The yen has hit 24-year lows - beyond 135 to the dollar - this week and rising bond yields have pressured the Bank of Japan yield curve control

The Bank of Japan ramped up bond buying on Tuesday in a bid to keep the yield on 10-year government bonds at a 0.25% cap, amid renewed pressure from rising global interest rates

The US dollar index scaled a two-decade peak of 105.29 on Monday and held at that level in Asia as the reserve currency gained with yields and as investors seek shelter from the storm

"It is turning into a Black Monday in Asia," Oanda wrote in a client note. "The R-word (is) now on everyone's lips" amid "a scramble to reassess Fed hiking expectations."

Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said the yen's recent sharp declines are negative for Japan's economy, shifting a long-held stance.

Ministry of Finance, the BOJ and the Financial Services Agency express concern over yen weakness in strongest signal so far that Tokyo may step in to stem the slide

The Japanese yen, which has lost over 14% against the dollar so far this year, slipped to a 20-year low versus the dollar on Thursday

The currency's recent depreciation reflects fundamentals, such as market expectations of differing monetary policy paths between the US and Japan, the IMF said

Sri Lanka is in talks with the IMF for a loan package to help navigate its worst economic crisis in seven decades

Airbnb refused to refund users who complained about being misled, saying they had chosen to view rates in US dollars even though users said they had not, the ACCC said

Russian news agency Sputnik said the move was designed to bolster cooperation among Shanghai Cooperation Organisation nations ``as a bulwark against US sanctions.''

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took office last month, has raised taxes to shore up government revenues and plans to cut expenditure