WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order Friday to promote competition and intensify scrutiny of corporate giants, aiming to protect consumers, workers and smaller businesses harmed by consolidation.

The order goes beyond Big Tech -- which has come under particular fire over antitrust concerns -- to a wide range of sectors including telecommunications, transportation and banking.

In a speech at the White House, Biden argued that control of markets by a few large players leads to higher prices, worse service and lower wages.

Michael W. Hodin is CEO of the Global Coalition on Aging.

New legislation in the United States Congress is usually a routine occurrence, not a seminal event. But the Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance, or PASTEUR, Act is different.

It addresses a growing health crisis of global significance that threatens to derail a century of progress against infectious diseases and puts at risk the miracle of longevity that sustains aging societies such as the U.S. and Japan.

The PASTEUR Act, introduced with bipartisan support, will

TOKYO -- Nearly a third of companies on Japan's most prestigious stock market now fall short of the requirements for staying in the top tier after a planned reorganization.

Aiming to attract more foreign investment by bringing Japanese companies closer in line to global governance and market standards, the Tokyo Stock Exchange will split into prime, standard and growth sections next April.

The results of the first screening echo some of the criticism that prompted the biggest overhaul in the TSE's history: that the current big board, the first

WASHINGTON/BEIJING -- In an event marking the 50th anniversary of his trip paving the way for the normalization of U.S.-China diplomatic relations, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger made a case for the engagement policy that Washington had championed for decades.

"Conflict between the United States and China will divide the whole world," he said in a virtual meeting with Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan on Thursday U.S. time. "And attempts to line up nations on

WASHINGTON -- The secret visit of U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to Beijing on July 9-11, 1971, kicked off an American policy of engagement with China. Fifty years later, with China on track to overtake the U.S. economy as early as 2028, bilateral relations are at a crossroad.

In an interview with Nikkei, Daniel Russel, former U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs during the Obama administration,

BANGKOK -- Shortly after Moe Hein and his wife, Su Su Hlaing, were gunned down in their home in a central Myanmar township last Friday night, word spread within some Facebook groups that the Pyu Saw Htee, a pro-military vigilante group, was linked to the killing.

The chilling details included the couple's name appearing on a Pyu Saw Htee list of 38 members of the National League for Democracy in the township where they lived, Myingyan. The list had been posted online in the local language

BANGKOK/YANGON -- Norwegian telecoms operator Telenor has announced on Thursday the sale of its mobile operations in Myanmar to M1 Group, a Lebanese company, for $105 million.

The move was foreshadowed by Telenor's decision to write off its Myanmar unit in May, when it booked a loss of 6.5 billion Norwegian crowns ($752 million), amid increasingly severe restrictions on businesses following the military takeover Feb. 1.

The prominent Norwegian company said "the transaction corresponds to an

BANGKOK -- Thailand's loss-making flag carrier Thai Airways International has proceeded with a plan to reduce its registered capital by 19% as part of a court-approved rehabilitation to improve its balance sheet.

The company will decrease registered capital from 26.9 billion baht ($822 million) to 21.8 billion by writing off unissued and unsold shares as stipulated in its rehabilitation plan, Suvadhana Sibunruang, the acting CEO, said on Friday.

The capital decrease is one step in

TOKYO -- Japan Airlines plans to enter the flying car business in fiscal year 2025, Nikkei has learned.

The airline will start a passenger transportation service connecting airports and tourist destinations in Mie Prefecture, among other areas. It plans to develop the business into one that can carry people around various locations as a taxi does.

The move comes amid growing competition to put flying cars to practical use in markets around the world. Putting in place the necessary safety regulations will be key for the industry to take off