Thanks to Trump, the gloves are off. There may be no new global order
Friday, May 8,2026,21:30
The old order is dead. We just don’t know what will replace it. As Henry Kissinger reminded us in his 2014 book World Order, “no truly global order has ever existed”. After US President Donald Trump’s erratic actions, the gloves are off. American comedians and Iranian Lego cartoons tell us all we need to know about the demise of the old order. If the unipolar order is not viable, and America is abandoning the multilateral order and the rules of the game it created after World War II, what are... .. read more..
Oil prices edge higher after U.S. fires on Iranian tankers, UAE attacked by m...
Friday, May 8,2026,19:31
The U.S. and Iran exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz, raising fresh fears that the fragile ceasefire between the two countries was unraveling. .. read more..
Pay Up, Gamers: Nintendo Slaps Price Hikes On Switch 2 Globally
Friday, May 8,2026,17:37
Nintendo Co (OTC: NTDOY ) posted strong fiscal 2026 results, but the gaming giant warned of weaker sales and profits ahead as rising component costs, tariffs, and pricing pressures weigh on its Switch 2 business. Posts Strong Fiscal 2026 Results Nintendo reported fiscal 2026 revenue of 2.31 trillion yen, nearly doubling from 1.16 trillion yen a year earlier, while net profit climbed 52.1% to 424.0 billion yen . The company sold 19.86 million Nintendo Switch 2 consoles during the fiscal year. Nintendo Switch sales fell to 3.80 million units from 10.80 million units a year earlier. Nintendo also continued to benefit from strong demand for its core entertainment franchises. “The Super ... .. read more..
Taipei coffee shop owner indicted over hidden camera recordings of women
Friday, May 8,2026,15:07
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) A Taipei coffee shop owner was indicted Friday for allegedly using hidden cameras to secretly film women at his café, his apartment and accommodations he stayed at in Taiwan and overseas. .. read more..
Asean to step up push for South China Sea code, energy security
Friday, May 8,2026,14:22
Deeper economic cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will hinge on whether a code can be laid down to govern maritime territory and activity in the South China Sea, Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has said. “We cannot institutionalise any of those things until the code of conduct is finalised,” he told a press conference on Friday at the close of the 48th Asean summit in Cebu, when asked about aspects that held the most potential in relations between... .. read more..
Asia-Pacific markets mostly fall as renewed U.S.-Iran clashes keep investors ...
Friday, May 8,2026,14:19
Asia stocks broadly traded lower Friday, as concerns grew over renewed hostilities between Iran and the U.S. amid a fragile ceasefire. .. read more..
DPP regrets defense budget cuts, warns of gap in Taiwan's defensive capabilities
Friday, May 8,2026,13:46
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Friday expressed regret over a lower-than-it-had-hoped-for NT$780 billion (US$24.8 billion) budget passed earlier in the day by the opposition-controlled Legislature, warning that it could create a gap in Taiwan's defense capabilities. .. read more..
SoftBank Scales Back Planned $10 Billion OpenAI Margin Loan After Lender Push...
Friday, May 8,2026,12:42
SoftBank Group Corp . (OTC: SFTBY ) is reportedly scaling back plans for a margin loan backed by its stake in OpenAI after some lenders raised concerns over the valuation of the privately held artificial intelligence startup. According to a Bloomberg report on Friday, the Japanese investment giant and its bankers have discussed reducing the target size of the loan to as low as $6 billion, down from an initial goal of $10 billion. Discussions with potential creditors are ongoing, and the final amount could still change, the report said. SoftBank and OpenAI did not immediately respond to Benzinga ‘s requests for comment. SoftBank’s AI Bet Grows The proposed financing would use S... .. read more..
Baidu AI Chip Arm Eyes $14.6 Billion Hong Kong IPO
Friday, May 8,2026,12:40
Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU ) shares climbed during Friday's premarket session after fresh developments involving its AI chip subsidiary surfaced . Investors reacted after reports suggested Kunlunxin could target a valuation exceeding 100 billion yuan during a Hong Kong listing process, according to people familiar with the matter, as the South China Morning Post reports . Targets Massive $14.7 Billion Valuation Kunlunxin reportedly continues preparations for a Hong Kong initial public offering amid rising investor appetite for Chinese semiconductor assets. Sources familiar with the discussions said ... Full story available on Benzinga.com .. read more..
Philippines shifts defence strategy with Japan, eyes wider security focus
Friday, May 8,2026,12:25
The recently concluded Balikatan joint drills have marked a shift in the Philippines’ defence strategy alongside Japan, with Tokyo offering the transfer of warships to its Southeast Asian ally, while a top Filipino official for the first time voiced “serious concern” over islands claimed by Beijing and Tokyo. Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr on Wednesday said Manila now considered the uninhabited Diaoyu Islands, which Japan calls the Senkaku Islands, a security flashpoint in the... .. read more..
It’s not just Big Oil. Wind giants welcome profit beats as Iran war spurs ene...
Friday, May 8,2026,11:47
Norway's Equinor told CNBC that the company expects the Iran war to deliver a boost to its transition industries. .. read more..
Taiwan's April exports soar almost 40% on AI boom
Friday, May 8,2026,11:25
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) A boom in global AI development boosted Taiwan's exports in April by almost 40 percent from a year earlier, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said Friday. .. read more..
Can India’s rice farmers reap from US$30 million Amazon carbon credit deal?
Friday, May 8,2026,11:16
A US$30 million carbon credit deal by tech giant Amazon with India’s Good Rice Alliance will boost carbon markets globally, according to experts, potentially showing agriculture – as well as industry – can be at the heart of emission reductions. The organisation, primarily backed by Bayer and in collaboration with GenZero and Shell, is designed to transform emissions-heavy rice cultivation in India through scientific advances. It helps thousands of smallholder farmers adopt climate-smart growing... .. read more..
Taiwan passes U.S. arms bill with spending ceiling of US$24.8 billion (update)
Friday, May 8,2026,10:43
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) Taiwan's Legislative Yuan has passed a supplementary budget bill to fund the purchase of separate packages of United States military equipment, with the combined amount of spending capped at NT$780 billion (US$24.8 billion). .. read more..
Legislature writes nurse-to-patient ratios into law, adds penalty clause
Friday, May 8,2026,10:35
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) The Legislature on Friday mandated nurse-to-patient ratios in law, responding to long-standing calls to ease nurses' workloads, and stipulated that hospitals violating the regulation could be made to suspend operations for up to one year. .. read more..
How China’s sharper tech edge forces South Korea to rethink decades of indust...
Friday, May 8,2026,10:30
China’s rapid technological gains and aggressive pricing are making it increasingly difficult for South Korean firms to find profitable areas of industrial synergy with their Chinese counterparts, according to experts. Speakers at a recent forum in Beijing urged firms from both countries to pivot towards building more interdependent ecosystems in high-growth sectors such as batteries and artificial intelligence, while also calling for the advancement of negotiations towards an upgraded... .. read more..
Indian Shares Retreat On Renewed US-Iran Tensions
Friday, May 8,2026,10:23
Indian shares fell notably on Friday after Iran created a new agency to formalize its control over the Strait of Hormuz and activated its air defense systems, intensifying fears of a broader military crisis in the region. .. read more..
Super Micro, NVIDIA Chips And Alibaba: Inside The Explosive AI Smuggling Alle...
Friday, May 8,2026,10:08
U.S. authorities intensified scrutiny of AI chip supply chains after prosecutors alleged that a Thailand-linked network diverted Super Micro Computer, Inc . (NASDAQ: SMCI ) servers containing advanced NVIDIA Corp . (NASDAQ: NVDA ) chips to China, with Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA ) identified as one of several alleged end customers. U.S. Probe Targets Alleged AI Chip Diversion Network U.S. prosecutors alleged that Super Micro co-founder Yih-Shyan "Wally" Liaw worked with a Southeast Asian company and multiple third-party brokers to divert NVIDIA-powered AI servers to China in violation of U.S. export restrictions, Bloomberg reported on Friday. People familiar with the matter ... .. read more..
NVIDIA Supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Posts Strong April Sales
Friday, May 8,2026,09:39
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd . (NYSE: TSM ) continued to ride the AI semiconductor boom in 2026. However, its latest monthly results signaled moderating growth momentum even as the company expanded partnerships and raised spending plans. Taiwan Semiconductor AI Demand Continues To Power TSMC Growth On Friday, Taiwan Semiconductor reported April 2026 revenue of 410.73 billion New Taiwan dollars ($13.1 billion), down 1.1% sequentially from March but up 17.5% from a year earlier. Revenue for the first four months of 2026 climbed 29.9% year over year to 1.54 trillion New Taiwan dollars. The company remains a critical supplier to the global AI ecosystem, manufacturing advanced ch... .. read more..
Former Penghu councilor, husband found guilty in subsidy case
Friday, May 8,2026,09:27
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) Former Penghu County Councilor Chen Hui-ling (陳慧玲) and her husband were found guilty Friday of fraudulently claiming government-funded subsidies for their aides, but all four defendants in the case received only suspended sentences. .. read more..
Sony targets double-digit profit growth despite slowdown in PlayStation 5 sal...
Friday, May 8,2026,09:20
While hardware sales took a hit in Sony's fourth-quarter, strong revenue from its image sensing and music businesses offset the dip. .. read more..
Malaysia’s EV import curbs to protect local car sector criticised for inconsi...
Friday, May 8,2026,09:15
Malaysia’s nascent electric vehicle market may be decimated before it gets up to speed, as business experts warn of a sharp drop in demand and delay in the renewable energy transition if the government imposes strict price curbs on imported units from July, in a move to protect the country’s vehicle makers. The ministry of investment, trade and industry (Miti) on Wednesday announced that from July 1, it will only allow the sale of imported EVs that have a cost, insurance and freight (CIF) value... .. read more..
Taiwan shares end down amid renewed Middle East concerns
Friday, May 8,2026,09:06
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) Shares in Taiwan closed lower Friday amid re-emerging concerns over tensions in the Middle East after the United States and Iran exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz, dealers said. .. read more..
Boeing's China Order Hopes Revive As Trump Invites CEO To Beijing Visit: Report
Friday, May 8,2026,09:00
The Donald Trump administration is reportedly inviting several tech and business leaders to accompany the President on his trip to Beijing next week. Trump Invites CEOs To Beijing The planned invitees include Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA ) CEO Kelly Ortberg , Nvidia Corp. ‘s (NASDAQ: NVDA ) Jensen Huang , as well as CEOs of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL ) , Exxon Mobil Corp (NYSE: XOM ) , according to a report by Semafor on Thursday. data-variant="card" data-news-mode="manual" > Read Also: ASML CEO Says Jensen Huang 'Totally Right' On Exporting Products With An Eight-Generation Gap— Denies Top Chip Access To China U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent , as well as U.S. Trade Representa... .. read more..
Inadequate, seniority-based paid annual leave hurts women: Activists
Friday, May 8,2026,08:57
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) Civil group representatives on Friday called for an increase in paid annual leave days and for it to be decoupled from seniority, saying the change would help ease the family care burden that often falls disproportionately on women. .. read more..
Taiwan passes U.S. arms bill with spending ceiling of US$24.8 billion
Friday, May 8,2026,08:56
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) Taiwan's Legislative Yuan has passed a supplementary budget bill to fund the purchase of separate packages of United States military equipment, with the combined amount of spending capped at NT$780 billion (US$24.8 billion). .. read more..
New database tracks shifting outcomes of Malaysia’s political corruption cases
Friday, May 8,2026,08:47
An AI-powered database tracking corruption cases against Malaysia’s politicians was independently launched on Friday, putting fresh scrutiny on the status and outcomes of the country’s biggest graft prosecutions across administrations. The Prosecutorial Accountability Watch (PAW), built by civil society group Projek SAMA and hosted with news outlet Malaysiakini, tracks 33 high-profile cases involving current and former elected representatives – from ex-prime minister Najib Razak’s 1MDB-linked... .. read more..
Asian Shares Retreat On Renewed US-Iran Tensions
Friday, May 8,2026,08:40
Asian stocks declined on Friday as renewed hostilities between the U.S. and Iran lifted crude oil prices and revived inflation worries. .. read more..
Taiwan, Paraguay sign MOU on sovereign AI computing center investment
Friday, May 8,2026,08:33
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) Taiwan and Paraguay signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) Friday on joint investment in a sovereign AI computing center in Paraguay, part of an effort to deepen cooperation on technology and digital infrastructure. .. read more..
U.S. dollar closes higher on Taipei forex market
Friday, May 8,2026,08:12
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) The U.S. dollar rose against the Taiwan dollar Friday, gaining NT$0.020 to close at NT$31.429. .. read more..
TSMC reports highest-ever April sales
Friday, May 8,2026,08:08
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) on Friday reported its highest-ever sales for April, up more than 17 percent from a year earlier, with analysts attributing the growth to strong global demand for artificial intelligence. .. read more..
No Taiwanese people aboard hantavirus-hit cruise ship: CDC
Friday, May 8,2026,08:03
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) No Taiwanese citizens were on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Friday, dismissing rumors that Taiwanese travelers had returned home from the vessel following a hantavirus outbreak. .. read more..
Asia faces low hantavirus risk as Singapore isolates 2 from cruise over cases
Friday, May 8,2026,07:49
The risk of a hantavirus outbreak in Asia remains minimal, according to health experts, despite the return of two Singapore residents who were on board a cruise ship where three people died from the disease that triggered a regional panic. Hantaviruses are a family of rat-carried viruses that can infect humans through direct exposure, even though transmission between people is extremely rare. The disease takes its name from South Korea’s Hantan River, where an early strain was identified after... .. read more..
Core Pacific chair indicted over irregular land transaction
Friday, May 8,2026,07:40
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) Former Core Pacific Group Chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) has been indicted for allegedly arranging for a listed affiliate company to purchase the heavily indebted Core Pacific City shopping mall site in Taipei at an inflated price in 2019. .. read more..
Billion-dollar bets: Global investors chase Indian Premier League to ride boo...
Friday, May 8,2026,07:39
India is the world’s fastest-growing consumer market, and with cricket commanding near-religious devotion, investors are rushing to own IPL franchises. .. read more..
Former SriLankan Airlines chief in US$16 million Airbus corruption case found...
Friday, May 8,2026,07:11
The former chief of Sri Lanka’s state-owned airline, who was charged with corruption over the purchase of 10 Airbus aircraft, was found dead on Friday, police said. Kapila Chandrasena, the former chief executive of SriLankan Airlines, was found at the Colombo home of a relative, said police. “We are investigating the cause of death and circumstances,” a police officer said. Chandrasena was remanded in March on charges of conspiring to accept a US$16 million bribe from Airbus in connection with a... .. read more..
Miaoli man arrested after stray dog killed in crossbow attack
Friday, May 8,2026,06:28
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) A Taiwanese man in Miaoli County was arrested after allegedly shooting two stray dogs with a crossbow, leaving one dead and the other injured, local police said Friday. .. read more..
Japanese bus driver admits he ‘misjudged speed’ before crash that killed teen...
Friday, May 8,2026,06:25
Japanese police have arrested a bus driver on suspicion of negligent driving after a crash on a Fukushima expressway killed a high school student on Wednesday, as investigators look into whether he was speeding and driving without the proper license required to carry passengers for hire. On Friday morning, Fukushima prefectural police searched bus operator Kanbara Tetsudo in Gosen, Niigata prefecture. The arrested driver, Tetsuo Wakayama, 68, told investigators after his arrest on Thursday that... .. read more..
Taiwan shares close down 0.79%
Friday, May 8,2026,06:03
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) Taiwan shares ended down 329.84 points, or 0.79 percent, at 41,603.94 Friday on turnover of NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.32 billion). .. read more..
9 Singaporeans among hikers trapped by Indonesia’s Mount Dukono volcanic erup...
Friday, May 8,2026,05:32
Indonesian authorities were rushing to rescue 20 hikers after the eruption of Mount Dukono on Halmahera Island on Friday, a local rescue agency official said. Mount Dukono, located in North Maluku province, erupted on Friday at 7.41am, spewing volcanic ash as high as 10km (six miles) into the sky, the country’s volcanology agency said. The agency maintained the alert status at the mountain at its third highest level, agency head Lana Saria said in a statement. Iwan Ramdani, the head of... .. read more..
Taiwan into World Team Table Tennis semifinals after upsetting Sweden
Friday, May 8,2026,05:30
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) Taiwan's men's table tennis team received two key singles victories from Lin Yun-ju (林昀儒) to edge Sweden 3-2 and advance to the semifinals of the 2026 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London on Thursday. .. read more..
Energy crisis dominates Asean summit, forcing long-standing issues to back bu...
Friday, May 8,2026,05:17
The spectre of the global energy crisis loomed over the three-day Asean summit in the Philippines as regional leaders converge for a final day of talks in Cebu on Friday. Analysts say that while some major flashpoints were addressed – with Thailand and Cambodia’s joint statement of solidarity being a bright spot – surging fuel costs as a result of the Iran war weighed heaviest on the minds of Southeast Asian leaders. The fuel crisis was the “defining issue”, said Vu Lam, an Asean observer and... .. read more..
Taiwan, Okinawa join hands in tourism promotion in New York
Friday, May 8,2026,05:04
New York, May 7 (CNA) Taiwan and Japan's Okinawa Prefecture, located just a 90-minute flight apart, held a tourism promotion event in New York on Thursday to encourage North American travelers to visit both destinations as part of a multi-stop Asia itinerary. .. read more..
3 formally detained for alleged cosmetic surgery privacy violations
Friday, May 8,2026,04:55
New Taipei, May 8 (CNA) The New Taipei District Court agreed late Thursday to a motion by prosecutors to detain three people involved with cosmetic chain Airlee Group Co., Ltd. after a recording device was found inside a smoke detector at the company's Banqiao branch. .. read more..
Indian Shares Edge Lower On US-Iran Tensions
Friday, May 8,2026,04:27
Indian shares edged lower in cautious trade on Friday as fresh U.S.-Iran clashes in the Strait of Hormuz jolted hopes for a deal to end the 10-week conflict and reopen the crucial waterway. .. read more..
Japan may have fired its yen bazooka twice, but markets are testing Tokyo’s r...
Friday, May 8,2026,03:51
Japan's Ministry of Finance has intervened in the yen over the country's Golden Week holiday. .. read more..
Australian Market Extends Early Losses In Mid-market
Friday, May 8,2026,03:25
The Australian stock market is extending its early losses in mid-market moves on Friday, reversing some of the gains in the previous two sessions, following the broadly negative cues from Wall Street overnight. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is falling below the 8,750 level, with weakness in mining, financial and energy stocks partially offset by gains in technology stocks. .. read more..
North Korea to move artillery capable of striking Seoul to border with South
Friday, May 8,2026,03:19
North Korea said on Friday it would deploy new long-range artillery systems this year that were capable of striking South Korea’s capital region and would commission its first naval destroyer in coming weeks. The announcement comes days after South Korea said the North’s newly revised constitution drops all references to Korean unification, in line with leader Kim Jong-un’s vows to terminate ties with South Korea and establish a two-state system on the Korean peninsula. Kim visited a munitions... .. read more..
Asian Markets A Sea Of Red
Friday, May 8,2026,03:07
Asian stock markets are a sea of red on Friday, following the broadly negative cues from Wall Street overnight, amid renewed uncertainty and re-escalation of the Middle East conflict after Iran created a new agency to formalize its control over the Strait of Hormuz and reports of fresh clashes between the U.S. and Iran. This revived concerns of crude oil prices and global inflation. .. read more..
Chinese J-35 stealth jets set to give Pakistan edge over India in fifth-gener...
Friday, May 8,2026,03:00
A year after fending off a massive Indian air assault with the help of Chinese warplanes and missiles, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on Thursday unveiled plans to upgrade its fleet through further acquisitions of Chengdu J-10C fighters and substantial upgrades to the JF-17s co-produced by the two allies. The PAF further confirmed that it has signed an “initial collaborative agreement” for the acquisition of fifth-generation Sheyang J-35 stealth fighter, without disclosing any details about the... .. read more..