RUTH SUNDERLAND: Chancellor in business rate betrayal By RUTH SUNDERLAND FOR THE DAILY MAIL Updated: 21:50 GMT, 24 November 2024 e-mail 1 View comments Betrayal: Chancellor Rachel Reeves This is meant to be the golden time of the year for retailers. But festive spirit is in dangerously short supply. To invoke Scrooge comes nowhere near doing justice to the effect Rachel Reeves' Budget is having on High Streets around the country. The Chancellor has piled on the misery for shops and restaurants that have already battled to survive the pandemic, the rise of online retail and a business rate system that has been grotesquely unfair for years. Rather than anger petering out after the Budget as Reeves will have hoped, rage is rising to boiling point as the implications of her triple whammy become clear. Shops and other venues are faced with higher minimum wage costs, a hike in employers' National Insurance plus an abject failure by the Government to deliver on its promise to reform business rates. Reeves' budget is also a betrayal of her own sex: she is letting down the millions of women who work in these sectors, often for low pay. The row over National Insurance has taken precedence but there is simmering unrest over business rates. In its manifesto, Labour pledged to reform the system. Reeves talked about 'first steps' at the Budget, with a plan to introduce permanently lower rates for High Street businesses operating out of less valuable properties. This is to be funded by a higher rate on bigger premises, which Labour paints as capturing the warehouses used by online giants. It will, however, also hit larger bricks-and-mortar retailers such as supermarkets. This may be reasonable enough in itself – but it is a case of jam tomorrow, if ever. The 'intention' – a weasel word if ever there was one – is for these changes to come in from the tax year April 2026/27. In the meantime, smaller High Street businesses will see their rate relief slashed from 75 per cent to 40 per cent in 2025/26 with a cap of £110,000, so will have to pay significantly more. Labour is cynically pretending this latter move is a benefit by claiming the Tories would have scrapped the relief entirely. Silly point-scoring won't help small shopkeepers, who will have to find thousands of pounds extra regardless. Business rates raise £26billion of much needed cash for local economies so reform does need to be sustainable. RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next Bosses demand urgent business rates shake-up John Lewis boss calls for shake-up of business rates after... Share this article Share HOW THIS IS MONEY CAN HELP How to choose the best (and cheapest) stocks and shares Isa and the right DIY investing account But the Mail and Mail on Sunday have been campaigning for fairer business rates for years. The Government had plenty of time in opposition to formulate its plans. It should not need to delay for at least another year. That will be too late for many, including long-standing family businesses, which will pull up the shutters before the wondrous new regime arrives. The UK has already lost 6,000 shops in the last five years: in two-thirds of these closures, business rates were a factor in the decision, according to the British Retail Consortium. Without action, the BRC estimates another 17,300 shops could close over the next decade. Those that remain open are likely to cut staff, scale back on hiring and push up prices, fuelling inflation. Reeves seems obsessed with molly-coddling public sector workers so it may have escaped her notice that retail is the biggest private sector employer, offering work to millions, most of them women. One bitter irony is that this country's first female Chancellor – who wants to be seen as a role model for young girls in their careers – risks being responsible for putting large numbers of other women out of work. DIY INVESTING PLATFORMS AJ Bell AJ Bell Easy investing and ready-made portfolios Learn More Learn More Hargreaves Lansdown Hargreaves Lansdown Free fund dealing and investment ideas Learn More Learn More interactive investor interactive investor Flat-fee investing from £4.99 per month Learn More Learn More Saxo Saxo Get £200 back in trading fees Learn More Learn More Trading 212 Trading 212 Free dealing and no account fee Learn More Learn More Affiliate links: If you take out a product This is Money may earn a commission. These deals are chosen by our editorial team, as we think they are worth highlighting. This does not affect our editorial independence. Compare the best investing account for you Share or comment on this article: RUTH SUNDERLAND: Chancellor in business rate betrayal e-mail Add comment Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.Welcome to the Saquon Barkley show. The Philadelphia Eagles kept rolling with a dominant 37-20 road result at the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football . Philadelphia news 24/7: Watch NBC10 free wherever you are Los Angeles led in the first quarter but Barkley helped Philadelphia take control at the interval, where it came out of the gates firing en route to double-digit third and fourth quarters. Philadelphia moved to 9-2, currently riding a seven-game winning streak, as it strengthened its hold of the NFC East while Los Angeles fell to 5-6, staying in third in a close NFC West. Let's analyze the game further with winners and losers: WINNER: Saquon Barkley, Eagles A year after San Francisco 49ers ' Christian McCaffrey was the best running back in football, Barkley has claimed the throne. Barkley delivered rushing touchdowns of 72 and 70 yards en route to 255 total on the night. He had 26 carries along with four catches for 47 yards. WOW SAQUON WOW pic.twitter.com/DliVWBTUVn The performance marked the most rushing yards in a game in Eagles history and the ninth-most in a game in league history. Take a bow. Jalen Hurts’ face after Saquon Barkley’s 72-yard TD. 😊 #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/XSKKNhl6yt LOSER: Kyren Williams, Rams It was the opposite story in the opposing backfield. Despite a positive start, Williams couldn't maintain the consistency and even caused some turnover miscues. Williams ended the game rushing for 16 yards on 72 carries and a touchdown, but also fumbled twice, one of which the Eagles recovered. The Rams needed more on that front to keep pace with Philadelphia, but Barkley's two game-breaking runs didn't help. WINNER: Nakobe Dean, Eagles Philadelphia had several top performers on the defensive side. The nod goes to linebacker Dean, who led the Eagles in total tackles with eight, five of which were solo. He also recorded one sack, two tackles for loss and a QB hit on Matthew Stafford. Milton Williams recorded a game-high two sacks on Stafford, while Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat each added one. LOSER: New York Giants It was a day that saw the Giants lose 30-7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That game featured Baker Mayfield mocking Tommy DeVito after a score, the Giants' new starting QB1 after the team cut Daniel Jones, who they agreed to pay $160 million to over four years. In that loss, the Giants garnered a total of 245 yards through the run and passing attacks. Barkley outgained them on his own just on the ground. A colossal mistake to let Barkley walk keeps finding new ways to haunt New York. WINNER: Eagles on third down Sometimes third-down results can reveal the outcome of a game. That was surely the case in this one, as Philadelphia had no issues moving the chains with 9 of 15 conversions. It was the complete opposite story for Los Angeles, which didn't convert on a single third down despite eight attempts. The Rams did make all three fourth-down conversions, but it wasn't a sustainable method to stay in the game. Both teams had 10 total drives each.

Emerging tight end Noah Gray gives Mahomes and the Chiefs another option in passing gameWest Ham surprise Newcastle with 2-0 away winWhite House Christmas tree came from Helene-devastated tree farm

PEMBROKE, Bermuda--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 25, 2024-- Hamilton Re, the Bermuda-based insurance and reinsurance underwriting platform of Hamilton Insurance Group, Ltd. (NYSE: HG) (“Hamilton” or “the Company”), today announced its expansion into Credit, Bond and Political Risk Reinsurance with the appointment of Sergio Lottimore to the role of Vice President, Credit, Bond and Political Risk Reinsurance. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241125313447/en/ Sergio Lottimore, Vice President, Credit, Bond and Political Risk Reinsurance, Hamilton Re. (Photo: Business Wire) Based in Bermuda, Lottimore will report to Peter Riihiluoma, Senior Vice President and Head of Specialty Reinsurance at Hamilton Re. Hamilton Re offers a wide breadth of reinsurance solutions across multiple Property, Casualty and Specialty lines of business to meet the demands of its clients worldwide. The new Credit, Bond and Political Risk Reinsurance offerings will be incorporated within the Specialty Reinsurance portfolio, and further expands our offerings to clients. “Our expansion into Credit, Bond and Political Risk Reinsurance marks a significant milestone for Hamilton Re in its commitment to building a globally diversified reinsurance offering,” said Hamilton Re CEO Megan Graves. “This exciting development is bolstered by Hamilton’s AM Best financial strength rating upgrade to “A” (excellent) announced earlier this year. “I’m delighted to welcome Sergio to Hamilton. He brings dedicated expertise and experience in Mortgage, Trade Credit, Surety, Political Risks and Structured Credit lines to our already strong Specialty Reinsurance team.” Lottimore has 18 years of specialty and financial lines market experience. He joins Hamilton from Validus Re where he was Vice President, Credit Lines Underwriter for three years. Prior to that, he spent 15 years in roles of continuous progression at MS Amlin. About Hamilton Insurance Group, Ltd. Hamilton is a Bermuda-headquartered specialty insurance and reinsurance company that underwrites risks on a global basis through its wholly owned subsidiaries. Its three underwriting platforms: Hamilton Global Specialty, Hamilton Select and Hamilton Re, each with dedicated and experienced leadership, provide access to diversified and profitable business around the world. For more about our company, visit www.hamiltongroup.com or find us on LinkedIn at Hamilton View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241125313447/en/ CONTACT: Media contact Kelly Corday Ferris kelly.ferris@hamiltongroup.comInvestor contacts Jon Levenson and Darian Niforatos investor.relations@hamiltongroup.com KEYWORD: CARIBBEAN UNITED STATES BERMUDA NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES INSURANCE FINANCE SOURCE: Hamilton Insurance Group, Ltd. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 11/25/2024 04:15 PM/DISC: 11/25/2024 04:16 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241125313447/en

Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas has also resigned as vice-president of the animal welfare organisation, with both of them expressing their “sadness” over leaving the roles. It comes after an Animal Rising investigation made claims of cruelty at “RSPCA Assured” slaughterhouses in England and Scotland, with the campaign group sharing footage of alleged mistreatment. RSPCA Assured is a scheme whereby approved farms must comply with the organisation’s “stringent higher welfare standards”, according to its website. Mr Packham shared the news of his resignation on social media, saying: “It is with enormous sadness that I have resigned from my role as president of the RSPCA. “I would like to register my respect and admiration for all the staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to protect animals from cruelty.” Ms Lucas said she and Mr Packham failed to get the charity’s leadership to act. She posted on X, formerly Twitter: “With huge sadness I’m resigning as VP of the RSPCA, a role I’ve held with pride for over 15 years. “But their Assured Schemes risk misleading the public & legitimising cruelty. “I tried with @ChrisGPackham to persuade the leadership to act but sadly failed.” In June, the RSPCA commissioned an independent review of 200 farms on its assurance scheme which concluded the scheme was “operating effectively” to assure animal welfare on member farms. Following Animal Rising’s release of footage last week, the charity said it was “appalled” by what was shown, adding that it launched an immediate investigation and suspended three slaughterhouses from the scheme. In the wake of Mr Packham and Ms Lucas’ resignations, an RSPCA spokesperson said it is “simply not true” that the organisation has failed to take urgent action. They said: “We agree with Chris and Caroline on so many issues and have achieved so much together for animals, but we differ on how best to address the incredibly complex and difficult issue of farmed animal welfare. “We have discussed our work to drive up farmed animal welfare standards openly at length with them on many occasions and it is simply not true that we have not taken urgent action. “We took allegations of poor welfare incredibly seriously, launching an independent review of 200 farms which concluded that it was ‘operating effectively’ to improve animal welfare. “We are taking strong steps to improve oversight of welfare, implementing the recommendations in full including significantly increasing unannounced visits, and exploring technology such as body-worn cameras and CCTV, supported by £2 million of investment.” The charity insisted that while 94% of people continue to choose to eat meat, fish, eggs and dairy, it is the “right thing to do” to work with farmers to improve the lives of animals. “RSPCA Assured visit all farms on the scheme every year, but last year just 3% of farms were assessed for animal welfare by state bodies,” the spokesperson continued. “No-one else is doing this work. We are the only organisation setting and regularly monitoring animal welfare standards on farms. “We have pioneered change through RSPCA Assured, which has led to improvements throughout the industry including CCTV in slaughterhouses, banning barren battery cages for hens and sow stalls for pigs, giving salmon more space to swim and developing slower growing chicken breeds who have better quality of life.”Britain, Germany, France, Italy and several other European countries said Monday they would freeze all pending asylum requests from Syrians, a day after the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad. While Berlin and other governments said they were watching the fast-moving developments in the war-ravaged nation, Austria signalled it would soon deport refugees back to Syria. Far-right politicians elsewhere made similar demands, including in Germany -- home to Europe's largest Syrian community -- at a time when immigration has become a hot-button issue across the continent. Alice Weidel, of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, reacted with disdain to Sunday's mass rallies by jubilant Syrians celebrating Assad's downfall. "Anyone in Germany who celebrates 'free Syria' evidently no longer has any reason to flee," she wrote on X. "They should return to Syria immediately." World leaders and Syrians abroad watched in disbelief at the weekend as Islamist-led rebels swept into Damascus, ending Assad's brutal rule while also sparking new uncertainty. A German foreign ministry spokesman pointed out that "the fact that the Assad regime has been ended is unfortunately no guarantee of peaceful developments" in the future. Germany has taken in almost one million Syrians, with most arriving in 2015-16 under ex-chancellor Angela Merkel. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said many Syrian refugees "now finally have hope of returning to their Syrian homeland" but cautioned that "the situation in Syria is currently very unclear". The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees had imposed a freeze on decisions for ongoing asylum procedures "until the situation is clearer". She added that "concrete possibilities of return cannot yet be predicted and it would be unprofessional to speculate in such a volatile situation". Rights group Amnesty International slammed Germany's freeze on asylum decisions, stressing that for now "the human rights situation in the country is completely unclear". The head of the UN refugee agency also cautioned that "patience and vigilance" were needed on the issue of refugee returns. In Austria, where about 100,000 Syrians live, conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer instructed the interior ministry "to suspend all ongoing Syrian asylum applications and to review all asylum grants". Interior Minister Gerhard Karner added he had "instructed the ministry to prepare an orderly repatriation and deportation programme to Syria". "The political situation in Syria has changed fundamentally and, above all, rapidly in recent days," the ministry said, adding it is "currently monitoring and analysing the new situation". The French interior ministry said it too would put asylum requests from Syrians on hold, with authorities in Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway announcing similar moves. Britain's interior ministry said it was taking the same measure "whilst we assess the current situation". The Italian government said late Monday after a cabinet meeting that it too was suspending asylum request "in line with other European partners." The leader of the far-right Sweden Democrats, a coalition partner in the government, said residence permits for Syrian refugees should now be "reviewed". "Destructive Islamist forces are behind the change of power" in Syria, wrote their leader Jimmie Akesson on X. "I see that groups are happy about this development here in Sweden. You should see it as a good opportunity to go home." In Greece, a government spokesman voiced hope that Assad's fall will eventually allow "the safe return of Syrian refugees" to their country, but without announcing concrete measures. In Germany, the debate gained momentum as the country heads towards February elections. Achim Brotel, president of a grouping of German communes, called for border controls to stop fleeing Assad loyalists reaching Germany. The centre-right opposition CDU suggested that rejected Syrian asylum-seekers should now lose so-called subsidiary protection. "If the reason for protection no longer applies, then refugees will have to return to their home country," CDU legislator Thorsten Frei told Welt TV. CDU MP Jens Spahn suggested that Berlin charter flights to Syria and offer 1,000 euros ($1,057) to "anyone who wants to return". A member of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats criticised the debate as "populist and irresponsible". Greens party deputy Anton Hofreiter also said "it is completely unclear what will happen next in Syria" and deportation talk was "completely out of place". Many Syrians in Germany have watched the events in their home country with great joy but prefer to wait and see before deciding whether to return. "We want to go back to Syria," said Mahmoud Zaml, 25, who works in an Arabic pastry shop in Berlin, adding that he hopes to help "rebuild" his country. "But we have to wait a bit now," he told AFP. "We have to see what happens and if it is really 100 percent safe, then we will go back to Syria." burs-fz/rlp/phz/gv/giv

The standard Lorem Ipsum passage, used since the 1500s "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" Thanks for your interest in Kalkine Media's content! To continue reading, please log in to your account or create your free account with us.

"As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It's an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world's premier racing series, and we're committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world," GM President Mark Reuss said. "This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM's engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level." The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a U.S. Justice Department investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti. Andretti in September stepped aside from leading his namesake organization, so the 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season. Towriss is the the CEO and president of Group 1001 and entered motorsports via Andretti's IndyCar team when he signed on financial savings platform Gainbridge as a sponsor. Towriss is now a major part of the motorsports scene with ownership stakes in both Spire Motorsports' NASCAR team and Wayne Taylor Racing's sports car team. Walter is the chief executive of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners and the controlling owner of both the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Premier League club Chelsea. "We're excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1," Towriss said. "Together, we're assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world." Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, will have an ambassador role with Cadillac F1. But his son, Michael, will have no official position with the organization now that he has scaled back his involvement with Andretti Global. "The Cadillac F1 Team is made up of a strong group of people that have worked tirelessly to build an American works team," Michael Andretti posted on social media. "I'm very proud of the hard work they have put in and congratulate all involved on this momentous next step. I will be cheering for you!" The approval has been in works for weeks but was held until after last weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix to not overshadow the showcase event of the Liberty Media portfolio. Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive championship in Saturday night's race, the third and final stop in the United States for the top motorsports series in the world. Grid expansion in F1 is both infrequent and often unsuccessful. Four teams were granted entries in 2010 that should have pushed the grid to 13 teams and 26 cars for the first time since 1995. One team never made it to the grid and the other three had vanished by 2017. There is only one American team on the current F1 grid — owned by California businessman Gene Haas — but it is not particularly competitive and does not field American drivers. Andretti's dream was to field a truly American team with American drivers. The fight to add this team has been going on for three-plus years, and F1 initially denied the application despite approval from F1 sanctioning body FIA. The existing 10 teams, who have no voice in the matter, also largely opposed expansion because of the dilution in prize money and the billions of dollars they've already invested in the series. Andretti in 2020 tried and failed to buy the existing Sauber team. From there, he applied for grid expansion and partnered with GM, the top-selling manufacturer in the United States. The inclusion of GM was championed by the FIA and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who said Michael Andretti's application was the only one of seven applicants to meet all required criteria to expand F1's current grid. "General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners," Ben Sulayem said Monday. "I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application." Despite the FIA's acceptance of Andretti and General Motors from the start, F1 wasn't interested in Andretti — but did want GM. At one point, F1 asked GM to find another team to partner with besides Andretti. GM refused and F1 said it would revisit the Andretti application if and when Cadillac had an engine ready to compete. "Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024," F1 said in a statement. "Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the 11th team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process." Yet another major shift in the debate over grid expansion occurred earlier this month with the announced resignation of Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, who was largely believed to be one of the biggest opponents of the Andretti entry. "With Formula 1's continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport," Maffei said. "We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1."

Hungary’s Orbán meets with Trump and MuskMONTREAL - Second Cup Canada is cutting ties with a franchisee operating at Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital who was allegedly filmed making hateful and antisemitic comments during a protest in the city last week. Second Cup Canada announced Saturday it was cutting ties with a franchisee for “making hateful remarks and gestures,” and adding in a statement the actions breach the franchise agreement as well as inclusion and community values ​​held by the chain. Peter Mammas, CEO of Montreal-based Foodtastic, which owns Second Cup Canada, said in an interview on Sunday that he was at the movies when his phone started pinging non-stop. He saw the videos and the company’s operations staff spoke to employees that knew the woman, and they confirmed it was indeed the franchisee. Video shot during a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside of Concordia University’s downtown Montreal campus Thursday shows a woman walking around, masked, saying the “final solution is coming your way” — wording used to describe a Nazi plan to eliminate Jews in Europe during the Second World War. Another video also shows what appears to be the same woman, unmasked, making a Nazi salute while walking away. “We’re all for free speech and respectful conversations, but this wasn’t that,” Mammas said. “This was hate speech, and it was something that we thought could incite violence and we’re completely against that, so we sat down with our team and decided to revoke the franchise agreement.” Attempts to reach the franchisee were unsuccessful on Sunday. “Second Cup has zero tolerance for hate speech,” the coffee chain said in a statement on X. “In co-ordination with the hospital, we’ve shut down the franchisee’s café and are terminating their franchise agreement.” Mammas said lawyers for the franchisee and Second Cup were expected to meet on Monday. The regional health agency serving West-Central Montreal, which includes the Jewish General Hospital, said it was made aware of the video “containing antisemitic and hateful messaging.” The video is related to a franchisee of Second Cup, one of the private tenants operating within the (Jewish General), Carl Thériault, a spokesman, said in a statement on Sunday. “We fully support Second Cup’s decision to take swift and decisive action in this matter by shutting down the franchisee’s cafés and terminating their lease agreement.” The hospital has two locations operated by the same franchisee and both were shuttered on Saturday by the owners of the chain. The health agency “is committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and stands firmly against antisemitism and any other form of discrimination or hate speech,” Thériault said. “We have franchisees who are Muslim, we have franchisees who are Jewish, we have franchisees that are Greek, French, we have employees from all different nations,” Mammas said. “So we definitely have no issue with that and we don’t take any political side, but ... hate speech ... you know we can’t accept that.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 24, 2024.Britain, Germany, France, Italy and several other European countries said Monday they would freeze all pending asylum requests from Syrians, a day after the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad. While Berlin and other governments said they were watching the fast-moving developments in the war-ravaged nation, Austria signalled it would soon deport refugees back to Syria. Far-right politicians elsewhere made similar demands, including in Germany -- home to Europe's largest Syrian community -- at a time when immigration has become a hot-button issue across the continent. Alice Weidel, of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, reacted with disdain to Sunday's mass rallies by jubilant Syrians celebrating Assad's downfall. "Anyone in Germany who celebrates 'free Syria' evidently no longer has any reason to flee," she wrote on X. "They should return to Syria immediately." World leaders and Syrians abroad watched in disbelief at the weekend as Islamist-led rebels swept into Damascus, ending Assad's brutal rule while also sparking new uncertainty. A German foreign ministry spokesman pointed out that "the fact that the Assad regime has been ended is unfortunately no guarantee of peaceful developments" in the future. Germany has taken in almost one million Syrians, with most arriving in 2015-16 under ex-chancellor Angela Merkel. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said many Syrian refugees "now finally have hope of returning to their Syrian homeland" but cautioned that "the situation in Syria is currently very unclear". The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees had imposed a freeze on decisions for ongoing asylum procedures "until the situation is clearer". She added that "concrete possibilities of return cannot yet be predicted and it would be unprofessional to speculate in such a volatile situation". Rights group Amnesty International slammed Germany's freeze on asylum decisions, stressing that for now "the human rights situation in the country is completely unclear". The head of the UN refugee agency also cautioned that "patience and vigilance" were needed on the issue of refugee returns. In Austria, where about 100,000 Syrians live, conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer instructed the interior ministry "to suspend all ongoing Syrian asylum applications and to review all asylum grants". Interior Minister Gerhard Karner added he had "instructed the ministry to prepare an orderly repatriation and deportation programme to Syria". "The political situation in Syria has changed fundamentally and, above all, rapidly in recent days," the ministry said, adding it is "currently monitoring and analysing the new situation". The French interior ministry said it too would put asylum requests from Syrians on hold, with authorities in Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway announcing similar moves. Britain's interior ministry said it was taking the same measure "whilst we assess the current situation". The Italian government said late Monday after a cabinet meeting that it too was suspending asylum request "in line with other European partners." The leader of the far-right Sweden Democrats, a coalition partner in the government, said residence permits for Syrian refugees should now be "reviewed". "Destructive Islamist forces are behind the change of power" in Syria, wrote their leader Jimmie Akesson on X. "I see that groups are happy about this development here in Sweden. You should see it as a good opportunity to go home." In Greece, a government spokesman voiced hope that Assad's fall will eventually allow "the safe return of Syrian refugees" to their country, but without announcing concrete measures. In Germany, the debate gained momentum as the country heads towards February elections. Achim Brotel, president of a grouping of German communes, called for border controls to stop fleeing Assad loyalists reaching Germany. The centre-right opposition CDU suggested that rejected Syrian asylum-seekers should now lose so-called subsidiary protection. "If the reason for protection no longer applies, then refugees will have to return to their home country," CDU legislator Thorsten Frei told Welt TV. CDU MP Jens Spahn suggested that Berlin charter flights to Syria and offer 1,000 euros ($1,057) to "anyone who wants to return". A member of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats criticised the debate as "populist and irresponsible". Greens party deputy Anton Hofreiter also said "it is completely unclear what will happen next in Syria" and deportation talk was "completely out of place". Many Syrians in Germany have watched the events in their home country with great joy but prefer to wait and see before deciding whether to return. "We want to go back to Syria," said Mahmoud Zaml, 25, who works in an Arabic pastry shop in Berlin, adding that he hopes to help "rebuild" his country. "But we have to wait a bit now," he told AFP. "We have to see what happens and if it is really 100 percent safe, then we will go back to Syria." burs-fz/rlp/phz/gv/giv

Duke's Diaz: QB Murphy faces internal discipline for raising middle fingers in Virginia Tech win

HAMILTON BEACH BRANDS HOLDING COMPANY DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND