Heavy snow and ice hit northern and eastern Europe, disrupting transport and power systems as freezing conditions are forecast for the next two weeks. The winter storm triggered red weather alerts in Germany, where 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) of snow is expected in the south-central region and as much as 15 centimeters in the northeast, according to government forecaster DWD. Snow accumulation on ...
Heavy snow and ice hit northern and eastern Europe, disrupting transport and power systems as freezing conditions are forecast for the next two weeks. The winter storm triggered red weather alerts in Germany, where 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) of snow is expected in the south-central region and as much as 15 centimeters in the northeast, according to government forecaster DWD. Snow accumulation on solar panels in Germany is expected to limit electricity generation in some areas on Monday, according to MetDesk meteorologist Matthew Dobson. That comes as European natural gas prices extended their year-to-date rally as LNG export capacity at American hubs declined on the back of a massive US winter storm. Read More: European Gas Prices Jump as Winter Storm Cuts US LNG Capacity An orange weather warning was issued for southeast Sweden, with up to 30 centimeters of snow forecast from Monday afternoon through Tuesday. The national weather forecaster SMHI warned that power cuts would likely occur and told people not to venture outside unless necessary. Heavy snowfall is also expected in Denmark and Poland, which have issued amber alerts. Other warnings for winter weather have been issued across the region, stretching from Scandinavia through the Balkans. Read More: Post-Storm Freeze to Test US Power Grids as Demand Surges
TLDR Microsoft reports Q2 FY2026 earnings after market close on January 28, with Wall Street expecting earnings of $3.91 per share and revenue of $80.28 billion The stock has beaten earnings estimates in nine consecutive quarters and is up 7% in 2025, though down 14% from its all-time high Azure cloud business grew 40% year-over-year in Q1, driven by AI applications and access to multiple generati...
TLDR Microsoft reports Q2 FY2026 earnings after market close on January 28, with Wall Street expecting earnings of $3.91 per share and revenue of $80.28 billion The stock has beaten earnings estimates in nine consecutive quarters and is up 7% in 2025, though down 14% from its all-time high Azure cloud business grew 40% year-over-year in Q1, driven by AI applications and access to multiple generative AI models including ChatGPT, Grok, Llama, and Claude Several analysts maintained Buy ratings but lowered price targets to around $600 due to broader software sector valuation pressures, not Microsoft’s fundamentals Options traders expect a 5.41% move in either direction following the earnings report, while the stock now trades at 28.5 times forward earnings versus its five-year average of 31.5 times 💥 Find the Next KnockoutStock! Get live prices, charts, and KO Scores from KnockoutStocks.com , the data-driven platform ranking every stock by quality and breakout potential. Microsoft reports its fiscal 2026 second quarter earnings on January 28 after market close. Wall Street forecasts earnings of $3.91 per share, up 21% year-over-year. Microsoft Corporation, MSFT Revenue is expected to reach $80.28 billion, representing a 15% increase from the same quarter last year. The company has exceeded earnings estimates in each of the past nine consecutive quarters. The stock is up about 7% in 2025. However, it remains down nearly 14% from its all-time high reached in late October. Investors are focused on Azure’s performance and the company’s AI initiatives. Azure cloud revenue grew 40% year-over-year in the first quarter. Azure Powers AI Growth Strategy Azure has emerged as a top platform for building AI applications. The service gives users access to multiple generative AI models. Microsoft maintains a large ownership stake in OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT. But Azure also provides access to other AI models including X’s Grok, Meta Platforms’ Llama, and Anthropic’s Claude. New AI da...
Hong Kong’s high-speed rail network is launching a limited-time “buy one, get one free” offer for tickets to Shenzhen’s Futian from Tuesday in celebration of its service expanding to 110 destinations in mainland China. The limited-time offer coincides with the launch of 16 new mainland destinations, including stops at major eastern hubs such as Nanjing, Wuxi and Hefei, on Monday. Secretary for Tra...
Hong Kong’s high-speed rail network is launching a limited-time “buy one, get one free” offer for tickets to Shenzhen’s Futian from Tuesday in celebration of its service expanding to 110 destinations in mainland China. The limited-time offer coincides with the launch of 16 new mainland destinations, including stops at major eastern hubs such as Nanjing, Wuxi and Hefei, on Monday. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan, who spoke at an opening ceremony for the expanded service, hailed the move as a “new milestone” for public transport, emphasising the role it would play in strengthening the city’s ties with the mainland. Advertisement “With West Kowloon station now linked to the mainland’s massive high-speed rail network, it will encourage Hong Kong residents and tourists alike to travel across the length and breadth of the country, embodying Hong Kong’s role as a ‘superconnector’,” she said. To celebrate the expanded service, the MTR Corporation said its buy one, get one free deal for trips between West Kowloon and Futian stations would be available from Tuesday to customers using online platforms such as HopeGoo, Klook and Trip.com. Advertisement The rail giant said the offer was only available while stocks lasted.
Venezuela Continues To Top Global Inflation Forecasts In 2026 In 2026, U.S. inflation is projected to decline to 2.4%, ultimately remaining above the Fed’s target. Many European and Asian countries, meanwhile, are expected to see sub-2% increases in prices. Countries facing instability, like Venezuela and Sudan, will brace for significantly higher price pressures. This graphic, via Visual Capitali...
Venezuela Continues To Top Global Inflation Forecasts In 2026 In 2026, U.S. inflation is projected to decline to 2.4%, ultimately remaining above the Fed’s target. Many European and Asian countries, meanwhile, are expected to see sub-2% increases in prices. Countries facing instability, like Venezuela and Sudan, will brace for significantly higher price pressures. This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Dorothy Neufeld, shows the 2026 inflation forecast for global economies, based on data from the International Monetary Fund . Ranked: The 2026 Inflation Forecast Below, we show inflation projections for 2026 across 190 economies: Rank Country Inflation Rate Forecast 2026 (%) Region 1 🇻🇪 Venezuela 682.1 South America 2 🇸🇩 Sudan 54.6 Africa 3 🇮🇷 Iran 41.6 Middle East 4 🇲🇲 Myanmar 28.0 Asia 5 🇧🇮 Burundi 26.3 Africa 6 🇭🇹 Haiti 26.2 North America 7 🇹🇷 Türkiye 24.7 Asia 8 🇲🇼 Malawi 24.1 Africa 9 🇳🇬 Nigeria 22.0 Africa 10 🇾🇪 Yemen 18.5 Middle East 11 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe 18.2 Africa 12 🇦🇷 Argentina 16.4 South America 13 🇦🇴 Angola 16.3 Africa 14 🇸🇸 South Sudan 15.8 Africa 15 🇪🇬 Egypt 11.8 Africa 16 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan 11.2 Asia 17 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone 10.5 Africa 18 🇬🇭 Ghana 9.9 Africa 19 🇸🇷 Suriname 9.6 South America 20 🇪🇹 Ethiopia 9.4 Africa 21 🇿🇲 Zambia 9.2 Africa 22 🇧🇩 Bangladesh 8.7 Asia 23 🇲🇳 Mongolia 8.1 Asia 24 🇱🇷 Liberia 7.7 Africa 25 🇺🇦 Ukraine 7.6 Europe 26 🇧🇾 Belarus 7.5 Europe 27 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan 7.3 Asia 28 🇲🇬 Madagascar 7.2 Africa 29 🇨🇩 DR Congo 7.1 Africa 30 🇸🇹 São Tomé and Príncipe 7.0 Africa 31 🇰🇬 Kyrgyz Republic 6.9 Asia 32 🇷🇴 Romania 6.7 Europe 33 🇹🇳 Tunisia 6.1 Africa 34 🇵🇰 Pakistan 6.0 Asia 35 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands 5.9 Oceania 36 🇱🇦 Lao P.D.R. 5.5 Asia 37 🇲🇩 Moldova 5.5 Europe 38 🇲🇿 Mozambique 5.4 Africa 39 🇰🇪 Kenya 5.2 Africa 40 🇷🇺 Russian Federation 5.2 Asia 41 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan 5.0 Asia 42 🇯🇲 Jamaica 5.0 North America 43 🇬🇲 Gambia 4.9 Africa 44 🇱🇸 Lesotho 4.8 Africa 45 🇧🇼 Botswana 4.7 Africa 46 🇷🇼 Rwanda 4.7 Africa 47 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea 4.6 Oceania 48 🇹🇬 Togo 4.5 Africa 49 🇦🇿 A...
A 2024 letter signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr ’s Executive Secretary Ralph Recto has become central to a renewed attempt to impeach the Philippine leader over allegations that billions of pesos meant for public health were diverted into infrastructure spending linked to politicians. Left-wing lawmakers and activists refiled an impeachment complaint against Marcos on Monday, accusing him o...
A 2024 letter signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr ’s Executive Secretary Ralph Recto has become central to a renewed attempt to impeach the Philippine leader over allegations that billions of pesos meant for public health were diverted into infrastructure spending linked to politicians. Left-wing lawmakers and activists refiled an impeachment complaint against Marcos on Monday, accusing him of “betrayal of public trust” for allowing state health insurance funds to be channelled into flood control projects, which critics say functioned as a revived form of pork barrel spending. The complaint centres on the transfer of at least 60 billion pesos (US$1.04 billion) from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, or PhilHealth, into projects funded under “unprogrammed appropriations”, a discretionary budget category that can only be released with presidential approval. Advertisement At issue is a letter written in April 2024 by Recto asking PhilHealth’s CEO to remit the funds, in which the then finance secretary referred to approval for the move at a cabinet meeting chaired by Marcos. This Week in Asia first learned of the letter from Dr Antonio Dans, convenor of the Health Professionals Alliance and an emeritus professor at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine. Advertisement Retired Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio has described that letter as “a smoking gun”, arguing it directly links the president to a transfer the Supreme Court later ruled unconstitutional. It remains to be seen if the letter is enough to implicate Marcos and give momentum to the impeachment push against him. Last year, the Supreme Court ordered the return of PhilHealth funds diverted to the national treasury, but did not rule on any criminal or presidential liability.
The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs said it has conveyed its “serious concerns” over escalating public exchanges between some officials and the Chinese embassy over the two nations’ competing claims in the South China Sea. The Department has made “firm representations to the Chinese Ambassador and the Chinese Embassy,” it said in a statement on Monday, while also reaffirming its support...
The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs said it has conveyed its “serious concerns” over escalating public exchanges between some officials and the Chinese embassy over the two nations’ competing claims in the South China Sea. The Department has made “firm representations to the Chinese Ambassador and the Chinese Embassy,” it said in a statement on Monday, while also reaffirming its support for Filipino officials performing their “lawful duties in defense of Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction.” Still, the foreign affairs department called on the need for sober and respectful exchanges. “Circumspection in language and actions are necessary so that the exchanges between the two sides, especially in the public domain, do not and will not unnecessarily derail the diplomatic space needed to manage the tensions,” it said. China’s embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last week, the embassy said a Philippine senator was doing “political theater.” It also earlier filed a diplomatic protest against Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela for using allegedly defamatory images of Chinese President Xi Jinping , but the Filipino official later said he won’t be intimidated. The Philippines and China have overlapping claims in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway believed to be rich in natural resources, which has long been a sore point in their bilateral relations. Beijing asserts sweeping claims to nearly all of the South China Sea, a position rejected by an international arbitral ruling in 2016. Confrontations have intensified in recent years as Manila has stepped up patrols and deepened security ties with the US, its treaty ally. Read More: Japan, Philippines Step Up Defense Ties Amid China Tensions (1)