World

TOKYO : Oil prices edged higher on Tuesday, trading near seven-year highs hit last week, as investors bet supplies will stay tight, with a limited production hike by major oil producers and a strong post-pandemic recovery in fuel demand. Brent crude for April delivery was up 14 cents, or 0.2per cent at $89.40 a barrel at 0150 GMT. The front-month contract for March delivery expired on Monday at $91.21 a barrel, up 1.3per cent. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 13 cents, or 0.2per cent, to $88.28 a barrel, having gained 1.5per cent in the previous day. The benchmarks hit their highest levels since October 2014 on Friday, at $91.70 and $88.84, respectively. They have gained about 17per cent in January, the biggest monthly gain since February 2021, amid a supply shortage and geopoli...

The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology decided Sunday to start pre-implantation screening of eggs fertilized in vitro for chromosomal abnormalities in April as part of fertility treatment. The society approved revisions to related internal rules at an extraordinary general meeting the same day. The pre-implantation screening will be carried out at about 100 certified institutions in Japan for couples who meet any of three conditions, including two or more miscarriages. The Japanese government will start public health insurance coverage for fertility treatment in April, including in vitro fertilization and artificial insemination. The Central Social Insurance Medical Council, an advisory panel to the health minister, has said it plans to consider the pre-implantation screening o...

A group of young men was recently stopped at a security checkpoint in Yangon and asked to hand over their mobile phones. After being questioned about social media apps on their phones, one was fined for using a virtual private network (VPN). The crackdown on VPNs, which anonymise a user's Internet Protocol address and help bypass firewalls, is the latest attack on digital rights in Myanmar - alongside Internet shutdowns and growing surveillance - since a military coup on Feb 1, 2021. Authorities say the surveillance measures are part of a drive to improve governance and curb crime. Fearful of being tracked, citizens have turned off the location setting on their phones, and used encrypted messaging apps, VPNs and foreign SIM cards to communicate and organise protests, and document human ...

Thailand's Baiya Phytopharm wants to develop the country's first plant-based Covid vaccine. The start-up, founded by Dr. Suthira Taychakhoonavudh and Dr. Waranyoo Phoolcharoen in 2018, has been working on a vaccine using the leaves of an Australian tobacco plant. Suthira, a 37-year-old lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, told CNBC's "Managing Asia" that she and her team of scientists want to "make a difference" in changing Thailand from a vaccine importer to a vaccine maker. Baiya is the first Thai company to enter the university's CU Innovation Hub, a research center for start-ups, to develop technology to manufacture recombinant proteins that can produce medicines and vaccines. The three-year-old start-up is funded by grants from the Chulalongkorn University Alumni and the Thai gov...

Amazon.com Inc's recipe for the department store of the future includes algorithmic recommendations and what one corporate director called "a magic closet" in the fitting room. The online retailer is making another push to grow its fashion business, announcing on Thursday it will open its first-ever apparel store this year, with a tech twist. "We wouldn't do anything in physical retail unless we felt we could significantly improve the customer experience," said Simoina Vasen, a managing director. At 30,000 square feet (2,787 sq meters), the planned "Amazon Style" shop near Los Angeles is smaller than the typical department store. Model items are on the racks, and customers scan a code using Amazon's mobile app to select the color and size they would like. To try on the clothes, which are...

:Two-time defending champions Japan brushed aside Myanmar 5-0 in their opening game at the Women's Asian Cup in Pune on Friday while joint-favourites Australia thrashed Indonesia 18-0. Chelsea striker Sam Kerr scored five times and Emily van Egmond hit four in Mumbai as Tony Gustavsson's side showed no mercy to an inexperienced Indonesia side marking the country's first qualification for the finals since 1989. Kerr also became Australia's all-time leading scorer with her career 54th goal, breaking the previous record held by former men's international Tim Cahill. Ellie Carpenter, Kyah Simon and Hayley Raso claimed braces while Caitlin Foord, Mary Fowler and Aivi Luik were also on the scoresheet as the 2018 runners-up made an uncompromising start to life in Group B. The Matildas moved t...

SYDNEY: Asian share markets slipped on Monday (Jan 24) as investors braced for a Federal Reserve meeting at which it is expected to confirm it will soon start draining the massive lake of liquidity that has supercharged growth stocks in recent years. Adding to the caution were concerns about a possible Russian attack on Ukraine with the US State Department pulling out family members of its embassy staff in Kyiv. The New York Times reported President Joe Biden was considering sending thousands of US troops to NATO allies in Europe along with warships and aircraft. That might be one reason EUROSTOXX 50 futures slipped 0.5per cent, while FTSE futures fell 0.4 per cent. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan eased 0.8per cent and Japan's Nikkei 0.6 per cent. Chinese blu...

WASHINGTON: The US government warned companies on Wednesday (Jan 26) to be extremely wary of doing business in Myanmar, citing the risks of being linked to a military government involved in lawlessness and human rights abuse. Those involved with businesses controlled by the military regime "run the risk of engaging in conduct that may expose them to significant reputational, financial, and legal risks," including breaking sanctions and money-laundering laws, according to a statement from six cabinet-level departments. Investors and traders were warned specifically to avoid state-owned enterprises, the gems and precious metals sector, real estate and construction projects, and the arms business. "These entities and sectors have been identified as primary industries providing economic res...

MELBOURNE: Martina Navratilova said Australian Open organisers were cowardly to prevent fans from wearing shirts bearing messages of support for Chinese doubles player Peng Shuai at the Grand Slam event. After video emerged of security officials and police instructing fans on Saturday (Jan 22) to remove shirts with the slogan, "Where is Peng Shuai?" on them, Tennis Australia (TA) defended its stance by saying the tournament does not allow political statements. TA's position dismayed 18-times Grand Slam winner Navratilova, who said the national governing body was giving in to China and placing sponsorship money ahead of human rights concerns. "I find it really, really cowardly," she said on the US-based Tennis Channel. "I think they are wrong on this. This is not a political statement, t...

Entering the third year of the pandemic, China’s unbending approach to COVID-19 has left the world’s second-largest economy all but shut off from international travel — with fewer than 500 inbound flights scheduled this week, compared with about 10,000 this time two years ago. Capacity cuts are intensifying as China tries to snuff out virus flare-ups with aggressive lockdowns. Since mid-December, airlines have eliminated almost 1,000 flights that would have arrived in the country between now and Feb. 1, the start of the Lunar New Year — typically the busiest time for travel anywhere on the planet. Despite the difficulty every country faces in containing the omicron strain, China is persisting with attempts to keep the virus out. Authorities have blocked dozens of air services to and fro...