TOKYO (REUTERS) – Japan’s vaccine programme chief on Friday (Jan 22) walked back on a goal to secure enough targeted supplies of Covid-19 vaccines by June, one month before the planned start of the Tokyo Olympics. Mr Taro Kono, the newly installed head of Japan’s inoculation push, told reporters that “old information” was behind a […]
ISLAMABAD (REUTERS) – Alongside the usual snacks arranged on a tray balanced on one hand, Mr Momin Khan sells face masks to passengers at a crowded bus stand in Islamabad. Most choose the snacks instead of paying six cents for a mask, he says. “It’s mostly rich people buying the masks, the poor people say […]
SYDNEY (REUTERS) – Australia’s second most populous state of Victoria eased social gathering restrictions on Friday (Jan 22) after recording 16 days without any new coronavirus infections in the community, doubling the number of people allowed to gather at home to 30. The state, which will host the Australian Open tennis tournament in its capital […]
SINGAPORE – Three of the four community cases reported on Thursday (Jan 21) have been linked to a cluster at BS Industrial & Construction Supply, said the Ministry of Health on Thursday night. The first case recorded in the cluster was a sales person who tested positive on Jan 18. There are now seven cases […]
HONG KONG (REUTERS) – Hong Kong is considering ordering flight crew entering the Asian financial hub to quarantine for two weeks, the South China Morning Post reported on Thursday (Jan 21), citing sources. All pilots and cabin crew, including local staff, will have to quarantine in a hotel if they stay in Hong Kong for […]
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia has extended the Covid-19 movement curbs for its capital Kuala Lumpur along with six states and two other federal territories by a week to Feb 4, as daily infections stayed above 3,000 cases for the eighth consecutive day on Thursday (Jan 21). The one-week extension means that all Malaysian states and […]
SINGAPORE – Supplies of the Covid-19 vaccine will not be reserved for people who choose to hold back when their turn to get the jab comes, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday (Jan 19). Instead, the vaccines will go to whoever is next in line. This is because Singapore’s aim is to get everyone […]
DENPASAR, INDONESIA (REUTERS) – An American woman and self-described digital nomad will be deported from Indonesia after posting tweets that sparked a social media backlash over perceived Western privilege and lack of cultural awareness, after she said Bali was “LGBT friendly”. Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation and its lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community has […]
NEW DELHI (BLOOMBERG) – India has offered to suspend three new contentious agricultural laws for up to 18 months, a significant step down for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration as it struggles to end nearly two months of protests by farm groups. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar made the offer during talks with farmer unions […]
QIXIA, CHINA (REUTERS) – Rescuers in a China were drilling new shafts on Thursday (Jan 21) to reach miners trapped underground for 11 days following an explosion, including one they hope to use to bring the survivors back to safety. A total of 22 workers were trapped underground in the Jan 10 blast in the […]