Latest News from ElWatan
National Post
3 minutes ago
- Business
- National Post
Homeownership, or Travels: Canadian Generations Are Shaping Different Life Milestones and Financial Goals
Article content From homeownership and career success to personal growth and exploration, Canadians are telling us what it means to achieve success in today's world, with many identifying travels as a top necessity for an accomplished life, before more traditional routes. Article content Article content MONTREAL — With economic uncertainty reshaping financial priorities, Canadians are increasingly finding themselves at a crossroads when having to prioritize big spending decisions. In a recent survey fielded in March 2025 by Arlington Research and polling 1,500 adults living in Canada who had flown at least once in the past two years, FlightHub took a deep dive into Canadians' sentiments surrounding travel and how it compares to other life milestones, such as homeownership and career, to see if the needle was moving as to what was seen as a luxury – or a necessary – activity. Article content Canadians (also) define success through experiences – and travel is key Article content The white picket-fence dream does not seem to be a one-size-fits all dream: in a close tie with the traditional focus on homeownership, travel is now seen as a significant milestone. According to the survey, 60 per cent of respondents view travel as an important life achievement, slightly surpassing homeownership (58%), earning a high income (44%), having children (41%) and career advancement (38%). Article content While 54 per cent of respondents own a home, 30 per cent are saving to buy one and 14 per cent have no plans for homeownership. However, 61 per cent of respondents agree that if real estate were more affordable, they would prioritize homeownership over travel. Article content 'Canadians' view of success now also integrates different experience-based milestones. While other work or home-related goals are still strong symbols of achievement, the survey highlights that many are finding success in life's experiences, particularly in travel,' says Henri Chelhot, CEO of FlightHub. 'Travel is no longer just about leisure – it's a powerful tool for personal growth, exploration and creating memories.' Article content How do both those experiential and material success milestones materialize when it comes to financial planning and budget choices? The survey found that Canadians prioritize saving for retirement first (70%), followed by buying at home (66%), paying off their debts (62%), travelling (58%), and buying a car (32%). Article content However, when asked about budget management to respond to economic uncertainty and inflation, it appears Canadians are quite protective of their travel money, which came in fourth position of expenses Canadians say they would cut to make ends meet (41% ranked it as one of the top 3 choices, and only 18% as their top budget cut). Before cutting down on travel spends, respondents indicated that would first reduce restaurants (62%), entertainment (58%) and gift-giving (46%). In fact, travel comes in as the last experience-based expense people would trade-off for food on the table, or other utilities (clothing, 33%, transportation, 10%, groceries, 8%, utilities, 6%). Article content Additionally, 62 per cent of respondents indicated they would gladly reallocate funds from material purchases such as clothing, electronics, or furniture to fund a trip. Article content The survey also underscores the growing importance of travel in Canadians' lifestyles. For 32 per cent of respondents, travel is seen as a necessity – an essential part of their routine and something they could not live without. Another 46 per cent describe travel as a luxury, while 22 per cent identify it as a 'nice-to-have' but not crucial. Article content In fact, 67 per cent of respondents overall consider travel an investment in personal growth – a figure that rises significantly among those who view travel as essential (88%). Article content The survey also highlights clear generational differences in attitudes towards travel. Millennials, Gen X and Boomers were more likely to view travel as a necessity and a factor of success and personal growth, therefore prioritizing it over material goods. These groups also have a higher annual average income and are more likely to own a home. On the other hand, Gen Z, with an income under $100,000, still paying off debt, renting and saving to buy a home, are more likely to see travel as a luxury, but also more largely agreeing they would prioritize real estate over travel if it was more affordable. They tend to balance or prioritize material purchases. Article content 'Through generational realities and financial means, it is interesting to notice a strong appetite for investing in experiences despite economic uncertainties,' concluded Chelhot. 'Travel being prioritized over daily and more easily accessible entertainment spendings, such as restaurants, points to the financial commitment to mobility and adventure as a fuel for personal growth in other ways than the more traditional routes. As Canadians want to explore outside their homes, the survey is also a good reminder to work collectively within the industry to provide accessible and affordable travel options for all budgets, and notably younger generations.' Article content About the Survey Article content The survey, conducted by Arlington research team, was in field from March 12-17, 2025, and engaged a sample of 1,500 Canadians who have flown for business or leisure in the past two years. For comparison purposes only, a survey of this size would have a margin of error of +/- 3% at a confidence level of 95%. Article content FlightHub™, a Momentum Ventures subsidiary, is a leading North American online travel agency (OTA) based in Montreal, Canada. FlightHub proudly serves millions every year, enabling more people to visit new places and explore new cultures. FlightHub's goal is to offer travellers the most affordable flights, optimal itineraries, and exceptional customer service. The leading online travel agency (OTA) believes that broadening travel possibilities and connecting people across borders increases human consciousness, reduces fear, and inspires positive change. Founded in 2012, FlightHub has facilitated more than 30 million connections. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
Indian Express
4 minutes ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Gauri Lankesh murder: witness makes U turn on association with accused at arms training camps
A prosecution witness in the Gauri Lankesh murder trial who had given detailed statements to a magistrate about his participation in multiple arms training camps conducted by a right-wing Hindutva syndicate implicated in the crime turned hostile on Wednesday. The 37-year-old prosecution witness, who is involved in grassroot politics in Karnataka's Belagavi region, was declared hostile by the state special public prosecutor after he denied all the statements he had made in September 2018 under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The witness, who had identified several people arrested for the September 5, 2017, murder of the journalist as participants in the training camps, also rejected the test identification parade he had participated in at the Bengaluru prison in November 2018 and claimed that he had identified the accused persons under police duress, prosecution sources said. During a cross-examination in the court after being declared hostile by the prosecution, the witness denied the charge that he was deviating from his earlier statements due to pressure from the accused–most of whom were granted bail last year. A chargesheet filed by a Special Investigation Team of the Karnataka police, which investigated the shooting of the 55-year-old journalist outside her home in Bengaluru, has statements by several accused people and witnesses regarding training camps where coaching was also provided in the use of arms and explosives. The SIT has arrested 17 people linked to various fringe Hindutva groups for the murder of Gauri Lankesh, which was allegedly coordinated by people formerly associated with the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, a Sanatan Sanstha affiliate, and who created a crime syndicate to target critics of Hindutva politics. The SIT filed a chargesheet in the case on November 23, 2018. Statements about the training camps recorded in the chargesheet have been given by as many as three people arrested in the case and four witnesses who were part of the camps. The witness who was declared hostile on Wednesday stated before a magistrate in 2018 about being approached by two persons—including Amol Kale, 38, a former HJS convenor and alleged chief coordinator of the right-wing crime syndicate–for participation in the training camps and recruitment of like-minded youths in Belagavi. When summoned to the witness box in the trial, the 37-year-old witness denied knowing Kale and others who were part of the syndicate's activities from 2011 to 2017. He denied receiving instructions to identify critics of Hindutva and being trained in the use of guns and explosives at multiple locations–including at two camps held in Maharashtra's Jalna and near Dharmasthala in Karnataka in 2015. The witness also denied recruiting and taking three people from Belagavi for a training camp in Jalna around January 2015, where a Belagavi man accused in the August 30, 2015, murder of the Kannada scholar Prof M M Kalburgi in Dharwad was also allegedly a participant. The witness had also mentioned the presence of as many as four external trainers at some of the camps who were experts in the use of explosives and subversion tactics. The external trainers were only identified as Bade Mahatmaji, Chote Mahatmaji or Bade Babaji and Bhai Sab and their real identities were not revealed, he stated in 2018. 'The members of this crime syndicate were continuously provided with various kinds of training in the making and usage of weapons and explosives at many places. Local members of the syndicate took up the responsibility of organising these training camps at the different locations,' the SIT stated in its chargesheet. Among those accused in the Gauri Lankesh murder and other cases who allegedly attended the training camps are Amit Degwekar, Virendra Tawade, Sharad Kalaskar, Shrikant Pangarkar, Vasudev Suryavanshi, Ganesh Miskin, Amit Baddi, Bharat Kurne, Sachin Andhure, and Praveen Chatur. Sharad Kalaskar was convicted last year in the murder of the Maharashtra rationalist Narendra Dabholkar in Pune in 2013. He provided details of the training camps he attended to the CBI, which investigated the Dabholkar murder case. The witness who turned hostile this week is the third prosecution witness to turn hostile among the 183 prosecution witnesses presented in court till May 28 in the trial that began on July 4, 2022. Over 400 witnesses have been identified in the case. In August 2023, a prosecution witness from Udupi who was also identified among the people recruited by the right-wing Hindutva syndicate for extremist activities denied attending meetings and a training camp of the group. The prosecution witness had earlier given a statement to a magistrate about going to Pune for arms training at the instance of Praveen Kumar alias Sujit Kumar, an arrested recruiter for the right-wing extremist outfit linked to the murders of Gauri Lankesh and three others. Last year, a prosecution witness linked to the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti who is alleged to have loaned his Splendor motorcycle to an accused person, H L Suresh, to facilitate the recce of the home of the journalist in Bengaluru turned hostile. The witness denied association with the HJS and ownership of the bike that was still registered in his mother's name. Gauri Lankesh was killed after four bullets were fired at her outside her home by a man now identified by the SIT as Parashuram Waghmore, a former activist of the right-wing Sri Rama Sena outfit. A forensic analysis of the four empty cartridges and the four bullets fired to kill Lankesh showed that the markings on the bullets and cartridges were the same as markings found on bullets and cartridges recovered from the site of the killing of Kannada scholar and researcher M M Kalburgi in the northern Karnataka town of Dharwad on August 30, 2015. Findings from the comparison of ballistic evidence from the Lankesh and Kalburgi cases also revealed that the 7.65 mm country-made gun used in the two murders in Karnataka had also been used in the shooting of the Leftist thinker Govind Pansare, 81, in Maharashtra's Kolhapur on February 16, 2015. The ballistic evidence also indicated that one of the two guns used in the Pansare murder was used to kill the rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, 69, in Pune on August 20, 2013. The Karnataka SIT has named 17 people from right-wing Hindutva fringe outfits for the conspiracy and murder of Gauri Lankesh. The accused have been charged for murder and involvement in an organised crime activity under the Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA) 2000. 'The members of this organisation targeted persons whom they identified to be inimical to their belief and ideology. The members strictly followed the guidelines and principles mentioned in 'Kshatra Dharma Sadhana', a book published by Sanatan Sanstha,' the SIT said after it filed a 9,235-page chargesheet on November 23, 2018.
Telegraph
4 minutes ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Our pensions are no longer in safe hands
Labour's solemn election promise not to tax 'working people' has not aged well. Rachel Reeves promptly used her first Budget to unleash a jobs tax on employers that has helped to see unemployment rise and job vacancies wither. The Chancellor will argue that this is not a direct tax on workers' pay packets, but she will have been fully aware of the inevitable consequences: wage suppression and higher prices for consumers. But less than a year after winning power and it seems Labour has given up all pretences that workers do not face tax rises. This week, HM Revenue and Customs unveiled plans to explore a tax raid on pension contributions made via salary sacrifice work schemes. This would be a blatant and direct tax attack on our pay slips. The ideas on the table could cost the average earner more than £500 a year in extra income tax and National Insurance – and whittle away their pension pot and their retirement potential. The most unpalatable suggestion is stripping workers of both income tax and National Insurance relief on contributions. This would be nothing short of theft given retirees are now paying record amounts of income tax on their pensions and at record rates. Also this week, Reeves pushed ahead with plans to steer pension funds into investing a proportion of their holdings into British companies, with ministers wanting the power to force funds to comply if necessary. None of this is putting the saver's interests first. This all comes after warnings that the Chancellor could be forced to raise taxes by up to £30bn in the next Budget to fund benefit giveaways and the rising cost of borrowing. It now seems certain that pensions will be targeted again in the Autumn Budget. It would be the latest in a long line of pension tax raids mooted by this Government. Reeves has already unleashed an inheritance tax raid on retirement savings, and last year she was considering plans to slash the tax-free pension lump sum down to £100,000. As a rising star in the Labour Party, she also told of her ambition to reduce tax relief for higher earners and to put a lifetime cap on Isa contributions. This is on top of Angela Rayner's demands to reinstate the pensions lifetime allowance and to force more of us to pay the highest rate of income tax. This Government has so far proved unashamed in its entitlement to tax whatever it sees fit, but it is more worrying than that. Labour has shown a disregard for the security and confidence workers need when it comes to our retirement savings. Ministers have been at best naive and at worst incompetent, but the overarching message is that our pensions are no longer in safe hands. The goalposts could move at any point. Savers need incentives and assurance to put money away for retirement, and a failure to save will mean more pensioners falling back on the state. None of this meddling is helping anyone. And the dreadful truth is that these tax raids, for which the Chancellor will deflect blame, come after public sector workers were awarded inflation-busting pay rises and bigger pensions. The Chancellor is mollycoddling one part of Britain and exploiting another to pay for it. It's short-sighted politics at its very worst.
CNBC
4 minutes ago
- Business
- CNBC
Best Buy cuts full-year sales and profit guidance as tariffs raise cost of electronics
Best Buy on Thursday missed quarterly revenue expectations and cut its full-year sales and profit guidance as higher tariffs increase the costs of many consumer electronics that it sells. For its fiscal 2026, the retailer said it now expects $41.1 billion to $41.9 billion of revenue, down from its previous range of $41.4 billion to $42.2 billion. It said it expects adjusted earnings per share to range from $6.15 to $6.30, which compares to prior guidance of $6.20 to $6.60. In a news release, CFO Matt Bilunas said the company's outlook anticipates that tariffs will stay at the current levels and there will be "no material change in consumer behavior from the trends we have seen in recent quarters." "As you can imagine, and based on our history, we will continue to scenario-plan and adjust with agility as the situation evolves," he said. Here's how the consumer electronics company did compared with what Wall Street was expecting for the company's fiscal first quarter, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG: Best Buy's net income in the three-month period that ended May 3 declined about 18% to $202 million, or 95 cents per share, from $246 million, or $1.13 per share, in the year-ago period. First-quarter revenue dropped from $8.85 billion in the year-ago period. Best Buy is a closely watched name when it comes to the impact of tariffs since it sells iPhones, TVs, laptops, kitchen appliances and many other consumer electronics that tend to be made in China or other parts of Asia. CEO Corie Barry said in March that China and Mexico are the company's top two sources of merchandise, with about 55% and 20% of its products coming from those countries, respectively. The U.S. currently has a 30% tariff on imports from China, while goods compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement are exempt from the Trump administration's 25% duty on Mexico. It is unclear now how those rates will change after a federal trade court struck down many of Trump's tariffs on Wednesday. As of Wednesday's close, shares of Best Buy are down nearly 17% so far this year. That trails behind the roughly flat performance of the S&P 500 year to date. Shares of Best Buy closed at $71.52 on Wednesday, bringing the company's market value to $15.14 billion.
Bloomberg
4 minutes ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Kohl's Beats Expectations in Wake of Dramatic CEO Firing
By Updated on Save Kohl's Corp. reported better-than-expected comparable sales, signaling that the retailer's turnaround plan may be beginning to take hold. Comparable sales fell 3.9% in the three months ended May 3, slightly better than what analysts were expecting. The company said earlier this month it expected comparable sales to fall 4% to 4.3%. The company reported revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, roughly in line with analysts' expectations.
