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Singapore seizes $42m mansion over Nvidia chip smuggling

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A woman with shoulder-length blonde hair talks into a microphone

Police in Singapore have seized a multi-million dollar luxury home that was allegedly bought using proceeds from smuggling Nvidia artificial intelligence (AI) chips.

The property last changed hands for 55 million Singapore dollars (£32m; $42.5m), with at least two-thirds of its purchase price allegedly funded by illicit earnings, authorities said on Wednesday.

The home was seized as part of a probe into the alleged illegal trade in servers containing highly sought-after advanced Nvidia chips, which are subject to US export controls.

The US Department of Justice has previously flagged Singapore as a key transit hub to conceal illegal shipments to China.

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The police said an order was in place to stop the property being sold during the investigation.

Located a short walk from Singapore’s famous Botanic Gardens, the property sits in a prime district of the land-scarce city-state.

Wei Zhaolun, who is also known as Alan Wei, will be charged with money laundering for allegedly using around 38 million Singapore dollars of criminal proceeds to fund the purchase of the house, police said.

He is the chief executive of Aperia Group, which sells servers and other tech hardware to businesses. The BBC has contacted Aperia Group for comment.

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Authorities have also seized around one million Singapore dollars held in bank accounts.

The police said a total of four people, including Wei, have been charged since February 2025 over fraud and other alleged crimes linked to the case.

The individuals allegedly placed orders for servers from global suppliers under the pretence that they would be used by companies they worked for.

Authorities have not said where the servers were shipped to.

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The police said the servers in the case were bought from three suppliers – Dell, Super Micro Computer and Asus. The BBC has contacted the three companies for comment.

If convicted of fraud, the four, who face multiple charges, could face jail time of up to 20 years.

Singapore-based tech companies, Luxuriate Your Life and three firms under the Aperia Group, also face charges in what the police say is the first instance of corporate entities being prosecuted under these investigations.

The BBC has been unable to reach Luxuriate Your Life for comment.

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The police said it holds a “zero-tolerance stance towards such offences” and will act against anyone who violates Singapore’s laws to protect the country’s integrity as a trusted global business hub.

The US and Singapore have cracked down on the illegal shipping of Nvidia chips since Washington restricted their export in 2022 over concerns that they could be used by the Chinese military.

Authorities in Singapore said in 2025 that servers containing chips under US export controls were believed to have been shipped via the island-state.

The US has since approved the sale of some of Nvidia’s semiconductors to China, under certain conditions.

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Mutual fund NFOs: 7 new funds will open for subscription this week. Check dates

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The Economic Times

Seven mutual fund NFOs from Kotak, Motilal Oswal, AlphaGrep, JioBlackRock, Edelweiss and Franklin India will open for subscription this week. The offers span index funds, ETFs, a fund of funds and a short-duration debt scheme, with minimum investments ranging from Rs 10 to Rs 5,000.

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Mcap of nine of top-10 most valued firms jumps Rs 2.51 lakh cr; Bajaj Finance biggest winner

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Mcap of nine of top-10 most valued firms jumps Rs 2.51 lakh cr; Bajaj Finance biggest winner
The combined market valuation of nine of the top-10 most-valued firms jumped Rs 2.51 lakh crore last week, with Bajaj Finance emerging as the biggest winner, in tandem with a positive trend in equities.

Last week, the BSE benchmark Sensex climbed 2,034.87 points, or 2.67 per cent, and the NSE Nifty surged 616.15 points, or 2.59 per cent.

“Markets staged a strong rebound during the week, snapping their recent losing streak as easing crude oil prices, improving geopolitical sentiment, encouraging Q1 FY27 earnings, and renewed foreign institutional investor (FII) buying lifted risk appetite,” Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd, said.

While Reliance Industries, Bharti Airtel, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Bajaj Finance, Larsen & Toubro, and Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) were the gainers from the top-10 pack, Hindustan Unilever emerged as the only laggard.

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The market valuation of Bajaj Finance surged Rs 80,345.97 crore to Rs 7,10,817.51 crore, the most among the top-10 firms. Shares of NBFC Bajaj Finance on Friday ended over 8 per cent higher after the firm reported a 28 per cent year-on-year rise in consolidated profit after tax (PAT) for the June quarter of FY27.


Bharti Airtel’s valuation soared Rs 44,959.5 crore to reach Rs 12,30,005.63 crore.
The market valuation of TCS jumped Rs 40,414.03 crore to Rs 8,55,894.78 crore and that of Reliance Industries climbed Rs 39,447.35 crore to Rs 17,69,108.79 crore.The market capitalisation (mcap) of Larsen & Toubro rallied Rs 21,096.8 crore to Rs 5,41,844.69 crore and that of State Bank of India edged higher by Rs 10,845.97 crore to Rs 9,47,799.81 crore.

HDFC Bank’s mcap advanced Rs 8,164.73 crore to Rs 11,52,150.63 crore.

The valuation of LIC went up Rs 4,427.49 crore to Rs 5,37,435.05 crore and that of ICICI Bank climbed Rs 1,660.37 crore to Rs 10,29,878.30 crore.

However, the mcap of Hindustan Unilever declined Rs 10,326.46 crore to Rs 4,93,602.13 crore.

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Reliance Industries remained the most valued firm, followed by Bharti Airtel, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, TCS, Bajaj Finance, Larsen & Toubro, LIC, and Hindustan Unilever.

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FPIs reverse 4-month selling trend with Rs 20,200 cr inflow in July

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FPIs reverse 4-month selling trend with Rs 20,200 cr inflow in July
After four straight months of selling, foreign investors turned net buyers of Indian equities in July, pumping in Rs 20,200 crore, aided by attractive valuations, improving corporate earnings and easing global headwinds.

The latest inflow marks a sharp reversal from the preceding months, when Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) withdrew Rs 49,340 crore in June, Rs 32,963 crore in May, Rs 60,847 crore in April and a massive Rs 1.17 lakh crore in March, according to data from the Central Depository Services (India) Ltd (CDSL).

Prior to the four-month selling spree, FPIs had invested Rs 22,615 crore in Indian equities in February.

Despite the turnaround in July, foreign investors have pulled out a net Rs 2.54 lakh crore from Indian equities so far in 2026, way more than the Rs 1.66 lakh crore withdrawn during the whole of 2025.

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Market experts attributed the renewed foreign investor interest to relatively stable domestic markets, reasonable large-cap valuations, improving earnings prospects and a more favourable global environment.


V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments, said excessive volatility in markets such as South Korea and Taiwan, coupled with concentration risk in the “chip trade”, is prompting FPIs to look for relatively stable markets like India.
The stability of the rupee and fair valuations of India’s large-cap stocks are other factors facilitating renewed FPI inflows into the country, he added.Vedant Gupte, Co-Founder and CEO of investment platform Trackk, said improving earnings prospects also strengthened investor sentiment, with June quarter results showing signs of recovery across key sectors.

IT stocks, in particular, witnessed a sharp re-rating as better-than-expected earnings helped ease concerns over the impact of artificial intelligence on the sector’s growth prospects, he said.

At the same time, easing pressure from the US dollar and expectations that US interest rates are near their peak have improved the investment environment for emerging markets, Gupte added.

Foreign investor interest was not limited to equities, with the debt market continuing to attract significant inflows during the month.

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FPIs invested Rs 29,212 crore in debt through the general route and another Rs 3,033 crore through the fully accessible route in July.

Going forward, the trajectory of foreign flows is likely to be influenced by both global developments and domestic triggers.

Pabitro Mukherjee, Deputy Vice President-Research at Bajaj Broking, said investors in the coming month will closely track crude oil price movements and developments in the ongoing US-Iran geopolitical tensions.

On the domestic front, the Q1FY27 earnings season and the RBI’s monetary policy scheduled for August 5 will remain in focus, he added.

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Life after Orban: Hungary Inc digs in as new political era takes hold

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Life after Orban: Hungary Inc digs in as new political era takes hold

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Ukrop’s baked spaghetti, chicken cobbler recalled over metal

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Ukrop's baked spaghetti, chicken cobbler recalled over metal

Nearly 23,000 pounds of Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods baked spaghetti and chicken cobbler products are being recalled over concerns they may be contaminated with metal slivers, federal regulators said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said the recalled products were sold in Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia, as well as through Department of War commissaries and online sales.

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According to FSIS, the products may be contaminated with a foreign material, specifically metal slivers.

The recall was initiated after a customer found a piece of metal in one of the products.

FROZEN BURRITOS SOLD AT COSTCO PROMPT PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT OVER UNDECLARED ALLERGEN

Ukrop's Baked Spaghetti

Ukrop’s Baked Spaghetti products are being recalled after federal regulators said they may be contaminated with metal slivers. (U.S. Department of Agriculture / Unknown)

“The problem was discovered after the establishment received a consumer complaint regarding a metal piece found in a fully cooked product,” FSIS said in its recall announcement.

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No injuries have been confirmed, according to FSIS.

“Anyone concerned about an injury should contact a healthcare provider,” the agency said.

PUBLIX EXPANDS FROZEN BERRY RECALL AMID E COLI OUTBREAK THAT SICKENED 12

Ukrop's Chicken Cobbler

Ukrop’s Chicken Cobbler products are included in a recall over concerns they may contain metal slivers, according to federal regulators. (U.S. Department of Agriculture / Unknown)

The recall affects products manufactured between July 1 and July 29, 2026.

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The recalled products include 62.4-ounce bulk pans and 4.8-ounce single-serving trays of Ukrop’s Baked Spaghetti, along with 48-ounce family-size pans and 11.6-ounce single-serving trays of Ukrop’s Chicken Cobbler.

All affected products carry “best by” dates ranging from July 8 through Aug. 5.

Consumers who purchased the recalled products, including those stored in freezers, should throw them away or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

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Spaghetti alla Chitarra with meat sauce, Miramare restaurant, Ortona, Abruzzo, Italy.

Federal regulators announced a recall of nearly 23,000 pounds of Ukrop’s baked spaghetti and chicken cobbler products over concerns they may contain metal slivers. (Alfio Giannotti/REDA/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The recall comes after Rich Products Corp. recalled thousands of cases of its Farm Rich Pizza Cheese Crunchers in June because the frozen snacks may have contained metal pieces.

More than 160,000 pounds of the frozen snacks were recalled across 21 states, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

FOX Business’ Brie Stimson contributed to this report.

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A Credibility Gap at the Fed: Why Bond Yields Are Surging

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A Credibility Gap at the Fed: Why Bond Yields Are Surging

A Credibility Gap at the Fed: Why Bond Yields Are Surging

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AI creates two-speed UK jobs market as demand shifts to senior tech roles

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AI creates two-speed UK jobs market as demand shifts to senior tech roles

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UBS explains what it would take for gold prices to turn higher in 2H26

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UBS explains what it would take for gold prices to turn higher in 2H26

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Reshoring, Robots Will Boost Growth

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Robotics Could Be a Boon for the Elderly

To the Editor:
The reshoring of supply chains and enhancement in domestic manufacturing will also be needed to support ongoing growth in the automotive, defense, and semiconductor industries (“Beyond AI: 10 Ways to Cash In on the Global Building Boom,” Cover Story, July 23). Large foreign corporations like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and Samsung Electronics are focusing on expanding their onshore semiconductor footprint in the U.S. to avoid 100% tariffs on imported semiconductors and complying with changing global trade regulations.

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Q1 earnings this week: Infosys, Eternal, Bajaj Auto among 573 companies set to announce June quarter results

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Q1 earnings this week: Infosys, Eternal, Bajaj Auto among 573 companies set to announce June quarter results
As many as 573 companies are set to announce their earnings for the April-June quarter (Q1 FY27) this week, with notable names including Westside and Zudio-parent Trent, public lender SBI, ecommerce major Nykaa, telecom giant Bharti Airtel, Titan and others.

These companies will announce their first quarter earnings between August 3 (Monday) and August 8 (Saturday). This comes after Sun Pharma, Maruti Suzuki, Bajaj Finserv, ITC and several other companies released their quarterly results on Friday.

August 3 (Monday)

Realty player DLF is set to report its Q1 FY27 results on Monday. EV scooter maker Ather Energy and power company Torrent Power will also announce their June-quarter earnings, along with Jindal Stainless, UPL, Sundaram Finance, KEI Industries and GSK Pharma.

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August 4 (Tuesday)


Telecom major Bharti Airtel is scheduled to announce its first quarter earnings on Tuesday, along with Bharti Hexacom. Stock exchange BSE and Nykaa-parent FSN E-Commerce are also on the list. Other major companies which are scheduled to announce their Q1 results on Tuesday include FMCG major Marico, Fevicol maker Pililite Industries, NHPC and MCX India.
August 5 (Wednesday)Pharma major Biocon will report its June-quarter earnings on Wednesday. Paint-maker Berger Paints will also announce its results. Other key companies on the earnings calendar include Cummins India, GE T&D India, Aurobindo Pharma, Navin Fluorine and Neuland Labs.

August 6 (Thursday)

Zudio and Westside-parent Trent will announce its Q1 earnings on Thursday, along with FMCG major Britannia Industries and two wheeler-maker Hero MotoCorp. Other notable names announcing June quarter earnings on Thursday include Samvardhana Motherson International, Lupin, Premier Energies, Emcure Pharma and Blue Star.

August 7 (Friday)

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India’s largest public sector lender State Bank of India (SBI) is all set to announce its June earnings on Friday. Jewellery major Titan Company will also announce quarterly earnings on this day. Other notable companies include Hindalco Industries, ABB Power, PFC, Godrej Consumer Products, Oil India and Ramco Cements.

Also read |Jio Financial Services sets record date for dividend. Check details

August 8 (Saturday)

Anant Raj will announce its Q1 earnings on Saturday, winding up the Q1 earnings cycle for the week. The following week will see several companies including Info Edge, Hindustan Copper, Tata Motors and Lenskart release their quarterly results.

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Market outlook

Looking ahead, the sustainability of the domestic market recovery will depend on the easing of global uncertainties, stability in crude oil prices, and a broadening of earnings growth beyond a handful of sectors, said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments. He further said that investors will closely track U.S. labour market data in the coming week, while domestically, the RBI’s policy decision and PMI releases will provide key cues on growth and inflation trends.

“We continue to favour a gradual accumulation of quality companies with strong earnings visibility,” according to the analyst.

Also read | F&O Talk: Nifty lacks direction on charts, says Sudeep Shah; outlines Bajaj Finance, Eternal strategy after Q1

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(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

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