QUETTA, PAKISTAN (REUTERS) – Four Pakistani soldiers were killed and six others were wounded along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on Wednesday (May 5) in an ambush by militants from Afghanistan, Pakistan’s military said, as the soldiers were doing controversial border fencing work. The soldiers were working on fencing along the border in Zhob district, an area […]
MUMBAI (AFP) – India’s central bank released US$6.7 billion (S$8.95 billion) in cheap financing for vaccine makers, hospitals and other health firms on Wednesday (May 5), to counter the devastating coronavirus surge gripping the country. Reserve Bank of India governor Shaktikanta Das said cheap loans would be available until March 31 next year, and vowed […]
PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Malaysia’s state borders are becoming a gathering point for children who have not met their parents for months due to the ban on inter-state travel. Many described the meetings, which last between five minutes and half an hour, as better than nothing and shared these precious moments on […]
SINGAPORE – More hotel rooms could be used as stay-home notice (SHN) facilities as the authorities extend the SHN period for travellers from higher-risk places from 14 to 21 days. Education Minister Lawrence Wong, co-chair of the multi-ministry task force handling Covid-19, said government agencies are engaging with hotels to build up sufficient capacity for […]
SINGAPORE -Healthcare workers and staff from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) should not be shunned during this difficult time, Ministry of Health (MOH) director of medical services Kenneth Mak said on Tuesday (May 4). The hospital currently has a cluster of 40 Covid-19 cases, among whom 10 are healthcare workers. Speaking at the virtual multi-ministry […]
YANGON (AFP) – The Myanmar junta has charged a Japanese journalist under a “fake news” law, a report said on Tuesday (May 4), in the latest blow to press freedom since the military seized power. Freelance reporter Yuki Kitazumi was arrested last month and charged on Monday – World Press Freedom Day – with spreading […]
SINGAPORE – Of the 40 Covid-19 cases in the Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) cluster, the nine who had received full doses of the Covid-19 vaccinations were either asymptomatic or exhibited mild symptoms, and none had required oxygen support. Seven of them are staff, while the other two are patients, said Ministry of Health (MOH) […]
SINGAPORE – An assistant training officer at the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (Minds) punched one of its clients last year and the victim was later found with swollen cheeks. Mohammad Zulkifli Muhaini, now 37 and is no longer working for the voluntary welfare organisation, pleaded guilty on Tuesday (May 4) to assaulting […]
SINGAPORE – A 55-year-old man who was accused of sexually assaulting his stepson when the younger man was between eight and 17 years old, was on Tuesday (May 4) acquitted of 13 charges involving various sexual offences. However, the man was convicted of two other charges, for stalking his stepson’s girlfriend and for criminal intimidation […]
BANGALORE – As the devastating second wave of the pandemic rips through India, people across the country are being made to wait up to three days to receive results of their reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for the coronavirus. Experts say this delay may directly impact a patient’s access to medical care and thus, their […]