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US regulator extends the driving time limit waiver to heating fuel haulers
To speed up deliveries, the U.S. Transport Safety Regulator has extended an 'emergency waiver' on driving time limits for truckers transporting heating fuels. The extension was given on Tuesday because extreme cold and severe winter storms in Pennsylvania, as well as a major power outage at an important gas refinery, had 'disrupted' propane supplies and created immediate dangers to the public health, safety, and welfare of those states. U.S. regulations normally require truck drivers to take mandatory rest breaks and cap their daily?and weekday driving hours in order to reduce fatigue-related crashes. However, regulators may temporarily waive these limits to speed up deliveries of essential supplies during emergencies. The extension comes after an earlier emergency declaration by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that relaxed'mandated rest and drive-time limits for trucks transporting heating 'fuels like propane, natural gas and heating oil in parts of the U.S. Northeast until December 26. The FMCSA stated that the affected states and jurisdictions include Connecticut, Delaware Maryland, Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey New York Pennsylvania West Virginia. (Reporting by Varun Sahay in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
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After record rally, gold, silver and platinum are taking a break
Gold prices fell on Wednesday after a record-breaking surge that saw them surpass the $4,500 an ounce barrier earlier in the session. Silver and platinum also saw some of their gains trimmed. At 01:57 pm, spot gold was down by 0.2% to $4,479.38 an ounce. ET (18:57 GMT), following a session high of $4,525.18. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery settled 0.1% lower at $4,502.8. Jim Wyckoff, Kitco Metals' senior analyst, said that the gold market was experiencing some chart consolidation as well as a mild profit-taking following record highs. Gold is a good investment in low interest rate environments. It also thrives when there are periods of uncertainty. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said Tuesday that he would like to see the next Federal Reserve Chair?lower interest rates in a good market. The U.S. central bank has reduced rates 'three times' this year, and traders currently price in two rate reductions next year. A U.S. official said that the U.S. Coast Guard was waiting for more forces to arrive on the geopolitical scene before it could attempt to board and capture a Venezuelan-linked oil tanker, which they have been pursuing since last Sunday. Silver reached a new high of $72.70, and lastly rose 0.7% to $71.94 per ounce. The next target is for the gold market to reach $4,600/oz and for silver, $75/oz before the end of this year. Wyckoff added that the technicals are bullish. Silver prices are up 149% on a year-to date basis, despite strong fundamentals. This is more than bullion which has gained over 70% in the same time period. Platinum?peaking at $2.377.50, before paring its gains to stand at $2.220.44. Palladium fell by more than 9% to $1,683.58 per ounce after reaching its highest level in three years. The price of platinum and palladium, which are used primarily in automotive catalytic convertors to reduce emissions and cut down on pollution, has risen by 145% and over 85% respectively year-to date, due to tight mine supplies, tariff uncertainty and a shift away from gold investment.
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After record rally, gold, silver and platinum are taking a break
Gold prices fell on Wednesday after breaking through the $4,500 per ounce barrier earlier in the session. Silver and platinum also saw some losses following their record-breaking rally. At 11:52 am, spot gold was down by 0.3% to $4,473.49 an ounce. After hitting a high of $4,525.18, the ET session ended at 16:52 GMT. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery fell by 0.1% to $4,500.30. Jim Wyckoff, Kitco Metals' senior analyst, says that the gold market has seen some chart consolidation as well as a mild profit-taking following record highs. Gold is a good investment in low interest rate environments. It also thrives when there are periods of uncertainty. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said Tuesday that he would like to see the next Federal Reserve Chair?lower interest rates in a good market. The U.S. Central?bank cut rates 'three times' this year, and traders currently price in two rate cuts for next year. A U.S. official said that the U.S. Coast Guard was waiting for more forces to arrive on the geopolitical scene before it could attempt to board and capture a Venezuelan-linked oil tanker, which they have been pursuing since last Sunday. Silver reached a new high of $72.70, and lastly rose 0.1% to $71.5 per ounce. The next target is for the gold market to reach $4,600/oz and for silver, $75/oz before the end of this year. Wyckoff added that the technicals are bullish. Silver prices are up 148% on a year-to date basis, despite strong fundamentals. This is more than bullion which has gained over 70%. Platinum peaked at $2.377.50, before reversing its gains and standing 4% lower at $ 2,186.16. Palladium is down by more than 10% to $1,675.43 per ounce after reaching its peak three years ago. The price of platinum and palladium, which are used primarily in automotive catalytic convertors to reduce emissions and cut down on pollution, has risen by 143% and over 85% respectively year-to date, due to tight mine supplies, tariff uncertainty and a shift away from gold investment.
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After record rally, gold, silver and platinum are taking a break
Gold prices fell on Wednesday as they took a breather after soaring past the $4,500 an ounce mark in the earlier part of?the day, while silver and platinum pared some gains from their record-breaking rally. At 10:04 am, spot gold was down by 0.4% to $4,468.96 an ounce. The session began with a high of $4,525.18. This was followed by a low of $4,425.18 at 1504 GMT. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery fell by 0.2% to $4,497.90. Jim Wyckoff, Kitco Metals' senior analyst, said that the gold market was experiencing some chart consolidation as well as a mild profit-taking following record highs. Gold is more likely to thrive in periods of uncertainty and low interest rates. U.S. president Donald Trump said Tuesday that he would like the next Federal Reserve chair to lower interest rates in a good market. The?U.S. The?U.S. central bank has reduced?rates a total of three times in the past year. Currently, traders are pricing in two rate reductions next year. A U.S. official said that the U.S. Coast Guard was waiting for more forces to arrive on the geopolitical scene before it could attempt to board and capture a Venezuelan-linked oil tanker, which they have been pursuing since last Sunday. Silver reached a record high of $72,70, but fell last 0.8% to $70.86 per ounce. The next upside target is $4,600/oz for gold and $75/oz for silver by the end the year. Wyckoff said that the 'technicals' remain bullish. Silver prices are up 147% on a year-to date basis, outpacing the bullion price increase of 70% during that same period. Platinum reached a high of $2,377.50, before reversing its gains to stand at $2.198.30, down 3.3%. Palladium fell 9% to $1,692.43 per ounce after reaching its peak three years ago. The price of platinum and palladium used primarily in automotive catalytic convertors to reduce emissions is up 160% and 100% respectively year-to date, due to tight mine supplies, tariff uncertainty and a shift away from gold investment.
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NIPSCO gets federal order to maintain Indiana coal plant
Northern Indiana Public Service Company announced on Wednesday that it had?received an order from the federal government requiring continued operation of R.M. Schahfer generation station will continue to operate 'well beyond?its December 31, 2025 retirement date. The firm said that the order requires the Indiana-based facility to remain open for a period of 90 days following the date of?order. The directive is coming as several U.S. utilities are delaying coal plant retirements in order to meet the 'rising demand for power,' driven by data centers and rising natural gas prices, which have led to a re-focus on coal generation. Donald Trump, the president of the United States, has also advocated for increased coal production. He signed executive orders aimed at increasing coal use in April. NIPSCO, a subsidiary of U.S. utility NiSource Inc., had previously stated that it intended to retire the two remaining coal units at the Schahfer Plant by the end 2025. Vince Parisi, President and Chief Operation Officer of NIPSCO, said that they were reviewing the overall impact on their customers and business. They would comply with any orders received. (Reporting from Yagnoseni das in Bengaluru, editing by Vijay Kishore.)
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SolGold accepts a $1.2 billion acquisition by Jiangxi Copper, a top investor
SolGold, a gold and copper mining company, announced on Wednesday that it had reached an agreement to be purchased by Jiangxi Copper. The deal valued SolGold at $867 million pounds ($1.17billion). The 28 pence per share deal represents a 43% premium over SolGold, a company focused on Ecuador that closed its stock price the previous day (November 19), the day Jiangxi approached the company to do a deal. SolGold's share price closed at 25.65 pence on Wednesday, a trading session that was shortened due to the holiday. The agreement gives Jiangxi the control of SolGold's Cascabel Project in Ecuador's Imbabura Province, as miners rush to secure copper supplies amid increasing demand driven by electric vehicles and AI infrastructure investment. One of the largest undeveloped copper and gold?deposits is located in South America. The London-listed mining company said that earlier this month, it was inclined towards recommending?the offer. Jiangxi was the third bid to acquire the company. "JCC is delighted to receive the unanimous recommendation from the SolGold board, and the strong support of other large shareholders for the acquisition. JCC is excited about the potential of the Cascabel Project," said Shaobing Zhou in a press release. SolGold's top investors also include BHP, a global mining company, and Newmont.
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Silver, platinum and gold all reach new heights
On Wednesday, gold broke the $4,500 mark for the first-ever time. Silver and platinum also reached new records, as speculation and a demand for'safe havens' and further U.S. interest rate cuts in 2019 fueled speculative metals. At 1220 GMT the spot gold price was up by 0.2% to $4,494.49 an ounce, after hitting a session high of $4,525.19. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery climbed 0.4%, to $4,523.10. Platinum peaked at 2,377.50, but then pared gains to end up at 2,312.70, a 1.6% increase. Silver reached an all-time record high of $72.70, and it was lastly up 1.3%. Palladium fell 1.5% to $1,830.37 per ounce after reaching its highest level in three years. Fawad Rasaqzada is a market analyst for City Index and FOREX.com. He said that the lack of bearish factors, and strong momentum are all backed up by solid fundamentals. These include central bank purchases, a declining U.S. Dollar, and some haven demand. "Other metals, like copper, have been rising. This is providing support for the entire commodities complex." As investors seek safe-haven assets in the face of geopolitical tensions, and as they expect that the U.S. Federal Reserve would continue to ease its monetary policy, gold has gained more than 70% over this past year. U.S. president Donald Trump said Tuesday that he wanted the next Fed chair to lower interest rates if the markets were doing well. Gold and other non-yielding investments tend to perform well in an environment of low interest rates. Traders are currently pricing in at least two rate reductions?next. Silver's price has risen by more than 150% in the past year, surpassing gold, due to strong investment demand and its inclusion on "the U.S. Critical Minerals List" as well as rising industrial usage. Analysts at Societe Generale wrote in a report that the risk of a significant drop in gold prices is largely tied to a'slowing down of outright gold purchases, such as those by central banks in emerging markets. Investor positions indicate that, barring such a situation, the unprecedented rise in gold prices is likely to continue. This supports our Commodities Strategists' forecast of $5,000/oz by 2026. The price of platinum and palladium (used in catalytic converters for automobiles to reduce emissions) has risen by 160% and 100% respectively year-to date, due to tight mine supplies, tariff uncertainty and a shift away from gold investment.
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Russia plans to build a nuclear plant on the Moon within 10 years
Russia is planning to build a nuclear plant on the Moon 'within the next ten years to power its lunar space program and a joint Russian/Chinese research station, as major powers race to explore Earth's only natural satellite. Since 1961, when Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first person to enter space, Russia has been a leader in the space exploration field. However, in recent years, it has fallen further behind the United States, and increasingly China. Elon Musk revolutionised space vehicle launches, which were once a Russian specialty. Is that a nuclear reactor on the Moon? Roscosmos, the Russian state space corporation, announced in a press release that it had signed a contract to build a moon power plant by 2036. Roscosmos didn't say that the plant was nuclear, but said that it included the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom as well as the Kurchatov Institute - Russia's foremost nuclear research institute. Roscosmos stated that the plant would be used to power the Russian lunar programme. This included rovers and an observatory, as well as the infrastructure for the joint Russian-Chinese International Lunar Research Station. Roscosmos stated that the project is an important step in the creation of a permanently operating scientific lunar station, and the transition from a one-time mission to a long term lunar exploration program. Dmitry Bakanov said that Roscosmos's goal was to build a nuclear plant on the Moon and explore Venus, also known as Earth's "sister planet". The moon is located 384,400 kilometers (238,855 mi) away from our planet. It moderates earth's wobble, which helps to maintain a stable climate. It also creates tides in all the oceans. U.S. PLANS REACTOR ON MOON Russia isn't the only country with such plans. NASA announced in August its intention to place a nuclear reactor on?moon within the first quarter fiscal year 2030. "We are in a race for the moon with China. "We need energy to have a moon base," U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated in August when asked about plans. He also said that the United States is currently "behind" in the race to reach the moon. He said that energy is essential for life to continue?on the Moon and then to reach Mars. Nuclear weapons are prohibited in space, but nuclear energy sources can be placed there as long as certain rules are followed. Some space analysts predicted a gold rush on the Moon: NASA estimates that there is a million tonnes (or more) of Helium-3 on the moon, which is an isotope helium rare on Earth. Boeing's research shows that rare earth metals, such as scandium, yttrium, and 15 lanthanides - which are used in smartphones, computer and advanced technology - can also be found on the Moon. According to Boeing's research, the rare earth metals - used in smartphones, computers and advanced technologies - are also present on the moon. These include scandium, yttrium and 15 lanthanides.
Search teams facing more rain as they mourn dozens of dead at Texas girls' camp
The Christian All-Girls Camp in Central Texas announced on Monday that 27 girls and their counselors perished during the devastating flooding of the 4th of July weekend. Emergency responders are still searching for missing persons and face the possibility of further heavy rains and storms.
Officials have confirmed that the death toll is 78. This includes 28 children. They also said that it will likely rise as teams search through the mud-covered riverbanks, and fly over flood-ravaged landscape. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha confirmed that the majority of the dead are in the riverfront Hill Country Texas city of Kerrville.
In less than an hour, torrential rains at dawn transformed the Guadalupe River in Kerrville into a raging river. Camp Mystic on the Guadalupe River, a Christian girls' retreat that has been around for nearly 100 years, was ravaged by the waters.
In a Monday statement, the camp said: "Our hearts are broken along with our families who are experiencing this unimaginable tragedies."
Multiple media, including the Austin American-Statesman, reported that Richard "Dick' Eastland 70, co-owner and Director of Camp Mystic died while trying to save children from his camp in the flood.
According to the website of the camp, Eastland has owned the camp with his wife Tweety Eastland since 1974.
George Eastland wrote on Instagram that "if he was not going to die naturally, this was the only way, saving the daughters that he loved and cared about," Eastland’s grandson.
Allison Santorelli is a National Weather Service meteorologist at the Weather Prediction Center of College Park, Maryland. She said that in Hill Country, where the worst flooding took place, an additional 2 to 4 inches would fall.
Santorelli stated that new flooding could be dangerous due to the soil saturated with water and the debris in the river.
The weather service has issued a flood warning for the area until 7 pm on Monday.
On Thursday, state emergency management officials warned that, in advance of the Fourth of July holiday, parts of central Texas could be subject to heavy rains and flash flooding based on National Weather Service predictions.
Confusion of disaster
Dalton Rice, the City Manager, said that twice as much rainfall as had been predicted fell over two branches of Guadalupe, just upstream from the fork, where they converge. This water then rushed into a single channel of the river, which cuts through Kerrville. Rice, along with other officials including Governor Greg Abbott said that the floods, as well as the accuracy of weather forecasts, warning systems and their circumstances, will be examined once the immediate situation is under control. Search-and-rescue efforts were ongoing around the clock with hundreds of emergency workers on the ground tackling a variety of challenges.
Martin, a reporter, told Sunday's reporters: "It is hot, there is mud, people are moving debris and there are snakes."
Thomas Suelzar said that the Texas Military Department's airborne search assets include eight helicopters, and a remotely-piloted MQ-9 Reaper equipped with advanced sensors to conduct surveillance and reconnaissance. The sudden storm that dumped 15 inches of rainfall across the region about 85 miles (140 kilometers) northwest of San Antonio, caused more than 850 people to be rescued. Some were clinging onto trees. Department of Homeland Security reported that the Federal Emergency Management Agency activated Sunday and deployed resources to Texas following President Donald Trump's major disaster declaration. U.S. Coast Guard planes and helicopters are assisting in search and rescue operations.
SCALING BACK THE FEDERAL RESPONSE TO DISASTER
Trump announced on Sunday that he will visit the scene of the disaster, most likely on Friday. He previously announced plans to reduce the federal government's response to natural disasters and leave it to the states to take on more responsibility.
Experts questioned whether the Trump administration's cuts to federal employees, including the agency overseeing the National Weather Service (NWS), led officials to fail to accurately predict flood severity and issue warnings before the storm. Former NOAA director Rick Spinrad stated that Trump's administration had overseen the thousands of job reductions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the parent agency for the National Weather Service. This left many weather offices with inadequate staffing.
Trump refused to answer when asked Sunday whether federal budget cuts had hampered disaster response efforts or left important job vacancies within the Weather Service, under Trump's supervision.
He referred to his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, saying, "That water issue, that's all, and that really was the Biden set-up." "But I would not blame Biden either." "I would say that this is a catastrophe of 100 years."
Kristi Noem, Homeland Security Secretary at Fox News, said that on Monday there didn't appear to be any specific malfunction in the National Weather Service system.
She said that the alerts were sent out hours before the flood. However, the rapid rise in water levels and the speed at which they occurred was unheard of in this region. Additional reporting by Marco Bello in Comfort, Texas, Sandra Stojanovic, Rich McKay, Alexandra Alper in Atlanta, Tim Reid, Deborah Gembara, Nathan Howard, in Morristown, New Jersey, Ryan Jones, Bhargavacharya, in Toronto, Brendan O'Brien, in Chicago, and Nathan Layne, in New York. Writing and editing by Stephen Coates and Joseph Ax.
(source: Reuters)