Transcript: Fresh Challenge for US Treasuries Dominance
Development banks’ sovereign‑supranational‑agency (SSA) dollar bonds are closing the yield gap with U.S. Treasuries, reflecting investor wariness of Trump‑era policy risk and rising U.S. credit concerns. At the same time, Netflix announced founder Reed Hastings will step down as chair, and its shares fell 9% after guidance missed expectations despite a $3 bn breakup fee and strong quarterly earnings. An FT investigation revealed a Chinese‑launched satellite, handed to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in 2024, was used to surveil and time attacks on U.S. bases in the Middle East. Finally, Swiss chocolate giant Barry Callebaut cut its profit outlook, sending its stock down more than 15% amid falling cocoa prices and supply disruptions linked to the Iran conflict.
China’s Xi Warns Iran Conflict Leaves World ‘Beset by Disarray’
Chinese President Xi Jinping warned that the escalating Iran conflict is leaving the world "beset by disarray," emphasizing the risk of broader geopolitical instability. He called on all sides to pursue diplomatic channels and warned that unchecked escalation could ripple...
Transcript: OpenAI Investors Question Its Valuation
Investors are scrutinising OpenAI’s roughly $850 bn valuation as the company pivots toward enterprise AI tools. The shift follows strong consumer performance with ChatGPT but raises doubts about competing with Anthropic and Google in the business market. OpenAI’s planned public listing...
China Lures Home Its Top AI Talent From Silicon Valley
Over the past year more than thirty AI researchers have left Silicon Valley for Chinese tech giants, including ByteDance and Tencent. High‑profile defections such as Wu Yonghui from Google DeepMind and Yao Shunyu from OpenAI illustrate a broader reverse migration....
Asian Start-Ups Evolve to Reshape Industries with AI
Asia‑Pacific’s tech landscape is pivoting from consumer‑focused apps to AI‑powered solutions for traditional industries. South Korea leads the charge, with four of the ten fastest‑growing firms based in Seoul and a 2024 R&D spend of $86 bn, or 5.1% of GDP....
Singapore Listings Remain Scarce Despite Strong Equities Performance
Singapore’s Straits Times Index jumped 23% in 2025, breaking the 5,000 mark, yet IPO activity remains thin. The number of listings rose to 16 in 2024, still far behind Hong Kong’s 119 IPOs that year. Government and MAS have pledged S$6.5 bn...
From Bingo to Melbourne Flower Show: Humanitix Uses Ticket Fees as ‘Engine for Good’
Humanitix, the Australian ticketing social enterprise, has scaled from charity bingo nights to handling 120,000 tickets for the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show. Its revenue surged to $14 million in 2024, a more than three‑fold increase since 2021, while it...
EU Trade Deal Set to Change India’s Wine Industry
The EU‑India trade agreement, signed in January, will cut tariffs on European wines from 150 percent to 75 percent initially and eventually to 20 percent, opening a market valued at $450 million in 2024 and projected to grow 14 percent by 2029. European vintners have...
Meta Releases First AI Model Since Zuckerberg’s Spending Spree
Meta announced its first publicly released AI model since Mark Zuckerberg’s multi‑billion‑dollar AI investment spree, unveiling a next‑generation large language model dubbed Llama 3. The model comes in three sizes—7B, 13B and 70B parameters—and is offered under an open‑source license, positioning...
Billionaire Son of ‘World’s Richest Banker’ Challenges $35mn Legal Fees
The billionaire son of the man dubbed the "world's richest banker" is contesting a $35 million legal fee award tied to a high‑profile inheritance dispute. The challenge was filed in a UK court, arguing that the fees are excessive and lack...
White House Pushed Pakistan to Broker Temporary Iran Ceasefire
President Biden’s administration has pressed Pakistan to act as a mediator in securing a temporary cease‑fire between Iran and Israel amid escalating regional tensions. Washington believes Islamabad’s historic ties with Tehran give it unique leverage to de‑escalate the conflict and...
Artemis II Returns From Its Fly-By of the Moon
NASA’s Artemis II mission completed its historic crewed fly‑by of the Moon and safely returned the four‑astronaut crew to Earth on Thursday. The Orion capsule demonstrated critical deep‑space navigation, communication and life‑support performance during a 10‑day flight that took the crew...
Letter: The US Has Put the Climate Messenger in Front of a Firing Squad
A recent Financial Times letter warns that the United States is increasingly hostile toward climate advocates, likening the treatment of scientists and policymakers to a firing squad. The author cites recent policy rollbacks, funding cuts, and legal challenges that marginalize...
Letter: Countries that Abandoned Kabul May Soon Regret It
The Financial Times letter cautions that nations which abandoned Kabul after the Taliban’s 2021 takeover may soon regret their decision. It argues that the swift evacuation left a governance vacuum, weakening regional stability and compromising counter‑terrorism cooperation. The author warns...
Letter: Nasa’s Cosmopolitanism Still Has Strict Limits
NASA continues to champion international cooperation in space, positioning itself as a global hub for scientific research and exploration. However, the agency’s cosmopolitan ambitions are increasingly constrained by U.S. export‑control regimes, congressional oversight, and geopolitical rivalries. Recent policy reviews reveal...