World

Beijing may be 6,500 kilometers (4,000 miles) from Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, but the geopolitical stakes for China in the escalating crisis over Ukraine’s fate could not be higher. If Russia invades Ukraine and precipitates a drawn-out conflict with the United States and its Western allies (though a direct military confrontation is unlikely), China obviously stands to benefit. America will need to divert strategic resources to confront Russia and its European allies will be even more reluctant to heed U.S. entreaties to join America’s anti-China coalition. But if U.S. President Joe Biden defuses the crisis by acceding to some of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands, China will likely end up worse off strategically. While Putin will reap the benefits of his coercive diplomacy, an...

YANGON: Myanmar's junta on Tuesday (Feb 15) dismissed the latest exit from the country by a foreign company after last year's coup, saying beer brewed in partnership with departing Japanese drinks giant Kirin would be "easy to substitute". Human rights groups have pressed foreign companies to rethink their activities in Myanmar following the February 2021 coup and a subsequent crackdown which, according to local monitoring groups, has left more than 1,500 people dead. Kirin on Monday became the latest to turn off the taps in recent weeks, following energy giants TotalEnergies, Chevron and Woodside - although junta has not commented directly on any of these. The junta said in a statement it had no comment on Kirin's "internal company affairs" and its decision to end its involvement in My...

MANILA: The Philippines will reopen to fully vaccinated tourists from most countries on Feb 10 and lift quarantine requirements, officials said Friday (Jan 28), nearly two years after closing its borders to contain the coronavirus. Tourism operators across the archipelago nation famed for its beaches and dive spots have been devastated by a plunge in international visitors and restrictions on domestic travel. Their misery was worsened by a super typhoon that smashed into the country in December, wiping out resorts, restaurants and bars in popular tourist destinations. "The tourism industry can now recover and it can contribute big to jobs, livelihoods and the country's economic growth," presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles told a briefing. A previous plan to welcome back tourists from...

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the opening bell January 25, 2022. TIMOTHY A. CLARY | AFP | Getty Images Stocks have taken a beating in January. The S&P 500 index, a widely cited barometer of U.S. equities, touched into "correction" territory for the first time since the pandemic-fueled market turmoil in March 2020. Just what does that mean and what should investors know? A "correction" applies when stocks fall 10% or more from a recent high. In a wild day of trading on Monday, the S&P 500 stock index — a basket of the country's largest publicly traded companies — sustained heavy losses. At one point it was down more than 10% from its high mark on Jan. 3. The index eked out a slight gain after a late-day rally, but was again teetering on a correction as of ear...

BINTAN: The Flight Information Region (FIR) Agreement between Singapore and Indonesia will ensure that air traffic control services are provided safely, while allowing Changi Airport to grow in the long term as an international air hub, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Tuesday (Jan 25). Speaking to reporters after the conclusion of the 5th Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat in Bintan, he noted that the FIR Agreement realigns the FIR boundaries to be “generally in accordance” with Indonesia's territorial boundaries. “But secondly, it makes sure that Changi (Airport) is able to operate efficiently, safely and fully, and provide air traffic control services in order to function as an important international airport, and to be able to grow in the long term as an international airport...

Since October, Facebook has renamed the company, articulated a vision of the internet where people can digitally connect through virtual-reality avatars or teleport to see places like ancient Rome, and helped trigger the metaverse investment craze. When the company, now Meta Platforms Inc, reports fourth-quarter results on Wednesday, investors will get a new window into the financial impact of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's current passion. Meta plans to break out the results of its augmented and virtual-reality hardware unit, Reality Labs, for the first time, an investment the company previously warned would cause a $10 billion hit to 2021 profit and would not be profitable "any time in the near future." The company is hiring engineers and buying up multiple virtual reality gaming studios to bu...

People wearing face masks at a supermarket in Suva, Fiji, April 23, 2021. Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images Countries all over the world have seen Covid-19 cases surge since the emergence of the highly transmissible omicron variant, with new infections soaring by 20% globally over the past week. In the Pacific Islands, however, it's been a different story. Many of the small island states nestled in the Pacific Ocean have had no new cases of the virus for months — and some of those countries have remained virtually Covid-free throughout the pandemic. As of Tuesday, Tonga, Samoa, Wallis and Futuna, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Vanuatu and the Cook Islands had no active cases of the virus, according to figures from Our World in Data. Maintaining a long-term state of zero Covid...

The world's biggest central banks, moving in tandem at the height of the pandemic, are set to tighten policy at vastly different speeds, likely increasing economic and market volatility this year, top policymakers said on Friday. Central banks unleashed unprecedented stimulus in recent years to prop up growth but excessive cash has now pushed inflation to multi-decade highs around much of the world, raising fears that policymakers are falling behind the curve. The U.S. Federal Reserve is likely to lead the way, hiking rates possibly as soon as next week, while the Bank of Japan, sitting at the other end of the spectrum, is likely to keep policy exceptionally loose for years to come. “The issue here is that what the Fed does, has implications for the U.S., it has implications for other c...

CAIRO: The United Arab Emirates said on Monday (Jan 31) it had intercepted a ballistic missile that was fired by Yemen's Houthi as the Gulf state hosted Israel's President Isaac Herzog in a first such visit. The Emirati defence ministry said the missile was intercepted and destroyed, adding that its debris fell on an uninhabited area. It did not say whether the missile was targeting the UAE's capital Abu Dhabi or Dubai, the Middle East's business and tourism hub. The UAE civil aviation authority said air traffic in the Gulf country was going as usual and all flights operations were operating normally despite the attack, the state news agency (WAM) reported. The UAE is part of a Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen in a seven-year-old conflict that has killed te...

NEW DELHI : A full-fledged women's Indian Premier League (IPL) could begin as early as next year, with the Indian cricket board (BCCI) saying it is working on delivering the tournament "soon". A three-team Women's T20 Challenge is staged alongside the men's IPL, but many believe https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/ipl-next-big-step-grow-womens-game-says-nz-captain-devine-2021-12-21 women deserve their own expanded tournament with more teams and players. The Women's T20 Challenge will continue this year, but BCCI secretary Jay Shah said things would change soon. "I want to assure you that BCCI is not only sincere but is taking all necessary steps to start a full-fledged women's league similar to the IPL soon," Shah told Reuters in an email. "The huge interest among fans and players...