Jan 22 - A sweeping proposed reform of Venezuela's hydrocarbons law would allow foreign and local companies to operate oilfields on their own through a new contract model, commercialize output and receive sale proceeds even if acting as minority partners of state company PDVSA, drafts seen by Reuters on Thursday...
X Down for Thousands, Downdetector Reports
X (formerly Twitter) experienced a possible outage Thursday, with thousands of users reporting issues, according to Downdetector.com. More than 17,000 users had reported problems with the platform as of 9:23 a.m. PST, according to Downdetector, which tracks outages by collecting status reports from multiple sources. Most users reporting issues say...
Instagram Down for Thousands of Users, Downdetector Reports
Instagram experienced a possible outage Thursday, with thousands of users reporting issues, according to Downdetector.com. More than 4,000 users had reported problems with the platform as of 9:20 a.m. PT, according to Downdetector, which tracks outages by collecting status reports from multiple sources. Most users reporting issues say they’re experiencing...
China Wins as Trump Cedes Leadership of the Global Economy
DAVOS, Switzerland — In a long, rambling address that was by turns bombastic, aggrieved and self-congratulatory, President Donald Trump pronounced last rites on American leadership of the liberal democratic order forged by the United States and its allies after World War II. Trump used a keynote speech at the World...
Largest US Electric Grid Expects All-Time Record Winter Demand
Winter electricity demand on the largest U.S. power grid - the PJM Interconnection - is expected to set an all-time record next week as large swaths of the United States brace for an Arctic blast of cold weather. PJM's seven-day forecast on Thursday morning predicted 144,465 megawatts of demand on...
Oil Slides 2% as Trump Tones Down Threats Against Greenland and Iran
Oil prices slid about 2% on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump softened threats against Greenland and Iran, and as investors assessed the supply-demand outlook. Brent futures fell $1.01, or 1.6%, to $64.23 a barrel at 11:26 a.m. EDT (1626 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 96 cents,...
18-Year-Old Pleads Guilty in North Carolina Shooting That Left 5 Dead
RALEIGH, N.C. — A young man who went on a killing rampage that left five people dead in North Carolina in 2022 pleaded guilty Wednesday to all the charges against him, a rare conclusion to a mass shooting case that was expected to go to trial and be closely watched...
Kennedy, Kicking Off National Tour, Says He’s Not Running for President
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. began a national “Take Back Your Health” tour with a rally Wednesday at the Pennsylvania State Capitol, where he said his new dietary guidelines were “not perfect” and addressed supporters, who cheered when he was asked if he was considering running...
Fresno Unveils Measure P-Funded Youth Sports Scholarships
Fresno city leaders gathered Wednesday at Fort Miller Middle School to unveil a $50,000 youth scholarship grant funded through Measure P, aimed at reducing financial barriers for children to participate in private sports and enrichment programs. Councilmember Tyler Maxwell, Mayor Jerry Dyer and High Performance Academy CEO Jesus Garcia spoke...
Former Police Officer Who Failed to Confront Uvalde Gunman Found Not Guilty
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — More than three years after a gunman massacred 21 people at Uvalde’s Robb Elementary in one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history, a former school police officer was found not guilty of abandoning and endangering children. Adrian Gonzales, the first officer to arrive at...