China boy, 4, survives 11-floor fall after climbing onto window to see if parents were coming home
Business

China boy, 4, survives 11-floor fall after climbing onto window to see if parents were coming home

Pining youngster manages to find key, opens window lock himself and plunges to the ground; suffers multiple injuries A four-year-old boy miraculously survived after falling from the window of his 11th-floor home. After the boy gained consciousness, he said in tears to his mother that he had climbed onto the window because he was missing her so much that he wanted to see if she was coming home. The boy’s experience went viral online after his experience was reported by the Haibao News in early May. The incident unfolded on April 11 when the boy, nicknamed Xiaoming, was left alone in his home in Dalian, Liaoning province, northeastern China, as his parents went out to deliver goods. Xiaoming’s mother said they planned to return after a short time and they felt assured of their son’s safety.

Mexico to end school year 40 days early for World Cup amid heat wave
Business

Mexico to end school year 40 days early for World Cup amid heat wave

Authorities may bring forward the next academic year to compensate for lost time, as stunned families scramble to arrange childcare Education Secretary Mario Delgado said the decision to end the school year 40 days early was made in part due to a heatwave affecting several states. “We’re going to end the school year on June 5 because many states are already experiencing high temperatures, and there’s also the issue of the World Cup,” he said at an event on Friday in the northern state of Sonora. He added that authorities were considering moving up the start of the next academic year, currently scheduled for August 31, to compensate. The tournament – hosted jointly by Mexico, the United States and Canada – kicks off on June 11 when Mexico takes on South Africa at home in Mexico City. When Delgado initially announced the move on Thursday, President Claudia Sheinbaum said it was merely a “proposal”.

Singapore shines as stable investment oasis amid global storms: ‘very appetising’
Business

Singapore shines as stable investment oasis amid global storms: ‘very appetising’

Wealthy families are trading global uncertainty for Singapore’s regulatory rigour, driving record inflows and a revitalised stock exchange She cited the recent case of a Northeast Asian tech founder with US$50 million in assets who decided to restructure his family holdings and consolidate cross-border investments by setting up a corporate structure in the city state. To him, Singapore was a natural choice as a financial safe haven – offering, in Tanaporn’s words, “long-term succession planning under a stable, English common law jurisdiction”, without requiring him to relocate. That combination of stability and accessibility was a common refrain among wealth managers who told This Week in Asia that inflows into Singapore had steadily picked up among high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals seeking to manage geopolitical risk. The island country’s stoic positioning amid a turbulent global environment has also contributed to the recent resurgence of its stock exchange, with the benchmark Straits Times Index crossing the 5,000-mark for the first time in February.

Croatia aims to be part of India-Europe corridor, prime minister says
Economy

Croatia aims to be part of India-Europe corridor, prime minister says

Plenkovic warns Europe can't go back to Russian fuel despite energy crisis Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said that "transatlantic ties are the backbone of the modern world." (Photo by Natsuki Kaneko) DUBROVNIK, Croatia -- Croatia "wants to be part" of the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor, with its ports serving as the European Union's entry points for goods coming from the Pacific, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told Nikkei Asia during a recent interview.

China solar panel maker Jinko to sell majority stake in US unit for $191m
Economy

China solar panel maker Jinko to sell majority stake in US unit for $191m

Private equity firm FH Capital to control 2GW of production capacity at Florida plant Chinese solar and battery companies poured huge sums into setting up American factories to claim Biden-era tax credits. © Reuters NEW YORK -- Major Chinese solar panel manufacturer JinkoSolar Holding has agreed to sell a 75.1% stake in subsidiary Jinko Solar (U.S.) Industries to American private equity firm FH Capital under plans announced Friday.

Oil crisis sparks Japanese dash for corporate credit lines
Economy

Oil crisis sparks Japanese dash for corporate credit lines

Bankruptcy risk rises for small businesses hit by supply shock Small and midsize Japanese manufacturers face a grim earnings outlook. (Photo by Kotaro Igarashi) TOKYO -- Japanese companies are securing credit lines at a record pace to avoid bankruptcy as the Iran war drives up prices and disrupts supply chains.

NTT punts profit target by 3 years as Japan mobile unit Docomo struggles
Economy

NTT punts profit target by 3 years as Japan mobile unit Docomo struggles

Poor earnings in cash cow business could slow group's growth investments NTT's mobile unit has faced customer attrition due to poor connectivity in urban areas. (Photo by Satoko Kawasaki) TOKYO -- Japanese telecommunications group NTT has pushed back a major profit target by three years, the company said Friday, as a slump at mobile unit and earnings driver NTT Docomo threatens to hold back its overall growth strategy.

Japan to let companies shield directors from big liability claims
Economy

Japan to let companies shield directors from big liability claims

Protection for top executives aims to encourage bold management decisions Japan hopes that limiting liability claims against executives will encourage them to make growth investments. (Photo by Nanami Sato) TOKYO -- Japan will as early as 2027 limit the compensation directors must pay when found liable for business-related damages, aiming to ease concerns about shareholder lawsuits that could discourage investments in growth.

US investors cite 3 ways Japanese equities can unlock more value
Economy

US investors cite 3 ways Japanese equities can unlock more value

Capital efficiency, stock incentives and English disclosures are key, experts say Pedestrians walk past a stock quotation board in Tokyo showing the Nikkei Stock Average's figure on May 7. © Reuters NEW YORK -- As the Nikkei Stock Average hits record territory, U.S. investors are urging Japanese companies to push their shares further by improving on capital efficiency, equity-based compensation and English-language disclosures.

Japan-made EVs at risk of losing EU subsidies under content proposal
Economy

Japan-made EVs at risk of losing EU subsidies under content proposal

Japanese officials, automakers like Toyota urge revisions to guard market access European Union legislation aims to promote decarbonization in the bloc's industry, partly by adding "Made in Europe" content requirements for subsidy eligibility. © Reuters BRUSSELS/LONDON -- The European Union is considering a policy that would require electric vehicles and hybrids to be assembled within the bloc for them to receive subsidies, drawing resistance from the Japanese government and automakers.

Anthropic courts competitors to ease data center crunch
Economy

Anthropic courts competitors to ease data center crunch

Fast-growing startup signs deal with Elon Musk's SpaceX to lease US facility Anthropic's Claude agents have soared in popularity, putting pressure on the company's compute capacity. (Nikkei Montage/Source photos by Reuters and AP) TOKYO -- Anthropic is struggling to find the computing infrastructure it needs to expand use of its high-performance AI models, resorting to signing deals with competitors to lease their data centers.

Thrifting catches on in Thailand, and Japanese chains are going up a size
Economy

Thrifting catches on in Thailand, and Japanese chains are going up a size

2nd Street aims to have 50 stores by 2035 in Southeast Asian nation 2nd Street's 10th Thailand shop opened in Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok, in April. (Photo by Keigo Iwamoto) BANGKOK/TOKYO -- As secondhand fashion grows popular in Thailand, the operator of a Japanese retailer aims to increase its presence there fivefold within a decade.