• Post-Abe agenda: Suga says Japan to go carbon-free by 2050
    Associated Press

    Post-Abe agenda: Suga says Japan to go carbon-free by 2050

    Japan will achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared Monday in his first policy speech as leader, outlining an ambitious agenda as the country struggles to balance economic and pandemic concerns. The policy speech at the outset of the parliamentary session reflects Suga's pragmatic approach to getting things done. Suga, formerly chief cabinet secretary, took office on Sept. 16 after his boss Shinzo Abe resigned over health problems.

  • Packed bars and mask-less catwalks: With Covid curbs fading, China set for consumption rebound
    Reuters

    Packed bars and mask-less catwalks: With Covid curbs fading, China set for consumption rebound

    Over the weekend, crowds packed a former industrial warehouse in Beijing as the China Fashion Week got underway, with models strutting mask-less on a square runway and guests oblivious to social distancing norms. Similarly vibrant scenes are being seen elsewhere in China as consumers return to cinemas, live performances and restaurants. To many, they indicate a late-summer recovery in Chinese household spending is broadening and propelling the next stage of the economic recovery.

  • Asia Today: Sri Lanka shuts Parliament after case detected
    Associated Press

    Asia Today: Sri Lanka shuts Parliament after case detected

    Sri Lanka’s Parliament was closed on Monday in order to disinfect the premises after a police officer at the complex tested positive for the coronavirus amid a new surge of the virus in the country. Parliament was closed for two days as a precautionary measure so the premises can be disinfected, said Narendra Fernando, the Parliament's sergeant of arms. Sri Lanka has seen a fresh outbreak of the virus since early this month, when a new cluster emerged centered at a garment factory near Colombo, the capital.