Image credit: X (Twitter) Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended her ties with tech billionaire Elon Musk . According to a report by the news agency AP, Meloni has assured the country’s lawmakers that her friendship with Musk would not affect her decisions on issues involving his economic interests. Since taking office in 2022, Meloni, who has frequently met the Tesla and SpaceX founder, asserted that she still aims to attract investments to Italy. Recently, Italy approved a framework allowing foreign space companies to operate in the country, a move projected to bring €7.3 billion ($7.7 billion) in investments by 2026. What Meloni said about her ties with Musk Responding to questions during a customary parliamentary discussion ahead of the EU summit in Brussels, Meloni said: “I can be a friend of Elon Musk and at the same time the head of the first Italian government that made a new law to regulate private activity in space.” Criticising her predecessors, Meloni stated that former Italian leaders “who thought they had a good relationship, even a friendship, with a foreign leader, they had to slavishly follow what the others did.” She emphasised her independence, saying she maintains good relationships “with many people” but “I don’t take orders from anyone.” Meloni and Musk’s friendship over the years Meloni and Musk's friendship has garnered attention in the past. In September, Musk denied rumours of a romantic relationship after a photo of them at a black-tie event in New York went viral. At the event, Musk presented Meloni with an award. A year ago, Musk appeared at an event for youth members of Meloni's party in Italy. More recently, he used his social media platform X (earlier Twitter) to criticise an Italian court decision blocking Meloni's plan to process migrants rescued at sea in Albania. His comments also prompted a sharp response from Italy’s president.PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George has a bone bruise on his left knee and will miss two games, the team said Thursday. The 76ers said George did not suffer any structural damage when he injured the same knee that he hyperextended during the preseason in Wednesday night's loss at Memphis. The game marked the first time this season the All-Star trio of George, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey started a game together. George will miss home games Friday against Brooklyn and Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers, his former team. A nine-time All-Star, the 34-year-old George will be evaluated again on Monday. Wednesday's 117-111 loss to the Grizzlies dropped the Sixers to 2-12, the worst record in the NBA headed into Thursday night's games. George signed a four-year, $212 million contract with Philadelphia after five seasons with the Clippers. He has averaged 14.9 points in eight games this season. Embiid has been out with injuries, load management rest and a suspension, while Maxey was sidelined with a hamstring injury. An expected contender in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers haven't won since an overtime victory against Charlotte on Nov. 10. AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Japan Q3 Revised GDP +0.3% q/q (prelim was +0.2%)Edesa Biotech Reports Fiscal Year 2024 ResultsManchester United women's boss breaks silence after Sir Jim Ratcliffe appeared to double down on stance that men's team is his PRIORITYKrungthai Panich Insurance (KPI) wants to grow its total premiums by 10% next year amid concerns about rising natural disaster risks, the use of new accounting standards, and risks from electric vehicle (EV) insurance. President Suchavadee Sanganong said KPI missed its targets this year, with total premiums expected at 4.5 billion baht and around 500 million baht in net profit. In 2023, the company posted insurance premiums of 5.5 billion baht and a net profit of 600 million baht. The decrease was attributed to the termination of a motor insurance partnership with Roojai, which established a business on its own, as well as rising natural disaster insurance claims, as flooding caused roughly 200 million baht in damages. "For car insurance, the company continues to take care of existing customers, including EV owners, but is offering less EV insurance policies to new customers. We must be careful in setting EV premiums because it is risky," she said. Domestic new car sales this year will tally less than 800,000 units, nowhere near the target of 1 million, said Ms Suchavadee. The property and casualty insurance business grew by 10% this year, but the premiums are smaller than those for motor insurance. Accident and health insurance were flat, but KPI believes the business has ample room for growth in the coming years. The company has an investment portfolio of 7 billion baht, with a return on investment of 4.5-5% per year. Normally the investment portfolio increases by 10-15% annually. This year, profit from the investment portfolio accounts for 60% of total profit. For next year, KPI has concerns about the growing risk of natural disasters, changes in accounting standards, and the instability of EV insurance, she said. Over the next five years, KPI wants to deploy advanced technologies to increase efficiency in business processes, including planning strategies to develop the team's potential, which is the core of organisational development, said Ms Suchavadee. These strategies include strengthening talent retention, reducing skills gaps, building employee engagement and leadership development, all of which are critical for developing a strong and sustainable organisation, she said. In a related development, Roojai Group, the country's leading online insurance company, yesterday announced the acquisition of DirectAsia Thailand from Hiscox Group. With the acquisition, Roojai increases its market share with a combined portfolio of more than 300,000 vehicles insured in Thailand. In 2023, Roojai acquired FWD General Insurance from Boltech and rebranded it to Roojai Insurance earlier this year, becoming the largest full-stack digital insurance company in Thailand focusing on retail insurance products. "DirectAsia and Roojai share the same vision of making insurance simple and bringing competitive prices to good drivers," said Roojai founder and group chief executive Nicolas Faquet. "The consolidation will deliver synergies that support our expansion of the direct insurance model."
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Do WA residents need an enhanced driver's license to fly this Thanksgiving? What to knowCollege Football Playoff's first 12-team bracket is set with Oregon No. 1 and SMU in, Alabama out SMU captured the last open spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, bumping Alabama to land in a bracket that placed undefeated Oregon at No. 1. The selection committee preferred the Mustangs, losers of a heartbreaker in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game, who had a far less difficult schedule than Alabama of the SEC but one fewer loss. The inaugural 12-team bracket marks a new era for college football, though the Alabama-SMU debate made clear there is no perfect formula. The tournament starts Dec. 20-21 with four first-round games. It concludes Jan. 20 with the national title game in Atlanta. Alabama left out of playoff as committee rewards SMU's wins over Crimson Tide's strong schedule The College Football Playoff committee took wins over strength of schedule, taking SMU over Alabama for the final at-large spot in the field. The field was expanded from four to 12 teams this season, but that didn’t save the committee from controversy. SMU showed it could compete against a traditional power, losing to Clemson 34-31 on a 56-yard field goal in the ACC title game on Saturday. Alabama had some ups and downs in its first season under coach Kalen DeBoer. The Crimson Tide had quality wins against Georgia and South Carolina, but lost at Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Big Ten wins playoff selection derby, followed by SEC despite notable Alabama omission College football’s conference shakeup left concerns about two super conferences dominating the playoff field. They weren’t totally unfounded, or 100% born out. The Big Ten, not the Southeastern Conference, was the biggest winner. The ACC scored, too. The Big Ten led the initial 12-team playoff field with four making the cut, topped by a No. 1 Oregon team that was part of the Pac-12 exodus. Then came the SEC — and one notable omission. ACC runner-up SMU got the nod over college football blue-blood Alabama, another blemish in Kalen DeBoer’s first season as Nick Saban’s championship-or-bust successor. Darnold delivers for Vikings with career-high 347 yards and 5 TDs to beat Falcons, Cousins 42-21 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sam Darnold threw for 347 yards and five touchdowns, both career highs, and the Minnesota Vikings pulled away from Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons 42-21 for their sixth straight victory. Darnold added another highlight to his brilliant first season with the Vikings following Cousins' departure in free agency to Atlanta with a 22-for-28 performance and no turnover-worthy plays despite heavy first-half pressure. Jordan Addison had eight catches for 133 yards and three scores and Justin Jefferson racked up seven receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Cousins threw two more interceptions without a touchdown in his return to Minnesota. Saquon Barkley sets Eagles season rushing record and has Dickerson's NFL mark in his sights PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley has broken LeSean McCoy's Eagles franchise record for rushing yards in a season. Barkley has 1,623 yards. He surpassed McCoy's mark of 1,607 yards with a 9-yard run in Sunday's 22-16 win over Carolina. Barkley finished the game with 124 yards, within a yard of his season average. He has four games left and is on pace to break Eric Dickerson's 40-year-old NFL record of 2,105 yards. Dickerson set that record in a 16-game season and Barkley has one more game. Eagles fans serenaded Barkley with “MVP!” chants and McCoy congratulated him on social media. Saints QB Derek Carr injures left hand on dive in 4th quarter of win over Giants EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr injured his left hand late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 14-11 victory over the New York Giants when he went airborne while trying for a first down and crashed to the turf. Carr tried to leap over a Giants tackler and landed at the New Orleans 39-yard line, extending his non-throwing hand to break his fall. He was on the turf for a minute or two before walking to the medical tent. He was examined and slowly walked to an area where X-rays are done. The injury could hurt the already slim playoff hopes of the Saints. Tamar Bates scores 29 points to help Missouri beat No. 1 Kansas 76-67 COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Tamar Bates had 29 points and five steals to help Missouri beat Hunter Dickinson and No. 1 Kansas 76-67. Mark Mitchell scored 17 points in Missouri’s first win over Kansas since a 74-71 victory on Feb. 4, 2012. Anthony Robinson II had 11 points and five steals for the 8-1 Tigers. Dickinson had 19 points and 14 rebounds, but he also committed seven turnovers. The 7-2 Jayhawks have lost two straight on the road after falling 76-63 against Creighton on Wednesday night. Scottie Scheffler ends his big year in the Bahamas with his 9th victory NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Scottie Scheffler ended his biggest year with another victory. Scheffler was coming off a two-month break and looked as good as ever. He shot 63 in the Hero World Challenge and set tournament records at Albany with a 72-hole total of 263 and a six-shot victory. Tom Kim was the runner-up and Justin Thomas finished third. Scheffler ends his year with nine victories in 21 tournaments. That includes the holiday tournament in the Bahamas and the Olympic gold medal in Paris. It's the third-highest winning percentage in the last 40 years. Tournament host Tiger Woods had two better years. Lindsey Vonn is encouraged by how close she is to being competitive in ski racing return at age 40 COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. (AP) — Lindsey Vonn is encouraged by how close she is to being competitive again in her ski racing return at 40 years old. Vonn is still getting her ski equipment dialed in and getting used to going full speed again on her new titanium knee. That’s why all that she's reading into being more than two seconds behind in a pair of lower-level super-G races Sunday is that she’s right there. This after nearly six years away from ski racing and an abbreviated prep period. She was 2.19 seconds behind in the first race and 2.06 in the second. Both were won by her American teammate Lauren Macuga. Plane circles MetLife Stadium with message to co-owner John Mara to fix the Giants' 'dumpster fire' EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — A small plane circled MetLife Stadium roughly 90 minutes before New York was to play host to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, asking Giants co-owner John Mara to overhaul the team that has made the playoffs twice since winning the Super Bowl in February 2012. “Mr. Mara, enough. Please fix this dumpster fire!” the message read as it was towed behind the rear of a small plane.Mumbai is expected to experience cloudy skies with a chance of light rain and temperatures ranging from 23°C to 30°C on Sunday, December 1. Delhi will see a clear day with mild temperatures around 12°C in the morning, rising to 25°C by afternoon. In Chennai, heavy rains and gusty winds are likely throughout the day due to Cyclone Fengal. Bengaluru will enjoy a cool, pleasant day with temperatures between 18°C and 26°C and no significant rain. Hyderabad is forecast to remain dry, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures ranging from 20°C to 29°C. Kolkata will experience light rain and overcast skies, with temperatures around 24°C to 28°C. Cyclone Fengal Update: Cyclonic Storm Makes Landfall Near Puducherry, Says IMD (Watch Video) . (SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
Trump wants pardoned real estate developer Charles Kushner to be ambassador to France
AP News Summary at 12:08 p.m. ESTNone
HICKSVILLE, N.Y. , Dec. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Flagstar Financial, Inc. (NYSE: FLG) (the "Company") today announced the appointment of Brian Callanan , Senior Managing Director and General Counsel at Liberty Strategic Capital ("Liberty"), to its Board of Directors, effective December 16, 2024 . Commenting on the appointment, Joseph M. Otting , Chairman, President, and CEO said, "I'm pleased to have Brian join our Board. His proven track record and expertise in financial services, along with his strategic insights will be instrumental as we continue to execute on our transformation and long-term vision. Brian's perspectives will provide valuable guidance, and his leadership will play a critical role in driving sustainable growth, ensuring we achieve long-term success and maximize the value we deliver to our shareholders, employees, and clients." Callanan is a distinguished lawyer with extensive experience in financial regulation, regulatory compliance, and financial technology. At Liberty, Callanan leads the firm's legal function, serves on its Investment Committee, and focuses on financial sector investments. Prior to joining Liberty, he served as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, overseeing 2,000 lawyers across the department. As Chief General Counsel, he played a key role in major initiatives such as economic rescue programs during COVID-19, the design of new economic sanctions, and the implementation of tax reform. While serving as Deputy General Counsel, Callanan managed major litigation and advised on regulatory reform efforts, among other responsibilities. For his service, he received the Alexander Hamilton Award, the department's highest honor. This appointment aligns with the $1.05 billion equity investment in March 2024 , which stipulated that two Board seats would be granted to lead investor Liberty Strategic Capital. With Callanan's addition, the Company's Board of Directors, which was reconstituted earlier in 2024, expands to nine members, including Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Joseph M. Otting , Milton Berlinski , Alessandro P. DiNello , Alan Frank , Marshall Lux , Lead Independent Director Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin , Allen Puwalski , and Jennifer Whip. About Flagstar Financial, Inc. Flagstar Financial, Inc. is the parent company of Flagstar Bank, N.A., one of the largest regional banks in the country. The Company is headquartered in Hicksville, New York . At September 30, 2024, the Company had $114.4 billion of assets, $73.0 billion of loans, deposits of $83 .0 billion, and total stockholders' equity of $8 .6 billion. Flagstar Bank, N.A. operates over 400 branches, including a significant presence in the Northeast and Midwest and locations in high growth markets in the Southeast and West Coast. In addition, the Bank has approximately 80 private banking teams located in over 10 cities in the metropolitan New York City region and on the West Coast, which serve the needs of high-net worth individuals and their businesses. Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This release may include forward‐looking statements by the Company and our authorized officers pertaining to such matters as our goals, beliefs, intentions, and expectations regarding (a) revenues, earnings, loan production, asset quality, liquidity position, capital levels, risk analysis, divestitures, acquisitions, and other material transactions, among other matters; (b) the future costs and benefits of the actions we may take; (c) our assessments of credit risk and probable losses on loans and associated allowances and reserves; (d) our assessments of interest rate and other market risks; (e) our ability to execute on our strategic plan, including the sufficiency of our internal resources, procedures and systems; (f) our ability to attract, incentivize, and retain key personnel and the roles of key personnel; (g) our ability to achieve our financial and other strategic goals, including those related to our merger with Flagstar Bancorp, Inc., which was completed on December 1, 2022, our acquisition of substantial portions of the former Signature Bank through an FDIC-assisted transaction, and our ability to fully and timely implement the risk management programs institutions greater than $100 billion in assets must maintain; (h) the effect on our capital ratios of the approval of certain proposals approved by our shareholders during our 2024 annual meeting of shareholders; (i) the conversion or exchange of shares of the Company's preferred stock; (j) the payment of dividends on shares of the Company's capital stock, including adjustments to the amount of dividends payable on shares of the Company's preferred stock; (k) the availability of equity and dilution of existing equity holders associated with amendments to the 2020 Omnibus Incentive Plan; (l) the effects of the reverse stock split; and (m) transactions relating to the sale of our mortgage business and mortgage warehouse business. Forward‐looking statements are typically identified by such words as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "outlook," "estimate," "forecast," "project," "should," "confident," and other similar words and expressions, and are subject to numerous assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, which change over time. Additionally, forward‐looking statements speak only as of the date they are made; the Company does not assume any duty, and does not undertake, to update our forward‐looking statements. Furthermore, because forward‐looking statements are subject to assumptions and uncertainties, actual results or future events could differ, possibly materially, from those anticipated in our statements, and our future performance could differ materially from our historical results. Our forward‐looking statements are subject to, among others, the following principal risks and uncertainties: general economic conditions and trends, either nationally or locally; conditions in the securities, credit and financial markets; changes in interest rates; changes in deposit flows, and in the demand for deposit, loan, and investment products and other financial services; changes in real estate values; changes in the quality or composition of our loan or investment portfolios, including associated allowances and reserves; changes in future allowance for credit losses, including changes required under relevant accounting and regulatory requirements; the ability to pay future dividends; changes in our capital management and balance sheet strategies and our ability to successfully implement such strategies; recent turnover in our Board of Directors and our executive management team; changes in our strategic plan, including changes in our internal resources, procedures and systems, and our ability to successfully implement such plan; changes in competitive pressures among financial institutions or from non‐financial institutions; changes in legislation, regulations, and policies; the imposition of restrictions on our operations by bank regulators; the outcome of pending or threatened litigation, or of investigations or any other matters before regulatory agencies, whether currently existing or commencing in the future; the success of our blockchain and fintech activities, investments and strategic partnerships; the restructuring of our mortgage business; our ability to recognize anticipated expense reductions and enhanced efficiencies with respect to our recently announced strategic workforce reduction; the impact of failures or disruptions in or breaches of the Company's operational or security systems, data or infrastructure, or those of third parties, including as a result of cyberattacks or campaigns; the impact of natural disasters, extreme weather events, military conflict (including the Russia / Ukraine conflict, the conflict in Israel and surrounding areas, the possible expansion of such conflicts and potential geopolitical consequences), terrorism or other geopolitical events; and a variety of other matters which, by their nature, are subject to significant uncertainties and/or are beyond our control. Our forward-looking statements are also subject to the following principal risks and uncertainties with respect to our merger with Flagstar Bancorp, which was completed on December 1, 2022 , and our acquisition of substantial portions of the former Signature Bank through an FDIC-assisted transaction: the possibility that the anticipated benefits of the transactions will not be realized when expected or at all; the possibility of increased legal and compliance costs, including with respect to any litigation or regulatory actions related to the business practices of acquired companies or the combined business; diversion of management's attention from ongoing business operations and opportunities; the possibility that the Company may be unable to achieve expected synergies and operating efficiencies in or as a result of the transactions within the expected timeframes or at all; and revenues following the transactions may be lower than expected. Additionally, there can be no assurance that the Community Benefits Agreement entered into with NCRC, which was contingent upon the closing of the Company's merger with Flagstar Bancorp, Inc., will achieve the results or outcome originally expected or anticipated by us as a result of changes to our business strategy, performance of the U.S. economy, or changes to the laws and regulations affecting us, our customers, communities we serve, and the U.S. economy (including, but not limited to, tax laws and regulations). More information regarding some of these factors is provided in the Risk Factors section of our Annual Report on Form 10‐K/A for the year ended December 31, 2023, Quarterly Report on Forms 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2024 , June 30, 2024 , and September 30, 2024 , and in other SEC reports we file. Our forward‐looking statements may also be subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those we may discuss in this news release, on our conference call, during investor presentations, or in our SEC filings, which are accessible on our website and at the SEC's website, www.sec.gov . Investor Contact: Salvatore J. DiMartino (516) 683-4286 Media Contact: Nicole Yelland (248) 219-9234 View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/flagstar-financial-inc-appoints-brian-callanan-to-board-of-directors-302331692.html SOURCE Flagstar Financial, Inc.Danny Jones McFly bandmates react as he wins I’m A Celeb – joking they voted for Coleen Rooney
Matthew Byars , who appeared on Bravo reality show The Real Housewives of Potomac , died by suicide, it has been confirmed. The Sun newspaper in the U.S. first reported a statement from Maryland’s Chief Office of Medical Examiner, adding that the autopsy report had been completed. Deadline has now independently verified the statement. The Medical Examiner said the manner of death was suicide and the cause “multiple blunt force injuries.” Byers died Thursday 21 November, aged 37. He made his debut on the show during Season 3 of the show, where he was introduced as star Karen Huger’s talent manager, and she introduced him on the show as part of her management team. Deadline previously reported that Byars appeared in Huger’s infamous “press conference” in Season 3 of the reality series, during which she attempted to clear up rumors about her financial situation. Former RHOP star Charrisse Jackson-Jordan paid tribute to Byars by sharing a photo with him and captioning it, “Rest in peace.” Melissa Gorga of The Real Housewives of New Jersey also paid tribute to Byars in a social media post. “Matt- Why didn’t you tell me Matt? I’m heartbroken. Your personality was infectious. Your jokes- you always had them. You should have done stand up- I know it was your dream. My heart hurts Matt. Because earlier this week you didn’t tell me. I know life was tough- I know,” Gorga wrote on Instagram . “Thank you for bringing me my very 1st performance of ‘ON DISPLAY’- you and I- WE ARE LOYAL. They don’t make them like us. I wish I could have saved you. Thank you for the memories. Go fly- Go make them laugh.” Comedian Bruce Vilanch first broke the news about Byars in a Facebook post , writing, “ Matt Byars ended his struggle this morning. Those of you who knew him can DM me for more information. Sorry to be the bearer....”
Out-of-form New Zealand opener Devon Conway will miss the third test against England in Hamilton to remain at home for the birth of his first child this week, the team said on Monday. Conway, who scored just 21 runs over four innings as the Black Caps suffered heavy losses in the first two tests, will be replaced in the squad by uncapped all-rounder Mark Chapman. "Family comes first in this environment and we're all really excited for Dev and his wife Kim to welcome their first child," said coach Gary Stead. "Mark was with the test squad in India recently and returned to the Plunket Shield by scoring an impressive 276 - so it's a good time for him to be joining us." The absence of Conway might also give the ultra-loyal Stead the opportunity to bring Will Young into the batting line-up for the final test of the series, which starts at Seddon Park on Saturday. Young scored 244 runs and was named Player of the Series when New Zealand stunned the cricketing world by sweeping India 3-0 in late October and early November but was dropped for Kane Williamson for the England series. Conway's wife Kim went public on social media after suffering a miscarriage at the start of the year, saying she did not want to feel ashamed or embarrassed about it. "We will have our miracle one day and we will love them with everything," she wrote in a post on Instagram.