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Panama Canal transit limits tighten as drought reduces water available for ship crossings. (AI-generated image)
From Sept. 3, the canal offered nine daily Neopanamax slots and 25 Panamax slots, bringing total capacity to 34. Starting Sept. 15, Panamax availability will fall to 23 slots, lowering the combined daily total to 32. The reductions follow weaker rainfall during Panama’s wet season and lower inflows into the canal watershed. Officials are using water-saving measures and tighter booking controls while monitoring Gatun Lake and other water sources.

German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen AG agreed on Monday to sell its Osnabrück assembly plant to Israeli private equity firm Aurelius Capital and the German state of Lower Saxony. Under the preliminary agreement, the new owners will convert the vehicle manufacturing site into a dedicated security and defense production facility. The strategic transaction marks the first major industrial conversion of a German car factory to supply military hardware amid ongoing structural reorganization across Europe’s automotive sector. Israel Aurelius German state to take over VWs Osnabrueck plant defense projects to supply air defense equipment for European security markets.

The upcoming ministerial gathering marks the 20th anniversary of the bilateral platform, bringing together cabinet ministers, development financiers, and technology industry executives. Official announcements confirm that Korea Africa chart new course AI digital infrastructure deployment across emerging trade corridors while reviewing two decades of joint capital investments. The ministerial summit, running from September 8 to 11, operates under the theme of leveraging artificial intelligence and communications networks for African structural transformation. South Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook is scheduled to deliver opening addresses alongside leadership delegations from the African Development Bank Group. Delegations will focus on combining South Korean technological manufacturing expertise with African human capital and critical mineral reserves. Korea Africa chart new course AI digital infrastructure strategies as continental planners seek to bridge an estimated $400 billion annual development financing deficit.

South Korea’s consumer prices rose 3.1% in August from a year earlier, official data showed. The increase accelerated from 2.8% in July and returned headline inflation above 3%. Fuel costs remained a major source of price pressure during the month. Petroleum product prices climbed 14.2% from a year earlier, though the increase slowed from July. Diesel prices jumped 19.6%, while gasoline prices rose 11.5%. Mobile phone service charges also recorded a sharp annual increase. Mobile service prices rose 26.7% from August 2025, reflecting an unusually low comparison base.

Korea’s August exports jump 68.7% to $98.25 billion as Asia’s fourth-largest economy extends its trade expansion streak for a 15th consecutive month. Semiconductor exports, the primary driver of national trade performance, soared 209% year-on-year to an all-time high of $46.65 billion. Additional information distributed by the Yonhap News Agency highlighted that computer product exports expanded 419.5% to $6.24 billion amid elevated global NAND memory pricing. Energy and chemical sectors also contributed to monthly top-line gains, with petroleum product exports climbing 65.3% year-on-year to $6.84 billion.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation put real gross domestic product at ₹81.36 lakh crore for the quarter. That compared with ₹75.46 lakh crore in the same period a year earlier. Nominal GDP reached ₹88.27 lakh crore, up 10.3% from ₹80 lakh crore. Real gross value added, another measure of economic activity, increased 8.2% to ₹73.82 lakh crore. Nominal GVA rose 11.5% to ₹80.53 lakh crore.

The morning selloff eased substantially before the closing bell. The Nikkei ended Monday at 66,311.93, down 93.63 points, or 0.14%, after recovering from its lowest level of the session. The Topix finished at 4,156.29, gaining 0.23% and reversing its earlier decline. Market breadth also improved during the day. Among Nikkei constituents, 131 stocks advanced, 91 declined and three ended unchanged. The final figures showed a much smaller loss than the steep fall recorded shortly after trading began.

The agreement brings the Ministry of Investment and Downstreaming together with the Ministry of Youth and Sports on business licensing. It also covers investment promotion and services for companies operating in sports-related fields. The ministries will coordinate through Indonesia’s Online Single Submission system, known as OSS. Their cooperation also includes compliance monitoring, regulatory coordination and data sharing. The framework applies to investment development across Indonesia’s sports sector rather than establishing a US$521 billion domestic industry target.

Brent crude settled $2.22 lower on Monday at $92.17 a barrel, a decline of 2.35%. WTI dropped $2.05, also 2.35%, to close at $85.01 a barrel. The U.S. benchmark reached a one-week low during the session. The losses followed gains over the previous two weeks and came as traders absorbed new U.S. economic measures targeting Iran and entities maintaining business links with the country.

Alibaba Group has priced an HK$80 billion share placement to fund artificial intelligence investment and expand its AI infrastructure. The Chinese technology group will issue 710 million new ordinary shares at HK$112.70 each. The deal is worth about US$10.2 billion at current exchange rates. Alibaba expects the transaction to close on Aug. 26, subject to customary conditions.