Zero-COVID, big money: China’s anti-virus spending boosts medical, tech, construction

BEIJING — China’s “zero-COVID” (coronavirus disease) policy of constantly monitoring, testing, and isolating its citizens to prevent the spread of the coronavirus has battered...

Shanghai eases return to work, moves to support economy

SHANGHAI — Shanghai authorities will cancel many conditions for businesses to resume work from Wednesday, a city official said on Sunday, easing a city-wide...

Russia advances in east Ukraine

KYIV — Russian forces intensified their assault on the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk on Sunday after claiming to have captured the nearby rail hub of Lyman, as Kyiv issued new calls for longer-range weapons from the West.

UN rights chief says she urged China to review counter-terrorism policies

BEIJING — United Nations (UN) human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, whose rare visit to China was criticized by rights groups and Western countries, said she urged Beijing to review its counter-terrorism policies to ensure they comply with international human rights standards.

N. Korea discusses revising COVID curbs, outbreak ‘improving’

SEOUL — Top North Korean officials discussed revising anti-epidemic restrictions on Sunday as they assessed the situation over the country’s first acknowledged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was “improving,” state media reported.

First steps in reforming global health emergency rules adopted at WHO meeting

GENEVA - Countries around the world on Saturday adopted an initial U.S.-led reform of the rules around disease outbreaks, known as the International Health Regulations (IHR), the United States said.

China, Russia veto US push for more UN sanctions on North Korea

UNITED NATIONS — China and Russia vetoed on Thursday a US-led push to impose more United Nations sanctions on North Korea over its renewed...

China strategy is about rules-based order, not ‘new Cold War,’ Blinken says 

WASHINGTON — The United States will not block China from growing its economy, but wants it to adhere to international rules, Secretary of State...

Finance faces new nature-positive disclosure requirements

DAVOS, Switzerland — Financial firms already struggling with climate-compliance due to unclear measurement metrics will soon face new disclosure requirements for biodiversity, or nature-related,...

Get your crypto house in order, old guard tells Davos debutantes

DAVOS, Switzerland — Cryptocurrency firms, many of which lined the main street in Davos this week, were told they will need to clean up...

Globalization’s cheerleaders grasp for new buzzwords at Davos

DAVOS, Switzerland — World leaders, financiers and chief executives said they were leaving this week’s World Economic Forum (WEF) with an urgent sense of...

Asia’s war on inflation targets supply, not consumers

FROM EXPORT BANS to price controls, governments in Asia are taking a much more targeted approach than their Western counterparts in curbing global inflationary pressure, a strategy that appears to be working at least for now.