Energy, Materials Stocks Lead ASX Gains

Amazon Turns to Chinese Firm on US Blacklist to Meet Thermal Camera Needs

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO—Amazon.com has bought cameras to take the temperature of workers during the CCP virus pandemic from a firm the United States blacklisted over allegations it helped China detain and monitor Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. China’s Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co Ltd shipped 1,500 cameras to Amazon this month in a deal valued close to $10 million, one of the people said. At least 500 systems from Dahua—the blacklisted firm—are for Amazon’s use in the United States, another person said. The Amazon procurement, which has not been previously reported, is legal because the rules control U.S. government contract awards and exports to blacklisted firms, but they do not stop sales to the private sector. However, the United States “considers that transactions…

Investors are smiling in early trade on the Australian share market, which is being pushed along by energy, materials and IT stocks.

The S&P/ASX200 benchmark index was higher by 57.2 points, or 1.06 percent, at 5450.6 points after the first 15 minutes of trade on April 30.

The All Ordinaries index was 62.5 points higher, or 1.14 percent, at 5526.3 points.

The energy sector was the best performer, surging 4.92 percent.

Oil Search was an early winner with a 8.7 percent climb in its share price to $3.00.

The materials sector was up 1.94 percent after Fortescue Metals hiked its annual iron ore shipments forecast.

Fortescue reported a 10 percent rise in third-quarter shipments and said it had managed to keep a lid on costs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Information technology rose 2.43 percent.

ANZ was the only one of the big four banks in negative territory – down 2.2 percent to $16.29 after announcing it will delay paying shareholders an interim dividend after first-half cash profit plunged 62 percent to $1.32 billion.

The fall in profit was due to higher credit charges and COVID-19 impairments.

Overnight, big tech companies provided the biggest lift to the US S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, and pushed all three major US stock averages closer to their all-time highs reached in February.

Drugmaker Gilead Sciences announced that its drug Remdesivir is showing promise as an effective treatment for COVID-19, which has killed more than 226,000 people across the world.

One Aussie dollar was buying 65.47 US cents at 1015 AEST, up from 65.36 US cents at Wednesday’s close.

By Steven Deare聽

 

This article is from the Internet:Energy, Materials Stocks Lead ASX Gains

Illinois Governor Under Scrutiny for Releasing Convicted MurderersTaurean Giles

Kwayera Jackson Kwayera Jackson, 40, was released by Pritzker on parole April 10 after serving half of his 40-year sentence for the murder of his 5-month-old son. Advocates for Jackson have argued that he could have accepted a plea deal for 20 years, but did not do so, and thus received a 40-year sentence. Kwayera Jackson (Illinois Department of Corrections)Jackson was an 18-year-old star athlete who had given up a sports scholarship to help raise his son when his girlfriend became pregnant in 1998, according to a website set up in his name. He had allegedly tried strength-training his baby, leading to the baby’s death by internal bleeding. A Change.org petition calling for his release states, “His youthful incompetency at parenting was what led to the death of his child,…