Month: March 2026

Asia tech stocks sink as oil spike and Qatar attacks threaten chip supply chain
World

Asia tech stocks sink as oil spike and Qatar attacks threaten chip supply chain

Images of mobile devices at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) Museum of Innovation in Hsinchu, on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. I-Hwa Cheng | Bloomberg | Getty Images Asian technology stocks fell on Thursday as Iran’s latest attacks on Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City and a surge in oil prices rattled investor sentiment, amplifying concerns […]

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Trump warns to ‘blow up’ South Pars gas field in Iran if strikes against Qatar energy continue
World

Trump warns to ‘blow up’ South Pars gas field in Iran if strikes against Qatar energy continue

An Iranian security personnel monitors an area in phase 19 of the South Pars gas field in Assalooyeh on Iran’s Persian Gulf coast 1,400 km (870 miles) south of Tehran on August 23, 2016. Morteza Nikoubazl | Nurphoto | Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday stateside warned that if Iran continued targeting Qatar’s […]

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Chip buyers in Europe are paying more and tapping backup stores as Iran war hits air freight
Technology

Chip buyers in Europe are paying more and tapping backup stores as Iran war hits air freight

European companies that import semiconductors from Asia are tapping into backup stores and paying more for deliveries as the Iran war causes disruption to air freight routes through the Middle East, industry insiders have told CNBC. The Iran war has caused turmoil to cargo routes as shipping and airports have been targeted since the war […]

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Japan rejects U.S. intel assessment that Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks represent ‘significant shift’
Politics

Japan rejects U.S. intel assessment that Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks represent ‘significant shift’

Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s prime minister, during a party leaders’ debate at the upper house of parliament in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. Takaichi said she hadn’t intended to get into any details of a Taiwan contingency in recent remarks that have been fiercely criticized by China. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Japan […]

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HDFC Bank shares fall 5% as part-time chair of India’s largest private bank resigns over ‘ethics’
World

HDFC Bank shares fall 5% as part-time chair of India’s largest private bank resigns over ‘ethics’

The merger between HDFC Bank and HDFC now makes the entity the world’s fourth largest bank. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Shares of India’s HDFC Bank slid 5% Thursday after Atanu Chakraborty, its part‑time chairman, resigned after flagging governance and ethical concerns within the institution. During an investor call on Thursday, interim part‑time chairman, […]

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Australia says fuel supply levels stable, PM urges residents to avoid panic buying
World

Australia says fuel supply levels stable, PM urges residents to avoid panic buying

Anthony Albanese, Australia’s prime minister, during an address at the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday urged Australians to avoid panic buying of petrol and diesel, which he said had led to shortages in some rural regions, and stressed the nation’s fuel supply levels remained stable. Australia is dependent […]

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Inside India newsletter: Gold loans are thriving in India — and attracting global investors
Travel

Inside India newsletter: Gold loans are thriving in India — and attracting global investors

Hello, I am Priyanka Salve, writing to you from Singapore. Welcome to the latest edition of Inside India — your one-stop destination for stories and developments from the world’s fastest growing large economy. This week, I unpack what’s driving the rapid surge in gold‑loan growth in the world’s second‑largest bullion market. Loans against gold are […]

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Inside India newsletter: Gold loans are thriving in India — and attracting global investors
Travel

Inside India newsletter: Gold loans are thriving in India — and attracting global investors

Hello, I am Priyanka Salve, writing to you from Singapore. Welcome to the latest edition of Inside India — your one-stop destination for stories and developments from the world’s fastest growing large economy. This week, I unpack what’s driving the rapid surge in gold‑loan growth in the world’s second‑largest bullion market. Loans against gold are […]

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Bank of Japan keeps rates steady as expected, warns Iran war may push up inflation
World

Bank of Japan keeps rates steady as expected, warns Iran war may push up inflation

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) headquarters is seen beyond the cherry blossoms in Tokyo on March 20, 2023. Kazuhiro Nogi | Afp | Getty Images The Bank of Japan on Thursday kept its rates steady at 0.75% as expected, but noted that inflation risks now are tilted to the upside due to the Iran war. […]

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Asia markets track Wall Street losses as Iran war fuels energy worries; BOJ rate decision on deck
World

Asia markets track Wall Street losses as Iran war fuels energy worries; BOJ rate decision on deck

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. The Bank of Japan kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged. Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets dipped on Thursday, tracking losses on Wall Street that saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average touch a new closing low for the year. The Federal Reserve held […]

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