Sunday, 13 Jul 2025

Asia

Asia News – Get latest breaking news & top stories today in Asia, South-East Asia, South Asia, East Asia, Australia/New Zealand at…

Japan household spending rise but wages tumble in March

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s household spending rose more than expected in March but real wages tumbled the most in nearly four years, dashing hopes that consumer sector activity may soften the blow from external factors such as global trade conflicts. Household spending gained 2.1 percent from a year earlier, government data showed on Friday, beating […]

Malaysia's opposition wears black on 1st anniversary of Pakatan Harapan government

PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Opposition leaders and supporters have marked Pakatan Harapan’s first year anniversary in power by wearing black as a sign of protest against the government. Umno supreme council member and Pontian MP Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan urged opposition supporters to wear black to show dissatisfaction over Pakatan’s alleged failure […]

Japan household spending rise but wages tumble in March

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s household spending rose more than expected in March but real wages tumbled the most in nearly four years, dashing hopes that consumer sector activity may soften the blow from external factors such as global trade conflicts. Household spending gained 2.1 percent from a year earlier, government data showed on Friday, beating […]

Inside the silent nation of Brunei

Brunei has become the focus of global attention for its decision to impose harsh Islamic punishments for offences such as adultery and sodomy – but in the country itself there is silence, as the BBC’s Jonathan Head reports. At first glance you could be in Singapore. The roads are smooth and well maintained, the city […]

U.S. state AGs looking into Expedia Group, hotel practices in antitrust probe

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A group of U.S. state attorneys general are investigating Expedia Group and hotel chains like Hyatt Hotels Corp and Marriott International Inc for alleged violations of antitrust law in online travel booking, according to a court filing. The filing in a state court in Utah relates to a dispute originally filed in […]

As China Trade Talks Stall, Xi Faces a Dilemma: Fold? Or Double Down?

BEIJING — As Chinese and American officials try to reach a trade deal, Xi Jinping faces a painful, possibly damaging, choice: to try to protect his aura of indomitability or retreat after President Trump accused China of reneging on the terms of a draft agreement and threatened to raise tariffs. The stakes rose sharply for […]

Seven banks face EU antitrust fines for forex rigging: sources

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Barclays, Citigroup, HSBC, JPMorgan and three other banks are set to be fined by EU antitrust regulators in the coming weeks for rigging the multitrillion dollar foreign exchange market, two people familiar with the matter said. The other three lenders are Royal Bank of Scotland, UBS and a small Japanese bank, the […]

Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez propose limit on credit card interest rates

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A pair of leading liberal Democrats proposed legislation on Thursday that would cap interest rates on credit cards and other consumer loans at 15 percent to help consumers grappling with growing credit card debt. The proposal by Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also calls for the U.S. Postal Service to […]

Oil falls as U.S.-China trade fears overshadow supply drop

HOUSTON (Reuters) – Oil prices fell on Thursday as investors worried about slower crude demand if the United States and China fail to reach a trade deal, resulting in higher U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports that could hit economic growth. The trade dispute between the world’s two biggest economies and a sharp drop in global […]

North Korea Fires Two Short-Range Ballistic Missiles, South’s Military Says

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, the South Korean military said, an escalation from the North’s most recent weapons test just five days ago. The two missiles were launched eastward from the country’s northwest, with one flying 260 miles and the other about 170 miles, the military said […]