SYDNEY, March 19 (Reuters) – Australia has “absolutely” not pledged to support the US in a military conflict over Taiwan in exchange for a deal to acquire US nuclear-powered attack submarines, Australian Defense Secretary Richard Marles said on Sunday. Australia, the US and Britain unveiled the multi-year AUKUS project on Monday. Canberra is to buy … Read more
Asian Stock Markets: The ECB delivered a 50 basis point hike as promised, dropped forecasts Credit Suisse shares rallied 20% after support from the SNB First Republic Bank Gets $30 Billion Injection, Concerns Remain Fed data showed banks were looking for record emergency liquidity SYDNEY, March 17 (Reuters) – Asian markets extended a risk rally … Read more
SINGAPORE, March 16 (Reuters) – The current friction in the Indo-Pacific is alarming and “a trend in the wrong direction”, but the US presence was not an attempt to contain or eliminate conflict with China invite, a senior US admiral said Thursday. Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, said an “AUKUS” partnership … Read more
WELLINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) – New Zealand said on Friday it would ban TikTok on devices accessing the country’s parliamentary network over cybersecurity concerns, becoming the latest country to ban use of the app for sharing emails. would restrict videos on government-related devices. There has been global concern over the potential for the Chinese government … Read more
TEGUCIGALPA, March 16 (Reuters) – A senior envoy from President Joe Biden will travel to Panama and Honduras this month, the US State Department said Thursday, days after Taiwan’s ally Honduras said it would establish formal diplomatic ties with China. Chris Dodd, the U.S. special presidential adviser to the Americas, will visit the two Central … Read more
BEIJING, March 16 (Reuters) – China is concerned about an escalation of the war in Ukraine and hopes that Moscow and Kiev will hold peace talks, senior Chinese diplomat Qin Gang told his Ukrainian counterpart in a telephone conversation on Thursday. China, which has refrained from condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, has urged … Read more
LONDON, March 16 (Reuters) – Britain said on Thursday it would ban TikTok on government phones with immediate effect, a move following other Western countries in blocking the Chinese video app over security concerns. TikTok has come under increasing scrutiny over fears that user data from the app owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance could end … Read more
Ernie’s launch comes as Google, Microsoft step up AI game Baidu shares tumble as CEO gives short video presentations Analysts say scripted event, pre-recorded videos disappointed Ernie can do math, write poems, generate images and video BEIJING/HONG KONG, March 16 (Reuters) – China’s Baidu on Thursday unveiled its long-awaited AI-powered chatbot known as Ernie Bot, … Read more
Stocks rise as Switzerland provides Credit Suisse with lifeline Bond yields are rising, ECB expected rate hikes of as much as 50 basis points Oil climbs from 15-month low Graphic: World FX Rates LONDON, March 16 (Reuters) – European markets rallied on Thursday, as a 50 billion Swiss franc ($53.94 billion) lifeline for beleaguered lender … Read more
TAIPEI, March 16 (Reuters) – Taiwan on Thursday warned Honduras not to be tempted by the “poison” of aid from China, no matter how deeply indebted it was, and ruled out getting involved in a bidding war for diplomatic allies with its mainland rival. Honduran President Xiomara Castro said on Tuesday that she had asked … Read more