Samsung posts 32% profit rise on-year in third quarter
South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics posted on Thursday a 32 percent rise in profits on-year for the third quarter, driven by AI-fuelled market demand for memory chips. The artificial intelligence industry has provided a major boost to South Korea’s Samsung and SK hynix, two of the world’s leading memory chip makers, as their products have become indispensable for AI infrastructure.Samsung’s latest earnings report marks a sharp turnaround for the company, which saw its profits plunge more than 50 percent on-year in the second quarter due to the impact of US curbs on AI chip exports to China.”Operating profit increased to 12.2 trillion won (US$8.5 billion). The Device Solutions (DS) Division reported a 19 percent increase in sales quarter-on-quarter, with the Memory Business setting an all-time high for quarterly sales,” the company said in its earnings statement.Its smartphone division logged an 11 percent rise quarter-on-quarter in revenue “due to the successful launch of new foldable phones and solid flagship sales”, it added.”Looking ahead to Q4, the rapid growth of the AI industry is expected to open up new market opportunities for both the DS and DX Divisions,” it said, referring to its chips and smartphone units.The current boom in AI has pushed up prices and shipments of conventional NAND and DRAM memory chips, alongside soaring demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used in AI servers.Samsung said it would invest 40.9 trillion won in its semiconductor facilities this year to meet this growing demand.”The DS division will focus on transitioning to advanced processes and reinforcing existing production lines to meet demand for high-value products,” the company said.Following the earnings report, Samsung’s shares broke a previous record, jumping more than five percent to 105,800 won in the first 30 minutes of trading.- Share surge -“This quarter’s performance is a clear result of the memory market boom,” Hwang Min-seong, research director at market analysis firm Counterpoint, told AFP. “In the DRAM segment, it has significantly narrowed the gap with SK hynix, the current leader and if this trend continues, we think Samsung could regain DRAM leadership as early as next quarter,” he added. DRAM is a type of memory chip that temporarily stores data, essential for devices like computers, smartphones and AI servers. Against the backdrop of AI market opportunities, Samsung — a bellwether on South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index — has seen its shares surge more than 90 percent since the beginning of this year.Samsung signed in July a $16.5 billion deal with Tesla under which it will provide the electric car maker with AI6 chips through the end of 2033.The agreement is expected to provide a major boost to Samsung, which has faced headwinds in its foundry business, lagging rivals SK hynix and Taiwan’s TSMC in the race for cutting-edge artificial intelligence chips.The foundry business involves contract-based manufacturing of chips designed by other companies.
Opération meurtrière à Rio: plus de 100 morts, Lula appelle à préserver la population
Au lendemain de l’intervention policière la plus meurtrière de l’histoire du Brésil avec au moins 119 morts, le président Lula a appelé mercredi à ne pas “mettre en danger” la population avec la lutte contre le crime organisé.Entre sanglots et colère, des habitants ont récupéré mercredi des dizaines de dépouilles à la suite de ces raids menés mardi contre le narcotrafic au Complexo da Penha et au Complexo do Alemao, vastes ensembles de favelas situés dans le nord de Rio. Alors que le Brésil s’apprête à accueillir le monde entier à Belem en Amazonie pour la COP30, conférence climat de l’ONU, cette opération rappelle la puissance du crime organisé dans le pays autant qu’elle interroge les méthodes de la police dans les quartiers les plus pauvres.Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, dont le gouvernement n’avait pas été prévenu, a assuré sur X que le Brésil ne pouvait pas “accepter” le crime organisé, tout en plaidant pour “un travail coordonné qui frappe au cœur du trafic (de drogue, ndlr) sans mettre en danger les policiers, les enfants et les familles innocentes.”Mercredi, des dizaines de dépouilles ont été récupérées par des habitants dans une forêt au sommet de leur favela puis déposées sur une place du Complexo da Penha, ont constaté des journalistes de l’AFP. L’odeur de la mort était étouffante.Sur les lieux, on pouvait voir le cadavre d’un homme décapité et un autre totalement défiguré. Certains habitants ont dénoncé des “exécutions”.Après avoir annoncé une soixantaine de morts mardi, les autorités de Rio ont publié un bilan encore provisoire de 119 morts: 115 criminels présumés et quatre policiers.Pour leur part, les services du Défenseur public, organe de l’Etat de Rio qui offre une assistance juridique aux plus démunis, comptabilisent au moins 132 morts.- “Succès” -L’opération a mobilisé mardi 2.500 agents contre le Comando Vermelho (Commando Rouge), principal groupe criminel de Rio, qui opère dans les favelas, quartiers populaires densément peuplés.Après plus d’un an d’enquête et avec 113 arrestations, l’intervention a été un “succès”, a lancé devant la presse Claudio Castro, gouverneur de droite de l’Etat de Rio.Il a défendu la manière forte face à ce qu’il qualifie de “narcoterrorisme”. Les seules “victimes” ont été les policiers tués, a-t-il affirmé.Au Complexo da Penha, l’horreur le disputait au chagrin.L’Etat de Rio “est venu perpétrer un massacre. Ce n’est pas une opération, ils sont venus directement pour tuer”, a crié au micro de l’AFPTV une femme qui sanglotait, main posée sur le visage d’une jeune homme dont le corps a été recouvert d’un drap vert.”Beaucoup d’entre eux ont été tués d’une balle dans la nuque, un tir dans le dos”, dit Raull Santiago, activiste qui réside dans le quartier.Les corps ont ensuite été enveloppés dans des sacs mortuaires et amenés à l’institut médico-légal.- Chef de l’ONU “très inquiet” -Le juge Alexandre de Moraes, de la Cour suprême brésilienne, a demandé des explications sur l’action de la police au gouverneur Castro, convoqué pour une audience la semaine prochaine.Le secrétaire général de l’ONU Antonio Guterres, “très inquiet” du bilan de l’opération, “appelle les autorités à mener rapidement une enquête”, selon un porte-parole.Jusqu’à présent, l’intervention policière la plus mortelle de l’histoire du Brésil avait eu lieu en 1992, quand 111 détenus avaient été tués dans la répression d’une mutinerie dans une prison à Carandiru, près de Sao Paulo.La sécurité promet d’être un enjeu important de la présidentielle de 2026, pour laquelle Lula sera candidat à un quatrième mandat. Les Brésiliens voteront aussi pour leurs gouverneurs.Le gouvernement de Rio emploie depuis quelque temps le terme de “narcoterrorisme” pour désigner des groupes criminels locaux.Ce choix terminologique trahit l'”influence” de l’administration du président américain Donald Trump mais rien ne le “justifie”, explique à l’AFP la sociologue Carolina Grillo, spécialiste du crime organisé.Pour elle, “nous avons affaire à des groupes armés qui opèrent sur des marchés illégaux, des organisations qui visent le profit et non la promotion de la terreur dans la société”.
‘Utter madness’: NZ farmers agree dairy sale to French group
Farmers who own New Zealand dairy cooperative Fonterra voted Thursday to sell its consumer business to French group Lactalis, a decision slammed by the country’s foreign minister as “utter madness”.Final farmer votes were cast in a virtual meeting in the morning, with 88.5 percent of the total ballot cast in favour of the sale of Fonterra’s global consumer and associated businesses, Fonterra said in a statement.The total sale price is NZ$4.2 billion (US$2.4 billion), after including the value of Bega Cheese licences worth NZ$375 million, the company said.Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the vote meant “iconic” brands such as Anchor, Mainland and Kapiti were being sold off to the French firm.”This is utter madness. It is economic self-sabotage,” Peters said in a post on social media.”This is an outrageous short-sighted sugar hit that is just giving away New Zealand’s added value to a company from a major EU country,” he said.Fonterra would lose the long-term security of its business, Peters warned.”Three years after this deal starts, Lactalis can begin the three year notice to terminate the milk supply to these brands. Six years is meaningless for a long-term exporter. When it’s over, it really is over.”Fonterra chairman Peter McBride said the company was pleased to have received a “strong mandate” from the farmers who own the cooperative.”We will be able to focus Fonterra’s energy and efforts on where we do our best work. We will have a simplified and more focused business, the value of which cannot be overstated,” he said.Fonterra said it expected the deal to be completed in the first half of 2026 pending regulatory approvals and the process of separating the consumer operations from the rest of the coop.
From La Guardia to De Blasio: New York’s most memorable mayors
New York’s mayors are an eclectic bunch: from uniters to heroes-turned-villains and those accused of corruption.Here is what to know about five of the most high-profile mayors of The Big Apple as the city prepares to pick its 111th leader on November 4:- Fiorello La Guardia (1934-1945) -La Guardia lends his name to New York’s first major airport, inaugurated in 1939, a recognition of his role as the builder of modern New York.He remains the preferred mayor of present-day candidates Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo.Born in New York to Italian parents and raised between the United States and Italy, La Guardia was one of many city leaders of immigrant descent.A progressive Republican, he was elected by opposing Tammany Hall, the Democratic hub that had controlled the city for a century. Nicknamed “the Little Flower,” he led the city during the Great Depression, collaborating with president Franklin Roosevelt.Under La Guardia’s administration, New York developed public housing, a modernized subway system, new parks and two airports, and reformed its welfare system.- The Orator: Ed Koch (1978-1989) -Koch famously described himself as “the sort of person who will never get ulcers. Why? Because I say exactly what I think.”Born in New York in 1924 to Polish Jewish parents, he studied law before entering politics. The city faced high crime and a financial crisis when he took office.The Democrat, who described himself as “liberal with sanity,” imposed austerity while renovating thousands of abandoned homes. He famously pounded the sidewalks, asking passersby “How’m I doin’?” His tenure ended marred by corruption scandals involving close associates, the closure of a hospital serving Black residents, and criticism of his AIDS policy.- Diversity champion: David Dinkins (1990-1993) -New York’s first African American mayor championed diversity, calling it a “gorgeous mosaic.” Born in neighboring New Jersey, Dinkins served in the military before studying mathematics and law.His marriage to the daughter of a New York State Assembly member propelled him into politics.He was unable to secure re-election after battling rising crime and racial tensions.This culminated in 1991’s Brooklyn riots after a rabbi’s motorcade hit two Black children, killing one. Dinkins strengthened police and supported community mediation and racial integration, laying the groundwork for a sustained drop in crime and more inclusive policies. – ‘America’s mayor’: Rudy Giuliani (1994-2001) -The first Republican mayor in 20 years in true-blue New York, Giuliani cut spending and cracked down on crime. He pushed controversial “broken windows theory,” insisting on zero tolerance for low-level lawbreaking. Critics accused him of ignoring police brutality, noting crime was declining nationwide anyway.Giuliani’s management of the September 11, 2001 attacks aftermath earned him the nickname “America’s Mayor” — and Time magazine’s Person of the Year.After an unsuccessful 2008 Republican presidential run, he joined Donald Trump’s campaign to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential victory. Ex-attorney Giuliani has since been repeatedly sued for defamation and disbarred in New York.- The Progressive: Bill de Blasio (2014-2021) -This Democratic outsider courted voters emphasizing the city’s economic divisions after 12 years under independent Michael Bloomberg’s leadership.His progressive wins included universal pre-kindergarten and a reduction in police stop-and-frisk actions.But de Blasio’s policies aimed at promoting affordable housing failed to curb rising rents, and homelessness.His attempt to introduce a “millionaire’s tax” to fund his social programs was blocked by state legislators. He struggled to engage police unions following the Black Lives Matter protests in 2014 and 2020, and is remembered for a stuttering response to the Covid-19 pandemic. He abandoned his presidential ambitions in 2020 amid a lack of support.
South Sudan’s blind football team dreams of Paralympic gloryThu, 30 Oct 2025 01:06:02 GMT
Yona Sabri Ellon cannot see the ball at his feet, but he can hear it. A faint rattle guides him past a defender and he fires into the back of the net.Ellon has taken his South Sudanese blind football team a step closer to their dream of playing at the 2028 Paralympics in California.The 22-year-old …