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The Association of Southeast Asian Nations convened a special summit last week to address regional concerns, with the coup and resulting violence in Myanmar at the top of their list. The summit produced a “five point consensus plan” to “facilitate mediation of the dialogue process” between military leaders and the opposition that won last year’s elections and was overthrown by the coup. The agreement is an important first step but it is only meaningful if followed up by concrete action. Concerned governments must ensure that there is real dialogue and that the junta begins the process of restoring democracy to Myanmar. On Feb. 1, a military junta led by Gen. Min Aung Hlaing overthrew the democratically elected government of Myanmar, charging that the November election results had been in...

Taiwan is facing major threats from a surge in coronavirus cases and drought-triggered power outages, potentially derailing one of Asia’s economic success stories this year. The island has gone from zero local cases earlier this month to recording 1,226 domestic infections in the past five days alone and on Wednesday a soft lockdown was extended to the entire island. Schools were already closed, but the new rules mean masks are mandatory outdoors, with limits on social gatherings and the closure of many public facilities. If cases remain high, Taiwan may be forced into a full lockdown, which would spread the pain from the retail sector to exports in an economy heavily reliant on trade. On top of that, a drought has left hydroelectric plants operating at limited capacity, contributing to ...

related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. 2 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. BRASILIA: Brazil's health minister said on Friday (May 21) the government is doing everything possible to prevent the spread of the concerning coronavirus variant first identified in India in the northern state of Maranhao, which has detected the country's first cases. One crew member of a cargo ship, anchored at the port of Sao Luis after a trip from South Africa, was airlifted to a hospital in the city with severe COVID-19 caused by the variant, according to Maranhao state health officials. "This case was detected promptly, all sanitary measures were taken and we hope that there is no spread of this Indian variant here in Brazil...

Myanmar's pro-democracy unity government, which includes members of parliament ousted by the military coup, has told Southeast Asia's regional bloc that it will not engage in talks until the junta releases all political prisoners. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been trying to find a path for Myanmar out of a bloody crisis triggered by the Feb 1 coup and has called for an end to violence and talks between all sides. But the junta has already declined to accept proposals to resolve the crisis that emerged from an ASEAN summit last weekend that was attended by Myanmar's Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, but no-one from the civilian side. The pro-democracy National Unity Government (NUG), formed this month by opponents of the military, said ASEAN should b...

Mergers and acquisitions targeting technology companies have hit a record high in Asia Pacific, Dealogic data shows, and dealmakers expect this M&A pace to continue as the pandemic spurs a shift toward virtual activities in the economy. HONG KONG: Mergers and acquisitions targeting technology companies have hit a record high in Asia Pacific, Dealogic data shows, and dealmakers expect this M&A pace to continue as the pandemic spurs a shift toward virtual activities in the economy. Tech M&A has totalled US$136.2 billion in 2020, more than double the year-ago levels, according to data provider Dealogic. Tech deals accounted for 28per cent of the regions' overall M&A transactions, which totalled US$482.4 billion as of Wednesday, the highest share in at least a decade, the data shows. T...

related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. 2 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. SINGAPORE: Fewer people on board lorries were injured or killed in road traffic accidents since safety measures were introduced in 2009 and 2010, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Friday (May 7). In a statement, an LTA spokesperson said the traffic police are currently investigating the two recent accidents involving lorries ferrying passengers. The driver involved in the first case has been arrested for careless driving causing death. "Internationally, while there are different practices, it is not uncommon for goods vehicles to be used to carry passengers. "For example, countries such as Canada, Thailand and the US...

CANBERRA: Australia will spend A$747 million (US$580 million) to upgrade four northern military bases and expand war games with the United States, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday (Apr 28). In an announcement that comes amid an increasingly bitter diplomatic and trade spat with China, Morrison said that Australia must expand its military assets in the Northern Territory to be able respond to unspecified tensions in the Asia-Pacific region. "Our objective is a free and open Indo-Pacific, to ensure a peaceful region, one that, at the same time, Australia is in a position to always protect its interests," Morrison told reporters in Darwin. While Morrison avoided naming China on Wednesday, Australia's military focus on the Indo-Pacific area comes amid rising competition b...

WASHINGTON: American astronaut Michael Collins, who piloted the Apollo 11 command module while his crewmates became the first people to walk on the Moon, died on Wednesday (Apr 28) after battling cancer, his family said. Sometimes called "the loneliest man in history" because of his long solo flight while his colleagues loped across the lunar surface, Collins never earned the same global name recognition as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. But he was hailed as a lifelong advocate of space exploration: erudite and witty yet also self-effacing, maintaining in a 2009 interview with NASA that his historic accomplishments were "90 per cent blind luck" and that astronauts should not be celebrated as heroes. "Mike always faced the challenges of life with grace and humility, and faced this, ...

BEIJING: China renewed its criticism on Wednesday (Apr 28) of Japan's decision to release treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian called the decision to release the water over the next two years a money-saving measure that is “extremely irresponsible". Zhao also rejected Japanese complaints over a tweet he earlier sent criticising Japan's decision with a picture of a famous Japanese print of a massive wave, saying it was hypocritical of Japan not to allow others to criticise when it had failed to consider the concerns of its neighbors. “Certain Japanese officials have been playing deaf and dumb. Then why are they so angry about this image?" Zhao said at a daily briefing. “The Japanese side s...

WASHINGTON: The Federal Reserve held interest rates and its monthly bond-buying program steady on Wednesday (Apr 28), nodding to the US economy's growing strength but giving no sign it was ready to reduce its support for the recovery. "Amid progress on vaccinations and strong policy support, indicators of economic activity and employment have strengthened," the US central bank said in a unanimous policy statement at the end of a two-day meeting. Nevertheless, "the path of the economy will depend significantly on the course of the virus, including progress on vaccinations", the Fed said. "The ongoing public health crisis continues to weigh on the economy and risks to the economic outlook remain." The language about the coronavirus reflected a slightly less negative view than the Fed'...