NEW DELHI -- At least two people died and around 20 were injured when a fire broke out inside a pharmaceutical factory in India's western state of Gujarat on Wednesday, confirmed the local police.
The incident took place at the factory located in Saykha GIDC area. All the victims were factory workers. Those injured were admitted to a local hospital. (India-Factory Fire)
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MANILA -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Wednesday that it has approved a 300-million-U.S.-dollar policy-based loan to support Uzbekistan's efforts to expand access to finance for underserved micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.
The loan represents Subprogram 2 of the ADB's Inclusive Finance Sector Development Program, which builds on earlier reforms under Subprogram 1 aimed at establishing legal and institutional frameworks for inclusive finance, the ADB said in a press release. (Malaysia-Rubber-Increased Production)
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ULAN BATOR -- Mongolia's 126-seat parliament, or the State Great Khural, approved the 2026 state budget on Wednesday with a deficit of 1.0 trillion Mongolian tugriks (293.6 million U.S. dollars).
In the state budget, revenue is projected to be about 31.9 trillion Mongolian tugriks (8.9 billion dollars), or 31.2 percent of the GDP, and spending is estimated to be around 32.9 trillion Mongolian tugriks (9.2 billion dollars), or 32.2 percent of the GDP. (Mongolian-2026 Budget)
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KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia's natural rubber production increased by 36.9 percent to 93,815 tons as compared to 68,513 tons in the second quarter, official data showed Wednesday.
However, on a year-on-year basis, natural rubber production recorded a decrease of 11.3 percent as compared to 105,715 tons in the third quarter of 2024, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said in a statement. (Philippines-ADB) ■
