Asia Pacific
- North Korea blames 'alien things' near border with South for COVID outbreak, article with imageBusiness ·
July 1, 2022 · 2:11 AM UTC · undefined agoNorth Korea claimed on Friday that the country's first COVID-19 outbreak began with patients touching "alien things" near the border with South Korea, apparently shifting blame to the neighbour for the wave of infections in the isolated country.
- MarketsJapan's factory activity growth slows in June - PMI
Japan's factory activity growth slowed in June as supply disruptions in part due to China's strict COVID-19 curbs hurt manufacturers, keeping the economy underpowered and with few catalysts in the short run to spur a robust recovery.
- Asian MarketsRBA to hike rates by another 50 bps in July to make up for lost time - Reuters poll
Australia's central bank will deliver another half percentage-point interest rate hike on Tuesday as it fights to tame surging inflation, marking the first time it has ever raised the cash rate by that magnitude at consecutive meetings, a Reuters poll found.
- BusinessBNPL firm Openpay pauses U.S. operations to focus on Australia, shares soar
Australian buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) firm Openpay Group said on Friday it would pause its U.S. operations and cut its workforce, as unfavourable borrowing conditions and reduced consumer spending proved major headwinds to growth.
- BusinessSingapore regulator rebukes crypto fund Three Arrows Capital
Singapore's financial regulator has accused embattled crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital of exceeding its assets threshold and providing false information.