(RTTNews) - Asahi Kasei (3407.T), Mitsui Chemicals (4183.T), and Mitsubishi Chemical (4188.T) have entered basic agreement to promote decarbonization and optimize production capacity for their two ethylene manufacturing facilities in western Japan. The companies applied for and were selected for the "Fiscal 2025 Support Program for Energy and Manufacturing Process Conversion in Hard-to-Abate Indus...
(RTTNews) - Asahi Kasei (3407.T), Mitsui Chemicals (4183.T), and Mitsubishi Chemical (4188.T) have entered basic agreement to promote decarbonization and optimize production capacity for their two ethylene manufacturing facilities in western Japan. The companies applied for and were selected for the "Fiscal 2025 Support Program for Energy and Manufacturing Process Conversion in Hard-to-Abate Industries" by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to promote initiatives such as the use of biomass feedstock as an alternative to petroleum-derived resources. The companies have signed a basic agreement to establish a new joint operating entity for the two ethylene production facilities in western Japan, and to subsequently discontinue operations of the Asahi Kasei Mitsubishi Chemical Ethylene Corp. ethylene production facility of its Mizushima Plant in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, and consolidate operations at the Osaka Petrochemical Industries, facility in Takaishi, Osaka, targeting fiscal 2030. Utilizing the HtA Support Program, an initial facility to manufacture ethylene, propylene, and other decarbonized basic chemicals from bioethanol by applying the Revolefin technology, which is currently under development by Asahi Kasei, will be installed at the Mizushima Works of Asahi Kasei. The three companies plan to commence joint commercial production of the decarbonized basic chemicals in fiscal 2034. On the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Asahi Kasei stock is up 0.6 percent to 1,494 yen. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Only one known person in the world can save my life 27 minutes ago Share Save Eleri Griffiths BBC Wales Share Save Sian Chathyoka Mother-of-two Sian says that, before falling ill, she led a very active life, including swimming in the sea year-round The world has a population of more than eight billion - but only one known person can currently save Sian Chathyoka, who has a rare blood cancer. Sian,...
Only one known person in the world can save my life 27 minutes ago Share Save Eleri Griffiths BBC Wales Share Save Sian Chathyoka Mother-of-two Sian says that, before falling ill, she led a very active life, including swimming in the sea year-round The world has a population of more than eight billion - but only one known person can currently save Sian Chathyoka, who has a rare blood cancer. Sian, 56, said it was "very difficult to be upbeat" after being told last year she needed a stem cell transplant to survive, following a diagnosis of aggressive myelofibrosis. The mum-of-two was shocked to discover there was just one matching donor on the global register. Sian, a former social worker, is now preparing to receive a transplant from a "selfless stranger" and has urged others to sign up to become donors. Stem cell transplants offer "the last chance of life" for many blood cancer patients, according to the charity Anthony Nolan. Sian Chathyoka Sian Chathyoka was diagnosed with myelofibrosis, a rare form of blood cancer, in September 2025 Sian, from Swansea, led an active lifestyle before becoming ill, including cold water swimming, running the family campsite and caring for her children, aged 18 and 13. She first realised something was wrong when she was hit by "extreme fatigue" which left her struggling to get out of her chair. "Since August, I've just been lying in bed because I've had no energy," Sian said. "I've had such a level of fatigue, I haven't been able to do anything and it's been quite scary." When she noticed that she had lost 5lbs (2.3kg) without trying, Sian visited her GP and was sent for immediate blood tests. "They came back and they were scattered all over the place," she explained. Further CT and MRI scans revealed an enlarged spleen and, in September 2025, she was diagnosed with myelofibrosis. "I couldn't stop crying," she said. "My condition is very rare - I am the only myelofibrosis patient they've got in Swansea and Cardiff and I've been told...
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley see room for the South African Reserve Bank to lower its inflation forecast for 2026, as policymakers prepare for their first interest-rate decision of the year later this week. The rand has strengthened considerably from the central bank’s November assumption of 17.25 per dollar for the first quarter and oil prices are tracking well below its $67-a-barr...
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley see room for the South African Reserve Bank to lower its inflation forecast for 2026, as policymakers prepare for their first interest-rate decision of the year later this week. The rand has strengthened considerably from the central bank’s November assumption of 17.25 per dollar for the first quarter and oil prices are tracking well below its $67-a-barrel forecast for this year, Goldman’s Andrew Matheny and Ludovica Ambrosino wrote in a note. “In our view, this implies a likely downward revision of 0.2-0.3 percentage points to the inflation outlook for 2026,” they said. That view matches projections of 3.2% by Morgan Stanley and Nedbank Corporate and Investment Banking, and compares with the 3.3% median estimate of 20 economists surveyed by Bloomberg and the central bank’s 3.5% forecast. At that level, inflation would be close to the monetary authority’s new 3% target, formally adopted by the National Treasury in November. Despite the investment banks’ dovish outlook, they’re split on whether policymakers will cut interest rates on Thursday — a division echoed in Bloomberg’s broader survey of 21 economists, where 11 expect a 25 basis-point cut to 6.5% and the rest a hold. Read More: South Africa’s Kganyago Sees Inflation Around 3% This Year “While we see the case for a rate cut and view the decision as a relatively close call given the recent sharp rand appreciation, we think that the SARB would prefer to err on the side of caution and remain behind the curve in the cutting cycle,” Matheny and Ambrosino said. “This is especially the case in the context of somewhat stronger recent growth data that reduce the urgency to cut rates, as well as in the presence of geopolitical risks that could pose upside to the oil price or downside to risk sentiment and the rand.” Morgan Stanley’s Andrea Masia said in a note seen by Bloomberg that he expects officials to adopt a cautious approach because of more rigid inflation expectations a...
kentoh/iStock via Getty Images Introduction & Investment Thesis After clocking in +167%, +340%, and +135% gains over 2023, 2024, and 2025, respectively, is Palantir (NASDAQ: PLTR ) stock headed for another 100%+ year in 2026? That’s the question on everyone’s mind. So, let me get straight to the point. Palantir stock has not been able to create a new high since the time of my last writing , underp...
kentoh/iStock via Getty Images Introduction & Investment Thesis After clocking in +167%, +340%, and +135% gains over 2023, 2024, and 2025, respectively, is Palantir (NASDAQ: PLTR ) stock headed for another 100%+ year in 2026? That’s the question on everyone’s mind. So, let me get straight to the point. Palantir stock has not been able to create a new high since the time of my last writing , underperforming the S&P 500. While it has withstood the SaaS apocalypse much better than several names that have seen their market caps decimated in 2026 so far, Palantir stock still remains priced to perfection. It is likely that Palantir will once again beat its Q4 revenue estimate, marking a 10th consecutive quarter of revenue acceleration, when it reports its Q4 FY25 earnings on 02/02 . However, the growth rate in its earnings per share is expected to start slowing down. This is at a time when overall analysts' estimates for earnings per share growth for the S&P 500 are optimistic, while the index is trading over its 5- and 10-year price-to-earnings multiple. Not to mention that there is no room for any disappointment from OpenAI, which can otherwise cause a short-term meltdown in the AI trade. What I want to make clear is that at a fundamental level, Palantir’s bullish thesis still remains intact. As we heard from TSMC’s (NYSE: TSM ) latest earnings , the demand signals in the AI buildout are strong, leading the company to ramp up their capex, while the current supercycle in memory just points to the explosion in demand for inference workloads. This all bodes extremely well for Palantir, where its AIP (Artificial Intelligence Platform) plays a fundamental role in monetizing inference workloads by taking real-time data across systems and turning it into actionable simulations across business cases. However, at the moment, I don’t expect Palantir to achieve 100%+ gains like the previous three years. My current price target of $199 per share still suggests an upside of 21% from...
kentoh/iStock via Getty Images Introduction & Investment Thesis After clocking in +167%, +340%, and +135% gains over 2023, 2024, and 2025, respectively, is Palantir ( PLTR ) stock headed for another 100%+ year in 2026? That’s the question on everyone’s mind. So, let me get straight to the point. Palantir stock has not been able to create a new high since the time of my last writing , underperformi...
kentoh/iStock via Getty Images Introduction & Investment Thesis After clocking in +167%, +340%, and +135% gains over 2023, 2024, and 2025, respectively, is Palantir ( PLTR ) stock headed for another 100%+ year in 2026? That’s the question on everyone’s mind. So, let me get straight to the point. Palantir stock has not been able to create a new high since the time of my last writing , underperforming the S&P 500. While it has withstood the SaaS apocalypse much better than several names that have seen their market caps decimated in 2026 so far, Palantir stock still remains priced to perfection. It is likely that Palantir will once again beat its Q4 revenue estimate, marking a 10th consecutive quarter of revenue acceleration, when it reports its Q4 FY25 earnings on 02/02 . However, the growth rate in its earnings per share is expected to start slowing down. This is at a time when overall analysts' estimates for earnings per share growth for the S&P 500 are optimistic, while the index is trading over its 5- and 10-year price-to-earnings multiple. Not to mention that there is no room for any disappointment from OpenAI, which can otherwise cause a short-term meltdown in the AI trade. What I want to make clear is that at a fundamental level, Palantir’s bullish thesis still remains intact. As we heard from TSMC’s ( TSM ) latest earnings , the demand signals in the AI buildout are strong, leading the company to ramp up their capex, while the current supercycle in memory just points to the explosion in demand for inference workloads. This all bodes extremely well for Palantir, where its AIP (Artificial Intelligence Platform) plays a fundamental role in monetizing inference workloads by taking real-time data across systems and turning it into actionable simulations across business cases. However, at the moment, I don’t expect Palantir to achieve 100%+ gains like the previous three years. My current price target of $199 per share still suggests an upside of 21% from current lev...
Key Points Axon stock fell 4% in 2025, marking its first losing year in a decade. The company seemed to be a victim of its own success as the stock got significantly more expensive over the last ten years. The company has made smart strategic moves to boost its competitive advantage and set it up for long-term growth. 10 stocks we like better than Axon Enterprise › Delivering gains on the stock ma...
Key Points Axon stock fell 4% in 2025, marking its first losing year in a decade. The company seemed to be a victim of its own success as the stock got significantly more expensive over the last ten years. The company has made smart strategic moves to boost its competitive advantage and set it up for long-term growth. 10 stocks we like better than Axon Enterprise › Delivering gains on the stock market year in and year out isn't easy. Most stocks are subject to the same cyclical and macroeconomic forces that affect the broad market, and major indexes like the S&P 500 have losing years from time to time. On average, the S&P 500 falls about once in every four years. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now, when you join Stock Advisor. See the stocks » From 2016-2024, the S&P 500 had two losing years, in 2018 and 2022, but Axon Enterprise (NASDAQ: AXON) was the rare stock that generated a positive return in every one of those nine years. It was a remarkable streak for the TASER maker and law enforcement technology company that saw it expand beyond its core in electrical weapons to an array of body and dashboard cameras as well as complementary software to help law enforcement agencies manage things like evidence, records, and prosecutions. From the end of 2015 to 2024, the stock jumped a whopping 3,340% with a surge coming at the end of 2024 as the chart below shows. That jump in late 2024 may have contributed to the end of the streak the following year as Axon stock fell by 4% in 2025 even after it spent much of the year in positive territory, up by more than 40% at one point. The 4% decline compared to a 16% gain in the S&P 500, making it the first time it underperformed the S&P 500 since 2017. So was 2025 just an anomaly for Axon? Can the law enforcement tech stock get back on track this year? Let's take a look at what to expect from the company in 2026. Where Axon is today Axon's slum...
If you look at Energy Transfer 's (NYSE: ET) history, you might have some concerns about trust. Complex machinations around a canceled merger in 2016 and a dividend cut in 2020 would, together, be enough to dissuade many dividend investors from buying the stock. However, for more aggressive dividend investors, the 7.3% yield could be an opportunity, as management looks to prove that it has turned ...
If you look at Energy Transfer 's (NYSE: ET) history, you might have some concerns about trust. Complex machinations around a canceled merger in 2016 and a dividend cut in 2020 would, together, be enough to dissuade many dividend investors from buying the stock. However, for more aggressive dividend investors, the 7.3% yield could be an opportunity, as management looks to prove that it has turned over a new leaf. Energy Transfer operates in the midstream segment of the broader energy sector . It owns the energy infrastructure that moves oil and natural gas around the world. It largely charges fees for the use of its energy infrastructure assets, like pipelines and storage facilities. The often volatile prices of oil and natural gas are less important than the volume of these fuels moving through Energy Transfer's system. Energy demand tends to be strong even during energy market downturns because of the importance of energy to the modern world. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
A government funding package for USA Rare Earth creates a new national champion for heavy critical minerals while reshaping the domestic mining sector.
A government funding package for USA Rare Earth creates a new national champion for heavy critical minerals while reshaping the domestic mining sector.
Xpeng Vice Chairman & President Brian Gu discusses business outlook and AI transition. He speaks exclusively with Bloomberg's David Ingles at the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong.
Xpeng Vice Chairman & President Brian Gu discusses business outlook and AI transition. He speaks exclusively with Bloomberg's David Ingles at the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong.
Micron just flipped from boring chip maker to market rocket. Is MU stock a must-cop or is everyone late to the party? Real talk on hype, risks, and what you should do next. The internet is low-key losing it over Micron TechnologyMU actually worth your money… or are you just falling for the hype? Let’s talk receipts: AI needs insane amounts of memory and storage, and that is literally Micron’s whol...
Micron just flipped from boring chip maker to market rocket. Is MU stock a must-cop or is everyone late to the party? Real talk on hype, risks, and what you should do next. The internet is low-key losing it over Micron TechnologyMU actually worth your money… or are you just falling for the hype? Let’s talk receipts: AI needs insane amounts of memory and storage, and that is literally Micron’s whole lane. Wall Street has clocked in, retail is sniffing around, and the chart has been doing numbers. The real question for you: are you early… or already late? The Hype is Real: Micron Technology on TikTok and Beyond Micron isn’t exactly a household name like Apple or Nvidia, but scroll long enough and you’ll see it popping up in AI stock lists, semiconductor breakdowns, and "what I’m buying next" videos. The vibe right now: serious upside, but not meme-stock energy. Want to see the receipts? Check the latest reviews here: On TikTok and YouTube, creators are lumping Micron into the AI infrastructure squad — the companies that don’t build chatbots, but build the stuff that makes AI actually run. Think memory for data centers, high-performance storage, chips tuned for AI workloads. That’s the clout lane Micron is sliding into. Is it going viral like Dogecoin or GameStop? No. But in finance-Tok and stock YouTube, MU is getting labeled as a "must-have" pick for long-term AI exposure. Less casino, more long game. Top or Flop? What You Need to Know You’re not here for buzzwords. You want the real talk: what actually matters with Micron, right now? 1. AI Memory = Micron’s Main Character Era Every big AI model you see — from chatbots to image generators — needs huge amounts of high-speed memory to run. That’s DRAM. It also needs blazing-fast storage. That’s NAND. Micron builds both. As AI training and inference ramp up, data centers are upgrading to more advanced memory and high-bandwidth solutions. That’s the core of Micron’s pitch: AI isn’t a one-time hype; it’s a long, expensive...
By Toby Sterling and Nathan Vifflin AMSTERDAM, Jan 27 (Reuters) - As artificial intelligence firms jostle for the Nvidia chips needed to power the AI boom, Dutch firm ASML has carved out a key niche in the supply chain: building the laser-using machines needed to print them. ASML, which counts Taiwan's TSMC and Intel amongst its clients, makes the huge precision machines needed to print the minus...
By Toby Sterling and Nathan Vifflin AMSTERDAM, Jan 27 (Reuters) - As artificial intelligence firms jostle for the Nvidia chips needed to power the AI boom, Dutch firm ASML has carved out a key niche in the supply chain: building the laser-using machines needed to print them. ASML, which counts Taiwan's TSMC and Intel amongst its clients, makes the huge precision machines needed to print the minuscule circuitry onto silicon chips, dominating the market for the high-end microprocessors needed for AI. The Veldhoven, Netherlands-based company has seen its shares double in value since last April and rise 25% this month alone amid signs that its chipmaker clients are ramping up investment as a supply crunch pushes up chip prices. Now investors are watching whether the firm ups its forecasts for flat-to-modest sales growth in 2026 when it reports earnings on Wednesday, analysts said. Analysts have been upgrading estimates as the stock races ahead, with new forecasts significantly above the company's guidance. A monopoly on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology has helped the firm ride the coattails of chip design giant Nvidia amid a global AI arms race that has created trillions of dollars in value. ASML is "the only game in town," said John West of semiconductor consultancy Yole Group, referring to EUV, which uses light beams just 13.5 nanometers thick - minuscule, given a human hair is around 80,000–100,000 nanometers across. CHIPMAKER CLIENTS RAMP UP CAPEX PLANS The firm will also update its plans to ramp up the number of machines it can make. Demand for ASML's high-tech tools has made the firm Europe's most valuable listed company with a market cap recently topping $500 billion. ASML controls some 90% of the market for lithography systems, analysts estimate, due to its high-throughput machines. It is the only maker of EUV technology, in which drops of tin are vaporized with lasers 50,000 times a second to create the light. Demand for AI-linked cloud services boo...
“If something serious happens there, we would have to go to rescue the Japanese and American citizens in Taiwan. In that situation, there may be cases where Japan and the US take joint action,” Takaichi said in her latest elaboration of her country’s potential military involvement in case of a Taiwan conflict. “And if the US forces, acting jointly with us, come under attack and Japan does nothing ...
“If something serious happens there, we would have to go to rescue the Japanese and American citizens in Taiwan. In that situation, there may be cases where Japan and the US take joint action,” Takaichi said in her latest elaboration of her country’s potential military involvement in case of a Taiwan conflict. “And if the US forces, acting jointly with us, come under attack and Japan does nothing and simply runs away, the Japan-US alliance would collapse. So we would respond strictly within the limits of the law – within the limits of the laws as they currently exist – while making a comprehensive judgment based on what is happening on the ground.” Advertisement The latest remarks were made on a Japanese television programme on Monday night as she was pressed by opposition parties to elaborate on or retract the remarks she made in November on the Taiwan contingency that plunged Tokyo’s relations with Beijing to their lowest level in over a decade. 02:41 Japan tourist arrivals break records despite drop in visitors from mainland China Japan tourist arrivals break records despite drop in visitors from mainland China At that time, Takaichi said Japan could mobilise its Self-Defence Forces in response to a hypothetical attack on Taiwan.
Friends remember pair killed in Anthony Joshua crash 3 hours ago Share Save Nora Fakim London, South Ruislip Share Save Social media Latif Ayodele (left) and Sina Ghami (right) were close friends and team members of Anthony Joshua (middle) In South Ruislip, north-west London, a community is coming to terms with the deaths of their friends Sina Ghami and Latif Adeyole. The pair were travelling with...
Friends remember pair killed in Anthony Joshua crash 3 hours ago Share Save Nora Fakim London, South Ruislip Share Save Social media Latif Ayodele (left) and Sina Ghami (right) were close friends and team members of Anthony Joshua (middle) In South Ruislip, north-west London, a community is coming to terms with the deaths of their friends Sina Ghami and Latif Adeyole. The pair were travelling with heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua and another passenger when their vehicle collided with a truck on a major road near Lagos, Nigeria, on 29 December. Ghami and Adeyole were childhood friends of Joshua and were part of his team. Adeyole was Joshua's personal trainer and Ghami was his rehabilitation coach. Walid Bouzaghar, who was mentored by Adeyole, said: "Sina, Latif, A.J and his team were the epitome of humble." Handout Walid Bouzaghar (right) says his friend Latif Adeyole (left) spread love and positivity to others The west Londoner said that despite being part of Joshua's inner circle, the group had always remained grounded. "You'd never see those guys around thinking they were better than anyone else. "I knew Latif as one of my close friends, and he radiated that outwardly, inwardly and that's why so many people have so much good things to say about him. "His character was always about spreading love, positivity and faith to those around him." Handout Latif Adeyole was committed to giving back to the community, his friends say Bouzaghar added Adeyole's Islamic faith played a central role in his life and he was committed to giving back to London's communities. "Latif would always say: 'Never hold a grudge, you don't know someone else's story. You deal with people in compassion, and you always resolve issues with your brothers and sisters.' "That was him. He helped me a lot when I was not in a good place. He took me as I was. We travelled to Morocco together and I realised he wasn't just a friend, he was family." The gym community have been mourning the deaths of their f...
I accused a police officer of rape, but I ended up on trial Just now Share Save Rebecca Woods and Hayley Mortimer , BBC File on 4 Investigates Share Save Getty Images When Ruth walked into a police station to allege she had been raped by her partner, she did not think that she would end up in the dock. She would later be accused by police of making a false rape allegation, charged and put on trial...
I accused a police officer of rape, but I ended up on trial Just now Share Save Rebecca Woods and Hayley Mortimer , BBC File on 4 Investigates Share Save Getty Images When Ruth walked into a police station to allege she had been raped by her partner, she did not think that she would end up in the dock. She would later be accused by police of making a false rape allegation, charged and put on trial. It led to a years-long struggle to clear her name, before she was eventually acquitted. Ruth, whose name we have changed to protect her identity, reported the alleged rape in early 2020 - seven months after she and the man, a police officer, had split up. The day of the alleged assault was the last time the pair had seen each other. "I felt if I didn't report it, I couldn't carry on with my life anymore," Ruth tells File on 4 Investigates. While the accused man was not charged with a crime, Ruth faced an accusation of perverting the course of justice, an offence that carries a maximum life jail term. In the UK, only an "extremely small number" of people every year are prosecuted for making false rape claims, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The latest official CPS figures, from more than a decade ago, show there were 5,651 prosecutions for rape in England and Wales over a 17-month period in 2011-12 - compared with 35 prosecutions for making false allegations of rape. Around the same time, CPS guidelines were updated, leading to a drop in false rape prosecutions. Someone falsely accused of rape before a trial is likely to spend time in a police cell or even prison. If they are charged, their name will normally be made public. Even those quickly exonerated can face stigma. Current CPS guidance says it is important that police acknowledge the damaging impact a false rape allegation can have, and that these cases should be dealt with robustly. "The bar for these prosecutions is rightly high," it told us, and "charging decisions must be approved by lawyers at ...
The digital economy presents growing challenges for tax systems as online services highlight the limitations of current frameworks. Virtual ventures, such as Meta or Alphabet, notably have large customer bases in countries where they have no physical presence, generating profits from advertising or subscription services. Because tax rules still assume a physical presence, profits from digital acti...
The digital economy presents growing challenges for tax systems as online services highlight the limitations of current frameworks. Virtual ventures, such as Meta or Alphabet, notably have large customer bases in countries where they have no physical presence, generating profits from advertising or subscription services. Because tax rules still assume a physical presence, profits from digital activities often bypass contributions where consumers are located. Instead, multinationals usually pay corporate levies where production takes place. “It is important that all sectors of our economies pay their fair share of taxes and contribute to the functioning of our societies,” says the European Commission. To address this, the OECD has been hosting negotiations involving more than 140 countries to update the international tax system. The proposal, known as Pillar One, would require some of the world’s largest multinationals to pay part of their tax in countries where their consumers are based. Where in Europe are DSTs in place? Several European countries have expressed interest in implementing a digital services tax (DST), particularly while a OECD-wide deal makes slow progress. France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, and Portugal have introduced a DST within the EU. The UK, Switzerland, and Turkey have also implemented such taxes. Belgium, Czechia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Norway have announced plans or signalled intentions to introduce a DST. DST rates and the exact nature of the taxes vary across Europe, according to data compiled by Cristina Enache of the Tax Foundation. DST rates average around 3% to 5%, and Hungary currently has the highest rate at 7.5%. Turkey, which previously shared the top spot with Hungary, saw its DST rate fall to 5% in 2026 — and this will fall to 2.5% in 2027. The rate is 2% in the UK and Denmark, while Poland has a 1.5% tax on streaming and audio-visual services. It is 3% in Belgium, France, Italy, Latvia, and Spain....