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The world is witnessing an unprecedented surge in energy demand driven by the rapid spread of artificial intelligence technologies, putting immense pressure on power sources and grid infrastructure worldwide.   With expectations for continued growth in this sector, public and private investors are racing to accelerate the large-scale development of new data centers. According to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), global investment in data centers reached half a trillion dollars in 2024 — nearly doubling in just two years.   However, this rapid pace of construction has created a new problem: data center buildouts are outstripping the capacity…

Half of Filipinos believe that former president Rodrigo Duterte should be held accountable for the deaths related to his bloody drug war, with observers pointing out the findings of a new survey could further “lend legitimacy and support” to an international court’s investigation into the ex-leader.The results come amid the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) rejection of the plea by Duterte’s defence counsel to allow his interim release from detention in The Hague.The poll was conducted by Social Weather Stations, commissioned by the Manila-based think tank Stratbase Group, which surveyed 1,500 Filipinos nationwide from September 24 to 30.The findings showed 50…

PARIS (AP) — France’s latest political crisis eased — for now — when Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu survived two consecutive no-confidence votes on Thursday, averting another government collapse and giving President Emmanuel Macron a respite before an even tougher fight over the national budget.The immediate danger may have receded but the core problem is still very much center stage. The eurozone’s second-largest economy is still run by a minority government in a splintered parliament where no single bloc or party has a majority.Every major law now turns on last-minute deals, and the next test is a spending plan that must…

South Koreans are cancelling holidays not only to Cambodia but also to neighbouring Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and Laos, spooked by government travel bans and reports of compatriots being kidnapped, trafficked or killed by regional crime syndicates.A man in his fifties surnamed Son told the Korea JoongAng Daily he had just cancelled a December golf trip with friends to Phnom Penh. “It’s a waste to lose the cancellation fee,” he said, “but I just can’t bring myself to go to Cambodia right now.”Concerns have deepened after recent reports about a 22-year-old South Korean college student who was…

Japan’s stock market is expected to extend its rally if the next government continues efforts to boost economic growth and prevent the country from returning to deflation, investment managers at Fidelity International said on Thursday.The benchmark Nikkei 225 index reached a record high of 48,580.44 on October 9, surpassing the 1989 Japanese economic bubble-era peak, as political parties vied for influence ahead of a parliamentary vote next week to elect the country’s next leader.Whether the market maintained its momentum hinged on whether the government would “continue the growth strategy [it had pursued] for the last decade”, rather than on who…

Japan’s stock market is expected to extend its rally if the next government continues efforts to boost economic growth and prevent the country from returning to deflation, investment managers at Fidelity International said on Thursday.The benchmark Nikkei 225 index reached a record high of 48,580.44 on October 9, surpassing the 1989 Japanese economic bubble-era peak, as political parties vied for influence ahead of a parliamentary vote next week to elect the country’s next leader.Whether the market maintained its momentum hinged on whether the government would “continue the growth strategy [it had pursued] for the last decade”, rather than on who…

Citi Pharma Limited, one of Pakistan’s leading pharmaceutical companies, refuted on Thursday reports of it planning to establish a new pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Iraq. The company, in a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), said it had come across social media reports that were circulating regarding the establishment of its new facility. “The company would like to clarify that following our recent participation in the Iraq Expo, discussions were held at an exploratory level with various stakeholders,” the notice to the bourse read. The company clarified that no formal decisions, agreements, or commitments have been made to enter…

Amid deep mistrust over trade and geopolitical differences, China is courting European powers, urging them to champion the EU’s strategic autonomy and framing its relationship with the bloc as a partnership defined by cooperation not confrontation.China and Europe had no geopolitical conflict or fundamental clash of core interests, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the French president’s diplomatic adviser Emmanuel Bonne on Wednesday.The two sides’ proper positioning should be as partners, Wang said during the meeting in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. “China hopes that France will encourage the European Union to uphold genuine strategic autonomy and adopt a correct perception of…

China’s luxury market could be nearing the end of its slowdown, as improving stock prices and pent-up demand begin to lift consumer sentiment, according to analysts.“This may be wealth-effect related as the China stock market has risen alongside some pent-up buying,” said Lorraine Tan, director of equity research, and Kai Wang, Asia equity strategist. “The question is whether it can be sustained.”LVMH, the world’s largest luxury group, echoed that cautious optimism after reporting its first quarterly growth this year and noting that Chinese consumption was “getting close to stabilisation”.The French luxury brand reported a 1 per cent growth in sales…

Shan A. Ashary, a director of KES Power Limited (KESP), the parent company of K-Electric, has refuted media reports suggesting that Hasan Chishty signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Saudi investor for the sale of his interest in KES Power Limited, terming the claims “misleading and factually incorrect.” The development was disclosed by KE in its notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Thursday. In a letter written on behalf of Al Jomaih Power Limited (AJP) — one of the main shareholders in KESP — Ashary clarified that neither the KESP Board nor its shareholders have been…