A sewage leak in New Zealand’s capital Wellington has been described by local authorities as an “environmental disaster,” with repairs to the city’s wastewater treatment plant expected to take months. Residents of Wellington have been advised not to enter the water, collect seafood or even walk their dogs on local beaches. On Wednesday, the lower floors of the Moa Point wastewater treatment plant ...
A sewage leak in New Zealand’s capital Wellington has been described by local authorities as an “environmental disaster,” with repairs to the city’s wastewater treatment plant expected to take months. Residents of Wellington have been advised not to enter the water, collect seafood or even walk their dogs on local beaches. On Wednesday, the lower floors of the Moa Point wastewater treatment plant were completely flooded after heavy rain caused sewage to back up into the 1.8km outfall pipe that normally discharges treated wastewater into Cook Strait, according to Wellington Water. As a result, untreated sewage began flowing through a shorter five-metre outfall pipe into the waters off Wellington’s south coast. Wellington Water chief executive Pat Dougherty said around 70 million litres of raw wastewater had leaked into surrounding waters, New Zealand’s 1News reported. Dougherty said he was “at a loss” to explain why the outfall pipe failed, adding: “The outfall pipeline has more capacity than the treatment plant itself, it’s designed to be the one thing that works whatever happens.” Wellington mayor Andrew Little on Thursday described the leak as a “catastrophic failure,” saying: “This is a sewage plant processing the sewage for a big city, and it has completely failed, it just completely stopped.” In a Facebook update on Friday morning, Wellington Water said it had partially restored operation of the long outfall pipe and the screening system, which removes sanitary pads and wet wipes from wastewater. The company said it was currently able to pump “900 litres per second of wastewater through the long outfall pipe,” noting: “This is most of the wastewater during an average day, but during peak flows throughout the day we will need to use the short outfall pipe.” “Discharging screened wastewater out to sea via the 1.8km long outfall pipe allows for greater dilution of the wastewater in the Cook Strait,” the company said, adding: “This reduces the amount of untreated w...
Shares of the membership-based retailer are crushing the market this year. The market is on edge year to date, to say the least. As of this writing, the S&P 500's return so far in 2026 is about flat. But that stat doesn't show the carnage in some corners of the market. Many software-as-a-service stocks, for instance, have been crushed. In recent trading days, the market seems to be losing its appe...
Shares of the membership-based retailer are crushing the market this year. The market is on edge year to date, to say the least. As of this writing, the S&P 500's return so far in 2026 is about flat. But that stat doesn't show the carnage in some corners of the market. Many software-as-a-service stocks, for instance, have been crushed. In recent trading days, the market seems to be losing its appetite for riskier growth stocks and is instead turning to steadier, more durable companies like Costco (COST +1.11%). Shares of membership-based wholesale retailer Costco have risen about 15% year to date, crushing the market, as investors appreciate the company's ability to consistently grow in just about any environment. Its combination of low prices, a membership model, and a large share of sales from everyday essentials that keep its members coming back exemplifies the type of business investors appreciate during periods of uncertainty. Is the stock's momentum in 2026 just the start? Or, put another way, is Costco stock a buy today? Steady sales growth Earlier this week, Costco gave investors another glimpse into its sales momentum. Per usual, it's impressive. Sales for its retail month of January rose 9.3% year over year. These sales were fueled by a 7.1% increase in same-store sales, or sales growth at stores open for more than a year. Excluding the impact of changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange, Costco's same-store sales rose 6.4% year over year. Importantly, Costco's adjusted same-store sales growth for the period accelerated from 6.2% growth in December. But investors should keep in mind that the month could have benefited from severe winter storms that swept over the U.S. during the period. Still, the point is that Costco's sales growth remains both robust and steady. Perhaps even more exciting was the company's growth in digitally enabled sales, which Costco defines in its annual report as "sales delivered to members that are initiated through a digital...
Dozens of people have died in Japan after record-breaking snowfall blanketed northern regions of the country, while officials warned that warmer temperatures could trigger a new wave of accidents. Authorities said 35 people had died in snow-related incidents across Japan since 20 January, with almost 400 injured, 126 of them seriously. Most of the deaths were among people who fell while trying to ...
Dozens of people have died in Japan after record-breaking snowfall blanketed northern regions of the country, while officials warned that warmer temperatures could trigger a new wave of accidents. Authorities said 35 people had died in snow-related incidents across Japan since 20 January, with almost 400 injured, 126 of them seriously. Most of the deaths were among people who fell while trying to clear snow from their roofs or around their homes. Perilous conditions created by heavy snowfall have also affected foreign travellers. On Wednesday, a 27-year-old man from Melbourne, identified by the ABC as Michael Hurst, died after collapsing and falling while skiing with several other people at the ski resort where he worked in Niseko on the northernmost main island of Hokkaido. His death came days after a 22-year-old woman from Queensland – identified by Australian media as Brooke Day – died at a resort in Nagano prefecture after her backpack got caught in a ski lift and she was left hanging mid-air. Most of the incidents reported over the past two weeks have occurred in areas near the Sea of Japan, which are experiencing unusually heavy snowfall due to a cold air masses arriving from the Arctic. This winter has brought chaos to 15 of the country’s 47 prefectures (counties), with snow reaching 6.5 feet (2m) in depth in some places. It left more than 1,700 homes without electricity in Aomori prefecture and caused the cancellation of regular and bullet train services. The local governor, Soichiro Miyashita, said this week that emergency vehicles were struggling to get through to people in difficulty, forcing emergency workers carrying stretchers to search for them on foot. “We anticipate some roads might get blocked off, and so we are consulting with services that can help with ambulances and fire trucks to get through to their destinations,” Miyashita told reporters. View image in fullscreen Sustained snow since late January has buried northern communities like Aomori u...
Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund Danantara said on Friday that the credit rating outlook downgrade by rating agency Moody’s highlighted the need for institutional reform and policy consistency. The agency’s affirmation of Indonesia ’s investment grade reflected confidence in the country’s long-term prospects, it said, adding that it would continue to operate professionally, accountably ...
Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund Danantara said on Friday that the credit rating outlook downgrade by rating agency Moody’s highlighted the need for institutional reform and policy consistency. The agency’s affirmation of Indonesia ’s investment grade reflected confidence in the country’s long-term prospects, it said, adding that it would continue to operate professionally, accountably and transparently as the country’s sovereign fund Indonesian stocks and currency traded weaker in early trade on Friday after Moody’s lowered the country’s credit rating outlook, the latest jolt in a turbulent start to the year for Southeast Asia’s largest economy. Advertisement The main stock index slipped more than 2 per cent while the rupiah dropped as much as 0.33 per cent to 16,880 a dollar, its lowest since January 22. Indonesia’s top economic minister vows capital market reforms Indonesia’s top economic minister vows capital market reforms Moody’s said on Thursday it had cut Indonesia’s credit rating outlook to negative from stable, citing reduced predictability in policymaking days after MSCI flagged transparency issues that triggered a market rout of more than US$80 billion. Advertisement The global ratings agency cited concerns about policy effectiveness and signs of weakening governance, trends that it said could erode Indonesia’s long-established policy credibility if they persisted.
The recent court ruling giving the United States a win in a tussle for control of the Panama Canal is expected to prove an important “test case” for how China responds to the challenge to its interests and influence across Latin America. Analysts said there were a range of tools it could use, including diplomatic pressure on Panama, using its economic might to seek support from friendly countries ...
The recent court ruling giving the United States a win in a tussle for control of the Panama Canal is expected to prove an important “test case” for how China responds to the challenge to its interests and influence across Latin America. Analysts said there were a range of tools it could use, including diplomatic pressure on Panama, using its economic might to seek support from friendly countries and backing a legal challenge to the ruling. Last week, Panama’s Supreme Court voided a 25-year contract held by a subsidiary of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings to run the Balboa and Cristobal ports on the Panama Canal. The firm is now challenging the decision. Advertisement In his inaugural address last year, US President Donald Trump vowed to regain control of the canal, which Washington handed over to Panama in 1999, alleging it was “operated by China”. He has since made clear his goal to assert US dominance in the Americas as part of his National Security Strategy. Advertisement “Instead of relying on traditional diplomatic measures, the Trump administration is showing it is not afraid of using pressure tactics to achieve its goal in the western hemisphere,” William Yang, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said.
Hi, this is Martin Ritchie from Shanghai, epicenter of the metals mania that’s been sweeping global markets. In more than a decade and a half covering commodities from China’s commercial hub, there’s rarely been a week like it. A barber asking what’s next for gold , party guests weighing in on silver’s dramatic rise and fall – even my 16-year-old son showing unprecedented curiosity about copper fu...
Hi, this is Martin Ritchie from Shanghai, epicenter of the metals mania that’s been sweeping global markets. In more than a decade and a half covering commodities from China’s commercial hub, there’s rarely been a week like it. A barber asking what’s next for gold , party guests weighing in on silver’s dramatic rise and fall – even my 16-year-old son showing unprecedented curiosity about copper futures. The sudden interest in metals was a worldwide phenomenon, as powerful rallies in everything from gold to copper and tin became an all-in momentum trade that ended with plunging prices and days of volatility. And a lot of this so-called “hot money” was in China, where a wave of investors – driven in part by social media excitement and influential commentators – piled into hard commodities on the promise of big short-term gains. Faced with a slowing economy and diminishing returns from property or the stock market, many were keen to jump on the metals wagon . Deutsche Bank analysts note “meaningful signs that investors in China may be a significant driving force in precious investment trends,” fueled by the relative lack of other avenues to channel their cash. But some lost hard when prices beat a retreat, such as this rookie trader who was left with a 750,000 yuan ($108,120) loss after opening a futures account on the advice of a friend. Her losses add to China’s long history of novice investors hurt when the excitement ebbed in spectacular fashion. China’s top four gold exchange-traded funds – one route for exposure to the precious metal – racked up their biggest-ever daily outflows of nearly a $1 billion on Tuesday as investors headed for the exits. The country’s only pure-play silver fund got pushback after switching its valuation model in response to the global ructions. It looks like a classic case of a speculative run-up and collapse. But stepping back from the froth and frenzy of the past week, we can see that the market convulsions also reflect bigger shifts f...
Kathrin Ziegler/DigitalVision via Getty Images As recently as December, I believed that Ralliant ( RAL ) appeared to show some operating momentum and reveal some potential. However, it was difficult to build on this after the business was spun off from
Kathrin Ziegler/DigitalVision via Getty Images As recently as December, I believed that Ralliant ( RAL ) appeared to show some operating momentum and reveal some potential. However, it was difficult to build on this after the business was spun off from
"Dystopic As F**k": This Website Lets AI Bots Rent Humans The AI era already feels like a dystopian fever dream straight out of a bad sci-fi novel , but leave it to a software engineer to push the accelerator straight into the abyss. Enter Alexander Liteplo, the software developer behind RentAHuman.ai, a freshly launched platform that lets autonomous AI agents “search, book, and pay” actual human ...
"Dystopic As F**k": This Website Lets AI Bots Rent Humans The AI era already feels like a dystopian fever dream straight out of a bad sci-fi novel , but leave it to a software engineer to push the accelerator straight into the abyss. Enter Alexander Liteplo, the software developer behind RentAHuman.ai, a freshly launched platform that lets autonomous AI agents “search, book, and pay” actual human beings to perform physical-world tasks they can't handle themselves, Futurism reports. I launched https://t.co/tNYOm7V5wD last night and already 130+ people have signed up including an OF model (lmao) and the CEO of an AI startup. If your AI agent wants to rent a person to do an IRL task for them its as simple as one MCP call. pic.twitter.com/tgqlAWDWtJ — Alex (@AlexanderTw33ts) February 2, 2026 Launched just days ago, the site bills itself as “the meatspace layer for AI,” with slogans like “ robots need your body ” and “AI can’t touch grass. You can.” Humans sign up, list their skills, location, and hourly rate (ranging from bargain-basement gigs to more specialized rates), while AI agents plug in via a standardized Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for seamless, no-small-talk interactions. The agents can browse profiles, hire directly, or post task bounties—everything from mundane errands like picking up a package. Liteplo claims thousands of sign-ups, with figures hovering around 70,000–80,000+ “rentable” humans , though visible profiles seem to only show a few dozen in some, including Liteplo himself at $69/hr offering everything from AI automation to massages, Futurism reports. The whole thing emerged amid the viral frenzy around Moltbook.com, the AI-only social network launched by Matt Schlicht in late January, now boasting something like 1.5 million bot “users” churning out posts, memes, existential rants, and even discussions about defying human directives. RentAHuman feels like the logical, if unsettling, next step: when the bots finish philosophizing among thems...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Feb. 5, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. ET Call participants Executive Chairman — Matthew Schultz Chief Financial Officer — Gary Vecchiarelli Chief Strategy Officer — Harry Sudock Takeaways Revenue -- $181 million for the quarter, declining 19% quarter over quarter due to rising Bitcoin network difficulty and lower Bitcoin prices. -- $181 million for the quarter, declining 19% qua...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Feb. 5, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. ET Call participants Executive Chairman — Matthew Schultz Chief Financial Officer — Gary Vecchiarelli Chief Strategy Officer — Harry Sudock Takeaways Revenue -- $181 million for the quarter, declining 19% quarter over quarter due to rising Bitcoin network difficulty and lower Bitcoin prices. -- $181 million for the quarter, declining 19% quarter over quarter due to rising Bitcoin network difficulty and lower Bitcoin prices. Gross margin -- 47% this quarter versus 57% in the prior year, reflecting increased network difficulty and higher power prices. -- 47% this quarter versus 57% in the prior year, reflecting increased network difficulty and higher power prices. Net income -- Net loss of approximately $379 million compared to net income of $247 million in the prior year, mainly from noncash Bitcoin mark-to-market valuation adjustments. -- Net loss of approximately $379 million compared to net income of $247 million in the prior year, mainly from noncash Bitcoin mark-to-market valuation adjustments. Adjusted EBITDA -- Negative $295 million this quarter versus positive $322 million in the prior year and positive $182 million in the previous quarter, driven by mark-to-market adjustments. -- Negative $295 million this quarter versus positive $322 million in the prior year and positive $182 million in the previous quarter, driven by mark-to-market adjustments. Normalized EBITDA -- $55 million adjusted for mark-to-market Bitcoin revaluation, reflecting a 30% normalized margin and underlying cash generation. -- $55 million adjusted for mark-to-market Bitcoin revaluation, reflecting a 30% normalized margin and underlying cash generation. Bitcoin holdings -- Over 13,000 Bitcoin held on balance sheet as of quarter end, with $1.15 billion in value; 40% (about 5,200 Bitcoin) allocated to yield generation through digital asset management. -- Over 13,000 Bitcoin held on balance sheet as of quarter end, with $1.15 billion in...