Category: Business

Business

How Many Wedding Dresses Does a Bride Really Need? The Answer Could Save You Money — and Hours on Your Big Day

For generations, finding “the dress” was treated as one of the defining moments of wedding planning. Now, for some brides, one dress is only the beginning. From dramatic ceremony gowns to sleek reception dresses, traditional outfits, detachable overskirts and tiny after-party minis, the modern bridal wardrobe can easily stretch to two, three or even more looks. But as multiple wedding outfits become increasingly visible on Instagram, TikTok and celebrity weddings, brides are facing a surprisi

September 2, 2026

Business

Trump’s Venezuela Oil Deal Puts the U.S. Near 65 Billion Barrels—But the Real Battle May Be Over Who Controls It

WASHINGTON/CARACAS — The Trump administration is defending a sweeping new oil agreement with Venezuela that could give the United States unprecedented influence over a huge portion of the South American country’s petroleum industry—but the deal is already facing questions over sovereignty, transparency, legality and how quickly it can actually deliver cheaper fuel to Americans. U.S. officials said Tuesday that the agreement is designed to advance American energy security, weaken Chinese and Rus

September 2, 2026

Business

BOJ Signals More Rate Hikes as Yen Flirts With ¥160 — But September’s Decision Could Change Everything

TOKYO — The Bank of Japan is sending one of its clearest signals yet that Japan’s era of ultra-cheap money is fading — and its next move could arrive sooner than markets once expected. Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said the central bank intends to continue raising interest rates if the economy and prices develop broadly in line with its forecasts, while warning that policymakers must pay particularly close attention to the risk that inflation could run hotter than expected. Speaking after

September 2, 2026

Business

Telstra’s July Outage Was Triggered by One Wrong Date — But the External Review Found a Much Bigger Failure

SYDNEY — A routine maintenance job, an incorrect date and a network system that Telstra admits was not treated as critical enough have emerged as the key ingredients behind one of Australia’s most disruptive telecommunications failures of the year. An external investigation into Telstra’s massive July 8 mobile outage has confirmed that the incident was triggered when incorrect date information spread through parts of the company’s mobile network following planned maintenance on its network timi

September 2, 2026

Business

AJINOMOTO,DAIKIN EXPAND CHIP MATERIALS TIES WITH TAIWAN

Ajinomoto, Daikin Expand Taiwan Chip-Materials Operations as AI Boom Drives Demand TAIPEI — Japan’s Ajinomoto and Daikin Industries are expanding their operations in Taiwan as surging demand for artificial intelligence chips pushes semiconductor manufacturers and their suppliers to strengthen local partnerships. The moves put two major Japanese materials companies deeper into one of the world's most important semiconductor ecosystems, where demand for advanced packaging and AI-related chips is

September 2, 2026

Business

Dollar Holds Firm as Middle East Fighting Sends Oil Above $95 — But the Bigger Shock Could Come From the Fed

The U.S. dollar stayed firmly supported on Wednesday as renewed fighting between the United States and Iran sent oil prices higher, rattled global bond markets and revived fears that another inflation shock could force central banks to keep interest rates higher for longer. The market reaction is no longer just about geopolitics. Investors are increasingly confronting a much larger question: Could another surge in energy prices push the Federal Reserve into raising interest rates again just as

September 2, 2026

Business

Singapore Food Court Bleeds S$250,000 in 7 Months as 29-Year-Old Owner Fights to Keep It Alive

SINGAPORE — A family-run food court in Chai Chee has lost about S$250,000 in just seven months, with its young second-generation owner saying persistently weak weekday foot traffic has made it increasingly difficult to attract tenants and keep the business afloat. At the centre of the struggle is Bai Nian Food Court, located at ESR BizPark @ Chai Chee. Its 29-year-old owner, Tommy Pang, recently opened up about the business crisis in an Instagram video, saying the family had lost around S$250,

September 2, 2026

Business

Malaysia Will Send 1,476 Myanmar Nationals Home on Sept. 29—But the UN Says Myanmar May Still Be Too Dangerous

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia is moving ahead with the first phase of its planned voluntary repatriation of Myanmar nationals, but the United Nations refugee agency says it is not involved in the operation and warns that conditions in Myanmar remain too dangerous for a safe and dignified return. Malaysia is scheduled to send 1,476 Myanmar nationals back to Myanmar on September 29, 2026, marking the first phase of a broader programme involving up to 5,000 people, according to Malaysia’s Home Ministry.

September 2, 2026

Business

Oil Surges Toward $96 as US-Iran Strikes Escalate — What Happens If the Strait of Hormuz Stays Shut?

Oil prices climbed nearly 1% in early Asian trading on Wednesday as renewed US-Iran military strikes intensified concerns about disruptions to crude supplies and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures rose 87 cents, or 0.92%, to $95.52 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained 80 cents, or 0.89%, to $91.02, according to Reuters data cited by Channel NewsAsia. The latest gains came after both benchmarks surged by more than $4 a barrel on Tuesday, with Bre

September 2, 2026

Business

Tesla Says FSD Is 4.1x Less Likely to Crash in Europe — But One EU Vote Could Decide Everything

Tesla has released one of its strongest arguments yet for bringing Full Self-Driving across the European Union: more than 100 million kilometres of real-world driving and a claimed collision rate dramatically below that of manually driven Teslas. But with a potentially decisive EU vote approaching, the biggest question is no longer whether Tesla has numbers. It is whether European regulators trust what those numbers actually prove. Tesla said on September 1 that its Full Self-Driving (Supervi

September 2, 2026