Alibaba has long enjoyed a lucrative return from its massive online shopping network. But their extraordinary profitability is no longer a foregone conclusion as the Chinese e-commerce giant re-invests huge sums of money on new initiatives in the face of intensifying competition.

Billions of dollars of deals signed by international companies with Iran are under threat after President Donald Trump announced he was pulling out of a “rotten” nuclear deal with Tehran.

Depending on how you look at it, the internet of things is either a treasure trove of data or a nightmare of information chaos.

The outlook for Indian online retailer Flipkart was decidedly gloomy when Kalyan Krishnamurthy became chief executive officer in January 2017. The startup’s valuation was dropping, fundraising was more difficult and Amazon.com Inc. was pledging $5bn-plus to siphon away customers.