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Newton's Third Law of Politics | @amacforamericaOn Sunday morning, a lightning offensive by Syrian rebels ended with the dramatic fall of Damascus, marking the collapse of Bashar al-Assad 's regime after 13 years of devastating civil war. One of the most consequential moments in the Middle East's recent history was set in motion by a chain of events that few could have anticipated, least of all Hamas and Israel, whose war inadvertently played a pivotal role. Now comes the tough part, where the Middle East either gets better, or even worse. The fall of Assad is a stark reminder of how unintended consequences shape history. Israel and the West were long ambivalent about Assad's fate. He is a butcher who used chemical weapons against his own people and led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands, yet his control over Syria offered predictability, even tacit stability, in a volatile region. And critically, the coalition arrayed against him seemed dominated by Islamists – and, let's face it, the West has hated political Islam ever since the mullahs of Iran engineered the US hostage crisis 45 years ago. This is, at the end of the day, Samuel Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations." It's real. In the unintended consequences bucket, Assad's ability to cling to power for so long relied heavily on Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia that until recently was one of the most powerful non-state armies in the world. But Hezbollah was thrashed by Israel in the recent fighting in Lebanon—and it is probably not a coincidence that the decisive rebel offensive came immediately thereafter. The unravelling can be traced back to the catastrophic Oct. 7, 2023, assault by Hamas on Israel, in which the Iran-backed Palestinian terrorist group massacred 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250 back into Gaza. That triggered an unprecedented Israeli response that ended up decimating the Iran-led "Axis of Resistance." In Gaza, Israel systematically dismantled Hamas' leadership (while causing horrific damage to Gaza's civilian population). In Lebanon, Hezbollah decided to pile on, launching over a year of rocket attacks the day after the Hamas invasion, and it too has suffered devastating losses. And in Syria, Israeli strikes on Iranian assets further weakened the position of Assad, who had turned his country into a superhighway of Iranian arms delivery to Hezbollah in Lebanon. These strikes targeted weapons depots, Iranian bases, and key logistical routes, severely degrading Tehran's ability to support its proxies. The cumulative effect of these actions left the Axis of Resistance fragmented, demoralized, and weakened. Moreover, Iran, the architect of this regional alliance, has been grievously exposed, and Israeli air strikes have weakened its air defences. Its proxies are fractured, and its credibility as a regional powerbroker is in tatters. The toppling of Assad also weakens Russian influence in the Middle East, as Moscow was a key supporter of his regime. For Israel, all this is a double-edged sword. The dismantling of the Axis of Resistance represents a strategic victory, but the risks are significant. Rebel forces now controlling Syria are dominated by groups with ties to extremist ideologies, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group with al-Qaeda roots. This raises the specter of Syria becoming a failed state—or worse, a terrorist stronghold. Moreover, Assad's fall may invite new powers into Syria's vacuum. Turkey, Russia, and others could assert influence, potentially destabilizing the region further. For Israel, the stakes are high. The chaos could spill into neighboring Lebanon and Iraq, and no amount of military might can fully insulate Israel from the ripple effects of a fractured Syria. Amid this madness, we should remember something ironic. Originially, the opposition to Assad was liberal rebels who wanted a democratic Syria—the Free Syrian Army. What ultimately sealed Assad's fate was his calculated decision in 2011 to release Islamist prisoners from his jails. His hope was to discredit the opposition by making it unpalatable to the West; he figured he could ride the tiger. That tiger has now devoured him. Global fear and loathing of Islamism is preventing a genuine wave of celebration over the demise of a butcher. Many governments right now are wondering about the intentions of Hayat Tahrin al-Sham, despite the fact they have distanced themselves from al-Qaeda in recent years. That's why Israel has attacked Syrian chemical weapons depots—fearing they may fall into Islamist hands—and seized a strategic section of the Hermon mountaintop. The United States is headed into an isolationist frame of mind. President-elect Donald Trump has argued that this is "not our fight." Think again: Few things today are more important than preventing Syria from becoming a terrorist haven for global jihad. The fall of Assad's regime is a monumental moment, not just for Syria but for the entire Middle East. It underscores the impermanence of even the most entrenched autocracies. Assad's Baathist dictatorship, seemingly unassailable for decades, has crumbled. Many in the region are asking: could the Islamic theocracy in Iran, reviled by its people and a cancer upon the world, be next? Dan Perry is the former Cairo-based Middle East editor and London-based Europe/Africa editor of the Associated Press, the former chairman of the Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem and the author of two books. Follow him at danperry.substack.com . The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
A group of students and teachers at St. Mary-St. Cecilia Catholic School in Morrisburg, Ont., has claimed first place in a national competition with a project that could help shape the future of sustainable energy. The team of seven students, who were in Grade 6 when the project began, developed a compact hydrogen-powered generator, designed to produce energy on demand. Its potential use could be to power homes, schools, or greenhouses. The innovative device uses water and an electrified metal plate to generate hydrogen gas. "It could be used up in the north where it's colder or they might not have a lot of sunlight for solar panels," says Tessa Laurin, one of the students who helped build the generator. "It only uses a little bit of electricity, and the generator is clean because it doesn't release fossil fuels into the environment." The project took five months to complete, with students working before and after school. Along the way, they faced challenges, including material malfunctions, but ultimately succeeded under the guidance of teachers Blair Fitzsimons and Laura Ferguson. "There was a lot of determination and resilience involved," says Ferguson. "It was this team of seven who really banded together and aloud for the creativity to flow and the leadership to come through." Their project won the Samsung Canada: Solve for Tomorrow contest, a nationwide STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) competition for students in grades 6 to 12. The first-place win earned the school $50,000 to support future learning. "It really means that every student can become an innovator," says Fitzsimons. "That was really one of the hopes with this project is how to empower kids to transform the world and change the world. This now gives us the opportunity to buy technologies that will allow every student to create and to solve problems that really matter to the world." Plans are already underway to use some of the prize money to purchase a laser cutter for future projects. Students, like Liam Quesnel, see their work as more than a contest. "We had an awesome team, and I know we could do it," he says. "And in the future, other kids coming to the school, they can have an opportunity like this to learn and benefit from, like we did." The Samsung Canada: Solve for Tomorrow contest recognizes bold ideas to address environmental challenges and showcase innovations and problem-solving that could have lasting community impact. Shopping Trends The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us. 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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hannah Hidalgo scored 24 points and No. 6 Notre Dame defeated JuJu Watkins and third-ranked Southern California 74-61 on Saturday in a marquee matchup on the West Coast. Watkins and the Trojans (4-1) fell behind early and were down 21 points in the fourth quarter. She had 24 points, six rebounds and five assists. Hidalgo came out shooting well, hitting 5 of 8 from the floor in the first quarter and had 16 points at the break. She added six rebounds and eight assists. Hidalgo's backcourt mate, Olivia Miles, added 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Fighting Irish (5-0). Even though Hidalgo outshone her, Watkins’ imprint was all over the game. A documentary about her life aired on NBC leading into the nationally televised game. A buzz arose when Snoop Dogg walked in shortly before tipoff wearing a jacket in USC colors with Watkins' name and number on the front and back. Her sister, Mali, sang the national anthem. Notre Dame: The Irish struck quickly, racing to a 20-10 lead in the opening quarter. Even after cooling off a bit, they never trailed and stayed poised when the Trojans got within three in the second and third quarters. USC: The Trojans were without starting guard Kennedy Smith, whose defense on Hidalgo would have proven valuable. It was announced shortly before tipoff that she had a surgical procedure and will return at some point this season. The Trojans got within three points three times but the Irish remained poised and never gave up the lead. Notre Dame's defense forced the Trojans into 21 turnovers, which led to 22 points for the Irish. Watkins, Kaleigh Heckel and Talia von Oelhoffen had five each. USC was just 1 of 13 from 3-point range Notre Dame plays TCU on Nov. 29 in the Cayman Islands Classic. USC plays Seton Hall in the Women's Acrisure Holiday Invitational on Nov. 27 in Palm Desert, California. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
The evolving Black Caps T20 team may have unearthed a reliable weapon at the death – “a very level-headed Cantabrian bloke” named Zak Foulkes. The 22-year-old finished off his side’s comeback victory in the series opener against Sri Lanka , claiming two wickets while conceding five runs in an eight-run triumph at Bay Oval. And if tonight’s second match is on the line at the same venue, expect skipper Mitchell Santner to again throw the ball in Foulkes’ direction. Saturday night was his first international on home soil , treating a crowd including his grandparents to a thrilling win. But it was far from his first experience at being entrusted with the late overs while wearing the black cap. On debut, against Pakistan in April, Foulkes was given the 20th over by then-captain Michael Bracewell. The same was true a couple of days later and the seamer responded with a wicket while allowing seven runs. Foulkes’ third and fourth internationals were in Sri Lanka last month; asked to bowl the penultimate over on each occasion, he delivered a wicket and 16 runs. Game No 5 was his most impressive closing effort yet, especially since his initial three overs had come at a cost of 37 runs. But shaking off setbacks is an essential skill in bowling at the death, both for shutting down free-swinging batters and repaying teammates’ faith. “The way Foulksy closed out that last over, he obviously had a bit of a tough run those first few, and for a 22-year-old he’s got a seriously cool head on his shoulders,” said player of the match Jacob Duffy. “He did the exact same in Sri Lanka – he was pretty clutch there, too. “He’s a very level-headed Cantabrian bloke, so he’s pretty chill.” That calm demeanour will be a welcome addition for a team who have lost the death-bowling of Tim Southee – another rather chill character – to international retirement. Zak Foulkes appeals during the first T20 against Sri Lanka. Photo / Photosport It will also be a way to earn further shouts from his skipper in match-winning moments, with Santner’s reign as new white-ball captain having begun in satisfying fashion. “I was on the boundary and Mitch waved out and said, ‘You’ll bowl the last’,” Foulkes said. “I just had [Matt Henry] and Mitch around me guiding me through it, which was nice. “It was just being real clear with our plans and our field sets and trying to put as much in favour as possible.” Foulkes is only the latest Canterbury quick to take command in the New Zealand attack. Along with Henry and the rehabilitating Kyle Jamieson, Will O’Rourke has instantly established himself as a key presence in the test team. Foulkes now can do likewise in the shortest form, complementing his accuracy with the ball by adding quick runs from No 9. The series opener against Sri Lanka brought no such opportunity, taking the crease for the final ball of an innings that for long stretches seemed like it would require contributions from the tail. That was before Bracewell and Daryl Mitchell put on 105 for the sixth wicket, sharing a stand that took New Zealand towards a competitive score. Pathum Nissanka (90 off 60) seemed set to end the competition, before Duffy’s vital three-wicket over in the 14th set the stage for Foulkes to close out an unlikely win the youngster would savour. “It was awesome to play my first game on home soil and get my first win – a pretty crazy win.” Foulkes said. “We always knew it was going to be tough for batters to start out there. We knew we just needed one, then Duff got three in that over and changed the game. “That scrappy mentality – you’re never out of it in cricket. It was awesome to scrap our way and get the treats at the end.”Recently, aespa went viral on a Korean online community for allegedly using body makeup. It is no secret that South Korean beauty standards put a lot of emphasis on pale skin. K-Pop idols with lighter skin tones are often praised for their complexion, which includes the aespa members. But recently, a video went viral on social media platforms for pointing out that all aespa members appear to be wearing body makeup to make their complexion appear lighter. A Korean netizen posted a compilation of a few such videos from TikTok on Nate Pann , attracting over 170,000 viewers as of writing. The viral post has since sparked some debate. While some argued that it could be the effect of lighting, others pointed out that using body makeup is a standard practice in K-Pop, and targeting aespa alone was done in bad taste. However, some netizens also agreed that upholding such beauty standards did not agree with the perspective of a global audience. “But isn’t it also because of the lighting? In the past, when SNSD’s Tiffany looked so brown under the podium, but once she went up on the stage and the flashes went off, her skin looked white.” “But it’s not just aespa that does this. All the idols do it as well. So why are aespa the only ones getting posts like this written about them? Honestly, Karina and Winter were always fair-skinned.” “aespa’s real skin is already on the pale side, so this kind of a doesn’t affect them at all, haha. If you look at their candid early debut photos, even the ones where they are unstyled, their legs are really white. Why would anyone post something about body makeup for aespa? Of course, as celebrities, they need to pay attention to every visible part of their body, so they probably use some tone-up cream, but their skin is already naturally fair. Photos like those just have differences in lighting and shadows, which create more contrast, that’s all. aespa’s skin has always been naturally fair...” “Do you think the idol you like doesn’t use body makeup? Pretty much every celebrity does it, so why act like only aespa does? In fact, aespa’s were already fair to begin with.” “But is it a bad thing to use body makeup? It’s true that aespa’s skin is fair, and it’s also true that they use body makeup. So why are people insisting they don’t use whitening cream? These days, body makeup is a basic thing for celebrities.” “Since they are going global, idols and actresses’ obsession with being fair is heavily mocked overseas.” “Your natural skin tone isn’t the same all over your body, so it just seems like people are overreacting.” aespa NCT’s Taeyong Sparks Heated Debate After Publicly Liking Female Idol’s Post On Instagram Aespa’s Karina Undergoes Hair Transformation Aespa’s Karina Completely Upgrades Her Visuals After One Change Aespa’s Karina Spotted Looking Stressed-AF Listening To (G)I-DLE Soyeon’s “2024 MMAs” Speech See more aespa
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WASHINGTON (AP) — As a former and potentially future president, Donald Trump hailed what would become Project 2025 as a road map for “exactly what our movement will do” with another crack at the White House. As the blueprint for a hard-right turn in America became a liability during the 2024 campaign, Trump pulled an about-face . He denied knowing anything about the “ridiculous and abysmal” plans written in part by his first-term aides and allies. Now, after being elected the 47th president on Nov. 5, Trump is stocking his second administration with key players in the detailed effort he temporarily shunned. Most notably, Trump has tapped Russell Vought for an encore as director of the Office of Management and Budget; Tom Homan, his former immigration chief, as “border czar;” and immigration hardliner Stephen Miller as deputy chief of policy . Those moves have accelerated criticisms from Democrats who warn that Trump's election hands government reins to movement conservatives who spent years envisioning how to concentrate power in the West Wing and impose a starkly rightward shift across the U.S. government and society. Trump and his aides maintain that he won a mandate to overhaul Washington. But they maintain the specifics are his alone. “President Trump never had anything to do with Project 2025,” said Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt in a statement. “All of President Trumps' Cabinet nominees and appointments are whole-heartedly committed to President Trump's agenda, not the agenda of outside groups.” Here is a look at what some of Trump's choices portend for his second presidency. The Office of Management and Budget director, a role Vought held under Trump previously and requires Senate confirmation, prepares a president's proposed budget and is generally responsible for implementing the administration's agenda across agencies. The job is influential but Vought made clear as author of a Project 2025 chapter on presidential authority that he wants the post to wield more direct power. “The Director must view his job as the best, most comprehensive approximation of the President’s mind,” Vought wrote. The OMB, he wrote, “is a President’s air-traffic control system” and should be “involved in all aspects of the White House policy process,” becoming “powerful enough to override implementing agencies’ bureaucracies.” Trump did not go into such details when naming Vought but implicitly endorsed aggressive action. Vought, the president-elect said, “knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State” — Trump’s catch-all for federal bureaucracy — and would help “restore fiscal sanity.” In June, speaking on former Trump aide Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast, Vought relished the potential tension: “We’re not going to save our country without a little confrontation.” The strategy of further concentrating federal authority in the presidency permeates Project 2025's and Trump's campaign proposals. Vought's vision is especially striking when paired with Trump's proposals to dramatically expand the president's control over federal workers and government purse strings — ideas intertwined with the president-elect tapping mega-billionaire Elon Musk and venture capitalist Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a “Department of Government Efficiency.” Trump in his first term sought to remake the federal civil service by reclassifying tens of thousands of federal civil service workers — who have job protection through changes in administration — as political appointees, making them easier to fire and replace with loyalists. Currently, only about 4,000 of the federal government's roughly 2 million workers are political appointees. President Joe Biden rescinded Trump's changes. Trump can now reinstate them. Meanwhile, Musk's and Ramaswamy's sweeping “efficiency” mandates from Trump could turn on an old, defunct constitutional theory that the president — not Congress — is the real gatekeeper of federal spending. In his “Agenda 47,” Trump endorsed so-called “impoundment,” which holds that when lawmakers pass appropriations bills, they simply set a spending ceiling, but not a floor. The president, the theory holds, can simply decide not to spend money on anything he deems unnecessary. Vought did not venture into impoundment in his Project 2025 chapter. But, he wrote, “The President should use every possible tool to propose and impose fiscal discipline on the federal government. Anything short of that would constitute abject failure.” Trump's choice immediately sparked backlash. “Russ Vought is a far-right ideologue who has tried to break the law to give President Trump unilateral authority he does not possess to override the spending decisions of Congress (and) who has and will again fight to give Trump the ability to summarily fire tens of thousands of civil servants,” said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, a Democrat and outgoing Senate Appropriations chairwoman. Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico, leading Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, said Vought wants to “dismantle the expert federal workforce” to the detriment of Americans who depend on everything from veterans' health care to Social Security benefits. “Pain itself is the agenda,” they said. Trump’s protests about Project 2025 always glossed over overlaps in the two agendas . Both want to reimpose Trump-era immigration limits. Project 2025 includes a litany of detailed proposals for various U.S. immigration statutes, executive branch rules and agreements with other countries — reducing the number of refugees, work visa recipients and asylum seekers, for example. Miller is one of Trump's longest-serving advisers and architect of his immigration ideas, including his promise of the largest deportation force in U.S. history. As deputy policy chief, which is not subject to Senate confirmation, Miller would remain in Trump's West Wing inner circle. “America is for Americans and Americans only,” Miller said at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Oct. 27. “America First Legal,” Miller’s organization founded as an ideological counter to the American Civil Liberties Union, was listed as an advisory group to Project 2025 until Miller asked that the name be removed because of negative attention. Homan, a Project 2025 named contributor, was an acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director during Trump’s first presidency, playing a key role in what became known as Trump's “family separation policy.” Previewing Trump 2.0 earlier this year, Homan said: “No one’s off the table. If you’re here illegally, you better be looking over your shoulder.” John Ratcliffe, Trump's pick to lead the CIA , was previously one of Trump's directors of national intelligence. He is a Project 2025 contributor. The document's chapter on U.S. intelligence was written by Dustin Carmack, Ratcliffe's chief of staff in the first Trump administration. Reflecting Ratcliffe's and Trump's approach, Carmack declared the intelligence establishment too cautious. Ratcliffe, like the chapter attributed to Carmack, is hawkish toward China. Throughout the Project 2025 document, Beijing is framed as a U.S. adversary that cannot be trusted. Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, wrote Project 2025's FCC chapter and is now Trump's pick to chair the panel. Carr wrote that the FCC chairman “is empowered with significant authority that is not shared” with other FCC members. He called for the FCC to address “threats to individual liberty posed by corporations that are abusing dominant positions in the market,” specifically “Big Tech and its attempts to drive diverse political viewpoints from the digital town square.” He called for more stringent transparency rules for social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube and “empower consumers to choose their own content filters and fact checkers, if any.” Carr and Ratcliffe would require Senate confirmation for their posts.Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, one of Asia's richest men, may be facing his biggest challenge yet with an indictment by U.S. prosecutors for alleged fraud and bribery. But it's unclear just how the case will affect his businesses and own future — as well as the Indian economy and government. On Friday, shares in some of the Adani Group's companies began ticking back up after plunging a day earlier following the announcement of the charges in New York. The stock prices of six of his 10 listed companies rose slightly, between one per cent to nearly four per cent. Adani, a major power player in India perceived as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was charged Wednesday with securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud at a court in Brooklyn, N.Y. The test for the tycoon and his multibillion-dollar empire, which encompasses everything from energy and ports to media and agriculture, comes just after the 62-year-old founder and his holdings had bounced back after losing more than $60 billion in market value in early 2023 following allegations of stock price manipulation and fraud by the short-selling firm Hindenburg Research. It also raises questions about corporate governance and crony capitalism in India's economy, which Modi has vowed to make the world's third-largest, and intensified scrutiny on the outsized influence of large, family-run conglomerates. Asia's richest man is another Indian billionaire, Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries. Canada's top pensions have trillions in assets. Should they do more to fuel the energy transition? How Indian billionaire Gautam Adani lost half his fortune in a flash, triggering political fallout Prosecutors allege that Adani duped investors in a massive solar project in India by concealing that it was being facilitated by bribes. Seven other executives connected to Adani's massive business holdings also face charges, including three former executives from Quebec's largest pension fund, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ). The indictment outlines an alleged scheme to pay about $265 million in bribes to government officials in India. Cyril Cabanes, Saurabh Agarwal and Deepak Malhotra, who all held high-ranking positions at CDPQ, are reportedly accused of obstructing a grand jury, the FBI, and the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission. "CDPQ is aware of charges filed in the U.S. against certain former employees," a spokesperson told CBC News. "Those employees were all terminated in 2023 and CDPQ is co-operating with U.S. authorities. In light of the pending cases, we have no further comment at this time." Group denies allegations against green energy arm The Adani group denied the allegations against directors of Adani Green Energy, its renewable energy arm, as "baseless" and said they will be seeking legal recourse. Shares in Adani's green energy venture, which is at the centre of the case, dropped eight per cent on Friday. None of the people charged in the case have been arrested. "For Adani, this hits hard, no matter how you slice it," said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center. "His public relations machine was in overdrive for nearly two years rehabilitating his image following the Hindenburg allegations. This indictment came like a bolt from the blue and instantly reversed all recent progress in salvaging his reputation and business empire," Kugelman said. Adani's imprint across the Indian economy runs deep. He is the country's largest operator of coal mines and infrastructure developer, operates several ports and airports, and employs tens of thousands of people. Despite his fossil fuel roots, Adani has ambitions to become the world's largest player in renewable energy by 2030. WATCH | How Adani Group lost half its stock value after fraud accusations: India’s Adani Group loses half its stock value after fraud accusations 2 years ago Duration 2:02 Indian billionaire Gautam Adani saw his net worth rapidly plummet after accusations of fraud triggered a steep drop in stock prices for his group of companies, Adani Group. Now, protestors and opposition parties are calling for an investigation. Analysts say a key factor in his meteoric rise over the years has been his knack for aligning his group's priorities with those of the Modi government, investing in key industries like renewable energy, defence and agriculture. Before Modi, Adani was friendly with other parties in power. The latest controversy is likely to put Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party-led government, seen as close to Adani, in an awkward spot. Amit Malviya, the BJP's IT head, said in a post on X that the U.S. charges are "allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty," which critics interpreted as a show of support for the Adani group. The main opposition party has seized on the controversy, demanding Adani's arrest and accusing Modi, who has at times campaigned using an Adani jet, of protecting him. Opposition lawmakers are likely to escalate pressure on Modi when the winter session of parliament begins next week. The controversy has already affected Adani's interests overseas. Kenya's president cancelled multimillion-dollar deals with the Adani group for airport modernization and energy projects. Adani is likely to also face scrutiny in Bangladesh, where a court on Tuesday ordered an inquiry into an energy project. His troubles might complicate India's ties with other countries, such as Sri Lanka, where New Delhi is competing with rival Beijing for strategically important markets. There's no doubt this is "bad timing for New Delhi," said Kugelman, as it comes at a moment "when it's trying to capitalize on the business world's desire to move production out of China and find alternate investment destinations." Could Trump intervene? As for India-U.S. ties, some analysts believe president-elect Donald Trump may intervene. "India would like nothing more than for Trump to halt the investigation once he takes office. That's unlikely. Trump, however, could take a positive view of Adani, a fellow businessman who has praised Trump effusively," said Kugelman. The case highlights business risks in India, though experts believe the impact on investors will be limited mainly to the Adani group. "There are no fears of a financial contagion — at this point, the effect is centred on the group rather than the market. It could slow down the group's expansion and growth as it will become more difficult for Adani to raise funds," said Ambareesh Baliga, an independent market analyst. Still, for many in India, the news isn't that startling. Investors already know "just how ingrained this (bribes and corruption) is in the fabric of the Indian economy — you can't miss it," Baliga said. "Initially, investors may stay away for a while but at the end of the day, they will come back (to Adani). This isn't some small or medium-sized group they can ignore."
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Here's how you can profit from BITCOIN MANIA By ANNE ASHWORTH Updated: 16:50 EST, 22 November 2024 e-mail View comments This year's 187 per cent ascent in the share price of the $3.44trillion (£2.7trillion) US semiconductor giant Nvidia has been hard to ignore. But let's take a moment to focus on the 509 per cent leap in the shares of a less supersized US tech firm – MicroStrategy, a software company which mostly puts money into bitcoin, the world's largest cryptocurrency. It has been boosted by the bitcoin mania that ensued from Donald Trump's election win; suddenly crypto has gained a new respectability. But the upward trajectory of MicroStrategy and other US small-cap stocks should also serve as an alert to UK investors who may be sceptical about crypto, but sense that they should be adjusting their portfolios ahead of Trump's arrival at the White House. MicroStrategy's share surge reflects the growing conviction that US 'small-cap' stocks are set for stardom under the Trump regime, following an era where Nvidia and the other 'mega-cap' members of the Magnificent Seven of tech – Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and Tesla – have so massively enriched shareholders. 'Small' in this sense does not mean a 'mom and pop' business, but an enterprise worth millions or billions: the average market cap in the Russell 2000 smaller companies index is $3.5billion (£2.8billion). Boost: Donald Trump's victory in the US election has seen cryptocurrency rocket This index has bounced by more than 15 per cent this year, fuelled by excitement over prospects for lesser-known US companies, and by the latest Bank of America fund manager survey. The respondents to this hugely influential research acknowledge the president-elect's policies could stoke inflation, meaning that interest rates fall more slowly than was expected. Nevertheless, they are optimistic about the prospects for all US stocks, in particular believing that smaller domestically-focused companies will be boosted by Trump's plans to cut taxes and reduce regulation. Such a move would allow them to compete more ferociously with larger competitors; bureaucracy can impose a disproportionately heavy burden on lesser-sized corporations. The introduction of tariffs on imports could also be a boon to small-caps. The energy, financial and industrials sectors are seen as the biggest beneficiaries of the array of the populist and other measures that the Trump administration could implement – but the prospects of other types of business could also improve. Blair Couper, investment director at Abrdn says: 'Financial companies, like banks, could perform well if rates stay higher for longer. If the cost of borrowing does remain elevated, real estate businesses may be negatively impacted, but this could be offset by Wall Street's positive reception to Trump's policies.' At the same time, the 'guard rails' on takeovers could be dismantled, allowing more businesses to be snapped up by predators at lip-smacking premiums. Wall Street thinks that the current boss of the Federal Trade Commission, Lina Khan, is about to be replaced by an official who would be far happier to preside over a surge in M&A (merger and acquisition) activity. Already Bank of America analyst Jill Carey Hall has named some potential takeover targets. The list includes Apogee Enterprises, a maker of architectural glass products, Bread Financial, a lender, and the shipping company Scorpio Tankers. Other analysts have cited companies like Hims & Hers Health, a telehealth platform whose shares have tumbled in the wake of news that Amazon will also be providing consultations on such issues as hair regeneration. Hims and Hers is one of the holdings at Legal & General's L&G Russell 2000 US small-cap quality ETF (exchange traded fund). The fund also has a stake in Mara, a bitcoin 'miner'. These outfits process the transaction following the creation of a new bitcoin. Much complex maths is involved in the process. RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next Bitcoin soars closer to $100,000 as it rockets 45% since... Crypto goes barking mad: It started as a prank based on a... Share this article Share HOW THIS IS MONEY CAN HELP How to choose the best (and cheapest) stocks and shares Isa and the right DIY investing account Also in the portfolio is the Phoenix-based Sprouts Farmers Market, whose shares are up 248 per cent in the last year to $146 thanks to the conviction that more Americans will adopt healthier diets and will be keen to consume this supermarket's grass-fed beef, organic milk and vegan snacks. Kirsty Desson, manager of Abrdn global smaller companies fund, also highlights a store group – Casey's, which runs petrol stations on its site, and is the fifth-largest pizza chain in the US. Desson says: 'Casey's operates in rural and small-town locations and targets low to mid-end consumers. In other words, voters most likely to seek to benefit from Trump's 'Make America Great Again' policies.' Desson likes Wintrust, a Chicago-based regional bank whose shares have jumped by 42 per cent this year. This institution should be able increase its lending and also make the most of consolidation in its sector, as regulation becomes less tight and the pace of M&A picks up. A lack of familiarity with Wintrust and other US small cap names may make a foray into this area seem daunting. The Magnificent Seven titans are household names whose services we use, or with whose brands we are familiar. These behemoths have already massively enriched shareholders and there may be more gains to come as the artificial intelligence industrial revolution progresses. Nevertheless, it seems sensible to try to make the most of the coming trends in the American economy. I plan to trickle some cash into funds like Artemis US smaller companies, Interactive Investor's fund recommendation and Premier Miton US opportunities, which is the pick of the Fundcalibre platform. Jason Hollands of Bestinvest favours this fund too: 'It's solid, not racy or speculative; small and mid-cap stocks make up 75 per cent of the portfolio.' He also suggests the Federated Hermes US SMID equity fund. Its manager, Cormac Weldon, contends that 'investing in American smaller companies is a way of more directly capturing the intricacies of the US economy'. More sceptical investors may believe Trump could prove hazardous for the US, since trillions could be added to national debt. It is worth noting, however, that Trump, a New Yorker, craves the good opinion of Wall Street, which is the city's most powerful industry. He also knows Americans are gratified by soaring share prices. The assertion by veteran investor Warren Buffett that you should 'never bet against America' has proved largely reliable. But widening the spreads of these bets from the mega-caps into the small-caps could be wise just now. DIY INVESTING PLATFORMS AJ Bell AJ Bell Easy investing and ready-made portfolios Learn More Learn More Hargreaves Lansdown Hargreaves Lansdown Free fund dealing and investment ideas Learn More Learn More interactive investor interactive investor Flat-fee investing from £4.99 per month Learn More Learn More Saxo Saxo Get £200 back in trading fees Learn More Learn More Trading 212 Trading 212 Free dealing and no account fee Learn More Learn More Affiliate links: If you take out a product This is Money may earn a commission. These deals are chosen by our editorial team, as we think they are worth highlighting. This does not affect our editorial independence. Compare the best investing account for you Share or comment on this article: Here's how you can profit from BITCOIN MANIA e-mail Add comment Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. 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