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HONG KONG, China (AFP) Asian markets rose Wednesday on signs US lawmakers are edging towards agreeing a new stimulus for the struggling economy, while hopes for a vaccine helped temper worries about surging virus infections around the world. After months of stuttering talks, and with a deadline approaching, Democrats and the White House said they were closing the gap on their proposals, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying legislation was being drawn up. The […]
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — At least 17 passengers were killed and more than dozen injured on Sunday when a bus collided with a train in Thailand, officials said. The collision happened around 50 kilometres (31 miles) east of the capital Bangkok as the bus passengers were on their way to a temple in Chachoengsao province for a ceremony to mark the end of Buddhist Lent, said a district police chief. “The death toll we […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — US futures sank with most Asian and European equities Friday after US President Donald Trump announced he and his wife had tested positive for coronavirus, throwing fresh uncertainty into the presidential election. The news compounded the downbeat mood on trading floors, where investors were already feeling pessimistic over US lawmakers’ failure to pass a new stimulus bill. “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Japanese stocks edged up Friday as they reopened after being shut down all the previous day by a technical fault, though markets across Asia were mixed in holiday-thinned trade with investors keeping an eye on stimulus talks in Washington. After September’s sell-off, Wall Street got the new quarter off to a positive start as technology firms appeared to rediscover their mojo, helped by a dip in US jobless claims […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asian markets tumbled Thursday following another sharp sell-off on Wall Street as investors were bombarded by a perfect storm of problems including rising virus infections, new lockdowns, a slowing economic recovery, stalled US stimulus talks and election uncertainty. Months of mind-boggling gains in global equities have come to a juddering halt this month, with expectations that the wall of cash from governments and central banks would jumpstart a rebound […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Expectations US interest rates will stay ultra low for as long as needed helped lift Asian equities on Friday, though Tokyo tumbled on reports Japan’s prime minister was set to resign for health reasons. In a much-anticipated speech, Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell said it would be in no rush to reel in inflation, even if it overshoots the central bank’s two percent target, instead opting for an average […]
by Imants LIEPINSH Agence France-Presse RIGA, Latvia (AFP) — After spending 140 days rowing across the ocean without seeing another human being, Latvian adventurer Karlis Bardelis has some valuable tips for those learning to cope with coronavirus lockdowns. Bardelis started his nearly two-year journey in Peru in July 2018, reaching French Polynesia after nearly five months and finishing in Malaysia in June of this year. Along the way, he was rammed by sharks off Papua […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Fears over a spike in infections around the world, the reimposition of containment measures and China-US tensions pushed Asian equities lower Tuesday, while oil prices were also hit by speculation top producers will begin tapering their output cuts. And news that Singapore’s economy, considered a regional barometer, contracted a mind-boggling 41 percent in the second quarter provided a stark reality-check for traders. After hitting lows in March, markets have been […]
by Michael Mainville with AFP bureaux Agence France Presse World powers including Russia and India pushed on with easing coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday, despite upsurges in infections in parts of the world and warnings of a second wave epidemic. Chinese authorities, meanwhile, moved to test the entire 11-million strong population of the city of Wuhan, cradle of the global pandemic, after new cases were reported there. In Russia, the government began to gradually ease […]
by Peter Hutchison with Joseph Schmid in Paris and AFP bureaus Agence France Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Swathes of Europe as well as New York began the long process of reopening from coronavirus lockdowns on Monday, but a resurgence of infections in China and South Korea offered a sobering reminder of the dangers of a second wave of cases. The mixed fortunes illustrate the high-wire act governments face across the globe […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asian markets dropped Thursday as the economic reality of the coronavirus crisis became even starker, and China-US relations soured, overshadowing recent optimism over the easing of lockdown measures. With countries from Asia-Pacific to Europe and US states reopening their shattered economies, global equities have enjoyed a strong revival after crashing in March, with oil also getting much-needed support from hopes for a pick-up in demand. But a slew of […]
BANDUNG, Indonesia (AFP) — Thousands of animals, including endangered Sumatran tigers and Bornean orangutans, are facing starvation at Indonesia’s zoos as the global pandemic pushes shuttered facilities toward collapse, officials say. Some 60 cash-strapped animal parks — home to roughly 70,000 creatures — across the Southeast Asian archipelago have been closed since mid-March and most say they have only enough food until the middle of May. “Most zoos relied on ticket sales so when they […]
