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June 10th, 2021

MIND'S EYE

Surveilled and stressed workers power China's tech boom

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The Big Story

China's tech workers pushed to limits by surveillance software

A vicious cycle of monitoring and overwork is fueling productivity -- and backlash

Tech underclass: Rapid technological development, paired with poor labor regulations, has created a potential for labor abuse.
The Yangtze River Delta plan was conceived in 2018 to complement two other megacity clusters -- the Greater Bay Area in the south and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Integration Plan in the northeast.
Asia Insight

China's Yangtze economic belt tests Xi's push for tech independence

Dual circulation and self-sufficiency plans create concerns for foreign investors

Businesses in Phuket -- like this resort -- and Bali are devoid of foreign tourists, who were once the lifeblood of the local economy.
Business Spotlight

Last resorts? Phuket and Bali chase dream of COVID-free tourism

Plans for ring-fenced 'sandboxes' and 'green zones' to revive economies

Vingroup's Grand World resort on the island of Phu Quoc is designed to lure tourists from Southeast Asia's more established resort islands. (Photo by Tomoya Onishi)
Business trends

Vietnam's 'last paradise' intends to challenge Phuket and Bali

Vingroup carves a modern-day Venice into the island of Phu Quoc

Biogen and Eisai's drug Aducanumab has been shown in clinical trials to be effective in removing amyloid beta plaques in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease. (Source photo by Biogen/AP)
Pharmaceuticals

Biogen and Eisai's dementia drug tie-up pays off with US approval

New treatment holds promise for Alzheimer's patients but obstacles remain

An Apple Store in Shanghai: China is now the biggest source of suppliers to the iPhone maker. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
China tech

China ousts Taiwan as Apple's biggest source of suppliers

Number of US companies in supply chain also slides despite Trump's trade war

Sagi Karni, Israel's ambassador to Singapore, defended his country's handling of the recent Gaza conflict in an interview. (Source photos by Embassy of Israel in Singapore and Reuters) 
Interview

Israel envoy pans 'megaphone diplomacy' after ASEAN outcry on Gaza

Ambassador to Singapore says possible Netanyahu exit won't stop Asia outreach

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (center) delivers a statement, flanked by his ministers following an ASEAN Leaders' Meeting in April in Jakarta where a five-point consensus over Myanmar was reached.
Myanmar Crisis

ASEAN meets with China as progress on Myanmar consensus stalls

Bloc wants commitment from junta that its envoys have access to 'all parties'

A vaccination center in Mumbai: The number of daily doses administered nationwide has fallen from 4.3 million in early April to over 2 million this week.
Coronavirus

India GDP outlook trimmed as doubts dog effort to vaccinate 940m

Deadly COVID wave abates but central bank and doctors see persistent risks

Health workers wait to be inoculated in March at the start of COVID-19 vaccination program in March. The country has launched a fund to finance the purchase of 120 million doses by year's end.
Coronavirus

Vietnam launches $1.1bn COVID vaccine fund: 5 things to know

South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan donors chip into Hanoi's campaign

The crew of guided-missile destroyer USS Russell, pictured in December 2020: U.S. ships are manned by far more experienced personnel. (Handout photo from the U.S. navy)
Opinion

If the US went to war with China, who would win?

America's advantage not as overwhelming as it appears

Babies at a hospital in Huainan: a three-child policy means that restrictions remain.
Opinion

China's three-child policy is about quality, not quantity

Beijing's population policy remains a mirror of its economic policy

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom speaks on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly meeting in Geneva on May 24.
The Nikkei View

Leading nations must work together to swiftly reform WHO

Health organization's slow COVID-19 response shows need for change

Controversial guru Baba Ramdev was forced to withdraw comments last week that modern medicine was largely to blame for India's COVID-19 deaths. He is facing a $140 million lawsuit brought by the Indian Medical Association.
Life

Has India's most influential guru finally gone too far?

Claims that modern medicine to blame for COVID deaths ignites a fierce backlash

Wherever you go in Japan, such as here, near Tokyo's Nakameguro Station, at any given moment, someone, somewhere is delivering something to somebody. (All photos by Edward M. Gomez)
Tea Leaves

In Japan, transport companies really do deliver

As online shopping booms, couriers seem to be everywhere, all the time