PRICE INCREASE People walk down the street in Hiroshima, Japan on Thursday, May 18, 2023. The Japanese government reported an increase in consumer prices by 3.4 percent in April but still meeting market expectations. AFP PHOTO TOKYO: Japan’s consumer prices rose 3.4 percent on-year in April, in line with market …
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US, Taiwan ink modest trade deal
DONE DEAL US Trade Representative Katherine Tai listens to a reporter’s question at a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan on April 20, 2023 in Tokyo. The United States has reached a modest trade agreement with Taiwan, signaling Washington’s support for the island democracy as it comes …
Read More »G7 leaders to put up a united front
COME TOGETHER Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during an interview with foreign media members on April 20, 2023 in Tokyo. Leaders of seven of the world’s most powerful democracies will gather this weekend for the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima to strongly condemn Russia’s war on Ukraine while …
Read More »Visa and MasterCard agree to lower average credit card interchange fee below 1%
The federal government has announced new details of an agreement with Visa and MasterCard that will see them lower the amount that they charge retailers when a customer pays for a purchase with a credit card. Interchange fees are paid by the merchant, but many have started to pass them …
Read More »Nintendo sells 10M copies of ‘Zelda’ in three days
A man inspects a display of Nintendo’s latest offering ‘Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’ outside a popular electronics chain store in Japan’s capital Tokyo on May 12, 2023. AFP PHOTO PARIS: Japanese video game company Nintendo said on Wednesday it had sold more than 10 million copies of …
Read More »Japan’s economy rebounds in Q1
BOUNCING BACK People walk at a pedestrian crossing in Ginza shopping district on March 31, 2023 in Tokyo. Japan’s economy grew at an annual pace of 1.6 percent in the quarter through March as private demand rebounded after Covid-19-related restrictions were eased, according to data released on Wednesday, May 17, …
Read More »‘Post-pandemic hangover’ forces many restaurants to file for bankruptcy: Restaurant Canada
Nationally, the restaurant sector is pleading with the federal government to extend the CEBA repayment deadlines. In B.C., the province is poised to help the industry, revealing additional supports are ‘coming soon.’ Restaurants facing ‘triple whammy’ of soaring inflation, labour shortages, COVID-related debt. Restaurants across Canada are “in crisis” and …
Read More »No accounting for the cost of climate disasters like forest fires
Even as Canadians choke on orange smoke, the parliamentary budget officer says there is no way to add the benefits of fighting climate change to the national books. The World Meteorological Association says we are heading for the dreaded 1.5 degrees of warming in five years but the value of …
Read More »Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes loses appeal to remain free, is hit with huge restitution bill
Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes appears to be soon bound for prison after an appeals court Tuesday rejected her bid to remain free while she tries to overturn her conviction in a blood-testing hoax that brought her fleeting fame and fortune. Holmes and former Theranos exec Ramesh Balwani ordered to …
Read More »‘No progress’ ahead of debt talks – McCarthy
IMPASSE President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden walk across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Monday, May 15, 2023. Biden is set to meet with Congressional leaders on May 16 to come to an agreement on how to address the US debt crisis. AP …
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