Author: rwandachronicle.com

HANOI: Vietnam’s exports rose 19.1% from a year earlier in the first quarter of 2026 to $122.93 billion, according to official data released on April 4, extending a strong start to the year for one of Southeast Asia’s most trade-dependent economies. Imports increased at a faster 27% pace to $126.57 billion, leaving the country with a trade deficit of $3.64 billion for the January to March period. In March alone, exports climbed 20.1% to $46.44 billion, while imports rose 27.8% to $47.11 billion, producing a monthly trade deficit of $670 million. The latest quarter-end figures showed export growth outpacing the earlier mid-March customs…

KINSHASA: The Democratic Republic of the Congo has declared an end to the mpox outbreak that had remained under national emergency management for about two years, with Health Minister Roger Kamba saying the epidemic no longer met the threshold for that status. The announcement marks a major public health milestone for a country that carried the heaviest burden during the recent surge in Africa, as authorities said the response would now shift from emergency footing to sustained surveillance and management within the health system. Kamba said the virus had not been eradicated and warned that mpox remains present in the country, but he…

BEIJING: China’s central bank has added 12 banks to the roster of institutions authorized to operate the digital yuan, widening the reach of the e-CNY and lifting the total number of approved operators to 22. The People’s Bank of China said the newly admitted institutions will connect to the central bank’s digital yuan system and begin offering services after completing business and technical preparations, marking one of the biggest expansions of the country’s central bank digital currency network since the pilot program began. The 12 newly added banks are China CITIC Bank, China Everbright Bank, Huaxia Bank, China Minsheng Bank, China Guangfa Bank, Shanghai…

SEOUL: South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves fell in March as a stronger U.S. dollar reduced the converted value of non-dollar assets and authorities used reserves in operations to ease currency-market strain, central bank data showed on Friday. Official reserves stood at $423.66 billion at the end of March, down $3.97 billion from $427.62 billion a month earlier. The decline reversed a February increase and marked the sharpest monthly drop since April 2025, according to the Bank of Korea. The Bank of Korea said the monthly decrease reflected both valuation effects and market-stabilization measures. It said the rise in the U.S. dollar lowered…

TERNATE: A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the Molucca Sea off eastern Indonesia early Thursday, killing one person, damaging buildings and prompting a tsunami warning that was later lifted after small waves were recorded. The undersea quake hit at a depth of 35 kilometers about 127 kilometers west-northwest of Ternate, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Authorities in North Maluku and North Sulawesi moved residents away from coastal areas as emergency teams began checking damage in cities and islands closest to the epicenter. Indonesia’s meteorology agency issued an early tsunami warning after the shaking was felt across a wide stretch of the country’s east, including Ternate,…

DAEJEON: South Korea’s consumer prices rose 2.2% in March from a year earlier, accelerating from 2.0% in February as higher oil costs pushed up transport-related prices, official data showed on Thursday. On a monthly basis, the consumer price index rose 0.3%, matching the pace seen in February. The reading placed inflation back above the Bank of Korea’s 2% target, even as the increase came in below the 2.4% estimate expected by economists. The latest data showed energy-linked categories carrying much of the increase. Transport prices climbed 3.4% from the previous month and were up 5.0% from a year earlier, reflecting the effect of higher…

LVLIANG: Four workers were killed after a roof collapse late Wednesday at the Guanjiaya coal mine in Xingxian county in northern China’s Shanxi province, with local authorities confirming the deaths early Thursday after an overnight rescue operation. The accident happened at about 9:15 p.m. on April 1 and trapped four people underground. Emergency crews were sent to the site immediately, and the workers were brought to the surface at 2:46 a.m. on April 2, but showed no signs of life. Authorities said the collapse occurred at a mine in Xingxian, which is administered by Lvliang city, in Shanxi. Public reports identified the site…

TOKYO: Japan’s industrial output fell 2.1% in February from the previous month, official preliminary data showed on Tuesday, as weaker production in autos, fabricated metals and electronic parts reversed some of January’s strength. The decline matched economists’ median forecast and marked the first monthly drop in three months. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the index of industrial production stood at 102.3, while output was up 0.3% from a year earlier. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said shipments fell 1.6% in February from January, while inventories rose 0.3% and the inventory ratio increased 2.3%. The ministry kept its overall assessment unchanged,…

TOKYO: A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck southern Ibaraki Prefecture in eastern Japan at 10:06 a.m. on Wednesday morning, shaking the Kanto region and causing buildings in Tokyo to sway, while authorities said there was no tsunami warning. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake was centered at a depth of 48 kilometers and listed the magnitude as a preliminary reading. The epicenter north of the capital meant the tremor was felt across a wide section of eastern Japan. The strongest shaking was recorded in Moka in neighboring Tochigi Prefecture, where the quake registered lower-5 on Japan’s seven-point seismic intensity scale. JMA said intensities from 4…

YAOUNDE: The World Trade Organization’s 14th ministerial conference ended early Monday without agreement on extending the long-running moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions, a lapse that sharpened questions about the body’s ability to update trade rules and advance wider institutional reform. WTO officials said the moratorium had expired after ministers ran out of time in Yaounde, Cameroon, and conference chair Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana said negotiations would continue in Geneva. WTO officials said the next round of talks is expected in May. The moratorium bars customs duties on cross-border electronic transmissions such as software downloads, e-books, music and movie streaming, and video…