Comment on Asian shares mixed amid cautious mood, eyes on trade talks

Malaysia plans to gift orangutans to its major buyers of palm oil, a commodity long blamed for destroying habitats of the endangered apes. The world’s second-biggest palm grower is taking inspiration from China’s “Panda Diplomacy,” and is considering to gift the orange-haired mammals to some of its trading partners, including the European Union, as part of the country’s “strategic diplomatic move.” [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Read More: How Pandas Are Becoming a Tool of Chinese Diplomacy “This will be a manifestation of how Malaysia preserves wildlife and ensures sustainability of our forests, especially within the palm oil plantation landscape,” Johari Abdul Ghani, the Southeast Asian nation’s plantations and commodities minister, said in a post on X.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued his first apology over his wife receiving a luxury handbag under questionable circumstances, highlighting his efforts to set a new course for his government after a stinging defeat in parliamentary elections. In his first news conference in about two years, Yoon pledged Thursday to improve livelihoods and create a new ministry to boost the country’s birthrate, which is ranked lowest in the world and threatens long-term economic prospects. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] He also laid out priorities for his remaining time in office, which include taming inflation, boosting growth led by the private sector and raising the basic pension for senior citizens to 400,000 won ($292) a month.

U. S. President Joe Biden said he would halt additional shipments of offensive weapons to Israel if the country proceeded with a ground invasion of Rafah, decrying the potential loss of civilian life as “just wrong.” “We’re going to continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks that came out of the Middle East recently,” Biden said in an interview Wednesday with CNN.

(LOS ANGELES) — The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case in which prosecutors allege he stole nearly $17 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. The scandal surrounding Ippei Mizuhara shocked baseball fans from the U.

(BANGKOK) — The prime minister of Thailand, the first country in Asia to legalize cannabis two years ago, said Wednesday that he wants to outlaw the drug again amid concerns that the lack of regulation had made it available to children and increased crimes. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin wrote on the social media platform X that he asked the Health Ministry to amend its list of narcotics to again include cannabis, and issue new rules to allow its use for medical purposes only. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Srettha also ordered local authorities to suppress criminal activities linked to the illegal drug trade and demanded to see progress within 90 days. After cannabis was decriminalized in 2022, it was initially said that it would be allowed only for medicinal use, but in practice the market was unregulated.

(NEW YORK) — All dogs coming into the U. S. from other countries must be at least 6 months old and microchipped to help prevent the spread of rabies, according to new government rules published Wednesday. The new rules require vaccination for dogs that have been in countries where rabies is common.