World
AI Summary
- The Reserve Bank of Australia is concerned about its past interest rate cuts potentially being excessive, with warnings from economic leaders about entering a perilous "Doom Loop".
- Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has reportedly utilized banned Nvidia chips, smuggled into the country, to develop a new AI model, raising concerns about technology transfers and compliance with international regulations.
- USA Rare Earth has experienced stock volatility as it accelerates the timeline for commercial production at its Round Top project in Texas, now expected by late 2028, aiming to position itself ahead of competitors.
- Multiple geopolitical tensions are escalating, with the U.S. military flying fighter jets into Venezuelan airspace and a resurgence of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo recently causing mass displacements, reflecting ongoing instability in the region.
- The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has launched a pilot program that allows cryptocurrencies to be used as collateral in derivatives markets, which may revolutionize the handling of digital assets in financial systems.
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ZeroHedge
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The Fiddle-All Reserve
22 minutes ago
by Tyler Durden
The Fiddle-All Reserve By Michael Every of Rabobank The RBA rates hold decision generated two notable headlines from the Australian Financial Review: ‘RBA is worried it cut interest rates too far’; and ‘RBA is caught in Ray Dalio’s Doom Loop’. The Bank of England says Chancellor Reeves’ budget will lower inflation by 50bps in 2026, backing the view that they will give the public an Xmas rate cut next week. Of course, note that the Australian government used similar state spending deliberately targeted at certain sections of the CPI index to help persuade the RBA to cut three times… only for it to
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China's DeepSeek Using Banned Nvidia Chips To Develop Next Major Model
42 minutes ago
by Tyler Durden
China's DeepSeek Using Banned Nvidia Chips To Develop Next Major Model Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has been using 'several thousand' banned Nvidia Blackwell chips to develop its next major model, The Information reports, citing six people with knowledge of the matter. The chips in question were smuggled into China through a complex scheme that involves sending them to data centers in countries that are allowed to purchase them - then dismantling the servers and importing the components to China. Doing so allowed DeepSeek to remain competitive in the AI race, as Chinese AI chips are still not sufficient to train AI models - a process in which the models
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USA Rare Earth Shares Volatile After Accelerating Timeline For Commercial Production By Two Years
an hour ago
by Tyler Durden
USA Rare Earth Shares Volatile After Accelerating Timeline For Commercial Production By Two Years USA Rare Earth shares were up more than 3% heading into the cash open on news that the company is accelerating commercialization of its Round Top rare earth project in Texas, a move that could bring U.S. production online years ahead of most competing efforts. The cash open prompted selling pressure which dragged USAR down 3% USAR now expects commercial production at Round Top in late 2028—two years ahead of its prior schedule. The deposit is regarded as the richest known U.S. source of heavy rare earth elements, as
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F-18 Fighter Jets Flew Deep Inside Gulf Of Venezuela In Closest Approach Yet
2 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
F-18 Fighter Jets Flew Deep Inside Gulf Of Venezuela In Closest Approach Yet For the first time, two US Navy F/A-18 fighter jets flew deep into the Gulf of Venezuela, the body of water bordered by Venezuelan territory on three sides, in what appears to be the latest ultra-provocative show of force from Washington. Some reports say the jets lingered long in the airspace, circling the gulf for some 40 minutes. The flyover happened Tuesday and appears the closest known approach by American aircraft to Venezuela's coastline since the Pentagon began a major buildup in the Caribbean several months ago, which has also
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Futures Flat With Fed Rate Cut, Oracle Earnings On Deck
2 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Futures Flat With Fed Rate Cut, Oracle Earnings On Deck US equity futures are flat ahead of a Fed meeting where a rate cut is assured (the only question is whether it will be hawkish or dovish) and Oracle results later. As of 8:00am ET, S&P and Nasdaq 100 futures are unchanged, with Mag 7 stocks mixed in premarket trading (TSLA +0.5%, META -0.5%, AAPL -0.3%, NVDA -0.2%). Bond yields are mostly unchanged and the USD is flat ahead of the Fed. Commodities are mixed: oil added 0.2%; base metals are lower (copper -1.1%); silver added 0.6% this morning. It’s a big day
The Guardian
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Burkina Faso releases 11 Nigerian troops after ‘unauthorised’ plane landing
3 hours ago
by Eromo Egbejule in Abidjan
Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Benin, Africa, World newsMilitary personnel told they can return to Nigeria after actions described as ‘unfriendly act’ Authorities in Burkina Faso have released 11 Nigerian military personnel held after a cargo plane from Lagos made an “unauthorised” emergency landing in its second largest city, Bobo-Dioulasso. The breakaway regional Association of Sahel States (AES) said on Monday that the C-130 aircraft had entered Burkina Faso’s airspace without clearance, calling it an “unfriendly act”. Continue reading...
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DRC fighting forces 200,000 to flee just days after Washington peace deal
20 hours ago
by Reuters
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa, Rwanda, US foreign policy, Trump administration, US news, World newsRwanda-backed M23 rebels clash with Congolese army and other groups as they march on strategic eastern town About 200,000 people have fled their homes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as Rwanda-backed rebels march on a strategic eastern town just days after Donald Trump hosted the Rwandan and Congolese leaders to proclaim peace. The UN said at least 74 people had been killed, mostly civilians, and 83 admitted to hospital with wounds from escalating clashes in the area in recent days. Continue reading...
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US puts sanctions on network said to funnel Colombian mercenaries to Sudan
21 hours ago
by Harriet Barber
Sudan, World news, Africa, War crimes, Conflict and arms, Global development, Trump administrationUS treasury accuses Colombian nationals and companies of aiding the RSF, which has committed horrific war crimes The United States has sanctioned four people and four companies accused of enlisting Colombian mercenaries to fight for and train a Sudanese paramilitary group accused by Washington of committing genocide. Announcing the sanctions on Tuesday, the US treasury said the network was largely composed of Colombian nationals and companies. Continue reading...
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Nigerian troops held in Burkina Faso after ‘unfriendly’ emergency landing
a day ago
by Eromo Egbejule in Abidjan
Nigeria, Africa, World news, Burkina Faso, BeninUnauthorised touchdown comes less than 24 hours after Nigerian forces intervened in attempted coup in Benin Eleven Nigerian military personnel are being held in Burkina Faso after a Nigerian plane reportedly entered Burkinabé airspace without authorisation on Monday, the latest twist in a region enmeshed in multiple political and security crises. In a statement on Monday evening, the breakaway Alliance of Sahel States (AES), of which Burkina Faso is a member alongside Mali and Niger, said the C-130 transport aircraft had made an emergency landing in Bobo Dioulasso. Continue reading...
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False claims Afrikaners are persecuted threaten South Africa’s sovereignty, says president
2 days ago
by Rachel Savage in Johannesburg
South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, Donald Trump, Race, Trump administration, Africa, World newsCyril Ramaphosa says theories, promoted by Donald Trump, ‘conveniently align with wider notions of white supremacy’ White supremacist ideology and false claims that South Africa’s Afrikaner minority is being racially persecuted pose a threat to the country’s sovereignty and national security, the country’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has warned. Since taking office for his second US presidential term in January, Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed without evidence that South Africa’s government is seizing land and encouraging violence against white farmers. Continue reading...
South China Morning Post
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Sophie Kinsella, Shopaholic author, dies at 55 from brain cancer
26 minutes ago
by Agence France-Presse
British author Sophie Kinsella, who wrote the popular Shopaholic series, has died aged 55 after being diagnosed with brain cancer, her family announced on Wednesday. Madeleine Sophie Wickham, who wrote under the pen name Sophie Kinsella, revealed last year that she was receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy for glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. “We are heartbroken to announce the passing this morning of our beloved Sophie,” her family said on Instagram. “Sophie counted herself...
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China’s sovereign wealth fund reveals it opened London office after Trump win
2 hours ago
by Frank Tang
China’s flagship sovereign wealth fund has revealed that it opened a representative office in London shortly after Donald Trump’s victory in last year’s US presidential election, a move made amid increased scrutiny of Chinese investments in the United States. The London office was officially registered in December 2024, with the mission of “advancing the company’s overseas investment business” and “promoting cross-border investment cooperation”, China Investment Corporation (CIC) said in its...
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US plans to order foreign tourists to disclose social media histories
2 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
The administration of US President Donald Trump plans to order visa-exempt foreign tourists to disclose their social media histories from the last five years before entering the country, according to an official notice. The proposal laid out in a notice published on Tuesday in the Federal Register would apply to visitors from 42 countries, including Britain, France, Australia and Japan, who do not need a visa to enter the United States. Currently, those travellers only need to apply for a waiver...
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Venezuela’s Machado urges global fight for democracy after Nobel Peace Prize win
2 hours ago
by Reuters
Democracies must be prepared to fight for freedom to survive, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado said on Wednesday, in a speech delivered by her daughter during a ceremony Machado could not attend. The Venezuelan opposition leader said that the prize held profound significance, not only for her country but for the world. “It reminds the world that democracy is essential to peace,” she said, via her daughter Ana Corina Sosa Machado. “And the most important lesson Venezuelans can...
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Morocco collapse kills 22 in buildings with ‘signs of cracking’
4 hours ago
by Reuters
At least 22 people were killed late on Tuesday after two buildings collapsed in Fez, one of Morocco’s oldest cities and a key tourist destination, with the state broadcaster saying the blocks had shown signs of cracking. Local authorities in Fez prefecture reported two adjacent four-storey buildings had collapsed overnight, state news agency MAP said. The buildings were inhabited by eight families and were in the Al-Mustaqbal neighbourhood, a densely populated area in the west of the city, it...
New York Times
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Inside the Pentagon’s Scramble to Deal With Boat Strike Survivors
12 hours ago
by Damien Cave, Edward Wong and Maria Abi-Habib
US Strikes on Alleged Drug Traffickers (2025- ), United States Defense and Military Forces, United States Politics and Government, Drug Abuse and Traffic, United States International Relations, Defense Department, United States Coast Guard, Hegseth, Pete, Rubio, Marco, Trump, Donald J, Caribbean Area, Latin America, Venezuela, El Salvador, Maritime Crime, Human Rights and Human Rights Violations, War Crimes, Genocide and Crimes Against HumanityOfficials initially weighed sending survivors of U.S. attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling to a notorious prison in El Salvador, to keep them away from American courts.
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Democrats Say Hegseth Balked at Call for Full Video of Boat Strike
12 hours ago
by Megan Mineiro and Julian E. Barnes
United States Politics and Government, United States Defense and Military Forces, US Strikes on Alleged Drug Traffickers (2025- ), Defense Department, Democratic Party, Senate, Republican Party, Hegseth, Pete, Holsey, Alvin, Schumer, Charles E, Warner, Mark R, Caine, John Daniel (1968- ), Bradley, Frank Mitchell, Trump, Donald JDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth briefed congressional leaders on Tuesday about the monthslong military campaign targeting people suspected of being drug traffickers at sea.
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Venezuela’s Nobel Peace Prize Winner Says She Will Appear in Oslo After Missing Ceremony
43 minutes ago
by Simon Romero and Henrik Pryser Libell
International Relations, Awards, Decorations and Honors, Nobel Prizes, Machado, Maria Corina, Oslo (Norway), Venezuela, Maduro, NicolasMaría Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader, said she was on her way to Norway after living in hiding in her country, where officials have threatened her with arrest.
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A Million Teenagers Just Got Barred From Social Media, and Trump Calls Affordability a ‘Hoax’
5 hours ago
by Tracy Mumford, Will Jarvis, Ian Stewart and Victoria Kim
Social Media, United States Politics and Government, Teenagers and Adolescence, Cost of Living and Affordability, Trump, Donald JPlus, the travel influencers who aren’t actually real.
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The Challenges to Europe’s Security Go Beyond Trump’s Lack of Support
6 hours ago
by Steven Erlanger
Russian Invasion of Ukraine (2022), United States International Relations, United States Politics and Government, International Relations, United States Defense and Military Forces, Assets, Frozen, European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Putin, Vladimir V, Trump, Donald J, Zelensky, Volodymyr, Europe, Russia, UkraineEuropeans find themselves stranded between hostile powers, Russia and the United States, with key decisions looming over the future of Ukraine.