The woman who sued Meta and YouTube for social media addiction took the witness stand in court
As her landmark trial continues in Los Angeles, a California woman will testify Wednesday in court about the impact of using Meta Platforms’ Instagram and Google’s?YouTube when she was a child on her mental health. In court, the plaintiff is known as 'Kaley G.M. In court, the plaintiff, known as?Kaley G.M. Her lawyers claim that companies tried to make money by hooking children onto their services, despite the fact they knew social media could damage their mental health. This case is part of an alleged global backlash against social media companies for allegedly harming children and teenagers.
Hungary Accuses Ukraine of Plans to Disrupt National Energy System
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused Ukraineon Wednesday of planning to disrupt the Hungarian energy system, and dispatched troops to safeguard infrastructure, escalating a dispute that has undermined Europe's pro-Ukraine consensus.Hungary and Slovakia, whose leaders are outliers in the EU for maintaining relations with Moscow, blame Kyiv for an outage on the Druzhba oil pipelinethat supplies their refineries with Russian crude pumped through Ukraine.Kyiv says the pipeline was damaged by a Russian drone attack in January and it is fixing it as fast as it can.Orban…
MOL Orders Alternative Oil to Supply Hungary, Slovakia Refineries
Hungary's MOL group has ordered tankers delivering Saudi, Norwegian, Kazakh, Libyan and Russian oil to supply its Hungarian and Slovak refineries and halted diesel supplies to Ukraine as it scrambles to overcome an outage of the Druzhba pipeline, officials said on Wednesday.MOL's refineries, the last in the EU to receive Russian oil through Druzhba, have struggled since a supply halt that Ukraine says was due to a Russian attack that damaged the pipeline infrastructure on January 27.The refineries plan to start tapping state oil reserves, with the Slovak government approving on Wednesday a loan of 250,0
Mozambique president cancels Davos trip due to severe floods
Mozambique President Daniel Chapo cancelled his trip to Davos for the World Economic Forum this week because of severe flooding that has?damaged the infrastructure and affected hundreds of thousands in the Southern African nation. Chapo said in a Facebook post late Sunday night that Mozambique is "going through a difficult?time" and the priority right now is to save lives. In a report published on Sunday, the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affair said that heavy rains have been causing widespread flooding in Mozambique’s provinces?Gaza and Maputo…
Philippines discovers first natural gas in over a decade
The Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr announced on Monday that gas and condensate were found in a well near the existing 'Malampaya' gas field, off the island Palawan. This was the first natural gas discovery by the Philippines in over a decade. Marcos stated that the well, known as 'Malampaya East One or MAE-1', contains about 98 billion cubic foot of gas. This is equivalent to nearly 14 billion kWh in one year. Initial test results showed that the well was flowing at 60 million cubic foot per day. The well is capable of producing even more.
Turkstream transactions are not subject to US sanctions, Hungary claims
Peter Szijjarto, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that the company operating TurkStream will be able to do business in Hungary?without problems? thanks to an agreement reached with Washington. Hungary continues to depend on Russian energy, despite the conflict in Ukraine and Western sanctions. This has prompted criticism from several European Union and NATO allies. Szijjarto, during a Facebook broadcast in Moscow, said that the TurkStream Pipeline will continue to run 'without interruption in the next?period regardless of any legal or?financial attack.
Malaysian palm oil producers Felda and FGV are able to resume their Terengganu operations after the state granted a one-month extension.
The Federal Land Development Authority of Malaysia (Felda), and its commercial arm FGV holdings Berhad, will resume operations at their palm-oil plantations in Terengganu following a month's extension to resolving a land dispute. Following a positive conversation with the state authorities, Felda and FGV can now concentrate on increasing yields, strengthening settler families' incomes, and community development in these areas. FGV delisted from the stock exchange in August. It is now owned and controlled by Felda.
Russian Oil Supplies to Hungary and Slovakia Halted After Ukraine Attack
Russian oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia could be suspended for at least five days after a Ukrainian strike on a facility in Russia, Hungarian and Slovakian officials said on Friday, in a widening of the fallout of Russia's war in Ukraine.Russia and Ukraine have stepped up attacks on each other's energy infrastructure, hitting Ukrainian domestic heating supplies, Russia's Druzhba pipeline and other facilities, over the past few weeks as U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed for a…
Hungary's Orban calls on EU to lift Russian energy ban amid US/Iran conflict
Hungarian Prime Minster Viktor Orban urged on Sunday the European Union not to impose a ban on Russian Energy due to the expected increase in energy prices after the US bombings of Iran. The European Commission proposed on Tuesday a legally-binding ban on EU imports from Russia of gas and liquefied gas by 2027. Legal measures were used to ensure that EU members Hungary, and Slovakia could not block the plan. The proposals outline how the EU plans to put into law its pledge to end decades-old relations with Europe's former number one gas supplier following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Fico: Slovakia can't support new EU sanctions on Russia without energy solutions
Robert Fico, Slovakia's Prime Minister, said that the country will not support the EU's 18th sanctions package against Russia until the European Commission offers a solution for the problems the country would face if the bloc were to phase out Russian energy according to plan. The Commission proposed a new set of sanctions on Tuesday against Russia, for its invasion of Ukraine over three years ago. These targeted Moscow's banks, energy revenues and military industry. Fico called the EU executive's plans…
Senior Taiwan official visits new Alaska LNG site
A senior Taiwanese government official revealed on Saturday that he visited this week the site of an enormous new LNG project in Alaska, which the Trump administration is pushing to its Asian allies as a possible supply option. Energy developer Glenfarne said that on Tuesday, 50 companies had expressed formal interest in contracts valued at more than $115 Billion from its Alaska LNG Project. This massive infrastructure project is championed and backed by U.S. president Donald Trump. Pan…
UN agency: Tech giants' indirect emission has increased 150% in the last three years, as AI grows.
A United Nations report on Thursday said that indirect carbon emissions from four of the world's leading AI tech companies increased by an average of 150% between 2020 and 2023 due to power-hungry data centers. According to the International Telecommunication Union, the U.N. agency responsible for digital technologies, the use of artificial intelligence in data centres by Amazon, Microsoft Alphabet, and Meta increased their indirect global emissions. Indirect emissions are those produced by the electricity, steam and heating/cooling that a company consumes.
UN agency: Tech giants' indirect emission has increased 150% in the last three years, as AI grows.
A United Nations report on Thursday said that indirect carbon emissions from four of the largest AI-focused tech firms, Amazon, Microsoft Alphabet, and Meta, increased by an average of 150% between 2020-2023 as they used more power to run energy-demanding servers. According to the International Telecommunication Union, the U.N. agency responsible for digital technologies, artificial intelligence increases global indirect emissions due to the huge amounts of energy needed to power data centers. Indirect emissions are those produced by the electricity, steam and heating/cooling that a company consumes.
Wall St Week Ahead: Fed outlook is in focus as US stock rally picks-up speed
Investors are hoping that the Federal Reserve will continue to lower interest rates over the next few months. The rally has erased the fall caused by President Donald Trump’s tariffs. S&P 500 has not changed much since April 2, when Trump announced his "Liberation Day tariffs" and sent the stock market into a tailspin. The Fed's monetary policy statement is expected to remain unchanged on Wednesday. However, the market prices indicate that the central banks could reduce borrowing rates as early as June. This expectation has dimmed after Friday's strong U.S. jobs report.
Wall St Week Ahead: Fed outlook is in focus as US stock rally picks-up speed
Investors are hoping that the Federal Reserve will continue to lower interest rates over the next few months. The rally has nearly reversed the decline caused by President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The S&P 500 has been down about 1% since the "Liberation Day", when Trump announced his tariffs. This led to some market volatility that was unprecedented in 50 years. The Fed is expected to keep borrowing rates the same when it announces its monetary policy on Wednesday. However, the market prices indicate that the central banks could reduce them as early as June.
Naftogaz, Ukraine's gas producer, says that the Russian attack has damaged its production facilities.
Ukraine's Energy Minister said that Russian forces had targeted Ukraine's gas and energy infrastructure with their latest drones and missile attacks, which took place on Friday. Rescuers and engineers work to minimize the effects. "All necessary measures are taken to stabilise the power and gas supply," he said. In a press release, Naftogaz said that the attack had damaged its natural gas production plants. "Production installations that ensure gas production have been damaged. Naftogaz reported that there were no fatalities via Telegram.
Hungary wants to remove eight people from EU sanctions against Russia
EU diplomats say that Hungary wants to remove 8 individuals from the European Union’s Russia sanctions list, and to receive new guarantees regarding Ukraine gas transit negotiations before it agrees to renew restrictions. EU sanctions against Russia, imposed because of Moscow's war on Ukraine, must be renewed by unanimous vote every six months. Budapest has used this renewal as a bargaining opportunity. Peter Szijjarto, the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, wrote on Facebook on Monday that Budapest "would not consent to moving forward" in extending sanctions against individuals.
Hungary declares that the issue of Russian gas payments has been resolved
Hungary's foreign minister announced on Friday that it had found a way to pay for Russian gas via the Turkstream pipe from Bulgaria, while avoiding the U.S. sanction. He did not provide any details about the agreement. The U.S. On Nov. 21, creating a barrier for European gas buyers. Gazprombank has been used by buyers to pay for their purchases, including a currency conversion scheme to roubles. Turkstream, which runs through Bulgaria from Turkey, is the main pipeline used by Hungary to receive its Russian gas, 7 billion cubic meters so far in this year.
Hungary asks for an exemption from US sanctions on gas payments to Gazprombank
Hungary's Foreign Minister said that the United States should exempt Russia's Gazprombank when it comes payments for natural gases, as these sanctions could adversely affect some U.S. Allies. On Nov. 21, President Joe Biden stepped up measures to punish Moscow before he leaves his office in January. The sanctions prohibit the state-controlled bank from handling new transactions involving energy that are part of the U.S. Financial System. Szijjarto cited Anthony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary for State, as having said that he would "be willing to consult with any allies who had problems due to sanctions".
Wall St. ends lower than expected as Meta and Microsoft highlight AI costs
The major U.S. indexes ended lower on Thursday, after Microsoft and Meta Platforms pointed out that artificial intelligence costs could impact their earnings. This dampened the enthusiasm for megacaps which have been driving this year's market rally. Microsoft and Meta Platforms, which own Facebook, saw their shares fall despite the fact that both companies beat earnings expectations in results announced after Wednesday's bell. The other so-called Magnificent 7 megacap technology companies also fell.