Japan's economy will lose 150 billion yen (about $1.37 billion) because of the decision to hold the Olympics this summer without foreign fans, local media reported citing experts from Japanese think tanks. Economists with the Dai-ichi Life Research Institute cited by the Nikkei business daily believe that the economic effect expected by Tokyo from holding the Olympics will be reduced by 150...

Senior US and Chinese officials will meet in Alaska for the first time since Biden was elected. Beijing expects to get the White House to reverse Trump's anti-China decisions, but is not ready to compromise on Hong Kong and Taiwan, The Wall Street Journal has learned. Beijing plans to press Washington to reverse former US President Donald Trump's decisions against China, in the first face-to-face...

The first passenger with a digital Travel Pass has arrived at London Heathrow Airport, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced. The Travel Pass holder arrived on a Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore. The programme aims to make travel more affordable and safer in the face of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. "Today's success is a big win in many ways. It gives...

Due to the introduction of pandemic lockdowns and the associated reduction in emissions from transport and industry, air quality has improved in most countries in 2020. This is the conclusion of the annual air quality report published by the Swiss company IQAir. The report includes data from 106 countries and 92 cities around the world. Improvements in pandemic air quality were found in 84% of...

Japan has decided to hold this year's Tokyo Olympics without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kyodo news agency reported, citing knowledgeable sources. The ceremony where the Olympic torch relay will be launched in Japan will also be held without spectators on March 25. According to the agency, the country's authorities had concluded that with the spread of the coronavirus it was not...

One in three countries is now closed to international tourism, with only five states open for travel, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) said in a statement. At the beginning of February, 69 out of 217 countries in the world (32%) do not receive foreign tourists, with half of them having already had their borders closed for 10 months. Borders of another 73 countries (34%) are partially...

The European Union and the United States have concluded negotiations to adjust EU import quotas for agricultural products from the United States by billions of euros, which was necessary because of Brexit, the European Commission said in a statement. "The European Union and the United States have concluded negotiations on an adjustment of EU agricultural quotas within the World Trade Organisation...

China's exports and imports in January-February 2021 showed record growth amid a strong economic recovery and an improving epidemiological situation, data from China's General Administration of Customs show. In January-February this year, China's exports rose 60.6% year-on-year to 468.8 billion dollars, while imports rose 22.2% to 365.6 billion dollars. China's total foreign trade for the two...

Since the establishment of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on 1 January 1995, its member countries have initiated 598 disputes. During this time, 51 countries have initiated at least one dispute and 60 have become defendants in at least one case, according to WTO data. In all, 110 countries (including as third parties) have been involved in the resolution of disputes, in one way or...