SEOUL / AP Move over, Apple and Samsung. The next big smartphone might be from little-known Chinese brands such as TCL and OPPO. Along with other Chinese phone makers such as Huawei and Xiaomi, Chinese brands have surpassed Samsung in China and are encroaching on Apple’s turf. In the coming years, analysts forecast that these cheap Android phones with not-so-cheap …

Tokyo / AFP The yen picked up on Tuesday as another fall in oil prices dented sentiment, while the pound was under pressure over worries that Britain may vote to leave the European Union this year. Traders pushed into the Japanese unit — widely seen as a safe investment in times of turmoil — after another drop in crude prices, …

Sydney / AFP A Chinese investor was given the green light to buy Australia’s largest dairy farm company, with the finance minister saying he welcomed foreign investment “not contrary to our national interests”. The sale of farmland to foreigners including to Australia’s biggest trading partner China has been a sensitive issue, with Canberra in November blocking the sale of one …