BANGKOK(AFP) – As gin bottles gather dust, a Bangkok bar owner is trying to keep his joint going through a Covid booze ban with fruity mocktails seasoned with kratom, a recently decriminalised tropical herb. The Thai capital’s once-legendary nightlife has been hammered by a seven-month ban on alcohol service imposed to curb the coronavirus, leaving […]
BEIJING (AFP) – The Wuhan Marathon, which had been due to take place on Sunday (Oct 24), has been postponed at short notice as worries increase over a coronavirus resurgence in China ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. China reported 26 new domestic Covid-19 cases on Sunday, in an outbreak that has become latest […]
HONG KONG (REUTERS) – Banks in Hong Kong have been advised to disclose the related property of clients who are found in breach of the city’s national security law, according to the latest guidelines from its banking association. The advice was introduced in an update on Friday (Oct 22) of the Hong Kong Association of […]
DUBAI (REUTERS) – Afghanistan will shortly collapse into chaos unless the international community acts rapidly, Swedish and Pakistani ministers warned on Saturday (Oct 23). Afghanistan plunged into crisis after the hardline Islamist Taliban movement drove out the Western-backed government in August triggering the abrupt end of billions of dollars in assistance to its aid-dependent economy. […]
SINGAPORE – The Covid-19 pandemic and the many restrictions brought about by it have had a more drastic impact on women compared with men, as women carry a greater share of caregiving responsibilities at home, said President Halimah Yacob on Saturday (Oct 23). “As more activities for work and caregiving are moved online, women find themselves […]
SEOUL (REUTERS) – The US envoy for North Korea arrived in South Korea on Saturday (Oct 23) amid stalled denuclearisation talks and tension over Pyongyang’s recent missile tests. Special Representative Sung Kim’s visit came days after North Korea fired a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), which prompted criticism from Washington and calls for a return […]
SINGAPORE – From Jan 1 next year, all workers who return to the office have to be fully vaccinated, or have to have recovered from Covid-19 in the past 270 days. This expansion of vaccination-differentiated measures means that unvaccinated people will need to test negative for Covid-19 before they can return to the workplace. They will need to […]
SINGAPORE – Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has warned members of the public to be careful of misleading WhatsApp messages circulating that claimed Covid-19 vaccines do not work. During an update by the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19 on Saturday (Oct 23), he cited a message claiming that beds in the intensive care unit (ICU) are […]
TOKYO (REUTERS) – Japan’s economic security strategy will focus on two pillars of “strategic autonomy and indispensability”, a top ruling party official said on Saturday (Oct 23), as the nation faces an increasingly assertive China. Mr Akira Amari, secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has in recent years driven a policy push for Japan’s […]
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will allow only non-renewable energy exports to neighbouring Singapore, while power sales to the island through self-developed transmission and interconnection facilities will not be allowed, said its Energy Ministry. Malaysia’s Energy and Natural Resources Ministry (KeTSA) said in a statement on Friday (Oct 22) that the government decided to review the Guide […]