Author: Admin
TOKYO :Japanese supermarket rice prices rose for the 16th straight week and doubled from a year ago, the agriculture ministry said on Monday, despite the government’s release of the staple grain from its emergency stockpile to lower prices. In the week to April 20, prices rose 3 yen from the previous week to average 4,220 yen ($29.38) per 5 kg, the data showed.As Japanese consumers reel from inflationary rice prices, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s government last month took the unprecedented step of releasing stockpiled rice into the market for the purpose of reining in costs. That will continue every month…
WREXHAM, Wales — Wrexham fans ignored the warnings. They were always going to. By the time the final whistle blew on Saturday to confirm promotion to English soccer’s second tier, thousands were ready and waiting to storm the home field in celebration. Flares were lit, red smoke filled the air, Welsh flags were waved proudly and songs sung raucously.Wrexham was one step from the Premier League and nothing was going to stop this party.Charlton was beaten 3-0 to ensure Wrexham went up as the third division runner-up behind champion Birmingham, and co-owner Ryan Reynolds reflected on their third promotion in…
SEOUL :SK Telecom shares fell as much as 8.5 per cent on Monday to hit their lowest level since August last year, after South Korea’s biggest mobile carrier disclosed it suffered a leak of customer data earlier this month caused by a cyberattack.The company said in a statement it would take full responsibility for any harm caused as a result of the breach that was detected on April 18. It described the incident as a large-scale leak of data due to malware, without providing more details. SK Telecom also said it would start offering free universal subscriber identity module (USIM)…
SEOUL: Chinese artificial intelligence service DeepSeek became available again on South Korean app markets on Monday (Apr 28) for the first time in about two months, when downloads were suspended after authorities cited breaches in data protection rules. South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission said on Thursday that DeepSeek transferred user data and prompts without permission when the service first launched in South Korea in January. Downloading the app was suspended in February after the questions over personal data protection surfaced, but the service was available for download again on South Korea’s app market including via Apple’s App Store and…
TOKYO :Top Japanese construction machinery maker Komatsu on Monday forecast a 27 per cent decline in operating profit this financial year due to a stronger yen and new U.S. tariffs which will have an impact of more than $650 million.The company expects operating profit of 478 billion yen ($3.33 billion) for the business year to March 2026, after posting a record-high profit of 657.1 billion yen in the previous period, which marked 8.2 per cent growth.With robust mining equipment sales, a weak yen and successful price hikes, the positive 2024/25 result beat analysts’ mean estimate of 605.7 billion yen in…
TOKYO :Top Japanese construction machinery maker Komatsu on Monday forecast a 27 per cent decline in operating profit this financial year citing a stronger yen and higher costs stemming from new U.S. tariffs.The company expects operating profit of 478 billion yen ($3.33 billion) for the business year to March 2026, after recording a profit of 657.1 billion yen in the just-ended business year, which marked an 8.2 per cent growth.The 2024/25 result also beat analysts’ mean estimate of 605.7 billion yen, according to data compiled by LSEG.Revenues came to 4.1 trillion yen and net income 439.6 billion yen. Komatsu, the…
ST. LOUIS — As pressure grows to get artificial colors out of the U.S. food supply, the shift may well start at Abby Tampow’s laboratory desk.On an April afternoon, the scientist hovered over tiny dishes of red dye, each a slightly different ruby hue. Her task? To match the synthetic shade used for years in a commercial bottled raspberry vinaigrette — but by using only natural ingredients.“With this red, it needs a little more orange,” Tampow said, mixing a slurry of purplish black carrot juice with a bit of beta-carotene, an orange-red color made from algae.Tampow is part of the…
BEIJING: A top Chinese economic official on Monday (Apr 28) said Beijing was on the “right side of history” in its gruelling trade war with the United States. Since returning to the presidency in January, US President Donald Trump has imposed 10 per cent tariffs on most US trading partners and a separate 145 per cent levy on many products from China. Beijing has responded with 125 per cent tariffs of its own on US goods. Speaking in Beijing at a news conference at which officials vowed greater steps to shield China’s flagging economy from the impact of the standoff, senior…
HONG KONG: Asian stocks were mixed on Monday (Apr 28) as investors assess how the land lies on the trade war front with countries seeking to temper Donald Trump’s eye-watering tariffs. Investors were also keeping tabs on China after President Xi Jinping and other top leaders last week discussed plans to boost consumption in the world’s number two economy. After a much-needed positive run-up last week markets started Monday on a tepid note, with eyes on the upcoming earnings season, key data and central bank decisions. “We head into month-end and a risk event-heavy trading week, with a ‘cautiously optimistic’ stance…
The Bank of Japan is expected to keep interest rates steady on Thursday and warn of heightening risks to the fragile economy that could keep policy in a holding pattern, as U.S. tariffs continue to hit confidence.The debate may be swayed by what BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda heard in Washington last week, where the International Monetary Fund slashed its global growth forecasts and policymakers fret of further damage to their economies from U.S. trade policy.Speaking after a meeting with counterparts from G20 major economies, Ueda said the BOJ will continue to raise interest rates – on condition the economy sustains…