September 23, 2021 By Arathy S Nair and Marianna Parraga HOUSTON (Reuters) – U.S. oil refiners hunting to replace storm-lost U.S. Gulf of Mexico crude have been turning to Iraqi and Canadian oil, while Asian buyers have been pursuing Middle Eastern and Russian grades, analysts and traders said. Royal Dutch Shell, the largest producer in […]
Japan’s SBI to extend offer for Shinsei by a month on some conditions
September 24, 2021 TOKYO (Reuters) – SBI Holdings said on Friday it would extend the deadline for its $1.1 billion unsolicited tender offer to Nov. 24 from Oct. 25 for Shinsei Bank if Shinsei agrees to meet certain conditions. SBI – which owns Japan’s largest online brokerage, operates an online bank and has stakes in […]
Taiwan’s TSMC says working to overcome global chip shortage
September 24, 2021 TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan’s TSMC said on Friday it is actively supporting and working with all stakeholders to overcome a global semiconductor shortage, after its participation at a White House meeting on the issue. “TSMC has been a strong partner in this effort, taking unprecedented actions to address this challenge,” it said […]
Vietnam delays reopening resort island over low vaccination rate
September 24, 2021 HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam has pushed back a plan to re-open the resort island of Phu Quoc to foreign tourists until November, after failing to meet targets for inoculating residents due to insufficient vaccine supplies, state media reported. The Southeast Asian nation, which is currently shut to all visitors apart from returning […]
As remote work becomes normal, Ukio raises $9M for premium long-term rentals
Startups have spent the last decade trying to offer every variation of Airbnb that they can imagine. But Ukio thinks it has found a way through the ever-growing tangle of housing rental competitors — and regulators — right as remote work becomes the norm. It offers rentals of one month or longer, featuring a turnkey […]
Mexican state of Sonora approves same-sex marriage
September 24, 2021 MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – The congress of the Mexican state of Sonora voted on Thursday to legalize same-sex marriage, meaning that about three quarters of the country’s regions have now made the practice legal. Lawmakers in the legislature of Sonora, a large northern state that borders Arizona and New Mexico in the […]
Japan’s ruling party race puts legacy of Abenomics in focus
September 24, 2021 By Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s widening wealth gap has emerged as a key issue in a ruling party leadership contest that will decide who becomes the next prime minister, with candidates forced to reassess the legacy of former premier Shinzo Abe’s “Abenomics” policies. Under Abenomics, a mix of expansionary fiscal […]
Amazon launches bundling service for video streaming apps in India
September 24, 2021 By Sankalp Phartiyal and Shilpa Jamkhandikar NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc launched in India on Friday a bundling option on its video platform for global and local streaming services, in a move aimed at boosting subscriptions. The launch comes at a time of increasing competition from global and domestic rivals in […]
Analysis-For Xi and China Evergrande, a delicate balancing act
September 24, 2021 By Andrew Galbraith SHANGHAI (Reuters) – The crisis at property giant China Evergrande Group poses a $305 billion conundrum for President Xi Jinping: how to impose financial discipline without fuelling social unrest. With one year before the Chinese president is poised to secure an unprecedented third five-year term, the stakes are high […]
CIA Vienna station chief removed amid ‘Havana syndrome’ criticism -Washington Post
September 24, 2021 WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The CIA has removed its Vienna station chief following criticism of his management, including what some considered an inadequate response to reports of “Havana syndrome” incidents at the U.S. Embassy there, the Washington Post reported on Thursday. The Post, which cited unnamed current and former U.S. officials, reported the action […]
S.Korea central bank sees worsening financial stability woes, debt repayment burden to rise
September 24, 2021 SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s central bank warned on Thursday that the debt repayment burden among vulnerable households could increase sharply as interest rates rise, underlining the growing negative impact of the debt binge in Asia’s fourth largest economy. Debt-to-disposable income at South Korean households was at 172.4% in the second quarter, […]
Asian stock markets jittery as China woes sap confidence
September 24, 2021 By Alun John HONG KONG (Reuters) – Asian shares were on edge on Friday hurt by persistent uncertainty around the fate of debt-ridden China Evergrande, even as more risk appetite drove gains for Wall Street and U.S. benchmark Treasury yields. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan lost 0.1% and was […]
Oil looks set to test 3-year high as supplies tighten
September 24, 2021 TOKYO (Reuters) – Oil prices rose for a fourth day on Friday, taking Brent towards three-year highs, as investors focused on tighter supplies amid strong appetite for riskier assets like crude and high hopes for recovery from the pandemic. Brent crude was up 40 cents, or 0.5% at $77.65 a barrel, by […]
Japan, citing ‘shared values’, welcomes Taiwan trade pact application
September 24, 2021 TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said he welcomed Taiwan’s application to join a trans-Pacific trade pact this week, citing shared democratic values with the island, which China claims as its own. Taiwan applied on Wednesday to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which Japan is […]
Latin America finds a champion in SoftBank Group International CEO Marcelo Claure
SoftBank is gaga for startups in Latin America. Since first announcing it was planting a stake in the ground in the region in early 2019, the Japanese conglomerate — from its own balance sheet, it says — has plugged more than $5 billion into the region, and it expects that number to top $8 billion […]
Chile’s 2022 draft budget seeks to tame deficit after pandemic splurge, Pinera says
September 24, 2021 SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Chilean President Sebastian Pinera unveiled an $82.1 billion draft budget for 2022 on Thursday that he said would begin to tame a ballooning deficit in the world’s top copper producer following more than a year of emergency spending to combat the coronavirus pandemic. In a televised speech, the center-right […]
White House prods companies on chips information request
September 24, 2021 By David Shepardson, Stephen Nellis and Alexandra Alper WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The White House is pressing automakers, chip companies and others to cooperate in a bid for more information about the ongoing semiconductor crisis that has forced cuts to U.S. auto production, but made clear on Thursday that the industry needs to take […]
China Evergrande bondholders in limbo over debt resolution
September 24, 2021 SINGAPORE (Reuters) – China Evergrande slipped toward a kind of limbo on Friday as time ticked away on an interest payment deadline which global markets are watching for signs of default, leaving investors on tenterhooks over the embattled property giant’s fate. The company has run short of cash to fund its $305 […]
Dollar wallows near one-week low as haven demand ebbs
September 24, 2021 By Kevin Buckland TOKYO (Reuters) – The dollar wallowed near its lowest level in a week versus major peers on Friday, as improved risk sentiment wiped out recent gains amid easing concerns about contagion from a potential China Evergrande Group default. Risk appetite returned, lifting oil and global equities, even as hawkish […]
Australia should do more to contain housing bubble, climate change-IMF
September 24, 2021 SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian authorities need to tighten home loan standards to cool a red-hot housing market and reduce risks to the financial system, the IMF warned on Friday, while also calling for more action on climate change. In its regular assessment of Australia, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cautioned that monetary […]
