Page 4 - Asia

Russia may step up exports of fuels to Asia as EU sanctions tighten

Moscow's invasion of Ukraine has caused turmoil across energy markets this year, and that disruption is set to extend into 2023

World coronavirus cases fall 24%; deaths rise in Asia: WHO report

New coronavirus cases reported globally dropped nearly a quarter in the last week while deaths fell 6% but were still higher in parts of Asia, according to a report Thursday on the pandemic by the World Health Organisation. The UN health agency said there were 5.4 million new COVID-19 cases reported last week, a decline of 24% from the previous week. Infections fell everywhere in the world, including by nearly 40% in Africa and Europe and by a third in the Middle East. COVID deaths rose in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia by 31% and 12% respectively, but fell or remained stable everywhere else. At a press briefing Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said reported coronavirus deaths over the past month have surged 35%, and noted there had been 15,000 deaths in the past week. 15,000 deaths a week is completely unacceptable, when we have all the tools to prevent infections and save lives, Tedros said. He said the number of virus sequences shared every week

Over $2.7 bn infrastructure projects listed on Singapore Online Portal

An infrastructure project online portal that connects government, developers, and financiers was launched by Infrastructure Asia, a platform set up by Enterprise Singapore and Singapore's Central Bank

Nancy Pelosi begins Asia trip, no mention of Taiwan amid US-China tension

Speaker of US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi embarked on a trip to Asia to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, her office said in a statement, but did not mention of a stop in Taiwan

Asia's thirst for cheap Russian oil hits Opec's No 2 producer Iraq

The Iraqi grades are an outlier in Asia, where robust demand led to an earlier-than-usual start of the trading cycle for physical crude buying

Sri Lanka sued by US bondholder after island nation's historic default

Sri Lanka, an island nation off the southern tip of India, fell into default in May after the expiry of a 30-day grace period for missed interest payments on two of its sovereign bonds

Shortage of empty containers in Asia may get worse on Rotterdam jam

Empty container boxes crucial are getting stuck in the port of Rotterdam as a growing backlog of undelivered goods at Europe's export hub forces ocean carriers to prioritise shipments of filled boxes

Asia kicks off key security meeting on regional security after two years

The 19th Shangri-La Dialogue will be held here from Friday to Sunday after a two-year suspension due to the Covid pandemic, focusing mainly on security in the Asia-Pacific region and viable solutions

China's Belt and Road plans lose momentum amid opposition: Study

A growing number of policymakers in low- and middle-income countries are mothballing high profile BRI projects because of overpricing, corruption and debt sustainability concerns

S Korea shortlists 5 names among 30,000 entries for new presidential office

The shortlisted names are The People's House, Itaewon-ro 22, The People's Government Office, Mineum Government Office and Bareunnuri

Asia-Pacific air passenger demand at 17%, India at 70% of pre-covid levels

Based on IATA data, India's domestic passenger load factor in March 2022 was a healthy 82.3 percent which compares favourably with other markets

US considers translating fed websites in Asian languages including Hindi

It also recommended that public and emergency alerts should be accessible to persons with limited English proficiency

Biden to highlight US chip production in South Korea in his first Asia trip

Biden will open his trip to Asia with a focus on the Us tech sector, touring a Samsung computer chip plant on Friday that will serve as model for a $17 billion semiconductor factory

Asian leaders in a policy commission to make case for net-zero emissions

The Asia Society Policy Institute has announced that it will convene a High-Level Policy Commission on Getting Asia to Net Zero for countries, including India.

Wheat importers in Asia scramble for supplies after India bans export

Importers, especially those in Asia, were banking on wheat from India, the world's second-biggest producer, after exports from the Black Sea region plunged following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Elon Musk's grand vision for Twitter faces reality check in Asian countries

It's not clear how Musk would reconcile his support for more free speech with strict government controls.

Ukraine war 'wake-up' call for Europe to look at developments in Asia: EAM

"You spoke about Ukraine. I remember, less than a year ago, what happened in Afghanistan where an entire civil society was thrown under the bus by the world," EAM S Jaishankar said

'Resignations of key officials raise policy uncertainty in Sri Lanka'

Besides, the government declared a state of emergency and imposed a two-day countrywide curfew on April 2-3

Asia's factory activity slows as Ukraine crisis, inflation bite

China's factory activity slumped at the fastest pace in two years in March, a private sector purchasing managers' index (PMI) showed on Friday

War in Ukraine has implications for Asia Pacific: Singapore PM Lee

The ongoing war in Ukraine has implications for the Asia Pacific, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore said cautioning the international community