Prudential Financial Reports Higher Q4 Profit on Strong Underwriting and Investment Gains 
Washington Post Publisher Will Lewis Steps Down After Layoffs 
TSMC Eyes 3nm Chip Production in Japan with $17 Billion Kumamoto Investment 
Singapore Budget 2026 Set for Fiscal Prudence as Growth Remains Resilient 
Swimming in the sweet spot: how marine animals save energy on long journeys 
GesiaPlatform Launches Carbon-Neutral Lifestyle App ‘Net Zero Heroes’ 
An unexpected anomaly was found in the Pacific Ocean – and it could be a global time marker 
Asian Stocks Slip as Tech Rout Deepens, Japan Steadies Ahead of Election 
SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates 
RBI Holds Repo Rate at 5.25% as India’s Growth Outlook Strengthens After U.S. Trade Deal 
Fungi are among the planet’s most important organisms — yet they continue to be overlooked in conservation strategies 
Bank of Japan Signals Readiness for Near-Term Rate Hike as Inflation Nears Target 
Instagram Outage Disrupts Thousands of U.S. Users 
How America courted increasingly destructive wildfires − and what that means for protecting homes today 
South Korea Assures U.S. on Trade Deal Commitments Amid Tariff Concerns 
LG Chem Ltd. will build two production facilities in Illinois with US agricultural food processor and bio solution company Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM), to produce biodegradable plastic for food packaging.
Under the two joint ventures with ADM, they will build a facility to annually produce 75,000 tons of polylactic acid (PLA), in Decatur.
In the same city, a separate facility will be built to produce up to 150,000 tons of high-purity corn-based lactic acid, a feedstock for PLA.
PLA is a bioplastic derived from organic sources such as corn starch and sugar cane, and its popularity as an alternative to plastics derived from fossil fuels is growing rapidly.
According to LG Chem, a manufacturer can produce 2.5 billion 500-milliliter water bottles per year using 75,000 tons of PLA.
LG Chem and ADM intend to begin construction on the two facilities in 2023 and finish them by 2025, assuming they receive all necessary regulatory approvals.
