Business

ASEP announced the tender for Panama’s third mobile operator is underway with a prequalification phase and projected the selection could be defined in December.

Japan will begin releasing 30 days’ worth of state oil from Thursday, selling about 8.5 million kilolitres from 11 storage bases to ease supply pressures as oil prices surge amid conflict tied to the US-Israeli war on Iran.

DHL says it expects revenue growth fueled by resilient Chinese exports, even as the US-Israel war on Iran and shifting tariff policies disrupt global trade flows.

Attacks on energy infrastructure in the Middle East, including sites tied to Qatar’s LNG exports, have pushed energy prices up and raised supply concerns for Asian importers.

Australia and the EU signed a trade deal creating a critical minerals partnership to reduce reliance on China’s dominant rare earths supply chains, a move EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called “crucial.”

A University of Panama chemistry professor argues ethanol (E10) delivered limited fossil-fuel savings and urges Panama to expand biodiesel production—especially from used cooking oil—to boost energy independence.

Marie Pérez, an artisan from Veraguas, says the Cobre Emprende program has helped Entre Colores strengthen its social media presence, access new markets and grow sales. The initiative has reached two phases and benefited 600 people across Panama.

Zhou Liang, vice-chairman of China’s National Financial Regulatory Administration and a former anti-graft official, has been placed under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law,” in a high-profile probe announced Tuesday.

Rising fuel and shipping surcharges tied to the US-Israeli war on Iran are prompting some galleries at Art Central in Hong Kong to consider leaving artworks in the city for months to avoid inflated freight bills.

Amazon said drone activity disrupted its AWS Bahrain cloud region, the second AWS outage this month tied to the Iran war, highlighting risks to regional cloud reliability.

Xiaomi reported a 27% drop in fourth-quarter net profit to 6.5 billion yuan as weaker smartphone sales cut into margins and EV growth slowed, marking the first sequential profit decline since Q2 2024.

The EU-Mercosur trade agreement will be provisionally applied from May 1 for Mercosur members that completed ratification and notified the EU by end-March. Panama, while not a member, could see indirect effects on trade and logistics as a regional hub.

Cathay Pacific extended suspensions of flights between Hong Kong and Middle East cities, including Dubai and Riyadh, through the end of May and will add more services to Europe next month.

Hong Kong welcomed more than 270,000 skilled professionals between late 2022 and the end of last month, a trend highlighted at Global Talent Summit Week as part of the city’s push to reshape its economy.

Gilead Sciences will acquire US-based Ouro Medicines for up to US$2.18 billion, gaining rights to an antibody-based autoimmune therapy licensed from China’s Keymed Biosciences; Gilead will pay US$1.675 billion to Ouro shareholders.

HKIC, Gobi Partners and the University of Hong Kong launched Gobi-HKU Fund I to back university research spin-outs, immediately investing in robotics firm Manifold Tech and AI-focused AilsynBio.

A Japanese food company rebranded tofu with a deliberately ‘manly’ image to attract younger consumers, driving more than ¥6 billion (US$38 million) in annual sales. The move highlights how targeted branding can revive traditional foods.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. warned that grounding long-haul flights is a “distinct possibility” as jet fuel shortages tied to the war in Iran force airlines to carry extra fuel or face refuelling refusals abroad.

Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz are disrupting shipments of oil, fertilisers and perishables, prompting warnings that the Global South may face worsening food scarcity, industry leaders say.

The English Schools Foundation in Hong Kong has proposed tuition increases averaging 4.1% for primary and secondary students and 5.8% for kindergartens for the next academic year, pending approval.