TAIPEI -- Google is developing its own central processors for its notebook and tablet computers, the latest sign that major tech players see in-house chip development as key to their competitiveness.

The U.S. internet giant plans to roll out the CPUs for laptops and tablets, which run on the company's Chrome operating system, in around 2023, three sources with knowledge of the matter told Nikkei Asia.

Google is also ramping up its efforts to build mobile processors for its Pixel smartphones and other

HONG KONG -- A film censorship amendment due for debate in Hong Kong's legislature on Wednesday is poised to further squeeze local artists already feeling the pressure from the Beijing-imposed national security law.

The bill, submitted by the government, would alter the existing film censorship law to establish a new mechanism to prohibit films "that would be contrary to the interests of national security," according to the legislation's preamble. Its passage would continue rolling back freedoms that once helped the city earn the nickname "Hollywood

TOKYO -- The U.S. and Japan elevated climate response as a "pillar" of their bilateral relationship on Wednesday, as John Kerry wrapped his first meetings in Tokyo as U.S. climate envoy.

Kerry met with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who set Japan on a course toward net zero carbon emissions by 2050 when he took office last year.

"Japan and the United States, alarmed by the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report and other indicators of the growing need for accelerating

TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will announce a new leadership team for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party as early as next week, taking a risky bet in the run-up to the party's leadership election in a bid to shore up flagging public support.

Speculation is also rising that Suga will dissolve the lower house in September for a snap election, a move that would push back the LDP race, currently scheduled for Sept. 29, until after the general election.

However, Suga told reporters Wednesday

The following is the full text of U.S. President Joe Biden's remarks on Afghanistan.

Last night in Kabul, the United States ended 20 years of war in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history. We completed one of the biggest airlifts in history with more than 120,000 people evacuated to safety. That number is more than double what most experts thought are possible. No nation, no nation has ever done anything like it in all of history, the --

NEW YORK -- The last day of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan served up harsh reminders about the complexity of the conflict, exposed the partisan divisions it has created, and confronted the region with a new reality: The Taliban are once again in control of Afghanistan, with more international leverage and support than they had two decades ago.

From Florida, Gen. Frank McKenzie, the 10th American four-star general to oversee the Afghanistan conflict from Central Command -- the U.S.

ULAANBAATAR -- Mongolian officials said on Tuesday that they will "carefully review" a new plan from Rio Tinto for financing the costly expansion of the vast Oyu Tolgoi copper mine -- intimating that it could take years to reach agreement.

The rising cost of the new underground phase of the mine, now pegged at $6.8 billion, played a part in bringing down both Mongolia's previous prime minister and Rio's last chief executive.

While the government has not paid up front for any of the construction

MUMBAI -- Dutch technology company Prosus has struck a deal to buy leading Indian payment gateway BillDesk for $4.7 billion, expanding the presence of its payments business PayU in the thriving local fintech space.

In the deal announced on Tuesday, Prosus will buy all of BillDesk which had been backed by marquee investors including Temasek Holdings, Visa, General Atlantic, Clearstone Venture, and TA Associates. Prosus will combine BillDesk with PayU.

The new entity would have a total payment value of $147 billion, the

NEW DELHI -- India's economy grew 20.1% in the April-June quarter despite the country's deadly second coronavirus wave, mainly owing to a low base last year, official data released on Tuesday showed.

Ahead of the data's release, a Reuters poll of economists had estimated 20% growth for the three months through June, the first quarter of the country's financial year -- lower than the 21.4% predicted by the Reserve Bank of India,