Japanese inflation spiked at a two-year high in April, data showed Friday, as rice prices almost doubled, turning focus on the central bank as it mulls more interest rate hikes amid Donald Trump's trade war.
Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Friday that he had again pressed US President Donald Trump on tariffs, in a phone call ahead of fresh talks on easing the levies.
Southeast Asian leaders will express deep concern over US President Donald Trump's tariff blitz when they meet at a summit Monday, warning that the unilateral move posed huge challenges to economic growth and stability in the region, according to a draft statement seen by AFP.
Trump's tariffs has roiled global markets and upended international commerce, and left leaders from the 10-member ASEAN bloc scrambling for ways to limit the fallout on their trade-dependent economies.
A highly anticipated White House report outlining Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s agenda devotes significant space to raising alarm over vaccines, while touching on environmental and nutrition concerns that remain at odds with broader administration actions.
Asian equities stabilised Friday following the previous day's US bond-fuelled sell-off with traders tracking a slight pullback in Treasury yields as Donald Trump's signature tax-cutting budget passed a key congressional vote.
An Australian firm's production of a heavy rare earth, a first outside of China, is a "major milestone" in diversifying a critical supply chain dominated by Beijing, experts say.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday will host a private event for hundreds of top investors in his crypto memecoin, with leaders of the Democratic opposition blasting it as "an orgy of corruption."
The US State Department said Thursday that Chevron must wrap up operations in Venezuela next week as scheduled, contradicting an envoy who told a podcast differently after Caracas freed an American.
G7 finance leaders played down their differences Thursday, despite turmoil from US President Donald Trump's wide-ranging tariffs, and sought common ground on Ukraine as talks in Canada entered the final hours.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's "dictatorship" is doomed, exiled novelist Sergio Ramirez has told AFP, predicting the population will eventually rebel against the elderly ex-guerrilla.
Tech giant Xiaomi unveiled a new advanced in-house mobile chip on Thursday, a significant milestone for the company as Chinese firms shift resources towards home-grown technology against a bleak international trade backdrop.
Fifty-five men were arrested in France this week as part of an operation to dismantle a suspected paedophile ring operating via the Telegram messaging app, authorities said Thursday.
Whether or not Russia and Ukraine peace talks actually take place at the Vatican, the mere suggestion it could play host reflects a fresh diplomatic impetus under new pope Leo XIV.
Fresh from his election as the first US pope in history, Leo offered last week to mediate between leaders of countries at war.
Romania's constitutional court on Thursday validated the results of the presidential run-off vote at the weekend, won by pro-European Nicusor Dan, after rejecting an appeal by his defeated far-right rival.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits Lithuania on Thursday to mark the official formation of Germany's first permanent overseas military unit since World War II, aimed at bolstering NATO's eastern flank against a hostile Russia.
As Google races to lead in artificial intelligence, it faces the challenge of making sure the technology doesn't slow its profit-pumping advertising engine.
EU lawmakers are set to greenlight tariffs on fertiliser imports from Russia on Thursday, despite European farmers' fears the move risks sending global prices soaring.
Asian equities sank and Treasuries remained under pressure following sharp losses on Wall Street fuelled by US economy fears as Donald Trump tries to push through fresh tax cuts that could balloon the already huge deficit.
The legendary designer behind Apple's iPhone, Jony Ive, has joined OpenAI to create devices tailored for using generative artificial intelligence, according to a video posted Wednesday by the ChatGPT maker.
Brennan Johnson's scrambled goal ended a 17-year Tottenham trophy drought with a battling 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Europa League final on Wednesday.
G7 finance leaders exchanged pleasantries before tough discussions Wednesday, seeking to restore stability in the face of economic turbulence from US President Donald Trump's punishing tariffs -- and to strengthen support for Ukraine.
Bloomberg, the financial data service used by traders around the world, was hit by an outage on Wednesday, briefly disrupting auctions of bonds in Europe.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will seek to reset ties with Donald Trump and Elon Musk Wednesday after Washington's unfounded claims of "genocide" against white Afrikaners sent relations plunging.
A Vietnamese court on Wednesday jailed 23 officials and business people over the illegal exploitation and export of rare earths.
British clothes-to-food retailer Marks and Spencer on Wednesday said a cyberattack disrupting its online service is set to last through to July and hit group profit by around GBP300 million ($404 million).
Crude prices rallied Wednesday following a report that US intelligence suggested Israel was planning a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, which would send geopolitical tensions into overdrive and fuel regional conflict fears.
A British team of veteran ex-special forces soldiers summited Everest on Wednesday, expedition organisers said, in a bid to fly from London, climb the highest peak and return home within seven days.
Perched 45 metres (148 feet) high, young apprentice electricians replace a connection atop a pylon.
As construction crews using heavy excavators demolished a major highway bridge in Berlin, pensioner Guido, like many Germans, greeted the dusty spectacle with grim satisfaction.
Beijing condemned on Wednesday new US warnings on the use of AI chips made in China, vowing it would take steps against "bullying" efforts to restrict access to high-tech semiconductors and supply chains.
