AFP

As a fixture of India’s burgeoning craft beer scene, Varsha Bhat is a rarity twice over: first as a woman who brews alcohol, and second as a woman who drinks it.Bhat is staking a claim to a male-dominated industry in a country where social mores compel most women to stay teetotal. The 38-year-old had for years …

The women brewing change in India, one beer at a time Read More »

Asian markets fluctuated Thursday as investors tried to assess US President Donald Trump’s latest tariffs salvo, while earnings from chip titan Nvidia failed to impress, despite another record performance.Hong Kong was again the region’s standout performer as the Hang Seng Index chalked up a 20 percent year-to-date gain — pushing it above 24,000 points for …

Asian markets mixed after latest Trump tariff threat Read More »

Shares in the Japanese owner of 7-Eleven plunged as much as 12 percent on Thursday after the convenience store giant said its founding family failed to put together a white-knight buyout.Last year Seven & i rejected an offer worth nearly $40 billion from Canadian rival Alimentation Couche-Tard (ACT) which would have been the biggest foreign …

7-Eleven owner shares plunge as family buyout fails Read More »

Wall Street stocks were mixed at the end of a choppy session Wednesday as US President Donald Trump signaled plans for tariffs on the European Union.While the Dow retreated, the tech-focused Nasdaq pushed higher in anticipation of earnings from artificial intelligence giant Nvidia.After the trading day, Nvidia reported net income of $22 billion on an …

US stocks mixed as investors weigh latest Trump tariff broadside Read More »

Indonesia has struck a deal with Apple for the tech giant to invest in the country, its industry minister and the company said Wednesday, in a move that could end a ban on iPhone 16 sales in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy. The government in October prohibited the marketing and sale of the model over the US …

Indonesia agrees deal with Apple that could end iPhone sales ban Read More »

Hong Kong’s finance chief unveiled a “belt-tightening” budget on Wednesday that aimed to end the city’s string of record-high deficits by 2028 while seeking growth in areas such as artificial intelligence.Annual deficits exceeded US$22 billion in four of the past five years, according to official figures — the worst balance sheet since the former British …

Hong Kong to slash public spending, civil service jobs Read More »

The EU’s top team is to embark on an “unprecedented” visit to India this week, as the bloc seeks to broaden its commercial and diplomatic ties to hedge against souring relations with the United States.EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and her college of commissioners are to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his …

Shunned by US, Europe courts India over trade and security Read More »

Shares of the US electric vehicle pioneer Tesla plunged Tuesday, leaving its market value below $1 trillion as investors digested disappointing European sales and chief executive Elon Musk’s aggressive foray into politics.The auto giant sold less than 10,000 units in Europe last month, down around 45 percent from a year earlier.Tesla’s shares fell finished down …

Tesla sinks below $1 tn market value as European auto sales slump Read More »

Global stock indices slid on Tuesday, with tech shares especially weak, after data showed US consumer confidence slumped amid unease over President Trump’s tariff plans. US consumer confidence in February saw its largest monthly decline since August 2021, according to a Conference Board survey that comes on the heels of other lackluster US reports.”Consumers’ confidence has …

Stocks slide as US consumer confidence tumbles, tech slumps Read More »