Asia Business

Australia’s plan to exempt YouTube from a world-leading teen social media ban is “illogical” and a “mockery”, rival tech giants Meta and TikTok said Wednesday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last year unveiled landmark laws that will ban under-16s from social media by the end of 2025. While popular platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram face heavy …

Tech giants object as YouTube set to dodge Australian social media ban Read More »

Under fierce pressure from US President Donald Trump, Hong Kong firm Hutchison said Tuesday it had agreed to sell its lucrative Panama Canal ports to a US-led consortium.CK Hutchison Holdings said it would offload a 90-percent stake in the Panama Ports Company (PPC) and sell a slew of other non-Chinese ports to a group led by …

Hong Kong firm offloads Panama ports after Trump pressure Read More »

Stock markets were in gloomy mode Tuesday as China, Mexico and Canada hit back at US tariffs and fears grew that Europe could be President Donald Trump’s next target in the growing global trade war.Wall Street stocks tumbled for a second straight session while European markets closed down sharply amid worries a prolonged trade spat …

Global stocks tumble as Trump proceeds with more US tariffs Read More »

Shares of Tesla tumbled Tuesday following data showing a big drop in auto sales in China, adding to recent losses amid backlash to CEO Elon Musk’s alliance with US President Donald Trump.The electric auto maker sold 30,688 vehicles in China in February, down 49 percent from the year-ago period, according to data from the China …

Tesla shares fall on weak China auto sales Read More »

At a bustling Shanghai trade fair, exporters of goods ranging from plush toys to chainmail bikinis expressed growing unease at the escalating US-China trade war as new US tariffs took hold on Tuesday.President Donald Trump on Monday doubled previously imposed tariffs to 20 percent, which themselves pile atop existing levies on various Chinese goods.The fair …

Writing on the wall as Chinese businesses fret over US trade war Read More »

Singapore on Tuesday said it would consider caning scammers as the city-state doubles down on swindling syndicates following record high scam losses.Police figures show that at least Sg$1.1 billion ($817 million) was lost through scams in 2024 — 70 percent more than the previous year.”We will consider…caning to be prescribed for certain scam-related offences, recognising …

Singapore considers caning as scam cases surge Read More »

A Thai court on Tuesday accepted a class-action lawsuit filed by hundreds of fishermen seeking $73 million in damages from a agribusiness giant over invasive blackchin tilapia, a representative of the Thai lawyers’ council said.The alien species, native to west Africa, has been found in 19 provinces in Thailand, damaging ecosystems in rivers, swamps and …

Thai court accepts invasive fish case against food giant Read More »

China’s leadership gathered at their largest political event of the year in Beijing on Tuesday, seeking a response to US President Donald Trump’s latest salvo of tariffs targeting an already sluggish economy.The closed-door meetings, known as the “Two Sessions”, are concurrent talking shops of China’s rubber-stamp parliament and a separate political advisory body.Voting is tightly …

Trade war casts pall as China’s leaders meet Read More »

Taiwanese chip-making giant TSMC will invest at least $100 billion in the United States to build “cutting edge” manufacturing facilities, President Donald Trump said on Monday, announcing the latest blockbuster financial pledge by a private company since his return to office.Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s new investment will come on top of their existing commitments and …

TSMC announces $100 billion investment in new US chip plants Read More »

The Japanese parent company of 7-Eleven said Tuesday that a buyout bid from a Canadian convenience store rival was still on the table despite a report that it planned to reject the multibillion-dollar offer.Seven & i, which operates some 85,000 convenience stores worldwide, last year rebuffed an offer worth nearly $40 billion from Alimentation Couche-Tard …

7-Eleven says Couche-Tard takeover still under consideration Read More »