While most countries in Asia have now dropped Covid-19 entry requirements, as of August 2023, mainland China, Myanmar and Iran are holding out. Here are their respective rules.

Stock shots of Brazilian sand dunes, Indonesian rice terraces and locations in Switzerland and the UAE appeared in the video for the new US$880,000 ‘Love The Philippines’ tourism campaign.

Philippines property investments have drawn hordes of investors from Hong Kong where local conditions remain unfavourable, but rising mortgage rates could dull its allure.

Government hospital bed occupancy rate has gone up in Malaysia, while the Philippines reopened its Covid wards to tackle rise in infections.

The wave is being attributed to a mix of XBB subvariants – a highly transmissible Omicron strain that, so far, isn’t causing widespread severe illness.

The ‘Titas of BTS’ formed in 2020, and consist of about 13,000 fans, is a community of titas – or ‘aunties’ in Tagalog – who fangirl over the K-pop group.

Human-powered carts, made from scraps of wood, that are used as shelter, storage and a source of income are a common sight in Manila.

Schools in the country will reopen their doors to students on August 22 after more than two years of shutdown.

The 31-year-old patient – who travelled to countries with documented monkeypox cases – is ‘recovering well’ and is under home isolation. 10 close contacts have been identified, of which three are from the same household.

Hong Kong Golf Club received HK$6.9 million in total for 442 employees in May and June.

Countries such as Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, China, Australia and New Zealand are being urged to take precautions as authorities grapple with economic fallout from pandemic while trying to avoid unpopular restrictions.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has tested positive for Covid-19, two days after he met face-to-face with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Manila.

Marcos Jnr will have to navigate inflation, a looming energy crisis, poor infrastructure and rising Covid-19 cases in Manila

The President-elect said cooperation with others, including ‘good friend’ China, would hasten his country’s economic recovery.

As city’s worst Covid-19 outbreak wanes, mainland Chinese medical volunteers say they were happy to play a part.

Living in the Philippines for the first time in 14 years, photographer Xyza Cruz Bacani captured the impact of the pandemic on her homeland and the lives of the people she grew up with.

Asian countries imposed lockdown using a range of measures; the Philippines had one of the longest and strictest over two years, while India’s economic shutdown prompted an exodus of migrant workers.

‘Children with learning difficulties are on the cliff – they have no friends, no services, no enrichment’.

While fans and backers say it is a revolutionary way of earning income, some critics liken it to a fraud scheme driven by hype and speculation.

Every day, some 500 teenage girls give birth in the Philippines, where preventing teen pregnancies was made a ‘national priority’ by President Duterte last year – yet teens still need parental consent to access contraception.

Police arrested more than 50 people and removed many others who blocked streets near the parliament for three days with their trucks, cars and motorbikes.

The 76-year-old president was exposed to a household staff member who tested positive for Covid-19 on January 30, but tested negative over the following two days.

The Philippine presidential elections in May are likely to delay any investment decisions by investors and developers, as they wait and see if the new administration will be business-friendly, analysts said.

New Zealand announced a phased reopening of its border that has been largely closed for two years.

Singapore’s private home prices climbed for a seventh straight quarter in the October to December period, while CBRE forecasts office leases may rise 10 per cent this year.

Bhutan’s fourth death from Covid-19 ‘felt like a bullet’, said its doctor-prime minister, as dozens now die from the disease in Australia every day. Elsewhere, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern is self-isolating, and Manila is set to ease curbs as cases drop.

Citizens of 150 countries that have visa-free entry to the Philippines will be allowed to enter from February 10.