Free Republic

Hertz's partnership with Amazon is another step in the e-commerce giant's slow march into auto sales. The deal could be a boon for the rental car giant, which is trying to sell more of its cars directly to consumers. Some experts say the shift toward direct online sales, especially involving e-commerce giants like Amazon, could spell trouble for dealerships, possibly even large publicly traded companies such as AutoNation, Group1, Sonic Automotive, Penske, and Asbury. Wholesale auction companies such as Manheim and AVC are also liable to be watching the shift, as direct to consumer sales could threaten their inventories. Why...

Lucid said on Monday it is raising $1 billion in capital from an affiliate of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), sending the shares of the luxury electric carmaker up about 8%. The latest investment by the sovereign wealth fund underscores a key advantage Lucid has in the race for survival among struggling EV startups. The Saudi government, which has a 60% stake, has invested billions in Lucid’s success as part of a strategy to diversify the Kingdom’s economy beyond oil. Ayar Third Investment Company, a PIF affiliate, will buy $1 billion in convertible preferred stock and will be able...

A Russian column was obliterated and corpses were seen lying beside the road. The remains of the Russian military convoy blocked a street in the town of Bucha after the ambush - said to have been carried out by troops armed with NLAW missile launchers. Artillery and drone strikes are also thought to have been deployed in the attack. Locals civilians are also reported to have helped fight the invaders by throwing petrol bombs.

Tin SoldierAn American Vigilante In Afghanistan, Using the Press for Profit and Glory By Mariah Blake In April 2004, a former U.S. Special Forces soldier named Jonathan Keith Idema started shopping a sizzling story to the media. He claimed terrorists in Afghanistan planned to use bomb-laden taxicabs to kill key U.S. and Afghan officials, and that he himself intended to thwart the attack. Shortly thereafter, he headed to Afghanistan, where he spent the next two months conducting a series of raids with his team, which he called Task Force Saber 7. By late June, he claimed to have captured the...

Last update - 23:38 24/01/2003 Palestinian minister unveils financial reform plans By DPA DAVOS, Switzerland - Palestinian Authority Finance Minister Salam Fayyad disclosed Friday that the new Palestine Investment Fund (PIF) will report the full size of its assets and investments on February 22. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Fayyad unveiled the efforts to be made to provide both the Palestinians and the international donor community a system of "full transparency and accountability" in the PNA's financial sector. He acknowledged the criticism and allegations of corruption made abroad about the PNA's handling of international donor funds, but...