World

The ASEAN-Japan Centre in Tokyo, established by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states and Japan, produced a series of documentary videos that take a closer look at women from ASEAN countries who are active in Japan. There are about 500,000 women from ASEAN in Japan, and these videos introduce one from each of the 10 member states. Their reasons for coming to and staying in Japan vary. However, each one is working hard to accomplish her dream. Although the pandemic has reduced opportunities to communicate with the people around us, make new friends and know their thoughts, we decided to create these AJC videos to show how women from ASEAN are continuing to try despite knowing their efforts may never draw attention back home. Let’s take a look at how the journeys of thes...

Select’s editorial team works independently to review financial products and write articles we think our readers will find useful. We earn a commission from affiliate partners on many offers, but not all offers on Select are from affiliate partners. As Americans continue to feel the financial pressure of record-high inflation, household debt is on the rise. According to the Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, released Tuesday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, U.S. household debt surpassed $16 trillion in the second quarter of 2022, reflecting a 2% jump from the previous quarter. The report also revealed an uptick in delinquencies regarding debt from sub-prime and low-income borrowers, suggesting that harder times may be on the horizon for those who are already struggling...

The entrance to the Pine Tavern is viewed on August 9, 2021, in Bend, Oregon. George Rose | Getty Images What a difference a year makes. Oregon climbed 17 spots to finish at No. 18 in the CNBC America's Top States for Business rankings for 2022, the biggest improvement of any state. Last year at this time, Oregon's economy had contracted by 2.8% after the Covid pandemic dealt a body blow with its financial health heavily reliant on international trade and tourism. No state fell further in last year's rankings as it struggled to rebound. It did rebound, and then some. The state's economy snapped back to grow 5.8% in 2021 as trade and tourism return. Also rebounding in a big way: the state's revenue. Payments during tax season this year jumped 70% from an already strong 2021, according to t...

LONDON: New Manchester City signing Erling Haaland marked a fine Premier League debut by scoring in each half as the champions began their title defence by strolling to a 2-0 victory over West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday (Aug 7). Haaland converted a penalty after 36 minutes and wrapped up the points with a composed finish in the second period to cap an impressive display, with his father and former City player Alfie celebrating in the stands. "It's nice that he saw both goals as it is a big moment for me as a debutant in this competition," the 22-year-old Haaland said. "Also now it is almost 30 minutes since I scored the last goal so I have to keep going." Haaland charged past the West Ham defence to latch onto a through ball and take it around Alphonse Areola before bein...

BEIJING: Chinese military exercises around Taiwan are set to disrupt one of the world's busiest shipping zones, analysts told AFP, highlighting the island's critical position in already stretched global supply chains. The drills - China's largest-ever around Taiwan - are a major show of strength after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi infuriated Beijing by visiting the island. The manoeuvres kicked off Thursday (Aug 4) and will take place along some of the busiest shipping routes on the planet, used to supply vital semiconductors and electronic equipment produced in East Asian factory hubs to global markets. The routes are also a key artery for natural gas. Nearly half the world's container ships passed through the narrow Taiwan Strait - which separates the island from the Chinese mainland...

SINGAPORE : As the United States pushes ahead with its steepest interest rate hikes in a generation, investors are unusually poised to buy in Asia's emerging markets, betting authorities can tame inflation without triggering the capital-flight chaos of previous cycles. While no rally is underway, steadying currency, debt and equity markets suggest investors may have already stopped rushing for the exits. Beaten-down currencies such as South Korea's won and the Malaysian ringgit rallied on Thursday, and stock and bond markets in Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Manila responded positively to the Federal Reserve's latest rate hike. The Fed, which met market expectations with a 75 basis point (bp) rise overnight, has now lifted rates by a total of 150 bps in two meetings - the fastest pace...

What a fine line we have to walk here. With employment still strong, we're likely to get another 75 basis point hike on the Fed's benchmark interest rate later this month. The central bank, led by Jerome Powell, may also reduce its bond holdings at a faster pace, which are being lapped as the ultimate investment for any European institution. At the same time, we have earnings season just around the corner, and while the companies that are benefiting from commodities coming down might have good things to say, they are the same companies getting hurt by the strong dollar. On the other hand, the banks that will report will have great things to say about the higher Fed funds rate, but will have to caution about the coming bad loans. Meanwhile, China has come to its senses and has started vacci...

Researchers have found that decay of tissues after death can be halted and cell functions restored based on early experiments in pigs that may eventually help increase the number of transplantable human organs. Sixty minutes after stopping the heart in the anesthetized animals, Yale researchers were able to restart the circulation using a specialized machine and a synthetic fluid carrying oxygen and other components that promote cellular health and suppress inflammation. Six hours later, treatment with the so-called OrganEx technology had reduced or corrected some of the damage, such as organ swelling and collapse of blood vessels, that typically results from lack of oxygen when cardiac arrest halts blood flow. The results show that when the heart stops, the body is "not as dead as we p...

BEIJING: American candy giant Mars Wrigley has insisted it "respects China's national sovereignty" and apologised after an advertisement for its Snickers bar referred to Taiwan as a country, sparking outrage on the mainland. Videos and pictures showed a Snickers website promoting a limited edition Snickers bar, saying the product was only available in the "countries" of South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan. The commercial, featuring South Korean boyband BTS, triggered an outpour of anger on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo on Friday (Aug 5). Mars Wrigley later published an apology on its Snickers China Weibo account and said the relevant content had been amended. "We are aware of reports on Snickers-related activities in certain regions of Asia, take this very seriously and express our ...

SINGAPORE: The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) expects to cut the emissions intensity of its equities investments by up to 50 per cent by financial year 2030, as it continues to work towards its goal of a climate-resilient reserves portfolio. Measures to achieve that include the roll-out of a “portfolio overlay” by next year that would gradually tilt the equities portfolio towards less carbon-intensive investments, it said in its second sustainability report released on Thursday (Jul 28). The MAS, which manages Singapore’s official foreign reserves, will also exclude from its portfolio companies which derive more than 10 per cent of their revenues from thermal coal mining and oil sands activities. These exclusions will be “gradually implemented”, according to MAS chief Ravi Menon,...