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☆ Meta pins pro-China influence campaign on Chinese law enforcement
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Katie Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Facebook parent company Meta said on Tuesday it had uncovered links between people associated with Chinese law enforcement and a long-running but largely ineffectual operation to positively influence people on social media about China. FILE PHOTO: The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2022. China’s foreign ministry said it was not aware of the findings, but added that individuals and institutions have often launched campaigns against China on social media platforms. Truly identify what lies and rumours are, what is the truth, and effectively eliminate false information related to China,” foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said when asked about the matter at a news briefing on Wednesday. The “Spamouflage” network first started out posting on large platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, now called X.

Persons: Meta, Yves Herman, ”, Wang Wenbin, Ben Nimmo, Nimmo Organizations: YORK, Facebook, REUTERS, Meta, YouTube, Twitter, Global, Intelligence Locations: China, Brussels, Belgium, United States, Beijing, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan

☆ Meta says it has disrupted a massive disinformation campaign linked to Chinese law enforcement
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta on Tuesday said it had disrupted a disinformation campaign linked to Chinese law enforcement that the social media company described as the "largest known cross-platform covert influence operation in the world." Meta began looking for signs of a Chinese influence operation on its own platforms after reports in 2022 highlighted how a disinformation campaign linked to the Chinese government targeted a human rights nongovernmental organization. Meta researchers were able to link this latest disinformation network to a prior influence campaign in 2019, code named Spamouflage. Meta also identified and disrupted other operations and published a more detailed analysis of a Russian disinformation campaign it identified shortly after the beginning of the 2022 war in Ukraine. But this disinformation network, while prolific, was not effective, Meta cybersecurity executives said on a briefing call.

Persons: Meta, Ben Nimmo, CNBC's Eamon Javers Organizations: Meta, Facebook Locations: China, Xinjiang, Ukraine, Cambridge, Bangladesh, Brazil, Vietnam

☆ Meta pins 'Spamouflage' influence campaign on Chinese law enforcement
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Katie Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Facebook parent company Meta (META.O) said on Tuesday it had uncovered links between people associated with Chinese law enforcement and the long-running but largely ineffectual pro-China "Spamouflage" influence operation. The "Spamouflage" network has engaged in spurts of activity over the last several years pushing positive narratives about China and negative commentary about the United States, Western foreign policies and critics of the Chinese government. With the latest activity detected, Meta executives said they believed that "Spamouflage" had become the largest known cross-platform influence operation to date, with a presence on at least 50 services. The "Spamouflage" network first started out posting on large platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, now called X.

Persons: Yves Herman, Meta, Ben Nimmo, Nimmo, Katie Paul, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Facebook, Meta, YouTube, Twitter, Global, Intelligence, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, China, United States, Beijing, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan

☆ Air pollution now a major risk to life expectancy in South Asia - study
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The region, which includes the world's most polluted countries of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, accounts for more than half of the total life years lost globally to pollution, the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) said in its latest Air Quality Life Index. Rapid industrialization and population growth have contributed to declining air quality in South Asia, where particulate pollution levels are currently more than 50% higher than at the start of the century and now overshadow dangers posed by larger health threats. In the densely populated New Delhi, the world's most polluted mega-city, the average life span is down by more than 10 years. Reducing global levels of lung-damaging airborne particles, known as PM 2.5, to levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) could raise average life expectancy by 2.3 years, or a combined 17.8 billion life years, the report said. China, meanwhile, has worked to reduce pollution by 42.3% between 2013 and 2021, the report said, highlighting the need for governments to generate accessible air quality data to help bridge global inequalities in accessing tools to combat pollution.

Persons: Blassy Boben, Mike Harrison Organizations: DELHI, University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute, EPIC, World Health Organization, WHO, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, South Asia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, United States, Delhi, China

☆ Asia, Africa bear brunt of pollution health burden - research
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Despite improvements in China, air pollution across the globe continues to pose the greatest external risk to human health, with countries in Asia and Africa suffering most of the impact, new research showed on Tuesday. PM2.5 in South Asia has risen by nearly 10% since 2013, she said, cutting average life expectancy in the region by around five years. Virtually all of Southeast Asia is also now considered to have "unsafe levels of pollution", with average life expectancy cut by 2-3 years. China's average PM2.5 concentrations stood at 29 micrograms per cubic metre in 2022, but it still remains significantly higher than the WHO recommendation of 5 micrograms. "We haven't turned the corner on air pollution yet, though China's example shows us that the issue is a tractable one," Hasenkopf said.

Persons: Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Christa Hasenkopf, haven't, Hasenkopf, David Stanway, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute, EPIC, World Health Organization, WHO, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Asia, Africa, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Indonesia, South Asia, Southeast Asia

☆ In a rare win, a migrant worker sued his bosses in Singapore. And won
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

In July, 26 men were taken to hospitals after three lorries, two ferrying migrant workers, collided on a major highway. Migrant workers sit in the back of a lorry in Singapore on May 15, 2020. Suhaimi Abdullah/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesSingapore is home to about 1.4 million migrant workers, nearly a quarter of its population. “Recent tragic incidents have highlighted the continued grave risks posed by transporting migrant workers on lorries,” the statement read. Still, victories for migrant workers are rare, said local civil rights activist Jolovan Wham and a worker taking on his powerful employer was almost unheard of.

Persons: Murugan, Muhamad Ashraf Syed Ansarai, “, ” Ansarai, ”, – Toffazal Hossain, Sugunan, Edgar Su, Transport Amy Khor, ” Khor, Khor, Tan May Tee, ” Tan, ” “, Suhaimi Abdullah, Jolovan, Wham, ” Murugan, “ He’s, It’s Organizations: CNN, Singapore Civil Defence Force, Labor, ”, State, Ministry, Transport, “ Employers, Rigel Marine Services, Reuters, Getty, Singapore, Workers, Ministry of Transport, Singapore’s Ministry of Transport Locations: India, Singapore, Tamil Nadu, Bangladesh, China, Vietnam, ”, alighting

Leslie Maasdorp, Vice President and chief financial officer (CFO) of New Development Bank (NDB), speaks during an interview with Reuters at the bank's headquarters in Shanghai, China July 10, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Aug 23 (Reuters) - The New Development Bank of the BRICS group of nations will not be announcing new members at the BRICS Summit in South Africa this week, its Chief Financial Officer Leslie Maasdorp told Reuters on Wednesday. The bank, which was set up in 2015 to give BRICS members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa a greater say in financing infrastructure than in Western-led institutions like the World Bank, is keen to attract new members to boost its capital base after U.S. sanctions on Russia hobbled its lending. "The process of ratifying new countries is happening at the discussion of the (BRICS) leaders, which they are having without us as the bank," Maasdorp told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the summit. ($1 = 94.4650 roubles)Reporting by Rachel Savage; Writing by Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Alexander Winning and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Leslie Maasdorp, Aly, Maasdorp, Rachel Savage, Bhargav Acharya, Alexander Winning, Emelia Organizations: New Development Bank, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, World Bank, United, United Arab Emirates, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Brazil, Russia, India, Western, Egypt, Bangladesh, United Arab, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Argentina

New Delhi CNN —More than a dozen workers have been killed after a bridge under construction collapsed in northeast India Wednesday, the latest in a string of infrastructure failures that have resulted in multiple deaths in the country. The collapse of the bridge in the town of Sairang, Mizoram state, killed at least 17 people and injured several others, according to its chief minister, Zoramthanga, who goes by one name. “Pained by the bridge mishap in Mizoram,” Modi wrote on X, offering a sum of nearly $2,500 to the next of kin of those killed and $600 to the injured workers. Mizoram is a hilly, mountainous state near India’s border with Bangladesh and Myanmar. Last October, a recently repaired suspension bridge gave way in the town of Morbi in Gujarat, killing 135 people.

Persons: New Delhi CNN —, Zoramthanga, “, ”, Narendra Modi, ” Modi Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, Twitter, ” Locations: New Delhi, India, Sairang, Mizoram, South Africa, India’s, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bihar, Morbi, Gujarat

☆ Top EU official warns West needs to act to avoid losing developing world's trust
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] South African delegates sit behind a glass with BRICS logo as the BRICS summit is held in Johannesburg, South Africa August 23, 2023. Headquartered in Shanghai, the New Development Bank was established in 2015 by BRICS members. "It's symptomatic of something that Europe and Western institutions must confront urgently," Hoyer said of the bank's rise in importance. "Unless we offer genuine partnership and more convincing ways to address the challenges of the Global South whether it is in the energy transition, the issue of indebtedness or tackling glaring health inequality - we are heading for trouble." ($1 = 0.9252 euros)Reporting by Marc Jones Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alet Pretorius, Werner Hoyer, Hoyer, Marc Jones, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Investment, New Development Bank, Reuters, EU, West, United Nations, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, China, Russia, Africa, EIB, Brazil, India, Ukraine, Shanghai, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria, Argentina, Ethiopia, Honduras, Iran, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Zimbabwe, Europe, Western

☆ In AI push, Telenor hires Google Cloud's Amol Phadke as CTO
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies Telenor recruits Chief Tech Officer from Google CloudAmol Phadke to implement AI strategyTelecom sector's AI adoption is going slowly, Phadke saysAlso appoints Petter-Boerre Furberg as head of Asia unitOSLO, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Norwegian telecoms firm Telenor (TEL.OL) has recruited Google Cloud's Amol Phadke as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to strengthen its AI activities, Telenor said on Tuesday. Phadke most recently headed Google Cloud's (GOOGL.O) telecom business and has previously worked for British Telecom, Alcatel-Lucent and Accenture's network services unit. He said he wanted Telenor "to use AI in all of our operations to make operations more efficient, develop new products, increase energy efficiency." Phadke said Telenor would use AI will to make business operations more efficient, for example to predict traffic demand and allocate more bandwidth to areas with more users, and to improve interactions with customers. "We do not believe that AI will directly result in job reductions," Phadke said, adding he envisaged using AI to augment and enhance, not substitute, humans in processes.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Phadke, Petter, Boerre Furberg, Sigve Brekke, Brekke, Arentz, Rostrup, Furberg, Victoria Klesty, David Evans Organizations: Telenor, REUTERS, Google, Telecom, Technology, British Telecom, Alcatel, Lucent, Reuters, Telenor Nordics, Thomson Locations: Asia, OSLO, Norwegian, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Southeast Asia

☆ Global onion prices could be set to rise with India slapping an export tax on domestic production
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A labourer sorting out onions at a vegetable market in New Delhi on May 30, 2023. The new levy announced Saturday acts to ensure domestic availability and cool inflation, and is effective immediately until December 31, according to the country's Ministry of Finance. Global onion prices are likely to get a positive price cue on account of India's decision. India's government in July also banned the exports of non-basmati white rice in a bid to ensure sufficient domestic supplies. "The government would like to rein [in] prices and ensure sufficient availability in the domestic market.

Persons: Arun SANKAR, ARUN SANKAR, Arun Sankar, Pushan Sharma, Samarendu Mohanty Organizations: Getty, Afp, country's Ministry of Finance, India's Department of Consumer Affairs, CRISIL Market Intelligence, P, Indian Meteorological Department, Pushan Sharma CRISIL, Intelligence, Potato Center, CNBC Locations: New Delhi, AFP, India, Maharashtra, Karnataka, oversupply, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Sri Lanka

☆ BRICS Summit: Who stands to benefit from Russia-friendly bloc's expansion?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The group of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa has never been more prominent on the world stage. Russia’s leader can’t attend the summit because host country South Africa would be obliged to arrest him for alleged war crimes. But nonetheless that family is now entertaining formal bids from nearly two dozen countries to join their bloc of major emerging economies. It held its first summit in 2009 with four members and then added South Africa the following year. An expansion, instead of making the group more potent, could also make it “more unwieldy and ineffective” with more contrasting positions between members, he added.

Persons: can’t, It’s, Russia’s Vladimir Putin –, Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, BRICS, ” “, Chen Xiaodong, Bhaso, “, China’s Xi, India’s Narendra Modi, Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, –, Goldman Sachs, Jim O’Neill, BRICS Anil Sooklal, Mihaela Papa, ”, Xi, Yun Sun, Putin –, Manoj Kewalramani, Kewalramani, Modi, Lula, Ramaphosa, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Rubens Duarte Organizations: CNN, West, Washington, Sunday, University of Johannesburg, New Development Bank, United Arab, Tufts University, Western, China Program, Stimson, NATO, Takshashila, United Nations Locations: South Africa, Brazil, Russia, India, China, Beijing, United States, New Delhi, Ukraine, African, Argentina, Mexico, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Nigeria, Bangladesh, South, Washington, BRICS, Bangalore, Johannesburg, Russian, – China, Africa, Europe

Gonzalez is set to face the surprise second-place finisher Daniel Noboa in a run-off election in October, according to the National Electoral Council of Ecuador (CNE), as neither candidate won more than 50% of the ballot. Ecuador presidential candidate Daniel Noboa makes remarks as he arrives to participate in a presidential debate on August 13. Crime has topped the agenda of this year’s presidential race, which was punctuated by the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, an outspoken anti-corruption journalist. Gunfire interrupted Noboa’s caravan on Thursday as he was traveling in Guayas province, but authorities say the presidential candidate was not the target of the incident. But the winner of October’s run-off vote will have relatively little time to work on a solution.

Persons: CNN — Luisa González, Gonzalez, Daniel Noboa, Ecuadorians, Diana Atamaint, González, Rafael Correa –, Álvaro Noboa –, Guillermo Lasso, Karen Toro, Fernando Villavicencio, Pedro Briones, Christian Zurita, October’s Organizations: CNN, Movimiento Revolución, Sunday, Electoral, Accion Democratica Nacional, Electoral Council Locations: Ecuador, Belgium, Esmeraldas province, Guayas, Quito, Russia, Ukraine, China, Bangladesh

☆ India imposes 40% export duty on onions to calm rising prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Rajendra Jadhav | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Farmers wait for the auction of onions at Lasalgaon market in Nashik district in the western state of Maharashtra, India, December 19, 2018. "The export duty will make Indian onions more expensive than those from Pakistan, China, and Egypt. Onions are used as the base for traditional dishes across Asia such as biryani in Pakistan and India, belacan in Malaysia and fish curry in Bangladesh. "The Indian duty would prompt China and Pakistan to raise prices, as they have a limited surplus for exports," said the second exporter. India surprised buyers last month by imposing a ban on widely consumed non-basmati white rice sales to dampen price rises.

Persons: Rajendra, Ajit Shah, Rajendra Jadhav, Swati Bhat, Nikunj, Toby Chopra, Clelia Organizations: Insight, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Nashik district, Maharashtra, India, Delhi, Pakistan, China, Egypt, Mumbai, El, Bangladesh, Nepal, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Asia, belacan

☆ Factbox: BRICS summit 2023: What's likely to be discussed?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Putin will participate in the summit virtually and will be represented in Johannesburg by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. BRICS EXPANSIONThe leaders are divided over the expansion of the bloc by adding new members, including the admission criteria. BRICS BANKThe group is also expected to discuss how to boost local currency fundraising and lending within the New Development Bank (NDB), or so-called BRICS bank. While the NDB, which was established in 2015, is still looking at the potential use of alternative currencies, there will be no talk about a common BRICS currency during the summit, South Africa's senior BRICS diplomat said. 'FRIENDS OF BRICS'The last day of the summit is expected to focus on talks with leaders from other countries.

Persons: Aly, Cyril Ramaphosa, Xi Jinping, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Enoch Godongwana, BRICS, Naledi Pandor, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Pandor, Anait Miridzhanian, Olivia Kumwenda, Tim Cocks, Nick Macfie Organizations: New Development Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Indian, International, Africa's Finance, Federal Reserve, United Arab, South African Foreign, Ukraine, Continental Free Trade Area, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights JOHANNESBURG, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, Johannesburg, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, BRICS, United States, South, Bangladesh, Uruguay, Algeria, Honduras, Zimbabwe, Africa, Latin America, Asia, Caribbean, France, Russian

☆ To Fix Health Care, We Need to Look Beyond Medicine - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | September Dawn Bottoms | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It’s not just that life expectancy in Mississippi (71.9) now appears to be a hair shorter than in Bangladesh (72.4). Nor that an infant is some 70 percent more likely to die in the United States than in other wealthy countries. Nor even that for the first time in probably a century, the likelihood that an American child will live to the age of 20 has dropped. All that is tragic and infuriating, but to me the most heart-rending symbol of America’s failure in health care is the avoidable amputations that result from poorly managed diabetes. That noise of a saw on bone is a rebuke to an American health care system that, as Walter Cronkite reportedly observed, is neither healthy, caring nor a system.

Persons: It’s, Walter Cronkite Locations: Mississippi, Bangladesh, United States, American

☆ Pakistan pacer Riaz announces international retirement
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Cricket - ICC Cricket World Cup - Pakistan v Bangladesh - Lord's, London, Britain - July 5, 2019 Pakistan's Wahab Riaz looks dejected after being bowled out by Bangladesh's Mohammad Saifuddin Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 16 (Reuters) - Pakistan's Wahab Riaz has retired from international cricket, drawing the curtain on a 15-year career, the left-arm fast bowler announced on Wednesday. Wahab, who made his debut in 2008, has 83 wickets in 27 tests, 120 wickets in 91 one-day internationals and 34 wickets in 36 Twenty20s. The 38-year-old said he will continue to play franchise cricket. "It has been an honour and a privilege to represent Pakistan on the international stage. Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pakistan's Wahab Riaz, Bangladesh's Mohammad, Paul Childs, Wahab, Riaz, Pearl Josephine Nazare, Muralikumar Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, Pakistan, Thomson Locations: Pakistan, Bangladesh, London, Britain, Bengaluru

☆ UN security staff released in Yemen after 18 months in captivity
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] United Nations security staff (1st-3rd L) and (8th L), who have been released from the hands of Al Qaeda militants, stand with David Gressly, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, (4th L), and head of the Southern Transitional Council, Aidarous al-Zabidi (5th L), in... Read moreUNITED NATIONS, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Five United Nations security staff who were kidnapped in Yemen by al Qaeda militants 18 months ago have been released, the United Nations said on Friday. The staff - four from Yemen and one from Bangladesh - were in "very good health and good spirits, despite everything that they went through," the top U.N. official in Yemen, David Gressly, told reporters. "But they went through a very difficult period of 18 months of isolation," he added. Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has used a conflict between a Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-aligned Houthis to enhance its influence. Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthi group ousted the government from the capital Sanaa in late 2014.

Persons: David Gressly, Aidarous, U.N, Antonio Guterres, Al, Gressly, AQAP, Michelle Nichols, Rami Ayyub, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: United Nations, Southern Transitional Council, UNITED NATIONS, Five United Nations, Thomson Locations: Al Qaeda, Yemen, al, Bangladesh, Yemen's, Abyan, Saudi, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Tehran

☆ Domino effect: India rice export ban puts market on edge for copycat curbs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Rajendra Jadhav | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

New Delhi had already restricted lower quality broken rice supplies in 2022. In 2008, rice prices reached a record high above $1,000 per ton after India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Egypt, Brazil and other small producers restricted exports. CHAIN REACTIONGlobal prices have risen by around 20% since India's ban. This week, rice prices in Thailand and Vietnam soared to 15-year highs as buyers rushed to cover shipments to compensate for the decline in India's exports. Rao said only Indian supplies can restore equilibrium in the global rice market.

Persons: Nitin Gupta, Trade Nguyen Hong Dien, Rice, B.V, Krishna Rao, Rao, Peter Clubb, Rajendra Jadhav, Naveen Thukral, Khanh Vu, Panarat, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, Olam Agri, Reuters Graphics, Reuters, of Industry, Trade, Rice, Association of Pakistan, Association of India, International Grains Council, Thomson Locations: Kolkata, India, MUMBAI, New Delhi, Thailand, Vietnam, Delhi, Asia, Africa, Olam Agri India, Bangladesh, Egypt, Brazil, Pakistan, Philippines, China, Senegal, Nigeria, South Africa, Malaysia, Cote d'Ivoire, El, London, Singapore, Hanoi, Bangkok

A view of logo of New Development Bank (NDB) at its headquarters in Shanghai, China July 10, 2023. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said boosting local currency usage among the NDB's members will also be on the agenda, with the aim of de-risking the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations rather than de-dollarisation. "Most countries that are members of the NDB have been encouraging (it) to provide loans in local currencies," Godongwana said. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsSo far, China is by far the NDB's most successful local currency market. GROWING MEMBERSHIPNevertheless, the NDB, established with $10 billion in paid-in share capital from each BRICS country, wants to expand.

Persons: Aly, Enoch Godongwana, Godongwana, Leslie Maasdorp, Maasdorp, Alexander Ekbom, Chris Humphrey, Humphrey, Rachel Savage, Brenda Goh, Tannur Anders, Vincent Flasseur, Karin Strohecker, Joe Bavier, Alexander Smith Organizations: New Development Bank, REUTERS, Reuters, Finance, Federal Reserve, Reuters Graphics Reuters, U.S ., United Arab, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Reuters Graphics, Overseas Development Institute, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Africa, JOHANNESBURG, SHANGHAI, Russia, South Africa, Brazil, India, Johannesburg, Ukraine, United States, Mumbai, Brasilia, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Uruguay, Algeria, Honduras, Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia, Asia, London

CNN —Rescue teams have found at least 17 bodies on Myanmar’s shores after a Rohingya boat capsized while on its way to Malaysia on Monday, officials told CNN. Among the dead were 10 women and seven men – all of whom were Rohingya Muslims, said Bya Latt, a spokesperson for the Shwe Yaung Matta Foundation rescue group. A Sittwe police official told CNN that the boat was transporting 58 people, including three boat drivers. “They were met with a storm in the sea and the boat sank under huge waves,” the official said, asking not to be identified. The perilous voyage from Cox’s Bazaar to Malaysia can take weeks, and conditions at sea are challenging, experts have noted.

Persons: –, Bya Latt, Shwe Yaung Matta, Latt Organizations: CNN — Rescue, CNN, Shwe Yaung, Shwe Yaung Matta Foundation Locations: Malaysia, Rakhine, Sittwe, Rathedaung, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Cox’s Bazar

☆ Bangladesh grapples with record deadly outbreak of dengue fever
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Ruma Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DHAKA, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Bangladesh is grappling with a record deadly outbreak of dengue fever, with hospitals struggling to make space for patients as the disease spreads rapidly in the densely-populated country. Hospitals, especially in capital Dhaka, are struggling to find space for the large number of patients suffering high fever, joint pain and vomiting, health officials said. There is no vaccine or drug that specifically treats dengue, which is common in South Asia during the June-to-September monsoon season, when the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads the deadly virus thrives in stagnant water. This year's deaths already top the previous record of 281 from last year, with the number of people infected just behind the 62,423 cases of 2022. "This is the reason why we saw such a high number of dengue cases in July.

Persons: Zahid Maleque, Kabirul Bashar, Yasir Arafat, Ruma Paul, Tom Hogue Organizations: Reuters, Jahangirnagar University, Thomson Locations: DHAKA, Bangladesh, Dhaka, South Asia, Asia

☆ Food delivery apps Grab and Foodpanda expand into dine-in services as explosive growth stalls
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Bryan van der Beek | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesSINGAPORE — Singapore-based food delivery apps Grab and Foodpanda are expanding into the dine-in space, as consumers look to eat out more post-pandemic. Foodpanda was the first food delivery companies in Singapore to introduce dine-in features in 2021. Food delivery is currently still Foodpanda's largest business, followed by grocery delivery, he said. In June, food delivery service AirAsia Food launched dine-in services in collaboration with restaurant reservation platform eatigo. Food delivery apps want to help [restaurants] get some business in terms of dining in and booking.

Persons: Bryan van der Beek, Bernstein, Foodpanda, Jakob Sebastian Angele, Jonathan Woo, Phillip Securities Research Angele, TabSquare, Jein, GrabFood's, Tay, Woo, Sachin Mittal Organizations: Central Business District of Singapore, Bloomberg, Getty, SINGAPORE —, CNBC, Phillip Securities Research, AirAsia Food, DBS Bank Locations: SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE — Singapore, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Asia Pacific

☆ India's rice export ban to hurt millions globally. These countries will be the worst hit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

20 Xinhua News Agency | Xinhua News Agency | Getty ImagesIndia's rice export ban could ripple across global rice markets — and millions are expected to be impacted, with Asian and African consumers set to bear the biggest brunt. The scale of people impacted by Indian rice ban will be in millions. Other affected regionsAsia is not the only region hit by India's rice export ban, many African and Middle East nations are also vulnerable. That means up to 40% of India's rice exports are now offline, according to BMI forecasts. India's rice export ban is expected to ripple across global rice markets.

Persons: Mohanty, Samarendu Mohanty, Narendra Modi Organizations: Xinhua News Agency, Getty, Barclays, El Nino, BMI, Fitch Solutions, Workers, International Potato Center, CIP Locations: Nagaon district, India's, Assam, India, Malaysia, Asia, Singapore, Thailand, Pakistan, Vietnam, Philippines, Saharan Africa, East, North Africa, Djibouti, Liberia, Qatar, Gambia, Kuwait, Cambodia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal

☆ The BRICS are better off disbanding than expanding
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

(South Africa wasn’t on his list.) O’Neill likes to tease the BRICS that their economic performance subsequently went downhill - particularly after the much smaller South Africa joined in 2011. Since then, Russia, Brazil and South Africa have all struggled economically. The fault line between India and China, which fought a small war in the Himalayas in 2020, is one reason the BRICS club has done so little. Besides, most developing countries don’t want to be forced to choose sides in a showdown with the United States.

Persons: Jim O’Neill, Goldman Sachs, O’Neill, Vladimir Putin, Peter Thal Larsen, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Africa wasn’t, Reuters Graphics Reuters, New Development Bank, Bank, Global, U.S ., Thomson Locations: TINOS, GREECE, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Johannesburg, Africa, Africa’s, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Cuba, Kazakhstan, United States, Iraq, Republic, Ukraine, Russian, New Delhi, Soviet, Philippines, Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand, Nigeria, Vietnam, Malaysia, Bangladesh

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