Giants

• Aziatische techleiders, waaronder Tencent en Alibaba, worden centraal in de wereldwijde AI-boom door enorme investeringen en innovaties. • Het zwaartepunt van de industrie verschuift naar het oosten nu Chinese bedrijven concurrerende AI-modellen en infrastructuur ontwikkelen. • Deze bedrijven dagen de westerse dominantie uit door toepassingen in e-commerce, cloud en consumententechnologie op te schalen.

• Aandelen in Zuid-Korea en Taiwan zijn deze maand wereldwijd het sterkst gestegen, waarbij de Zuid-Koreaanse Kospi-index sinds het begin van het jaar met 78% is gestegen dankzij optimisme over tech-gedreven winsten. • Handelaars positioneren zich erop dat Aziatische technologieleiders de volgende fase van de wereldwijde beursrally zullen aanvoeren, met een focus op halfgeleidings- en elektronicabedrijven in deze markten. • De outperformance onderstreept de cruciale rol van Azië in wereldwijde aandelen, wat het momentum kan behouden als de Amerikaanse en Europese markten stabiliseren.

• New York Giants coach John Harbaugh revealed he has spoken with free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. three to four times in the past week about a possible reunion after Beckham's workout with the team last month. • Beckham, 33 and a former Giants first-round pick in 2014 from LSU, impressed Harbaugh by 'looking good' in the workout and is currently training in Arizona while spending time with his son. • The coach emphasized honest talks, stating 'It's got to be right for both parties,' with Beckham aiming to prove he can still make a difference in the NFL after posting nine catches for 55 yards with the Miami Dolphins in 2024.

Julie, once a circus elephant, and Kariba, from a Belgian zoo, are to be moved to a former ranch in PortugalEurope’s first large-scale elephant sanctuary, which is opening to offer a more natural environment for some of the 600 animals still held in captivity across the continent, is to receive its first arrivals.Julie, Portugal’s last circus elephant, will be moved next month to the animal charity Pangea’s multimillion pound sanctuary in the Alentejo, 200km (124 miles) east of Lisbon, close to the border with Spain. Continue reading...

• The U.S. Defense Department announced AI procurement contracts with seven companies: Amazon Web Services, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI, SpaceX, and Reflection AI, which raised $2 billion in funding last year. • The AI products will be deployed in Impact Level 6 and 7 Defense Department systems capable of storing classified information, with access provided through an internal portal called GenAI.mil. • Anthropic notably was excluded from the contracts after the Trump administration designated it as a supply chain risk in February, though the Pentagon reportedly continues using Anthropic's Claude Mythos Preview model.

• The New York Giants selected edge rusher Arvell Reese with the 5th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, addressing a key defensive need. • Reese represents the Giants' investment in strengthening their defensive line and pass rush capabilities. • The selection highlights New York's priorities heading into the new NFL season.

Shell Australia says campaign needed to ‘counter-balance’ claims by levy advocates – but Ed Husic urges industry ‘do not spend millions defending the indefensible’The gas giants are mounting a multi-million dollar advertising campaign to fight against a new export tax, prompting Labor MP Ed Husic to accuse the industry of “defending the indefensible”.Shell Australia is among half-a-dozen oil and gas companies contributing around $1m to an Australian Energy Producers (AEP) campaign that attempts to justify the amount of tax the industry pays, a parliamentary inquiry heard on Wednesday. Continue reading...