Baidu announced on September 4 that its Hong Kong Class A shares are now included in both the Shanghai-Hong Kong and Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect programs, effective September 7.. The change gives eligible mainland investors direct access to the Hong Kong listing, potentially widening liquidity and the shareholder base. It does not alter the operating competition between Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) and Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA), which are pursuing AI through different mixes of models, cloud infrastructure, chips, and consumer distribution.
Baidu's bull case combines search traffic, its Ernie ecosystem, cloud services, and Kunlunxin chips. Stock Connect can make that story easier for mainland investors to own, while its dual-primary Hong Kong listing broadens access. The bear case is that improved trading access does not repair weak advertising, guarantee cloud share, or remove geopolitical and regulatory risk. The catalyst affects liquidity more directly than earnings.
Insider Monkey counted 49 hedge funds holding Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) at June 30, down from 50 at March 31. David Tepper's Appaloosa Management disclosed 1,295,000 shares, 87% more than in Q1. That increase shows one manager's conviction, not a broad rise in fund participation.
Alibaba's June-quarter AI Cloud and Compute Services revenue reached $7.1 billion, up 45% year over year, while segment adjusted EBITA rose 133% to $830 million. Its bull case is a full stack spanning Qwen models, cloud, proprietary chips, and commerce distribution. The bear case is capital intensity, fierce domestic competition, exposure to consumer spending, and the possibility that fast AI growth remains too small to transform the larger group's valuation.
Ninety-seven hedge funds held Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) in Q2, down from 102 in Q1. Ken Fisher's Fisher **** et Management disclosed 5,096,418 shares after trimming the position by 0.5%.

#kong #holding

Citigroup is expected to secure Chinese regulatory clearance for its fully owned brokerage operation in mainland China as early as this month, with plans to recruit several dozen employees for the business in the coming months, according to Reuters.
Sources told Reuters that the final approval may come around the period of Chinese President Xi Jinping's scheduled trip to Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump in late September.
Reuters said the prospect of approval this month had not been previously disclosed.
Citi declined to comment.
The US lender, already active in China through corporate, institutional and related banking services, applied in late 2021 for a licence to establish a fully owned mainland brokerage arm as part of a broader effort to deepen its operations in the country.

#China #fully

For the quarter ending 2 August 2026, the company reported lower than expected revenue at $2.4bn, down 4% from $2.53bn in the previous year.
This was driven by an 8% decline in the Americas and China mainland, where revenue grew 4%. International net revenue increased 4%.
Comparable sales declined by 9% overall during the quarter. In the Americas, comparable sales fell by 12%, while international comparable sales recorded a 3% decrease.
During the company's earnings call, interim co-CEO and chief financial officer (CFO) Meghan Frank said: "As we moved into Q2, we faced negative commentary in the media and social channels, which impacted traffic and softer than planned response to some new product launches, which contributed to a moderating sales trend."
Lululemon reported gross profit of $1.5bn in Q2, a decrease of 1%, but gross margin improved by 200 basis points to 60.5%. The margin increase was bolstered by $134.5m in tariff refunds, which boosted the measure by 560 basis points.

#revenue #Margin

Baidu announced on September 4 that its Hong Kong Class A shares are now included in both the Shanghai-Hong Kong and Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect programs, effective September 7.. The change gives eligible mainland investors direct access to the Hong Kong listing, potentially widening liquidity and the shareholder base. It does not alter the operating competition between Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) and Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA), which are pursuing AI through different mixes of models, cloud infrastructure, chips, and consumer distribution.
Baidu's bull case combines search traffic, its Ernie ecosystem, cloud services, and Kunlunxin chips. Stock Connect can make that story easier for mainland investors to own, while its dual-primary Hong Kong listing broadens access. The bear case is that improved trading access does not repair weak advertising, guarantee cloud share, or remove geopolitical and regulatory risk. The catalyst affects liquidity more directly than earnings.
Insider Monkey counted 49 hedge funds holding Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) at June 30, down from 50 at March 31. David Tepper's Appaloosa Management disclosed 1,295,000 shares, 87% more than in Q1. That increase shows one manager's conviction, not a broad rise in fund participation.
Alibaba's June-quarter AI Cloud and Compute Services revenue reached $7.1 billion, up 45% year over year, while segment adjusted EBITA rose 133% to $830 million. Its bull case is a full stack spanning Qwen models, cloud, proprietary chips, and commerce distribution. The bear case is capital intensity, fierce domestic competition, exposure to consumer spending, and the possibility that fast AI growth remains too small to transform the larger group's valuation.
Ninety-seven hedge funds held Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) in Q2, down from 102 in Q1. Ken Fisher's Fisher **** et Management disclosed 5,096,418 shares after trimming the position by 0.5%.

#kong #cloud

Interested in Yum! Brands, Inc.? Here are five stocks we like better.
Yum! Brands sold its Pizza Hut business outside Mainland China to LongRange Capital for about $1.5 billion, with total carve-out proceeds reaching roughly $2.7 billion.
The divestiture lets Yum! Brands shift toward a leaner, higher-margin franchising model concentrated on Taco Bell and KFC amid industrywide fast-food traffic declines.
The company also authorized an approximately $4 billion share buyback and maintains an eight-year dividend growth streak, reinforcing shareholder returns despite short interest and executive turnover concerns.
The fast-food industry is facing a severe reality check. Menu price hikes are pricing out the core lower-income demographic, causing a decline in foot traffic across the sector. Yet amid this crisis, one operator just executed a masterclass in corporate defense.

#fast #Food #TRAFFIC #mainland

Mainland offensive lineman Chevin Davis' suspension appeal was denied by the Florida High School Athletic ***** ociation on Sept. 2, head coach Jerrime Bell confirmed in a text message to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Davis was ejected from the Buccaneers' opener against Carol City on Aug. 21 when Chiefs defensive tackle Michael Williams Jr. suplexed Mainland quarterback PJ Miller well after the ball had left his hands for a third-quarter incompletion. Davis came to Miller's aid and ***** ped Williams to the ground. He did so a second time when he saw Miller still down a few seconds later.
According to Bell, he was told on the field Davis was ejected for shoving Williams to the ground and standing over him. That was changed to "an open-hand slap or blow" in the official report, per Bell.
Section 30.2.1.1 of the FHSAA handbook states an ejected athlete is ineligible to compete for the remainder of that contest and a minimum of the next game. It can be appealed, as the Bucs did in Davis' case, and the FHSAA can reverse, modify or uphold the suspension.
It is getting chippy out here pic.twitter.com/qQtuD9weO5

#williams

Shenzhen Longsys Electronics, a Chinese semiconductor company, is seeking up to HK$6.28 billion, or about $800 million, from a Hong Kong share sale.
The company set out the terms in a listing document on Monday. The memory chipmaker already trades in Shenzhen. Its Hong Kong offer price sits well below where the mainland stock trades.
Longsys is offering about 26 million shares at a maximum price of HK$240.60 per share. That sits 45% below the 376.88 yuan close in Shenzhen on Friday, Bloomberg reported. The stock has gained nearly 33% in 2026.
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The company expects to set the final offer price on September 4 and publish the allocation results by September 7. Trading of its H shares is expected to begin on September 8.

#september #price #trades

The polls are open!
It's time to vote for the Halifax Health Volusia-Flagler Girls Athlete of the Week for the week of Aug. 24-29.
Last week, Mainland volleyball player Seyahna Sampson captured the honors, claiming 42% of the votes. The sophomore produced 25 kills, 27 digs and seven blocks against Seabreeze, Matanzas and Deltona.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal gathers nominees for upcoming polls from across the area via email at cvinelusatodayco.com. Please send a player's name, school and notable statistics for a given week. Submissions are due no later than 8 a.m. every Monday.
To round out the ballot, our staff also picks athletes from scores and stats posted online or submitted by local coaches. Athletes for all in-season sports, except football, are eligible. The News-Journal recognizes the local gridiron stars with our weekly game ******* story.

#week

On August 14, RLX Technology (NYSE:RLX) reported second-quarter results that told two different stories at once. International sales climbed to roughly 70% of revenue as the company absorbed a new European distribution partner, even as trade normalization back home pulled growth down from where the year started. RLX is no longer just an e-vapor device maker. It is trying to become a diversified, direct-to-retail nicotine platform before its home market tightens further.
Net revenues reached RMB1.01 billion in the second quarter, up 14.8% year over year, powered by international volume growth and the contribution of a company RLX acquired in May 2025. Gross margin expanded to 35.4% from 27.5% a year earlier, a jump management credited to supply chain optimization and a better mix of products and geographies. Non-GAAP income from operations rose 28.8% to RMB149.6 million, marking the 11th straight quarter of positive non-GAAP operating profit.
In July 2026, RLX took a 51% controlling stake in a Western European distributor that reaches 30,000 retail endpoints and runs a digital ordering platform connecting 20,000 independent merchants, a deal management framed as the next step in building direct retail relationships rather than depending on layers of wholesalers. CEO Kate ****** argued that as vaping hardware becomes commoditized, "competition is shifting from pure product development to route-to-market execution."
The company is also leaning into modern oral nicotine pouches as a new growth line and is building a manufacturing hub in Southeast Asia to produce them at scale, all while sitting on RMB13.9 billion in total capital resources as of June 30, 2026.
The same quarter that produced margin expansion also produced warning signs closer to home. Mainland China revenue is now expected to be roughly flat for the full year, and Sam Tsang, the company's head of capital markets, said the "procedural time line for government approval has become more conservative" as domestic enforcement tightens. Revenue and margins both moderated sequentially from the first quarter, which had been inflated by a shipment pull-forward tied to regulatory export changes, and management flagged that the elevated 35.4% margin should settle into a lower range going forward.

#revenue #retail

On August 19, Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL) released its fiscal 2026 fourth-quarter and full-year earnings, and the numbers finally matched the turnaround story management has been selling for a year and a half. Organic net sales rose 3% for the year, adjusted operating margin expanded 320 basis points to 11.2%, and adjusted diluted EPS jumped 66% to $2.51. After several rocky years, the beauty giant is starting to look like a company executing rather than explaining.
The growth wasn't concentrated in one lucky category. Fragrance led the way with 10% organic sales growth, fueled by hero scents from Le Labo and TOM FORD, while Skin Care grew 4% across price tiers from The Ordinary to La Mer. Jo Malone London and TOM FORD both crossed into the company's billion-dollar brand club this year, joining Clinique, Estée Lauder, La Mer, and M·A·C, giving the portfolio six brands at that scale. Gross margin reached 75.5%, up 150 basis points, largely on benefits from the Profit Recovery and Growth Plan, which is now delivering an expected $1.2 billion in annual gross benefits, the high end of the range management had promised.
Organic net sales in Mainland China grew 9% for the full year, outperforming the prestige beauty market and gaining share in every quarter. Globally, online sales reached a record 34% of total reported sales, up 3 percentage points from fiscal 2025. Management continues to prioritize product innovation, which accounted for 23% of total sales in fiscal 2026, and expects that share to expand by an additional 200 to 250 basis points in fiscal 2027, led by Skin Care launches. For fiscal 2027, the company guided to full-year organic sales growth of 3% to 5% and projected an adjusted operating margin of 12.7% to 13.5%, reflecting higher profitability targets than the 11.2% achieved in fiscal 2026.
Not every part of the business is cooperating. The conflict in the Middle East cut organic sales growth in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region by 2 percentage points in the fourth quarter, and management said the situation remains dynamic heading into fiscal 2027. Hair Care organic sales declined 1% for the year, weighed down by continued struggles in Aveda's salon channel. Makeup improved by 500 basis points over the year but still finished essentially flat, a sign the category recovery is real but incomplete. The margin story also leans heavily on cost cutting rather than pure growth.
The restructuring plan eliminated 10,000 net positions and racked up $823 million in ******* ulative charges, and fiscal 2027 cash flow guidance of $1.3 billion to $1.4 billion is actually a step down from the $1.8 billion generated in fiscal 2026, reflecting higher restructuring payments and rising working capital needs. CEO Stephane de la Faverie also made clear that large acquisitions are off the table for now, telling investors the company is "not entertaining transformational deals," which limits how quickly Estée Lauder could reshape its portfo

"Big Short" famed investor Michael Burry has moved his investment from Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) to its prime rival JD.com (JD). However, rather than buying JD.com on a trigger, Burry did so mostly because Alibaba has become too expensive. He argued that Alibaba would need to "fall by half" for him to be interested again. Moreover, the famous investor disliked Alibaba's capital raise for AI capabilities and infrastructure investment.
On the other hand, JD.com has emerged as his preference in this paradigm. The company is showing signs of improvement, especially in its bottom line. Moreover, it is trying to expand its operations. For instance, it recently won a newly awarded pilot development area in Hong Kong's Northern Metropolis (a mega-project bordering Mainland China), in a JV with six companies. JD.com also plans to invest RMB 10 billion in resources to the robotics sector by 2028.
Walmart Stock Is More Expensive Than Nvidia Amid Earnings Miss
SpaceX Stock Just Crashed Below Its IPO Price: Here's the Bull Case **** ody Can Ignore
A Major Bitcoin Short Squeeze Is Taking MicroStrategy Stock Higher. What Comes Next.

#alibaba

On August 20, Futu Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:FUTU) reported the strongest quarter in its history, with trading volume pushing past HK$6 trillion for the first time. Buried inside those numbers, though, is a reminder that the company's oldest and largest client base isn't as untouchable as it once looked, with **** et outflows tied to new compliance rules. The result is a business firing on nearly every cylinder except the one investors have relied on the longest.
Futu's headline numbers back up the enthusiasm. Total revenue climbed 35.6% year over year to HK$7.2 billion, while net income jumped 41.6% to HK$3.6 billion, pushing net margin to 50.6%. Total trading volume rose 78.8% year over year to a record HK$6.42 trillion, with U.S. stock trading volume up 67.2% sequentially to HK$5.02 trillion as clients piled into semiconductor and artificial intelligence names. Client **** ets grew even faster than trading activity, up 43.6% year over year to HK$1.4 trillion, and margin financing and securities lending balances jumped 85.1% to HK$95.1 billion as an active Hong Kong IPO market encouraged clients to lean on leverage.
The growth isn't confined to trading. Net new funded accounts rose 23.7% year over year to 252,000, led by Malaysia, where the business reached operating breakeven for the first time. Futu also picked up a Type A securities license from Thailand's regulator, its third market launch in the ASEAN region, and became the first Hong Kong broker approved for securities-backed margin financing tied to virtual **** ets under an upgraded Type 1 license. In the U.S., moomoo's newly launched prediction markets generated more than $200 million in trade volume in their first month, while Futu's IPO business served nearly 60% of new Hong Kong listings during the quarter.
Not every part of the story is expanding. Chairman Leaf Li acknowledged that **** ulative **** et outflows tied to new regulations came to a mid-single-digit percentage of total client **** ets, the result of compliance-driven adjustments and risk-off sentiment among the company's Mainland Chinese clients. Growth is also getting more expensive to buy. Customer acquisition cost rose sequentially to HK$2,600 as new regulatory developments weighed on net new funded accounts.
Profitability showed some strain too, with gross margin slipping to 86.3% from 87.4% a year earlier as processing and cloud service fees increased, while operating expenses rose 35.1% year over year as research and development, selling and marketing, and general administrative costs all climbed on investments in AI, Web 3 initiatives, and international expansion. Even the brokerage business had a trade-off, as blended commission rates fell because a larger share of trading shifted into lower-margin U.S. stocks and options.

#Margin

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg published a lengthy letter on August 10 making the case that artificial intelligence should be spread broadly rather than controlled by a handful of companies or governments. He also announced that Meta will start releasing open-source AI models again.
Around the same time, the Wall Street Journal reported on August 9 that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been testing memory chips from China's CXMT for use in iPhones and MacBooks as the company hunts for ways to ease a costly memory supply crunch.
Zuckerberg's letter, ****** led "The Future is for Everyone: The Path to a Positive AI Future," argues that no single company or government should end up holding all the power that comes with superintelligent AI. It frames Meta's mission of putting the technology directly in people's hands as a safeguard against that outcome. To back that up, Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) released the open-weight Muse Glimmer model on Monday, a 30-billion-parameter system small enough to run on a single consumer GPU, with plans to open the weights on Muse Spark 1.2 soon.
Apple's problem is a lot more concrete. Memory chip costs linked to growing AI demand have already forced the company to raise prices globally. CXMT, now the most valuable company listed in mainland China at a $520 billion market cap, could offer some relief, though U.S. export rules keep Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) from ordering custom chips. Any deal carries real political risk, as per WSJ.
Does spreading AI power around, as Meta argues, actually help solve a very real problem like the chip shortage squeezing Apple right now?

#open #platforms

As Hurricane Lala drenched parts of the Hawaiian Islands, the calm remained at sunny Father Bray Athletic Complex.
By 1:30 p.m., Edison kicked off to host 'Iolani, and the Chargers from Huntington Beach, Calif., put a jolt into the Raiders with a 41-27 win at Eddie Hamada Field. Sam Thomson threw three touchdown passes, while running backs Brett Dempsen and Gavyn Degiacomo combined for 183 yards and three TDs on 21 carries.
It was a 27-0 lead before the home team began to find its footing. Edison played a mix of reserves and starters from beginning to end. 'Iolani coach Patrick Samsonas found solace in his team's in-game resilience.
"I feel wet. It's a wet game," he said of the gusty, rainy conditions by game's end. We battled in the second and that was the test. They answered some of the calls. That's a really good team in the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation). I'm proud of our guys for battling. We've got a bye week before we get another mainland team."
'Iolani (1-1) hosts Westview (San Diego) on Aug. 29.

#edison #three #hawaiian #islands

DHL Express has completed the $204 million expansion of its "super gateway" at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in South China's Guangdong province, tripling shipping capacity to 992 tons per day and enabling more direct cargo flights.
The project represents the company's largest investment in mainland China to date, supporting cross-border trade and time-definite international express services in one of China's most important manufacturing and export regions.
A gateway in the DHL network is a regional connection point that links local service centers to the global network. Some shipments from producers in Shenzhen and trucked to DHL's main terminal at Hong Kong International Airport if they need to reach other intercontinental hubs.
Once at full capacity, annual throughput is expected to exceed 286,000 tons, about 10 times the volume handled by the previous Shenzhen gateway, according to the China Daily News. Construction of the facility began in 2022. The heavily automated facility features high-speed sorting systems, automated storage, robotic arms and automated guided vehicles designed to efficiently and safely unload, store, handle, inspect and monitor parcels and larger shipments.
Complementing the expansion of shipment processing capacity, DHL has introduced a new dedicated air route with a widebody Boeing 767 cargo jet linking Shanghai; Bangkok, Thailand; Bahrain and Brussels, Belgium, to meet demand for air cargo transport between China and key markets across Asia, the Middle East and Europe, DHL announced this week.

#shenzhen #international #airport #express

DHL Express has completed the $204 million expansion of its "super gateway" at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in South China's Guangdong province, tripling shipping capacity to 992 tons per day and enabling more direct cargo flights.
The project represents the company's largest investment in mainland China to date, supporting cross-border trade and time-definite international express services in one of China's most important manufacturing and export regions.
A gateway in the DHL network is a regional connection point that links local service centers to the global network. Some shipments from producers in Shenzhen and trucked to DHL's main terminal at Hong Kong International Airport if they need to reach other intercontinental hubs.
Once at full capacity, annual throughput is expected to exceed 286,000 tons, about 10 times the volume handled by the previous Shenzhen gateway, according to the China Daily News. Construction of the facility began in 2022. The heavily automated facility features high-speed sorting systems, automated storage, robotic arms and automated guided vehicles designed to efficiently and safely unload, store, handle, inspect and monitor parcels and larger shipments.
Complementing the expansion of shipment processing capacity, DHL has introduced a new dedicated air route with a widebody Boeing 767 cargo jet linking Shanghai; Bangkok, Thailand; Bahrain and Brussels, Belgium, to meet demand for air cargo transport between China and key markets across Asia, the Middle East and Europe, DHL announced this week.

#China #capacity #cargo #express

JB Global Capital, an investment firm, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The fund declined 12.1% in Q2, largely driven by Alibaba, its largest holding. However, since inception on January 3, 2023, the fund has returned 109.7%, compared with 94.4% for the S&P 500. Additionally, please check the fund's top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, JB Global Capital highlighted Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU). Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) designs, distributes, and retails athletic apparel, footwear, and accessories. On August 10, 2026, Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) closed at $127.80 per share. The one-month return of Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) was 8.93%, and its shares lost 33.76% over the past 52 weeks. Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) has a market capitalization of $14.51 billion.
JB Global Capital stated the following regarding Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"In September 2025, I published Investment Case: Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU), calling the stock compelling value at $162 per share. The thesis rested on a business trading well below what its fundamentals justified: a debt-free balance sheet, 58% gross margins against a 33% industry average, and a brand strong enough to sustain 37% operating margins in both North America and mainland China. Triangulating across a DCF, relative comps to Nike and Adidas, and net ***** et value, I arrived at a fair value range of $194-280 per share. Today, the stock trades at roughly $123 per share, 24% below my initial entry.
So what went wrong? Two things: one about my own process, and one about how little of the future can be known in advance. The first is the limits of backward-looking ***** ysis. My thesis leaned heavily on trailing financials that were real, but historical. Since then, gross margin has compressed, operating margin has contracted, and ROE is down nearly 10% from a year ago. None of this means the business is broken. The balance sheet is still debt-free with $1.5 billion in cash, margins remain well above most apparel peers, and I still hold the position at roughly 9% of the portfolio. But it's a reminder that heavily underwriting the past for an exceptional business is an easy way to end up underwater on a position.…" (Click here to read the full text)

#lululemon #athletica #investor

Few, if any, movie stars achieve the level of celebrity of Paul Newman without good fortune. No one recognized that more than the screen legend himself.

Newman's luck did not begin with his three-year stint in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He understood during his years in the Pacific (and then in Hollywood) that fate fell in his favor more than once.

Also Read: Why it took 2 decades for 'Patton' to make it to the big screen

While serving his country, forces beyond his control likely saved Newman's life. If a pilot in his squadron hadn't come down with an ear issue, Newman might have died at Okinawa—one of the bloodiest battles in military history. Then Newman was supposed to take part in the invasion of mainland ***** an. Dubbed Operation Downfall, Allied commanders called it off after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Newman, who died on September 26, 2008, at the age of 83, admittedly didn't fully consider the potential consequences when he enlisted.

"I thought it would be a big adventure," Newman said of joining the military during wartime. "I was really dumb. I never considered that it might be dangerous."
Academy Award-winning actor Paul Newman served in the Navy for 3 years. (U.S. Navy illustration/Peggy Frierson)
Born on January 26, 1925, in Ohio, Newman was in his first year at Ohio University when he dropped out. Newman signed up for the Navy with the intent of becoming a pilot. He never made it to the ***** pit after a supposedly routine exam revealed he was colorblind.

Newman pivoted from that diagnosis and began training as a rear gunner and radioman for Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers. In the Pacific, the Navy ***** igned Newman to squadrons that trained air crews and pilots. After a stint as a turret gunner, the plan was for Newman and his squadron to meet up with the USS Bunker Hill, an aircraft carrier stationed near the shore of Okinawa.

They never made it that far after their pilot wasn't medically cleared to fly. That turned out to be a likely life-saver after the ***** anese unleashed kamikaze attacks on the USS Bunker Hill on May 11, 1945. Nearly 400 men on the carrier died, with 264 more wounded.

It wasn't the only time that Newman, then only 20 years old, skirted death during the war. He did it again a few months later. When the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, Newman was on an aircraft carrier several hundred miles from ***** an. Three days later, another bomb destroyed Nagasaki.

Approximately 214,000 ***** anese citizens, including roughly 38,000 children, died in the attacks, per the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Those numbers don't include those who were maimed. While President Harry S. Truman's decision remains a source of debate, but Newman didn't question it.

"I know all of the controversy about those weapons," Newman said. "But I'm one of those guys who says, 'Thank God for the atomic bomb,' because it pro

CEUTA, Spain, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Hundreds of migrants set up camp on a beach in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta on Monday as local authorities struggled to cope with the thousands still in the tiny territory after a massive border rush last week.
Spain estimates ‌that about 69,500 migrants have returned to Morocco over the past four days, exceeding initial estimates of around 50,000 arrivals in Ceuta on ‌Thursday. The official death toll on the Spanish side of the border stands at 72, with 11 deaths on the Moroccan side.
Many said they left as shop closures had left them without food, they encountered hostility from locals and they were unable to travel on to the Spanish mainland.
Ceuta and Spain's other North African enclave, Melilla, sit on Morocco's Mediterranean coast and periodically face attempted crossings by migrants seeking to reach Europe.
Reuters video showed scores of migrants, most of them from sub-Saharan Africa, lying on the sand of El Trampolin beach. Many were wrapped in towels to shield from the wind, while army and police vehicles patrolled the road behind them.

#migrants #beach

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM) has been making huge investments to diversify its production base away from its home island of Taiwan. During its Q2 announcements, Taiwan declared it would invest another $100 billion in its Arizona production facilities, bringing its total to $265 billion. That's a huge move by TSMC, and I think it solidifies the stock as a buy.
If you've got $1,000 sitting around, I can think of few better stocks to pick right now than Taiwan Semiconductor.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
One of the biggest fears investors have historically had with Taiwan Semiconductor is its location just off mainland China. The relationship between Taiwan and China is complex, and rumors of military activity have swirled for decades. Any military action would sink TSMC's stock, as production would be disrupted.
However, that military action also may plunge the world into a war, which would wreck all forms of investing (outside of defense and staples stocks). But with TSMC moving more and more production to the U.S., the risk of a single point of failure is decreasing. Obviously, TSMC's stock would likely plummet, but the business wouldn't be as disrupted as it once was.

#Stock #military

Concerns that major technology companies are spending too aggressively on artificial intelligence infrastructure have become the dominant theme influencing AI-related equities, according to HSBC, as investors continue to shift between competing market narratives in 2026.
In a recent research note, HSBC ***** yst Alastair Pinder introduced a proprietary clustering model that tracks how different AI themes influence global equity markets by ***** yzing the performance of hyperscalers, semiconductor companies, software firms and Chinese internet stocks.
HSBC said equity markets and broader market internals have experienced sharp swings this year as investors "jump between competing AI narratives."
The bank highlighted the launch of Moonshot's Kimi K3 model and reports of increasing lithography competition from mainland China as recent developments that have influenced investor positioning.
According to the firm's framework, market behavior currently falls into five distinct AI-driven regimes.

#according #Companies

DAYTONA BEACH — Naismith Hall of Famer, Daytona Beach native and Mainland High School graduate Vince Carter played professional basketball for a long time. Like, a really long time.
Carter's 22-year career from 1998-2020 is the second-longest in the history of the NBA, having just been exceeded by LeBron James during the 2025-26 season.
The eight-time All-Star and dunk extraordinaire called it quits after the COVID-shortened 2020 season and transferred to another career he'd been building for years — sports broadcasting.
In 2025, Carter became a studio ****** yst for NBC alongside fellow All-Stars Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady.
Broadcasting has been a natural second act for retired professional athletes because they tend to know a lot about the sport they dedicated their lives to. It was an avenue Carter had already been eyeing for his post-NBA life, only for it to get postponed with each season he returned.

#time #daytona #long

Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) has strengthened its position as one of China's most compelling artificial intelligence investment opportunities. In 2025, the company announced it would invest about $53 billion over three years to strengthen its AI and cloud infrastructure. More recently, it has indicated it plans to exceed the original investment as demand for AI computing continues to grow.
The investment drive underscores Alibaba's ambition to become China's leading AI infrastructure provider. A major catalyst arrived on July 15, when Apple secured regulatory approval to launch Apple Intelligence in China. Alibaba's Qwen large language model will power many Apple Intelligence capabilities in the country, including text generation, image understanding, and conversational AI. The partnership represents one of the strongest endorsements yet of Alibaba's AI technology.
Apple's strategic partnership is expected to enhance Alibaba's reputation as China's leading enterprise AI provider. It is also poised to position Alibaba at the center of Apple's AI rollout in one of the world's largest smartphone markets. In Mainland China, there are between 260 and 300 million active iOS devices that Alibaba can tap into with its AI Qwen Language.
The strategic partnership is also poised to accelerate the adoption of Alibaba Cloud AI services and enable it to generate additional AI-related revenue opportunities. Management expects AI products to contribute more than half of cloud revenue as commercialization expands.
Alibaba's fiscal fourth-quarter 2026 results already demonstrate the momentum in its AI business. While total revenue was up 3% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, the increase was driven by accelerated performance in Cloud Intelligence Group. Cloud Intelligence revenue climbed 38%, with AI-related products accounting for 30% of external cloud revenue.

#revenue #qwen

Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) has strengthened its position as one of China's most compelling artificial intelligence investment opportunities. In 2025, the company announced it would invest about $53 billion over three years to strengthen its AI and cloud infrastructure. More recently, it has indicated it plans to exceed the original investment as demand for AI computing continues to grow.
The investment drive underscores Alibaba's ambition to become China's leading AI infrastructure provider. A major catalyst arrived on July 15, when Apple secured regulatory approval to launch Apple Intelligence in China. Alibaba's Qwen large language model will power many Apple Intelligence capabilities in the country, including text generation, image understanding, and conversational AI. The partnership represents one of the strongest endorsements yet of Alibaba's AI technology.
Apple's strategic partnership is expected to enhance Alibaba's reputation as China's leading enterprise AI provider. It is also poised to position Alibaba at the center of Apple's AI rollout in one of the world's largest smartphone markets. In Mainland China, there are between 260 and 300 million active iOS devices that Alibaba can tap into with its AI Qwen Language.
The strategic partnership is also poised to accelerate the adoption of Alibaba Cloud AI services and enable it to generate additional AI-related revenue opportunities. Management expects AI products to contribute more than half of cloud revenue as commercialization expands.
Alibaba's fiscal fourth-quarter 2026 results already demonstrate the momentum in its AI business. While total revenue was up 3% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, the increase was driven by accelerated performance in Cloud Intelligence Group. Cloud Intelligence revenue climbed 38%, with AI-related products accounting for 30% of external cloud revenue.

#cloud

Nolan Wells' parents are speaking out for the first time on their grief and lingering questions after the 18-year-old was found dead following his disappearance over the July 4 weekend. Christine and Elmore Wonsley, along with their attorney Ben Crump, sat with "Good Morning America" host Michael Strahan for an emotional interview on July 10 in which they reflected on their sorrow over Wells' loss and explained their confusion about what led to his death. Wells was last seen on Mississippi's Horn Island during a holiday boating trip with friends. Crump previously confirmed to NBC News that Christine had reported her son missing that night when he didn't return with the others in his group. A two-day search culminated in a park ranger finding Wells' body ashore on the island. A cause of death is yet to be determined, but Crump has said that the Wonsleys don't accept that their son could have drowned accidentally and are launching an independent investigation into what happened. Both Christine and Elmore explained on "GMA" that they don't understand why Wells would have chosen to stay on the island without his friends. "We always taught him that if you go with a group, you stay with a group," Elmore said. "If you go with five, you come back with five. Do not separate from the group. Because I always said, 'Safety is in numbers.' So he knew to stay with this group, so why would he split from the group? I don't know." Per The ****** ociated Press, Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said that Wells' friends are cooperating with authorities. "From the people we've talked to, it sounds like he chose to stay on the island with the ****** umption that he was going to ride back to the mainland with someone else," he told the outlet of Wells. Crump, however, claims that there are inconsistent accounts about whether Wells intended to join his friends back to the mainland. Local police are also asking for anyone who was on Horn Island on July 4 to turn in possible photos or videos of Wells, while Crump and the Wonsleys shared hope to uncover more details through a forensic ****** ysis of Wells' phone. Wells would have turned 19 in August and was preparing to start the new football season at Southwest Mississippi Community College, where he was a wide receiver.

An Irishman and a Frenchman are sitting in an Irish pub in Lille on a wet Saturday afternoon.
It's not the start of a joke, but it's a story of connection, community and discovering a new sport.
It is well known that Gaelic games have expanded far beyond its Irish roots with teams as far as London, the USA, Africa and Australia.
But it is in mainland Europe where it is really starting to grow.
Originally from Dublin, Turnbull has been involved with GAA as long as he can remember.

KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine (AP) — Through the grainy gray-and-white haze of thermal images streamed from a drone, Ukrainian pilots watch the roads that keep Russian forces supplied, hunting for targets with a fleet of midrange drones that is reshaping the battlefield.
In a basement command post in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, hundreds of kilometers from the drone over Russian-held territory, pilots wait for movement. When a vehicle appears, they will nudge the controller, sending the aircraft diving toward its target to disrupt Russian supplies deep behind the front.
"Our mission is to cut logistics," said Kat, commander of Ukraine's K-2 brigade, which fires midrange drones. "Cut off their supply lines, and the infantry on the front line have no food, no ammunition, no night vision, no batteries. Nothing. That's how we're wearing them down in every sense."
Soldiers spoke to The ***** ociated Press on condition their call signs and not real names be used, in line with military regulations.
By repeatedly striking the highways that carry fuel, ammunition and reinforcements, Ukrainian commanders say they have made logistics slower, costlier and far less predictable, helping stall Russian advances and enabling Ukrainian counterattacks and strikes into illegally annexed Crimea to isolate the peninsula from the mainland.

Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) is one of the 15 Best AI Stocks That Will Make You Rich in 10 Years.
On June 25, 2026, DA Davidson raised its price target on Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) to $2,000 from $1,500 and kept a Buy rating after the company's Q3 earnings beat. DA Davidson said Micron has entered a period with some of the semiconductor industry's best visibility, a shift from its historical role in the market. The firm also noted that another blowout quarter and positive forward-looking commentary suggest the memory cycle is far from over.
Also on June 25, Deutsche Bank ***** yst Melissa Weathers raised the firm's price target on Micron to $1,550 from $1,500 and maintained a Buy rating. Weathers said the earnings report "cleared a high bar," pointing to financial and strategic performance. Deutsche Bank viewed the quarter as "stunning," citing favorable pricing dynamics that drove revenue and gross margins to "extraordinary levels," and raised its estimates after the report.
Wedbush also raised its price target on Micron to $1,400 from $1,300 and kept an Outperform rating. Wedbush said Micron delivered another earnings beat with stronger-than-expected forward guidance, but highlighted the company's detailed disclosure of long-term forward contracts covering a significant portion of bit output as the key takeaway. The firm said those contracts meaningfully increase visibility into future revenue, margins, and earnings.
Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) designs, develops, manufactures, and sells memory and storage products in the United States, Taiwan, ***** an, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Europe, and internationally.

When massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake shook **** an on March 11, 2011, the ground also made a more lasting move. About 15 minutes after the event began at 2:46 p.m. local time, nearly the entire country shifted eastward, according to GPS station measurements.
The lurch was small — 5 to 6 millimeters, or 0.20 to 0.24 inches — but permanent and at the time went largely unnoticed or was passed off as a data glitch. However, University of Chicago geophysicist Sunyoung Park felt the recorded signals that indicated a shift pointed to something tangible. In fact, the ground movement reflected an "extraordinary" and previously undocumented seismic phenomenon, according to a new study.
"What was unusual about this movement is basically the whole of **** an was moving nearly uniformly at the same time," said Park, who led the research.
She added that the movement, which affected mainland **** an — Hokkaido to Kyushu — an area approximately 1,800 miles (3,000 kilometers) in length, did not match the timing of the initial earthquake, and it happened before any significant aftershocks.
After years of **** yzing GPS and seismic data, Park and her colleagues found that waves from the earthquake had traveled down to Earth's core and then rebounded to the crust, displacing four major tectonic plates.

Yum Brands announced on Tuesday that it is selling Pizza Hut to private equity firm LongRange Capital for $2.7 billion, completing a strategic review of the iconic pizza chain and enabling the company to focus on faster-growing brands likeTaco Bell and KFC.
The transaction would mark a significant shift for one of America's most recognizable pizza chains and underscores growing consolidation across the restaurant industry as operators navigate slowing consumer demand and higher costs.
Under the transaction, LongRange Capital will acquire Pizza Hut's operations outside mainland China for approximately $1.5 billion, while Yum China will purchase the chain's mainland China business for roughly $1.2 billion.
The deal marks a major reshaping of one of the world's largest restaurant companies. After the sale closes, Yum will focus on KFC, Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill and will no longer report Pizza Hut as a separate division.
Kfc Adds New Menu Items, Updates Logo As Part Of Global Brand Refresh