SEOUL -- Hyundai Motor said the global chip shortage was gradually easing as the South Korean automaker reported operating profit tripled in the second quarter from a year ago thanks to strong worldwide sales.

Hyundai said Thursday that its operating profit reached 1.9 trillion won ($1.7 billion) in the April to June period, up 219.5% from the same period last year, despite production stoppages at some factories due to chip shortages.

Revenue soared 38.7% to 30.3

HONG KONG -- It will "not be too long" before Ant Group is able to resume its suspended initial public offering, according a member of the Chinese financial technology group's board of directors.

The operator of the Alipay mobile payment service and Alibaba Group Holding sister company was poised to raise $35 billion in the world's largest-ever IPO last November before Chinese regulators intervened shortly before share trading was set to start in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Fred Hu, who served as greater China chairman

BANGKOK -- Two years after a landslide victory in the general elections, the governing Maldivian Democratic Party has been rattled by sharp divisions within its ranks as lawmakers split into factions in an emerging battle for the soul of Islam in the South Asian archipelago.

In one faction is Hisaan Hussein, a female MDP lawmaker who submitted a bill in May to criminalize a wave of hate speech in the largely moderate Muslim country. In the bill's sights are ultraconservative Islamists who publicly berate their adversaries as la dheenee , which means "

TOKYO -- This month's decision to hold the Tokyo Olympics without fans at venues around the capital has dashed the hospitality industry's hopes of a boost to business, but sales of pricey watches and TVs are on the rise instead as consumers put freed-up money elsewhere.

The cost of hotel rooms has plunged since the July 8 announcement as businesses try to woo back travelers. The median price for a room for two adults on Thursday -- the day before the opening ceremony -- at hotels on booking

SEOUL -- Steel giant POSCO's operating profit reached an all-time high in the second quarter thanks to strong demand from global shipbuilders and home appliance makers.

South Korea's largest steelmaker said Thursday that its operating profit soared more than 1,100% to 2.2 trillion won ($1.9 billion) in the three months through June, rebounding sharply from 170 billion won in the same period in 2020, when it was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic

BLAGOVESHCHENSK, Russia -- As the sun dips below the horizon, Russians out for an evening stroll in the city of Blagoveshchensk often stop to gaze at the tall red-lit buildings with enormous Chinese characters on the other side of the Amur River.

The Chinese city of Heihe lies just 750 meters across the water. Citizens of the two countries frequently gather on opposite riverbanks to watch motorboats race by, some flying Russian flags and others Chinese.

So when Russia and China marked the 20th anniversary of their

Boonsithi Chokwatana is the Chairman of Saha Group, Thailand's leading consumer products conglomerate. This is part 4 of a 30-part series.

The war ended for Thailand in August 1945, when its ally, Japan, accepted the Potsdam Declaration. My family returned to our home in Bangkok after almost three years of living as evacuees.

After some time, I began attending a Chinese elementary school, Peiing Public School, located on Songwat Road and near our home. I was a lanky kid,

TOKYO -- Renewable energy will account for 36% to 38% of all electricity generated in Japan by fiscal 2030, the industry ministry said in a draft of its new energy plan released Wednesday, as the country struggles to catch other advanced economies in curbing emissions.

The target, presented by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to an energy advisory committee, represents a major upgrade from the goal of 22% to 24% by fiscal 2030, which was set

TOKYO -- Japanese motor maker Nidec, in a new midterm business plan unveiled Wednesday, predicted a 150% sales surge through fiscal 2025, as the world's largest motor maker vows to have as a customer the fastest-growing manufacturer of electric cars in China, SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile, which makes $4,400 mini EVs in China.

"Wuling is the world's most demanding automaker in terms of purchase price," said Jun Seki, Nidec'