NEW DELHI – A bus packed with around 50 passengers left Yangon on the afternoon of March 19. It was headed for Tamu, a town in north-western Myanmar on the border with India. Among the passengers was Mr Win Maung (not his real name), a 44-year-old reporter and video journalist who was leaving his wife […]
KATHMANDU (REUTERS) – Foreigners climbed Mount Everest for the first time since Nepal’s government reopened the mountain after it was shut last year owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, despite recent coronavirus cases at its base camp. Thirty-eight climbers, including 10 Bahraini and two British mountaineers, climbed the world’s highest mountain on Tuesday (May 11), according to […]
HANOI (REUTERS) – Vietnam is seeking the transfer of mRNA technology to domestically manufacture Covid-19 vaccines, state media reported on Tuesday (May 11), as officials warned of supply issues until the end of the year. Vaccines with mRNA technology, like that developed jointly by BioNTech and Pfizer, prompt the human body to make a protein […]
SINGAPORE – Peak hour road traffic, commuters on trains and lunchtime crowds dwindled significantly as companies default to work from home arrangements on the second weekday of Singapore’s return to Phase 2 of its Covid-19 measures. When The Straits Times visited office hot spots in Raffles Place, Marina Bay Financial Centre and Buona Vista during […]
JAKARTA (AFP) – At least seven people were killed and one reported missing after a landslide at an Indonesian gold mine, authorities said on Tuesday (May 11). Torrential rains triggered a landslide on Monday, inundating the mine with mud mixed with stones and debris in South Solok regency, West Sumatra, said the local emergency department […]
SINGAPORE – While the Republic guards against a viral Covid-19 pandemic, it is more important to guard against the virality of hate and xenophobia. And with racist behaviour precipitated by the ongoing public health crisis, Singaporeans must take a firm stand against hate speech and crimes as one united people – and not take for […]
SINGAPORE – Arrivals at Changi Airport have increased from about 820 a day last November to 1,200 in March. Giving an update to the House on the Government’s response to Covid-19 on Tuesday (May 11), Education Minister Lawrence Wong said in Parliament that one reason for this increase is the taking in of more migrant workers […]
KATHMANDU (THE KATHMANDU POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – On Saturday (May 8), the Health Ministry issued a circular in the name of 10 oxygen manufacturers instructing them not to supply their product to hospitals without its recommendation. The directive to procure medical oxygen, a critical resource for treating Covid-19 patients, has received widespread condemnation for “unwanted” […]
SINGAPORE – The tighter Covid-19 safety measures are necessary to save the lives of Singaporeans, said President Halimah Yacob, as she called on everyone here to do his part to overcome the pandemic. In her Hari Raya Aidilfitri message on Tuesday (May 11), Madam Halimah said it is unfortunate that Muslims will have to again […]
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia recorded its slowest economic contraction in a year, slipping 0.5 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2020 despite continuing to grapple with a persistent wave of Covid-19 infections. The modest decline provides some hope of a rebound after gross domestic product (GDP) fell 5.6 per cent last year after […]