Class A state championship: Billings Central wins first state title since 2018 with victory over LaurelNarita International Airport now has a zero tolerance policy for abusive passengers. Other businesses are also reporting a rise in threats to employees. Is famously polite Japan becoming less tolerant? Tired of the angry outbursts, shouted threats and even incidents of violence, the operator of Narita International Airport has become the first in Japan to implement a zero-tolerance policy against harassment of its staff. The airport is not alone in acting to protect its employees, with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government passing a local ordinance on October 4 designed to protect people working in the service sector from abuse, threats and unreasonable demands as such cases become more commonplace. The management of Narita Airport, which serves Tokyo, said it had been obliged to act due to an increase in confrontations between passengers and staff. The new policy defines harassment as any act that "harms the working environment of airport staff physically or psychologically" and includes insulting employees, yelling, verbal abuse, discrimination and defamation. Staff shocked at incidents A new ground handler at another major Japanese airport was taken aback by how often travellers lose their temper. "It happened to me again last week," said the woman, who declined to be identified as she did not have the permission of her employer to speak publicly. "A passenger's suitcase was over the weight limit and he became enraged that we would not allow him to check it in." "He was shouting, banging on the desk with his fist and kicking the case," she told DW. "This went on for about 15 minutes but we did not back down, so in the end he had to pay the excess baggage fee. It was not all that much and I do not understand why he became so aggressive." She noted that some ground staff give in to threats, which may encourage others to do the same. In June, the 1.8 million-strong UA Zensen Union published the results of a survey that indicated that 46.8% of workers in Japan's service industry had been the target of customers in the previous two years. Some had been so traumatized by the experience, the report said, that they had required counselling. "Japan has such high standards of polite service, but with that comes similarly expected norms for customers," said Roy Larke, senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Waikoto, New Zealand, and an expert on retailing and consumer behavior in Japan. "When these expectations break down, even if only in a few well reported cases, it will be quite shocking for many," he told DW. Cafe in Japan aims to include people with dementia To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Educating the customer "In the same way that e-commerce firms are now attempting to educate the customer to accept slower deliveries and how some supermarkets companies are introducing chairs for cashiers for the first time," said Larke, adding that there may be a need for "lower expectations from customers when shopping." "I would hypothesise that the combination of increased pressure is the main factor behind increased customer frustration," Larke said. Regardless of the cause, more companies are taking precautions. The nation's two largest air carriers, All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, in July unveiled new guidelines on passengers' behaviour, identifying abusive and aggressive language as unacceptable, along with threats, physical assaults of staff, unreasonable demands and sexual harassment. Technology developer Softbank Corp has developed a voice-altering phone technology that employs artificial intelligence and makes a furious caller sound calm to the company employee listing to a complaint. Supermarket chain Ito-Yokado Co has created a manual for dealing with difficult customers and introduced training on reporting violent behavior to the police and maneuvering threatening individuals into positions where they are recorded on CCTV. Manga, myths & homeopathy — Arts Unveiled To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Training of store staff Similarly, 24-hour convenience stores are training staff on how to respond to abusive customers and many outlets have introduced signs warning that misbehavior will not be tolerated and that the premises are monitored by security cameras. Morinosuke Kawaguchi, a technology analyst and consultant who was previously a lecturer at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, says Japanese society has become something of a minefield of potential harassment pitfalls as more people grasp what constitutes harassment and are willing to report incidents. "Japan is an extremely polite nation and society, but all the cases we hear about make it appear that we are becoming impolite," he told DW. "I think a big part of the problem is that everything is now being recorded on mobile phones so we are just seeing more cases." "This sort of behavior used to be the sort of thing young street thugs did, but virtually no one saw it happening," he added. "Now we have social media, it has become a big issue. I do not believe that Japan, as a society, really has become more impolite or aggressive." Edited by: Keith Walker

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Bell Potter has been busy picking out the best stocks to buy in 2025. Among its list of top picks are the two ASX 300 stocks named below. Let's see why its analysts are bullish on them: ( ) Bell Potter thinks this specialist software developer could be a top ASX 300 stock to buy in 2025. While the broker acknowledges that its shares look expensive on paper, it believes this is justified given its very strong growth potential. Commenting on its buy recommendation, the broker said: Gentrack develops, provisions, and integrates its billing/CRM platform into energy and water utilities, generating up-front project revenue (from deployments/integrations) that transitions into SaaS-type recurring revenue and embeds GTK within utility tech stacks long-term due to high switching costs. Demand for modern-day utilities billing solutions is growing rapidly due to dual tailwinds in (1) an evolving energy grid generating significant amounts of data and complexity in billing and customer management, and (2) legacy tech debt incurred from historical underinvestment in the utility billing stack. GTK has a track record of upgrading and beating guidance, with the interim result in May likely to be the next catalyst potentially from lumpy, large contract wins in Southeast Asia. GTK appears expensive at ~90x/~56x FY25e/26e however the valuation reflects high earnings leverage emerging, noting PEG ratios of ~1.2x and ~0.9x respectively. Bell Potter has a buy rating and $13.90 price target on its shares. Austal Ltd ( ) Another ASX 300 stock that is being tipped as a buy for 2025 by Bell Potter is Austal. It is one of the world's leading shipbuilders, providing design, manufacturing and support capabilities for defence and commercial customers. Bell Potter believes now is a great time to invest ahead of a material uptick in its earnings growth from FY 2025 onwards. It explains: ASB has established itself as a key contributor to both the US and Australian naval industrial bases, which is reflected in its record contract book of ~$12.7b AUD. The company was recently announced as the Australian Government's shipbuilder of choice in WA, which is likely to result in the award of several additional contracts (BPe ~$7b – $10b) as part of the renewal of the RAN fleet. Austal has successfully navigated the recent transition from legacy contracts to the current orderbook and we anticipate material earnings growth from FY25 onwards as these new programs mature. The broker has a buy rating and $3.75 price target on Austal's shares.

Class A state championship: Billings Central wins first state title since 2018 with victory over LaurelSome of the best (ASX: XKO) shares to buy are ones that we can hold for the long term. If we give our investments a , it gives the company more time to carry out business plans and can enable the power of to work its magic. We can then ask ourselves the question: Which companies might be undervalued because of the potential profit they can generate in the coming years? From the list of ASX 300 shares, I think there are three stocks that could generate stronger profits in the short term and long term (and are not overpriced for that potential). Let's explore. Tuas Ltd ( ) Tuas is a relatively new, it is today. The ASX 300 share has already built an impressive presence in Singapore, with more than 1 million active mobile subscribers at the end of . Excitingly, the business also expects to grow in the home broadband space, where it had around 4,000 subscribers at the end of FY24. There is reportedly strong consumer interest in the broadband segment. During its listed life, Tuas has demonstrated exactly what I want to see – rising revenue, increasing profit margins and expectations of a positive (in FY25). Why is it such a good buy-and-hold idea? Tuas has already shown it can succeed in one Asian country. I think it will eventually expand to other countries with larger populations, such as Malaysia and Indonesia. This could help the business unlock strong revenue potential and scale benefits. Lovisa Holdings Ltd ( ) Lovisa is one of the most promising on the ASX, in my opinion. It offers affordable jewellery with a focus on younger shoppers. The company has a global store network in numerous countries. I think now could be an opportune time to look at this ASX 300 share, considering its share price has fallen more than 20% since mid-October. Lovisa has impressed me with its ability to take its offering global and be so successful with it. At the end of , Lovisa had more than 10 stores in each of the following countries: Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, Poland, the United States and Canada. It grew its store count in nearly all of those countries. The company also has fewer than 10 stores in several compelling markets, including China, Vietnam, Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, Romania, and Mexico. I think there's a lot of potential to grow its store count in existing and new markets. FY24 saw Lovisa grow revenue by 17.1% to $698.7 million. Net profit grew even faster, increasing 20.9% to $82.4 million. With more stores in more countries, I predict that this business can become much larger in the next five to 10 years. Telstra Group Ltd ( ) Telstra is the largest telco business in Australia, with the most mobile subscribers and the widest network coverage. It also makes the biggest profit among its peers. I'm not sure what Australia's shopping habits will be like in 20 years, what the energy generation will look like and so on. But, I do think Australia will still need data transmitted by a company like Telstra, whether that's with 6G technology, 7G or something else. This ASX 300 share has a current advantage that I think it can continue to uphold with continued investment in its infrastructure. If Telstra succeeds in getting a growing number of households to sign up for wireless 5G-powered home internet as their broadband choice, it could transform its profit. This would enable Telstra to capture back a lot of the margin lost to the NBN. During the ownership of Telstra shares, investors could also receive pleasing dividend income. It currently offers a grossed-up of around 6.5% (including ).

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The S&P 500 fell less than 0.1% after spending the day wavering between small gains and losses. The tiny loss ended the benchmark index’s three-day winning streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1% and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.1%. Trading volume was lighter than usual as US markets reopened following the Christmas holiday. Semiconductor giant Nvidia, whose enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes, slipped 0.2%. Meta Platforms fell 0.7%, and Amazon and Netflix each fell 0.9%. Tesla was among the biggest decliners in the S&P 500, finishing 1.8% lower. Some tech companies fared better. Chip company Broadcom rose 2.4%, Micron Technology added 0.6% and Adobe gained 0.5%. Health care stocks were a bright spot. CVS Health rose 1.5% and Walgreens Boots Alliance added 5.3% for the biggest gain among S&P 500 stocks. Several retailers also gained ground. Target rose 3%, Ross Stores added 2.3%, Best Buy rose 2.9% and Dollar Tree gained 3.8%. Traders are watching to see whether retailers have a strong holiday season. The day after Christmas traditionally ranks among the top 10 biggest shopping days of the year, as consumers go online or rush to stores to cash in gift cards and raid bargain bins. US-listed shares in Honda and Nissan rose 4.1% and 16.4% respectively. The Japanese car makers announced earlier this week that the two companies are in talks to combine. All told, the S&P 500 fell 2.45 points to 6,037.59. The Dow added 28.77 points to 43,325.80. The Nasdaq fell 10.77 points to close at 20,020.36. Wall Street also got a labour market update. US applications for unemployment benefits held steady last week, though continuing claims rose to the highest level in three years, the Labour Department reported. Treasury yields mostly fell in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 4.58% from 4.59% late on Tuesday. Major European markets were closed, as well as Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. Trading was expected to be subdued this week with a thin slate of economic data on the calendar.

It’s not human to do this to your own child... monsters who killed my Sara should die in jail, says her heartbroken mumGoogle on Wednesday announced the launch of Gemini 2.0, its most advanced artificial intelligence model to date, as the world's tech giants race to take the lead in the fast developing technology. CEO Sundar Pichai said the new model would mark what the company calls "a new agentic era" in AI development, with AI models designed to understand and make decisions about the world around you. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Get the latest need-to-know information delivered to your inbox as it happens. Our flagship newsletter. Get our front page stories each morning as well as the latest updates each afternoon during the week + more in-depth weekend editions on Saturdays & Sundays.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Purchases New Position in Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ)WAKE FOREST 67, DETROIT MERCY 57

Voted #1 For Plumbing Service In Ann Arbor, MI And Beyond: Dynamic Drains Plumbing & Drain CleaningUS stocks experience mixed fortunes on quiet day of tradingGov. Kemp Initiates SREB Commission to Sync Southern Workforce with In-Demand Jobs

By DAVID BAUDER Time magazine gave Donald Trump something it has never done for a Person of the Year designee: a lengthy fact-check of claims he made in an accompanying interview. Related Articles National Politics | Trump’s lawyers rebuff DA’s idea for upholding his hush money conviction, calling it ‘absurd’ National Politics | Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time National Politics | Ruling by a conservative Supreme Court could help blue states resist Trump policies National Politics | A nonprofit leader, a social worker: Here are the stories of the people on Biden’s clemency list National Politics | Nancy Pelosi hospitalized after she ‘sustained an injury’ on official trip to Luxembourg The fact-check accompanies a transcript of what the president-elect told the newsmagazine’s journalists. Described as a “12 minute read,” it calls into question 15 separate statements that Trump made. It was the second time Trump earned the Time accolade; he also won in 2016, the first year he was elected president. Time editors said it wasn’t a particularly hard choice over other finalists Kamala Harris, Elon Musk, Benjamin Netanyahu and Kate Middleton. Time said Friday that no other Person of the Year has been fact-checked in the near-century that the magazine has annually written about the figure that has had the greatest impact on the news. But it has done the same for past interviews with the likes of Joe Biden, Netanyahu and Trump. Such corrections have been a sticking point for Trump and his team in the past, most notably when ABC News did it during his only debate with Democrat Kamala Harris this fall. There was no immediate response to a request for comment on Friday. In the piece, Time called into question statements Trump made about border security, autism and the size of a crowd at one of his rallies. When the president-elect talked about the “massive” mandate he had received from voters, Time pointed out that former President Barack Obama won more electoral votes the two times he had run for president. The magazine also questioned Trump’s claim that he would do interviews with anyone who asked during the campaign, if he had the time. The candidate rejected a request to speak to CBS’ “60 Minutes,” the magazine said. “In the final months of his campaign, Trump prioritized interviews with podcasts over mainstream media,” reporters Simmone Shah and Leslie Dickstein wrote. David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.