KUALA LUMPUR (BLOOMBERG) – The number of Covid-19 infections is surging in Malaysia, threatening to aggravate shortages of semiconductors and other components that have hammered automakers for months. The South-east Asian country has not historically had the kind of importance to technology supply chains that Taiwan, South Korea or Japan do. But in recent years, Malaysia […]
The Taliban held their first meeting of religious leaders since retaking Afghanistan’s capital last week, laying out guidelines about religious instructions to hundreds of the nation’s imams and religious school instructors. Taliban leaders, including their spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, took turns speaking at the Loya Jirga Hall on Monday, from a stage that was still decorated […]
PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Umno’s Azalina Othman Said on Monday (Aug 23) confirmed her resignation as Malaysia’s Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker. The Pengerang MP cited several reasons for her resignation including a conflict of roles and responsibilities between being an Umno supreme council member and MP in a ruling coalition. “Past events […]
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon’s financial meltdown is dragging the country towards mayhem at a quickening pace, forcing its feuding leaders to face a choice between finally doing something about the crisis or risking yet more chaos and insecurity.FILE PHOTO: A general view shows the area near Beirut’s port, almost a year after the Aug. 4 […]
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon’s financial meltdown is dragging the country towards mayhem at a quickening pace, forcing its feuding leaders to face a choice between finally doing something about the crisis or risking yet more chaos and insecurity.FILE PHOTO: A general view shows the area near Beirut’s port, almost a year after the Aug. 4 […]
Facing rising pressure over the United States’ haphazard withdrawal from Afghanistan, Vice President Kamala Harris said on Monday that the Biden administration was “singularly focused” on evacuating American citizens and Afghan allies. Ms. Harris’s comments, at a news conference in Singapore, came at the start of her weeklong trip to Southeast Asia that is aimed […]
SINGAPORE – More than half of the young people polled by the National Youth Council in the second half of 2020 said that mental well-being was a challenge for them, with some citing anxiety over the future, stress over finances, and worries about academic or work performance. The answers reflect some of the ways in […]
SINGAPORE – A flu vaccination drive is being planned for 44 public agencies to ensure that as many employees as possible are protected ahead of the end-of-year flu season. Because influenza and Covid-19 symptoms can be similar, the flu vaccinations aim to reduce the number of people subject to Covid-19 regulations including measures such as […]
KABUL (AFP) – The Taleban said on Monday (Aug 23) their fighters had surrounded resistance forces holed up in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley but were looking to negotiate rather than take the fight to them. The announcement follows scattered reports of clashes overnight, with pro-Taleban social media accounts claiming gunmen were massing, and Afghanistan’s former vice […]
WELLINGTON (REUTERS) – Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern extended New Zealand’s coronavirus lockdown on Monday (Aug 23), saying the current outbreak has not peaked, as criticism mounts of her strategy to eliminate Covid-19 amid the slow rollout of its vaccine programme. Ms Ardern garnered global praise for stamping out Covid-19 in New Zealand last year and […]