Delivery scams on rise amid Canada Post strike, holiday shopping season( MENAFN - GetNews) RoarFun proudly delivered cutting-edge entertainment and engagement solutions at Aviation Carbon 2024 , held at the London Heathrow Marriott Hotel. Partnering with a leading participant of the conference, RoarFun provided its state-of-the-art VR Motion Flight Simulator, transforming their exhibition stand into a must-visit destination for attendees. Designed to captivate and educate, the flight simulator experience incorporated the participant's branding and sustainability messaging, creating an immersive environment that aligned with the conference's focus on decarbonizing the aviation industry. Visitors to the stand were offered a unique opportunity to experience flight in a virtual setting while learning about the participant's innovative approaches to reducing carbon emissions. Over the two-day event, participants received brief educational sessions on primary flight controls before engaging in a simulated takeoff from London Heathrow Airport. Utilizing a motion platform replicating the movements of a Boeing 737-800 and a high-fidelity VR headset, the experience provided a realistic cockpit environment. Each session lasted 7-10 minutes, during which attendees took off, ascended to 5,000 feet, and executed an emergency landing back at Heathrow, all under the guidance of experienced support staff. “We are thrilled to have supported one of the conference's key participants by enhancing their presence with our VR Motion Flight Simulator hire,” said Lukas Skalka - Technology Specialist.“Our aim is to create unforgettable, impactful experiences that not only engage audiences but also amplify our clients' messages and values.” The collaboration reflects RoarFun's expertise in combining advanced virtual reality technology with tailored branding solutions to maximize engagement at high-profile events. The VR Motion Flight Simulator seamlessly blended entertainment with education, helping the participant attract significant attention and stand out in a competitive environment. RoarFun's commitment to innovation continues to empower brands to create meaningful connections with their audiences, even in complex industries like aviation. By integrating technology and storytelling, RoarFun delivers dynamic solutions that elevate event experiences and drive impactful communication. To rent racing and flight simulators with virtual branding integration become a powerful tool for marketing/PR managers at conferences and EXPOs worldwide. For more information about RoarFun's motion simulators, VR, virtual marketing solutions and event services, visit RoarFun's website link . MENAFN19122024003238003268ID1109014519 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.India’s Tech Mahindra aiming for bigger bite of bank tech spends, CEO says

BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts judge dismissed criminal charges Monday against a backer of Karen Read who admitted placing dozens of yellow rubber ducks and fake $100 bills around town in support of Read. Richard Schiffer Jr. had argued in Stoughton District Court that he had a First Amendment right to support the defense theory that Read — accused of ramming into her boyfriend John O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving the Boston police officer to die in a snowstorm — has been framed in the polarizing murder case. Schiffer’s attorney Timothy Bradl said Monday that the judge made the right call by quickly tossing the felony witness intimidation and criminal harassment charges against Schiffer. The ruling comes as another judge decided Monday to push back Read’s retrial to April after a mistrial was declared in July when jurors couldn’t reach an agreement. Read was facing second-degree murder charges and two other charges. Her attorneys have argued that other law enforcement officers were responsible for O’Keefe’s death. Regarding Schiffer’s charges, Bradl said, “There wasn’t a leg to stand on.” RELATED COVERAGE Highest court in Massachusetts hears arguments in Karen Read’s bid to dismiss murder charge A judge delays the wrongful death lawsuit against Karen Read until after her criminal trial Karen Read’s defense pushes to get charges dropped in her murder case “Hats off to the judge. He didn’t make everyone wait and ruled from the bench. Everything was completely protected by the First Amendment. This was political speech,” Bradl said. The Norfolk District Attorney’s office declined to comment. Schiffer has said he got the ducks idea after thinking about a defense lawyer’s closing argument that Read was framed . Alan Jackson told jurors that “if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s a duck.” Schiffer’s actions did not rise to the level of witness intimidation and criminal harassment “nor does his speech, or in this case his written word on fake currency and use of rubber toys, which are afforded the protections of the First Amendment,” Judge Brian Walsh wrote. “It is the view of this Court that the defendant’s conduct and speech, though a rather sophomoric expression of his opinion, is nonetheless protected speech,” he wrote. Walsh concluded the two-page ruling with quotes from Indiana poet James Whitcomb Riley, believed to have coined the “walks like a duck” phrase, and Robert McCloskey, author of the children’s book “Make Way For Ducklings.” The defense alleged that O’Keefe was actually killed inside the home of his fellow Boston officer Brian Albert and then dragged outside. They argued that investigators focused on Read because she was a “convenient outsider” who saved them from having to consider law enforcement officers as suspects. Schiffer has been among the dozens of Read supporters who accuse state and local law enforcement of a widespread cover-up. Their demonstrations have led to confrontations, especially in the town of Canton where the murder happened, between those who support Read and others who believe she is guilty. Schiffer, who owns Canton Fence and has said that he knows practically everyone in town through his contracting work, was accused of placing some of the ducks outside a pizza shop run by Brian Albert’s brother, Canton Selectman Chris Albert. Other ducks appeared in O’Keefe’s neighborhood.The fire was declared safe at 9:50am. or signup to continue reading Firefighters are attending a fire on the Bendigo-Murchison Road, around a five minute drive from Colbinabbin. According to VicEmergency, the fire is now under control, and six vehicles are on scene. The road is currently closed. The understands the fire involves a truck that is carrying around 20 tonnes of pinewood, and the fire spread to surrounding scrub. More to come. Brodie Everist is a Bendigo-based journalist who joined the Bendigo Advertiser in 2024 after covering news in North East Victoria for two years. Reach out with news or updates to brodie.everist@austcommunitymedia.com.au Brodie Everist is a Bendigo-based journalist who joined the Bendigo Advertiser in 2024 after covering news in North East Victoria for two years. Reach out with news or updates to brodie.everist@austcommunitymedia.com.au 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. 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Fresh daily!Canadian investment fund Brookfield said Wednesday it has dropped its bid for Spanish pharmaceutical firm Grifols following disagreement over its valuation. Brookfield and the Grifols family, which owns about a third of the Barcelona-based company that makes medicine derived from blood plasma, have since July been in talks to take it private. Earlier this month Brookfield made a 6.45-billion-euro bid for Grifols, offering a tentative non-binding price of 10.50 euros ($11) per share. Grifols swiftly rejected the bid, saying it "significantly underestimated the fundamental prospects and long-term potential" of the company. In a statement sent to Spanish stock market regulator CNMV, Brookfield said it was "not in a position to continue with a potential offer" for Grifols. Grifols said its board agreed that "it is not feasible that the transaction goes ahead" and remains focused on "improving the company's long-term value". Its share price plunged in January after US hedge fund Gotham City released a research note accusing the company of "manipulating" its reported debt and operational results to "artificially reduce" its debt ratio, and therefore its financing costs. Grifols has repeatedly denied the allegations. Gotham City is a prominent "short-seller" hedge fund that borrows stock in a company and sells it, hoping to buy it back cheaper to return it to the lender and pocket the difference. Grifols traces its history back to 1909, first as a blood analysis and transfusion laboratory before specialising in products derived from blood plasma. It is present in more than 30 countries including Australia, the United States and Japan. It posted revenue of 6.6 billion euros in 2023, a 10.9 percent increase over the previous year. vab/imm/cw

By ROB GILLIES TORONTO (AP) — Canada is already examining possible retaliatory tariffs on certain items from the United States should President-elect Donald Trump follow through on his threat to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products, a senior official said Wednesday. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if the countries don’t stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across southern and northern borders. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders. A Canadian government official said Canada is preparing for every eventuality and has started thinking about what items to target with tariffs in retaliation. The official stressed no decision has been made. The person spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly. When Trump imposed higher tariffs during his first term in office, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own. Canada, for instance, announced billions of new duties in 2018 against the U.S. in a tit-for-tat response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum. Many of the U.S. products were chosen for their political rather than economic impact. For example, Canada imports $3 million worth of yogurt from the U.S. annually and most comes from one plant in Wisconsin, home state of then-House Speaker Paul Ryan. That product was hit with a 10% duty. Another product on the list was whiskey, which comes from Tennessee and Kentucky, the latter of which is the home state of then-Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell. Trump made the threat Monday while railing against an influx of illegal migrants, even though the numbers at Canadian border pale in comparison to the southern border. The U.S. Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests at the Mexican border in October alone — and 23,721 arrests at the Canadian one between October 2023 and September 2024. Canadian officials say lumping Canada in with Mexico is unfair but say they are happy to work with the Trump administration to lower the numbers from Canada. The Canadians are also worried about a influx north of migrants if Trump follows through with his plan for mass deportations. Trump also railed about fentanyl from Mexico and Canada, even though seizures from the Canadian border pale in comparison to the Mexican border. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. Related Articles National Politics | Trump selects longtime adviser Keith Kellogg as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia National Politics | Trump’s tariffs in his first term did little to alter the economy, but this time could be different National Politics | Trump transition says Cabinet picks, appointees were targeted by bomb threats, swatting attacks National Politics | Southwest states certify election results after the process led to controversy in previous years National Politics | Political stress: Can you stay engaged without sacrificing your mental health? Canadian officials argue their country is not the problem and that tariffs will have severe implications for both countries. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports are from Canada. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security. “Canada is essential to the United States’ domestic energy supply,” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said. Trump has pledged to cut American energy bills in half within 18 months, something that could be made harder if a 25% premium is added to Canadian oil imports. In 2023, Canadian oil accounted for almost two-thirds of total U.S. oil imports and about one-fifth of the U.S. oil supply. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is holding a emergency virtual meeting on Wednesday with the leaders of Canada’s provinces, who want Trudeau to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the United States that excludes Mexico. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that her administration is already working up a list of possible retaliatory tariffs “if the situation comes to that.”

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Tenor Co-Founders James Cross (l) and Charlie Stigler (r) SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tenor , providers of AI-driven leadership development solutions that help every manager be more effective, today emerged from stealth and announced its seed funding round. Base10 Partners led the $5.4M round, with participation from Reach Capital and notable angel investors across the AI, HR technology, and learning spaces. Research shows that when managers are more effective, it has an outsized impact on the productivity and effectiveness of the overall organization. Every year, $60 billion is spent on leadership development globally - and this is set to grow, with a Gartner survey recently finding that leadership development is a top spending priority in 2025. Gartner also reported that traditional management training activities have a negative impact on managers' effectiveness. With companies eager to try new approaches, this creates a huge opportunity for AI innovation. Tenor brings a brand-new approach to this problem, enabled by AI. Tenor's platform helps managers hone their communication skills through realistic voice AI simulations that are hyper-tailored to their company's leadership philosophies. By receiving immediate coaching-style feedback, managers can track their growth and progress. With voice, text, Slack, and Teams integrations, Tenor's AI leadership coach can help managers to grow their skills in the flow of work. Enterprise-ready from day one, Tenor is SOC 2 Type 1 Certified, integrates with learning management systems, and has built-in AI trust and safety features. And Tenor will soon integrate across the HR stack, making the coaching experience personalized and contextual to each manager. "Tenor allows our managers to practice critical conversations right when they need it most – whether it's minutes before a feedback session or in preparation for a performance review," said Eli Bildner, senior director of Talent at Guild. "We're already seeing this ‘in-the-flow-of-work' learning boosting our managers' communication skills and confidence. With Tenor, we're not just investing in AI; we're investing in our managers' ability to lead effectively in real-world situations." "Nothing is more important to the success of a company than the effectiveness of its managers. Great leadership is about how you show up and engage with the people around you," said Tenor co-founder James Cross. "AI will help leaders be more effective across every dimension: how they communicate, how they set goals for their teams, how they give feedback, and how they're supported day-to-day as they face situations and challenges. This is one of the highest-leverage uses of AI for learning, and with this funding, we're building the defining platform in the category." Rexhi Dollaku, General Partner at Base10, commented, "As companies reimagine their businesses with the digital transformation AI is promising, having great managers becomes more important than ever. Tenor is already having clear and immediate impact for its early customers, and we are thrilled to see this company drive change in the HR market." About Tenor Tenor's co-founders, Charlie Stigler and James Cross, have dedicated their careers to unlocking human potential with technology. Their earlier start-ups were both acquired by Workday and serve as the foundation of Workday Learning, now one of the world's leading learning management systems. Their latest venture is Tenor, the AI platform for leadership development. For more information and to find out how Tenor can be easily incorporated into your learning and development programs, visit www.tenorhq.com About Base10 Partners Founded by Adeyemi Ajao and TJ Nahigian, Base10 is a San Francisco-based venture capital fund investing in founders who believe purpose is key to profits and in companies that are automating sectors of the Real Economy. Through its program the Advancement Initiative, Base10 donates a percentage of profits to underfunded colleges and universities to support financial aid and other key initiatives. Portfolio companies include Notion, Figma, Nubank, Stripe, Popmenu, and Aurora Solar. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/31ab07e2-f241-41fa-b00e-0c529709ab77 © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Canadian fund drops bid for Spanish pharma firm Grifols