More than four million people have now died from COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, as many rich nations prepare to loosen restrictions even as countries in Asia battle surging infections.Millions are facing new lockdowns across Asia and Indonesia has emerged as a global hotspot with death rates rising tenfold in a month to a record 1,040 on Wednesday."The world is at a perilous point in this pandemic," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, calling

Markets fell in Asia on Tuesday with investors looking for their next buying catalyst after the latest rally, while there were also concerns about fresh coronavirus flare-ups and the reimposition of restrictions in parts of the world.With news of President Joe Biden's bipartisan infrastructure deal having run its course and inflation worries continuing to linger, traders are choosing to sit tight ahead of key United States (US) jobs data later in the week and the beginning of corporate e

The pandemic slowed for the fifth week in a row around the world, especially in Europe and Asia, including in India, which nevertheless continued to bear the brunt.Here is the global state of play according to a specialised AFP database.15 Percent Drop The number of new daily COVID-19 cases around the globe dropped by 15 percent over the week, according to an AFP toll to Thursday.The number of confirmed cases only reflects a fraction of the actual number of infections, with different

Less than a century ago, most products in Asia were made mainly from natural materials, and were built to last or to biodegrade easily.

Asian energy officials on Wednesday disputed a call from the International Energy Agency (IEA) for no new oil, natural gas and coal investments for the world to be able to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, viewing that approach as too narrow.The IEA, which has previously championed the oil and gas industry, this week outlined a path to net-zero emissions that suggested stopping new investments in oil, gas and coal supply, retiring coal-fired plants in advanced economies by 2030, and ba

Many parts of Asia seem to be emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic relatively well. But overcoming the public-health crisis is only one challenge the region faces.

Chinese investors have allocated more than US$2 trillion to overseas investment and construction in the past decade and a half.

Around 50 countries around the world have already started vaccinating their people against COVID-19, barely a year after the first alert by China signalled the start of the epidemic.A snapshot:China Leads The Way China, where the pandemic first emerged, was also the first to start vaccinations over the summer, without waiting for a vaccine to be formally authorised but targeting the most vulnerable.To date nearly five million Chinese people have been vaccinated.

Asia is a technological force to be reckoned with.

Last month, 15 Asia-Pacific countries signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). The occasion marked what might be the most significant economic achievement since the COVID-19 crisis began. And yet the RCEP – or, indeed, Asia – cannot save the ailing multilateral trading system alone.