HONG KONG -- Hong Kong's expanding crackdown on media companies and other sectors appears to have reignited Japanese companies' concerns over the city's business environment about a sweeping national security law that came into force last year.

In the latest quarterly survey by the Japanese consul general, the local office of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Hong Kong Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 56.5% of respondents said they are either "very worried" or "worried" about the national

SINGAPORE -- Singapore is looking at relaxing its border rules this September, by which time around 80% of the country's 5.7 million people should have received two doses of coronavirus vaccines.

The city-state's Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs a special COVID-19 task force, explained the government's thinking in a parliament session on Monday.

Wong said current requirements for travelers, such as 14 days in isolation, may be replaced with a "rigorous testing

JAKARTA -- Singapore-based Grab has formed a strategic partnership with Elang Mahkota Teknolog, a major Indonesian media conglomerate, in a move poised to further realign the tech landscape in the region's biggest economy.

The Indonesian company -- Emtek for short -- is the largest shareholder in Bukalapak, one of Indonesia's largest e-commerce platforms. The new tie-up means Indonesia's tech industry is now in a three-way battle between the Grab-Bukalapak alliance, Singapore-based Sea and

PARIS -- UNESCO will recognize Amami Oshima and other islands in Japan's southwest as a World Heritage site for their array of one-of-a-kind animal and plant species, the United Nations agency decided Monday.

The designation also covers Tokunoshima and Iriomote, along with the northern part of Okinawa's main island. Altogether, they represent Japan's 24th World Heritage site and the fifth natural heritage site.

Japan's newest World Heritage site spans nearly 43,000 hectares

TOKYO -- Japan's largest hydrogen plant powered by offshore wind energy is set to open on the northern island of Hokkaido as part of a national effort to slash carbon dioxide emissions.

Scheduled to begin operation as early as the year ending March 2024, the plant will produce up to roughly 550 tons of hydrogen a year -- enough to fuel more than 10,000 hydrogen vehicles, according to plans.

The effort represents a step toward creating a homegrown supply of hydrogen that

BANGKOK/TOKYO -- As a heat wave pushes temperatures up to nearly 50 C, a recent video released by the United Arab Emirates shows a city in the arid nation lashed by torrential rain -- the result of a national cloud-seeding operation.

The program seen in the video, which was reported by the U.K.-based Independent newspaper, is just one example of emerging economies, particularly China, making their own weather to address the threat posed by droughts and other extreme events made more likely

TOKYO -- The Olympics presents a dizzying array of sports, and multiple events within sports. Here is the list of events with medals up for grabs.

Medal events to watch on Tuesday, July 27 (Tokyo time)

Artistic Gymnastics

• 7:45 p.m. Women's Team Final

Softball

• 1:00 p.m. Bronze Medal Game
• 8:00 p.m. Gold Medal Game

Canoe Slalom

• 4:45 p.m. Women's Kayak Final

Cycling Mountain Bike

TOKYO -- The Tokyo Olympics have finally opened after a long journey filled with controversy, and an unprecedented one-year postponement because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The proceedings officially began with Friday's opening ceremony at the National Stadium , a mostly subdued affair mixed with joyous moments like a high-tech drone show, and capped by tennis star Naomi Osaka lighting the Olympic cauldron.

We're tracking the latest medal count .

Read our breakdown of the events to watch .

Here are the latest developments:

HANOI -- After emerging as Southeast Asia's biggest steelmaker earlier this year, Vietnam's Hoa Phat Group aims to solidify its position with a new 85 trillion dong ($3.7 billion) blast furnace breaking ground in early 2022.

"Demand for steel remains strong in Vietnam, and we have a lot of faith in this investment," Hoa Phat Chairman Tran Dinh Long said of the new furnace planned in Vietnam's central Quang Ngai Province.

The expansion comes as Vietnam accelerates