Singapore’s economy grew 7.2 per cent last year, rebounding from its worst recession since independence sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Monday.

The Philippines will impose tighter curbs in the capital region for the next two weeks, the acting presidential spokesperson said recently, to try to limit infections by the Omicron coronavirus variant that is spreading globally.

China’s December new home prices declined at a slower pace compared with a month earlier, a private-sector survey showed on Saturday, offering a tentative sign of stabilising demand after authorities took steps to avert a hard landing for the market.

China will end subsidies for electric and hybrid cars at the end of the year, authorities have announced, saying the strength of sales in the sector meant state support was no longer needed.

As Cambodia prepares to assume the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) next year, Prime Minister Hun Sen is splitting with most of the bloc by looking to bring Myanmar’s military leadership into the fold.

China’s central bank cut a key interest rate on Monday for the first time in nearly two years in a bid to kickstart growth in the world’s number two economy as it creaks under the impact of a real estate crisis and coronavirus flare-ups.

Debt problems at a major Chinese property developer have now spilled over into a vital artery of the nation’s industrial engine - the steel sector - and started to ripple through to other critical parts of the world’s second-largest economy.

International ratings agency Fitch downgraded cash-strapped Sri Lanka Saturday due to mounting fears of a sovereign default on its $26 billion foreign debt, but Colombo insisted it will meet its obligations.

China’s factory output grew faster than expected in November, supported by stronger energy production and a moderation in sky-high materials costs, but new curbs to fight rising Covid-19 cases hit retailers in the world’s second-largest economy.

Vietnam’s biggest conglomerate Vingroup said on Sunday it had started building a $174 million battery cell plant for its VinFast electric vehicles business so the company can own its battery supply chain.

Malaysia’s palm oil producers are racing to adjust to an acute shortage of workers due to the coronavirus and sharply higher costs of recruitment as they make changes in response to accusations of forced labour.

China on Monday announced a reserve ratio cut and renewed support for the housing market as another Chinese property developer said it had defaulted on a major bond repayment.

Export growth in China lost some steam in November as holiday demand from abroad faded, official data showed Tuesday, but demand for overseas fuel pushed up imports to spike above expectations.

Another Chinese property developer said Monday it had defaulted on a major bond repayment, citing liquidity problems amid a government crackdown on the debt-laden sector.

China’s central bank said on Monday it would cut the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves, its second such move this year, releasing 1.2 trillion yuan ($188.24 billion) in long-term liquidity to bolster slowing economic growth.

After lurching from deadline to deadline, China Evergrande Group is again on the brink of default, with pessimistic comments from the property developer raising expectations of direct state involvement and a managed debt restructuring.

Just five months after its debut, ride-hailing giant Didi Global said on Friday it would withdraw from the New York Stock Exchange and pursue a Hong Kong listing, a stunning reversal as it bends to Chinese regulators angered by its US IPO.

China’s factory activity is likely to have shrunk at a slower pace in November, as supply snags and power cuts eased, a Reuters poll showed, but persistent softness in the manufacturing sector points to a further slowing of the economy.

Electric appliance pioneer Dyson said Thursday it is dropping a Malaysian supplier following an audit of its labour practices, the latest company in the country to face such concerns.

The United Nations on Monday pushed for urgent action to prop up Afghanistan’s banks, warning that a spike in people unable to repay loans, lower deposits and a cash liquidity crunch could cause the financial system to collapse within months.