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Indonesia’s top defence official says his country is set to acquire China’s J-10 fighter jets, possibly making it the second foreign military to operate the model after Pakistan.Once finalised, the deal would also mark the first purchase of Chinese-made warplanes by Indonesia as part of its military modernisation plans.Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said Indonesia would soon buy the J-10 fighter jets from China as part of Jakarta’s plan to modernise its military, according to Indonesia’s national news wire Antara. 10:01What do we know about China’s two next-generation aircraft?What do we know about China’s two next-generation…

The world is witnessing an unprecedented surge in energy demand driven by the rapid spread of artificial intelligence technologies, putting immense pressure on power sources and grid infrastructure worldwide.   With expectations for continued growth in this sector, public and private investors are racing to accelerate the large-scale development of new data centers. According to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), global investment in data centers reached half a trillion dollars in 2024 — nearly doubling in just two years.   However, this rapid pace of construction has created a new problem: data center buildouts are outstripping the capacity…

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, in a meeting with Benjamin Black, CEO of the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), highlighted Pakistan’s vast investment potential across the oil and gas, minerals, agriculture, IT, and pharmaceutical sectors, while welcoming the DFC’s interest in facilitating private sector-led financing for development projects. Aurangzeb, who is on an official trip to the United States, held a series of high-level engagements on the sidelines of the IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington DC, focusing on advancing investment partnerships, strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation, read a statement released by the Finance Division. During his meeting with Black,…

Australian shares rose to a record high on Thursday, lifted by gains in banks and real estate stocks after data showed higher-than-anticipated unemployment in September, lifting bets of an interest rate cut in November. The S&P/ASX 200 index climbed as much as 0.8% to 9,059.40 by 0043 GMT and was on track for a third straight session of gains. The benchmark crossed the 9,000 level for the first time since October 6. The country’s unemployment rate spiked unexpectedly to a near four-year high last month, official data showed, a weak reading that cemented the case for further rate cuts. Markets…

MUMBAI: Indian government bonds slipped early in the session on Thursday, as traders booked profits, pushing bond bulls to the sidelines after relatively dovish minutes of the central bank’s latest meeting. The yield on the benchmark 10-year note was at 6.4921% as of 10:00 a.m. IST, after closing at 6.4799% on Wednesday. Bond yields move inversely to prices. Market participants were anticipating the benchmark yield to hit a key technical level of 6.47% in Thursday’s trade. “We were anticipating profit booking, but it would be right from the start is a bit of a surprise, especially after the minutes have…

Paytm, PhonePe, Google Pay (Gpay) and Bhim UPI QR Codes (Standee) are Kept outside for Cashless payments at a medical store in Gurugram on the outskirts of New Delhi, India on 16 May 2020.Nasir Kachroo | NurPhoto | Getty ImagesThis report is from this week’s CNBC’s “Inside India” newsletter which brings you timely, insightful news and market commentary on the emerging powerhouse. Subscribe here.The big storyMoney seems to be moving a lot faster in India compared to the mobility of the people carrying out the transactions, and nowhere was that more evident than at the Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai’s Bandra…

PARIS (AP) — French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu survived a vote of no-confidence Thursday that could have toppled his fragile new government and plunged France deeper into political chaos.The National Assembly vote clears the way for the embattled Lecornu to pursue what could be an even greater challenge: getting a 2026 budget for the European Union’s second-largest economy through Parliament’s powerful but bitterly divided lower house before the end of the year.Lecornu’s survival also spares any immediate need for President Emmanuel Macron to again dissolve the National Assembly and call snap legislative elections, a hazardous option that the French leader…

Top Seoul officials are visiting Washington amid signs of major progress in tough trade negotiations, although analysts warn that a coerced deal could severely damage South Korea’s economy.Kim Yong-bum, policy chief of the presidential staff, and Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan left for Washington on Thursday to join Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo.The delegation plans to meet US counterparts to finalise details of South Korea’s US$350 billion investment commitment under a bilateral trade deal struck in July.Talks have stalled over how the massive investment package would be structured, how profits would be shared and other key conditions.Seoul…

Top Seoul officials are visiting Washington amid signs of major progress in tough trade negotiations, although analysts warn that a coerced deal could severely damage South Korea’s economy.Kim Yong-bum, policy chief of the presidential staff, and Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan left for Washington on Thursday to join Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo.The delegation plans to meet US counterparts to finalise details of South Korea’s US$350 billion investment commitment under a bilateral trade deal struck in July.Talks have stalled over how the massive investment package would be structured, how profits would be shared and other key conditions.Seoul…

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia battered Ukraine’s energy facilities with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in its latest heavy bombardment of the country’s power grid, authorities said Thursday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared to ask President Donald Trump at a White House meeting for more American-made air defenses and long-range missiles.Eight Ukrainian regions experienced blackouts after the barrage, Ukraine’s national energy operator, Ukrenergo, said. DTEK, the country’s largest private energy company, reported outages in the capital, Kyiv, and said it had to stop its natural gas extraction in the central Poltava region due to the strikes.Zelenskyy said…