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Elon Musk's Grok AI is under scrutiny for sexualized images of minors and women
Elon Musk’s xAI has been under international scrutiny after allegations that the platform was filled with sexualized AI-generated images and women. Grok, xAI’s flagship chatbot on X's social media platform?found that more than 20 women - as well as some men – had their images digitally stripped off clothing by using xAI’s flagship chatbot. In a Friday statement, French government ministers said that Grok's "sexual and sexist" content is "manifestly unlawful." The ministers said that they had also reported the content of Grok to the French media regulator Arcom in order to determine whether it was compliant with the Digital Services Act of the European Union. In a letter, India's 'IT ministry' told X India that Grok was being misused to create and distribute obscene, sexually explicit and sexist content of women. It instructed X to?submit a report on the actions taken within three days. When contacted by email for comment, a xAI representative responded, "Legacy Media Liars". Federal Trade Commission refused to respond to an immediate request for comment. Grok, the chatbot, was at times contradictory. At one point, it appeared to admit that it "depicted minors?in minimum clothing" and had "identified lapses of safeguards and were urgently 'fixing them". This response was widely shared Friday. The Grok account posted a message referring to the Child Sexual Abuse - Material. The chatbot appeared to dismiss the controversy when it responded to another user. One post said, "Some people got upset about a AI image that I generated. Big deal." It's only pixels. If you can't handle the innovation, log off. (Reporting and editing by Timothy Heritage and Chizu Nomiyama in Bengaluru, with additional reporting by Bipasha dey and Daniel Wallis. Additional reporting by Arnav and Akash Mishra from Bengaluru.
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Hiker killed by suspected mountain lion in Colorado
Authorities in Colorado have confirmed that a hiker has died after being attacked by a mountain lion, the first fatal attack suspected to occur in 25 years. Around noon on Thursday, other hikers found the woman unresponsive on the Crosier Mountain Trail?northeast from Estes Park. A mountain lion was seen near the body of the woman. The hikers frightened it off by throwing stones. Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson, Kara?Van Hoose, told reporters that a doctor among the hikers attended to the woman and found no pulse. CPW responded and killed two lions. The agency did not specify whether multiple animals or one animal were involved in the alleged attack. The woman is believed to have been hiking alone. Van Hoose said at a press briefing that there were "signs" that the attack was consistent with a mountain-lion attack. The number of mountain lion attacks on humans in Colorado is rare. Only 28 incidents have been reported to the CPW. The last fatal attack occurred in 1999. Van Hoose stated that CPW pathologists perform necropsies to examine the animals for neurological diseases such as rabies, avian flu, and human DNA. CPW policy requires the killing of any mountain lion that has attacked a person in order to prevent recurrences. Van Hoose stated that if human DNA cannot be found on either?lion's dead body, the authorities will continue their search for other animals who may have been involved. She said that the Larimer County Coroner would release the victim's identity and cause of death. Colorado is home to a healthy mountain lion population. CPW estimates that there are between 3,800 and 4400?adults. Conservation efforts brought the species from the brink of extinction due to bounty hunts in the 1960s. Van Hoose stated that mountain lions are common in the Front Range, where the woman's body was discovered. In winter, the animals descend to lower altitudes in search of food like deer and other elk. This increases the chances of encounters. Reporting by Andrew Hay, New Mexico; editing by Alistair Bell
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Rate cut bets on precious metals and demand for safe-havens will drive the price of precious metals up in early 2026
Gold demand is high as geopolitical tensions and the expectation of U.S. interest rate cuts keeps precious metals on the rise. As of 12:24 pm, spot gold had increased 0.3%, to $4,328.49 an ounce. ET (17:24 GMT), having risen as high as $4402,06 earlier in session. Bullion reached a record-high of $4,549.71/oz in December?26 and registered a 64% increase in 2025. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery were unchanged at $4,339.60/oz. Bart Melek is global head of commodity strategies at TD Securities. He said: "We are continuing to hear the market talk about possible cuts in March, as well as another cut later this calendar year. This, combined with talk of markets being at risk due to tariffs and U.S. debt, has all moved gold,'silver, palladium, and platinum higher." GOLD HAS A GREATER INVESTMENT? APPEAL WHEN rates fall Investors are more likely to buy gold that doesn't yield a return if the Fed cuts rates by at least two quarter points. News of unrest and the lack of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, as well Gaza-related issues, also helped to support gold, a safe-haven investment. Jim Wyckoff is a senior analyst with Kitco Metals. He said that the next price target for bulls of February gold futures was to close above a solid resistance level at $4,584, which is the contract/record-high. For the first time since about two months, India and China have seen physical?gold trade at a premium. Spot silver rose 1.8% to $72.51/oz after reaching an all-time high on Monday of $83.62. Platinum rose 4.5% to 2,141.81/oz after hitting an all-time high of $2,478.50 on Monday. Silver and gold will outperform gold in 2025. This is due to its classification as a vital U.S. Mineral, shortages of supply, and low inventory levels when the industrial and investment demand was high. Platinum rose by 127% in the last year. Palladium rose 2.8% to $1.650.29 an ounce after ending the previous year with a 76% gain, its largest gain in 15 Years. All precious metals will post losses this week following the rally at the end of the year. (Reporting and editing by Barbara Lewis, Vijay Kishore and Noel John from Bengaluru)
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Wall Street is mixed on the first trading session of 2026. Precious metals are back in rally
U.S. stock prices fell after the opening bell of Friday as the Nasdaq held on to gains due to the strength in semiconductors and precious metals continued their rally. Investors ended the week by beginning the new year with all three major U.S. indices reversing their gains. All three indexes are on course to lose money for the holiday-shortened week. Thomas Martin, Senior Portfolio Manager at Globalt, Atlanta, said: "When you turn over a new page, as a money manager you wait to see what the vibe will be for the year ahead. "The narrative doesn't really change." "So far, this morning the 2025 winners are doing pretty well." The 2025 gold price rise was the largest in 46 years. Silver and platinum also saw their biggest gains ever. This was due to a combination of factors, including rate cuts by the Fed, geopolitical tensions, central bank purchases and ETF flows. Stocks?made strong gains by 2025, as markets weathered an year of tariffs wars, longest government shutdown in U.S. History, geopolitical strife, and threats to independence from central banks. The Fed's Year Ahead Markets will be focused on monetary policy this year, as Jerome Powell nears the end of his tenure at the Federal Reserve and as economic data returns to a more regular release schedule following the federal government shutdown. The central bank's path could be determined by a series of delayed indicators that are due to arrive in the next few days. Martin continued, "Maintaining Fed independence will be one of the most important things." "Even though (U.S. president Donald) Trump appointed the newest members and they are more dovish they want to give at least the appearance that Fed is independent. Once you lose this, you're like in trouble." The extent to which markets begin to reap the ?benefits of massive investments in nascent artificial-intelligence technology will also likely receive close scrutiny in the year ahead. There will also be some geopolitical volatility in 2013, with the midterm elections in the U.S. Congress this fall and ongoing negotiations to end Russia's conflict in Ukraine. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 49.71 points or 0.10% to 48,113.00. The S&P 500 dropped 2.83 points or 0.04% to 6,842.67. And the Nasdaq Composite declined 30.11 points or 0.13% to 23,211.89. European shares started the year with record highs. Defense stocks were a major contributor to this. Investors watched the STOXX 600, as it approached its 6,000-point milestone. London's FTSE 100 index, which includes the blue-chip stocks of London, has reached the 10,000-point milestone for the first. The MSCI index of global stocks rose by 3.23 points or 0.32% to 1,017.97. The pan-European STOXX 600 Index rose 0.7% while Europe's FTSEurofirst 300 Index rose 17.32 points or 0.73%. Emerging-market shares rose by 24.26 points or 1.73% to 1,429.58. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific stocks outside Japan closed at 735.02, up 1.72%, while Japan's Nikkei dropped 187.44, or 0.37% to 50,339.48. GOLD AND SILVER CONTINUE SPARKLE The precious metals recovered from their end-of-year losses as geopolitical tensions fueled demand. Spot gold increased by 0.53%, to $4,336.77 per ounce. Spot silver rose by 1.3%, to $72.20 an ounce. Dollar remained essentially unchanged in the wake of the largest annual drop for the greenback in eight years. The dollar index (which measures the greenback in relation to a basket of currencies, including the yen, the euro and others) fell by 0.05%, falling to 98.20. Meanwhile, the euro rose 0.05%, reaching $1.1751. The dollar fell 0.06% against the Japanese yen to 156.57. Bitcoin grew 1.16% in value to $89 319 30. Ethereum increased 3.12% to $3.079.77. The U.S. Treasury yields were expected to post their third daily gain in a row. The yield on the benchmark U.S. 10 year notes increased 2.4 basis points from late Wednesday to 4,177%. The 30-year bond rate rose 3.1 basis points to 4.861%, from 4.83% at the end of Wednesday. The yield on the 2-year bond, which is usually in line with expectations of interest rates for the Federal Reserve (Fed), rose 0.4 basis points to 3.473% from 3.469% at late Wednesday. Investors weighed geopolitical risk against concerns about oversupply as oil prices fell after their largest annual loss since 2020. U.S. crude dropped 1.06%, to $56.81 per barrel. Brent was down to $60.16 a barrel.
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Berkshire Hathaway enters post-Buffett era as shares drift lower
The post-Buffett Berkshire Hathaway era began Friday quietly, with shares falling slightly after the "Oracle of Omaha", Greg Abel, was appointed to the top position following 60 years at the helm. The most famous conglomerate in the world must now protect its reputation without its chief architect. He remade modern investing and transformed a struggling textile company into a $1 trillion investment giant. Brian Jacobsen is the chief economist at Annex Wealth Management. He said, "It is hard to imagine there will still be a cult following." Warren Buffett is a well-known steward of money for his long-term approach and focus on purchasing high-quality companies at reasonable prices. Greg Abel, Buffett's long-time lieutenant, takes over the company?at a time of great importance for it. Berkshire shares will underperform the benchmark S&P 500 in 2025. Buffett said it is hard to find a purchase that can "move the needle" at the conglomerate. Record Cash, Fewer Deals Berkshire is reducing its holdings in Apple and Bank of America while building up a record amount of cash that has some investors worried. Abel, who is 63 years old, inherits "one of the largest war chests in corporate America." As of September 30, the company had $381.7 billion cash and equivalents. Jacobsen stated that while leadership changes are difficult, and Buffett was closely associated with Berkshire Hathaway, he had prepared the company to make this transition. Abel joined Berkshire Hathaway Energy in 2000, after Berkshire acquired MidAmerican Energy. Since 2018, he has been vice chairman of Berkshire non-insurance business. The Class B shares of the company, which are traded at a lower price, fell by 0.4% on Friday to $500.7. Class A shares dipped 0.5% ?to $751,000. Wall Street's major indexes rose Friday. Michael Ashley Schulman is the chief investment officer and partner at Running Point Capital Advisors. Berkshire Hathaway is often seen as the safest, most reliable option on the market. Schulman said that while it tends to lag when investors rush into higher-risk investments, it is a better choice when the market becomes more cautious. Berkshire Hathaway is a vast collection of companies, which includes GEICO Insurance, BNSF Railroad, dozens of manufacturing, energy and consumer brands, such as Dairy Queen and Fruit of the Loom, and See's Candies. Buffett has confirmed that he will continue to be chairman of Berkshire and plans to come to the office in Omaha, which is about 2 miles (3 km) from his home to support Abel.
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Two people are killed and several injured in Italy's Alps by avalanches
Rescuers reported that strong winds hindered the rescue efforts in the Italian Alps on Friday. Two people were killed and a number of others injured. Alpine Rescue (Soccorso Alpino), a Piedmont-based Italian rescue organization, said that a first avalanche "hit" the southwest Alpine Maira Valley near the French border, killing one and injuring another. One of the two is in a 'critical condition. The?organisation stated that rescue teams walked to the scene from lower altitudes because strong winds prevented helicopter crews reaching the site. The second avalanche happened near Pragelato - a popular destination for skiers located about 60 km (37 miles west) of Turin. A woman who was "caught in the snow avalanche" managed to escape but could not move due to injuries. Rescue teams worked to rescue her. However, helicopters were again restricted by bad weather. Authorities were monitoring reports about a third avalanche, but no details were immediately available. ANSA, the Italian news agency, reported that a 50 year old ski mountaineer was killed by an avalanche in Veneto in northeastern Italy. Rescue teams were able to reach him by helicopter, but he was not saved. In recent days, a 'combination of strong winds and heavy snowfall has increased avalanche risk across the Alps. This has prompted warnings to skiers and hikers. Officials in the area have warned against going off-piste as conditions are still unstable. (Reporting and writing by Matteo Negri; editing by Gareth Jones).
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Venezuela's Maduro is willing to have'serious talks' with the US
In a New Years interview, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro stated that his country was willing to accept?U.S. Investment in Venezuela's oil sector is welcome, as are efforts to coordinate the fight against drugs and hold serious discussions with the United States. "We have to start speaking seriously with facts in hand," Maduro stated in his annual interview, which was originally published in the Mexican newspaper La Jornada, and broadcast by Venezuelan state TV on New Year's Day. Venezuela is prepared to accept U.S. investments, such as those made by Chevron, whenever, wherever and however they choose. The comments echo statements made by?Maduro regarding his willingness to engage in dialogue with Donald Trump. This is despite the fact that the U.S. President has increased pressure on Maduro, including expanding sanctions, a stepped-up U.S. Military?presence and more than a dozen strikes against vessels allegedly involved with drug trafficking in the Pacific Ocean or Caribbean Sea. Maduro claimed that the pressure is an attempt to gain control over Venezuela's vast resources. What is the purpose of the United States?" Maduro stated in the interview that "they've already said it." "To grab the gold and rare earths of Venezuela...all the oil." COMBATTING DRUG TRADING Trump said this week that U.S. troops hit a dock used to load drugs in Venezuela, but did not give any details about its location. Maduro didn't confirm the attack during the interview but said that he might discuss it in the next few days. Maduro stated that the national defensive system, which includes popular, military, and police forces has and will "guarantee the territorial integrity and peace of the nation." According to a blog linked to Venezuela's ruling political party, the attack took place on a thin strip of coastline in the La Guajira peninsula. Could not independently verify this report. Maduro always denies U.S. allegations that he runs a narcostate. He claimed that cocaine smuggled into the region comes from Colombia, and Venezuela had "the perfect model" for combating drug trafficking. U.S. sanctions, as well as recent oil tanker seizures, have reduced Venezuela's normal oil exports by?half. However, U.S. giant Chevron has continued to export Venezuelan crude oil under a special license granted by the United States. The reduction in oil exports will cause foreign currency flows into Venezuela's private sectors to drop, which will exacerbate inflation and the already difficult economic situation for Venezuelans. The bolivar depreciated by 83% between 2025 and now. Venezuela's defaulted bonds have been trading at low levels, but their price has more than doubled since Trump took office in January 2025. This is due to the hope of a new government. Reporting by Corina Poons, Additional reporting by Emma Pinedo, Karin Strohecker and Aislinn laing, Writing by Aislinn and Ros Russell.
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Berkshire Hathaway enters post-Buffett era as shares drift lower
The post-Buffett Berkshire Hathaway era began Friday quietly, with shares falling slightly after the "Oracle of Omaha", Greg Abel, was appointed to the top position following six decades as the head of the company. The world's largest conglomerate must now protect its record, without its chief architect who remade modern investing and transformed it from a struggling business to an investment giant valued at more than $1 trillion. Warren Buffett is a trusted capital steward because of his long-term approach and focus on purchasing high-quality companies at reasonable prices. Greg Abel, Buffett's trusted lieutenant, takes over the company at a?sensitive time. Berkshire shares will underperform the benchmark S&P 500 in 2025. Buffett has stated that it's difficult to find acquisitions that "move the needle" for a conglomerate. DEALS ARE FEWER AND RECORD - IF NOT RECORD - CASH Berkshire is reducing its stakes in Apple and Bank Of?America while building up a record cash pile that has some investors worried. As of September 30, the company had $381.7 billion cash and equivalents. Berkshire, which had a total equity portfolio of $283.2 billion as of the end September, has not announced who will be taking over. Abel, at 63 years old, still inherits the largest war chest in corporate America. Abel joined Berkshire in 2000, after the company acquired MidAmerican Energy (now Berkshire Hathaway Energy). Since 2018, he has been vice chairman of Berkshire non-insurance business. Berkshire’s?Class A shares, which are priced at a lower price, fell 0.3% in New York Friday. Class A shares were also down 0.4%. Wall Street's major indexes rose on Friday. Berkshire Hathaway is a vast collection of companies, including insurer GEICO, BNSF Railroad, dozens manufacturing and energy operations and consumer brands like Dairy Queen Fruit of the Loom and See's Candies. Buffett has confirmed that he will continue to be chairman of Berkshire and plans to come to the office in Omaha, which is about 2 miles (3 km) from his home to support Abel.
Wall Street is mixed at the start of the year; Treasury yields are moving higher
The dollar strengthened on Friday, 2026's first trading day, as U.S. Treasury rates rose and U.S. stock prices oscillated.
The S&P 500, Dow, and other major U.S. indexes sawsawed throughout the session. However, both the Dow and S&P 500 posted gains to snap their four-day loss streaks. The Nasdaq, which is dominated by technology and related megastocks, posted a nominal decline.
The three indexes all registered losses during the week-long holiday.
Jed Ellerbroek is the portfolio manager of Argent Capital, St. Louis. He said that today was a holiday day with lower volumes and fewer people engaged in trading. "Value outperforms growth, AI infrastructure is on the rise, and many of the stocks that are doing well, in particular in utilities and industrials, but also in energy, are AI beneficiary shares."
Stocks gained in 2025 despite tariff wars, the longest U.S. government shutdown, geopolitical tensions and threats to central banks' independence.
The Fed's Year Ahead Markets will be focused on monetary policies in the coming year, as Jerome Powell nears the end of his tenure at the Federal Reserve and the release of economic data returns to its more regular and recent schedule following the shutdown of the federal governments. The central bank's path could be determined by a series of delayed indicators that are due to come out in the next few days.
Thomas Martin, Senior Portfolio Manager at Globalt Atlanta said that maintaining Fed independence was one of the most important things. "Even though (U.S. president Donald) Trump appointed the newest members and they are more dovish they want to give at least the appearance that the Fed is independent. Once you lose this, you can be in a lot of trouble."
Ellerbroek, however, disagrees. He says that President Trump "has made it clear that the person he will appoint as chair is going to be someone who is willing and able to follow his direction, and that he wants rates to be significantly lower than what they are today." Ellerbroek also adds that "the excitement of lower rates is tangible in the short term."
The extent to which markets begin to reap the benefits of massive investments in nascent artificial-intelligence technology will also likely receive scrutiny ?in the year ahead.
In addition to the ongoing war in Ukraine and U.S. Congress midterm elections in this fall, there will also be ongoing tensions throughout the Middle East.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 319.10 or 0.66% to 48,382.39; the S&P 500 gained 12.97 or 0.19% to 6,858.47; and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 6.36 or 0.03% to 23,235.63.
European shares started the year with record highs. Technology and defense stocks were a major contributor. Investors watched the STOXX 600, as it approached its 600-point milestone. The blue-chip FTSE 100 in London has reached the 10,000-point symbolic mark for the very first time.
The MSCI index of global stocks rose by 4.41 points or 0.4% to 1,019.15.
The pan-European STOXX 600 Index rose by 0.67% while Europe's FTSEurofirst 300 Index?rose 16,23 points or 0.69%.
Emerging market stocks increased 24.02 points or 1.71% to 1,429.34. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan closed up by 1.75% to 735.19. Japan's Nikkei dropped 187.44, or 0.37% to 50,339.48.
GOLD, SILVER PAUSE PRESS "PAUSE"
After a wave of profit-taking, gold and silver have only moderately recovered their gains from the previous year.
The 2025 gold price rise was the largest in 46 years. Silver and platinum also saw their biggest gains ever. This was due to a combination of factors, including Fed rate cuts, geopolitical tensions, central bank buying, and ETF flows.
Spot gold increased by 0.36%, to $4,329.57 per ounce. Spot silver rose by 1.6%, to $72.39 an ounce. Dollar rose after the dollar's biggest annual drop in eight-years.
The dollar index, which measures the greenback in relation to a basket of currencies, including the yen, and the euro, increased 0.19%, reaching 98.43. Meanwhile, the euro fell 0.21%, at $1.172.
The dollar gained 0.11% against the Japanese yen to reach 156.84.
Bitcoin gained 1.69%, reaching $89,789.87. Ethereum gained 4.5% to $3.121.09.
The yields on U.S. Treasury bonds rose as markets awaited the employment data that will be released next week to get a sense of the economy's health heading into the New Year.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year notes in the U.S. The yield on 10-year notes increased 3.8 basis points from late Wednesday to 4.191%.
The 30-year bond rate rose by 3.8 basis points, from 4.83% at the end of Wednesday.
The yield on the 2-year bond, which is usually in line with expectations of interest rates for the Federal Reserve (Federal Reserve), rose by 0.6 basis points, to 3,475% from 3.469%, late Wednesday.
Investors weighed geopolitical risk against concerns about oversupply, and oil prices eased.
Brent crude settled at $60.75 a barrel, a 0.16% drop on the day. U.S. crude fell 0.17% and closed at $57.32 - a 0.17% decline.
(source: Reuters)