(RTTNews) - Eiffage SA (FGR.PA, EFGSF), on Friday through its subsidiary Eiffage Énergie Systèmes, is building four solar power plants in Morocco for the NOOR Atlas programme on behalf of the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy or MASEN. The construction began in early 2026 and delivery is scheduled for mid-2027. The project includes the design, supply, construction, installation, commissioning...
(RTTNews) - Eiffage SA (FGR.PA, EFGSF), on Friday through its subsidiary Eiffage Énergie Systèmes, is building four solar power plants in Morocco for the NOOR Atlas programme on behalf of the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy or MASEN. The construction began in early 2026 and delivery is scheduled for mid-2027. The project includes the design, supply, construction, installation, commissioning, and seven years of operation and maintenance for the solar plants. The four plants will have a combined capacity of 225 MWp, including NOOR Ain Beni Mathar with 121 MWp, NOOR Enjil with 42 MWp, NOOR Boundnib with 33 MWp, and NOOR Bouanane with 29 MWp. Eiffage said the NOOR Atlas programme aims to reduce Morocco's energy dependence, increase electricity production capacity, and expand the country's solar sector. Earlier this month, the company reported revenue increased to 5.65 billion euros from 5.62 billion euros in the previous year and the contracting revenue also jumped to 4.74 billion euros from 4.71 billion euros last year. In concessions, revenue rose to 912 million euros from 906 million euros in the prior year. Looking ahead, the company confirmed its full year 2026 outlook despite geopolitical instability in the Middle East, citing its record order book and limited exposure outside Europe. Eiffage expects the Infrastructure division revenue to remain in line with the historically high 2025 level, revenue at Eiffage Construction to remain close to 2025 levels, and further growth at Eiffage Énergie Systèmes, albeit at a slower pace than in 2025. The company expects net income attributable to the group to increase due to improved operational performance across all business lines. In Concessions, the company expects slight increases in revenue and operating profit on ordinary activities. Eiffage is currently trading 0.20% higher at EUR 122.85 on the Paris Stock Exchange. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not nece...
TotalEnergies SE is exploring selling a 50% stake in some of its European renewables assets, as the French energy giant seeks a partner for its green investments, people familiar with the matter said. The company is working with advisers to sell the interest in 1.2 gigawatts of solar and wind farms in France, Germany, Poland and Spain, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing con...
TotalEnergies SE is exploring selling a 50% stake in some of its European renewables assets, as the French energy giant seeks a partner for its green investments, people familiar with the matter said. The company is working with advisers to sell the interest in 1.2 gigawatts of solar and wind farms in France, Germany, Poland and Spain, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information. Any deal could fetch several hundred million euros, the people said. A spokesperson for TotalEnergies declined to comment. The potential sale is part of the oil major’s strategy of offloading 50% portions in renewable projects once they’re built to boost returns on such investments. While peers Shell Plc and BP Plc have pared back clean energy ambitions amid disappointing returns, TotalEnergies is pressing ahead with its diversification strategy in which power will represent about 20% of its energy output by 2030. TotalEnergies last year agreed to sell a 50% stake in 1.4 gigawatts of North American solar assets in a deal valuing the portfolio at $1.25 billion including debt. It also sold 50% stakes in smaller portfolios of renewable assets in places including France , Greece and Portugal , and in some European electric car-charging networks. This year, it agreed to sell a stake in a portfolio of German battery projects, and agreed with Abu Dhabi’s Masdar to pool onshore renewable energy assets in nine Asian countries that aren’t priority markets for the French firm. TotalEnergies plans to focus the growth of its power business in key markets such as Europe, the US and Brazil, as well as in countries where it produces oil and gas. It also wants to expand in select renewable markets, such as India and South Africa. The French company bought German renewable project developer VSB Group last year, and completed the acquisition of a stake in European gas-fired power and biomass plants last month.
(Unheard of Hope) The Guatemalan newcomer and US veteran find striking common ground on an intimate collaboration full of agitation, complexity and uncanny chemistry This dreamlike, intimate album unites one of experimental music’s current stars with one of its most prolific veterans. During an interview promoting 2024’s acclaimed Sentir Que No Sabes , 34-year-old Guatemalan cellist Mabe Fratti pr...
(Unheard of Hope) The Guatemalan newcomer and US veteran find striking common ground on an intimate collaboration full of agitation, complexity and uncanny chemistry This dreamlike, intimate album unites one of experimental music’s current stars with one of its most prolific veterans. During an interview promoting 2024’s acclaimed Sentir Que No Sabes , 34-year-old Guatemalan cellist Mabe Fratti praised Bill Orcutt, the 64-year-old US guitarist whose disjointed, aggressive four-string playing – honed in 90s noise-rock band Harry Pussy – graces more than 100 records. Orcutt reached out, and they started sharing files. While their friendship is new, Almost Waking reveals a deep kinship between these true originals. The album centres on conversational duets between Fratti’s cello and Orcutt’s guitar. On the overdriven Forced & Forced & Forced, Orcutt’s trademark string-snapping plucking is matched by Fratti’s fragmented, agitated bow-scraping. Just as both players can wrestle with their instruments, they know how to make them feel like voices. On Steps of the Sun, the cello and guitar harmonise tenderly and take turns as lead, performed with the complex phrasing and dynamism of a sung duet. Continue reading...
As the UK government-sponsored Global Partnerships conference convened in London this week, against a backdrop of high living costs, reduced aid budgets and oil tankers stranded in the strait of Hormuz, it is increasingly clear that the aid sector is nearing breaking point. The international charity network that props up the broken aid system is both under strain and part of the problem – unable t...
As the UK government-sponsored Global Partnerships conference convened in London this week, against a backdrop of high living costs, reduced aid budgets and oil tankers stranded in the strait of Hormuz, it is increasingly clear that the aid sector is nearing breaking point. The international charity network that props up the broken aid system is both under strain and part of the problem – unable to adapt to the times and increasingly unfit for purpose. For years, large international charities have championed localisation of aid, expressing their collective commitment to transformation and decolonisation. But they have not achieved it. Despite being some of the strongest voices calling for change, internally they remain structurally resistant to evolution. Not necessarily from bad intent, but because large institutions are designed to sustain themselves. Power, funding and decision-making remain concentrated in the hands of foreign staff and boards far removed from the grassroots. This creates a fundamental contradiction. The very organisations advocating for change are often the least able to deliver, and logical questions arise that the sector is simply not prepared to answer. For instance, is it morally right that a large charity based in the UK spends £120m a year on fundraising primarily on the business of generating and supporting jobs in the UK, instead of giving to organisations working in Sudan, Bangladesh and Myanmar that are under national leadership to resolve their own development challenges? The public expect that their donations go directly to needs at the grassroots level or on the frontline. I spoke about this issue on a panel last year with other international NGO leaders at a humanitarian leadership conference in Doha. Despite visible commitments to equitable partnerships, I discussed the fact that international structures remain so bureaucratically layered – from head offices to regional hubs – that they often unintentionally drown out local voice...
Pick of the week Is This Thing On? Inspired by the true story of how John Bishop came to be a comedian, Bradley Cooper’s new film is a biting, witty drama of marriage and midlife crisis. Will Arnett plays New York financier Alex, separated from wife Tess (Laura Dern) and feeling lost and lonely. One evening, he signs up for a bar’s open-mic night to avoid the entrance fee – and is unexpectedly ene...
Pick of the week Is This Thing On? Inspired by the true story of how John Bishop came to be a comedian, Bradley Cooper’s new film is a biting, witty drama of marriage and midlife crisis. Will Arnett plays New York financier Alex, separated from wife Tess (Laura Dern) and feeling lost and lonely. One evening, he signs up for a bar’s open-mic night to avoid the entrance fee – and is unexpectedly energised after going on stage to vent about his life. His joie de vivre as he pursues standup-as-therapy rubs off on ex-volleyball star Tess, who has lost her own drive after becoming a mother. As a dissection of a relationship, it’s satisfyingly messy and nuanced, while a host of real-life acts make the comedy club scenes zing. Out now, Disney+ Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War View image in fullscreen Spooky action … Sienna Miller, Wendell Pierce and John Krasinski in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War. Photograph: Jonny Cournoyer/Prime The John Krasinski-led espionage thriller will always be stuck in the shadow of Mission: Impossible, but there is an endless appetite for tales of spycraft that this fun feature-length outing caters for pretty well. Krasinski’s CIA analyst Jack Ryan offers an interesting contrast to the haunted Cruise: a more relaxed spook, he has a sturdy moral compass and a nice line in rather British understatement. Here, Ryan teams up with Sienna Miller’s MI6 agent to pursue Max Beesley’s rogue black ops operative – Ethan Hunt if he’d gone to the dark side – from London to Dubai. Out now, Prime Video My Favourite Cake View image in fullscreen Slice of life … Lili Farhadpour and Soraya Orang in My Favourite Cake. Photograph: Totem Films/Hamid Janipour/Berlin Film Festival Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha, the directors of this glorious, surprising film, were given 14-month suspended sentences last year for obscene content and propaganda against the Iranian state. On the surface, the bittersweet story of a 70-year-old Tehran widow (Lili Farhadpour) and ...
Scientists from China and the Netherlands have created a corn protein-based biopolymer with a process inspired by spider silk that could offer a sustainable alternative to plastics based on fossil fuel. “Plant-derived biopolymers may become sustainable alternatives to fossil-based polymers, yet their poor material performance has so far limited their adoption,” the team said in a paper published i...
Scientists from China and the Netherlands have created a corn protein-based biopolymer with a process inspired by spider silk that could offer a sustainable alternative to plastics based on fossil fuel. “Plant-derived biopolymers may become sustainable alternatives to fossil-based polymers, yet their poor material performance has so far limited their adoption,” the team said in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications on May 11. The scientists, inspired by how spiders spin their biopolymer high-strength silk, used a similar processing mechanism to transform the corn protein “zein” into a biopolymer. 01:01 Japan’s researchers develop ocean-friendly plastic The resulting “plantymer” fibres and sheets had a rigidity comparable to silk and displayed good moisture and oxygen barrier properties. Advertisement “We have shown that processing protein materials inspired by spider silk can be applied to amply available plant proteins such as zein from corn,” said the team. The team behind the find is made up of researchers from mainland China’s Nanjing Agricultural University, Jiangnan University, and the University of Hong Kong, as well as the University of Amsterdam and Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Advertisement Fossil fuel-based plastic production has been affected globally by the ongoing Iran conflict and restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz, potentially requiring a shift to alternative materials. However, disruptions in agricultural supply chains, particularly fertiliser shortages , cast doubt on whether plant-based biopolymers could be a sustainable alternative. More than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced worldwide every year, with about half of it designed to be used once, such as for food packaging, according to the United Nations.
Listen to Odd Lots on Apple Podcasts Listen to Odd Lots on Spotify Watch Odd Lots on YouTube Subscribe to the newsletter A short-seller is a gum shoe who roots out a particular story about a specific company and brings it to light. In this way, a short-seller is similar to an investigative journalist. Fahmi Quadir, the founder and CIO of Safkhet Capital, is known as the Assassin. Her notoriety pro...
Listen to Odd Lots on Apple Podcasts Listen to Odd Lots on Spotify Watch Odd Lots on YouTube Subscribe to the newsletter A short-seller is a gum shoe who roots out a particular story about a specific company and brings it to light. In this way, a short-seller is similar to an investigative journalist. Fahmi Quadir, the founder and CIO of Safkhet Capital, is known as the Assassin. Her notoriety proceeds her: Among her most well-known bets include short-selling Wirecard AG and Valeant. In today's conversation with Qaudir — recorded at our live show in London at Wilton's Music Hall — she dishes on what life is like for a short-seller, especially one as famous as her. In her mind, short-selling is only getting harder; it's a corner of finance that is facing an existential crisis, one whose value is questioned in what she calls a \
LD/iStock via Getty Images By Richard Clarida This week, Kevin Warsh becomes chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board of Governors. We expect he will take a thoughtful but distinctive approach to monetary policy and seek, over time, to shift Fed strategy in several areas. But any change will be evolutionary, not revolutionary. Meanwhile, Warsh joins the central bank during a period of macroeconomic...
LD/iStock via Getty Images By Richard Clarida This week, Kevin Warsh becomes chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board of Governors. We expect he will take a thoughtful but distinctive approach to monetary policy and seek, over time, to shift Fed strategy in several areas. But any change will be evolutionary, not revolutionary. Meanwhile, Warsh joins the central bank during a period of macroeconomic turmoil. U.S. inflation remains above the Fed’s stated target, pressured by geopolitical conflict and energy prices. Labor markets have shown resilience but also face uncertainties on several fronts – including a transformative technology, AI, with the potential to reshape the workforce. The crosscurrents in the U.S. outlook pose risks to both sides of the Fed’s dual mandate – price stability and maximum employment – and suggest the Fed could remain in wait-and-see mode for some time, possibly even beyond 2026. Warsh is confident and persuasive, and as chair he can guide Fed discussions in his direction, but monetary policy will remain a committee decision. Evolutions in policy rules, communication, and the balance sheet Warsh has long advocated for rules-based monetary policy, saying central banks should rely less on discretion and more on a clear policy framework. He believes Fed leadership has been too ad hoc and not anchored to a guiding policy framework, such as a Taylor-type rule that prompts policy adjustments based on data, trends, and mathematical formulas. He may seek to shape Fed policy toward a more disciplined approach. Warsh has also shared his skepticism about Fed communications: Put plainly, he thinks Fed officials talk too much, especially via detailed forward guidance on future policy. He worries that excessive guidance can confuse markets and limit policymakers’ flexibility. In his Senate hearing, Warsh even signaled openness to scaling back regular post-meeting press conferences, which, in the end, we doubt he will choose to do. A recalibration of Fed c...
A short-seller is a gum shoe who roots out a particular story about a specific company and brings it to light. In this way, a short-seller is similar to an investigative journalist. Fahmi Quadir, the founder and CIO of Safkhet Capital, is known as the Assassin. Her notoriety proceeds her: Among her most well-known bets include short-selling Wirecard AG and Valeant. In today’s conversation with Qau...
A short-seller is a gum shoe who roots out a particular story about a specific company and brings it to light. In this way, a short-seller is similar to an investigative journalist. Fahmi Quadir, the founder and CIO of Safkhet Capital, is known as the Assassin. Her notoriety proceeds her: Among her most well-known bets include short-selling Wirecard AG and Valeant. In today’s conversation with Qaudir — recorded at our live show in London at Wilton’s Music Hall — she dishes on what life is like f
One of the most prominent names among a shrinking group of short-sellers who make their money by betting against stocks has a new strategy: going long the world’s best-performing market. Fahmi Quadir , founder and chief investment officer of Safkhet Capital Management LLC, plans a new fund to invest in South Korea, where valuations remain depressed despite huge gains in share prices. She sees it a...
One of the most prominent names among a shrinking group of short-sellers who make their money by betting against stocks has a new strategy: going long the world’s best-performing market. Fahmi Quadir , founder and chief investment officer of Safkhet Capital Management LLC, plans a new fund to invest in South Korea, where valuations remain depressed despite huge gains in share prices. She sees it as a good place to apply the skills she honed in successful campaigns against the likes of Valeant Pharmaceuticals and Wirecard . The shift highlights an ongoing identity crisis among short sellers grappling with seemingly endless gains in stock prices. Legendary contrarian investors like Jim Chanos have quit the business altogether, while the number of short-bias hedge funds has shrunk dramatically in recent years. Still, the woman dubbed “The Assassin” insists she’s not quitting. “I wouldn’t read too much into this as ‘the last short seller throws in the towel’ — that’s not what this is,” Quadir said in an interview recorded at a live show for Bloomberg’s Odd Lots podcast in London on May 7. “It’s really about thinking about my identity as a short seller, and what do I want my legacy in the markets to be.” South Korea represents a new kind of opportunity for Quadir. Its Kospi is the world’s best-performing equity benchmark this year, up more than 80% on the artificial intelligence boom, but it trades at less than half the earnings multiple of the S&P 500. The undervaluation persists despite ongoing government attempts to push companies to improve shareholder returns and modernize governance. The market is still bogged down by its legacy of sprawling family-controlled business empires with complicated issues tied to cross-shareholdings and high inheritance taxes. Read more: Short Sellers Fear Extinction in a Relentless Stock Market Rally After Quadir’s previous winning shorts targeting drug pricing and money laundering , it seems like a natural fit. “It’s a fraud to make th...
XI'AN, China, May 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Tencent's cross-border payment platform TenPay Global signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Eldik Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic at the 10th Silk Road International Expo held in Xi'an. This marks another significant progress after its recent partnership with Uzbekistan's HUMO Pay, to further integrate Central Asia's payment networks into the Weixin...
XI'AN, China, May 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Tencent's cross-border payment platform TenPay Global signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Eldik Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic at the 10th Silk Road International Expo held in Xi'an. This marks another significant progress after its recent partnership with Uzbekistan's HUMO Pay, to further integrate Central Asia's payment networks into the Weixin Pay merchant network through China's Cross-Border Interconnection Payment Gateway (CPG), a unified cross-border QR code payment gateway under China's central bank. With the implementation of these partnerships, travelers and business professionals visiting China from Central Asian countries like Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan will not need to download new apps. Instead, they can complete transactions simply by opening their domestic digital wallets and scanning Weixin Pay QR codes. "Through the TenPay Global platform, overseas wallets can access Weixin Pay's vast merchant network via a one-time API integration, offering low integration costs and fast time-to-market," said Royal Chen, Vice President of Tencent Financial Technology. "Meanwhile, we have customized localized adaptations for each overseas wallet. The overseas wallets can now display real-time exchange rates and the deduction amount in their local currency, achieving a 'what you see is what you pay' experience for users." Under the guidance of the Payment and Clearing Association of China, Tencent has further upgraded Weixin Pay's "Pay with Your Home E-Wallet" services through CPG, partnering with over 40 overseas wallet institutions worldwide. Currently, 36 e-wallets from 13 different countries and regions have gone live, including Singapore's LiquidPay, Vietnam's Zalopay and MOMO, Laos' BCEL, and Mongolia's Hipay. Among them, nearly ten overseas wallets, including Tencent's WeChat Pay HK, Vietnam's MOMO, and Laos's BCEL, have connected to the gateway through TenPay Global in merely 6 months since the launch of the ...
zorazhuang/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Baidu, Inc. ( BIDU ) seems constantly stuck in purgatory with the Chinese company always building a promising business while the overall business fails to grow. The company now has strong growth drivers in AI and robotaxis, yet Baidu still can't produce an overall business with material growth. My investment thesis remains ultra Bullish on the stock du...
zorazhuang/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Baidu, Inc. ( BIDU ) seems constantly stuck in purgatory with the Chinese company always building a promising business while the overall business fails to grow. The company now has strong growth drivers in AI and robotaxis, yet Baidu still can't produce an overall business with material growth. My investment thesis remains ultra Bullish on the stock due to the deep valuation and the potential for AI to produce material growth starting this year. Finviz Legacy Struggles Baidu has an impressively growing AI business, but the financials and stock prices aren't reflective of this growth. The Chinese internet search giant just reported a Q1 quarter where sales only rose 2% to reach $4.65 billion. The AI-powered business is soaring with the AI Cloud infrastructure business growing 79% YoY to reach $1.3 billion. The GPU Cloud business grew an even faster 184% in the quarter. Source: Baidu Q1 '2 6 presentation The overall core AI-powered business grew by 49% YoY to reach ~$2.0 billion for 52% of the general revenues, excluding iQIYI ( IQ ). The legacy online marketing services business saw revenues slip 22% YoY to $1.85 billion. The March quarter was the 1st quarter where the AI-powered group finally became larger than the legacy online marketing business. The question is whether the scale of the AI business can finally lead to Baidu reporting overall growth. The key is the hidden growth in just the last 2 quarters as the GPU Cloud business takes off. The AI Cloud infrastructure business reported the following quarterly results in RMB: Q1 '26: 8.8 RMB Q4 '25: 5.8 RMB Q3 '25: 4.2 RMB Q2 '25: not reported Q1 '25: 4.9 RMB While AI Cloud and especially GPU Cloud are reporting surging growth, the robotaxi business has the same potential path. The Apollo Go business reported Q1 '26 total rides soared 120% YoY to 3.2 million. Source: Baidu Q1 '2 6 presentation Baidu continues to launch robotaxi services in new regions with plans to com...
让合作当场发生！ 2026年的AI行业，正在经历一次价值体系的深层重构。过去两年，聚光灯始终偏向技术侧——参数、算力、榜单排名。但今天，话语权正在向产业方转移：那些拥有真实需求、真实场景、真实业务压力的企业，开始掌握定义权。产业界最关切的问题变得具体而迫切：在必须交付结果的地方，AI到底靠不靠得住？ 5月19日，以“带着AI去前线”为主题的2026 AI Partner大会在北京亦庄通明湖会展中心...
让合作当场发生！ 2026年的AI行业，正在经历一次价值体系的深层重构。过去两年，聚光灯始终偏向技术侧——参数、算力、榜单排名。但今天，话语权正在向产业方转移：那些拥有真实需求、真实场景、真实业务压力的企业，开始掌握定义权。产业界最关切的问题变得具体而迫切：在必须交付结果的地方，AI到底靠不靠得住？ 5月19日，以“带着AI去前线”为主题的2026 AI Partner大会在北京亦庄通明湖会展中心开幕。本次大会由北京经开区管委会指导、36氪主办、国家信创园承办。作为首都高精尖产业的主阵地，北京经开区正以场景开放为核心，构建覆盖多领域的“全域AI试验场”。本届大会正是这一思路从“规划”走向“实战”的集中体现。 36氪与北京经开区在推动AI产业落地的战略上深度契合。作为产业创新的长期观察者与连接者，36氪紧扣经开区的全域场景蓝图，专门设立AI+产业对接会，让需求与方案现场碰撞，加速“AI+”在实体经济中生根。正是这一设计，让外会场供需双方的热情远超预期——需求方带着痛点来，技术方带着方案上，让合作当场发生！ “带着AI去前线”： 不是口号，是判断 大会期间，36氪CEO冯大刚接受中央广播电视总台等媒体采访时表示：“‘带着AI去前线’不只是一句口号，而是一个判断。”他指出，当一种技术的颠覆力超越互联网，它就不再是一个赛道，而是一个基础设施。这次大会不是一场AI会，而是一场产业大会——主角是金融、医疗、制造、消费、能源，而AI是他们共同的语言。 DAY 1 · 算好账：看清趋势，算清成本 本次大会在北京亦庄的欢迎致辞中正式拉开帷幕。他表示：“北京亦庄正打造的不是单一的样板间，而是一个开放包容的创新验证体系。把AI从‘热点’变成‘日常’，从‘可能性’变成‘生产力’。”随后，36氪CEO冯大刚在开场致辞中强调：“36氪的AI大会不是要办一个‘AI焦虑大会’。AI的价值，是让人更有用，而不是让人出局。”这番定调，直接拉开了首日上午“政策红利与产业实战”的序幕。 首场圆桌由贝恩全球合伙人成鑫主持，与上海市人工智能行业协会、美的集团AI研究院、云岫资本、京东的代表，共同探讨“AI+的国家推进计划与企业生存路线图”。据美的给出的数据显示：仅AIGC项目去年降本7亿元；京东透露已免费开放数字人直播，活跃商家超7万家。 随后，优必选首席品牌官谭旻复盘了人形机器人商业化路径：14年创业，如今...