As US retreats from policeman role, rest of world pressed to fill void
TOKYO -- The blasts near Kabul's airport Thursday that killed 13 U.S. service members mark a tragic end to two decades of American presence in Afghanistan.
Despite the recent evacuations conducted by the U.S. and other nations, another a few hundred thousand Afghans who cooperated with the Americans reported still remain in the country, according to some estimates. These people could be subject to retribution from the Taliban, despite the assurance of asylum from Afghanistan's new rulers.
"My family members are
Thailand to partially ease business lockdowns from September
BANGKOK -- Thailand will ease some of its business lockdown measures from Sept. 1, allowing so-called "high-risk businesses" to reopen.
Out of 77 provinces in Thailand, 29 are currently under stringent business restrictions and a nighttime curfew to contain the spread of the delta-strain outbreaks. The measures were implemented in mid-July and were set to expire by the end of August.
The Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration, the Thai government's special committee for coronavirus
Gloves off: Kishida vows to replace Japan kingmaker Nikai if elected
TOKYO -- The verbal jabs are coming fast and furious in the race for the presidency of Japan's ruling party. Former policy chief Fumio Kishida -- who entered the fray to become the next leader of the Liberal Democratic Party -- proposed limiting the terms of party officials Thursday.
Party officials other than the president should be limited to "one term of one year, [and only] up to three consecutive terms," Kishida said.
He added that this would "prevent a concentration of power and people
KFC in Thailand to serve up plant-based chicken from CP Foods
BANGKOK -- Thailand's CP Foods has struck a deal to supply a plant-based alternative to chicken to the country's Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants as it seeks to grow the new brand Asia-wide.
The meat substitute will have the same taste and texture as the real chicken used in KFC's recipe, the company says. Branded as Meat Zero, it will initially be available at select KFCs in chicken nuggets and rice bowls.
The menu change aims to cater to health- and sustainability-conscious
Geely's EV brand scores $500m investment led by CATL and Intel
BEIJING -- A luxury electric vehicle unit of China's Geely has partnered with top EV battery maker CATL and other investors to accelerate the development of new technologies.
Zeekr Intelligent Technology, which operates Geely's premium EV brand, signed strategic investment partnerships with five companies including Intel Capital, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group announced Friday. The partners will gain a 5.6% stake in Zeekr in exchange for $500 million.
In addition to the investment, the partners will provide Zeekr with expertise in related fields
Steps away from freedom, a family's tale of terror at Kabul airport
NEW DELHI -- The aftermath of the deadly blasts outside Kabul airport was "like a horror movie," according to one person who saw it and survived.
"There were dead bodies and severed limbs everywhere," said the witness, a senior official for the former Afghan government who asked not to be named for security reasons. "People were crying, looking for lost family members, screaming for help, stepping over one another."
A short video he sent to Nikkei Asia showed people wailing as they walked around
British nationals among those killed in Kabul airport attack
LONDON (Reuters) -- Two British nationals and the child of a third British national were killed in Thursday's attack at Kabul airport, British foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Friday.
"These were innocent people and it is a tragedy that as they sought to bring their loved ones to safety in the U.K. they were murdered by cowardly terrorists," Raab said in a statement.
The Kabul airport attack on Thursday, which killed 13 U.S. troops and at least 79 Afghans
Eisai-Biogen Alzheimer's drug off to slow US start amid controversy
NEW YORK/TOKYO -- The new Alzheimer's disease treatment developed by Tokyo-based Eisai and American partner Biogen has divided the U.S. medical community since its controversial approval in June, leading to slow initial sales for a drug viewed as a potential blockbuster.
Early uptake of aducanumab has been "a bit slower than what we assumed," Biogen CEO Michel Vounatsos said on an earnings call in July, about a month after approval.
Sales through the end of June came in below market expectations at $
ASEAN supply chain woes drive up food prices in Japan
TOKYO -- Coronavirus-induced worker shortages at farms and food distributors in Southeast Asia are being felt by supermarket shoppers thousands of kilometers away in Japan.
The price of palm oil -- an ingredient in margarine and many other products -- has spiked in Japan to a high not seen since 1985, up 32% from a year earlier at around 217 yen ($1.97) per kilogram this month.
The challenge facing food makers is the same as the one that forced
China rushes to improve vaccines as skepticism rises overseas
MANILA/SAO PAULO/DALIAN, China -- Crowds thronged to a pharmacy in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo on Sunday, eager to receive Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine. Many quickly left as soon as it ran out, turning down the Chinese-developed Sinovac shots the store had in abundance.
A lack of confidence in Chinese vaccines worries officials in Beijing, which has offered shots to many Southeast Asian and South American nations as part of its diplomatic charm offensive.
Prodded by the government, Chinese vaccine makers are rushing
