TOKYO (REUTERS) – The operator of the so-called “Kill Bill” restaurant in Tokyo said on Friday (July 9) he was “shocked” by comments from a government minister that he would ask banks to pressure eateries that don’t comply with stricter coronavirus measures. Kozo Hasegawa, the president of Global-Dining Inc that runs 43 restaurants including one […]
NEW DELHI (THE STATESMAN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Now that the sound and fury around the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party is over, it is worth looking beyond both laudatory analyses and critics’ exaggerated assessments of the threat posed by the corporate state which is the People’s Republic of China. The view of seasoned […]
ULSAN, SOUTH KOREA (REUTERS) – Using a toilet can pay for your coffee or buy you bananas at a university in South Korea, where human waste is being used to help power a building. Dr Cho Jae-weon, an urban and environmental engineering professor at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), has designed […]
FILE PHOTO: A Japan yen note is seen in this illustration photo taken June 1, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/IllustrationTOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s currency in circulation and bank deposits hit a record high for the fourth straight month in June, data showed on Friday, as households and companies continued to pile up savings on uncertainty over the […]
Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Friday, July 9. Malaysian PM Muhyiddin digs in after Umno pulls support Mr Muhyiddin’s Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia said Umno’s decision “had no effect on the workings of government”. READ MORE HERE Royal role back in spotlight as Muhyiddin’s majority in doubt The Malaysia Premier […]
JAKARTA (BLOOMBERG) – Indonesia has lost its prized upper middle-income status after only a year, as South-east Asia’s largest coronavirus outbreak reverses gains in poverty and employment. The World Bank downgraded Indonesia to lower-middle income status as of July 1, with a gross national income (GNI) per capita of US$3,870 (S$5,236). The country had graduated […]
BANGKOK (REUTERS) – A Thai court on Thursday (July 8) ordered a longtime political activist back to prison over an old offence, his lawyer said, months after he resumed street protests and demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. Jatuporn Prompan, a former top leader of the populist “red shirt” movement was jailed for […]
KUALA LUMPUR – The move by Umno to withdraw its backing for the Muhyiddin Yassin-led government has once again cast the spotlight on the role of Malaysia’s royal households in the country’s shifting political scene. The immediate challenge facing the Muhyiddin premiership is to demonstrate to Malaysia’s King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, that he still […]
KUALA LUMPUR – The move by Umno to withdraw its backing for the Muhyiddin Yassin-led government has once again cast the spotlight on the role of Malaysia’s royal households in the country’s shifting political scene. The immediate challenge facing the Muhyiddin premiership is to demonstrate to Malaysia’s King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, that he still […]
NEW DELHI – Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s major cabinet reshuffle is being seen as a course correction amid criticism of the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as a political reset ahead of crucial state elections. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who prematurely declared the “end game” of Covid-19 was in sight ahead of […]