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(Reuters) — McCormick (NYSE:MKC) on Tuesday raised its annual profit forecast as it expects higher prices for its spices and condiments to make up for slowing demand and a sluggish recovery in China

UK companies a 4 billion pound ( USD 4.9 bn) contract to design and manufacture a nuclear-powered attack submarine as part of the country's AUKUS programme with Australia and the United States, Al Jazeera reported. The first of the submarines will be delivered into service in the UK in the late 2030s and the first Australian ones will follow in the early 2040s. The SSN-AUKUS program aims to enhance the capabilities of the UK, Australia, and the US to counter regional security challenges, particularly from China in the Asia-Pacific region, Al Jazeera reported. UK's Defence Ministry in a statement on Sunday said that the contract with BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and Babcock «represents a significant milestone for both the UK and the trilateral AUKUS programme as a whole». It said that the new submarines, known as SSN-AUKUS, «will be the largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines ever operated» by the Royal Navy and will «combine world-leading sensors, design and weaponry in one vessel». The plans for SSN-AUKUS were unveiled in March by the leaders of Australia, the UK and the US and came as the three countries ramped up their efforts to counter China in the Asia Pacific region. The nuclear-powered vessels — which have far greater stealth and range and mark the first time Washington has shared nuclear-propulsion technology with a country other than the UK — represent a significant upgrade to Australia's current diesel-powered fleet, as per Al Jazeera. Previously, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles described the AUKUS deal as «the biggest step forward in our military capability that we've had since the end of World War II». Through the AUKUS, Washington intends to sell Canberra up to five of its

Cryptocurrency trading firm and liquidity provider GSR's Singaporean subsidiary, GSR Markets Pte. Ltd, has received an in-principal approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) for a Major Payment Institution (MPI) license. 

Plus500 Webtrader is the additional layer of security it offers through two-step logins. This security feature is essential in safeguarding traders' accounts and sensitive information. At the same time, the platform provides comprehensive reports on fees, historical transactions, positions, and other critical activity details.

Cryptocurrency exchange Gemini is allocating 2 billion rupees ($24 million) for its expansion in India.

Army chiefs and senior officers from 30 countries including the United States met in India Tuesday to discuss threats facing the Asia-Pacific region, in the face of concern at an increasingly assertive China. US Army chief Randy George said the region was «critically important», speaking to reporters alongside his Indian counterpart Manoj Pande, and vowed to boost cooperation to «maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific». Generals from Japan and Australia, which make up the «Quad» defence cooperation forum alongside Washington and New Delhi, also took part, as did Britain and France. As the generals met, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Beijing would oppose the «wanton expansion of military alliances», the latest in a string of warnings as Washington deepens security ties in the Asia-Pacific. Beijing has long said that any effort to establish a NATO-like military alliance in the Asia-Pacific would provoke conflict. Nations present at the two-day conference in New Delhi included Vietnam and the Philippines, both of which have longstanding pending territorial disputes with China. The conference, which launched in 1999, brings together army chiefs and top officers from 30 countries. India's Pande said the region faced challenges on both land and at sea. «These range from territorial disputes over land masses, or in some cases, even over artificially expanded islands to acquire real estate and establish military bases,» Pande added, in an indirect reference to China. India has also had to balance its traditional alliance with Russia — the provider of most of its arms imports, and now a source of cut-price oil — with growing ties to Washington. «The partnership between India and the US armies is vital for

China is willing to play a «constructive» role in the success of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, its top diplomat said on Tuesday, after President Xi Jinping's absence at the annual Group of 20 summit in India. «As the world's largest developing country and an important member of APEC, China is willing to comply with the expectations of the international community and play a constructive role in the success of APEC this year,» said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Xi, with no official explanation, did not go to the G20 summit in New Delhi this month, with the Chinese premier, Li Qiang, attending in his place. That prompted the United States to say China was «giving up» on the G20 and was building an alternative world order. «Of course, we and all parties hope that the United States will recognise its responsibility as the host, demonstrate openness, fairness, inclusiveness, and responsibility, and create better conditions for the smooth holding of the meeting,» Wang said at a news conference, when asked whether Xi would attend APEC. Dialogue between China and the United States has been gradually resuming despite tensions between the two superpowers, especially over Taiwan.

India expect measured hiring rates over the next few months, according to Manpower Group’s employment outlook survey of 3,000 employees. The study reported a 37% net employment outlook (calculated by subtracting employers planning reductions versus those planning to hire) for the upcoming quarter. It showed that 49% of the companies anticipated an increase in hiring, 12% did not expect to hire, 34% would maintain the status quo and 5% were unsure of the outlook. This net hiring expectation in India was higher than the global average at 30%, and higher than the number in many countries. In the Asia-Pacific region, India and Singapore had the most positive hiring outlook for the upcoming quarter. Within the country, the highest net employment rates were in northern India followed by western India. In terms of sectors, the information technology sector — despite the news around layoffs, etc — continued to lead hiring expectations, said the analysis. This was followed by transport, logistics, automotive, healthcare, lifesciences, consumer goods and services industries.

In the ever-evolving landscape of cryptocurrency, Bitcoin continues to hold its ground, currently trading at $25,952, reflecting a noteworthy 3% increase on this Wednesday.

CALGARY — Alberta Investment Management Corp. (AIMCo) is opening its first Asian office, but the Edmonton-based fund manager says it will steer well clear of China to focus instead on markets with less geopolitical risk.

Zodia Custody, a subsidiary of Standard Chartered, has officially launched its digital asset custody services for financial institutions in Singapore. 

Narendra Modi on Thursday pitched for everyone's commitment and joint efforts to strengthen the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. In an address at the East Asia Summit, Modi also said that India believes that the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea should be effective and compliant with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). His comments came days after a number of ASEAN member countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines reacted sharply to Beijing's territorial claim over the South China Sea in its latest edition of the «standard map of China». On August 28, Beijing released the 2023 edition of the «standard map of China» which includes Taiwan, the South China Sea, Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as Chinese territories.

India is among the first in the world to regulate ESG rating providers and the country’s minimum requirement for funds to invest — according to their stated strategy — is “a high bar,” said Hannah Lee, JPMorgan’s head of ESG equity research for the Asia-Pacific region. “Where India stands out in terms of being trailblazing is probably its level of ambition and some of the thresholds that it has,” she said in an interview. India rolled out several measures over the past two years to regulate its market for green and other assets, most recently allowing domestic fund managers to launch plans under six types of ESG strategies.

E-commerce company Amazon is planning to invest $3 million in nature-based projects in India. The investment is part of the company's $15 million fund it has allocated for nature-based projects in Asia Pacific (APAC).

Companies that make up the S&P 500 produce just 3.4% of their revenue from clean-energy sources, which is roughly half what companies on the Shanghai Composite Index earn, according to BloombergNEF. With corporations struggling to make the transition to net-zero emissions, analysts at BNEF looked under the hood of more than 8,000 companies to determine how much of their revenue is attributable to clean energy. “Shifting business models toward greener activities is about more than being virtuous for the sake of the planet,” says BNEF’s Michael Daly. “There’s a huge financial opportunity for companies that help drive the energy transition.”Chinese companies such as solar leaders LONGi Green Energy Technology Co.

US Marines died Sunday after an Osprey aircraft crashed on a remote tropical island north of Australia during war games, US military officials said. Five Marines had been rescued from the crash site and flown to a hospital in Darwin in a «serious condition», the US officials said, while Australian police said they were triaging the rest of the injured crew at the scene. «There were a total of 23 personnel on board,» US military officials said in a statement. «Three have been confirmed deceased while five others were transported to Royal Darwin Hospital in a serious condition.» Rescue efforts were complicated by the location of the crash — the remote and sparsely populated Melville Island about 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of the Australian mainland. «Recovery efforts are ongoing,» US officials said, adding that an investigation into the cause of the incident had been launched. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the incident as «tragic» and «regrettable» but stressed that authorities were still trying to piece together what happened. «We want to make sure that any information that is provided is absolutely accurate,» he told reporters. The Osprey — a mix between a helicopter and a plane — was taking part in the Predators Run exercises, a joint series of warfighting drills involving thousands of soldiers from the US and Australia, as well as other militaries such as Indonesia and the Philippines. Northern Australia has become an increasingly important staging ground for the US military in recent years, as Washington and Canberra work together to counter China's growing clout in the Asia-Pacific region. — Troubled aircraft — The Osprey aircraft has a troubled history, blighted by a string of fatal crashes over the

Hydrogen fuel cell company HDF Energy aims to become a bigger player in the Southern Hemisphere by using part of an old Holden car factory to manufacture 12-metre metal “boxes” containing fuel cells providing electricity.

New Delhi: India is on track to achieve a $150 billion bio-economy by 2025, up from over $100 billion in 2022, Union minister Jitendra Singh announced on Tuesday. Highlighting the significance of the nation's growing biotech sector, Singh noted India's position as 12th in the global biotech industry and third in the Asia-Pacific region.

Little League World Series, a significant event for young baseball players worldwide, is set to take place from August 16 to 27 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It will feature 10 U.S. regional champions and 10 international regional winners, totaling 20 teams. The series consists of 38 games scheduled over a 12-day period, concluding with the championship game on August 27. Viewers can watch the games live on ESPN, ESPN2, or ABC. The tournament will run every day from August 16 to 27, except August 25, which is a designated off-day for the teams. Streaming options include Sling TV via subscription and FuboTV with a free trial. Additionally, games can be accessed on ESPN+ but require a cable login.

covid-19 pandemic and the induced lockdown, outbound tourism from China was a valuable international commodity. Statistics from the World Tourism Organization suggest Chinese travellers spent $255 billion in 2019, accounting for 20 per cent of all international tourism spending.