Japan's parliament on Thursday passed an emergency budget worth around $240 billion, including cash handouts for every resident, in a bid to counter the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus ... ( read original story ...)
Japan Passes $240 Billion Coronavirus Plan With Cash for Households
Parliament passed a $240 billion spending plan that includes cash payments of nearly $1,000 to every person in Japan, following the U.S. in opening the public purse wide to address the coronavirus ... ( read original story ...)
Tree-planting program in Pakistan benefits out-of-work laborers and the environment
Thousands of laborers in Pakistan who were out of work because of the coronavirus pandemic are being hired by the government to plant millions of trees across the country.To slow down the spread of ... ( read original story ...)
Indonesia first-quarter GDP growth seen at slowest in 18 years, worse to come: Reuters poll
Indonesia's economic growth likely slowed to the weakest in 18 years in the first quarter, but there is probably worse to come during the rest of 2020 due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, a ... ( read original story ...)
Virus Pushes Indonesia Zoo Animals To Brink Of Starvation
Thousands of animals, including endangered Sumatran tigers and Bornean orangutans, are facing starvation at Indonesia's zoos as the global pandemic pushes shuttered facilities toward collapse, ... ( read original story ...)
In March, India executed 4 men for gang rape. What improves women’s status and reduces rape?
India executed four men for the brutal gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old New Delhi woman in December 2012. In a 2015 BBC interview, one of the rapists asserted that they were teaching the woman a ... ( read original story ...)
India’s Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor, 67, dies after leukemia battle
Indian actor Rishi Kapoor, who starred in celebrated movies such as "Bobby" and "Mera Naam Joker" made by the Bollywood film industry, died on Thursday after a two-year battle with leukemia, his ... ( read original story ...)
China’s central bank approves business operations of newly revamped Baoshang Bank
China's central bank said on Thursday it had approved business operations of Mengshang Bank to take over the assets and operations of Baoshang Bank. ( read original story ...)
Flight bookings in China surge for May 1 holiday
Leou Chen Flight bookings in China have spiked ahead of its upcoming five-day May 1 celebrations, with passenger numbers expected to increase by around 43 percent, the Chinese Ministry of Transport ... ( read original story ...)
Second US Warship Challenges Beijing’s Claims in the South China Sea
On Wednesday, the USS Bunker Hill conducted a freedom of navigation operation through the Spratly Island chain located a few hundred miles south of the Paracels. ( read original story ...)