(RTTNews) - The Japanese stock market is sharply higher on Wednesday, recouping the losses in the previous two sessions, with the benchmark Nikkei index gaining more than 500 points to staying just below the 27,400 level, following the broadly positive cues overnight from Wall Street, amid easing geopolitical concerns following news Russia is pulling back some troops from the Ukrainian border. The...
(RTTNews) - The Japanese stock market is sharply higher on Wednesday, recouping the losses in the previous two sessions, with the benchmark Nikkei index gaining more than 500 points to staying just below the 27,400 level, following the broadly positive cues overnight from Wall Street, amid easing geopolitical concerns following news Russia is pulling back some troops from the Ukrainian border. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index is up 529.36 points or 1.97 percent at 27,394.55, after touching a high of 27,450.28 earlier. Japanese stocks closed significantly lower on Tuesday. Market heavyweight SoftBank Group is gaining almost 2 percent and Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing is adding more than 2 percent. Among automakers, Honda is adding almost 3 percent and Toyota is gaining more than 1 percent. In the tech space, Screen Holdings, Tokyo Electron and Advantest are gaining more than 4 percent each. In the banking sector, Mizuho Financial is gaining almost 1 percent, while Mitsubishi UFJ Financial and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial are advancing more than 2 percent each. Among the major exporters, Canon and Sony are gaining almost 1 percent each, while Mitsubishi Electric is edging up 0.5 percent. Panasonic is edging down 0.2 percent. Among the other major gainers, Bridgestone is soaring more than 8 percent, while Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha and TDK are surging almost 6 percent each. Asahi Group Holdings is gaining more than 5 percent, while Japan steel Works, Daiichi Sankyo and Ebara are adding almost 5 percent each. Yokohama Rubber, ANA Holdings and Dentsu Group are up more than 4 percent each, while GS Yuasa and Mitsui Chemicals are adding almost 4 percent each. Conversely, Inpex is is losing more than 5 percent. In the currency market, the U.S. dollar is trading in the higher 115 yen-range on Wednesday. On Wall Street, stocks showed a strong move to the upside during trading on Tuesday, regaining ground following the sell-off seen over the three previous sessions. The major averages ...
The recently elected leader of Tonga has described a deal to partner with the US on deep-sea mineral exploration as an “exciting development” amid concern in the small Pacific nation over the practice of seabed mining and the potential environmental impact. Tonga is located in the South Pacific Ocean, a region attracting growing interest over whether critical minerals buried in the seabed could be...
The recently elected leader of Tonga has described a deal to partner with the US on deep-sea mineral exploration as an “exciting development” amid concern in the small Pacific nation over the practice of seabed mining and the potential environmental impact. Tonga is located in the South Pacific Ocean, a region attracting growing interest over whether critical minerals buried in the seabed could be extracted to help power industries and green technologies. In some of his first comments on deep-sea mineral exploration, Lord Fatafehi Fakafānua told the Guardian that Tonga had a tradition and historical knowledge of the cultural practice, and the nation would be “cautious” in ocean exploration. View image in fullscreen Tonga’s prime minister, Lord Fatafehi Fakafānua, said Tonga continued to maintain a cautious approach of do no harm. Photograph: Ben Strang/AFP/Getty The US and Tonga struck a deal in February to cooperate to “advance marine scientific research for the responsible exploration of seabed mineral resources”. The statement, released on 26 February, said the two countries were “uniquely positioned” to work together in this field. “Together, we commit to responsible exploration of seabed minerals and enhancing global scientific understanding of the deep ocean,” the statement said. Fakafānua, who was elected prime minister in November 2025, said the partnership was “an exciting development for us”. He added: “With regards to deep-sea minerals, as a nascent industry, Tonga remains fully committed to scientific exploration of our oceans under the multilateral systems we are legally bound to and continues to strictly maintain a cautious approach of firstly do no harm.” Tonga has a long-running partnership with The Metals Company for exploration work, though no mining has taken place. Environmental groups are concerned that exploration and deep-sea mining could damage fragile ocean ecosystems. Concern has also been raised in Tonga that the public have not been adequ...
(RTTNews) - The Thai stock market turned lower again on Monday, one session after snapping the four-day losing streak in which it had slumped almost 40 points or 2.8 percent. The Stock Exchange of Thailand now sits just beneath the 1,370-point plateau although it may see renewed support on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat on optimism over upcoming earnings, especially a...
(RTTNews) - The Thai stock market turned lower again on Monday, one session after snapping the four-day losing streak in which it had slumped almost 40 points or 2.8 percent. The Stock Exchange of Thailand now sits just beneath the 1,370-point plateau although it may see renewed support on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat on optimism over upcoming earnings, especially among the technology stocks. The European and U.S. markets were up and the Asian bourses are expected to open in similar fashion. The SET finished modestly lower on Monday following losses from the food, finance, resource, service and technology sectors. For the day, the index dropped 12.59 points or 0.91 percent to finish at 1,369.92 after trading between 1,369.42 and 1,383.51, Volume was 18.726 billion shares worth 51.513 billion baht. There were 320 decliners and 165 gainers, with 163 stocks finishing unchanged. Among the actives, Advanced Info dropped 0.92 percent, while Thailand Airport weakened 1.23 percent, Banpu tanked 3.01 percent, Bangkok Dusit Medical advanced 0.92 percent, B. Grimm stumbled 1.89 percent, CP All Public slumped 2.33 percent, Charoen Pokphand Foods surrendered 2.21 percent, Energy Absolute crashed 4.43 percent, Gulf retreated 1.66 percent, Kasikornbank plunged 3.98 percent, Krung Thai Bank plummeted 10.50 percent, PTT Oil & Retail skidded 1.09 percent, PTT sank 0.73 percent, PTT Exploration and Production shed 0.67 percent, PTT Global Chemical shed 0.72 percent, Siam Concrete slid 0.37 percent, Thai Oil lost 0.94 percent, True Corporation tumbled 1.83 percent, TTB Bank skyrocketed 6.51 percent and Bangkok Bank, Siam Commercial Bank, Krung Thai Card, SCG Packaging, Asset World, Bangkok Expressway and BTS Group were unchanged. The lead from Wall Street is positive as the major averages opened solidly higher, with the Dow and S&P hitting fresh record intraday highs; they faded as the day progressed but still ended well in the green. The Dow climbed 138...
Alphabet Inc.’s Google is stepping up its AI push with a dedicated Gemini app for Apple Inc.’s Macs. Gemini App Signals Push Beyond Web AI Google is accelerating development of a dedicated Gemini AI app for the Mac lineup to compete more directly with OpenAI and Anthropic. The company has begun privately testing an early version with select users, gathering feedback and identifying bugs ahead of a...
Alphabet Inc.’s Google is stepping up its AI push with a dedicated Gemini app for Apple Inc.’s Macs. Gemini App Signals Push Beyond Web AI Google is accelerating development of a dedicated Gemini AI app for the Mac lineup to compete more directly with OpenAI and Anthropic. The company has begun privately testing an early version with select users, gathering feedback and identifying bugs ahead of a wider release. The current version includes core features but does not yet offer the full functionality planned for launch, Bloomberg reported on Friday. Google is pushing this effort as part of a broader race to expand access to AI chatbots, with rivals already offering Mac apps. The new app will let users generate images, videos, and music, analyze data, search the web, review past conversations, and work with uploaded documents. Don't Miss: New Features To Deepen User Integration The company is also testing a feature called Desktop Intelligence, which allows Gemini to interact with other Mac apps and use on-screen context to deliver more personalized responses. By moving beyond web access to a dedicated app, Google aims to make Gemini easier to use in everyday workflows and strengthen its position in the growing AI software market. Technical Analysis Alphabet is trading 0.6% below its 20-day SMA and 1.3% below its 100-day SMA, suggesting short-term hesitation, even as the longer-term trend remains constructive, with shares 17.8% above the 200-day SMA. Shares are up 88.65% over the past 12 months and are positioned closer to their 52-week highs than lows. RSI is at 47.74, in neutral territory, suggesting neither buyers nor sellers have clear control right now. The MACD is at -2.5417, versus a signal line of -3.5478, a bullish configuration that hints that downside pressure is easing, even though the stock is still consolidating. See Also: This Startup Thinks It Can Reinvent the Wheel — Literally RSI in the 30-50 range, with a bullish MACD, indicates momentum leaning bull...
In New Zealand , Keisha Constantino likes to start her morning at a leisurely pace. She wakes up at 7am and takes time to get ready, reading a book or making matcha before heading to work as a teaching assistant and doctoral researcher at the University of Auckland. While at work, the 32-year-old Filipino balances her time between researching, writing and grading coursework, after which she heads ...
In New Zealand , Keisha Constantino likes to start her morning at a leisurely pace. She wakes up at 7am and takes time to get ready, reading a book or making matcha before heading to work as a teaching assistant and doctoral researcher at the University of Auckland. While at work, the 32-year-old Filipino balances her time between researching, writing and grading coursework, after which she heads to the university gym to exercise before heading home. “My evenings are sacred. I don’t take home any work at all. All the work that I do is in the office,” Constantino said. In between work, she savours two-hour-long lunches followed by visits to a nearby library or local museums to view the free exhibits while juggling other commitments, such as part-time remote consultancy work. Advertisement Constantino, who is on study leave from her role as an assistant professor at the University of the Philippines to pursue a doctoral degree and work in New Zealand, said her balanced life in Auckland contrasted with how she lived and worked back home. In the Philippines , she had to handle unpaid tasks like thesis advising as a faculty member. Getting to and from the workplace was a chore as she lost precious time daily due to heavy traffic and poor public transport options. Advertisement In Auckland, going to work for her is a breeze. “Work is a 15-minute walk. You don’t have to deal with traffic. There are multiple transport options. It’s a walkable city. You don’t feel rushed,” Constantino, who conducts research on early childhood education policy in New Zealand, said.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s press conference at the annual “two sessions” on March 8 was the Chinese government’s most authoritative statement on the war on Iran since strikes began on February 28. Wang called the war one that “should not have happened” and offered five principles for resolution: respect for sovereignty, rejection of force, non-interference in internal affairs, political settlement...
Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s press conference at the annual “two sessions” on March 8 was the Chinese government’s most authoritative statement on the war on Iran since strikes began on February 28. Wang called the war one that “should not have happened” and offered five principles for resolution: respect for sovereignty, rejection of force, non-interference in internal affairs, political settlement and goodwill among major powers. Diplomatic language aside, Wang named no concrete enforcement mechanism. China has not done much beyond dispatching special envoy Zhai Jun to the region. This attitude confirms Beijing’s persistent strategy for Middle East engagement, one centred on preserving economic access rather than shaping political trajectory, and signals what is to come of China’s Persian Gulf policy for the rest of 2026. On the Gulf specifically, Wang stated that “the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Iran and all countries in the Gulf region should be respected and must not be violated”, a phrasing deliberately vague on whose territory should be respected. At a press conference on March 10, spokesperson Guo Jiakun declined to confirm whether Zhai Jun’s mediation would involve the US and Israel. Advertisement While it has criticised the US and Israel for initiating hostilities, Beijing avoids committing to either side. When it comes to Iranian reprisals on its neighbours, China has struck a meeker tone, stating that Gulf nations’ territorial integrity should be respected without specifying by whom, a formulation that reads as principled neutrality that functions as a deliberate refusal to assign responsibility. China’s Middle East engagement has been read in recent years through an ascending arc, from the Saudi-Iran rapprochement brokered in 2023 to Wang Yi’s December 2025 tour of the Gulf and the second China-Arab States Summit confirmed for later this year. The narrative is one of China graduating from economic partner to political broker. The Ir...
Taiwan has long been a central hub in the global electronics and semiconductor industry. According to a Trendforce report, four of the world’s top ten wafer foundries are Taiwanese companies, collectively accounting for over 70% of the global market (TrendForce, 2025). Among them, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) ranks first globally, while United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC...
Taiwan has long been a central hub in the global electronics and semiconductor industry. According to a Trendforce report, four of the world’s top ten wafer foundries are Taiwanese companies, collectively accounting for over 70% of the global market (TrendForce, 2025). Among them, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) ranks first globally, while United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) is ranked fourth. As artificial intelligence development accelerates, it has further expanded this industry: Taiwan now also produces the hardware that powers artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, including advanced semiconductors and server units. This manufacturing is extremely electricity-intensive, placing growing pressure on Taiwan’s already heavily burdened national power grid. In 2023, Taiwan’s government-owned utility, Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) generated 34% of its electricity from coal and 44% from natural gas, with renewables making up only a modest share of the mix (Taipower, 2025). Under the government’s Energy Transition Goals, the share of coal is planned to fall to 20% by 2030, while gas is expected to rise to around 50% (MOEA, 2025). Renewable energy (RE), led by offshore wind and solar photovoltaics, is projected to expand rapidly. Even with these expansions, RE is only expected to make up around 30% of the electricity mix by 2030, leaving Taiwan heavily reliant on fossil fuels. This trajectory risks locking in air pollution and carbon emissions at a time when clean alternatives are increasingly affordable. In this study, we assess the air-quality impacts of Taiwan’s projected 2030 electricity demand from its electronics manufacturing (EM) industry under a range of energy scenarios. Key findings Under a “current-mix” scenario, assuming renewable energy (RE) procurement by Taiwan EM companies persists at the 2023 level, we estimate that air pollution attributable to Taiwan’s EM industry in 2030 would be linked to 90 premature deaths , 277 childr...