SINGAPORE -- U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday sharply criticized China's actions in the South China Sea but insisted American engagement in the Indo-Pacific is "not against any one country," as she laid out Washington's regional policy in Singapore.

In a 15-minute speech, Harris described the Joe Biden administration's approach to security, economic relations and health with broad strokes and an upbeat tone, emphasizing plans to strengthen partnerships and reinforce a "shared vision."

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PALO ALTO, U.S. -- Didi Global is re-evaluating its plan to launch services in the U.K. amid uncertainties brought by Beijing's recent crackdown on the ride-hailing giant, according to a source familiar with the situation.

The company obtained operating licenses in several northern U.K. cities, including Manchester, Salford and Sheffield, right before China's Cyberspace Administration launched an investigation into Didi Global for allegedly breaching national security with its data management.

The scrutiny from Beijing came

TOKYO/NEW YORK/VIENNA -- Shadows are looming over an economic scenario in the U.S. and Europe, in which a rapid recovery could be achieved if COVID-19 vaccinations are accelerated.

The optimistic scenario is being shaken because the highly infectious delta variant of the coronavirus, first detected in India, is wreaking havoc, applying the brakes to improvement in sentiment among businesses and consumers. The plan to achieve an economic recovery by easing behavioral restrictions on vaccinated people has come to a crossroads.

People wearing

Boonsithi Chokwatana is the Chairman of Saha Group, Thailand's leading consumer products conglomerate. This is part 27 of a 30-part series .

The project to attract an international school to Sriracha, in eastern Thailand, fizzled, and we eventually constructed a golf course on the planned site.

But Saha still owned a great deal of unused land there, including in surrounding areas.

"If we're going to do something, why not do something with Japan, with which we have a close relationship,

MANILA -- The COVID-19 pandemic pushed another 75 million to 80 million people in emerging Asian economies into extreme poverty last year, the Asian Development Bank said in a report released Tuesday.

The latest estimates on extreme poverty, defined as living below $1.90 per day, spells a setback to the region's sustainable development agenda. The estimates cover 35 economies -- such as China, India, Bangladesh, and Papua New Guinea -- lower than the 46 ADB tracks

TOKYO -- Asian stock markets are sharply underperforming the rest of the world in the third quarter, as global investors retreat from the region in the face of worsening COVID-19 case numbers and new lockdowns.

Fund managers and strategists say the outlook for the remainder of the year depends on vaccinations progressing -- but even then the region may struggle to attract inflows as the U.S. tightens monetary policy to the detriment of other markets and China continues a regulatory crackdown on its largest companies.

Japan's Nikkei

SINGAPORE -- The U.S. is "focused" on evacuation operations from Afghanistan, Vice President Kamala Harris said on Monday during her trip to Singapore, as its retreat from the Central Asian country raised questions about the credibility of U.S. commitments.

"Right now, we are singularly focused on evacuating American citizens, Afghans who worked with us and Afghans who are vulnerable, including women and children," Harris said at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, when asked to assess what

TOKYO -- Japan's top convenience store operator, Seven & i Holdings, will launch delivery services nationwide as early as 2026, Nikkei has learned.

The operator expects to be able to deliver food and dairy products to homes in as little as 30 minutes from its 20,000 7-Eleven stores. It intends to start offering the service in fiscal 2026 and compete with e-commerce giants such as Amazon.com.

The move comes amid a slump in

SEOUL -- Members of South Korea's once-venerated "86 Generation" -- which comprises many of those who played key roles in bringing down the country's military government -- are now wondering where they lost their way.

This has put President Moon Jae-in's administration in a delicate situation; of the South Koreans who in their heyday changed the course of their country's history and now serve as lawmakers, many find themselves at the center of Moon's government.

On