For years, China had an image problem it couldn’t shake off — synonymous with cheap exports, heavy censorship, and a state shrouded in secrecy and scandal.That has been changing as the country strives to burnish its image, rising in soft power rankings, with domestic businesses helping Beijing secure a significant facelift.Chinese coffee chains are popping up in New York. Chinese video games are generating billions in revenue. Even Chinese makeup, or “c-beauty,” companies are expanding into global markets.But the most surprising factor boosting China’s cultural rise isn’t a flying car, an AI model, or a bestselling game — it’s a…
Author: usaeverydaylife
A court ordered Australia’s largest airline, Qantas Airways, on Monday to pay a record fine of A$90 million ($58.64 million) for illegally sacking 1,800 ground staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and criticized it for a lack of contrition.In imposing the penalty, the largest ordered by a court on a company in the history of Australia’s labor laws, Federal Court Judge Michael Lee also inveighed against the airline’s litigation strategy.While Qantas made changes to its board and management team, Lee said subsequent expressions of regret seemed more aligned with “the damage” the case had done to the company than remorse for the harm caused to…
U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 28, 2025.Nathan Howard | ReutersLONDON — European stocks are expected to open in positive territory on Monday as traders focus on a meeting between European leaders and U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss Ukraine.The U.K.’s FTSE index is seen opening 0.23% higher, Germany’s DAX up 0.16%, France’s CAC 40 up 0.24% and Italy’s FTSE MIB 0.2% higher.European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, are traveling with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Washington to meet Trump…
Oil majors are betting big on liquified natural gas (LNG), throwing down the gauntlet to predictions of peak gas by the end of the decade. Britain’s Shell , a leading player in the global LNG market, has identified the super-cooled commodity as a primary focus amid the energy transition. France’s TotalEnergies said it expects LNG volumes managed by the company to grow by 50% between 2023 and 2030, while BP , which recently doubled down on fossil fuels as part of a green strategy U-turn , has significant LNG investments. Stateside, Exxon Mobil is seeking to double its LNG portfolio…
The artificial intelligence boom has brought with it hundreds of billions of dollars in investments and promises of economic growth . But the infrastructure required is demanding massive amounts of energy and resources. One lesser-known example of that dilemma can be found in the southern tip of Malaysia, which has quietly become one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing data center hubs amid the heightened compute demands of AI. The country’s state of Johor — with a population of about 4 million people — has attracted billions’ worth of projects for such data centers in recent years , including from many of…
U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive for a press conference at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on August 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. Andrew Harnik | Getty Images There was no deal when U.S. President Donald Trump met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday.That was not unexpected. The summit, which was initially arranged to discuss a ceasefire to Moscow’s war in Ukraine, was on Tuesday reframed by White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt as a “listening exercise” that allowed Trump to get a “better understanding of how we can hopefully bring this war to an end.”Prior to…
(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on February 25, 2025 shows US President Donald Trump (L) on February 22, 2025, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on February 12, 2025.. Ukraine has agreed on the terms of a minerals deal with the United States and could sign it February 28, 2025, the two countries said, a move Kyiv hopes will lead to future security guarantees from Washington. Alex Wroblewskitetiana Dzhafarova | Afp | Getty ImagesU.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday the onus to end the war between Moscow and Kyiv is on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.In a post on Truth Social, Trump said…
Ulsan city skyline from the Hamwolru Pavilion. People can enjoy beautiful cityscape for free. Ulsan, South Korea.Insung Jeon | Moment | Getty ImagesAsia-Pacific markets traded mixed Monday , after the U.S.-Russia summit concluded without a ceasefire.Japan’s Nikkei 225 benchmark rose 0.62%, while the broader Topix index added 0.42%.In South Korea, the Kospi index fell 1.06%, while the small-cap Kosdaq was down 1.44%.Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 started the day flat.Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index stood at 25,214, pointing to a stronger open compared with the HSI’s last close of 25,270.07.U.S. equity futures ticked up in early Asia hours on hopes for rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve,…
Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., August 12, 2025. Brendan McDermid | ReutersStock futures traded nearly unchanged Sunday evening after hopes for lower interest rates fueled a winning week on Wall Street.Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose about 13 points. S&P 500 futures and the Nasdaq 100 futures were both flat.Sunday night’s action comes after the three major averages notched their second straight positive week. The Dow climbed 1.7%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rose 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively. It was also the fourth week of gains…
Private-equity group Advent International said on Sunday it has agreed to take over Switzerland’s U-Blox in a cash offer worth some 1.05 billion Swiss francs ($1.30 billion).Advent said its public tender offer for U-Blox’s shares would be carried out by its indirect subsidiary ZI Zenith.The 135 Swiss francs per share offer represents a 53% premium to the undisturbed volume-weighted average share price of the last six months, Advent said in a statement with U-Blox.The tender offer is subject to terms and conditions, and regulatory approvals customary for such transactions, and is expected to be settled within the next six months,…
