News

September 9, 2021 BEIJING (Reuters) – WeRide, a China-based autonomous driving startup, said on Thursday that it would start developing self-driving vans for urban logistics service, with automaker JMC and delivery firm ZTO Express. The Guangzhou-based startup, led by founder Tony Han, is pursuing what is known in the auto industry as a level 4 […]

September 9, 2021 By Paulina Duran SYDNEY (Reuters) – Two of Australia’s largest lenders, National Australia Bank (NAB) and Westpac, on Thursday rejected criticism that they are stymieing competition by refusing to do business with cryptocurrency providers. Many of Australia’s top financial institutions have not engaged with the sector, despite its huge growth in the […]

September 9, 2021 CANBERRA (Reuters) – Australia has taken in more than 3,500 evacuees from Afghanistan, mostly women and children, after the Taliban overran the country last month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday. An international airlift began on Aug. 14 as the Islamist militants arrived at the gates of Kabul, having already captured […]

September 9, 2021 JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia and Australia renewed a defence pact and agreed to boost training ties among a series of joint security agreements on Thursday at a meeting in Jakarta of defence and foreign ministers of both countries. Memoranda of understanding (MOU) were signed in counter-terrorism, defence and cybersecurity, Indonesian Foreign Minister […]

September 9, 2021 By Agustinus Beo Da Costa JAKARTA (Reuters) – The death toll from a blaze that tore through an Indonesian jail has risen to 44, as authorities pledged to look at whether more inmates could receive rehabilitation for drug-related offences to ease chronic overcrowding in the prison system. Wednesday’s fire at the penitentiary […]

September 9, 2021 (Reuters) – Two hundred Americans and other foreigners who remain in Afghanistan are set to depart the war-ravaged country on charter flights from Kabul on Thursday after the new Taliban government agreed to their evacuation, a U.S. official said. The departures will be among the first international flights to take off from […]

Chinese autonomous driving company WeRide has unveiled its first cargo van, the vessel upon which it will self-drive into the world of urban logistics. WeRide will work with Chinese automobile manufacturer Jiangling Motors (JMC) and Chinese express delivery company ZTO Express to commercialize its first self-driving van at scale. The deal was signed on Wednesday […]

September 9, 2021 LONDON (Reuters) – Lloyd’s of London swung to a first-half pre-tax profit of 1.4 billion pounds ($1.93 billion), helped by rising premium rates, the commercial insurance market said on Thursday. Lloyd’s, which reports the combined results of its 100-odd syndicate members, recorded a loss of 400 million pounds for the same period […]

September 9, 2021 (Reuters) – British gambling firm 888 Holdings said on Thursday it has agreed to a deal with Caesars Entertainment Inc to buy the international assets of the U.S. casino group’s William Hill business for 2.2 billion pounds. (Reporting by Muvija M in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta) Source Link Gambling firm 888 […]

September 9, 2021 By Yew Lun Tian BEIJING (Reuters) – When Xi Jinping took command of the Communist Party in late 2012 and proclaimed “only socialism can save China”, it was largely ignored as the perfunctory mention of an antiquated slogan – not to be taken literally in a modern-day, market-powered economy. But sweeping new […]

September 9, 2021 By Helen Coster (Reuters) -Comcast-owned NBCUniversal has recently sold 30-second ads for Super Bowl LVI for a record $6.5 million, and has nearly sold out advertising slots for the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, a company executive said on Wednesday. The $6.5 million includes similar-sized investments in other NBC events like the Winter […]

September 9, 2021 HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong police on Thursday raided the premises of the closed June 4th Museum, dedicated to the victims of China’s 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in and around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. The raid came hours after a dozen pro-democracy activists pleaded guilty of knowingly participating in an unauthorised […]

September 9, 2021 By Steve Keating NEW YORK (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic again fought back from a set down to beat Matteo Berrettini 5-7 6-2 6-2 6-3 and move into the U.S. Open semi-finals on Wednesday, the Serb now just two wins away from a 21st major that would complete a calendar-year Grand Slam. Djokovic, […]

September 9, 2021 BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s new yuan loans are expected to rebound in August from the nine-month low seen in the previous month, a Reuters poll showed, as the central bank seeks to support the country’s economic recovery. Banks are estimated to have issued 1.30 trillion yuan ($201.21 billion) in net new yuan […]

September 9, 2021 By Lawrence White, Iain Withers and Rachel Armstrong LONDON (Reuters) – There’s no free lunch in finance – except when banks are wooing workers back to the office. London’s financial sector, keen to return to a semblance of normality after the worst of the pandemic, is leading the charge to encourage employees […]

September 9, 2021 By Shashwat Awasthi (Reuters) – Bearish bets on Thailand’s baht hit a more than six-month low, while investors turned bullish on some emerging Asian currencies after months, a Reuters poll showed on Thursday, as worries around COVID-19 ease and vaccinations pick up pace. Countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, have seen a […]

September 9, 2021 BERLIN (Reuters) – Reinsurer Swiss Re said it expected non-life insurance premiums to rise 10% above pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2021 and increase further the following year, driven in part by a growing need for protection against the impact of climate change. The company’s research arm said it expected non-life […]

September 9, 2021 (Reuters) – Oscar-winning American actress Jennifer Lawrence is pregnant with her first child with husband Cooke Maroney, People magazine reported late on Wednesday. The magazine said Lawrence’s representative had confirmed the pregnancy, after news spread on Twitter on Wednesday evening. The 31-year-old Hunger Games star married Maroney, a New York art dealer, […]

September 9, 2021 By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Roya Rahmani, Afghanistan’s first female ambassador to the United States who left her post in July, is clearly horrified by the Taliban takeover of her country. But she is not surprised. In an interview, Rahmani accused the former U.S.-backed government in Kabul of a failure to […]

September 9, 2021 TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese vaccine minister Taro Kono will formally announce on Friday that he is joining the race to lead the ruling party, Kyodo news agency said. That will make Kono the third candidate to replace Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who last week threw into disarray the contest for leadership of […]