Pelican Press

Bushfire could ***** for weeks as property losses mount Bushfire could ***** for weeks as property losses mount An out-of-control bushfire that has destroyed at least one home in Victoria’s west could ***** for weeks as the threat passes for another near a popular tourist route. The blaze at Kadnook near the border with South Australia was one of about 80 that ignited in hot conditions on Saturday. It is still burning at watch-and-act level on Monday, with residents in the warning area told it is not safe to return. West Wimmera Shire mayor Bruce Meyer said the ***** started in a private bluegum plantation as people gathered for the nearby Edenhope show, and moved rapidly. “That might ***** for several weeks yet,” he told ABC TV. Strike teams are heading to the area to ****** the blaze on Monday and Tuesday and relive exhausted ***** crews. Their efforts will be boosted by improved conditions after some rain fell in the area on Sunday before winds picked up again. “It’s quite still at the moment and it’s quite calm,” Mr Meyer said. “So that will give them a chance to hopefully put in some safety breaks and make the situation a lot safer.” The ***** has claimed one home and authorities believe two others may have been burnt down, on top of stock and agricultural losses. Mr Meyer said two sheds, kilometres of fencing, water tanks and troughs had been lost but it was still too early to assess the scale of the damage. “The conditions there are too dangerous,” he said. “On the ***** ground, it’s just control the ***** is the priority at the moment.” Another major ***** along the Great Ocean Road, a major tourist drawcard in the state’s southwest, is no longer considered a threat to local communities. The blaze at Chapple Vale has ripped through about at least 700 hectares and led to the evacuation of campers and hikers from Otway National Park. While it is still burning out of control, a watch and act warning for the ***** was downgraded on Monday morning as firefighters slowed the spread. “There is currently no threat to you,” an alert read. Senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said ***** conditions were generally easing across the country. “Most areas are only seeing moderate ***** dangers over the next few days,” she said. “That said, we do still have high ***** dangers forecast today for northwestern parts of Victoria, parts of Tasmania’s east coast and about the western slopes of the NSW ranges.” The Bureau of Meteorology had issued a severe weather warning for damaging, locally destructive winds and heavy rainfall for parts of Victoria’a southwest coast and northeast. Mt Hotham recorded 88mm of rain from 9am Sunday to 6am Monday, while wind gusts of 144km/h (Mt Hotham), 131km/h (Mt Buller) and 124km/h (Falls Creek) were experienced in the Victorian alps. There were almost 500 requests for assistance to the State Emergency Service from Saturday midnight to 9am Monday morning, including more than 300 for downed trees and 120 for building damage. Source link #Bushfire #***** #weeks #property #losses #mount Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Joe Biden wanders into Amazon rainforest after speech Joe Biden wanders into Amazon rainforest after speech Joe Biden wandered into the Amazon rainforest after giving a speech warning of the dangers of climate change. Wearing an open-necked blue shirt, dark slacks and his trademark Aviator sunglasses, the 81-year-old outgoing US president turned away from the podium and ambled into greenery. The purpose of the photocall was to highlight the dangers of global warming, which have been dismissed by his successor, Donald Trump. Having previously been to Lima, the Peruvian capital, Mr Biden travelled to Manaus, the largest city in the Brazilian Amazon. He had flown by helicopter over where the Amazon and ****** rivers meet, seeing at first hand the dramatic drop in water levels because of the worst drought in decades. He emphasised the role of trees in sucking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere following a meeting with tribal leaders. “The world’s forest trees breathe carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, and yet each minute, the world is chopping down the equivalent of 10 soccer fields worth of forest,” he said. He also announced a $50 million (£40 million) donation to the Amazon Fund, bringing the total US contribution to $100 million. Mr Biden added that he would leave the next administration with a strong climate policy to build on, if they chose to do so. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Source link #Joe #Biden #wanders #Amazon #rainforest #speech Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Morningstar strategist picks 2 stocks from a sector he is ******** on Morningstar strategist picks 2 stocks from a sector he is ******** on Top Morningstar strategist David Sekera says there’s one sector that “deserves a place in everybody’s portfolio” right now — the energy sector. Speaking to CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia” last week, the firm’s U.S. markets strategist said the energy sector was trading at a 5% discount and is set to “do well, especially if we get into more of a reflationary environment later in 2025.” Sekera is not alone; George Bull, chairman at Sander Morris and Aaron Dunn, portfolio manager at Morgan Stanley’s U.S. Value Fund , are also bullish on the energy sector given President-elect Donald Trump’s ******* to ****** inflation by reducing energy costs. Stocks Sekara is ******** on within the energy theme include Exxon Mobil and Devon Energy . Morningstar has a four-star rating on Devon Energy and says it is trading at a 22% discount to fair value. It has a three-star rating on Exxon Mobile, which it says is trading at a 12% discount. The investment research company gives stocks a rating of between one and five stars, with a top rating indicating that the shares are undervalued. ‘Priced to perfection’ U.S. stocks hit new highs following Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential elections, but have since taken a breather. “At this point — whether you want to call it the Trump bump or the Trump rally — according to our valuations, I think it’s run its race,” Sekera said. And he expects further gains in the short-term to be “pretty limited.” “The U.S. stock market, at this point now, is priced to perfection, so I see limited upside until earnings start to catch up with valuations, and that may take at least a couple of quarters,” he added. Sekera says that U.S. stocks are now trading around 6% higher than their fair value. Against this backdrop, Morningstar is maintaining its “market weight” stance on U.S. equities, seeing as “there’s just enough tailwinds to overwhelm the headwinds that we’re seeing at this point in time,” Sekara explained. Among the headwinds he foresees is a moderation in inflation levels to below the 2% target penciled by the U.S. Federal Reserve, as well as more interest rate cuts in 2025. The strategist also expects long-term Treasury yields to come down to an average of 3.6% for the 10-year in 2025 and 3.2% in 2026. On Friday, the 10-year yield was trading around 4.428% Source link #Morningstar #strategist #picks #stocks #sector #******** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Mike Johnson calls Trump picks ‘disruptors’ who will shake up DC Mike Johnson calls Trump picks ‘disruptors’ who will shake up DC A look at Trump’s cabinet and key roles… in 74 seconds Washington’s highest-ranking *********** has said that President-elect Donald Trump is tapping “disruptors” to lead his incoming administration. “They are persons who will shake up the status quo,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. “I think that’s by design.” Trump continues to announce officials who he wants to fill high-ranking positions in his administration, seeming to favour close allies over those with related policy experience. Some of those picks have sent shockwaves through Washington and caused bipartisan concern. But those close to Trump say there are back-up plans in place if these nominees can’t muster the support needed to be approved. Trump’s defence secretary pick Pete Hegseth has denied a ******* ******** allegation and his potential attorney general Matt Gaetz is at the centre of an ethics scandal. His health secretary nominee, Robert F Kennedy Jr, is under scrutiny for his vaccine scepticism. The president-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr, defended his father’s nominees on Sunday, saying on Fox News that “we know who the good guys and bad guys are”. “It’s about surrounding my father with people who are competent and loyal. They will deliver on his promises,” he said. “They are not people who think they know better as unelected bureaucrats.” He noted some of the nominees are “controversial” and appeared to acknowledge some could face problems in the Senate, which is tasked with vetting thousands of presidential nominees and voting on their appointments. “We do have back-up plans, but we’re obviously going with the strongest candidates first,” the president-elect’s son said. “You know some of them are going to be controversial because they’ll actually get things done.” Donald Trump’s most recent pick, oil executive Chris Wright whom Trump has put forward as energy secretary, has no government experience but is an enthusiastic supporter of fossil fuels. Mr Wright, the founder and CEO of fracking company Liberty Energy, is expected to work toward fulfilling Trump’s campaign promise to increase fossil fuel production – an aim summed by the campaign slogan “drill, baby, drill”. The nomination of Mr Wright is likely to further concern among environmental activists already worried about the effects of Trump’s second term. And it offered a stark split-screen on Sunday to a historic visit President Joe Biden, who became the first sitting US president to go to the Amazon, the world’s largest tropical rainforest. AFP Joe Biden became the first sitting US president to visit the Amazon rainforest Biden took take an aerial tour over part of the Amazon and met with local and Indigenous leaders working to preserve the region’s ecosystem before making a brief appearance in Manaus, a large city nestled in the centre of the rainforest. There, Biden described the battle against climate change as “a defining cause of my presidency” and touted the landmark climate legislation passed under his administration. The Democrat also pledged new financial assistance to protect the Amazon, including an additional $50m (£40m)contribution to the Amazon Conservation Fund bringing the US commitment to $100m. And while he did not mention Trump by name, Biden seemed to make reference to his successor, saying that while “some may seek to deny or delay the clean energy revolution that is underway in America… nobody, nobody can reverse it”. “The question now,” he said, “is which government will stand in the way and which will seize the enormous economic opportunity.” Source link #Mike #Johnson #calls #Trump #picks #disruptors #shake Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Kim Jong-un urges improved military capability for war Kim Jong-un urges improved military capability for war North Korean leader Kim Jong-un urged the country’s military to improve capabilities for fighting a war in a recent speech, state media KCNA says, after Pyongyang dispatched thousands of troops to Russia. Kim delivered the speech to a conference of battalion commanders and political instructors held in Pyongyang on Friday, during which he called for building political and military strength and fighting efficiency to ensure the armed forces can cope with a war. Threats from the US and its allies including South Korea and their military confrontation with North Korea have brought tension to “the worst phase in history”, he said, calling the Korean peninsula “the world’s biggest hotspot”. “He ardently called upon all the participants to go all out for bringing about substantial and fundamental improvement in improving their capabilities for fighting an actual war,” KCNA said. The report came amid international criticism over rapidly developing military co-operation between North Korea and Russia. Washington, Seoul and Kyiv have said there are more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers in Russia to support its war against Ukraine, and some of them have engaged in combat in Kursk, near the Ukraine border. KCNA said a workshop was given for military officers over the weekend as part of the conference, which was aimed at strengthening the battalions, bolstering their fighting efficiency and “rounding off war preparations as required by the prevailing situation and modern warfare”. In a separate dispatch, KCNA said a Russian delegation led by National Resources and Ecology Minister Alexander Kozlov arrived in Pyongyang on Sunday for trade and economy talks. Kim last week guided a test of ******** drones and ordered their mass production, citing an intensifying competition for adopting such weapons around the world. US President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and ********* Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba condemned North Korea and Russia’s decision to “dangerously expand” the Ukraine war as they held a summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Peru. Biden’s administration has allowed Ukraine to use US-made weapons to strike deep into Russia, sources told Reuters, marking a significant policy reversal and a response to Russia’s deployment of North Korean ground troops. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said North Korean troops had suffered casualties in combat with his country’s forces, and the first battles between them “open a new page in instability”. Source link #Kim #Jongun #urges #improved #military #capability #war Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Parents arrested for trying to ***** their daughter, 17, for refusing arranged marriage, court records say Parents arrested for trying to ***** their daughter, 17, for refusing arranged marriage, court records say Two parents in Washington allegedly tried to choke their 17-year-old daughter to ****** in an apparent “honor ********” attempt after she refused an arranged marriage with an older man, police said. Ihsan Ali and his wife, Zahraa Ali, have been charged with attempted murder for the ******* outside the teen’s school, Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington. The father also allegedly punched his daughter’s boyfriend in the face outside the school, the New York Post reports. The daughter has not been identified, but told police that her “father had recently been threatening her with honor ******** for refusing an arranged marriage with an older man in another country,” the police report said. On October 18, the girl ran away from home and sought help from staff at her high school. Her parents followed her to the school and allegedly attacked her outside the facility, where her father began choking her “to the point where she had lost consciousness.” Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington, where Ihsan Ali and his wife, Zahraa, allegedly attempted an ‘honor ********’ on their 17-year-old daughter who refused an arranged marriage (Google Maps) Other students, including the girl’s boyfriend, tried to pry her father off of her, according to police. Video footage first obtained by Fox 13 Seattle showed the father choking the girl into the ground and shoving her face into the dirt while students surround him and tell him to stop. The girl’s mother also allegedly tried to choke her. Good Samaritan Josh Wagner told KOMO that he was driving by when he spotted the alleged ******* occurring. He stopped and approached the scene, thinking he was going to break up a ****** between teens, but found the parents allegedly attacking their daughter. Wagner grappled with Ihsan and held him down until police arrived on scene. “It was pretty angering. All the kids were screaming, yelling,” he told KOMO. Once her father was off of her, the girl reportedly ran off with her boyfriend back to the school’s main office while yelling that her father was trying to ***** her. The incident prompted a school lockdown and school staff refused to let the girl’s parents inside the building. The girl’s boyfriend told KOMO that he had experienced previous issues with his girlfriend’s family to the point where he felt it necessary to get a temporary protective order against them. The daughter’s school has arranged a safe place for her to stay while police investigate the incident. Source link #Parents #arrested #***** #daughter #refusing #arranged #marriage #court #records Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Stock futures open little changed as traders await Nvidia earnings: Live updates Stock futures open little changed as traders await Nvidia earnings: Live updates Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during the opening bell on Nov. 13, 2024. Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images Stock futures were slightly higher on Sunday night as Wall Street awaits a major earnings week and monitors a seemingly fizzled out postelection rally. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 6 points, just above flat. S&P futures added less than 0.1%, while Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.1%. Sunday’s move follows a tough week for the three major benchmarks, which are now off their highs that were seen in the aftermath of President-elect Donald Trump’s victory. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the week lower at 43,444.99 points, after earlier surging past 44,000 for the first time. The S&P 500 also slipped last week to end at 5,870.62, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dipped to end at 18.680.12 last week. Concerns about the path of interest rates continue to weigh on investors’ minds, particularly after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Thursday that the central bank is not “in a hurry” to cut rates given the economy’s strong growth and a solid labor market — which drove last week’s selloff. Most investors are now pricing in a year-end overnight lending rate in the range of 4.25% to 4.50%, according to the CME FedWatch Tool. The next major catalyst for the market this week will be Nvidia earnings, which are set to be released on Wednesday. Traders will be watching for guidance about the company’s demand for its Blackwell AI chips. Earnings from Palo Alto Networks and several major retailers, including Walmart, Target and Ross, are also on deck this week. So far, with 93% of S&P 500 companies reporting results, three-quarters of them have reported a positive EPS surprise and 61% have reported a positive revenue surprise, according to a Friday note from FactSet’s John Butters. Source link #Stock #futures #open #changed #traders #await #Nvidia #earnings #Live #updates Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Will Labour’s inheritance tax on farms come home to roost? Will Labour’s inheritance tax on farms come home to roost? Getty Images The government is preparing to face the biggest protest yet over its domestic policy agenda since Labour won the general election. It is the week where farmers are heading for Westminster – and bringing some noisy and influential friends with them. Among those expected on Tuesday is the country’s most well known but relatively new-ish farmer, Jeremy Clarkson. Guesswork about how many people will turn up at a protest before it has happened is exactly that, guesswork, but some reckon it could be between 10,000 and 40,000 people. Nearly three weeks on from the Budget, when the plan to charge some farms inheritance tax was first announced, the anger seems to be growing, rather than easing. There is a huge row about precisely how many people might be affected. BBC Verify had a go here at working its way through the numbers. But beneath that is a simmering anger about ministers’ perceived ignorance about the countryside – and a sense from many farmers of being persistently let down, by this government and its predecessors. Indeed, speaking on The Westminster Hour on BBC Radio 4, Baroness Mallalieu, a Labour peer and the president of the Countryside Alliance says the government’s changes to inheritance tax relief for farms “smell of incompetence” and that a “large part of our party has become urban… divorced from a big section of the community”. Two things strike me about all this: firstly, the absolute insistence from ministers from Sir Keir Starmer down that they are not going to change their minds. And secondly, the beginnings of a parallel, perhaps, with the rows Labour had with many in rural Britain the last time it was in power. Twenty-two years ago, around 400,000 people from across the country marched through central London to highlight the needs of rural communities. The initial source of anger then was the ban on fox hunting, but a far wider range of other grievances. Could this inheritance tax change prove equally totemic? As farmers head for Westminster, the prime minister has been heading for South America – he is at the G20 Summit of the world’s biggest economies in Brazil for the next few days. But the issue followed him into the skies of the south Atlantic, where he said he was “absolutely confident” that the “vast majority of farms and farmers” would not be affected by the changes. “It’s important for us to keep communicating how that works” he said. The truth is they have been trying to communicate how it would work ever since the Budget. I asked Sir Keir about it the day after – but the explanations have done little to dampen the anger. PA Media Sir Keir Starmer says supporting farmers is “very important” Asked whether he accepted that farmers felt betrayed over the changes, Sir Keir said “it’s very important that we support farmers.” He then made an argument we can expect to hear the Environment Secretary Steve Reed and others make in the next few days, about the wider support the government insists it is offering farmers and the countryside. “We’ve put £5bn in the Budget for the next two years into farming. That is not to be overlooked. That is the single biggest sum of money in a Budget over a two-year ******* that has ever been put down in relation to farming. “On top of that, there’s £50m in relation to flooding, which is hugely important and £200m in relation to the outbreak of ******** and infection which can be absolutely devastating.” Bunkum say people in agriculture, suggesting this a creative spinning of the numbers and the money around now is comparable with when the *** left the ********* Union. Incidentally, one government source even pointed to the planned changes to bus services in England as an example of how their ideas can help people in rural areas. It shows their ******* to attempt to mend fences with a swathe of the country some privately ***** could turn against them if they don’t handle this well. So why has this row become some noisy so quickly? From the conversations I have had, I think there are three main reasons. Firstly, inheritance tax, perhaps like no other tax, has an outsized emotive tug on so, so many people – in fact a far greater number of people than are ever likely to end up paying it. The House of Commons Library, citing opinion polling, has described it as “the most unpopular tax in the ***”, even though just 3.7% of deaths led to an inheritance tax bill in 2020-21. Some argue it is unfair as it represents double taxation; being taxed on money that has already been taxed. For others, their opposition is much more deeply seated, a sense that it seeks to dilute the most human of all human emotions, to provide for your children when you are gone. Secondly, throw into the mix a political rule first invented by The Economist magazine: “Never pick a ****** with a profession that appears in a children’s book.” Trades that are universally understood, at least in broad brush terms, and provide for our most essential needs can be very effective lobby groups, the argument goes. Think doctors and nurses, but also farmers and food. Thirdly, I am told it is worth seeing this row about inheritance tax in a wider context. “It is the straw that has broken the camel’s back,” is how one farming source put it to me. There was the new trade deal with Australia, which many farmers think undermines them. There are the adjustments to farm subsidies being made after Brexit. And there has been the seemingly never-ending chopping and changing of farming ministers as various prime ministers have come and gone. There have been five farming ministers in the last five years. Put them all together and there is a disillusion and a widespread sense among farmers of not being listened to. Westminster is certain to hear them this week. Source link #Labours #inheritance #tax #farms #home #roost Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Rain brings England’s West Indies tour to ********** end Rain brings England’s West Indies tour to ********** end England’s white-ball tour of the Caribbean came to a soggy end as heavy showers in St Lucia led to an abandonment in the final T20 after just five overs were bowled. The West Indies had reached 44 without loss on Sunday, with Evin Lewis muscling a couple of sixes in his 29 not out off 20 ****** and Shai Hope unbeaten on 14 off 10, when the downpours began at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium. While the square and bowler’s run-ups were protected from the deluge with sheets, much of the outfield was left uncovered and several puddles formed to quash any hopes of play getting back under way. The teams shook hands at 6.10pm to bring an end to the ***** rubber as England won the series 3-1. Jos Buttler opted to field first which made England firm favourites as the seven previous matches on this tour – three ODIs and four T20s – were won by the captain who has called correctly at the toss. This was England’s final limited-overs match under caretaker Marcus Trescothick, with Test head coach Brendon McCullum poised to take charge of England in all three formats from January. England earlier announced white-ball assistants Carl Hopkinson and Richard Dawson will leave their posts. It is unclear whether they will be replaced in the coaching structure under McCullum. Source link #Rain #brings #Englands #West #Indies #tour #********** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Among ARK Invest’s Top Stock Picks for 2024 Among ARK Invest’s Top Stock Picks for 2024 We recently compiled a list of the ARK Invest Stock Portfolio: Top 10 Stock Picks for 2024. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Robinhood Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOD) stands against ARK Invest’s top stock picks for 2024. ARK Investment Management LLC, more commonly known as ARK Invest, is an ********* investment management firm headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, that oversees several actively managed ETFs. It was registered in 2014 by Catherine Wood, who is known for making big bets on disruptive technology like self-driving carse and genomics. The investment fund has around $6.7 billion in assets under management. READ ALSO: Cathie Wood’s 11 Favorite AI Stocks and Jim Cramer November Portfolio: Top 10 Stocks. Wood’s flagship fund has faced pressures for the third straight year, with outflows at nearly $1.8 billion during the first six months of 2024, which was close to triple the outflows seen in 2023. Its closing price of $57.85 on November 11 was down 60% from the highs of early 2021. In a letter posted to investors in July, she acknowledged that the fund’s performance was challenged by certain stock picks and the overall macroeconomic environment, but added that ‘our conviction in and commitment to investing in disruptive innovation have not wavered’. The ARK Invest CEO argued that the fund’s holdings were set to benefit once the Fed rate cuts begin and that she anticipates another ******* of strong returns, reminiscent of the gains witnessed during the initial days of the pandemic. In August this year, in the hope of buying the dip, Wood piled into several tech stocks whose shares had tumbled in the months prior. Since the announcement of interest rate cuts in September, ARK’s flagship ETF has grown 25%, with a major upward spike in the week running up to and following the presidential elections, which Donald Trump won on November 5. In a post-election message released to investors, Wood likened the country’s current economic situation to the Reagan era in the early 1980s, when the interest rate and tax cuts resulted in robust economic growth, eventually helping the ******* States grow out of deficit and into a surplus in the Clinton era. Cathie Wood predicts a bright future and has stated that Trump’s policies will ‘turbocharge’ the ********* economy more powerfully than the Reagan Revolution did. She expects the newly elected president to slash regulations and cut tax rates, as he did during his first term. Trump during his election campaign vowed to reduce the corporate tax rate to 15%, after having already cut the rate from 35% to 21% in his presidency between 2017 and 2021. Having said that, Wood believes that businesses will put investments on hold until the promised cuts are delivered, which means the positive anticipated impact on the economy will be delayed. Story Continues We scanned the ARK Investment Management portfolio, as of September 30, 2024, and picked the top 10 stocks according to their stake value. The figures were sourced from the Insider Monkey Database. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here). A successful business person confidently managing their finances on a mobile device. Stake Value as of Q3 2024: $420,959,150 Robinhood Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOD) is an ********* financial services company that provides an electronic trading platform to facilitate the trading of stocks, ETFs, cryptocurrency, and other equities and securities. In October this year, Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest divested around $36 million worth of Robinhood Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOD) shares from its three funds. The decision coincided with the surge in the stock’s share price, because of which ARK had to sell a portion of its stake under Rule 12d3-1, which prohibits funds from acquiring more than 5% of an issuer’s total assets. Robinhood’s share price has gained 140% year-to-date as of November 8, driven by a robust financial performance this year, involving not only an increase in revenue but also significant growth in assets under custody. Q3 2024 was another impressive quarter for the company, with net deposits posted at $10 billion or more for the third successive quarter as Robinhood continues to increase wallet share. Net deposits are now valued at $34 billion for the year, which is well above the record of $31 billion set in 2020. Customer assets under custody have grown to a record $152 billion. Option contracts were up 47% year-over-year in Q3, bringing the year-to-date total to $1.2 billion, surpassing the high set in 2021. Total net revenue was posted at $637 million, which is the second-highest quarterly revenue in the company’s history and up 36% from last year. The year-to-date revenue is close to $2 billion, which has broken last year’s record of $1.9 billion. Cryptocurrency revenue has surged and grown 165% year-over-year to $61 million. In June, Robinhood Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOD) agreed to acquire the global crypto exchange, Bitstamp, which has offices in the ***, US, Luxembourg, Slovenia, and Singapore. The acquisition will likely add further revenue streams for Robinhood in stablecoins, staking, and derivatives. Wall Street analysts have a consensus BUY rating on the stock. It is among the top picks from the ARK Invest stock portfolio, representing 3.84% of its portfolio, with investments valued at over $420 million. Overall HOOD ranks 6th among the ARK Invest’s top Stock Picks for 2024. While we acknowledge the potential of HOOD as an investment, our conviction ***** in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than HOOD but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: 8 Best Wide Moat Stocks to Buy Now and 30 Most Important AI Stocks According to BlackRock Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Source link #Among #ARK #Invests #Top #Stock #Picks Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

*********** radio host arrested over **** ****** claims *********** radio host arrested over **** ****** claims Veteran *********** broadcaster and former Wallabies coach Alan Jones has been arrested after an investigation into a series of ******* ****** allegations, local media have reported. New South Wales Police said detectives from the Child ****** Squad took an 83-year-old man into custody at an apartment in Sydney’s Circular Quay early on Monday morning, before searching the property. A strike force was set up in March to investigate several indecent assaults and ******* touching incidents between 2001 and 2019, they said in a statement. Mr Jones is one of Australia’s most prominent media figures, and has previously denied allegations of ******, first published by The Sydney Morning Herald in 2023. A former teacher, Mr Jones coached Australia’s national rugby union team between 1984 and 1988, before pivoting to a radio career. He was a staple of Sydney airwaves on local station 2GB for decades, also hosting a commentary show on Sky News Australia before he retired from full time work in 2020 citing health issues. Police are expected to update the media later Monday. Source link #*********** #radio #host #arrested #**** #****** #claims Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Biden allows Ukraine to strike inside Russia with long-range missiles Biden allows Ukraine to strike inside Russia with long-range missiles White Sands Missile Range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) can reach up to 300km (186 miles) and are tough to intercept due to their high speed US President Joe Biden has given the green light for Ukraine to use long-range missiles supplied by the US to strike Russia. A US official has confirmed the move, a major change of US policy, to the BBC’s US partner CBS. For months, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has been urging that the restrictions on the missiles, known as ATACMS, be lifted – allowing Kyiv to strike outside its own borders. On Sunday he reacted to the reports, saying “such things are not announced, missiles speak for themselves”. Russian President Vladimir ****** has previously warned Western nations against such a move, saying it would represent the Nato military alliance’s “direct participation” in the Ukraine war. He was yet to comment on Sunday’s reports although other senior Kremlin politicians described it as a serious escalation. Washington’s decision on ATACMS is couched in terms of being limited to the defence of Ukrainian forces inside Russia’s Kursk region, where Kyiv launched a surprise incursion in August. In effect, the Biden administration is telling Ukraine that it will support its efforts to hold onto the small chunk of Russian territory it currently occupies, as a powerful bargaining chip for any possible negotiations in the future. Serhiy Kuzan, chairman of the Kyiv-based Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre, told the BBC that Joe Biden’s decision was “very important” to the country. “It’s not something that will change the course of the war, but I think it will make our forces more equal.” Unnamed US officials have told the New York Times and the Washington Post that Biden’s approval of Ukraine’s use of the ATACMS came in response to Russia’s decision to allow North Korean soldiers to ****** in Ukraine. Mr Kuzan said Sunday’s decision came just in time to counter the expected start of a major ******** by Russian and Korean troops, designed to dislodge Ukrainian forces from Russia’s Kursk region. The ******** is expected within days. Ukraine has previously estimated that there are 11,000 North Korean soldiers in Kursk. There is another knock-on consequence. President Biden’s decision will finally enable Britain and France to grant Ukraine permission to use long-range Storm Shadow missiles inside Russia. Neither the *** nor France has yet responded to Biden’s decision. ATACMS can reach up to 300km (186 miles) and are tough to intercept due to their high speed. EPA Zelensky (left) has been urging Joe Biden (right) to allow Ukraine to use its long-range missiles inside Russia for months Last month, Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine had used US-supplied long-range missiles for the first time to strike Russian targets in the country’s east. For months, Ukraine has been battling to push back Russian troops who have been slowly advancing in the eastern Donetsk region towards the key city of Pokrovsk – a major supply hub for Ukrainian forces. Moscow has also massively increased its number of drone strikes on Ukraine. More than 2,000 were launched in October, according to Ukraine’s general staff – a record number in the war. Overnight on Saturday, Russia launched what is thought to be its biggest co-ordinated ******** in months, ******** at least 10 people. Around 120 missiles and 90 drones were launched, according to Zelensky. Attacks continued on Sunday evening, with officials in Sumy region – near the Russian border – reporting another eight *******, including two children, after a missile hit a residential building. Ukraine has argued that its allies have not provided the country with enough support to allow it to effectively defend itself. Joe Biden, who will leave the White House in January, has been seeking to expedite further aid to Ukraine. There are concerns that his successor, Donald Trump, will slow or halt any further support. He has described the military support as a drain on US resources and has signalled he will end the war, without explaining how this would happen. The US has been the greatest supplier of arms to Ukraine. Between the start of the war and the end of June 2024, it delivered or committed to send weapons and equipment worth $55.5bn (£41.5bn), according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a ******* research organisation. Source link #Biden #Ukraine #strike #Russia #longrange #missiles Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Police arrest woman over ******* on 89yo woman in carpark of fast food restaurant in Midland Police arrest woman over ******* on 89yo woman in carpark of fast food restaurant in Midland A woman has been arrested over an alleged ******** on an elderly woman in the carpark of a fast food restaurant in Midland. Source link #Police #arrest #woman #******* #89yo #woman #carpark #fast #food #restaurant #Midland Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Plane crashes into parking lot near track during NHRA season finale at Pomona Dragstrip Plane crashes into parking lot near track during NHRA season finale at Pomona Dragstrip A single-engine plane crashed at the site of the NHRA Finals in Pomona, California, on Sunday. According to the Los Angeles County ***** Department, three passengers were taken to area hospitals with injuries ranging from moderate to severe. AIRCRAFT EMERGENCY | 2700 Fairplex Dr. | #Pomona | At 11:10 AM #LACoFD units responded to a single engine plane down. 3 passengers transported to local area hospitals with moderate to severe injuries. — L.A. County ***** Department (@LACoFDPIO) November 17, 2024 You can see the site of the plane ****** here. The ****** happened during the first round of eliminations for the NHRA’s Top Fuel class. The In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstip is located just southeast of Brackett Field Airport. The airport is just north of Interstate 10 east of Los Angeles. Sunday’s race is the season finale for the NHRA’s national series. Racing was paused at the track as first responders attend to the site of the ******. Action was set to resume at 4 p.m. ET. “We are investigating an apparent small plane ****** near the dragstrip in Pomona while it was apparently attempting to land at nearby Brackett Field Airport on Sunday,” the NHRA said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with everyone involved in this incident.” This post will be updated with more information. Source link #Plane #crashes #parking #lot #track #NHRA #season #finale #Pomona #Dragstrip Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

******** Airstrikes Hit Central Beirut and Its Southern Suburbs ******** Airstrikes Hit Central Beirut and Its Southern Suburbs *******’s strikes ******* Hezbollah’s de facto spokesman in central Beirut and flattened buildings south of Lebanon’s capital. Source link #******** #Airstrikes #Hit #Central #Beirut #Southern #Suburbs Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

EA Sports Games Are 50% Off – FC 25 With Steelbook Case, Madden 25, NHL 25 EA Sports Games Are 50% Off – FC 25 With Steelbook Case, Madden 25, NHL 25 If you’re shopping for a sports fan this holiday, four of this year’s EA Sports games are on ***** for 50% off in early ****** Friday sales at Amazon and Walmart. The limited-time promotion includes Madden NFL 25, EA Sports FC 25, NHL 25, and F1 2024. All four regularly sell for $70, but you can grab them for only $35 each right now. Amazon is offering the price cut for PlayStation and Xbox versions of each game. If you’re picking up EA Sports FC 25, you’ll also want to check out Walmart’s deal. Not only is the soccer sim on ***** for only $35, but it also comes with an exclusive Real Madrid steelbook case. Walmart’s steelbook freebie is available for PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of EA Sports FC 25. And while it doesn’t come with a steelbook, the Nintendo Switch version of FC 25 is $35 at Walmart, too. Amazon sold out of the Switch deal, so grab it from Walmart while you can. With the exception of NHL 25, which is exclusive to current-gen consoles, PS4 and Xbox One players can also take advantage of these steep discounts. The Xbox edition of Madden, NHL, and F1 grants access to Series X and Xbox One versions. For PlayStation, there are separate physical editions for PS5 and PS4. The PS4 disc comes with a free upgrade to the PS5 version. Though this free upgrade is technically for the digital version, the disc must remain in your console to play. $35 (was $70) Madden NFL 25 released in mid-August ahead of the start of football season. It has received several discounts since then, including a $30 price cut for Amazon’s October Prime Day *****, but the current $35 discount is the best yet. Amazon: $35 (was $70) EA Sports FC 25 released on September 27, so the 50%-off deal at Amazon and Walmart is quite the bargain. And if you’re buying this as a gift, the steelbook case will be a nice surprise–unless they hate Real Madrid, of course. Walmart: Amazon: $35 (was $70) NHL 25 is the newest game of the bunch, as it released on October 4. It probably goes without saying, but this is the best deal yet–by far. Prior to this discount, the lowest price offered by Amazon was $60 (a $10 discount). Amazon: $35 (was $70) Racing fans can get the best-ever discount on this year’s entry in the Formula One series. F1 2024 has received price cuts since its May 31 launch, but prior to this offer, getting the officially licensed racing sim for $50 was a pretty solid deal. This deal is only available at Amazon: With the exception of NHL 25, which is exclusive to current-gen consoles, PS4 and Xbox One players can also take advantage of these steep discounts. The Xbox edition of Madden, NHL, and F1 grants access to Series X and Xbox One versions. For PlayStation, there are separate physical editions for PS5 and PS4. The PS4 disc comes with a free upgrade to the PS5 version. Though this free upgrade is technically for the digital version, the disc must remain in your console to play. Source link #Sports #Games #Steelbook #Case #Madden #NHL Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

At least 34 ******* in ******** strike on Beit Lahia, northern Gaza At least 34 ******* in ******** strike on Beit Lahia, northern Gaza An ******** air strike on a five-storey residential block in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza has ******* at least 34 people, the local civil defence agency says. The agency, quoted by AFP, said many of the ***** were women and children, with dozens stilled feared to be under the rubble. Seven people were also injured. The ******** military said it had been striking militant targets in the northern Gaza, including Beit Lahia, in an attempt to stop ****** from regrouping. Elsewhere, in central Gaza three separate attacks on ******** camps ******* 15 people, while five more were ******* in a ******** drone ******* on Rafah in the south, the civil defence added. “The chances of rescuing more wounded are decreasing because of the continuous ********* and artillery shelling,” civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said. All that is left of the residential building in Beit Lahia is a pile of rubble, with broken concrete and jagged shards of twisted metal sticking out from the ruins. One man, whose family lived in the flattened building, but was staying elsewhere, said, quoted by AFP: “We all thought that ****** was near.” “The whole area was shaking.” The ******** military said its offensive in northern Gaza – which began in Jabalia and expanded into Beit Lahia – consisted of several strikes overnight on what it called “********** targets in the area”. It added in a statement that “there have been continuous efforts to evacuate the civilian population from the active war zone”. But many local residents do not want to leave their homes. Mr Bassel said six families had lived in the razed building in Beit Lahia. One woman in the area vented her frustration to BBC News. “What have we done to you people? What harm have we caused you? What wrong have we committed? We are staying in our homes. Why are you driving us out?” Last week, at least 25 people, including 13 children were ******* in a strike on a house in Jabalia. In Gaza City, another five were *******. *******’s ground offensive in northern Gaza has displaced up to 130,000 people over the past five weeks. The ******* Nations says 75,000 people remain under siege with dwindling supplies of water and food in the towns of Jabalia, Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun. A report by Human Rights Watch this week said ******* had committed war ******* and ******* against humanity by deliberately causing the mass displacement of Palestinians in Gaza. About 1.9 million people – 90% of Gaza’s population – have fled their homes over the past year, and 79% of the territory is under ********-issued evacuation orders, according to the UN. ******* launched a campaign to ******** ****** in response to the group’s unprecedented ******* on southern ******* on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were ******* and 251 others were taken ********. More than 43,700 people have been ******* in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s ******-run health ministry. Source link #******* #******** #strike #Beit #Lahia #northern #Gaza Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Dutton’s ‘reckless arrogance’ not suited for foreign policy, Chalmers says Dutton’s ‘reckless arrogance’ not suited for foreign policy, Chalmers says Jim Chalmers has dished out a scathing assessment of one Aussie leader’s ability to navigate Australia’s “complex relationships” in the wake of the US election. Source link #Duttons #reckless #arrogance #suited #foreign #policy #Chalmers Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots leaves 1 ***** and dozens sickened across the US E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots leaves 1 ***** and dozens sickened across the US The US Centers for ******** Control and Prevention is investigating an E. coli outbreak in at least 18 states linked to some organic carrots, which has led to at least one ******. At least 39 cases of E. coli have been linked to the carrots since early September, leading to 15 hospitalizations and one ******, according to the CDC. The reported E. coli cases are connected to multiples sizes and brands of bagged organic baby and whole carrots recalled Saturday by Grimmway Farms, a carrot producer headquartered in Bakersfield, California. The recalled carrots are likely no longer sold in stores but may still be in people’s homes, Grimmway Farms warned. People who have recalled carrots should throw them out or return them to the store and clean surfaces they have touched, the CDC advised. The recall includes baby organic carrots with best-if-used-by dates ranging from September 11 to November 12 and whole organic carrots available in stores from about August 14 to October 23. The products were sold under multiple brand names, including Grimmway Farms, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, Good & Gather and more, according to the recall notice. The reported illnesses may not capture the full scope of the outbreak, because it can take up to four weeks to determine if a ***** person is part of an outbreak, and many infected people recover without medical care and are never actually tested for E. coli, according to the CDC. Most people infected with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, the strain linked to the recalled carrots, usually start experiencing symptoms about 3 to 4 days after consuming the bacteria and recover without treatment after 5 to 7 days, according to the agency. Children younger than 5, adults ages 65 and older and those with weakened immune systems are at an increased risk for infection, the CDC says. Customers should call a health care provider if they develop severe E. coli symptoms, including diarrhea, fever, vomiting and dizziness, the agency advises. Grimmway Farms says its food and safety team is now working with suppliers and health authorities to respond to the outbreak. “We take our role in ensuring the safety and quality of our products seriously,” said Grimmway Farms President and CEO Jeff Huckaby said in a statement. “The health of our customers and the integrity of our products are our highest priorities, and we are conducting a thorough review of our growing, harvest, and processing practices.” For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Source link #coli #outbreak #linked #organic #carrots #leaves #***** #dozens #sickened Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Horror details on Melbourne mother Vicky Van Aken’s alleged ******* Horror details on Melbourne mother Vicky Van Aken’s alleged ******* Details have emerged about the moments before a Melbourne mother was fatally stabbed at her home. Vicky Van Aken, 51, ***** after being stabbed multiple times on the doorstep of her home in Bayswater, east of Melbourne about 11.15am on Saturday. Police will allege she was trying to protect a teenage boy who was seeking refuge from the man, who lived next door, when the ******* happened. Camera IconVicky Van Aken was ******* by in the door of her Bayswater home. Facebook Credit: Supplied It’s understood she was home with two sons at the time. Police allege the perpetrator was Milorad Zaric. They allege Zaric, 47, arrived at the Cousin Drive property with a ******. Police allege the man stabbed the 51-year-old mother first, attacking her several times. The 47-year-old, who works as a carpenter, then returned home, where he was arrested a short time later and taken to hospital under a police guard. It’s understood his relatives were repairing damage inside his home when the alleged incident occurred. Camera IconA woman has ***** after being allegedly stabbed in her Melbourne home. 9News Credit: Channel 9 On Sunday morning, the accused ******* appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court and was charged with *******. The court was told the man, who works as a carpenter and has never been in custody before, was experiencing withdrawal from alcohol and drugs. ********* detectives returned to the scene later in the afternoon. Zaric is remanded in custody and will appear before court on February 14. Source link #Horror #details #Melbourne #mother #Vicky #Van #Akens #alleged #******* Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Biden aims to finalize clean fuel rule before leaving White House Biden aims to finalize clean fuel rule before leaving White House MANAUS, Brazil (Reuters) – Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden aims to finalize a rule on a clean fuel tax credit before leaving office on Jan. 20, a senior White House official said on Sunday. The clean fuel program, which would provide credits for the production of sustainable aviation fuel and other lower-emission transportation fuels, is set to begin in 2025. “I’m not going to make any announcements, except that we’re working very hard to finish the rules,” the official told reporters. The official did not guarantee that the work would be complete. The Biden administration also plans to release a study on the environmental and economic impacts of liquefied natural gas before Jan. 20, the official said. Biden early this year ordered a pause in new approvals of LNG exports in order to conduct the study. President-elect Donald Trump, a ***********, has said he will reverse the pause quickly in his second term. (Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; writing by Katharine Jackson and Timothy Gardner; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) Source link #Biden #aims #finalize #clean #fuel #rule #leaving #White #House Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

ASIC sues NAB over handling of financial hardship cases ASIC sues NAB over handling of financial hardship cases The financial regulator is suing National Australia Bank for failing 345 customers “at their most vulnerable” when they were applying for financial hardship. The *********** Securities and Investment Commission has filed the suit in the Federal Court alleging NAB and its subsidiary AFSH Nominees, a provider of white-label home loans under the brand Advantedge, did not respond to 345 hardship applications within the 21-day timeframe required by law between 2018 and 2023. ‘These customers included people who were domestic ********* victims, battling serious medical conditions, dealing with business closures or job loss. NAB’s failures likely compounded the already challenging situation for these people,” ASIC Chair Joe Longo said. ‘Amidst rising cost of living pressures, we have seen an increased number of customers reach out to their lenders for relief, and we have seen first-hand the impact on lives and livelihoods when lenders fail to appropriately support customers experiencing financial hardship.” The action follows ASIC’s action against Westpac in September 2023 for financial hardship misconduct. As interest rates *****, the big four banks have seen an uptick in bad and doubtful debts, with home loans 90 days past due rising in the first half of calendar year particularly. In recent earnings announcements, most banks declared that the growth in arrears have peaked and are plateauing. In response to the court action, NAB has apologised for the failings, and said it co-operate fully with the regulator. “We’re sorry that this happened when a number of our customers were in difficult situations and needed us to be there for them,” NAB Group Executive, Customer & Corporate Services, Sharon Cook “We are focussed on ensuring these customers receive the support they need.” “Following ASIC’s report into hardship practices across the industry, we have also been working on a new approach to supporting customers in financial difficulty. This includes consulting with consumer advocates.” in August 2023, ASIC reviewed financial hardship and expectations of lenders. In May this year, it issued a report highlighting failures of lenders to identify customers in financial stress, use of ‘cookie-cutter’ approaches to dealing with hardship requests, as well as onerous assessment and approval processes. For the 2023/2024 financial year 5,715 complaints were filed with *********** Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) regarding financial difficulty, an increase of 18% on the prior year. AFCA observed that “Too many of these complaints relate to poor treatment or ineffective communication during the hardship process. Urgent improvements are needed.” Source link #ASIC #sues #NAB #handling #financial #hardship #cases Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Biden’s green light for Ukraine to use ATACMS in Russia just raised the stakes in a war Trump will inherit Biden’s green light for Ukraine to use ATACMS in Russia just raised the stakes in a war Trump will inherit The decision by US President Joe Biden to allow Ukraine to use long-range ********* missiles in Russia follows a familiar pattern. The White House refuses for months to grant a weapons request from Ukraine, fearing it would be escalatory. Kyiv loudly decries the refusal, and just when the request seems to have been parked, the Biden administration approves it. Ukraine’s request for HIMARS, Abrams tanks, F16s – all followed a similar pattern of refuse and prevaricate, and then grant, almost at the moment when it is too late. Is it too late for the US-made Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, to make a difference if it hits targets deep inside Russia? The answer is complex and perhaps explains some of the reluctance of the Biden administration to grant permission. Firstly, there is a limited supply of ATACMS that Ukraine can get its hands on. So even Kyiv being able to hit deep inside Russia – and the longer range of ATACMS is 100km or 62 miles – is not going to yield an overnight change in the battlefield. Analysts have listed the volume of Russian targets that are in range of these missiles – with the Institute for the Study of War listing hundreds of targets – after the Biden administration apparently briefed that Russian airfields in ATACMS range had seen their ******* aircraft evacuated deeper inside Russia. But really, Ukraine will not get enough ATACMS to alter the course of the war. Secondly, Ukraine has been able to penetrate deeper inside Russia using domestically manufactured and cheaper drones. The ******* States has agreed to help fund the development of these devices, which appear to have caused havoc around Moscow’s airports and across Russia’s energy infrastructure. Thirdly, the permission to use US precision missiles to hit deeper inside Russia is, as it sounds, quite provocative. It is true that Moscow is quite militarily weak now, and unlikely to seek full conflict with NATO or the US. But at some point, the Kremlin will seek to restore its deterrence. Moscow’s intelligence services have been blamed for sabotage of civilian targets across Europe, including recent reports that explosive packages were planted on courier planes inside Europe. The Biden administration was correct to weigh the practical utility of longer range strikes, against the potential for civilian collateral damage in NATO member states, if Russia felt obliged to somehow hit back. So it was not as simple or obvious decision as some advocates in Kyiv claimed. The wider goal seems to have been to get the Biden administration to put more skin in the game of Ukraine’s war – to truly takes the gloves off. Yet the White House is keen to stress the deployment of North Korean troops into Kursk fueled its decision – that this is the US’ response to Moscow’s escalation. Western officials have noted the North Korean deployment represents the Ukraine conflict expanding and becoming something that the ******* States’ Indo-Pacific adversaries now have a role in; that it has made the war slightly more global for America. In Biden’s eyes this is an escalation, in response to an escalation. But the fact he delayed so long because of the extraordinary symbolism of granting this permission just adds to the potency of the decision he just took. President-elect Donald Trump may think he can talk peace, but he will inherit a war where the stakes have just got significantly higher. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Source link #Bidens #green #light #Ukraine #ATACMS #Russia #raised #stakes #war #Trump #inherit Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How a viral, duct-taped banana came to be worth $1 million How a viral, duct-taped banana came to be worth $1 million Walk into any supermarket and you can generally buy a banana for less than $1. But a banana duct-taped to a wall? That might sell for more than $1 million at an upcoming auction at Sotheby’s in New York. The yellow banana fixed to the white wall with silver duct tape is a work entitled “Comedian,” by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. It first debuted in 2019 as an edition of three fruits at the Art Basel Miami Beach fair, where it became a much-discussed sensation. Was it a prank? A commentary on the state of the art world? Another artist took the banana off the wall and ate it. A backup banana was brought in. Selfie-seeking crowds became so thick, “Comedian” was withdrawn from view, but three editions of it sold for between $120,000 and $150,000, according to Perrotin gallery. Now, the conceptual artwork has an estimated value of between $1 million and $1.5 million at Sotheby’s auction on Nov. 20. Sotheby’s head of contemporary art, David Galperin, calls it profound and provocative. “What Cattelan is really doing is turning a mirror to the contemporary art world and asking questions, provoking thought about how we ascribe value to artworks, what we define as an artwork,” Galperin said. Bidders won’t be buying the same fruit that was on display in Miami. Those bananas are long gone. Sotheby’s says the fruit always was meant to be replaced regularly, along with the tape. “What you buy when you buy Cattelan’s ‘Comedian’ is not the banana itself, but a certificate of authenticity that grants the owner the permission and authority to reproduce this banana and duct tape on their wall as an original artwork by Maurizio Cattelan,” Galperin said. The very title of the piece suggests Cattelan himself likely didn’t intend for it to be taken seriously. But Chloé Cooper Jones, an assistant professor at the Columbia University School of the Arts, said it is worth thinking about the context. Cattelan premiered the work at an art fair, visited by well-off art collectors, where “Comedian” was sure to get a lot of attention on social media. That might mean the art constituted a dare, of sorts, to the collectors to invest in something absurd, she said. If “Comedian” is just a tool for understanding the insular, capitalist, art-collecting world, Cooper Jones said, “it’s not that interesting of an idea.” But she thinks it might go beyond poking fun at rich people. Cattelan is often thought of a “trickster artist,” she said. “But his work is often at the intersection of the sort of humor and the deeply macabre. He’s quite often looking at ways of provoking us, not just for the sake of provocation, but to ask us to look into some of the sort of darkest parts of history and of ourselves.” And there is a dark side to the banana, a fruit with a history entangled with imperialism, labor exploitation and corporate power. “It would be hard to come up with a better, simple symbol of global trade and all of its exploitations than the banana,” Cooper Jones said. If “Comedian” is about making people think about their moral complicity in the production of objects they take for granted, then it’s “at least a more useful tool or it’s at least an additional sort of place to go in terms of the questions that this work could be asking,” she said. “Comedian” hits the block around the same time that Sotheby’s is also auctioning one of the famed paintings in the “Water Lilies” series by the French impressionist Claude Monet, with an expected value of around $60 million. When asked to compare Cattelan’s banana to a classic like Monet’s “Nymphéas,” Galperin says impressionism was not considered art when the movement began. “No important, profound, meaningful artwork of the past 100 years or 200 years, or our history for that matter, did not provoke some kind of discomfort when it was first unveiled,” Galperin said. Source link #viral #ducttaped #banana #worth #million Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

West Indies vs England: Fifth T20 washed out by rain as visitors win series 3-1 West Indies vs England: Fifth T20 washed out by rain as visitors win series 3-1 The fifth and final T20 of the series between England and West Indies was washed out by heavy rain in St Lucia. England captain Jos Buttler chose to bowl first and the hosts reached 44-0 in five overs before the downpour began. The ground staff attempted to clear the wet outfield for a restart but the match was eventually abandoned without a result at 22:15 GMT. West Indies openers Evin Lewis and Shai Hope made 29 and 14 respectively, looking to add another commanding partnership following their 136 in nine overs in the fourth T20. England claim the T20 series 3-1, having lost the one-day international leg of the tour 2-1. Opener Phil Salt finished as the series’ leading run-scorer with 162 runs in four innings, including an unbeaten 103 in the first T20, with West Indies captain Rovman Powell second with 153. England seamer Saqib Mahmood was the leading wicket-taker and was rested for the final match, finishing with nine scalps in four matches. England are next in action with three Tests in New Zealand starting on 27 November, with the white-ball side taking on India in January. That will be Brendon McCullum’s first assignment as white-ball head coach. Source link #West #Indies #England #T20 #washed #rain #visitors #win #series Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]