Finance news

As Trump sticks with Pulte, foreign surveillance program hurtles toward expiration

The U.S. House rejected a short-term extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The surveillance authority expires Friday.

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Great Britain: Defense Minister Healey resigns in dispute over military budget

After months of struggling to increase the military budget, the British Defense Minister is drawing conclusions. In his resignation letter, Healey accuses Prime Minister Starmer of not providing sufficient resources for the country's defense.

Social◇ unclassifiedgermany · usa · europe

Russia ‘not looking for conflict’, says Nato’s top US commander

https://www.ft.com/content/751d4555-9e8c-42a0-a37b-80893727776c?syn-25a6b1a6=1 The US general who commands Nato has said Russia is “not looking for a conflict”, despite concern among European allies about the potential security gaps left by Washington’s plans to withdraw key military assets. Asked on Thursday about the possibility of a Russian attack on the Baltic states, General Alexus G. Grynkewich said his role was to ensure Nato’s deterrence remained credible and that Moscow understood it co

Is Blackberry Primed For a Comeback?

Many people still see the word “Blackberry” and automatically think of the phones. So, I decided to dig in to see what the new hype around this name is. What if I told you that they have totally transformed their company into two different sectors: cybersecurity and physical AI. Now let’s dive into the core business of what Blackberry is mainly comprised of now. There are three segments, but only two matter. QNX which is a real time OS for safety critical systems. It is quietly already operating

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German, Spanish FCAS companies rally to preserve breakthrough fighter tech

With existing FCAS contracts ending this year, the companies want the government to keep spending money on a sixth-generation warplane.

◇ unclassifiedchina · asia · germany

China’s BYD claims Germany’s plug-in hybrid crown, disrupting market of iconic auto giants

One out of every seven plug-in hybrid vehicles registered in Germany in May came from BYD, as the Chinese carmaker’s registrations surged 232 per cent in Europe’s largest auto market from a year earlier. With 6,169 vehicles registered there in May, BYD held a 2.6 per cent share of Germany’s new-car registrations, according to data from the country’s Federal Motor Transport Authority. Of those, 4,290 were plug-in hybrids, led by the Atto 2 DM-i with 2,113 registrations – the top-selling plug-in..

Government crisis in London: Prime Minister's resignation plunges British Prime Minister deeper into crisis

Because Prime Minister Keir Starmer doesn't budget enough money for the military, one of his most loyal comrades-in-arms is turning his back on him. The air is getting thinner for the British head of government.

◇ unclassifiedchina · asia · russia

China leads US in everyday AI apps but firms are overvalued, experts say

China holds an edge over the US when it comes to getting artificial intelligence applications into the hands of everyday users, according to tech executives and investors, though they warn that Chinese AI firms are looking increasingly overvalued. China still lagged in computing power but was only “100 days behind” the US in frontier AI model capabilities, according to Chi Zhang, general manager of finance industry at the Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group, speaking on Thursday at the 2026 HKEX...

Robotics billions: Investors pounce on Neura Robotics

David Reger wants to create a world leader in robotics. That sounds presumptuous to many, but tech giants like Amazon and Nvidia trust him to do it - and are giving a lot of money.

KMT chief Cheng Li-wun meets Trump ally Steve Daines in Washington

The leader of Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang met Trump ally Steve Daines and other US lawmakers in Washington on Wednesday. In those talks, KMT chairwoman Cheng Li-wun outlined the party’s position on defence and energy, saying her party did not oppose American arms sales to the island, according to Taiwan’s United Daily News. Her meetings on Wednesday also included talks with Republican representatives John Rose and Chuck Fleischmann, and Democratic Representative Thomas Suozzi. According.

Great Britain: Crisis in London: Starmer's defense minister resigns in dispute over spending

There is already a lot of criticism of Keir Starmer's Labor government. Now the Prime Minister is also losing his Defense Minister because he gets less money than he wanted for the military.

Labor Party: 76,000 voters decide Britain's future

Andy Burnham wants to replace Keir Starmer as Prime Minister. Before that, however, the mayor of Manchester must win a by-election in the north - against Nigel Farage's right-wing populists.

From electric cars to humanoids: Xpeng boss takes over robotics unit at ‘turning point’

Xpeng chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng is doubling down on his vision to transform the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) giant into a “physical AI” powerhouse, taking the reins of the firm’s robotics arm just months before its humanoids are set for mass production. In an internal memo sent on Wednesday and seen by the South China Morning Post, He said he would personally serve as head of the robotics department. Characterising the move as a strategic pivot, He said the unit had reached “a turning point.

As artificial-intelligence capital expenditures rise, so do the risks for AI stocks, Goldman Sachs tells investors

Forecasts of $920 billion in AI-related capex in 2027 are likely too conservative.

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Government crisis in London: British Defense Minister resigns in the budget dispute

◇ unclassifiedchina · asia · europe

UK defence chief John Healey resigns amid feud with Starmer over military spending

British ⁠Defence ⁠Minister John Healey ⁠quit on Thursday in a dispute over military spending, accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to ‌commit the government resources that are needed to defend the country. The unexpected resignation, accompanied with ‌a scathing public letter, compounds the pressure on Starmer when he is facing a likely leadership challenge and exposes the crisis at the heart of government – how it can ramp up defence spending when there is no money to...

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Oil Could Hit $150 If U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Collapses

Oil prices could hit $150 per barrel if hostilities between the United States and Iran escalate further from the current, most testing period in the ceasefire, according to intelligence firm Rystad Energy. Renewed hostilities would further deepen the supply shut-ins in the Middle East as the war risk and the near-closed Strait of Hormuz continue to pressure upstream production, the Norway-based energy research company said. “At this stage, it is too early to say whether the current escalation ma

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To beat chip crunch, Chinese firm inks memory deal bigger than its sales

Chinese memory module maker Biwin has signed a two-year agreement worth US$1.86 billion to secure flash memory chips, a deal larger than its annual revenue, as demand from artificial intelligence servers and data centres squeezes supply. Under the locked-volume, locked-price arrangement, Biwin would buy enterprise-grade chips in batches from the third quarter of 2026 through the second quarter of 2028, according to a filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Tuesday. The supplier was not...

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Oracle Corp. invested US$55.7 billion in capital expenditures over the past year to accelerate the expansion of its AI infrastructure business, exceeding its earlier projection of US$50 billion.

Quarterly capex totaled US$15.9 billion in the period ended May 31, highlighting the company's massive data center buildout to meet growing demand from OpenAI and other customers developing artificial intelligence applications. The company, long known for its database software, has increasingly repositioned itself as a provider of computing capacity for AI workloads. Oracle also announced plans to raise US$50 billion through debt and equity financing this year to support its capital needs. Oracl

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Ukraine War: National Heroes or Mass Murderers? Dispute between Poland and Ukraine escalates

Zelensky has named a unit after a partisan army that carried out massacres of the Polish population during World War II. The outrage is huge – and so is the potential for conflict.

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SLB Lands Major Deal to Help Rebuild Venezuela’s Oil Industry

SLB has signed a long-term contract with Venezuela’s PDVSA to reverse a major decline in oil production and modernize the country’s oil industry. “Venezuela's oil and gas sector has substantial resource potential, and realising that potential will require technology, digital integration and long-term talent development,” SLB chief executive Olivier Le Peuch said in a company statement this week. The focus of the modernization push would be artificial intelligence, the statement also said, aiming

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Mercedes-Benz joins Europe’s defense push with anti-drone vehicle deal

Mercedes becomes the latest European carmaker to turn to the defense industry in the hope that partnerships can revive the auto industry's ailing fortunes.

This is how expensive climate change is becoming: nurses and climate researchers are sounding the heat alarm

Germany is not sufficiently prepared for the risks posed by longer periods of heat. This not only costs money, but also human lives.

◇ unclassifiedgermany · europe · australia

Rising healthcare costs: “Very high pharmaceutical expenditure is a danger for Germany as a location”

The pharmaceutical industry is exerting pressure before the health insurance savings law goes through the Bundestag. This is a mistake, warns Stefanie Stoff-Ahnis from the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds.

Energy crisis: Asia is doomed

Although oil is no longer coming through the Strait of Hormuz, the Asian economies are showing robustness - thanks to the buzz around artificial intelligence.

Artificial Intelligence: Anthropic boss – government should be able to stop risky AI

The artificial intelligence developer Anthropic has long been in favor of tougher regulation. Now company boss Dario Amodei is even calling for an emergency brake for the government.

Artificial Intelligence: Anthropic boss: Government should be able to stop risky AI

OpenAI rival Anthropic has long been in favor of tougher regulation of AI development. Now company boss Dario Amodei is even calling for an emergency brake for the government.

BYD powers past Geely as oil shock charges up global EV demand

The global energy crisis has helped propel BYD back into pole position in China’s automotive sector, allowing it to regain ground on Geely Auto as demand for battery-powered vehicles accelerates worldwide. The Shenzhen-based electric vehicle (EV) maker, which lost its title as mainland China’s largest carmaker in the first quarter of 2026, rebounded strongly in the following two months as the US-Israel war with Iran drove up oil prices. Its overseas deliveries surged 76 per cent year on year to.

Philippine military chief assures no political intervention amid Senate turmoil

The Philippines’ armed forces chief has moved to quell fears of political intervention after a bitter Senate leadership crisis triggered tighter security, stalled military promotions and fuelled concern that partisan groups could exploit “rumblings” inside the ranks. Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jnr acknowledged unease among some personnel but told This Week in Asia that the military would remain out of politics. “Political intervention is far from our mandate,” Brawner said