(RTTNews) - The Australian stock market is significantly lower on Wednesday, giving up the gains in the previous session, with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 falling below the 7,200 level, following the broadly negative cues overnight from Wall Street, after Australia confirmed the first case of the Omicron variant, stoking fears of new restrictions. The doubts that existing vaccines will be less effec...
(RTTNews) - The Australian stock market is significantly lower on Wednesday, giving up the gains in the previous session, with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 falling below the 7,200 level, following the broadly negative cues overnight from Wall Street, after Australia confirmed the first case of the Omicron variant, stoking fears of new restrictions. The doubts that existing vaccines will be less effective against the Omicron also weighed on sentiment. U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's comments that the recent surge in new Covid-19 cases and the emergence of the Omicron variant pose downside risks to employment and economic activity as well as increased uncertainty for inflation also added to the woes. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index is losing 64.00 points or 0.88 percent to 7,192.00, after hitting a low of 7,183.40 earlier. The broader All Ordinaries Index is down 71.40 points or 0.94 percent to 7,516.00. Australian stocks ended slightly higher on Tuesday. Among major miners, BHP Group is edging up 0.2 percent and Rio Tinto is gaining almost 1 percent, while OZ Minerals and Fortescue are flat. Mineral Resources is losing more than 2 percent. Oil stocks are mostly lower. Woodside Petroleum is losing almost 1 percent and Santos is down more than 1 percent, while Origin Energy and Beach energy are declining more than 2 percent each. Oil Search is rising almost 2 percent. In the tech space, WiseTech Global is losing almost 2 percent, Xero is down almost 1 percent and Afterpay is declining almost 2 percent, while Appen is gaining more than 1 percent. Among the big four banks, ANZ Banking is losing almost 1 percent, while National Australia Bank, Westpac and Commonwealth Bank are edging down 0.3 percent each. Among gold miners, Newcrest Mining is declining almost 2 percent and Gold Road Resources is losing more than 2 percent, while Evolution Mining and Northern Star Resources are edging down 0.5 percent each. Resolute Mining is edging up 0.5 percent. The views an...
The US military carried out new strikes overnight in Iran targeting a military site and shooting down four Iranian one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz, a US official said on Wednesday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the military site that was struck was an Iranian ground control station in Iran’s Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a f...
The US military carried out new strikes overnight in Iran targeting a military site and shooting down four Iranian one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz, a US official said on Wednesday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the military site that was struck was an Iranian ground control station in Iran’s Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone. The US military strikes came during negotiations to end a three-month-old war that has killed thousands and sent global energy prices sharply higher since it began on February 28 with US and Israeli attacks. Advertisement “These actions were measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire,” the official said. US President Donald Trump earlier on Wednesday dismissed a Iranian state media report that Iran and Oman would jointly manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as part of a peace deal. Trump said the waterway would remain open. Advertisement The US last carried out what it called defensive strikes against Iran on Monday, in what Iran called a violation of the countries’ fragile ceasefire.
葵盛西邨食水管爆裂 五座樓、月海灣停水 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 【有線新聞】葵盛西邨有食水管爆裂，五座樓及一個私人屋苑暫停食水供應。 葵盛西邨停車場對開一條直徑200毫米地底食水管早上八時許爆裂，食水夾...
葵盛西邨食水管爆裂 五座樓、月海灣停水 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 【有線新聞】葵盛西邨有食水管爆裂，五座樓及一個私人屋苑暫停食水供應。 葵盛西邨停車場對開一條直徑200毫米地底食水管早上八時許爆裂，食水夾雜沙泥沖出路面，影響範圍30米乘30米。由於引致路陷，一輛重型貨車被困卡著，水務署派員關總掣搶修。葵盛西邨6至10座、葵盛西邨商場以及私人屋苑月海灣暫停食水供應，水務署已派出水車和放置水箱臨時供水。
華東華南持續炎熱 南方電網電力負荷創新高 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 【有線新聞】華東華南天氣持續炎熱，南方電網電力負荷刷新歷史最高紀錄。 南方近日受到熱浪侵襲，廈門最高氣溫達到40.3度，是今年首個高溫日...
華東華南持續炎熱 南方電網電力負荷創新高 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 【有線新聞】華東華南天氣持續炎熱，南方電網電力負荷刷新歷史最高紀錄。 南方近日受到熱浪侵襲，廈門最高氣溫達到40.3度，是今年首個高溫日，較去年提前一個多月出現。政府派出水車向地面灑水降溫，廣州這數天體感溫度高達47度。面對高溫來襲，當地避暑庇護場所24小時開放。海南發布高溫預警，海口等10縣市大部分鄉鎮平均氣溫超過37度，中午地面溫度更超過50度。南方電網電力負荷連續三日創新高，已全面啟動「夏季保供」模式。除了冷氣機等電器較往常早啟用，新能源汽車充電亦成為晚上用電主力，服務業、夜間經濟和家庭用電所佔比例越來越大。
Tucked between a tiny restaurant and a small supermarket on Auckland’s colourful Karangahape Road, a laundromat doubling as a music installation offers customers a chance to listen to tunes while their washing completes a cycle. It is the work of 34-year-old Auckland musician Jefferson Chen and artist Quentin Lind, 32. The pair chose a laundromat – rather than a gallery or online – to share their ...
Tucked between a tiny restaurant and a small supermarket on Auckland’s colourful Karangahape Road, a laundromat doubling as a music installation offers customers a chance to listen to tunes while their washing completes a cycle. It is the work of 34-year-old Auckland musician Jefferson Chen and artist Quentin Lind, 32. The pair chose a laundromat – rather than a gallery or online – to share their music while also serving another function: bringing together people from different walks of life. “It’s really easy to exist online and not have these connections, and we’re also slowly losing our public spaces,” Lind tells the Guardian. Getting people together is a topic of increasing concern in New Zealand, where social cohesion is fraying across every key measure. A report on cohesion that the Helen Clark Foundation released in May found financial stress, falling trust in government, and rising isolation are driving growing disconnection across the country of 5.3 million people. The co-author, economist Shamubeel Eaqub, says New Zealand is not yet polarised, but warns it is becoming “fractured”. “When we have a fractured society, it’s hard for us to be able to meet across difference and to make decisions that last the distance,” he says. View image in fullscreen Jefferson Chen and Quentin Lind in front of their studio in the Lim Chhour food court on Karangahape Road, central Auckland. Photograph: Becki Moss/The Guardian The report tracked attitudes in 2025 and compared them to results from a year earlier. The Guardian analysed a regional breakdown of the results, which revealed stark differences in the way New Zealand communities are experiencing life. Four of the main issues were cost of living, falling trust in government, isolation and rising anti-immigrant attitudes. But there are glimmers of hope. Younger New Zealanders, between the ages of 18 and 35, feel far more optimistic about social cohesion than older generations. Economic hardship in the far north Northland,...
Chinese imports of crude oil are set to drop to levels not seen since the pandemic, as the war in Iran reveals the extent to which demand has disappeared and may not be coming back. Inbound shipments could fall to an average of 10.9 million barrels a day this year, according to London-based consultancy Energy Aspects Ltd. That would be the weakest since 2022, when the economy was stricken by lockd...
Chinese imports of crude oil are set to drop to levels not seen since the pandemic, as the war in Iran reveals the extent to which demand has disappeared and may not be coming back. Inbound shipments could fall to an average of 10.9 million barrels a day this year, according to London-based consultancy Energy Aspects Ltd. That would be the weakest since 2022, when the economy was stricken by lockdowns to prevent the spread of Covid-19. China’s daily imports averaged 11.6 million barrels in 2025, a figure inflated by the government’s drive to buttress energy security by hoarding crude. Tehran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz caused imports to drop steeply in April to the lowest since July 2022. But compared to other big oil importers, the country has weathered the shock exceptionally well, primarily by cutting refinery runs and curbing product exports without needing to scout for alternative barrels. China’s muted demand marks a sharp shift for global markets. Over the past two years, its aggressive stockpiling absorbed much of the world’s surplus oil and helped support prices. But with Brent crude largely holding above $100 a barrel since the US and Israel first struck Iran, China no longer has the appetite. Transport in the country is increasingly electric, and its vast refining and petrochemicals industries simply have too much capacity relative to demand. “Last year, almost all of China’s growth in crude oil imports came from stock-building,” said Erica Downs, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. “Combined with the plateauing, if not peaking, of gasoline demand, this suggests that the era in which China was the most important driver of global oil demand growth is coming to a close.” Traders say Chinese demand for Saudi barrels , including those that can bypass Hormuz, has fallen sharply, and buyers are unusually relaxed about finding alternatives, even as the conflict verges on its fourth month. Earlier this week, ...
Key Points Lumen has nearly $13 billion in AI infrastructure contracts with hyperscalers including Microsoft and Anthropic. AWS and Google Cloud are both building connectivity products on top of Lumen's fiber network. The stock is up over 400% in three years but still trades at less than its annual sales. 10 stocks we like better than Lumen Technologies › AI stock lists usually involve Nvidia (NAS...
Key Points Lumen has nearly $13 billion in AI infrastructure contracts with hyperscalers including Microsoft and Anthropic. AWS and Google Cloud are both building connectivity products on top of Lumen's fiber network. The stock is up over 400% in three years but still trades at less than its annual sales. 10 stocks we like better than Lumen Technologies › AI stock lists usually involve Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), or perhaps Palantir (NASDAQ: PLTR). Investors rarely think about a beaten-down telecom company that traded at $1 two years ago. They should give Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) a chance, though. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » As of May 26, Lumen's stock has gained 416% in three years. It has nearly $13 billion in contracts with AI hyperscalers. Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) Web Services (AWS) and Anthropic are both building products around Lumen's networks. The stock formerly known as CenturyLink is up 170% in the past year alone. So why isn't it on anyone's radar? Because fiber is boring Lumen doesn't make GPUs. It doesn't train large language models. CEO Kate Johnson doesn't even post cryptic memes on social media. But Lumen has nearly 80 million miles of fiber-optic cable connecting 139 data centers across North America. And each hub connects to the others over high-speed fiber at 400 gigabits per second. That fiber is increasingly valuable. AI workloads move massive amounts of data between training clusters, inference servers, and multiple cloud providers. All of that data travels over physical infrastructure. Much of it travels over Lumen's infrastructure, especially over long distances. The company has been quietly signing deals with the biggest names in tech. Recent clients include Microsoft, Anthropic, AWS, and Alphabet's (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GO...
Chinese energy companies are poised to play an important role in Southeast Asia’s ambitious green transition plans, which will see countries across the region integrate their power grids , according to a senior Singaporean official. The strategy could eventually lead to a cross-regional network running all the way from Singapore to southern China via nations including Malaysia and Thailand, accord...
Chinese energy companies are poised to play an important role in Southeast Asia’s ambitious green transition plans, which will see countries across the region integrate their power grids , according to a senior Singaporean official. The strategy could eventually lead to a cross-regional network running all the way from Singapore to southern China via nations including Malaysia and Thailand, according to Puah Kok Keong, chief executive of the Energy Market Authority of Singapore – the city state’s top energy regulator. “I think that possibility is very real,” Puah told the South China Morning Post on Tuesday. Advertisement Grid integration will be vital if Singapore is to meet its decarbonisation goals. The city state currently relies on natural gas for 95 per cent of its power generation. With its scarce land, it has set a target of importing up to 6 gigawatts of green electricity by 2035 – enough to cover roughly one-third of its power needs, Puah said. The effort will open up new opportunities for Chinese companies, which enjoy technological dominance in several related fields and are already involved in major projects in the region, according to the official. Advertisement Singapore has been working to advance cross-regional energy cooperation, including through a project to transmit up to 100 megawatts of hydropower from Laos to Singapore via Thailand and Malaysia using existing interconnectors. Entities across Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia have also signed several agreements over the past year to jointly develop renewable energy projects and ease trade in low-carbon electricity.
Third, Hong Kong's status as an international financial centre provides ample capital support for technological innovation . Market liquidity remains abundant, and the city reclaimed its title as the world's top IPO destination in 2025 after six years, raising over HK$285 billion. New-economy enterprises account for two-thirds of listings, with a strong focus on clean energy, semiconductors, and b...
Third, Hong Kong's status as an international financial centre provides ample capital support for technological innovation . Market liquidity remains abundant, and the city reclaimed its title as the world's top IPO destination in 2025 after six years, raising over HK$285 billion. New-economy enterprises account for two-thirds of listings, with a strong focus on clean energy, semiconductors, and biomedicine. Long-term international investors, including Middle Eastern sovereign funds, have significantly increased their participation. Hong Kong is becoming a core hub for the global allocation of capital to new-economy assets, helping to build a synergistic ecosystem that integrates research, industry and capital. Second, institutional advantages serve as a core source of competitiveness . Under the “One Country, Two Systems” framework, Hong Kong benefits from a common-law system aligned with international standards, a simple and low-tax regime, and highly open capital markets, providing a first-class business environment that balances access to the Mainland market with global norms. With an open internet and free cross-boundary data flows under applicable legal frameworks, Hong Kong is also a key node for AI and other data-intensive firms to access global data, conduct international research and expand abroad. Hong Kong also enjoys open information and data flows, with lawful cross-border data mobility, making it an essential node for AI and other data-intensive enterprises to access global datasets and pursue international research collaborations and business expansion. First, top-tier science and education resources provide a solid foundation for innovation . Hong Kong is home to many world-class universities and enjoys a high concentration of basic research talent. Its universities consistently produce world-class achievements across artificial intelligence, biomedicine, semiconductors, and advanced materials. Notable examples include HKUST-led HKGAI generative AI ...
A refund initiative launched by a famous barbecue restaurant chain in China has drawn significant attention on mainland social media, triggering a debate about a culture of valuing the feelings of customers. At the beginning of May, Very Long Ago Lamb Skewers, which has 142 directly managed outlets across the country, contacted customers who ate at 48,000 tables at 24 restaurants in February. The ...
A refund initiative launched by a famous barbecue restaurant chain in China has drawn significant attention on mainland social media, triggering a debate about a culture of valuing the feelings of customers. At the beginning of May, Very Long Ago Lamb Skewers, which has 142 directly managed outlets across the country, contacted customers who ate at 48,000 tables at 24 restaurants in February. The eatery was offering to refund them half of the bill for the mutton kebab they ate. Advertisement The refund, at a combined cost of 1.1 million yuan (US$162,000), was launched not because the company received a wave of complaints from customers, but because it found the roast it served was not “grilled properly”, the Bandao Morning Post reported. The company explained the problem occurred due to new grilling equipment which did not control temperatures properly. A woman customer, above, enjoys a beer before tucking into some grilled food. Photo: RedNote The news provoked mixed reactions on mainland social media.
Key Points Bloom's backlog has grown to $20 billion, a 250% increase from the year prior. The stock has also risen nearly 250% in 2026. Bloom and Oracle recently announced a deal to supply up to 2.8 gigawatts (GW) of fuel cells to accelerate the artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure build-out. 10 stocks we like better than Bloom Energy › Whether or not Bloom Energy (NYSE: BE) is the smartest...
Key Points Bloom's backlog has grown to $20 billion, a 250% increase from the year prior. The stock has also risen nearly 250% in 2026. Bloom and Oracle recently announced a deal to supply up to 2.8 gigawatts (GW) of fuel cells to accelerate the artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure build-out. 10 stocks we like better than Bloom Energy › Whether or not Bloom Energy (NYSE: BE) is the smartest investment you can make today is yet to be determined, but there is no doubt the fuel cell technology company has emerged as a leader in the clean energy space. Where much of the industry rises and falls based on sentiment and future potential, Bloom is delivering actual results and improving its financials. Behind its fuel cell systems and the growing needs of data centers, Bloom is proving it's ready for the future today. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » AI is positioning Bloom for success Bloom's partnership with Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) is its most substantial. Recently, Oracle expanded its deal with Bloom to supply up to 2.8 GW of fuel cells in support of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure demands. Bloom was also selected by the tech giant to fully power its Project Jupiter AI data center campus in New Mexico. It is long-term contracts like this that will provide Bloom with significant revenue for years to come. AI infrastructure is also the main reason Bloom's backlog has ballooned to $20 billion, which rose 250% year over year. Bloom's financials are certainly on the rise. The company grew revenue 37% in 2025, but really took off in the first quarter of 2026. In Q1 of this year, Bloom reported revenue of $751 million, a 130% year-over-year increase. The company even posted a $70 million profit, which was a major swing from the net loss of more than $23 million the year before. F...