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by Mariëtte Le Roux PARIS, France (AFP) — At least 2.6 billion people, over a third of the global population, live in parts of Africa, Asia and the Pacific where Zika could gain a new foothold, researchers warned Friday, with 1.2 billion at risk in India alone. These are people who reside in as-yet unaffected parts of the world with the right climate and abundant mosquitoes for the virus to settle, spread and propagate an […]
SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Oil prices tumbled in Asia Monday on a strong dollar and after key OPEC producers downplayed the prospects of limiting output at a meeting next month. Iranian oil minister Bijan Zanganeh on Friday said his country wanted its share of the crude market to return to levels seen before Western nuclear sanctions were imposed on it 13 years ago. The comments suggest Tehran might not join possible efforts by OPEC and […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Energy firms sank in Asian trade on Tuesday as oil prices extended the previous day’s sharp losses due to profit-taking after a recent rally and fresh worries about a global oversupply. Even a fall in the dollar, which usually makes crude cheaper, could not stop the slide in the commodity after Iraq flagged a pick-up in output and rebels in key producer Nigeria announced a ceasefire. Investors were also treading water as […]
Singapore (AFP) — Oil prices fell for a third day in Asia trade Thursday after figures showing high US crude stockpiles and increased Saudi production. Official US data on Wednesday showed a jump in crude inventories, taking by surprise investors who expected a drawdown in supply, pushing prices of the commodity down by 3 percent overnight. While gasoline supplies and US domestic production have fallen, analysts warn that global production levels are far outstripping demand. […]
ULAN BATOR, Mongolia (AFP) — Beijing faces an international dressing down Friday at a gathering of leaders from across Asia and Europe after it vehemently rejected a UN-backed tribunal’s dismissal of its extensive South China Sea claims. The biennial Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, is supposed to be a venue for increasing cooperation across the Eurasian continent and exploring ways to strengthen the global system of agreements that govern everything from […]
ISE-SHIMA, Japan (AFP) — The leaders of the Group of Seven advanced democracies on Friday said they are worried over rising maritime tensions in Asia and called for disputes to be resolved without resort to force. “We are concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas, and emphasise the fundamental importance of peaceful management and settlement of disputes,” they said in a statement at the end of a two-day summit, though refrained from […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Energy stocks jumped in Asia Thursday after oil surged past $50 a barrel for the first time this year, providing a bright point as regional bourses generally took a breather. Oil prices, which have been edging towards the psychological barrier as global supply disruptions mount, were buoyed by data showing a fall in US crude inventories that put another dent in a stubborn glut. Canada’s central bank also announced that […]
ANSBACH, Germany (AFP) — Adidas, the German maker of sportswear and equipment, announced Tuesday that it will start marketing its first series of sport-shoes manufactured by robots in Germany from 2017. More than 20 years after Adidas ceased production activities in Germany and moved them to Asiainstead, chief executive Herbert Hainer, unveiled to the press the group’s new prototype “Speedfactory” in Ansbach in southern Germany. The new state-of-the-art 4,600-square-meter plant is still being built, but […]
SINGAPORE (AFP) — Oil prices dipped in Asia on Thursday as investors locked in profits after the previous day’s surge to six-month highs that was fueled by a surprise decline in US stockpiles. The Department of Energy said Wednesday that inventories slid 3.4 million barrels last week, confounding analysts’ expectations for a rise and signalling strong demand in the world’s top oil-consuming nation. The report also said US oil production fell, providing hope to a […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The yen weakened Tuesday as Japanese officials ramped up a bid to tame the surging currency, while the Philippine peso ticked higher with anti-establishment firebrand Rodrigo Duterte set to become the country’s new president. After soaring to 18-month highs against the dollar, the yen has sagged as officials threaten to intervene in currency markets to stop its “speculative” rally. On Tuesday, finance minister Taro Aso repeated warnings about possible action, after saying […]
(REUTERS) — Workers across Asia were on the streets on Sunday (May 1) observing May Day with rallies calling for higher wages and better working conditions. In South Korea, tens of thousands carrying banners and chanting slogans gathered in Seoul’s City Hall Square, protesting the government’s labour reform plans. “Just as workers of previous generations fought for the right to an eight-hour day at the risk of their lives 120 years ago, we are […]
by Satish Cheney TEMERLOH , Malaysia (AFP) –Withering drought and sizzling temperatures from El Nino have caused food and water shortages and ravaged farming across Asia, and experts warn of a double-whammy of possible flooding from its sibling, La Nina. The current El Nino which began last year has been one of the strongest ever, leaving the Mekong River at its lowest level in decades, causing food-related unrest in the Philippines, and smothering vast regions […]
