Japanese companies will finance investments valued at $36 billion in energy and minerals projects in Ohio, Texas and Georgia as part of a trade agreement that will cut U.S. tariffs on Japanese imports to 15%, according to the Trump administration. The announcement is part of Japan’s 2025 agreement to invest $550 billion over the next four years at the direction of the U.S., with the funds aimed at rebuilding and expanding core American industries. In October, the Trump administration provided details on Japanese investments of up to $332 billion to…
Posts published in “Business”
Japan is preparing to lift long-standing restrictions on lethal weapons exports, marking another step in the erosion of its post-war arms export taboo. While the reform creates new diplomatic and commercial opportunities and allows deeper security cooperation with regional partners, Japan’s defence industrial base remains small, costly and capacity-constrained. Domestic procurement demands and labour shortages mean exports will likely remain modest, limiting the policy’s practical and strategic impact on regional military balances. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government is looking to loosen Japan’s long-standing restrictions on weapons exports, marking another step…
The cocaine market exploded between 2014 and 2023. Production in Colombia increased more than sevenfold to nearly 2,700 tonnes, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Behind the scenes, drug traffickers find equally illicit ways to pay their suppliers and foot soldiers, or to spend the proceeds of their criminal trade. Their solution? Money laundering. It is estimated that 25% of the funds collected is laundered. Criminals generally launder money in three stages: firstly, they inject it into the financial system; secondly, they layer it with…
When Donald Trump pulled back on his plan to impose eye-watering tariffs on trading partners across the world, there was one key exception: China. While the rest of the world would be given a 90-day reprieve on additional duties beyond the new 10% tariffs on all U.S. trade partners, China would feel the squeeze even more. On April 9, 2025, Trump raised the tariff on Chinese goods to 125% – bringing the total U.S. tariff on some Chinese imports to 145%. The move, in Trump’s telling, was prompted by Beijing’s…
China announced on Friday that it will change export tax rebates for a range of products, including photovoltaic and battery products. The announcement, jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance and the State Taxation Administration, said that export tax rebates for the value added tax of photovoltaic products will be canceled starting from April 1, 2026. Meanwhile, the export tax rebate rate for the value added tax of battery products will be reduced from 9 percent to 6 percent starting from April 1, 2026, and will be eliminated starting from…
The Swiss government has frozen any assets held in Switzerland by Nicolas Maduro and people close to the Venezuelan president. The order is to ensure that potentially illegally acquired assets cannot be transferred out of Switzerland, the government said in a statement on Monday. The freeze comes into force with immediate effect and will remain valid for four years, until further notice. A total of 37 people are currently affected by the freeze, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said in an emailed reply to questions. It declined to given any indication…
President Trump returned to the White House with pledges to address the housing shortage and affordability crisis. But his moves to crack downon trade policy, immigration and the size of the federal government threaten to compound the strain on homeowners he has vowed to ease. Though the Trump administration has stressed home ownership as “a ticket to the American dream” as it attempts to herald in “the golden age of America,” housing has appeared to take somewhat of a backseat to the issues of foreign policy and the border in…
Donald Trump imposed 10 per cent ‘reciprocal’ tariffs on the UK last night – but hit the rest of the world even harder as he vowed to stop the US being ‘pillaged’, ‘raped’ and ‘brutalised’. The president also confirmed there will be a 25 per cent tariff on all foreign-made cars, in another blow for Britain that experts have warned could cost 25,000 jobs. But Downing Street was breathing a sigh of relief as other countries facing even harsher punishment, with 10 per cent the ‘baseline’ level. Now, all eyes will be…
It was a quiet April morning in Augusta, Georgia, when Stephen and Erica Malbon woke up. Then they checked their phones. The couple’s lifestyle brand, Malbon Golf, had been swept into a social media storm by an eye-catching Masters outfit donned by ambassador and former world No. 1 Jason Day. Battle lines were drawn: those who deemed the Australian’s sleeveless vest and baggy pants an affront to the storied tournament — dubbed “a tradition unlike any other” — versus those who welcomed the look as a sorely needed injection of flair into the sport’s…
The beauty line currently offers customers both skincare and makeup products – which will now be sold under the SKIMS label. ‘My mission has always been to create products that resonate deeply – whether it’s shapewear and lingerie that empowers or make-up and skincare that transforms,’ Kim said in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter. The Kardashians star further explained that, ‘Uniting everything under the SKIMS brand streamlines that vision.’ SKIMS will now not only offer clothing but also cosmetics, skincare and fragrances. The beauty and fragrance products are set…