North America

As her landmark trial continues in Los Angeles, a California woman will?testify in court? on Thursday about the harm that?using Google's YouTube and?Meta Platforms’ Instagram as a child caused her mental health. Kaley G.M. In court, Kaley G.M. Her lawyers claim that the companies wanted to make money 'by hooking children onto their services, despite their knowledge of how social media can harm their mental health. Kaley G.M. Kaley G.M. This case is part of a global backlash against social-media companies for alleged harms caused to children and teenagers. Australia has banned children under 16 from using such platforms. Other...

Amid the rising tensions between Washington and Tehran, several countries have started to withdraw dependents of diplomats and 'non-essential personnel from certain locations in?Middle East. Or they advise citizens to postpone travel to Iran. Here are some of the most popular moves: AUSTRALIA - The Australian government has advised dependents of Australian diplomatic staff in Israel and Lebanon that they should leave these two countries due to a deteriorating regional security situation. The government also offered voluntary departures for the?dependents of Australian diplomats in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, and Qatar. It continues to encourage?citizens of Israel and Lebanon...

Iraq's Oil Minister said that Chevron is in exclusive talks with Lukoil to take over the West Qurna 2 oilfield. Iraq is seeking to increase its oil and gas production. Oil majors are competing to expand their operations, after years of political insecurity. Hayan Abdel-Ghani, the Oil Minister of Iraq, told Kurdish TV Rudaw in an interview that production could increase to 750,000-800,000. bpd once Chevron took over operations. The U.S. The?U.S. Iraq, which is the second largest oil producer in the OPEC+ Group, comprising Organization?of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, including Russia, has plans to increase the...

Democrats in the Senate Banking Committee criticized President Donald Trump on Tuesday for not stepping up sanctions against Russia to force it to end the four-year war in Ukraine. They noted that the European Union had?designated nearly 900 targets by 2025, compared to only two?for?the?U.S. Democratic staff from the Republican-led panel released an analysis on the fourth anniversary. They identified hundreds of targets that Trump could have sanctioned during his first year as president. The war in Ukraine, Russia’s western neighbor, has caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and ravaged large areas of Ukraine. They said that...

ONEOK, a U.S.-based pipeline operator, reported a drop in profit % per share for the fourth quarter on Monday. This was due to a'sharp decline in earnings from its natural gas & transportation segment that is linked to a 'divestiture in 2024 of a 'interstate pipeline network. In extended trading, shares of the company fell 2.8%. ONEOK was also affected by low oil prices in the quarter ending December 31 as geopolitical risk outweighed concerns over an oversupply. Benchmark Brent crude averaged $63.13 per barrel in the quarter, down 11.3% compared to a year ago. The fall in oil prices...

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy's bid to quash a lawsuit filed by Boulder, Colorado officials who want to hold oil companies responsible for climate change. The Supreme Court heard an appeal from the companies against a ruling of the lower court that allowed the lawsuit to proceed. The lawsuit alleging violations of state law by the companies seeks unspecified damages for "costs incurred" by Boulder in mitigating climate change. Boulder is just one of the dozens of climate-related cases filed by U.S. states against companies that produce, extract, distribute, or sell fossil fuels....

Congress may vote next week on whether to prevent 'President Donald Trump' from striking Iran without the approval of lawmakers. The U.S. Military is preparing for a possible serious conflict with Iran if diplomacy fails. Members of Congress have repeatedly tried to pass resolutions, which would prevent Trump from taking military action without the approval of lawmakers. The Constitution of the United States gives Congress, not the president, the power to send U.S. troops into war. The Constitution gives Congress the power to send U.S. soldiers to war, except for limited strikes to protect national security. Last week, it was...

Indian share benchmarks recovered from initial jitters to rise?by mid-day on Friday as heavyweight stocks clawed back some?of the previous session's loss. As of 12:11 p.m. IST, the Nifty '50?added 0.54%, to 25,592.6. The BSE Sensex rose 0.48%, to 82897.3. The indexes had dropped about 0.3% on the opening, adding to a drop of 1.5% in the previous session. This was their biggest single-day decline in over two weeks. 15 of 16 major sectors were higher. The small-caps, mid-caps, and large-caps all added 0.1% to 0.5% respectively. Naveen Vyas is the head of the?family office of Anand Rathi Global Finance....

Alberta will hold a referendum in the fall asking residents whether the government should limit?the number of international students, 'temporary foreign workers' and asylum seekers who?arrive?into the oil-rich Canadian Province. Alberta's Premier Danielle Smith announced the move in a television address on Thursday night. It is an attempt to take control of this important issue away from the federal government. Ottawa is responsible for the majority of immigration policy in Canada, and not the provinces. This is a blow to Canadian unity at a time when the Prime Minister Mark Carney is trying to improve relations with resource-rich western provinces,...

Chris Wright, the U.S. Energy Secretary, gave an ultimatum to the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Thursday. The agency had one year to abandon its support for goals to reduce energy emissions to zero net or else risk losing membership. At the biennial meeting of the agency, European countries downplayed the "threat" and reaffirmed their commitment to cleaner fuel. In 2015, the U.S., along with nearly 200 other nations, signed the Paris Accords. This international agreement aims to reduce global warming through the burning of less oil, coal and gas, and to reach net zero greenhouse gas emission by 2050....

The main Canadian stock index was a little subdued Thursday as declines in healthcare and financial shares overshadowed gains in energy stocks. As of 10:15 a.m., the S&P/TSX composite index was down 0.06%, at 33,368.79. ET. Bausch Health, a specialty pharmaceutical firm, fell 4.1% following a quarter-end loss. Healthcare shares were down 1.8%. Wall Street's main indexes fell on Thursday. Heavyweight technology stocks dropped after recent gains. The TSX tech stocks fell by 1.4% after a strong session. Heavyweight Financials fell by 0.8% The TSX Energy Index gained the most, 2%. Oil prices reached a six-month high amid fears of...

U.S. officials reported that General Francis Donovan and Joseph Humire, a senior Pentagon official, made a surprise visit to Venezuela for security discussions on Wednesday. This is the first trip by a U.S. Military delegation since U.S. Forces captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro last month in an audacious operation and whisked to New York for drug-trafficking accusations. First reported by. The Venezuelan government reported that the U.S. delegation met with interim President Delcy Rodriquez, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello. Both sides have agreed to collaborate to fight drug trafficking, terrorism, and migration. Padrino and?Cabello both face...

The price of copper fell on Thursday, after reaching a two-week high in the previous session. A stronger dollar and rising inventories dampened expectations about a recovery in demand from China, the top consumer of the metal in the world. In official open outcry, the benchmark?three-month?copper price on the London Metal Exchange fell 0.3% to $13,286 a metric ton. The metal had reached $13,350 during the previous session. This was the highest level since February 11. Shanghai Futures Exchange also saw a similar high overnight. The Chinese have returned to the market since the first day of the Lunar New...

Mexico's Cemex announced on Thursday that it would?buy U.S. based stucco producer Omega Products?International, as part of a broader push to?offer additional building materials in its largest market. Cemex said that Omega, a privately-held firm with four locations in western U.S. generates approximately $23 million in core earnings a year, but did not reveal the purchase price. The transaction is expected to close during the first quarter. The CEO of Cemex, Jaime Muguiro, said that the purchase was in line with the company's U.S. Growth Strategy. He added that the acquisition would complement Cemex's existing operations because Omega's plants are...

Three sources reported on Thursday that global aluminium producers offered Japanese buyers premiums between $220 and $250 per metric tonne for shipments from April to June. This is an increase of?13% - 28% over the current quarter, reflecting higher overseas premiums. Japan is one of the largest Asian importers of metal. The benchmark for the region is the premium it pays for primary metals over the London Metal Exchange's cash price each quarter. Japanese buyers have agreed to pay $195 per ton as a premium for the quarter January-March The increase in sales is due to fears of a tightening...

These are the most popular?stories from the Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal has not?verified?these stories or?guarantee their accuracy. The Washington Post has lost more than $100 million in the last year due to financial problems that led to the decision to reduce staff by 30% at an earlier date this month. BlueScope Steel, a company based in Australia, said that the revised 'A$15 billion (10.69 billion dollars) proposal by the U.S. Steel Dynamics consortium and 'SGH' does not address the valuation concerns of the firm. It added that there are other ways to increase shareholder value. Wayve, a...

BlueScope Steel shares in Australia fell almost 5% on Thursday, after the company said that a re-evaluated A$15 billion bid ($10.7billion) from SGH and U.S. based Steel Dynamics was not enough to win its approval. BlueScope said that it "remains" open to engaging with consortium in order to come up with a bid which reflects the "fair value of BlueScope", as opposed the the revised A$34 offer per share. After a $1 special dividend announced in January, and BlueScope’s A$0.65 interim dividend per share, the value of this bid has been reduced to A$32.35. BlueScope said that it plans to...

Ghana's Finance Minister said that the country plans to transfer 127 metric tonnes of gold per year from small-scale artisanal mining to official trade as part of revised sector reforms. This will boost foreign exchange earnings and reduce smuggling losses. African countries suffer from major gold leakage due to ASM. They lose billions of dollars in revenue every year, as undeclared and smuggled gold is transported through porous border crossings into global hubs like Dubai. According to Swissaid, Ghana's non-profit foundation, it is the continent's largest gold producer, Ghana has lost about $11.4 billion between 2019-2023. ARTISANAL SILVER TO RECOVER...

Eagle Nuclear Energy shares rose 14.6% on Wednesday afternoon after it began trading on the Nasdaq. This was following the merger of the blank-check firm, Spring Valley Acquisition Corp II. This listing comes at a time when nuclear energy is gaining traction in the U.S. after decades of stagnation. The surge in electricity demand for power-hungry centers has been a major factor. Eagle Nuclear's flagship Aurora project is one of the U.S.'s largest undeveloped uranium reserves, located along the border between Oregon and Nevada. Mark Mukhija, CEO of the project, said that there are no 'offtake agreements' yet, but it...

The copper price rose to a two-week high on Wednesday, as growth and demand optimism dominated. This was after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump could not impose sweeping'reciprocal tariffs. At 1706 GMT, benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange was?up 1.1% to $13,318 per metric ton after reaching $13,335 in the previous session. This is the highest level since February 11. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down last week tariffs that Trump imposed under a law intended for use during?national emergency'. David Wilson, BNP Paribas commodities analyst, said that the Asian markets benefitted from the Supreme...

China's dominance in critical mineral supply chain is not as absolute as it might appear. Cobalt is an example. According to the International Energy Agency, China will account for 78% global refined output of battery metal by 2024. It lacks significant mining capacity at home, making it heavily dependent on imports. The export controls of the Democratic Republic of Congo have exposed this vulnerability. This is the biggest?source of cobalt intermediate products? for Chinese processors. Congo suspended exports of cobalt in February and implemented a quota-based system in October. The fourth quarter of the year saw a near-standstill in shipments...

The copper price rose on Tuesday to its highest level in more than a month, fueled by a positive mood and a stronger demand from China, the world's largest metal consumer, after markets reopened following a holiday. Benchmark?copper for three months on the London Metal Exchange?had gained 2.4% by 1700 GMT to $13,182 per metric ton after reaching its highest price of $13,196 since February 12. LME copper fell 0.7% on Sunday, but has gained 22.5% over the last three months. However, it is still well below its record high of $14,527.50, set on January 29. Alastair Munro is a...

Alcoa Corp, a U.S. aluminum company, is planning to sell 10 of its sites that have been closed or reduced to a minimum to the data center industry. The first sale will be completed by the end of June, according to its CEO. The data centres that are consuming more electricity than aluminium producers will be a fierce competitor for their supplies. But the surge in demand for energy also presents an opportunity to sell stakes at some sites selected because they are close to "plentiful" energy sources. Century Aluminum, Alcoa's rival, sold its unused Hawesville smelting plant to a...

The European Union faces a "transitional phase" of a few weeks in its relations with the United States. Maros SEFCIOC, European Trade Commissioner, said that President Donald Trump’s new “import surcharge” threatens to undermine a trade agreement the two sides reached last year. The EU's trade chief said at a hearing before the European Parliament, that his counterparts in the United States, Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had assured him that they were committed to last year’s agreement. He said that the surcharge would be in effect for 150 days and there was a deadline of...