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Chinese humanoid robots attempted penalty kicks in a World Cup-style event. The experiment showcased their ability to perform precise and coordinated movements in sports simulations. The event highlights advancements in robotics technology, demonstrating potential applications in entertainment and sports training. For more details, visit Bloomberg Television and related sources.

In an innovative display of technology, Chinese robots recently participated in a World Cup-style penalty kick challenge, showcasing advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence. The event aimed to demonstrate the precision and agility of autonomous machines in dynamic tasks traditionally performed by humans in sports. These robots, equipped with sophisticated sensors and motion algorithms, attempt to simulate real football penalties, challenging human players in accuracy and speed.

The experiment attracted significant attention from both tech enthusiasts and sports fans, highlighting China’s progress in robotics research. Engineers programmed the robots to analyze various factors such as ball trajectory, goalkeeper positions, and environmental conditions. Their goal was to improve robotic motor skills and decision-making, pushing the boundaries of what machines can achieve in complex physical activities.

This groundbreaking event symbolizes China’s efforts to integrate robotics into everyday life. Beyond entertainment, such advancements could be applied to rehabilitation, automation, and even future sports training. As robots continue to improve, they may someday participate in more elaborate sports competitions, blending technology with traditional human activities in exciting new ways.

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Meta Platforms shares climbed Monday morning, extending a recovery from a rough stretch earlier this year in which investors grew increasingly anxious about the social media giant’s enormous spending plans for artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Shares of the Menlo Park, California-based company were trading at $563.22 as of 11:09 a.m. EDT, up $12.97, or 2.36%, on the day. The gain builds on a broader rebound that has taken hold over the past few sessions, with the stock recovering meaningfully from levels well below its all-time closing high of $787.42, reached in August 2025, and its 52-week intraday high of roughly $796.

Much of Meta’s stock weakness earlier this year traced back to investor unease over the scale of the company’s planned capital expenditures. Meta has guided toward 2026 capital spending of between $125 billion and $145 billion, an enormous sum directed primarily at AI hardware and data center construction. That spending forecast compressed projections for the company’s free cash flow and contributed to a year-to-date de-rating of the stock, as some investors questioned whether returns from those AI investments would materialize on a timeline that justified the near-term financial strain.

Monday’s rally reflects what analysts have described as a growing belief that the earlier selloff went too far. Institutional investors and analysts increasingly point to Meta’s distinct advantage among megacap technology peers: a deeply established advertising business capable of converting AI investment into tangible near-term returns through improved targeting, stronger user engagement and rising ad pricing power. That contrasts with some AI infrastructure spending elsewhere in the sector, where monetization paths remain less clearly defined or more dependent on a small number of large customers.

A specific catalyst behind Monday’s move involves an internal policy shift at Meta. The company has enacted new restrictions limiting its applied AI developers from using external coding and AI development platforms, including tools such as Claude Code and Codex from outside providers. The move is intended to guard against unintentional model distillation, a process by which a company’s proprietary AI systems could inadvertently leak insights to external platforms, and to protect Meta’s broader intellectual property as it continues developing its own AI models in-house. While the restriction introduces some near-term friction for Meta’s internal software development workflows, market commentary has framed the decision as a sign of the company’s determination to reduce reliance on external AI tools and protect the long-term value of its own AI research.

Not all of the news circulating around Meta on Monday was as clearly favorable. Reports emerged over the weekend that Google had placed limits on Meta’s access to its Gemini AI models, citing infrastructure and compute capacity constraints on Google’s end. Meta had reportedly relied heavily on Gemini to help automate content-safety and anti-scam processes across its platforms, and the new restrictions have reportedly delayed several internal projects while forcing the company to impose stricter token-usage limits on its own developers working with the technology. Separately, internal disclosures reported Monday indicated that Meta’s fast-tracked effort to replace human content moderators with generative AI systems has run into what were described as systemic glitches in the automated moderation rollout, raising questions about the pace at which the company is shifting that function away from human reviewers in pursuit of cost savings.

Despite those operational headwinds, the stock’s gains suggest investors are currently weighing Meta’s long-term advertising and AI monetization story more heavily than the specific near-term technical and operational frictions tied to its AI rollout. Wall Street’s broader view of the stock has remained largely favorable over the past month, with multiple analysts maintaining Buy ratings. Price targets among analysts tracked by financial data providers have averaged in the range of $825 to $827, with high estimates reaching as much as $1,015 and low estimates around $664, reflecting a wide but generally optimistic range of expectations for where the stock could trade over the coming year.

Meta’s underlying financial profile remains substantial even amid the AI spending debate. The company’s trailing 12-month revenue stands at roughly $201 billion, with net profit of approximately $60.5 billion over the same period, figures that place Meta among the top performers in its broader software and internet services industry category. The company operates through two primary segments: Family of Apps, which includes Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, and Reality Labs, which covers the company’s virtual reality, augmented reality and AI wearable device efforts, including its AI-enabled smart glasses line. Meta’s next quarterly earnings report is expected around July 29, a date that will give investors a clearer read on whether the company’s AI spending is beginning to show measurable returns within its advertising business or its broader product lineup.

The company also continues to pay a modest dividend, with a forward annualized payout of $2.10 per share, translating to a yield of roughly 0.38% at current price levels; the most recent ex-dividend date passed on June 15.

Meta’s situation illustrates a broader theme playing out across megacap technology stocks this year, as investors attempt to differentiate between companies whose AI spending appears likely to generate near-term, identifiable returns and those whose investment cases rest more heavily on longer-term, less certain payoffs. For Meta, the combination of an established and highly profitable advertising engine, continued growth in user engagement metrics, and a defensive posture toward protecting its own AI development from leakage to external platforms appears, for now, to be winning over investors who had grown skeptical of the company’s spending trajectory earlier this year.

Whether that renewed optimism proves durable will likely depend on Meta’s ability to demonstrate concrete progress on AI monetization in its upcoming earnings report, along with how the company navigates near-term friction points, including its complicated relationship with external AI providers like Google and the operational challenges tied to automating content moderation at scale. For Monday at least, investors appeared willing to look past those complications and reward the stock for what many now view as a buying opportunity following an earlier overreaction to the company’s aggressive AI infrastructure spending plans.

The board of the company has “approved, in principle”, a proposal to undertake a share buyback of up to Rs 120 crore, SIS said in a regulatory filing.

This will be “at a maximum price of Rs 478.50 per equity share, representing a 10 per cent premium to the closing price on June 25, 2026,” it added.

The company estimates that around 25 lakh shares could be bought back under the proposed programme, although the final number may vary depending on the buyback price and other factors.

The company said the proposed buyback, which is subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals, will take the total capital returned by the company to shareholders through dividends and buybacks to around Rs 720 crore since its listing in August 2017.

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“SIS has returned capital to shareholders in every phase after going public – first through dividends, then through buybacks,” it said, adding that the company has so far returned about Rs 600 crore to shareholders through four completed buybacks worth around Rs 420 crore and dividends of about Rs 180 crore.
The proposed buyback would add a further Rs 120 crore to the payout, it added. “Across four completed buybacks (Rs 420 crore) and its dividends (Rs 180 crore), the company has returned an estimated Rs 600 crore to its shareholders; this proposed fifth programme commits up to a further Rs 120 crore, taking the cumulative total to approximately Rs 720 crore,” the company said in a statement.

SIS had undertaken buybacks of Rs 100 crore in FY21, Rs 80 crore in FY23, Rs 90 crore in FY24 and Rs 150 crore in FY26.

During FY26, the company also paid dividends amounting to Rs 98.86 crore, taking total shareholder returns for the fiscal to about Rs 249 crore.

Commenting on the proposal, Group Managing Director Rituraj Kishore Sinha said the company has bought back nearly 86 lakh shares since listing and will continue to evaluate opportunities to return surplus capital to shareholders.

“The proposed fifth buyback, like the four before it, is expected to be accretive to both earnings per share and return on capital,” he said.

The mode of buyback and detailed terms will be finalised after obtaining necessary approvals under applicable provisions of the Companies Act and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) regulations.

NEW YORK — Shares of International Business Machines Corp rose modestly Monday, reflecting steady investor interest in the technology services leader’s strategic shift toward artificial intelligence, hybrid cloud solutions and enterprise software amid a competitive digital transformation market.

The stock advanced about 1.7% to around $276.28 in morning trading, adding to recent performance as IBM continues executing on its multiyear transformation plan under CEO Arvind Krishna.

IBM has repositioned itself as a hybrid cloud and artificial intelligence company, leveraging its deep enterprise relationships and expertise in mission-critical systems. The company’s Watson artificial intelligence platform and Red Hat open-source software have become central to its growth strategy.

Recent quarterly results showed resilience in key segments despite macroeconomic pressures on information technology spending. IBM reported solid demand for its consulting services and software offerings, with artificial intelligence-related bookings gaining traction.

The company’s focus on industry-specific solutions has resonated with large enterprises seeking to integrate artificial intelligence into existing workflows. IBM’s approach emphasizes responsible artificial intelligence deployment with attention to governance, security and explainability.

Hybrid cloud infrastructure remains a cornerstone of IBM’s business, enabling clients to manage workloads across private and public environments. Partnerships with major cloud providers complement IBM’s own infrastructure offerings.

IBM’s acquisition of Red Hat has strengthened its position in open-source technologies, particularly Kubernetes container orchestration and Linux-based solutions. This has expanded its addressable market in modern application development.

Artificial intelligence integration across IBM’s portfolio includes tools for data management, automation and decision intelligence. The company has highlighted use cases in financial services, healthcare, supply chain and customer service.

Monday’s share movement lacked a singular catalyst, suggesting continuation of positive sentiment from recent operational updates and broader technology sector stability. IBM shares have shown relative resilience compared to more volatile growth names.

Analysts maintain generally constructive views on IBM, citing its recurring revenue base, strong free cash flow generation and strategic investments in high-growth areas. Some have noted potential for margin expansion as artificial intelligence and cloud contributions increase.

IBM’s consulting business provides implementation expertise for digital transformations, helping clients navigate complex technology landscapes. This services revenue stream offers stability while creating opportunities for software and infrastructure sales.

The company’s research division continues producing breakthroughs in quantum computing, semiconductors and artificial intelligence algorithms. These innovations support both internal development and potential commercialization.

Global operations expose IBM to various economic conditions and regulatory environments. The company has emphasized geographic diversification and adaptation to local market needs.

Cybersecurity remains a priority as enterprises face increasing threats. IBM’s security solutions integrate artificial intelligence for threat detection and response, addressing a critical enterprise pain point.

Sustainability initiatives include commitments to renewable energy for data centers and helping clients reduce their environmental footprint through technology. These efforts align with growing corporate environmental, social and governance expectations.

IBM’s dividend remains attractive to income-focused investors, with a history of consistent payouts reflecting financial discipline. The company balances shareholder returns with investments in future growth.

As artificial intelligence adoption accelerates, IBM positions itself as a trusted partner for enterprises wary of experimental approaches. Its emphasis on governance and integration with existing systems differentiates it from pure-play artificial intelligence vendors.

The hybrid cloud market continues expanding as organizations balance control, cost and scalability. IBM’s offerings aim to simplify multicloud management while ensuring security and compliance.

Monday’s trading occurred amid broader market movements in technology and industrial stocks. IBM’s performance reflects its mature business model compared to high-growth peers.

The company has streamlined operations through previous restructuring efforts, focusing resources on core strengths in artificial intelligence, cloud and consulting. This focus has improved efficiency metrics.

Industry analysts expect continued artificial intelligence investment across enterprises, creating opportunities for IBM’s software and services. Success depends on converting interest into large-scale deployments.

IBM’s Watsonx platform provides tools for building, deploying and governing artificial intelligence models. The company highlights its capabilities in data preparation, model training and risk management.

Partnerships with technology providers and industry leaders extend IBM’s reach. Collaborations help integrate its solutions into broader ecosystems that clients already utilize.

As IBM advances its strategy, investor attention centers on artificial intelligence revenue growth, cloud bookings and consulting margins. Consistent progress on these metrics supports valuation.

The technology services sector faces talent competition and pricing pressures, yet IBM’s scale and brand provide advantages in winning large contracts. Its focus on mission-critical systems enhances stickiness.

Monday’s gains contribute to IBM’s steady performance profile. The stock reflects a balance between growth opportunities in emerging technologies and stability from established businesses.

IBM’s century-plus history of adaptation in the technology industry underscores its resilience. Continued innovation while maintaining operational discipline positions it for sustained relevance.

The company’s role in enterprise digital transformation remains vital as organizations modernize legacy systems and adopt artificial intelligence. IBM’s expertise in both areas creates cross-selling opportunities.

As markets evaluate technology investments, IBM’s combination of growth initiatives and shareholder returns appeals to a broad investor base. Its trajectory will depend on successful execution in a dynamic competitive environment.

The Amulet Theatre in Shepton Mallet closed in 2011

A six-year dispute over proposals to convert a Somerset theatre into new homes has ended in defeat for the developer. The Amulet theatre in Shepton Mallet, which was built in 1975, has been the subject of repeated attempts to either reopen or repurpose the venue since it shut its doors in 2011.

Mr K. Newton submitted an application to Mendip District Council in July 2020 seeking permission to convert the building into seven flats, with a ground-floor retail unit intended to “offset the cost of maintaining the large property.”

Somerset Council (which succeeded the district council in April 2023) rejected the proposals in August 2025 – shortly following a series of pop-up summer performances organised by the ‘Buy the Amulet’ group, which is campaigning to restore the building to regular community use.

The Planning Inspector has now upheld the council’s ruling – leaving the door ajar for campaigners to intensify their efforts to acquire the building.

Planning inspector Verity Simpson conducted a site visit on May 12, subsequently publishing her decision on the Planning Inspectorate’s official website.

Ms Simpson observed that a portion of the theatre, including the main auditorium and stage, was currently operating as a commercial gym – though an application to formalise this arrangement had recently been turned down by the council.

She added: “There are no other performing arts or cultural venues within the town that are readily comparable with the Amulet.

“Moreover, it is clear that there is much local support for the building to be re-opened as a performance and community space.

“To this effect, a charitable community benefit society has been established; potential grant funding has been identified; and substantial funds have been raised from a community share offer, towards acquiring and refurbishing of the building.

“Whether or not the community benefit society are currently in a position to purchase the Amulet, the efforts of this organisation demonstrate the considerable local support and demand for the continued use of the appeal site as a theatre and community space.

“I cannot establish that there is not a financially viable demand for its use as a community facility.”

Ms Simpson said the redevelopment of the building could adversely affect the town’s conservation area, highlighting the “collective and individual significance” of multiple listed buildings in the vicinity.

She continued by explaining that the Amulet’s brutalist design enabled it to “sit comfortably” alongside the older structures surrounding it, pointing to its “relatively simple, unfussy and lowly adorned exterior”.

She added: “The scheme includes a two-storey extension that would address the historic Market Place.

“This highly glazed addition would be incongruous with the distinctive yet simple exterior detailing more typically found on the Amulet building, and it would thereby harmfully erode the distinctive character of this building.

“Moreover, its scale and forward projection, and the amount and form of the glazing within it, mean that this extension would be a visually prominent and incongruous addition within the Market Place.

“Such development would distract from and reduce the experiential authenticity of the historic market place and the listed buildings within and around it.

“I am not convinced that the proposed scheme is the most appropriate and least harmful way of securing the public benefits associated with the re-use of the building.”

Around £128,000 has been recently secured towards purchasing the building through a community share offer – which will function along similar lines to a comparable initiative in Frome being coordinated by Mayday Saxonvale.

Reacting to the inspector’s decision, a spokesperson for the group said: “Both Somerset Council and the planning inspector agreed that although Shepton Mallet does need more housing, there is a stronger need for community facilities and the Amulet still has the potential to be reopened.

“They both said that our campaign and the strong community support show there is significant local demand.

“We opposed the planning appeal because it would have meant the permanent loss of Shepton Mallet’s only large-scale performance venue.

“There are many other empty buildings which could be converted for residential use, but there are no other buildings with the potential of the Amulet; which could be easily reopened to provide us with much needed community space and to reinvigorate the town centre.”