TOKYO -- Global corporate issuance of bonds specializing in environment, social and governance issues has reached $256.8 billion this year, increasing 3.4-fold from the January-June period in 2020, as companies rush to invest in projects and research for decarbonization.

As of Friday, ESG-themed bonds with the highest growth were green bonds, according to data by Refinitiv. Issuance increased by 2.9 times to $162.8 billion, accounting for 63

YANGON/BANGKOK -- Myanmar's military on Feb. 1 detained State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint in the country's first coup since 1988, bringing an end to a decade of civilian rule.

The Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy had won a landslide in a general election in November . But the military has claimed the election was marred by fraud.

For all our coverage, visit our Myanmar Coup page.

Read our in-depth coverage:

-- Myanmar

JAKARTA (Reuters) -- Indonesia and the United States have broken ground on a new $3.5 million maritime training center in the strategic area of Batam, in the Riau Islands, Indonesia's maritime security agency said.

Attending the ceremony virtually on Friday, the U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, Sung Kim, said the maritime center would be part of ongoing efforts between the two countries to bolster security in the region.

"As a friend and partner to Indonesia, the United States remains committed to

NEW YORK -- One week after assuming the Chinese presidency in March 2013, Xi Jinping embarked on his maiden foreign visit. After a brief stopover in Russia, the new leader arrived in Africa. The three-nation tour of the continent began in Tanzania.

Beijing had high hopes for the East African nation. Facing the Indian Ocean, state planners believed that the country could serve as the main gateway to China -- where resources could be brought from across the continent and loaded onto ships headed for the

Brian Wong is a Rhodes scholar from Hong Kong and founding editor-in-chief of the Oxford Political Review.

Should I stay, or should I go?

This is the question on the minds of Hong Kongers who despair at what they perceive to be tightening room for political and civil liberties in the city, best epitomized, perhaps, by last week's shutdown of the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper.

Beijing, on the other hand, views it as the restoration of normalcy to a society penetrated by Western

JAKARTA -- From claypot to curry and mie ayam, the Japanese Embassy in Indonesia's 155,000 Instagram followers usually know what local dish Ambassador Kenji Kanasugi had for lunch.

Tokyo's former point man for North Korean affairs has been busy promoting Japan since arriving in Jakarta in January. The choice of Kanasugi to serve as ambassador to Indonesia was a strategic decision made by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to send the best and brightest of Japan's diplomatic corps across the crucial Indo-Pacific region

YANGON/BANGKOK -- Myanmar's military on Feb. 1 detained State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint in the country's first coup since 1988, bringing an end to a decade of civilian rule.

The Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy had won a landslide in a general election in November . But the military has claimed the election was marred by fraud.

For all our coverage, visit our Myanmar Coup page.

Read our in-depth coverage:

-- Myanmar

SEOUL -- Shinsegae Group's $3 billion deal to buy eBay Korea vaults the South Korean retail giant into a three-way competition with Naver and fast-growing Coupang for the country's e-commerce market.

Shinsegae, which beat out a competing bid from rival retail group Lotte, will acquire 80% of the eBay unit's outstanding shares through core group company Emart, according to an announcement Thursday.

"In the retail industry of the future, only those that are strong online will survive

TOKYO -- Japan's shochu makers are working to gain a foothold in overseas markets as they grapple with a shrinking population at home.

Shochu, a traditional distilled liquor, is typically made from grain or potatoes. Distillers have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, but their main long-term challenge -- a declining domestic market -- predates the spread of COVID-19.

Hamadasyuzou, a distiller based in the southwestern city of Kagoshima, will roll out a shochu brand in July that will sell exclusively