wolf queen casino game
CNBC's Jim Cramer on Friday said companies related to natural gas and oil will thrive under President-elect Donald Trump's administration and a majority Republican Congress. Philadelphia news 24/7: Watch NBC10 free wherever you are "We're hearing about all sorts of Trump trades right now, and many of these things have made insane moves in less than three weeks, to the point where, actually, they're feeling precarious to me," he said. "If you want a sustainable Trump trade, I say bet on the natural gas ecosystem. This is an industry that already had a lot going for it, it just needed some cooperation from the federal government, which it is about to get." President Joe Biden's administration is largely opposed to fossil fuels, Cramer said, and the federal government has worked to block pipelines and paused new liquified gas export authorizations. This dynamic, coupled with a weaker global economy, caused the sector to underperform for much of the year, he suggested. But Trump has shown more favor to the industry, and Cramer pointed out that he tapped prominent oil executive Chris Wright to lead the Department of Energy. Cramer recommended several stocks in the sector, including energy producers EQT and Coterra . The former is focused on natural gas and recently acquired peer Equitrans, raising the combined company's valuation to an estimated $35 billion , Cramer noted. He added that Coterra is a good long-term holding and called the company "one of the shrewdest operators in the industry." He highlighted pipeline companies, including Energy Transfer and Kinder Morgan , and said he was especially bullish on Enbridge . Enbridge says it transports about 20% of all natural gas consumed in the U.S., and Cramer claimed the Canadian outfit has "strategically located assets." He also named Cheniere and Sempra , saying the former is the "best play " for liquified natural gas exports. "Seasonally, this is a good time for the commodity," he said, pointing out that natural gas itself has climbed since the election. "But I also think there's some optimism about the future of the industry driving this move." Click here to download Jim Cramer's Guide to Investing at no cost to help you build long-term wealth and invest smarter. Sign up now for the CNBC Investing Club to follow Jim Cramer's every move in the market. Disclaimer Questions for Cramer? Call Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBC Want to take a deep dive into Cramer's world? Hit him up! Mad Money Twitter - Jim Cramer Twitter - Facebook - Instagram Questions, comments, suggestions for the "Mad Money" website? madcap@cnbc.comAuthor And Podcaster Nikia Monique Wade Shares Her Journey Of Faith, Writing, And EmpowermentMarshall's 17 lead Albany over Puerto Rico-Mayaguez 93-50
As the final Sunday of 2024 dawns upon us, it’s almost impossible not to pause and reflect. This day feels significant—a time to recount the moments, big and small, that defined our year. Perhaps you’re sitting in church, surrounded by the warmth of fellowship. Or maybe you’re at home, savoring a quiet moment with a cup of tea. Wherever you are, this day invites us to take stock of the journey that brought us here. So, let’s ask ourselves: what are we truly grateful for? Sometimes, gratitude feels tied to extraordinary achievements—landing that dream job, completing a degree, or celebrating a milestone birthday. But what about the simple things? Waking up each day, the smile of a loved one, or the joy of watching the rain nourish the earth. This year may not have been perfect, but think of the mornings you woke up healthy. The days when laughter filled the air. The moments when a kind word or gesture reminded you that you’re not alone. For many of us, 2024 came with its share of challenges—setbacks in our careers, strained relationships, financial worries, or health scares. Yet, in these moments, we found strength we didn’t know we had. Maybe you learned patience in the waiting seasons. Or discovered resilience when things didn’t go as planned. Perhaps, through pain, you found a deeper understanding of yourself or a greater reliance on God. Gratitude isn’t always about easy days; it’s about recognizing the lessons in difficult ones. Who were the people who stood by you this year? Maybe it was your family, holding you up when life felt heavy. Or friends who brought light to dark days. Perhaps it was a mentor who guided you or a stranger whose kindness left an impression. Take a moment to be grateful for these people—their love, support, and presence are gifts we should never take for granted. 2024 may have been a year of accomplishments or just the beginning of new dreams. Did you start something new—a business, a creative project, or a healthier lifestyle? Or maybe you took a step back to reassess your goals. Whatever your journey, be grateful for the opportunity to grow, to dream, and to believe in what’s yet to come. As Christians, we’re reminded that each year is part of a divine plan. God’s faithfulness throughout 2024 is a reason to be thankful. Even when we stumbled, His grace carried us. And as we prepare to step into 2025, we hold onto the hope that His plans for us remain good. Take a moment today to write your gratitude list. It doesn’t have to be long. Maybe it’s a single word or a sentence that captures your heart. Write it down. Speak it out. Share it with someone. On this last Sunday of the year, let gratitude guide your reflection and fill your heart with peace. So, what are you grateful for? Whatever it is, let it remind you that life, with all its ups and downs, is still a beautiful journey worth celebrating. Here’s to the memories of 2024 and the hope of 2025. Happy last Sunday of the year!A flattering long dress from Debenhams is finally back in stock. The leopard print, long-sleeved dress flew off the shelves in the autumn and has been out of stock ever since. However, it has been restocked this week and is available in all sizes. If you had your eye on it the last time, we'd advise you to snap it up your size before it sells out again. The Leopard Keyhole Midi Dress is from Dorothy Perkins and costs £39. It is available in sizes 8-18. Made from a soft and stretchy fabric, this midi dress has a flattering floaty fit. The eye-catching leopard print adds a touch of boldness to your look, finished with keyhole cut-out detail at the back. The model pairs it with black knee-high boots. For the perfect Christmas party outfit , style it with a black trench or faux fur coat. Alternatively, you can pair it with court shoes or sandals during warmer climates. The dress has an overall rating of 4.4 and more than 60 reviews, the majority of which are glowing. READ MORE: Debenhams slash 92% off Gevril Swiss automatic watch worth £4,295 READ MORE: 'Great' room heater that produces 'instant heat' at 44p per hour now 22% off at £35 A pleased fan wrote: "I am very happy with my choice! This dress is very soft, nice material and fits perfectly! Looks very stylish with the leather jacket and boots! Love this dress!" A second added: "Super dress. I'm normally a size 10, but I had read that it comes up small, so I ordered a 12, and it fits perfectly. I love the puff sleeves, and the fit around the bust and waist are very comfortable. It hangs beautifully. A good purchase." A third noted: "Lovely dress. Fits nicely and is very comfortable. The material is soft and doesn't need ironing. It's very flattering and looks great with a pair of ankle boots. I'm only 5ft, so it's down to my ankles, but that's the style I like. What a great buy!" A fourth buyer said: "This is going to be my favourite dress of the season. I love everything about it. The sleeves the cut the length everything. It’s beautiful." Not all customers were pleased, with one saying it looks nothing like the online pictures. They said: "Nothing like the online photo. It's a lot darker and has huge puffy sleeves. The material felt cheap too. I really begrudge the £2 return charge when the actual item is so different to the online picture." Another didn't like the fabric, adding: "Nice dress but strange fabric. I expected jersey-type material, but it’s more like a cheesecloth." Alternatively, River Island is selling a leopard print tea dress for £42. The chiffon mini dress has a ruched waistline and a frilly skirt. It's available in sizes 6-18. If animal print is a little too loud for your liking but you still want a printed dress, this £35 Mesh Jersey Printed Dress from M&S is a great option. The long frock is cut in a fit-and-flare silhouette that falls to a midi length. Available in regular, petite and tall lengths in sizes 8-22.
LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — Andrew Holifield scored 17 points as Lamar beat Louisiana 74-45 on Saturday. Holifield also contributed 11 rebounds for the Cardinals (5-5). Janko Buljic scored 12 points, shooting 6 of 9 from the field. Alexis Marmolejos had 11 points and shot 4 for 5, including 3 for 3 from beyond the arc. Kyndall Davis finished with 11 points for the Ragin' Cajuns (2-9). Brandon Hardy added 10 points for Louisiana. Kentrell Garnett also recorded nine points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Shoppers are heaping praise on the Roman Originals website for their bestselling Waxed Longline Hooded Coat , which has garnered an impressive average score of 4.9 out of five. The sought-after raincoat quickly sold out, but a recent restock has made sizes ten to 20 available again for those who previously missed the chance to snag one. Even better, the coat that comes in three chic colours: dark conker brown, khaki, and navy, is on sale saving shoppers £31. Originally £99, simply add the coat in your desired colour to your basket and apply the code FANCY to take advantage of the limited time deal. Customers who 'had to wait patiently for this beautiful coat to come into stock' have expressed that it was 'well worth the wait', celebrating its perfect fit and stylish look. Crafted with a longline hem and an adjustable waist and hood, the coat is designed to flatter while keeping you dry. It features long sleeves, a zipper with popper detailing, and 'great pockets'. READ MORE: 'Best electric toothbrush' shoppers 'have used' leaves 'teeth feeling super clean' READ MORE: Debenhams cuts price of 'warm but lightweight' winter coat from £100 to £30 Perfect for dog walks or quick trips to the shops in rainy weather, the coat's popularity has even led some customers to consider purchasing it in different colours. A satisfied customer shared: "Another fab purchase from Roman. I had been looking for a long waterproof jacket with a hood and found this to be perfect. I purchased the khaki jacket. It is true to size, warm with great pockets. I may have to purchase the chocolate one also! I would recommend this jacket as an addition to your winter wardrobe." One reviewer highlighted its layering capabilities, saying it doesn't feel bulky or uncomfortable. "Absolutely perfect. Easily dressed up or down. Practical and smart. Quite roomy so no trouble wearing warmer clothes in the winter," they said. Another reviewer praised its waterproof feature, stating: "It is a brilliant, good quality winter coat. I needed a size smaller than usual. I have worn it when it was absolutely bucketing down with rain and stayed completely dry. Its comfy, smart and good value for the cost." However, some customers noted that the coat's finish was not to their liking, with one describing it as 'just a bit too shiny'. Someone else raved about the coat, saying: "I was looking for a practical wax jacket and found this fitted the bill and my pocket! Lovely warm coat with lots of style. Mid thigh length. Adjustable waist, sleeves and hood to enhance fit. Good size hood. Lots of pockets. Perfect for cold, wet weather." Alternatively, another raincoat that is gaining popularity comes from Seasalt Cornwall. The Janelle Waterproof Raincoat , priced at £170, is available in eight colours and has been hailed as 'the best winter coat' by one satisfied customer. Debenhams has a selection of their winter coats on sale, including the Mountain Warehouse 'Cloud Burst' Waterproof Adjustable Hood Textured Long Rain Jacket , now reduced to £79.99 from its original price of £119.99.
Wall Street stocks finished a lackluster week on a muted note Friday as concerns about rising Treasury bond yields competed with enthusiasm over artificial intelligence equities. Of the major indices, only the Nasdaq mustered a gain in Friday's session. The tech-rich index was also the only of the three leading US benchmarks to conclude the week higher. "Equities are kind of treading water," said LBBW's Karl Haeling. "A negative influence to some extent is the rise in bond yields." The latest US consumer price index data released this week showed prices ticked higher in November and the wholesale data also showed stubborn inflationary pressures. "Yields rose to their highest levels in over two weeks as markets brace for the Federal Reserve's final meeting of the year, reflecting concerns over sticky inflation," said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG. There is also growing concern over the inflationary pressures from President-elect Donald Trump's pledges to cut taxes and impose tariffs, as inflation still stands above the Fed's target. "While the markets still anticipate a rate cut from the Federal Reserve next week, the likelihood of a move in January has dropped," said Patrick Munnelly, partner at broker Tickmill Group. The CME FedWatch tool shows the market sees a more than 75 percent chance that the Fed will hold rates steady in January. In Europe, the Paris CAC 40 index ended the day down 0.2 percent after French President Emmanuel Macron named his centrist ally Francois Bayrou as prime minister, ending days of deadlock over finding a replacement for Michel Barnier. Frankfurt also dipped, with Germany's central bank sharply downgrading its growth forecasts on Friday for 2025 and 2026. It predicted a prolonged period of weakness for Europe's biggest economy. London stocks were also lower after official data showed that the UK economy unexpectedly shrank for the second consecutive month in October. The euro recovered after flirting with two-year lows against the dollar following a warning Thursday by ECB president Christine Lagarde that the eurozone economy was "losing momentum", cautioning that "the risk of greater friction in global trade could weigh on euro area growth". In Asia, Hong Kong and Shanghai both tumbled as investors were unimpressed with Beijing's pledge to introduce measures aimed at "lifting consumption vigorously" as part of a drive to reignite growth in the world's number two economy. President Xi Jinping and other key leaders said at the annual Central Economic Work Conference they would implement a "moderately loose" monetary policy, increase social financing and reducing interest rates "at the right time". The gathering came after Beijing in September began unveiling a raft of policies to reverse a growth slump that has gripped the economy for almost two years. "We're still not convinced that policy support will prevent the economy from slowing further next year", said Julian Evans-Pritchard, head of China economics at research group Capital Economics. Among individual equities, chip company Broadcom surged nearly 25 percent after reporting a 51 percent jump in quarterly revenues to $14.1 billion behind massive growth in AI-linked business. New York - Dow: DOWN 0.2 percent at 43,828.06 (close) New York - S&P 500: FLAT at 6,051.09 (close) New York - Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.1 percent at 19,926.72 (close) London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 8,300.33 (close) Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.2 percent at 7,409.57 (close) Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.1 percent at 20,405.92 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.0 percent at 39,470.44 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 2.1 percent at 19,971.24 (close) Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 2.0 percent at 3,391.88 (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0504 from $1.0467 on Thursday Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2622 from $1.2673 Dollar/yen: UP at 153.60 yen from 152.63 yen Euro/pound: UP at 83.19 pence from 82.59 pence Brent North Sea Crude: UP 1.5 percent at $74.49 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.8 percent at $71.29 per barrel burs-jmb/stSydney teen banned from attending his school formal after wearing a Palestinian scarf to his...
President-Elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan for undocumented immigrants could have wide-ranging impacts across the country, particularly in Florida. But— at the moment— the state’s new leaders said it’s not their problem. While on the campaign trail, the former president regularly vowed to deliver mass deportation "on day one." At rallies, he often made the case by relating it to migrant crime. "When I'm re-elected, we'll begin removing these criminals, these horrible people from our midst," President-elect Trump said at a recent MAGA rally in Wisconsin. "And we'll end up doing it immediately." RELATED STORY | Scripps News/Ipsos poll: Support for mass deportations drops when Americans consider potential consequences Jan. 20 is now fewer than two months away. If President-elect Trump delivers, the changes to the Florida workforce and economy could be wide-ranging, some have even suggested devastating. Even so, Florida House Speaker Danny Perez (R) and Senate President Ben Albritton (R) sidestepped questions about the potential impacts, earlier this week. “Any sort of immigration policy that comes from the federal government is for the federal government to decide," said the House Speaker. "That's a question that you should be asking the president.” President Albritton said something similar, telling reporters Tuesday: “The federal government is the federal government. State government is state government. That's a federal issue." When pressed further about the possible disruptions from mass deportation, Albritton doubled down. “That's up to the federal government," said the Senate President. "We'll see what they do.” RELATED STORY | Trump's mass deportation plan targets specific groups of immigrants Exactly what they will do remains unclear. Trump has confirmed he’ll use the military. Texas has offered up land along the border for “deportation facilities.” Trump’s advisors have even said he’ll seek to again eliminate DACA, an Obama-era program that protects undocumented who arrived as children. Florida Democrats, like Rep. Marie Woodson (D-Pembroke Pines) a Haitian migrant herself — have warned for months what these mass deportations could mean for Florida. Her concern is a rise in bigotry and racial profiling. “For those who are afraid, I’ll tell you this— be afraid of Trump because he has proven to you who he is," said Woodson. “Okay, mass deportation. In mass deportation, you don't know who's going to be in that ‘mass.’ But we know for sure he doesn't want the people who came from the Biden program. Our brothers and sisters in Ohio. He doesn't want them here. He doesn't want the TPS recipient. He doesn't want Haitians in general.” There’s a major economic concern too. The latest data from the American Immigration Council show Florida has one of the highest populations of undocumented in the country, about 1.1 million. They’re about seven percent of the workforce here — with jobs in ag, hospitality, and construction, contributing about $2 billion to state and local taxes alone. The Brookings Institution recently suggested mass deportation could also lead to a decrease in work for citizens. Researchers found for every half million deported, U.S.-born employment dropped by about 44,000. “Occupations common among unauthorized workers, such as construction laborers and cooks, are essential to keep businesses operating,” the report said, in part. "Deporting workers in these jobs affects U.S.-born workers too." Florida’s governor and lawmakers have multiple state immigration laws already on the books, with strict work verification rules for employers. They have said they’re more focused on making the labor market inhospitable rather than mass deportation. "We're protecting Floridians with the full extent of our powers to do that," DeSantis said in May of last year, before signing an immigration reform bill. "But it's sad. It's sad to see what's happened. It's sad to see these images of the lawlessness." A new era may be on the horizon, however. For now, Florida’s lawmaking leaders seem content with waiting to see what happens next before going further. This story was originally published by Forrest Saunders at Scripps News Tampa .TORONTO — The Grey Cup-champion Toronto Argonauts signed American running back Kevin Brown on Friday. The five-foot-nine, 205-pound Brown rushed for 522 yards on 101 carries in 12 games last season with the Edmonton Elks. He added 22 catches for 138 yards before finishing the ’24 campaign on the CFL club’s practice roster. In 2023, Brown ran for 1,141 yards and four TDs with Edmonton. He also had 28 receptions for 222 yards and a touchdown. Brown, 28, spent three seasons with the Elks, running for 2,149 yards (six-yard average) and five TDs. He added 74 catches for 536 yards and a touchdown in 37 regular-season games. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2024. The Canadian Press
This week, Minister of Racing Winston Peters announced the end of greyhound racing in the interests of animal welfare . Soon after, a law to criminalise killing of redundant racing dogs was passed under urgency in Parliament . The next day, the minister introduced the Racing Industry Amendment Bill to preserve the TAB's lucrative monopoly on sports betting which provides 90 percent of the racing industry's revenue. "Offshore operators are consolidating a significant market share of New Zealand betting - and the revenue which New Zealand's racing industry relies on is certainly not guaranteed," Peters told Parliament in support of the Bill. But offshore tech companies have also been pulling the revenue rug out from under local news media companies for years, and there has been no such speedy response to that. Digital platforms offer cheap and easy access to unlimited overseas content - and tech companies' dominance of the digital advertising systems and the resulting revenue is intensifying. Profits from online ads shown to New Zealanders go offshore - and very little tax is paid on the money made here by the likes of Google and Facebook. On Tuesday, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith did introduce legislation to repeal advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays. "As the government we must ensure regulatory settings are enabling the best chance of success," he said in a statement. The media have been crying out for this low-hanging fruit for years - but the estimated $6 million boost is a drop in the bucket for broadcasters, and little help for other media. The big bucks are in tech platforms paying for the local news they carry. Squeezing the tech titans In Australia, the government did it three years ago with a bargaining code that is funnelling significant sums to news media there. It also signalled the willingness of successive governments to confront the market dominance of 'big tech'. When Goldsmith took over here in May he said the media industry's problems were both urgent and acute - likewise the need to "level the playing field". The government then picked up the former government's Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill, modelled on Australia's move. But it languishes low down on Parliament's order paper, following threats from Google to cut news out of its platforms in New Zealand - or even cut and run from New Zealand altogether. Six years after his Labour predecessor Kris Faafoi first pledged to follow in Australia's footsteps in support of local media, Goldsmith said this week he now wants to wait and see how Australia's latest tough measures pan out . (The News Bargaining Incentive announced on Thursday could allow the Australian government to tax big digital platforms if they do not pay local news publishers there) Meanwhile, news media cuts and closures here roll on. The lid keeps sinking in 2024 "I've worked in the industry for 30 years and never seen a year like it," RNZ's Guyon Espiner wrote in the Listener this week, admitting to "a sense of survivor's guilt." Just this month, 14 NZME local papers will close and more TVNZ news employees will be told they will lose jobs in what Espiner described as "destroy the village to save the village" strategy. Whakaata Māori announced 27 job losses earlier this month and the end of Te Ao Māori News every weekday on TV. Its te reo channel will go online-only. Digital start-ups with lower overheads than established news publishers and broadcasters are now struggling too. "The Spinoff had just celebrated its 10th birthday when a fiscal hole opened up. Staff numbers are being culled, projects put on ice and a mayday was sent out calling for donations to keep the site afloat ," Espiner also wrote in his bleak survey for the Listener . Spinoff founder Duncan Grieve has charted the economic erosion of the media all year at The Spinoff and on its weekly podcast The Fold . In a recent edition, he said he could not carry on "pretending things would be fine" and did not want The Spinoff to go down without giving people the chance to save it. "We get some (revenue) direct from our audience through members, some commercial revenue and we get funding for various New Zealand on Air projects typically," Greive told Mediawatch this week. "The members' bucket is pretty solid. The commercial bucket was going quite well, and then we just ran into a brick wall. There has been a real system-wide shock to commercial revenues." "But the thing that we didn't predict which caused us to have to publish that open letter was New Zealand on Air. We've been able to rely on getting one or two projects up, but we've missed out two rounds in a row. Maybe our projects ... weren't good enough, but it certainly had this immediate, near-existential challenge for us." Critics complained The Spinoff has had millions of dollars in public money in its first decade. "While the state is under no obligation to fund our work, it's hard to watch as other platforms continue to be heavily backed while your own funding stops dead," Greive said in the open letter. The open letter said Creative NZ funding had been halved this year, and the Public Interest Journalism Fund support for two of the Spinoff's team of 31 was due to run out next year. "I absolutely take on the chin the idea that we shouldn't be reliant on that funding. Once you experience something year after year, you do build your business around that ... for the coming year. When a hard-to-predict event like that comes along, you are in a situation where you have to scramble," Grieve told Mediawatch . "We shot a flare up that our audience has responded to. We're not out of the woods yet, but we're really pleased with the strength of support and an influx of members." Newshub shutdown A recent addition to the Spinoff's board - Glen Kyne - has already felt the force of the media's economic headwinds in 2024. He was the CEO of Warner Brothers Discovery NZ and oversaw the biggest and most comprehensive news closure of the year - the culling of the entire Newshub operation . "It was heart-wrenching because we had looked at and tried everything leading into that announcement. I go back to July 2022, when we started to see money coming out of the market and the cost of living crisis starting to appear," Kyne told Mediawatch this week. "We started taking steps immediately and were incredibly prudent with cost management. We would get to a point where we felt reasonably confident that we had a path, but the floor beneath our feet - in terms of the commercial market - kept falling. You're seeing this with TVNZ right now." Warner Brothers Discovery is a multinational player in broadcast media. Did they respond to requests for help? "They were empathetic. But Warner Brothers Discovery had lost 60-70 percent of its share price because of the issues around global media companies as well. They were very determined that we got the company to a position of profitability as quickly as we possibly could. But ultimately the economics were such that we had to make the decision." Smaller but sustainable in 2025? Or managed decline? Kyne did a deal with Stuff to supply a 6pm news bulletin to TV channel Three after the demise of Newshub in July. He is one of a handful of people who know the sums, but Stuff is certainly producing ThreeNews now with a fraction of the former budget for Newshub. Can media outlets settle on a shape that will be sustainable, but smaller - and carry on in 2025 and beyond? Or does Kyne fear media are merely managing decline if revenue continues to slump? "It's slightly terrifying because the downward pressures are going to continue into next year. Three created a sustainable model for the 6pm bulletin to continue. "Stuff is an enormous newsgathering organisation, so they were able to make it work and good luck to them. I can see that bulletin continuing to improve as the team get more experience." No news is really bad news If news can't be sustained at scale in commercial media companies even on reduced budgets, what then? Some are already pondering a 'post-journalism' future in which social media takes over as the memes of sharing news and information. How would that pan out? "We might be about to find out," Greive told Mediawatch . "Journalism doesn't have a monopoly on information, and there are all kinds of different institutions that now have channels. A lot of what is created ... has a factual basis. Whether it's a TikTok-er or a YouTuber, they are themselves consumers of news. "A lot of people are replacing a habit of reading the newspaper and listening to ZB or RNZ with a new habit - consuming social media. Some of it has a news-like quality but it doesn't have vetting of the information and membership of the Media Council ... as a way of restraining behaviour. "We've got a big question facing us as a society. Either news becomes this esoteric, elite habit that is either pay-walled or alternatively there's public media. If we [lose] freely-accessible, mass-audience channels, then we'll find out what democracy, the business sector, the cultural sector looks like without that. "In communities where there isn't a single journalist, a story can break or some someone can put something out ... and if there's no restraint on that and no check on it, things are going to happen. "In other countries, most notably Australia, they've recognised this looming problem, and there's a quite muscular and joined-up regulator and legislator to wrestle with the challenges that represents. And we're just not seeing that here." They are in Australia. In addition to the News Bargaining Code and the just-signalled News Bargaining Incentive, the Albanese government is banning social media for under-16s . Meta has responded to pressure to combat financial scam advertising on Facebook. Here, the media policy paralysis makes the government's ferries plan look decisive. What should it do in 2025? To-do in 2025 "There are fairly obvious things that could be done that are being done in other jurisdictions, even if it's as simple as having a system of fines and giving the Commerce Commission the power to sort of scrutinize large technology platforms," Greive told Mediawatch . "You've got this general sense of malaise over the country and a government that's looking for a narrative. It's shocking when you see Australia, where it's arguably the biggest political story - but here we're just doing nothing." Not quite. There was the holiday ad reform legislation this week. "Allowing broadcasting Christmas Day and Easter is a drop in the ocean that's not going to materially change the outcome for any company here," Kyne told Mediawatch . "The Fair Digital News Bargaining bill was conceived three years ago and the world has changed immeasurably. "You've seen Australia also put some really thoughtful white papers together on media regulation that really does bring a level of equality between the global platforms and the local media and to have them regulated under common legislation - a bit like an Ofcom operates in the UK, where both publishers and platforms, together are overseen and managed accordingly. "That's the type of thing we're desperate for in New Zealand. If we don't get reform over the next couple of years you are going to see more community newspapers or radio stations or other things no longer able to operate." Grieve was one of the media execs who pushed for Commerce Commission approval for media to bargain collectively with Google and Meta for news payments. Backing the Bill - or starting again? Local media executives, including Grieve, recently met behind closed doors to re-assess their strategy. "Some major industry participants are still quite gung-ho with the legislation and think that Google is bluffing when it says that it will turn news off and break its agreements. And then you've got another group that think that they're not bluffing, and that events have since overtaken [the legislation]," he said. "The technology platforms have products that are always in motion. What they're essentially saying - particularly to smaller countries like New Zealand - is: 'You don't really get to make laws. We decide what can and can't be done'. And that's quite a confronting thing for legislators. It takes quite a backbone and quite a lot of confidence to sort of stand up to that kind of pressure." The government just appointed a minister of rail to take charge of the current Cook Strait ferry crisis. Do we need a minister of social media or tech to take charge of policy on this part of the country's infrastructure? "We've had successive governments that want to be open to technology, and high growth businesses starting here. But so much of the internet is controlled by a small handful of platforms that can have an anti-competitive relationship with innovation in any kind of business that seeks to build on land that they consider theirs," Greive said. "A lot of what's happened in Australia has come because the ACCC, their version of the Commerce Commission, has got a a unit which scrutinises digital platforms in much the same way that we do with telecommunications, the energy market and so on. Here there is just no one really paying attention. And as a result, we're getting radically different products than they do in Australia." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
- Previous: wolf point casino montana
- Next: wolf reels casino
