JAKARTA — Indonesia, one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of durian, aims to increase the value of its durian farming across the archipelago, particularly for the Chinese market. To achieve this, the country plans to conduct further research on “the king of fruits” and expand its plantations.
Recently, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesia’s coordinator for cooperation with China and coordinating minister of maritime affairs and investment, visited China to deepen bilateral trade. (Indonesia-China-Durian Export)
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KATHMANDU — A total of 27 people have been killed in Nepal in disasters triggered by monsoon rains in the past two weeks, the authorities said Wednesday.
Nine people were killed and 10 others injured in landslides and floods in four districts on the day, while five others died in three lightning strikes in two districts, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. (Nepal-Disasters-Deaths)
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CANBERRA — Spending by tourists in Australia has hit the highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic in the first three months of 2024.
According to figures released by government agency Tourism Research Australia (TRA) on Wednesday, international visitors spent 10.2 billion Australian dollars (6.8 billion U.S. dollars) in Australia between the start of January and the end of March 2024, representing 99 percent of the spending in the same period in 2019. (Australia-Canberra-International Visitors)
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DHAKA — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for Bangladesh at 6.6 percent for the upcoming fiscal 2024-25.
The projection of the global lender nears the Bangladesh government’s projection for the next fiscal, the national news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) reported Wednesday. (Bangladesh-IMF-GDP)