Employee training hours in Hong Kong hit 14-year high amid AI push: survey
Average training hours per staff member reached 19.4 hours in 2025, with firms prioritising AI and soft skills
· Kate Chan
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Newest first · UTC+11:00Gold prices set for first weekly rise in a month as investors scale back Fed rate hike bets
Spot gold prices rose by 1.4% on Friday morning, putting the precious metal on track for its first weekly gain in five weeks after coming under sustained pressure this year.
· Chloe Taylor
Johor-Singapore SEZ blueprint delay sparks tension ahead of Malaysia state election
Economic Minister Akmal Nasir fends off criticism from Johor’s caretaker leader, saying the master plan will be launched ‘at the right time’
· CNA
Johor-Singapore SEZ blueprint delay sparks tension ahead of Malaysia state election
Economic Minister Akmal Nasir fends off criticism from Johor’s caretaker leader, saying the master plan will be launched ‘at the right time’
· CNA
$500m for Trump, access for Pakistan: How a crypto-diplomatic bet paid off
Islamabad, Pakistan – When US President Donald Trump’s financial earnings in 2025 were released this week, one figure stood out. His family’s crypto venture, World Liberty Financial (WLF), brought him more than $500m from token sales alone last year, part of a broader crypto windfall worth hundreds of millions of do…
· Abid Hussain
Hyundai, Hanwha unveil W97tr investment plan for southeastern Korea
Samsung, SK, LG, Doosan join Yeongnam push with W215tr for AI, robotics and data centers
· Jo He-rim, Byun Hye-jin
Hong Kong ministers get 1.3% pay rise, after civil servants secure 2% salary bump
South China Morning Post calculates monthly salary of chief secretary for administration, the city’s No 2 official, has risen to HK$422,755
· Connor Mycroft
Hong Kong ministers get 1.3% pay rise, after civil servants secure 2% salary bump
South China Morning Post calculates monthly salary of chief secretary for administration, the city’s No 2 official, has risen to HK$422,755
· Connor Mycroft
S. Korea rolls out W312tr bet on southeast
South Korean firms on Friday committed trillions in investment into the nation's southeast, in the last of back-to-back announcements on related "megaprojects" to bolster the region's growth.
· Son Ji-hyoung
Japan's corporate reform genie will not go back in the bottle
People walk past the Tokyo Stock Exchange building on June 10, 2025. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
· James Halse
Japan to launch direct express between Haneda and Narita airports
The Keisei Skyliner high-speed train links Ueno Station in central Tokyo to Narita Airport. Plans are in the works by Keisei for a new express train to Shinagawa Station and Haneda Airport in the 2030s. (Photo by Shintaro Ino)
· Staff Writer
China’s passport climbs global rankings as economic influence grows, index finds
Chinese travellers are gaining easier access to destinations worldwide, even as they still require visas for more countries than they can enter freely
· Ralph Jennings
China’s passport climbs global rankings as economic influence grows, index finds
Chinese travellers are gaining easier access to destinations worldwide, even as they still require visas for more countries than they can enter freely
· Ralph Jennings
Chinese tea chain ordered to pay Louis Vuitton US$1.5 million for trademark infringement
Shenzhen-based Molly Tea says it plans to appeal against the ruling
· Zhu Wenqian
Chinese tea chain ordered to pay Louis Vuitton US$1.5 million for trademark infringement
Shenzhen-based Molly Tea says it plans to appeal against the ruling
· Zhu Wenqian
‘This is modern Australia’: Why Albanese is obsessed with western Sydney
Politicians love opening new factories: events where they can sing the praises of a proud family business, put on some PPE and get the obligatory photo opportunity.
· Mostafa Rachwani
Why games and Korean traditional arts are the hottest new pairing
Korea's biggest game companies are teaming up with traditional artists to expand their cultural reach
· Lee Yoon-seo
Cheong Wa Dae refutes U.S. House committee report alleging discrimination against Coupang
SEOUL, July 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's presidential office on Friday rejected as untrue a recent U.S. House committee report alleging South Korea's "discriminatory" targeting of Coupang, saying the government does not discriminate against companies based on their nationality or conduct targeted investigations.
· Park Boram
Inside an abandoned canine slaughterhouse in South Korea ahead of ban on dog meat trade | South China Morning Post
The dismantling of the nation’s dog meat trade was backed by disgraced former president Yoon Suk-yeol.
UAE's non-oil business activity grows at slowest pace in five years in June amid fallout of Iran war | The National
Business activity in the UAE's non-oil private sector grew at the slowest pace in five years in June, while employment contracted for the first time in more than four years, as companies tackle the fallout of the Iran war.
· Sarmad Khan
German government pledges to defend trade, signalling tougher China stance
Country’s ruling coalition agrees on 34-point package to revive ailing German economy as Chinese imports surge
· Huizhao Huang
German government pledges to defend trade, signalling tougher China stance
Country’s ruling coalition agrees on 34-point package to revive ailing German economy as Chinese imports surge
· Huizhao Huang
HKMA urges banks to widen scope of yuan use as currency’s global reach expands
Hong Kong Monetary Authority encourages banks to offer ‘holistic’ and ‘tailored’ yuan products to shore up city’s role as major offshore hub
· Julie Zhang
HKMA urges banks to widen scope of yuan use as currency’s global reach expands
Hong Kong Monetary Authority encourages banks to offer ‘holistic’ and ‘tailored’ yuan products to shore up city’s role as major offshore hub
· Julie Zhang
Predicted $27bn wartime windfall for Australian LNG exporters reignites calls for new gas tax
David Pocock says the huge revenue boost for gas companies underscores that Australians are ‘missing out on a fair return’
· Patrick Commins
Conglomerates to invest 312 tln won in southeast for AI, SMR sectors
SEOUL, July 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korean conglomerates will roll out a combined 312 trillion won (US$201.7 billion) in investments across cutting-edge industries, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and small modular reactors (SMRs), in the southeastern region, the finance ministry said Friday.
· Kang Yoon-seung
Asian investors turn into sellers of gold ETFs as market rally slows
More retail investors in Asia are seeing gold as an investment opportunity rather than a safe-haven asset. (Photo by Miki Kamiyama)
· Staff Writer
AI computing stock panic over Meta cloud rumour ‘erroneous’, analysts say
Fears of AI hardware glut not warranted, as ‘Meta’s data centre and compute procurement will accelerate, not slow down’, SemiAnalysis says
· Ann Cao
AI computing stock panic over Meta cloud rumour ‘erroneous’, analysts say
Fears of AI hardware glut not warranted, as ‘Meta’s data centre and compute procurement will accelerate, not slow down’, SemiAnalysis says
· Ann Cao
Tour de France 2026: Relentless consistency of Tadej Pogacar is ominous sign for rivals | The National
As the Tour de France was peeping over the horizon two weeks back, it was business as usual for Tadej Pogacar as the UAE Team Emirates-XRG superstar soloed to glory in the mountains of Villars-sur-Ollon.
· Gareth Cox
Lee heads to NATO summit with eye on world’s largest defense market
For over a decade, I’ve navigated the complexities of North Korean affairs, security, and foreign policy from both Seoul and Washington, D.C. As the National Desk Political Team Lead, I track the pulse of geopolitics, closely following developments from the Unification Ministry and the Foreign Ministry. My mornings …
· Ji Da-gyum
Ruined utopias: the afterlife of the Amazon’s forgotten company towns – in pictures
View image in fullscreenA Ford warehouse established in 1928 in Fordlândia, on the banks of the Tapajós River in Pará state, to produce rubber for the US market. Corporate towns such as Fordlândia, Serra do Navio, Laranjal do Jari, Marituba and Velho Airão were founded to extract raw materials for processing and exp…
Mainland investors in buying mood for Hong Kong shares, favouring SMIC, Zhipu AI
Onshore investors resoundingly reverse previous month’s outflow with US$3.5 billion in buying, led by AI-related shares
· Zhang Shidong
Mainland investors in buying mood for Hong Kong shares, favouring SMIC, Zhipu AI
Onshore investors resoundingly reverse previous month’s outflow with US$3.5 billion in buying, led by AI-related shares
· Zhang Shidong
[In This Economy] The Philippines is upper-middle income at last. But what does it mean?
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· gdecastro0289
Uber goes back to the future with plans to start accepting cash in Australia
Uber is about to start accepting cash payments, eliminating one of the few remaining advantages enjoyed by local taxi companies over the multinational ride-sharing giant.
· Nick Bonyhady
Yen weakness persists as markets see BOJ falling behind the curve
The Japanese currency has failed to rally despite recent rate hikes and government intervention. (Photo by Rie Ishi)
· JADA NAGUMO
Regulator set to sanction MBK over Homeplus handling
The Financial Supervisory Service, South Korea's financial watchdog, decided to recommend disciplinary actions against private equity giant MBK Partners on Thursday, reportedly including a suspension from duties.
· Im Eun-byel
Kioxia ships samples of new flash memory for AI data centers
Kioxia Holdings has started shipping samples of its next-generation flash memory chips to artificial-intelligence data center operators, seeking to gain ground in the lucrative business against rivals.
· Takashi Mochizuki
Henderson, Sino join JD.com in bid for Hong Kong’s first Northern Metropolis pilot project
The final number of bids is set to be announced on Friday as city tests new land-sale model with housing, tech parks, public infrastructure
· Peggy Ye
Henderson, Sino join JD.com in bid for Hong Kong’s first Northern Metropolis pilot project
The final number of bids is set to be announced on Friday as city tests new land-sale model with housing, tech parks, public infrastructure
· Peggy Ye
ASX Runners of the Week: Baumart, NuEnergy & Wide Open Agriculture
The end of financial year has come and gone, capping off the best quarter on Wall Street since the Covid-19 recovery, finishing up nearly 15 per cent. The Nasdaq rose 21.4 per cent for the quarter and the Dow added 12.9 per cent despite a war in the Middle East and sky-high oil prices, which saw the ASX fall flat.
· Andrew Todd
Big Hits: FireFly Metals, Azzuro Resources and Kingston Resources
Bulls N’ Bears Big Hits looks at notable drill hits recently reported to the ASX, led by FireFly Metals in Newfoundland, Azzuro Resources in Mongolia and Kingston Resources in NSW.
· Doug Bright
KRX activates buy-side sidecar for KOSPI on sharp rise
SEOUL, July 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's bourse operator on Friday activated a buy-side sidecar for the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) as the index rose sharply, led by bargain buying in semiconductor shares following the previous session's heavy sell-off.
· Kim Eun-jung
Syrian business couple face emergency powers prosecution in Trinidad crackdown | The National
A prominent Syrian businessman and his wife are being held in prison in Trinidad and Tobago after being accused of plotting to assassinate the country’s Prime Minister and other senior politicians.
· Tariq Tahir
Gov't to support Homeplus workers, partners amid botched rehabilitation
SEOUL, July 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will make efforts to support employees and partner companies of troubled discount store chain Homeplus Co. after a local court decided to terminate its rehabilitation proceedings, the finance ministry said Friday.
· Kang Yoon-seung
Indonesian food prices fall during free meal program school holiday
Eko Kurniawan, a vegetable seller at Surabaya's Tambak Rejo market, said the prices of most staples had fallen after President Prabowo Subianto's free meal program was suspended for the monthlong school holiday. (Photo by Johannes Nugroho)
· Staff Writer
KOTRA chief eyes Hallyu brands as next export engine beyond chips
Kang Kyung-sung says KOTRA will take on a greater economic security role as supply chain risks grow
· Ahn Sung-mi
RCBC waives InstaPay transfer fees via Pulz app
MANILA, Philippines — Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) will waive InstaPay transfer fees for customers using its RCBC Pulz app starting July 4 as competition among banks to offer free fund transfers continues to intensify.
· Nazylen Joy Mabanglo
Asian shares rally after Dow hits a record
Trader Robert Charmak works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
· Elaine Kurtenbach