Posts by Nathan Pine
BMW profits slump on China woes, US tariffs
[FRANKFURT] BMW said on Thursday (Jul 31) its profits slumped by a third in the second quarter as the German premium carmaker was hit hard by falling sales in key market China and US tariffs. Net profit for the April-June period plunged 32 per cent from a year earlier to 1.8 billion euros (S$2.66 billion),…
Read MoreAsian markets with strong policy support stand to gain as Fed defies Trump’s demand to cut rates
[SINGAPORE] The US Federal Reserve’s decision to defy President Donald Trump’s demands by keeping interest rates unchanged for the fifth straight time was broadly in line with market expectations. But analysts say that Asian markets with strong policy support may fare better in weathering a storm of uncertainties whipped up by factors such as elevated…
Read MoreEmma Thompson Returning To World Of ‘Sense And Sensibility’ With Audible Podcast Sequel Starring Erin Doherty, Jessica Gunning & Naomi Ackie
EXCLUSIVE: Three decades on from her Oscar-winning movie, Emma Thompson is returning to the world of Sense and Sensibility with an Audible podcast telling the story of the youngest Dashwood sister. Thompson is producing and leading sequel Becoming Meg Dashwood with an ensemble including Emmy-nominee Erin Doherty (Adolescence), BAFTA-winner Naomi Ackie (Mickey 17), Baby Reindeer…
Read MoreSingapore gold investment soars 37% to 2.2 tonnes in Q2 while jewellery demand wanes
[SINGAPORE] Investment appetite for gold remains strong in Singapore, with 2.2 tonnes of gold bars and coins purchased in the second quarter of 2025, according to the World Gold Council’s latest report released on Thursday (Jul 31). Meanwhile, gold jewellery demand in Singapore declined 8 per cent to 1.5 tonnes, as record gold prices curbed…
Read MoreSocGen lifts targets after French retail rebounds sharply
[PARIS] Societe Generale, France’s third-largest listed bank, raised its annual profit target on Thursday (Jul 31) after a strong rebound in its French retail business lifted second-quarter results above expectations. The lender raised its 2025 return on tangible equity target, a key profitability measure, to around 9 per cent from a previous goal of above…
Read More‘South Park’ Viewership Score Ratings Big With Small Trump Attack
South Park certainly has been in the news during the past week. The animated series took aim at President Donald Trump in its Season 27 opener, in particular focusing on the Commander-in-Chief’s small manhood, and clearly it has paid off. The opening episode — which premiered on Comedy Central and streamed on Paramount+, thanks to…
Read MoreLufthansa reports higher-than-expected Q2 earnings
Published Thu, Jul 31, 2025 · 01:23 PM [BERLIN] Lufthansa on Thursday reported better second-quarter results than expected, boosted by low oil prices and currency effects, and confirmed its full-year guidance. The German airline group reported an operating profit of 871 million euros (S$1.29 billion), compared with 805 million euros expected, according to an analyst…
Read MoreNBC Developing Hotel Comedy From Andy Gordon & Maria Ferrari; Susan Rovner To Executive Produce
EXCLUSIVE: NBC is developing a new comedy about an ex-pat who runs a hotel full of American foreign exchange students in Greece. Created by Maria Ferrari and Andy Gordon, Hotel Sofia will be a multi-camera sitcom that follows the female hotel owner, who dispenses wisdom as she works to rebuild her own life. Susan Rovner is…
Read MoreFamily office for Hong Kong’s richest builds out hedge fund team
[HONG KONG] A money manager for some of Hong Kong’s richest families is building a hedge fund team to allocate money away from private equity after its clients asked for more liquid investments. VMS Group, which has about US$4 billion in assets under management, hired equities veteran Raymond Jook as managing director in April. The…
Read MoreEdwin Hodge & Caitlin Bassett Join ‘The Terminal List’ For Season 2
EXCLUSIVE: Edwin Hodge (FBI: Most Wanted, Winning Time) and Caitlin Bassett (Quantum Leap) have been cast in recurring guest roles in Prime Video‘s The Terminal List for Season 2. The project reunites Hodge and Chris Pratt, star and executive producer of The Terminal List, both of whom starred in the 2021 sci-fi film The Tomorrow…
Read MoreJurnee Smollett Gained 20 lbs Of Muscle To Make ‘Smoke’ Role “Feel More Truthful”
Jurnee Smollett‘s latest project required a little extra character work in the gym to fully embody her role. While discussing her Marine-turned-arson investigator Michelle Calderone in the Apple TV+ series Smoke, new episodes available to stream Thursdays, the Emmy nominee recently opened up about the physical transformation she underwent for the part. “She’s someone who…
Read More90 Day Fiancé’s Larissa Santos Lima Reveals New Look After Removing Enormous Breast Implants
Can Larissa Lima Survive 2 Weeks Without Breast Implants? | Plastic Surgery Rewind | E! Larissa Santos Lima is getting something off her chest. The 90 Day Fiancé alum debuted a jaw-dropping transformation after deciding to remove her gigantic breast implants on the July 30 episode of E!’s makeover series Botched Presents: Plastic Surgery Rewind—and she…
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