
Indian billionaire Gautam Adani on Saturday said "attacks" on his company made it "stronger", days after US prosecutors accused him and other officials of fraud. The November 20 bombshell indictment in New York accused the industrialist and multiple subordinates of deliberately misleading international investors as part of a multi-million-dollar bribery scheme. Addressing the allegations for the first time, the 62-year-old tycoon said his conglomerate was committed to "world-class regulatory compliance". "What I can tell you is that every attack makes us stronger and every obstacle becomes a stepping stone for a more resilient Adani Group," he said at an awards ceremony in the northern Indian city of Jaipur. Adani is suspected of having participated in a $250 million scheme to bribe Indian officials for lucrative solar energy supply contracts. The billionaire, however, said nobody from his company had been charged with any violation of corruption laws or "any conspiracy to obstruct justice". The US Justice Department said Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and one other official were charged "with conspiracies to commit securities and wire fraud and substantive securities fraud". Five others were charged "with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act," the department said. On Thursday, Adani's company said it had suffered a loss of nearly $55 billion in market capitalisation across its 11 listed companies since the US indictment was filed. With a business empire spanning coal, airports, cement and media, Adani Group has weathered previous corporate fraud allegations, suffering a similar stock rout last year. The conglomerate saw $150 billion wiped from its market value in 2023 after a report by short-seller Hindenburg Research accused it of "brazen" corporate fraud. Adani is a close ally of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was at one point the world's second-richest man, and critics have long accused him of improperly benefitting from their relationship. ash/ahaIndustrial b2b player revives listing ambition
‘Exactly right’: Albo’s tongue-in-cheek remarkPeabody's $2.32 billion deal for Anglo American coal assets called 'transformative'The passive delivered by high-yielding (ASX: XJO) stocks can make a tremendous difference to your accumulated returns over time. Especially if you opt to reinvest those dividends. To get an idea of just how important dividends are to the overall returns from the benchmark index, just take a look at the (ASX: XJT). This index includes all cash dividends paid out by ASX 200 dividend stocks and reinvested on the date. Over the past five years, the ASX 200 has returned a healthy 26.0%. The Total Return Index, on the other hand, has returned 52.1%. Now, after a bumper year in FY 2023, dividend payments from Aussie stocks have come down in FY 2024. Lower payouts from the mining and energy sectors, mirroring the retrace in commodity prices, drove a big part of that retrace. The question facing passive income investors now is, what can we expect in 2025? Darren Thompson is the head of asset management at Equity Trustees Asset Management. Discussing the 2025 Australian equity market outlook, Thompson cautions that many top ASX 200 dividend stocks are likely to deliver lower payouts in FY 2025. He expects overall market earnings to be flat to down compared to FY 2024. And overall dividends to be "slightly down" year on year. On the macro picture, he notes: In Australia, although we have some wonderful global businesses, economically we are more leveraged to domestic drivers and a weakening China story than the stronger US economic thematic. If you've been investing in ASX 200 dividend stocks, you've most likely bought at least some of the big Aussie banks and mining companies. Indeed, if you're building a diversified passive income portfolio, I'd say they're an essential component. Meaning their FY 2025 performance will be key to the overall market returns. "The outlook for both earnings and dividends for the domestic market is heavily weighted to the performance of banks and resources," Thompson said. As for the big banks like ( ), ( ), ( ), and ( ), he noted: Bank earnings are anticipated to be broadly flat due to a combination of modest credit growth, ongoing competition restricting net interest margins, ongoing cost pressures and already cyclically low bad debt provisions. Thompson said he expects to see lower dividend payouts coming from ASX 200 dividend stocks in the resources sector in the year ahead, "reflecting the pullback in earnings and cashflows for ( ), ( ) and ( ) due to low iron ore prices". He added: These companies remain highly profitable, cash generative business. It is simply that iron ore prices have continued to retrace from previous cyclical highs, largely due to lower demand from China. With income growth still anticipated among some companies in select sectors, passive income investors will want to make sure to do their research when buying new stocks in 2025. According to Thompson: Many sectors of the Australian market are expected to deliver earnings and dividend growth going forward. However, they are not of sufficient scale to compensate for the impact of the materials and energy sectors. As for the combined outlook for payouts he expects from ASX 200 dividend stocks in FY 2025, he said, "The impact of these factors is such that the Australian equity markets 12-month forward dividend yield is about 3.4%, which is well below the 10-year average."
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Indian billionaire Gautam Adani on Saturday said "attacks" on his company made it "stronger", days after US prosecutors accused him and other officials of fraud. The November 20 bombshell indictment in New York accused the industrialist and multiple subordinates of deliberately misleading international investors as part of a multi-million-dollar bribery scheme. Addressing the allegations for the first time, the 62-year-old tycoon said his conglomerate was committed to "world-class regulatory compliance". "What I can tell you is that every attack makes us stronger and every obstacle becomes a stepping stone for a more resilient Adani Group," he said at an awards ceremony in the northern Indian city of Jaipur. Adani is suspected of having participated in a $250 million scheme to bribe Indian officials for lucrative solar energy supply contracts. The billionaire, however, said nobody from his company had been charged with any violation of corruption laws or "any conspiracy to obstruct justice". The US Justice Department said Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and one other official were charged "with conspiracies to commit securities and wire fraud and substantive securities fraud". Five others were charged "with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act," the department said. On Thursday, Adani's company said it had suffered a loss of nearly $55 billion in market capitalisation across its 11 listed companies since the US indictment was filed. With a business empire spanning coal, airports, cement and media, Adani Group has weathered previous corporate fraud allegations, suffering a similar stock rout last year. The conglomerate saw $150 billion wiped from its market value in 2023 after a report by short-seller Hindenburg Research accused it of "brazen" corporate fraud. Adani is a close ally of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was at one point the world's second-richest man, and critics have long accused him of improperly benefitting from their relationship. ash/ahaA track slab manufacturing factory has been established to support the India's first bullet train projects. The factory is designed to produce high capacity ballastless track slabs using advanced Shinkansen technology. According to official, this factory is strategically located near the alignment at Kim Village, near Surat. This proximity to the project site ensures efficient logistics and timely delivery of track slabs for the bullet train construction. Production Capacity The pre-cast reinforced concrete track slabs are generally 2,200 mm wide, 4,900 mm long and 190 mm thick and each slab weighs about 3.9 tonnes. The track slab manufacturing factory is designed to produce 120 slabs per day, ensuring high efficiency and a steady supply of critical components for India’s first bullet train project. The production scope of this factory is the manufacturing of 96,000 J-slabs.This facility will produce track slabs for 237 km of high speed rail track for MAHSR corridor in Gujarat& DNH (352 km) Factory Size and Layout: The factory is developed in the total area of 19 Acres and out of total area the manufacturing plant spans a significant area of 7 acres of land, with the production building covering 190 meters by 90 meters. Within this space, three dedicated bays will house a total of 120 slab moulds, facilitating the simultaneous production of multiple slabs. Stacking Capacity: To support the large production volume, the factory is equipped with an extensive stacking capacity of 10,000 track slabs. This allows for the organized storage of produced slabs, ensuring they are ready for transportation to the construction site as needed. Production Process Summary: The production process begins with the preparation of rebar cages, which are crafted using an automatic cut and bend machine. These cages along with inserts and spiral rebars are then placed in the moulds before the concrete is poured. The compaction of poured concreate is achieved by vibrators within moulds. Following casting, the slabs undergo a steam curing process to ensure proper strength development. After curing, the slabs are demoulded and inspected before undergoing wet curing for three days. Once the slabs have achieved the required strength, they are stacked at the TSMF in a designated storage area. After a 28-day period to ensure required cube strength, the slabs are transported to the respective Track Construction Base for installation . As on 29th November a total of 9775 slabs have been already cast. Another track slab manufacturing facility is established in Anand, Gujarat for track slab construction for 116 km of MAHSR corridor in Gujarat. More than 22,000 slabs have been cast in both the factories which are equivalent to 110 track km. The engineers involved in manufacturing of the track slabs have undergone training and certification course under the supervision of Japanese experts based on practices followed in Japan. J-Slab Track System The Mumbai Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor will have J- Slab track system of ballastless track based on Japanese Shinkansen track system. This track system consists of 4 main layers viz. RC Track Bed, Cement Asphalt Mortar, Pre cast Track Slab and Rail with Fasteners. The process of track installation is mechanized with cutting edge machinery especially designed and manufactured, as per Japanese specifications. Over 35,000 MT of rails and four sets (04) of track construction machinery have been received for the project. The fleet of machines include rail feeder car, track slab laying car, related wagons and motor cars, CAM laying car and flash butt welding machines. How it works Flash butt welding machine (FBWM) The 25 m long 60 kg rails are welded using Flash butt welding machine (FBWM) to form 200 m long panels near the TCB (track construction base) over the viaduct. Total 3 FBWM have been procured till now, and the same have to pass through stringent approval methodology prior to commencement of rail welding fit for allowing high speed train running at 320 kmph. Track Slab Laying Car (SLC) Precast track slabs are lifted on to the viaduct, loaded on specially designed SLC and moved to the track laying location. By using SLC, which can pick 5 slabs at a time, track slabs are laid in position on the RC track bed. 3 SLC have been arranged for slab laying work. Rail Feeder Car (RFC) 200 m long panels are fed and laid over RC track bed using Rail Feeder Car. RFC will push the rail pair over the RC bed and temporary track will be laid initially on RC. Total 4 RFC have been procured till now. Injection Car (CAM Car) After placement of track slabs at proper place on the RC Bed, CAM car runs on the parallel track. This CAM car mixes the ingredients for CAM mix in design proportion and this CAM mix is injected under the slab to achieve the required line and level of track. 2 CAM cars have been procured till now.
Percentages: FG .379, FT .895. 3-Point Goals: 7-24, .292 (Tomley 6-7, Vartiainen 1-3, Burris 0-1, Hennig 0-1, Vucinic 0-1, Threatt 0-3, Koehler 0-8). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 1 (Hennig). Turnovers: 12 (Tomley 3, Koehler 2, Tew 2, Threatt 2, Moore, Vartiainen, Vucinic). Steals: 10 (Tew 2, Threatt 2, Vartiainen 2, Burris, Hennig, Koehler, Tomley). Technical Fouls: None. Percentages: FG .327, FT .625. 3-Point Goals: 4-14, .286 (Bethea 3-6, Todorovic 1-4, Odum 0-4). Team Rebounds: 2. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 5 (Coulibaly 2, Dozic, Faure, Mager). Turnovers: 14 (Todorovic 5, Odum 3, Mager 2, Bethea, Dozic, Faure, Olvera). Steals: 7 (Bethea 2, Butka, Coulibaly, Dozic, Odum, Olvera). Technical Fouls: Waves, 14:00 second; Bethea, 13:18 second. .
How a Temecula man dealt with freedom after he was wrongfully locked in prison for 20 yearsSince Starbucks released its egg bites in 2017 the protein rich treats have become increasingly popular as a quick and easy breakfast or snack. Many have tried to replicate the original hit version at home so people rejoiced when Starbucks' egg bites were finally available on Costco shelves . Costco since came out with its own store brand egg bite. Recently the company let the world know who makes its Kirkland Signature Sous Vide Egg Bites, and it's none other than the same company making them for Starbucks: Cuisine Solutions, Inc. Cuisine Solutions' chief scientist, Dr. Bruno Goussault, is considered a sous vide pioneer, responsible for modern sous vide technology. He first developed it as a way to cook roast beef in 1971. The method was popularized by fine dining chefs Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud in the early 2000s. Now Cuisine Solutions brings the method to major restaurant chains such as Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts, to travel businesses like KLM and Amtrak, hotels such as Marriott and Hilton, and more. It's no wonder companies on such large scales use sous vide technology with its ability to consistently deliver quality food at a high volume. Why are Kirkland Signature Sous Vide Egg Bites so good? Sous vide cooking is the technique of placing food in a vacuum sealed bag and immersing it in circulating water, cooking it at a relatively lower temperature (compared to most other cooking methods) over a longer period of time. It results in a more consistent cook, and is easy to "set and forget." When it comes to eggs, it can result in a perfect, custard-like texture, and makes it easier to avoid overcooking the eggs. It's a unique way to make eggs and is especially good at making the ever-elusive perfect poached egg. The downside of sous vide at home is that it's another specialized piece of equipment to buy — something called an immersion circulator. Luckily Costco's precooked sous vide egg bites only require an air fryer, microwave, or toaster oven to reheat and enjoy. Sous vide is the ideal precooking method for a quick service restaurant like Starbucks to be able to reheat and serve eggs. Copycat Starbucks' egg bites have popped up all over recipe websites and the retail scene. Trader Joe's and Aldi created their own versions. The texture, nutritional value, delicious eggy taste, and portability make the snack a hit, but everyone was chasing Starbucks' initial success. The secret was in Starbucks' technique — sous vide. And not only sous vide, sous vide eggs that were developed by the masters at Cuisine Solutions.
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Report Mitchell Santner ekes out New Zealand's first-innings total to 347 Last-wicket pair put on 44 before Matt Potts finally breaks through Alan Gardner 14-Dec-2024 • 11 mins ago Mitchell Santner and Will O'Rourke run between the wickets • AFP via Getty Images {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","contentUrl":"https://img1.hscicdn.com/image/upload/f_auto/lsci/db/PICTURES/CMS/393000/393011.jpg","caption":"Mitchell Santner and Will O'Rourke run between the wickets"} Innings break New Zealand 347 (Santner 76, Latham 63, Potts 4-90, Atkinson 3-66) vs England Mitchell Santner and Will O'Rourke frustrated England through the first hour of the morning on day two in Hamilton, adding 32 runs to the New Zealand score before Matt Potts ended a cat-and-mouse contest with the first ball after drinks. With England spreading the field for Santner and focusing only on getting out O'Rourke, the last-wicket pair ticked along in untroubled fashion for the first half of the session. Santner found the boundary three times but otherwise dealt largely in singles, often off the fourth ball of the over, while O'Rourke blocked steadfastly at the other end. The No. 11 initially played out a maiden from Gus Atkinson and then showed good defensive technique. His first run came via an inside edge to fine leg, and the same shot later brought him his first boundary in 19 international innings. O'Rourke was given out caught behind in the seventh over of the day, only for Ahsan Raza to have to overturn his decision when technology proved the ball had flicked the trouser leg. It seemed as if the holding pattern might continue indefinitely, with Santner creeping on to his second-highest Test score, after the hundred he made against England in 2019. But immediately following the break, Potts found some inwards movement on the right line to defeat Santner's drive and peg back off stump, ending the stand at 44 and giving Potts his fourth wicket of the innings. England New Zealand New Zealand vs England ICC World Test Championship England tour of New Zealand Alan Gardner is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo. @alanroderickMan Utd chiefs locked in blame game over expensive shambles that saw Ten Hag get new deal before being sackedLiverpool dealt Konate injury blow
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo was available for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Washington Wizards Saturday night after missing one game with swelling in his left knee. Antetokounmpo sat out the Bucks' 106-103 NBA Cup victory at Miami on Tuesday. The two-time MVP had been listed as probable with tendinopathy in his right patellar tendon. “He's good,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said before the game. Antetokounmpo entered Saturday as the league's leading scorer at 32.4 points per game. He ranked fifth in rebounds (11.9) and 20th in assists (6.4). AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nbaKyrie Irving's big second half leads Mavericks past Hawks 129-119Big announcement about rocket launches in South Africa
Guwahati: India's 11 districts, majority being in Assam, are at a "very high" dual risk of flood and drought , according to a climate risk assessment study by Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, in collaboration with IIT Mandi and the Centre for Study of Science, Technology, and Policy (CSTEP), Bengaluru. Districts facing this double risk include Patna in Bihar, Alappuzha in Kerala, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, South Salmara-Mankachar, and Golaghat in Assam, Kendrapara in Odisha, and Murshidabad, Nadia, and Uttar Dinajpur in West Bengal. The report, "District-Level Climate Risk Assessment for India: Mapping Flood and Drought Risks Using IPCC Framework",which was released by IIT-Guwahati on Friday,advocates for a multi-scale, sector-specific approach to climate risk assessment and continuous capacity building at the local and regional levels. It underscores the need for forward-looking strategies to tackle compound and emerging climate risks effectively. The report advocates for a multi-scale, sector-specific approach to climate risk assessment and continuous capacity building at the local and regional levels. It underscores the need for forward-looking strategies to tackle compound and emerging climate risks effectively. This study goes beyond hazard analysis and mapping and aims to understand exposure and vulnerability characteristics and the interplay of the three components of risk hazard, exposure and vulnerability), resulting in differential impacts. The report states that Alappuzha is flood-prone and was declared ‘drought-hit' by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority in 2018 while the five districts in Assam are susceptible to floods due to their proximity to the Brahmaputra river and positive rainfall anomalies during the monsoon in some places. "However, these districts have experienced droughts in the last few decades due to erratic rainfall, especially in Aug and Sept," the report states. West Bengal's Murshidabad, Nadia, and Uttar Dinajpur experienced flooding and a decreasing trend in annual and monsoon precipitation in specific locations, Patna experiences localised intense rainfall events leading to floods, while long dry spells were recorded in July 2023. Likewise, in Kendrapara, flood and drought events have increased due to highly variable rainfall, high water deficit, and frequent rainfall failure, the report states with references to earlier studies. The study divides the flood risk arising at the intersection of flood hazard, exposure, and vulnerability into five categories—very high (51 districts), high (118 districts), medium (216 districts), low (205 districts), and very low (108 districts). "Of the 51 districts in the ‘vry hgh' risk category, 24 are in Assam, 14 in West Bengal, and the remainder in Manipur, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Uttarakhand, and Kerala," the report states. According to the report's drought risk assessment, 91 districts are in very high category, 187 in high , 186 in medium, 165 in low and 79 in deficient categories. "More than 90% of districts in the Very High category (83 out of 91) are located in Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra," the report adds. The study suggests that understanding risk at the nexus of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability is crucial, because it reveals that high hazard proneness alone does not equate to high risk rather it is the interaction with exposure and vulnerability that triggers risk and determines its extent. "Flood and drought risk assessment highlights the need to go beyond environmental factors leading to these two events, since social, economic, and political factors shape vulnerabilities and resilience. While mitigating hazards is crucial in the long run, enhancing adaptive capacity in the short and medium term is vital to shield communities from climate-related hazards. Integrating human-centric and interdisciplinary interventions into flood and drought risk assessment facilitates the development of holistic, inclusive strategies fostering sustainable development and bolstering community resilience against climate change," the report underlines. Guwahati: India's 11 districts, majority being in Assam, are at a "very high" dual risk of flood and drought, according to a climate risk assessment study by Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, in collaboration with IIT Mandi and the Centre for Study of Science, Technology, and Policy (CSTEP), Bengaluru. Districts facing this double risk include Patna in Bihar, Alappuzha in Kerala, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, South Salmara-Mankachar, and Golaghat in Assam, Kendrapara in Odisha, and Murshidabad, Nadia, and Uttar Dinajpur in West Bengal. The report, "District-Level Climate Risk Assessment for India: Mapping Flood and Drought Risks Using IPCC Framework",which was released by IIT-Guwahati on Friday,advocates for a multi-scale, sector-specific approach to climate risk assessment and continuous capacity building at the local and regional levels. It underscores the need for forward-looking strategies to tackle compound and emerging climate risks effectively. The report advocates for a multi-scale, sector-specific approach to climate risk assessment and continuous capacity building at the local and regional levels. It underscores the need for forward-looking strategies to tackle compound and emerging climate risks effectively. This study goes beyond hazard analysis and mapping and aims to understand exposure and vulnerability characteristics and the interplay of the three components of risk hazard, exposure and vulnerability), resulting in differential impacts. The report states that Alappuzha is flood-prone and was declared ‘drought-hit' by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority in 2018 while the five districts in Assam are susceptible to floods due to their proximity to the Brahmaputra river and positive rainfall anomalies during the monsoon in some places. "However, these districts have experienced droughts in the last few decades due to erratic rainfall, especially in Aug and Sept," the report states. West Bengal's Murshidabad, Nadia, and Uttar Dinajpur experienced flooding and a decreasing trend in annual and monsoon precipitation in specific locations, Patna experiences localised intense rainfall events leading to floods, while long dry spells were recorded in July 2023. Likewise, in Kendrapara, flood and drought events have increased due to highly variable rainfall, high water deficit, and frequent rainfall failure, the report states with references to earlier studies. The study divides the flood risk arising at the intersection of flood hazard, exposure, and vulnerability into five categories—very high (51 districts), high (118 districts), medium (216 districts), low (205 districts), and very low (108 districts). "Of the 51 districts in the ‘vry hgh' risk category, 24 are in Assam, 14 in West Bengal, and the remainder in Manipur, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Uttarakhand, and Kerala," the report states. According to the report's drought risk assessment, 91 districts are in very high category, 187 in high , 186 in medium, 165 in low and 79 in deficient categories. "More than 90% of districts in the Very High category (83 out of 91) are located in Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra," the report adds. The study suggests that understanding risk at the nexus of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability is crucial, because it reveals that high hazard proneness alone does not equate to high risk rather it is the interaction with exposure and vulnerability that triggers risk and determines its extent. "Flood and drought risk assessment highlights the need to go beyond environmental factors leading to these two events, since social, economic, and political factors shape vulnerabilities and resilience. While mitigating hazards is crucial in the long run, enhancing adaptive capacity in the short and medium term is vital to shield communities from climate-related hazards. Integrating human-centric and interdisciplinary interventions into flood and drought risk assessment facilitates the development of holistic, inclusive strategies fostering sustainable development and bolstering community resilience against climate change," the report underlines.