Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Thu, May 28, 2026 06:37 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Tets Kimura

Dr Tets Kimura is Adjunct Lecturer in the Creative Arts with the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. He is also Fellow at the National Library of Australia, and Visiting Professor at Fukuoka Women’s University, Japan, and National Chengchi University, Taiwan. He previously held David Philips Travelling Fellowship (Australian Academy of the Humanities) and Japanese Studies Fellowship (Japan Foundation). As a multi-award winning scholar both in research and teaching, he conducts interdisciplinary research in art/cultural history, fashion and Asian studies to map and remap historical and contemporary identities of the Asia-Pacific countries. He was the leader of the book length project Exporting Japanese Aesthetics (Sussex Academic Press, 2020), which was launched at the Art Gallery of South Australia in 2021. He is a graduate of Flinders University and University of South Australia, and also completed courses internationally at the University of East Anglia (UK) and Pukyong National University (South Korea).

What is the story of maneki-neko, the Japanese beckoning cat?

Jul 04, 2023 07:41 am UTC| Life

Maneki-neko, translated as beckoning cat but also known as lucky cat or welcome cat, is recognisable internationally, often found behind cash registers of restaurants and retail outlets and also in your phone. But how...

Economy

Asian Markets Slide as New U.S. Strikes on Iran Spark Investor Caution

Asian stock markets declined on Thursday as renewed U.S. military strikes on Iran weakened investor confidence and raised concerns over escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The latest attacks reduced hopes...

U.S. Sanctions Iran’s Strait of Hormuz Authority as Global Oil Markets Face Turmoil

The United States has imposed new sanctions on the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, the organization established by Iran to oversee transit requests through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement released by the U.S....

ECB’s Philip Lane Warns Middle East Conflict Could Keep Inflation Elevated

European Central Bank Chief Economist Philip Lane warned that the ongoing Middle East conflict could create long-lasting inflationary pressure, even if the war is resolved quickly. Speaking at a conference hosted by the...

Mega IPOs Like SpaceX and OpenAI Could Reshape S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 Portfolios in 2026

Large mutual funds and passive index funds are increasing cash reserves and preparing to reduce exposure to existing large-cap stocks ahead of several expected blockbuster IPOs in 2026, including SpaceX, OpenAI, and...

South Korea Central Bank Holds Interest Rates Steady Amid Inflation Concerns

The Bank of Korea (BOK) kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.5% on Thursday, matching market expectations as policymakers remain cautious about rising inflation risks and global economic uncertainty linked to...

Politics

DOJ Opens Criminal Investigation Into E. Jean Carroll Over Alleged Perjury

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused U.S. President Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her in the mid-1990s, according to a source familiar with the...

Baltic Drone Incidents Raise NATO Security Concerns

Recent Ukrainian drone incursions into Baltic airspace have increased regional tensions and raised new concerns about NATO security near Russias borders. The incidents come as Ukraine intensifies long-range drone attacks...

U.S.-China Taiwan Conflict Could Trigger Nuclear Escalation, IISS Warns

A potential military conflict between the United States and China over Taiwan could escalate into a nuclear confrontation, according to a new report released by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). The...

Hamas Commander Mohammad Odeh Killed in Gaza as Israel Intensifies Campaign

Israels military campaign in Gaza escalated further after Hamas armed wing chief Mohammad Odeh was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City. The targeted strike came just days after the death of senior Hamas commander...

U.S. Reinstates Sanctions on U.N. Expert Francesca Albanese Amid Legal Battle

The United States has officially restored sanctions against Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, according to an updated notice published by the U.S. Treasury Department...

Science

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

Technology

Marvell Stock Rises After Record Q1 FY2027 Earnings Fueled by AI Demand

Marvell Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MRVL) posted stronger-than-expected first-quarter fiscal 2027 results, driven by booming demand for AI infrastructure and data center solutions. The semiconductor company reported record...

Snowflake Stock Soars 30% After Q1 Earnings Beat and Major AWS AI Partnership

Snowflake Inc. (NYSE: SNOW) delivered a strong first-quarter performance that surpassed Wall Street expectations, sending the companys stock soaring nearly 30% in after-hours trading. The cloud-based AI Data Cloud company...

Salesforce Q1 FY2027 Earnings Beat Expectations Despite Soft Q2 Revenue Outlook

Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter fiscal 2027 earnings on Wednesday, driven by solid demand for its AI-powered enterprise solutions and continued growth in its cloud-based CRM business....

HP Q2 2026 Earnings Beat Expectations Despite Memory Chip Pressure

HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) reported stronger-than-expected fiscal second-quarter 2026 results, surpassing Wall Street estimates on both earnings and revenue. However, HP stock slipped slightly in after-hours trading as investors...

Synopsys Q2 FY2026 Earnings Beat Driven by AI and Semiconductor Demand

Synopsys (NASDAQ: SNPS) reported stronger-than-expected second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings on Wednesday, fueled by rising demand for semiconductor design software and AI-powered engineering solutions. The electronic...