Global Fruit & Vegetables Industry Analysis 2019, Market Growth, Trends, Opportunities Forecast To 2024

Kia has achieved solid earnings growth in the third quarter, supported by rising sales of hybrids, electric vehicles (EVs) and popular SUV models across major markets, the carmaker said Friday in a regulatory filing. The carmaker said its operating profit between July and September jumped 24.3 percent to 1.82 trillion won ($1.36 billion). Sales also increased 10.2 percent to 31.6 percent during the same period. The automaker's earnings growth was driven by its diversified electrification strategy, as it helped sustain growth despite weakening global auto demand, Kia said. Global vehicle sales rose 7.9 percent to 847,355 vehicles in the third quarter on balanced sales growth of its hybrids, EVs and SUV models. Kia's SUV lineup, including the Sportage, Carnival and newly introduced Telluride Hybrid, helped drive sales in the United States, where retail sales rose 7.8 percent to approximately 234,000 units. The automaker's U.S. market share reached a quarterly record of 5.8 percent. Hybrid sales in the U.S. surged 118 percent to 69,000 vehicles, significantly outpacing the market's 27 percen

The Seoul AI Foundation has signed an agreement with the state-run Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement (KIRIA) to develop joint projects that combine artificial intelligence and robotics to address the city’s needs, the foundation said Friday. The memorandum of understanding was signed Oct. 7 at Smart Life Week 2026, an artificial intelligence (AI) and smart city exhibition hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government at Coex in southern Seoul. Seoul AI Foundation Chairman Kim Man-gi and KIRIA President Cho Young-hoon attended the signing. The Seoul AI Foundation is a city-funded body that develops AI policies and services for Seoul. KIRIA operates under the industry ministry to promote the country’s robot industry. The agreement comes as AI expands into what is known as physical AI, in which AI systems control robots and other machines that operate in the real world. Under the agreement, the two organizations will share information and experts on AI and robot policy, technology and industry. They will also identify and carry out joint projects and cooperate on exhibitions,

Hyundai Motor Group said Friday it will set up two special purpose companies next month to build and operate an artificial intelligence (AI) data center in Saemangeum — a massive reclaimed coastal zone in southwestern Korea — accelerating its 9 trillion won ($6.3 billion) plan to turn the area into an advanced tech hub. Situated in North Jeolla Province roughly 200 kilometers south of Seoul, Saemangeum is a vast, government-backed development area created by damming tidal flats to claim new land from the sea. Long slated for economic transformation, the coastal territory is being developed as a strategic enclave for high-tech industry, green energy and tourism. Five affiliates — Hyundai Motor, Kia, Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Hyundai AutoEver — have made final decisions to invest in the data center, the group said. Hyundai AutoEver, the group’s information technology and software affiliate, approved its participation through a board resolution. One of the new companies will build the hyperscale data center and its infrastructure. The other will buy hi

Samsung Electronics and Korea Gas Safety Corp. have agreed to tighten safety controls at semiconductor facilities in Korea and overseas, seeking to prevent gas-related accidents and protect production continuity as the country's chip industry expands. The two organizations signed a memorandum of understanding Thursday at Samsung's Pyeongtaek campus, focusing on strengthening gas safety infrastructure at facilities designated as nationally critical semiconductor sites. The agreement calls for closer technical cooperation to stabilize newly built facilities, including inspections of pipeline integrity and verification that gas installations meet safety requirements. Under the partnership, the organizations will conduct regular inspections of facilities and pipelines at new sites, provide training to develop specialized safety personnel and share technical information on gas safety. They also plan to jointly identify regulatory obstacles affecting semiconductor operations and explore ways to improve relevant rules. Another key element involves conducting joint special inspections of gas faci

Growing volatility in the Korean stock market is prompting investors' attention to U.S. dividend-paying stocks, with some seeking regular income rather than relying solely on stock price gains, market watchers said Friday. One option is the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index, which tracks 100 U.S. companies selected for their dividend records and financial strength. To qualify, companies must have paid dividends for at least 10 consecutive years. They are also assessed on their five-year dividend growth, return on equity and debt relative to cash flow. The index includes companies from a range of industries, including energy, consumer staples and health care. In Korea, Mirae Asset Global Investments' TIGER U.S. Dividend Dow Jones exchange-traded fund (ETF) had 4.56 trillion won ($3.41 billion) in net assets as of Thursday, making it the largest locally listed ETF tracking the index, according to the asset manager. Some asset managers are taking the strategy a step further by combining dividend-paying stocks with covered-call options, a strategy in which an investor sells call options on s

SK Group conducted its annual executive reshuffle Friday, retaining the CEOs of major affiliates, including record-setting SK hynix, while reshuffling management at its energy-related units. Having replaced numerous affiliate CEOs last year, the group focused this time on maintaining leadership stability while promoting executives with specialized expertise to enhance business competitiveness. SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung, who has led the company since March 2022, will retain his post. SK Group's holding company, SK Inc., also retained CEO Jang Yong-ho. However, Jang will step down as CEO of SK Innovation, a position he had held concurrently, to focus on leading the holding company. SK Inc. promoted Kim Sun-hyuk, head of strategy at SKC, to president overseeing portfolio management as part of efforts to accelerate the group's portfolio restructuring. In the energy and chemicals sector, the group appointed executives with expertise in managing external risks and developing new businesses to key leadership positions. SK Innovation named Cheong Seung-il, president in charge of future growth at

Nvidia is scheduled to fulfill its $1 billion investment in Naver next Friday, according to the portal giant's regulatory filing Friday, a move set to make the U.S. chip giant the third-largest shareholder of the Korean IT firm. The completion of the capital increase comes as Naver was able to secure at least $9 billion in computing infrastructure, the filing said. Naver will fix the number of common shares to be acquired by Nvidia via a rights offering on Tuesday. Currently, Korea's national pension fund is the largest shareholder with 9.49 percent, followed by BlackRock, a global asset manager, with 7.31 percent. The upcoming investment is part of a strategic partnership between Naver and Nvidia announced in July, to establish a massive, global artificial intelligence (AI) factory.

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The new feature challenges Google Maps and Yelp with crowdsourced recommendations and restaurant bookings, starting in three US markets.

Dubbed the Prism Collection, the new DualSense controllers and PS5 covers come in three striking colourways.

Bitcoin fell 4.87 per cent to US$77,037.20 in 24 hours and underperformed a broadly weaker crypto sector. A confirmed security incident at Binance on October 29 triggered the drop. That shock arrived against a 65 per cent correlation with the S&P 500. Macro risk aversion had already set a defensive tone. The result was a […] The post If Binance says user funds are safe, why did Bitcoin still fall to US$77,037.20? appeared first on e27.

Most small businesses in Southeast Asia already run on WhatsApp. Orders arrive there, suppliers send invoices there, staff send photos of receipts there. So when owners hear “AI”, the first idea is usually a chatbot that answers customers faster. After building AI systems for food, professional services and property businesses in Indonesia and Singapore, I […] The post Your SME doesn’t need a chatbot. It needs the work after the chat done appeared first on e27.