buckshot roulette lobby music YOU might think buying beauty products second-hand is icky. But on many websites this means grabbing brand new, unopened items for a fraction of their original price. Cosmetics are one of the fastest growing areas for pre-owned buys, according to online marketplace Mercari. Lina Cameron, a make-up artist and natural beauty coach, regularly searches sites such as eBay and Vinted for discounted products to use on herself and her clients. On average, she reckons she saves about 50 per cent on the usual price. For example, she tries to buy her favourite cleanser by Eve Lom unopened on eBay. READ MORE MONEY SAVING IDEAS She has also bagged Dior eyeshadow pallets and Charlotte Tilbury setting powder for almost half the usual cost. “I have to have products in lots of shades for clients so this saves me a lot of money ,” she says. Currently, there are 100ml Eve Lom cleansers in their original, unopened packaging on eBay for £25. They usually retail for £65. Here, Lina reveals the risks and rewards of buying second-hand — and highlights the best sites to use and some of the current bargains. Most read in Money VINTED SELLERS can post pictures of their beauty products and say how much they want. Buyers can haggle but pay shipping and a buyer’s fee. Vinted rules state sellers can only list items that are unopened, unused and are in original packaging, including new cosmetics, devices and gadgets. Fenty Beauty skin tint, 32ml New: £29 Pre-owned: £11.20 eBay INDIVIDUALS may advertise beauty items they no longer want, but eBay does not allow cosmetics that have been opened or used. There are also businesses selling “imperfect beauty” items, factory seconds or products that are as new but come in damaged packaging. Tan Luxe The Face self-tan drops, 30ml New: £36 Pre-owned: £18.98 Reliked A SITE that sells pre-loved items, including beauty products, from influencers and celebrities. Discounts can be up to 70 per cent off retail price. The site guarantees every item is genuine and has come from “trusted personalities”. Cosmetics tend to be from online influencers. Milk Makeup Tint spritz, 5g New: £22 Pre-owned: £14 Depop ANYONE can list beauty products for sale on Depop and set their own price. But rules say cosmetics and perfumes must be genuine and unused. Buyers now have to pay a marketplace fee on top of the cost of the item, which is up to five per cent of the cost plus a fixed amount up to £1. Glossier soft touch lip creme, 6ml New: £24 Pre-owned: £8.99 This Is Beauty ALL products come directly from UK shops, including online and high street retailers, who cannot sell them due to the packaging being damaged or opened. Items are up to 70 per cent less than normal price. The site does a quality control check before listing an item for sale, stating what the issue is. Jimmy Choo eau de toilette spray New: £79 ???? Pre-owned: £40.95 Bop OPERATES in a similar way to This Is Beauty, sourcing products directly from brands. Each product is inspected and it only sells those that are new, unopened and safe for use. Packaging may be damaged or items were returned, excess or out-of-season stock, old formulations or had quality control issues. Philip Kingsley body building shampoo, 75ml New: £12 Pre-owned: £1.49 SHOPPING second-hand means a risk of buying fakes. Have a good look at the packaging and only buy items with lots of photographs, rather than just one. Check expiry dates, too. Organic products with few preservatives go out of date quickly. You may want to use a sanitising spray on products. Lina says: “You can spray powders, bronzers and powder product and kill 99.9 per cent of bacteria. Lipstick you can also spray or shave, but I would never buy lip gloss or mascara on a resale site.” When buying on Vinted, eBay or Depop, it is at your own risk, whereas some sites sanitise or do the checking for you. Other sites sell products direct from brands and shops that are guaranteed to have never been touched, but they may be missing packaging or have a dented box. GIFT CARDS BEING WASTED ARE you expecting to receive a gift card this Christmas ? If so, check the terms and make sure you use it before it expires. An estimated £300million in vouchers and cards go unspent every year, according to Sarah Coles, senior personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. After 18 months, top-selling gift card One4all loses 90p a month until the balance reaches zero. Others may end up being useless within months if a retailer goes bust. Sarah said: “The last few years have taught us that even big household names aren’t immune to this. "If they do go out of business it will be up to administrators whether they continue to accept vouchers, so they could be worth nothing.” Over the past few years, big-name retailers including Wilko , Paper-chase and M&Co have collapsed into admin-istration. While retailers such as Wilko continue to accept gift card payments until they close, this is not always the case when a retailer collapses. Lisa Webb, Which? consumer law expert, said: “You can try to make a claim in writing to the administrators with proof of your vouchers. “But before you do this, it is worth calling or visiting the store to check the voucher can be used.” READ MORE SUN STORIES Shoppers should also take care with vouchers for experience days as they have two deadlines – one for when the experience must be claimed and another for when the activity must take place. Olivia Marshall LLOYDS is giving customers who switch to one of its accounts £200 just in time for Christmas – but you need to be quick. The high street giant is offering the cash to new and existing customers who move to its Club Lloyds account. But there are just days left to get the deal as it will be pulled on Tuesday. To be eligible, you must use the Current Account Switch Service to change from your bank to Lloyds. This service moves your direct debits, payments and balance to your new bank. To get the bonus, you need at least three direct debits set up. You cannot have received a switching bonus from Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland since April 2020. Existing Lloyds customers can also get the deal if they swap to Club Lloyds and meet the criteria. The account comes with a range of benefits, including 12 months of Disney+, six cinema tickets or a magazine subscription. But it has a £3 monthly fee unless you pay in £2,000 or more a month. The offer is also available when you switch to the Club Lloyds Platinum Account or Club Lloyds Silver Account, but these have much higher fees. To switch, open the Lloyds account online, in branch, by phone or through its app. When you apply, you will be asked if you want to swap from another bank. The money should be paid into your account within three working days of the switch being complete. Amelia StoutIn a significant push for judicial reform, Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) have introduced a joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment that would establish 18-year term limits for Supreme Court Justices while maintaining nine seats on the Court. A June Newsweek poll found broad public support for such reform, with 58 percent of eligible voters favoring term limits and only 13 percent opposing them. "Taking action to restore public trust in our nation's most powerful Court is as urgent as it is necessary," said Senator Welch. "Setting term limits for Supreme Court Justices will cut down on political gamesmanship, and is a commonsense reform supported by a majority of Americans." The amendment's transition plan would protect sitting justices' lifetime appointments while creating a systematic approach for future nominations. New 18-year terms would begin every two years, with incoming justices serving the remainder of the next available term after current justices retire. Senator Manchin emphasized the broken nature of the current system. "The current lifetime appointment structure is broken and fuels polarizing confirmation battles and political posturing that has eroded public confidence in the highest court in our land," he said. Newsweek reached out to both senators' offices via email and the Supreme Court on Saturday for comment. The proposal aligns with President Joe Biden 's vision for Supreme Court reform , which he outlined in a Washington Post opinion piece in July. Biden noted that the United States stands alone among major constitutional democracies in granting lifetime appointments to its highest court's justices. Biden's broader reform agenda includes establishing an enforceable ethics code for the Court and eliminating broad immunity for presidents and other top officials. These proposals come in response to recent controversies surrounding undisclosed gifts to justices and debates over presidential accountability. However, some lawmakers argue that term limits could be implemented without a constitutional amendment. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), speaking on CNN 's "State of the Union" in July, suggested that both term limits and court expansion could be achieved through legislative action. "We're working on changes to the Supreme Court," Warren told host Jake Tapper. "It can be term limits; it could be adding the number of justices — things we can do without having to have a constitutional amendment." The debate over court reform has intensified following controversial rulings on abortion rights, presidential immunity, and federal agency powers. Democrats have introduced alternative proposals, including the Judiciary Act , sponsored by Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Representative Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), which would expand the court to thirteen justices. The current system has led to uneven appointments across presidential administrations. During his first term, President- elect Donald Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices, while former President Barack Obama appointed two during his two terms, and President Biden has appointed one. Justice Clarence Thomas , the longest-serving current justice, has been on the bench for nearly 33 years.

Britain's leader Keir Starmer makes his first trip to the Gulf as prime minister from Sunday, seeking to attract investment from the region's oil-rich states, Downing Street announced. Starmer will first visit the United Arab Emirates and then travel to Saudi Arabia, before stopping off in Cyprus on his way back to London on Tuesday in a bid "to build closer ties and drive long term UK growth". The trip to Abu Dhabi and Riyadh comes as his Labour government pursues a free-trade deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council's six nations: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. "There is huge untapped potential in this region, which is why, while here, I will be making the case to accelerate progress on the Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement," Starmer said in a statement released Saturday. The meetings will also aim to "deepen our research and development collaboration" and partner on projects in areas including defence and artificial intelligence, Starmer added. The British leader will land in the UAE on Sunday evening, ahead of Monday morning talks with its president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Later Monday, Starmer will fly to Saudi Arabia to meet Riyadh's de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who last week hosted French President Emmanuel Macron. A Downing Street press release called the UAE and Saudi "some of the UK's most vital modern-day partners". The regional tour will end on Tuesday with Starmer meeting President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia, the first bilateral talks between the leaders of Britain and Cyprus in over five decades. Starmer is also due to address British troops stationed in Cyprus. Labour has staked its credibility on a promise to get Britain's sluggish economy firing again. It says a GCC agreement could boost bilateral trade, currently accounting for £55 billion ($70 bn) of UK trade, by 16 percent, "potentially adding an extra £8.6 billion a year in the long run". It hopes a deal would see Gulf sovereign wealth funds invest in a range of sectors, including energy and infrastructure, while also opening up lucrative markets to British firms. Starmer's trip comes after Britain last week rolled out the diplomatic red carpet for Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani who enjoyed a state visit to the UK. Starmer discussed trade with the royal during talks in Downing Street that coincided with Qatar announcing it will invest £1 billion ($1.3 billion) in British climate technologies. Discussing regional conflicts is expected to be "high up the agenda", including the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the fragile ceasefire in Lebanon and renewed unrest in Syria. Starmer will also be looking to repair relations between the UK and UAE that soured under the previous Conservative government after an Abu Dhabi-backed bid to buy the Telegraph newspaper failed. The Gulf visit will be Starmer's 15th international trip since he entered Number 10 on July 5. Opponents have criticised the amount of time he has spent out of the country but allies insist the trips have been vital to get to know other world leaders. Starmer, 61, has been insisting in capitals that "Britain is back on the world stage" following rancour over its departure from the European Union. pdh/aks/jjAn impeachment motion against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to proceed in the country’s National Assembly on Saturday after the session fell short of the required quorum. Only 195 members were present at the session, below the two-thirds threshold of 200 lawmakers needed to initiate the impeachment process. The motion came in response to Yoon’s controversial martial law earlier this week. The impeachment initiative was based on Article 66 of the , which allows for presidential impeachment when the leader violates “the Constitution or other laws in the performance of official duties.” Opposition lawmakers argued that Yoon’s declaration violated Article 77 of the Constitution, which specifically regulates martial law declarations by limiting them to times of war, armed conflict, or other national emergencies. The opposition the president of imposing martial law “with the unconstitutional and illegal intent to evade imminent investigations into alleged illegal acts involving himself and his family,” as quoted by AFP. The short-lived martial law order, late Tuesday around 10:30 PM and early Wednesday at 4:30 AM, banned political activities and demonstrations while ordering striking doctors to return to work within 48 hours. Military officials chaotic conditions during the six-hour period, with many learning about the order only through news reports or Yoon’s surprise TV address. “I deeply regret this and sincerely apologize to the citizens who were alarmed,” Yoon in a televised address Saturday morning, according to VOA News. He claimed the declaration “stemmed from the urgency” he felt as president but acknowledged it “caused anxiety and inconvenience to the public.” The president also announced he would not declare martial law again and the resignation of Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who took responsibility for the crisis. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the opposition Democratic Party, Yoon’s martial law attempt an “unconstitutional and illegal declaration” that caused chaos in a nation which “spent decades under military-authoritarian rule before transitioning into a vibrant democracy.” The crisis has also strained South Korea’s international relations, with the US-South Korea Nuclear Consultative Group meetings in Washington being amid the turmoil. Opposition lawmakers they may launch another impeachment motion on Wednesday. Texas carried out first US execution by lethal injection On December 7, 1983, the first US execution by lethal injection was carried out at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. Learn more about the history, technology and worldwide use of . Japan bombs Pearl Harbor, precipitating declarations of war by US and Allies On December 7, 1941, Imperial Japan attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Canada responded later that day by declaring war on Japan. The following day, on December 8, the United States and the United Kingdom also war on Japan. In response on December 11, Japan's ally, Germany, war on the United States.

Abuse of strikers has not been 'very fair' - DevineMIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said he was caught off guard by reports early Tuesday that linebacker Shaq Barrett wants to unretire. The two-time Super Bowl winner signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins in March, then abruptly announced his retirement on social media in July, just days before the start of Miami's training camp. “Just to be candid, obviously there's a reason why you target and sign somebody," McDaniel said Tuesday afternoon. “I was fully caught off guard, or caught by surprise this morning as I found out.” McDaniel indicated the Dolphins have not had any conversations with Barrett recently. Miami holds the 32-year-old’s contractual rights. ESPN first reported the news. “It was kind of news as you guys got it,” McDaniel said. He also said he hasn't had a chance to think about Barrett potentially rejoining the team, and that his immediate focus is on Miami's Thursday night game at Green Bay. “The team is counting on me to think about the Packers,” he said. "I'll get with (GM) Chris (Grier), and we'll work through that. There's a ton of implications that go along with it in terms of team and roster stuff, so we'll work through that as we just got the news today.” Barrett has 400 tackles, 59 sacks, 22 forced fumbles and three interceptions in nine seasons — four with Denver and five with Tampa Bay. He was a second-team All-Pro with the Buccaneers in 2019, with a league-high 19 1/2 sacks. The Dolphins waived veteran safety Marcus Maye on Tuesday and activated rookie safety Patrick McMorris from injured reserve. Maye, who signed with the Dolphins in June, played in 11 games with three starts for Miami this season. He had 30 tackles and a tackle for loss. He could re-sign to the team's practice squad if he clears waivers. Maye previously played for New Orleans, but was cut in a money-saving move in March after two seasons with the Saints. Maye's release made room on the roster for McMorris, who was drafted in the sixth round by Miami in April. He began the season on injured reserve because of a calf injury. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Federal appeals court upholds law requiring sale or ban of TikTok in the US A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok as soon as next month, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the law - which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January — is constitutional, rebuffing TikTok’s challenge that the statute ran afoul of the First Amendment and unfairly targeted the platform. TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. Executive of Tyler Perry Studios dies when plane he was piloting crashes in Florida ATLANTA (AP) — The president of Atlanta-based Tyler Perry Studios has died when the small plane he was piloting crashed on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The studio confirmed on Saturday that Steve Mensch, its 62-year-old president and general manager, had died Friday. The crash happened in Homosassa, about 60 miles north of Tampa. Photos from the scene show the plane having come to rest upside down on a road. Mensch helped advocate for Georgia’s film tax credit of more than $1 billion a year. Perry hired Mensch to run his namesake studio in 2016. Mensch died as Perry released his war drama, “The Six Triple Eight." The film was shot at the Atlanta studio. US added a strong 227,000 jobs in November in bounce-back from October slowdown WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s job market rebounded in November, adding 227,000 workers in a solid recovery from the previous month, when the effects of strikes and hurricanes had sharply diminished employers’ payrolls. Last month’s hiring growth was up considerably from a meager gain of 36,000 jobs in October. The government also revised up its estimate of job growth in September and October by a combined 56,000. Friday’s report also showed that the unemployment rate ticked up from 4.1% in October to a still-low 4.2%. The November data provided the latest evidence that the U.S. job market remains durable even though it has lost significant momentum from the 2021-2023 hiring boom, when the economy was rebounding from the pandemic recession. Stock market today: Wall Street hits more records following a just-right jobs report NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to records after data suggested the job market remains solid enough to keep the economy going, but not so strong that it raises immediate worries about inflation. The S&P 500 climbed 0.2%, just enough top the all-time high set on Wednesday, as it closed a third straight winning week in what looks to be one of its best years since the 2000 dot-com bust. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.3%, while the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.8% to set its own record. Treasury yields eased after the jobs report showed stronger hiring than expected but also an uptick in the unemployment rate. Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO spotlights complex challenge companies face in protecting top brass NEW YORK (AP) — In an era when online anger and social tensions are increasingly directed at the businesses consumers count on, Meta last year spent $24.4 million to surround CEO Mark Zuckerberg with security. But the fatal shooting this week of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson while walking alone on a New York City sidewalk has put a spotlight on the widely varied approaches companies take to protect their leaders against threats. And experts say the task of evaluating threats against executives and taking action to protect them is getting more difficult. One of the primary worries are loners whose rantings online are fed by others who are like-minded. It’s up to corporate security analysts to decide what represents a real threat. Days after gunman killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO, police push to ID him and FBI offers reward NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly four days after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, police still do not know the gunman’s name or whereabouts or have a motive for the killing. But they have made some progress in their investigation into Wednesday's killing of the leader of the largest U.S. health insurer, including that the gunman likely left New York City on a bus soon after fleeing the scene. The also found that the gunman left something behind: a backpack that was discovered in Central Park. Police are working with the FBI, which on Friday night announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. USDA orders nationwide testing of milk for bird flu to halt the virus The U.S. government has ordered testing of the nation’s milk supply for bird flu to better monitor the spread of the virus in dairy cows. The Agriculture Department on Friday said raw or unpasteurized milk from dairy farms and processors nationwide must be tested on request starting Dec. 16. Testing will begin in six states — California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania. The move is aimed at eliminating the virus, which has infected more than 700 dairy herds in 15 states. Words on ammo in CEO shooting echo common phrase on insurer tactics: Delay, deny, defend A message left at the scene of an insurance executive’s fatal shooting echoes a phrase commonly used to describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims. The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were written on the ammunition used to kill UnitedHealthcare's CEO. That's according to two officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday. The words are similar to the phrase “delay, deny, defend.” That's how attorneys describe insurers denying services and payment, and the title of a 2010 book critical of the industry. Police haven’t officially commented on the words. But Thompson’s shooting and the messages on the ammunition have sparked outrage on social media and elsewhere, reflecting frustration Americans have over the cost and complexity of getting care. Michigan Democrats move to protect reproductive health data before GOP takes control of House LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Democrats in Michigan are pressing to pass reproductive health care legislation before the party loses its majority with the new legislative session next year. A bill to protect digital reproductive health data including data logged on menstrual cycle tracking apps is a Democratic priority as lawmakers meet this month. Democratic women and supporters of the legislation say they are acting with new urgency before President-elect Donald Trump takes office because they don't believe his campaign promise to leave abortion to the states. The rush is also a reaction to Republicans taking control of the state House in January. Democrats kept control of the state Senate in the November election. Japan's Nippon Steel sets sights on a growing overseas market in its bid to acquire US Steel KASHIMA, Japan (AP) — The signs at Nippon Steel read: “The world through steel,” underlining why Japan’s top steelmaker is pursuing its $15 billion bid to acquire U.S. Steel. Japan's domestic market isn't growing, so Nippon Steel has its eyes on India, Southeast Asia and the United States, where populations are still growing. Nippon Steel gave reporters a tour of one of its plants in Japan on Friday. The bid for U.S. Steet is opposed by President-elect Donald Trump, President Joe Biden and American steelworkers. If the deal goes through, U.S. Steel will keep its name and its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but become subsidiary of Nippon Steel.Borneo artist spotlights sustainability in Kenyalang Circus exhibitionMajor stock indexes on Wall Street drifted to a mixed finish Friday, capping a rare bumpy week for the market. The S&P 500 ended essentially flat — down 0.16 point, or less than 0.1%, to close at 6,051.09 — after wavering between tiny gains and losses most of the day. The benchmark index posted a loss for the week, its first after three straight weekly gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 86.06 points, or 0.2%, to 43,828.06, while the Nasdaq composite rose 23.88 points, or 0.1%, ending at 19,926.72 — just below the record high it set Wednesday. There were more than twice as many decliners than gainers on the New York Stock Exchange. Gains in technology stocks helped temper losses in communication services, financials and other sectors of the market. Broadcom surged 24.4% for the biggest gain in the S&P 500 after the semiconductor company beat Wall Street's profit targets and gave a glowing forecast, highlighting its artificial intelligence products. The company also raised its dividend. The company's big gain helped cushion the market's broader fall. Pricey stock values for technology companies like Broadcom give the sector more weight in pushing the market higher or lower. Artificial intelligence technology has been a focal point for the technology sector and the overall stock market over the past year. Tech companies and Wall Street expect demand for AI to continue driving growth for semiconductor and other technology companies. Some tech stocks were a drag on the market. Nvidia fell 2.2%, Meta Platforms dropped 1.7% and Google parent Alphabet slid 1.1%. Among the market's other decliners were Airbnb, which fell 4.7% for the biggest loss in the S&P 500, and Charles Schwab, which closed 4% lower. Furniture and housewares company RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, surged 17% after raising its forecast for revenue growth for the year. Wall Street's rally stalled this week amid mixed economic reports and ahead of the Federal Reserve's last meeting of the year. The central bank meets next week and is widely expected to cut interest rates for a third time since September. Expectations of rate cuts drove the S&P 500 to 57 all-time highs so far this year. The Fed lowered its benchmark interest rate after an aggressive rate-hiking policy meant to tame inflation. It raised rates from near-zero in early 2022 to a two-decade high in 2023. Inflation eased under pressure from higher interest rates, nearly to the central bank's 2% target. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.40% from 4.34% late Thursday. Abroad, European markets slipped and Asian markets closed mostly lower. Get local news delivered to your inbox!