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AP Photo/Kin Cheung/As the pandemic continues around the world, one pattern that’s emerging shows that higher vaccination rates are leading to stronger economic growth. The latest evidence comes from the Asian Development Bank. -
Mary Altaffer/AP/Pool APThis is a week of international diplomacy as the United Nations holds its General Assembly meetings in New York. Later this week, a smaller gathering of allies in the Indo-Pacific will draw international attention, especially from one nation that’s not invited.
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While more people are back in the workplace compared to a year ago, many are still working from home. And according to a new survey, at least in South Korea, not everyone is loving it. -
This summer’s Tokyo Olympics marked the first time that surfing was part of the games. This past weekend, the sport made another debut appearance in Asia — part of a growing trend.
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In the Philippines, two cities also share goals of stopping the spread of the virus but are taking different approaches. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.
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Many tourist destinations saw a continued drop in activity — and that includes some areas of Asia that specialize in “medical tourism.” HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in Monday’s Asia Minute.
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Japan’s government is considering extending a state of emergency for Tokyo because of stress on the city’s hospitals caused by the Delta variant of the coronavirus. But at the same time, the country’s largest business organization is calling for new measures to restart economic activity.
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China is continuing to extend its authority over Hong Kong. Some recent moves have been aggressive in targeting opposition to the Beijing government, but the latest development focuses on the Chinese flag.
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Starting Monday, restaurants and bars in the Seoul metropolitan area could stay open until 10pm, at least for the next four weeks. That’s one hour later than previously, and part of a slight loosening of some restrictions in and around the capital city.
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Early in the pandemic, Vietnam was remarkably successful in keeping the virus out and containing it quickly when it did appear, using aggressive contact tracing, isolation and quarantine. Today, it’s a very different situation.
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The Safe Access O‘ahu program requiring vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test starts a week from Monday. Other counties are considering steps to slow the spread—but in Southeast Asia, two major economies are starting to ease some restrictions.
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In some places, demand is outpacing supply — but two countries in the Asia Pacific have found a solution.
