The SNP’s soft approach to justice is fuelling Scotland’s shoplifting epidemic as teenagers see it as low risk, high reward, a senior police officer has said. Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs said that high demand at home and abroad for stolen items and cheaper products had made shoplifting an “appealing venture” for those under the age of criminal responsibility (12) as well as the under-25s. He said evidence showed that in the past five years there had been an increase in the overall number of under-18s who had turned to shoplifting . “The increasing cost of living, driven by fluctuations in market prices, and supply-chain pressures caused by political instability are all likely drivers,” Mairs said, “with the resulting high demand, domestically and internationally, for stolen items and cheaper products making shoplifting an appealing venture.Nonefortune gems jili 。

Investing in remains an attractive strategy given a volatile macro environment and shifting economic landscapes. In addition to a stable stream of recurring income, quality dividend stocks allow you to benefit from long-term capital gains. While the broader equity indices are trading near all-time highs, investors can still find fundamentally strong undervalued dividend stocks that can deliver outsized returns in 2025 and beyond. Canadian investors looking to deploy $1,000 right now can consider gaining exposure to energy infrastructure giant ( ) and clean energy powerhouse ( ). The two companies offer attractive dividend yields and possess certain competitive advantages, making them enticing investments. Let’s dive deeper. Valued at a of $131 billion, Enbridge is among the largest companies in Canada. It pays shareholders an annual dividend of $3.77 per share, translating to a forward yield of 6.3%. Notably, its dividends have risen by 10% annually over the last 29 years. Despite an uncertain macro environment, Enbridge demonstrated strong financial performance and strategic execution in the third quarter (Q3). In fact, it remains on track to end 2024 at the top end of its adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization) and distributable per share (DCF) guidance. The company had initially estimated EBITDA between $17.7 billion and $18.3 billion, with DCF per share of $5.40 and $5.80 per share in 2024. Given its midpoint DCF per share estimates, Enbridge has a payout ratio of 67%, which provides it with enough room to target accretive acquisitions and lower balance sheet debt. In the first nine months of 2024, Enbridge added $7 billion to its secured growth program and completed the acquisition of three natural gas utilities from . It expects to grow EBITDA at a compounded annual growth rate of at least 7% through 2026 due to a robust capital-allocation framework. Additionally, it has an annual investment capacity of $8 billion, $6 billion of which was allocated towards low-capital intensity expansions, modernization, and utilities rate base investments. Analysts expect ENB to expand adjusted earnings from $2.78 per share in 2024 to $3.2 per share in 2026. So, priced at 18.8 times , ENB stock is reasonably priced and should be part of your dividend portfolio in 2025. Brookfield Renewable Partners delivered a strong performance in Q3, achieving record funds from operations (FFO). Moreover, the company confirmed it is on track to meet its FFO per unit growth target of +10% for 2024. Brookfield attributed its Q3 results to asset development, acquisitions, and strong pricing across its portfolio. Its diverse business model across global power markets and its focus on mature low-cost technologies have allowed Brookfield Renewable to perform admirably in recent years. The company pays shareholders an annual dividend of US$1.42 per share, up from US$0.87 per share in 2011. Analysts forecast its adjusted FFO per share to expand from US$1.53 in 2023 to US$2 in 2026, indicating its dividend payout should continue to grow. Priced at less than 12 times forward FFO, BEP stock is relatively cheap, given its tasty dividend yield of over 6%. Analysts tracking the remain bullish and expect it to gain over 25% in the next 12 months.

Plastic Flower Pots and Planters (Larger than 3 inches) Market May See a Big Move: Novelty, Bloem, ElhoThe UK Government was warned that a “save David campaign” for UUP leader Lord Trimble would ruin progress made under the Good Friday Agreement. Extensive confidential documents in the lead-up to the collapse of Northern Ireland’s institutions in 2002 have been made available to the public as part of annual releases from the Irish National Archives. They reveal that the Irish Government wanted to appeal to the UK side against “manipulating” every scenario for favourable election results in Northern Ireland, in an effort to protect the peace process. In the years after the landmark 1998 Good Friday Agreement, a number of outstanding issues left the political environment fraught with tension and disagreement. Mr Trimble, who won a Nobel Peace Prize with SDLP leader John Hume for their work on the Agreement, was keen to gain wins for the UUP on policing, ceasefire audits and paramilitary disarmament – but also to present his party as firmer on these matters amid swipes from its Unionist rival, the DUP. These issues were at the front of his mind as he tried to steer his party into Assembly elections planned for May 2003 and continue in his role as the Executive’s first minister despite increasing political pressure. The documents reveal the extent to which the British and Irish Governments were trying to delicately resolve the contentious negotiations, conscious that moves seen as concessions to one group could provoke anger on the other side. In June 2002, representatives of the SDLP reported to Irish officials on a recent meeting between Mr Hume’s successor Mark Durkan and Prime Minister Tony Blair on policing and security. Mr Blair is said to have suggested that the SDLP and UUP were among those who both supported and took responsibility for the Good Friday Agreement. The confidential report of the meeting says that Mr Durkan, the deputy First Minister, was not sure that Mr Trimble had been correctly categorised. The Prime Minister asked if the SDLP could work more closely with the UUP ahead of the elections. Mr Durkan argued that Mr Trimble was not only not saleable to nationalists, but also not saleable to half of the UUP – to which Mr Blair and Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid are said to have laughed in agreement. The SDLP leader further warned that pursuing a “save David” campaign would ruin all they had worked for. Damien McAteer, an adviser for the SDLP, was recorded as briefing Irish officials on September 10 that it was his view that Mr Trimble was intent on collapsing the institutions in 2003 over expected fallout for Sinn Fein in the wake of the Colombia Three trial, where men linked to the party were charged with training Farc rebels – but predicted the UUP leader would be “in the toilet” by January, when an Ulster Unionist Council (UUC) meeting was due to take place. A week later in mid September, Mr Trimble assured Irish premier Bertie Ahern that the next UUC meeting to take place in two days’ time would be “okay but not great” and insisted he was not planning to play any “big game”. It was at that meeting that he made the bombshell announcement that the UUP would pull out of the Executive if the IRA had not disbanded by January 18. The move came as a surprise to the Irish officials who, along with their UK counterparts, did not see the deadline as realistic. Sinn Fein described the resolution as a “wreckers’ charter”. Doubts were raised that there would be any progress on substantive issues as parties would not be engaged in “pre-election skirmishing”. As that could lead to a UUP walkout and the resulting suspension of the institutions, the prospect of delaying the elections was raised while bringing forward the vote was ruled out. Therefore, the two Governments stressed the need to cooperate as a stabilising force to protect the Agreement – despite not being sure how that process would survive through the January 18 deadline. The Irish officials became worried that the British side did not share their view that Mr Trimble was not “salvageable” and that the fundamental dynamic in the UUP was now Agreement scepticism, the confidential documents state. In a meeting days after the UUC announcements, Mr Reid is recorded in the documents as saying that as infuriating as it was, Mr Trimble was at that moment the “most enlightened Unionist we have”. The Secretary said he would explore what the UUP leader needed to “survive” the period between January 18 and the election, believing a significant prize could avoid him being “massacred”. Such planning went out the window just weeks later, when hundreds of PSNI officers were involved in raids of several buildings – including Sinn Fein’s offices in Stormont. The resulting “Stormontgate” spy-ring scandal accelerated the collapse of powersharing, with the UUP pulling out of the institutions – and the Secretary of State suspending the Assembly and Executive on October 14. For his part, Irish officials were briefed that Mr Reid was said to be “gung ho” about the prospect of exercising direct rule – reportedly making no mention of the Irish Government in a meeting with Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan on that day. The Northern Ireland Secretary was given a new role and Paul Murphy was appointed as his successor. A note on speaking points for a meeting with Mr Murphy in April showed that the Irish side believed the May elections should go ahead: “At a certain stage the political process has to stand on its own feet. “The Governments cannot be manipulating and finessing every scenario to engineer the right result. “We have to start treating the parties and the people as mature and trusting that they have the discernment to make the right choices.” However, the elections planned for May did not materialise, instead delayed until November. Mr Trimble would go on to lose his Westminster seat – and stewardship of the UUP – in 2005. The November election saw the DUP emerge as the largest parties – but direct rule continued as Ian Paisley’s refused to share power with Sinn Fein, which Martin McGuinness’ colleagues. The parties eventually agreed to work together following further elections in 2007. – This article is based on documents in 2024/130/5, 2024/130/6, 2024/130/15Honda and Nissan, Japan’s second- and third-largest automakers, are holding merger talks to create a structure that would enable them to better withstand fierce competition from the likes of Tesla and Chinese electric vehicle (EV) rivals, according to reports. News agency Nikkei first reported that the two companies were holding merger talks to determine how they could cooperate more closely on technology. According to Reuters , the talks aim to set up an umbrella holding company and not necessarily merging the two companies together. Mitsubishi, which Nissan has a 24% stake in, is also considered to be included in the partnership. What’s for sure is that the two automakers have stepped up their cooperation in recent months as they seek a common strategy to address a fast-changing EV landscape. Both Honda and Nissan separately issued a statement confirming this much. “As announced in March of this year, Honda and Nissan are exploring various possibilities for future collaboration, leveraging each other’s strengths,” the statement says. Analysts believe Honda’s strengths in developing powertrains, notably for hybrids, could combine with Nissan’s experience in electric vehicles, which goes back to the LEAF in 2010. The two automakers’ partnership has been centering on technology for EVs , including components and software. What started as an alliance to face intense price competition from the likes of China’s BYD only intensified through the year as the global auto industry also recorded slowing sales in Europe and the U.S. In addition, the industry is now facing the potential reversal of pro-EV policies in the U.S. with the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump. The merger might also face scrutiny from the Trump administration, which has taken an aggressive stance on imported vehicles, including threats to impose steep tariffs. A Honda/Nissan merger would yield one of the largest auto groups in the world, with combined sales of about 8 million.

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