Reuters Asia - Squid Business

Toyota to roll out solid-state battery EVs globally in a couple of years

By Aditi Shah GANDHINAGAR, India (Reuters) -Japan’s Toyota Motor will in a couple of years globally launch vehicles with solid-state batteries that charge faster and last longer, an executive said on Thursday at an investment summit in India. Solid-state batteries promise to dramatically improve the driving range of electric vehicles (EVs), a key element of …

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German foreign minister, in Philippines, raps China’s ‘risky manoeuvres’ in South China Sea

MANILA (Reuters) – Germany’s foreign minister criticised the Chinese coastguard’s activities in the South China Sea, including its use of lasers and water cannon, during a visit on Thursday to the Philippines, saying the actions were causing concern in Europe too. Tension has flared in recent months between China and the Philippines as they have …

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Asia demand for Saudi oil holds steady despite price cuts

By Muyu Xu and Nidhi Verma SINGAPORE/NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Chinese and other Asian refiners only asked for similar volumes of Saudi crude oil for February compared with January, people with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday, after the world’s top oil exporter cut its prices by the most in 13 months. Price cuts would …

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India cenbank chief bats for financial creditor-led resolution framework

MUMBAI (Reuters) – Amendments to India’s bankruptcy law should focus on a financial creditor-led framework for resolution of stressed assets, the governor of the country’s central bank said on Thursday. “It has to be recognised that the financial creditors take the maximum risk and hence their risk needs to be commensurately compensated and with priority,” …

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Taiwan spotlights China crackdown on Hong Kong ahead of key poll

By James Pomfret TAIPEI (Reuters) – As Taiwan prepares to hold a closely watched election on Saturday, the main political parties have highlighted China’s crackdown in Hong Kong and rejected Beijing’s model of governance there being applied to the self-ruled island. The former British colony of Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 and …

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China coastguard vessels enter disputed waters in East China Sea

BEIJING/TOKYO (Reuters) -The Chinese coastguard said it patrolled the territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands on Thursday to conduct “right protection”. The East China Sea islets are claimed by both China and Japan, which calls them the Senkaku Islands, and have long been a sticking point in bilateral ties. Japan’s Coast Guard separately said in …

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Ex-South Korea PM to launch new party ahead of April election

By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) – A former South Korean prime minister announced on Thursday his plan to launch a new political party in a move that aims to challenge the domination of the two leading parties in parliament in the run-up to an election on April 10. Lee Nak-yon, a five-term lawmaker who was …

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Jailed former Thai PM Thaksin gets extension to hospital stint

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s jailed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been allowed to remain in hospital for medical treatment, the corrections department said on Thursday, citing the need to continue to closely monitor his health. The billionaire figurehead of the ruling Pheu Thai Party has been in hospital since his return in August from …

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Magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes Hindu Kush region, Afghanistan – EMSC

(Reuters) – An earthquake measuring 6.2 magnitude struck the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan on Thursday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centresaid. The quake was at a depth of 201 km (124.9 miles), EMSC said. (Reporting by Urvi Dugar in Bengaluru)

Orienspace launches most powerful rocket by private Chinese firm

BEIJING (Reuters) -Beijing startup Orienspace on Thursday successfully launched the most powerful rocket developed by the Chinese private sector, paving the way for more commercial launches – a realm traditionally dominated by the country’s state agencies. The Gravity-1 rocket blasted off from a ship off the coast of eastern Shandong province and delivered three remote-sensing …

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