NoneOntario’s finance minister has announced the province will match a holiday tax break announced by the federal government, removing its provincial sales tax on the same items. Last week, the Trudeau government announced a series of new affordability measures over the holiday period and into the new year, including a two-month “GST holiday” on some items beginning on Dec. 14. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland called on provincial governments to “step up” and drop their own sales taxes for the same period to lower the cost of those items. On Wednesday, Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said that “following extensive discussions” with Ottawa, his government would remove the provincial sales tax on items that aren’t already tax-exempt. “The provincial government will match the federal government’s two-month GST holiday by removing PST from items not currently covered by existing provincial rebates, providing nearly $1 billion in additional relief for Ontario families,” Bethlenfalvy said in a statement. Ontario has not published estimates of how much the federal two-month holiday would cost, nor an exact figure for the cost of matching it. Freeland has not said if the federal government will offer financial compensation to provinces like Ontario where a harmonized sales tax (HST) means provincial coffers could feel the pinch. Instead, she spoke about the positive boost that the proposed “tax holiday” would have on consumers and small businesses who are currently struggling with high costs. As part of the same affordability measures announced by Ottawa, the federal government said those earning up to $150,000 per year would receive a $250 cheque from the treasury. That announcement came weeks after Ontario said it would send all residents, regardless of income, a cheque worth $200. Bethlenfalvy previously suggested the Trudeau government borrowed the idea from its provincial partner. “It doesn’t matter wherever he gets a good idea from, obviously that was our idea,” he told reporters the day the measure was announced. –With files from Global News’ Craig Lord.
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Meta Platforms Inc META shares have been treading water for the better part of the past month. The company reported earnings at the end of October. Here’s a look at what you need to know . What To Know: Meta shares have struggled to move higher since the company reported third-quarter financial results last month. Although Meta beat analyst estimates on the top and bottom lines as revenue jumped 19% and daily actives climbed 5%, the stock faced selling pressure due to spending concerns. Meta raised its full-year 2024 capital expenditures outlook by $1 billion and said it continues to expect operating losses to “increase meaningfully” year-over-year for Reality Labs. It’s worth noting that insiders have been selling Meta shares in recent months. CEO Mark Zuckerberg , CFO Susan Li and COO Javier Olivan all sold shares in November under trading plans, with Olivan most recently selling shares on Monday, according to Benzinga data . On a positive note, Axios reported Wednesday that Meta’s Threads has added 35 million new users on the platform since Nov. 1. Micro-blogging startup Bluesky has seen users flock to the platform since Election Day, suggesting users are leaving X because of Elon Musk’s political views. Meta also appears to be a beneficiary. Check This Out: Meta, OpenAI, Orange Join Forces To Build AI Models For African Languages On the earnings call last month, Zuckerberg said Threads had over 275 million monthly active users. That number appears to be growing rapidly with Axios reporting that the app has seen more than one million daily sign-ups for three months straight. Meta aims to capitalize on the momentum. Zuckerberg on Monday said Threads is testing a new feature that will allow users to choose what they see when they open the app. Previously, Threads directed users to a default feed, but users can now choose to only see posts from accounts they follow. Meta is also set to head to trial in April after Judge James Boasberg rejected Meta’s attempted dismissal of the case and set a court date earlier this week. The Facebook parent company will face U.S. Federal Trade Commission allegations that it acquired Instagram and WhatsApp to stifle competition in the social media space. META Price Action: Meta shares closed Wednesday down 0.76% at $569.20, according to Benzinga Pro . Photo: Shutterstock. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Kelly Ripa is addressing her critics head-on. Controversy ensued after the Monday, November 25, episode of Live With Kelly and Mark , where the 54-year-old talk show host said dressing and stuffing are the same Thanksgiving side dish. "It depends on where you live. We here in the Northeast, we have stuffing. People in the South, because they're polite, they have dressing," Ripa explained. "Dressing and stuffing are the same thing. It's based on the region where you live, whether you call it stuffing or dressing." Ripa's comments were met with a slew of online hate as people argued that stuffing and dressing were not the same. Some claimed stuffing goes inside the turkey, and dressing goes on the side. However, there is no clear answer to the debate. On the Tuesday, November 26, episode, the TV personality admitted she didn't appreciate how fans came at her as she got her information from a Better Homes and Gardens article. "Yesterday, I simply read an article that I didn't write... so don't shoot the messenger, but the messenger was attacked viciously," the Hope & Faith alum stated. I mean, forget any political discourse. The real discourse are the people arguing about stuffing and dressing. [The] article says regionally, it depends on where you're from, whether you call it 'stuffing' or 'dressing' but you, you at home, informed me that I, Kelly Ripa, am wrong again,'" the All My Children alum told viewers. A post shared by instagram Referring to the harsh comments on her social media page, the New Jersey native sent a clear message to haters. "I'm going to say something: Get a life, honestly. Just get one. Calm down. If you're worried about this, then congratulations, you don't have actual problems," she remarked. The morning show mainstay then sarcastically thanked the online critics, saying, "Thank you for setting me straight internet." Scarlett Johansson — who was a guest on Tuesday's episode — shared her own take on the stuffing debate. "What I understand is dressing is Southern. It's stuffing, but they call it dressing," Johansson, 40, said.NoneAdobe Q4 Earnings: Revenue, EPS Beat On Strong Demand Related To AI, Shares Slide Following Soft GuidanceIt’s no secret that Chinese companies are becoming increasingly inventive when it comes to circumventing the challenges caused by the US export tech restrictions that prevent access to advanced semiconductor technology and critical components. Huawei, in particular, is leading the way here as it looks to become China’s answer to , and was recently reported courting Chinese hyperscalers to instead of Nvidia's H100. reports that Huawei has developed an SSD-tape hybrid which combines Magneto-Electric Disk (MED) archive storage with a Huawei-developed tape drive. This hybrid will enable the delivery of warm and cold data storage in a single solution. Expected to arrive next year This development was first reported back in March 2024, but now has a presentation image and more details about the MED. The site writes: “The MED is a sealed unit presenting a disk-like, block storage interface to the outside world, not a streaming tape interface. Inside the enclosure, there are two separate storage media devices: a solid-state drive with NAND, and a tape system, including a tape motor for moving the tape ribbon, a read-write head, and tape spools.” Unlike traditional tape cartridges with a single long reel, the MED features a compact design with a tape reel half the length of an LTO tape and an additional empty reel for used tape. This setup allows the MED to handle data storage more efficiently while integrating both solid-state and tape storage technologies. The system functions as a dual-purpose solution, acting as an archive for cold data and nearline storage for warm data. Warm data is accessed rapidly through the SSD at NAND speed, making it ideal for frequently used information. Cold data, stored on the tape, requires more time to retrieve (up to two minutes), as the system must locate the data and adjust the tape ribbon to the correct position for reading. The first generation of the MED, expected to arrive next year, reportedly holds 72TB of data (it’s unclear whether this refers to raw or compressed capacity) and consumes just 10% of the power required by disk drives. According to Huawei, a MED rack will deliver 8GBps, hold more than 10PB, and require less than 2kW of electricity. A second-generation model could follow in 2026 or 2027.
Donald Trump has nominated health economist Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a vehement critic of COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccine mandates , to lead America's leading research agency, the National Institutes of Health. This is his latest pick as several of his Cabinet picks received "violent" threats recently. This nomination follows Trump's choice of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead Health and Human Services and Make America Healthy Again , a decision that has met with concern and criticism from the healthcare industry. In a statement Tuesday, Trump, who has previously tried to claim credit for the lifesaving Covid vaccines , declared Bhattacharya as his pick. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. His nomination is pending Senate approval. Dr. Oz seeks to privatize Medicare as uninsured 'do not have right to health' Israel warned over 'extremely dangerous' next move that makes Gaza look like 'child's play' He will work together with RFK Jr. "to direct the Nation’s Medical Research, and to make important discoveries that will improve Health, and save lives," Trump's statement said. "Together, Jay and RFK Jr. will restore the NIH to a Gold Standard of Medical Research as they examine the underlying causes of, and solutions to, America’s biggest Health challenges, including our Crisis of Chronic Illness and Disease," he added. Bhattacharya, 56, shared a statement on X, saying that he is "honored and humbled" by Trump's decision. "We will reform American scientific institutions so that they are worthy of trust again and will deploy the fruits of excellent science to make America healthy again," he said. He is one of the three authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, an open letter written in October 2020 during Trump's administration and before the vaccine. It denounced the pandemic lockdowns, saying that they cause great harm to society. The document perpetuated "herd immunity." This concept says that people at low risk should live normal lives to build up immunity to the virus by contracting the infection. Those at higher risk should be protected instead, the document insisted. During a panel discussion with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in March 2021, he called lockdowns "the single biggest public health mistake." DON'T MISS: Israel launches 'final punishment' airstrike before Hezbollah ceasefire begins [LATEST] Senior Hamas official announces readiness for ceasefire deal amid Lebanon truce [NEW] How to survive a nuclear attack as US government shares chilling warning [CHILLING] The document was widely denounced by many disease experts, many of whom deemed it dangerous. Bhattacharya has also argued that vaccine mandates have undermined American trust in the public health system as many unvaccinated people have been barred from workplaces, schools and actitivies. Bhattacharya faced social media restrictions due to these views and was a plaintiff in Muthy v. Missouri, a Supreme Court case that argues against federal officials allegedly censoring conservative viewpoints on social media in the quest to combat misinformation. The Biden administration emerged a victor in the case. After Elon Musk acquired Twitter in 2022, he met Bhattacharya and later reinstated him on the platform like many other right-wing influencers.‘No because my first thought was that’s so smart’: Driver tries cardboard hack for her frosty windshield. It backfiresRep. Katie Porter was granted a temporary restraining order by a judge Tuesday after she alleged that her former partner engaged in “harassment and threats” that harmed her relationship with her family and her professional reputation. The temporary domestic violence restraining order mandates that Julian Willis, Porter’s ex-boyfriend who she lived with “for brief periods of time,” according to filings with the Orange County Superior Court, stop contacting the congresswoman, her children and her current and former colleagues. The restraining order also mandates that Willis stay away from Porter. A court hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 17 for a permanent restraining order. Porter, 50, sought the restraining order after allegedly enduring “psychological abuse” as well as “three months of ongoing threats and harassment,” including a message on Saturday, Nov. 23 that “prompted that (Porter) consider suicide,” according to the declaration Porter filed with the court on Tuesday, Nov. 26. “Julian’s struggles with mental health and substance abuse have created an unsafe and unpredictable situation for me, my children, my family and my work colleagues,” Porter said in her declaration. Since Aug. 27, Willis, 55, has sent Porter more than 1,000 text messages and emails “with the clear intent to threaten and harass me,” Porter said in the filing. He continued to contact her despite her telling him to stop and blocking his texts, she said. “He stated that his goal was to ‘force me into prolonged psychiatric treatment’ and that he intended not to stop, even if I had to be hospitalized as a suicide risk,” she said. Willis, when reached by email Wednesday, said he could not comment at this time. He offered to provide one piece of documentation, but the Southern California News Group could not independently verify its validity on Wednesday. Willis told Politico Tuesday that Porter only sought a restraining order to prevent him from suing her and talking to the media. He sent 82 text messages during a 24-hour span in September, Porter said, and 55 on Nov. 12 before she blocked him from texting her. In her court filing, Porter included numerous screengrabs of text messages and emails that she said are from Willis to her, her children and colleagues. Willis, who is listed as a New Jersey resident in court documents, also allegedly attempted to extort Porter and spread false information about her, including false diagnoses of a sexually transmitted disease, to her family, journalists, and current and former coworkers, the congresswoman said. “Other threats have included statements that he will publicly humiliate me, ‘beat (me) down,’ bankrupt me, have harmful newspaper articles published about me, cause me to lose my job at UC Irvine, report me to Child Protective Services, remove my children from my custody and sue me for seven figures,” Porter alleged. “Julian has made it clear that he intends to cause significant harm to my professional reputation,” Porter said in her declaration. “His false allegations and threats to my co-workers have harmed our ability to work by creating repeated interruptions that my co-workers and I have found disruptive, concerning and threatening.” The restraining order covers Porter’s three children, who range in ages from 12 to 18 years old. Porter sought to add other adult family members to the restraining order, but the judge denied the request, saying adults not living in Porter’s home would need to request their own protective order. The order says Willis must remain at least 100 yards away from Porter and her children, their schools, Porter’s home, job and vehicle. It also says Willis cannot contact Porter’s current or former employees or co-workers to discuss Porter. Communication with government employees about other subjects, the judge said, is not prohibited by the temporary order. It’s specifically a “domestic violence restraining order,” which helps people who have been abused or threatened with abuse. “This is a very unfortunate situation,” Porter said in a statement. “Mr. Willis has suffered from well-documented mental health and substance abuse issues. As the records filed today show, those issues have gotten increasingly worse since I ended the relationship and asked him to leave my house. “In recent weeks, his threats against my family and my colleagues have escalated in both their frequency and intensity, and I feel I must ask for this order from the court. I sincerely hope he can get the help he needs.” Willis was involved in an altercation that occurred at Porter’s town hall event in Irvine in 2021. Far-right opponents disrupted the gathering, and a physical altercation broke out. Willis was cited and released for his actions during the altercation, and he was reportedly living at Porter’s Irvine home at the time. Having served three terms in Congress, Porter is set to leave at the end of this term after mounting an unsuccessful U.S. Senate bid rather than run for re-election this year. Still, her name ID is strong — she spent the days leading up to the general election campaigning for other House Democratic candidates — and she is rumored to be considering a bid for California’s governor in 2026. A recent survey conducted by researchers at USC, Cal State Long Beach and Cal Poly Pomona found that the Irvine Democrat was the favorite among 14% of respondents who were asked to pick between 13 people, declared and potential candidates for governor. For now, Porter has said she plans to resume teaching at UC Irvine Law next year while she weighs other options. If the judge does grant the permanent restraining order at the upcoming hearing, it can last up to five years, according to court filings.
War is often less seen than heard, and as a cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel came into effect on Wednesday morning, Ibrahim Najdi marveled at the absence of one particular sound: the buzz of Israeli drones that had been a near-constant presence in Beirut over the last few months. “You can’t hear them, can you? They’re gone,” he said. He gave a small smile, then picked his way through the mounds of rubble separating him from the remains of his two warehouses. Najdi, a 42-year-old home-supplies merchant, was one of tens of thousands of people Wednesday swarming the Hezbollah-dominated suburbs south of Beirut. He came to take stock of the damage wrought by 70 days of ferocious Israeli bombardment . Though his two warehouses were destroyed in an airstrike two weeks ago, his shop was in a nearby building survived. The blast wave nevertheless tossed all of his stock into a jumble of shower handles and hoses, boxes of masking tape and home repair tools — all covered in fine, metallic-gray dust. “I don’t know if I can save any of it,” Najdi said. Similar scenes were playing out across the country, as people began the journey to their towns and villages in Lebanon’s devastated south. Shortly after the start of the cease-fire at 4 a.m., thousands of cars — many stacked on top with mattresses, suitcases and bags of vegetables — deluged the main highway leading out of Beirut in a reverse exodus that echoed t heir escape from the south only a few months before. Shelters in the southern city of Saida, a refuge for thousands of displaced, emptied by around 80%, Lebanese authorities say. “I know my house is bombed, but I don’t care. We’re all going back,” said Haidar, 33, who was picking up shawarma sandwiches for his family at a roadside restaurant. Haidar, who did not want to give his full name, was from the village of Khirbet Selm, some 9 miles north of the Lebanese-Israeli border. He had already been hours on the road with his wife and two children in his rugged-looking SUV, but was intent on going on — even though he didn’t know where the family would sleep. “We’ll figure it out. Allah’s earth can fit us all,” he said. The cease-fire agreement , which came after intense mediation by the U.S. and France, was approved by Lebanon’s government on Wednesday morning. It stipulates that Israeli troops conduct a phased withdrawal from south Lebanon over the next 60 days, while Hezbollah pulls back its fighters to north of the Litani River, a natural boundary that lies some 20 miles north of the border. According to the plan, around 5,000 Lebanese soldiers will take their place, Lebanese officials say. The Lebanese army said in a statement on Wednesday that it had begun “to reinforce its deployment” south of the Litani and would “extend state authority” in coordination with U.N. peacekeeping forces. (The Lebanese army remained neutral in the fight between Israel and Hezbollah.) Despite the calm on Wednesday, there were moments that highlighted the fragility of the truce. Israeli troops fired warning shots at people trying to approach their positions in southern villages from which they had yet to withdraw, the Israeli military said. Later, it imposed a nighttime curfew over much of south Lebanon and warned civilians not to return to their homes before being instructed to do so. Despite those reminders that the war is not fully resolved, many Lebanese were jubilant. Motorists driving through Beirut suburbs honked their horns as they drove in impromptu motorcades, while others waved flags and fired celebratory shots into the air. Many walked the streets, shaking their heads in amazement as they raised their smartphones to film the destruction. The war between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese armed group began last year after Palestinian militant faction Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people. The next day, Hezbollah began launching rockets into northern Israel, saying it was acting in support of Hamas and Palestinians in Gaza Strip. Israel and Hezbollah continued trading fire over the last year in an escalating tit-for-tat conflict that saw tens of thousands of people evacuated from both sides of the border. In September, Israel intensified its attacks on Hezbollah. It launched a punishing airstrike campaign on Lebanon’s south, east and parts of the capital where Hezbollah holds sway, and invaded areas of Lebanon’s south in what it said was a bid to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure. Since last October, more than 3,800 people have been killed in Lebanon, a quarter of them women and children, according to Lebanese health authorities; almost 16,000 have been injured. Israeli authorities say 45 civilians have been killed in Hezbollah attacks, and at least 73 soldiers killed in combat in south Lebanon, the occupied Golan Heights and northern Israel. Najdi, the merchant, was happy that the cease-fire was holding, but it was also bittersweet as he contemplated the difficult months ahead. “I was making something, building something. At 45 I thought I would slow down, take it easy,” he said. He added that he had experienced five wars in his lifetime, the first — in 1982 — when he was still in diapers. “And now this one. I have to start again from nothing.” More than a million people displaced in the fighting over the last year share his fate, with the World Bank estimating in November that nearly 100,000 housing units have been partially or completely destroyed, while the total cost of damage amounts to roughly $8.5 billion. It remains unclear how Lebanon — which before the war was suffering a multiyear financial crisis that had eviscerated the economy and left most of its population under the poverty line — intends to go about the reconstruction. International aid groups have urged governments to help, said Juan Gabriel Wells, Lebanon country director for the International Rescue Committee aid group. “It is vital that the international community now also invest in Lebanon’s recovery,” he said in a statement on Wednesday. “These efforts are not only about rebuilding infrastructure; they are also critical to restoring dignity and hope to families who have lost everything.” The Lebanese government has yet to formulate concrete plans, officials said. “You know we were so busy, all of us, with the cease-fire,” said Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib at a conference in Rome on Tuesday, a few hours before the truce. “Did we think very much about the day after? No.”