SEOUL -- South Korea's venture investment grew in single digits in the first quarter due to strong investment demand for future technologies, government data showed Monday.
New investment in startup companies and small businesses with long-term growth potential amounted to 1.9 trillion won (1.4 billion U.S. dollars) in the January-March period, up 6 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.(South Korea-Venture Investment)
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SINGAPORE -- A total of 1.36 million visitor arrivals were recorded in Singapore in April, up 20.1 percent year-on-year, according to the latest statistics released by the Singapore Tourism Board.
Indonesia was Singapore's largest visitor source in April with nearly 244,000 travelers, followed by the Chinese mainland, India, Malaysia, and Australia.(Singapore-Tourism-April)
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WELLINGTON -- New Zealand's monthly food prices rose 0.6 percent in April 2024 compared with March 2024, while international airfares rose 7.2 percent in the same month, according to the statistics department Stats NZ on Monday.
Last month was the first monthly rise in food prices in three months, which was contributed largely by grocery food, driven by higher prices for potato crisps, chocolate blocks and olive oil, Stats NZ said, adding that the fruit and vegetables group slightly offset the increase, with cheaper prices for kiwifruit, broccoli, and mandarins.(New Zealand-Prices-Increase)
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CANBERRA -- Australia's inflation rate is set to return to the central bank's target band by the end of 2024, the government has forecast.
According to projections released by the Treasury on Sunday, inflation will fall to 2.75 percent by December and to 2.5 percent by the end of 2025.(Australia-Inflation) ■
