Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), (left), and the foreign exchange rate between US dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, on July 30, 2025. (AP)

BANGKOK, July 30, (AP): Shares in Asia were mixed on Wednesday after the US and China ended their latest round of trade talks without a deal. US, futures edged higher while oil prices slipped. Beijing’s top trade official said China and the United States agreed during two days of talks in Stockholm, Sweden, to work on extending an Aug 12 deadline for imposing higher tariffs on each other.

The US side said an extension was discussed, but not decided on. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the American team would head back to Washington and “talk to the president about whether that’s something that he wants to do.” A Friday deadline is looming for many of Trump’s proposed tariffs on other countries.

Several highly anticipated economic reports are also on the way, including the latest monthly update on the job market. “Markets had been floating on a cloud of trade optimism – first Japan, then the EU – but the sugar high is wearing off. Now, with US-China talks dragging on in Stockholm, there’s a growing sense that the momentum is stalling,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index shed 0.1.2% to 25,213.15, while the Shanghai Composite index gained 0.2% to 3,616.30. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index fell less than 0.1% to 40,654.70. Gains for electronics companies were offset by losses for major exporters like Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.6% to 8,756.40 and in South Korea, the Kospi gained 0.7% to 3,254,47. Taiwan’s Taiex rose 1.1%.

In India, the Sensex added 0.3%. On Tuesday, US stock indexes edged back from their record levels as a busy week for Wall Street picked up momentum. The S&P 500 fell 0.3% to 6,370.86, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.5% to 44,632.99. The Nasdaq composite was down 0.4% at 21,098.29. SoFi Technologies jumped 7.4%, but Merck dropped 2.2% and UPS sank 9.2% following a torrent of profit reports from big US companies. They’re among the hundreds of companies telling investors this week how much they made during the spring, including nearly a third of the stocks in the S&P 500 index.  

Menzies Aviation at Budapest Airport

UK / KUWAIT, July 29:  Menzies Aviation, the leading service partner to the world’s airports and airlines, has finalised its strategic partnership with Airport Service Budapest Zrt. (AS Budapest), Following the approval of the Hungarian Competition Authority, creating new opportunities to support more customers and partners.

Under the agreement, AS Budapest will transfer its ground handling and cargo operations to Menzies Aviation, acquiring a minority stake in Menzies Aviation Hungary Kft. and Menzies Aviation Cargo Hungary Kft. The Hungarian ground handling company will now operate under the Menzies’ global brand, which includes operations at more than 300 airports in 65 countries.

AS Budapest’s employees will transfer to Menzies Aviation Hungary Kft., ensuring continuity of service and the integration of local expertise into Menzies’ Budapest operation. The well-established SkyCourt Lounge – the airport’s largest premium lounge – also becomes part of the integrated offering under the Menzies Aviation brand.

Together, the companies will handle more than 2,500 flights and over 12,000 tons of cargo per month at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport (BUD), supported by a dedicated team of over 1,000 employees. The new partnership will cover all operational areas, including passenger services, baggage handling, cargo logistics, aircraft cleaning, de-icing, aircraft security and airside transport. The agreement marks a significant milestone for Menzies’ BUD operation, creating opportunities to deliver more efficient, high-quality ground handling and cargo services for airline customers. This partnership follows Menzies’ investment in a state-of-the-art facility in BUD’s Cargo City in 2024, which saw a 3,000sqm warehouse expansion, new 1,500sqm manoeuvring area for truck and ground support equipment (GSE), and 300sqm office and social space.

KUWAIT CITY, Jul 29: There’s a particular kind of silence that envelops a guest room at Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at ‎Burj Alshaya just before check-in, a poised hush, like the moment before a symphony begins. But ‎what seems effortless is, in truth, the culmination of a choreography that begins long before the ‎guest ever steps inside. It’s a ritual of intention, detail, and above all, care.‎

Luxury in today’s world isn’t just about thread count or polished silver. It’s about anticipation, ‎knowing what a guest needs before they do, and shaping their experience not through ‎extravagance, but through thoughtfulness.‎

Step into this behind-the-scenes ballet, and you’ll find more than a team, you’ll find artisans of ‎hospitality.‎

The journey begins with something as deceptively simple as a sheet. Each one is steamed and ‎stretched by hand to achieve that signature Four Seasons silkiness, the kind that invites you to ‎sink in and forget time. Pillows are plumped not just for appearance but for ergonomics, aligned ‎to match your sleeping preferences if they’re on file, and if not, ready to be adjusted at a ‎moment’s notice.‎

Then come the amenities. These aren’t just placed, they’re composed. A honey jar might be ‎nestled next to a herbal tea blend if our records show you like to wind down naturally. A ‎particular chocolate brand might grace your table if it was once mentioned in passing to a ‎concierge. Cables are untangled and aligned, device chargers pre-connected, because the real ‎luxury is never needing to ask.‎

Every corner is checked not for perfection alone, but for personality. The team scans each room ‎with the eyes of a returning guest. Would he notice that the curtain gap lets in the morning sun ‎too soon? Would she prefer the temperature at 21 instead of 22? No assumption is too small; no ‎detail is too trivial.‎

At Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait, this philosophy is carried further with a revolutionary concept: ‎the 24-hour stay. Guests are invited to check in at their leisure, 11 a.m., 7 p.m., or even 3 a.m., ‎and enjoy a full 24 hours of personalized luxury. It’s an invitation to live on your own rhythm, ‎not the hotel’s. To truly settle in, unpack, and exhale.‎

And in the heart of a Kuwaiti summer, where the desert sun lingers until twilight, there’s no ‎better way to savor your stay than poolside. The hotel’s serene outdoor pool becomes a cool oasis ‎suspended above the city, shaded by modern design and serviced with refreshments that flow ‎like time here: effortlessly.‎

Whether it’s a solo escape or a shared getaway, your time at Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait isn’t just ‎a stay, it’s a curated journey of comfort, nuance, and quiet luxury.‎