Tuesday☕️

Earth Intelligence

07 Jan 2025 — 6 min read

Economics & Markets:

Yesterday’s U.S. stock market:

Yesterday’s commodity market:

Yesterday’s crypto market:

The IRS has introduced new rules for decentralized finance (DeFi), a part of the crypto world where people can trade, borrow, lend, and exchange cryptocurrencies directly using apps and wallets, without traditional banks or intermediaries. DeFi works through three main layers: the user interface layer (like apps such as Uniswap that people use), the application layer (the smart contracts that make things happen), and the blockchain layer (where all transactions are recorded).
Starting in 2027, the IRS will treat platforms in the user interface layer as brokers, meaning they must collect user identification (KYC), track transactions, and report this data to the IRS. Unlike centralized finance (CeFi), where companies like banks or exchanges manage funds and accounts, DeFi is more open and decentralized, allowing for more direct transactions without having to create account's.

Geopolitics & Military Activity:

Yesterday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced operations conducted in Iraq and Syria from December 30, 2024, to January 6, 2025, as part of the ongoing Defeat ISIS (D-ISIS) campaign. Between December 30 and January 6, CENTCOM and Iraqi forces launched multiple strikes in the Hamrin Mountains, targeting ISIS positions to disrupt their ability to plan and conduct attacks. ISIS fighters engaged Coalition forces during the operations, leading to airstrikes involving F-16s, F-15s, and A-10 aircraft. The A-10s also successfully neutralized multiple ISIS fighters within a cave system. Full statement link:

The operations resulted in one Coalition member killed and two wounded, while U.S. personnel and equipment remained unharmed. From January 2 to January 3, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by CENTCOM, conducted an operation near Dayr az-Zawr, Syria, capturing an ISIS attack cell leader. These operations demonstrate CENTCOM’s ongoing commitment to ensuring regional stability and eliminating threats posed by ISIS to civilians, allies, and global security.

Environment & Weather:

Yesterday, Saudi Arabia experienced extreme flooding caused by unusually heavy rainfall in several regions. The intense downpours overwhelmed drainage systems, leading to flash floods in major cities like Riyadh, Jeddah, and Mecca. Streets were submerged, vehicles stranded, and infrastructure damaged. Emergency services were deployed to assist residents, and authorities warned people to stay away from flood-prone areas.

The flooding was primarily caused by intense, concentrated rainfall, which has become more frequent than usual in the area. In Saudi Arabia’s arid environment, heavy rains can quickly lead to flash floods, especially in urban areas where development has altered natural waterways and reduced the land’s ability to absorb water. The floods caused widespread disruptions, property damage, and safety concerns, highlighting the urgent need for better urban planning and infrastructure to handle extreme weather in the future.

Today, a powerful earthquake struck western China near Tibet, registering a magnitude of 7.1 according to the U.S. Geological Survey, while Chinese authorities reported it as 6.8. The quake’s epicenter was approximately 75 kilometers northeast of Mount Everest, impacting both China and neighboring Nepal.
The seismic event resulted in at least 53 fatalities and 62 injuries in Tibet, with numerous aftershocks causing additional disruptions. Rescue operations are underway, with emergency personnel searching for survivors amid the rubble. This region is highly prone to earthquakes due to its location at the collision zone of the India and Eurasia tectonic plates, which have historically produced significant seismic activity.

Security:

Volkswagen Group recently discovered an exposed database of 800,000 electric vehicle owners due to a misconfigured Amazon cloud storage system within their control. This misconfiguration meant the data, including names, contact details, addresses, and precise vehicle locations, was publicly accessible online without any safeguards. In simple terms, anyone who knew or stumbled upon the URL could access this information directly, as no passwords, authentication, or security protocols were in place to restrict access.
The issue was eventually fixed after ethical hackers discovered and reported the vulnerability, but it highlights how even large companies can leave critical data exposed if they fail to properly secure their systems. This type of exposure is more common than many realize, especially for older companies operating with outdated infrastructure. Many legacy systems and cloud environments lack modern security practices, leaving them open to the public in the same way Volkswagen’s data was exposed.
Often, older environments, such as forgotten test systems or unmonitored cloud storage, are the most vulnerable because they were set up with minimal security or are no longer actively maintained. Without an overarching view of their entire infrastructure, companies may not even be aware of these weak points. Conducting regular audits to identify and secure outdated environments is essential to prevent such exposures. By doing so, organizations can protect sensitive information, close gaps in their systems, and avoid becoming easy targets for cyberattacks.

Space:

Yesterday, China successfully launched the Shijian-25 satellite at 3:00 PM local time using a Long March 3B/E rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The Shijian-25 mission is focused on testing advanced technologies, such as on-orbit refueling and satellite life-extension, which are critical for making satellites last longer and operate more efficiently in space. This launch reflects China’s growing capabilities and ambitions in developing space technologies.

Later that day, at 3:43 PM EST, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Starlink Group 6-71 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The mission deployed a new batch of V2 Starlink satellites, part of SpaceX’s effort to expand its global high-speed internet network. The Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage successfully landed on the droneship “Just Read the Instructions” in the Atlantic Ocean, showcasing SpaceX’s efficient reuse of rocket boosters to lower costs and increase the frequency of launches.

Science & Technology:

Yesterday at CES 2025, NVIDIA announced the new GeForce RTX 5000 series GPUs, including the most powerful one, the RTX 5090. These new graphics cards are designed to make gaming and digital content creation faster and more realistic, with improved speed, better visuals, and more computing power. They also revealed the DGX GH200, a supercomputer built for AI research and solving big problems like training advanced AI models or analyzing huge amounts of data.

NVIDIA also showed off new software tools powered by AI to make gaming and creating 3D graphics more realistic with features like better lighting and smoother rendering. They announced updates for their self-driving car technology, working with carmakers to make vehicles smarter and safer using AI. These announcements show NVIDIA’s focus on making PC’s, data centers, and even cars run faster and smarter with their latest computing technology.
Full keynote link: