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HAIFA, Israel , Dec. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. ZIM ("ZIM" or the "Company"), a global container liner shipping company, hereby updates that in connection with the regular and special dividend distributions, both expected to take place on December 9, 2024 , as previously announced by the Company on November 20, 2024 (the "Dividends"), the previously obtained tax ruling from the Israeli Tax Authority ("ITA") on tax withholding procedures relating to the payment of the Dividends to the Company's shareholders (the "Ruling"), will apply. As a result of the Ruling, certain shareholders of the Company ("Shareholders") may be eligible to a reduced Israeli withholding tax rate with respect to their share of these Dividends, in comparison to the generally applicable withholding tax rate (the "Reduced Withholding Tax Rate"), under certain terms and conditions as set forth below. The description provided below is not intended to constitute a complete analysis of withholding tax rate procedures relating to the distribution of the Dividends, nor does it address the actual tax liability of any of the Shareholders, but merely relates to the Israeli withholding tax procedures relating to the distribution of the Dividends. Other than the Dividends previously declared by the Company to be paid on December 9, 2024 , there is no guarantee the Company will declare additional dividends in the future. Shareholders are advised to consult their own tax and financial advisors concerning the tax consequences of each particular situation, as well as any tax consequences that may arise under the laws of any state, local, foreign or other taxing jurisdiction. For the avoidance of doubt, the Agent IBI Trust Management (whose information is provided below) has been retained by ZIM for the purpose of coordinating certain procedures relating to the Ruling, and it is NOT intended that the Agent will provide any tax advice to any of the Shareholders, who are encouraged to consult their own tax and financial advisors. Forms required to be submitted to the Agent in connection with the Ruling as described below are available in this hyper link – here (the full link appears below, in the Agent's contact information), and can also be found on the Company's website here . Background On November 20, 2024 , ZIM announced a regular cash dividend of $2.81 per ordinary share (approximately $340 million ) and a special cash dividend of $0.84 per ordinary share (approximately $100 million ), to holders of the ordinary shares as of December 2, 2024 . Payment of the Dividends is expected to be made on December 9, 2024 (the "Payment Date"). General Withholding Tax Treatment under Israeli Law As set out in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the Commission on March 13, 2024 , with respect to dividends sourced from regular earnings, under the Israeli Tax Ordinance and regulations issued under the Israeli Tax Ordinance (collectively, "ITO"), the current Israeli rate of withholding tax on dividends paid by an Israeli company is 30% for distributions to a "substantial shareholder" (in general, being someone who holds, directly or indirectly, by himself or together with others, at least 10% of one or more of the means of control in the company) and 25% with respect to distributions to all other holders of Ordinary Shares ("Withholding Tax"). Notwithstanding the foregoing, as a result of the Ruling and subject to its terms and conditions, certain Shareholders, both Israeli and non-Israeli, may be eligible to a reduced Israeli withholding tax rate on their share of these dividend distributions, in comparison to the generally applicable withholding tax rate described above, (the "Reduced Withholding Tax Rate"), under certain terms and conditions as set forth below. Summary of the Main Terms of the Ruling The following is a summary of some of the key terms of the Ruling. It is emphasized that the description below does not purport to exhaust all the terms and conditions included in the Ruling and is not a complete translation of the Ruling. In order to enjoy the Reduced Withholding Tax Rate, Shareholders must comply with all the terms of the Ruling, a copy of which in the Hebrew language as well as an unofficial non-binding English translation thereof can be obtained free of charge by email by approaching the Agent (as defined below) at the contact details provided below . On the Payment Date the Company will withhold 25% of the Dividends amount and will remit the tax amount to the Agent, to be handled by the Agent in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Ruling. The remaining 75% of the Dividends amount will be remitted by the Company to its transfer agent, Equiniti Trust Company, LLC, which will transfer the said amount to the Shareholders (including through brokers who hold in brokerage accounts ZIM shares on behalf of Shareholders). A Shareholder who is a resident of a country with which Israel has a tax treaty ("Treaty State") (based on a declaration to be provided by such Shareholder) and is the beneficial owner of the Dividends, as well as a Shareholder who is a foreign ( i.e. , non-Israeli) resident of a country with which Israel does NOT have a tax treaty and is the beneficial owner of the Dividends, may apply to the Agent requesting a Reduced Tax Withholding Rate. Such application must be received by the Agent between the Payment Date and January 7, 2025 ("Change of Rate Period"). A Shareholder who declared that he or she is a resident of a Treaty State and is the beneficial owner of the Dividends may apply to the Agent during the Change of Rate Period only (subject to complying with all the documentation requirements detailed below) requesting the receipt of the monetary difference between the tax amount remitted to the Agent (at a rate of 25%) and the amount represented by the withholding tax rate set forth in the tax treaty between Israel and such Treaty State or by the limited withholding tax rate applicable to such dividend payments under the ITO, to the extent applicable. A Shareholder who did not declare that it, he or she is a resident of a Treaty State and is the beneficial owner of the Dividends, may apply to the Agent during the Change of Rate Period only (subject to complying with all the documentation requirements detailed below) requesting the receipt of the monetary difference between the tax amount remitted to the Agent (at a rate of 25%) and the amount represented by the withholding tax rate applicable to such dividend payments under the ITO or by the limited withholding tax rate applicable to such dividend payments under the ITO, to the extent applicable. Any Shareholder who claims to be entitled to a Reduced Tax Withholding Rate in accordance with the foregoing, will be required to provide the Agent with all relevant documentation as detailed in the Ruling and the forms available in the following link , on no later than January 7, 2025 (the end of the Change of Rate Period), including but not limited to, bank account details to which the dividend payments should be transferred, number of ZIM shares owned by the Shareholder in such account, identification document, and confirmation of residence for the tax year 2024 issued by the taxing authority of the state of tax residence . In addition to the foregoing, the Shareholder will provide a written declaration in the form annexed to this announcement which will include declarations as to the following: (i) the Shareholder's tax residence for the tax year 2024, (ii) the Shareholder's beneficial ownership of the dividends, (iii) the investment in ZIM shares has not been made through a permanent establishment in Israel , (iv) the holding of ZIM shares is made for the Shareholder's own account and not for the account of others, and (v) the payment will not be made to a permanent establishment of the Shareholder outside of the Shareholder's tax residence. A non-Israeli corporate Shareholder (excluding a Shareholder covered by section 9 below) that requests a Reduced Tax Withholding Rate, will also need to provide the Agent with its updated shareholders register as of December 2, 2024 , and a statement confirming that more than 75% of its shareholders, directly or indirectly, are individuals of its state of residence for the tax year 2024. A publicly traded non-Israeli corporate Shareholder whose shares are traded on a stock market outside of Israel and is a resident of a Treaty State, or a direct or indirect subsidiary of such Shareholder, will also provide the Agent with a declaration that it is a resident of such Treaty State or another non-Israeli state for the tax year 2024, as applicable. An Israeli corporate Shareholder which is entitled to a Reduced Tax Withholding Rate (including an exemption from withholding tax at source), will be able to apply to the Agent no later than January 7, 2025 (the end of the Change of Rate Period) and enclose an applicable valid ITA issued certificate setting forth a Reduced Tax Withholding Rate or an exemption from withholding tax. In addition, such Shareholder will enclose its certificate of incorporation and all other documents required as set forth above, mutatis mutandis, as requested by the Agent. The Agent is entitled to request from the Shareholders applying for a Reduced Tax Withholding Rate additional documents in its discretion insofar as they are required to establish the tax residence of the Shareholder or its entitlement to exemption and/or to a Reduced Tax Withholding Rate. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no refund of excess tax withholding shall be affected by the Agent with respect to any Shareholder holding more than 5% of the issued share capital of the Company, or whose entitlement to dividends from the Company pursuant to the Dividends exceeds $500,000 , other than in accordance with a specific approval issued by the ITA. The transfer of the amounts withheld, excluding the amounts returned to the Shareholders, as aforementioned, shall be conducted by the Agent. Subject to receipt by the Agent of your required documentation, the Agent will return the amounts withheld to the Shareholders as detailed above to the account at which the dividend payments were made within 30 days from the date the amounts withheld are paid to the ITA. The Ruling is aimed to address solely the issue of tax withholding procedures and should not be construed as setting the actual tax liability of any Shareholder with respect to the Dividends or otherwise. Appointment of Israeli Tax Withholding Agent In order to facilitate the implementation of the procedures set forth in the Ruling for the benefit of its Shareholders, the Company appointed IBI Trust Management to serve as a processing agent for the benefit of the Shareholders in connection with the distribution of the Dividends (the "Agent"). Contact information of the Agent is provided at the bottom of this announcement. We encourage you to contact the Agent if you need any clarifications in filling-in the forms required under the Ruling to obtain a Reduced Withholding Tax Rate, or if you have any questions concerning the process. Please note that the Agent will not provide any tax advice to any Shareholder, who should consult their own tax and financial advisors. In order to be eligible to benefit from a Reduced Withholding Tax Rate, Shareholders must provide the Agent with all documentation required under the Ruling not later than January 7, 2025 . The relevant forms are included in the following link . If a Shareholder fails to provide the Agent with all the documentation required by January 7, 2025 , the Agent will not be able to attend to such Shareholder's application and will not be able to return any amounts originally remitted on behalf of such Shareholder nor provide any confirmation of tax withholding to such a Shareholder, either in connection with the Ruling or in connection with any other tax filing by such Shareholder. ZIM's Agent Contact Information : IBI Trust Management Tel No: +972-3-519-3896, +972-506-209-410 Email: ZimDividend@ibi.co.il Link to forms: https://form.cellosign.co/public/djE6d2Y6MzlhOTE4M2MtYmU1My00MmNjLWFhMTktYjc5NGJmYTRjOTcxOlN0YXJ0RXZlbnRfMWl1OTBscQ About ZIM Founded in Israel in 1945, ZIM ZIM is a leading global container liner shipping company with established operations in more than 90 countries serving approximately 33,000 customers in over 300 ports worldwide. ZIM leverages digital strategies and a commitment to ESG values to provide customers innovative seaborne transportation and logistics services and exceptional customer experience. ZIM's differentiated global-niche strategy, based on agile fleet management and deployment, covers major trade routes with a focus on select markets where the company holds competitive advantages. Additional information about ZIM is available at www.ZIM.com . ZIM Contacts Media: Avner Shats ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. +972-4-865-2520 media@zim.com Investor Relations: Elana Holzman ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. +972-4-865-2300 holzman.elana@zim.com Leon Berman The IGB Group 212-477-8438 lberman@igbir.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1933864/ZIM_Logo.jpg View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zim-updates-on-withholding-tax-procedures-on-december-2024-regular-and-special-cash-dividends-302319988.html SOURCE ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Renowned Architect Kazuyo Sejima Appointed to United States-Japan Foundation BoardThe Kimberley Curling Club (KCC) hosted the 2025 Safetek Profire BC U18 Curling Championships from Dec. 19 to 23. "We were thrilled with how everything went," said KCC general manager Blair Jarvis. "We knew that most teams were travelling a long way to get here and unfortunately they had to deal with some adventures with the snow we had last Wednesday. "We wanted to make sure that we gave them an experience that they would remember, so we spent a lot of time on the ice, we wanted to give them a great social experience off the ice as well and we heard from a number of curlers that it was the most U18 event that they’ve attended and so we’re really proud of that fact." The event had 12 teams competing on the Boys' side and seven Girls teams. On the Boys side of the competition, Team Jaeger out of Kelowna beat out Team Hrynew in the finals and for the Girls, Team Arndt from Vernon beat out Team Rempel to win the gold. With these wins, Team Jaeger has earned a spot at the Canadian Under-18 Curling Championships, which will be held at the Nutana Curling Club in Saskatoon, Sask. from Feb. 16-22, 2025. Teams Arndt and Rempel will both be headed to the Nationals. Team Jaeger was made up of coaches Tyler Jaeger and Travis Wielgosz, Lead Brendan Hruschak, Second Noel Wielgosz, Third Spencer Rempel and Skip Owen Jaeger. "We really worked hard this year, this year we really wanted to win," said Skip Owen Jaeger. "We put in a lot of work and it just feels really, really good to win and for all that hard work to pay off. We’re really, really excited, it’s our first National event, first U18 provincial win so we’re really excited." Team Arndt is Coach David Arndt, Lead Alicia Evans, Second Ivy Jensen, Third Bethany Evans and Skip Ava Arndt. "We’re just super excited," said Skip Ava Arndt. "It took us a couple years to get here, but the hard work payed off and we can’t believe it, I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. It’s been a lot of hard work from us and the coaches and the parents. It’s been amazing." Jarvis coached Kimberley's Team Reynolds, who went on to win bronze. "We had set a target of making the playoffs and really happy with how the boys came together," Jarvis said. "They had a couple of games with a tough start and battled back and so the resilience they showed and how they stayed positive, there were a lot of great things we can take away from that. And the bronze medal, we were just thrilled to do that. "We saw Team Jaeger on the boys side and Team Arndt on the girls side as well — if we want to get to that level next year, we have some things to work on and it’s great to see the high level of curling in this province and so I think we’ve come away very motivated as well about what we need to do to get better if we want to be a little higher on the podium next year." Jarvis extended his gratitude to the over 50 volunteers who helped out before, during and after the event, including members of the Cranbrook Curling Club. "We’ll take some of the learnings from this event and apply them to the High School Provincials at the end of February, but we’re really happy with how everything went," he said. "And this is an event for the kids, we want to make sure that they’re going to have an experience that they’ll remember, the teams that had success will obviously remember the things that happened on the ice, but for most kids it will be the experiences they had off the ice. "We had karaoke here on the one night and a bunch of teams were intermingling together and having a great time and those are the experiences that I’m going to take away from this event." Patti Caldwell was head official for the event and Jarvis said she and Ian Milligan worked tirelessly throughout the week. "Patti’s attitude is this is all for the kids and making sure that they have fun and sure it’s a competition, but it’s meant to be fun and we’re going to enjoy this," Jarvis said. "This is a sport that we can enjoy for life and so you want to make sure you’re building positive memories in every aspect." Lindsay Shannon, administrative and event manager at Curl BC, was also on hand for the event, and presented all the awards. "We would just like to thank the Kimberley Curling Club and the City of Kimberley who put on an amazing event here and welcomed all of our athletes who have performed so well," Shannon said. "We're really looking forward to cheering our winners on at the Nationals." The Kimberley Curling Club's next big event is the High School Provincials from Feb. 26 to March 1.
President Biden issues pardon to son Hunter on gun and tax charges
Cutting in line? American Airlines’ new boarding tech might stop you at now over 100 airports.TIMMONSVILLE, S.C. — For a moment in time at , NASCAR fans were thrust back into the mid-2000s with the return of one of the sport‘s most recognizable schemes. Among the 41-car field for the South Carolina 400 was the iconic that NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. popularized during the early years of his career. Accompanying Earnhardt Jr. at Florence was his devoted fanbase that enveloped the grandstands with a sea of red once commonplace at NASCAR races around the country. Earnhardt Jr. could not help but get immersed in the atmosphere generated by the Budweiser No. 8’s first race since 2007. The tribute nearly ended with Earnhardt Jr. taking the beloved scheme to Victory Lane, but he found satisfaction in what the weekend meant to himself and those who have been invested in his storied career. “I felt great about the car,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “Picked them off as I could. The car was excellent and a lot of guys were starting to struggle with the balance of their car. For the second half, we were going to sit there in second. When it was time to start pressuring (leader Treyten Lapcevich), I could probably get him loose, drive off the corner and beat him. “It was about time to turn it on and then the fuel pump broke.” 🎉 Party like it‘s 2004! 🍻 — NASCAR Regional (@NASCARRegional) A 40th-place starting position did little to stymie Earnhardt Jr., who carved through the field with relative ease to nestle himself into the second position at the halfway break, all while being cheered on by his exuberant fans. Earnhardt Jr. stayed in second the rest of the evening until a broken fuel pump knocked him out of the race with 31 laps remaining. The final showing of 28th was not the outcome most members of Junior Nation had anticipated, yet the South Carolina 400 proved to be more about the journey for Earnhardt Jr.‘s followers instead of the destination. Although Earnhardt Jr. spent more time in a Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet during his Cup Series tenure, the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc. is where he first built his identity. During his eight full-time years with DEI, Earnhardt Jr. amassed 17 victories, 76 top fives and led over 5,000 laps. The most notable of Earnhardt Jr.‘s accomplishments in the Budweiser No. 8 Chevrolet was his first of two Daytona 500 victories in 2004. Earnhardt Jr. parted ways with DEI at the end of the 2007 season, but the memories of his success in the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet never faded. Nearly two decades on from Earnhardt Jr.‘s final outing with DEI and NASCAR events are still filled with spectators who adorn the iconic No. 8. One of those fans is David Faulkner, who traveled five hours from Hampton, Virginia, to see the Budweiser No. 8 for at least one final time. A lifelong follower of the Earnhardt family since the 1970s, Faulkner admitted seeing Earnhardt Jr. pilot a red No. 8 again evoked memories of the victories he got to witness in person. “I remember the wins at Richmond, because Richmond is my home track about an hour away [from Hampton],” Faulkner said. “Just watching the Budweiser car running around brings back a lot of memories.” Many stories like Faulkner‘s awaited Earnhardt Jr. as he greeted fans throughout the afternoon at Florence. One woman Earnhardt Jr. interacted with had been waiting to obtain his autograph since the Budweiser No. 8 made its formal Cup Series debut during the 1999 Coca-Cola 600. The impact of Earnhardt Jr. on NASCAR extends far beyond spectators. Since returning to his Late Model Stock origins in 2022, Earnhardt Jr. has been approached by countless competitors young and old, with every conversation providing Earnhardt Jr. a healthy perspective into how he has shaped the world around him. “I qualified really bad and I was pretty mad at myself,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I got done, pulled around and one of the other drivers [Gary Greenwood] who qualified poorly got out and said, ‘Keep your head up. I am racing because of you. I lost my dad and listening to your podcast has really helped me. That’s why I got this car.’ “I was so upset with qualifying, but sometimes it‘s good to be reminded that it‘s not that important.” For Dylan Braswell, who ventured to Florence from the small town of Nashville, North Carolina, he never witnessed Earnhardt Jr. pilot the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet but had long been familiar with the Earnhardts and NASCAR through his late grandmother Dianne. The two got to see Earnhardt Jr.‘s final Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2017 a couple of months before Dianne passed away. Braswell saw his trip to the South Carolina 400 to honor Dianne‘s love for racing and to get a firsthand account as to why the No. 8 was so special to so many people. “My grandmother got me into NASCAR and she was always big into Earnhardt Jr.,” Braswell said. “I got to watch the VCR tapes and all that stuff back in the day, so that‘s kind of where the No. 8 car is for me, watching it on TV. “I bought tickets instantly as soon as I heard.” Braswell and the rest of Earnhardt Jr.‘s fanbase colloquially known as Junior Nation were treated to a thrilling performance from their favorite driver as he battled to make his own history in the South Carolina 400. Up until a few months ago, not many in the NASCAR industry would have expected to see Earnhardt Jr. bring back the scheme that kickstarted his career for any reason. Circumstances brought the Budweiser No. 8 back to life, an opportunity not many Earnhardt Jr. fans were willing to pass up as evidenced by the South Carolina 400‘s sold-out crowd. Saturday was perfect for people like Faulkner, as it allowed him and others to reflect on pleasant memories and cherish seeing part of the past being reborn into the present day. “I‘ve been waiting on this since I saw a little hint back in April when [Earnhardt Jr.] threw a bunch of Budweiser stuff on the Internet,” Faulkner said. “I thought he was going to bring the Budweiser car back and now I‘m here. “It‘s iconic.” Other than the broken fuel pump and poor qualifying effort, Earnhardt Jr. got everything he wanted by bringing the Budweiser No. 8 Chevrolet to the South Carolina 400. The purpose of the initiative was to give back to the fans, many of whom descended upon Florence to see what Earnhardt Jr. could do in his iconic scheme. The performance Earnhardt Jr. put together on Saturday gave him a much-needed jolt ahead of four planned Late Model Stock starts in 2025. While he is unsure of when that Budweiser scheme will next see the track, Earnhardt Jr. intends to bring it back before inevitably deciding to retire from racing altogether. “At some point, you‘re going to age out,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I don‘t know why that happens or how it happens, but I don‘t know when that happens. Maybe I got another three, four, five years left. If I have anything to do with it, they will see that Bud car again.” Whenever or wherever Earnhardt Jr. unloads the Budweiser No. 8 next, the grandstands will be red and black, filled with loyal spectators eager to see if the famous car will find its way to Victory Lane just like it did back in the 2000s.
President-elect Trump wants to again rename North America’s tallest peakWASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump pledged Monday to exact vengeance against Hamas militants who kidnapped Israelis, including some with dual American citizenship, if the group does not release every remaining Oct. 7, 2023 , hostage before the Republican gets sworn into office next month. Trump, in a social media post, said "there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity" if all the hostages were not released by his inauguration on Jan. 20. He said that "those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit" in American history in the post, in which he did not go into specifics. The Biden administration said last week that it had negotiated a cease-fire deal with France between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. The release of hostages in Gaza are a key condition of the cease-fire negotiations, which restarted last weekend , between Israel and Hamas. Both militants organizations are Iranian-backed proxy groups, and the U.S. has long asserted that a cease-fire in Lebanon could lead to one in Gaza. The threat from Trump on Monday was the latest instance in which he has sought to leverage his position as president-elect to force concessions from foreign actors prior to entering office and in ways that run counter to current U.S. foreign policy. He warned of coming tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada in social media posts last week. Trump's latest social media missive suggesting the U.S. could retaliate directly against Hamas followed an announcement on Monday from the Israeli Defense Forces that U.S.-Israeli citizen Omer Neutra had died during the militants' surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and his body was being held in Gaza. Sign-up for Your Vote: Text with the USA TODAY elections team. Neutra was a 21-year-old who served as a platoon commander in Israel's armored corps. He is among the 48 Americans who the State Department says were killed in the attack last year. News of Neutra's death came as Hamas released a hostage video of Edan Alexander , 20, an Israeli-American from Long Island. President Joe Biden, who had previously met with Neutra’s parents, said in a statement that he was “devastated and outraged" by his death. Biden's remarks, sent from Africa, where is traveling this week, addressed the families of those still held hostages in Gaza, many of them long frustrated and anguished by the lack of progress in negotiations, telling them, “We see you. We are with you. And I will not stop working to bring your loved ones back home where they belong." Contributing: Chris Kenning and Cybele Mayes-Osterman
In 2020, a conspiracy theory spread across social media claiming that online home goods retailer Wayfair was involved in child trafficking . People claimed that odd pricing and certain product names were evidence of the theory. VERIFY reader Leslie emailed us to ask if Wayfair was ever involved in the sex trafficking of children. THE QUESTION Is Wayfair involved in the sex trafficking of children? THE SOURCES National Center on Sexual Exploitation DeliverFund , a nonprofit intelligence agency that uses technology to help law enforcement fight human trafficking Polaris , organization that operates the U.S. National Human Trafficking hotline Original VERIFY reporting in 2020 Statement from Wayfair Statement from Wayfair to the BBC in 2020 THE ANSWER No, there is no evidence to support the claims that Wayfair was involved in the sex trafficking of children. WHAT WE FOUND When the conspiracy theory first spread in 2020, people on social media pointed to Wayfair products with strange names and disproportionately high prices as proof that the online furniture store was involved in child trafficking. These products included a “Samiyah Storage Cabinet” priced at over $14,000 and a “Duplessis Zodiac Sign Astrological Constellation Personalized Throw Pillow” at $9,999. At the time, people claimed that these products shared the names of girls that were reported missing. The theory followed that the products had high prices because they were fronts for selling the missing girls. Wayfair told the BBC in 2020 that the prices were accurate for the industrial grade cabinets and were the result of a glitch in the case of the pillows. Wayfair gave VERIFY a similar statement when asked to comment in 2024. "There is, of course, no truth to these claims," Wayfair told VERIFY. "The products in question are industrial grade cabinets that are accurately priced. Recognizing that the photos and descriptions provided by the supplier did not adequately explain the high price point, we temporarily removed the products from the site to rename them and provide a more in-depth description and photos that accurately depict the product to clarify the price point. We also corrected another pricing issue that was resulting in other products such as throw pillows being priced incorrectly. Multiple news outlets published stories to debunk the theory. " The viral social media posts frequently linked products to girls who were no longer missing. Multiple anti-trafficking groups said the claims were unproven and likely false. “We believe that the accusations being leveled against Wayfair regarding sex trafficking are lacking credibility in significant ways and, in many places, demonstrably false,” the National Center on Sexual Exploitation said at the time. In 2020, VERIFY found that the family of Samara Duplessis, a missing girl purportedly linked to the overpriced pillows, reported she was back home a couple of months before the Wayfair conspiracy became widespread. When VERIFY searched Wayfair for “Duplessis” products in 2020, we found the name attached to a number of different items that were considerably less expensive than the pillow. When VERIFY searched Wayfair’s site again on Dec. 2, 2024, we found it’s using the “Duplessis” name for at least one product, a rug selling for $144.99 , years after the missing girl was found. As for the reference to the cabinets in the original rumors, people claimed that there was a missing teenager from Ohio named Samiyah, too. But VERIFY was unable to find any evidence that a girl by that name was missing, and a teenager some people believed to be Samiyah refuted that she was missing in a video posted to her Facebook account. Wayfair told the BBC in 2020 that the expensive cabinets were “industrial size,” meant for business or commercial use and that the $14,000 price point was accurate. “We have temporarily removed the products from our site to rename them and to provide a more in-depth description and photos that accurately depict the product to clarify the price point,” Wayfair told the BBC in 2020. Another example of a missing teenager’s name possibly matching a Wayfair product was Mary Durrett to a Durrett coffee table. But she went missing in 2017 and was found safe two days after she was first reported missing. The claim connecting her to the coffee table listing was posted three years later. Many anti-trafficking organizations addressed the rumors in 2020. They all said the claims lacked credibility. “We identified early on that this was a likely hoax or a case of overexuberance by someone who did not have the expertise and data-driven approach that DeliverFund has,” Michael Fullilove, chief of operations for DeliverFund , a nonprofit intelligence agency that uses technology to help law enforcement fight human trafficking, said in 2020. “Based on the original source of the information, we were able to use open source intelligence techniques to determine that it was highly unlikely that the trafficking of children was taking place through the sale of expensive items on Wayfair,” Fullilove said. Polaris , which operates the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, said the claims were unsubstantiated and did more harm than good. People overwhelmed the hotline to make reports related to the conspiracy, increasing wait times and potentially denying trafficking victims from reaching the hotline. The theory also resulted in harassment and privacy intrusions of people mistakenly believed to be victims, as well as broad sharing of online sexual abuse material of real victims never connected to the Wayfair conspiracy, Polaris said. Polaris pointed out that trafficking is rarely perpetrated by a total stranger who kidnaps children and is instead usually perpetrated by people the victims know or even love and trust. Scenarios where the trafficker locks up or imprisons the victim with literal shackles make up a minority of trafficking cases despite it being the common public perception of trafficking, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation said. Traffickers usually groom their victims and keep them captive through forms of psychological abuse, manipulation and coercion that can be difficult to identify. There are real cases in which sex trafficking is perpetrated online, usually through prostitution sites and pornography websites, according to the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation said in 2020 that traffickers were increasingly using “popular social media apps such as Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok to identify, groom and exploit children in the online space.” Anti-trafficking organizations say that sharing viral, unsubstantiated trafficking rumors online is generally unhelpful to trafficking victims. What’s more helpful, these organizations say , is to learn how to identify real, common cases of trafficking to spot victims who need help. 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Stock market today: Wall Street rises at the start of a holiday-shortened week Stocks closed higher on Wall Street at the start of a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% Monday. Several big technology companies helped support the gains, including chip companies Nvidia and Broadcom. Damian J. Troise And Alex Veiga, The Associated Press Dec 23, 2024 1:04 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message FILE - Signs mark the intersection of Wall and South Streets in New York's Financial District on Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File) Listen to this article 00:03:50 Stocks closed higher on Wall Street at the start of a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% Monday. Several big technology companies helped support the gains, including chip companies Nvidia and Broadcom. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1%. Honda’s U.S.-listed shares rose sharply after the company said it was in talks about a combination with Nissan in a deal that could also include Mitsubishi Motors. Eli Lilly rose after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Treasury yields rose in the bond market. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. Major stock indexes rose on Wall Street in afternoon trading Monday, after a choppy start to a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 rose 0.6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average recovered from an early slide to gain 29 points, or 0.1% as of 3:40 p.m. Eastern time. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 0.8%. Gains in technology and communications stocks helped outweigh losses in consumer goods companies and elsewhere in the market. Semiconductor giant Nvidia, whose enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes, rose 3.3%. Broadcom climbed 5.5% to also help support the broader market. Walmart fell 2% and PepsiCo slid 1.2%. Japanese automakers Honda Motor and Nissan said they are talking about combining in a deal that might also include Mitsubishi Motors. U.S.-listed shares in Honda jumped 13.4%, while Nissan slipped 0.2%. Eli Lilly rose 3.5% after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first and only prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Department store Nordstrom fell 1.6% after it agreed to be taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal. The Conference Board said that consumer confidence slipped in December. Its consumer confidence index fell back to 104.7 from 112.8 in November. Wall Street was expecting a reading of 113.8. The unexpectedly weak consumer confidence update follows several generally strong economic reports last week. One report showed the overall economy grew at a 3.1% annualized rate during the summer, faster than earlier thought. The latest report on unemployment benefit applications showed that the job market remains solid. A report on Friday said a measure of inflation the Federal Reserve likes to use was slightly lower last month than economists expected. Worries about inflation edging higher again had been weighing on Wall Street and the Fed. The central bank just delivered its third cut to interest rates this year, but inflation has been hovering stubbornly above its target of 2%. It has signaled that it could deliver fewer cuts to interest rates next year than it earlier anticipated because of concerns over inflation. Expectations for more interest rate cuts have helped drive a roughly 25% gain for the S&P 500 in 2024. That drive included 57 all-time highs this year. Inflation concerns have added to uncertainties heading into 2025, which include the labor market's path ahead and shifting economic policies under an incoming President Donald Trump. "Put simply, much of the strong market performance prior to last week was driven by expectations that a best-case scenario was the base case for 2025," said Brent Schutte, chief investment officer at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company Treasury yields rose in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.59% from 4.53% late Friday. European markets were mostly lower, while markets in Asia gained ground. Wall Street has several other economic reports to look forward to this week. On Tuesday, the U.S. will release its November report for sales of newly constructed homes. A weekly update on unemployment benefits is expected on Thursday. Markets in the U.S. will close at 1 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday for Christmas Eve and will remain closed on Wednesday for Christmas. Damian J. Troise And Alex Veiga, The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message More National Business S&P/TSX composite closes up nearly 150 points on Monday, U.S. stock markets up Dec 23, 2024 1:28 PM What to know before agreeing to be someone's power of attorney Dec 23, 2024 12:49 PM Competition Bureau suing Rogers over unlimited data claim Dec 23, 2024 12:48 PM Featured Flyer
Tests keep coming for Auburn and Duke, who collide at Cameron Indoor Stadium in a typical prove-it game in a rare environment on Wednesday night. No. 2 Auburn and No. 9 Duke square off less than one month into the season as two of the most battle-tested teams in basketball. They're matched as one of the marquee games in the crossover showcase known as the ACC-SEC Challenge. Auburn (7-0) jumped two spots in the latest Top 25 poll propelled by its Maui Invitational championship. In one of Feast Week's toughest brackets, the Tigers rallied from 18 points down to beat then-No. 4 Iowa State, handled then-No. 12 North Carolina 85-72 and rolled past Memphis 90-76 in the title game. With a week off to shed any remnants of jet lag returning from the islands, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl is pointing to another potential resume-building win. "The confidence that we're going to get from (Maui) is that we know we can play with anybody," Pearl said. "I promise you this, we'll stay humble and hungry. We will not begin to think too much of ourselves." Helping lead Auburn in Maui was fifth-year power forward Johni Broome. The tournament's MVP, Broome averaged 21.7 points, 15 rebounds, 4.3 assists and three blocks in the three-game sweep. Spearheading a veteran Tigers roster, Broome couldn't care less about individual honors. "I wanted to come to a place where the foundation was already built, and that's why I came to Auburn," Broome said. "Winning player of the year doesn't matter to me. I care about winning games, and making sure I can help my team in any way." Broome's 20.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game lead the Tigers, while Chad Baker-Mazara adds 12.6 ppg and Denver Jones chips in 11.1. Auburn's next roadblock is earning its first-ever win against Duke. The Tigers are 0-3 all-time against the Blue Devils, including a six-point loss in the 2018 Maui Invitational. Duke (5-2) has already been through three games against ranked opponents. The Blue Devils had a 77-72 loss against then-No. 19 Kentucky, a 14-point win at then-No. 17 Arizona and a 75-72 defeat against No. 1 Kansas last week in Las Vegas. "Best team we've played so far," Pearl said of Duke. Bouncing back on Friday, the Blue Devils took down Seattle 70-48, holding the Redhawks to just 10 made field goals on 47 attempts (21.3 percent). Despite the suffocating defensive effort, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer knows his team has a long way to go. "I wasn't really happy with much tonight, to be honest," Scheyer said on Friday. "I thought we rushed some shots, had too many turnovers. We need to finish stronger, drive stronger, make extra passes, there were a whole bunch of things. ... We just need to get back to practice. In fairness to our guys, we've been traveling a lot and we just need practice time." Pacing the Blue Devils in scoring is five-star freshman Cooper Flagg. He's averaging 15.9 points per game to go along with 8.3 rebounds. Fellow freshman Kon Knueppel adds 13.4 points per contest. Far less seasoned raw freshman, big man Khaman Maluach has given Duke's interior defense an edge it was lacking last season. A projected lottery pick who can be overshadowed by the Flagg publicity train, Maluach (7-2, 248) is averaging 8.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and has two three-block games. In last year's inaugural ACC-SEC Challenge, Duke lost at Arkansas 80-75 and Auburn topped Virginia Tech 74-57. --Field Level Media