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  • Baidu Announces New Share Repurchase Program and Dividend Policy

    BEIJING, Feb. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU and HKEX: 9888 (HKD Counter) and 89888 (RMB Counter)), (“Baidu” or the “Company”), a leading AI company with strong Internet foundation, today announced that its Board of Directors (the “Board”) has approved a new US$5 billion share repurchase program and a dividend policy, with the objective of further enhancing shareholder returns.

    The Board has authorized a new share repurchase program for up to US$5 billion of the Company’s shares, effective through December 31, 2028. The Board will periodically review the repurchase program and may adjust its terms and size as appropriate.

    With our substantial cash reserves and sound financial management capabilities, we aim to create and continuously enhance long-term value for our shareholders through our proactive shareholder return initiatives. Apart from previous repurchase tactics, this brand new program will be executed on a regular basis in a disciplined and transparent manner, guided by a strategic focus beyond short-term stock price fluctuations.

    Repurchases may be effected from time to time through open market transactions at prevailing prices or by other legally permissible means, in compliance with applicable regulations and subject to market conditions.

    In addition, with the objective of further enhancing shareholder returns, the Board has approved the adoption, for the first time, of a dividend policy for the Company’s ordinary shares, which may include regular and/or special distributions of dividends.

    Future dividend distributions will be supported by sustainable funding sources, primarily derived from operating profits and potentially supplemented by proceeds from non-core asset disposals and other investment returns. The Board intends to establish a clear, balanced policy framework that aligns shareholder returns with the continued strategic growth of the Company.

    The Board expects to declare the first payment of dividend in 2026. The declaration, timing, and amount of any future dividend will be subject to the determination of the Board at its discretion based on factors such as the Company’s financial performance, capital requirements, prevailing market conditions and other considerations that the Board deems relevant. A formal announcement of the dividend will be made after the Board’s review and approval.

    About Baidu

    Founded in 2000, Baidu’s mission is to make the complicated world simpler through technology. Baidu is a leading AI company with strong Internet foundation, trading on NASDAQ under “BIDU” and HKEX under “9888”. One Baidu ADS represents eight Class A ordinary shares.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “confident” and similar statements. Baidu may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), in announcements made on the website of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including but not limited to statements about Baidu’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: Baidu’s growth strategies; its future business development, including development of new products and services; its ability to attract and retain users and customers; competition in the Chinese Internet search and newsfeed market; competition for online marketing customers; changes in the Company’s revenues and certain cost or expense items as a percentage of its revenues; the outcome of ongoing, or any future, litigation or arbitration, including those relating to intellectual property rights; the expected growth of the Chinese-language Internet search and newsfeed market and the number of Internet and broadband users in China; Chinese governmental policies relating to the Internet and Internet search providers, and general economic conditions in China and elsewhere. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s annual report on Form 20-F and other documents filed with the SEC, and announcements on the website of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Baidu does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law. All information provided in this announcement is as of the date of the announcement, and Baidu undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

    SOURCE Baidu, Inc.

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  • Scientists use AI to track icebergs from birth to break up for the first time   – British Antarctic Survey

    Scientists use AI to track icebergs from birth to break up for the first time   – British Antarctic Survey


    5 February, 2026 Press releases

    Researchers at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have developed a new artificial intelligence tool that can, for the first time, automatically track the lifecycles of…

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  • Allah’s 6,000+ Planets And Moons Are Worlds Already Discovered – OpEd – Eurasia Review

    Allah’s 6,000+ Planets And Moons Are Worlds Already Discovered – OpEd – Eurasia Review

    A newly detected gravitational wave, GW250114, is giving scientists their clearest look yet at a black hole collision—and a powerful way to test Albert Einstein’s theory of gravity. Its clarity allowed scientists to measure multiple…

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  • Valve’s Steam Machine has been delayed, and the RAM crisis will impact pricing

    Valve’s Steam Machine has been delayed, and the RAM crisis will impact pricing

    When Valve first announced its impressive-looking Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller hardware in November, the company said the products would begin shipping in early 2026. Some journalists were told “Q1 2026” specifically. But…

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  • UN chief warns of ‘grave moment’ as final US-Russia nuclear arms treaty expires – UN News

    1. UN chief warns of ‘grave moment’ as final US-Russia nuclear arms treaty expires  UN News
    2. Fears of new arms race as US-Russia nuclear weapons treaty due to expire  BBC
    3. New START’s Expiration Is a Win for China  The Diplomat – Asia-Pacific…

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  • Force congratulates Tizzano & Pomare on WA Sport Star award nominations

    Force congratulates Tizzano & Pomare on WA Sport Star award nominations

    Carlo
    Tizzano and Trilleen Pomare have been nominated as finalists for the prestigious
    SportWest WA Sport Star award announced on Thursday morning.

    The WA
    rugby icons will both be part of the 12 finalists, with one to be named the
    winner at the…

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  • Oral Semaglutide May Reduce Heart Failure Risk in Patients With T2D

    Oral Semaglutide May Reduce Heart Failure Risk in Patients With T2D

    Oral semaglutide may reduce heart failure (HF) events in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and HF, according to a secondary analysis of the phase 3b SOUL trial.1

    HF is among the most prevalent cardiovascular complications in patients with T2D,…

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  • Murad Ali Shah warns against road blockades during protests

    Murad Ali Shah warns against road blockades during protests

    KARACHI (Web Desk) – Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that everyone has the right to protest and hold rallies, but no one will be allowed to block roads under the guise of freedom of expression.

    Speaking to…

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  • Email appears to confirm photo of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Virginia Giuffre is real | Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

    Email appears to confirm photo of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Virginia Giuffre is real | Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

    An email believed to have been sent by Ghislaine Maxwell appears to confirm a photograph of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor with his arm around Virginia Giuffre’s waist is real.

    The message, released as part of the latest tranche of the Epstein…

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  • The Hidden Value of Coal Infrastructure in the Energy Transition

    The Hidden Value of Coal Infrastructure in the Energy Transition

    As the world decarbonizes, what happens to the coal plants left behind? Some countries are reimagining them to serve a new role in a low-carbon future.

    For more than a century, coal powered industrial growth. Entire towns and regional economies were built around coal mines and power stations. Today, as the world shifts to clean energy and decarbonizes, many of these coal-dependent regions face economic decline. The challenge is no longer only how to close coal plants safely, but what comes next for workers, infrastructure, and local communities.

    The pressure to transition away from planet-warming fossil fuels is already underway in many parts of the world. In the United States, coal capacity is down by around 60% since 2010, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). In the European Union, countries including Germany, Spain and the Netherlands have set legally binding coal phase-out deadlines before 2030. The Global South is also facing mounting pressure to cancel new coal financing.

    Without planned transition strategies, retired coal sites risk becoming abandoned industrial zones, driving job losses, population outmigration, and shrinking municipal tax bases. However, emerging techno-economic pathways show that former coal regions can be repurposed into clean energy industrial hubs, turning stranded fossil fuel assets into engines of the green economy.

    The solution? There are various ways that have been employed throughout the world, some of which are discussed below.

    Hidden Value of Existing Coal Infrastructure 

    Coal plants exist on strategically valuable industrial land. They already have grid interconnections, transmission capacity and industrial zoning permits that make it easier for these sites to host utility-scale solar farms, wind farms, and grid-scale battery storage. 

    Building new renewable energy projects typically requires lengthy approval processes and costly grid upgrades. Repurposing former coal sites avoids these barriers. This approach accelerates renewable roll-out while preserving grid reliability and local employment opportunities.In the Eastern US, for example, retired coal plant sites in Appalachia are being redeveloped into solar and battery projects, supported by the Biden administration’s flagship Inflation Reduction Act.

    Coal mining leaves behind land that offers larger flat areas. Once reclaimed, this land can be suitable for solar panel assembly plants or wind turbine blade manufacturing or green hydrogen electrolysis facilities. 

    Germany is a great example of this. The Ruhr region transitioned from coal mining to advanced manufacturing and clean tech research parks over two decades through coordinated industrial policy and public investment – proof that long-term planning can convert declining fossil-fuel regions into innovation centres rather than economic dead zones.

    Another pathway is underground mines serving as long-term energy storage facilities. To ensure reliable power supply, grids require storage technologies capable of delivering electricity for several hours or days. Decommissioned mines offer natural cavities that can store pumped hydro energy, where water is pumped uphill using excess electricity and released to generate power when needed – or compressed-air energy storage, where air is pressurised underground and later released through turbines. Pilot projects in Spain and the UK are testing mine-based gravity and compressed-air storage.

    Transition for Coal Workers

    Coal workers already possess transferable skills like electrical maintenance skills, heavy machinery operation experience, and safety training. Short retraining programs can shift them into solar installation, wind turbine maintenance, and grid operations. Retraining initiatives, wage insurance programs, and regional investment funds are increasingly being adopted to support a “just transition” – a policy framework ensuring that workers and communities benefit from the shift to clean energy rather than bearing its costs alone.

    Final Thoughts 

    With strategic reinvestment moving forward, regions can gain new industries with higher long-term job stability and local ownership of energy assets. Community investment schemes and clean-tech innovation clusters further increase regional resilience.

    The transformation is not automatic. It requires coordinated policy, public-private financing, workforce planning, and long-term political commitment. However, the examples emerging across Europe and North America demonstrate that coal’s decline does not have to mean regional decline.

    As the world decarbonizes, the future of former coal regions will depend on whether governments and industry treat plant closures as endings or as opportunities to build the next generation of clean energy industrial hubs.

    Photo: Tom Grundy/hongkongfp.com.

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