Texas spotlights unaccompanied migrant children ahead of Trump deportation pushSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — President Yoon Suk Yeol's stunning martial law declaration lasted just hours, but experts say it raised serious questions about his ability to govern for the remaining 2 1/2 years of his term and whether he will abide by democratic principles. The opposition-controlled parliament overturned the edict, and his rivals on Wednesday took steps to impeach him. One analyst called his action "political suicide." Yoon's political fate may depend on whether a large number of people in coming days take to the streets to push for his ouster. Here's a look at the political firestorm caused by the martial law declaration, the first of its kind in more than 40 years. Why did Yoon impose martial law? Yoon's declaration of emergency martial law on Tuesday night was accompanied by a pledge to eliminate "shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces at a single stroke." He vowed to protect the country from "falling into the depths of national ruin." Yoon, a conservative, cited repeated attempts by his liberal rivals in control of parliament to impeach his top officials and curtail key parts of his budget bill for next year. South Korea's constitution allows a president to impose military rule during "wartime, war-like situations or other comparable national emergency states." But a president can't maintain martial law if parliament opposes it with a majority vote. That's what happened Wednesday. And it's why Yoon's move has baffled many experts. Yoon's political fighting with the main opposition Democratic Party is not seen as an emergency requiring military intervention. Experts question why Yoon pushed ahead with the declaration even though the parliament would certainly vote it down. "Conservatives and even moderates would agree with Yoon's criticism and his assessment of progressive lawmakers, but his choice of methods in the 21st century is being seen as the wrong move, miscalculation, and even political suicide," said Duyeon Kim, a senior analyst at the Center for a New American Security in Washington. Yoon's decree resulted in the military deploying troops with assault rifles and police officers to the National Assembly to block its entrance. Even so, 190 of the parliament's 300 members managed to enter and later vote down Yoon's martial law edict early Wednesday. Yoon then lifted martial law without any resistance. The sequence of events suggests that his declaration wasn't carefully or thoroughly planned. "His advisers should have tried to dissuade him not to do it, and they likely did so. But I think that didn't work, and Yoon just pressed ahead with his plan," said Hong Sung Gul, a public administration professor at Seoul's Kookmin University. "That shows he isn't capable of governing this country." What political fate awaits Yoon? The Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, demanded Wednesday that Yoon resign. Together with small opposition parties, it submitted a joint motion on Yoon's impeachment and said they aim for a floor vote as early as Friday. Yoon didn't comment on the impeachment bid, but he put off his official schedule Wednesday morning. He hasn't made public appearances since earlier Wednesday, when he announced he was lifting martial law. The opposition parties together hold 192 seats, eight short of the two-thirds needed to impeach Yoon. But Yoon could face trouble from his own camp as 18 legislators from the ruling People Power Party voted to reject his martial law decree. PPP leader Han Dong-hun called his declaration "unconstitutional." "Both his own ruling party and the opposition party want to hold him accountable. For the first time, in a highly polarized country, both sides of the aisle agree that Yoon's choice in declaring martial law was the wrong move," Duyeon Kim, the analyst, said. "It sounds like his own party is opposed to impeachment but still deliberating whether to ask Yoon to leave the party." South Korean conservatives harbor traumatic memories of the 2016 impeachment of then-President Park Geun-hye, followed by her ouster and arrest the following year. Yoon's martial law declaration may have killed his chances of fully completing his term through May 2027, said Park Sung-min, head of Seoul-based MIN Consulting, a political consulting firm. His early exit would brighten the presidential prospects for Democratic Party chief Lee Jae-myung, who faces corruption and other court trials that have threatened to derail his career. Surveys show Lee, who narrowly lost the 2022 election to Yoon, is the favorite to become the next president. If Yoon is impeached, the Constitutional Court would rule on whether to remove him from office. How does the martial law decree affect foreign policy and the economy? The South Korean developments may be troubling for Washington and Tokyo as they try to expand their three-way security cooperation. "In these crucial times, especially with Donald Trump returning to office and the variety of difficult geopolitical challenges facing the region at the moment, political instability in South Korea is something that neither the United States nor Japan would want," said Park Won Gon, a professor at Seoul's Ewha Womans University in Seoul. The White House said the U.S. was "seriously concerned" by the events in Seoul. A spokesperson for the National Security Council said President Joe Biden's administration was not notified in advance of the martial law announcement. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that Tokyo is watching the development with "exceptional and serious interest." North Korea hasn't commented. Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University, said that North Korea will probably take a wait-and-see approach. The political instability unleashed by Yoon could also make it more difficult for his government to nurse a decaying economy. South Korea's currency, the won, dipped to a two-year low against the U.S. dollar but had recovered by early Wednesday, while the benchmark Kospi stock index was trading 1.8% lower. "There's a growing sentiment that the president himself has become the greatest risk to the Republic of Korea and that things cannot continue as they are," Park said.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers are rushing to introduce legislation that reaffirms the state's role as a reproductive rights "haven" as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House and abortion-rights advocates warn of an uncertain future. Abortion remains legal in California, home to the strongest reproductive rights in the nation — unlike in some states, there is no required waiting period or counseling before the procedure, and minors can get abortions without parental involvement. In 2022 , voters solidified abortion access in the state constitution after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal right, limiting healthcare for millions of women. But as Trump prepares to take the White House again, California's Democratic leaders are adamant that not enough has been done to secure reproductive access in case of further federal rollbacks. "The truth is, this is an urgent and dangerous situation," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said at a news conference in Sacramento on Monday, pointing to renewed legal challenges to the distribution of abortion pills. "The right-wing extremists continue to wage attack after attack on our bodily autonomy at the expense of the health or life of pregnant persons." Bonta, a Democrat, said new legislative proposals will make reproductive rights in California "ironclad." Gov. Gavin Newsom's earlier focus on abortion rights after Trump's first term — including ad campaigns in red states — have drawn criticism from California Republicans skeptical of his national political motives and praise from advocates who say it is better to be safe than sorry. While he has signed dozens of bills firming up abortion access in recent years, some of his plans have proved to be more flash than substance. A temporary law allowing doctors licensed in Arizona to provide abortions in California, for example, expired without any doctors using it. "He makes the big pronouncements, but he's not a very good executor of those policies," said Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher of Yuba City. "It's kind of become his M.O. to make a big splash, and then nothing really ever comes of it." Democrats, however, see the need to shore up abortion access given the uncertainty of Trump's plans. A bill introduced this week aims to ensure availability of mifepristone and misoprostol — the commonly used two-step medication abortion process — even if the Trump administration attempts to interfere. At issue is how anti-abortion government officials could revive and interpret the Comstock Act , a federal law that once banned the mailing of "obscene" materials related to abortions. While Trump has said he has no plans to ban abortion nationwide, he has repeatedly flip-flopped on the issue and taken credit for appointing conservative Supreme Court justices who reversed the federal right to abortion with their decision in the landmark Dobbs case. Reproductive health advocates are worried that under his second term, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could limit access to abortion medication. To lead the FDA, Trump has tapped Dr. Marty Makary , who has echoed antiabortion messages on Fox News about fetal pain — something disputed by major medical organizations. The California bill by former Planned Parenthood attorney and legislative newcomer Assemblymember Maggy Krell , D-Sacramento, aims to ensure that Californians continue to have access to medication abortion for the foreseeable future and protects "manufacturers, distributors, authorized healthcare providers and individuals" from any legal action for distributing or administering the pills. "There are emerging threats to the availability of mifepristone and misoprostol, and California may not be able to guarantee a continued supply," the bill states. "Previously, Governor Newsom implemented a plan to stockpile doses of misoprostol. While this effort was successful, the Legislature finds that the state needs to renew its stockpile to ensure that Californians can continue to exercise their constitutional rights." Last year, Newsom rushed to stockpile hundreds of thousands of abortion pills after a Texas judge ruled against the authorization of the medication. "We will not cave to extremists who are trying to outlaw these critical abortion services. Medication abortion remains legal in California," Newsom said then. But, facing expiration dates, the state released the stockpile to the public before the U.S. Supreme Court decision that rejected the Texas court's ruling. In Washington, Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee chose to hold onto a similar stockpile in case Trump was reelected. A spokesperson for Newsom said California "remains ready" to procure more pills if needed. In another precautionary move last year, Newsom signed a law that allowed abortion providers in Arizona to temporarily practice in California. The action came after the Arizona Supreme Court reinstated an 1800s law that essentially banned all abortions. No Arizona providers ended up using the program, which expired Dec. 1, according to the California Department of Consumer Affairs. Concerns settled in Arizona after Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bill that repealed the court decision, and voters last month passed a state constitutional amendment guaranteeing a right to abortion . The California legislation "was designed to serve as a swift stop gap measure to preserve continued access to abortion care, if necessary, during this very precarious moment," California Department of Consumer Affairs spokesperson Monica Vargas said in an email when The Times asked for data about the program's use. Newsom also signed a law last year that allowed medical residents from states with "hostile" laws to get abortion training in California. The state does not require the California Medical Board to track whether that program is being used as intended, a spokesperson said. For Republican critics like Gallagher, those programs are instances of "political theater" meant more to draw attention to an issue than provide substantive policy. Newsom this week called a special legislative session in Sacramento to prepare for legal combat with Trump on issues such as abortion and immigration — a move heralded by liberals as smart preparation for an unpredictable president and criticized by conservatives as unnecessary panic. "In California, abortion is constitutionally protected, and you have a president-elect who has said very clearly he will not support any national abortion ban," Gallagher said. "This perceived threat that they're trying to make into a political volley ... it's just Newsom drawing attention to himself." Some abortion advocates said that they'd rather have a nimble governor like Newsom and be cautious even if the emergency plans don't always pan out. "Now more than ever is the time for innovative policy solutions," said Shannon Olivieri Hovis, a spokesperson for Essential Health Access. "And inevitably, it is going to be the case that not all solutions we put forth will be equally effective." Other bills introduced this week seeking to fill California's reproductive health access gaps include a proposal to financially penalize cities and counties that block the building of abortion clinics, as has happened in Beverly Hills and Fontana. Assemblymember Mia Bonta, D-Oakland, introduced a package of bills that ensure hospitals enforce laws that require emergency rooms to provide abortion care; make it easier for Medi-Cal recipients to get birth control; and prevent birthing centers from closing. About 40% of California counties don't have abortion clinics, including rural areas where transportation can be a hurdle. In September, the state sued a Humboldt County Catholic hospital after a patient said she was denied an emergency abortion even as she feared for her life because of miscarriage risks. "We have to be absolutely clear-eyed about the political and social moment we're in right now... when we have a proven misogynist as a president," said Mia Bonta, who is married to the attorney general, referring to Trump's sexual abuse allegations and "your body, my choice" refrains that surged after his election. "I think while California has done an amazing job, we still have a lot of work to do to shore up the infrastructure of support for people who are seeking health care and abortion access and protection of our reproductive and sexual freedoms." ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
How Victoria became a poor state (and the 16 charts that prove it)Commerce Bank cut its stake in shares of Vertiv Holdings Co ( NYSE:VRT – Free Report ) by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,752 shares of the company’s stock after selling 133 shares during the period. Commerce Bank’s holdings in Vertiv were worth $2,065,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Vertiv during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $160,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vertiv by 10.2% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 28,066 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,792,000 after buying an additional 2,604 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in shares of Vertiv in the third quarter valued at about $869,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its stake in shares of Vertiv by 38.3% in the third quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 29,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,935,000 after acquiring an additional 8,168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wrapmanager Inc. bought a new position in Vertiv during the third quarter worth about $232,000. Institutional investors own 89.92% of the company’s stock. Insider Activity In related news, Director Jakki L. Haussler sold 15,347 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.38, for a total transaction of $2,108,370.86. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,425 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $470,526.50. This represents a 81.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website . Also, insider Karsten Winther sold 44,924 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.99, for a total value of $3,593,470.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,542 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $843,254.58. This trade represents a 80.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold 91,185 shares of company stock worth $10,074,936 in the last quarter. 5.01% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Vertiv Stock Performance Vertiv ( NYSE:VRT – Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.98 billion. Vertiv had a net margin of 7.72% and a return on equity of 55.33%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.52 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vertiv Holdings Co will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current year. Vertiv Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.0375 per share. This is an increase from Vertiv’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.03. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.15 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.11%. Vertiv’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.67%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of brokerages have issued reports on VRT. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Vertiv from $115.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Vertiv from $124.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Vertiv from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Mizuho raised their price target on Vertiv from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Vertiv from $134.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.50. Get Our Latest Report on VRT Vertiv Profile ( Free Report ) Vertiv Holdings Co, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and services critical digital infrastructure technologies and life cycle services for data centers, communication networks, and commercial and industrial environments in the Americas, the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VRT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Vertiv Holdings Co ( NYSE:VRT – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Vertiv Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vertiv and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
B lack Friday is still a few days away on 29 November, but stores are already dropping prices to compete for our attention and cash – and they’re offering some delectable discounts on products we’ve recommended in the Filter . The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. We cautioned against getting carried away too early in our guide to not getting ripped off in the sales , because many prices continue to fall until Cyber Monday (2 December). However, some of the most popular items can sell out even before Black Friday comes around. So, if there’s something here you’ve had your eye on, this may be your best chance to grab it for significantly less than you’d normally pay. Keep an eye on this page over the coming days, because we’ll update it with any genuine Black Friday bargains on our favourite products of the year, from Ninja air fryers and GHD hair tools to Google Pixels and video doorbells. How we selected these deals (and excluded others) We’ve looked at more than 300 different products, ranging from £2 fabric plasters to the £1,700 Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, at the Filter. Many are discounted already, but only a select few deals are genuine enough for us to endorse here. A “genuine” Black Friday deal is a discount that undercuts the item’s long-term average price by a notable amount, rather than undoing a cheeky October price hike. Ideally, it will be the lowest price of the year. We use various tools to find this out, including the brilliant browser extension the Camelizer , a free and non-affiliated tool that reveals the price history of any Amazon item. Our recommendations here have the best discounts of all the products we checked (and we checked enough to make Santa sweat). Some categories, such as heated clothes airers and women’s coats , haven’t seen much Black Friday action yet, possibly because they’re good winter sellers anyway, whereas some of the deals below got off the starting blocks days ago. The best home and garden deals The essential air fryer Ninja AF100UK, £68.89 (was £79) johnlewis.com amazon.co.uk The experts who helped us compile our university essentials guide in September – that is, students themselves – told us an air fryer is a gamechanger for today’s house-sharers because it makes light, healthy and cheap work of preparing dinner. The supremely efficient Ninja cost as much as £149 last February, so at just under £70, it’s a brilliant buy for the undergrad in your life. Premium stand mixer Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker, £299.99 (was £399) amazon.co.uk Home bakers who love hi-tech appliances and bake in large quantities would love Kenwood’s premium stand mixer, according to our writer Dale Berning Sawa in her roundup of the best stand mixers . But with a usual price tag of between £399 and £469, it’s not cheap. This sub-£300 price is now the best you’ll find online and is about 25% off the average price. Food Thermos Thermos food flask, £14.37 (was £23) amazon.co.uk £17.25 argos.co.uk Stop forking out for lunch takeouts and treat yourself or your kids to hot food every lunchtime with this fantastic Thermos, which keeps last night’s leftovers steaming hot throughout the next day. It was the Filter editor Hannah Booth’s choice for everyday products that save you money and make life easier , and it’s a design classic to boot. At less than £15, it’s now almost a tenner off, and cheaper than many lunches. Luxurious heated throw Dreamland Hurry Home heated throw, £74.99 (was £94.99) johnlewis.com amazon.co.uk The recent frosty snap made us wish we’d invested in heated throws a little sooner because they keep you warm and are cheaper to run than central heating. Still, better late than never, and here’s a great deal: Dreamland’s magnificent heated throw, which featured in everyday products that save you money and make life easier , is now £20 off. It has been discounted before, but its average price is £89 – so this deal is worth snapping up before the temperature plunges again. Handheld steamer Philips 3000 Series handheld steamer, £27 (was £37.99) amazon.co.uk £29.49 philips.co.uk Another one from our university essential guide , this steamer is useful for pretty much anyone who wears clothes. It smoothes out fabric without the need for ironing and freshens up your clothes if you haven’t the time or the inclination to give them a full wash. This is the steamer’s lowest price ever on Amazon, and Philips’s own Black Friday deal isn’t far behind. Smart baby monitor Owlet Dream Sock, £199 (was £294.99) owletbabycare.co.uk amazon.co.uk The Dream Sock may look and sound gimmicky, but it was hailed as a must-have by parents in our guide to the baby gear parents wouldn’t go without . The medically certified sock wraps comfortably around your baby’s foot and gives you real-time data on their oxygen levels and pulse. It’s not cheap, but at £199 it’s now as affordable as it’s ever been. Subscription-free video doorbell Eufy video doorbell, £94.99 (was £155.17) amazon.co.uk £114 johnlewis.com Many video doorbells require a paid subscription, but this Eufy model doesn’t, instead storing videos on the device itself. It’s one of the more expensive video doorbells you can buy, admits tech journalist Andy Shaw in our guide to the best video doorbells , but it packs in extra features such as dual cameras (one for the face, one for the parcels on your doorstep). This is its lowest ever price. Battery-operated video doorbell Aqara video doorbell G4, £83.99 (was £119.99) amazon.co.uk Here’s another multitalented model from our roundup of the best video doorbells , this time with a handy microSD slot for videos and a battery compartment that takes six AAs. Unlike rechargeable doorbells, this one never has to be charged – just pop in new batteries and it’s good to go. It’s also available from the Apple Store, but at the time of writing, it’s still £119 there. This is the lowest price on Amazon in two years. The best technology deals Best value Android Google Pixel 8a, £354.99 (was £499) johnlewis.com amazon.co.uk We’ve not seen many early deals on Apple or Samsung phones, but Google Pixels are another story. The best value pick in our roundup of the best Android phones is now even better value, dropping from its regular price of £499 to just £354.99. Our consumer technology editor Samuel Gibbs called it a top-tier phone without the high-end price and was amazed that it comes with seven years of software support from release. It’s now its lowest price ever, and £100 off its average Amazon price. Premium Pixel Google Pixel 9 Pro, £899 (was £999) johnlewis.com amazon.co.uk Google’s superb flagship is our pick for “best camera alternative” in best Android phones . This outstanding device normally costs a whisper under £1,000 and, despite this new £100 discount, it’s still one of the most expensive smartphones you can buy. But it’s also one of the best, and this price drop may be your best chance to make a saving on it. Foldable Pixel Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, £1,449 (was £1,749) google.com amazon.co.uk If you thought the Pixel Pro was pricey, avert your eyes from this absolute beast of a device that doubles as a phone and tablet in one. In best Android phones , we praised its large screen, 256GB storage and nimble performance and if you’re into AI tools, you’ll find them all here. Its usual price tag of £1,749 is hair-raising, and with £300 off it’s merely eyebrow-raising. Budget Android for kids Moto G34, £109.99 (was £149.99) argos.co.uk amazon.co.uk Mercifully we now head to the other end of the price spectrum with an Android for just over £100. Motorola’s Moto G34 featured in our roundup of the best smartphones for kids , where we liked its big battery, large screen and 5G connectivity. Importantly, it also gets security updates until 2027. The Moto G34 is normally superb value at about £150, so this price drop makes it a brilliant buy as well as a fab Christmas present. Sign up to The Filter Get the best shopping advice from the Filter team straight to your inbox. The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. after newsletter promotion Anker power banks Anker Nano, £26.98 (was £39.99) amazon.co.uk Anker Powercore 20100, £29.99 (was £44.99) amazon.co.uk Power banks are everyday necessities in the 2020s, so we couldn’t leave them out of our university essentials and autumn hiking roundups. Anker’s models are particularly powerful and reliable, with the 10,000mAh Nano adding a handy display that shows how much charge is left. The Powercore’s ultra-high 20,000mAh capacity lets you use power-hungry maps, GPS and video while you’re up a mountain all day. Both power banks have just fallen to their lowest price ever. The best deals on clothing and shoes The high street’s best jeans Levi’s 501 Original jeans, £50 (was £100) levi.com “The most brilliant jeans in the world,” said our fashion editor Jess Cartner-Morley of the legendary Levi’s 501s, which rode high in our list of 50 autumn wardrobe updates under £100 . This fantastic deal sees the jeans that launched a thousand (well, a few) classic 80s and 90s adverts tumble to half price. You heard it through the grapevine (well, here). Dune block heels Dune ankle strap court shoes, £36-£63 (was £90) dunelondon.com Another one from 50 autumn wardrobe updates under £100 , these fabulous and comfortable Dune shoes have dropped from £90 to various bargain prices depending on the colour you choose. The cheapest is the two-tone metallic edition, at £36, while the gorgeous burgundy is more expensive at £63 – still nearly a third off their usual price. Women’s snow boots Merrell Siren 4 Thermo boot, £111.30-£145.80 (was £180) amazon.co.uk With snow covering the country in November this year, these seriously protective Merrell boots are suddenly an essential – and we wouldn’t be surprised to see them sell out before Black Friday. Our fashion team’s guide to the best women’s footwear for autumn praised their toasty warmth, great traction and waterproof membrane, and said they’re light enough to wear all day. Prices are as low as £111.30 for the lovely tobacco colour edition. Men’s hiking boots Danner Crater Rim, £258 (was £430) danner.com It’s not often we see the very best deal offered by a brand’s own store, but Danner is an exception. The tough, heavy and incredibly durable Crater Rim boots wowed our walking boot tester Paddy Madison, but they’re normally wildly expensive at £430. This drop to £258 makes them relatively affordable. Given how many years these boots will last you, this is a genuinely good buy for keen walkers. Men’s summer hiking shoes Keen Arroyo II, £68.81 (was £110) amazon.co.uk The Keen Arroyo shoes snuck into best men’s walking boots , despite looking more like sandals, because they offer good sole protection, support and traction on rough terrain. Their description of “waterproof” made our writer chuckle, though. The shoes still cost £110 at Keen at the time of writing, but Amazon has treated the black and brown model to a welcome discount of more than £40. Soft cabin bag Eastpak Tranverz cabin-size suitcase, £91.70 (was £145) amazon.co.uk £101.50 luggagesuperstore.co.uk A soft but strong and durable cabin bag is the perfect travel companion, squishing into the carry-on allowance without damaging your stuff or bursting the bag’s stitches. Writer Liz Boulter chose this great-looking Eastpak bag for our roundup of 18 everyday essentials , and she said it’s still going strong after a decade of use. Well worth buying at its offer price, which is significantly lower than its average price of £110. The best hair and beauty deals Curling tongs ghd Curve Soft curl tong, £119 (was £159) ghdhair.com The 32mm ghd Curve Soft curl tong is a classic hair tool that – according to the stylists we interviewed about their favourite at-home hair styling tools – creates an effortless, undone look that’s not too big and bouncy. These tongs also have safety features that mean you won’t burn your carpet, or indeed your house down. Jumbo waver Beauty Works Jump waver, £45.49 (was £70) beautyworksonline.com If you’re after big, bouncy beach waves, this triple-barrel wave tong is your answer. Another pick from our at-home hair styling tools , the Jump waver sees more than a third wiped off its price by Beauty Works’ own store. Exfoliating body stick The Inkey List glycolic body stick, £11.25 (was £15) theinkeylist.com Glycolic acid is a wonder ingredient that helps to unclog pores, prevent ingrown hairs, soothe rough patches and even clear up body spots. One of our 14 best beauty buys to restore hair, skin and nails, this brilliantly easy stick was already a good price, but it now drops 30% in the Inkey List’s early Black Friday sale. Chanel body fragrance Chanel Coco Mademoiselle body mist, £36.80 (was £46) johnlewis.com In her roundup of everything she’s learned as a beauty columnist , our writer and self-confessed scent fiend Anita Bhagwandas shares an excellent tip for saving money on Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle perfume , which costs £122 for 100ml. Get the body mist instead because it’s normally a much better buy than the perfume at £46 for 100ml. And now John Lewis’s Black Friday sale pushes it down to just £36.80, an excellent deal for a premium scent. Invisible SPF stick Clarins Invisible Sun Care Stick SPF 50+, £19.20 (was £24) johnlewis.com amazon.co.uk Clarins Sun Care is reliably terrific across the range, and in our list of 11 best sunscreens for every need , our writer Sali Hughes praised this solid SPF stick for its smooth, invisible application. It also smells great and doesn’t sting your eyes. It’s not fallen to below £21.50 since May 2021, so this deal is a genuinely good chance to stock up on a high-protection invisible block that’s needed on sunny winter days every bit as much as in the summer.GRAND FORKS — The latest defense authorization bill expands mental health care access for North Dakota’s military service members and adds new provisions for countering threats posed by unmanned drones. Those are among the provisions touted by North Dakota’s two U.S. senators in the annual National Defense Authorization Act. President Joe Biden signed the bill into law Monday after it passed by divided votes in the House and Senate. Language in the latest NDAA includes an order to establish a counter-UAS task force combatting drone incursions onto U.S. military bases and several provisions for current service members’ mental health care, including measures singling out pilots of U.S. combat drones. Drone incursions have been reported in recent weeks over U.S. military bases in England and Germany, while residents of several eastern states have reported seeing numerous unidentified lighted drones flying overhead, though U.S. officials say most of the latter incidents have been manned aircraft. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said the NDAA “helps formalize what (the Defense Department) is already doing” to combat unwanted drone use, citing the counter-UAS goals of Project ULTRA and ongoing efforts to integrate drones into U.S. airspace at the Northern Plains UAS Test Site. Project ULTRA — which stands for UAS logistics, traffic, research and autonomy — seeks to boost national security and operational efficiency of unmanned aerial system operations. “The interesting thing about Grand Forks is we’ve built an ecosystem where, I’ve talked about us being the tip of the spear against China; we’re the tip of the spear in developing drone and counter-drone,” Hoeven said. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., has championed a provision that expands the number of mental health providers certified under military health insurance provider TRICARE. Cramer said he pushed for the expanded access in response to a pair of suicides among Grand Forks Air Force Base personnel in the past several years. “The standards to join TRICARE are so stringent now, they don’t take into account that some states like North Dakota only have certain accreditations and certifications that are available to them,” Cramer said. “If you don’t get the right credential — it’s not that it’s a better credential, just the right one — your providers don’t meet the standard for TRICARE.” He’s also pushed for a provision creating a combat status identifier for pilots of remotely piloted aircraft involved in combat operations. Cramer cited as inspiration the 119th Wing of the North Dakota National Guard, which flies MQ-9 Reaper unmanned planes. “Our remote pilots are treated differently when it comes to things like PTSD potential or depression or mental health challenges as the result of, say, a kill shot,” he said. “I wanted to make sure the remote pilots are given the same type of consideration as somebody that’s in the cockpit of an airplane.” This year’s NDAA also authorizes $1.9 million in planning and design funding for maintenance on Grand Forks Air Force Base’s runway — one of Cramer’s pet projects — and reauthorization for the Space Development Agency’s mission, including its recently-established Operations Center North at Grand Forks Air Force Base. Hoeven said his office is working to appropriate another $450 million toward an advanced fire control system built off the SDA’s network of low-Earth orbit satellites. Other North Dakota-specific provisions in this year’s NDAA include authorization for funding to update the UH-72 Lakota helicopters used by the North Dakota National Guard and funding authorization to modernize Minot Air Force Base’s nuclear capabilities. Policy measures, like more provider options for mental health care or the counter-UAS task force, became law with the passage of the NDAA. However, NDAA provisions that require funding — like nuclear modernization or the runway study — will need to pass in a separate defense appropriations bill. “An authorization just says that it’s approved,” Hoeven explained. “In defense appropriations, we allocate the dollars to do it, and if we don’t provide those dollars for the NDAA, for those authorizations or programs, then obviously they don’t advance.” The federal government is currently operating at last year’s funding levels via a continuing resolution set to expire in March. Congress will have to attempt to pass a defense appropriations bill before then or pass another continuing resolution. The NDAA usually passes with significant bipartisan support. This year, however, the bill passed with significant dissent from both House and Senate Democrats after a last-minute amendment by House Speaker Mike Johnson added language barring TRICARE from covering some gender-affirming care for transgender children of service members. Both Hoeven and Cramer expressed support for Johnson’s amendment, which blocks gender-affirming care “that could result in sterilization” — though medical professionals say hormone therapy (like puberty blockers) generally does not cause infertility. Cramer said providing gender-affirming care did not support military readiness and dismissed concerns about the mental health impact of denying that care to minors. “(The amendment) has a much lower priority than caring for people who are stressed out by the fact that they’re a warfighter,” he said. “We need them to be healthy, we need them to be ready for war, and puberty blockers, gender-affirming care, just simply don’t do either of those things.” Hoeven said gender-affirming care was hurting military readiness and recruiting and decried providing gender-affirming care as a “social experiment,” a phrase also used by Cramer. President-elect Donald Trump is widely expected to reinstate a ban on transgender service members in the U.S. Armed Forces, as he did in his first administration. North Dakota’s U.S. senators also dismissed concerns that the Johnson provision could affect bipartisanship or productivity in the next Congress. The Senate ultimately passed the NDAA 85-15, while less than half of the House’s Democrats supported the act. More Democrats attacked Johnson’s last-minute addition while saying they felt compelled to vote for the broader bill. “I’m hopeful Democrats will come around and join us with what we’ve always done with our military, which is support our professional, great men and women in uniform who do such an outstanding job, not a bunch of social policies that shouldn’t be in there,” Hoeven said. He also said he expects the embattled House speaker, who holds one of the smallest House majorities in history, to be reelected next year. Cramer called this year’s NDAA a loss for the political left but said he “wouldn’t read a whole lot” into the dissent, pointing out the bill had continued its decades-long streak of passing into law despite partisan gridlock. The 118th Congress, which ends Jan. 3, has been called one of the least productive Congresses in decades, and is by some counts the least productive in U.S. history.
Elephant Robotics to Exhibit at CES 2025: Featuring Cutting-Edge Innovative Robotics Solutions and AI Bionic Robots DebutIndia key in NTT's strategy in APAC: CEO
It looked like a recipe for disaster. So, when his country's swimmers were being accused of doping earlier this year, one Chinese official cooked up something fast. He blamed it on contaminated noodles. In fact, he argued, it could have been a culinary conspiracy concocted by criminals, whose actions led to the cooking wine used to prepare the noodles being laced with a banned heart drug that found its way into an athlete's system. This theory was spelled out to international anti-doping officials during a meeting and, after weeks of wrangling, finally made it into the thousands of pages of data handed over to the lawyer who investigated the case involving 23 Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for that same drug. The attorney, appointed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, refused to consider that scenario as he sifted through the evidence. In spelling out his reasoning, lawyer Eric Cottier paid heed to the half-baked nature of the theory. "The Investigator considers this scenario, which he has described in the conditional tense, to be possible, no less, no more," Cottier wrote. Even without the contaminated-noodles theory, Cottier found problems with the way WADA and the Chinese handled the case but ultimately determined WADA had acted reasonably in not appealing China's conclusion that its athletes had been inadvertently contaminated. Critics of the way the China case was handled can't help but wonder if a wider exploration of the noodle theory, details of which were discovered by The Associated Press via notes and emails from after the meeting where it was delivered, might have lent a different flavor to Cottier's conclusions. "There are more story twists to the ways the Chinese explain the TMZ case than a James Bond movie," said Rob Koehler, the director general of the advocacy group Global Athlete. "And all of it is complete fiction." In April, reporting from the New York Times and the German broadcaster ARD revealed that the 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine, also known as TMZ. China's anti-doping agency determined the athletes had been contaminated, and so, did not sanction them. WADA accepted that explanation, did not press the case further, and China was never made to deliver a public notice about the "no-fault findings," as is often seen in similar cases. The stock explanation for the contamination was that traces of TMZ were found in the kitchen of a hotel where the swimmers were staying. In his 58-page report, Cottier relayed some suspicions about the feasibility of that chain of events — noting that WADA's chief scientist "saw no other solution than to accept it, even if he continued to have doubts about the reality of contamination as described by the Chinese authorities." But without evidence to support pursuing the case, and with the chance of winning an appeal at almost nil, Cottier determined WADA's "decision not to appeal appears indisputably reasonable." A mystery remained: How did those traces of TMZ get into the kitchen? Shortly after the doping positives were revealed, the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations held a meeting on April 30 where it heard from the leader of China's agency, Li Zhiquan. Li's presentation was mostly filled with the same talking points that have been delivered throughout the saga — that the positive tests resulted from contamination from the kitchen. But he expanded on one way the kitchen might have become contaminated, harkening to another case in China involving a low-level TMZ positive. A pharmaceutical factory, he explained, had used industrial alcohol in the distillation process for producing TMZ. The industrial alcohol laced with the drug "then entered the market through illegal channels," he said. The alcohol "was re-used by the perpetrators to process and produce cooking wine, which is an important seasoning used locally to make beef noodles," Li said. "The contaminated beef noodles were consumed by that athlete, resulting in an extremely low concentration of TMZ in the positive sample. "The wrongdoers involved have been brought to justice." This new information raised eyebrows among the anti-doping leaders listening to Li's report. So much so that over the next month, several emails ensued to make sure the details about the noodles and wine made their way to WADA lawyers, who could then pass it onto Cottier. Eventually, Li did pass on the information to WADA general counsel Ross Wenzel and, just to be sure, one of the anti-doping leaders forwarded it, as well, according to the emails seen by the AP. All this came with Li's request that the noodles story be kept confidential. Turns out, it made it into Cottier's report, though he took the information with a grain of salt. "Indeed, giving it more attention would have required it to be documented, then scientifically verified and validated," he wrote. Neither Wenzel nor officials at the Chinese anti-doping agency returned messages from AP asking about the noodles conspiracy and the other athlete who Li suggested had been contaminated by them. Meanwhile, 11 of the swimmers who originally tested positive competed at the Paris Games earlier this year in a meet held under the cloud of the Chinese doping case. Though WADA considers the case closed, Koehler and others point to situations like this as one of many reasons that an investigation by someone other than Cottier, who was hired by WADA, is still needed. "It gives the appearance that people are just making things up as they go along on this, and hoping the story just goes away," Koehler said. "Which clearly it has not." Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!INVNT® Celebrates Unprecedented Global Growth, Impact, and Innovation in 2024
