Latest News
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Islamist insurgents kill at least 20 Nigerian troops, security sources state
Believed Islamist insurgents eliminated at least 20 Nigerian soldiers, including a commander, after assaulting an army base in a remote town in northeastern Borno state, security sources and residents said on Sunday. Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). fighters have actually generally operated in Borno, targeting security. forces and civilians, while doing so killing and displacing 10s. of countless people. The most recent attack took place on Friday, when ISWAP members. arrived on weapon trucks and attacked the army's 149 Battalion in. Malam-Fatori town, gateway to a border with neighbouring Niger,. 2 soldiers and homeowners said. Among the soldiers who made it through the attack told Reuters by. phone that soldiers were taken by surprise as the militants. drizzled bullets all over. We tried so much to ward off the attacks and after more. than three hours of weapon duel, they subdued us, killing our. commanding officer, a lieutenant colonel, the soldier stated,. declining to be called because he is not authorised to speak to. the media. He said 20 soldiers passed away while several were hurt. A Nigerian Army representative did not right away respond to. an ask for remark.
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Ukraine's military says it downed 50 Russian drones, attacked big oil refinery
Ukrainian air defences downed 50 of 72 drones introduced by Russia over night and attacked among Russia's largest oil refineries, Ukraine's military stated on Sunday. Military and civilian authorities did not instantly report casualties or damages. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia had actually utilized 1,250 aerial bombs, over 750 attack drones and more than 20 missiles to attack Ukraine over the previous week. Just determination can stop such terrorists. We are continuously working with our partners to enhance our defense abilities and to decrease Russia's ability to terrorize Ukraine, Zelenskiy stated on Telegram messenger. Long-range abilities are important. Sanctions are vital. Reducing the cost of oil is essential. The secret is to act in unity and safeguard lives with resolve, he included. Kyiv's general personnel stated on Sunday its forces assaulted Russia's Ryazan oil refinery once again last night and explosions and fire were reported in the target area. The Ryazan Oil Refinery is among the four biggest refineries in the Russian Federation, it stated on Telegram. Russia's Defence Ministry said on Sunday that its air defence systems damaged 15 Ukrainian drones over Russia and 2 sea drones in the Black Sea. It said 8 drones were downed over the Ryazan region, 6 drones were ruined in the Kursk area and one drone was struck over the Belgorod area over night. Ryazan governor Pavel Malkov said on Sunday there were no casualties in the current drone attacks however authorities were still approximating the damage.
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Israeli forces eliminate a single person in south Lebanon as homeowners try to return, Lebanese health ministry says
Israel forces killed one person and wounded 17 others trying to return to homes in south Lebanon where Israeli soldiers remained on the ground after a. due date for their withdrawal passed on Sunday, Lebanon's health. ministry said. Israel has stated it planned to keep troops in the south. beyond the Sunday due date stipulated in the U.S.-brokered. ceasefire that halted last year's war with Hezbollah, and on. Saturday bought homeowners not to return up until additional notice. The deal specified that Israeli forces ought to withdraw from. south Lebanon as the Iran-backed Hezbollah's weapons and. fighters were removed from the area and the Lebanese army. deployed, within in a 60-day period which ended on Sunday. morning. Israel has nevertheless stated the terms have actually not been totally. imposed by the Lebanese state, while Lebanon's U.S.-backed. military on Saturday accused Israel of putting things off in its. withdrawal. The Lebanese health ministry said someone was killed and. 9 others injured in the town of Houla as an outcome of what. it said were Israeli attacks on residents while they were trying. to enter their still-occupied towns. Another eight people were hurt in Kfar Kila, it said. The Israeli armed force had no instant remark. Israel has not said the length of time its forces would remain in the. south, where the Israeli military states it has been taking. Hezbollah weapons and dismantling its infrastructure. The Hezbollah-Israel conflict was combated in parallel with. the Gaza war, and peaked in a significant Israeli offensive versus. Hezbollah that uprooted more than a million people in Lebanon. and left the militant group severely compromised.
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ADES Gets Its First Jack-Up Contract Offshore Nigeria
Saudi oil and gas drilling contractor ADES Holding has secured a $21.8 million drilling contract with Brittania-U for its Admarine 504 jack-up drilling rig, marking its first entry to the Nigerian offshore oil and gas sector.ADES and Admarine 504’s current client in Saudi Arabia have mutually agreed to suspend the rig’s operation in the country, while retaining the remaining backlog value with the group’s client by way of extending the original term of the temporarily suspended contract.Admarine 504 will be mobilized from the Middle East to West Africa in the first quarter of 2025, as the agreed suspension mechanism offers enough flexibility for the suspended rig to complete new deployments before resuming work in Saudi Arabia post suspension.Operations of the rig to be jointly handled by ADES and Valiant Offshore Contractors (in-country partner) under a charter structure, where ADES will provide the rig along with its senior crew and relevant management systems to Valiant against a charter fee.In return, Valiant shall fulfill its drilling obligations under its contract with Brittania-U.The contract is to drill and complete six wells within an estimated duration of 365 days, and is valued at $21.8 million, which represents a percentage from the drilling contract between Brittania-U and Valiant.“Following our successful expansion over the past couple of years into India and Southeast Asia, we are now making our first foray into West Africa with this new award in Nigeria, a country with high oil and gas potential and strong demand for drilling rigs in the coming years, particularly in the offshore jack-up segment.“This award is an important milestone in our global expansion journey, with West Africa and Southeast Asia together representing key growth geographies for ADES as we diversify our geographical footprint and capitalize on emerging opportunities in these undersupplied markets.”“Meanwhile in our home market of Saudi Arabia, we continue to demonstrate agility with a client-centric approach – aligning with our client’s strategic needs and objectives – while leveraging newly afforded capacities to pursue attractive opportunities in existing and new markets. In that regard, the group has successfully secured new awards for four of the five previously suspended rigs in record time, and we are confident in the Group’s ability to redeploy the remaining rig during the year,” said Mohamed Farouk, CEO of ADES Holding.
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Moldova's separatist region says gas running out
The leader of Moldova's. separatist Transdniestria area, gripped by power and heating. cuts, said on Friday that gas reserves would be exhausted within. days and prompted the central federal government to end synthetic delays. and offer new products. However Moldova's prime minister said the option could be. solved only if Russian gas manufacturer Gazprom resumed. shipments to Moldova, or if the pro-Russian separatist region. agreed to pay for gas secured on European markets. Transdniestria, which split from Moldova as the Soviet Union. was collapsing, had actually long gotten Russian gas passing through. Ukraine, however authorities in Kyiv, secured a nearly three-year. war with Moscow, have refused to extend a transit arrangement. The gas was likewise utilized to run a thermal plant that provided. the majority of the power in government-held locations of Moldova. Transdniestria's self-styled president, Vadim Krasnoselsky,. said a number of his area's 350,000 citizens were falling ill or. dying from fires and carbon monoxide gas poisoning after attempting to. keep warm in winter conditions. In a couple of days, the gas staying in the pipelines. will be gone. Without it, things will be very hard, he informed. Russian tv Rossiya-24, according to a summary of his. discuss the site of the region's parliament. If the gas vanishes it will take two to three months to. get the heating going once again in property buildings. The region, he stated, had actually accepted conditions from Moldova's. authorities, including buying more expensive European gas. Five days have actually passed and we see absolutely nothing from Moldova but. incorrect allegations, he said. Moldova is synthetically dragging. everything out to press the humanitarian situation to the limit. Krasnoselsky had earlier interested U.N. Secretary-General. Antonio Guterres and a number of world leaders, requesting for aid in. dealing with the energy crisis. The region sustains four to 5 hours of power cuts daily. Hundreds of residents gathered at crossing points into. government-held areas, advising authorities to let the gas in. Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean, in a address posted on. social networks, stated only his two proposed options could bring back. gas streams to the rebel region. The Moldovan government desires the region to have gas, he. stated. However the Kremlin does not want to resume gas supplies. It. wants to produce dispute between people on the east bank of the. Dniester River and those on the other side. Government officials said no payment had actually been received from. Transdniestria to cover gas purchases. Moldova has long been at. odds with Russia, denouncing Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and. implicating the Kremlin of attempting to unseat its government. Gazprom has said it can not resume gas circulations to Moldova till. its authorities settle $709 million in arrears, a figure. disputed by the federal government.
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United States dollar posts most significant weekly loss given that November 2023 on tariff angst
The U.S. dollar moved on Friday and was set for its most significant weekly loss in over a year after President Donald Trump recommended a softer stance on tariffs versus China, adding to uncertainty about the trade policy that kept equity markets on edge. Trump told Fox News on Thursday his current conversation with President Xi Jinping got along and he thought he might reach a trade deal with China. We have one huge power over China, and that's tariffs, and they don't desire them, and I 'd rather not need to use it, but it's a tremendous power over China, he said. The U.S. dollar dropped as much as 0.8% versus a. basket of currencies on Friday, before narrowing losses at the. end of the day to be down 0.65%. However it still had its biggest. weekly loss considering that November 2023, having lost 1.8% considering that Monday. Some analysts warned that the dollar could rise again if the. U.S. tariff and rates of interest policies moved. We think that the dollar has further to climb up, said Simon. MacAdam, deputy chief international financial expert at Capital Economics. Its appreciation so far has actually shown both the strength of. the economic data in the U.S. relative to peer economies and. financiers' evaluation of Trump's policies, both of which have. contributed to a shift in rates of interest differentials that has. been beneficial to the dollar. The MSCI index for world stocks ended bit. changed, while stocks on Wall Street were uninspired. The S&P. 500 index was down 0.3%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average. lost 0.3%, and the Nasdaq Composite shed 0.5%. China's stock markets and currency rallied on the back of. Trump's comments, leaving the blue chip index up 0.8%. and the yuan enhanced against the dollar, which. fell 0.7% to 7.239 in the overseas market. Oil costs stabilised and pared losses that were sustained. after Trump said he will be asking Saudi Arabia and OPEC to. lower oil costs. U.S. unrefined futures edged greater to $74.66 a barrel. and Brent crude was up 0.3% at $78.50. LOW OIL PRICE BENEFITS Amelie Derambure, senior multi-asset portfolio manager at. Amundi in Paris, stated Trump's pro-America policies require lower. oil costs. These kinds of policies might likewise benefit other gamers in. the world, like Europe for example, if we have a lower oil. cost that's going to benefit Europe too-- so at last there. is something that he wishes to carry out that is not harmful. to Europe, she said. It shows that he's willing to negotiate and he wishes to be. perhaps a bit more subtle this time. European stocks reflected this higher optimism. The STOXX. 600 at first increased 0.3% on the day, driven by a burst. higher in high-end products merchants after solid profits from. Burberry. It pulled back by midday in New York to be. flat. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink informed a panel at the World Economic. Forum in Davos that it could be time to start purchasing. Europe once again. There's excessive pessimism on Europe, he said during a. panel debate on the international economic outlook. I believe it's. most likely time to be investing back into Europe, he said, including. there was still advance to be made in locations such as capital. markets union. Studies earlier on Friday revealed euro zone businesses saw a. modest return to growth at the start of the brand-new year. In currency markets, the yen gained 0.2% versus. the dollar to 155.7 after the Bank of Japan raised interest. rates to their highest considering that the 2008 worldwide monetary crisis. BOJ Guv Kazuo Ueda stated the central bank will keep. raising rates of interest as wage and price increases expand,. adding that there was scope to rise borrowing expenses even more. before they reach levels considered neutral to the economy. Treasury yields, which have actually pulled away from January's highs. as a few of the fret about a renewed spike in inflation has. faded, were consistent on Friday. The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield edged lower to. 4.6194%, below recently's 14-month high of 4.809%. The European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve are because of. satisfy next week as policymakers digest early relocations of the Trump. administration. The Fed is anticipated to keep rates of interest on hold however the. larger story unfolding will be how the central bank faces. early moves by Trump that are likely to form the economy this. year, including needs the Fed continue lowering borrowing. costs.
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Trump administration asks Supreme Court to pause cases as it reassesses policy
President Donald Trump's. administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to put on. hold prepared arguments in a bid by fuel manufacturers to challenge. California's standards for automobile emissions and electric automobiles. under a federal air contamination law. The brand-new Republican administration likewise made comparable requests in. three other cases involving the actions of federal companies,. giving an early sign that it will take a fresh appearance at a. number of legal concerns before the court and possibly change. positions from Trump's Democratic predecessor Joe Biden. The expected changes in the government's position may be a. better ideological suitable for the Supreme Court's 6-3 conservative. bulk, that includes three justices appointed by Trump. The conflict over California automobile requirements centers on an. exception given to that state in 2022 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency throughout Biden's presidency to. nationwide vehicle emission standards set by the firm under the. landmark Clean Air Act anti-pollution law. Though states and towns are normally preempted. from enacting their own limits, Congress let the EPA waive the. preemption rule to allow California to set particular guidelines. that are stricter than federal requirements. In asking the Supreme Court to stop briefly the case, Performing. Lawyer General Sarah Harris said in a filing, After the. modification in administration, EPA's acting administrator has. determined that the firm should reassess the basis for and. strength of the 2022 reinstatement choice. The EPA's action renewed a waiver for California to set. its own tailpipe emissions limitations and zero-emission vehicle. mandate through 2025, reversing a 2019 choice during Trump's. initially term in office rescinding the waiver. Valero's Diamond Option Energy and related. groups challenged the reinstatement of California's waiver,. arguing that the choice exceeded the EPA's power under the. Clean Air Act and inflicted harm on their bottom line by. reducing need for liquid fuels. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Circuit threw out the lawsuits, finding that Valero and the. states did not have the essential legal standing to bring their. claims. Harris told the Supreme Court that the EPA's reassessment of. the matter might prevent the requirement for this court to identify. whether the challengers have legal standing. The Supreme Court has taken a hesitant view towards. extensive authority for federal regulatory agencies, and has. restricted the powers of the EPA in some essential rulings in. recent years. In June, the court blocked the EPA's Good Next-door neighbor rule intended. at minimizing ozone emissions that might get worse air contamination in. surrounding states. In 2023, the court hobbled the EPA's power. to protect wetlands and fight water pollution. In 2022, it. enforced limits on the agency's authority under the Clean Air Act. to minimize coal- and gas-fired power plant carbon emissions. On Monday, his very first day back in workplace, Trump stated in an. executive order that he was seeking the repeal of a new waiver. given to California in December by the EPA enabling the state. to end the sale of gasoline-only lorries by 2035. That guideline has. been adopted by 11 other states. Trump said the EPA should terminate where proper,. state emissions waivers that operate to restrict sales of. gasoline-powered autos. Legal professionals anticipate Trump's administration to change. position in a number of major cases at the court, consisting of a. closely saw dispute including Tennessee's ban on. gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors and one. involving a federal guideline targeting mainly untraceable. guns called ghost weapons.
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Trump administration asks Supreme Court to stop briefly cases as it reassesses policy
President Donald Trump's. administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to place on. hold prepared arguments in a quote by fuel manufacturers to challenge. California's requirements for car emissions and electric vehicles. under a federal air pollution law. The brand-new Republican politician administration likewise made similar demands in. three other cases involving the actions of federal firms,. providing an early indication that it will take a fresh look at a. variety of legal concerns before the court and possibly change. positions from Trump's Democratic predecessor Joe Biden. The anticipated modifications in the federal government's position might be a. closer ideological fit for the Supreme Court's 6-3 conservative. majority, which includes three justices appointed by Trump. The dispute over California car standards centers on an. exception granted to that state in 2022 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during Biden's presidency to. national vehicle emission standards set by the agency under the. landmark Clean Air Act anti-pollution law. Though states and towns are generally preempted. from enacting their own limitations, Congress let the EPA waive the. preemption rule to enable California to set specific policies. that are stricter than federal requirements. In asking the Supreme Court to stop briefly the case, Performing. Solicitor General Sarah Harris said in a filing, After the. modification in administration, EPA's acting administrator has. figured out that the firm needs to reassess the basis for and. stability of the 2022 reinstatement decision. The EPA's action renewed a waiver for California to set. its own tailpipe emissions limitations and zero-emission car. mandate through 2025, reversing a 2019 decision throughout Trump's. initially term in office rescinding the waiver. Valero's Diamond Alternative Energy and related. groups challenged the reinstatement of California's waiver,. arguing that the choice exceeded the EPA's power under the. Clean Air Act and inflicted damage on their bottom line by. decreasing demand for liquid fuels. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Circuit threw out the suits, finding that Valero and the. states lacked the required legal standing to bring their. claims. Harrison told the Supreme Court that the EPA's reassessment. of the matter could prevent the requirement for this court to. identify whether the challengers have legal standing. The Supreme Court has actually taken a hesitant view towards. expansive authority for federal regulative agencies, and has. restricted the powers of the EPA in some crucial judgments in. recent years. In June, the court obstructed the EPA's Great Next-door neighbor guideline intended. at decreasing ozone emissions that may get worse air contamination in. surrounding states. In 2023, the court hobbled the EPA's power. to protect wetlands and battle water pollution. In 2022, it. enforced limitations on the firm's authority under the Clean Air Act. to decrease coal- and gas-fired power plant carbon emissions. On Monday, his very first day back in workplace, Trump said in an. executive order that he was looking for the repeal of a new waiver. approved to California in December by the EPA enabling the state. to end the sale of gasoline-only automobiles by 2035. That guideline has. been adopted by 11 other states. Trump said the EPA must terminate where suitable,. state emissions waivers that operate to limit sales of. gasoline-powered vehicles.
France's Macron wants to manage prohibited gold mining in French Guiana
French President Emmanuel Macron stated on Monday the federal government is seeking to designate new managed gold mining zones in its South American territory of French Guiana to combat prohibited mining and its environmental effects.
In an address from the territory ahead of a three-day trip to Brazil, Macron stated France was thinking about drafting a plan within 3 months for areas with essential gold reserves.
Workers in these areas would be held to sustainable mining guidelines, Macron said, consisting of an existing restriction on mercury, a. hazardous metal illegal and small miners utilize in extraction. which leakages into rivers, forests, spreads and oceans to human. populations.
Unlawful miners in the area release around 1.3 kg of. mercury for each kg (2.2 pound) of gold extracted, World Wide. Fund for Nature (WWF) information showed.
The program would bar prohibited miners, numerous from surrounding. countries, from getting in these areas and restrict their activities. encouraged by rising gold prices, Macron added.
Gold, a safe-haven property which tends to increase in times of. geopolitical risk, has actually included over 10% in worth from a year ago,. nearing $70 per gram.
Last year, Macron said an estimated five metric tons of gold. had been extracted from the area, many unlawfully, and 35 kg. ( 0.04 tons) were seized by authorities.
Macron said taken gold would now be sold to return funds to. the territory, notably through jobs linked to treating the. effects of prohibited mining.
Macron said he is likewise seeking to improve cooperation with. Suriname and Brazil on breaking up illegal supply chains and. enhancing military coordination, with the objective of completing a. method by the 2025 United Nations Climate Modification Conference.
(source: Reuters)