The combination of harsh, drought-prone climate and lack of investment in the field of agricultural innovation has cast dark clouds over the country's ambition to become a "food bowl" for the Asian region.
 
After coming to power in 2013, Prime Minister Tony Abbott had commissioned a policy paper stating an aim to double food production from northern Australia by the year of 2050.
 

Media reports showed that a Malaysia Airlines plane went missing after leaving Kuala Lumpur as rescue workers have been trying to spot the missing plane.
 
The search continues for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane that has been off the radar for more than 24 hours. Marine rescue teams have been working throughout the night to spot the missing aircraft in the sea south of Vietnam and the aerial mission to find the place started on Sunday morning.
 

China suffered a heavy trade deficit of nearly $23 billion in February this year as imports jumped while exports slipped, the General Administration of Customs said in its latest report.
 
According to the recently released data, China's imports jumped 10.1 per cent and exports slipped 18.1 per cent in February from the corresponding month of the previous year, resulting in a trade deficit of $22.98 billion.
 

British oil giant BP Plc has disclosed that American and Asian regulators have asked it for details after the European Commission launched a probe last year into alleged manipulation of oil prices.

BP, Europe's second-largest oil firm, made the revelation in its annual report released on Thursday. In May last year, investigators from European commission had raided offices of the company in connection with a probe of suspected price manipulation.

Chinese Government will give priority to generating jobs and economic growth below the official target of 7.5 per cent might be considered acceptable, the company's Finance Minister Lou Jiwei said.

At a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, Mr. Lou said growth of 7.2 per cent or 7.3 per cent would be consistent with the government's goal of 7.5 per cent; and added that the key was employment and not the exact level of growth.

Apple Inc is reportedly hiring engineers from rival smartphone makers like HTC Corp. to build up teams in China and Taiwan as it is preparing to launch a wider range of devices in the two countries.

People familiar with the matter said that Apple's hiring binge reflects its need for more engineers to work with Asian suppliers on developing various components for its widely popular iPhones and iPads. One of those people added that the company has already added hundreds of engineers and operations staff in China since mid of 2013.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has directed the country's law enforcement to ensure terrorists responsible for the recent attack on passengers at train station are punished in accordance with the law, Xinhua news agency has reported.
 
Citing authorities, the state-run news agency said President Xi Jinping has urged law enforcement to investigate and solve the case at the earliest and "punish the terrorists in accordance with the law."
 

The drought in the Southeast Asia would likely disrupt water supply, hike food prices, and drag pace of economic growth down, experts have warned.
 
Southeast Asia has been under the intense pressure of the Northeast Monsoon that brings dry & stable air from the South China Sea and decreases the possibility of rainfall.
 
Winston Chow, a professor of geography at the National University of Singapore, acknowledged that February was the driest month for the country. What made it abnormal was the length of the dry spell.
 

Two Filipino women, viz. Teresita Sy-Coson and Vivian Que-Azcona, made it to Forbes' 2014 list of Asian region's 50 most powerful businesswomen.

Teresita Sy-Coson is the daughter of business tycoon Henry Sy Sr. It is the third year in a row when Sy-Coson has been adjudged as one of the 50 most powerful businesswomen in Asia. Sixty-three-year-old Sy-Coson is the chairperson of Banco de Oro Universal Bank and the vice chairperson of SM Investments Corp.

Reversing previous Japanese administration's decision to "escape from nuclear," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe-led government has unveiled plans to restart several closed nuclear reactors and build more. 
 
Naoto Kan, predecessor of Mr. Abe, had declared the datsu genpatsu - "escape from nuclear" - policy in wake of the Fukushima disaster. Mr. Kan has committed to eliminate nuclear power before 2040.