A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan’s Nikkei index at a securities firm on July 29 in Tokyo. (AP)

TOKYO, July 29,  (AP): Asian shares were mixed Tuesday ahead of a second day of trade talks between Chinese and US officials, while US futures and oil prices rose. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 0.8% to 40,674.55 on broad selling of major companies including automakers and big banks. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 0.6% to 25,398.83, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.3% to 3,607.41. Analysts said investors were watching for the latest from US President Donald Trump and US trade talks with talks with China in Stockholm.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng were meeting in the Swedish capital. “Aside from addressing economic imbalances, tariffs are also now well entrenched in the geo-political arena,” Tan Boon Heng of the Asia & Oceania Treasury Department at Mizuho Bank said in a commentary.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.1% higher to 8,704.60. South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.3% to 3,230.57. US stock indexes drifted through a quiet Monday after the United States agreed to tax cars and other products coming from the European Union at a 15% rate, lower than Trump had threatened. Many details of the trade deal are still to be worked out, and Wall Street is heading into a week full of potential flashpoints that could shake markets, including an interest rate decision Wednesday by the Federal Reserve.

The widespread expectation on Wall Street is that Fed officials will wait until September to resume cutting interest rates, though a couple of Trump’s appointees could dissent in the vote. The Fed has been on hold with interest rates this year since cutting them several times at the end of 2024. The S&P 500 was nearly flat, edging up by less than 0.1% to 6,389.77 and setting an all-time high for a sixth straight day.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.1% to 44,837.56, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.3% to its own record, closing at 21,178.58. Tesla rose 3% after its CEO, Elon Musk, said it had signed a deal with Samsung Electronics that could be worth more than $16.5 billion to provide computer chips for the electric-vehicle company. Samsung’s stock in South Korea jumped 6.8% on Monday, but only 0.3% on Tuesday.  

KUWAIT CITY, July 28: Kuwait Airways announced the launch of a self-service check-in system at Terminal 4 (T4) that allows passengers to complete travel procedures independently, including weighing their luggage and printing boarding passes, reports Al-Seyassah daily. Captain Abdulmohsen Al-Faqan, the Board Chairman of Kuwait Airways, explained that this service enables passengers to weigh their luggage and issue boarding passes without staff intervention, thereby speeding up the process. This step is part of Kuwait Airways’ ongoing efforts to facilitate the check-in process and reduce congestion, especially during the summer travel season.

The company will release an explanatory video to guide passengers on using the new service with ease and convenience. He affirmed Kuwait Airways’ commitment to enhancing the travel experience by meeting passengers’ needs from the moment they enter the terminal, ensuring smooth procedures, boarding, and access to top-quality services. Captain Al-Faqan stressed that Kuwait Airways spares no effort in providing comfort to its customers by pursuing a strategy focused on achieving the highest service standards and expanding its network with new and diverse destinations and services. It is worth highlighting that Kuwait Airways operates a modern fleet consisting of the latest Boeing and Airbus aircraft models, equipped with advanced technologies that meet the highest international aviation standards. The fleet offers state-of-the-art entertainment systems and ergonomically designed seats to ensure maximum passenger comfort. The company also employs a select team of highly qualified technical specialists, according to the highest industry standards