African Swine Fever keeps spreading in Asia, threatening food security

  • The spread of African swine fever (ASF) in Asia is taking a worrisome turn.
  • First reported in northeastern China in August 2018, the highly contagious, often fatal pig disease quickly swept through the country, causing the death or culling of more than 1 million pigs.
  • In recent weeks, it has jumped borders to Vietnam, Cambodia, Mongolia, Hong Kong, and possibly North Korea. Many of the newly hit countries are even less prepared to deal with ASF than China, experts say, which has so far failed to end its outbreaks.

Source: Science Magazine

Gazprom shares surge on full-year dividend hike

The stock closed 16.4 per cent higher at an over seven-year high of Rbs189.7 and lifted the company’s market value to Rbs4.49tn (€61.8bn). That is enough to help it surpass Rosneft and Lukoil, the country’s top two crude producers, to become the second most valuable company on the exchange. Sberbank, the country’s biggest lender remains the biggest with a market capitalisation of Rbs4.92tn. Source: Financial Times