Taiwan's economy expanded at its fastest pace since 1987, driven by strong demand related to artificial intelligence. This growth performance reflects Taiwan's significant position in the global AI industry and robust performance in key sectors such as semiconductor manufacturing.
Following Iran's military response, the UAE is reinforcing its relationship with Israel and challenging Saudi Arabia's regional dominance. As a financial powerhouse, the UAE is reshaping its strategic alliances and diplomatic approach, signaling a significant shift in Middle East geopolitical dynamics and power structures.
Brent crude oil rose for the eighth consecutive day, surpassing $120 per barrel, as US President Trump announced plans to maintain a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. The geopolitical tensions continue to impact global energy markets, with the extended standoff potentially driving oil prices higher in the coming weeks.
Former U.S. President Trump stated that he discussed a potential pause in Ukraine fighting with Russian President Putin during a Wednesday conversation. The two leaders also addressed Iran during their call. The discussion touched on potential approaches to resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Prosecutors argue that Cole Tomas Allen, charged with attempted assassination of President Donald Trump in connection with a shooting at a Washington press dinner, should remain in custody pending trial. New images show the suspect taking selfies before the incident. Authorities are seeking to maintain his detention status throughout the legal proceedings.
Axios reported that US Central Command has prepared a plan for a series of short and powerful strikes on Iran. The report indicates the US government is evaluating new options regarding Iran policy, which has triggered a jump in international oil prices. Analysts suggest that escalating tensions in the Middle East could impact global energy markets and geopolitical stability.
Following Iran's military response, the UAE is reinforcing its relationship with Israel and challenging Saudi Arabia's regional dominance. As a financial powerhouse, the UAE is reshaping its strategic alliances and diplomatic approach, signaling a significant shift in Middle East geopolitical dynamics and power structures.
The United States has charged Rubén Rocha, governor of Mexico's Sinaloa state, with allegedly conspiring with Sinaloa Cartel leaders to smuggle narcotics into the U.S. Mexico's government disputes the charges, stating the evidence is insufficient to support the allegations.
London police have declared a stabbing incident targeting two Jewish men as a terrorist attack. A 45-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, according to the Metropolitan Police. The investigation is ongoing to determine the motive and circumstances surrounding the incident.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell stated he will continue serving as a board member even after Kevin Warsh assumes the chairmanship. Powell warned against attacks on the central bank's independence, emphasizing the importance of protecting the Fed's autonomy from political pressure.
Former U.S. President Trump stated that he discussed a potential pause in Ukraine fighting with Russian President Putin during a Wednesday conversation. The two leaders also addressed Iran during their call. The discussion touched on potential approaches to resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The U.S. Department of Defense states that military operations related to Iran have cost approximately $25 billion. The extensive use of expensive missiles and air defense interceptors has raised concerns about American military readiness for potential conflicts elsewhere. Defense analysts worry these expenditures may impact the U.S. military's capacity to address threats in other regions.
The United Kingdom has eliminated the right of hereditary peers to hold seats in the upper chamber after legislation passed last month. This marks a significant reform to Britain's parliamentary system, ending the political privileges held by hereditary nobility and fundamentally changing the composition of the House of Lords.
US President Donald Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell have experienced significant clashes over monetary policy decisions. The two officials have publicly disagreed on interest rate policies and economic directions multiple times, reflecting differing positions between the executive branch and the independent central bank. These conflicts highlight the system of checks and balances between different institutions in American governance.
Prosecutors argue that Cole Tomas Allen, charged with attempted assassination of President Donald Trump in connection with a shooting at a Washington press dinner, should remain in custody pending trial. New images show the suspect taking selfies before the incident. Authorities are seeking to maintain his detention status throughout the legal proceedings.
Taiwan's economy expanded at its fastest pace since 1987, driven by strong demand related to artificial intelligence. This growth performance reflects Taiwan's significant position in the global AI industry and robust performance in key sectors such as semiconductor manufacturing.
Oil prices have surged to their highest level since the start of the Iran conflict, driven by concerns that the U.S. might resume military action against Iran to break deadlocked negotiations. Market participants fear that escalating tensions could prolong global oil supply disruptions.
Crude oil prices have experienced sharp fluctuations as uncertainty surrounding the Middle East conflict persists. Reports of an extended Iran blockade have driven prices above $120 per barrel. Market concerns over geopolitical risks continue to push energy prices higher, reflecting global attention to developments in the Middle East situation.
Meta, Alphabet and other technology giants report robust earnings growth and strong revenue performance. However, investor focus has shifted to assessing their artificial intelligence competitive advantages. The valuation of these companies increasingly depends on difficult-to-quantify questions about AI technological leadership and market positioning in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
Meta, Amazon, Alphabet, and Microsoft released their financial results simultaneously on Wednesday. Investors are closely examining these companies' capital expenditures in artificial intelligence to assess their competitive positioning and profitability outlook.
Amazon announced first-quarter 2026 earnings results, posting $181.5 billion in total revenue and surpassing Wall Street forecasts. AWS cloud services revenue grew 28% year-over-year to $37.6 billion, advertising services revenue increased 24% to $17.2 billion, subscription sales rose 15% to $13.4 billion, and North America sales grew 12% to $104.1 billion.
Meta reported Q1 2026 revenue of $56.3 billion, representing 33% year-over-year growth, with net profit reaching $26.8 billion. Despite strong financial performance, the company plans significant layoffs to optimize operations while continuing to invest billions in AI projects.
YouTube generated $9.88 billion in advertising revenue during the first quarter of 2026, representing a 10.7% year-over-year increase. The growth reflects continued expansion in user viewing time on the world's largest video platform. The double-digit revenue growth demonstrates YouTube's strong market position and advertising appeal.
Brent crude oil rose for the eighth consecutive day, surpassing $120 per barrel, as US President Trump announced plans to maintain a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. The geopolitical tensions continue to impact global energy markets, with the extended standoff potentially driving oil prices higher in the coming weeks.
The BBC analyzes the potential implications of the UAE's exit from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). As a member state, the UAE's departure may weaken OPEC's cohesion and influence over global oil markets. The analysis examines how this shift could affect the cartel's ability to coordinate production strategies and influence international oil pricing dynamics.
Samsung predicted during its earnings call that the severe memory chip shortage driven by AI data center demand will persist and worsen into 2027. According to Samsung's memory business executive Kim Jaejune, supply falls far short of customer demand, with the supply-to-demand gap expected to widen further in 2027 compared to 2026, continuing to drive up prices for smartphones and gaming devices.
SoftBank Group is establishing a robotics company focused on constructing data center infrastructure. The company is planning a future initial public offering valued at approximately $100 billion. SoftBank believes that building the infrastructure necessary to support AI and robotics development requires leveraging AI and robotics technologies itself.
Major technology companies are significantly increasing AI infrastructure investments, with combined spending plans reaching $725 billion. Google's cloud business is growing faster than rivals Amazon and Microsoft, strengthening its market position. However, Meta's stock declined following announcements of increased capital expenditure. The surge in AI investment reflects intense competition among tech giants to maintain competitive advantages in artificial intelligence development.
Amazon's CEO announced that the company's AWS cloud division is generating stronger-than-expected profits. However, the e-commerce giant is simultaneously increasing capital expenditures and plans to continue substantial investments in the near term to support infrastructure growth and cloud service expansion.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Anthropic, the maker of Claude AI assistant, has received multiple pre-emptive investment offers at valuations ranging from $850 billion to $900 billion. The potential funding round is valued at approximately $50 billion, reflecting strong investor confidence in the company's prospects.
Microsoft has secured an agreement allowing it to offer OpenAI's technology to cloud customers without additional payment. CEO Satya Nadella stated the company plans to fully utilize this opportunity, integrating OpenAI's advanced AI capabilities into Microsoft's cloud services to provide customers with enhanced artificial intelligence solutions.
Google Cloud achieved over $20B in quarterly revenue for the first time, driven by surging artificial intelligence demand. However, the company notes that capacity constraints limited faster growth, suggesting revenue expansion could have been even stronger without infrastructure bottlenecks.
Meta's stock declined 7% while Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon reported strong cloud computing growth. Major tech companies are increasing artificial intelligence investments, and despite Meta's stock adjustment, the industry remains optimistic about AI development prospects with sustained cloud service demand.
Google Search queries hit an all-time high in the first quarter of 2026, according to CEO Sundar Pichai's statement in Alphabet's earnings report released Wednesday. AI-driven experiences boosted usage and generated 19% revenue growth for the search business. Pichai highlighted Q1 as the strongest quarter for consumer AI initiatives, with the Gemini App leading growth. The company now has over 350 million paid subscriptions, primarily driven by YouTube and Google One.
Google signed an artificial intelligence agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense on Monday. The deal sparked internal resistance from employees, prompting company leadership to express pride in the contract to staff. The defense partnership involves AI technology applications for military purposes, triggering internal discussions about the company's ethical positioning.
Kenyan athlete Sabastian Sawe made history as the first person to complete a marathon in under two hours during an official competitive race. Upon returning home, he received a jubilant welcome from supporters and family members. Sawe expressed surprise at his remarkable achievement, which marks a significant milestone in marathon running history.
The US NASA revealed that 39-year-old Chinese engineer Song Wu, employed by China Aviation Industry Corporation, impersonated a renowned American aerospace scholar over nearly five years to deceive US government employees and university researchers into providing sensitive defense software related to advanced missile and weapons system development. The FBI has issued a warrant for his arrest.
US President Trump spoke with Russian President Putin on the 29th. Trump stated that Putin expressed willingness to assist with US-Iran tensions, but Trump prioritizes ending the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump proposed a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine to seek a peaceful resolution.
According to Axios, U.S. President Trump is expected to receive a briefing on January 30th regarding a new military action plan against Iran, presented by CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper. The briefing indicates the Trump administration is seriously considering military options against Iran, with potential operations possibly involving the Hormuz Strait region.
Brent crude oil prices have broken through $120 per barrel, reaching $122 at peak, driven by escalating US-Iran tensions and concerns over potential Strait of Hormuz blockade. The strategic waterway is critical for global oil transportation, and any supply disruption could significantly impact worldwide energy markets.
The United Arab Emirates announced its withdrawal from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), effective this Friday, ending 58 years of membership. This marks the first time a major oil producer has exited OPEC. The UAE simultaneously withdrew from the OPEC+ alliance, which includes Russia, and plans to gradually increase oil production, significantly impacting global oil market dynamics.
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a warning on April 28 that ConnectWise ScreenConnect path traversal vulnerability CVE-2024-1708 and Windows security mechanism bypass vulnerability CVE-2026-32202 are being actively exploited. CISA has added these vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and mandated that federal agencies complete patching by May 12 to prevent attacks.
The Pentagon will brief President Trump on Thursday on a military plan against Iran developed by U.S. Central Command. The plan involves a "swift and fierce" strike potentially targeting Iranian infrastructure. Trump rejected Iran's latest negotiation proposal and vowed to maintain naval blockade until Iran agrees to a nuclear deal. Iran warned of unprecedented military action in response. US-Iran tensions continue to intensify.
Premier Cho Jung-tai announced that Taiwan will allocate 1.25 trillion NT dollars in special defense budget to address escalating threats and procure modern military equipment. He emphasized that three pillars—Taiwan Shield, high-tech strike chain, and industrial autonomy—are essential and interdependent for national security, calling for cross-party support for the budget.
Former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je received a 17-year prison sentence in the first trial for the Jinghua City case and political donation case. The Taipei District Prosecutors Office filed an appeal, arguing the original judgment was improper in factual findings, evidence evaluation, and sentencing basis, claiming the sentence was too lenient. Ko also filed his own appeal, and the case will proceed to the second trial.
cPanel has released a security advisory disclosing a critical vulnerability in cPanel and WHM software that allows attackers to gain administrative access without authentication, potentially enabling host takeover. As these tools are widely used for Linux server management, the vulnerability has broad impact. Users are urged to update immediately to patched versions.
US media reports that the US Central Command has prepared a plan for short-term military operations against Iran. This disclosure comes as negotiations between the US and Iran have stalled. The specific details and timeline of the operation plan remain undisclosed.
Brent crude oil rose for the eighth consecutive day, surpassing $120 per barrel, as US President Trump announced plans to maintain a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. The geopolitical tensions continue to impact global energy markets, with the extended standoff potentially driving oil prices higher in the coming weeks.
Prosecutors argue that Cole Tomas Allen, charged with attempted assassination of President Donald Trump in connection with a shooting at a Washington press dinner, should remain in custody pending trial. New images show the suspect taking selfies before the incident. Authorities are seeking to maintain his detention status throughout the legal proceedings.
Brent crude oil has reached new conflict-era highs, surpassing $125 per barrel as the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues. Market concerns over extended supply disruptions are driving the price surge. The geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are creating significant risks for global energy markets.
Taiwan's economy expanded at its fastest pace since 1987, driven by strong demand related to artificial intelligence. This growth performance reflects Taiwan's significant position in the global AI industry and robust performance in key sectors such as semiconductor manufacturing.