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From Slopes to Shadows: The Rise and Fall of Ryan Wedding

Ryan James Wedding’s life reads like a cautionary tale of talent, ambition, and a descent into infamy. Once celebrated as a Canadian Olympian, he is now branded by U.S. authorities as one of the world’s most violent drug traffickers. Here’s a timeline tracing his dramatic transformation: Early Promise (2002) Wedding represented Canada at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics , competing in the men’s parallel giant slalom snowboarding event. Seen as a rising star, his athletic career was short-lived, with little public spotlight after the Games. First Legal Troubles (2000s–2010s) Reports suggest Wedding became entangled in criminal networks during the years following his Olympic appearance. By the early 2010s, he was linked to drug trafficking operations, allegedly building ties with the Sinaloa cartel . Alleged Cartel Leadership (2015–2020) In 2015 , Wedding fled authorities, beginning his life as a fugitive. U.S. investigators accuse him of running a billion-dollar cocaine...

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US holiday retail sales grow 3.1%, down from prior year -Mastercard



US retail sales rose 3.1% between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24, rounding up a majority of the holiday sales for retailers, as shoppers looked for last-minute Christmas deals amid big promotions, a Mastercard report showed on Tuesday.

The increase is lower than the 3.7% growth Mastercard forecast in September, and has slumped from last year’s 7.6% as higher interest rates and inflation pressured consumer spending. Sales in the apparel and restaurant categories rose 2.4% and 7.8%, respectively, during the holiday shopping period, according to the Mastercard Spending Pulse report, while sales of electronics fell 0.4%.

Ecommerce sales grew at a slower pace of 6.3% from last year’s 10.6% as the popularity of online shopping came off pandemic highs, the report showed.

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