TOURISTS are often targeted by thieves but a £4 distraction wallet could prevent your holiday from being ruined. While you may not want to have to think about the dangers associated with exploring unknown areas, there are some simple tricks that can help put your mind at ease so you can enjoy your trip. Advertisement 4 Taking extra steps to ensure the safety of yourself and your belongings on holiday does not have to be costly (stock) Credit: Getty 4 A travel writer has urged those going away to consider using a decoy or distraction wallet when confronted by muggers or walking around busy streets (stock) Credit: Alamy 4 A simple £4 wallet containing expired credit cards, a small amount of cash, some old receipts and other items could buy you time to get to safety Credit: Amazon Travel + Leisure writer Annita Katee went to South America and while in Lima, Peru , a member of her tour group had her phone snatched from her. The situation gave Katee a "wake-up call" to how you will never eliminate all risks but that "being prepared and proactive can make a world of difference." One of her top safety hacks is to carry a distraction wallet or a decoy. While you may initially believe that this is an extra expense and more to carry, it could prove vital in the event of being pickpocketed or even having a confrontation with a thief. Advertisement read more on travel hacks ON HOL-D Travel hack that keeps you safe after woman has 'everything stolen' in Spain AIR-MAZING! ‘Perfect, thank you’ say Apple AirPods owners over perfect travel hack For example, if you find yourself confronted in a mugging situation and you are asked to hand over your wallet, pass over the decoy rather than your real one. To make it believable, the fake wallet should have expired credit cards, a small amount of cash that you can sacrifice and some non-essential items. You could even put a copy of a photograph in there and some old receipts to make it more realistic. "The decoy can be enough to satisfy the thief and buy you precious time to retreat to safety," Katee explained. Advertisement Most read in News Travel Exclusive WORLD VIEW A Place In The Sun made me move abroad - but when I got there it made me cry COUGH UP Motorhome park owner shuts after guests leave without paying using shock trick FLIGHT DEAL Three major UK airports are 'put up for multi-billion pound sale' ROCK OUT Dolphins, gin, super sundaes and duty-free drinks make Gibraltar a winner She added: "When travelling through crowded areas where petty crime is more common, keep the decoy at the top of your bag while your actual wallet, phone, and other important possessions are stored at the bottom." It is a clever safety tip that does not have to cost a lot. Lexie Limitless shares her top travel tips and tricks Amazon sells an RFID slim trifold wallet in a number of colours and patterns for just £4.99. Other travel recommendations include a phone lanyard that will make an easy snatch impossible for chance thieves. Advertisement A set of two lanyards can be bought online for £10 or even less with current Black Friday deals. One happy customer highlighted why she got one for her travels. Holiday packing tips Jemma Solomon, aka The Label Lady has got 5 packing tips to help you get organised for your next holiday. 1. Write a list Think about all the essentials you need to take with you; suncream, medicine, a few games for the kids, beach towels, and write everything in one list, which you can tick off as you add it to your suitcase. Or for complete ease, try Google's AI app - Gemini - which will create a list for you and help you not over pack. 2. Involve your kids Jemma said: “My girls are getting older, they’re 11 and nine, and they enjoy helping to pack. So I send them a list, and say ‘this is what you need’ and they follow the list. “And then I give them a rucksack each - and say to them ‘you can have whatever you want in there as long as it’s not liquid', and they can take that on the plane. And that’s their ‘home away from home’ items.” 3. Try a hack or two She said: "I think they all work, but for different reasons - and you’ve just got to pick the right one for your trip. "Rolling your clothes is really good to stop your clothes from getting creases. And if you’re trying to get a lot of items into your case, it’s a space saver. “Packing cubes are great - for example, I’m going on holiday with my three kids and we’re all using the same suitcase for our clothes. "These handy compartments let you separate your clothes, toiletries and tech into designated cubes, maximising luggage space by keeping your items compressed and neatly stacked. "I love taking them abroad with the family and it means my kids can easily take charge of their own items once we’ve arrived." 4. Decant beauty products Do you really need to take full-size bottles of shampoo and conditioner with you? The beauty industry has evolved so much, you can now buy shampoo bars or sheets - which are much lighter and smaller. Or, if you'll be popping to the shops when you're abroad, consider buying some items when you arrive. 5. Get organised before you come home Jemma said: “When you repack on holiday [before coming home], the trick is to separate clean from dirty clothes. “Also pack it in some form of order - so lights, darks, colours for items that need washing, or if you wash your clothes by person in the household, piles for each person. "Then you can put it straight into the washing machine. Do it straight away, don’t leave it." "I just wore it on my neck with my phone when I was going around Barcelona . It’s sturdy enough," she wrote. "Luckily no one attempted to steal my phone but it’s very common and could happen to anyone. Advertisement "That’s why I recommend getting one when going to major cities. I rather spend less the €20 on this than a new phone." Others call it a "versatile, convenient, and stylish solution for keeping [your] phone secure and easily accessible." Another safety hack is Zipper Lock Clips available for just £4.39 from Amazon for a set of 12. These add another layer of protection to your backpack, purse, or suitcase making it harder to undo them discreetly. Advertisement One shopper said that it gave them "peace of mind" which is all you want when on holiday or spending time in a busy city. Read more on the Scottish Sun REST EASY Andy Murray flooded with messages as he shares heart-breaking family update COUGH UP Motorhome park owner shuts after guests leave without paying using shock trick For more travel tips, see the clever packing trick that celebrities swear by so they never forget an important item again. A flight attendant has also revealed a hack that will stop you from getting lost in huge hotels. 4 People who have used these safety hacks have "peace of mind" when they travel so they can enjoy their holidays even more (stock) Credit: Getty Advertisement
Global stocks registereda strong weekly gain on Friday while U.S. Treasury yieldsslipped as markets eyed President-elect Donald Trump’s likely policies and their impact on the U.S. economy, even as bitcoin traded near the $100,000 threshold. Traders are bracing for Trump’s agenda after he takes office in January, which is expected to include tariffs, tax cuts and deregulation. Trump has been nominating senior officials in his administration, and markets are awaiting his pick for Treasury secretary. All three Wall Street indexes finished higher and each notched a weekly gain. Industrials, consumerdiscretionary, financials and consumer staples drove gains while communication services, utilities and technology equities were the biggest losers. Nvidia NVDA.O, the world’s most valuable company, ended down 3.2% after the artificial intelligence chipmaker reported strong quarterly results but issued lacklustre sales forecasts. The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 0.97% to 44,296.51, the S&P 500 .SPX rose 0.35% to 5,969.34 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC rose 0.16% to 19,003.65. Europe’s Stoxx 600 .STOXX share index ended the week 1% higher, snapping four straight weeks of losses. MSCI’s gauge of stocks across the globe .MIWD00000PUS rose 0.33%to 854.22 and gained about 1.4% for the week. “The earnings of Nvidia were really solid and the market traded off a little bit but I don’t think it was a major event that it could have been,” said Mark Malek, chief investment officer at SiebertNXT in New York. “So we put that behind us and when we look at what else might be driving the market this week ... People are starting to think about what has happened to the market since Trump was elected and some of the appointments he’s been making.” The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes US10YT=RR fell 1.4 basis points to 4.418%, as markets reassess future rate cuts from the Federal Reserve given expectations that some of Trump’s policies could be inflationary. The market is now pricing in a 53% probability the Fed will cut rates by 25 basis points in December. Bets that Trump’s administration will take a lighter-touch approach to regulation also propelled bitcoin BTC= to the brink of $100,000 for the first time. The world’s largest cryptocurrency gained 1.33% to $99,384.00. Ethereum ETH= declined 1.59% to $3,295.40. The euro fell to a two-year low while the dollar gained after gauges of business activity were released in each region. A gauge of the U.S. manufacturing sector compiled byS&P Global increased to 55.3 this month, the highest level since April 2022. A similar gauge for the euro zonesank to a 10-month low of 48.1 in November. The dollar index =USD, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, rose 0.43%to 107.52,with the euro EUR= down 0.56%at $1.0414 after falling to $1.0333, its lowest since Nov. 30, 2022. Oil prices climbed about 1%, settling at a two-week high,driven by the intensifying Russia-Ukraine conflict. Brent LCOc1 futures rose 1.3% to settle at $75.17 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 rose 1.6% to settle at $71.24. Gold prices breached the $2,700 threshold for the first time in two weeks, on track for their biggest weekly gain in over a year. Spot gold XAU= rose 1.37% to $2,706.39 an ounce. U.S. gold futures GCcv1 settled 1.4% higher at $2,712.20. Source: Reuters (Reporting by Chibuike Oguh in New York; Additional reporting by Ankur Banerjee. Editing by Christina Fincher, Mark Potter and Deepa Babington)When many countries are at war PM Modi binding world in thread of peace harmony YogiGildan Activewear Inc. CEO Glenn Chamandy arrives to speak to the media following their annual meeting in Montreal, on May 28. Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press Fund managers who put Glenn Chamandy back in the driver’s seat at Gildan Activewear Inc. GIL-T after a nasty boardroom battle are reaping the rewards for their support by selling portions of their stakes in the T-shirt maker. Gildan’s stock price has soared by 40 per cent since shareholders voted in May to reinstate Mr. Chamandy as chief executive officer and install a new board. Last December, the company’s previous board dismissed the then 61-year-old co-founder over succession issues, kicking off a six-month public battle for leadership of one of the world’s largest clothing manufacturers. During the governance showdown, normally low-profile fund managers such as Jarislowsky Fraser Ltd., Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. and Anson Funds waged public campaigns supporting Mr. Chamandy. Their faith proved justified. Since Mr. Chamandy’s return, Gildan has boosted international sales and ramped up share buybacks, while rivals such as Fruit of the Loom Ltd. stumbled. Within months, Gildan’s stock price soared through analysts’ long-term targets. In November, Gildan’s share price hit all-time highs of $70 on the Toronto Stock Exchange, valuing the Montreal-based company at $10.8-billion. Mr. Chamandy’s staunchest supporters took profits during the rally. Over the summer, Jarislowsky Fraser, Gildan’s largest shareholder, sold 703,000 shares worth roughly $40-million, according to U.S. regulatory filings made Sept. 30. Jarislowsky Fraser, an arm of Bank of Nova Scotia, continues to own 10.3 million shares or 6.7 per cent of Gildan, a stake worth over $700-million. “Our view on Gildan is unchanged,” said Charles Nadim, head of research and portfolio manager at Jarislowsky Fraser, in an e-mail. “Any reduction in shares reflects portfolio considerations given the size of the position after such strong performance.” In recent months, Turtle Creek sold 1.2 million Gildan shares worth roughly $70-million, according to filings. The asset manager continues to hold 3.1 million shares worth more than $200-million. In an interview, co-founder and CEO Andrew Brenton said Turtle Creek has owned Gildan for more than 10 years and continues to support Mr. Chamandy’s strategy but decided to sell a portion of its holding as part of the fund manager’s “continuous portfolio optimization strategy.” “We remain committed to Glenn and his strategy, and we expect to continue to be Gildan shareholders for the long term,” Mr. Brenton said. Turtle Creek oversees $4.2-billion in client assets. Gildan Activewear will be ‘beneficiary of consolidation’ as customers merge, CEO says Anson, a Toronto-based fund manager, built a 2 million share stake worth more than $100-million in Gildan during the proxy fight and publicly backed Mr. Chamandy. In its September letter to investors, Anson co- founder and chief investment officer Moez Kassam said while Gildan’s prospects are bright, the fund manager sold most of its stake after its value rose by 50 per cent. He said: “We believe Gildan will continue to take share from peers.” Two other significant shareholders, Fidelity parent FMR LLC and Coliseum Capital Management LLC, also sold more than a million Gildan shares this fall. Over all, 11 of Gildan’s 25 largest shareholders have trimmed their positions since Mr. Chamandy’s return, while 13 institutional investors added to their stakes, according to filings. Gildan’s third-largest shareholder, Browning West LP, kept its stake constant at 9.6 million shares or 6.2 per cent of the company. The Los Angeles-based fund manager led the campaign to bring back Mr. Chamandy. “We believe Gildan has a strong value creation path ahead of it and look forward to being an engaged and supportive shareholder for many years,” Usman Nabi, Browning West’s managing partner and chief investment officer, said in an e-mail. Gildan’s stock price is soaring as the company moves on from what proved to be an expensive boardroom fight. So far this year, the company has spent $82.3-million on lawyers and advisers in the proxy battle, according to the company’s financial reports. The total includes $9.4-million Gildan paid to Browning West to cover the asset manager’s expenses. Gildan is still contesting outstanding bills. In August, advisory firm Kingsdale Partners LP sued Gildan for $2.3-million in alleged unpaid fees in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Since Mr. Chamandy’s return to the top job, Gildan has introduced new products and expanded its reach. In a recent report, analyst Mark Petrie at CIBC Capital Markets said sales and profit margins rose after Gildan rolled out “soft cotton technology” to improve the feel and “printability” of its T-shirts. “Gildan is taking market share and we believe product innovation and favourable competitive dynamics are important tailwinds,” Mr. Petrie said. Prior to the boardroom fight, Gildan built new factories in Bangladesh to cut costs and better serve international markets. While revenue growth in North America is relatively modest – projected to be 5 per cent or less annually – Gildan’s international sales jumped 20 per cent to $64-million in the most recent quarter compared to the same period a year ago. Over all, Gildan’s sales rose 2.4 per cent to a record $891-million in the quarter, while adjusted earnings rose 6.5 per cent to $138-million. Mr. Chamandy returned to Gildan promising to ramp up repurchase of the company’s shares, potentially by increasing the company’s relatively low debt levels and has delivered. Since May, Gildan has bought back 14.3 million of its own shares. The company’s current repurchase plan, set in August, allows Gildan to buy back up to 16 million shares or 10 per cent of its float by August, 2025. Mr. Petrie forecast the company will reach that limit early in the new year. Last Wednesday, Gildan raised $700-million in credit markets by selling notes maturing in five and seven years. The money is earmarked for “general corporate purposes,” which can include paying for share buybacks. With a report from Robyn Doolittle
Mantis scores 17 points off the bench as Maine downs Holy Cross 80-55IN A Leinster club SHC final of 42 scores, AJ Murphy’s goal midway through the second-half was the one that all but settled this gripping encounter. Just one point separated the sides after Conor Mahon’s goal for 2012 champions Kilcormac/Killoughey in the 39th minute. The Offaly outfit had strong momentum at that stage too having cut a half-time deficit of five points to the minimum. But Murphy’s goal shortly after the Mahon strike put Na Fianna back in pole position and they sped to a landmark victory from there. Free-taker Colin Currie struck 0-8 for Na Fianna while captain Donal Burke rose to the occasion with seven excellent points from play. The result means that manager Niall O Ceallachain, recently appointed as Dublin boss, will double job for another couple of weeks at least. Na Fianna will face Loughrea in an All-Ireland semi-final on the weekend of 14/15 December. Cuala became the first club in the entire province to have won Leinster titles in both codes when they won their final this evening — and Na Fianna have matched that achievement. Na Fianna looked like a team intent on not leaving Croke Park with more painful memories following last year’s narrow final defeat to O’Loughlin Gaels. They were 0-5 to 0-1 up inside eight minutes this time, retained that five-point lead at the 20-minute mark and stretched the gap to seven points when Sean Currie netted after 27 minutes. Burke gave his best 30 minutes of the campaign in the opening half and his fifth point of the half approaching the break left Na Fianna with a commanding 1-12 to 0-8 lead. But K/K closed it out strongly with points from Adam Screeney, Conor Mahon and goalkeeper Conor Slevin to leave Na Fianna with a 1-13 to 0-11 half-time lead. Boy wonder Adam Screeney grabbed his second point from play, and three points in all, as Kilcormac/Killoughey turned up the heat after the restart. Things got even better in the 39th minute when Conor Mahon capitalised on a Screeney 65 that hit the woodwork and fell kindly for him to strike to the net. Suddenly, just a point separated the teams at 1-15 to 1-16 but Na Fianna quickly reasserted their authority with a goal themselves inside 90 seconds, Stacey setting Murphy free for the crucial score. Na Fianna looked the better side from there on, even if Leigh Kavanagh was unfortunate to see a shot for Kilcormac/Killoughey come crashing off the crossbar in the 45th minute. Na Fianna piled on the misery in the closing minutes to open up a seven-point lead by the hour, allowing them to absorb the blow of a second Kilcormac/Killoughey goal when Screeney struck. Colin Currie 0-8 (0-7f), Donal Burke 0-7, AJ Murphy 1-2, Sean Currie 1-0, Jack Meagher 0-2, Brian Ryan 0-2, Ciaran Stacey 0-1. Adam Screeney 1-8 (0-6f), Conor Mahon 1-2, Charlie Mitchell 0-3, Conor Slevin 0-2 (0-2f), Colin Spain 0-1. 1. Jonathan Tracey 7. Kevin Burke 2. Sean Burke 3. Conor McHugh 4. Donal Ryan 6. Liam Rushe 9. Peter Feeney 8. Brian Ryan 12. Sean Currie 15. Gavin King 11. Donal Burke (Captain) 22. Jack Meagher 13. Colin Currie 14. AJ Murphy 10. Ciaran Stacey 18. Sean Ryan for King (h/t) 20. Diarmuid Clerkin for Rushe (49-50) 17. Shane Barrett for Meagher (58) 1. Conor Slevin (Captain) 3. Oisin Mahon 2. Tom Spain 4. James Mahon 5. Jordan Quinn 7. Brecon Kavanagh 17. Enda Grogan 8. Colin Spain 9. Damien Kilmartin 10. Jack Screeney 11. Conor Mahon 12. Leigh Kavanagh 15. Adam Screeney 14. Charlie Mitchell 13. Daniel Hand 6. Cillian Kiely for Grogan (39) 22. James Gorman for Hand (42) 20. Peter Geraghty for Jack Screeney (45) 18. Cathal Kiely for Leigh Kavanagh (57) 19. Alex Kavanagh for Kilmartin (59) Padraig Dunne (Laois).
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