Cooper Financial News

B. Riley Financial Inc., the embattled investment firm, is struggling to value its assets after months of concern about flawed accounting and a federal investigation culminated in a 52% one-day plunge.

India looks forward to bidding for the Olympics 2036, French President Emmanuel Macron said that India has the «capacity» to organise such events. Speaking to Jio Cinema, Macron said he believes in India's future. He added that the Olympics is fierce competition. «First of all, I am a strong believer in your country and the future of your country. And what you can build and your capacity to organise such events. I think this is a fierce competition. You should not underestimate that fact. I remember that seven years ago when we went to Lausanne, we did compete with the US at that time — Los Angeles. And we found this agreement at the end, it was, it is still a great cooperation. So, competing, by itself, is clearly a great preparation,» Macron said.

While she was initially underutilized in the series, her storyline gained prominence in Season 6, only to be somewhat sidelined again in the final season. However, the latest updates indicate that Missy’s character will play a more significant role in the sequel series, much to the delight of fans, as per the Screenrant report.

Air transport is the only one direct option, but is useful only for expensive or perishable goods. The bulk of goods are delivered via Suez and Black Sea ports (Novorossiysk or others). As a result, the cargo travels triple the distance and several overloads along the route. High transport and logistics costs hinder the competitiveness of goods and the volume of mutual trade. Until now, the volume of mutual trade between India, Russia and Central Asia has been not so large (for example, $3.2 billion between India and five Central Asian countries in 2022). The obstacle is over huge delivery distances through the ports of the Black Sea or the Far East (7-10 thousand km).

Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Sunday extended an invitation to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to visit the Himalayan nation. Oli extended the invitation to Prime Minister Modi for the visit through visiting Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who paid a courtesy call on the Nepalese Prime Minister, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's secretariat here. Oli was sworn in as Nepal's prime minister for a fourth time last month. He assumed office after the government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' lost the vote of confidence in the House of Representatives. Misri also called on the former prime minister and Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba at his residence at Budhanilkantha on the outskirts of Kathmandu.

foreign policy, asserting that Dhaka intends to maintain «smooth and positive» relations with all, including India and China. «Our policy is to maintain good relations with all countries while protecting our national interests,» interim government's Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said during his first press briefing at the foreign ministry. Hossain, whose position is equivalent to a minister, said it is meaningless to assume that this interim government is focused solely on any particular direction. «We intend to maintain smooth and positive relations with all… including India and China,» said Hossain, who previously served as a deputy high commissioner to India.

The Chinese government has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization over European Union tariffs on electric vehicles made in China

Auto sales in China faltered in July, falling 5% from a year earlier, although exports jumped about 20% from a year earlier as makers of electric vehicles expanded into global markets

Rush Doshi, a key architect of US President Joe Biden’s China policy, served in the National Security Council in 2021-24. Author of an acclaimed book, The Long Game: China’s Grand Strategy to Displace American Order, he speaks to Seema Sirohi on the US, India and China. Edited excerpts: How do you view the India-China border situation? What would US do if there was another Galwan-type situation? First, the Biden Administration has repeatedly noted the need for China to refrain from aggressive activity around the Line of Actual Control. Second, the US is not only more public about the border dispute but even includes it alongside the South and East China Seas, Taiwan Strait, as examples of provocative Chinese activity.

India-Maldives ties for the benefit of the people in the two countries and the region. Jaishankar is on a three-day official visit to Maldives to reset the bilateral relationship, the first high-level trip from India after the archipelago nation's pro-China president Muizzu assumed office last year. «Privileged to call on President Dr Mohamed Muizzu. Conveyed greetings of PM @NarendraModi. Committed to deepening India-Maldives ties for the benefit of our people and the region,» Jaishankar posted on X along with a photograph of the meeting. Meanwhile, in a post on X, Muizzu said it was a pleasure to meet Jaishankar and join him in the official handover of water and sewerage projects in 28 islands of the Maldives.

Amit Shah on Saturday called on sugar mills to explore alternatives to sugarcane for ethanol production, pushing for a multidimensional approach to biofuel manufacturing. Speaking at an event organised by the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF), Shah said: «The target set for ethanol blending of 20 per cent is 2030. We will achieve the target in 2025-26.» The minister highlighted that the government's ethanol blending programme has helped reduce the country's crude oil import bill and address environmental concerns. Shah emphasised the need for sugar mills to adopt a forward-looking approach, stating, «You need to be futuristic and look at opportunities and expand. ...ethanol can be made from multiple sources.»

Indian Ocean Region (IOR), connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, is emerging as a critical axis of global trade, skilled young population and geo-economic prosperity. However, this region has witnessed significant transformations in recent years. For instance, China's expanding influence from Bab-el-Mandeb to Strait of Malacca is posing new and unique challenges each passing day. This continues to pose challenges to the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) group, whose sole aim is to create a cooperative bulwark against Chinese expansionism and aggressiveness. China’s economic and military might have increased, so has its interest in securing its maritime trade routes and expanding its influence across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Here, we are reminded of the quote by Admiral Alfred T Mahan, «whoever controls the seas controls the world». Furthermore, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has seen significant investments in port infrastructure and maritime logistics, exemplified by projects like the Djibouti Port in the Horn of Africa, Gwadar Port in Pakistan, and the Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka among others.

Maldives have signed an agreement to introduce the Unified Payments Interface in the archipelago nation, which will have a «very positive» impact on its tourism sector, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Friday during Jaishankar's three-day official visit to the Maldives. «Witnessed signing of MoU between (the) National Payments Corporation of India and (the) Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Maldives on (the) introduction of (a) digital payment system in the Maldives,» he said in a post on X. Developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), Unified Payment Interface (UPI) is an instant real-time payment system to facilitate inter-bank transactions through mobile phones.

Iran to use the Fath-360 close-range ballistic missile system, two European intelligence sources told Reuters, adding that they expected the imminent delivery of hundreds of the satellite-guided weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine. Russian defence ministry representatives are believed to have signed a contract on Dec. 13 in Tehran with Iranian officials for the Fath-360 and another ballistic missile system built by Iran's government-owned Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO) called the Ababil, said the two intelligence officials, who requested anonymity in order to discuss sensitive matters. Citing multiple confidential intelligence sources, the officials said that Russian personnel have visited Iran to learn how to operate the Fath-360 defence system, which launches missiles with a maximum range of 120 km (75 miles) and a warhead of 150 kg. One of the sources said that that «the only next possible» step after training would be actual delivery of the missiles to Russia.

Liberty Media, owner of Formula One Group, is confirming that it is under investigation by the Justice Department for denying Andretti Global entry into the Formula 1 World Championship

Bangladesh borders, a top BSF official said that the condition is improving «rapidly» and «no major incidents» of violence have been reported so far. He said that at some places, build-up of locals was reported due to rumour mongering. The situation has been defused with cooperation from the Bangladesh Army, border guarding forces and local administration. India and Bangladesh share 4,096.7 km of border running through West Bengal (2,217 km), Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Assam (262 km) and Mizoram (318 km). On being asked about the deployment, the official said «reinforcements» were sent on the first day and additional troops were mobilised to augment BSF's presence in the area. BSF is also organising village coordination meetings to sanitise locals about the present situation in Bangladesh in the presence of prominent locals, sarpanch and pradhan to create a sense of security, the official clarified. BSF said late Wednesday night Bangladeshi nationals gathered near the borders in two sectors. «These gatherings were prompted by fears of attacks by protestors within Bangladesh. BSF personnel swiftly responded to these situations, ensuring the security of the border and the safety of the gathered Bangladeshi nationals.»

Pakistan Army chief Gen Asim Munir on Thursday warned against attempts to create chaos in the cash-strapped country, saying the armed forces will foil any such move and safeguard national integrity. His remarks came after many teasing comments appeared on social media, often comparing Pakistan's situation with that of Bangladesh where a popular uprising swept away a government which had won a landslide electoral victory. «If someone tries to create chaos in Pakistan, by God, we will stand before him. No power in the world can harm Pakistan because this country is built to last,» Gen Munir was quoted as saying by the Inter-Services Public Relations, the army's media wing. Addressing a conference of Islamic clerics here, the army chief reiterated the military's dedication to preserving peace and stability in the country.

He further said that following the state's request, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has appointed a nine-member committee to examine the severity of the disaster and submit a report in this regard. Vijayan said that the state hopes to receive a comprehensive rehabilitation package and, so far, the Central government has been very cooperative and helpful.

NPCI) decision to temporarily block C-Edge Technologies from the retail payments system averted a systemic impact, Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Thursday. Nearly a fortnight ago, IT service provider C-Edge Technologies had been possibly impacted by a Ransomware attack impacting the retail payment systems of a few regional rural banks and co-operative banks. «The NPCI's decision to block further transactions wherever this service provider had been engaged was to isolate the problem, and if that had not been done it could have produced a system wide impact,» said Shaktikanta Das, Governor, RBI. «That would have been far more costly.» A ransomware attack by the RansomEXX group had hit India’s banking system and payment firms. The attack had primarily impacted Brontoo Technology Solutions, a key collaborator with C-EDGE, a joint venture between TCS and SBI. C-Edge had hired Brontoo Technology Solutions to deploy connectivity with Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS).

military drills near a territory in the South China Sea near Philippines. The Southern Theatre Command of China's Peoples Army said on Wednesday that it had carried out air and sea combat patrols near Scarborough Shoal to test «strike capabilities», Al Jazeera reported. The exercises came on the same day that the United States, Australia, Canada and the Philippines conducted military manoeuvres within Manila's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which includes the West Philippine Sea.

Piyush Goyal on Wednesday suggested the seven member countries of the BIMSTEC bloc to relook at the progress of Free Trade Agreement talks which are moving at a very slow pace. He said that the members can think of negotiating a preferential trade agreement instead of a full-fledged free trade pact. BIMSTEC stands for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation. Its seven members are five South Asian countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, India, and Sri Lanka) and two Southeast Asian countries (Myanmar and Thailand). The bloc has been negotiating a proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) since 2004.