Boots could return to London market as US owner enters talks with private equity outfit Sycamore PartnersOnce a liberal icon who represented the values of the ‘cultural Left’, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, now in the last year of his third term, is mired in a crisis of unpopularity, dissension and defections from within his Liberal Party fold. The embattled Mr. Trudeau has been in power for nearly a decade since November 2015, for three terms. Few Canadian Prime Ministers have survived to rule for four terms. But in both the 2019 and 2021 federal elections — the latter called in September 2021 after Mr. Trudeau advised the country’s Governor General to dissolve parliament — the Liberal Party was reduced to leading a minority government. In March 2022, Mr. Trudeau was able to retain power after the Liberals and the social-democratic New Democratic Party (NDP) agreed to a confidence and supply agreement, entailing NDP support in parliament tied to the Liberals backing the NDP agenda on welfare and taxes. In the years since, Mr Trudeau’s popularity has plateaued. Recent approval ratings show that he enjoys barely 26% support compared with the 63% he had in the early days of his first tenure. Liberal Party leaders within his caucus have called for his resignation and earlier this month, a key Minister and someone widely considered to be his successor, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, resigned abruptly, calling Mr. Trudeau’s policies as “costly political gimmicks”. Meanwhile, a resurgent Conservative Party, led by Pierre Poilievre, has steadily upped its popularity due to negative perceptions in the electorate about Mr. Trudeau’s governance. And the social democrats have been miffed too because of ideological differences with the Liberal Party. In September, the NDP had ended its 2022 agreement but Mr. Trudeau survived three no-confidence motions called by the Conservative Party since then, as the NDP and the federalist Bloc Quebocois have been reluctant to vote alongside the conservatives. Elections are supposed to be held in October 2025 but there is an increasing likelihood that the Liberal Party will seek a leadership change before that to mitigate the loss of support due to Mr. Trudeau’s unpopularity. The opposition in Canada apart, Mr. Trudeau has had to chart unsteady waters in Canada’s external affairs as well. The re-election of Donald Trump as the U.S. President and his open hostility to Mr. Trudeau, besides threats of tariffs on Canadian goods, is a major irritant. Ties with India Canada’s relations with India also took a nose-dive over allegations by Mr. Trudeau that Indian intelligence agencies were linked to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani separatist and Canadian citizen, even as the Indian government upped the ante over its concerns that Mr. Trudeau’s government was providing safe haven to Khalistani extremists. Mr. Trudeau was also confronted publicly by the Chinese President Xi Jinping for “leaking” discussions between the two sides on “Chinese interference” in Canada to the media. How did things go so south for the “liberal darling” of the northern hemisphere? Mr. Trudeau rode to power in Canada promising a liberal agenda and delivered on some issues that were dear to the “cultural Left”. He acted on promises of instituting gender equality by appointing a Cabinet with 50% representation to women and appointing more women judges in Canada’s Supreme Court. Recreational marijuana’s sale and use was legalised in Canada in 2018. A carbon tax was introduced as Mr. Trudeau sought to implement climate-friendly policies — the Conservatives have vowed to remove this on coming to power. Child care agreements were implemented as was representation for and reconciliation with Indigenous people. The reforms on dental care, pharma care and a federal “anti-scab” (employers replacing striking workers) law were made possible due to the aforementioned support from the NDP. But Mr. Trudeau’s image as a reformer reforms committed to liberalism had already been hurt because of a number of scandals. While he appointed an indigenous woman to the post of Justice Minister in Jody Wilson-Raybould in his first term, she resigned over alleged interference and threats from government officials to favour a firm embroiled in a corruption trial. In 2020, in his second term, Mr. Trudeau faced an ethics scandal involving a government contract for a charity that worked with his family members. His current unpopularity is now tied to the problems related to the economy. Issues such as raging inflation, a housing crisis and opposition to immigration have led to a significant decline in opinion for Mr. Trudeau and the conservative party has benefited from this. With opinion polls pointing to a possible rout for the Liberal party if elections were held now, a number of his party colleagues have urged him to step down, none more prominent than Ms. Freeland. The NDP has also promised a no-confidence motion in the New Year and it remains to be seen if Mr. Trudeau can weather that storm as he has managed in his three terms. His boyish looks and charm and the fact that he is the scion of the Trudeau family — father Pierre Trudeau served two terms (one abridged one) as Prime Minister in the late 1970s and early 1980s — helped him garner popular support when he embarked on its first term, calling himself a representative of the younger generation in Canada. Taking a leaf from the playbook of former U.S. President Barack Obama, Mr. Trudeau won a mandate at a time when liberalism was popular in the early 2010s in the Americas in particular. Rise of populism But with high inflation affecting people across Europe and North America and voters — particularly those from working class sections — turning toward right-wing populists who are avowedly opposed to free trade and the liberal international order, Mr. Trudeau finds himself as an anomaly. The phenomena of working class voters being wooed by the Right on issues such as immigration and “culture wars” is not unique to Canada as experiences of other Western democracies, including that of the U.S. shows. Ms. Freeland characterised his efforts to win back voters such as a “two month sales holiday” and 250 Canadian dollars as rebate for workers as reckless policies but it also suggested a desperation by Mr. Trudeau to wean away detractors from working sections. The manner he has attended festivals with Khalistani insignia and others glorifying extremists could also be seen as a way to pander to the influential Sikh community, but his rhetoric about Indian involvement in Nijjar’s murder reflects an intention to better his image as a “weak leader”. With signs pointing to drastic Liberal losses, Mr. Trudeau could be persuaded to relinquish power to a colleague as elections beckon, akin to how Joe Biden withdrew from the Presidential race in the neighbouring country. But considering his record in his earlier tenure and how he addressed allegations against him, it is increasingly likely that he will try to portray himself as a defiant leader who will stay in power till the end of his term. One way to do so would be to prorogue parliament and prevent any no-confidence motions till elections are scheduled in October. As things stand, no Liberal leader has the heft to close the gap between the Conservatives but Ms. Freeland’s resignation seems timed to push the party to find an alternative. Whether Mr. Trudeau will succeed in fending off this fresh challenge will be known quickly as 2025 beckons in Canada. Published - December 29, 2024 01:17 am IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Canada / The Hindu Explains / The Hindu ProfilesPhiladelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has an abundance of NFL fans rooting for him to break Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record. Just don't count Dickerson among them. "I don't think he'll break it. But if he breaks it, he breaks it," the former Los Angeles Ram said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times published Thursday. "Do I want him to break it? Absolutely not. I don't pull no punches on that. "But I'm not whining about it. He had 17 games to do it? Hey, football is football. That's the way I look at it. If he's fortunate to get over 2,000 yards and get the record, it's a great record to have." EAGLES NEWS: Jalen Hurts injury: Updates, return date, status of QB's concussion All things Eagles: Latest Philadelphia Eagles news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more. Barkley is up to 1,838 rushing yards through 15 games this season. He needs 268 yards in the Eagles ' final two games of the season – against the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants – to break Dickerson's single-season mark of 2,105, which he set in 1984. The Philadelphia running back's stellar season already ranks 19th all-time in single-season rushing yards, one spot ahead of Dickerson's league-leading tally of 1,821 in 1986. Barkley is currently on pace for 2,083 rushing yards, which would fall behind both Dickerson's 1984 record total and the next-highest mark: Adrian Peterson's 2,097-yard season in 2012. But Barkley could help his case with a strong outing in Week 17 against the Cowboys . The Eagles have already ruled out quarterback Jalen Hurts , which could mean a heavier workload for the star tailback. As fortune would have it, if Barkley stays within reach after the first divisional matchup, he could have a chance to break Dickerson's record against the Giants , his former team. "How ironic would it be for him to break the record on them, the team that let him go," Dickerson said in the aforementioned interview. "A true slap in the face."

Gaxos.ai Inc. ( NASDAQ:GXAI – Get Free Report ) was the target of a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 775,800 shares, an increase of 970.1% from the November 30th total of 72,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 6,810,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.1 days. Approximately 22.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Gaxos.ai Stock Performance Shares of Gaxos.ai stock opened at $2.97 on Friday. Gaxos.ai has a twelve month low of $1.01 and a twelve month high of $19.20. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $1.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $2.21. About Gaxos.ai ( Get Free Report ) See Also Receive News & Ratings for Gaxos.ai Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Gaxos.ai and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter ."Modi govt preparing to collect more money through Gabbar Singh tax": Rahul Gandhi slams BJPUC San Diego 73, James Madison 67

Nonewants to start the with a bang. The retailer has always been known for its , and now they are preparing to launch a series of discounts that will leave you in shock. These promotions will help your wallet, which is sure to have been quite active in the month of The are aimed at many sections of the store, from food to technology and household products. Remember that it is essential to have your up to date in order to take advantage of the store's services Here's what you can expect from Costco discounts in early 2025:

Albertsons sues Kroger for failing to win approval of their proposed supermarket mergerSlate Office REIT (TSE:SOT.UN) Trading Up 53.7% – Should You Buy?

US stocks jumped on Friday, with the Dow Jones surging 426 points to a record close as investors' risk-on trade gained steam. All three major averages were up about 2% for the week, rebounding from last week's decline. The stock market surge came amid an ongoing risk-on frenzy for speculative assets, namely bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The price of bitcoin is on hitting a record high of $99,772 on Friday. With Nvidia's and a low-volatility week ahead with the Thanksgiving holiday, stocks are gravitating higher. Fundstrat's Tom Lee called Nvidia's earnings release a "clearing event" for the stock market. Investors now have the opportunity to focus on other factors, like the Fed cutting interest rates and the incoming business-friendly Trump administration. Lee said in a Friday note that there are "general 'animal spirits' given Republican White House and Senate" in January. That should be supportive for further gains in the stock market, according to Lee. With Nvidia the last remaining high-profile firm investors can now assess the big takeaways from earnings season. With 96% of companies having reported earnings, 77% beat profit estimates by a median of 6%, while 59% beat revenue estimates by a median of 4%, according to data from Fundstrat. Read the original article on

An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump’s political coalition

Ashes to Awakening

While enduring what he called one of the “most disciplined weeks” of workouts since he’s played for Arizona, KJ Lewis also came down on himself. Before helping lead Arizona to a 102-66 win over Southern Utah on Saturday, the Wildcats sophomore wing said he apologized to teammates and coach Tommy Lloyd for behavior that led to costly technical fouls in UA’s recent losses to Duke and Oklahoma. He also pledged to better control himself going forward. “I know I’m one of the leaders of this group, so I’m just trying to be better in that aspect,” Lewis said. Wildcats guard KJ Lewis (5) jumps for a lay-up against Southern Utah at McKale Center, Dec. 7, 2024. Then, although it wasn’t technically about discipline, Lewis also all but took himself out of the starting lineup Saturday. Lloyd already pulled Lewis from the starting lineup on Nov. 29 against West Virginia in the Battle 4 Atlantis, a day after Lewis had picked up his second technical foul in three games, but that penalty appeared to be over. This time, Lloyd said, it was Lewis’ idea to stay on the bench while freshman Carter Bryant started instead. “It really wasn’t planned on early in the week and KJ came to me the past couple days and asked if I would be open to him not starting,” Lloyd said. “He just felt like maybe it would give other guys some opportunities to get some confidence and kind of put him in a role similar to what Pelle (Larsson) played a few years ago for us.” Larsson has said he approved a move from a starting role into the sixth-man spot midway through the 2022-23 season, in part because transfer forward Cedric Henderson was more comfortable as a starter. Larsson went on to start throughout last season and become a second-round draft pick last June who is now playing regularly for the Miami Heat. It’s possible that the Lewis-Bryant move remains similarly permanent. “We’re gonna continue to evaluate it, but it’s something that I’m not afraid to do,” Lloyd said. At least for Saturday’s experiment, the move appeared to work for both players. It put Lewis back in the aggressive sixth-man role he thrived in last season as a freshman, with Lewis picking up 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists and two steals. He still played the second-most minutes on the team, 23. Bryant, meanwhile, had only five points but a team-high nine rebounds, four assists and two steals with just one turnover in 17 minutes. Besides, Arizona hardly needed Bryant’s scoring. The Wildcats received a massive 62 points from their bench, with a total of seven players in double figures. The outburst was so widespread that even though the starting backcourt was limited — Jaden Bradley didn’t score a single point and Caleb Love shot 3 for 12 — the Wildcats still hit the century mark. Reserve wing Anthony Dell’Orso led the Wildcats in scoring with 19 points while making 3 of 4 3-pointers. As a team, UA (4-4) shot 50% overall and 37.5% from 3-point range while stifling the Thunderbirds on the other end of the floor: Arizona held Southern Utah to just 41% shooting and scored 28 points off 18 SUU turnovers. Wildcats guard Anthony Dell’Orso (3) drives the ball to the net against Thunderbirds guard Duncan Reid (23) during the first half at McKale Center, Dec. 7, 2024. Jamir Simpson led Southern Utah (8-3) with 21 points on 8-for-15 shooting, but the Thunderbirds, who normally thrive on getting to the free-throw line, couldn’t get that part of their game going. They shot just 10 free throws over the first 35 minutes and made seven of them, often unable to get into the paint because of all those turnovers. All that is why, after 10 minutes, it was never much of a game Saturday. The Wildcats led 55-23 at halftime, then by more than 30 points for most of the second half. UA went up 80-38 when Dell’Orso hit a pair of 3s within 23 seconds midway through the half. SUU pulled within 29 points with 5:34 to go, prompting Lloyd to keep in his scholarship players until two minutes remained and with UA up 101-63. Lloyd went deep into his bench, using 10 players for 10 minutes or more, while playing sophomore Conrad Martinez at point guard for 15 minutes. Martinez played only briefly in the Wildcats’ Nov. 17 game against Davidson but not in the Wildcats’ other two Battle 4 Atlantis games. Martinez wound up with five points and four assists while going without a turnover, able to help the Wildcats revive both their fast-break game and high assist-field goal ratio (with assists leading to 23 of UA’s 34 made field goals). “You’ve got to get stops, you’ve got to get rebounds, to run the ball — and we’ve got to continue to evaluate our running game,” Lloyd said. “It’s a huge part of what we do. It just hasn’t quite come as easy for this group ... “It usually starts with a ball handler and your point guard pushing and accelerating the pace of the game and finding easy opportunities. I thought Conrad came in and did a good job. Conrad ended up in some in some numbered fast-break situations, where you have a 3-on-2 or a 4-on-3 advantage, and I thought he made really good decisions.” Arizona wound up with 21 fast-break points, fueled by 13 steals and a 47-32 rebounding advantage, entertaining the McKale Center crowd of about 11,000 in a way it had not since a 102-44 laugher over Old Dominion back on Nov. 9. “As long as we defensive rebound, we run and give a maximum effort, I feel like that’s one part of” getting out on the break, said forward/center Henri Veesaar, who had 12 points and three rebounds. “This week (in practice) we had a lot of effort plays. We talked about that as a team just giving it up for everybody. If you make a run and you don’t get the ball but your teammate dunks the ball, we both could be happy for it, just as happy as if you dunk the ball.” The Wildcats appeared to have fun from the start. In the first half, Arizona held Southern Utah to just 26.7% shooting and scored 20 points off the Thunderbirds’ 13 turnovers. Love turned the ball over on the Wildcats’ first possession to start a rough first half in which he shot just 1 for 6 from the field. His turnover led to a 3-pointer from Southern Utah’s Tavi Jackson, but the Thunderbirds trailed by double digits most of the half. UA led just 20-16 with 11:24 left before Veesaar picked up fouls that sent him to the line four times over the next two minutes. He hit all four ensuing free throws and Martinez followed by hitting an open 3-pointer to give UA a 27-16 lead with 9:33 left. Wildcats forward Henri Veesaar (13) charges by Thunderbirds center Malik Lamin (32) during the game at McKale Center, Dec. 7, 2024. Southern Utah never crept within single digits the rest of the way and, ultimately, the game may have proved more about therapy than competition for the Wildcats, whose two losses at the Battle 4 Atlantis last week dropped their record below .500 for the first time in 15 years. “Great programs, good coaches, great players are going to stumble once in a while and the response is the key — learning from it and coming back stronger is the objective,” Lloyd said. “We’ve obviously been challenged early in this season, which is a good thing, and we had a good week to evaluate a lot of things. ... Even how we practice, how we talk to each other, just all our behavioral things. “It was really getting back to the nitty gritty of our culture. So all in all it was a good week.” Who: Arizona (4-4) vs. UCLA (7-1) When: 1 p.m. Where: Footprint Center, Phoenix Watch: ESPN2 Listen: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM Contact sports reporter Bruce Pascoe at bpascoe@tucson.com . On X(Twitter): @brucepascoe Respond: Write a letter to the editor | Write a guest opinion Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! ReporterSurat’s garment sector set to grow 20-25% as global brands seek stability away from BangladeshBy Kaley Brown Another free agent who had been linked to the Red Sox this offseason is off the board. Shortstop Willy Adames reportedly agreed to a seven-year, $182 million contract with the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Boston had been connected to the 29-year-old since the beginning of free agency. Last week, USA Today ’s Bob Nightengale reported that the Red Sox scheduled a meeting with Adames, adding that Boston had “strong interest” in him. The team is publicly in the market for a right-handed hitter, and Adames would have fit the bill. While the Red Sox don’t have a hole at shortstop, the often-injured Trevor Story currently occupies the position. Story has struggled to stay healthy since signing with Boston in 2022, playing in just 163 games over three seasons. On paper, it makes sense that the club would be doing its due diligence regarding who’s available on the market at SS. Additionally, aside from the shakeup at shortstop the acquisition of Adames would have caused, the move would have certainly had an effect on the rest of the infield. Adames is reportedly open to playing third base, which could have shifted the Red Sox’ star third baseman Rafael Devers away from the hot corner. Nightengale reported that Boston had “internally discussed moving Rafael Devers off third base” within his Adames reporting. If Devers had ultimately been moved from third base as a result of the hypothetical move, the organization could have opted to make him the team’s designated hitter or first baseman. The latter would have almost certainly prompted the Red Sox to attempt to trade first baseman Triston Casas, who has emerged as an exciting young player on the club. It’s hard to know if such a tectonic mix-up in the infield would have been the right move for Boston at this point in time. The team’s big-league roster is filled with a plethora of young, promising players, as well as within their minor league system. It feels like the Red Sox have been putting their trust in the kids in recent years, so moving on from Casas with the intention of upgrading another position would have been a head-scratcher. Regardless, with Adames officially off the market, that leaves the baseball world one move closer to finding out which team Juan Soto signs with. Boston is reportedly still in the running for the generational talent as of Saturday night. Sign up for Red Sox updates⚾ Get breaking news and analysis delivered to your inbox during baseball season. Be civil. Be kind.