Asia Economy
Japan is about to welcome back foreign travelers, but domestic tourism remains its priority
After more than two years of closed border policies, Japan is set to welcome back international travelers this week. Come June 10, foreign tourists traveling via packaged tours can enter Japan. However, the government’s priority still lies in boosting domestic tourism numbers, said Tadashi Shimura, president of Japan Association of Travel Agents. Even before the […]
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World Bank slashes global growth forecast to 2.9%, warns of 1970s-style stagflation
Global growth is expected to slip to 2.9% in 2022 from 5.7% in 2021 — 1.2 percentage points lower than previously predicted, according to the World Bank. Bloomberg | Getty Images The World Bank on Tuesday slashed its global growth forecast and warned that many countries could fall into recession as the economy slips into […]
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Australia’s central bank raises rates by 50 basis points in hawkish surprise
People walk past the Reserve Bank of Australia building in Sydney. On May 3, 2022, Australia’s central bank raised interest rates for the first time in more than a decade to curb soaring consumer prices. Saeed Khan | AFP | Getty Images Australia’s central bank on Tuesday raised interest rates by the most in 22 […]
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Cheap valuations, strong growth: Fund manager says it’s time to buy Vietnam stocks
This photo from Oct. 2021 shows motorcyclists waiting at a Covid-19 border checkpoint between Ho Chi Minh City and Long An province, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The country’s benchmark VN index has fallen around 14% year-to-date as of Monday’s close. Maika Elan | Bloomberg | Getty Images Vietnam’s stock index has fallen more […]
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Huge pay bumps and flexi work hours: How Singapore companies are fighting the talent war
Companies in Singapore are adjusting salaries and beefing up mental health benefits, bonuses, flexible working policies and more. Jayson_lys | E+ | Getty Images In a normal year, lawyers at one of Singapore’s top four local law firms could expect to receive an annual increment of between 10% and 15%. The company said employees would get […]
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The race toward a new computing technology is heating up — and Asia is jumping on the trend
A quantum computer in a vibration-free building. Quantum computing will ultimately speed up the computational power that drives many industries and could affect everything from drug discovery to how data is secured. Oliver Berg | Picture Alliance | Getty Images Quantum computing was already gathering pace in Japan and elsewhere in Asia when the University […]
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China tries to shake off the worst of the pandemic in a long, zero-Covid journey
A handful of tourists visit the normally packed Yuyuan Garden during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday on June 4, 2022, in Shanghai, where authorities are allowing a return to normal life and business activity. Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images BEIJING — China is starting to show signs of recovery from the latest […]
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India’s ruling party suspends BJP official over comments about Islam
India’s Bharatiya Janata Party’s spokeswoman Nupur Sharma has been suspended in response to comments she made during a TV debate about the Prophet Mohammed. Hindustan Times | Hindustan Times | Getty Images India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on Sunday it had suspended BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma in response to comments she made during […]
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Crypto enthusiasts want to remake the internet with ‘Web3.’ Here’s what that means
Some crypto enthusiasts want a new kind of internet that yanks power away from Big Tech and hands it to people. Can they succeed? Remember AOL chatrooms and downloading songs through Napster? The internet has come a long way.Today, it’s dominated by Meta, Google and a handful of other tech giants whose services have made […]
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Australia’s prime minister in Indonesia for talks on investment, climate change
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks to media on June 5, 2022. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was in Indonesia on Monday to meet its President Joko Widodo and shore-up relations between the two neighbors, in his first bilateral visit since being elected last month. Matt Jelonek | Getty Images News | Getty Images Australian […]
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