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Dortmund delivers disciplined display against Monchengladbach with 2-0 win-Xinhua
BERLIN, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) — Borussia Dortmund kicked off the Bundesliga’s 15th round by beating Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0 at Signal Iduna Park on Friday.
Dortmund controlled the early phases and was ahead inside 10 minutes when Julian…
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Balanced Offense Fuels Illinois’ 86-43 Victory Over Jackson State
Oil posts second weekly drop on potential Russia-Ukraine peace deal
Oil prices recorded a second steep weekly loss, as market participants continued to digest the growing prospects of a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
This has also offset concerns about supply disruption in the midst of simmering tension between the US and Venezuela. Together with the Russia-Ukraine talks, these themes have dominated the oil market since last week.
Brent, the benchmark for two thirds of the world’s oil, gained 1.1 per cent to close at $60.47 a barrel on Friday. West Texas Intermediate, (WTI), the gauge that tracks US crude, gained 0.9 per cent to settle above $56.6 a barrel. That put Brent and WTI down about 1 per cent this week after both crude benchmarks fell about 4 per cent last week.
In the year to date, Brent has now given up 20 per cent, while WTI has receded by 22 per cent.
The week’s developments have shown signs of extending oil’s reduction, as market participants price in a large oversupply for early 2026, said Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer of Dubai-based Century Financial.
Crude prices are “expected to demonstrate strong bearish momentum with the growing prominence of oversupply instead of geopolitical risks”, he said.
“Expectations for a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine further pressured oil, as markets expect loosening of sanctions and a potential rise in Russian exports, which further support the oversupply theme.”
Negotiations about ending the war in Ukraine have reached a “major moment”, UK Defence Secretary John Healey said this week, despite warnings that the peace deal is an “illusion” that Russia will not accept.
The outcome of high-level talks involving top US envoys in Berlin, where Ukraine appeared to accept that any deal would mean it could not join Nato, has been well received in Washington.
US President Donald Trump hailed potential progress from “very long and very good talks” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the leaders of the UK, France, Germany and Nato.
“I think we’re closer now than we have been ever,” Mr Trump said.
Meanwhile, oil prices rose early on Wednesday as supply concerns increased after Mr Trump ordered a “complete and total” blockade of sanctioned oil tankers moving in and out of Venezuela – part of continuing US military action against the South American country.
The US has bolstered its forces in what Washington says is a campaign to curb illegal drugs. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused the White House of attempting to use military pressure to overthrow him.
Caracas has also suggested the US is attempting to get hold of Venezuela’s crude reserves, which were estimated at more than 300 billion barrels last year, and are the world’s largest. Saudi Arabia is ranked second with 267 billion barrels.
The oil market has also been weighed down by Opec+ moves to boost production, analysts at MUFG Bank have said.
The Opec+ group of producers, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, last month agreed to keep oil production levels unchanged and approved a mechanism to determine members’ maximum output capacity.
Oxford Economics expects the Opec+ output hike pause to be extended to the second quarter of 2026, “dragging on first-half momentum”.
Analysts at the UK-based research firm expect Gulf countries to “resume raising oil supply again in the second half of 2026 and project a full unwinding of the remaining caps on production by mid-2027” .
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Badger comeback falls short against Villanova
MILWAUKEE – The Wisconsin men’s basketball team fell to Villanova, 76-66 in overtime on Friday night at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, despite a second-half comeback attempt by the Badgers.Nolan Winter led UW (7-4, 1-1 B1G) with a…
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Inspiratory muscle training and trunk control exercises on respiratory strength and motor function in spinal muscular atrophy: randomized controlled trial
Lefebvre, S. et al. Identification and characterization of a spinal muscular atrophy-determining gene. Cell 80, 155–165 (1995).
Verhaart, I. E. C. et al. Prevalence, incidence and carrier…
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Each MLB team’s best single-game performance in 2025
As we say goodbye to 2025, it’s a good time to revisit some of the best moments of the past season. From 13-strikeout complete games to multiple four-homer performances, the 2025 campaign featured excitement all across MLB.
With the help of all…
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Western Australia leads the nation for international tourism recovery
- New data shows WA is the top performing State for international tourism visitor growth
- Achieved over 99.5 per cent recovery to pre-COVID international visitor numbers
- More than 990,000 overseas travellers visited WA in year ending September
- International and interstate tourism is part of the Cook Government’s economic diversification strategy to generate valuable tourism dollars for local business and support local jobs
International tourists have descended on WA in nation-leading numbers, with the State out-performing the rest of Australia for growth in overseas visitors.
The latest visitor data has WA on track for full recovery to pre-pandemic international visitor numbers by the end of 2025, with the State achieving 99.5 per cent of 2019 numbers in the year ending September 2025.
A total of 991,000 international guests arrived in WA in the 12 months to September 2025, up 17 per cent year-on-year and just 5,000 shy of 2019 levels of overseas visitor numbers.
The strong overseas recovery is thanks to the Cook Government’s continued focus on growing the WA tourism and hospitality sector, in line with its jobs and economic diversification focus.
Tourism WA’s Western Australia Visitor Economy Strategy 2033 aimed for full recovery of international visitors in 2025, and recognises the need to invest in Aboriginal tourism, accommodation and attraction, aviation, destination brand, events and a high performing industry.
WA’s tourism and hospitality industry is the fifth largest employer in the State, supporting over 120,000 jobs and $15.9 billion in Gross State Product in 2023-24.
Along with the surge in international holidaymakers, WA welcomed an increase in Australian travellers with interstate visitation increasing by 12 per cent year-on-year, the second highest in the nation.
WA was popular among the key markets of Japan, USA, UK and India with strong growth recorded, while China was WA’s top visitor market for spend, with the State welcoming 71,400 visitors from China who spent $488 million.
Direct flights between China and Perth will soon become a year-round fixture through China Southern Airlines, giving visitors more opportunity to travel to WA and helping turbo charge visitor numbers from this key market.
Western Australia is serviced by 23 airlines across 20 direct flight routes into Perth, solidifying WA as the western gateway to Australia and ensuring the State remains accessible and top of mind as a world-class destination.
Find out more at tourism.wa.gov.au
Comments attributed to Tourism Minister Reece Whitby:
“I am incredibly proud to see Western Australia leading the nation in terms of international tourism recovery, with these new statistics showing international visitors are increasingly choosing WA as their holiday destination.
“To end the year with 99.5 per cent of international visitation recovered is a huge achievement and reflects the Cook Government’s focus on diversifying the State’s economy by investing in our tourism and hospitality sectors through major and regional events, new and resumed flight opportunities, a refreshed and strong global tourism brand and continued investment in developing new attractions.
“I’m confident Western Australia will continue to be the destination of choice for travellers as we’re home to such a diverse range of unforgettable locations, events, and businesses that guarantee more holidaymakers will choose our State in 2026.”
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Rain, strong winds and rough seas ahead
Cloudy skies and chance of rain
According to the NCM, skies will be partly cloudy to cloudy at times, with convective cloud formation expected over parts of the country. Rainfall is likely in scattered areas, particularly across northern and…
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‘We are the ones suffering’
Indonesia’s remote Pari Island is fighting a climate-related lawsuit against cement giant Holcim.
Residents face eroding beaches and the threat of homes being submerged, and they accused the company of contributing to rising sea levels.
What’s…
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