The series of powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday could cause economic losses equal to as much as 7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), according to preliminary estimates from the United States Geological Survey.Initial assessments released on Thursday estimate that the damage could amount to between 1 and 7 percent of Venezuela’s $111bn GDP after twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck about 160 kilometres (100 miles) west of the capital, Caracas, on Wednesday afternoon, leaving at least 188 dead.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listInterim President Delcy Rodriguez has said that there will be…
Author: Team_NationalNewsBrief
The WNBA isn’t letting Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas go unpunished for her incident with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark on Wednesday night. On Thursday, the league announced it assessed Thomas a flagrant 2 and suspended her for one game after she appeared to shove a fist into Clark’s throat in the second quarter of a 111-109 Phoenix win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Surprisingly, no foul was called on the play, and the officials opted not to review it. During a postgame news conference, Fever head coach Stephanie White skewered the officiating crew for not doing more to protect Clark. What did Stephanie…
I am sure that when democratic socialist Katie Wilson was running for mayor she was thinking about how she would handle homelessness, strike the right balance on public safety and deal with downtown businesses that viewed her with suspicion. She certainly was not thinking about being the city’s sports mayor.But, here she is, forced to be a big fan, even if she cannot tell a pick six from a bicycle kick.Wilson’s first half year as Seattle’s mayor began with the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl and is now ending with World Cup fever overtaking the city. In between, she has gone…
California governor Gavin Newsom just announced a statewide tracker that follows AI-related unemployment claims—and said it’s the first tool of its kind in the country. Created from a partnership between the governor’s office, the California Employment Development Department (EDD) and the University of California’s nonpartisan California Policy Lab (CPL), the California AI-Unemployment Tracker monitors AI-related job loss by using statewide data on unemployment insurance claims. With planned monthly updates, it breaks down claims by region, industry, age, education, race, ethnicity and gender. The launch follows an executive order signed by Newsom in May, which called upon state agencies to develop…
Understanding embryonic development could improve IVF successPHILIPPE PLAILLY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY We now know the master gene that controls embryonic development in people. Called NANOG, its role has been identified by making precise changes to the DNA of fertilised eggs using a technique called CRISPR base editing. The discovery might lead to ways to boost the success rate of IVF, among other conditions. “The other reason we study these early stages of human development is that it has really profound importance for stem cell biology,” says Kathy Niakan at the University of Cambridge. “A better understanding will help stem cell research…
Apple shares fell sharply Thursday after the tech giant raised prices on a number of its signature products to make up for what it said were skyrocketing memory prices resulting from the AI boom.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.As of 2:00 p.m. ET, Apple stock was down by nearly 6%, putting the company on track for its worst one-day performance in more than a year, and wiping out about $250 billion worth of market value.The company had announced that prices for its MacBook Neo, MacBook Air, iMac, and iPad product lines…
Pescatore said Apple’s actions demonstrated the extent of the challenges for “even for the world’s biggest technology companies”.”This is a significant moment because even Apple, with its scale and buying power, is no longer immune to the rising cost of key components,” he told the BBC.Affected hardware included the MacBook Pro with 1 terabyte of storage, which rose to $1,999 from $1,699 on its US store.Meanwhile in the UK, the Neo – Apple’s lowest-priced laptop – has increased from £599 to £699 within months of its launch.”We have shielded our customers from these increases so far, but we have now…
The Canadian government has quietly expanded the clothing allowances available to the Governor General, and the timing could not be more tone-deaf. While Canadians struggle with inflation, housing costs, and rising taxes, Ottawa has decided that the person already living in Rideau Hall requires even more taxpayer-funded support for wardrobes and official appearances. The Governor General currently earns a salary of roughly C$378,000 per year, lives in an official residence maintained at public expense, travels at taxpayer expense, receives staff support, security, transportation, and a lengthy list of other publicly funded benefits. Yet somehow that was not enough. According to…
Rumors surrounding KATSEYE have reached a fever pitch as group member Manon’s mysterious absence stretches into its fourth month with no clear timeline for her return. While the global girl group continues to break records as a five-member act, fresh insider claims suggest the behind-the-scenes dynamic may have shifted more than fans realized. Amid cryptic social media activity, conflicting explanations about her hiatus, and growing speculation about her future, questions about whether Manon will ever rejoin KATSEYE are only getting louder. C Flanigan/imageSPACE / MEGA When KATSEYE unveiled its upcoming world tour last month, fans immediately noticed one glaring omission.…
EXECUTIVE POWERThe legal fight over TPS presented another test of Trump’s executive power and the Supreme Court’s traditional deference to presidents on matters of immigration, national security and foreign policy.Actions revoking TPS and other humanitarian protections are part of Trump’s broader rollback of legal and illegal immigration since returning to office in January 2025. The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, last year let the administration end TPS for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans.Trump had long sought to rescind TPS protections, and while running for reelection in 2024 vowed to revoke TPS for Haitian immigrants after making false…