Pedestrians at Pitt Street Mall in Sydney, Australia, on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Brendon Thorne | Bloomberg | Getty Images Markets in Australia and Japan rose Friday, mirroring gains on Wall Street that saw both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite reach new highs. This comes as investors took in strong earnings from Apple and…
April 29 (Reuters) – A local council in New Zealand has rejected a proposal to erect a statue honouring women forced into sexual slavery by Japanese troops in World War Two after Japan’s ambassador warned it could affect diplomatic ties. Auckland Council’s Devonport-Takapuna Local Board voted 4-2 on Tuesday against an application by the Korean…
An electronic stock board inside the Kabuto One building in Tokyo, Japan, on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. Toru Hanai | Bloomberg | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets open mixed Wednesday, after Wall Street declined overnight as investors assess the latest developments concerning OPEC, as well as a report that pointed to weakness in OpenAI. The United…
Israeli air defence systems are activated to intercept Iranian missiles over the Israeli city of Tel Aviv early on June 18, 2025. Menahem Kahana | AFP | Getty Images Europe ramped up military spending in 2025 — a longstanding demand of U.S. President Donald Trump — helping drive global defense outlays to a staggering $2.89…
Across Japan, new hotel openings are leaning into identity, whether that means heritage buildings in Kyoto, adaptive reuse in Nara or refined wellness stays built around onsen culture. At the same time, global luxury brands are making entries into Tokyo, signalling confidence in long-term demand. The result is a mix of projects that feel distinct…
Customers check out vegetables and other groceries at a supermarket in Tokyo on June 20, 2025. Kazuhiro Nogi | Afp | Getty Images Core inflation in Japan accelerated for the first time in five months, rising to 1.8% in March as the Iran war fuels worries around energy prices. Government data showed the core inflation…
Kazuhiro Nogi | AFP | Getty Images Japan and South Korea stocks hit record highs Thursday, trailing overnight gains on Wall Street after President Donald Trump’s extended a ceasefire with Iran, boosting investor sentiment alongside strong corporate earnings. Trump extended a two-week U.S. ceasefire on Tuesday, saying it was warranted due to Tehran’s “seriously fractured” government….
A pedestrian looks at an electronic quotation board showing numbers of the Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo on September 11, 2020. Kazuhiro Nogi | AFP | Getty Images Japan’s Nikkei 225 hit a record high Wednesday while Asia-Pacific markets were broadly lower amid concerns that the Middle East conflict could drag, even as President Donald…
The Tokyo Stock Exchange in January 2022. Toru Hanai | Bloomberg | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets opened higher Tuesday amid hopes for a resolution to the Middle East conflict, even as tensions between Iran and the U.S. continue to simmer. “Trump, by imposing a siege and violating the ceasefire, seeks to turn this negotiating table—…
After debuting in the US, Gemini in Chrome is making its way to more markets. Starting today, Google is rolling out Chrome’s built-in chatbot to users in countries in East Asia and the Pacific, including Australia, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam. The expansion comes after Google earlier this year made Gemini…