Latest from Maaal Magazine
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
DoorDash's planned takeover of Deliveroo to be reviewed under EU's simplified merger procedure
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The planned $3.9 billion takeover of Deliveroo by U.S. meal delivery firm DoorDash will be reviewed under the European Union's simplified merger procedure, EU Commission documents showed on Tuesday. The food delivery app companies reached a deal valuing Deliveroo at about 2.9 billion pounds ($3.92 billion) in May. The fact that the EU regulator is reviewing the merger under its simplified procedure usually means it does not see any competition concerns and that approval is probable. Deliveroo's shares have weakened significantly since its 2021 debut as demand for online food delivery stagnated after the COVID pandemic. ($1 = 0.7407 pounds) Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
SoftBank's Son backs ally Tan with $2 billion Intel investment
By Sam Nussey, Fanny Potkin and Anton Bridge TOKYO (Reuters) -When Lip-Bu Tan stepped down from the SoftBank Group board in 2022 at a time when the Japanese company was grappling with soured investments, his parting message offered advice on how Masayoshi Son's conglomerate could strengthen its business. Three years later, a resurgent SoftBank has made a show of support by taking a $2 billion stake in Intel as Tan, now the storied American company's CEO, seeks to turn around the embattled chipmaker. Tan took Intel's top job in March and is driving restructuring at the company, which lost out to Nvidia in artificial intelligence chips and whose foundry business is struggling. "This is really a vote of confidence of Masa in the turnaround materialising over the coming years," said Rolf Bulk, an analyst at New Street Research. "For Intel, the investment makes it more likely that SoftBank could be a potential client to Intel in the future." The two men have a long-standing relationship. "Masa and I have worked closely together for decades, and I appreciate the confidence he has placed in Intel with this investment," Tan said in a statement. In addition to his time on SoftBank's board, Tan became chairman of chip startup SambaNova, which received backing from SoftBank's Vision Fund. "Masa is brilliant; he's a visionary. But he still needs people to provide safeguards, give him advice, and make him even more successful," Tan wrote in his statement on leaving the SoftBank board. Son, 68, is known as a savvy political operator, appearing publicly with U.S. President Donald Trump twice in the months following the presidential election. He has close relationships with leading tech entrepreneurs such as Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, in which SoftBank has a stake. Last week Tan, 65, met with Trump, who days earlier had called on him to resign due to his ties to Chinese firms. Washington is in talks to take a 10% stake in Intel, Bloomberg has reported. "SoftBank's investment helps but it is not what is going to move the dial for Intel," said Amir Anvarzadeh of Asymmetric Advisors. "It's more to maintain this very good relationship he has with Trump," he said. BACK ON THE OFFENSIVE Son is making splashy investments again after some underperforming tech bets forced a period of retrenchment, with the conglomerate pursuing a $500 billion U.S. data centre venture with OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. SoftBank has acquired a former electric vehicle factory from Foxconn in Ohio as it looks to advance its Stargate data center project. Arm, which is controlled by SoftBank, plans to make its own chips, and the Japanese conglomerate also acquired chipmaker Graphcore last year. SoftBank's shares have been on a tear, boosted by positive sentiment around its AI investments. "The $2 billion investment should be viewed more as a strategic stake rather than a financial one," said Nori Chiou, investment director at White Oak Capital Partners. "In the world of cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing, only capital commitments in the $30 billion–$40 billion range carry true commercial weight," he said. Industry experts say Tan still faces a mountain to climb to turn around Intel, which has suffered from years of management missteps. "It is Masa making a contrarian bet but one where I think the downside risk is fairly limited," said Bulk of New Street Research.
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Soccer players' union wants quick resolution of India domestic soccer stalemate
Global soccer players' union FIFPRO has called for a swift resolution to the crisis that has gripped the domestic game in India. The 2025-26 India Super League (ISL) season was due to start in September, but the 14-team competition has been suspended due to uncertainty over the renewal of its organizing agreement between the Indian federation and its commercial partner, the Football Sports Development Ltd., pending a Supreme Court ruling. In early August, three ISL clubs, Bengaluru FC, Odisha FC and Chennaiyin FC, either suspended salaries or ceased soccer operations until a solution is found. 'The lack of clarity for players over the 2025-26 Indian Super League (ISL) season, arising from a dispute over the league's organization and governance that has led to its indefinite suspension, is having a significant impact on their livelihoods, careers, and well-being,' FIFPRO Asia/Oceania said in a statement released Tuesday. 'Players have been subjected to unilateral and unlawful suspensions of their employment contracts until further notice,' the statement added. 'These actions represent a direct breach of the players' labor rights and are causing significant distress.' Media reports in India said the Supreme Court's ruling was expected to be delivered on Friday. In early July, Manolo Márquez left his position by mutual consent as head coach of India's national team after just one win in eight games and less than a year in the job. On Aug. 1, after discarding hoax applications from Xavi and Pep Guardiola, the All India Football Federation hired Khalid Jamil as the new head coach. ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Drought depletes Turkey's Tekirdag reservoirs, forcing emergency water curbs
Drought depletes Turkey's Tekirdag reservoirs, forcing emergency water curbs By Ali Kucukgocmen TEKIRDAG, Turkey (Reuters) -A drought in Turkey's northwestern province of Tekirdag has left the area's main dams without potable water, straining infrastructure and leaving some homes without water for weeks, due to a sharp drop in precipitation in the country this year. Authorities say drought is a critical issue, with several provinces warning of limited fresh water supply this summer. Various areas in Izmir, Turkey's third-most populous province, have experienced frequent water cuts this month, while the municipality in the western province of Usak was told over the weekend it would have access to water just six hours a day, with the main water reservoir depleted. Rainfall slumped 71% in July across the country from a year ago, according to Turkey's Meteorological Service. In the Marmara region, which includes Tekirdag and Istanbul, it shrank 95% below the monthly norm in July. In the ten months to August, precipitation sank 32% in Marmara compared to the norm, while it fell 26% across Turkey to the lowest in 52 years. ALTERNATIVES The water level in Tekirdag's Naip Dam, which has not seen any rainfall in June and July, fell to zero percent in August. That has forced authorities to find alternatives like delivering irrigation water for domestic use and building a pump system for delivery into urban areas. The dam's water level was 21% this time last year, according to the State Hydraulic Works. Mehmet Ali Sismanlar, head of Tekirdag's Water and Sewerage Administration (TESKI), said rainfall in Tekirdag has reduced dramatically over the past decade, and severe drought over the last two years has spurred frequent water cuts in some areas this summer. "We are the area and the province that has been affected the most by the drought in Turkey," he said, attributing it to climate change. The water in Turkmenli dam, usually used for irrigation, was used to supply water to Tekirdag's Marmaraereglisi district, where some neighbourhoods faced water cuts. TESKI was working to open new wells to use ground water, not usually a preferred measure, Sismanlar said. He said ground water had sunk to twice its original depth over the years. Mehmet, 70, a resident who lives in the Dereagzi neighbourhood with his family, said their home has had no water for two months, leaving them unable to shower or perform chores, and they were fetching water from nearby areas in large bottles. "I have been living in filth for the past two months," he said, standing among dirty piles of dishes in the kitchen, and adding that he last showered when he went to Istanbul, around 130 kilometres (81 miles) away. His wife, Fatma, 65, said the family stayed up at night to fill up bottles in case water supply is resumed. Remzi Karabas, 71, said he takes his laundry to Istanbul to be washed, but was done with living in Tekirdag. "We'll leave some day soon. What can we do here? Water does not flow at all."
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Apple助攻！TrendForce：預估2027年折疊手機滲透率將突破3%
根據研調機構集邦科技（TrendForce）最新研究，在市場預期Apple於2026年下半年推出折疊產品的帶動下，將助益折疊手機滲透率從2025年的1.6%，提升至2027年的3%以上。折疊手機歷經多零件鉸鏈組裝到一體化結構設計的技術演進，材質、結構和厚度的突破幫助機身變得更加輕薄，鉸鏈技術的發展更成為競爭焦點。 延伸閱讀：星粉注意！ 三星明年新機有望支援eSIM、引進三折機視市場熱度而定 研調機構表示，折疊手機滲透率將從2025年的1.6%，提升至2027年的3%以上。圖／記者王詩婷攝 2025年折疊手機鉸鏈市場規模達12億美元 TrendForce表示，Samsung於2023年起在Galaxy Z Fold 5與Flip系列改採水滴型鉸鏈，以改善折疊平整度與耐久性，並降低折痕感受。此設計迅速成為業界主流，不僅提升鉸鏈在整機價值中的占比，也帶動市場規模穩步擴大，預估2025年全球折疊手機鉸鏈市場產值將達12億美元，目前鉸鏈在單機BOM(物料清單)中成本占比約為5%~8%。 為降低成本並提升良率，業界正加速推動模組化、榫卯結構與雷射焊接等機構簡化設計，同時朝向標準化尺寸與公版發展。這項趨勢將促使鉸鏈從傳統材料加工轉向系統模組供應，加快整體組裝效率，並優化供應鏈獲利結構。 目前相關供應商已加大投入，如新日興（3376）和連接元件大廠安費諾（Amphenol）長期提供品牌高精度轉軸與金屬零組件，並因應水滴型鉸鏈普及積極導入標準化生產流程。中國供應鏈也快速崛起，如東睦新材料集團（NBTM New Materials）、精研科技（Gian）憑藉粉末冶金與微型機構精密加工技術，逐步於折疊手機轉軸、滑軌等關鍵零組件市場立足，特別在中階產品線具備明顯價格與量產優勢。 Apple可能導入新材料 供應鏈有望升級整合 隨著Apple進軍折疊裝置的時間點接近，市場高度關注其可能採用的新材料與供應商。據了解，Apple已納入液態金屬為結構件材料的考量，希望利用材料特性確保產品兼具輕量與高韌性。目前宜安科技等中國廠商已具備液態金屬成型能力，若Apple進一步導入3D列印、複合材質與特殊工藝，勢必將帶動高階結構件供應鏈全面升級。 Apple歷來多非產業創新前段推手，而是傾向採取「早期多數族群（Early Majority）」策略入局，其等待折疊手機市場趨於穩定，計畫以差異化方式快速搶下市占，避免早期投入的風險與高研發成本。Apple入市意味折疊手機邁向成熟應用，核心競爭將轉向製造效率、成本控制，以及供應鏈整合。面對設計簡化與成本壓力並存的新階段，能同時掌握技術、產能並提供價格彈性的供應商，將成為下一輪成長週期的關鍵受益者。
