News

September 28, 2021 BEIJING (Reuters) -More than a thousand robots are set to join the delivery personnel ranks of Chinese behemoths Alibaba, Meituan and JD.com over the next year as the pandemic fuels demand for contactless services. The firms expect to operate over 2,000 robots between them by 2022, up about four-fold from now, their […]

September 28, 2021 BEIJING (Reuters) – Profits at China’s industrial firms grew at a weaker pace in August from a year earlier, slowing for a sixth consecutive month, as manufacturers struggled with high commodity prices, COVID-19 and shortages in some key components. Profits rose 10.1% on year to 680.3 billion yuan ($105 billion) last month […]

September 28, 2021 By Yuka Obayashi TOKYO (Reuters) – Oil markets eased on Tuesday after a five-day rally as investors took profits on fears that higher prices may weaken fuel demand, though market sentiment remained firm amid tight supply. Brent crude futures fell 17 cents, or 0.2%, to $79.36 a barrel at 0121 GMT after […]

September 28, 2021 By David Lawder and Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top Democrat and Republican on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee have urged President Joe Biden to “ensure full accountability” over a World Bank data-rigging controversy that has embroiled International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva. The panel’s chairman, Senator Robert Menendez, a […]

September 28, 2021 By Sakura Murakami and Elaine Lies TOKYO (Reuters) – LGBTQ rights activists are hoping that Japan may finally allow same-sex marriage if Taro Kono, who has publicly supported gay marriage, becomes the country’s next prime minister, but change will not come easily. Kono is seen as the leading contender to win the […]

September 28, 2021 By Kevin Buckland TOKYO (Reuters) – The yen traded near an almost three-month low to the dollar and reached a two-week trough versus the euro on Tuesday, as rising bond yields in the U.S. and Europe lured Japanese investors. The yen was little changed at 110.985 per dollar, not far from Monday’s […]

September 28, 2021 By Kanishka Singh (Reuters) – The East Asia and Pacific region’s recovery has been undermined by the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, which is likely slowing economic growth and increasing inequality in the region, the World Bank said on Monday. Economic activity began to slow in the second quarter of 2021, […]

September 28, 2021 SINGAPORE (Reuters) – BlackRock Inc and Royal Bank of Canada’s BlueBay Asset Management are among asset managers exposed to embattled developer China Evergrande Group, while TCW and HSBC funds have closed positions, researcher Morningstar said. In an analysis Morningstar published on Sept. 24, Morningstar also said UBS Group AG and London-based Ashmore […]

September 28, 2021 By Sabahatjahan Contractor (Reuters) – Videogame publisher Activision Blizzard and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said on Monday they had reached an agreement to settle claims over sexual harassment and discrimination in the company’s workplace. Under the agreement, Activision committed to create an $18 million fund to compensate and make […]

September 28, 2021 By Krystal Hu and Niket Nishant (Reuters) -Endeavor Group Holdings Inc, the owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, will acquire sports betting business OpenBet from Scientific Games Corp for $1.2 billion in cash and stock, the companies said on Monday. Endeavor, whose shares were up nearly 10% in extended trading, said the […]

September 28, 2021 HONG KONG (Reuters) – Morgan Stanley’s Asia Pacific co-chief executive Wei Sun Christianson will retire from the bank after nearly two decades at the end of 2021, according to a memo reviewed by Reuters. Christianson will remain as an advisory director for Morgan Stanley once she steps down, advising the bank and […]

September 28, 2021 SYDNEY (Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s Google dominates Australia’s online advertising market to the point of harming publishers, advertisers and consumers, the country’s antitrust regulator said, calling for new rules to stop “anti-competitive self-preferencing”. A report by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), published on Tuesday, said more than 90% of clicks […]

September 28, 2021 By Phil Stewart JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, New Jersey (Reuters) – It could be the happy moments, like news of the 24 babies born here or last weekend’s wedding. Or maybe it’s talk of the trauma among evacuees or the Afghans picking through clothes on folding tables after losing absolutely everything. But there’s […]

Indian food delivery startup Swiggy is in talks to raise over $500 million in a new financing round that could value it at over $10 billion, two sources familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. Atlanta-headquartered Invesco is in talks to lead — or co-lead — the new financing round in the Bangalore-based startup, which counts […]

September 28, 2021 (Refiles to remove repeated word in headline) SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Goldman Sachs has cut China’s economic growth forecast for 2021 to 7.8%, from 8.2%, as energy shortages and deep industrial output cuts add “significant downside pressures”, it said in a note on Tuesday. The power supply crunch, brought about by environmental controls, supply […]

September 28, 2021 By Eric M. Johnson SEATTLE (Reuters) – Boeing Co showcased efforts to boost efficiency in its aircraft on Monday, a week after rival Airbus staged a similar conference, as global aviation faces growing political pressure to cut emissions and demands by environmental groups for curbs to air travel. The U.S. planemaker is […]

September 28, 2021 By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea fired an unidentified projectile towards the sea off its east coast on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said, amid Pyongyang’s calls for the United States and South Korea to scrap their “hostile policy”. The South Korean military did not give any more details, while Japan’s […]

September 28, 2021 By Steve Keating KOHLER, Wisconsin (Reuters) -The United States, led by a new generation of golfers, reclaimed the Ryder Cup on Sunday, thrashing holders Europe 19-9 to herald what could be an era of domination by the Americans at the biennial competition. With half the 12-man U.S. team comprised of rookies there […]

September 28, 2021 TOKYO (Reuters) – A few Bank of Japan policymakers said a full-fledged recovery in the economy might be delayed somewhat, minutes of the bank’s July policy meeting showed on Tuesday. One member also said the BOJ must be mindful of the risk that China’s economic growth might slow ahead, the minutes showed. […]

Earlier this year, Ford Motor Company announced an investment of $30 billion toward electrification by 2025. On Monday, the automaker unveiled some specifics for that plan. Ford and its battery joint venture partner, SK Innovation, will be investing $11.4 billion in the two new campuses it plans to build in Kentucky and Tennessee to produce […]