October 1, 2021 By Rozanna Latiff KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia recorded 9,671 deaths due to COVID-19 in September, the deadliest month since the pandemic began, government data showed on Friday, though authorities have said the increase was mostly due to the delayed inclusion of fatalities from previous months. The spike has pushed Malaysia’s […]
China gorges on American grain-fed beef amid shrinking supplies from Down Under
October 1, 2021 By Dominique Patton and Tom Polansek BEIJING/CHICAGO (Reuters) – As Australian beef exports to China wither amid diplomatic tensions, demand there for U.S. grain-fed beef has soared, fuelled by the appetites of a growing Chinese middle class. Hotpot restaurants, Japanese barbecue chains and steakhouses, all expanding in the world’s No. 2 economy, […]
Pacquiao makes Philippines presidential run official
October 1, 2021 By Karen Lema MANILA (Reuters) – Newly retired boxing icon Manny Pacquiao was the first to file his candidacy to be the next president of the Philippines at the start of registration for thousands of political posts in what is expected to be a hotly contested election in May next year. The […]
Taiwan says resolving chip shortages needs Malaysia’s help
October 1, 2021 TAIPEI (Reuters) – Resolving the global shortage of auto semiconductors needs Malaysia’s help, especially when it comes to packaging, a sector affected by the country’s COVID-19 curbs, Taiwan Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua said. Taiwan, as a major chip producer, has been front and centre of efforts to resolve the shortage, which has […]
Asian factories stagnate as China’s slowdown, supply constraints hit
October 1, 2021 By Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) – Asia’s manufacturing activity was lacklustre in September as signs of slowing Chinese growth and factory shutdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic weighed on the region’s economies, surveys showed on Friday. Factory activity in September shrank in Malaysia and Vietnam, and grew in Japan at the slowest […]
U.S. trade chief Tai to unveil Biden’s China trade strategy on Monday
October 1, 2021 By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai will unveil the Biden administration’s long-awaited strategy for the troubled U.S.-China trade relationship in a speech on Monday at a Washington think tank, her office said. Tai will deliver remarks on her review of China trade policy at the Center for […]
Australia to ease international travel curbs – sources
October 1, 2021 By Colin Packham and Jamie Freed CANBERRA/SYDNEY (Reuters) – Prime Minister Scott Morrison will announce detailed plans on Friday to allow Australians to travel overseas, two sources told Reuters, easing some of the toughest COVID-19 restrictions imposed globally. Lifting the ban on international travel will be linked to the establishment of home […]
Taiwan questions China’s suitability for Pacific trade pact, fears ‘obstruction’
October 1, 2021 By Ben Blanchard, Yimou Lee and Jeanny Kao TAIPEI (Reuters) – China’s restrictive practices present fundamental problems for its application to join a major pan-Pacific free trade pact, and if it joins before Taiwan there is a risk it could block their application, the island’s economy minister said. Taiwan and China both […]
Evoking Mao, China likens Taiwan foreign minister to a ‘shrilling’ fly
October 1, 2021 TAIPEI (Reuters) – China has launched a vituperative attack on Taiwan’s foreign minister, evoking the words of revolutionary leader Mao Zedong to denounce him as a “shrilling” fly for his efforts to promote Taiwan internationally. Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, a fluent English speaker, is an outspoken supporter of the island’s efforts […]
Asian stocks extend global slide as inflation fears bite
October 1, 2021 By Kevin Buckland TOKYO (Reuters) – Asian equities followed Wall Street sharply lower and bonds rallied on Friday as risk sentiment soured amid growing worries that inflation may persist even after global growth has peaked. Japan’s Nikkei tumbled 1.86%, while the broader Topix slid 1.95%. Australian stocks slumped 2.05% and South Korea’s […]
Oil slips as OPEC+ weighs output boost for tight market
October 1, 2021 By Sonali Paul MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Oil prices dropped on Friday on the prospect that the OPEC+ supplier alliance might step up a planned increase in output to ease supply concerns, with soaring gas prices spurring power producers to switch from gas to oil. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures slipped […]
Japan’s business mood improves on solid demand, hopes of post-COVID recovery
October 1, 2021 By Tetsushi Kajimoto and Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s business mood improved for a fifth straight quarter in September with manufacturers perking up on robust global demand, a central bank survey showed on Friday, boding well for the next administration’s bid to pull the economy out of the doldrums. Steady progress […]
Celebrity Instagram content linked to negative feelings, Facebook researchers say
October 1, 2021 By Sheila Dang (Reuters) – Major social media stars including Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber and Charli D’Amelio are among celebrities whose Instagram followers experience more negative feelings about their self-image, according to internal Facebook research revealed by the Wall Street Journal this week, raising questions about the impact of celebrity culture online. […]
Singtel divests Australian tower network to AustralianSuper for $1.4 billion
October 1, 2021 (Reuters) – Singapore Telecommunications has divested a 70% stake in its Australian tower network to superannuation fund AustralianSuper for A$1.9 billion ($1.37 billion), and said it will use the proceeds to fund a 5G rollout and for data centres. The deal involves the sale of 2,312 mobile network towers and rooftop sites, […]
United Airlines cuts number of workers facing termination over vaccine noncompliance
October 1, 2021 CHICAGO (Reuters) – United Airlines on Thursday trimmed the number of employees who are facing termination for defying the company’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The Chicago-based carrier said only 320 U.S.-based staff are now not in compliance with its COVID-19 vaccination policy, marking a 46% drop in the past two days. Excluding those […]
Dollar heads for best week in months as Fed tightening looms
October 1, 2021 By Tom Westbrook SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The dollar began the last quarter of 2021 near its highest levels of the year and headed for its best week since June, as currency markets braced for U.S. interest rates to rise before those of major peers. The euro slipped 0.1% early on Friday to […]
Expo 2020 Dubai kicks off with lavish opening ceremony
October 1, 2021 DUBAI (Reuters) – The first world fair to be held in the Middle East, Expo 2020 Dubai, opened on Thursday with a lavish ceremony of fireworks, music and messaging about the power of global collaboration for a more sustainable future. Stars headlining the opening ceremony, which was projected in public spaces around […]
European Union-style bloc pitched for Latin America, Caribbean
October 1, 2021 (Corrects paragraphs 2 and 3 of Sept 18 story to make clear Cuba’s suspension from the OAS was lifted in 2009) By David Alire Garcia and Noe Torres MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Latin American and Caribbean nations should aspire to a bloc like the European Union, Mexico’s president and other leaders said at […]
And that’s that, as the Zoom deal to buy Five9 is called off
Talk about a roller coaster ride. Zoom, the video conferencing company that became everyone’s primary means of communication around work during the pandemic, will no longer be acquiring Five9, a maker of cloud-based customer-service software. Though the all-stock deal, announced in July, was expected to enable Zoom to tap into the lucrative contact center market, […]
Disney resolves dispute with Scarlett Johansson over ‘Black Widow’ movie
October 1, 2021 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Walt Disney Co and actress Scarlett Johansson have resolved their legal dispute stemming from the release of her Marvel superhero movie “Black Widow,” the company and the performer said jointly on Thursday. The terms of their settlement were not disclosed. Johansson, 36, sued Disney in July, accusing the company […]
