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TOPIC COLLECTION

Energy & Utilities

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Serra Verde is Brazil’s only operating rare earth mine. Photo: Handout
China-Latin America relations

China and the US want rare earths. Brazil will share – on one condition

Move comes as Washington locks US$565 million deal with Brazil’s only operating rare earth mine.

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Donald Trump

Trump turns on Italy’s Meloni, says he is ‘shocked’ by her

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China-Middle East relations

Xi’s meeting with Abu Dhabi crown prince highlights Gulf turn towards China

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Why Sigenergy’s IPO ignited market frenzy with oversubscription of 1,000 times

Sigenergy and Guoxia are gaining traction as investors eye a major shift to AI in the renewable energy storage sector.

Visitors at the Sigenergy booth during the Solar and Storage Live Africa show in Johannesburg, South Africa, March 25, 2026. Photo: Xinhua

Shanghai Gigafactory has potential to build humanoid robots: Tesla China head

Shanghai Gigafactory could be a ‘golden key’ to advancing Elon Musk’s hopes of commercialising the technology swiftly, Tesla China head says.

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Malaysians urged to tighten their belts as Iran war fallout starts to bite

Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir warns the effects of the crisis can last until next year, with oil prices expected to remain high.

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China’s AI world model edge: abundant data and faster deployment, executive says

China’s strong industrial base, abundance of factory data give its world models a decisive push, says executive from leading start-up GigaAI.

GigaAI, a company specialising in embodied intelligent models, has secured another round of financing. Photo: Handout

Asia’s energy supply at breaking point as US blockades Hormuz

Nearly 90 per cent of the region’s crude oil is now at risk as stalled peace talks and a naval stand-off raise the spectre of stagflation.

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UN warns 8 million in Asia-Pacific risk poverty if Iran war drags on

A new UNDP report has forecast job losses, crippling inflation and food insecurity, with the poorest nations brutally exposed to the oil shock.

Video | Large fire breaks out at BYD parking garage in Shenzhen

BYD has since reported the fire is out and that there were no casualties.

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China turns to central Asia as US blockade in Hormuz chokes global energy flows

Chinese vice-premier to visit major gas field in Turkmenistan as Beijing aims to shore up energy security and diversify away from volatile maritime routes.

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In this 2013 image, President Xi Jinping stands alongside a model of the purification plant in Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh gas field during an opening ceremony. Photo: Getty Images

Power play: Malaysia races to go green as Iran war squeezes oil supply

To avoid future supply shocks, the government aims to raise renewable generation to 70 per cent of the energy mix by 2050.

As the planet heats up, Greece fortifies its ruins

Ancient Greek monuments, from the Parthenon to Olympia, which have stood for 2,500 years, are under threat from extreme weather events.

Chinese firms drawn to Brazil as they seek anchor for Latin America expansion

Chinese brands like Mixue, BYD, and Geely are surging into Brazil, leveraging strong trade ties and local strategies for growth.

Chinese ice cream and beverage chain Mixue opened its first Brazilian store in Sao Paulo, on April 11, 2026. Photo: Reuters

Hong Kong tram operator launches real-time app, pledges no fare rise this year

‘We hope to enable passengers of all ages and backgrounds to easily access tram information,’ Hong Kong Tramways’ managing director says.

Hong Kong Tramways has launched a new mobile app that provides real-time arrival information. Photo: Eugene Lee

Why Indonesia’s Prabowo is in Russia – and what he needs from Putin

The visit aims to secure discounted crude as global prices soar, even as Jakarta holds high-level defence talks with Washington.

Chinese team shows quantum tech can disrupt AI in a real-world task

Breakthrough system matched or exceeded performance of a classical reservoir network with 10,000 nodes in multi-step weather prediction.

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What is really behind South Korea’s diplomatic row with Israel?

Lee Jae Myung’s clash was about more than human rights, analysts say – it was about energy security and sending a message to Donald Trump.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung attends a National Economic Advisory Council meeting in Seoul on Thursday. Photo: Yonhap/EPA

Malaysia’s Anwar douses row over diesel supplied to Philippines

The prime minister denied Petronas involvement, saying Malaysia was a transit point for foreign deals.

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US painter becomes Hong Kong Artists Association’s first non-Chinese member

Vermont native Nissa Kauppila talks about fusing Eastern and Western painting styles on discarded materials following her recent induction.

China’s imports surge in March as exports soften amid Hormuz blockade

Export figures fall short of predictions, rising by 2.5 per cent, while imports grow by 27.8 per cent as conflict in Middle East causes global disruption.

A container ship arrives at the Qingdao Port in Shandong province. The port opened seven new container shipping routes in the first quarter of this year. Photo: Xinhua

Lack of fuel reserves forces Southeast Asian flight cuts amid Hormuz crisis

Airlines are cutting flights, as dependence on Middle Eastern fuel hits operators from Pakistan to New Zealand.

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A Vietjet Airline airplane in front of a Vietnam Airlines airplane, at Noi Bai International Airport, in Hanoi, Vietnam, on May 28, 2025. Photo: Reuters

Malaysian bust spotlights shadow fleet oil trade in Southeast Asia

Two tankers were intercepted in waters off Penang on Saturday during an alleged illegal transfer of more than 700,000 litres of diesel.

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Brussels must resist ‘passive’ role in US-China trade war, EU chamber urges

European companies keep becoming ‘collateral damage’ in others’ disputes, laments president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.

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Japan’s Trump tariff deal faces climate backlash over projects’ 20% carbon surge

Campaigners said the three US projects could generate greenhouse gas emissions equal to about 20 per cent of Japan’s annual total.

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US President Donald Trump met Japan’s economic revitalisation minister Ryosei Akazawa and his delegation in Washington on April 16, 2025. The meeting came as Tokyo sought relief from US tariff pressure. Photo: Reuters

How prolonged Iran war could disrupt Asia tech from chipmaking to data centres

LNG and helium shortages risk crippling Asia’s semiconductor supply chain and delaying AI infrastructure expansion, experts say.

An LNG tanker is moored in Kawasaki, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan, on April 8, 2026. Photo: AFP

BYD made Brazil’s slave labour list. The man behind the decision lost his job

Union said sacking is part of pattern of political meddling in slavery cases.

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Why the US may need more than just fixing gaps to rival China on rare earths

Washington’s mining ambitions may be complicated by the erosion of industrial know-how and a weak education pipeline, experts say.

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Energy & Utilities
The latest news on energy, the energy sector and utilities, including home energy, oil, gas, electricity and water, plus government energy and utilities departments. Also covers power companies, energy-saving initiatives, plus clean and renewable energy and energy regulations.