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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.
Trump's quest for $1 trillion is unlikely to bring about Saudi-Israeli ties
Donald Trump, the U.S. president, will land in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday. He will be welcomed with lavish ceremonies, palaces gilded in gold, and the prospect that $1 trillion worth of investments are in store. The raging Gaza war has prevented him from achieving a goal that he had long desired: Saudi-Israeli normalisation.
Two Gulf sources and an official from the United States said that behind closed doors, U.S. officials were quietly pressuring Israel to agree to a ceasefire immediately in Gaza. This was one of Saudi Arabia’s conditions for resuming normalization talks.
Steve Witkoff, Trump's Middle East envoy, told an Israeli embassy audience in Washington, this week, that he expected to see progress in expanding the Abraham Accords. The Abraham Accords were a series of agreements brokered by Trump during his first term, under which Arab countries including the UAE and Bahrain recognized Israel.
Witkoff stated in a video recording of his speech that "we think we will be making some or many announcements very soon, and we hope they will result in progress by next years." He will be expected to accompany Trump to the Middle East.
Two sources stated that the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opposition to a permanent end to the war and the creation of a Palestinian State makes progress in similar talks with Riyadh very unlikely.
Saudi Arabia doesn't recognize Israel as legitimate. This means that the Middle East’s two most powerful economies and militaries do not have any formal diplomatic relations. Normalising relations would, say supporters of the move, bring stability and prosperity in the region while countering Iran’s influence.
Since the beginning of Israel's Gaza war, establishing ties is especially toxic for Saudi Arabia. It was the birthplace Islam.
According to six sources, including two Saudis and two U.S. government officials, this issue, which was central to bilateral discussions in Trump's term, is now effectively decoupled from other issues of economic and security between Washington and Saudi Arabia. All the people asked to remain anonymous in order to discuss sensitive diplomatic discussions.
Dennis Ross, an ex-U.S. negotiator, said that Saudi Arabia's defacto ruler, Crown Princess Mohammed bin Salman needs to see the Gaza War end, and have a path to a Palestinian State "before he engages in the normalization issue."
According to six sources, Washington and Riyadh are focusing Trump's visit primarily on the economic relationship and other regional issues. Both sides are looking at lucrative investments, such as mega-projects, arms deals, and artificial intelligence.
They said that the approach was cemented during diplomatic discussions between Saudi and U.S. officials before the trip. This is the first official state visit of Trump’s second term.
Trump has stated that he wants to invest a trillion dollars in U.S. firms, building upon the $600 billion commitment made by the crown prince.
The rich kingdom, which is the top oil exporter in the world, knows how to impress guests and secure favors. Sources said the goal is to avoid diplomatic landmines, and possibly, win concessions from Trump regarding the Gaza War and its aftermath.
The Trump administration wants to make this trip a big deal. This means lots of big announcements about deals and collaborations, which can be sold to Americans as good for America", said Robert Mogielnicki. He is a senior resident scholar with the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.
He said that "normalizing relations with Israel" was a more difficult task than rolling out a red carpet for Trump and announcing investments deals.
A State Department spokesperson refused to comment on an agreement reached before the trip. Trump, however, "will seek to strengthen the ties between our Arab Gulf partners and the United States during the visits."
The Saudi Government Communications Office did not respond to a comment request.
COURTING the Kingdom
Before Hamas' Oct.7 attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people, and sparked the devastating Israeli offensive in Gaza - the Crown Prince was finalising a historic diplomatic agreement: A U.S. Defense pact as a trade for Riyadh recognizing Israel.
The scale of Israel’s campaign in Gaza - killing 52,000 and forcing 1.9 million people to flee - forced a pause on the talks. Bin Salman accused Israel's of genocide.
Two Gulf sources claimed that Trump, frustrated by the long-term crisis in Gaza, could use his trip to announce a U.S. plan to end the 18 month war.
They said that the plan could lead to a new transitional government in Gaza and new security arrangements - potentially reshaping region diplomacy, and opening up future normalization discussions.
Axios reports that Trump, in a sign of the importance of the diplomacy, met with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer privately on Thursday. They discussed the nuclear and war talks with Iran.
The U.S. State Department didn't immediately answer questions about Trump’s Gaza discussions.
Trump has conspicuously not announced that he will be visiting Israel during his tour of the area. Two diplomats have noted that the U.S. President has not spoken about his "Gaza Riviera plan" which angered the Arab World with its suggestion to resettle the entire Gazan community and U.S. possession of the strip.
Washington took a number positive actions in the lead up to the visit. A Saudi ceasefire in Yemen coincides with an agreement by the United States to stop bombing Houthis. Washington has also separated civil nuclear talks and the normalisation issue.
To bypass the opposition of Congress, the stalled Saudi U.S. Defense Pact was revived as a scaled-down version of security guarantees.
Three sources confirmed that the Trump administration is now taking up these talks along with discussions on a civil nuclear agreement. They cautioned, however, that it would take some time to define the terms.
CHINA INFLUENCE
Trump's Saudi Arabia trip is his second foreign trip after his reelection and first official state visit since his inauguration. He attended the funeral of the pope in Rome. He will also travel to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Diplomats claim that beneath the showmanship and the hype of Trump's visit, lies a calculated U.S. attempt to reassert its influence and reshape the economic alignments of a region in which Beijing, Washington's main economic rival, has steadily increased its foothold within the petrodollar-based system.
Trump's first overseas trip in his first term began in Riyadh where he announced $350 billion of Saudi investments.
Trump has the deepest trust of the Saudi leadership. This is rooted in his close relationship with them during his first term, which was marked by massive arms deals and the steadfast U.S. support for Bin Salman.
Five industry sources confirmed that Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Allies plan to ask Trump to relax U.S. Regulations, which have been deterring foreign investment in the U.S. for years. This is especially true of sectors considered to be part of America's critical national infrastructure.
Saudi ministers are expected to advocate for a business-friendly environment in meetings with U.S. officials. This is especially true at a moment when China is actively courting Gulf capital.
Saudi Arabia will not find it easy to counter China's economic growth, even though this may be the top priority of Trump's foreign policies. China's influence in Saudi Arabia has grown since the launch of Vision 2030. It now dominates sectors such as energy, infrastructure, and renewables. Samia and Humeyra Pakuk reported from Washington, with additional reporting by Alexander Cornwell and Pesha Mahed in Riyadh. Samia and Humeyra also wrote the article. Frank Jack Daniel edited it.
(source: Reuters)