News
In Chicago, Will the Pope Bump Last?
In Chicago, people are very excited about Pope Leo XIV, or Father Bob, as those who’ve known Robert Francis Prevost a long time…
Swedan Margen
Swedan Margen contributes to L'Officiel Lifestyle with a focus on business and entrepreneurship.
Swedan covers business developments, emerging companies, entrepreneurial stories, and trends influencing industries and the broader economy.
The goal is to bring readers accessible coverage of business stories while highlighting developments, ideas, and opportunities shaping the marketplace.
Business · Entrepreneurship · Companies · Industry Trends · Innovation
Culture
Can these short films convince people that AI is a force for good?
MOUNTAIN VIEW — For decades, Hollywood directors including Stanley Kubrick, James Cameron and Alex Garland have cast artificial…
Business
What Casey Means and MAHA Want You to Fear
If you close your eyes and imagine an up-from-the-bootstraps embodiment of boomer triumphalism—the ambitious young technocrat of a systems…
Business
Lenovo reports 64% profit decline in fourth quarter
China’s Lenovo, the world’s largest personal computer manufacturer, on Thursday reported a worse-than-expected 64 per cent fall in…
Business
Goldman Sachs combines Asia investment banking units, names Drayton APAC head
Goldman Sachs is bringing together previously separately-managed three Asian investment banking businesses into one unit to integrate its…
Business
Former central bank deputy governor to head Bank of China: sources
China will appoint financial veteran Liu Guiping as chairman of Bank of China (BOC), the nation’s fourth-largest state-owned bank, two…
Politics
US accepts Qatar luxury jet as Trump’s new Air Force One
The Defense Department formally accepted a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar to temporarily serve as the new Air Force One for US…
Business
CPF Special, MediSave and Retirement Accounts’ interest rate remains at 4% for Q3 2025
The interest rate for the Central Provident Fund’s (CPF) Special, MediSave and Retirement Accounts (SMRA) will remain at 4 per cent per…
Politics
Asia: Equities track Wall Street sell-off as US deficit fears grow
Asian equities sank and Treasuries remained under pressure following sharp losses on Wall Street fuelled by US economy fears as Donald…
Politics
House Republicans tweak 'big, beautiful bill' ahead of floor vote
House Republicans late Wednesday unveiled changes to the massive bill carrying President Trump's agenda, as they prepare for a floor vote…
Business
Bank of Japan policymaker rules out intervention to stem bond yield spike
Bank of Japan board member Asahi Noguchi said on Thursday (May 22) he saw no need for the central bank to intervene in the bond market to…
Business
Singtel jumps 3.6% on S$0.10 per share dividend, S$2 billion share buyback plan
Company’s shares hit their highest price in more than 5 years as telco returns to the black with S$2.8 billion H2 net profit Shares of…
Business
Ringgit may gain most in South-east Asia on exporter conversion
Malaysia’s ringgit stands to gain the most among its South-east Asian peers if the nation’s exporters convert their overseas earnings to…
Politics
Judge orders Trump administration to continue 'DEI' grant for school desegregation aid
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration wrongly shut down a grant to promote desegregation of schools in the South…
Business
Dollar-store billionaire poised to emerge from Malaysia IPO
A discount chain with signature red storefronts has drawn legions of Malaysians looking for good deals – and made its founder a…
Business
Singtel initiates its first share buyback programme of up to S$2 billion; incorporates cloud business
The buyback will be delivered over the course of three years until financial year 2028 and involves the purchase of shares in the open…
Business
Chinese firms go on fundraising spree amid rush of easy money
Chinese companies are seizing on a window of opportunity to raise capital as global investors pour money into Asian assets in search of…
Politics
Consumer groups want airlines to pay for baggage fees ‘distress’
Sixteen European consumer groups on Wednesday called on the European Union to take action against seven low-cost airlines over their…
News
Estee Lauder, L’Oreal suffer as China’s duty-free spending falls
UNABLE to travel overseas during the Covid-19 pandemic, Chinese consumers sparked a shopping boom in the southernmost province of Hainan,…
Politics
Video: Inside the Oval Office Meeting With South Africa’s President
John Eligon, Johannesburg bureau chief, recounts what he witnessed in the Oval Office when President Trump confronted the visiting…
Business
US to keep China chip curbs, spurning Nvidia’s call for relief
The Trump administration will maintain efforts to keep advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology out of China’s hands, a top White…
Politics
House GOP leaders forge on with plans for late Wednesday or early Thursday vote on Trump agenda bill
House Republican leaders vowed to bring President Trump's "big, beautiful bill" to the floor late Wednesday or early Thursday, after…
Business
Apple design legend Jony Ive joins OpenAI
The legendary designer behind Apple’s iPhone, Jony Ive, has joined OpenAI to create devices tailored for using generative artificial…
Politics
White House meeting disquiets Ramaphosa when Trump emphasizes disputed 'genocide' reports
President Trump put South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on the spot Wednesday by screening a video of Black leaders calling for White…