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The technology sector has become the central axis of the global economy, driving profound transformations in traditional industries and shaping new social dynamics. Recently, it was revealed that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman plan to donate $1 million each to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, as tech executives line up to gain favor with the president-elect, just one month before he takes the oath of office for the second time. Bezos and the e-commerce giant reportedly informed Trump’s aides earlier this week of their plans to contribute $1 million, according to The Wall Street Journal. Similarly, Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, who is in a legal dispute with Trump’s prominent advisor Elon Musk, also plans to donate $1 million to the inaugural fund, according to a spokesperson for Altman speaking to Fox News Digital. “President Trump will lead our country into the AI era, and I am eager to support his efforts to ensure the United States remains at the forefront,” Altman recently stated in a written declaration. Earlier this month, The Journal reported that Altman, a registered Democrat, feared his strained relationship with Musk could disadvantage his company under a second Trump administration that will make key regulatory decisions likely to impact OpenAI. According to the U.S. publication, Altman has been working to secure a position within Trump’s inner circle by reaching out to friends and associates connected to the president-elect and his advisors, including Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, venture capitalist Josh Kushner, and others. Meanwhile, Bezos, who stepped down as Amazon CEO in 2021 but remains the company’s largest shareholder, is making the donation through the firm, The Journal reported. Amazon will also live stream the inauguration on Prime, which counts as a separate in-kind donation valued at $1 million, according to the report. The company also streamed President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021, though Biden’s transition team declined donations from tech companies for its inaugural fund. Bezos, owner of The Washington Post, which recently retracted an editorial endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris days before the November 5 election, is traveling to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump, a fierce critic of the tech magnate. Last week, Bezos expressed optimism about Trump’s second term and showed enthusiasm for potential regulatory rollbacks in the coming years. “I’m actually very optimistic this time,” Bezos said at The New York Times DealBook Summit in New York. “He seems to have a lot of energy around deregulation. If I can help with that, I will.” “We have too many regulations in this country,” Bezos added. Trump previously criticized Bezos and his businesses, including Amazon and The Washington Post, during his first term. In 2019, Amazon argued in court that Trump’s bias against the company hurt its chances of securing a $10 billion Pentagon contract. The Biden administration later pursued contracts with both Amazon and Microsoft. Earlier this week, The Journal revealed that Meta, the tech giant led by another former Trump rival, Mark Zuckerberg, also contributed $1 million to the inaugural fund. Zuckerberg, whom Trump once suggested should be jailed over a $400 million donation to a voting rights nonprofit in 2020, met with the president-elect last month at Mar-a-Lago. During the dinner, Zuckerberg, who has pledged neutrality in his political activities following Facebook’s handling of The Post’s 2020 reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptop, gifted Trump a pair of Ray-Ban smart glasses, The Journal reported. Bezos and Zuckerberg are not the only tech titans making efforts to align with Trump in recent months. Apple CEO Tim Cook has managed to cultivate a positive relationship with Trump over the years. The two have maintained open communication through phone calls and meetings over meals. Google CEO Sundar Pichai, whose company has also faced accusations of bias in favor of Democrats, is scheduled to meet with Trump on Thursday. Salesforce co-founder and CEO Marc Benioff praised Trump after TIME, the magazine he owns, named the president-elect its “Person of the Year” for the second time. Cancela en cualquier momento Acceso exclusivo a rankings y radiografías. Análisis profundos y casos de estudio de éxito. Historial de la revista impresa en formato digital. ¡Disfruta de lo mejor del marketing sin costo alguno por unmes!
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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has now made it mandatory for mobile carriers in India to display geospatial coverage maps on their websites. The coverage maps should show geographical areas where the company offers wireless voice and broadband services. This mandate is part of TRAI’s revised Quality of Service (QoS) Regulations for telecom operators that were implemented on October 1, 2024. “Every service provider providing access service (wireless) shall publish on its website the service-wise geospatial coverage maps in such a manner and format, as may be directed by the Authority from time to time, for the geographical areas where wireless voice or wireless broadband service is available for subscription by consumers,” said the TRAI directive. “Availability of service-wise geospatial coverage map on service provider’s website for percentage of working cells (Benchmark ≥ 99%) with effective from 1st April 2025,” added the directive. Coverage Map Availability According to the guidelines, if in any area, coverage technologies like 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G are available, the unified coverage map should show the area with 5G. “The cell coverage of respective technology (2G/ 3G/ 4G/ 5G) shall be presented on the coverage map in the prescribed colour scheme, having the minimum prescribed signal strength (measured outdoors),” added the directive. The minimum features that are required to be available for the users should include Map base layer, Technology Toggle, Search, Legend as well as Navigation features.Retail Chatter For SEALSQ Soars On $10M Direct Offering To Fuel Quantum Tech Expansion
One dead in Ecuador, Peru ports closed amid massive waves2024 was a big year for discontinuations. Not only were several long-running models axed, but an entire brand – Citroen – announced it was pulling up stumps. While it wasn’t quite the massacre that 2020 was (when Holden and Infiniti shut up shop) or 2021 (when a new Australian Design Rule killed off several popular models), this year saw plenty of high-profile axings. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today 100s of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now . Ford killed one of its last remaining SUVs in Australia, Toyota officially pulled the plug on its V8-powered LandCruiser 70 Series, and global production ended for a raft of Jaguar and Maserati models. We’ve split up this year’s casualties into two articles: one focusing on the SUVs and utes discontinued this year, and one focusing on the passenger cars. Scroll below for all the SUVs and utes axed this year, or click on one of the links below to take you directly to a retired model. Citroen C5 Aircross The C5 Aircross was Citroen’s best-selling vehicle in Australia, but that’s not saying much. Just 53 examples of the mid-sized SUV, related to the Peugeot 3008 , were sold this year to the end of November. While that’s up from last year’s tally, it still puts the Citroen dead last in its segment, with Peugeot selling more than six times as many 3008s – itself not a huge seller. Between its local launch in 2019 and the end of November, Citroen sold just 350 C5 Aircross SUVs in Australia. Not helping the niche Toyota RAV4 rival was Citroen’s limited dealer network, as well as a limited lineup. A 2023 facelift brought not only visual tweaks but also an upgraded powertrain. Still using a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, the updated model substituted the six-speed automatic for an eight-speed, gaining 12kW and 10Nm for total outputs of 133kW and 250Nm. However, the facelift brought with it a price increase, and Citroen sales had dwindled so much over the years that it could scarcely afford to charge a premium over more mainstream brands. There’s a new generation of C5 Aircross coming to Europe, but it won’t be boarding the ship here as the Citroen brand was retired this year. MORE: Citroen leaving Australia after more than 100 years, importer focusing on Peugeot MORE: Everything Citroen C5 Aircross Ford Puma This cat didn’t have nine lives. The Ford Puma lives on in Europe, where it’s been treated to a facelift and was even joined by an electric version called the Gen-E . The Puma Gen-E was supposed to come here, but Ford Australia recently cancelled its plans . “There are many factors that influence whether a vehicle’s business case stacks up – such as economic trends, material costs, consumer incentives and global supply chain – and after weighing these up, we took the call that we were better to focus our electrified lineup on other models,” said Ford Australia early in December. As for the facelifted combustion-powered Puma, Ford Australia made no such commitment to bring it here. In axing the Puma in February this year, shortly before the reveal of the facelifted model, Ford Australia said it hadn’t made the decision lightly but had decided to focus on commercial vehicles and the Mustang family. This follows last year’s announcement from the Blue Oval that the mid-sized Escape would also be axed, so the facelifted version of Ford’s Toyota RAV4 rival never ended up coming here either. Axing the Escape laves Ford without an entrant in Australia’s largest segment by volume, while axing the Puma sees the brand without a traditional entry-level model to attract people to the brand. The most affordable Ford is now the single-cab/chassis Ranger, while the Blue Oval’s most affordable SUV is the circa-$54,000 Everest – which costs close to twice the price of the defunct Puma, which opened at just over $30,000 before on-roads. While the Puma sold in similar numbers to the Escape, it commanded a greater share of the less competitive light SUV segment. It comfortably outsold the Renault Captur and Nissan Juke in recent years, though rivals like the Hyundai Venue and Toyota Yaris Cross outsold it by around three-to-one. That was despite the Puma being quite a good thing. It launched here in 2020 as a replacement for the unloved Ecosport , a light SUV initially designed for developing markets. The Puma shared its platform with the Fiesta , and was widely regarded as a genuinely good steer like its hatchback sibling. Sadly, we never got the more powerful ST version here, with all Pumas instead featuring a 92kW/170Nm turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine mated with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Ford sold 597 examples of the Puma that year, growing to 3218 in 2021, but this slipped to 2408 sales in 2022 and then 2027 sales in 2023. To the end of November this year, Ford sold 839 examples as it ran out remaining stock. Ford’s local SUV lineup here now consists solely of the electric Mustang Mach-E and the diesel-powered Everest. MORE: Ford Australia kills its most affordable vehicle in favour of vans, electric cars MORE: Everything Ford Puma Jaguar E-Pace It’s not often a brand axes almost its entire lineup without also being shuttered itself, but that’s just what has happened at Jaguar. The British brand’s attempts this century to take on BMW and Mercedes-Benz directly, first with the S-Type and X-Type and more recently with its current lineup of sedans and SUVs, have come to nought. Jaguar executives themselves have said the brand today has “no equity whatsoever”. Yikes. Jaguar is reinventing itself as a more exclusive, more expensive, electric-only brand, which means chip chip cheerio to the current F-Type sports car, the E-Pace , F-Pace and I-Pace SUVs, and the XE and XF sedans. Piecing together what is being retired when, however, is a little complicated. Vehicles built in the Castle Bromwich plant in the UK – the F-Type, XE and XF – all ended production earlier this year. Overseas reports have subsequently indicated the E-Pace and I-Pace, built by Magna Steyr in Austria, were also exiting production this year, with the UK-built F-Pace reportedly getting a stay of execution until 2025 or 2026. The F-Pace arguably is the more impressive of Jaguar’s two combustion-powered SUVs, not just because it can be had in hot supercharged V8 SVR guise, but because all models have largely aluminium construction. This means despite being larger, the F-Pace weighs essentially the same as the E-Pace – comparing P250 models, there’s a difference of around 40kg. While the F-Pace shares its rear/all-wheel drive platform with the Range Rover Velar , the E-Pace features the same front/all-wheel drive underpinnings as the Range Rover Evoque . It entered production in 2017, around a year after the F-Pace, and arrived here in 2018. Jaguar offered a range of petrol and diesel powertrains during the E-Pace’s run, though Australia missed out on plug-in hybrid power (something the local-spec F-Pace has finally received). The E-Pace became Jaguar’s best-seller locally, at least until 2022 when the F-Pace took the lead. Parent JLR was prioritising production of more upmarket, higher-margin models during this time, and sales of the E-Pace and its Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport platform-mates all dropped around this time. To the end of November 2024, Jaguar sold 3710 E-Paces in Australia during its run. But while it may have been the brand’s best-seller for several years, it lived in the shadow of its Range Rover Evoque cousin, which has consistently outsold it – not to mention its German SUV rivals, which left it in the dust. Jaguar is expected to still offer an SUV in its new, more exclusive, electric-only era, but it won’t be as accessible as the E-Pace. MORE: Everything Jaguar E-Pace Jaguar I-Pace You can’t accuse Jaguar of being late to the EV game. The Jaguar I-Pace first entered production in 2018, before other premium brands like Lexus, Maserati and Volvo, among others, would enter the EV space. And while the first EV efforts of some premium brands were based on combustion-powered models, the I-Pace debuted a dedicated EV platform and featured futuristic and yet distinctively Jaguar styling penned under former design boss Ian Callum. Critical acclaim was immense, with the I-Pace winning various awards including European Car of the Year. And yet despite the effort Jaguar went to, the I-Pace is being discontinued without a replacement like the rest of the brand’s current lineup. Where BMW’s first EV, the i3, was a quirky city car, the I-Pace targeted the mid-sized SUV market, the volume-selling space where models like the BMW iX3 and Lexus RZ now dwell. Like the BMW i3 , however, the I-Pace’s platform never underpinned anything else. But where BMW eventually rolled out other EVs, the I-Pace remained Jaguar’s only EV. It has proved a rather disappointing seller for the British brand, peaking in 2019 with 17,355 sales globally. I-Pace sales have continued to decline since then, with sales dropping to around 7000 units last year. In Australia, it has been a virtual non-entity. From a height of 155 sales in 2019, Jaguar sold just 23 examples here in 2022. From its 2018 launch until the end of November this year, Jaguar has sold 377 examples in Australia. Updates during its run were minor – a new infotainment system in 2020, and minor visual tweaks for model year 2024. Even as the I-Pace comes to its end, it still packs the same powertrain as it did at launch: a 294kW/696Nm dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain powered by a 90kWh lithium-ion battery. Range is a claimed 446km on the NEDC cycle and the DC fast-charge rate is 104kW, figures that were much more impressive in 2018 than they are today. The I-Pace has also suffered from an increasingly large range of rivals, with even Cadillac launching in Australia’s luxury electric SUV fray. MORE: Everything Jaguar I-Pace Maserati Levante The Maserati Levante is another model that technically remains on price lists, but which ended production this year. Maserati revealed the Kubang concept car at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show, which previewed what would become the Trident brand’s first SUV. The Levante didn’t debut until the 2016 Geneva motor show, riding the M156 platform of the Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans. The Porsche Cayenne had been seen as sacrilegious by fans of the German brand at launch, but by the time Maserati put its trident badge on an SUV the controversy had calmed. Launched here in 2017, the Levante went up against the Cayenne and, until the smaller Grecale arrived in 2023, it was Maserati’s most affordable model and its only SUV. A variety of powertrains were offered during the Levante’s run, including twin-turbocharged V6 and V8 petrol engines, a turbo-diesel V6, and a turbocharged four-cylinder mild-hybrid. However, all Levantes were all-wheel drive and used an eight-speed automatic transmission. Unlike the Cayenne, the Levante was never offered with plug-in hybrid power. The highlight of the Levante range was the twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8 developed and supplied by Ferrari, which powered the GTS and later Trofeo versions of the large SUV. The latter had outputs of 427kW and 730Nm. From first registrations in 2016 to the end of November 2024, Maserati sold 2342 Levantes in Australia. Over the same period Porsche sold just over five times as many Cayennes. Its best year was actually towards the end – 2022, when Maserati sold 436 examples. That saw it outsell the Audi Q8 (423 sales), Jaguar F-Pace (316), and Range Rover Velar (319). The Levante and its Quattroporte sibling are set to be replaced by electric vehicles (EVs). However, Maserati confirmed earlier this year that these won’t arrive until 2027 and 2028, respectively. From 2028, Maserati plans to only sell EVs, though it’s unclear if this will change now that the CEO of parent company Stellantis, Carlos Tavares, has stepped down. Stellantis’ new family of STLA-branded platforms support multiple propulsion types, so a petrol-powered next-generation Levante isn’t completely out of the question. Just don’t expect it to pack a sweet V8 like the outgoing model. MORE: Everything Maserati Levante Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series V8 After launching a 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder automatic version of the iconic LandCruiser 70 Series in 2007, Toyota officially axed the long-running ‘1VD-FTV’ 4.5-litre turbo-diesel V8 manual option in July. However, with a long order list to get through after orders had been paused for two years, Toyota said the V8-powered 70 Series wasn’t disappearing just yet. It said production of V8-powered 70 Series models would end in September 2024, except for 79 Series GXL single- and double-cab utes, with final deliveries of V8-powered wagons, Troop Carriers, and Workmate and GX utes due this year. Production of GXL utes, in contrast, is set to continue “well into next year”, with customer deliveries to be completed during the fourth quarter of 2025. Between 2007 and June 2024, Toyota says it sold more than 171,010 V8-powered 70 Series vehicles in Australia. So why kill the 70 Series V8 now, when it appears as sought-after as ever? In July, Toyota Australia vice president of sales, marketing and franchise operations, Sean Hanley, said that while the incoming New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) played a part, it was “consumer sentiment” that played the biggest role. Toyota Australia claims it was a “joint decision” between it and head office in Japan. If you want to place an order for a new 70 Series, you’ll have to settle for one powered by the same 2.8-litre turbo-diesel as the HiLux and Prado (but without mild-hybrid tech), though it will comewith something the V8 never did – an automatic transmission. Not only that, the four-cylinder 70 Series actually makes 70Nm more torque at 500Nm, while being just 1kW less powerful at 150kW. MORE: Everything Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series MORE: Why ‘community sentiment’ helped kill Toyota’s V8 4WD, but not its US pickup MORE: Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series V8 axed, but manual will live on MORE: Every car and SUV discontinued in Australia in 2023 MORE: Every car discontinued in 2022 MORE: Every car discontinued in 2021 MORE: The cars we lost in 2020
Is he a hero? A killer? Both? About the same time the #FreeLuigi memes featuring the mustachioed plumber from “Super Mario Brothers” mushroomed online, commenters shared memes showing Tony Soprano pronouncing Luigi Mangione , the man charged with murdering the UnitedHealthcare CEO in Manhattan , a hero. There were posts lionizing Mangione’s physique and appearance, the ones speculating about who could play him on “Saturday Night Live,” and the ones denouncing and even threatening people at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s for spotting him and calling police. It was all too much for Pennsylvania's governor, a rising Democrat who was nearly the vice presidential nominee this year. Josh Shapiro — dealing with a case somewhere else that happened to land in his lap — decried what he saw as growing support for “vigilante justice.” The curious case of Brian Thompson and Luigi Mangione captivated and polarized a media-saturated nation. It also offers a glimpse into how, in a connected world, so many different aspects of modern American life can be surreally linked — from public violence to politics, from health care to humor (or attempts at it) . It summons a question, too: How can so many people consider someone a hero when the rules that govern American society — the laws — are treating him as the complete opposite? Luigi Mangione, a suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, on Monday at the police station in Altoona, Pa. Writings found in Mangione's possession hinted at a vague hatred of corporate greed and an expression of anger toward “parasitic” health insurance companies. Bullets recovered from the crime scene had the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose,” reflecting words used by insurance industry critics, written on them. A number of online posts combine an apparent disdain for health insurers — with no mention of the loss of life. “He took action against private health insurance corporations is what he did. he was a brave italian martyr. in this house, luigi mangione is a hero, end of story!” one anonymous person said in a post on X that has nearly 2 million views. On Monday, Shapiro took issue with comments like those. It was an extraordinary moment that he tumbled into simply because Mangione was apprehended in Pennsylvania. Shapiro's comments — pointed, impassioned and, inevitably, political — yanked the conversation unfolding on so many people's phone screens into real life. “We do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint,” the governor said. “In a civil society, we are all less safe when ideologues engage in vigilante justice.” But to hear some of his fellow citizens tell it, that's not the case at all. Like Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, D.B. Cooper and other notorious names from the American past, Mangione is being cast as someone to admire. Luigi Nicholas Mangione is escorted into Blair County Courthouse on Tuesday in Hollidaysburg, Pa. Regina Bateson, an assistant political science professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, has studied vigilantism, the term to which Shapiro alluded. She doesn’t see this case as a good fit for the word, she says, because the victim wasn’t linked to any specific crime or offense. As she sees it, it's more akin to domestic terrorism. But Bateson views the threats against election workers , prosecutors and judges ticking up — plus the assassination attempts against President-elect Donald Trump this past summer — as possible signs that personal grievances or political agendas could erupt. “Americans are voicing more support for — or at least understanding of — political violence,” she said. Shapiro praised the police and the people of Blair County, who abided by a 9/11-era dictum of seeing something and saying something. The commenters have Mangione wrong, the governor said: “Hear me on this: He is no hero. The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald’s this morning." A person demonstrates Monday near the McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where police earlier in the day arrested Luigi Nicholas Mangione, 26, in the Dec. 4 killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO in Manhattan. Even shy of supporting violence, there are many instances of people who vent over how health insurers deny claims. Tim Anderson's wife, Mary, dealt with UnitedHealthcare coverage denials before she died from Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2022. “The business model for insurance is don’t pay,” Anderson, 67, of Centerville, Ohio, told The Associated Press . The discourse around the killing and Mangione is more than just memes. Conversations about the interconnectedness of various parts of American life are unfolding online as well. One Reddit user said he was banned for three days for supporting Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted after testifying he acted in self-defense when he fatally shot two people in 2020 during protests. “Do you think people are getting banned for supporting Luigi?” the poster wondered. The comments cover a lot of ground. They include people saying the UnitedHealthcare slaying isn't a “right or left issue" and wondering what it would take to get knocked off the platform. “You probably just have to cross the line over into promoting violence,” one commenter wrote. “Not just laughing about how you don’t care about this guy.” Luigi Mangione is taken into the Blair County Courthouse on Tuesday in Hollidaysburg, Pa. Memes and online posts in support of the 26-year-old man, who's charged with killing UnitedHealthcare's CEO, have mushroomed online. 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Two Queens residents allegedly responsible for dealing $2 million in stolen retail goods were busted in a crackdown that Gov. Kathy Hochul and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Tuesday. The bust occurred just days before the biggest shopping day of the holiday season, Black Friday — something that officials drove home during the presser at the Queens DA’s office on Nov. 26. Standing before a large table overflowing with stolen perfume, t-shirts, makeup, and even portions of 3D printed guns, Hochul and Katz stressed that the arrests would help safeguard retailers from theft and protect buyers from potential gouging. Hochul herself didn’t mince words about criminal elements benefiting from businesses’ financial losses. “We’ve had enough with criminals preying on our citizens. We are sick and tired of our citizens feeling they’re vulnerable, whether it’s random crimes on the streets or whether it’s the sophisticated organized crime rates — we are coming after you,” Hochul said. “I saw enough videos of people behind the counter being assaulted in brazen attacks, sometimes in broad daylight, and they’re so vulnerable, especially if they are the only person in the store or in a gas station when it happens.” Prosecutors said husband-and-wife duo Yvelisse Guzman Batista and Cristopher Guzman allegedly operated the sophisticated operation. The two suspects, both residents of Kew Gardens Hills, allegedly worked alongside accomplices Johanny Almonte Reyes and Rosa Rodriguez Santana in directing a horde of shoplifting crews, also known as boosters, to steal large quantities of merchandise from storefronts. Batista and Guzman then allegedly sold the hot merchandise from their home, online, and out of a brick-and-mortar store in the Dominican Republic, prosecutors noted. The duo, authorities said, even allegedly resorted to bribing truck drivers to divert products bound for retailers such as Sephora and Ulta Beauty from manufacturer warehouses directly to locations under their control. Police cracked down on the illegal business through an operation Katz dubbed “Fashionably Fencing.” Undercover operatives made controlled purchases of merchandise from the suspects after contacting them via social media. According to the D.A’s office, the undercover gained access to the Guzmans’ basement, which was set up as a retail store with shelves of stolen merchandise. Upon their arrests, law enforcement agents found more than $1 million in products in Batista’s and Guzman’s possession. They were charged with fostering the sale of stolen goods, the first time this newly adopted crime has been charged in New York. “This investigation and these arrests are about holding the defendants accountable and are also a great opportunity to warn people to be extremely careful when it comes to their purchases especially approaching the holiday season,” Katz said. “This marks the first time in New York anyone has been charged for the crime of fostering the sale of stolen goods, a new measure passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Hochul to stop the sale of stolen goods through both online platforms and brick-and-mortar locations.” Katz lauded recent laws that Hochul signed that helped police recover $40 million in stolen goods and led to the creation of dedicated Retail Theft Teams within the New York State Police, whose undercover units participated in the investigation leading to this indictment. “Retail theft not only financially impacts a business, but also presents peril to business owners, retail workers and patrons,” New York State Police Superintendent Steven James said. “State Police remains fully engaged on this issue and will not tolerate the actions of individuals responsible for stealing tens of thousands of dollars in merchandise, victimizing both retailers and the public.” Katz dubbed the takedown operation “Fashionably Fencing,” which also saw undercover operatives make controlled purchases of merchandise from the Guzmans after contacting them via social media. Photo by Dean Moses Katz dubbed the takedown operation “Fashionably Fencing,” which also saw undercover operatives make controlled purchases of merchandise from the Guzmans after contacting them via social media. Photo by Dean MosesSerbia authorities installed spyware on phones of government critics: report
I’m a Celeb fans blast Dean McCullough as he makes ‘cheeky’ request to Danny Jones
US equity close. Big bids arrive late. With all the focus on Bessent, are we underestimating Kevin Warsh? Biden touts Israel-Lebanon ceasefire Could Trump lean on a weaker dollar as is main policy lever? Are we in a bubble? Where 5 measures of market sentiment stand A look at the Fed minutes by separating references to groups of "participants". FOMC Minutes: Many said uncertainty over neutral rate made it appropriate to move slowly No help from OPEC reports: Oil slumps Trump's plan to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports doesn't exempt oil US treasury auctions off $70 billion of five year notes at a high yield of 4.197% Israel cabinet approves cease-fire deal with Lebanon Mexican finance minister: Tariffs are a tax and would hurt both countries Secretary of State Blinkin: Going into 2025 Ukraine has money, munitions & forces RBNZ rate decision in the new day and the NZDUSD is breaking to a new low. What next? European equity close: The return of Tariff Man bites BofA: Gold faces near-term headwinds but potential for $3,000 in 2025 Bitcoin continues its correction lower today from near 100K levels. What next technically? Dallas Fed Texas services outlook +9.8 vs +2.0 prior US October new home sales 0.610m vs 0.725m expected US November consumer confidence 111.7 vs 111.3 expected Richmond Fed composite index for November -14 versus -10 estimate Kickstart the trading day with a technical look at the EURUSD, USDJPY, GBPUSD & USDCAD G7 draft: Ministers concerned about China's non-market policies and overcapacity Case Shiller 20-city September US home prices +0.2% m/m versus +0.3% expected BOC's Mendes: We will incorporate political policies once we actually see the specifics Tariff man has lost his fastball The USD is mostly lower. Yields are higher. What are the charts telling traders in majors BoC's Mendes: Inflation will fade into the background as it settles at 2% Forexlive European FX news wrap: Positive risk mood despite Trump's tariffs threats Markets: Gold up $7.65 or 0.29% at $2632.30 US 10-year yield 4.300%, +3.7 basis points US 2-year yield 4.256%, +0.4 basis points WTI crude oil down $0.34 or -0.50% at $68.61 S&P 500 rose 34.23 points or 0.57% at 6021.60. The S&P closed at a new record high NASDAQ rose 119.46 points or 0.63% at 19174.30. Russell 2000 fell -17.79 points or -0.73% at 2424.23 . The index closed within one point of a new record high going back to 2001 yesterday but could not close higher today Dow rose 123.74 points or 0.28% at 44860.31. The price closed and another new record high The US dollar is closing mostly higher. The dollar index is up 0.18% on the day. The dollar however did fall sharply versus the JPY (-0.73%). EUR, +0.11% JPY -0.72% GBP, +0.08% CHF +0.09% CAD +0.56% AUD +0.65% NZD +0.33% The economic calendar so K Shiller home prices rise 0.2% versus 0.3% estimate. The Year on year continued its streak (has not been negative since June 2023) of rises with a gain of 4.6%. However, the gain was lower than the 4.8% estimate and 5.2% last month. The monthly home price data from FHFA rose 0.7% vs 0.4% last month and 4.4%, unchanged from 4.4% last month. The theme of housing data continued with New-home sales plunging to 0.610 million annualized units from 0.738M last month. The annualized sales pace was the lowest since December 2023. Consumer confidence for November came in higher than last month at 111.7 vs 109.6 and above the estimate at 111.30. The Richmond Fed composite index came in unchanged but negative at -14. The services index did rise to 9 from 3 last month. The US treasury auctioned off $70 billion a five year notes successfully with domestic demand for outpacing the six-month average. The international demand was light however. Nevertheless, the bid to cover was higher than the six-month average and there was a negative tail vs the WI level at the time of the auction. Yields moved higher today with more of a positive yield curve 2-year yield 4.256%, +0.4 basis points 5- year yield 4.184%, +1 point basis points 10 year yield 4.292%, +3.0 basis points 30 year yield 4.464%, puzzle .8 basis points The Federal Reserve meeting minutes were released today. Some of the points: Future Policy Path : Gradual shift toward a neutral stance is likely if inflation continues declining toward 2% and the labor market remains strong. Economic Conditions : Economic activity expanded solidly; labor market conditions eased slightly, with unemployment ticking up but staying low. Inflation : Broad agreement that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2%, though monthly volatility is expected. Risks : Risks to employment and inflation goals are considered balanced. December Expectations : Majority anticipate a 25 basis point rate cut in December, following the November cut. Gradual Approach : Uncertainty around the neutral rate supports gradual policy adjustment to avoid excessive tightening or easing. Financial Conditions : Broad equity price indexes rose amid higher yields and stronger growth expectations. Pause Discussion : Some participants suggested pausing rate cuts if inflation persists but emphasized this as a contingency. Market Implication : A gradual approach dominates, with the market pricing a 57% chance of a December rate cut. Technically speaking: EUR/USD The EUR/USD had a volatile day, moving down, then up, and back down. Session Low : Reached 1.0424 in the early Asian session following President-elect Trump's announcement of proposed tariffs (25% on Canadian and Mexican imports, 10% on Chinese imports). Session High : Briefly rose above the 200-hour moving average during the early U.S. session, marking the first time since November 6. Sellers regained control, pushing the price below the 100-hour moving average at 1.0484 . Closing Action : Price rebounded off U.S. session lows of 1.0456 to test the 100-hour moving average at 1.0484 , which now acts as a key pivot: Above : Signals bullish momentum. Below : Indicates bearish control. USD/JPY Closing Price : Near session low at 152.98 , trading at 153.04 into the close. Key Levels : The pair is below the swing area of 153.26–153.45 , keeping sellers in control. A move above this area would target 153.88 as the next upside level. On the downside, the 200-bar moving average on the 4-hour chart at 152.65 and the 200-day moving average at 151.98 are key supports. GBP/USD Session High : Stalled near yesterday’s high of 1.26137 , just below the 200-hour moving average at 1.26199 (which is trending lower). Session Low : Dropped to 1.25239 during the New York session before rebounding toward the falling 100-hour moving average at 1.2581 . Key Resistance : 1.2581 (100-hour MA) remains a critical resistance level. If breached, focus shifts to the 200-hour MA at 1.26199 . Key Support : Staying below the 100-hour MA could lead to a retest of last week’s low at 1.24865 . NZD/USD Price action is influenced by the upcoming Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) interest rate decision. Expectations: A 50 bps rate cut to 4.25% from 4.75%. Session Low : Stalled near Friday's low at 0.58142 , with further support at 0.57974 (a new low since November 2023). Key Resistance : The 200-hour moving average at 0.5862 capped gains today. Sustained trading above this level is needed to strengthen the bullish outlook. Good fortune with your trading.