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    Thursday, September 3
    Business

    Nikkei drops as Japan bond yields hit three-decade highs

    Japanese stocks came under sharp pressure Monday as the Nikkei 225 dropped nearly 2% in early trading. The benchmark fell 1.97% to 65,096.63 and later touched an intraday low of 64,832.10. Technology shares led much of the decline as investors reacted to higher bond yields and tighter interest rate expectations. The broader Topix also weakened early, falling 0.84% to 4,111.71. Japanese government bond yields rose at the same time, adding pressure to rate sensitive parts of the equity market.

    China digital industry revenue reaches 20.71 trillion yuan

    China’s digital industry generated 20.71 trillion yuan in revenue during the first half of 2026, up 13.6% from a year earlier. Total profit reached 1.79 trillion yuan, an increase of 19.3%. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said the sector’s revenue growth accelerated by 4.1 percentage points from the same period last year. The industry’s profit margin reached 8.6%, up 0.7 percentage point. China had 5.102 million 5G base stations at the end of June. The country also had 32.86 million 10G PON ports capable of supporting gigabit network services.

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    Business

    Nikkei drops as Japan bond yields hit three-decade highs

    Japanese stocks came under sharp pressure Monday as the Nikkei 225 dropped nearly 2% in early trading. The benchmark fell 1.97% to 65,096.63 and later touched an intraday low of 64,832.10. Technology shares led much of the decline as investors reacted to higher bond yields and tighter interest rate expectations. The broader Topix also weakened early, falling 0.84% to 4,111.71. Japanese government bond yields rose at the same time, adding pressure to rate sensitive parts of the equity market.

    Indonesia links sports investment to new licensing framework

    The agreement brings the Ministry of Investment and Downstreaming together with the Ministry of Youth and Sports on business licensing. It also covers investment promotion and services for companies operating in sports-related fields. The ministries will coordinate through Indonesia’s Online Single Submission system, known as OSS. Their cooperation also includes compliance monitoring, regulatory coordination and data sharing. The framework applies to investment development across Indonesia’s sports sector rather than establishing a US$521 billion domestic industry target.

    Oil prices rebound after Brent slides below $93

    Oil prices recovered modestly on Tuesday after Brent crude and WTI fell more than 2% in the previous session. Brent futures rose 27 cents, or 0.3%, to $92.44 a barrel by 0330 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate gained 37 cents, or 0.4%, to $85.38. The rebound followed Monday’s sharp pullback, which ended six consecutive sessions of gains across the two benchmark crude contracts.

    Alibaba secures HK$80 billion to expand AI investment

    Alibaba said it will direct 100% of the net proceeds toward its full-stack AI capabilities. The spending will include expansion and upgrades across its artificial intelligence infrastructure. The company has built an AI ecosystem spanning cloud computing, models, chips and applications. Its Qwen model family and Alibaba Cloud services form major parts of that technology platform. The placement targets non-U.S. investors outside the United States through offshore transactions. The HK$112.70 offering price sits 8.4% below Alibaba’s HK$123 closing price on Friday. Hong Kong-listed shares fell as much as 10% to HK$110.10 in early Monday trading. Alibaba also trades in New York through American depositary shares under the BABA ticker.

    South Korea launches Arctic container ship trial to Europe

    South Korea has begun its first container ship trial through the Arctic to Europe. The 2,758-TEU PanStar Acro left Busan New Port at about 9 p.m. on August 22. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries confirmed the departure and published the voyage schedule. The ship will use the Northern Sea Route before calling at three European ports. The 45-day round trip is scheduled to end in Busan on October 5.

    Business

    Nikkei drops as Japan bond yields hit three-decade highs

    Business

    Japanese stocks came under sharp pressure Monday as the Nikkei 225 dropped nearly 2% in early trading. The benchmark fell 1.97% to 65,096.63 and later touched an intraday low of 64,832.10. Technology shares led much of the decline as investors reacted to higher bond yields and tighter interest rate expectations. The broader Topix also weakened early, falling 0.84% to 4,111.71. Japanese government bond yields rose at the same time, adding pressure to rate sensitive parts of the equity market.

    Oil prices rebound after Brent slides below $93

    Oil prices recovered modestly on Tuesday after Brent crude and WTI fell more than 2% in the previous session. Brent futures rose 27 cents, or 0.3%, to $92.44 a barrel by 0330 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate gained 37 cents, or 0.4%, to $85.38. The rebound followed Monday’s sharp pullback, which ended six consecutive sessions of gains across the two benchmark crude contracts.

    EU Commission signs contract to expand IRIS2 satellite constellation

    Business

    Under the terms of the revised agreement, the main satellite constellation will grow from 282 planned orbital units to 348 active spacecraft. The expanded network architecture integrates 330 satellites positioned in higher low Earth orbit alongside 18 spacecraft deployed in medium Earth orbit, with optional orbital elements reserved for specialized mission support. The implementation agreement confirms the definitive timeline for satellite manufacturing, launch procurement, secure ground segment construction, and operational connectivity service delivery. The primary constellation schedule establishes initial satellite launches for 2029, enabling early sovereign connectivity capabilities for participating member states shortly thereafter.

    OECD inflation eases to 4.2% as lower energy rates take hold

    Headline inflation across OECD economies eased to 4.2% in June 2026 from 4.6% in May, ending three straight monthly increases. The measure tracks annual changes in consumer prices across the group’s member countries. Inflation declined in 20 economies, increased in six and remained stable or broadly stable in 12. Nine OECD countries recorded inflation at or below 2%, including three where the rate stood below 1%. Energy prices drove much of the monthly easing. OECD energy inflation fell four percentage points to 11.7% year on year, after reaching 15.8% in May. The rate declined in 24 of the 37 countries with available data. However, energy inflation increased in 10 economies, while six countries still reported rates above 15%.

    Oil prices fall as Brent and WTI reach three-week lows again

    Oil prices extended their decline on Wednesday, deepening a selloff that pushed both major benchmarks to three-week lows. Brent crude futures fell 92 cents, or 1.2%, to $78.44 a barrel by 3:30 a.m. GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures dropped $1.07, or 1.4%, to $74.70. Brent had fallen more than 12% for the week. WTI had lost more than 11% over the same period.

    Oil prices swing after Brent tops $90 on supply strains

    The rally followed fresh U.S. and Saudi strikes against Iran-backed groups in Iraq. Officials linked the attacks to drone strikes on Saudi oil facilities. Iran said it fired on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and at U.S. bases in Jordan. Explosions also hit a natural gas loading port in Egypt. Maritime security firm Ambrey reported drone damage to a U.S.-owned floating storage tanker at the site. Commercial traffic remained limited in key Gulf and Red Sea shipping corridors during the week.

    UK solar capacity reaches 22.8 GW before plug-in launch

    UK solar capacity reached 22.8 gigawatts at the end of June 2026, extending a sharp rise in deployment. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero recorded about 2.076 million installations nationwide. Developers added 27,391 systems during June, contributing 132 megawatts. The latest monthly figures remain provisional and may change as more projects enter the official dataset. The capacity total covers rooftop arrays, commercial systems and large solar farms. It also sets a baseline before new plug-in solar rules take effect.

    India commits 84084 crore rupees to offshore energy security

    The financial framework allocates capital across four principal program pillars to transform the upstream petroleum landscape. According to official disclosures issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the government designated 28,534 crore rupees specifically for offshore seismic data acquisition, processing, and high-resolution interpretation. This data segment includes 12,000 crore rupees for basin-wide two-dimensional seismic surveys, 12,534 crore rupees for three-dimensional seismic coverage, and 4,000 crore rupees to modernize the National Data Repository using artificial intelligence tools. The structured allocation ensures comprehensive mapping of unexplored frontier basins and erstwhile restricted maritime zones across the eastern and western sea boards.

    Travel

    Air Arabia sets December start for Sharjah Gdansk route

    Travel

    On Mondays and Saturdays, flight G9 0628 will leave Sharjah at 4 p.m. and arrive in Gdansk at 8 p.m. The return flight, G9 0629, will depart Gdansk at 8:50 p.m. It will reach Sharjah at 6:10 a.m. the following day. On Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, Sharjah departures are scheduled for 8:15 a.m. Return flights will leave Gdansk at 1:05 p.m. and arrive in Sharjah at 10:25 p.m. All published times are local.

    Technology

    Technology

    China digital industry revenue reaches 20.71 trillion yuan

    China’s digital industry generated 20.71 trillion yuan in revenue during the first half of 2026, up 13.6% from a year earlier. Total profit reached 1.79 trillion yuan, an increase of 19.3%. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said the sector’s revenue growth accelerated by 4.1 percentage points from the same period last year. The industry’s profit margin reached 8.6%, up 0.7 percentage point. China had 5.102 million 5G base stations at the end of June. The country also had 32.86 million 10G PON ports capable of supporting gigabit network services.

    Automotive

    Porsche to cut 5000 more jobs under restructuring plan

    Automotive

    The restructuring strategy, formally named the Future Package, was negotiated between the executive leadership of Porsche and the General Works Council in coordination with the metalworkers union IG Metall and the employers association Südwestmetall. Executives emphasized that workforce reductions will be executed through socially responsible mechanisms, including expanded partial retirement programs, voluntary severance packages, and natural demographic attrition. Management explicitly ruled out compulsory redundancies through 2035, while extending existing site guarantees for five years. In exchange for labor concessions, the automaker committed 2.1 billion euros in capital investments dedicated to upgrading its assembly plant in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen and its research facility in Weissach.

    Japan new car sales rise 1.8% in first half of 2026

    TOKYO, JAPAN / MENA Newswire / – Japan’s new car sales rose 1.8% in the first half of 2026, marking a second straight first-half gain for the domestic auto market. Automakers sold 2,387,189 new vehicles from January through June, including minivehicles. The increase followed…

    Entertainment

    Sports

    Lionel Messi retires from Argentina after 21-year record run

    Sports

    Messi said he reached the decision after extensive consideration following Argentina’s 2026 World Cup final against Spain. He wrote his retirement message on July 21, two days after the final in New Jersey. Messi later said the death of his father, Jorge Messi, in August reinforced his decision to publish the message. He described leaving the national team as painful while stressing the pride he felt representing Argentina. Messi also thanked teammates, coaches, family members and supporters who accompanied him throughout his international career.

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