Latest News
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Suns' Devin Booker aims for a 2-game sweep over Pelicans
Devin Booker, the star of the Phoenix Suns, has been playing some great basketball lately. Booker has averaged 28.2 points per game over the past five games. He also averages six assists and four rebounds. This includes a performance of 30 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in the Suns 115-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Booker and his Suns team will be looking to "continue" their momentum on Saturday when they play the Pelicans in the second of two back-to-back games. Booker stated that the contest on Friday was a "must-win" for them. What a great way to begin the road trip. We want to begin on a positive note. Saturday, we'll be back in action against them. We know that they are playing good basketball at the moment. Saturday's game will be a very competitive one. Booker scored 12 points in Friday's fourth quarter and was a key player in the Suns winning the game with an 18-8 run. Mark Williams and Connor Gillespie played important roles for Phoenix. Williams scored 24 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Gillespie added 16 points with nine assists. Williams also added 13 rebounds to his double-double, which was his first in nine games this month. Suns' 16 offensive rebounds led to extra possessions against Pelicans. Jordan Ott, Suns coach, said: "I thought we had some big stops in the stretch." "And then Book made some offensive plays to somehow pull out the win." Zion Williamson, who was a bench player for the Pelicans, led them with 20 points and eight rebounds in just 28 minutes. The Pelicans had won five straight games before losing their second consecutive game. Williamson has been battling multiple injuries for years and has not always played the second game of a back-to-back. However, he played double duty this week, when the Pelicans took on the Dallas Mavericks as well as the Cleveland Cavaliers. The two-time All-Star started every game in his six-year NBA tenure until?this past month. Williamson, who had been out of action for six games due to a right adductor injury, was moved from the starting lineup on Dec. 14, in order to reduce his workload. Williamson has averaged 21 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assist in six games, even though he never played more than 28 min. In the last four games, he led the team in scoring. Williamson was the star of the show, and the Pelicans bench scored 60 on Friday. If New Orleans hopes to split the doubleheader it will need better execution in the late stages of?the game. James Borrego, interim head coach of the Pelicans, said: "We put ourselves into a good situation." "We didn't play enough." We failed to make free throws or shots. "We could have done better in the final stretch." On Friday, neither team was able to make it from long range. Each team made only 20% of their 3-point attempts. Phoenix finished with 8 out of 40 attempts, while New Orleans had 5 out of 25. Field Level Media
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Myanmar holds elections amid civil war, humanitarian crisis and other crises
Myanmar will vote on Sunday, as it fights a civil conflict that has devastated parts of the nation and one of Asia's most severe humanitarian crises. Myanmar, already one of Southeast Asia's poorest nations, has been devastated by conflict that was sparked by the coup in 2021. The military overthrew a civilian government headed by Nobel Peace Prize-winner?Aung San Suu Kyi. WHAT IS THE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION? Myanmar's humanitarian crises is one of Asia's most serious, and it is largely due to the intensifying civil conflict, as well as the repeated natural disasters including the massive earthquake that occurred in March. Reports have stated that the ruling junta suppressed previous information about the severe food crisis affecting the country, by urging researchers to not collect data on hunger and aid workers to not publish it. Myanmar has one of the most underfunded aid operations in the world, according to United Nations. Only 12% of funds required have been received. The U.S. cuts in humanitarian aid have a devastating impact on the people, according to the U.N. Special Reporter on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar. UN estimates that around 20 million people in Myanmar need help due to soaring inflation, a plummeting currency and about half of the population living below 'the poverty line. UN estimates claim that more than 3.6 millions people have been forced to leave their homes and over 6,800 civilians were killed in the conflict caused by the coup. According to the UN World Food Programme, as violence escalates, more than 12 millions people in Myanmar will be at risk of acute hunger next, including 1,000,000 who will require lifesaving assistance. WFP estimates that more than 16,000,000 people in Myanmar suffer from acute food insecurity, which means their lack of food is a threat to lives and livelihoods. The agency stated that Myanmar is "a hotspot of hunger" and should be taken very seriously. WFP reported that this year more than 540,000 children will suffer from acute malnutrition, a life-threatening condition which can have serious and lifelong consequences. This is a 26% rise from last year. According to WFP, one in three children aged under five already suffers from stunted development. How has the economy fared? Myanmar's economy, once considered one of the most promising in the region, has suffered from civil wars, natural disasters, and poor management. The World Bank reported this month that despite these challenges, Myanmar’s economy has shown some signs of improvement. Its GDP growth will?rebound to 3% during the next fiscal period. The projected growth will be driven by the post-earthquake recovery and targeted assistance to?the most affected areas. However, inflation is expected remain at or above 20%. Solar energy is becoming more popular as a reliable source of power for households and businesses. In June, Russia, which is building up ties with the military junta in Myanmar, signed a deal with Myanmar that could provide new opportunities for Russian companies to invest in the country. (Reporting and editing by Raju Gopikrishnan).
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Petrobras' proposal to end the strike is rejected by a large Brazilian union
The Brazilian union Sindipetro-NF (one of the largest in Brazil) has rejected the latest proposal from the state-run oil company to end the 12-day strike. It said this in a Friday statement. Sindipetro NF represents?about 25,000 oil industry workers, including those in Petrobras?offshore oil platform in the Campos Basin, which is the second highest oil production area in Brazil. Petrobras stated in a press release that the strike so far has not had an impact on production as they are using contingency crews to continue operations. Sindipetro-NF is the largest union within FUP, a umbrella organization of oil workers. The FUP board accepted Petrobras' proposal but it was still up to the workers. Sindipetro-NF, a union that is not part of the?FUP, has rejected the call to end the strike. FUP does not include all Petrobras unions. FNP's board voted to continue the protest, and advised unions that were under its umbrella to do the same. Sources said that the dispute may last for a long time, because it involves complex issues, such as deductions from pensioner payments and pension fund funds of state-run firms. Reporting by Fabio Téixeira in Rio de Janeiro and Rodrigo Viga Gaier; editing by Nick Zieminski & Alistair Bell
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Wall St. closes the holiday session with a near-record high in terms of light.
Wall Street closed a low-volume session after Christmas on Friday with little to no change. The three major U.S. indexes ended essentially flat but posted weekly gains. Ryan Detrick is the chief market strategist for Carson Group, based in Omaha. He said, "We're simply catching up today after a five-day rally." This is just day two of Santa Claus rally, so there's still time. We think that the market will be more optimistic going forward. Market participants were looking for signs of a seasonal phenomenon known as the "Santa Claus Rally," where the S&P 500 makes gains in the last five days of the current year, and the first two days in the next. This period began on Wednesday and runs through January 5. This rally could be a good sign for the stock market in 2026. Three trading days are left in an 'unpredictable year,' in which investors have been thrown for a loop by tariff jitters and simmering geopolitical conflicts. The Nasdaq is leading the way with its tech-heavy indexes. Detrick added: "It is a reminder to investors that volatility was the price we paid to achieve the solid gains in the past three years." "It's likely that 2026 will not be the first time in history where there is no volatility or bad headlines. "So you need to prepare yourself." The S&P 500 lost 2.05 points or 0.03% to finish at 6,930.00, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 20.21 points or 0.09% to 23,593.10. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 19.70 points or 0.04% to 48,7111.46. Communication services, technology, and industrials outperformed the overall market in terms of performance. The only sector to lose ground by 2025 is real estate. Nvidia's stock rose after the AI chipmaker agreed with startup Groq to license its chip technology and hire its CEO. Target shares rose after The Financial Times reported that hedge fund Toms Capital Investment Management has invested a large amount in the retailer. Silver and gold prices reached new record highs, boosting the value of U.S. listed shares.
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Petrobras' proposal to end the strike is rejected by a large Brazilian union
The Brazilian union Sindipetro-NF - one of the largest representing Petrobras workers - has rejected 'the latest proposal from 'the state-run oil firm to end a 12 day-long strike. It said this in a Friday statement. Sindipetro-NF represents around 25,000 oil industry workers, including those on Petrobras offshore oil platforms, in the 'Campos basin. This is the second highest oil production area in Brazil. Petrobras?did not immediately respond to a comment request. The company has said that the strike had no effect on production because it was using contingency crews. Sindipetro-NF, a union umbrella for oil workers, is the largest under 'FUP. The board of the FUP had accepted Petrobras' proposal, but it was still up to the workers to vote on the issue. Sindipetro-NF, however, has voted against ending the strike. This means that the protest will continue at least in some sites. FUP does not include all Petrobras workers' unions. The board of another umbrella organization, FNP voted to continue the protest, and advised unions to do the same. Sources said that the dispute may last for a long time, because it involves complex issues, such as deductions from pensioner payments and pension fund funds of state-run firms. (Reporting by Fabio Teixeira and Rodrigo Viga Gaier in Rio de Janeiro; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
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Two dead in Palestinian attack in Israel, Israeli authorities say
Israeli emergency services reported that a Palestinian attacker ran over a man, stabbed a woman in the neck and killed both of them on Friday. Israeli police released a statement saying that the assailant was wounded and shot by a civilian on the spot. He was then taken to hospital. The police added, "This was a?rolling?terrorist attack." Israeli Defence Minister 'Israel Katz' said that he had ordered the military to respond with force in the West Bank city of Qabaitya where the attacker allegedly hailed from to prevent any further attacks. The Israeli military has said that it is "preparing an operation" for the area. The Israeli ambulance service reported that the woman and man were both pronounced dead on the scene, after medics failed to revive them. (Reporting and editing by Alexandra Hudson, Hugh Lawson and Maayan Libell)
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Silver trading, from shares and coins to bars and stocks
Silver has surpassed $75 per ounce for first time, fueled by strong industrial demand and investment, persistent shortages of supply, recent designation as an U.S. "critical mineral", and a wave momentum-driven purchasing. Spot silver is up over 150% in the past year, outpacing gold by more than 70%. How does silver trade? Over?THE Counter London is the largest marketplace for physical gold and silver, where banks and brokers take orders from customers around the globe to buy and sell. The trading is done over the counter bilaterally between financial institutions. An investor must be in a relationship to one of them to gain access to the market. Bars of bullion are stored in vaults at large banks like JPMorgan and HSBC. London vaults will hold 27,187 tons of silver by the end of 2025. Tons of silver. Futures Silver is also traded on futures markets. Shanghai Futures Exchange and CME Group COMEX are the two largest exchanges. Futures contracts are agreements where the seller promises to deliver silver at a future date. They are usually traded via a broker. The majority of futures are swapped for later-dated contracts. Both the buyer and the seller can speculate on the price of silver without having to move and store metal. Futures also offer the advantage that you don't have to pay the entire amount of silver. Instead, you only need to pay a fraction, called a margin. ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) ETFs are traded on stock exchanges like the NYSE and LSE along with shares of publicly traded companies. Each share of the fund represents a certain amount of silver in a vault. Robinhood, for example, allows small investors to trade ETFs with ease. Silver is added to the vault when the demand for an ETF exceeds the price of the underlying metal. This allows new shares to become available, bringing the prices back in line. The iShares Silver Trust, managed by BlackRock, contains?around 530 million ounces silver, worth $39 billion today. BARS AND COINS Silver bars and coins are also available to smaller investors from retailers all over the world. SILVER MINERS Investors can buy shares of companies that mine for silver. These are also easily traded on platforms such as Robinhood. The value of these shares is affected by many factors, including the management, debt, and performance of the companies. Reporting by Anmol Chaubey from Bengaluru
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LG Energy Solution cancels battery order worth 3.9 trillion won with Freudenberg
In a Friday regulatory filing, LG Energy Solution, a South Korean battery manufacturer (LGES), announced that it had canceled a contract worth 3.9 trillion won ($2.7 billion). LG Energy Solution announced that it had mutually agreed to terminate its contract with Freudenberg Battery Power Systems after Freudenberg scrapped its plans for its battery business. This announcement comes just a week after Ford Motor terminated a battery supply deal worth 9.6 trillion won. Ford announced that it would "take a $19.5-billion write-down" and scrap several electric vehicle models. This is a dramatic example how the auto industry has retreated from battery-powered vehicles in response to Trump's administration policies and the weakening demand for EVs. Ford alone will cause LGES to lose more than half its revenue of 25.62 trillion won last year, or 13.5 trillion won, in just 10 days. LGES announced on Wednesday that it is selling a factory and assets in Ohio, U.S. to Honda Development and Manufacturing of America. The sale will improve the joint venture's operational efficiency.
Exxon lobbyist examined over hack-and-leak of ecologist emails, sources state
The FBI has been examining a longtime Exxon Mobil consultant over the professional's supposed function in a hackandleak operation that targeted hundreds of the oil company's greatest critics, according to 3 individuals knowledgeable about the matter.
The operation included mercenary hackers who successfully breached the e-mail accounts of ecological activists and others, the sources told Reuters.
The scheme presumably started in late 2015, when U.S. authorities compete that the names of the hacking targets were assembled by the DCI Group, a public affairs and lobbying company working for Exxon at the time, one of the sources said. DCI supplied the names to an Israeli private detective, who then contracted out the hacking, according to the source.
In an effort to press a story that Exxon was the target of a political vendetta targeted at damaging its company, some of the stolen material was consequently dripped to the media by DCI, Reuters determined. The Federal Bureau of Investigation discovered that DCI shared the info with Exxon before dripping it, the source stated.
Some environmental activists talked to state the hacking operation interfered with preparations for claims by cities and state chief law officers versus Exxon and other energy business. Those suits were modeled on lawsuits against the tobacco industry in the mid-1990s, which resulted in a watershed settlement and sweeping limitations on cigarette sales.
The stolen material continues to be used today to counter lawsuits declaring the oil giant misguided the public and its financiers about the dangers of climate modification. As just recently as April, a market trade group that has actually gotten funding from Exxon pointed out one of the hacked files-- an internal memo strategizing the proposed litigation method of the ecologists-- in an effort to get the Supreme Court to quash a claim filed by the city of Honolulu versus Exxon and other energy business. The case is pending.
The group, the National Association of Manufacturers, stated it was not knowledgeable about the claims the material had been hacked and will consider whether to stop utilizing it in future briefs.
Exxon and DCI parted methods around 2020, according to 2 individuals familiar with the matter.
In a statement, Exxon stated it has actually not been involved in or aware of any hacking activities, calling accusations to the contrary conspiracy theories. Reuters could not figure out whether Exxon itself has also been the topic of the FBI examination.
DCI said: We direct all our employees and specialists to comply with the law.
The leaks sent out a shudder through the ecological neighborhood, stated Kert Davies, director of examinations for an ecological group, the Center for Climate Integrity. Davies was amongst those targeted by the hackers. Matt Pawa, a lawyer whose technique drove much of the anti-Exxon lawsuits, stated the leakages fueled a legal counteroffensive that almost knocked him out of organization.
Those files were directly used by Exxon to come after me with all weapons blazing, he stated in a recent interview. It turned my life upside down.
The investigation into the hack-and-leak operation comes amid growing concern among police worldwide about how such cyberespionage schemes threaten to taint judicial proceedings.
The FBI has actually been examining the broader use of mercenary hackers to damage lawsuits considering that early 2018, Reuters has formerly reported. The Israeli private detective worked with by DCI, Amit Forlit, was apprehended this year at London's Heathrow Airport and is battling extradition to the United States on charges of hacking and wire fraud.
U.S. law enforcement authorities declined to comment on their efforts. They have not spoken publicly about the case against Forlit, which remains under seal. But in court hearings previously this year, British lawyers acting upon behalf of the American government declared that Forlit had actually performed hack-for-hire work for a Washington-based PR and lobbying company and that he dealt with behalf of an oil and gas corporation which wished to reject individuals associated with environment modification lawsuits. In those hearings, the energy company and the lobbying company were not recognized.
Federal prosecutors have actually protected a related conviction: that of Forlit's former service associate, private investigator Aviram Azari. Azari pleaded guilty in 2022 to wire fraud, conspiracy to dedicate hacking and exacerbated identity theft, which included targeting the environmental activists. In court files, prosecutors did not assert any link between Azari and Exxon, DCI or Forlit. However one of the sources with understanding of the FBI investigation stated Forlit contracted out the hacking of the ecological activists to Azari.
Forlit's attorneys did not respond to messages from Reuters seeking comment. A legal representative for Azari, Barry Zone, declined to remark.
Resolving his victims after he was sentenced in 2015 to 80 months in prison, Azari said that there will come a day when he could provide more details about what he had actually done. You don't know whatever, he stated. CODENAME FOX HUNT
The hack-and-leak operation began the heels of a series of media reports in 2015 contending that scientists at Exxon knew for years that fossil fuels were warming the Earth as the business's magnates publicly said otherwise. Exxon has actually said that its internal research and public positions on environment change have been misinterpreted.
Under the hashtag ExxonKnew, groups such as Greenpeace required legal action. So did then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who said the Department of Justice need to probe the firm because there's a lot of proof they deceived people. In November 2015, New York's attorney general of the United States, Eric Schneiderman, announced he was examining Exxon. Other matches followed.
With Exxon on the defensive, DCI swung into action to safeguard what was then one of the company's crucial customers. Reuters talked to a lots previous DCI workers to piece together the company's relationship with Exxon.
Founded in 1996 by veterans of Republican politics, DCI has worked for a variety of tobacco, telecom, hedge fund and energy companies. On its site, DCI says it deals with public relations crises, litigation support, and opposition research study.
5 former DCI workers stated Exxon was long one of DCI's. biggest sources of revenue. One ex-employee said the oil giant. regularly steered more than $10 million in service a year to. DCI. Lobbying work alone for Exxon made DCI a minimum of $3. million between 2005 and 2016, according to openly available. information gathered by the transparency site OpenSecrets.
DCI's staff in Washington tracked social networks chatter. around the ExxonKnew project along with relocations made by state. attorneys general, according to 2 people familiar with the. matter. DCI likewise hired the Israeli detective Forlit, who tapped. Azari to hack the accounts, according to one of the sources. familiar with the FBI examination. The operation's code name. was Fox Hunt, the source said.
Azari was the topic of a 2022 Reuters investigation that. exposed how he and other private detectives used mercenary. hackers in India to help wealthy clients acquire the upper hand in. legal cases. The report drew on a large dataset of Indian. hacking activity, which reveals that the spies tried to burglarize. more than 13,000 e-mail addresses over a seven-year period. Among. the targets were more than 500 email addresses coming from. ecologists, their funders, their associates and their. relative, all of whom were targeted in between 2015 and 2018.
Some information of the hacking project formerly have actually been. revealed. In 2020 the Canadian digital guard dog group Citizen. Lab recognized 10 organizations targeted in a sweeping. cyberespionage effort, including Greenpeace, the Union of. Worried Scientists and the Rockefeller Family Fund.
Reuters has actually discovered the identity of other prominent targets,. that include previous Democratic governmental candidate and. billionaire ecologist Tom Steyer, and the ex-wife of. Schneiderman, New york city's then-attorney general.
Steyer's lawyers did not respond to requests for remark. In. an email, Schneiderman's ex-wife and former political adviser,. Jennifer Cunningham, said she had long thought that Exxon was. behind the hack-and-leak effort.
Starting in April 2016, news reports appeared alleging the. ExxonKnew campaign was a politicized effort pressed by wealthy. benefactors. Within 24 hr of one another, two media outlets. published stories based upon an internal Rockefeller Family. Structure memo. The memo stated activists were working to. persuade the public that Exxon is a corrupt organization and. wanted to delegitimize them as a political star.
The individual with knowledge of the police. examination stated the FBI evaluated that the memo was gotten. by means of the Forlit-led hacking operation. Separately, Reuters. figured out that the memo was consequently dripped to the media by. DCI.
Exxon's legal representatives consistently made use of the hacked files to. support the company's lawsuits.
After the New york city attorney general submitted match versus Exxon. in 2018, for example, the energy company's lawyers pointed out the. stolen Rockefeller memo to argue that the case must be tossed. out.
The legal representative representing Exxon, Theodore Wells, told New. York's Supreme Court in his October 2019 opening declaration that. Schneiderman had actually poorly formed a political positioning with. activists for the function of advancing a program directed at. energy business.
New york city lost the case two months later, when a judge ruled. that the chief law officer stopped working to prove that Exxon had. defrauded financiers by concealing the real cost of environment modification. policy.
In an interview, Schneiderman stated the leaked files were. used to terrific result to strengthen what he called Exxon's. baseless claim that we were participated in a politically motivated. ' witch hunt.'
Wells and his law firm, Paul Weiss, did not respond to. messages seeking comment.
The memo or other hacked files were likewise mentioned in court. filings by Exxon against chief law officers in Massachusetts and. the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as in the company's 2018 effort. to depose environment change attorney Pawa and other legal representatives.
Much of the litigation is ongoing. On Tuesday, Maine ended up being. the ninth U.S. state to file a claim implicating oil business or. allied groups of tricking the public about environment modification. Pawa. said the industry has continued to conjure up the hacked files in. its effort to push back. They were used over and over again,. he informed Reuters. The net result, he said, was chilling people. from exercising their humans rights..
(source: Reuters)