By Byron Kaye and Renju Jose SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia said it would regulate buy-now-pay-later services as a consumer credit product under new laws, forcing BNPL providers to carry out background checks before lending in what would be one of the world’s toughest regimes for the startup sector. The move would put companies like Afterpay, owned…
MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Australia has won the support of the United States for development of its critical minerals industry after the two countries reached an agreement to coordinate polices and investment to support the industry’s growth. Australia supplies around half of the world’s lithium as well as other minerals like rare earths used in batteries for…
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s unemployment rate hit a three-year low in the first quarter, the state planning agency said on Monday, declining to 1.05% from 1.15% in the last three months of 2022 as recovery in the crucial tourism industry strengthened. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter, driven by…
By Nimesh Vora MUMBAI (Reuters) – The Indian rupee is expected to open weaker against the U.S. dollar after the central bank said it will withdraw the highest value currency note from circulation. Non-deliverable forwards indicate rupee will open at around 82.80-82.84 to the dollar, compared to 82.66 in the previous session. On Friday, the…
By Florence Tan SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Oil prices slipped on Monday as caution around the U.S. debt ceiling talks and concerns about demand recovery in China offset support from lower supplies from Canada and OPEC+ producers. Brent crude futures fell 48 cents, or 0.6%, to $75.10 a barrel by 0201 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate…
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Grupo Mexico said on Sunday its negotiations with the government are facing difficulties after the Mexican Navy took over part of a railway in southern Mexico operated by a unit of the company last week. Grupo Mexico Transportes said negotiations with authorities about the railway concession spanning from Coatzacoalcos to Medias…
By Steve Keating ROCHESTER, New York (Reuters) – Brooks Koepka claimed a PGA Championship hat-trick and a landmark major win for LIV Golf on Sunday but the day also belonged to Michael Block, a 46-year-old club professional, who capped a golfing fairytale with a hole-in-one. Koepka, saying he had learned his lessons from last month’s…
SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) – China kept its benchmark lending rates unchanged for the ninth straight month on Monday, matching market expectations for May. China’s one-year loan prime rate (LPR) was kept at 3.65% and its five-year LPR was unchanged at 4.30%. In a Reuters poll of 26 market watchers conducted last week, 23 predicted no change…
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan core machinery orders fell in March for a second straight month, indicating firms’ cautious about capital spending amid worries about the global economic slowdown. Japan’s economy emerged from recession in the first quarter as a post-COVID consumption rebound offset global headwinds. But tame reading in the machinery orders may cast doubts…
(Reuters) -Meta Platform Inc’s Instagram was back up for most users, the company said on Sunday, after a technical issue that disrupted services to thousands of people had been resolved. “Earlier today, a technical issue caused some people to have trouble accessing Instagram. We resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone who was…