Kentucky Senator Rand Paul’s behaviour over the past two weeks is exactly what’s wrong with America’s response to COVID-19. Paul has a compromised lung, so he decided that he should be tested for the disease out of an abundance of caution. From the time of his test until he was confirmed positive six days later, Paul did nothing to protect those around him.

Emerging technologies are being deployed across Asia to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 10 days, the global number of confirmed COVID-19 cases more than doubled from about 153,000 on 14 March to over 372,000 on 24 March.

A digital nomad is not a job, but a work-travel lifestyle. They are a breed of enterprising individuals who make their living while travelling the world. They are location-independent and use technology to perform their jobs. Technology has allowed for new forms of working environments to thrive, rendering formal workspaces a thing of the past.Professions that digital nomads usually take up are writing and blogging, web design, software development and the occasional photography.

A 2019 report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) estimates that 15 percent of the global population is made up of persons with disability, which makes them one of the largest minority groups in the world. In Asia and Pacific this translates to 690 million people.

The retail industry has undergone multiple transformations during the past century, with those who adapt and innovate continuing to survive. It also helps if one is exceptionally unique. It seems that the world's consumers have gotten a little tired from having to explore multiple shopping locations to find what they want or need.

During the 2019 ASEAN Summit, Thailand introduced the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) initiative to transform three Thai provinces into smart cities – which has turned out to be a success.

Southeast Asia is proving to be one of the most successful and fastest growing digital markets in the world. While the likes of Grab and Lazada have established themselves in the region, many other start-ups are fast-developing unique and innovative forms of services to tap into the lucrative digital economy. Singapore is currently home to some of the most heavily funded start-ups in the region, including Grab and Sea.

Malaysia is on the verge of fully entering the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) as embodied by digitalisation alongside adopting the 5G technology pioneered by Huawei.

The vice-president and managing director of Sage Asia, Arlene Wherrett, was recently reported to have said in an interview with Bernama that “Despite the high level of awareness on the importance of digital adaptation in businesses, small-medium enterprises (SMEs) are still complacent in moving up or upskilling their workforce to adopt automation”.