Asia

US VP Harris begins Asia trip amid Afghan debacle
Asia, Singapore, World

US VP Harris begins Asia trip amid Afghan debacle

US VP Harris begins Asia trip amid Afghan debacle US Vice President Kamala Harris aims to underline Washington's commitment to Asia during her trip to Singapore and Vietnam. SINGAPORE: Vice President Kamala Harris began a trip to Asia Sunday where she will offer reassurances of Washington's commitment to the region after the chaotic US pullout from Afghanistan and Taliban takeover. The hardline Islamists' swift return to power a week ago, and desperate scenes of thousands trying to flee, have cast another shadow over the United States' status as a global superpower. But on her visit, which includes stops in Singapore and Vietnam, Harris will seek to allay concerns about US dependability. "The vice president will make clear throughout the trip that we do have an enduring commitment to ...
Harris meets with Singapore officials to begin Asia visit
Asia, Singapore, World

Harris meets with Singapore officials to begin Asia visit

SINGAPORE (AP) — The White House on Monday announced a series of new agreements with Singapore aimed at combating cyberthreats, tackling climate change, addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and alleviating supply chain issues. The announcements coincide with Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to the region, as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to counter Chinese influence there. On cybersecurity, the Treasury and Defense Departments, as well as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, have each inked a memorandum of understanding with their Singapore counterparts expanding information sharing and training to combat cyber threats, On climate, the two nations are launching the U.S.-Singapore Climate Partnership, a new effort between the Departments of Commerce, Energy, T
China’s Massive Military is Major Concern’, Says US Admiral John C Aquilino
Asia, China

China’s Massive Military is Major Concern’, Says US Admiral John C Aquilino

New Delhi: Head of the US Indo-pacific Command has raised concerns over the increasing military of China. Speaking at an Observer Research Foundation event on "The India-US Partnership: Securing the 21st Century" in New Delhi on Wednesday, Admiral John C Aquilino the commander of US Indo-Pacific Command also expressed concerns over Beijing's larger aircraft carrier programmes. "Entire Chinese way forward with regard to military expansion, the largest military build-up in history since WWII both conventional and nuclear in all domains. I don't think I will try to explain what their intent is but trying to understand their intent is a little concern," said Admiral Aquilino.  Aquilino said: "The articulation of defensive capabilities is what we continue to hear. We also continu...
Delta blow knocks wind out of Asia’s economic recovery
Asia, China, Singapore, World

Delta blow knocks wind out of Asia’s economic recovery

Delta blow knocks wind out of Asia's economic recovery FILE PHOTO: Coronavirus disease patients sit in beds after being admitted in the chapel of Quezon City General Hospital turned into a Covid-19 ward amid rising infections, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, Aug 20, 2021. (Reuters) TOKYO: Asia's robust economic recovery from last year's coronavirus low is losing momentum as a surge in Covid-19 cases sees shops empty again and factories close, dimming prospects for corporate profit growth after a blockbuster half year. The rapid spread of the highly infectious Delta variant of the novel coronavirus and low vaccination rates have caught much of the region off-guard, especially in emerging markets, even as economies in Europe and North America reopen. "It's clear that economies...
Bank services suspended amid the Taliban serge in Afghanistan
Asia, Conflict

Bank services suspended amid the Taliban serge in Afghanistan

Kabul, Afghanistan: Amid the crises in Afghanistan the price of commodities is touching sky and the banking services have also suspended dure to the Taliban takeover, the people are facing human rights violation, trying to flee from the country and who are staying have to face this.  People in Kabul are difficulties due to the closure of banks and the biggest money-changing market Sarai Shahzada, Khaama Press reported. Government officials and other private employees are also facing financial issues as the month is nearing to end and they have no clue about their salaries. Closure of banks has hit the people most as despite having money in their bank accounts they can't access that. On Saturday, Sarai Shahzada in a statement said that since the money-changing market is di...
German journalist accuses Taliban to kill its relative
Asia, China

German journalist accuses Taliban to kill its relative

BERLIN: A German broadcaster of Deutcshe Welle (DW) accused Taliban to kill his former correspondent in Kabul, the spokesperson for DW said others managed to escape from the region. A German broadcaster has accused the Taliban of killing a relative of its former correspondent in Kabul while hunting for him. A spokesman for Deutsche Welle (DW) said on Thursday the militants were conducting a house-to-house search for the journalist, who now works in Germany. A second relative was seriously wounded but others were able to escape, it said. The network’s director general condemned the killing, which he said showed the danger to media workers and their families in Afghanistan. “The killing of a close relative of one of our editors by the Taliban yesterday is inconceivably tragic
Southeast Asia to break the monopoly of China n network market
Asia, China, World

Southeast Asia to break the monopoly of China n network market

TAIPEI: South Asian countries are dependent on China for their networks, now they are improving their 4G and 5G networks in order to break the monopoly of China. The trade war between the United States and China has inspired the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam to expand their ambitions and modernize their industries, while attracting investment flowing out of China and Hong Kong, according to DigiTimes Research. Even though the quality of 4G networks in those countries needs upgrading, they are already implementing 5G on a limited scale. As the Philippines and Thailand generally pursued technology policies friendly to China, Huawei Technologies has not faced the same obstacles as in other countries, according to DigiTimes. In contrast, Vietnam excluded the Chinese com...
SE Asia Covid cases hit new highs, Malaysian doctors protest
Asia, Business, World

SE Asia Covid cases hit new highs, Malaysian doctors protest

SE Asia Covid cases hit new highs, Malaysian doctors protest A contract doctor holds a placard during a strike outside the Sungai Buloh Hospital in Selangor state on Monday, as junior doctors staged walkouts at several hospitals protesting against poor conditions, even as Malaysia faces a worsening coronavirus outbreak. (AFP photo) KUALA LUMPUR: Thailand reported a record number of coronavirus cases on Monday, while Malaysia has notched up more than 1 million infections, as the virulent Delta variant carves a deadly path through Southeast Asia - now a global epicentre for the virus. Thailand had 15,376 new coronavirus cases, a daily record for a second consecutive day in the nation of more than 66 million. Malaysia, which has one of Southeast Asia's highest per capita infection rates, ...
Southeast Asia’s factory powerhouses hit by vaccination woes, Delta
Asia, Business, World

Southeast Asia’s factory powerhouses hit by vaccination woes, Delta

Southeast Asia's factory powerhouses hit by vaccination woes, Delta A view of the Klong Toey port amid the spread of the coronavirus in Bangkok. (Reuters file photo) BANGKOK/KUALA LUMPUR: Fresh outbreaks of the Delta coronavirus variant in Southeast Asia have crippled its factory sector, disrupting global supplies of goods such as rubber gloves, semiconductors and SUVs and threatening the US$3 trillion region's recovery. A series of factory surveys this week showed business activity across most Southeast Asian economies fell sharply in July, a contrast to more resilient manufacturing economies in Northeast Asia and the West, where business growth has slowed but remained in expansion. The economic disruptions in Southeast Asia caused by the virus have been made worse by slow progress in...
Chinese hackers compromised SE Asia telecom companies, researchers say
Asia, Business, World

Chinese hackers compromised SE Asia telecom companies, researchers say

Chinese hackers compromised SE Asia telecom companies, researchers say Chinese state-backed hacking groups compromised at least five global telecommunications companies and stole phone records and location data, according to cybersecurity researchers. The hacking groups waged a campaign across Southeast Asia from 2017 to 2021, in some cases exploiting security vulnerabilities in Microsoft Corp’s Exchange servers to gain access to telecommunication companies’ internal systems, according to a new report published Tuesday by US-based security firm Cybereason Inc. Lior Div, the chief executive officer of Cybereason, said the hackers had obtained “the holy grail of espionage”, by gaining total control of the telecommunication networks they penetrated. Cybereason named the groups Soft Cell, N