World

DUBAI: Authorities around the world are imposing or considering curbs on travelers from China as COVID-19 cases in the country surge following its relaxation of “zero-COVID” rules. They cite a lack of information from China on variants and are concerned about a wave of infections. China has rejected criticism of its COVID-19 data and said […]

Reading the tea leaves with regard to China in 2023 is even more difficult than usual. The country’s about-face on its longstanding zero-Covid policy has implications from geopolitics to economics and, closer to home for Hollywood, the state of the market after a dismal 2022. Exactly what those implications are is where the guesswork comes […]

Japan will start strengthening its defense posture from this year based on three key documents that the government revised last December to better adapt to the deteriorating security environment in the surrounding region. In its most extensive defense buildup since World War II, Japan will spend 43 trillion yen ($326 billion) over five years from […]

Welcome to Your Week in Asia. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, this year’s chair for the Group of Seven (G-7) advanced economies, will depart for a weeklong trip to France, Italy, the U.K., Canada and the U.S. to meet his counterparts ahead of their Hiroshima summit meeting scheduled in May. Meanwhile, India’s largest motor show, […]

RIYADH — Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said that it is not possible to add companions in Hajj after paying the fees. It has also confirmed that pilgrims cannot perform Hajj except if they hold a visa designated for that, or who have a regular residence (Iqama) inside Saudi Arabia. The applicant for Hajj can […]

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Association of Large Steel Producers has urged the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and Minister for Finance to help the troubled steel industry by ensuring timely opening of the letters of credit (LCs). In this regard, the steel sector has made a presentation to the Finance Ministry and SBP. According to the industry’s […]

It’s been eight long months since the unprecedented leak of the draft opinion in the landmark abortion case, Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health. When it happened last May, Chief Justice John Roberts described it as a “a singular and egregious breach of that trust that is an affront to the Court.” As the nominal head […]

MK Bhadrakumar Former Ambassador If Indian foreign policy is morphing as a tributary of the upcoming election cycle culminating in the 2024 General Election, that does not come as a surprise. Surely, an event of pomp and pageantry becomes a high probability — perhaps, say, a state visit by King Charles III. […]

Asian palm prices are expected to be rangebound in 2023 after a volatile 2022 despite Malaysia entering the year with low stocks and China’s used cooking oil exports set to increase to Europe and even extend to the US. The biodiesel market was marked by a rapid change in fortune in 2022 as palm prices […]

Former North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen called for a Ukrainian victory against Russia being the surest way to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.  Fogh, who led NATO from 2009 to 2014 and is also the former Prime Minister of Denmark, was on a two-day visit to the disputed island as […]