All posts tagged: Central

Indonesia central bank, finance minister agree to boost asset yields to aid rupiah

Indonesia central bank, finance minister agree to boost asset yields to aid rupiah

Published by Sam Flores

JAKARTA, June 6 : Indonesia’s central bank chief and finance minister on Saturday agreed to increase yields on Indonesian assets to attract portfolio inflows and support the rupiah, after the currency hit record lows in the past few weeks. Bank Indonesia and the finance ministry “will increase the attractiveness of yields” on Indonesian assets “so that portfolio inflows return” to the country, Governor Perry Warjiyo told a press conference at parliament building. Warjiyo did not provide any details on the plan. He took questions but didn’t give any clearer answers. Southeast Asia’s largest economy has been hit by heavy capital outflows this year, with the stock market plunging more than 30 per cent and the rupiah sinking amid investor concerns over President Prabowo Subianto’s big spending plans, even as fuel subsidies balooned due to the Iran war. Foreign holdings of Indonesian bonds have slumped to a near two-decade low. Markets are also worried about the autonomy of the central bank, transparency issues at the stock market and Prabowo’s new plan to centralise exports of major …

13 dead after overloaded bus rear-ends truck in central China

13 dead after overloaded bus rear-ends truck in central China

Published by Sam Flores

BEIJING: An overloaded minivan collided with a truck in central China on Thursday (May 28), killing 13 people and injuring three, traffic police said. The van, which had a maximum capacity of nine passengers but was carrying 16, hit the rear of the truck while on an expressway in Henan province at 2.40am, the traffic management bureau of China’s Ministry of Public Security said on social media. It was driving on the G40 expressway in the city of Nanyang when it “rear-ended a semi-trailer truck travelling ahead of it”, the bureau said on the Weibo social media platform. The ministry said it “attached great importance” to the incident, “immediately dispatching a working group to Nanyang led by a traffic management bureau official to direct investigation”. In November last year, a train ran into a group of railway workers, killing 11 and injuring two in China’s southwestern city of Kunming, the deadliest rail accident in more than a decade. In June that year, one person died and four others were injured in Chongqing when a driver …

South Korea central bank holds rates, as expected

South Korea central bank holds rates, as expected

Published by Sam Flores

SEOUL, May 28 : The Bank of Korea kept its policy interest rate steady on Thursday, as it weighs geopolitical risks against a weakening won and resurgent inflation that point to higher rates ahead. The seven-member monetary policy board at the central bank voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.50 per cent, as expected by 30 of 32 economists polled by Reuters. The two outliers forecast a rate rise. Governor Shin Hyun Song will hold a press conference at 0210 GMT. Source link

Vance opens up about his faith journey — and Usha’s central role

Vance opens up about his faith journey — and Usha’s central role

Published by Sam Flores

Vice President JD Vance had, in his words, a “vicious editor” for his new book: second lady Usha Vance. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. “She doesn’t sugarcoat things,” Vance said of his wife Tuesday in an interview with NBC News. “She’s very direct.” Usha Vance, he added, was heavily involved in nearly every facet of shaping “Communion,” which HarperCollins is set to release June 16. She helped “harmonize different chapters” and excise parts that “didn’t add anything of value.” She also played a meaningful role in the memoir’s narrative — a Hindu wife who encouraged her searching husband throughout his faith journey from Protestant to atheist to Catholic convert. “Fundamentally, the book wouldn’t exist without her,” said Vance, speaking by telephone in his first interview to preview the book. “I talk about this in the book. There is a certain irony to it, because she is not herself a Christian. But I certainly, I don’t think, would be a Christian today were it not for …

Ebola outbreak raises fears of wider spread in Central Africa

Ebola outbreak raises fears of wider spread in Central Africa

Published by Sam Flores

An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda is raising fears of wider spread, with over 900 suspected cases and more than 200 deaths reported in the DRC. Health workers warn the toll is likely higher due to limited testing, while conflict, mistrust, and lack of treatment for the rare strain are hampering containment efforts. Keywords for this article Source link

Bangladesh central bank unveils .9 billion in stimulus as growth slows

Bangladesh central bank unveils $4.9 billion in stimulus as growth slows

Published by Sam Flores

DHAKA, May 23 : Bangladesh’s central bank on Saturday announced a 600 billion taka ($5 billion) stimulus package to revive shuttered factories and support businesses as economic growth slows. The package aims to restart production, create jobs and restore business confidence, as export-oriented industries, especially the ready-made garment sector, struggle with weaker global demand, higher input costs and supply chain disruptions, while rising import bills add to pressure on the economy amid geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Bangladesh Bank Governor Mostaqur Rahman said the stimulus includes a 410 billion taka refinancing fund raised from banks with excess liquidity through long-term deposits of at least three years at a 10 per cent interest rate, alongside a 190 billion taka fund drawn from the central bank’s own resources and backed by a government guarantee. The largest allocation, amounting to 200 billion taka, will be used to reopen closed and distressed factories and support service-sector businesses. The central bank estimates the programme could help create around 250,000 jobs. Another 100 billion taka has been earmarked for agriculture …

Maps: How Ebola Has Spread in Central Africa

Maps: How Ebola Has Spread in Central Africa

Published by Sam Flores

The region of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where Ebola broke out has made the virus difficult to contain. With the area consumed by years of conflict that have displaced more than a million people and stripped health capacity, the rare form of the virus circulated undetected for weeks. Where Ebola has spread in central Africa Note: Data as of May 21. Most of the case and death counts are suspected and not confirmed. Source: World Health Organization; Democratic Republic of Congo Ministry of Communication and Media. The New York Times The number of suspected and confirmed deaths is already among the highest for any outbreak in Congo’s history, and officials expect the toll to rise. A previous Ebola outbreak in the area became the second deadliest ever recorded. It took two years to contain, starting in 2018. Health officials believe the current epidemic began in Mongwalu in Ituri Province. Heavy population movement is common in the region because of violence and seasonal labor in the gold mines. Ituri Province borders South Sudan and …

Designing for diversity in the Middle East and Central Asia – POLITICO

Designing for diversity in the Middle East and Central Asia – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

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Taiwan was central in Xi’s meeting with Trump — but not with Putin

Taiwan was central in Xi’s meeting with Trump — but not with Putin

Published by Sam Flores

BEIJING, CHINA – MAY 15: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping while leaving after a visit to Zhongnanhai Garden on May 15, 2026 in Beijing, China. Evan Vucci | Getty Images The meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. and Russian counterparts came just days apart, but the style and substance of the encounters stood in stark contrast. Xi’s meeting with President Donald Trump was replete with pomp and pageantry, reflecting Beijing eagerness to project China’s power, strength and history during the White House leader’s state visit. but the Chinese premier’s meeting with his Russian counterpart and “friend” Vladimir Putin has been a much more relaxed affair, with the two leaders reaffirming already close strategic and geopolitical ties. One major notable difference between the two encounters, however, was Taiwan, which was a cornerstone of one meeting and completely absent from the other. The contested status of the island — which China claims as its own — was a central and awkward issue in Xi’s meeting with Trump, but the …