💵 Costco Selling $200MN in Gold Bars Monthly, Wells Fargo Estimates (CNBC)

Gold has turned into easy money for Costco, where yellow metal sales begun last year have turned into a cash cow for the big-box retailer.

In fact, sales are so brisk that analysts at Wells Fargo expect revenue may now be running at $200mn a month, a rapid acceleration since bullion hit the warehouse club late in the summer of 2023.

Is Costco already one of the largest bullion dealers in the world?

@RiseGS

💸China Warns Washington it Won’t Accept ‘Criticism or Pressure’ Over Ties with Russia

China and Russia have the right to “engage in normal economic and trade cooperation,” FM spox Mao Ning insisted Wednesday.

“This kind of cooperation should not be interfered with or limited, and China also does not accept criticism or pressure,” she added.

Her response comes after US Dep Sec of State Kurt Campbell said that Washington would “not sit by and say everything is fine” after Beijing renewed pledges of cooperation with Moscow during a visit by FM Sergey Lavrov.

@RiseGS

👀Wokery > Weaponry in the UK

China and Russia must be quaking in their boots. 😂

@RiseGS

😳 Thoughts, Prayers & Future Condolences to the Whistleblower’s Family

@RiseGS

🔴 UK, Ukraine Ink Agreement to Cooperate on Arms Production

The framework agreement was signed at a military industry conference in Kiev that was attended by about 30 British defence companies desperate to siphon Western taxpayers’ money into their coffers.

British defence company BAE Systems, one of the first Western producers to set up a local entity in Ukraine, signed an agreement with Britain's Defence Ministry to conduct maintenance, repair and overhaul of light guns on the ground in Ukraine.

@RiseGS

⚠️ Hamas Indicates It Cannot Find 40 Israeli Hostages Requested for Next Round of Ceasefire

A six-week pause in the fighting is reportedly being offered if Hamas releases 40 hostages, including all females as well as sick and elderly – in return for hundreds of detained Palestinians.

Fears have been raised that more hostages may be dead than currently known after Hamas told international mediators they did not have 40 living Israelis who matched those criteria. (CNN citing sources)

@RiseGS

🇺🇦 Ukraine needs to do away with its “old-fashioned mentality” towards women and adopt an Israeli-style female conscription policy, the country’s chief military adviser for gender issues has said.

There are currently 65,000 women serving in the Ukrainian armed forces, according to government figures — an increase of about 40 per cent since 2021. Nearly all of those are volunteers as there is no mandatory draft for women, though women who hold medical degrees are now required to register with their local enlistment office.

But as the country grapples with the task of recruiting hundreds of thousands of men this year, Oksana Grigorieva, adviser on gender issues to the commander of the ground forces, said that Ukraine should prepare for the fact that women too will have to be mobilised in the coming years.

🔴 @DDGeopolitics

🤔 Chinese Cement Producer’s Market Value Crashes 99% in 15 Minutes – Bloomberg

Tianrui’s stock plummeted 99.4% in mere minutes, losing over $1.8bn in value.

Trading in its stock has been suspended Wednesday.

The company’s owner and their spouse held 72% of the shares and sold.

@RiseGS

🤔 DEVELOPING: Reports out of Iran suggests air traffic has been halted over Tehran

Flight radar shows significant reduction in passenger aircraft over western Iran and Israel.

Potential Iranian retaliatory strikes against Israel in the coming hours?

@RiseGS

👀 NOW: All air traffic over Tehran will be suspended due to 'military drills' from midnight local time - Mehr news agency citing Iranian defense minister

@RiseGS

❎ Israeli Soldier Mocks Palestinians: “For all those asking why there is no education in Gaza. We bombed them. That sucks. That’s how you will never become engineers anymore”

Gaza has one of the world’s lowest illiteracy rates, and nearly the highest PHD per capita graduate rates worldwide.

This is why Israel has strategically destroyed every single university in Gaza, posting their war crimes with glee.

@RiseGS

⚡️🇺🇦 KIEV'S LARGEST POWER PLANT ENGULFED IN FLAMES, following overnight barrage of strikes.

You wanted de-communization? The Soviet-built Tripoli Thermal Power Plant is out of action - it's only April, and it's not so warm to get by without...🥶

Ukrainian Armed Forces report downing 39 out of 40 drones launched from Russia.🥴

Boost here @IntelRepublic

🍏Apple Warns of ‘Mercenary Spyware Attack’ on Users in India, 91 Other Countries

Apple discovered that attackers tried to 'remotely compromise iPhones,' the Big Tech giant said in a notification email sent to targeted users. (Reuters)

Mercenary spyware attacks are rare and vastly more sophisticated than regular cybercriminal activity or malware, according to the notification email.

The iPhone maker did not attribute the threat notifications to "any specific state-sponsored attacker."

@RiseGS

😳Italy’s Mount Etna Spews Out Near-Perfect, Circular Volcanic Vortex Rings

The rare phenomenon occurs under specific conditions caused by a constant release of vapors and gases.

@RiseGS