The People's Republic of China has announced new regulations targeting Chinese investors who use foreign brokers to operate outside the country. In the name of “national security”, the government will be able to impose changes, order the sale of stakes, and even unwind completed investments. The new rules follow the controversial sale of startup Manus to Meta. They also limit cooperation with foreign legal authorities.
According to the State of the Global Islamic Economy report, Muslim consumer spending on clothing is expected to reach 3 billion by 2028. This growth is driven not only by the demographic expansion of Muslim populations but also by the emergence of a new generation of young, educated female consumers who are attuned to contemporary fashion trends.
In recent years, alongside conventional loans and deposits, this sector has grown significantly in the country and is no longer a niche market: the volume of financing based on Islamic principles has reached 21.1 billion som, an increase of almost sixfold.
The Aruwakkalu area is located 25 km north of Puttalam, in the North-Western Province. It is an area considered a mainstay of Sri Lanka’s cement industry. The new plan allows valuable materials such as ilmenite, rutile and zircon to be separated from the soil layer. Experts say the deposit “is of geological and scientific importance”.
Data on the performance in the first quarter of 2026 confirm the difficulties of China’s southern coastal province, which was the laboratory of the reforms initiated by Deng Xiaoping but is now suffering from the downsizing of Hong Kong and the crisis of the manufacturing sector. Jiangsu and Zhejiang are currently leading the country, with Hangzhou emerging as China's artificial intelligence hub. Meanwhile, differences between the various parts of the country are growing.
Speaking at a seminar organised in Samarkand by the Asian Development Bank, the Deputy Minister of Transport from Tashkent recalled how, during the Soviet era, Central Asia was part of a single country where logistics chains functioned effectively. The challenge now is to overcome today’s borders through new digital infrastructure.
Tehran is looking at alternative transport routes from Pakistan to China. The exploitation of a rail corridor to China, especially valuable for oil transport, is under consideration. A fourth South Korean ship has successfully crossed the Red Sea. Energy is also a central issue at the ASEAN Summit in Cebu.
Three Indian workers were wounded in the Iranian attack on the Fujairah oil terminal in the United Arab Emirates, the only one that bypasses Hormuz, a development that threatens to reignite the regional conflict, amidst competing alliances and interests. Against this backdrop, Abu Dhabi decided to leave the cartel of oil-exporting countries and consolidate its alliance with Israel. These steps, for Iran, will lead to the “collapse” of the Gulf.
A trade union is threatening an 18-day production stoppage if its demand for bonuses proportional to the group’s record revenues is not met. The production halt would create a shortfall of nearly 0 million. President Lee calls on workers and trade unions to act “responsibly” against excessive demands and urges greater “solidarity”.
Among the causes are uncontrolled price rises, rising costs, ageing trees and the ‘stepchild’ treatment of a crop once considered gold. Field productivity levels are set to halve by 2025. Yet this sector has played a key role in the island’s economic development, driving employment and mitigating the impact of climate change.
The Aqaba Port Rail Project is a cornerstone of the economic and logistical transformation of the transportation corridor between the Gulf and Europe. The project is set to begin in 2027 with a five-year construction timeframe. Concerns remain over regional instability, financial sustainability, and coordination among the various stakeholders involved. The construction of a dry port in Jordan’s southern region of Ma'an is also under consideration.
A shortfall of 13.2 billion rupees has emerged, caused by staff within the bank. Criticism of the oversight system, with CEO Kelum Edirisinghe also under scrutiny. Analysts and experts describe it as a “failure” in “supervision”. A case reminiscent of similar instances of malpractice that have occurred in the past.
Iran is blocking with missiles and mines the strait through which 20 per cent of global crude oil transits. After China, India and Bangladesh are trying to get Iran’s approval for their ships to avert a crisis. According to EIA data, up to 82 per cent of oil going through Hormuz reach Asian markets. Starting 16 March, Tokyo intends to release part of its oil reserves on its own.
Back in the 1970s, it was the oil crisis that paved the way for cooperation between Europe and the Soviet Union. With the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Russia can now reduce discounts on the price of its crude oil. Although Brussels, at least for the moment, does not seem willing to ease restrictions on gas imports.
Yesterday, long queues of vehicles formed at petrol stations; the panicked population fears that stocks will run out and prices will escalate. Arguments and tensions among motorists in the queues. Power cuts also reported by large industrial groups. In Saudi Arabia, another Bangladeshi migrant worker killed by an Iranian missile strike on a residential complex.
Burdened by debt following privatisation, the Uzbek company is undergoing a tough restructuring programme aimed at simultaneously increasing production and reducing costs. A warning from a Kazakh industry operator: without transparency and prudent use of resources, others risk suffering the same fate.
12.5% of Filipino families still rely on remittances sent by relatives who have emigrated abroad for their livelihood. However, international instability, the more stable forms of residence abroad for many migrants and economic changes in Manila are changing the overall picture, with a significant decrease in the percentage contribution of this form of income to gross domestic product.
Anger and discontent are widespread over the Cabinet’s decision. The prime minister and the finance minister are accused of populist measures. The VAT rose to 13 per cent, while 20 litres of petrol now cost almost US$ 3.50 more. The government calls these measures "essential”, while trade unions are announcing a fight.
Geopolitical tensions have put the spotlight on China's large investments in global maritime hubs. Chinese companies hold majority stakes in 17 ports, while they hold minority stakes in most others or have operational management agreements. The cases of Piraeus (Greece) and Ream (Cambodia) are noteworthy. The lack of transparency regarding their conditions is well known.
A delegation from UNIAPAC, which brings together 45,000 entrepreneurs from around the world in the name of the Church's social teaching, is meeting with Catholic colleagues from Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam to establish new contacts. The goal is to develop businesses that put people, not profit, at the centre, in places where GDP growth too often fails to address inequality.
Overturning a previous ruling that prohibited retroactive environmental permits, the Supreme Court has opened the door to projects already underway without prior permits, weakening legal protection of territories and the precautionary principle. Environmental movements are concerned at a time when India is announcing ambitious plans for the manufacturing industry.
Since August 2024, over 300 companies have closed in a heavily industrialised area of Bangladesh, leaving tens of thousands of people out of work. ‘My wife and I used to earn a good salary. Now I drive a rickshaw and we've cut back on meals.’ Many have returned to their villages, but the depopulation also affects traders and homeowners. Entrepreneur: ‘The empty warehouses I saw in Italy are now in our country.’
In recent years, Beijing has moved from mass production of generic drugs to investing in advanced biomedical research. Thanks to a growth model very similar to that adopted for electric cars, it now controls 80% of global active ingredients. The Fentanyl case has shown the importance of this card, described as a “nuclear option” in trade wars. But China still needs the West to hold its own in this market.
In his first visit to New Delhi since 2021, Vladimir Putin announced an economic cooperation plan with India between now and 2030. India has been trying to balance relations between the United States, which has imposed heavy tariffs, and Russia, which remains the country's leading arms supplier. No new defence contracts were signed, but the two sides inked energy, nuclear power, shipbuilding, and labour deals, to reach US$ 100 billion in bilateral trade a year.
Visitors from China will be able to use payment apps, making transactions easier. Soon, Thai nationals will also benefit from this technology in China. The system, increasingly used across ASEAN, serves not only to exchange money but also to strengthen trust, convenience, and a shared commitment to a more seamless financial future.
Over the last three years, Russia has invested almost one and a half billion dollars in the development of the Northern Sea Route. The goal is to increase traffic from the current 38 million tonnes to 220 million by 2035. However, the extreme weather conditions, the archaic ships and, above all, the toxic fuel used make this ambitious project a decidedly risky venture.
The mining industry is the main contributor to growth, but positive indicators are also being recorded in the transport sector. Analysts forecast a 5.6% increase in GDP by the end of the year. However, experts believe that “the model remains vulnerable, overly dependent on raw materials and subsidies, and lacks stability”. Wage and pension growth ‘eaten up’ by inflation.
A meeting in Beijing between senior officials from the two foreign ministries failed to solve the heated dispute. The number of tourist cancellations over the weekend reaches early COVID-19 levels. Beijing is also putting pressure on Chinese students, who, faced with visa difficulties in the United States, increasingly opted for Japanese universities.
Over two hundred IT experts discussed the prospects for artificial intelligence and technological entrepreneurship in the region. The ambition is not only to be users, but to develop local skills capable of competing in the innovation market.
Through a chirograph, the pope gave a new legal form to the network of port chaplaincies to continue this service with "enthusiasm and generosity." Meanwhile, Cardinal Czerny, in his message for World Fisheries Day, laments that “many fishermen face storms far beyond the seas: low income, job insecurity, poor working conditions, being far from their families.”
