BUSINESS

Dr. Gary Kompothecras' commitment extends beyond the business world. He is a dedicated philanthropist who has championed autism awareness.

US Federal Reserve officials raised concerns at their March interest rate meeting about the recent "broad-based" rise in inflation, but still said they expected cuts to start this year, according to minutes of the meeting published Wednesday.

US consumer inflation continued to accelerate last month, according to US government data published Wednesday, reducing the chances of an early interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve.

US President Joe Biden hosts a lavish state visit for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House on Wednesday, featuring a major upgrade in defense ties against China -- and music by Paul Simon.

High youth unemployment, feuding politicians and a cost of living crisis: young South Korean voters told AFP what was on their minds as they voted -- some for the first time -- in elections Wednesday.

With the flow of new recruits into the seafaring sector drying up, a German company is exploring a potentially revolutionary measure -- sending ships off without a captain on board.

Ratings agency Fitch said Wednesday it had downgraded China's sovereign credit outlook to negative, citing increased risks to the country's public finances, in a move Beijing swiftly called "regrettable".

Egyptian rapper Dareen is a whirlwind of sharp verses and curly hair on stage, bringing the Cairo crowd to its feet and a fresh perspective to Egypt's male-dominated rap scene.

Ten years have passed but whenever Mary Shettima hears footsteps at the door, she thinks her kidnapped daughter has come home.

Warner Bros. offered a glimpse of its eagerly anticipated "Joker" sequel at CinemaCon on Tuesday, as the Hollywood studio set out plans to build on the success of last year's blockbuster "Barbie."

Israel faces a Wednesday deadline to present to the country's top court measures to increase aid into the besieged Gaza Strip, where hunger is spreading after more than six months of war.

Microsoft on Tuesday announced a $2.9 billion investment over the next two years in Japan to bolster the country's push into artificial intelligence and strengthen its cyber defences in the face of threats from China and Russia.

Equities mostly rose in Asia on Wednesday following a tepid day on Wall Street, with investors lasering in on the release of crucial US inflation data that could have a huge bearing on the outlook for interest rates.

Popular video games including "World of Warcraft" will return to China this summer, US developer Blizzard and local partner NetEase said Wednesday, over a year after a contract dispute pulled them from the market leaving millions of fans bereft.

US President Joe Biden welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the White House Tuesday, kicking off a state visit featuring a major upgrade in defense ties against a resurgent China.

Federal aviation authorities are investigating claims by a Boeing engineer that the 787 Dreamliner suffers from assembly defects that threaten safety, US officials said Tuesday.

GM subsidiary Cruise on Tuesday said it plans to get its self-driving cars back on the road without human drivers after suspending robotaxi service late last year due to safety concerns.

Colombia's prosecutors announced Tuesday they would try influential ex-president Alvaro Uribe for alleged witness tampering in what will be the first trial of a former head of state in the country's history.

Venezuelan authorities announced the arrest Tuesday of influential ex-oil minister Tareck El Aissami, who had resigned from his post last year amid a corruption scandal at state oil company PDVSA. "We have managed to reveal the direct participation and consequent arrest" of El Aissami, Attorney General Tarek William Saab said, adding that charges would be announced "in the next few hours."

Boeing has been in the headlines a lot lately following a series of incidents after the January Alaska Airlines near-miss in which a door panel came off mid-flight.

On motorcycles, cars, buses, planes or by boat, millions of Indonesians have travelled to their hometowns in an annual exodus for the Eid holiday that begins in the country on Wednesday.

The European Union on Tuesday announced a probe into Chinese wind turbine suppliers, the latest move by Brussels targeting Beijing over green tech subsidies suspected of undermining fair competition.

HSBC announced its agreement to sell its business in Argentina for $550 million, with a $1 billion pre-tax loss in the first quarter of 2024.

The country is home to Samsung and SK Hynix -- the world's top two makers of memory chips, including the premium high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in the hardware that powers AI.

French beauty company L'Occitane on Tuesday halted trading of its Hong Kong-listed shares pending an announcement of a takeover, according to a company notice to the bourse.

Simon Harris will be formally appointed as Ireland's prime minister by parliament on Tuesday, replacing Leo Varadkar after he abruptly quit last month citing personal and political reasons.

China's top diplomat said on Tuesday that Beijing would strengthen strategic cooperation with Moscow and that the two must stand on the side of "fairness and justice" as he met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Tesla has settled with the family of an engineer killed when his Model X crashed in Silicon Valley six years ago, avoiding a trial, according to court filings Monday.

Asian stocks were mixed Tuesday as attention turned to crucial US inflation data that could play a pivotal role in the Federal Reserve's decision-making on interest rates, with investors lowering their expectations for how many cuts it will deliver.