customers' doorsteps. Customers can also get additional items dropped off along with medications, such as groceries.Courtesy of WalmartAs CVS and Walgreens shutter hundreds of stores nationwide to shore up profits and investor sentiment, Walmart said Tuesday that it is offering a new option for customers: delivering prescriptions to their doorsteps.The nation's largest retailer said deliveries are now available in six states: Arkansas, Missouri, New York, Nevada, South Carolina and Wisconsin. The company said in a news release that it expects to deliver prescriptions in 49 states by the end of January. Prescription deliveries will not be available in North Dakota due to state laws, Walmart said.The prescription delivery service is another exam...
Loneliness increases risk of dementia by over 30 per cent, suggest studies
Health

Loneliness increases risk of dementia by over 30 per cent, suggest studies

Loneliness is a major risk factor that increases the risk of dementia by over 30 per cent, regardless of age or gender, a review of 21 long-term studies involving over six lakh participants worldwide has found. Loneliness, which involves one feeling dissatisfied with their social relationships, was also linked with symptoms preceding the stage of being diagnosed with dementia, such as cognitive impairment or decline. Both conditions affect decision-making, memory and thought process. However, dementia`s symptoms are severe enough to interfere with one`s daily functioning. The psychological state of feeling disconnected from society is now widely regarded as a risk factor for ill-health, even though studies have shown that loneliness cannot directly cause the disease. "Dementia is spect...