1. mnl

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol avoided an opposition-led attempt to impeach him over his short-lived imposition of martial law, as most ruling party lawmakers boycotted a parliamentary vote Saturday to deny a two-thirds majority needed to suspend his presidential powers. The scrapping of the motion is expected to intensify protests calling for Yoon's ouster and deepen political chaos in South Korea, with a survey suggesting a majority of South Koreans support the president's impeachment. Yoon's martial law declaration drew criticism from his own ruling conservative People Power Party, but the party is also determined to oppose Yoon's impeachment apparently because it fears losing the presidency to liberals. After the motion fell through, members of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party rallied inside the National Assembly, chanting slogans calling for Yoon's impeachment or resignation. The party's floor leader, Park Chan-dae, said it will soon prepare for a new impeachment motion. Opposition parties could submit a new impeachment motion after a new parliamentary session opens next Wednesday. "We'll surely impeach Yoon Suk Yeol, who is the greatest risk to Republic of Korea," party leader Lee Jae-myung said. "We'll surely bring back this country to normal before Christmas Day or year's end." Many experts worry Yoon won't be able to serve out his remaining 2 years in office. They say some PPP lawmakers could eventually join opposition parties' efforts to impeach Yoon if public demands for it grow further. The ruling party risks "further public outrage and national confusion if they don't find a formula fast for Yoon's departure," said Duyeon Kim, a senior analyst at the Center for a New American Security in Washington. PPP chair Han Dong-hun said his party will seek Yoon's "orderly" early exit but didn't say when he can resign. On Saturday, tens of thousands of people packed several blocks of roads leading to the National Assembly, waving banners, shouting slogans and dancing. Protesters also gathered in front of PPP's headquarters near the Assembly, shouting for its lawmakers to vote to impeach Yoon. A smaller crowd of Yoon's supporters, which still seemed to be in the thousands, rallied elsewhere in Seoul, calling the impeachment attempt unconstitutional. Impeaching Yoon required support from 200 of the National Assembly's 300 members. The Democratic Party and five other small opposition parties, which filed the motion, have 192 seats combined. But only three lawmakers from PPP participated in the vote. The motion was scrapped without ballot counting because the number of votes didn't reach 200. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik called the result "very regrettable" and an embarrassing moment for the country's democracy. If Yoon is impeached, his powers will be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to remove him from office. If he is removed, an election to replace him must take place within 60 days. Earlier Saturday, Yoon issued an apology over the martial law decree, saying he won't shirk legal or political responsibility for the declaration and promising not to make another attempt to impose it. He said would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country's political turmoil, "including matters related to my term in office." "The declaration of this martial law was made out of my desperation. But in the course of its implementation, it caused anxiety and inconveniences to the public. I feel very sorry over that and truly apologize to the people who must have been shocked a lot," Yoon said. Since taking office in 2022, Yoon has struggled to push his agenda through an opposition-controlled parliament and grappled with low approval ratings amid scandals involving himself and his wife. In his martial law announcement on Tuesday night, Yoon called parliament a "den of criminals" bogging down state affairs and vowed to eliminate "shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces." The declaration of martial law was the first of its kind in more than 40 years in South Korea. The turmoil has paralyzed South Korean politics and sparked alarm among key diplomatic partners like the U.S. and Japan. "Yoon's credibility overseas has been undermined by declaring martial law, so he won't be able to exercise leadership in his foreign policies especially when his days are numbered," Kim, the analyst, said. "Its government bureaucracy will need to continue business as usual for existing alliance and foreign policy initiatives as best it can because there is a lot of important work to do globally." Tuesday night saw special forces troops encircling the parliament building and army helicopters hovering over it, but the military withdrew after the National Assembly unanimously voted to overturn the decree, forcing Yoon to lift it before daybreak Wednesday. Eighteen lawmakers from the ruling party voted to reject Yoon's martial law decree along with opposition lawmakers. PPP later decided to oppose Yoon's impeachment motion. Yoon's speech fueled speculation that he and his party may push for a constitutional amendment to shorten his term, instead of accepting impeachment, as a way to ease public anger over the marital law and facilitate Yoon's early exit from office. Lee told reporters that Yoon's speech was "greatly disappointing" and that the only way forward is his immediate resignation or impeachment. His party called Yoon's martial law "unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or coup." Lawmakers on Saturday first voted on a bill appointing a special prosecutor to investigate stock price manipulation allegations surrounding Yoon's wife. On Friday, Han, who criticized Yoon's martial law declaration, said he had received intelligence that during the brief period of martial law Yoon ordered the country's defense counterintelligence commander to arrest unspecified key politicians based on accusations of "anti-state activities." Hong Jang-won, first deputy director of South Korea's spy agency, told lawmakers Friday that Yoon had ordered him to help the defense counterintelligence unit to detain key politicians including Han, Lee and Woo. The Defense Ministry said Friday it suspended three military commanders including the head of the defense counterintelligence unit over their involvement in enforcing martial law. Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho has told parliament that Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun ordered the deployment of troops to the National Assembly. Opposition parties accused Kim of recommending to Yoon to enforce martial law. Kim Yong Hyun resigned Thursday, and prosecutors imposed an overseas travel ban on him.The Tale Of Lady Ok Episode 3: How to Watch, Preview, Spoilers, and MoreRomania's far-right candidate Calin Georgescu on Saturday urged voters to go to polling stations despite the country's top court having scrapped the presidential elections over alleged irregularities amid claims of Russian interference. The court's shock ruling, coming just before the presidential run-off which had been due Sunday, opens the way for a new electoral process starting from scratch in the EU and NATO member state bordering war-torn Ukraine. The annulment follows a spate of intelligence documents declassified by the presidency this week detailing allegations against Georgescu and Russia, including claims of "massive" social media promotion and cyberattacks. Georgescu -- who unexpectedly topped last month's first round of voting -- called for voters on Sunday "to wait to be welcomed, to wait for democracy to win through their power", said a statement from his team. "Mr. Calin Georgescu believes that voting is an earned right," said the statement. "That is why he believes that Romanians have the right to be in front of the polling stations tomorrow." Georgescu himself would go to a polling station near Bucharest at 0600 GMT, said his team. Earlier Saturday, police raided three houses in Brasov city in central Romania as part of the investigation "in connection with crimes of voter corruption, money laundering, computer forgery". Among the houses searched was that of businessman Bogdan Peschir, a TikTok user who according to the declassified documents allegedly paid $381,000 to those involved in the promotion of Georgescu, Romanian media reported. Peschir has compared his support for Georgescu to the world's richest man Elon Musk's backing of US president-elect Donald Trump. Little-known outsider Georgescu, a 62-year-old former senior civil servant, was favourite to win the second round on Sunday against centrist pro-EU mayor Elena Lasconi, 52, according to several polls. But the constitutional court on Friday unanimously decided to annul the entire electoral process as it was "marred... by multiple irregularities and violations of electoral legislation". President Klaus Iohannis said on Saturday that he had discussed with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, and they agreed on the "need to strengthen the security of social media". The European Commission announced earlier this week that it had stepped up monitoring TikTok after Romania's authorities alleged "preferential treatment" of Georgescu on the platform -- a claim the company has denied. Following the court's decision, the United States said it had faith in Romania's institutions and called for a "peaceful democratic process". Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., on X branded the vote's cancellation an "attempt at rigging the outcome" and "denying the will of the people". Georgescu called it "a formalised coup d'etat" and said democracy was "under attack". His team on Saturday declined to comment on the raids, saying they "will not comment or provide answers until we have exact data". Georgescu and another far-right party, the AUR, have said they plan to appeal the decision to stop the voting to the High Court of Cassation and Justice. A past admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Georgescu, an EU and NATO sceptic, in recent days had reframed himself as "ultra pro-Trump," vowing to put Romania "on the world map" and cut aid for neighbouring Ukraine. In an interview with US broadcaster Sky News on Saturday, Georgescu said there were no links between him and Russia. Political scientist Costin Ciobanu told AFP that the annulment has "further polarised Romanian society". With trust in institutions and the ruling class already low, the vote's cancellation poses a "major danger that Romanians will think that it doesn't matter how they vote", Ciobanu added. Elsewhere in the EU, Austria annulled presidential elections in 2016 because of procedural irregularities. In Romania, a new government is expected to set another date for the presidential vote. In last weekend's legislative elections, the ruling Social Democrats came top. But far-right parties made big gains, securing an unprecedented third of the ballots on mounting anger over soaring inflation and fears over Russia's war in Ukraine. In a joint appeal on Wednesday, the Social Democrats and three other pro-EU parties -- together making up an absolute majority in parliament -- signed an agreement to form a coalition, promising "stability". bur-jza/jj1. mnl 。

LAHORE: An antiterrorism court on Saturday issued non-bailable arrest warrants of PTI former MNA Aliya Hamza Malik, social media activist Tayaba Ambreen Raja, and nine others for not appearing in the trial proceedings of the Corps Commander House attack. The court conducted the proceedings at Kot Lakhpat jail. The court expressed displeasure over the continuous absence of the suspects and issued their arrest warrants with a direction to police to produce them on December 19. Other suspects are Attaur Rehman, Arbaz Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Ali Asad, Hashim Maqsood, Farhan Bukhari, Atif Munir, Sagheer Kamal, Abbas Ali and Muhammad Imran. The court also initiated proceedings against the bail guarantor of Aliya Hamza for her failure to appear in Shadman police station attack trial and issued him notice for December 20. The court further directed the Shadman Station House Officer to ensure the guarantor’s presence at the next hearing. Copyright Business Recorder, 2024

Syrian government forces withdraw from central city of Homs as insurgent offensive acceleratesUS added a strong 227,000 jobs in November in bounce-back from October slowdownda-kuk/E+ via Getty Images Co-authored by Treading Softly. "The night is darkest just before the dawn" – Harvey Dent. Have you ever noticed that when navigating at night—perhaps with no light source apart from the natural glow of High Dividend Opportunities, #1 On Seeking Alpha HDO is the largest and most exciting community of income investors and retirees with over +8000 members. We are looking for more members to join our lively group! Our Income Method generates strong returns, regardless of market volatility, making retirement investing less stressful, simple and straightforward . Invest with the Best! Join us to get access to our Model Portfolio targeting 9-10% yield . Don't miss out on the Power of Dividends ! We're offering a limited-time 17% discount on our annual price of $599.99 via this link only: Sign Me Up!! Rida Morwa is a former investment and commercial Banker, with over 35 years of experience. He has been advising individual and institutional clients on high-yield investment strategies since 1991. Rida Morwa leads the Investing Group High Dividend Opportunities where he teams up with some of Seeking Alpha's top income investing analysts. The service focuses on sustainable income through a variety of high yield investments with a targeted safe +9% yield. Features include: model portfolio with buy/sell alerts, preferred and baby bond portfolios for more conservative investors, vibrant and active chat with access to the service’s leaders, dividend and portfolio trackers, and regular market updates. The service philosophy focuses on community, education, and the belief that nobody should invest alone. Learn More. Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of ARI either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Treading Softly, Beyond Saving, Philip Mause, and Hidden Opportunities, all are supporting contributors for High Dividend Opportunities. Any recommendation posted in this article is not indefinite. We closely monitor all of our positions. We issue Buy and Sell alerts on our recommendations, which are exclusive to our members. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

I've had to be tough. Just ask my mum ... I've cut her winter fuel payment! Chancellor Rachel Reeves talks difficult decisions, taxpayers' cash and public sector pay By JASON GROVES Published: 10:33 AEDT, 7 December 2024 | Updated: 10:39 AEDT, 7 December 2024 e-mail 5 View comments Ministers thinking of trying to winkle more money out of Rachel Reeves in the coming months might want to ponder her steely approach before they turn up at the Treasury with begging bowls. For the Chancellor, it can be revealed today, cut her own mum’s winter fuel payment in the Budget – and is happy to defend the decision. Ms Reeves is set to fire the starting gun next week on the first ‘zero-based’ review of government spending for almost two decades. It will involve a line-by-line examination of every item of Whitehall spending, with ministers ordered to root out waste and ditch projects of questionable value. In comments designed to demonstrate a break with the profligacy of previous Labour administrations, she says ministers will be ‘getting a grip of government waste and getting value for money for every pound of taxpayers’ money spent’. She added: ‘In the end, it’s taxpayers’ money that’s being spent on these things. It’s not government money. I’m the Chancellor, but it’s not my money. It’s taxpayers’ money. And I’ll treat that with respect.’ Public sector unions, whose members enjoyed a bumper pay rise after the election in Labour’s first act of largesse, are also put on notice that they should not expect another one unless they embrace reforms designed to boost productivity. The inflation-busting payouts of the summer were due, Ms Reeves says, to the last government’s failure to be sufficiently clear to the public sector pay bodies about the state of the finances. ‘Going forward, any real-terms increases in public sector pay – so above inflation – has to be accompanied by productivity improvements. That’s the only way it’s affordable,’ she says. Rachel Reeves is set to fire the starting gun next week on the first ‘zero-based’ review of government spending for almost two decades It will involve a line-by-line examination of every item of Whitehall spending, with ministers ordered to root out waste and ditch projects of questionable value She met with Jason Groves on an early train to her adopted city of Leeds where she is taking part in events to mark the annual Small Business Saturday The spending review, which will fix the Government’s priorities for the rest of this parliament, is the Chancellor’s next big battle. But she has not yet finished fighting the previous one. Her Budget – the biggest tax-raising event in modern British history – has triggered a gigantic backlash, that is still making noise five weeks after the event. Read More Labour's tax bomb budget causes business confidence to crash to lowest levels since Covid Farmers are on the march over a raid on inheritance tax that threatens to break up family farms, pensioners are writing angry letters about the loss of the winter fuel payment and, most worryingly for the Chancellor, business is in revolt over her £25 billion raid on National Insurance, warning it will cost jobs and fuel inflation. And what about that winter fuel decision – did she really cut the payments to her mum and dad? Yes, is the answer, with the Chancellor arguing that her parents, both former teachers, can afford to lose the money and will benefit from investment in the NHS. ‘I don’t think it’s right that my mum and dad got the winter fuel payment,’ she says. ‘My mum reads your paper, so be careful what you write! ‘She’s on a decent pension and you know, my mum and dad use the NHS as well, which is getting £22.6 billion more over the next couple of years for health spending.’ She reveals that her mother sent her a text message recently to ask her to congratulate Health Secretary Wes Streeting after her appointment for a routine operation on the NHS was brought forward to well within the 18-week waiting target. Such tributes are apparently not automatic from the Reeves matriarch. ‘You can ask my sister (fellow Cabinet minister Ellie Reeves) as well – we don’t always get positive feedback from our mum!’ Ms Reeves acknowledges that the ‘level of tax paid is really important for business’ but insists that political and economic stability is even more critical. At times in recent weeks the Chancellor has appeared taken aback by the level of anger her measures have triggered, but she insists she had always expected it At times in recent weeks the Chancellor has appeared taken aback by the level of anger her measures have triggered, but she insists she had always expected it. ‘If you’re going to raise taxes, then, of course, there are going to be people who are unhappy,’ she says. ‘I understand that.’ She also believes that business leaders will ultimately get over their anger at her tax raid and welcome the ‘stability’ she has brought to the public finances. And she suggests many would have done the same if they had been doing her job. ‘When chief executives or chief financial officers come into a business and they inherit what we inherited as a government, you have three choices as a business leader. You can either sort of sweep that under the carpet, hope that something turns up. You can say, right, okay, well, I’ll take some action and I’ll come back to it next year, or you can wipe the slate clean on what my predecessor has left me, take some difficult decisions, take the flak for that, but then be able to move on, focus on my plans to turn it around, this business.’ Read More Keir Starmer says there COULD be more tax rises to come after Budget mega-raid Ms Reeves acknowledges that the ‘level of tax paid is really important for business’ but insists that political and economic stability is even more critical. ‘What happened in the last parliament was interest rates going through the roof, their borrowing costs going through the roof, money in the pockets of their customers being hit, inflation going through the roof,’ she says. ‘That lack of stability was a disaster for business. That’s what businesses told me. That’s why they backed us at the election, because they saw me and they saw this changed Labour Party as the best route to restoring economic stability, and that’s what we’ve done.’ We meet on an early train to her adopted city of Leeds where she is taking part in events to mark the annual Small Business Saturday. The headlines are dominated by Keir Starmer’s refusal to rule out future tax rises despite the Chancellor’s pledge to the CBI that she was ‘not coming back with more borrowing or more taxes’. She is happy to repeat the phrase, but adds a qualification on possible future tax rises, saying: ‘I can’t tie my hands in that way, but we’ve moved to annual budgets. I’m not going to be going back in the spring. That’s what the previous government did. They did a Budget and then come back six months later. ‘But I’m never going do a Budget like that again. That’s a reset, once-in-a-parliament moment. It was not the Budget I wanted to deliver, but bringing stability back to the economy and making sure that the public finances are on a firm footing is the number one priority for me.’ Future spending on consultants will be halved, with the Chancellor arguing that it is time to start leaving more of the work to the civil service ‘But I’m never going do a Budget like that again. That’s a reset, once-in-a-parliament moment', Ms Reeves said The focus now is on beating anaemic growth forecasts, which she acknowledges are not good enough. The Chancellor’s war on waste will involve new efficiency targets for all departments. An order has gone out that ‘all non-essential consultancy and comms spending should be cancelled’. Future spending on consultants will be halved, with the Chancellor arguing that it is time to start leaving more of the work to the civil service. The Prime Minister was in retreat yesterday after suggesting that too many civil servants are ‘comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline’ – comments which triggered a furious response from the Whitehall Blob. Ms Reeves, who is married to a senior civil servant, is more diplomatic. ‘It’s about political leadership,’ she says. ‘It’s not a civil service decision not to have a zero-based review for 17 years. That’s a political decision.’ After the Budget, the Chancellor was dubbed ‘Rachel Thieves’ and mercilessly mocked online over some unfortunate creativity with her past CV. Surely that hurts a bit? After 14 years as an opposition MP, she insists she is ‘happy to take the brickbats’. Rachel Reeves NHS Wes Streeting Labour Share or comment on this article: I've had to be tough. Just ask my mum ... I've cut her winter fuel payment! Chancellor Rachel Reeves talks difficult decisions, taxpayers' cash and public sector pay e-mail Add comment

After 10 months, 3 Game Awards, and the downfall of global productivity, roguelike hit Balatro reaches a new all-time Steam peak

Sanctuary Advisors LLC Acquires New Stake in Marriott Vacations Worldwide Co. (NYSE:VAC)With grid connectivity and efficient power transmission as integral to the energy targets set as the power generation, the transmission and distribution (T&D) sector has been in the spotlight for somewhile now. With tenders bid and orders won at a more frequent pace, KEC International, a diversified yet prominent EPC player in this space, has been riding this structural trend. The shares of the company have risen around 93 per cent in the last one year and 338 per cent in the last five years, while BSE Power has returned a lower 33 per cent and 311 per cent during the same periods respectively. At bl.portfolio , we had recommended investors to HOLD on to KEC International on June 3, 2023, when the company was trading at a one-year forward PE of 21 times, considering the strong business prospects and margins bottoming out, even though supply chain challenges persisted. Since then, margins have gradually recovered and structural tailwinds aiding the overall sector continue to provide a long runway for growth. But supply chain challenges have continued, and more importantly, the valuations have run up far ahead before the thesis fully played out, resulting in one-year forward PE and trailing twelve-month (TTM) PE currently at an elevated 45 times and 74 times respectively. For comparison, Kalpataru Projects International, the closest listed peer, is currently trading at one-year forward PE and TTM PE of 27 times and 40 times respectively. Investors could consider locking in on the gains partially and take some chips off the table, considering the sharp rally of 58 per cent in the last six months. This is a valuation call. KEC International, part of the RP Goenka Group, is a diversified EPC player, executing projects across 30+ geographies, in segments such as transmission and distribution (T&D), civil, railways, cables, oil and gas, and solar. T&D is the company’s mainstay, contributing to around 50 per cent of its topline. KEC offers comprehensive solutions in this space, encompassing the design, manufacturing, supply, installation and commissioning of transmission lines, substations and underground cabling in both domestic and international markets. It is one of the recognised contractors of Power Grid Corporation, India’s leading power transmission player. Civil projects undertaken by KEC is diversified across water infrastructure, water treatment and it is also a construction partner for building warehouses, factories, buildings, data centres, while railways include various signalling, station construction, amongst others. The company is also involved in the implementation of KAVACH via a joint venture. Laying of pipelines for the oil and gas sector is another segment, while the company is also into EPC of solar power projects. The non-T&D businesses account for the remaining 50 per cent. EBITDA margins for T&D is around low double-digits, while for Non-T&D projects, it has been around 5 per cent. SAE Tower Holdings LLC, an acquisition made in 2011, to geographically expand in the US (now present in Brazil and Mexico too), which dropped into losses from FY21, was back in the black in FY24. This was a causal factor behind the dip in EBITDA margins, from around 11 per cent between FY17 and FY20 to 4.8 per cent in FY23, before recovering to around 6.6 per cent in FY24. Revenue growth and EBITDA margins were guided at 15 per cent and 7.5 per cent respectively for FY25. Order intake, on the other hand, was guided for ₹25,000 crore, which, if met, would be the highest ever for the company. As of H1 FY25, the company’s revenue stood at ₹9,625 crore growing 10 per cent year on year – tepid, but impacted due to external factors. If not for manpower shortage (sustained from previous FY), delays due to heavy rainfalls in Gujarat and Rajasthan, where bulk of the T&D projects are under execution, and deliberate slowdown of water EPC projects due to payments issues with customer, H1 FY25 would have been stronger. Manpower shortage has been a widespread concern noted by most of the EPC players. EBITDA margin was at 6.4 per cent for H1 – 50-basis point year-on-year improvement. H2 FY25 is expected to be better on account of higher margin projects getting executed. EBITDA margins have been recovering steadily and this is the sixth consecutive quarter with year-on-year improvement. With old orders with lower margins expected to be executed and closed out this year and contribution from T&D segment continuing to rise, EBITDA margins are expected to inch up towards 9-10 per cent for FY26. Revenue contribution from T&D has been consistently on the rise with the same improving from 50 per cent in FY22 and FY23 to 53 per cent in FY24 to 55 per cent in H1 FY25. Order intake YTD as of October 2024 stood at around ₹13,482 crore – growth of 50 per cent year on year and this is apart from L1-s (lowest bidder, meaning the company is the lowest bidder in the tender process, but the order is yet to be awarded) of ₹8,500 crore, providing good revenue visibility. It is largely in line with the guidance and with H2 generally better than H1 in this industry, the management is confident of walking the talk. Orderbook is also at a high of ₹34,088 crore. T&D segment’s contribution to the orderbook, similar to the trend in revenue, has increased from 47 per cent in FY23 to 55 per cent in H1 FY24, in line with the increased frequency of tendering in this space. The management has said that they are reasonably hedged against commodity price hikes and that any volatility shouldn’t affect them materially. KEC is selective in its new projects, with emphasis on margin profile, working capital cycle, counterparty risk, execution risk and projects with front-ended cash flows and shorter execution timeframe. So, order intake in the railways, civil, oil and gas, and solar segment is expected to be constrained. In September this year, KEC concluded a fund raiser by way of QIP to the tune of ₹870 crore, issuing shares at a price of ₹955. The funds raised via the QIP will be used by KEC to repay debt, strengthening its balance sheet. This will help reduce interest costs, which has been hovering at 3-3.5 per cent of revenue since FY23 to 2.5 per cent for FY25. KEC has also planned for business realignment by transferring its cable business on slump sale to a newly-incorporated subsidiary for this purpose, to focus on that segment of the business. The management expects to grow at a brisk pace with recent investments in electron beam (e-beam) and elastomeric technology for high performance and specialty cables like green cables (eco-friendly) and EV charging cables. This realignment takes effect from January 1, 2025. The commissioning of its aluminium conductor manufacturing plant in Vadodara, which was scheduled for Q2, has been pushed to Q3 FY25. The aluminium conductors are used in power transmission and are efficient in it with lower transmission losses. This investment will help in backward integration. Comments

Syrian insurgents reach the capital's suburbs. Worried residents flee and stock up on supplies

Lindsey Vonn competes in a pair of downhills, another step on her comeback trail at the age of 40

Palantir Technologies Inc. ( NASDAQ:PLTR – Get Free Report )’s share price was down 0.1% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $81.30 and last traded at $82.28. Approximately 23,096,170 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 62% from the average daily volume of 61,552,875 shares. The stock had previously closed at $82.38. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of analysts recently weighed in on PLTR shares. Argus downgraded shares of Palantir Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Northland Securities increased their target price on shares of Palantir Technologies from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of Palantir Technologies from $57.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Palantir Technologies in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Palantir Technologies from $37.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Palantir Technologies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $41.00. View Our Latest Report on PLTR Palantir Technologies Trading Down 3.7 % Palantir Technologies ( NASDAQ:PLTR – Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $725.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $705.11 million. Palantir Technologies had a net margin of 18.01% and a return on equity of 9.94%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 30.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.03 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Palantir Technologies Inc. will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current year. Insider Buying and Selling at Palantir Technologies In other Palantir Technologies news, insider Shyam Sankar sold 5,250,000 shares of Palantir Technologies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.08, for a total transaction of $367,920,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 752,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,755,242.88. The trade was a 87.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink . Also, Director Peter Thiel sold 4,181,118 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.91, for a total transaction of $154,325,065.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 38,502,451 shares in the company, valued at $1,421,125,466.41. The trade was a 9.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders have sold 27,361,841 shares of company stock worth $1,563,283,006 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 12.93% of the company’s stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Palantir Technologies Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PLTR. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Palantir Technologies by 60.5% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,387,040 shares of the company’s stock valued at $460,798,000 after purchasing an additional 4,667,955 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its position in shares of Palantir Technologies by 22.9% in the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 370,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,786,000 after acquiring an additional 68,945 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Palantir Technologies by 19.2% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 541,567 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,146,000 after acquiring an additional 87,062 shares in the last quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management increased its position in Palantir Technologies by 97.9% during the third quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 202,006 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,515,000 after acquiring an additional 99,921 shares during the period. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Palantir Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth about $639,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.65% of the company’s stock. Palantir Technologies Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Palantir Technologies, Inc engages in the business of building and deploying software platforms that serve as the central operating systems for its customers. It operates under the Commercial and Government segments. The Commercial segment focuses on customers working in non-government industries. The Government segment is involved in providing services to customers that are the United States government and non-United States government agencies. 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By ADAM GELLER Associated Press , CATHY BUSSEWITZ Associated Press , and MICHAEL LIEDTKE Associated Press NEW YORK -- He's one of the most famous corporate leaders in the world, delivering products embraced by billions. But it's the haters that companies like Mark Zuckerberg's Meta worry about. In an era when online anger and social tensions are increasingly directed at the businesses consumers count on, Meta last year spent $24.4 million on guards, alarms and other measures to keep Zuckerberg and the company's former chief operating officer safe. Some high-profile CEOs surround themselves with security. But the fatal shooting this week of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson while he walked alone on a New York City sidewalk has put a spotlight on the widely varied approaches companies take in protecting their leaders against threats. Thompson had no personal security and appeared unaware of the shooter lurking before he was gunned down. And today's political, economic and technological climate is only going to make the job of evaluating threats against executives and taking action to protect them even more difficult, experts say. "We are better today at collecting signals. I'm not sure we're any better at making sense of the signals we collect," says Fred Burton of Ontic, a provider of threat management software for companies. After Thompson's shooting, Burton said, "I've been on the phone all day with some organizations asking for consultation, saying, 'Am I doing enough?" Since the killing, some health insurers have taken steps to safeguard their executives and rank-and-file workers. Medica, a Minnesota-based nonprofit health care firm, said Friday it is temporarily closing its six offices for security reasons and will have its employees work from home. "Although we have received no specific threats related to our campuses, our office buildings will be temporarily closed out of an abundance of caution," the company said in a statement. A Medica... ADAM GELLER Associated Press , CATHY BUSSEWITZ Associated Press , MICHAEL LIEDTKE Associated PressNone