Asia

  • As pandemic rages on, world economic recovery looks ever shakier

    Aug 05, 2020 13:42

    The world economic outlook has dimmed again, with still-rising coronavirus infections and the risk of renewed lockdowns increasing the chances that any rebound will reverse course. Over 17 million people have been infected worldwide by the coronavirus and more than two-thirds of a million people have died. That has forced governments to impose strict lockdown measures to curb the spread of the virus, keeping citizens at home and businesses closed and spurring recessions that aren’t over yet.

  • Some trees may social distance to avoid disease

    Jul 10, 2020 08:57

    It seems wind plays a crucial role in helping many trees maintain their distance. The boundaries carved by bouts between branches may improve the plants’ access to resources, such as light. Gaps in the treetops might even curb the spread of leaf-munching insects, parasitic vines, or infectious disease.

  • Global wake-up call

    Jul 05, 2020 10:18

    The coronavirus pandemic, as horrible as it is, must be a wake-up call that prompts all political leaders to understand that our assumptions and approaches have to change, and that division is a danger to everyone. This understanding could lead people to recognize that the only way to address global fragilities is through much more robust mechanisms of global governance with international cooperation.

  • Worst virus fears realized in poor or war-torn countries

    Jul 01, 2020 13:19

    Coronavirus lockdowns are likely the most effective safeguard, but they have exacted a heavy toll even on middle-class families in Europe and North America, and are economically devastating in developing countries. India’s lockdown, the world’s largest, caused countless migrant workers in major cities to lose their jobs overnight.

  • Human-derived mercury shown to pollute the world’s deepest ocean trenches

    Jun 28, 2020 09:38

    Scientists have found that man-made mercury pollution has reached the bottom of the deepest part of the ocean — the Marianas Trench. This has significant implications for how mercury affects the marine environment, and how it may be concentrated in the food chain. According to Phys.org, the findings, which come from two independent research groups, are presented at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference.

  • Emerging markets are awash in confidence

    Jun 25, 2020 10:18

    Emerging markets head into the final full week of the first half buoyed by confidence the global liquidity rush will keep risk assets supported even as the COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of letting up. Developing-nation stocks are approaching their highest level since March, while dollar-denominated bonds have just clocked up an eighth week of gains.

  • WHO reports largest single-day increase in confirmed coronavirus cases

    Jun 25, 2020 09:59

    The World Health Organization (WHO) announced this week that Sunday saw the highest number of new cases of coronavirus across the globe since the pandemic began. More than 183,000 new cases were reported within a 24-hour time period around the world, WHO said, with Brazil tracking the highest amount during that time, counting 54,771 new cases. The United States had the second-highest single-day increase, according to WHO statistics, with 36,617 new cases during that period.

  • Save the insects, save the farmers, save ourselves: new global report calls for end of industrial agriculture

    Jun 18, 2020 10:54

    A new report released on Tuesday draws attention to the worldwide decline in insects and calls for global policies to boost the conservation of both agriculture and the six-footed creatures. The report points to various studies documenting that loss, including 2018 research finding 41% of insect species are in decline and that one-third of all insect species are threatened by extinction.

  • Tourism deals lingering blow to global economy

    Jun 15, 2020 15:19

    Economists warn the blow that coronavirus has dealt to the global travel and tourism industry is set to do lingering damage to the world’s growth, as areas that are dependent on visitors for their income struggle to reposition their local economies.

  • World health leaders urge green recovery from coronavirus crisis

    May 29, 2020 08:48

    Studies have suggested that air pollution may play a role in worsening COVID-19 symptoms or increasing mortality, though scientists also say it is too early to draw hard conclusions about the full impacts. However, the clearing skies that have accompanied lockdown in many countries are under threat, as industrial activity resumes without new safeguards.