TOKYO/NARA — Japanese voters went to the polls on Sunday for a parliamentary election that may give the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) a surge of support after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a dominant politician and power broker. Read More
(Bloomberg) — Klarna Bank AB, which advertises itself as a way to spread the cost of the latest brands and smartphones, is shelling out loans for milk and gas with cash-strapped customers looking for ways to cover basic necessities. Read More
(Bloomberg) — Preparing English breakfasts is around 18% more expensive than a year ago, in yet another indicator of how the cost-of-living crisis is squeezing UK household budgets. Read More
SHANGHAI — China has imposed fines on technology giants Alibaba and Tencent as well as a range of other firms for failing to comply with anti-monopoly rules on the disclosure of transactions, the country’s market regulator said on Sunday. Read More
COLOMBO — Calm returned to the streets of Sri Lanka’s commercial capital Colombo on Sunday and protesters were jubilant as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa agreed to resign after his house was stormed amid outrage over the South Asia nation’s collapsing economy. Read More
Russia is moving reserve forces from across the country and assembling them near Ukraine for future offensive operations, British military intelligence said on Saturday. Read More
NARA — A steady stream of mourners on Saturday visited the scene of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s assassination in the western city of Nara, an unusual act of political violence that has shocked the nation. Read More
The Biden administration on Friday unveiled an environmental analysis for ConocoPhillips’ planned $6 billion Willow oil and gas project in Alaska and outlined several options for the development, including not building it at all. Read More
(Bloomberg) — The rand’s 9% plunge in the past month may be just the beginning for the South African currency, whose resilience is being tested by fears of a US recession even as local fundamentals remain supportive. Read More
Ratings agency Fitch downgraded Turkey’s debt rating to “B” from “B+” on Friday, citing increasing inflation and broad concerns about the economy, from a widening current account deficit to interventionist policies. Read More