and later we will take a closer look at the movement to ban certain books in schools and libraries across the u.s. what can be done to fight the bans, that s coming up. announcer: live from cnn center, this is cnn newsroom, with kim brunhuber. we begin in the atlantic basin where tropical storm ian continues to strengthen. fueled by warm energizing waters off the caribbean the latest forecast shows it growing to a category 4 hurricane over the gulf of mexico before slamming into florida. now, it would be the first major hurricane to hit the state in four years. president joe biden has declared a federal emergency in the state. florida governor ron desantis declaring a state of emergency as well and residents from the florida panhandle to the florida keys are being urged to prepare for storm surge, hurricane force winds and heavy rain. this is the calm before the storm, i ve seen lines at the gas stations and the natural gas, propane. they re taking it serious and i
remaining covid-19 restrictions. in some cases in place for more than two and a half years. as of october 11 japan will fully open to all tourists, not just those on guided tours on people who book through registered travel agencies, who started trickling in over the summer. it s a sigh of relief for businesses who rely on the income generated by the visitors. translator: until now i felt the atmosphere in the streets was a bit sad and lonely but the fact that tourists can come will make it more cheerful and fun. i can t wait for everyone to arrive. reporter: across asia coronavirus pressures are being relaxed if not dropped to keep up with other countries who have already reopened with the hope of reviving economies battered by the pandemic. the kingdom of bhutan welcomed back a handful of tourists on friday, the first in more than two years, but that s now an even more expensive trip for visitors who will be charged a fee of $200 per night per person
The Asian Development Bank on Sept. 22 trimmed further its growth prospects this year for developing and newly industrialized Asian economies to 7.1 percent as lingering concerns over the coronavirus pandemic persist in the region.