
China's JD.com to buy German retailer Ceconomy for $2.5bn
LORRETTA CHEN
HONG KONG -- JD.com said it has reached an agreement with German retailer Ceconomy to acquire it at 4.6 euros a share in a 2.2 billion euros ($2.5 billion) deal.
The proposed takeover marks the Beijing-based e-commerce operator's expansion into the European market as competition among online marketplace players heats up at home.

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Asahi Shimbun
27 minutes ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Australia frigate contract a major step in defense cooperation for Japan
A mock model of the FFM "Upgraded Mogami" class is displayed during the Defense Security Equipment International (DSEI) Japan at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, east of Tokyo, Japan May 21, 2025. (REUTERS) SYDNEY/TOKYO--Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will deliver the first of Australia's new navy frigates under a A$10 billion ($6.5 billion) deal, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said on Tuesday. The three-frigate contract will be the biggest Australian defense purchase since the government in 2023 agreed to build nuclear-powered submarines with the United States and Britain, and one of Japan's biggest defense export deals. 'It's going to be really important in terms of giving our navy the capability to project, and impactful projection is at the heart of the strategic challenge,' Marles said, adding it was 'a very significant moment in the bilateral relationship between Australia and Japan'. Japan's Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani said it was a 'major step forward in Japan's defense cooperation efforts.' 'The benefits include enhanced joint operations and interoperability with both Australia and the United States,' he told a briefing in Tokyo. MHI's Mogami frigate was selected over German company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems' MEKO A-200 in a meeting of the Australian government's national security committee on Monday. The upgraded Mogami-class frigate was capable of launching long-range missiles and had a range of up to 10,000 nautical miles, compared to Australia's current Anzac Class frigates, which had a range of around 6,000 nautical miles, Marles said. It also operated with a smaller crew than the Anzac class. The government said in 2024 it would spend up to A$10 billion for the general-purpose frigates to replace the Anzac Class. They will be equipped for undersea warfare and air defense to secure maritime trade routes and Australia's northern approaches. It said the first three general-purpose frigates will be built in Japan, with the remaining eight expected to be built by Austal in Western Australia state. The first frigate is expected to be delivered in 2029. The frigate contract is Japan's biggest and most significant defense deal since it lifted a decades-long ban on military exports in 2014, and only the second after it agreed to supply air defense radars to the Philippines. 'This collaboration is of significant security importance to Japan,' Nakatani said. The Japanese government had supported Mitsubishi's bid, after losing an Australian submarine tender to France a decade earlier, he added. Contract negotiations will begin this year with a contract expected to be signed in 2026, Australian and Japanese officials said. Finalizing pricing, maintenance and sustainment arrangements, and the later transfer of production to Australia are major issues to be addressed, the officials said.


Yomiuri Shimbun
an hour ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Trump Again Threatens India with Harsh Tariffs over Russian Oil Purchases
WASHINGTON, Aug 4 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump again threatened on Monday to raise tariffs on goods from India over its Russian oil purchases, while New Delhi called his attack 'unjustified' and vowed to protect its economic interests, deepening the trade rift between the two countries. In a social media post, Trump wrote, 'India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine.' 'Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA,' he added. A spokesperson for India's foreign ministry said in response that India will 'take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.' 'The targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable,' the spokesperson added. Trump has said that from Friday he will impose new sanctions on Russia as well as on countries that buy its energy exports, unless Moscow takes steps to end its 3-1/2 year war with Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown no public sign of altering his stance despite the deadline. Over the weekend, two Indian government sources told Reuters that India will keep purchasing oil from Russia despite Trump's threats. India has faced pressure from the West to distance itself from Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. New Delhi has resisted, citing its longstanding ties with Russia and economic needs. Trump had already in July announced 25% tariffs on Indian imports, and U.S. officials have cited a range of geopolitical issues standing in the way of a U.S.-India trade accord. Trump has also cast the wider BRICS group of developing nations as hostile to the United States. Those nations have dismissed his accusation, saying the group promotes the interests of its members and of developing countries at large. CRUDE BUYER India is the biggest buyer of seaborne crude from Russia, importing about 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian oil from January to June this year, up 1% from a year ago, according to data provided to Reuters by trade sources. India began importing oil from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, the Indian spokesperson said, calling it a 'necessity compelled by global market situation.' The spokesperson also noted the West's, particularly the European Union's, bilateral trade with Russia: 'It is revealing that the very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia.' Despite the Indian government's defiance, the country's main refiners paused buying Russian oil last week, sources told Reuters. Discounts to other suppliers narrowed after Trump threatened hefty tariffs on countries that make any such purchases. Indian government officials denied any policy change. The country's largest refiner, Indian Oil Corp, has bought 7 million barrels of crude from the United States, Canada and the Middle East, four trade sources told Reuters on Monday. India also has been frustrated by Trump repeatedly taking credit for an India-Pakistan ceasefire that he announced on social media in May, which halted days of hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbors. The unpredictability of the Trump administration creates a challenge for Delhi, said Richard Rossow, head of the India program at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies. 'India's continued energy and defense purchases from Russia presents a larger challenge, where India does not feel it can predict how the Trump administration will approach Russia from month to month,' he said.


Yomiuri Shimbun
an hour ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan's Nikkei Stock Average Tracks Wall Street Higher; Chip-Related Stocks Drag
TOKYO, Aug 5 (Reuters) – Japan's Nikkei share average rose on Tuesday, supported by Wall Street's strong finish overnight, but losses in chip-related stocks capped gains. The Nikkei .N225 rose 0.5% to 40,499.21 as of 0156 GMT. The broader Topix .TOPX gained 0.68% to 2,936.09. On Monday, all three major U.S. stock indexes logged their steepest daily percentage climb since May 27, as investors sought bargains after Friday's selloff and ramped up bets for a September rate cut following a weaker-than-expected jobs data. In Japan, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries7011.T gained 3.64% as Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the heavy machinery maker would deliver Australia's new A$10 billion ($6.5 billion) navy frigate program. Technology investor SoftBank Group 9984.T rose 2% to lend the strongest boost to the Nikkei. Of the more than 1,600 stocks trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's (TSE) prime market, 76% rose, 19% fell and 3% traded flat. All but four of the TSE's 33 industry sub-indexes advanced. Chip-making equipment maker Tokyo Electron 8035.T lost 1.2% and chip-testing equipment maker Advantest 6857.T fell 0.25% to weigh on the Nikkei. 'Those shares led the Nikkei's rally last month, but so far they have lost that strong momentum,' Shuutarou Yasuda, a market analyst at Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Laboratory, said. Markets were jolted last week when shares of Tokyo Electron plunged to their daily limit low after the firm slashed its profit forecast by a fifth. The yen's slight gain against the U.S. dollar also weighed on sentiment, Yasuda said. The Japanese yen JPY=EBS firmed slightly to 146.62 per dollar after minutes of the Bank of Japan's June policy meeting revealed that some board members favored resuming interest rate hikes if trade frictions ease. FRX/ A stronger yen typically pressures exporter shares by reducing the value of overseas earnings when converted into Japanese currency.