Square Inc on Monday said it has agreed to purchase buy now, pay later (BNPL) pioneer Afterpay Ltd to create a global online payments giant, offering a 30% premium in a share-swap deal that is set to be Australia's biggest-ever buyout.

Created in 2014, Afterpay has been the bellwether of the niche no-credit-checks online payments sector that burst into the mainstream last year as more people, especially youngsters, chose to pay in instalments for everyday items during

SINGAPORE -- SoftBank Group is stepping up investment in startups in Southeast Asia again. Many of these startups are unicorns -- a company valued at over $1 billion -- or soon-to-be unicorns. SBG aims to repeat the success it made with Grab, a Singapore-based ride-hailer, whose corporate value shot up after it invested in the company at an early stage. Given that the risk of investing in Chinese internet companies is increasing with Beijing's tightening of restrictions, the ratio of

SYDNEY -- Australia's Crown Resorts is preparing to make a final attempt to defend its flagship Melbourne casino as an inquiry into whether the scandal-hit company should retain its operating license draws to a close.

Crown will have an opportunity on Tuesday to make its case to the independent investigation in the state of Victoria on why it should be allowed to hold on to its license despite allegations of money laundering and repeated breaches of gambling laws.

Lawyers assisting the probe have recommended that the company be stripped of its permit due

TOKYO -- The Tokyo Olympics are well underway after a long journey filled with controversy, and an unprecedented one-year postponement because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The proceedings officially began with the opening ceremony at the National Stadium , a mostly subdued affair mixed with joyous moments like a high-tech drone show, and capped by tennis star Naomi Osaka lighting the Olympic cauldron.

We're tracking the latest medal count .

Read our breakdown of the events to watch .

Here are the latest developments:

Monday,

TOKYO -- The Tokyo Olympics are well underway after a long journey filled with controversy, and an unprecedented one-year postponement because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The proceedings officially began with the opening ceremony at the National Stadium , a mostly subdued affair mixed with joyous moments like a high-tech drone show, and capped by tennis star Naomi Osaka lighting the Olympic cauldron.

We're tracking the latest medal count .

Read our breakdown of the events to watch .

Here are the latest developments:

Sunday,

TOKYO -- The Tokyo Olympics are well underway after a long journey filled with controversy, and an unprecedented one-year postponement because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The proceedings officially began with the opening ceremony at the National Stadium , a mostly subdued affair mixed with joyous moments like a high-tech drone show, and capped by tennis star Naomi Osaka lighting the Olympic cauldron.

We're tracking the latest medal count .

Read our breakdown of the events to watch .

Here are the latest developments:

Sunday,

BANGKOK/YANGON -- Sunday marks six months since the armed forces seized power in Myanmar, and the military has yet to quell public anger as the country backslides on democracy and struggles to cope with a coronavirus wave.

The military regime led by Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing has said it aims to hold a general election within two years. Though street protests against the Feb. 1 takeover have decreased since the regime employed a violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, there is little sign that opponents of military rule have

TOKYO -- The Tokyo Olympics are well underway after a long journey filled with controversy, and an unprecedented one-year postponement because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The proceedings officially began with the opening ceremony at the National Stadium , a mostly subdued affair mixed with joyous moments like a high-tech drone show, and capped by tennis star Naomi Osaka lighting the Olympic cauldron.

We're tracking the latest medal count .

Read our breakdown of the events to watch .

Here are the latest developments:

Sunday,

TOKYO -- The Tokyo Olympic Games are nearly halfway to the Aug. 8 closing ceremony, defying the unprecedented one-year postponement and a ban on virtually all spectators due to the pandemic as well as the scorching heat and rising coronavirus cases in the host city.

The Games seemed destined to be unpopular, with many Japanese opposing the event given deep concerns over the potential spread of COVID-19. But once the competitions began, the Tokyo Olympics drew substantial Asian audiences as the region's athletes achieved great performances