COVID-19

Air travel is making a strong comeback, but Asia is lagging behind, IATA says
International air travel has been making a strong recovery this year, with the exception of the Asia-Pacific region, which is “lagging significantly behind,” according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). “Last year, international travel was at about 25% of where it was in 2019. First quarter of this year across the globe, it’s up […]
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Shanghai achieves ‘zero Covid’ status but normal life is weeks away
Residents line up to take nucleic acid tests on May 12, 2022 in Shanghai, China. Streets in China’s capital Beijing were quiet on Friday as residents heeded the advice of authorities to work from home to stop the spread of Covid-19, while officials in locked-down Shanghai said they aimed to defeat the virus this month. […]
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Shanghai says victory against Covid getting closer
Residents line up to take nucleic acid tests on May 12, 2022 in Shanghai, China. Streets in China’s capital Beijing were quiet on Friday as residents heeded the advice of authorities to work from home to stop the spread of Covid-19, while officials in locked-down Shanghai said they aimed to defeat the virus this month. […]
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Education is important, ‘but the money does not seem to add up,’ says UNESCO
The amount spent on financing education doesn’t match the view that education is important, said Priyadarshani Joshi, a research officer on UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report team. Nobody would argue that education isn’t important, “but the money does not seem to add up,” Joshi told CNBC’s Squawk Box Asia last Friday as she spoke about […]
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Inflation hasn’t affected travel activity in Europe that much, says Indian hospitality firm
Mandar Vaidya of Oyo says that’s probably because of pent-up demand. Source
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North Korea officially reports first Covid-19 outbreak
North Korea officially confirmed its first Covid-19 outbreak on Thursday, with state media reporting a sub-variant of the highly transmissible omicron virus, known as BA.2, had been detected in Pyongyang. Kim Won Jin | Afp | Getty Images North Korea officially confirmed its first Covid-19 outbreak on Thursday, with state media reporting a sub-variant of […]
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Doctors say these pandemic side effects are serious problems—and unlikely ‘to go away anytime soon’
In September 2021, I collapsed from exhaustion. My vision went blurry. Then, my eyelids grew so heavy that I could barely keep them up for milliseconds at a time. Panicked, I stumbled approximately 50 yards toward a nearby friend, and slumped over her shoulders. She guided me to a shady spot under a tree, where […]
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Japan is set to open its doors in June, but some locals aren’t happy about it
As countries across Asia reopen to international travelers, Japan — one of the continent’s most popular destinations — remains firmly closed. That may soon change. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Thursday at a news conference in London that Japan will ease border controls in June. Locals often celebrate the easing of pandemic-related border restrictions, but some […]
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WHO chief says China’s zero-Covid policy is not ‘sustainable’
A worker disinfects the walkway near closed shops after many retail stores were closed to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 on May 10, 2022 in Beijing, China. The head of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday China’s zero-tolerance Covid-19 policy is not sustainable given what is known of the disease. Kevin Frayer | […]
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Big travel company CEOs hope market, economic turmoil won’t derail a summer season rebound
As economic pundits raise fears about a recession, the most powerful names in travel and hospitality are pushing back, pointing to bookings that illustrate a positive picture of the American consumer. “We think this summer is going to be gangbusters for travel,” Marriott CEO Tony Capuano told last week. Marriott saw an 81% rise in […]
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