cross-referenced news and research resources about
Asia
Asia is Earth's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the Eastern and Northern Hemispheres. It shares the continental landmass of EurAsia with the continent of Europe and the continental landmass of Afro-EurAsia with both Europe and Africa. Asia covers an area of 44,579,000 square kilometres (17,212,000 sq mi), about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area. The continent, which has long been home to the majority of the human population, was the site of many of the first civilizations. Asia is notable for not only its overall large size and population, but also dense and large settlements, as well as vast barely populated regions. Its 4.5 billion people constitute roughly 60% of the world's population.
In general terms, Asia is bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Indian Ocean and on the north by the Arctic Ocean. The western boundary with Europe is a historical and cultural construct, as there is no clear physical and geographical separation between them. The most commonly accepted boundaries place Asia to the east of the Suez Canal, the Ural River, and the Ural Mountains, and south of the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian and Black Seas.
China and India alternated in being the largest economies in the world from 1 to 1800 CE. China was a major economic power and attracted many to the east, and for many the legendary wealth and prosperity of the ancient culture of India personified Asia, attracting European commerce, exploration and colonialism. The accidental discovery of America by Columbus in search for India demonstrates this deep fascination. The Silk Road became the main East-West trading route in the Asian hinterlands while the Straits of Malacca stood as a major sea route. Asia has exhibited economic dynamism (particularly East Asia) as well as robust population growth during the 20th century, but overall population growth has since fallen. Asia was the birthplace of most of the world's mainstream religions including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism (or Daoism), Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastranism, as well as many other religions.
Given its size and diversity, the concept of Asia—a name dating back to classical antiquity—may actually have more to do with human geography than physical geography. Asia varies greatly across and within its regions with regard to ethnic groups, cultures, environments, economics, historical ties and government systems. It also has a mix of many different climates ranging from the equatorial south via the hot desert in the Middle East, temperate areas in the east and the continental centre to vast subarctic and polar areas in Siberia.
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Asia
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updated Sat. September 14, 2024
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TNW
April 27, 2018
It appears that Asian countries are absolutely dominating the charts for cryptocurrency trading volumes – despite the recent string of regulatory clampdowns. Research from banking giant Morgan Stanley indicates that exchanges originating from countries like China, South Korea, and Hong Kong accountÃâà...
CNBC
April 27, 2018
Asia Pacific markets rose on Friday, as investors watched for developments from the Korean peninsula. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the inter-Korean Summit for talks. That session followed after Wall Street saw gains, helped by strong quarterly results fromÃâà...
CNNMoney
April 27, 2018
Grab made headlines last month when it announced it was buying Uber's business in Southeast Asia, driving the ride-hailing giant out of several fast-growing markets such as Indonesia and Thailand. The Singapore-based startup is already moving on from that victory and plans to get even bigger.
Human Resources Online
April 27, 2018
“Pay parity is still a very real issue, but it's an issue that can be addressed if there is an ongoing effort to enable, encourage and select talented women to take on and thrive in challenging roles,” said Dhritiman Chakrabarti, senior client partner, regional rewards and benefits leader for Asia Pacific, KornÃâà...
Economic Times
April 27, 2018
Rather than seeking to appease China, India's interests would be better served seeking to repair and strengthen its relationships -- economic and political -- with democracies in Asia and beyond that share its interests and values. As the U.S. quickly discovered when establishing its own network of postwarÃâà...
The Economist
April 27, 2018
“WOMEN hold up half the sky,” Mao Zedong used to say, when not harassing peasant girls. They also hold up 41% of China's GDP, the biggest share in the Asia-Pacific (see chart), says a new report by the McKinsey Global Institute, the consultancy's think-tank. In fact, Mao was subtly mistranslated, pointsÃâà...
CNBC
April 26, 2018
Banks within the Asia Pacific region are set to face higher risks from property, Fitch Ratings said this month. That is, the ratings agency noted that banks in the region have achieved "relatively high exposure" to the property sector, and that has increased their vulnerability to any shock from the likes of anÃâà...
CNBC
April 26, 2018
Asia markets were mixed on Thursday, following modest gains on Wall Street, where the Dow closed higher for the first time in six sessions. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 added 104.29 points, or 0.47 percent, to 22,319.61, while the Topix gained 4.4 points, or 0.25 percent, to 1,772.13. Across the Korean Strait,Ãâà...
Jakarta Post
April 26, 2018
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd. plans to double Kuala Lumpur International Airport's capacity as it seeks a bigger slice of the 2.1 billion more passengers expected in Asia Pacific in the next two decades. The company is looking to raise the capacity to 150 million, from the current 75 million, in the next 10 toÃâà...
TNW
April 26, 2018
It appears that Asian countries are absolutely dominating the charts for cryptocurrency trading volumes – despite the recent string of regulatory clampdowns. Research from banking giant Morgan Stanley indicates that exchanges originating from countries like China, South Korea, and Hong Kong accountÃâà...
Business Insider
April 26, 2018
The arms trade is booming: The volume of international transfers of major weapons between 2013 and 2017 was 10% higher than between 2008 and 2012. Countries in Asia have been major players in that trade. The continent was home to three of the top 10 arms exporters between 2013 and 2017 — and eight of the 10Ãâà...
TradeWinds
April 24, 2018
Trafigura's head of LNG says the trading house was taken unawares by the sudden spike in LNG demand in Asia last winter. “We were quite surprised,” Hadi Hallouche told delegates at the LNG Forum on Tuesday during Singapore Maritime Week.
The Japan Times
April 24, 2018
The United States has been producing increasing volumes of LNG while Asia sees rising demand of the gas used for electric power generation. Under the envisioned cooperation, the government-backed Japan Bank for International Cooperation will offer loans for the construction of LNG shipment hubs.
South China Morning Post
April 24, 2018
Smart speakers are all the rage in China and demand for smartphones shows no sign of slowing down in the region, according to GfK Asia. Latest sales figures released by the consumer market research firm show that 27 million smart speakers were shifted in November and 35 million in December inÃâà...
TechCrunch
April 24, 2018
China takes the limelight as the main focus for WeWork in Asia, but the company is pushing ahead with plans to grow its presence in Southeast Asia. After launching in Singapore in January, WeWork is aiming to expand into four more countries this year, according to its head of the region. The company isÃâà...
CNBC
April 24, 2018
Asia markets were mixed in the afternoon session on Tuesday while the dollar index edged down from a session high of 91.076. The session in Asia followed after the Dow and the Nasdaq stumbled amid a decline in tech shares. One analyst said the overnight session was marked by "further strength" inÃâà...
CNBC
April 24, 2018
Trading in Asia is poised to follow an overnight drop in U.S. stocks, where the Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 400 points. Investors worried about rising interest rates and reacted to comments that hinted economic growth may slow later in the year. Markets in Japan are set to open lower onÃâà...
Variety
April 23, 2018
Endemol Shine Group's “The Bridge” will soon span Singapore and Malaysia after Asian OTT service Viu ordered a local version of the scripted series. Viu is run by Hong Kong-based telco PCCW. Its version of “The Bridge” goes into production in June and will go out in Malaysia and Singapore later thisÃâà...
CNBC
April 23, 2018
MSCI's broad index of shares in Asia Pacific excluding Japan was down 0.29 percent during Asia afternoon trade. The subdued performance in Asia followed declines in U.S. stock indexes on Friday amid a fall in Apple shares, which pushed the technology sector lower. Apple tumbled 4.1 percent followingÃâà...
International Monetary Fund
April 21, 2018
First, the Asia region remains the main engine of growth of the global economy, accounting for more than 60 percent of the global growth. Regional output is projected to grow by 5.6 percent in 2018 and 2019. That is about 4.1 percent percentage point higher than we expected in October. This over theÃâà...
Reliefweb
April 21, 2018
A World Bank Spring Meetings panel discussed concrete climate actions and adaptation strategies to build a more climate-resilient South Asia. Last summer's monsoon hit South Asia particularly hard and left nearly 1,400 people dead and displaced millions of others. In the last sixty years, such weatherÃâà...
International Monetary Fund
April 21, 2018
April 20, 2018. Speakers: Jihad Azour, Director, Middle East and Central Asia Department, IMF. Wafa Amr, Senior Communications Officer, Communications Department, IMF. MS. AMR: Good morning, this is Wafa Amr from the Communications Department, Welcome to the Press Briefing on the Middle East and Central AsiaÃâà...
Nikkei Asian Review
April 21, 2018
TOKYO -- An international consortium led by Royal Dutch Shell and includes China National Petroleum Corp., Korea Gas and Japanese trading house Mitsubishi Corp. is moving ahead on a long-stalled liquefied natural gas plant in Canada, as environmental concerns drive Asia toward cleaner energyÃâà...
TechCrunch
April 20, 2018
Twitter is more than 10 years old, and since this is the first example of this happening in Southeast Asia that explanation already seems inadequate at face value. More generally, the dismissive approach seems particularly naive. Twitter should be looking into the issue more closely, even if for now theÃâà...
JOC.com
April 20, 2018
Annual service contract negotiations between US importers from Asia and ocean carriers are moving slower than in past cycles because many beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) are holding out for lower rates. Early progress reports suggest East Coast rates are under downward pressure because ofÃâà...
CNBC
April 20, 2018
Negativity on Wall Street flowed through to Asian markets on Friday, with regional stock indexes ending the day moderately lower amid declines in the technology sector. The Nikkei 225 slipped 0.13 percent, or 28.94 points, to end at 22,162.24 as semiconductor companies declined while financials andÃâà...
FIFA.com
April 20, 2018
The FIFA-AFC Conference for Women's Football – a unique event featuring General Secretaries and Heads of Women's Football from 38 of the Member Associations within the AFC – proved to be a hotbed of ideas for the development of women's football in Asia. The first of its kind, the three-day meetingÃâà...
Christian Science Monitor
April 20, 2018
Amid US woes, Chinese telecom giant turns to Europe, Asia ... 3 smartphone brand, is shifting its growth efforts toward Europe and Asia in the face of mounting obstacles in the United States market. Shenzhen-based Huawei, the world's largest maker of telecoms equipment, has long coveted access to theÃâà...
Tech in Asia
April 20, 2018
Indonesia ranks first in East Asia and the Pacific in banking the unbanked (Indonesia). The World Bank has released the latest Global Financial Inclusion Index, reporting that Indonesia is ahead of the pack across East Asia and the Pacific in bringing unbanked citizens – especially women – into the formalÃâà...
Hawaii Public Radio-HPR2
April 20, 2018
A project deadline for a major urban rail project has been delayed—again. But this has nothing to do with Honolulu's rail. This construction would connect two major urban centers in Southeast Asia. HPR's Bill Dorman has more in today's Asia Minute.
CNBC
April 19, 2018
Markets in Asia closed higher on Thursday amid improved investor sentiment after U.S. stocks notched gains in the last session. Oil prices also extended gains after settling close to 3 percent higher in the last session. The Nikkei 225 added 0.15 percent, or 32.98 points, to close at 22,191.18, with theÃâà...
The Economist
April 19, 2018
But the market also symbolises how Asia's amazing biodiversity is under threat. Most of the species on sale in Tomohon have seen populations crash because of overhunting (habitat destruction has played a part too). Fewer than 6,000 crested macaques now inhabit the forests. The cuscus hangs on by itsÃâà...
CNBC
April 18, 2018
Markets in Asia closed higher on Wednesday, as investor confidence firmed on the back of Wall Street's advance following strong earnings. The gains also came amid lingering concerns over trade-related developments. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose by 1.42 percent, or 310.61 points, to close at 22,158.20Ãâà...
Gizmodo
April 17, 2018
During the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) exams, students wore Bluetooth devices connected to mobile phones hidden in their clothes as well as flesh-colored earpieces, Channel News Asia reports. Tan reportedly sat in on the exams, using clear tape to stick an iPhone to her shirtÃâà...
South China Morning Post
April 17, 2018
Hong Kong regained the top spot last year as Asia's most expensive city for business travellers, who faced daily expenses of HK$3,971 (US$506) on accommodation, transport, meals and incidentals. The city overtook Tokyo in the regional rankings, with Singapore and Seoul tied for third, while ShanghaiÃâà...
Coindesk
April 17, 2018
Bitcoin isn't for payments? While that may be the popular narrative of late, don't tell that to Bellatorra Skin Care, a luxury brand that has found the opposite as it's expanded internationally into markets such as China and India. Not only is bitcoin (which has seen years of declining interest from merchants asÃâà...
The Conversation US
April 17, 2018
It has helped sustain a bilateral relationship that the U.S. Department of State describes as key to stability and prosperity in Asia. I am an alumna of the exchange program and recently published a book about its growing importance to the U.S.-Japan relationship. I argue that through the program, Japan hasÃâà...
CNBC
April 17, 2018
Asian markets closed mostly lower on Tuesday as investors digested the release of a raft of China data, including expectation-topping first-quarter GDP growth. The dollar also eased further while oil prices pared some overnight losses. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 edged up 0.06 percent, or 12.06 points,Ãâà...
Floornature.com
April 16, 2018
The winner of the title of Best Tall Building Asia & Australasia will compete against the top ranking buildings in the other areas for the honour of "2018 Best Tall Building Worldwide", due to be proclaimed and presented with the award in Chicago on May 31 at the conclusion of the first annual Tall + UrbanÃâà...
ICIS
April 16, 2018
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here are some of the top stories from ICIS Asia and the Middle East for the week ended 13 April 2018. Short supply ... Short supply and robust demand is driving Asia and Middle East polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle grade prices higher, according to market sources on Friday.
finews.asia
April 16, 2018
The number of customer advisors working in the Asian region has risen markedly over the past year. The Swiss banking fraternity however is facing a challenging environment there, as finews.asia shows. The ten largest banks operating in the Asian growth market last year increased the number ofÃâà...
CNBC
April 16, 2018
MSCI's broad index of shares in Asia Pacific excluding Japan was down 0.69 percent at 3:03 p.m. HK/SIN. Despite that, U.S. stock index futures were trading higher during Asia hours, but had pared some of the steeper gains seen earlier in the day. As of 12:04 p.m. HK/SIN, the implied open for Dow futuresÃâà...
New York Times
April 15, 2018
“Hong Kong was originally the first choice for the Asia bureau,” said Wu'er Kaixi, an emeritus member of the group's board, and a student leader of the 1989 Tiananmen protests who escaped from China via Hong Kong. “But today China doesn't just suppress its own people, it is now increasingly exportingÃâà...
South China Morning Post
April 15, 2018
Nevertheless, taken collectively, people like Agatha are costing the company dearly, threatening to spoil the momentum of its market debut and highlighting its rocky path to profitability in Asia. In this region, limited disposable incomes along with rampant content and software piracy – a problem that remainsÃâà...
Aviation International News
April 14, 2018
TAG Aviation Asia (TAA) has opened a newtraining facility in Hong Kong. Its modern design and advanced training aids aim to provide quality simulator training to every customer and participant trainee. TAA is also the first business aircraft management company in the region to offer training services thatÃâà...
Irish Times
April 14, 2018
“Our aircraft today has staff from 16 countries speaking 11 languages.” This announcement on the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Dubai echoed the pluralism I encountered giving lectures to a postgraduate workshop in the University of Malaya on how Europe has developed as a region compared to Asia.
CNBC
April 14, 2018
Jason Wu, Michelle Obama's favorite designer, wants to expand in Asia. 5 Hours Ago. Fashion designer Jason Wu talks designing dresses for Michelle Obama, robots taking over the fashion industry, and the clothing trends of today. Watch CNBC Live TVÃâà...
Nikkei Asian Review
April 14, 2018
TOKYO -- The company that will be created through the merger of a pair of budget carriers under the wings of ANA Holdings will compete for primacy in Asia's crowded low-cost aviation market, the parent's president says. "We'll aim to become a leading low-cost carrier in Asia," Shinya Katanozaka saidÃâà...
The Straits Times
April 14, 2018
Digital innovation across borders is another opportunity Asia can seize, said Mr Tharman, who suggested Asia connect its economies digitally and link its smart cities. Asean, which Singapore is chairing this year, is developing a network of smart cities. India, too, has its mission to build 100 smart cities.
CNBC
April 13, 2018
Asia should maintain growth in 2018 but at a slower pace, says expert. 8 Hours Ago. Frederic Neumann, HSBC co-head of Asian Economics Research, discusses the impact U.S. tariffs and Fed rates could have on Asian markets. Watch CNBC Live TVÃâà...
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