China roars as US presses ByteDance to sell TikTok

Responding to the Biden administration’s request that China’s ByteDance sell its stake in TikTok for national security reasons, Beijing has complained that the United States is “suppressing” Chinese companies. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an inter-agency committee of the US government, told ByteDance that if it doesn’t dispose of TikTok’s […]Continue Reading

US bank cracks weakening global financial system

Silicon Valley in California has long been the recipient of investments from China and this trend is now growing, along with the opportunities that blockchain presents. Photo: iStock/NASA

US regulators’ swift reaction to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and two other lenders partially restored calm to markets, but concerns remain over the stability of the global financial system. The government is racing to orchestrate a US$30 billion rescue of First Republic Bank by the nation’s largest financial institutions after the California lender’s […]Continue Reading

Rebel youth risk life and limb in Myanmar’s cruel war

Renowned photojournalist Thierry Falise recently returned from a month in Myanmar’s Kayah state, a front line in the nation’s raging civil war. This is the first article of a two-part series. KAYAH, Myanmar – Maui is a chubby man with a thick goatee and a mischievous smile. Yet the 29-year-old fighter’s affability and ease belie […]Continue Reading

Stubborn inflation, bank crisis puts US Fed on a precipice

The Federal Reserve is facing a rather sticky problem. Despite its best efforts over the past year, inflation is stubbornly refusing to head south with any urgency to a target of 2%. Rather, the inflation report released on March 14, 2023, shows consumer prices rose 0.4% in February, meaning the year-over-year increase is now at […]Continue Reading

Asian stocks slide, safety shines as bank fears spread

SINGAPORE: Asian stocks tumbled on Thursday (Mar 16), and investors bought gold, bonds and the US dollar as fear of a banking crisis was reignited by fresh troubles at Credit Suisse, leaving markets on edge ahead of a European Central Bank (ECB) meeting later in the day. Japan’s Nikkei fellContinue Reading

Reimagining India-Thailand partnerships

Commerce, culture and connectivity are often cited as the three main pillars of India-Thailand relations. Maritime trade between the two countries has existed since 1500 BCE, paving the way for people-to-people contact and cultural interaction between the two states bordering the Bay of Bengal. Thailand was among the first nations to establish diplomatic ties with […]Continue Reading