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

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Tue, Feb 03, 2026 10:29 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Stephen On

Professor of Microbiology, Lincoln University, New Zealand
Stephen committed to a career in microbiology at the age of 14 and became especially interested in the field of diagnostics, where the ability to recognise a pathogen quickly and accurately could be critical. His interests led to the completion of his PhD on ”Identification methods for rRNA superfamily VI” conducted at the Central Public Health Laboratory in London, England, whereafter he became a Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute of Food and Veterinary Research in 1994 and moved to New Zealand in 2005 to become Food Programme Leader at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR). He moved to Lincoln University in 2015 as an Associate Professor in food microbiology, and was appointed as a Professor in 2022. He currently leads the Department of Wine, Food, and molecular biosciences and is Acting Director of the Centre for Foods for Future Consumers.
Stephen’s expertise is evidenced in over 170 research articles or book chapters, and membership of various National and International committees and advisory boards. He has won two awards recognising his contributions to bacteriology (2001, UK Society for Applied Microbiology and 2017, NZ Microbiological society) and another in 2014 recognising his success in winning the right to host an international microbiology conference here in NZ. His current projects span three major areas, including the characterisation of microbes involved in making wine – and whether or not we can predict if the wine will be good, or otherwise!

Economy

RBA Raises Interest Rates by 25 Basis Points as Inflation Pressures Persist

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) raised interest rates by 25 basis points on Tuesday, lifting its benchmark cash rate to 3.85% from 3.65%, in a move that was widely anticipated by markets. The decision reflects the...

US–India Trade Turbocharge: Stocks Poised to Ride the Export Wave

The new US-India trade agreement highlights businesses with significant US market exposure by lowering duties to 18% on Indian exports and providing zero-tariff access for US products. Where US revenue shares vary from 10%...

Japan’s Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Exports Hit Record High in 2025 Despite Tariffs

Japans exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products surged to a new all-time high in 2025, rising 12.8% year on year to 1.701 trillion yen (approximately $10.9 billion), according to the Ministry of Agriculture,...

China and Uruguay Strengthen Strategic Partnership Amid Shifting Global Order

China and Uruguay have reaffirmed their commitment to deeper cooperation, with Chinese President Xi Jinping calling on both countries to work together to promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and inclusive economic...

Taiwan Urges Stronger Trade Ties With Fellow Democracies, Rejects Economic Dependence on China

Taiwan should deepen trade and economic cooperation with fellow democracies rather than China, President Lai Ching-te said on Tuesday, outlining his administrations strategy to strengthen collaboration with the United...

Politics

Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration Move to End TPS for Haitian Immigrants

A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration from revoking Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 350,000 Haitian immigrants living in the United States, preventing their potential deportation to a...

Trump Spoke With FBI Agents After Georgia Election Office Search, Report Says

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke directly with FBI agents one day after they searched an election office in Fulton County, Georgia, according to a report published by the New York Times on Monday. The report cited three...

Trump Calls for “Nationalizing” Voting, Drawing Backlash Over Election Authority

President Donald Trump sparked controversy after saying Republicans should nationalize and take over voting in at least 15 unspecified locations, repeating his long-standing and false claims that U.S. elections are plagued...

Japan Finance Minister Defends PM Takaichi’s Remarks on Weak Yen Benefits

Japans Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama on Tuesday defended Prime Minister Sanae Takaichis recent comments emphasizing the potential benefits of a weaker yen, saying the remarks were grounded in standard economic theory...

Trump Announces U.S.–India Trade Deal Cutting Tariffs, Boosting Markets and Energy Ties

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a major U.S.India trade deal on Monday that significantly reduces U.S. tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from a previous combined rate of 50%. The agreement, revealed after a phone call...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Acquires xAI in Historic Deal Uniting Space and Artificial Intelligence

Elon Musk announced on Monday that SpaceX has acquired his artificial intelligence startup xAI in a landmark deal that brings together his ambitions in space exploration and advanced AI technology. The acquisition combines...

Google Cloud and Liberty Global Forge Strategic AI Partnership to Transform European Telecom Services

Google Cloud, one of Alphabets fastest-growing divisions, has entered into a five-year strategic partnership with Liberty Global aimed at accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence and cloud technologies across...

Palantir Stock Jumps After Strong Q4 Earnings Beat and Upbeat 2026 Revenue Forecast

Palantir Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: PLTR) delivered a strong fourth-quarter earnings report, beating Wall Street expectations on both revenue and profit while issuing a significantly stronger-than-expected outlook for 2026....

Sam Altman Reaffirms OpenAI’s Long-Term Commitment to NVIDIA Amid Chip Report

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has publicly reaffirmed the artificial intelligence companys strong relationship with NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA), pushing back against recent reports suggesting dissatisfaction with the...

SoftBank and Intel Partner to Develop Next-Generation Memory Chips for AI Data Centers

SoftBank Corp (TYO:9434) has announced a strategic collaboration between its subsidiary Saimemory and Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) to develop a new class of advanced memory chip technology aimed at powering the next...