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An evil mother has confessed to murdering her three year old daughter by leaving her home alone while she went on a week-long partying spree.

Maria Plenkina, 21, tragically deserted her infant daughter Kristina who was so hungry she tried to eat washingpowder, a Russian court has heard.

The girl was found naked having starved to death in a cold room in a rubbish-strewn apartment having eaten the small amount of food - yoghurt, chicken and sausages - her mother had left her.

Before leaving for her party week coinciding with Valentines Day last year, Plenkina turned off the water in the flat.

The girl's body was found by her grandmother Irina Plenkina, 47, whohad cometo wish her a happy third birthday.

The mother - branded evil by neighbours - now faces from eight to 20 years in jail for the cruel murder of her child.

Maria Plyonkina with baby Kristina. Source: Australscope

A criminal investigation into murder with extreme cruelty proved that Plenkina locked her daughter in the flat from 13 February and only returned on 20 February last year.

Psychiatrists found that she was sane and fully aware of her actions, the court was told.

The mother stayed with friend Anastasia Kurpina who said Plenkina lied to her that Kristina was being cared for by a friend.

Anastasia told investigators that she paid for her friends daily visits to nightclubs and cafes, buying her alcohol.

Not long before her week-long spree, Plenkina had split with her boyfriend.

Confessing to murder but saying she did not intend to kill her, Maria said she had left food for her child but gave contradictory accounts and could not say much many sausages.

Sobbing as she appeared in court, she said: I never wanted her to die.

A committee spokeswoman said: The girl's mother said that she deliberately closed the door of the apartment and left the house.

She was having a good time with friends and was on a spree.

Maria Plyonkina is facing 20 years in jail. Source: Australscope

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The childs distraught grandmother said she could have cared for the child if only she knew her daughter was leaving.

She lied to me that everything was fine, she said. She lied to everyone.

I never thought that Maria could do such a thing

If only I had had spotted something was wrong, I would have taken the girl to me.

There was never any sign of previous abuse, the grandmother claimed.

She has shown the highest class of professional acting - if you deceive everyone to such an extent.

I completely did not know my daughter,it turns out.

- Australscope

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Baby dies after eating dishwashing powder while mum went on partying spree - Yahoo News Australia

NEW YORK Its a rim-shaking sight, watching a sweat-soaked Zion Williamson throw down windmill dunk after windmill dunk some three hours before the New Orleans Pelicans are scheduled to face the Knicks on Friday.

Aside from arena workers and team personnel who assist Williamson in his workouts, hardly anyone sees him put in the extra preparation, the final steps before the Next Big Thing plays in his first NBA game, which is expected to be Jan. 22 in New Orleans against the San Antonio Spurs.

Hes half-man, half-Loch Ness Monster.

So many NBA stars and bankable commodities are on the sidelines and sporting their latest trendy wardrobe choices an unexpected development from an injury-filled season.

But Williamsons absence has arguably been the biggest, and the league needs him to step off the sidelines and onto the floor.

And fast.

Television ratings are sagging to start the season, and the reasons are hard to pinpoint. It could be the confusing China situation, one the NBA fumbled in the preseason. It could be cyclical. It could be general fatigue from a nearly year-round season.

But theres no denying that Williamson is a big piece of the NBAs present and future.

I think so. The league does need him, Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told Yahoo Sports. Because he's a great personality, a great feel for the game. And he's a different kind of player. Kind of like Luka [Doncic], basically. They bring an element to the game you don't see in other guys.

Williamson, like Doncic, is a new face of Jordan Brand, a potential magnetic star for the shoe company to relaunch for the next generation. Hes the cornerstone for basketball in New Orleans, the biggest piece Pelicans vice president of basketball operations David Griffin hopes to build around for the next decade.

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson will make his NBA debut on Jan. 22. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

For all of his dynamite dunks and backyard bully plays that hes displayed while making his way to the national consciousness, the first thing that pops up on an internet search after Zion Williamson is the word injury.

A strong start to the preseason was halted by surgery on his right knee (meniscus) in October, and the Pelicans have been cautious with the timeline surrounding his potential return, preferring to look at the big picture.

He wants to play. In those situations, you have to protect a guy from himself, Gentry told Yahoo Sports. This has been his lifelong goal. We understand what it is, but I told him we have your best interests at hand. We're not gonna do anything [thats a] risk, put you in harms way. We gotta be patient enough to understand that.

Its not what the NBA expected for Zions rookie year. The league has to prepare for a post-LeBron world, and Williamson is expected to be a lead attraction.

According to a league official who requested anonymity, in 22 of the first 35 national TV games (ESPN, ABC, TNT), at least one star was missing from the game (63 percent). Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson count as stars.

So does Zion Williamson.

The total has risen some, but as of Thursday its at 50 percent still a whopping number of games missing stars.

The Pelicans games were put on almost exclusively because of him, the official told Yahoo Sports. So his absence hurt us big time because they were on [national TV] so much early, and it hurt the spotlight on those games.

A front-office executive involved with the NBA for three decades echoed those sentiments.

Ive never seen so much attention put from the league onto a player so early, he said. Damn straight the NBA needs him.

While hes still a raw talent with plenty of room to grow, Zion is a box-office commodity.

Hes not a max player [yet], but hes a max entertainer, an Eastern Conference executive told Yahoo Sports.

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As big as he is on the basketball side, with the season tickets theyve sold, their marketing, their grassroots marketing, hes bigger on the business side. He changes the perception of the franchise. Between drafting him and hiring David Griffin, theyve changed their perception. Theyre a national franchise now, businesses will be attracted to them.

Gentry has been party to this before. He coached Grant Hill during the height of his popularity first as an assistant under Doug Collins in Detroit and later as the Pistons head coach. Hill was tabbed as the Next Jordan and even led the NBA in All-Star voting the year Jordans Bulls won 72 games in 1996.

Hill had his own sneaker line with Fila, and endorsements with McDonalds and Sprite, among others. Like Williamson, he came from Duke, possessing a national pedigree and a game to match.

But Gentry said thats where the comparisons end.

Its a much higher degree [now], Gentry told Yahoo Sports. From shootaround, we get off the bus, theres people. We get back on the bus to go to the game, and there's hundreds of people there who just wanna get a glimpse of him, just wanna see him.

Without a hint of arrogance or overstatement, Gentry says the attention around Williamson exceeds the other players other than LeBron James.

Hill suffered a severe ankle injury six years into his career that robbed him of his prime, turning him into one of the biggest what-ifs in NBA history.

With the benefit of hindsight and knowing Williamson wouldnt touch the floor halfway through his rookie year, the executives reached by Yahoo Sports had mixed feelings on the thought of taking Williamson No. 1 all over again.

I wouldnt have taken him No. 1 even back then, a Western Conference general manager said. I wouldve taken Ja [Morant] or traded back to pick up as many picks as I could.

Id definitely still take him first, wouldnt you? an Eastern Conference executive responded.

Yeah, when you consider everything he brings, Im still picking him first, another Eastern Conference general manager said, pointing out theres no other sure-fire superstar to be had.

Between the right knee sprain he suffered at Duke last year when his shoe gave out and the injury from this preseason, the fears about his health havent been quelled.

Hes definitely unique. Unique talent, special kid. Matchup problem, the Western Conference GM told Yahoo Sports. Biggest thing is health. Three hundred pounds of health and torque. What makes him unique is athleticism, not necessarily skill.

Its easy to see Williamsons popularity across NBA arenas. He routinely stops to sign autographs and pose for photos on his way to the locker room.

Gentry feels his player is built for the attention, the pressure and the anticipation.

Its good for our game, he said. What it says is the league is in really good shape. LeBron is an older player, he's still the best player in the league, I think, and still has all the attention. Ja Morant, I think people are starting to feel that way about him, Luka and guys like that.

And guys like Zion.

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Damn straight the NBA needs him: Why Zion Williamsons debut is so important - Yahoo Sports

As yet another streaming service enters the heavily saturated space, one Wall Street analyst says consumers might be starting to feel streaming fatigue.

I think you are starting to see some [streaming] fatigue. But I think it also comes down to numbers, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said on Yahoo Finances On The Move.

NBC unveiled details on its upcoming streaming service Peacock Thursday. The service is expected to launch in July and will have one completely free ad-supported version and two paid tiers of Peacock Premium. The cheaper plan will cost $4.99 per month and will feature advertisements, while the $9.99 version will be ad free.

By offering a completely free ad-supported version, Peacock is attempting to stand out from a crowded field. This tiered structure is really the right way for them to go. I mean, I think they have the content, they have the distribution, Ives argued.

A peacock is pictured outside NBC headquarters at Rockefeller Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., January 16, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

However, thats not the only way Comcast-owned NBCs Peacock is planning to differentiate itself. The advertising model is also unique. Peacock is going to limit the amount of ad time to five minutes per hour watched. Ives noted that the strategy might be a smart move for NBC.

They need to ensure that consumers go on to the platform attracted to it, and then ultimately over time, they can increase that advertising per hour. I think that's a smart move, sort of balancing act in terms of what you want to see. But I think over time, you could see more ads as they have more content.

Ives estimated that the average household in the U.S. is spending about $35 per month on streaming services, and he believes the capacity will max out at $55 per month. For $55 per month, consumers can subscribe to the lowest tier Netflix (NFLX) and Hulu subscriptions, HBO Now, Showtime, Disney+ and Apple TV+. Those six subscriptions would total $53.

Definitely fatigue out there, but if you look right now, especially with the HBO coming in the spring, there's going to be some winners and losers. But as of right now, we think Peacock's a winner in terms of the way that strategically they've launched it, Ives said.

Heidi Chung is a reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter:@heidi_chung.

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Key point:Over time, Israel will likely acquire additional F-35s, as it intends for the type to replace its fleet of over 320 F-16s

On May 22, Israeli Air Force commander Amikam Norkin announced that its F-35I stealth fighters had flown on two combat missions on different fronts, showing as proof a photograph of an F-35 overflying Beirut. While details on those missions have not been releasedapparently, they were not deployed in a massive Israeli air attack on Iranian forces in Syria that took place on May 9this nonetheless apparently confirmed the first combat operations undertaken by any variant of the controversial stealth jet, which is currently entering service with the militaries of ten countries after undergoing over two decades of development.

In fact, Israels F-35I Adiror Mighty Oneswill be the only F-35 variant to enter service heavily tailored to a foreign countrys specifications. There had been plans for a Canadian CF-35, with a different refueling probe and drogue-parachute to allow landing on short Arctic air strips, but Ottawa dropped out of the F-35 program.

It has become a common practice to create custom variants of fourth-generation jet fighters such as the Su-30, F-15 and F-16 for export clients, made to order with local avionics, weapons and upgrades that suit a particular air forces doctrine and strategic priorities. Today, Israel operates heavily upgraded F-15I Raam (Thunder) and two-seater F-16I Sufa fighters. Furthermore, Israel in particular hasnt hesitated to modify aircraft it has already received fit its needs: for example, in 1981 it rigged its then-new F-15A Eagle air superiority fighters to drop bombs, and used these first-ever strike Eagles to destroy the Iraqi Osirak nuclear reactor.

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Israel's F-35I Adir Is Taking America's Stealth Fighter To A Whole Other Level - Yahoo News

Crude oil traders who bet on a major price surge after U.S.-Iran tensions flared last week ended up losing big as those tensions subsided.

Dan Dicker, a veteran energy trader and found of The Energy Word, tells Yahoo Finance that the prevalence of algorithmic trading today has made it that much more challenging for human traders.

Brent crude prices (BZ=F) posted a weekly decline of 5% Friday, settling at $64.98 per barrel and below levels from before the U.S. airstrike that took out Iranian general Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3. Domestic West Texas intermediate (CL=F) posted a weekly decline of more than 6% to $59.04 a barrel, representing the largest weekly drop since July.

The declines more than reversed momentary spikes in both Brent and WTI crude prices last week, when concerns that Iran might retaliate with a hit to Middle East oil infrastructure sent investors scrambling to price in a supply risk premium.

But that quick reversal in price action may have been premature, according to Dicker.

I think that traders ultimately may get bit in the backside because theres such passivity to geopolitical risk, Dicker told Yahoo Finances The Final Round. I was biting my fingernails maybe a lot of people were that, you know, in fact, if there were casualties from the reprisal strike from the Iranians that Trump might, you know, puff his chest out and toss a bomb at Tehran and wed be in the middle of, you know, a sector-wide war that involved more than just the U.S. and Iran.

Instead, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he would be retaliating against Iran with sanctions, rather than escalating a military confrontation. The apparent easing of tensions with Iran sent oil prices down immediately.

Just because, you know, a president comes out, you know, the next morning and says, Im not going to take a retaliatory move quite yet I mean, all of a sudden oil drops $3.50, Dicker said. That, to me, is a tremendous change over the way that oil markets used to react to news like this even as much as five years ago and 10 years ago.

A key reason, Dicker said, boils down to who is and is no longer actually facilitating oil trades. Up until recently, there were a lot more humans that were in the pipeline in terms of who was moving the markets, who was putting bets down, who was playing far out on the curve and who wasnt, he said.

But that dynamic has changed, and so too has oil price action in response to geopolitical shocks.

Now were swamped by machines, and theyre momentum searchers. And ultimately, you know, when something comes out, no matter what the price is whether its considered to be bullish news or bearish news there seems to be a pile-on factor, Dicker said.

Instead of humans playing the market, there really are machines playing the market, he added. And yes, weve all had to become used to that, because those traders who have been playing the game as if it were, you know, 2010 or 2000 or 1995 have gotten their heads handed to them.

An Iranian flag flies at Iranian oil tanker Adrian Darya 1, before being named as Grace 1, as it sits anchored after the Supreme Court of the British territory lifted its detention order, in the Strait of Gibraltar, Spain, August 18, 2019. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

Were all kind of forced into this very kind of passive kind of idea about oil prices being unmovable by geopolitics, Dicker said.

That said, many economists have pointed out that this weeks earlier oil price spikes were also capped due to the perception that a Middle East supply shock would do less to hamper overall supply, given an existing supply glut and surging domestic production.

A similar phenomenon took place last September, when Brent crude oil prices spiked 15% but then quickly receded after a drone strike the U.S. blamed on Iran hit Saudi oil infrastructure and temporarily took out about 5% of global daily oil production.

Now, if something would actually come out that would actually really put some supply at risk, youd see markets spike in a way that youd never see them spike before, Dicker said.

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The machines are so far behind the curve when it comes to this that when some real momentum of real supply issues come up, youre going to see them spike prices not, you know, $10 or $7, but more like $25 or $30. And that would happen in only several days. Thats what youre really looking at, Dicker said.

Emily McCormick is a reporter for Yahoo Finance.Follow her on Twitter: @emily_mcck

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The signing of a phase one trade deal with China is unlikely to end the fight over many of Beijings trade abuses, but one prominent D.C. analyst says the deal is the culmination of a changing attitude towards Americas largest trading partner.

One of the things that Trump does absolutely get credit for is that the conversation with China has completely changed, Ed Mills, Washington policy analyst at Raymond James, tells Yahoo Finances The First Trade.

Before President Donald Trump took office, Mills said, you couldn't confront China, you couldn't have some of the conversations, or else there would be real consequences.

Now, though, China has largely gotten the message that the American people view China differently today than they did before President Trump got into office, Mills told Alexis Christoforous and Brian Sozzi.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with China's Vice Premier Liu He in the Oval Office at the White House after two days of trade negotiations in Washington, U.S., October 11, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

It hasnt been an easy ride for the world economy. Trade worries have driven down expectations for growth, with the World Bank cutting its most recent global growth forecasts. And a Federal Reserve analysis found the tariffs caused more harm than benefits to the manufacturing sector.

Theres also the unfinished business that remains for a promised phase two deal. So far, China has not been open to resolving the biggest Trump administration complaints, including industrial subsidies and intellectual property theft.

What China has been saying since the beginning here is they've always kind of mentioned this as a 40-40-20 problem, Mills said. There's about 40% of this that we could do today. 40% that can be done in five years. About 20% that is off limits. Some of the things that Trump wanted to spend the time on, and what he spent the last two years on, are things in that 20% bucket.

There'll be some movement here on the intellectual property side of this, but probably once again, about the bare minimum it would have taken for both sides to sit down and sign something, Mills said.

But dont expect the trade war to go away no matter who wins the White House in November.

There has been a lot of volatility, and there's been certain consequences, especially among farmers and with agriculture, Mills said. It would be incumbent on anyone who wins in 2020 to continue this fight, because a lot of the issues he's raised have resonated in a bipartisan way with the American people.

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Why we won't get a Phase 2 trade deal 'until sometime in 2021'

Good news for Democrats: The economy matters less

50% chance something bad will happen to the stock market soon: top strategist

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Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.) said Thursday that Joe and Hunter Bidens activity in Ukraine goes to the heart of the matter surrounding the upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate, and argued that GOP senators must be willing to call President Trumps preferred witnesses, or all hell is going to break lose.

Appearing on Hannity, Paul stated that he believed the alleged corruption perpetrated by Hunter Biden in his role on the board of a Ukrainian gas company Burisma while his father was overseeing official U.S. relations with Kyiv needed to be explored.

If the president is being accused of withholding foreign aid, and his argument is, Well, we were studying corruption, and we wanted to know about corruption in Ukraine, and I think the Bidens are as corrupt as the day is long, Paul argued. No young man who is the son of a politician gets $50,000 a month who has no experience, working for a Ukrainian oligarch. You know, for goodness sakes it smells to high heaven. It smells like corruption.

Paul pointed to bias in the media as the reason why the issue has not been more thoroughly explored. In its Friday release of an interview with Joe Biden, The New York Times editorial board opened by saying There is no indication that you or your son did anything wrong or were part of any corruption in Ukraine.

Every day on the mainstream media, they say, Oh, theres no there there. This has been investigated. There is no corruption. I think the American people dont buy it, Paul told Hannity. Heres the thing: Fair is fair. If theyre going to put the president through this, theyre going to have to have witnesses on both sides.

The Kentucky Republican, who earlier this week threatened fellow Republican senators with consequences if they did not bring forward Trump-favored witnesses, reiterated his point Thursday night, saying his fear is that if people play games with the witnesses . . . I think all hell is going to break lose.

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If it turns out and the Republican base sees that this only looks like Democrat witnesses and no presidential witnesses, I guarantee that the Republican base will punish those people who set up that kind of scenario, Paul stated.

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Rand Paul Slams the Bidens over Alleged Corruption: It Smells to High Heaven - Yahoo News

NEW YORK The dazzle returned with little rust, and the Kyrie Irving show was back after a two-month hiatus at Barclays Center.

He arrived three hours before game time to work himself into a lather, and by the time his name was announced last at tipoff, the crowd was buzzing in anticipation of must-see Kyrie.

His performance was worth the wait, against the perfect opponent in the cellar-dwelling Atlanta Hawks playing without Trae Young on an unassuming Sunday evening. It wasnt as electrifying as some of his other home showings in his Brooklyn infancy, but it was effective and efficient in a career-high 91 percent shooting night as the Nets were the Globetrotters to the Hawks Washington Generals in a108-86 win.

He hit 10 of 11 shots from the floor, easily getting to his spots, easily rising up and shooting over a struggling Hawks defense that at least serves as a lead-in before games against Utah, Philadelphia (twice), Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Lakers.

It was even a little surprising to see Irving on the floor, considering events in the last week or so. There was no strong indication Irvings bothersome right shoulder injury would recover so quickly, as speculation ranged across the board when hed emerge back to the lineup, if at all this season.

The injury, the treatment and the timeline all seemed to be shrouded in mystery, par for the course considering its Irving.

It was a long way back, a lot of questions I had to answer about my shoulder, longevity, Irving said. Once I got that foundation set, it was easy to come back.

He played in perfect pitch with his teammates and didnt force the action an expectation for any star player returning after an extended absence and even more for Irving, who scored 21. Before his injury, he was averaging career highs in points (28.5), assists (7.2) and rebounds (5.4) and even his PER was a career-high 25.7.

Yup, Kyrie Irving is back. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Every time someone asks about chemistry, you gotta have reps, Irving said. But when youre a great basketball player, a great basketball mind, you can play with anyone on the floor. You can adjust.

Normally when you come back after a long time, your rhythm is off, youre going too fast or too slow, Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. He had a nice demeanor and rhythm about him. Adding a player of his caliber helps your confidence we had a certain confidence about us tonight that we were missing during our [losing] streak.

Irving was even self-deprecating about his rsum when it comes to the notion that teams featuring him play better when hes either hurt or out of town. Unable to resist the urge to take a shot, after the game Irving said, I'm not going to be petty, but there's been a lot of things said about what I bring to the locker room.

Im going to continue to be me ... teaching guys and giving them positive encouragement when needed, pulling guys aside, making sure we have team outings and [be] on the same page.

How much the Nets missed Irving is hard to evaluate, but the seven-game losing streak that was only recently snapped by a comeback win over the Miami Heat on Friday counts as evidence he at least will raise the teams ceiling.

I definitely think it makes us more talented, Spencer Dinwiddie told Yahoo Sports. Were not the eighth seed. We dont have that seven-game losing streak without him. But I understand if you say it doesnt make us Milwaukee. But any game on any night, we feel with the talent we have, we feel we can play with that team, be it the Bucks or the Lakers.

They went 13-13 without him and at 18-20 sit seventh in the Eastern Conference. The team he left two months ago isnt the team he rejoined, which learned to play without him by necessity.

Its a whole new team [but] its not starting from scratch. It evolves, Dinwiddie told Yahoo Sports. Things change. Thats how the NBA is. Its not gonna stop for anybody, no matter who gets hurt. The games will still be played. You gotta continue to shift and go.

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Dinwiddie took full advantage of extended play and opportunities, boosting himself into All-Star consideration by averaging 24.8 points and 7.2 assists during the 26 games Irving was out. How Atkinson juggles Irving, Dinwiddie and recently returning Caris LeVert will be among his biggest challenges left in the season.

Dinwiddie, though, isnt looking at Irvings comeback as an impediment to his development. It helps the two are friends, dating back to before they were teammates in Brooklyn.

Id rather average 21 and win at a high level [compared to] 25 and getting my head cracked every night, Dinwiddie told Yahoo Sports. I dont view his coming back as, Now Im gonna average two points a game. Ill still be productive. It gives our group a chance to win a lot more games.

Irving famously cautioned the media on putting pressure on Kevin Durant to return, saying he would protect Durant from the outside expectations. Now the tables have turned, and perhaps Irvings teammates will have to protect him from wanting to be the savior.

I think thats the job of our group, Dinwiddie said. As teammates, we should watch out for each other and make sure he doesnt do anything contrary to his health. We understand who he is, so were pre-adjusted. We want to see the best for him. We were just holding down the fort for him.

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Kyrie Irving is back, but what does it mean for the Nets? - Yahoo Sports

By Marina Depetris and Cecile Mantovani

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - Swedish activist Greta Thunberg marched with 10,000 protesters in the Swiss city of Lausanne on Friday and said "you have not seen anything yet" before some head to Davos next week to challenge the global financial elite to fight climate change.

The 17-year-old, who launched the #FridaysforFuture movement that has sparked worldwide protests, denounced a lack of government action to cut heat-trapping emissions before it is too late.

"So, we are now in a new year and we have entered a new decade and so far, during this decade, we have seen no sign whatsoever that real climate action is coming and that has to change, Thunberg said in a speech in Lausanne.

To the world leaders and those in power, I would like to say that you have not seen anything yet. You have not seen the last of us, we can assure you that. And that is the message that we will bring to the World Economic Forum in Davos next week.

Protesters held signs including "Wake up and Smell the Bushfires" and "It is late but it is not too late".

Hundreds will take trains over the weekend and then march to Klosters near Davos, the annual gathering of world political and business leaders that Thunberg is attending for the second year in a row and will take part in two panel events.

Climate change and environmental destruction top the risks highlighted by global decision-makers in a survey ahead of the 2020 gathering of the global elite.

This year's meeting of 3,000 includes U.S. President Donald Trump who once described climate change as a "hoax" and whose administration in November filed paperwork to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, the first formal step in a one-year process to exit the pact to fight climate change.

The latest World Economic Forum annual meeting takes place against the backdrop of some of Australia's worst ever bushfires. While the government there has avoided making a link to climate change, the fires have deepened public concern about the heating of the planet.

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Last year was the Earth's second-hottest since records began, and the world should brace itself for more extreme weather events like Australia's fires, the U.N. World Meteorological Organization said on Wednesday.

We are...an alliance that is organizing next week in 20 countries to say 'time is up' to the World Economic Forum in Davos. Time is up," a Kenyan activist, Njoki Njoroge Njehu, told the crowd in Lausanne.

"It is time to abolish billionaires. It is time to abolish billionaires, because we cannot afford them, the planet cannot afford billionaires," she said.

(Reporting by Marina Depetris, Cecile Mantovani and Johnny Cotton; Writing by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

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'You have not seen anything yet,' climate activist Greta says ahead of Davos - Yahoo News

Friday, January 17, 2020

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In the December 17, 2019 edition of the Morning Brief newsletter, we said the stock market was catching up to the economy. The stock market had just hit record highs. Housing and manufacturing data had topped expectations. The economic data was filling in the blanks of the story the stock market had been telling investors for a couple months: better days are ahead.

Exactly one month later, the story is once again worth reiterating.

On Thursday, all three major indexes closed at record highs. For the second time in history, the Dow (^DJI) closed above 29,000. And the stock market continues to both indicate better times ahead, while the data continue bolstering the economic story implied by frothy financial markets.

During Thursday morning's economic data deluge, investors were treated to solid data on the state of the U.S. consumer, the labor market, and the housing market.

The weeks most anticipated economic figure the December reading on retail sales impressed. Sales rose 0.3% over the prior month, matching both Wall Street estimates and the increase seen in each of the last two months.

But the data got better when looking at core retail sales (which exclude autos, gas, and building materials) as December saw a 0.5% improvement in core sales, a notable pickup from the 0.1% advance seen in November.

Core sales are also what feeds into GDP, and analysts at Oxford Economics note this data suggest real consumer spending rose at an annualized rate of 2.2% in the fourth quarter, with overall GDP growth now on track to advance 2.5% to finish the year. Elsewhere, Bloombergs consumer comfort index rose to its highest level since October 2000.

A critical question as we begin this new decade is whether the US consumer can continue to pull more than its weight, Oxford Economics said in a note published Thursday. Resilient labor market conditions, surging stock prices, and lower gasoline prices all came together to prop up consumer outlays last year, but we expect this powerful combination to fade gradually.

Part of Oxfords analysis is due to what it calls cooler employment trends. In December, for instance, the U.S. economy created 145,000 jobs fewer than expected and a notable slowdown from Novembers job gains of 260,000.

The Charging Bull sculpture by Arturo Di Modica, in New York's Financial District. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Some investors had also grown wary of the labor market due to weekly initial jobless claims data, which had been somewhat elevated at the end of 2019. Thursdays reading, however, should quell some of these concerns.

Jobless data fell to 204,000 for the week ending January 11, the lowest level for claims since early November. Economists expected claims would rise modestly to 220,000.

Ian Shepherdson at Pantheon Macroeconomics said Thursday that, Claims have now reversed their early December spike, which was due to seasonal adjustment problems after Thanksgiving. The trend likely remains about 215K, a record low as a share of the employed workforce.

The January sentiment index from the National Association of Home Builders released Thursday also showed continued positivity in the housing sector. The index registered a reading of 75, just one point below Decembers 20-year high. The last two months mark the highest sentiment levels for home builders since July 1999.

NAHB chief economist Robert Dietz said in a release Thursday that, with the Federal Reserve on pause and attractive mortgage rates, the steady rise in single-family construction that began last spring will continue into 2020.

Story continues

Dietz notes, however, that the housing market is still grappling with headwinds weve seen in place for years: A lack of labor to build and a lack of inventory for starter homes.

Which arent bad problems to have.

By Myles Udland, reporter and co-anchor of The Final Round. Follow him at @MylesUdland

Economy

8:30 a.m. ET: Building Permits, December (1.467 million expected, 1.482 million in November)

8:30 a.m. ET: Housing Starts, December (1.380 million expected, 1.365 million in November)

9:15 a.m. ET: Capacity Utilization, December (77.2% expected, 77.3% in November); Industrial Production month-on-month, December (0.0% expected, 1.1% in November)

10 a.m. ET: University of Michigan Sentiment, January preliminary (99.2 expected, 99.3 prior)

Earnings

Pre-market

Notable reports include Kansas City Southern (KSU), JB Hunt (JBHT), Schlumberger (SLB), Fastenal (FAST) and State Street (STT)

Read more

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DoubleLine's roundtable of experts highlight a big risk lurking in the stock market

Trump's Apple threat would put every iPhone on Earth at risk

Coca-Cola's Powerade adds new products to its lineup

Editors Note: Morning Brief will be observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 20. It will resume on Tuesday, January 21.

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The economy is continuing to catch up to the stock market: Morning Brief - Yahoo Finance