Daily News Channel
Hong Kong Disneyland — the beleaguered park that has drawn underwhelming reviews for its thin lineup of attractions — needed a lifeline. On Tuesday it got one, when the Hong Kong government and Walt Disney executives reached a deal to expand Disney’s second Asian theme park over the next five years in an attempt to boost sales and stand up to competitors
Before the current recession, some economists speculated that Asia’s economies had become so vibrant, and trade among them so important, that the region could shake off its traditional dependence on the U.S.
Entire volumes have been written about the subject of infant sleep — getting babies to sleep, keeping them asleep, making sure their sleep environment is safe. One topic of continued debate among parents is co-sleeping, or bed-sharing, a common practice in countries outside the U.S. Fueled by increasing evidence, however, more pediatricians and sleep experts are dissuading parents from sharing a bed or a bedroom with their babies, recommending instead that babies be allowed to learn how to fall asleep and stay asleep on their own.
Political demonstrations in Thailand on Saturday disrupted the Association of South East Asian Nations summit, according to Thai and Japanese officials.
Asia’s economic growth will tumble to the slowest pace since the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in a report released Tuesday. “The short term outlook for the region is bleak as the full impact of the severe recession in industrialized economies is transmitted to emerging markets,” said Jong-Wha Lee, acting chief economist for the ADB. The Asian Development Outlook 2009 forecasts that economic growth in developing Asia will slip to 3.4 percent in 2009, down from 6.3 percent last year and 9.5 percent in 2007.
A bull run on Wall Street put a spark in Asian markets on Wednesday, pushing them solidly into positive territory.