imaginima Written by Nick Ackerman, co-produced by Stanford Chemist The U.S. equity market has performed incredibly well for most of the last couple of decades, easily outperforming its international counterparts. So it would be easy for some investors just to assume that At the CEF/ETF Income Laboratory , we manage closed-end fund ( CEF ) and exchange-traded fund (ETF) portfolios targeting safe and reliable ~8% yields to make income investing easy for you. Check out what our members have to say about our service. To see all that our exclusive membership has to offer, sign up for a free trial by clicking on the button below! Nick Ackerman is a former financial advisor using his experience to provide coverage on closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds. Nick has previously held Series 7 and Series 66 licenses and has been investing personally for over 14 years. He contributes to the investing group CEF/ETF Income Laboratory along with leader Stanford Chemist, and Juan de la Hoz and Dividend Seeker. They help members benefit from income and arbitrage strategies in CEFs and ETFs by providing expert-level research. The service includes: managed portfolios targeting safe 8%+ yields, actionable income and arbitrage recommendations, in-depth analysis of CEFs and ETFs, and a friendly community of over a thousand members looking for the best income ideas. These are geared towards both active and passive investors. The vast majority of their holdings are also monthly-payers, which is great for faster compounding as well as smoothing income streams. Learn More . Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of ETG either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he wants real estate developer Charles Kushner, father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France. Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post, calling Charles Kushner “a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker." Kushner is the founder of Kushner Companies, a real estate firm. Jared Kushner is a former senior Trump adviser who is married to Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka. The elder Kushner was pardoned by Trump in December 2020 after pleading guilty years earlier to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations. Prosecutors alleged that after Charles Kushner discovered his brother-in-law was cooperating with federal authorities in an investigation, he hatched a scheme for revenge and intimidation. RELATED STORY | Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum are discussing tariffs. What should consumers expect? Kushner hired a prostitute to lure his brother-in-law, then arranged to have the encounter in a New Jersey motel room recorded with a hidden camera and the recording sent to his own sister, the man’s wife, prosecutors said. Kushner eventually pleaded guilty to 18 counts including tax evasion and witness tampering. He was sentenced in 2005 to two years in prison — the most he could receive under a plea deal, but less than what Chris Christie, the U.S. attorney for New Jersey at the time and later governor and Republican presidential candidate, had sought. Christie has blamed Jared Kushner for his firing from Trump’s transition team in 2016, and has called Charles Kushner’s offenses “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that I prosecuted when I was U.S. attorney.” Trump and the elder Kushner knew each other from real estate circles and their children were married in 2009.The reigning Super Bowl champions saw their run of 15 straight wins ended by the Buffalo Bills last week, but got back to winning ways thanks to star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. After a late Chuba Hubbard touchdown and two-point conversion had made it 27-27, the Chiefs got the ball back with less than two minutes on the clock and a 33-yard run from Mahomes helped set up Spencer Shrader for a game-winning field goal. THE CHIEFS SURVIVE AGAIN. 🔥 Patrick Mahomes comes up CLUTCH with a 33-yard run late, before Spencer Shrader wins it as time expires! Get your #NFL action on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/POt57HQYig — ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) November 24, 2024 Mahomes finished the game with 269 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Noah Gray in the first half. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs scored two touchdowns as the Detroit Lions beat the Indianapolis Colts 24-6 to improve their record to 10-1, matching that of the Chiefs. David Montgomery also ran for a score before having to leave the game with a shoulder injury. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended a four-game losing streak with a 30-7 win over the New York Giants, who “mutually agreed” to terminate the contract of quarterback Daniel Jones earlier this week. Jones’ replacement Tommy DeVito was sacked four times while opposite number Baker Mayfield ran for a touchdown and completed 24 of 30 pass attempts for 294 yards. Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker also ran for touchdowns in a one-sided contest. The Dallas Cowboys ended their five-game losing streak with a remarkable 34-26 win over the Washington Commanders, with 30 points scored in the final three minutes. KaVontae Turpin’s 99-yard kick-off return for a touchdown looked to have sealed victory for the Cowboys, only for the Commanders to respond with a field goal before getting the ball back with 33 seconds remaining. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin sprinted 86 yards through the Dallas defence for a touchdown, only for Austin Seibert to miss the extra point. 99 YARDS TO THE 🏡 @KaVontaeTurpin was gone!! 📺: #DALvsWAS on FOX📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/LvklCbYJ1e pic.twitter.com/4ckMWDEDPL — Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 24, 2024 The Commanders tried an onside kick and Juanyeh Thomas returned it 43 yards for a touchdown. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw four touchdown passes as the Miami Dolphins cruised to a 34-15 win over the New England Patriots, while the Tennessee Titans pulled off a surprise 32-27 victory at the Houston Texans. The Minnesota Vikings improved to 9-2 thanks to a 30-27 overtime win against the Chicago Bears, Parker Romo kicking the decisive field goal from 29 yards.
NYC mayor Eric Adams staffer whose job is to 'promote diversity' RIPS Hamas hostage posters down and 'assaults eyewitness'Black Friday could not have come soon enough for some CE and appliance retailers as they look to reignite tepid demand from value and discount minded shoppers. Several appliance retailers who are surviving on replacement appliance business, are looking to Black Friday revenue to bolster sales ahead of what could be a “poor” holiday sales period” said a Deloitte analyst. getting a good deal appears to be the order of the day with big brands such as Samsung, Sony, LG Electronics moving to strip share away from mass retailers with major deals offered if consumers buy direct from their own e commerce portals. Last week LG Electronics who have grown their direct sell sales this year, was out spruiking Black Friday deals on their web site for TV’s and appliances. A 65-inch LG OLED evo C4 4K Smart TV which was selling for $4,299 is now being offered at 50% discount, while a Samsung Frame TV was reduced from $4,999 to $3,460. “These are deals that won’t go through a high street retailer, and if you couple the direct sell by major brands with what Amazon are selling and you have a clear picture of how much business retailers are losing in store traffic” said a Harvey Norman franchisee. Brands such as Lenovo who are offering 58% off PC’s and HP who are offering 50% off notebooks are offering direct sell Black Friday deals in an effort to avoid having to give retailers a 40+ margin. LG Electronics splash banners spruiking Black Friday Deals Samsung, splash banners spruiking Black Friday Deals Retailers claim that are consumers are continuing to pull back on discretionary purchases of consumer electronics such as smartphones and appliance, instead they are sticking with older model devices. Another issue facing retailers and brands selling direct is that Google has been accused of “de-indexing” publishers web pages in the lead-up to Black Friday, amid concerns the search visibility of some e-commerce publishers who have revenue generating deals with big retailers will be greatly diminished. “It hasn’t happened in Australia yet but is tipped to hit before Black Friday one source told The Australian. “It’s a big power move by Google.” said one impacted organisation. By de-indexing news sites, the media outlets lose the passive income as fewer readers are engaging in e-commerce on their sites. An Australian spokesman for Google said they were unaware of the allegations levelled against the company according to News Corp who sells sponsorship deals to e commerce sites and brands such as LG Electronics. Black Friday, which falls on November 29 this year, has become the busiest shopping day in Australia in recent years, making it more lucrative for some retailers than the week before Christmas. US media has already reported titles such as Forbes, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fortune, and Time affiliate businesses had seen their search visibility fall dramatically, thus compromising their capacity to capitalise on their e-commerce deals with retailers and brands selling direct who have sponsorship deals with media Companies as opposed from buying direct from Google. Some observers claim that the coming Black Friday weekend is facing the real possibility of being less important after severing retailers started spruiking Black Friday in the second week of November. In the US this has already had an effect on some big retailers with Target stock being taken down 21% because of the effect of early Black Friday deals. “Consumers tell us their budgets remain stretched and they’re shopping carefully as they work to overcome the cumulative impact of multiple years of price inflation,” Target Chief Executive Brian Cornell told analysts last week. Several retailers including Big W, Walmart and Target have extended their one-day seasonal Black Friday discount offers into a sales event lasting weeks in a bid to tempt consumers to keep spending, as data suggests that their spree which has driven economic growth is beginning to falter. This is not unique to Australia, in the USA where Black Friday originated and inflation is lower than in Australia the practise is starting to have an impact on Black Friday sales. “We’re seeing this drag-out of incentives to try to widen the window within which retailers can draw in more consumers,” said Gregory Daco, chief economist at adviser EY Parthenon. “The likely reality in this holiday season is that we see fairly subdued sales because volumes are growing, but at a moderate pace — and [retailers have] much less pricing power.” Retailers were “incentivising via discounts and different forms of promotions” for those at the lower end of the income spectrum while also “trying to grab higher-income individuals to make purchases during this wider window”, he said.Mumbai Indians Squad for IPL 2025: Naman Dhir Sold to MI for INR 5.25 Crore at Indian Premier League AuctionOpportunity Enterprises clients craft art from cassette tapes Opportunity Enterprises clients recently completed an art project made from upcycled cassette tapes, which they donated to Mixtape Social Kitchen, 55 Franklin St., Valparaiso, according to a release. The piece was received recently by Cory Muro, chef and owner of Mixtape and a longtime supporter of OE. The artwork, a 34-by-44-inch framed piece, was a collaborative effort by OE clients who participate in the Daily Living Skills Day Program and Ben Dunn, OE’s curriculum imagineer, the release said. Through OE’s art programs, clients develop and showcase their talents, often sharing their work with the local community through different exhibits, mainly as a result of OE’s partnership with the Art Barn School of Art, the release said. Individuals who participate in OE’s Daily Living Skills Day Program help present their cassette tape art piece to Chef Cory Muro at his Mixtape piece. Pictured from left, back row, include: Stephanie Anderson, Francisco, Muro, Ben Dunn and Lisa Barrios. Seated are Karl and Veronica. (Photo courtesy of OE) Sixth female firefighter joins city department MAAC Foundation graduate Audrey Govert is expected to join the Valparaiso Fire Department on Dec. 1, a release said. Govert will be the sixth female firefighter for the department, the release said. She began working at the MAAC Foundation in June 2023 and completed the MAAC Fire and Rescue Academy (2022-2023) and earned her Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification in October, the release said. She has also served on the Union Township Volunteer Fire Department. MAAC Foundation graduate Audrey Govert joined the Valparaiso Fire Department on Dec. 1, making her the department’s sixth female firefighter. (Photo courtesy of MAAC Foundation) Franciscan Health hosting free AFib webinar Franciscan Health is hosting a free, live webinar aimed at helping patients and their caregivers learn more about atrial fibrillation, commonly known as AFib, according to a release. When the heart’s electrical system malfunctions, it may signal AFib. Arrhythmias like AFib can cause lightheadedness or the feeling of butterflies in the chest and can increase the risk of stroke, the release said. Dr. Philip George, a Franciscan Physician Network electrophysiologist practicing at Franciscan Health Indiana Heart Physicians in Indianapolis, will lead the 6 p.m. Dec. 3 webinar. Registration is available online at fran.care/afibwebinar. IU vendor information fair scheduled Local businesses and organizations are invited to attend a workshop from 9-11 a.m. Dec. 6 aimed at learning how to become certified suppliers for Indiana University, according to a release. Hosted by the IU Bloomington Diversity Supplier Office at Bergland Auditorium on the Gary campus, this event is designed to provide essential tools and resources for businesses seeking to collaborate with IU. The workshop is open to all business owners interested in supplying goods and services to the university. Advance registration is strongly encouraged, the release said. For information, call 219-980-6601. Northwest Health-Porter donates food in Porter Township Portage Township Trustee Brendan Clancy’s appeal to provide turkeys for holiday meals was met once again, thanks to Northwest Health-Porter, according to a release. Northwest Health Porter recently donated 80 turkeys to the township, the release said. Distribution is through the Portage Township Food Pantry. Eligible clients can visit the food pantry twice a month. Distribution takes place from 10 a.m. to noon on the first, second and fourth Thursday of the month and from 4-6 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month. To learn more about distribution and eligibility, visit www.portagetrustee.org. Purdue Extension welcomes new 4-H educator After a six-month search, Purdue University has appointed Kasey Wilhoit as the new 4-H Youth Development Educator in Lake County, according to a release. Wilhoit will provide innovative, hands-on learning experiences for local youth through 4-H clubs, events, and community initiatives, the release said. Wilhoit joins the team of six Lake County Extension Educators, including 4-H educators Jennifer Haynes and Julie Jones. For more information about 4-H and other Purdue Extension programs visit https://extension.purdue.edu/county/lake/ or contact the Extension Office at 219-755-3240.
Membership of UK's anti-immigration Reform party surpasses Conservatives
Judge delays Trump hush money sentencing in order to decide where case should go now
The Kansas City Chiefs bounced back from their first defeat of the season with a dramatic 30-27 win over the Carolina Panthers. The reigning Super Bowl champions saw their run of 15 straight wins ended by the Buffalo Bills last week, but got back to winning ways thanks to star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. After a late Chuba Hubbard touchdown and two-point conversion had made it 27-27, the Chiefs got the ball back with less than two minutes on the clock and a 33-yard run from Mahomes helped set up Spencer Shrader for a game-winning field goal. THE CHIEFS SURVIVE AGAIN. 🔥 Patrick Mahomes comes up CLUTCH with a 33-yard run late, before Spencer Shrader wins it as time expires! Get your #NFL action on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/POt57HQYig — ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) November 24, 2024 Mahomes finished the game with 269 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Noah Gray in the first half. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs scored two touchdowns as the Detroit Lions beat the Indianapolis Colts 24-6 to improve their record to 10-1, matching that of the Chiefs. David Montgomery also ran for a score before having to leave the game with a shoulder injury. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended a four-game losing streak with a 30-7 win over the New York Giants, who “mutually agreed” to terminate the contract of quarterback Daniel Jones earlier this week. Jones’ replacement Tommy DeVito was sacked four times while opposite number Baker Mayfield ran for a touchdown and completed 24 of 30 pass attempts for 294 yards. Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker also ran for touchdowns in a one-sided contest. The Dallas Cowboys ended their five-game losing streak with a remarkable 34-26 win over the Washington Commanders, with 30 points scored in the final three minutes. KaVontae Turpin’s 99-yard kick-off return for a touchdown looked to have sealed victory for the Cowboys, only for the Commanders to respond with a field goal before getting the ball back with 33 seconds remaining. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin sprinted 86 yards through the Dallas defence for a touchdown, only for Austin Seibert to miss the extra point. 99 YARDS TO THE 🏡 @KaVontaeTurpin was gone!! 📺: #DALvsWAS on FOX📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/LvklCbYJ1e pic.twitter.com/4ckMWDEDPL — Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 24, 2024 The Commanders tried an onside kick and Juanyeh Thomas returned it 43 yards for a touchdown. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw four touchdown passes as the Miami Dolphins cruised to a 34-15 win over the New England Patriots, while the Tennessee Titans pulled off a surprise 32-27 victory at the Houston Texans. The Minnesota Vikings improved to 9-2 thanks to a 30-27 overtime win against the Chicago Bears, Parker Romo kicking the decisive field goal from 29 yards.Prince Andrew has said he "ceased all contact" with a businessman accused of being a Chinese spy after receiving advice from the government. In a statement, his office said Prince Andrew had met the man "through official channels" and there was "nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed". The alleged spy has been banned from the UK following a judgement by the UK's semi-secret national security court. The man, known only as H6, was described in court as a "close confidant" of Prince Andrew who had formed an "unusual degree of trust" with the duke. In 2023, H6 brought an appeal against his initial ban but the decision has been upheld by the court. Judges were told the businessman was attempting to leverage Prince Andrew's influence. The duke's office said he was "unable to comment further on matters relating to national security". His statement did not specify when he ceased contact with the man nor the duration of their communications. Buckingham Palace declined to comment, saying they do not act for the prince, who is not a working royal. China's embassy in the UK has denied the espionage claim saying "some individuals in the UK are always eager to fabricate baseless 'spy' stories targeting China". "Their purpose is to smear China and disrupt normal exchanges between Chinese and British personnel," a spokesperson for the embassy said. In March 2023, the man referred to as H6 brought his case to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, a court set up to consider appeals against decisions to ban or remove someone from the country on national security or related grounds. In the published ruling , the judge said the former Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, was "entitled to conclude that [H6] represented a risk to the national security of the United Kingdom" and that the home secretary was "entitled to conclude that his exclusion was justified and proportionate". The ruling makes clear that the man had been subjected to the highest levels of national security investigation as someone that the UK's intelligence agencies feared was seeking influence over a member of the Royal Family. The court was told that H6 was invited to Prince Andrew's birthday party in 2020 and was told he could act on his behalf when dealing with potential investors in China. It is not clear how H6 became close to the prince, but in November 2021 police officers stopped and questioned him at the UK border under powers to investigate suspicions of "hostile activity" by a foreign state. During that stop H6 surrendered a number of electronic devices including a mobile phone. What officers found on them so concerned the security service MI5, that Braverman used her exceptional powers to ban H6 from the country. In a letter found on one of his devices, H6 was told by Dominic Hampshire, an adviser to Prince Andrew: "Outside of [the prince's] closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on." Mr Hampshire adds: "Under your guidance, we found a way to get the relevant people unnoticed in and out of the house in Windsor." No further details about who the "relevant people" were are given in the excerpt from the letter included in the ruling. Mr Hampshire also confirmed to H6 that he could act for Prince Andrew in talks "with potential partners and investors in China". A document listing "main talking points" for a call with Prince Andrew was also found. It states: "IMPORTANT: Manage expectations. Really important to not set 'too high' expectations - he is in a desperate situation and will grab onto anything." The court assessed that this meant H6 was in a position "to generate relationships between senior Chinese officials and prominent UK figures which could be leveraged for political interference purposes by the Chinese State". Security chiefs feared Beijing was attempting to run an "elite capture" operation to influence the Duke of York because of the pressure he was under, a tactic which aims to appoint high profile individuals to Chinese businesses, think tanks or universities. H6 was subsequently informed that he was believed by UK authorities to be associated with the United Front Work Department (UFWD), an arm of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tasked with conducting influence operations. The ruling said MI5's Director General, Ken McCallum had expressed concern about the threat posed to the UK by political interference by China and that bodies such as the UFWD were "mounting patient, well-funded, deceptive campaigns to buy and exert influence". The Home Office said they believed H6 had been engaged in covert and deceptive activity on behalf of the CCP and that his relationship with Prince Andrew could be used for political interference. Upholding Braverman's decision, the judges said H6 had won an "unusual degree of trust from a senior member of the Royal Family who was prepared to enter into business activities with him". They added that the relationship had developed at a time when the prince was "under considerable pressure" which "could make him vulnerable to the misuse of that sort of influence". The prince faced increasing scrutiny from late 2019 over his friendship with the late US financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which included his infamous Newsnight interview in November of that year.Palvella Therapeutics Announces Closing of Merger with Pieris Pharmaceuticals and Concurrent Private Placement of $78.9 Million
Austrian far-right shows strength with state election win in StyriaConnor Gaydos, a man connected to an apparent parody project to relaunch the energy company Enron and become its new CEO , was hit in the face with a pie this week as he was entering a building in New York City. The incident was caught on video and went viral on social media Thursday. The clip shows Gaydos exiting an SUV shortly before an older man slams the pie into his face as two bodyguards intervene. The bizarre incident mirrored one from more than two decades earlier, when a California woman tossed a pie into the face of Enron’s then-CEO Jeffrey Schilling . Earlier this month, a group announced the scandal-plagued Texas company was returning exactly 23 years after filing for bankruptcy amid massive fraud. “With a bold new vision, Enron will leverage cutting-edge technology, human ingenuity, and the spirit of adaptation to address the critical challenges of energy, sustainability, accessibility and affordability,” the company said in a press release that raised questions about its legitimacy. The announcement was reportedly joined by billboards in the Houston area, a full-page ad in the Houston Chronicle and a video promoting the company’s comeback. An investigation conducted by Houston station KHOU turned up a disclaimer on the company’s website that read, “The information on the website is First Amendment-protected parody , represents performance art and is for entertainment purposes only.” Many have speculated the company’s reemergence is merely a publicity stunt promoting cryptocurrency .
Three Reasons ENFR Could Perform Well Going ForwardFall is the best time to think about cooking soup. Here’s 5 recipes you’ll want to try
As the leaves fall, the heat goes on, the temperatures drop and the sweaters and jackets are pulled from storage, it’s also a great time to think about making a pot of soup. Related Articles Restaurants Food and Drink | Recipes: How to make cornbread, trifle and other Southern staples Restaurants Food and Drink | A starry Thanksgiving: Recipes beloved by Donna Kelce, Eric Stonestreet, Taylor Swift Restaurants Food and Drink | Recipe: What are you planning to do with your leftover turkey? Try making this dish Restaurants Food and Drink | Recipe: Endive ‘boats’ are the perfect vessels for tasty appetizers Restaurants Food and Drink | Recipes: How to make a delicious herbed roast turkey for Thanksgiving Soup is one of the best comfort foods, perfect for those New England fall and winter days. Whether you fancy clam or corn chowder, a roasted butternut squash soup, a classic Italian sausage orzo or something unique like lasagna soup, there’s a special place in everyone’s heart for that big pot on the stove. We have found five recipes that are sure to make your mouth water. No matter what soup preference you may have, you’ll find something to cook for the whole family. This recipe is by Allrecipes.com . Ingredients Directions This recipe is by Allrecipes.com . Ingredients Directions This recipe is by Allrecipes.com . Ingredients Noodles: Soup Base: Cheese Mixture: Garnish: Directions This recipe is by juliasalbum.com . Ingredients Directions This recipe is by Allrecipes.com . Ingredients DirectionsOld maps trace Nampally’s Sufi heritageFall is the best time to think about cooking soup. Here’s 5 recipes you’ll want to try
US stocks experience mixed fortunes on quiet day of tradingAustralians are guaranteed to head to the polls — or submit postal votes — in the first five months of next year. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese maintains he intends to serve a full three-year term, and as parliament wrapped up for the year, so did the chances of a 2024 election. With many struggling to afford the upcoming festive season, the cost of living is front of mind for families. And experts say it's front and centre for politicians too as they decide the best time to call the election. Here's what you need to know about next year's federal election. Labor promises three days subsidised child care if re-elected, scrapping activity test What's the latest possible federal election date? Unlike other parts of the world, where the date is set, the exact timing of Australia's federal election is up to Albanese. The constitution requires elections to be held no later than 68 days after the House of Representatives terms expire. With those terms ending on 25 July 2025, the election must be held by 27 September. However, since half of the Senate's terms end on 30 June 2025, an election must take place before then. Considering procedural factors and the tradition of holding house and half-Senate elections together, the latest possible date for the next federal election is 17 May 2025. What about an early March election? Experts have narrowed down the date that voters will head to the ballot box to between March and May. With over 40 years of experience advising Labor, Bruce Hawker, special counsel at Fitzpatrick and Company Advisory, "struggles to see an early election" in March. The Labor Party campaign veteran told SBS News the government would have to wait until after the state election in Western Australia on 8 March. 'Anger and resentment': World's 'super election' year results capture voters' mood "I think if there is ill will in the Western Australian electorate, they'd probably want it to be vented against a state government rather than themselves," Hawker said. He explained this would also avoid mixing campaigns and state and federal issues in the minds of voters. "I think if it was to be held in March ... it would be based on an assumption that the interest rates were not going to come down, and the economy could sink a little further into the red than it otherwise might be," Hawker said. What issues could determine the election date? High mortgages and cost of living pressures are top concerns for both major parties and voters. Hawker said the next two Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) meetings — on 18 February and 1 April — will be crucial in determining when the government sets the election, with the hope that Australians will experience a reprieve from rising costs before heading to the polls. "If they do start to bring down interest rates, that's good news for the government, and they would probably be holding out for that," he said. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas A lever at Labor's disposal is the option to resume parliament and deliver an early budget on 25 March. "If they bring down a good budget for themselves, that's something that they can do and campaign on," Hawker said. "And then you would think that they would be looking to bring out as many good things as possible in a pre-election budget which would make people happy." If that were the case, then an election campaign could kick off in late March or early April. "I think the problem for the government at the moment is that the cost of living is running very high, and unless the RBA brings down interest rates, then the government is going to have to go to an election dealing with the reality that people are doing it pretty tough," he said. "So that is more reason why I think they'll want to call the election later, rather than earlier, and have a budget in there that further relieves pressure on household budgets." Labor minister claims 'three fatal errors' in Peter Dutton's nuclear plan, as costs revealed Graeme Orr is a law professor at the University of Queensland who specialises in the law of politics. He agrees the economy will be crucial to the upcoming election. "They're often looking at, you know, how grumpy are people? Have we had a budget recently with some good policies and nice stimulants, but most of all, what's the economy like? ... Swing voters, [think] are we better off or worse off than three years ago?" he told SBS News. "Most people stick to the party they've known for a long time, or they vote according to certain values that are really quite stuck. But really, the parties are thinking about swing voters, marginal seats." What happens when the election is called? To kick off the official election campaign, Albanese will visit Governor-General Sam Mostyn to request the dissolution of parliament and the issuance of writs for the election. Orr said unless there are extraordinary circumstances, Mostyn will start the process "almost straight away". "There's a formal document called a writ, which is issued to tell the Electoral Commission, hey, election time, guys," he said. "Here are the key dates, dates to close the roll so you get seven days' grace from the issue of the writ to update your enrollment, which is really important for young people, the mobile society and also new immigrants." Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas Orr explains the Electoral Act ensures there is a minimal 33-day campaign, and while it could go longer, it's not what people want. "We like relatively short campaigns, this American approach, where the campaign goes on, including the primaries, well over a year, and costs billions of dollars just doesn't fit our more pragmatic model," he said. The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) noted that the federal election, with its multiple voting options and high enrollment rates, is "one of the largest and most complex" logistical events in the country. According to the AEC, 17.8 million Australians — 98 per cent of eligible voters — are enrolled to vote at over 7,000 polling stations nationwide on election day. All voter enrollments must be up to date, including changes to address or name. Updates can be made via the AEC website .
Ten years of Labor rule in Victoria has changed the state. or signup to continue reading Under premiers Daniel Andrews and Jacinta Allan, Victoria has embarked on a decade-long infrastructure agenda and raft of Australian-leading social reforms. But no state had more COVID-19 lockdowns, net debt is climbing and the government has faced a series of scandals, as well as criticism over its lack of transparency and accountability. The Andrews government ministry was sworn in after Labor ended four years of Liberal rule under Denis Napthine and Ted Baillieu on November 29, 2014. The 2014 state election was effectively a referendum on Melbourne's East West Link project. Mr Andrews had pledged to rip up the contract to build the contentious toll road if Labor was victorious and ordered the suspension of all work in his first weeks as premier. The state's auditor-general later the total cost of cancelling the project topped $1.1 billion. To soften the blow, Labor promised to build the Metro Tunnel and remove 50 level rail crossings. While over budget, the Metro Tunnel is due to open to fanfare in 2025 and the level crossing removal program has been expanded and hailed as one of Labor's greatest achievements. Socially, Victoria enacted laws to ban anti-abortion protesters harassing women outside clinics and became the first state to pass voluntary assisted dying laws in 2017. But it wasn't long until the government was in turmoil. Minister Adem Somyurek stood down after being accused of bullying, Steve Herbert quit cabinet for using his taxpayer-funded driver to chauffeur his two dogs and former speaker Telmo Languiller and his deputy Don Nardella were exposed rorting an allowance for country members. The biggest scandal of the lot was "red shirts rorts". A found 21 past and present Labor MPs breached parliamentary guidelines by wrongly approving $388,000 in taxpayer funds be spent on campaign staff before the 2014 election. The money was repaid by the party and no charges were laid by police. Nonetheless, Labor swept to a second term with a huge majority in what was known as the "Danslide". Bushfires, a global pandemic and a high-profile corruption probe knocked Labor's second term off course. After setting up a into the state's "broken" mental health system, Victoria was plunged into one of its worst bushfire seasons in memory. The 2019-20 black summer bushfires burned more than 1.5 million hectares of Victorian land, killing five people and razing more than 400 homes. But the scale of the devastation paled in comparison to what came next. Mr Andrews declared a state of emergency in March 2020 as COVID locked down the entire country. As Victoria was cautiously reopening, cases leaked out of the state hotel quarantine system, sparking a second COVID-19 lockdown for Melbourne that ultimately ran for 112 days. The premier, ministers, bureaucrats and agency officials fronted a into hotel quarantine breaches, but none said they could recall whose idea it was to use private security. In June 2020, Mr Andrews sacked Mr Somyurek from his cabinet - following his return to the frontbench in 2018 - after Channel Nine aired allegations of branch stacking and a recording of him using offensive language about a ministerial colleague. He was the first of four ministers to depart in the fallout. A subsequent by the corruption watchdog and ombudsman exposed misuse of taxpayer resources but again did not recommend any criminal charges. In the middle of the separate crises, Mr Andrews spent 111 days off work after fracturing his spine and breaking several ribs in a fall. He and other MPs also became the target of fierce, and at times violent, opposition to pandemic-specific laws passed in late 2021 following Melbourne's sixth and final lockdown. The COVID-fuelled community anger and division did not dent Labor electorally as Mr Andrews steered it to another thumping win. Cancelling the 2026 Commonwealth Games in regional Victoria was among Daniel Andrews' final acts as premier. He called a snap press conference in July 2023 to pull the pin on the event, citing estimated costs blowing out from $2.6 billion to between $6 billion to $7 billion. In September 2023, just days after handing down a landmark , Mr Andrews announced his retirement from politics, paving the way for heir apparent Ms Allan to replace him. Both Mr Andrews and Ms Allan forced backbench MPs Will Fowles and Darren Cheeseman out of the Labor party room over past instances of alleged misconduct, reducing its numbers in the lower house. Mr Fowles was investigated by police but not charged, while Mr Cheeseman has not publicly addressed complaints of inappropriate behaviour towards female staff. Ms Allan's first 12 months in the top job were dogged by a parliamentary inquiry and journalists probing the decision to cancel the Games. She confirmed lawyers were hired to provide advice on Victoria withdrawing on June 14 2023, a full month before the Games decision was announced. The premier denied misleading Victorian parliament on June 13, when as the then responsible minister she told a budget estimates hearing the state was making "tremendous progress" on delivering the Games and gave no indication of budgetary concerns. The auditor-general later that abandoning the event cost the state more than $589 million, including a $380 million settlement. Ms Allan has since backflipped on several controversial policies backed by her old boss, including plans to set up a supervised injecting room in Melbourne's CBD and raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14. The long-serving Bendigo East MP has instead staked her premiership on housing, repeatedly describing herself as a builder not a blocker. For all the controversy surrounding construction of the Suburban Rail Loop, a proposed 90km rail line orbiting Melbourne, a planned statue of Mr Andrews might be the government's most contentious build. State premiers who spent more than 3000 days in the top job are immortalised in bronze statues outside government offices in central Melbourne, under a rule introduced by former Liberal premier Jeff Kennett. The process to install one for Mr Andrews is under way. Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . AdvertisementChuck Woolery , whose game-show hosting career included tenures at Wheel of Fortune and Love Connection , has died at age 83. Mark Young, Woolery’s friend and podcast cohost, shared the news on X on Saturday. “It is with a broken heart that I tell you that my dear brother @chuckwoolery has just passed away,” Young wrote. “Life will not be the same without him. RIP, brother.” Young told TMZ he was at Woolery’s home in Texas when the former TV host reported not feeling well and went to lie down. When Young checked in later, Woolery was having trouble breathing, and despite a 911 call, Woolery died shortly thereafter. Woolery was born on March 16, 1941, in Ashland, Kentucky, to a business owner and a homemaker, according to The Hollywood Reporter . After stints at the University of Kentucky, in the U.S. Navy, and at Morehead State University, Woolery moved to Nashville to start a music career. He and singer Elkin “Bubba” Fowler formed the psychedelic pop duo The Avant-Garde, and their song “Naturally Stoned” peaked at No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968. Lorimar Television/ Everett Collection A singing performance on The Merv Griffin Show led Woolery to audition for a new game show, originally titled Shopper’s Bazaar , that Merv Griffin was developing at the time. After some tinkering, Wheel of Fortune debuted on NBC on January 6, 1975. Griffin earned a Daytime Emmy for his Wheel work and hosted the show until 1981, when a salary dispute led producers to replace him with Pat Sajak . Related ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Turns 40, But Do You Remember the Other Versions? Woolery moved on with a job hosting the syndicated dating game show Love Connection from 1983 to 1994, pulling in 4.5 million viewers a day at one point. He also emceed the game show Scrabble from 1984 to 1990, and between the two shows, he was earning $1 million a year by 1986, as People reported at the time. Woolery also hosted the game show Greed on Fox from 1999 to 2000 and Lingo on Game Show Network from 2002 to 2007. In recent years, Woolery stoked controversy with his political views, posting a tweet that sparked antisemitism accusations in 2017 and then claiming in 2020 that “everyone [was] lying” about the coronavirus pandemic , as Newsweek reported. He also argued that minorities didn’t need civil rights, according to the Associated Press . Woolery was married four times, and his ex-wives included actor Jo Ann Pflug. He had eight children and stepchildren, per THR . More Headlines: Chuck Woolery Dies: Former ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and ‘Love Connection’ Host Was 83 Will Ryan Eggold Return for ‘Cross’ Season 2? Chad Duell Leaving ‘General Hospital’: ‘This Wasn’t an Easy Decision for Me’ ‘The White Lotus’: Everything We Know About a Possible Season 4 ‘Brilliant Minds’ Scoop on ‘Terrifying’ Cliffhanger, Plus What’s Next With Carol’s Patient?US stocks experience mixed fortunes on quiet day of trading
Bashar al-Assad confided in almost no one about his plans to flee Syria as his reign collapsed. Instead, aides, officials and even relatives were deceived or kept in the dark, more than a dozen people with knowledge of the events told Reuters. Hours before he escaped for Moscow, Assad assured a meeting of about 30 army and security chiefs at the defense ministry on Saturday that Russian military support was on its way and urged ground forces to hold out, according to a commander who was present and requested anonymity to speak about the briefing. Civilian staff were none the wiser, too. Assad told his presidential office manager on Saturday when he finished work he was going home but instead headed to the airport, according to an aide in his inner circle. He also called his media adviser, Buthaina Shaaban, and asked her to come to his home to write him a speech, the aide said. She arrived to find no one was there. "Assad didn't even make a last stand. He didn't even rally his own troops," said Nadim Houri, executive director of the Arab Reform Initiative regional think-tank. "He let his supporters face their own fate." Reuters was unable to contact Assad in Moscow, where he has been granted political asylum. Interviews with 14 people familiar with his final days and hours in power paint a picture of a leader casting around for outside help to extend his 24-year rule before leaning on deception and stealth to plot his exit from Syria in the early hours of Sunday. Most of the sources, who include aides in the former president's inner circle, regional diplomats and security sources and senior Iranian officials, asked for their names to be withheld to freely discuss sensitive matters. A man tears photo of Syrian President Bashar Assad in front of the Syrian embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) Assad didn't even inform his younger brother, Maher, commander of the Army's elite 4th Armoured Division, about his exit plan, according to three aides. Maher flew a helicopter to Iraq and then to Russia, one of the people said. Assad's maternal cousins, Ehab and Eyad Makhlouf, were similarly left behind as Damascus fell to the rebels, according to a Syrian aide and Lebanese security official. The pair tried to flee by car to Lebanon but were ambushed on the way by rebels who shot Ehab dead and wounded Eyad, they said. There was no official confirmation of the death and Reuters was unable to independently verify the incident. Assad himself fled Damascus by plane on Sunday, Dec. 8, flying under the radar with the aircraft's transponder switched off, two regional diplomats said, escaping the clutches of rebels storming the capital. The dramatic exit ended his 24 years of rule and his family's half a century of unbroken power, and brought the 13-year civil war to an abrupt halt. He flew to Russia's Hmeimim airbase in the Syrian coastal city of Latakia, and from there on to Moscow. Assad's immediate family, wife Asma and their three children, were already waiting for him in the Russian capital, according to three former close aides and a senior regional official. Videos of Assad's home, taken by rebels and citizens who thronged the presidential complex following his flight and posted on social media, suggest he made a hasty exit, showing cooked food left on the stove and several personal belongings left behind, such as family photo albums. Two men, one carrying a weapon, arrive at the Umayyad mosque for Friday prayers in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Russia and Iran: No military rescue There would be no military rescue from Russia, whose intervention in 2015 had helped turn the tide of the civil war in favor of Assad, or from his other staunch ally Iran. This had been made clear to the Syrian leader in the days leading up to his exit, when he sought aid from various quarters in a desperate race to cling to power and secure his safety, according to the people interviewed by Reuters. Assad visited Moscow on Nov. 28, a day after Syrian rebel forces attacked the northern province of Aleppo and lightning drive across the country, but his pleas for military intervention fell on deaf ears in the Kremlin which was unwilling to intervene, three regional diplomats said. Hadi al-Bahra, the head of Syria's main opposition abroad, said that Assad didn't convey the reality of the situation to aides back home, citing a source within Assad's close circle and a regional official. "He told his commanders and associates after his Moscow trip that military support was coming," Bahra added. "He was lying to them. The message he received from Moscow was negative." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that Russia had spent a lot of effort in helping stabilize Syria in the past but its priority now was the conflict in Ukraine. Four days after that trip, on Dec. 2, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met with Assad in Damascus. By that time, the rebels from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Islamist group had taken control of Syria's second-largest city Aleppo and were sweeping southwards as government forces crumbled. Assad was visibly distressed during the meeting, and conceded that his army was too weakened to mount an effective resistance, a senior Iranian diplomat told Reuters. Assad never requested that Tehran deploy forces in Syria though, according to two senior Iranian officials who said he understood that Israel could use any such intervention as a reason to target Iranian forces in Syria or even Iran itself. The Kremlin and Russian foreign ministry declined to comment for this article, while the Iranian foreign ministry was not immediately available to comment. Syrians wave 'revolutionary' Syrian flags during a celebratory demonstration following the first Friday prayers since Bashar Assad's ouster, in Damascus' central square, Syria, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (Leo Correa / AP Photo) Assad confronts own downfall After exhausting his options, Assad finally accepted the inevitability of his downfall and resolved to leave the country, ending his family's dynastic rule which dates back to 1971. Three members of Assad's inner circle said he initially wanted to seek refuge in the United Arab Emirates, as rebels seized Aleppo and Homs and were advancing towards Damascus. They said he was rebuffed by the Emiratis who feared an international backlash for harboring a figure subject to U.S. and European sanctions for allegedly using chemical weapons in a crackdown on insurgents, accusations that Assad has rejected as a fabrication. The UAE government didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. A Syrian opposition fighter sits inside an office in the Presidential Palace after the Syrian government collapses in Damascus, Syria, on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Yet Moscow, while unwilling to intervene militarily, was not prepared to abandon Assad, according to a Russian diplomatic source who spoke on condition of anonymity. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, attending the Doha forum in Qatar on Saturday and Sunday, spearheaded the diplomatic effort to secure the safety of Assad, engaging Turkey and Qatar to leverage their connections to HTS to secure Assad's safe exit to Russia, two regional officials said. One Western security source said that Lavrov did "whatever he could" to secure Assad's safe departure. Qatar and Turkey made arrangements with HTS to facilitate Assad's exit, three of the sources said, despite official claim by both countries that they had no contacts with HTS, which is designated by the U.S. and the U.N. as a terrorist organization. Moscow also coordinated with neighboring states to ensure that a Russian plane leaving Syrian airspace with Assad on board would not be intercepted or targeted, three of the sources said. A man waves a flare during a celebratory demonstration following the first Friday prayers since Bashar Assad's ouster, in Damascus' central square, Syria, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Qatar's foreign ministry didn't immediately respond to queries about Assad's exit, while Reuters was unable to reach HTS for comment. A Turkish government official said there was no Russian request to use Turkish airspace for Assad's flight, though didn't address whether Ankara worked with HTS to facilitate the escape. Assad's last prime minister, Mohammed Jalali, said he spoke to his then-president on the phone on Saturday night at 10.30 pm. "In our last call, I told him how difficult the situation was and that there was huge displacement (of people) from Homs toward Latakia ... that there was panic and horror in the streets," he told Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV this week. "He replied: 'Tomorrow, we will see'," Jalali added. "'Tomorrow, tomorrow', was the last thing he told me." Jalali said he tried to call Assad again as dawn broke on Sunday, but there was no response. (Additional reporting by Guy Faulconbridge in Moscow, Jonathan Saul in London, Maha El Dahan and Nadine Awadalla in Dubai, Laila Bassam in Beirut, Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara, Andrew Mills in Doha and Timour Azhari in Damascus; Writing by Samia Nakhoul; Editing by Pravin Char)How Big Tech’s XR Push Could Redefine Both Payments and AICopy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login Dwindling buyer demand and a glut of stock have prompted more than half of all Sydney home sellers to strike a deal ahead before auction rather than risk not finding a buyer, data from CoreLogic shows. The waning seller confidence comes as the spring auction market failed to ignite a rebound in buyer activity amid high interest rates and declining affordability. 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Pressure is on the Albanese government to make headway on its long list of stalled legislation before the federal election. or signup to continue reading Housing will be back in spotlight during the final sitting week of 2024, with the Help to Buy government equity scheme and incentives for build-to-rent to be brought to a final vote in the Senate. The two housing bills have struggled to attract the support of the opposition or the Greens, with Labor knocking back fresh demands from the latter. Central to the Greens' updated position is funding for 25,000 "shovel-ready" homes not given the go-ahead under the first round of the Housing Australia Future Fund. Labor insists the demand is unlawful and would result in the construction of million-dollar homes that are not value for money. Greens housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather said his party had designed "a compromise offer that is popular, achievable and easy to accept, it requires no new legislation and sits broadly within government policy". With 30 or so bills still before the parliament, the government has been ramping up pressure on the Greens and the coalition to co-operate. "This is a week where we will see the colour of the eyes of Peter Dutton and the Greens party," Employment Minister Murray Watt told reporters on Sunday. A friendless crackdown on misinformation and disinformation has been shelved and gambling reforms have been pushed into next year. Though the government is expecting wins on its aged care reforms and its social media age limit, with the former expected to attract opposition support. Under world-first legislation, Australians younger than 16 will be banned from social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit and X (formerly Twitter). Labor will also be spruiking its Future Made in Australia plan, with its hydrogen and critical minerals production tax incentives to be introduced to parliament on Monday. Economic management will likely get some airtime after monthly inflation figures are released on Wednesday, with headline inflation expected to once again land within the Reserve Bank of Australia's target band. But with the central bank's preferred underlying gauge - stripped of the volatility inflicting the headline number - likely to remain above the two-three per cent band, keenly-anticipated interest rate cuts are likely to stay on ice. The federal election is due to be held by May 17. Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . AdvertisementGiants star WR Malik Nabers (toe) says he's a game-time decision
