DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Oct 18 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. Wall Street closed flat to slightly lower on Tuesday, after forecast-busting U.S. retail sales data stoked expectations for another Fed rate hike by year-end and pushed Treasury bond yields sharply higher. Blame bumper U.S. retail sales, which also sparked a spree of upward revisions to U.S. growth forecasts. With nearly $11 billion of offshore bonds and $6 billion of offshore loans, a Country Garden default would tee up one of China's biggest corporate debt restructurings. Here are key developments that could provide more direction to markets on Wednesday:- China GDP (Q3)- China retail sales, investment, unemployment, industrial production (September)- U.S. President Biden visit to IsraelBy Jamie McGeever; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jamie McGeever, chipmakers, Joe Biden's, Biden, Josie Kao Organizations: Wall Street, Bank of America, U.S, Wednesday, Atlanta, U.S ., Asia's, Thomson, Reuters Locations: China, Israeli, Gaza, Israel, U.S

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 28, 2023. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq dropped on Friday as deteriorating consumer sentiment data and the Middle East conflict kept investors away from riskier bets and overshadowed some upbeat earnings from big U.S. banks. Third-quarter earnings for the S&P 500 companies are estimated to grow 2.2% on an annual basis, LSEG data showed. Of the 32 S&P 500 companies that have reported results, 87.5% have surpassed expectations compared with the long-term average of 66.5%. Rival Moderna (MRNA.O) dipped 5.1%Lululemon Athletica (LULU.O) added 5.8% as the sportswear apparel maker is set to join the S&P 500 index this week, replacing Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O).

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Antony Blinken, Pissouros, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Johnson, Charles Schwab, Patrick Harker, Jerome Powell, Harker, Austan Goolsbee, Ankika Biswas, Shashwat Chauhan, Arun Koyyur, Vinay Dwivedi Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Reuters, Pfizer, Dow, Nasdaq, Treasury, XM, Bank of America, Johnson, Tesla, Netflix, Philly, New York, Philadelphia Fed, Federal, Chicago Fed, Dow e, Nvidia, Activision Blizzard, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, China, Israel, Gaza, United States, Bengaluru

☆ Hurkacz wins thriller with Rublev to take Shanghai title
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

I had a match point and Andrey hit an amazing serve and then he had a match point and then I had some match points." Rublev broke Hurkacz's serve early in the second set but it was in the final set where the match really came to life. Rublev steadied himself to save match point and hold serve, and in the tiebreak he snatched early control to take a 3-0 lead. Two aces from the Polish player kept him in touch and at 5-6 down he served another ace to save match point. Both players broke serve again in quick succession to level the tiebreak at 8-8, but it was Hurkacz who had the last word and broke Rublev's serve again to win the title.

Persons: Poland's Hubert Hurkacz, China's Zhang Zhizhen, Aly, Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Hurkacz, Rublev, Andrey, Hurkacz's, Rublev steadied, Rublev's, Trevor Stynes, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Shanghai, Sports City Arena, Rights, Shanghai Masters, ATP, Miami, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Russian

☆ Morning Bid: Rate jitters are back
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Produce is displayed at Best World Supermarket in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Washington, D.C., U.S., August 19, 2022. Thursday's U.S. consumer price data stoked expectations that the Federal Reserve is perhaps not yet done with monetary tightening. Markets are now pricing in about a 40% probability of a rate hike in December, versus a 28% chance before the report. In recent comments, Fed officials have cited rising bond yields as a factor that may allow them to end the rate hike cycle. But the latest data has brought some of the rate jitters back.

Persons: Sarah Silbiger, Ankur Banerjee, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Washington , D.C, REUTERS, Federal, JPMorgan Chase, Thomson Locations: Mount Pleasant, Washington ,, Ankur, Spain, France, Sweden, China, U.S, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Singapore's

☆ Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing annual profit rises 28% to fresh record
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A customer looks at a cardigan in a store of the Uniqlo fast fashion retailer in the Sanlitun shopping district in Beijing, China, November 6, 2021. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Japan's Fast Retailing Co (9983.T), owner of clothing brand Uniqlo, reported on Thursday that full-year operating profit rose 28% to reach its second consecutive record, aided by a post-pandemic recovery in China and the yen's slide. Profit was 381.1 billion yen ($2.56 billion) in the 12 months through August compared with 297.3 billion yen, the previous all-time high, a year earlier. Operating profit is expected to rise to reach another record of 450 billion yen next fiscal year, the company said. When its Chinese operations suffered during strict COVID-19 restrictions, Fast Retailing put increased focus on markets in North America and Europe.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Daisuke Tsukagoshi, Tadashi Yanai, Rocky Swift, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Retailing, Japan's, Forbes, Thomson Locations: cardigan, Beijing, China, Japan, North America, Europe

☆ WTA roundup: Zheng Qinwen advances at Zhengzhou Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

She will face Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina, who posted a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Russian qualifier Vera Zvonareva. Hana Bank Korea OpenBelgium's Yanina Wickmayer seized a 6-3, 7-6 (6) victory over third-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia to move on to the quarterfinals in Seoul. Wickmayer will meet Russian Polina Kudermetova, who breezed to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Kathinka von Deichmann of Liechenstein. Fifth-seeded Anna Blinkova of Russia coasted to a 6-1, 6-3 win over Australian Priscilla Hon to advance to the third round. Third-seeded Elise Mertens of Belgium had little difficulty in her 6-1, 6-4 victory over Australian qualifier Daria Saville.

Persons: China's, Zheng, China's Zhu Lin REUTERS, Kim Kyung, Zheng Qinwen, Maria Sakkari, Sakkari, Kalinina, Vera Zvonareva, Italy's Jasmine Paolini, Caroline Garcia of, Ukraine's, Tsurenko, Donna Vekic, Wickmayer, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Kudermetova, Kathinka von Deichmann, Claire Liu, Arantxa Rus, China's Yuan Yue, Slovenia's Kaja Juvan, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Anna Blinkova, Russia coasted, Priscilla Hon, Elise Mertens, Daria Saville Organizations: Tennis Centre, Russian, Caroline Garcia of France, Hana Bank, Hong, Belarus, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China, Greece, Zhengzhou, Croatia, Hana Bank Korea, Russia, Seoul, Wickmayer, Arantxa, Netherland, Hong Kong, Brazil, Belgium

☆ WTA roundup: Jelena Ostapenko upset in Seoul
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wild card Dayeon Back, down 5-2 in the third set, rallied to beat second-seeded Jelena Ostapenko 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) in two hours, 13 minutes to advance. It was the first time two South Koreans won their opening matches in Seoul since 2013. 569, was able to force Ostapenko into long rallies, and the mistakes piled up for Ostapenko. In other first-round action, Liudmila Samsonova of Russia, fresh off her finals appearance in the China Open, continued her strong play with a 6-3, 6-3 defeat of Germany's Tatjana Maria. Another Russian, Kamilla Rakhimova, beat eighth seed Varvara Gracheva of France 6-3, 6-2, and Czech Linda Fruhvirtova topped seventh-seeded Peyton Stearns in three sets.

Persons: Jelena Ostapenko, Russia's Liudmila Samsonova, Florence, Jeong Jang, Sofia Kenin, Jang, Kenin, Jessica Pegula, Viktoria, Marie Bouzkova, Vera Zvonareva, Veronika Kudermetova, Zvonareva, Germany's Tatjana Maria, Daria Kasatkina of, Petra Martic, Laura Siegemund, Zhuoxuan Bai, Canadian Leylah Fernandez, Victoria, Fernandez, Anna Blinkova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Martina Trevisan, Kamilla, Varvara Gracheva, Czech Linda Fruhvirtova, Peyton Stearns Organizations: National Tennis Center, Hana Bank, South Koreans, Ostapenko, Viktoria Hruncakova, WTA, China . Hong Kong, Victoria Azarenka, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Hana Bank Korea, Seoul, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Zhengzhou, Russia, Daria Kasatkina of Russia, Croatia, Germany, China . Hong, Canadian, Italy, France, Czech

WADA said North Korea was still non-compliant with its anti-doping code and the OCA had failed to enforce its sanction. "North Korea, the DPRK Korea, has also written a letter to them very lately telling them that the borders have opened and they can send the doping control officers for the testing which the WADA has agreed and they will be shortly sending it to the DPRK, to North Korea," Tiwari added. North Korea won 11 golds in Hangzhou, including in artistic gymnastics, shooting, wrestling, boxing and six in weightlifting. It was the first international multi-sport event North Korea attended since the 2018 edition in Jakarta. North Korea closed its borders for nearly four years because of COVID-19.

Persons: Kim Kyung, WADA, Vinod Kumar Tiwari, It's, Tiwari, Martin Quin Pollard, Robert Birsel Organizations: North, Rights, Olympic Council of Asia, Hangzhou Asian, Doping Agency, Olympic, Paralympic Games, OCA, DPRK, North Korea, International Olympic Committee, Beijing, Games, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China, North Korea, Rights HANGZHOU, Korea, DPRK Korea, Jakarta . North Korea, Tokyo

[1/8] Asian Games - Hangzhou 2022 - Closing Ceremony - Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, Hangzhou, China - October 8, 2023 A view of the handover ceremony at the closing ceremony REUTERS/Marko Djurica Acquire Licensing RightsHANGZHOU, China, Oct 8 (Reuters) - China's eastern city of Hangzhou rounded off the 19th Asian Games on Sunday with a colourful and "joy"-themed closing ceremony after hosting the continental sporting extravaganza which organisers hailed as "one of the finest" ever. Taking place amid tight security the less-than two hour ceremony also included a handover to the hosts of the next Asian Games in 2026, the Japanese city Nagoya. The hosts' 201st gold left them two better than their previous best of 199 at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. Organisers said 12,407 athletes from 45 nations competed in 40 sports at the Hangzhou Games, which were delayed for a year due to COVID-19. "We have hosted the most successful Asian Games in history" said Chen Weiqiang, Executive Secretary General of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee and vice-mayor of Hangzhou.

Persons: Marko Djurica, Li Qiang, jigged, Takashi Kawamura, Randhir Singh, Gu Shiau, Kazakhstan's Moldir, Chen Weiqiang, WADA, Martin Quin Pollard, Ian Ransom, Christian Schmollinger, Toby Chopra, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre, Rights, Games, Nagoya, Mainichi, Olympic Council of Asia, energised, Bangkok Games, Hangzhou Games, Hangzhou Asian Games, Doping Agency, Olympic, Paralympic Games, Olympic Council of, OCA Locations: Hangzhou, China, Rights HANGZHOU, Nagoya, Nanjing, Aichi, Guangzhou, Jakarta, Japan, Macau, North, Korea, Olympic Council of Asia

☆ Swiatek ends Gauff's 16-match winning streak to reach Beijing final
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

But Swiatek, who had surrendered her top ranking to Aryna Sabalenka after losing to Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round of the season's final Grand Slam last month, regained her grip on her rivalry with Gauff to reach a seventh final this year. Up next for Swiatek is Samsonova, who beat former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 7-6(7) 6-3 to improve her head-to-head record over the Moscow-born Kazakh world number five to 4-0. "Every time it's a battle with Elena ... She's a champion," Samsonova said. The 24-year-old Samsonova, who is ranked 22, has now beaten three former Grand Slam champions in Beijing with victories over Petra Kvitova and Ostapenko in earlier rounds. Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Coco Gauff, Florence Lo, Swiatek, Coco Gauff's, Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Jelena Ostapenko, I'm, It's, Elena Rybakina, Elena, Samsonova, Petra Kvitova, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Hugh Lawson Organizations: National Tennis Center, United, United States REUTERS, Rights, China, Russian, Cincinnati, U.S ., Wimbledon, Kazakh, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, United States, Rights BEIJING, Moscow, She's, Bengaluru

At issue is RISC-V, pronounced "risk five," an open-source technology that competes with costly proprietary technology from British semiconductor and software design company Arm Holdings (O9Ty.F). RISC-V can be used as a key ingredient for anything from a smartphone chip to advanced processors for artificial intelligence. The RISC-V technology came from labs at the University of California, Berkeley, and later benefited from funding by the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Its executives said in August they believe RISC-V will speed up chip innovation and transform the tech industry. Jack Kang, vice president of business development at SiFive, a Santa Clara, California-based startup using RISC-V, said potential U.S. government restrictions on American companies regarding RISC-V would be a "tremendous tragedy."

Persons: Florence Lo, Joe Biden's, Marco Rubio, Mark Warner, Mike Gallagher, Biden, Michael McCaul, McCaul, " Rubio, Warner, Jack Kang, Kang, Kevin Wolf, Akin Gump, Barack Obama, Wolf, Max A, Cherney, Stephen Nellis, Will Dunham, Kenneth Li Organizations: REUTERS, U.S ., Arm Holdings, Republican, Democratic, Reuters, Commerce Department, People's, CCP, Chinese Communist Party, House Foreign Affairs, of Industry, Security, Commerce, University of California, Pentagon's Defense, Research Projects Agency, DARPA, HUAWEI, Huawei Technologies, Qualcomm, Google, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Beijing, People's Republic of China, Communist China, Swiss, Berkeley, United States, SiFive, Santa Clara , California, San Francisco

The Indian eventually won the Asiad gold thanks to getting 88.88 metres on his fourth registered effort. Soon Chopra went over to speak to them to protest because he knew his was a "good throw". "I fight (protest my case) with them because it was a good throw. And I asked them what happened, what happened? "So I was a little disappointed because it was a good throw, and there was a good wind behind me as well."

Persons: India's Neeraj Chopra, India's Kishore Kumar Jena, Japan's Roderick Genki Dean, Neeraj Chopra, Kishore Jena, Chopra, I'm, Klaus Bartonietz, “, Bartonietz, It's, ”, Wu Yanni, Martin Quin Pollard Organizations: Olympic Sports Centre, Hangzhou Asian, Olympic, Indian, Games, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China, HANGZHOU

☆ Germany risks letting a good crisis go to waste
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Germany, the European Union’s largest economy and its traditional growth engine, is headed towards a contraction this year. Exports account for more than half of Germany’s GDP, compared to just a third in France and 37% in Italy, according to the World Bank. Germany’s growth potential is estimated at an annual 0.7% over the medium term by the Scope rating agency, about half the euro zone average. Exempting net public investment from the debt brake rule would help to reverse years of underspending. Unless they do, Europe’s leading economy risks letting a good crisis go to waste.

Persons: –, Hubertus Bardt, Germany’s, Carsten Brzeski, Oliver Rakau, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner’s, Sebastian Dullien, Scholz, Destatis, Francesco Guerrera, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, World Bank, EU, International Monetary Fund, Reuters Graphics Reuters, German Economic Institute, ING, Oxford Economics, BASF, Finance, Christian Democrats, Thomson Locations: Germany, Berlin, France, Italy, China –, Spain, Weimar Republic, China, Ukraine

☆ Medvedev books China Open semi-final with familiar foe Zverev
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I'm happy that I managed to raise my level in important moments, except a game in the second set," Medvedev said. "It's great that I managed to still find in this tough match these moments of consistency, which is enough to win. The 10th-ranked German has lost three times to Medvedev this year but flipped the script in their last meeting in Cincinnati. I'm really happy with that. The Tunisian, who is looking to qualify for the season-ending WTA Finals, plays Marta Kostyuk in the second round.

Persons: Russia's Daniil Medvedev, France's Ugo Humbert REUTERS, Florence Lo, Daniil Medvedev, Ugo Humbert 6, Alexander Zverev, Medvedev, Humbert, Zverev, Chile's Nicolas Jarry, it's, He's, Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, Grigor Dimitrov, Jannik, Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo, Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva, I've, Swiatek, I'm, Coco Gauff, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Ashlyn Krueger, She's, Marta Kostyuk, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Clare Fallon Organizations: China, National Tennis Center, Rights, Chile's, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai, Miami, Russian, Chengdu, Cincinnati, Ningbo, Osaka, Bengaluru

☆ Peak China may pose peak danger
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

For example, last week it installed a floating barrier by a rocky outcrop in the South China Sea claimed by the Philippines - which Manila promptly removed. A war between the United States and China still seems unlikely - because both sides know that the economic and human costs of a clash could be catastrophic. The United States and its Western allies are also worried that China could browbeat Japan and South Korea, two nations economically important to them. Meanwhile, the United States and other allies are imposing controls on the export of technology such as advanced chips to the People’s Republic. What’s more, the United States is finding it hard to maintain an emollient message.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping “, Biden, Victor Sebestyen, Xi, Michael Beckley, Beckley, Hal Brands, Vladimir Putin, ”, Donald Trump, Goldman Sachs, Tufts ’ Beckley, Una Galani, Streisand Neto Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Reuters, Austro, South China, Beijing, Tufts University, Washington, San, Economic Cooperation, Tufts, Thomson Locations: Beijing, CHINA, Greece, China, Vietnam, U.S, Taiwan, United States, Germany, France, British, Ottoman Empire, Hungarian Empire, Ukraine, South China, South, Philippines, Manila, China’s, India, People’s Republic, Japan, South Korea, America, Pacific, Washington, Hanoi, San Francisco, Asia, Taiwan Strait

Just before 8 p.m. (1200 GMT) on Saturday, Kuwait's Ali Zankawi lined up for one of his throws in the men's hammer final at the eastern Chinese city's packed Olympic stadium. But instead of soaring straight onto the outfield, the hammer flew out sideways and low to the right, smashing into the leg of the sitting technical official. Looking horrified, Zankawi sprinted over as blood began spurting from the official's right leg. The official, Huang Qinhua, 62, grimaced and swayed dizzily as Zankawi rushed to check on him, blood shooting out of the wound. The netting in athletics is designed to hang relatively loosely to prevent hammer balls and discuses from bouncing back at the athletes after misthrows.

Persons: Kuwait's Ali Zankawi, Dylan Martinez, Zankawi, Huang Qinhua, grimaced, dizzily, Huang, Xu Deqing, China's Wang Qi, Martin Quin Pollard, William Mallard Organizations: Olympic Sports Centre, Rights, Asian, misthrows, Weibo, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China, Rights HANGZHOU

☆ ATP Roundup: Daniil Medvedev advances to quarters in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Tennis - ATP 500 - China Open - National Tennis Center, Beijing, China - September 29, 2023. With the victory, Medvedev won his 40th hard-court match of the season, which leads the tour. When Medvedev meets Ugo Humbert of France in the quarterfinals, it will be Medvedev's 13th quarters match in 18 tournaments this year. Humbert upset another Russian, fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (3). Also advancing Saturday was Nicolas Jarry of Chile, who defeated Italian Matteo Arnaldi 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-3.

Persons: Daniil Medvedev, Tommy Paul of, Florence, Australian Alex de Minaur, Medvedev, de Minaur, Ugo Humbert of France, Humbert, Andrey Rublev, Nicolas Jarry of, Matteo Arnaldi, Alexander Zverev of, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Dominic Thiem, Marcos, Thiem, Austrian Sebastian Ofner, Ofner, Alexander Bublik, Tallon Griekspoor, Japan's Sho Shimabukuro, Griekspoor, Sebastian Korda, Nuno Borges Organizations: China, National Tennis Center, U.S, REUTERS, Astana, Marcos Giron, Austrian, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Russia, Australian, Nicolas Jarry of Chile, Alexander Zverev of Germany, Spain, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Portugal

☆ Divided again, South Korea beat North Korea in Asian Games basketball
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Ro captained North Korea and guard Kim started on the bench, while South Korea had forward Kang Lee-seul, guard Park Ji-hyun and centre Park Ji-su among the 2018 alumni. With South Korea and North Korea still technically at war, there has been diplomatic tension at the Games. North Korean athletes refused to join South Korean rivals for a group photo of medal winners at the shooting competition. North Korea had a cheer-squad numbering a few dozen people high up in the grandstand of the half-full stadium. A North Korea team official sitting beside Jong, who was an assistant coach of the unified team in 2018, said the question was not relevant.

Persons: Ann Wang, basketballers, Lee, Ro Suk, Yong, Kim Hye, Jang, Ro, Kim, Kang Lee, Ji, Jung Sun, Jung, Jong, Ian Ransom, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium, North, REUTERS, Rights, Asian, South, China's, Group, Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre, Games, Unified Korean, Jakarta Asian Games, Olympic, North Korea, North Korean, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China, Rights HANGZHOU, Jakarta, South, North Korea, South Korea, South Korean, Korea, Korean, Pyeongchang, DPRK, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Korea's, North Korean

Asian Games - Hangzhou 2022 - E-Sports - China Hangzhou Esports Centre, Hangzhou, China - September 26, 2023 Players from Team China talk during the Arena of Valor Asian Games Version Final REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHANGZHOU, China Sept 26 (Reuters) - China won the first gold esports medal in Asian Games history in the Eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Tuesday by beating Malaysia in the smartphone multiplayer battle game “Arena of Valor”, to delight fans in the world’s biggest esports market. the Chinese players shouted in a huddle on the stage just before the match began, triggering another loud cheer from spectators, before taking their seats for the "Arena of Valor" final. Thailand earlier claimed the Games' first esports medal by beating Vietnam for the bronze. The market generated $445 million in 2022 or 64.8% of the Asian esports market and China boasts 400 million esports fans, also the highest number globally, according to data from leading Asian video game market analysts Niko Partners. "Esports players are not just sitting on the chair.

Persons: Ann Wang, Tapping, Jiang Tao, Xu Bicheng, esports, Yvonne Yu, “, Xi Jinping, Serkan Toto, Niko Partners, Wong Kang Woon, Malaysia's, Martin Quin Pollard, Xihao Jiang, Ian Ransom, Ken Ferris Organizations: China Hangzhou Esports, Team China, of Valor, Rights, Malaysia, “, Valor, Asian Games, HK, Games, China Media Group, Research, Kantan Games, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China Hangzhou, China Hangzhou Esports Centre, China, Rights HANGZHOU, Thailand, Vietnam

☆ Thailand win first esports medal as princess rides in
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Asian Games - Hangzhou 2022 - E-Sports - China Hangzhou Esports Centre, Hangzhou, China - September 26, 2023 Players from Team Thailand prepare before the Arena of Valor Asian Games Version Bronze Medal Match REUTERS/Ann Wang Acquire Licensing RightsHANGZHOU, China, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Thailand claimed the first esports medal awarded at the Asian Games on Tuesday in an event closely watched by Olympic officials as a princess of the kingdom made a royal entrance to the equestrian event. But an enthusiastic crowd of locals cheered on the Thais at the Hangzhou Esports Centre as they prevailed 2-0 in a best-of-three match for the popular mobile phone game developed by a Chinese tech firm. The players tapped their small screens furiously and communicated with team mates via headsets throughout a contest that stretched to nearly 40 minutes. If esports is the future of the Games, Thai Princess Sirivannavari Mahidol represented its past as she made a regal entrance on a horse named 'Es Fangar's Samba King' in the dressage team event. "Luckily our father is supporting us," said the princess, who represented Thailand in badminton at the 2006 Asian Games in Qatar and equestrian at Incheon in 2014.

Persons: Ann Wang, Sirivannavari Mahidol, King Vajiralongkorn, Zhang Boheng, Zhang, Takeru Kitazono, nation's, Lee Hye, kyeong, Kwon, Martin Quin Pollard, Peter Rutherford Organizations: China Hangzhou Esports, Team Thailand, of Valor, REUTERS, Rights, Asian Games, Olympic, Vietnam, esports, Jakarta Asian, Thais, Hangzhou Esports, Thailand, Games, South, Doping Agency, Olympic Council of Asia, OCA, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China Hangzhou, China Hangzhou Esports Centre, China, Rights HANGZHOU, Thailand, Bangkok, Sorawat, India, Qatar, Incheon, North, Jakarta, Communist, Korean

Earlier the Bangladesh women's cricket team beat Pakistan in the bronze match to claim the country's first Asian Games medal since 2014 at Incheon, South Korea. Cricket, which has hopes of becoming an Olympic sport, returned to the Asian Games this year after being omitted from the last edition in Indonesia in 2018. The South Korean did not disappoint his legions of fans on Monday, helping his Korean team beat Kazakhstan 1-0 in one of the preliminary matches in the 'League of Legends' category. GROUP PHOTOElsewhere on day two of competition, three North Korean marksmen refused to join their South Korean rivals in a group photo of medal winners after narrowly missing out on gold in a men's team shooting competition. "It was really fun," she said after her seventh-placed finish in the women's park, an event won by Japan's Hinano Kusaki.

Persons: India's Divyansh Singh, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Rudrankksh Patil, Dylan Martinez, Lee Sang, Anna Prakaten, Panipak Wongpattanakit, Guo Qing, Hong Kong's Siobhan Bernadette Haughey, it’s, I’m, Japan's Hinano, Martin Quin Pollard, Ian Ransom, Peter Rutherford, Ken Ferris Organizations: Sports Centre, India, Hangzhou Asian Games, Games, Sri, Asian Games, Bangladesh women's, Pakistan, Cricket, Olympic, Korean, Kazakhstan, League, North, South, Tokyo, Russian Olympic Committee, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China, HANGZHOU, Sri Lanka, Guangzhou, Bangladesh, Incheon, South Korea, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Philippines

After receiving their silver medal in the men's team 10m running target, their country's first of the Games, the three North Korean athletes first broke with tradition by declining to turn towards the flag during the rendition of the national anthem of the winners, South Korea. Then, during the customary group photo, where all medal winners bunch together for the cameras, the bronze medallists, Indonesia, joined South Korea on the top rung of the podium, but the three North Koreans, Kwon Kwang-il, Pak Myong-won and Songjun Yu, did not. During a brief, but awkward delay one of the South Koreans tapped one of the North Koreans on the shoulder and tried to speak to them, but the North Koreans kept silent and did not even look to their left where their rivals stood. The Hangzhou Asian Games is the first international multi-sport event North Korea is attending since the 2018 edition in Jakarta. The 1950-1953 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty meaning the two sides are still technically at war.

Persons: Jeong, Kwon Kwang, Pak Myong, Songjun Yu, Martin Quin Pollard, Dylan Martinez, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Sports Centre, North, South, Hangzhou Asian Games, Games, Koreans, Olympic Council of Asia, Hangzhou, International Olympic Committee, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China, HANGZHOU, South Korea, Indonesia, North Koreans, North Korea, Korea, Jakarta . North Korea, Tokyo

"OCA is looking into it, definitely," as well as organisers and the government, Singh told a press conference in the eastern Chinese host city, Hangzhou. The three wushu fighters from the state of Arunachal Pradesh were issued stapled visas instead of stamped ones, India's foreign ministry said. Wei Jizhong, chairman of the OCA's ethics committee, told reporters last week that China did not refuse entry to the athletes. New Delhi vociferously rejects the claim, saying Arunachal Pradesh has always been part of India. At the Asian Games, delayed by a year due to COVID-19, some 12,400 athletes from 45 nations are competing for 481 gold medals across a huge programme of 40 sports.

Persons: Stanley Cheah, Raja Randhir Singh, Singh, Wei Jizhong, Tibet . New Delhi vociferously, Ian Ransom, Martin Quin Pollard, William Mallard Organizations: Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center, Olympic Council of Asia, Singapore, Reuters, Rights, Asian Games, OCA, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China, Rights HANGZHOU, Arunachal Pradesh, India, Beijing, Tibet . New Delhi, New Delhi

☆ Asia Olympic body backs North Korea flag at Hangzhou despite WADA ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned the flag at all major sporting events, outside the Olympic and Paralympic Games, in 2021 after deeming North Korea had failed to implement an effective testing programme. Acting OCA President Randhir Singh said Asian Games organisers and North Korea were in discussions with WADA but that the flag was still "flying". "North Korea also has written to WADA as well, explaining their position," he told reporters on Sunday. At present the North Korea flag is flying and we will look into it and see what the future says. The Hangzhou Asian Games is the first international multi-sport event North Korea is attending since the 2018 edition in Jakarta.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Randhir Singh, WADA, Singh, Ian Ransom, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center, Rights, Olympic Council of Asia, North, Hangzhou Asian, Doping Agency, Olympic, Paralympic Games, Games, Hangzhou, International Olympic Committee, Beijing, IOC, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China, North Korea, Rights HANGZHOU, Korea, Korean, Jakarta . North Korea, Tokyo, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Asia markets set to extend losses ahead of China loan prime rate decision; Fed decision on horizon
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

SHENZHEN, CHINA - AUGUST 26: An aerial view of the Shenzhen skyline on August 26, 2020 in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province of China. (Photo by He Shaoping/VCG via Getty Images) Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty ImagesAsia-Pacific markets are set to extend losses from Tuesday as investors await China's one-year and five year loan prime rates and brace for the U.S. Federal Reserve's rate decision Wednesday stateside. The region will also see August trade data out from Japan, while wholesale inflation in South Korea jumped for the first time since July 2022. In Australia, futures for the S&P/ASX 200 also point to a lower open, at 7,184 compared with the last close of 7,196.6. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 17,980, lower than the HSI's last close of 17,997.17.

Organizations: Getty, Visual China, U.S, Japan's Nikkei Locations: SHENZHEN, CHINA, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province of China, Asia, Pacific, U.S . Federal, Japan, South Korea, Chicago, Osaka, Australia

Search resuls for: "China -"

25 mentions found