Britain, the United States, Japan and Canada announced a ban on imports of Russian gold, sales of which totalled $15bn last year, at the start of the G7 three-day summit on Sunday

About 240 casinos have been built in 120 Special Economic Zones in the Mekong subregion and some of these enclaves have become hubs of serious criminal activity, the UNODC says

A massive solar project in northern Australia, which aims to provide energy to Singapore and Indonesia via an undersea cable, has won approval for investment

The Covid-19 outlook in China has picked up with officials declaring victory over the coronavirus in Shanghai, while their counterparts in Beijing said on Saturday they will allow classes to resume.

NATO is expected to "harden its stance towards China over its position on Russia's war in Ukraine", a report by the South China Morning Post says

China's securities regulator has drawn up rules for private pension investment via mutual funds. Citizens can buy mutual funds, savings deposits and insurance products via individual accounts

Copper is heading for its steepest weekly drop since March 2020, while tin is on track for a weekly percentage fall of nearly 22%, its biggest on record

Stocks were up in Asia on Friday with South Korea enjoying the largest daily jump in 16 months, while tech shares helped lift markets in China, Japan, and Australia

Japan changed a key policy document that put hybrid vehicles on par with battery-electric cars after Toyota warned that carmakers could not back a government that rejected hybrid tech.

The accident involving a Nio test vehicle that reportedly plunged off the fifth floor of the company's headquarters in Shanghai had become "one of the most discussed topics on Weibo"

A poll of analysts earlier this month found there is a 40% chance of a US recession over the next two years, with a 25% chance of that happening in the coming year.

Chinese tech shares in Hong Kong rose after President Xi Jinping chaired a meeting that backed support for fintech firms. Alibaba jumped 6.4%, and Chinese automakers also shone.