Bloomberg Japan’s industrial production dropped again in May even as a nationwide state of emergency was lifted, showing the severity of the pandemic’s impact on the export-reliant manufacturing sector. Factory output fell 8.4% from April, the economy ministry reported on Tuesday. Production slid from the prior month for a fourth time in a row, something that hasn’t happened since 2012. ...

Bloomberg A fresh swarm of desert locusts has entered Uttar Pradesh, India’s biggest sugarcane grower, via capital city Delhi and the northern state of Haryana, according to the federal farm ministry. Operations to control the grasshoppers are in full swing in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Punjab and Maharashtra, the ministry said in a statement. ...

Bloomberg Thailand plans to allow foreign business travellers into the country for the first time since closing its borders to most international flights in March. Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Japan passport holders, along with people from some Chinese provinces, may be allowed to travel to Thailand as part of proposed “business-travel bubbles” from July. The initiative seeks to ...

Bloomberg Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has appointed a longtime veteran to replace Pierre Poignant as Lazada Group CEO, the latest top-level reshuffle at the Chinese e-commerce titan’s Southeast Asian operation. Chun Li, who currently runs Lazada’s Indonesian business, will take the reins from July, Lazada said in a statement. Li served as chief technology officer for Alibaba’s business-to-business division between ...

Bloomberg China’s top legislative body approved a landmark national security law for Hong Kong, a sweeping attempt to quell dissent that drew fresh US retaliation and could endanger the city’s appeal as a financial hub. The National People’s Congress Standing Committee voted unanimously to approve the law on the former British colony as a three-day meeting began to wrap up ...

Bloomberg Joe Biden is set to sharply criticise Donald Trump’s stewardship of the response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying the president is dismissing the threat of the virus as cases surge. More than six months after the first reported Covid-19 case in the US, Biden on Tuesday will deliver a speech in Wilmington, Delaware, outlining what he will call a ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump has publicly shrugged off allegations that Russia offered bounties to kill American troops in Afghanistan, reigniting concerns that he’s more interested in preserving ties with the Kremlin than defending US interests. Trump has yet to demand an investigation or threaten Russia with any consequences if the allegations are confirmed — even as lawmakers from both parties ...

Bloomberg Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s estranged brother won’t stand in the July 10 election, removing a potential obstacle for the ruling party as it seeks to retain its 55-year grip on power. “I have chosen not to stand for political office because I believe Singapore does not need another Lee,” Lee Hsien Yang said in a Facebook post ...

Bloomberg Tokyo is set to revise how it monitors the state of coronavirus infections in the city, as daily new cases in the Japanese capital rise after a state of emergency was lifted and businesses resumed operations. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will not reimpose restrictions on businesses based solely on numerical guidelines, according to domestic media reports citing the government. ...

Bloomberg Brazil’s government was expected to announce on Tuesday the extension of an aid to informal workers for a few more months, seen as crucial to poorest people amid pandemic impacts on the economy. Country’s unemployment rose in May to 12.9% from 12.6% in April, according to the national statistic agency. Primary deficit hit 131.4 billion reais in May from ...