Business - Sunday, May 24, 2026

Galaxy Robot Park in South Korea hopes to attract tourists to concerts and fashion shows, but can robots ever replicate K-pop’s connection with fans? Four child-sized humanoid robots take the stage at an arena in eastern Seoul, and as the opening beats of a song by K-pop star G-Dragon begin, they start to dance. Arms swinging, legs stepping in sync, heads bobbing, wigs and baggy clothes swishing, until – mid-performance – one of them seemingly malfunctions and has to be removed from the stage. Continue reading...

Japan’s rising bond yields are likely to widen the stock performance gap between regional lenders with weaker investment portfolios and those with stronger holdings, according to analysts.

S&P 500 futures were up slightly in what may be a sign that investors and analysts are waiting to see if a deal is finalized.

Trump had said an agreement with Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, among other issues, was largely negotiated and would be announced soon.

Definition of green facilities made in 2022, before release of ChatGPT, says Action to Protect Rural Scotland A Scottish government policy designed to encourage datacentres to build in Scotland could lead to a massive volume of carbon emissions being ignored, according to an analysis by a Scottish charity. “Green datacentres” are at the heart of Scotland’s ambitions to develop economically. Enshrined in national policy , they are part of a larger, UK-wide effort to attract big AI investment to Scotland. Continue reading...

Indonesia’s Trade Vice Minister Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri says the government is finalizing a centralized export agency for palm oil, coal, and ferroalloys. Speaking to Bloomberg’s Stephen Engle at APEC in China, she stated the plan is moving to execution despite policy shifts that have unnerved investors. (Source: Bloomberg)

Without the details of a formal agreement, it is unclear how soon normal shipping will resume and when oil prices will start to come down.

Nearly a third of vice-chancellors would cut hardship support if necessary over next three years, according to poll Vice-chancellors have said they may need to cut hardship support for impoverished students and reduce outreach activities aimed at disadvantaged groups if the dire funding struggles at universities continue. The anonymous poll of leaders by Universities UK (UUK) revealed the extent of the budgetary quagmire facing higher education, with more than two-thirds prepared to cut staff jobs by compulsory redundancy if difficulties continue over the next three years, while nearly 90% said they were looking at hiring freezes or voluntary redundancies. Continue reading...

Global markets and major trading partners can expect updates on Indonesia’s new commodity export policy within weeks as the government works on the legal and structural rollout of its new centralized export agency, according to a trade ministry official.

Gold rose as signs that the US and Iran were closing in on a deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz tempered inflation concerns.