Gold slips after Fed rate cut amid divided vote as silver hits new record

Gold slipped on Thursday after the Federal Reserve delivered a divided interest rate cut that left markets questioning how aggressively policymakers will ease next year.  The move contrasted sharply with silver, which surged to another all time high on strong industrial demand and dwindling inventories.  The developments come as investors digest mixed signals from the … Read more

US seizes Venezuelan oil tanker, raising tensions and impacting global oil markets

Washington – The United States seized a sanctioned Venezuelan oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said, marking a significant escalation in US Venezuelan tensions and sending global oil prices higher. “We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever, actually, and … Read more

Oracle stock sinks after revenue miss raises new concerns over AI driven growth

A professional stock market scene showing Oracle’s logo on a laptop beside a sharp downward red line, representing financial decline as Oracle stock sinks after a revenue miss

Oracle stock sinks more than 10 percent in after hours trading Wednesday after the technology giant reported quarterly revenue that fell short of Wall Street expectations.  Raising new concerns about the stability of the current AI boom and Oracle’s heavy dependence on major partners to drive growth. Oracle stock sinks appears as investors reassessed the … Read more

Sophie Kinsella death shocks literary world as ‘Shopaholic’ creator dies at fifty five

Sophie Kinsella Death Confessions of a Shopaholic Author

LONDON — Madeleine Wickham, the British novelist known globally under her pen name Sophie Kinsella, died at age fifty five, her family announced Tuesday.  The Sophie Kinsella death has drawn an outpouring of tributes from readers, authors and film collaborators who credited her with redefining contemporary romantic comedy literature. Wickham revealed in April 2024 that … Read more

Trump election defeat as Miami voters choose historic Democratic mayor

MIAMI — Democrat Eileen Higgins has won the mayoral race in Miami, becoming the first woman to lead the city and ending nearly three decades of Republican dominance.  The election marked a notable political setback for former President Donald Trump, whose policies on immigration and law enforcement were central issues in the campaign. Miami, a … Read more

Australia social media ban goes into effect for under-16 users

Teenagers using smartphones with social media apps blocked under Australia social media ban

SYDNEY — Hundreds of thousands of Australian teenagers woke Wednesday to find their social media accounts deactivated or inaccessible, as a new national law barring anyone under 16 from major platforms came into force.  The legislation, aimed at protecting children from potential harms linked to online engagement, marks one of the world’s strictest government interventions … Read more

Venezuelan opposition leader Machado absent from Nobel Peace Prize ceremony

Venezuelan opposition leader Nobel Prize winner Maria Corina Machado unable to attend Oslo ceremony, daughter accepts award on her behalf

Oslo, Norway — Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado will not appear in person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize at Wednesday’s ceremony in Oslo, the Norwegian Nobel Institute confirmed, with her current location unknown. Machado, 58, was scheduled to accept the award at Oslo City Hall in front of King Harald, Queen Sonja, and … Read more

Meesho stock debut surges to $8.8 billion valuation in India

Investors reacting to Meesho stock debut on the National Stock Exchange, India.

Meesho, the Indian e-commerce platform, made a striking stock debut on the National Stock Exchange on Wednesday, with shares rising about 58 percent above their issue price.  The surge valued the company at 789.3 billion rupees, or roughly $8.78 billion, highlighting strong demand in India’s mass market fashion and lifestyle segment. The stock listed at … Read more

MacKenzie Scott Donated $7.1 Billion, Reshaping Nonprofit Funding in 2025

MacKenzie Scott donated $7.1 billion in 2025, highlighting her record-setting philanthropic impact on nonprofits and education institutions

Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated $7.1 billion to nonprofits in 2025, a dramatic increase from her previous annual totals and one that experts said is redefining norms around large scale, unrestricted giving.  Scott disclosed the figure in an essay posted Tuesday to her website, calling the total “a vanishingly tiny fraction of the personal expressions of … Read more