Monday☕️

Trending:

• On November 29, 2024, Illinois State Police found 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms) of cocaine hidden in a semi-truck during a routine inspection on Interstate 80 near Geneseo, Illinois. The drugs, worth over $40 million, were linked to two Canadian nationals, Vanshpreet Singh and Manpreet Singh, who were arrested at the scene. This discovery is part of ongoing efforts to stop large-scale drug trafficking.
• Earlier, in October 2024, former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan James Wedding was accused of leading a cocaine trafficking network. Officials say the operation moved 60 tons of cocaine every year from Colombia to Canada and the United States. These cases show the size of drug trafficking networks and the challenges law enforcement faces in stopping them.

Economics & Markets:

• The Russian ruble has dropped to its weakest level since the start of the Ukraine invasion, now trading at 105-114 rubles to 1 dollar. Key factors include international sanctions reducing foreign currency inflows, falling oil revenues, and soaring government spending on the war, all of which have driven inflation and weakened the economy. While the central bank raised interest rates to 21% to stabilize the currency, this risks slowing growth.
• Yesterdays commodity market:

• Yesterday’s crypto market:

Geopolitics & Conflicts:

• Yesterday, U.S. airstrikes targeted Iranian and Iranian-backed positions near the town of al-Mayadin in eastern Syria. Using A-10C Warthog and other assets, the strikes hit key locations, including a communication center, barracks, and additional military facilities. Reports indicate significant casualties, with emergency vehicles seen heading to multiple strike zones.

• These strikes are part of ongoing U.S. efforts to counter threats from Iranian-backed groups in the region. The U.S. currently maintains an estimated 800 to 2,000 troops in Syria, focused on combating Islamic State militants and addressing regional security concerns. The incident highlights the continued instability in Syria and its broader implications for Middle Eastern geopolitics.

Environment & Weather:

• Cyclone Fengal recently hit Tamil Nadu, India, bringing heavy rains and causing severe flooding across the region. The storm had winds of 53 mph and a central pressure of 987 mbar at its strongest. As it moved slowly over land, it caused massive flooding from Sri Lanka to Chennai, damaging homes, roads, and crops.

• So far, the storm has claimed 26 lives and displaced thousands of people. Fengal is now weakening and breaking apart north of Cuddalore. This comes almost a year after Cyclone Michaung, which also caused destructive floods in the same area.

Security:

• In late November, the FBI and partners shut down PopeyeTools, an illegal website active since 2016 that sold stolen credit card data and hacking tools. The site exposed the personal information of over 227,000 individuals and generated $1.7 million in revenue.

• Authorities seized its domains and $283,000 in cryptocurrency, and three administrators, aged 25 to 37, were charged, facing up to 10 years in prison. PopeyeTools facilitated cybercrime by offering tools for fraud and account breaches, posing a significant threat to online security.

Science & Technology:

• Recently, IBM announced a major advancement in quantum computing by entangling qubits across two separate quantum chips. Traditionally, quantum computers rely on single-chip designs, where all qubits and operations are confined to one processor.
• While effective, this approach limits scalability due to the physical constraints of chip size and qubit density. IBM’s breakthrough enables qubits on multiple chips to interact seamlessly, effectively creating a unified system. This advancement opens the door to building much larger quantum computers by connecting multiple chips.

Statistic:

Military bases outside national borders:

• United States: Over 850 bases worldwide, with a massive presence in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
• Russia: Around 16-21 bases, primarily in former Soviet states and Syria.
• China: 2 bases, one in Djibouti and another reportedly in Cambodia.

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