Markets

Stocks slump as trade war stirs recession fear

SINGAPORE: Stocks dived on Thursday and investors scrambled for the safety of bonds, gold and the yen, fearing new U.S. tariffs have intensified a trade war threatening to tip the world into recession.

Thailand

Rescuers intensify efforts as cry for help heard under collapsed Bangkok building

BANGKOK: Rescuers intensified efforts at Bangkok's collapsed SAO building after hearing a cry for help, raising hopes of finding survivors beneath the rubble.

AseanPlus News

Australia PM Albanese says US trade tariff ‘not the act of a friend’

SYDNEY: Donald Trump's trade tariffs on close ally Australia are "not the act of a friend" and will hurt the two nations' relationship, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday (April 3).

Forex

Singapore’s foreign exchange and money markets are functioning normally, central bank says

SINGAPORE: The Monetary Authority of Singapore said on Thursday that Singapore's foreign exchange and money markets continue to function normally.

Indonesia

Indonesia's Mt Dukono volcano spews ash as locals warned about air quality

JAKARTA: A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted twice on Wednesday (April 2), releasing a column of smoke nearly one mile into the air, the country's volcanology agency said.

Singapore

Goh Cheng Liang, Li Xiting, Forrest Li top Forbes’ list of richest Singaporeans

SINGAPORE: Paint tycoon Goh Cheng Liang clinched the top spot among Singapore's richest, according to Forbes' annual list of global billionaires released on April 1.

Social media

Japanese student gains 32 million views as only one to dig up eight-year-old time capsule

Young man feels let down that his ex-classmates and teacher forgot their promise to return.

Philippines

Philippines assures China potential F-16 purchase not intended to harm any nation

MANILA: The potential purchase of F-16 jets by the Philippines from the United States does not harm the interests of any third party, including China, a Philippine security official said on Thursday (April 3).

Sabah & Sarawak

S'wak's free tertiary education for selected courses a good start, says Premier's chief political secretary

KUCHING: Sarawak's free tertiary education scheme for selected courses starting next year is a good start which will benefit Sarawakian students, says Datuk Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman.

Social media

Amazon's last-minute bid for TikTok comes as a US ban on the platform is set to take effect Saturday

Amazon has put in a bid to purchase TikTok, a Trump administration official said Wednesday, in an eleventh-hour pitch as a US ban on the platform is set to go into effect April 5.

Markets

Bursa Malaysia remains in the red at midday as US tariffs affect markets

KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia ended the morning trading session in the red, pressured by ongoing selling, in line with regional trends, following the announcement by US President Donald Trump that Malaysia would face a 24% tariff rate.

Brunei

Raya away from home: Students from Brunei share Sydney celebrations

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Bruneians studying abroad find themselves feeling a little homesick as they are unable to return home to celebrate Hari Raya with their loved ones, especially those away from family during the festive season for the first time. Some are unable to travel to the Sultanate due to high airline faresor study commitments

Thailand

Thailand has 'strong plan' to handle US tariffs, hopes to negotiate: PM

BANGKOK: Thailand has a "strong plan" to handle swingeing new trade tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump and hopes to negotiate a reduction, the prime minister said Thursday (April 3).

Nation

Cook and jobless man charged with human trafficking

BATU PAHAT: A cook and an unemployed man have pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here to a charge of trafficking a man and a woman for labour exploitation in Myanmar.

Commodities

Oil, copper slide as Trump tariffs rattle markets; gold hits record high

SINGAPORE: Commodities including oil, copper and agricultural products dropped on Thursday as U.S. President Donald Trump's aggressive tariffs on key trading partners fuelled fears of recession, while safe-heaven gold jumped to an all-time high.

South Korea

ChatGPT hits 1.2 million daily users in S. Korea amid Ghibli-style AI-generated image trend

SEOUL: If you have been on social media recently, chances are you have come across Studio Ghibli-style images created by ChatGPT.

Nation

No retaliatory tariffs, M'sia to engage with US instead, says Miti

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is not looking at retaliatory tariffs against the United States after it was hit with a 10% tariff hike and reciprocal tariff by President Donald Trump's administration, says the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti).

Thailand

Thailand reports 288 aftershocks since Friday’s earthquake in Myanmar

BANGKOK: A total of 288 aftershocks have been recorded following the massive 8.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday (March 28), according to the Thai Meteorological Department's Earthquake Observation Division, which provided an update on Thursday.

China

China vows retaliation as Trump unleashes ‘bazooka’ US tariffs

BEIJING: China vowed to retaliate after being hit with Donald Trump's biggest tariffs yet, which threaten to decimate trade between the world's largest economies.

AseanPlus News

From BYD to Nio, Chinese EV makers power ahead thanks to subsidies and tax incentives

BYD's first-quarter deliveries rose 59.8 per cent to more than 1 million vehicles