In a high-security Shenzhen laboratory, Chinese scientists have built what Washington has spent years trying to prevent: a prototype of a machine capable of producing the cutting-edge semiconductor chips that power artificial intelligence, smartphones and weapons central to Western military dominance.

President Donald Trump's administration warned on Tuesday the United States could impose fees or restrictions on European service providers in response to what it called “discriminatory” actions against US firms.

In a light-filled workshop in eastern China, a robotic arm moved a partially assembled autonomous vehicle as workers calibrated its cameras, typical of the incremental automation being adopted even across smaller factories in the world's manufacturing powerhouse.

The $120-million effort will link northern and southern Papua New Guinea and the Bougainville autonomous region with high-capacity cables, Peter Tsiamalili, PNG's acting minister for information and communications technology, said on Friday.

The United States wants access to Indonesia's critical minerals and has agreed to give tariff exemptions to its palm oil, tea and coffee, says senior economic minister Airlangga Hartarto. 

The past three years show that Indonesia’s consumption has moved through distinct phases, shaped not only by how much people spend, but by how they choose to spend it.

Oracle tech tycoon Larry Ellison is offering a US$40.4 billion personal guarantee to back Paramount's hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, deepening a bidding war with Netflix, a statement said on Monday.

A court in Switzerland has decided to admit a legal complaint linked to global warming against Swiss cement maker Holcim that alleges the company is doing too little to cut carbon emissions, parties to the case said on Monday.

In an increasingly competitive global market, local opportunities are no longer enough for visionary enterprises with global ambitions, they need a gateway to international capital, innovation and connections.

Equities extended a global rally Tuesday, while gold and silver hit fresh records as optimism for more US interest rate cuts and an easing of AI fears helped investors prepare for the festive break on a positive note.

Asian share markets rose on Monday tracking tech-driven gains on Wall Street, while the yen wallowed at all-time lows against the euro and Swiss franc as higher interest rates at home did nothing to deter speculative sellers.

Asian shares fell on Thursday as the tech sector took a beating on renewed angst about AI spending, while investors braced for a wave of central bank meetings set to underscore policy divergence worldwide.