MANILA -- The Philippines is pushing for concrete measures to strengthen financial resilience and deepen cooperation among ASEAN Plus Three countries, the Philippines' Department of Finance (DOF) said on Monday.
The DOF said that closer collaboration among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea is increasingly critical amid global uncertainty. (ASEAN+3-Financial Resilience-Philippines)
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TOKYO -- Chinese automakers have surpassed their Japanese counterparts in global vehicle sales for the first time, marking a significant shift in the global automotive industry, according to a recent report by Nikkei.
The report said that total global sales by Japanese automakers fell slightly to around 25 million units in 2025, causing Japan to lose its long-held top position for the first time since 2000. Meanwhile, Chinese car manufacturers recorded nearly 27 million units in global sales last year, rising to the top spot worldwide. (Japan-China-Car)
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HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Monday raised the Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) for Iran and Israel to black, the highest level in the city's three-tier alert system.
Meanwhile, the HKSAR government issued amber OTA for Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. (HK-Government-Middle East)
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TOKYO -- Japan's average rice price has fallen for a fifth straight week, with the agriculture ministry attributing the decline to wholesalers' attempts to reduce their inventories, local media reported on Monday.
In the week until March 15, the average price of rice sold at around 1,000 supermarkets across Japan fell to 3,980 yen (about 25 U.S. dollars) per 5 kilograms, marking the fifth straight weekly decline, public broadcaster NHK reported, citing ministry data. (Japan-Rice Price)
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COLOMBO -- Sri Lanka's agriculture sector is facing mounting pressure as rising fuel prices increase production costs, raising concerns over a potential decline in output, industry representatives said.
Chairman of the National Farmers' Union Anuradha Tennakoon has warned that the recent increase in diesel and petrol prices, ranging between 80 rupees (0.25 U.S. dollars) and 90 rupees per liter, is already affecting farmers during the ongoing harvest season. (Sri Lanka-Agriculture) ■
