Iceland's centre-left Social Democrats look on course to win the most votes in a snap election, suggesting the political landscape is likely to be shaken up, although a snowstorm could still delay tallying of ballots. or signup to continue reading The North Atlantic island nation, home to 384,000 people, has enjoyed relative political stability since 2017 and ranks among the wealthiest countries in Europe per capita, bolstered by tourism, fisheries and cheap geothermal- and hydroelectric-powered aluminium production. However, inflation and borrowing costs that are near their highest level since the 2008 financial crisis have helped spark an economic slowdown, propelling growing hardship to the forefront of voters' concerns. A series of volcanic eruptions near the capital Reykjavik, causing displacement of thousands of people and costly infrastructure repairs, have also dampened tourism. A snowstorm in the northern and eastern part of the country could still delay the final result early on Sunday, according to public broadcaster RUV. Opinion polls ahead of the election had indicated that the ruling coalition of the Left-Green Movement, the conservative Independence Party, and the centre-right Progressive Party, in power for the last seven years, was likely to be unseated. However, the Independence Party led by Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson placed second after polls closed with just over 18 per cent of votes according to preliminary results, benefiting from a late surge in support. It was very closely followed by the centre-right Liberal Reform Party with just under 18 per cent, according to RUV. The centre-left Social Democratic Alliance, which was last in government between 2009 and 2013, stood to come in first by taking over 20 per cent of votes. Katrin Jakobsdottir of the Left-Green Movement resigned as prime minister in April to run for the presidency, a bid she lost. Her replacement, Bjarni Benediktsson, dissolved parliament in October and called an election following escalating coalition disagreements and public discontent over migration and energy and housing issues. Iceland's population has surged by 20 per cent over the past decade, the most significant increase among OECD nations, fueloed by high immigration rates, further pressuring housing and healthcare. While inflation and interest rates have recently started to decline, the cost of living crisis has reignited the question of EU membership in election debates. Polls suggest the pro-EU Social Democrats and the Liberal Reform Party combined would garner 40 per cent of votes. "The biggest issue here right now is cost of living," Social Democratic leader Kristrun Frostadottir told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. The 36-year-old economist, who took over as party leader two years ago, is a champion of the Nordic welfare model and a favourite to become the new prime minister. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement Advertisement

ALTOONA, Pa. — After UnitedHealthcare’s CEO was gunned down on a New York sidewalk, police searched for the masked gunman with dogs, drones and scuba divers. Officers used the city's muscular surveillance system. Investigators analyzed DNA samples, fingerprints and internet addresses. Police went door-to-door looking for witnesses. When an arrest came five days later, those sprawling investigative efforts shared credit with an alert civilian's instincts. A Pennsylvania McDonald's customer noticed another patron who resembled the man in the oblique security-camera photos that New York police had publicized. Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry speaks during a press conference regarding the arrest of suspect Luigi Mangione, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, in Hollidaysburg, Pa., in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey) Luigi Nicholas Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, was arrested Monday in the killing of Brian Thompson, who headed one of the United States’ largest medical insurance companies. He remained jailed in Pennsylvania, where he was initially charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. By late evening, prosecutors in Manhattan had added a charge of murder, according to an online court docket. He's expected to be extradited to New York eventually. It’s unclear whether Mangione has an attorney who can comment on the allegations. Asked at Monday's arraignment whether he needed a public defender, Mangione asked whether he could “answer that at a future date.” Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after the McDonald's customer recognized him and notified an employee, authorities said. Police in Altoona, about 233 miles (375 kilometers) west of New York City, were soon summoned. This booking photo released Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections shows Luigi Mangione, a suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (Pennsylvania Department of Corrections via AP) They arrived to find Mangione sitting at a table in the back of the restaurant, wearing a blue medical mask and looking at a laptop, according to a Pennsylvania police criminal complaint. He initially gave them a fake ID, but when an officer asked Mangione whether he’d been to New York recently, he “became quiet and started to shake,” the complaint says. When he pulled his mask down at officers' request, “we knew that was our guy,” rookie Officer Tyler Frye said at a news conference in Hollidaysburg. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a Manhattan news conference that Mangione was carrying a gun like the one used to kill Thompson and the same fake ID the shooter had used to check into a New York hostel, along with a passport and other fraudulent IDs. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Mangione also had a three-page, handwritten document that shows “some ill will toward corporate America." A law enforcement official who wasn’t authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity said the document included a line in which Mangione claimed to have acted alone. “To the Feds, I’ll keep this short, because I do respect what you do for our country. To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone,” the document said, according to the official. It also had a line that said, “I do apologize for any strife or traumas but it had to be done. Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming.” Pennsylvania prosecutor Peter Weeks said in court that Mangione was found with a passport and $10,000 in cash — $2,000 of it in foreign currency. Mangione disputed the amount. Thompson, 50, was killed last Wednesday as he walked alone to a midtown Manhattan hotel for an investor conference. Police quickly came to see the shooting as a targeted attack by a gunman who appeared to wait for Thompson, came up behind him and fired a 9 mm pistol. Investigators have said “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on ammunition found near Thompson’s body. The words mimic a phrase used to criticize the insurance industry. A poster issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation shows a wanted unknown suspect. (FBI via AP) From surveillance video, New York investigators gathered that the shooter fled by bike into Central Park, emerged, then took a taxi to a northern Manhattan bus terminal. Once in Pennsylvania, he went from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, “trying to stay low-profile” by avoiding cameras, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said. A grandson of a wealthy, self-made real estate developer and philanthropist, Mangione is a cousin of a current Maryland state legislator. Mangione was valedictorian at his elite Baltimore prep school, where his 2016 graduation speech lauded his classmates’ “incredible courage to explore the unknown and try new things.” He went on to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a spokesperson said. “Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” Mangione’s family said in a statement posted on social media late Monday by his cousin, Maryland lawmaker Nino Mangione. “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.” An NYPD police officer and K-9 dog search around a lake in Central Park, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) Luigi Nicholas Mangione worked for a time for the car-buying website TrueCar and left in 2023, CEO Jantoon Reigersman said by email. From January to June 2022, Mangione lived at Surfbreak, a “co-living” space at the edge of Honolulu tourist mecca Waikiki. Like other residents of the shared penthouse catering to remote workers, Mangione underwent a background check, said Josiah Ryan, a spokesperson for owner and founder R.J. Martin. “Luigi was just widely considered to be a great guy. There were no complaints,” Ryan said. "There was no sign that might point to these alleged crimes they’re saying he committed.” At Surfbreak, Martin learned Mangione had severe back pain from childhood that interfered with many aspects of his life, from surfing to romance, Ryan said. “He went surfing with R.J. once but it didn’t work out because of his back," Ryan said, but noted that Mangione and Martin often went together to a rock-climbing gym. Mangione left Surfbreak to get surgery on the mainland, Ryan said, then later returned to Honolulu and rented an apartment. Martin stopped hearing from Mangione six months to a year ago. Although the gunman obscured his face during the shooting, he left a trail of evidence in New York, including a backpack he ditched in Central Park, a cellphone found in a pedestrian plaza, a water bottle and a protein bar wrapper. In the days after the shooting, the NYPD collected hundreds of hours of surveillance video and released multiple clips and still images in hopes of enlisting the public’s eyes to help find a suspect. “This combination of old-school detective work and new-age technology is what led to this result today,” Tisch said at the New York news conference. ___ Scolforo reported from Altoona and Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Contributing were Associated Press writers Cedar Attanasio and Jennifer Peltz in New York; Michael Rubinkam and Maryclaire Dale in Pennsylvania; Lea Skene in Baltimore and Jennifer Sinco Kelleher in Honolulu. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!

'Abhorrent hate crime': PM calls out anti-Semitic raidVideo Telematics Market Growing Popularity and Emerging Trends in the Industry 12-09-2024 08:49 PM CET | IT, New Media & Software Press release from: AMA Research & Media LLP The latest study released on the global 'Video Telematics' market by AMA Research evaluates market size, trend, and forecast to 2030. The 'Video Telematics' market study covers significant research data and proofs to be a handy resource document for managers, analysts, industry experts and other key people to have ready-to-access and self-analyzed study to help understand market trends, growth drivers, opportunities and upcoming challenges and about the competitors. Get free access to Sample Report in PDF Version along with Graphs and Figures @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/171919-global-video-telematics-market?utm_source=OpenPR/utm_medium=Rahul Some of the key players profiled in the study are: Streamax (China), Geotab (Canada), Bendix (Lorain), AT&T Inc. (United States), CameraMatics (Ireland), FleetCam (South Africa), iCAM Video Telematics (South Africa), LightMetrics (India), Verizon Telematics (United States), VUE (United Kingdom), Telematics technology is used to help tackle a wide array of vital tasks which help keep fleets running smoothly & safely. The benefits of telematics services broadly categorised into three primary categories: operations, safety, and compliance. Video telematics combines video information, computer vision technology, and vehicle data to deliver insights that telematics alone cannot. Traditional driver telematics, for example, can give fuel information, as well as data about erratic driving events such as hard braking, swerving, or collisions. Video telematics gives the critical setting required to make long-term solutions. For illustration, the utilize of a cell phone while driving can be identified proactively before it results in a serious event. On 24 March 2021,Geotab, a worldwide pioneer in IoT & connected transportation, along with Lytx, a worldwide pioneer & pioneer of video telematics, declared the availability of an integrated camera solution from Surfsight. Keep yourself up-to-date with latest market trends and changing dynamics due to COVID Impact and Economic Slowdown globally. Maintain a competitive edge by sizing up with available business opportunity in Video Telematics Market various segments and emerging territory. Influencing Market Trend •The integration of cameras to enable different video-based solutions in commercial vehicle environments is an vital trend in the fleet telematics segment. Market Drivers •Benefits like Fuel Savings, Accident Prevention, Reduced Operational Cost •Emergence of Electric Vehicle Opportunities: •Untapped Market of Developing Market Challenges: •High Competition among Players Analysis by Application (Passenger Cars, Commercial Vehicle, Original Equipment Manufacturers), Distribution Channel (Online, Offline), Solution (Smartphone, Portable, Embedded) Have Any Questions Regarding Global Video Telematics Market Report, Ask Our Experts@ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/171919-global-video-telematics-market?utm_source=OpenPR/utm_medium=Rahul The regional analysis of Global Video Telematics Market is considered for the key regions such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America and Rest of the World. North America is the leading region across the world. Whereas, owing to rising no. of research activities in countries such as China, India, and Japan, Asia Pacific region is also expected to exhibit higher growth rate the forecast period 2024-2030. Table of Content Chapter One: Industry Overview Chapter Two: Major Segmentation (Classification, Application and etc.) Analysis Chapter Three: Production Market Analysis Chapter Four: Sales Market Analysis Chapter Five: Consumption Market Analysis Chapter Six: Production, Sales and Consumption Market Comparison Analysis Chapter Seven: Major Manufacturers Production and Sales Market Comparison Analysis Chapter Eight: Competition Analysis by Players Chapter Nine: Marketing Channel Analysis Chapter Ten: New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis Chapter Eleven: Manufacturing Cost Analysis Chapter Twelve: Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers Read Executive Summary and Detailed Index of full Research Study @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/reports/171919-global-video-telematics-market?utm_source=OpenPR/utm_medium=Rahul Highlights of the Report • The future prospects of the global Video Telematics market during the forecast period 2024-2030 are given in the report. • The major developmental strategies integrated by the leading players to sustain a competitive market position in the market are included in the report. • The emerging technologies that are driving the growth of the market are highlighted in the report. • The market value of the segments that are leading the market and the sub-segments are mentioned in the report. • The report studies the leading manufacturers and other players entering the global Video Telematics market. Contact Us: Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager) AMA Research & Media LLP Unit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJ New Jersey USA - 08837 Phone: +1(201) 7937323, +1(201) 7937193 sales@advancemarketanalytics.com About Author: AMA Research & Media is Global leaders of Market Research Industry provides the quantified B2B research to Fortune 500 companies on high growth emerging opportunities which will impact more than 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Our Analyst is tracking high growth study with detailed statistical and in-depth analysis of market trends & dynamics that provide a complete overview of the industry. We follow an extensive research methodology coupled with critical insights related industry factors and market forces to generate the best value for our clients. We Provides reliable primary and secondary data sources, our analysts and consultants derive informative and usable data suited for our clients business needs. The research study enables clients to meet varied market objectives a from global footprint expansion to supply chain optimization and from competitor profiling to M&As. This release was published on openPR.