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.

Key events to watch on Monday, July 26 (Tokyo time)

Tennis (second round)

• 11 a.m

NINGBO -- From roasted lamb "baozi" in the west, to clay pot seafood noodles in the east, the diversity of Chinese breakfasts is beyond the imagination of many. What better way, then, for those curious enough to learn more about China and its food culture than to join local people for breakfast at their favorite stall.

The Sichuanese start their morning hot, with spicy wontons in chili oil. The mix of minced pork, peppers and soup makes it very addictive. Once one scoops a wonton into his

BANGKOK/YANGON -- Myanmar's electricity supplies have been threatened by collapsing revenues since the Feb. 1 military takeover, with urban areas suffering frequent power failures and prolonged blackouts amid a widespread boycott of electricity bill payments.

Unreliable power supplies are adding severe pressure to the threadbare public health care system as a third wave of COVID-19 rampages. The country's confirmed cases have surged to record levels. Official figures show an average of 6,000 new cases daily for a total of 25

TOKYO -- Japan is set to start issuing paper certificates for coronavirus vaccination -- a slow rollout typical for a country struggling with digitization. And the lack of digital options has raised concerns among airlines eager to revive international travel.

"Other countries are making strides in digital certificates, and quickly," said All Nippon Airways Executive Vice President Juichi Hirasawa. "Japan must not fall behind."

The European Union began offering digital vaccine certificates in July, allowing recipients to skip quarantines and other coronavirus travel restrictions within the bloc

TOKYO -- The sidewalks around Tokyo's suburbs are about to get a bit more zippy.

U.S. startup Bird Rides will soon make a full entry into Japan with an electric scooter sharing program as the country moves to relax restrictions on mobility devices.

Bird Rides is partnering with Tokyo-based BRJ, with the goal of initially rolling out 400 electric kick scooters. Trials of the services will be conducted as early as this fall in greater Tokyo and other major cities.

The Santa Monica, California

TOKYO -- The approval rating of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's government tumbled 9 percentage points from June to 34% in a new Nikkei/TV Tokyo survey amid public disappointment in its leadership as the nation hosts the long-delayed Summer Olympics.

The rating plumbed a new low since Suga took office last September, slipping beneath the 40% nadir marked in May. The last time a cabinet approval rating fell under 40% was in June 2020, when it hit 38% for

William Pesek is an award-winning Tokyo-based journalist and author of "Japanization: What the World Can Learn from Japan's Lost Decades."

That deafening silence one hears in Asia's biggest economy is the music stopping for China Evergrande Group -- as founder Hui Ka Yan scrambles to find a chair.

No billionaire is arguably a bigger bane to the existence of President Xi Jinping's Communist Party. Sure, Alibaba Group's Jack Ma is scurrying for his own chair. So is Didi Global

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.

Key events to watch on Monday, July 26 (Tokyo time)

Tennis (second round)

• 11 a.m

Welcome to Your Week in Asia.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrives in Asia this week just as Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman leaves the region.

Austin's message of pandemic recovery may not travel far with Southeast Asia battling a COVID surge fueled by the delta variant. But the Malaysian parliament is nevertheless due to reconvene, with the fate of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in the balance, while Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gives his last annual address to Congress.

South Korea is due to report quarterly gross