"asia"

WASHINGTON - Asia's economy is expected to grow by 7.6 percent this year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Tuesday, while warning of "huge uncertainty" surrounding the projections.

SINGAPORE - After a period of success in containing Covid-19 infections, some countries in Asia are once again beating back an emergence of Covid-19 that has infected over 130 million people worldwide and killed nearly 3 million.

Countries across Asia are trying everything from fertility tours to baby bonuses to spur population growth in an aging world. Not so in Indonesia, where officials are trying to convince people to have fewer children.

The United Nations warned on Wednesday that Asia must ramp up regional cooperation to build resilience to the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate emergency – “the twin crises that threaten our future the most”.

A recent survey found Thais to be the biggest beer drinkers in Asia, while Czechs topped the list in the world.

The number of Thai households shopping online has shot up 58 per cent during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has accelerated the region’s shift to e-commerce. The dramatic rise in households buying online signals a turning point for e-commerce in Asia, says global marketing research firm NielsenIQ.

The United States, India, Japan and Australia pledged Friday to jointly manufacture and distribute up to 1 billion doses of coronavirus vaccine before the end of next year, as the Biden administration comes under increased pressure to provide more vaccine help to poorer nations.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia continues to be the investment destination for high-value manufacturing and global services in Asia, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) said.

Urges WHO; ADB launches $9b Covid vaccine initiative for Asia Pacific

MANILA - Economic activity in developing Asia, a group of 45 nations in the Asia-Pacific,  is forecast to contract by 0.4 percent this year before picking up to 6.8 percent in 2021 as the region moves toward recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an Asian Development Bank (ADB) report released on Thursday.

While congratulatory messages for US President-elect Joe Biden pour in from across the globe, politicians from one country have stayed conspicuously silent.

Some parts of Asia appear to have gotten a grip - albeit a tenuous one - on Covid-19 in recent days, compared with the situation in Europe and the United States where cases are spiralling and are barely contained.