China rare-earth product exports shrink as US frictions flare

China rare-earth product exports shrink as US frictions flare

[SINGAPORE] China’s exports of rare earth products fell in September from a month earlier, as Beijing’s tighter controls on strategic minerals ripple through global supply chains and heighten tensions with Washington. Shipments of the materials used in electric vehicles, weapons and high-tech manufacturing stood at 6,538 tonnes, according to customs data released on Saturday (Oct…

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Malaysia says multilateral power deal delayed by Thai politics, renewal expected next month

Malaysia says multilateral power deal delayed by Thai politics, renewal expected next month

[KUALA LUMPUR] Thailand has delayed renewing a South-east Asian multilateral power trade deal due to local political changes, Malaysia’s energy minister said on Friday (Oct 17). The Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore (LTMS) Project to supply hydropower from Laos via Thailand and neighbouring Malaysia is now expected to be renewed in November, Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister…

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Hong Kong won’t impose special port fees despite US-China spat

Hong Kong won’t impose special port fees despite US-China spat

[HONG KONG] Hong Kong will not start imposing port fees targeting individual countries, despite China and the US charging special levies aimed at one another’s ships. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region “does not impose, nor does it have any plans to impose, special port fees on vessels owned or operated by individual countries or…

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Meta, Blue Owl seal US$30 billion private capital deal for AI

Meta, Blue Owl seal US billion private capital deal for AI

Structured investments are becoming more in demand as insurers and other types of investors search for debt tied to assets [NEW YORK] Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms is set to seal an almost US$30 billion financing package for its data centre site in rural Louisiana, marking the final step for the largest private capital deal on…

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Disgraced ex-Long Island Rep. George Santos released from NJ prison hours after Trump commuted 7-year sentence

Disgraced ex-Long Island Rep. George Santos released from NJ prison hours after Trump commuted 7-year sentence

Disgraced former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) walked out of prison a free man Friday hours after President Trump commuted his 87-month prison sentence for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Santos, 37, had served less than three months – a grand total of 84 days – of the sentence handed down by a federal judge in April when he…

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Nvidia unveils first Blackwell chip wafer made with TSMC in US

Nvidia unveils first Blackwell chip wafer made with TSMC in US

Companies have been racing to meet the broader AI industry’s voracious appetite for computing power as they develop AI technology that meets or exceeds human intelligence [MEXICO CITY] Nvidia unveiled on Friday (Oct 17) the first US-made Blackwell wafer, produced at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (TSMC) semiconductor manufacturing facility in Phoenix, as demand for artificial…

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