Macau

For the second consecutive year, Singapore has outpaced Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, London, and Monaco in terms of luxury goods and services

A total of 26 names from Türkiye entered the 2023 billionaires list published by Forbes, while İbrahim Erdemoğlu, the owner of a holding company manufacturing carpet, has officially surpassed Yıldız Holding chair Murat Ülker to take the title of the country's richest billionaire.

China will reopen its borders to foreign tourists for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing all categories of visas to be issued from Wednesday, Reuters reported.

The lifting of this latest cross-border control measure imposed to protect against COVID-19 comes after authorities last month declared victory over the virus.

In Tokyo's Asakusa tourist district, caricaturist Masashi Higashitani is dusting off his Chinese as he prepares for an influx of travelers after Beijing ends inbound quarantine rules.

"We used to say 'ni hao' all the time," he said with a laugh as he whipped up a portrait in minutes.

Macau has been under its first lockdown since the start of the pandemic on Monday to stop the worst wave of the coronavirus so far, AFP and Reuters reported. The measure was introduced for a week by authorities in the Chinese special administrative region after more than 1,500 cases of the coronavirus were detected in the past three weeks despite widespread testing.

The US state department is to advise Americans to avoid 80% of countries worldwide because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a note to the media about its updated travel guidance, it said the pandemic continued to "pose unprecedented risks to travellers".

China foisted sanctions on British lawmakers and lobby groups on March 25, widening a chasm between Beijing and Western powers critical of alleged rights violations in Xinjiang.

The EU, U.K., Canada and U.S. sanctioned several members of Xinjiang's political and economic hierarchy this week in a coordinated action over allegations of widespread abuse in the northwestern region.

AstraZeneca has said it is standing by its coronavirus vaccine after a U.S. agency raised concerns about trial results that showed the shot to be highly effective in preventing COVID-19.

Dutch police said on Jan. 23 they had arrested the alleged leader of a sprawling Asian drug syndicate who is listed as one of the world's most-wanted fugitives and has been compared to Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

The Coronavirus pandemic has been wreaking havoc everywhere in the world. The United States has become the most affected country with its confirmed virus cases exceeding 1.3 million. Businesses in the country have been hit hard and casino companies have not fared any better too.