News
Job seekers turn to AI tools to gain a competitive edge. It can also backfire
Dani Schlarmann, a recruiter, noticed something fishy about the job applicants. Cover letters and resumes sounded identical. Candidates…
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
News
“The Shrouds” Is a Casket Case—and an Unsettling Vision of Techno-Paranoia
David Cronenberg’s new film, “The Shrouds,” contains the funniest and saddest blind-date sequence I’ve ever seen. Myrna (Jennifer Dale), a…
News
“The Handmaid’s Tale” Reflects the Exhaustion of Liberal Feminism
You almost forget that Elisabeth Moss can smile. The lead actor on Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” now in its sixth and final season, spent…
Business
Apple's iPhone 16 hits Indonesia stores after months long ban
Smartphone buyers were cheered by shopkeepers in Jakarta on Friday (Apr 11) after Apple’s latest smartphone went on sale following a…
Business
CapitaLand Investment bullish on healthcare’s real estate needs
As South-east Asia’s population ages, more physical spaces are needed for the healthcare and wellness services that people will require in…
Business
Gold versus Bitcoin – a battle for portfolio diversification
As US President Donald Trump’s eye-watering tariffs triggered a tanking of the world’s markets in the past week, the paths of two…
Business
Novartis pledges US$23 billion US investment as tariffs loom
Trump has repeatedly said he intends to impose tariffs on pharmaceuticals, citing the industry’s reliance on manufacturing sites around…
Business
Google lays off hundreds of employees in Android, Pixel Group: The Information
Alphabet’s Google on Thursday (Apr 10) laid off hundreds of employees in its platforms and devices unit, which works on the Android…
Business
TikTok drives ByteDance’s 29% growth while China business slows
ByteDance’s revenue jumped 29 per cent to US$155 billion in 2024, after online video phenom TikTok drove a worldwide expansion that helped…
Politics
Asia: Stocks, dollar sink as Trump tariff panic returns
Stocks and the dollar tumbled while gold hit a fresh record high as panic gripped markets again on Friday after Donald Trump admitted that…
News
Alibaba’s Jack Ma wants AI to serve, not lord over, humans
Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma, a longstanding advocate for artificial intelligence (AI), warned that AI should not replace humans but work…
News
Los Angeles schools block Homeland Security employees from checking on migrant children
Los Angeles schools said Thursday that they turned away two teams of Homeland Security employees that tried to enter elementary schools…
Business
CATL gets Hong Kong approval for this year’s biggest listing
The approval clears the way for the Chinese company and its bankers to start arranging meetings soon with investors to gauge demand for…
Politics
Trump signs bill loosening cryptocurrency regulations
President Trump on Thursday signed into law a bill that loosens cryptocurrency regulations by shielding decentralized finance (DeFi)…
Politics
Judge won't block Trump's registration requirement for immigrants
A federal judge shot down immigrant-rights groups' attempt to block President Trump's new requirement that illegal immigrants register…
Business
Berkshire sells 90 billion yen bonds in smallest Japan deal
Berkshire Hathaway priced 90 billion yen (S$628 million) of bonds on Friday (Apr 11), completing the yen deal even as sharp market…
Business
Berkshire yen bond deal is its smallest ever amid trade war
Berkshire Hathaway sold 90 billion yen (S$834 million) of bonds on Friday (Apr 11) in its smallest yen deal ever in a market rocked by an…
Business
Tariff volatility to benefit SGX; Macquarie upgrades shares, lifts target price
As tariffs decimate the financial sector, the Singapore Exchange (SGX) is set to position itself as a defensive option with its suite of…
News
Sats JV to upgrade Marina Bay Cruise Centre
Sats announced on Friday (Apr 11) that its 60:40 joint venture with European cruise operator Creuers del Port de Barcelona, terminal…
Politics
EU, China will look into setting minimum prices on electric vehicles, EU says
The European Union and China have agreed to look into setting minimum prices of Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) instead of tariffs…
Politics
Supreme Court orders Trump administration to do its part to bring immigrant back from El Salvador
The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered Homeland Security to try to bring back an MS-13 gang suspect who was wrongly deported to El…
Business
Big US companies went bankrupt at fastest pace since 2010: S&P
Large US companies filed bankruptcy at the fastest rate in 15 years to the first three months of 2025, S&P Global Market Intelligence said…
Politics
States advance fetal rights measures that critics warn will pave a path for outlawing abortions
A new Kansas law and a Florida bill enact policies backed by abortion opponents that critics see as moves toward giving embryos and…
Business
Oil settles down over 3% as investors reassess Trump’s tariff flip
OIL prices settled more than US$2 per barrel lower on Thursday, wiping out the last session’s rally, as investors reassessed a planned…