MF cuts Asia Pacific growth outlook on Delta variant, vaccines

The International Monetary Fund cut its growth forecast for the Asia-Pacific region due to a surge of the delta variant of Covid-19 and lagging...

South Korea says North fired ballistic missile into the sea

SEOUL — North Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from off its east coast on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said, pulling Japan’s new prime minister off the campaign trail and overshadowing the opening of a major arms fair  in Seoul. The launch, reported by officials in South Korea and Japan, came after US and South Korean envoys met in Washington to discuss the nuclear standoff with North Korea on Monday. Spy chiefs from the United States, South Korea, and Japan were reported to be meeting in Seoul on Tuesday as well.

Japan economy’s reopening hobbled by lack of testing, vaccination passports

TOKYO — Japan’s lack of a vaccination passport and limited testing capacity is threatening ambitions to reopen the economy at a crucial year-end period when restaurants earn up to a half of their annual revenue and travel agencies are at their busiest.

Oil at $100 a barrel is ‘possible’ this winter, Mercuria says

It’s “possible” that oil will hit $100 a barrel this winter, but $80 to $90 is the expected range, said Marco Dunand, the chief...

What is an ETF? And why is it driving Bitcoin back to record high...

The Bitcoin bulls are racing again. A year ago the cryptocurrency was valued at less than US$12,000. Now it has passed the symbolic milestone...

New York directs two cryptocurrency lending platforms to cease activity

Two cryptocurrency lending platforms were asked to cease activities in New York by the state's attorney general on Monday and three other platforms were...

U.S. Democrats battle over climate change plans in $3.5 trillion bill

By Richard Cowan and David Morgan WASHINGTON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Negotiators of a U.S. bill to invest up to $3.5 trillion to expand social...

U.S. bill would stop Big Tech favoring its own products

By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - About a dozen U.S. senators from both parties on Monday formally introduced a bill that would bar...

Richest families in Southeast Asia scout for the next unicorn

SOME of Southeast Asia’s old-money tycoons are boosting investment in technology startups, looking to ride a wave of surging valuations as they seek to counter the fallout of the pandemic on businesses ranging from retail to hospitality and manufacturing.

Myanmar junta leader blames opponents for prolonging unrest  

Myanmar’s junta chief on Monday said that the ruling military was committed to peace and democracy, and that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should consider the provocations and violence being carried out by its opponents.  

China’s economy stumbles on power crunch, property woes 

BEIJING — China’s economy hit its slowest pace of growth in a year in the third quarter, hurt by power shortages, supply chain bottlenecks and major wobbles in the property market and raising pressure on policymakers to do more to prop up the faltering recovery.  

Spain’s ‘Crying Room’ seeks to banish mental health taboo

MADRID — “Enter and cry,” one sign tells visitors. “I too have anxiety,” glows another notice in pink. There are phones in one corner with the names of people you can call when you are feeling down, including a psychologist.