KUALA LUMPUR -- A brutal wave of COVID-19 infections has pushed Malaysia back into "total lockdown" mode, effective Tuesday, clouding both the country's economic outlook and prospects for holding a long-anticipated election anytime soon.

The country has been under a coronavirus state of emergency, approved by the king, since Jan. 11, when it reported 2,486 new daily infections. Since then, the figure has nearly quadrupled, hitting a high of 9,020 on

SINGAPORE -- Singapore's PropertyGuru plans to acquire rival platforms in Malaysia and Thailand in a bid to cement its position as Southeast Asia's dominant online housing marketplace.

The deal is also the latest to show how Southeast Asia's digital startups and internet economies have garnered global attention.

The real estate technology portal said on Monday it will buy all of the shares in the units of Australia's REA Group that run competing platforms iProperty.com.my and Brickz.my in Malaysia as well as thinkofliving.

TOKYO -- Two of Japan's regional airlines, Airdo and Solaseed Air, announced Monday that they will merge in 2022 , a move that could portend more consolidation among airlines in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The merger aims to lower the two airlines' operating costs through standardization and more efficient use of resources, such as personnel and facilities. The carriers will set up a joint holding company in the fall of next year.

Hokkaido-based Airdo operates a popular route between Tokyo

HO CHI MINH CITY -- The coronavirus pandemic is fueling a boom in Vietnam's online learning market, and Swedish startup Astrid is taking lessons from the world of mobile gaming to grab a slice of it.

The company developed its English-learning app, also called Astrid, with help from some of the minds behind Candy Crush, the series of puzzle games that became a global phenomenon. The result: A cheerful and engaging interface rewards users for progress and encourages them to keep playing.

But Astrid faces formidable competition

HANOI -- The number of Vietnamese migrant workers has fallen sharply as recipient countries continue to keep their borders closed to foreigners because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government in Hanoi had planned to send 500,000 workers overseas in the five years through 2025, but analysts now think that number is too high.

In the first three months of this year, around 10,000 Vietnamese workers arrived in Taiwan and about 18,000 workers went

YANGON/BANGKOK -- Myanmar's military on Feb. 1 detained State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint in the country's first coup since 1988, bringing an end to a decade of civilian rule.

The Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy had won a landslide in a general election in November . But the military has claimed the election was marred by fraud.

For all our coverage, visit our Myanmar Coup page.

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TOKYO -- Goldman Sachs will increase its property investments in Japan to about 250 billion yen ($2.28 billion) a year from the current range of 100 billion to 150 billion yen, with a focus on logistics hubs, data centers and other facilities that enjoy growing demand.

Utilization and occupancy rates for Japanese logistics hubs and rental condominiums have held steady even in the pandemic. This, coupled with its relatively low interest rates, makes the country an appealing destination for international investors

TOKYO -- The approval rating of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's government fell 7 percentage points from April to 40% in a new Nikkei/TV Tokyo survey as public ire over the pandemic response flared anew under the extended state of emergency.

This marked the Suga government's lowest rating since he took office last September. The old bottom of 42% had been hit in that December, a month that saw rising new cases of COVID-19.

The weekend poll found that 64% of

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

I am not sure what John Coates is smoking these days, but it sure does seem like time to share.

Just the other day this International Olympic Committee blowhard insisted Tokyo make "sacrifices" so he can fly in 80,000-plus athletes, staff and hangers-on from everywhere, with modest health requirements and scant movement controls, during