Posts by Yurie Miyazawa
Malaysia faces backlash over plan to broaden Internet controls
THE Malaysian government has come under fire for its plan to tighten its grip over the internet, via regulations that critics warn could suppress dissent and undermine Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s pledge to protect free speech. The government on Monday (Dec 2) introduced a bill that seeks to impose stricter penalties on content violations and…
Read MoreVietnam pushes electric motorbikes as pollution becomes ‘unbearable’
IN VIETNAM’S heavily polluted capital Hanoi, teenage taxi driver Phung Khac Trung rides his electric motorbike through streets jammed with two-wheelers belching toxic fumes. Trung, 19, is one of a growing number of Generation-Z workers driving an e-bike trend in the communist nation where 77 million – largely petrol – motorbikes rule the roads. A…
Read MoreGold steady; all eyes on US jobs data, Fed Chair’s speech
GOLD prices steadied on Wednesday (Dec 4) as markets awaited US jobs data and comments from Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell for further insights into the US interest rate cut trajectory. Spot gold held its ground at US$2,644.42 per ounce, as at 0203 GMT. US gold futures eased 0.1 per cent to US$2,666.40. The US…
Read MoreMitsubishi Corp loses US$90 million in suspected China metal fraud
MITSUBISHI Corporation has suffered a loss of more than US$90 million in China after uncovering suspected fraud by one of its copper traders, according to sources familiar with the matter. The loss is the latest in a string of recent cases of alleged wrongdoing to hit a major commodity trading house, highlighting the risk that…
Read MoreNetflix Japan subscribers top 10 million with shows garnering attention
NETFLIX’S subscribers passed 10 million in Japan in the first half of this year with the streaming firm’s Japanese-language programming grabbing attention in the growing market. The subscriber base has doubled in the last four years and the streamer has recently released a string of well-received Japanese-language shows tackling subjects that set it apart from…
Read MoreSTI up 0.4% amid mixed regional trading on South Korea political drama
SINGAPORE shares ended higher on Wednesday (Dec 4) amid mixed regional trading, as uncertainty loomed over Asia markets after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol imposed, and then lifted shortly after, a martial law decree. The benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) was up 13.81 points or 0.4 per cent at 3,799.94. Across the broader market, gainers…
Read MoreLarry Fink is making a new generation of billionaires richer than him
AS LARRY Fink drives BlackRock deeper into private markets, he keeps adding new billionaires to the asset-management giant’s roster – and making them all richer than he is in the process. The latest trio: Scott Kapnick, Scot French and Mike Patterson, the founders of HPS Investment Partners. BlackRock’s US$12 billion acquisition of the private credit…
Read MoreMcDonald’s E coli outbreak tied to fresh onions is over
AN E COLI outbreak that ensnared McDonald’s is over, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Tuesday (Dec 3). Fresh, slivered onions at McDonald’s were the likely source of the outbreak, the CDC said, in line with previous reports. Beef had been ruled out earlier as the potential cause. The Food…
Read MoreMeta seeks nuclear power developers for reactors to start in early 2030s
META said on Tuesday (Dec 3) it is seeking proposals from nuclear power developers to help meet its artificial intelligence and environment goals, becoming the latest big tech company to take interest in atomic power amid an expected boom in electricity demand. The company wants to add one to four gigawatts of new US nuclear…
Read MoreMany China copper traders halt US scrap imports on tariff fears
MANY Chinese metal importers have stopped buying US copper scrap in anticipation of tariffs being imposed when Donald Trump assumes the presidency, according to Beijing Antaike Information Development. The purchases were halted starting in mid-November because those cargoes are likely to arrive around the time Trump takes office on Jan 20, the state-owned researcher said…
Read More