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After 50 years, nervous Dominic is finally heading home after heart-warming giftRemember Y2K? It was 1999 and many were sure civilization was about to end
Senior members of Canada's cabinet held talks Friday with US President-elect Donald Trump's nominees to lead the departments of commerce and the interior, as Ottawa works to hold off the threat of punishing tariffs. Canada's newly-appointed Finance Minister Dominic Leblanc and Foreign Minister Melanie Joly met with Howard Lutnick, Trump's commerce secretary nominee, who will also lead the country's tariff and trade agenda. Interior secretary nominee Doug Burgum was also at the meeting held at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Leblanc's spokesman Jean-Sebastien Comeau, who confirmed the participants, described the talks as "positive and productive." Trump has vowed to impose crippling 25-percent tariffs on all Canadian imports when he takes office next month. He has said they will remain in place until Canada addresses the flow of undocumented migrants and the drug fentanyl into the United States. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised retaliatory measures should Trump follow through on his pledge, raising fears of a trade war. Leblanc and Joly "outlined the measures in Canada's Border Plan and reiterated the shared commitment to strengthen border security as well as combat the harm caused by fentanyl to save Canadian and American lives," Comeau said in a statement. Canada's Border Plan -- estimated to cost CAN$1 billion ($694 million) -- was crafted as part of Ottawa's response to Trump's concerns. Lutnick and Burgum "agreed to relay information to President Trump," the statement said. Trudeau is facing his worst political crisis since sweeping into office in 2015. Leblanc was named finance minister earlier this month after the surprise resignation of Chrystia Freeland. In a scathing resignation letter, Freeland accused Trudeau of prioritizing handouts to voters instead of preparing Canada's finances for a possible trade war. More than 75 percent of Canadian exports go to the United States and nearly two million Canadian jobs depend on trade. bs/aha
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said federally required tallies taken across the country in January found more than 770,000 people were counted as homeless — a number that misses some people and does not include those staying with friends or family because they don't have a place of their own. That increase comes on top of a 12% increase in 2023, which HUD blamed on soaring rents and the end of COVID-19 pandemic assistance. The 2023 increase also was driven by people experiencing homelessness for the first time. The numbers overall represent 23 of every 10,000 people in the U.S., with Black people being overrepresented among the homeless population. "No American should face homelessness, and the Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring every family has access to the affordable, safe, and quality housing they deserve," HUD Agency Head Adrianne Todman said in a statement, adding that the focus should remain on "evidence-based efforts to prevent and end homelessness." Among the most concerning trends was a nearly 40% rise in family homelessness — one of the areas that was most affected by the arrival of migrants in big cities. Family homelessness more than doubled in 13 communities impacted by migrants including Denver, Chicago and New York City, according to HUD, while it rose less than 8% in the remaining 373 communities. Almost 150,000 children experienced homelessness on a single night in 2024, reflecting a 33% jump from last year. Disasters also played a part in the rise in the count, especially last year's catastrophic Maui wildfire, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. More than 5,200 people were in emergency shelters in Hawaii on the night of the count. "Increased homelessness is the tragic, yet predictable, consequence of underinvesting in the resources and protections that help people find and maintain safe, affordable housing," Renee Willis, incoming interim CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said in a statement. "As advocates, researchers, and people with lived experience have warned, the number of people experiencing homelessness continues to increase as more people struggle to afford sky-high housing costs." Robert Marbut Jr., the former executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness from 2019 to 2021, called the nearly 33% increase in homelessness over the past four years "disgraceful" and said the federal government needs to abandon efforts to prioritize permanent housing. "We need to focus on treatment of substance use and mental illness, and bring back program requirements, like job training," Marbut said in an email. The numbers also come as increasing numbers of communities are taking a hard line against homelessness. Angered by often dangerous and dirty tent camps, communities — especially in Western states — have enforced bans on camping. That follows a 6-3 ruling this summer by the Supreme Court that found outdoor sleeping bans don’t violate the Eighth Amendment. Homeless advocates argued that punishing people who need a place to sleep would criminalize homelessness. There was some positive news in the count, as homelessness among veterans continued to trend downward. Homelessness among veterans dropped 8% to 32,882 in 2024. It was an even larger decrease for unsheltered veterans, declining 11% to 13,851 in 2024. "The reduction in veteran homelessness offers us a clear roadmap for addressing homelessness on a larger scale," Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, said in a statement. "With bipartisan support, adequate funding, and smart policy solutions, we can replicate this success and reduce homelessness nationwide. Federal investments are critical in tackling the country's housing affordability crisis and ensuring that every American has access to safe, stable housing." Several large cities had success bringing down their homeless numbers. Dallas, which worked to overhaul its homeless system, saw a 16% drop in its numbers between 2022 to 2024. Los Angeles, which increased housing for the homeless, saw a drop of 5% in unsheltered homelessness since 2023. California, the most populous state in the U.S., continued to have the nation's largest homeless population, followed by New York, Washington, Florida and Massachusetts. The sharp increase in the homeless population over the past two years contrasts with success the U.S. had for more than a decade. Going back to the first 2007 survey, the U.S. made steady progress for about a decade in reducing the homeless population as the government focused particularly on increasing investments to get veterans into housing. The number of homeless people dropped from about 637,000 in 2010 to about 554,000 in 2017. The numbers ticked up to about 580,000 in the 2020 count and held relatively steady over the next two years as Congress responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with emergency rental assistance, stimulus payments, aid to states and local governments and a temporary eviction moratorium.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jarvis Walker's 20 points helped IU Indianapolis defeat Trinity Christian 106-49 on Saturday. Walker shot 7 for 12, including 6 for 10 from beyond the arc for the Jaguars (4-5). Paul Zilinskas shot 5 for 9, including 4 for 7 from beyond the arc to add 15 points. DeSean Goode had 14 points and shot 4 of 5 from the field and 5 for 5 from the line. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
(Note to subs: amends byline error) The world stands at the dawn of a “third nuclear age” in which Britain is threatened by multiple dilemmas, the head of the armed forces has warned. But alongside his stark warning of the threats facing Britain and its allies, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said there would be only a “remote chance” Russia would directly attack or invade the UK if the two countries were at war. The Chief of the Defence Staff laid out the landscape of British defence in a wide-ranging speech, after a minister warned the Army would be wiped out in as little as six months if forced to fight a war on the scale of the Ukraine conflict. The admiral cast doubt on the possibility as he gave a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) defence think tank in London. He told the audience Britain needed to be “clear-eyed in our assessment” of the threats it faces, adding: “That includes recognising that there is only a remote chance of a significant direct attack or invasion by Russia on the United Kingdom, and that’s the same for the whole of Nato.” Moscow “knows the response will be overwhelming”, he added, but warned the nuclear deterrent needed to be “kept strong and strengthened”. Sir Tony added: “We are at the dawn of a third nuclear age, which is altogether more complex. It is defined by multiple and concurrent dilemmas, proliferating nuclear and disruptive technologies and the almost total absence of the security architectures that went before.” The first nuclear age was the Cold War, while the second was “governed by disarmament efforts and counter proliferation”, the armed forces chief said. He listed the “wild threats of tactical nuclear use” by Russia, China building up its weapon stocks, Iran’s failure to co-operate with a nuclear deal, and North Korea’s “erratic behaviour” among the threats faced by the West. But Sir Tony said the UK’s nuclear arsenal is “the one part of our inventory of which Russia is most aware and has more impact on (President Vladimir) Putin than anything else”. Successive British governments had invested “substantial sums of money” in renewing nuclear submarines and warheads because of this, he added. The admiral described the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers on Ukraine’s border alongside Russian forces as the year’s “most extraordinary development”. He also signalled further deployments were possible, speaking of “tens of thousands more to follow as part of a new security pact with Russia”. Defence minister Alistair Carns earlier said a rate of casualties similar to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would lead to the army being “expended” within six to 12 months. He said it illustrated the need to “generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis”. In comments reported by Sky News, Mr Carns, a former Royal Marines colonel, said Russia was suffering losses of around 1,500 soldiers killed or injured a day. “In a war of scale – not a limited intervention, but one similar to Ukraine – our Army for example, on the current casualty rates, would be expended – as part of a broader multinational coalition – in six months to a year,” Mr Carns said in a speech at Rusi. He added: “That doesn’t mean we need a bigger Army, but it does mean you need to generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis.” Official figures show the Army had 109,245 personnel on October 1, including 25,814 volunteer reservists. Mr Carns, the minister for veterans and people, said the UK needed to “catch up with Nato allies” to place greater emphasis on the reserves. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Defence Secretary John Healey had previously spoken about “the state of the armed forces that were inherited from the previous government”. The spokesman said: “It’s why the Budget invested billions of pounds into defence, it’s why we’re undertaking a strategic defence review to ensure that we have the capabilities and the investment needed to defend this country.”
Why Mike Elko has ‘so much respect’ for outgoing A&M QB Conner Weigman
SMALLRIG AWARDS LAUNCHES THE GLOBAL FILMMAKER TALK SERIES WITH 2024 CANNES BEST DIRECTOR MIGUEL GOMESAfter finishing his college career in Saturday night's Valero Alamo Bowl, Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter reportedly has already begun taking steps toward his new life at the professional level. According to David Rumsey of Front Office Sports, Hunter will sign with hip-hop star Lil Wayne's agency Young Money APAA Sports for his on-field representation in the NFL. Rumsey added that Young Money beat out major sports agencies such as WME, CAA, Klutch Sports Group, and Athletes First, all of whom reportedly made pitches to Hunter near the end of the 2024 season. Hunter , who is the No. 1 player in the B/R NFL Scouting Department's 2025 draft big board , is now one of the highest-profile athlete clients represented by Young Money, which also represents new Duke quarterback Darian Mensah and new Colorado defensive end Jehiem Oatis, the latter of whom transferred from Alabama. The agency also has divisions across the NFL, NBA, soccer and college sports. During his acceptance speech after winning the 2024 Heisman Trophy earlier this month, Hunter gave a shoutout to Lil Wayne, which probably was an early indication that he was leaning toward joining Young Money. Young Money APAA Sports co-founder and CEO Adie von Gontard also posted two photos on Instagram with Hunter and the Heisman Trophy after the presentation ceremony in New York City. Hunter will continue his partnership with SMAC Entertainment for his off-field representation. The agency, which also works with Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders and head coach Deion Sanders, helped Hunter earn a slew of NIL deals, including an Adidas deal that will continue in his professional career. Colorado suffered a 36-14 loss to BYU in the Alamo Bowl on Saturday night. In his final collegiate game, Hunter recorded four catches for 106 yards and a touchdown on offense with four tackles on defense.
Share Tweet Share Share Email Accepting payments efficiently is crucial for any small business. The advent of digital payment methods has made it easier than ever for customers to make purchases, and small businesses need to stay up-to-date with these trends. Merchant acquiring solutions offer tools that streamline the payment acceptance process, making it simpler, faster, and safer for both businesses and their customers. As payment technology continues to advance, small businesses must stay informed and choose solutions that can grow with them. The right merchant acquiring solution can make all the difference in maintaining a competitive edge and fostering long-term success. What is Merchant Acquiring? At its core, merchant acquiring refers to the process through which businesses accept electronic payments. A merchant acquirer is a financial institution or service provider that partners with businesses to facilitate the acceptance of payment transactions. These transactions could involve credit or debit cards, digital wallets, or other forms of electronic payment. The acquirer plays a key role in managing the technical and financial aspects of payment processing . For small businesses, choosing the right merchant acquiring solution can significantly impact operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. From accepting in-person card payments to offering e-commerce payment options, the right tools can streamline day-to-day transactions and enhance overall business growth. Why Do Small Businesses Need Merchant Acquiring Solutions? Small businesses often face unique challenges when it comes to payment acceptance. Unlike larger corporations, they may not have the resources to manage complex payment processing systems. However, with the rise of e-commerce and contactless payments, even small businesses need to offer diverse payment options to stay competitive. Merchant acquiring solutions provide the necessary infrastructure for small businesses to accept payments securely and efficiently. Without these tools, businesses may miss out on potential customers who prefer to use cards or digital wallets for payments. Additionally, integrating such solutions into business operations can help reduce friction at the point of sale, which can lead to faster transactions and a smoother customer experience. Key Features of Merchant Acquiring Solutions When evaluating merchant acquiring solutions, small businesses should consider the following features to ensure they select the best fit for their needs: Multiple Payment Methods One of the key advantages of modern merchant acquiring solutions is their ability to support multiple payment methods. From credit and debit cards to mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay, businesses can offer their customers a wide range of options for completing transactions. This flexibility not only increases customer convenience but also helps small businesses stay competitive in a market where diverse payment options are in high demand. For example, a small retail shop may find it beneficial to accept contactless payments, while an online business might prioritize integrating payment gateways that work with digital wallets and credit card processing. A comprehensive solution ensures that businesses can cater to a variety of customer preferences. Security Features Security is a top priority for businesses dealing with sensitive payment data. Merchant acquiring solutions typically come with robust security features, such as encryption and fraud detection tools, to protect both businesses and customers. This is critical, as data breaches can not only result in financial losses but also harm the business’s reputation. Most solutions comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), ensuring that transaction data is securely processed. Furthermore, advanced fraud prevention systems, such as tokenization and two-factor authentication, help reduce the risk of fraudulent activity. Seamless Integration with Existing Systems A seamless integration with existing point-of-sale (POS) systems and e-commerce platforms is another important feature to look for. Many merchant acquirers offer solutions that can easily integrate with popular accounting software, inventory management tools, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems. For example, an e-commerce store running on Shopify may prefer a payment gateway that directly integrates with the platform. This integration reduces manual work, speeds up processing times, and minimizes human error, allowing businesses to focus on core activities like sales and customer service. Cost-Effectiveness While merchant acquiring solutions provide several benefits, small businesses need to ensure that the tools they choose are cost-effective. Transaction fees, setup charges, and monthly subscriptions can vary significantly across different providers. Businesses should carefully assess the total cost of ownership, including any hidden fees that may arise during regular transactions. Many acquirers offer pricing models based on transaction volume, allowing businesses with lower sales to pay less in fees. Other factors such as the number of payment methods supported and additional services like chargeback management or customer support should also be considered when evaluating costs. Scalability As small businesses grow, so do their payment processing needs. Therefore, scalability is an important factor when choosing a merchant acquiring solution. Businesses should select tools that can grow alongside their operations, offering additional features and higher transaction limits as required. Scalable solutions help businesses avoid the need to switch providers as they expand. Whether it’s adding more payment options, handling higher transaction volumes, or expanding into new markets, a scalable solution ensures that the business can adapt to future growth. Popular Merchant Acquiring Solutions for Small Businesses Several merchant acquiring solutions cater specifically to small businesses. Here are a few popular options: Square Square is one of the most popular merchant acquiring solutions for small businesses, particularly in the retail and service industries. Its user-friendly interface, affordable pricing, and ability to accept both in-person and online payments make it a top choice for small businesses. Square also offers features like inventory management, analytics, and employee management. Additionally, Square provides a range of hardware options for businesses that need physical POS systems, including card readers, registers, and terminals. Its flat-rate pricing model makes it an attractive option for businesses that need simplicity and transparency in their payment processing. PayPal PayPal is another widely recognized payment processor that caters to small businesses, particularly those with an online presence. With PayPal, businesses can accept payments via credit and debit cards, as well as digital wallets. PayPal also offers solutions for recurring billing, invoicing, and even international payments. For businesses already using PayPal for personal or e-commerce transactions, integrating PayPal’s merchant solutions into their payment system is relatively simple. PayPal also offers competitive fees and easy access to funds, making it a reliable solution for small businesses looking to streamline payment acceptance. Stripe Stripe is well-known in the e-commerce world for its developer-friendly features and flexible APIs. It allows businesses to integrate payment processing directly into their websites or mobile apps, offering a seamless customer experience. Stripe supports a wide range of payment methods, including credit cards, ACH transfers, and even cryptocurrencies. Stripe is especially favored by online businesses due to its ability to handle complex payment flows, such as subscription-based models and international payments. It also provides advanced fraud prevention tools and an intuitive dashboard for managing transactions. Adyen Adyen is a global payment processor that supports a wide range of payment methods, from cards and mobile wallets to local payment systems. While it’s more commonly used by larger enterprises, Adyen offers a solution tailored to small businesses looking for international payment capabilities and multi-currency support. Adyen’s unified platform streamlines payment processing for both in-person and online transactions, making it a good option for businesses that have both physical and digital storefronts. The solution also provides insights into transaction trends , helping businesses make informed decisions about their payment strategy. The Future of Merchant Acquiring Solutions As technology continues to evolve, merchant acquiring solutions will become even more sophisticated. Innovations such as biometric authentication, AI-driven fraud prevention, and blockchain-based payment systems are on the horizon. These advancements will offer small businesses even more tools to enhance security, optimize payment processes, and improve customer experiences. Additionally, the growing adoption of mobile wallets and contactless payments will likely lead to more options for businesses to accept payments seamlessly. As the payment landscape continues to shift, small businesses that adopt innovative merchant acquiring solutions will be better positioned to thrive in an increasingly digital economy. Conclusion Merchant acquiring solutions are essential for small businesses looking to accept payments efficiently and securely. By providing access to multiple payment methods, robust security features, and easy integration with existing systems, these solutions simplify payment processing and enhance customer satisfaction. Whether businesses are looking for a solution for in-person payments, e-commerce transactions , or both, there are a variety of tools available to meet their unique needs. Related Items: Merchant Acquiring Solutions , Multiple Payment Methods , Small Business Payment Acceptance Share Tweet Share Share Email CommentsStock market today: S&P 500 ends at record high as November jobs data fuels investor optimism