Author: franperez66q@protonmail.com

Business

China’s factory activity beats forecasts in May, private survey shows, despite softer official data

Workers make US flags ahead of the 2026 World Cup football tournament, at a factory in Qingdao, in China’s Shandong province on May 28, 2026.- | Afp | Getty ImagesBEIJING — China’s manufacturing activity expanded faster than expected in May, according to a private survey released Monday, although growth slowed from the previous month and contrasted with softer official data pointing to weaker momentum in the sector.The RatingDog China General Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index, compiled by S&P Global, came in at 51.8, a touch above the 51.6 expected in a Reuters poll. The reading was down from April’s 52.2, indicating…

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Business

Oil jumps 2% as Israel expands Lebanon offensive, rattling ceasefire hopes

The Sea Voyager crude oil tanker anchored off the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, California, US, on Thursday, May 7, 2026.Tim Rue | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesOil prices rose Monday after Israel ordered troops to push deeper into Lebanon, renewing concerns that clashes with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group could threaten a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.Brent crude futures, the international benchmark, gained 2.45% to $93.35 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate futures added 2.8% to $89.78 per barrel.The escalation in hostilities, which followed the U.S.-brokered Israeli-Lebanon talks in Washington on Friday, dimmed hopes that Washington and Tehran were…

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Business

Japan PM Takaichi’s budget remarks send `red flag’ to bond markets

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi responds to questions from reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo on May 25, 2026. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on May 25 the government will compile a $19 billion supplementary budget to support households grappling with soaring everyday costs driven by the Iran war. (Photo by JIJI PRESS / AFP via Getty Images) / Japan OUTStr | Afp | Getty ImagesJapanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is compiling a supplementary budget to help households with the cost of living, but it’s also created skepticism about whether she can stick to her promises about debt…

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Business

Inside Thailand’s Chang beer dynasty, daughters got seats at the table too

Thapanee Techajareonvikul, took the reins as CEO and President of Berli Jucker PCL in 2023, becoming the storied retail and packaging firm’s first female chief executive.For Thapanee Techajareonvikul, the conviction that women belong in top leadership roles was never unusual.Her late mother, Wanna Sirivadhanabhakdi, was instrumental in building TCC Group into a multi-billion-dollar empire spanning beverages, property, retail and manufacturing, with holdings including Chang beer and Singapore-listed Fraser & Neave.Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, her father, ensured his two sons and three daughters received equal opportunities within the family business. Today, each sibling oversees a different part of the empire.Thapanee, the couple’s fourth…

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Business

I climbed the vertical height of Mount Everest in 36 hours—what I learned

What’s your hobby? An innocent question, but one that has plagued me. I’ve always been a curious person who was interested in learning new things and struggled to pick one or two areas to focus on. After years of frustration, I finally decided that my hobby would be “collecting new experiences” and devised a plan: Every year I would commit myself to a few new experiences that would challenge and change me.In 2025, I decided to climb Mount Everest. Well, almost.I signed up for an endurance event called the 29029 challenge in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The idea was to scale a…

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