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Al Jazeera - Dec 19th, 2024
Dozens killed in two passenger bus crashes in Afghanistan
At least 50 people killed in accidents on the same highway in Ghazni province between Kabul and southern Kandahar city.
Sporting News - Dec 19th, 2024
How to watch Tiger Woods and son Charlie at PNC Championship: Schedule, TV channel, live stream for 2024 golf event | Sporting News
Sporting News - Dec 19th, 2024
Chargers playoff picture: L.A.'s updated chances to make 2024 NFL playoffs in Week 16 vs. Broncos | Sporting News
Oil Price - Dec 19th, 2024
Japanese Refiner Plans IPO for Metals Unit
Japanese refiner Eneos is mulling over an initial public offering for its subsidiary JX Advanced Metals Corp, putting up as much as 70% of the company for sale and eyeing potential proceeds of up to $4.5 billion. According to a Bloomberg report, the IPO is set to be discussed by the company’s board this Friday, with a discussion set to center on the amount of shares the company would offer. Unnamed sources told Bloomberg that Eneos’ chief executive is in favor of a smaller offering of 50.1% while some members of the board favor the...
Postandcourier - Dec 19th, 2024
Academic Achiever: Wilson High's Canfield defines leadership as selflessness
Wilson High School's Catherine Canfield, 17, has been selected as The Post and Courier Pee Dee's female Academic Achiever for the month of December.
Tom's Guide - Dec 19th, 2024
I just tested the weirdest looking Android phone of the year — and it's a hardware monster
The Nubia Z70 Ultra is a surprisingly affordable flagship phone that delivers best-in-class performance. But as other Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered Android devices arrive, the Z70 Ultra’s strengths may diminish while its flaws stand out.
Tech Radar - Dec 19th, 2024
Creature Commandos episode 4 reveals the DCU's Justice League for the first time, but its showrunner has a warning for fans who might 'infer' anything from it
Creature Commandos' fourth episode just gave us our first look at the DCU's Justice League, but not in the way you'd expect.
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Zerohedge - Dec 19th, 2024
So, What Country Wants To Be Like Germany Now?
So, What Country Wants To Be Like Germany Now? Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,The collapse of Germany shocks many. But I have been discussing why this was inevitable for over a decade...Germany Is Unraveling Just When Europe Needs It MostBloomberg reports Germany Is Unraveling Just When Europe Needs It MostGermany is reaching a point of no return. Business leaders know it, the people in the country feel it, but politicians haven’t come up with answers.That has set Europe’s largest economy on a path of decline that threatens to become irreversible.Following five years of stagnation, Germany’s economy is now 5% smaller than it would have been if the pre-pandemic growth trend had been maintained.More worryingly, Bloomberg Economics estimates that the bulk of the shortfall will be tough to recover, due to structural blows such as the loss of cheap Russian energy and Volkswagen AG and Mercedes-Benz Group AG struggling to keep pace with China’s auto firms. The decline in national competitiveness means every household is worse off by about €2,500 ($2,600) a year.To revive competitiveness, Germany ultimately needs to spend more. Just to catch up with other advanced economies, the country will have to increase annual investment on infrastructure and other public goods by about a third to €160 billion, according to Bloomberg Economics. That’s a rise equivalent to more than 1% of GDP.The private sector has also held back. Expenditures on machinery are more than 9% below pre-pandemic levels. A recent survey among family-owned companies showed nearly half aren’t even planning to replace what breaks, blaming bureaucracy and unpredictable policies. That’s effectively a no-confidence vote in an economy fighting to retain its status as third-largest in the world.Collapse of the German GovernmentYesterday, I noted The German Government Collapses, Early Elections Are Coming upChancellor Olaf Scholz [SPD party] lost a confidence vote on Monday leaving a deeply fragmented Germany in his wake.The only thing an election will do is shift the power from one very unstable coalition to another very unstable coalition.I ran the coalition math. It’s pathetic.The current Traffic Light coalition is SPD, FDP, and the Greens. FDP might not get 5 percent of the vote to stay in parliament.All of the parties rule out an alliance with AfD (reportedly Far Right) and BSW (reportedly Far Left). Combined, that is 22-25 percent of the total.AfD and BSW have three things in common. They are both anti-immigration, anti-NATO, and anti-Green.A failure of the last “Grand Coalition” SPD + Union (CDU/CSU) led to the failed traffic light coalition.Another Grand Coalition cannot possibly solve anything.Conflicting AgendasThe Wall Street Journal has these humorous insights on the German Government Collapse.Opinion polls show the center-right Christian Democratic Union, led by veteran conservative politician and businessman Friedrich Merz, as the likely winner of the ballot on Feb. 23. Yet the party is unlikely to command a big enough majority to govern alone or with the FDP, the other center-right party in Parliament, and will likely need to form an alliance with one or several center-left parties, forcing it to dilute its pro-business and law-and-order agenda.“Mr. Chancellor...you had your chance. You didn’t use that chance,” Merz said in Monday’s parliamentary debate. “And it applies today, as it does on Feb. 23, 2025: You, Mr. Scholz, don’t deserve the trust!”Merz and Scholz have different solutions in mind. The current chancellor has called for bailouts and subsidies to save jobs and prop up struggling carmakers, while Merz has floated a menu of supply-side measures such as lower taxes, less bureaucracy and steps that would make it cheaper for businesses to reach Berlin’s climate goals.How is that Grand coalition supposed to make sense?Without AfD there is no coalition math that makes any sense. But SPD and CDU/CSU have ruled out working with AfD.The entire structure is nonsensical because neither Merz nor Scholz make much sense.Merz is still wedded to nonsensical climate goals while Scholz wants to prop up struggling automakers. Sheeeh.Shocked? I’m NotThis is all so predictable. The only thing debatably shocking is how it too so long.Flashback April 11, 2013: Eurozone Math; One Size Fits Germany; Door Number TwoEurozone MathGermany was the primary beneficiary of the ECB’s “one size fits Germany” interest rate policy.It is mathematically impossible for every country to be an exporter like GermanyIt is mathematically impossible for one interest rate to work when there is a multitude of fiscal policiesIt is mathematically impossible for the euro to survive without a transfer mechanism of some sort from Germany to peripheral Europe, and Germany will not allow any transfer mechanismsIt is mathematically impossible within the realm of the euro for Spain to be more like Germany, unless Germany is less like GermanyGermany has ruled out everything that could possibly make the eurozone work.Euro Architects and Politicians to BlameI do not blame Germany. I blame all the architects of the euro. I also blame all the politicians making matters worse by trying to force their will on the markets. In that sense, I do blame Merkel, but I also blame Hollande, Sarkozy, Trichet, Draghi, and everyone else involved in this mess, past or present.One Size Fits Germany (Until it Doesn’t)The math of the matter is Germany benefited from the Euro and from the ECB’s “one size fits Germany” interest rate policy more than any other country.As a direct result of the unstable eurozone treaty, sovereign interest rate imbalances, Target II imbalance, and trade imbalances are out of control. Germany and the other European creditor countries are owed money that cannot be paid back.More Like GermanyFor years Germany insisted the rest of Europe should be more like Germany.Germany skimped on infrastructure. It has pathetic internet compared to the rest of Europe.Germany did protect old aging industries, especially diesel engines which I discussed many times.It’s now payback time.April 28, 2018: Bosch Announces Better Diesel Engine: Sorry Germany, Diesel is DeadEurointelligence: This story reminds us of the German company that developed the last generation of analogue telephone exchanges in the 1990s, hoping to fight off the relentless advance of the digital technology. It was mature and stable. And probably with some technical advantages over the then still-not-fully-developed digital technologies. But it came too late.Eurointelligence: We find it hard to believe that this technology can be introduced early enough and in sufficient quantities to prevent diesel bans in German and other European cities. And the latter is the reason for the acute sales crisis of diesel cars, which has turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy. At a time when the US and China are developing electrical smart cars, the fate of the ultimate diesel engine looks to be the same as that of the world’s best analogue telephone exchange.May 9, 2018: More Diesel Cheating: Germany Concocts New Ways, Audi Caught, Halts ProductionConfirming a report in news weekly Der Spiegel, Germany’s transport ministry told AFP it was investigating the use of a new “illegal defeat device” in some 60,000 Audi cars, half of which are driving on German roads.September 4, 2024: Volkswagen’s Choice: Fire Union Workers and Cut Costs, or Go BankruptThe unions and government leaders are howling but what must be done will be done.Now chancellor Sholz has called for bailouts and subsidies to save jobs and prop up struggling carmakers. What a hoot.But the German auto industry is dead. It lags the US and China on EVs, on batteries, on energy, and on basic infrastructure.For decades Germany subsidized doomed technologies like diesel and analog phones.The ECB’s interest rate policy “One Size Fits Germany” led to a housing bubble crisis in Spain and a near blowup of Greece.Now Greek bonds trade at lower yields than French bonds.Inevitable De-Industrialization of EuropeOn October 12, 2018 I discussed the Inevitable De-Industrialization of EuropeMerkel has lost control. She is no longer able to protect German industry.The European Parliament just voted to cut CO2 emissions by 40%. The European ministers voted for a 35% reduction. The latter is binding.On June 25, 2019 I commented Rise of the Greens = Deindustrialization of GermanyGermany’s Green party killed nuclear power. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, once a strong supporter of nuclear energy, reversed course in a nod to the Greens. It did her party, nor Germany, any good.Diesel is dead, and rightfully so, but Germany is not prepared for it. The Greens are also after coal, GMOs, and in general big business.Deindustrialization of GermanyThe Greens are going to force the deindustrialization of Germany.They do not want coalThey do not want nuclearThey do not want dieselThe do not want Round-UpThey do not want GMOsThey do not want Google, Amazon, or any other large organizationsThey do want low-skill immigrationMerkel Bashes TrumpHere’s a pretty amusing flashback from May 28, 2017: Merkel Bashes Trump, Wants Europe to Control Its Own Destiny: EU HypocritesIf the EU was really serious about “leading the way” I suggest the EU should not be big hypocrites.I propose a good start would be to stop tariffs on solar panels, ban diesel autos, and reverse Merkel’s ban on nuclear power, and embrace rather than banning Uber.If Europe wants to save the world, let them.The EU Will Lag on AI for the Same Reason it Lost on Phones and EVsReturning to more recent history, please consider my February 4, 2023 post The EU Will Lag on AI for the Same Reason it Lost on Phones and EVsEU vs US ExplainedMicrosoft alone will spend over three times what Germany as a country will spend. Factor in Google, Amazon, and the US defense industry. The EU likes to protect existing businesses. Germany cheated to protect legacy diesel engines for years.On mundane matters like agriculture, France protects the small farm. The EU now has lawsuits against Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. The US leads because the EU would bust up any company before it got big enough to lead on anything. It’s the same story on artificial intelligence where Greens are hell bent on protecting rather than investing. And heaven forbid any European company get big enough to achieve anything. The EU would bust them all up in the name of competition. Four Fundamental Sets of IssuesThe Euro itselfThe EUGerman Fiscal PoliciesGovernmental Structures1: The Euro is fatally flawed. One interest rate for Greece, Germany, Spain, 20 nations in all, does not work. Productivity in Greece is not the same as Germany. Pensions and work rules are vastly different. There is no single eurobond like there are US Treasuries. Instead, Germany has bonds, Greece has bonds, France has bonds. The ECB rules out default. But if that was the case, there should be no differences in bond yields. Target2 Imbalances put a spotlight on the issue. That link is from 2012. I have been discussing these issue and how it relates to Germany for at least that long. To make any treaty changes all 20 nations have to agree.2: The EU is structured such that it takes unanimous agreement to change anything not specifically allowed by treaty. A simple trade treaty with Canada took decades because one country held things up. France won’t budge on agricultural policy and a number of states including Germany won’t budge on eurobonds or fiscal debt brakes. The EU nannycrats do have energy policy authority and have made a total mess of things. The EU overregulates everything. And despite lagging the world on AI, it seems hell bent on regulating it to death. Google, Microsoft, Nvdia, Apple, and Tesla could not exist in the EU, because in the name of competition, the EU would have busted them apart before they amounted to anything.3: Germany’s export model has crashed. It is no longer the leader in anything. German infrastructure is pathetic. Germany exported cars to China. Well guess what. China does not want those cars and the US doesn’t either. German leaders still want to protect its auto industry. Merkel destroyed Germany’s nuclear industry despite the fact that Germany is one of the safest places for nuclear plants based on fault data.4: Review the German coalition math and conflicting goals I mentioned above. No math makes any sense. I have been writing about the failure of the Grand Coalition for a long time. That morphed into unsustainable Traffic Light Coalition that just collapsed. And now the only chance to get 50 percent is another Grand Coalition. And every country is saddled with Eurozone treaty rules as well as EU treaty rules.5. The German constitution prohibits the types of changes needed to fix some of the problems. I discuss this in an addendum.It’s HopelessThe lead Bloomberg article in this post said “Europe’s largest economy on a path of decline that threatens to become irreversible.“Threat? There is no threat. The entire Eurozone has been in an irreversible decline from the beginning because the structure of the Eurozone and EU are both fatally flawed.Factor in country-specific issues and broken governments and it’s amazing that it took this long for as many issues to finally surface as they have in the past two years.Even now, few have thought about the four fundamental issues that I just mentioned. And the treaties make things impossible to fix because every nation has to agree to rule changes.The only unresolved issue is how much longer this foolish EU structure can last. I don’t know, and no one else does either, but perhaps Trump II brings it all to a head.AddendumI left off a 5th German issue, it’s constitutional court. The German constitution, in addition to the the Maastricht Treaty, mandates debt brakes, no debt comingling, etc.There cannot be a eurobond until that is fixed (not that a eurobond makes any sense in the first place given the fragmented policies and work rules of various nations).Instead, Germany is saddled with a broken target2 system in which all sovereign debt allegedly the same by treaty, but in practice isn’t, as noted by various sovereign bond yields. Implied odds of default are very different from what’s guaranteed by treaty.Germany would like to fix EU agricultural issues but cannot because of a French veto. Every year for decades, world trade negotiations blow up because of France.Germany (at least some political parties) would like to fix energy policy but cannot because of EU-wide rules set by the European Parliament and lack of internal agreement how.Arguably energy is the most easiest problem to fix among those I discussed because it does not take 100 percent agreement to do so. However, addressing energy would take the European parliament and an internal German commitment to fix. Alternatively, Germany can tell the EP and European Commission President Ursula von Der Leyden (from Germany) to go to hell.In the US, with its two-party political system, things can get only so crazy before someone comes along to fix at least some things. Trump will not be the savior his fans think, but he will fix some things.Meanwhile, the US still has the largest, most free capital markets in the world. Europe has an unworkable, tangled mess of target2 and individual state bonds.The center parties like SPD and CDU/CSU in Germany, and Macron’s party in France have imploded. Both governments are unworkable.Euro apologists blame AfD, BSW, Le Pen in France, Vitor Orban in Hungary, and Geert Wilders in the Netherlands for being problems and causing unworkable governments.In reality, all of these parties are a result, not a cause, of a fundamentally broken EU.The only unresolved issue is how much longer this foolish EU structure can last before it implodes in a major treaty failure or currency crisis.I don’t know, and no one else does either, but perhaps Trump II brings it all to a head. Tyler DurdenThu, 12/19/2024 - 03:30
Pr Newswire - Dec 19th, 2024
TargED Biopharmaceuticals doses first participant in Phase 1 clinical trial of TGD001, a groundbreaking thrombolytic in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and TTP
TGD001 is being developed to offer patients with clotting disorders a faster, safer and more effective treatment than today's standard of care – saving lives and reducing disability Following the Phase 1 safety study, TargED intends to further develop TGD001 in patients with AIS and iTTP...
Homes And Gardens - Dec 19th, 2024
This is the time to stop watering your Christmas cactus – houseplant experts reveal when and why to cut back
Christmas cacti will suffer if they're given the same amount of water every season
Machine Automation Policy
Machine automation technology can enhance organizational operations across various market fields, with potential for countless implementations. Its popularity and usefulness can be attributed to the many benefits of this technology, which can include reduced operational costs, higher production rates, and enhanced output quality. The purpose of this customizable policy, written by Madeline Clarke for TechRepublic ...
Newsweek - Dec 19th, 2024
US Shares Update on China's Nuclear Arsenal
A Pentagon report on Chinese military power comes after Beijing test-launched a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile in September.
Forexlive - Dec 19th, 2024
Gold Technical Analysis – The bulls held the line
FundamentalOverviewGold dropped briefly belowa key support yesterday following the FOMCdecision as the market perceived it as more hawkish than expected. Overall, apart from someslight tweaks, the Fed was in line with the market’s expectations, and themarket’s reaction might have been an overreaction. There’s lots of algo-drivennoise during such big events. The data is what reallymatters now as it will decide what the Fed is going to do. It will likely takejust one soft CPI in January to see the market reacting in a dovish was withreal yields falling and gold rallying.GoldTechnical Analysis – Daily TimeframeOn the daily chart, we cansee that gold fell briefly below the 2600 supportyesterday following the FOMC decision but eventually managed to erase some ofthose losses and rise above the key level. The buyers will likely pile inaround these levels to target the 2721 resistance, while the sellers will lookfor another break below the 2600 support to increase the bearish bets into thenext major trendlinearound the 2400 level. Gold Technical Analysis– 4 hour TimeframeOn the 4 hour chart, we cansee that we are still trading inside the range between the 2600 support and the2721 resistance with the 2660 zone as the mid-level. There’s not much else wecan add here as the buyers will target the 2660 zone first, while the sellerswill look for a break below the 2600 support to gain more conviction forfurther downside.Gold Technical Analysis– 1 hour TimeframeOn the 1 hour chart, we cansee that we have a minor downward trendline now defining the current bearishmomentum. The sellers will likely lean on it to position for the break belowthe support, while the buyers will look for a break higher to increase thebullish bets into the 2660 zone. The red lines define the average daily range for today. UpcomingCatalystsToday, we get the latest US Jobless Claims figures, while tomorrow weconclude the week with the US PCE data.See the video below This article was written by Giuseppe Dellamotta at www.forexlive.com.
The Mirror Us - Dec 19th, 2024
Slim Dunlap dies aged 73 after The Replacements guitarist left bedridden following stroke
The Replacements guitarist Bob 'Slim' Dunlap has died at the age of 73, 12 years after he suffered a stroke which left him bedridden and unable to play guitar
Benzinga - Dec 19th, 2024
Micron Technology, Accenture And 3 Stocks To Watch Heading Into Thursday
With U.S. stock futures trading higher this morning on Thursday, some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are as follows:Wall Street expects Accenture Plc. (NYSE:ACN) to report quarterly earnings at $3.40 per share on revenue of $17.12 billion before the opening bell, according to data from Benzinga Pro. Accenture shares gained 0.1% to $348.10 in after-hours trading.Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) posted better-than-expected earnings for its first quarter, while sales missed expectations. The company said it sees second-quarter revenue of ...Full story available on Benzinga.com
Cleveland - Dec 19th, 2024
Copley man convicted of triple murder gets life in prison
Elias Gudino, 59, will be eligible for parole after serving 23 years in prison, according to Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich.
New York Post - Dec 19th, 2024
Sarah Michelle Gellar blames America’s marriage woes on ‘disposable’ society
Sarah Michelle Gellar has been married to actor Freddie Prinze Jr. for 22 years.
Globe Newswire - Dec 19th, 2024
Prosafe SE: Operational update - November 2024
19 December - Fleet utilisation for November 2024 was 57 per cent.
Pr Newswire - Dec 19th, 2024
Implantica strengthens the strategic RefluxStopTM expansion with the addition of yet another key University Hospital in Germany with several more in the pipeline
VADUZ, Liechtenstein, Dec. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Implantica AG (publ.), a medtech company at the forefront of introducing advanced technology into the body, including the unique device RefluxStopTM for the treatment of acid reflux, a treatment field with 1 billion sufferers, announces...
Marketwatch - Dec 19th, 2024
European Indexes Fall on Hawkish Comment From U.S. Federal Reserve
