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‘Road blockades in Punjab a threat to national economy’ Closures disrupted supply of raw materials to factories, while workers couldn't reach workplaces, says Zahid FAISALABAD: Senior politician and former federal parliamentary secretary Rana Zahid Tauseef has expressed grave concern over road blockades in Punjab, which he termed a significant threat to the national economy. Talking to newsmen here, he stated that these closures had disrupted the supply of raw materials to factories, while the workers were unable to reach their workplaces, further worsening the industrial situation. Highlighting the issue, he noted that the closure of Sheikhupura Road Toll Plaza had prevented export containers from leaving factories, causing finished goods to remain stuck, creating anxiety among the mill owners. He warned that if the situation persisted, Pakistan’s leading revenue-generating textile industry, which employed millions, might face closure. Rana Zahid Tauseef added that delays in product deliveries could drive the foreign buyers to turn to other markets, severely impacting the national economy. He stressed that the country, amidst its fragile economic conditions, could not afford protests or violence. Emphasising the growing challenges of poverty, unemployment and inflation due to political instability, he urged the government and opposition to set aside their differences and adopt dialogue for the national stability.MONTREAL — Laurentian Bank of Canada reported fourth-quarter profits that were up from a year ago, while it reported a loss for 2024 as a whole. The Montreal-based bank said Friday its quarterly profits amounted to $40.7 million, up from $30.6 million a year ago. For the fiscal year, it reported a loss of $5.5 million, compared with a net income of $181 million the year before, as it took charges related to its turnaround efforts. Impairment charges for the year totalled $228.4 million, including a $155.9 million writedown on the value of its personal and commercial banking segment, and $72.5 million in restructuring charges. In the fourth quarter, the bank reported $7.8 million in severance charges and a $5.7 million writedown in the value of its software and licences, plus impairments on its office space and leases. The efforts are part of a turnaround that chief executive Éric Provost said in a statement was going well. "Six months after presenting our strategic plan, I am pleased with the progress we’ve made." Profits in the fourth quarter amounted to 88 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Oct. 31, up from a profit of 67 cents per diluted share in the same quarter last year. Revenue for the quarter totalled $250.8 million, up from $247.4 million a year earlier. The bank's provision for credit losses for the quarter amounted to $10.4 million compared with $16.7 million a year ago. On an adjusted basis, Laurentian says it earned 89 cents per diluted share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of $1 per diluted share in the same quarter last year. The average analyst estimate had been for an adjusted profit of 87 cents per share, according to data provided by LSEG Data & Analytics. Scotiabank analyst Meny Grauman said the bank's low provisions for credit loss were impressive, especially given its commercial-heavy loan book as businesses face pressure. "It should highlight for investors the underlying quality of this bank’s commercial franchise at least from an underwriting perspective," he said in a note. Laurentian shares were up nine per cent in early trading Friday on the Toronto Stock Exchange while they were up around 4.6 per cent by late afternoon. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2024. Companies in this story: (TSX:LB) The Canadian Press

Even at this Queensland leper colony the inhabitants could not escape racismBetting odds reveal Trump Cabinet pick facing most jeopardy in Senate confirmation hearings Senators gear up for confirmation battle over Donald Trump's Cabinet picks Sign up for the latest for DailyMail.com's U.S. politics newsletter By SARAH EWALL-WICE, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM IN WASHINGTON, DC Published: 18:37, 24 November 2024 | Updated: 19:00, 24 November 2024 e-mail 5 View comments President-elect Donald Trump is looking to assemble a Cabinet straight out of central casting full of TV personalities, MAGA loyalists and firebrands, but some of his more controversial picks could face a brutal confirmation process. Republicans will control the Senate come January, but some have signaled they could be willing to cross the GOP president-elect and even block several of his Cabinet nominees. Trump's choice for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard , his pick to lead the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) Robert Kennedy Jr. and Pete Hegseth, who is tapped to lead the Defense Department, have emerged as the nominees most likely to face intense scrutiny. When it comes to betting odds, Hegseth is seen as the nominee least likely to be confirmed in the Senate with only 56 percent placing bets in his favor, according to Polymarket. It comes after MAGA favorite Matt Gaetz withdrew his name as nominee for attorney general last week in a shock move. Some Republicans behind closed doors said they could not support him over allegations of sexual misconduct involving a minor. Trump instead named another close ally former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his nominee for top law enforcement officer to replace Gaetz. Many Republican senators have praised the picks while some Democrats have sounded the alarms. But Republicans have an only 53 seat majority in the Senate meaning if just four lawmakers take issue with any nominee, their confirmation could would be blocked. GOP senators including Susan Collins of Maine , Lisa Murkowski of Alaska , Mitch McConnell of Kentucky , James Lankford of Oklahoma and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota are some of those who pose challenges for Trump's nominations. Some of President-elect Donald Trump's nominees for Cabinet positions have faced pushback and outrage for controversial pasts and/or limited experience Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman, is one of the names that has drawn some of the harshest criticism from Democrats and even Republicans have questions about her being picked as Trump's top intelligence official. Trump's former UN ambassador Nikki Haley last week called her a ' Russian, Iranian, Syrian, Chinese sympathizer' on her radio program. Asked about her nomination on Sunday on CNN, Lankford did not definitively come out in support or against her confirmation. 'We're going to go through hearings. We're going to get everything out. We're going to get facts and information and the entire story,' he said. Asked about concerns, Lankford said he has 'lots of questions.' He noted specifically her meeting with Syrian Dictator Bashar al-Assad in 2017. Gabbard's confirmation could get exceptionally ugly with senators blasting her over her past comments but also going after each other. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said she is concerned Gabbard is a Russian asset on Sunday. 'The U.S. intelligence community has identified her as having a troubling relationships with America's foes, so my worry is that she couldn't pass a background check,' Duckworth said. 'I think she is someone who is wholly backed and supportive of [Russian President] Putin, and I worry that she will not have America's best interests at heart,' she argued. Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is Trump's pick for Director of National Intelligence Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) fired back at Duckworth's comments as 'ridiculous' and 'outright dangerous.' 'If she was compromised, if she wasn't able to pass a background check, if she wasn't able to do her job, she still wouldn't be in the Army,' he claimed. 'Tammy is absolutely dead wrong on this, and she should retract those words.' Another nominee who is headed toward a nasty confirmation fight is Hegseth, who is nominated for defense secretary. The TV personality and veteran was accused of sexual assault in California in 2017, but charges were not brought. DailyMail.com revealed exclusively on Sunday Hegseth also had a baby with his Fox News producer just weeks before the alleged assault. He also has faced fierce criticism for controversial comments that women should not serve in combat. Pete Hegseth spoke with reporters while he was on the hill to meet with senators on November 21 as he tries to lock in support for his confirmation as defense secretary. He has been accused of sexual assault but denies the allegation But close Trump ally Senator Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) on Sunday defended Hegseth. ' Don't let these allegations distract us. What we need is real significant change. The Pentagon has been more focused on pronouns than they have lethality the past four years. We need to get back to business, and I think Pete is just the person to do it,' Hagerty said. Meanwhile, Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) argued the reason for the confirmation process is to get the full story. He said it would allow senators to ask questions and give Hegseth the ability to respond. He argued Hegseth was never charged, and even before the hearings he said he already plans to support the confirmation. 'I'm a yes on Pam Bondi, I'm a yes on Pete Hegseth, I'm a yes on Tulsi Gabbard, absolutely,' Schmitt told NBC's Meet the Press. I joined @meetthepress this morning with @kwelkernbc . We dove into how Trump’s cabinet selections will reform our government and how America moves back to being a country that puts our own interests first. Watch the full video here⬇️ pic.twitter.com/nsBkYHPn7I — Senator Eric Schmitt (@SenEricSchmitt) November 24, 2024 While Gaetz withdrew before he could end up in the hot seat before senators, Bondi is expected to face a grilling during her confirmation. But criticism is largely expected to come from Democrats who would not have the power to block her confirmation on their own. Bondi served as Florida's attorney general from 2011 to 2019. Democrats' main concerns are over her close ties to Trump and whether she would use the office to do his bidding. She argued in 2020 that Trump won Pennsylvania even though he did not. She also served as one of his lawyers in his 2020 impeachment trial. With her being named Trump's new pick to lead the Justice Department, her comments on Fox News where she declared 'the prosecutors will be prosecuted' have resurfaced. Some Democrats have even acknowledged Bondi is technically qualified for the job but zeroed in on her relationship with the president-elect. They previewed some of the questions she could face during confirmation will likely revolve around whether she still believes Trump won the 2020 election against President Biden and how she intends to use the office. But while Democrats gear up for a bruising confirmation battle over some of Trump's more controversial nominees, they have signaled there are those who could quickly sail through confirmation with bipartisan support. Senator-elect Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told NBC News Meet the Press on Sunday that Senator Marco Rubio is well qualified to become secretary of state. He did not come right out and say he would vote to confirm Rubio but was leaning toward it. But Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said he does plan to vote to confirm Rubio and is open to confirming other nominees. Democratic senators signal Senator Marco Rubio will be confirmed to as secretary of state with bipartisan support Fetterman clarified on Fox News Sunday he is not committed to supporting his one-time Senate rival Dr. Mehmet Oz, but he is open to it. Oz was tapped by Trump to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 'I’m open to a dialog here what he has to say about these things,' he said. 'I’m not sure why that’s controversial.' A more contentious pick from the president-elect is his choice of Kennedy Jr. to lead HHS for a series of reasons including his anti-vaccine stance. It remains to be seen whether Kennedy can garner enough support with Republicans. Among those who could play a key role as to whether he is confirmed is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a polio survivor, who is stepping down as GOP leader but still wields great influence in his caucus. So far, McConnell has been mum on his own support for Trump's nominees, but he has said it is important that the Senate does its due diligence in vetting his picks. All eyes are ons several Republicans senators including Collins, Murkowski and McConnell over whether they will oppose any Trump Cabinet nominees But new polling shows Republicans overwhelming support Trump's nominees named so far, so Republicans at this early stage could tread lightly. The CBS News poll found 75 percent of Republicans said Rubio was a good choice while 71 percent support Trump naming Gabbard as a nominee. 80 percent of Republicans said Kennedy was a good choice. A lesser but still clear majority of 64 percent of Republicans claimed Hegseth was a good choice. But overall, Americans still want the Senate to hold confirmation hearings. 76 percent said there should be hearings. Just 24 percent said Trump should be able to appoint people without them. Even a majority of Republicans said there should be Senate hearings with 55 percents supporting to 45 percent who said Trump should be able to appoint people without. Politics Share or comment on this article: Betting odds reveal Trump Cabinet pick facing most jeopardy in Senate confirmation hearings e-mail Add comment

SEC opponents face off when the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers and the Vanderbilt Commodores match up on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 at FirstBank Stadium. If you are looking for Volunteers vs. Commodores tickets, information is available below. Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt game info How to buy Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt tickets for college football Week 14 You can purchase tickets to see the Volunteers play the Commodores from multiple providers. Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt betting odds, lines, spreads Odds courtesy of BetMGM Tennessee Volunteers schedule Tennessee Volunteers stats Vanderbilt Commodores schedule Vanderbilt Commodores stats This content was created for Gannett using technology provided by Data Skrive.