World News | UAE: Ministry of Community Development Organises Mass WeddingIf Simon Harris had awoken on Sunday suffering anything close to a crisis of confidence, and believing his party might need a miracle, his diary had him in the right place. Not just because Knock has historical previous with healing, but because Mayo is Enda Kenny country and the former taoiseach had been tapped to introduce the Wicklow man to the party faithful who had gathered at Ireland West Airport. The news that Fine Gael support was down four points in Sunday's opinion poll didn't seem to faze many, but the weekend's other issue did. The Taoiseach's interaction — or lack thereof— with carer Charlotte Fallon in a Kanturk supermarket on Friday night is a worry for Fine Gael. The Taoiseach has apologised and attempted to own the situation and, in some way, make his contrition a virtue. Too often, he said in Mayo, there are issues in campaigns, both foreign and domestic, where candidates obfuscate, equivocate, and refuse to apologise — but this was not his style. While the apology appears genuine and Mr Harris deserves credit for not dragging out his response — by midday Saturday he had addressed the video on social media and spoken by phone to Ms Fallon — so much about the incident could haunt Fine Gael come polling day. Firstly, the issue at the heart of Ms Fallon's impassioned exchange with the Taoiseach was an area in which many within Government parties accept there hasn't been the kind of change they would want to see. The chair of the Oireachtas Disability Committee, Fianna Fáil TD Michael Moynihan, has consistently said as much. Secondly, and most importantly, Fine Gaelers are troubled by what the incident says. Mr Harris's dismissal of Ms Fallon, walking off only to return, gives ammunition to those critics of the party who seek to paint them as unfeeling technocrats — good with numbers, bad with people While among the party there is some sympathy for Mr Harris — the campaign has seen him hit nearly every constituency, wherein he has hundreds of interactions a day is a common theme — there is no pretending that Friday's exchange was and looked bad. Not just in isolation, but in the context of a Fine Gael campaign that has been beset with mis-steps. From Michael O'Leary's comments on teachers, to CCTV of Louth candidate John McGahon, Fine Gael's election has not got going . Now, with just days left, it has to fight fires on a number of fronts. The party has put a lot of eggs in the Harris basket. With a huge number of TDs retiring and a cadre of new candidates, this was partly unavoidable. However, it also reflected the summertime polling. Mr Harris was cruising in the dog days of summer, his ascension to the Taoiseach's office galvanising and energising the party faithful and it's parliamentary party A strong showing in the local elections — losing just 10 seats after 13 years in Government is a good result, make no mistake — solidified a belief that he could lead Fine Gael to over 50 seats in this election. As Mr Kenny was brought out to fire up the Mayo masses, he spoke passionately (his default setting, really) about how Fine Gael could win not just two, but three and maybe four seats — an achievement pulled off in 2011 as Mr Kenny was swept to office. However, with detailed constituency maps dotted around the event, there was a reminder that this was not just a national campaign but 43 local ones too. Mr Kenny praised the Taoiseach's "humility" in apologising for the incident with Ms Fallon, and said the four candidates were "the best Mayo team we've had". "They may not bring back Sam, but they'll bring back Simon." In the room, it worked. The Mayo man was greeted with loud cheers. However, away from Knock, away from Fine Gael, the public will watch the next five days of interactions closely.
Trump names Andrew Ferguson as head of Federal Trade Commission to replace Lina KhanThe Liberal candidate in a federal byelection in British Columbia says she is applying for Métis membership after a local group questioned her claims of Indigenous identity. Madison Fleischer says in a written statement that she self-identifies as Métis based on what she knows about her great-grandmother’s heritage and is “collecting the necessary documentation to go through the application process” for citizenship with B.C.’s Métis Nation. In the meantime, Fleischer, who is the candidate in the Dec. 16 byelection in Cloverdale-Langley City, says she has removed “Métis” from her social media profile descriptions to ensure there is “no confusion” about her Indigenous status. Her response comes after the Waceya Métis Society — which describes itself as a chartered community representing Métis people in the Langley and White Rock regions of B.C.’s Lower Mainland — said in a release that it “wishes to distance itself from Madison’s claims of Métis identity.” The society says it met with Fleischer over the weekend to discuss her claims of Métis identity but was “disappointed that she could not provide any evidence to support her Métis heritage.” The attention on Fleischer comes after Edmonton Centre Liberal MP Randy Boissonnault left cabinet last week amid questions about his shifting claims of Indigenous heritage and his business dealings. In her statement, Fleischer says she has “always been vocal about not yet holding Métis Nation British Columbia citizenship.” The Waceya Métis Society says it has asked Fleischer to “properly research and verify her Indigenous heritage before making any further public assertions.” “In this meeting, Madison was unable to substantiate her claims with any documentation or historical connections to Métis communities,” the society says about their Nov. 23 meeting with Fleischer. “The integrity of Métis identity is not to be taken lightly, especially in public office, where the representation of our community must be accurate, respectful, and legitimate.” Cloverdale-Langley City was previously held by Liberal John Aldag, who resigned to run for MLA with the B.C. New Democrats. Aldag was defeated by B.C. Conservative candidate Harman Bhangu in the Langley-Abbotsford seat in the Oct. 19 provincial election. Fleischer, whose Liberal party biography calls her a small-business owner who operates a public relations firm in Langley, is going up against candidates including federal Conservative Tamara Jansen, who held the seat from 2019 to 2021 before losing a close race to Aldag. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 27, 2024. Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press
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Businesses and consumers in China found the 11.11 or the annual Singles’ Day shopping festival less attractive this year amid a sluggish economy, forcing e-commerce firms to look abroad for growth. Online service provider and e-commerce platform Alibaba started the now-famous event on Nov. 11, 2009, offering attractive discounts to entice shoppers to spend more. The extravaganza, also known as “Double 11,” has since expanded to other platforms in China — like JD.com and Pinduoduo — and abroad. It has long been regarded as a barometer of consumer sentiment. While Singles’ Day was previously a one-day event, shopping platforms in China now kickstart the festival weeks ahead to drum up sales volume. Even some brick-and-mortar stores join the festival by launching sales campaigns and hanging promotional banners and posters in the hopes of luring shoppers. But amid China’s lagging domestic economy, dragged down by a real estate crisis and deflationary pressures , consumers no longer go all out during the shopping extravaganza. Meanwhile, e-commerce platforms grappling with a slowing domestic market have turned to overseas markets to seek new growth, offering promotions like global free shipping and allowing merchants to sell worldwide with ease. Alibaba, for example, said in a blog post on its Alizila site that some 70,000 merchants saw sales double with global free shipping. In markets like Singapore and Hong Kong, new customers also doubled, the e-commerce company said. Since the festival began in late October, “I have only spent a few hundred yuan on daily necessities,” said Wang Haihua, who owns a fitness center in the capital, Beijing. Wang said that the prices offered on e-commerce platforms during Singles’ Day are not necessarily cheaper than usual. “They’re all tricks and we’ve seen through it over the years,” she said. Zhang Jiewei, a 34-year-old who runs a barber shop in the city of Xi’an, echoed Wang’s sentiments, saying that he no longer trusts Singles’ Day promotions as some merchants tend to raise the usual prices before offering a discount, giving consumers the illusion they are getting a deal. “I used to buy a lot two or three years ago and I even purchased a mobile phone (during Singles’ Day),” he said. However, following the coronavirus pandemic, he stopped “because of lower income.” “I am not going to buy anything this year,” Zhang said. Some experts say that Beijing’s recent stimulus measures have had little impact on boosting consumer confidence. Most Filipino TikTok users start Christmas shopping early, hunt for bargains, study says Online shopping scams: How to avoid them “People are not interested in spending and are cutting back on big-ticket items,” said Shaun Rein, founder and managing director of China Market Research Group in Shanghai. “Since October 2022, the weak economy means that everything has been on discount year-round, 11.11 is not going to bring in more discounts than the month before.” Rein said he expects low growth for the Singles’ Day shopping festival as consumers tighten their spending in anticipation of difficult economic times ahead. Categories such as sportswear and fitness, however, have been doing well as customers “trade down a Gucci bag for Lululemon sportswear,” he said. Jacob Cooke, CEO of e-commerce consultancy WPIC Marketing + Technologies, said that despite the luxury downturn, the shopping festival still showed strong sales for goods in premium price brands across categories like mother-baby, personal care and toys, as well as outdoor and sport. “There’s a clear shift in consumer priorities towards experiences, hobbies, and health,” Cooke said. “With record-level platform subsidies and generous membership programs like Alibaba’s 88VIP, consumers actually showed a preference for premium branded goods during this year’s festival.” Platforms like JD.com and Alibaba previously used to publish the total value of the festival’s transactions, but have stopped since 2022. While yearly growth used to be in the double digits, estimates of recent figures have dwindled to low single-digit growth. Syntun, a data provider, estimated that last year’s gross merchandising volume sales across major e-commerce platforms grew just 2% to 1.14 trillion yuan ($156.40 billion), a far cry from double-digit growth before COVID-19. Alibaba also owns popular e-commerce platforms Taobao and Tmall, Even some merchants who typically participated in the festival say the high cost of advertising no longer pays off as sales dwindle. Zhao Gao, who owns a garment factory in eastern Zhejiang province, said that after paying to advertise on e-commerce platforms, he would only break even after sales. “The platforms have so many rules for promotions and customers have become more skeptical,” he said. “As a merchant, I no longer participate in the Singles’ Day promotions.” Another merchant, Du Baonian who runs a food company processing mutton in Inner Mongolia, said consumers spend less and his overall sales were down by 15% compared to the past year. He still takes part in the Singles’ Day promotions but said the higher expenses do not typically generate returns because of slow sales. “We are seeing shrinking revenue, but advertisement on the platform can help us maintain our leading sales position,” he said, adding that he was considering advertising on more e-commerce platforms to target more consumers.
At a town hall meeting with the bureau workforce, Mr Wray said he would be stepping down “after weeks of careful thought”. Mr Wray’s intended resignation is not unexpected considering that Mr Trump had picked Mr Patel for the role in his new administration. Mr Wray had previously been named by Mr Trump and began the 10-year term — a length meant to insulate the agency from the political influence of changing administrations — in 2017, after Mr Trump fired then-FBI director James Comey. Mr Trump had demonstrated his anger with Mr Wray on multiple occasions, including after Mr Wray’s congressional testimony in September. “My goal is to keep the focus on our mission — the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day,” Mr Wray told agency employees. “In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.” Mr Wray continued: “It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway — this is not easy for me. I love this place, I love our mission, and I love our people — but my focus is, and always has been, on us and doing what’s right for the FBI.” Mr Wray received a standing ovation following his remarks before a standing-room-only crowd at FBI headquarters and some in the audience cried, according to an FBI official who was not authorised to discuss the private gathering and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. Mr Trump applauded the news on social media, calling it “a great day for America as it will end the weaponisation of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice” and saying that Mr Patel’s confirmation will begin “the process of Making the FBI Great Again”. If confirmed by the Senate, Mr Patel would herald a radical leadership transformation at the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency. He has advocated shutting down the FBI’s Washington headquarters and called for ridding the federal government of “conspirators”, raising alarm that he might seek to wield the FBI’s significant investigative powers as an instrument of retribution against Mr Trump’s perceived enemies. Mr Patel said in a statement Wednesday that he was looking forward to “a smooth transition. I will be ready to serve the American people on day one”.Max Stock Limited Announces Change in Shares Held by an Interested PartyNone
