BANGKOK: Thailand on Wednesday (Jan 27) reported 819 new COVID-19 cases, taking its total infections to 15,465. One additional death was reported, bringing total fatalities to 76. More than 700 of the new infections were in Samut Sakhon province, the epicentre of the most recent outbreak, the Thailand COVID-19 task force said at a briefing. Advertisement Advertisement
SINGAPORE: The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said it cannot comment or provide updates on its multi-year-long probe into a corruption scandal involving Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M). This is because it needs to “protect the integrity” of these confidential investigations and to “avoid prejudicing any prosecutorial decision that might follow”, it said on
BEIJING: China has administered about 22.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, a health official said on Wednesday (Jan 27), as the country steps up its campaign ahead of next month’s Chinese New Year holidays and the accompanying flurry of travel. The world’s most populous nation has widened its targeted inoculation scheme since mid-December to include
SINGAPORE: Air quality readings at the nearest monitoring station to Springdale Primary School remain within the “normal” range, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) on Wednesday (Jan 27). NEA’s statement to CNA came after Springdale Primary on Tuesday said that about 70 students had experienced “eye irritation” in school the previous day, and that it was
SEOUL: South Korean authorities were scrambling on Wednesday (Jan 27) to contain coronavirus outbreaks centred around Christian schools as the country reported a jump in infections, dampening hopes of a speedy exit from a third wave of the pandemic. A total of 297 COVID-19 cases had been traced to six churches and mission schools run
TOKYO: Japan’s vaccination roll-out faces logistical hurdles that could further delay the slow-moving campaign, experts and officials say, complicating plans to deliver widescale coronavirus inoculations in time for the Olympics. Already the last major industrial country to start mass vaccinations, Japan is likely to be hampered on the ground by a lack of containers and
The crews of two tankers seized by Indonesia over the weekend admitted that they were carrying out an unauthorized oil transfer from an Iran-flagged vessel to a Panama-flagged one and hiding their ships’ identities, a spokesman for the Indonesian coast guard said on Tuesday. Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC) MT Horse and MT Freya were
HONG KONG: Donald Trump has left the White House, but Trumpism has not left US politics. With Joe Biden as America’s president, the world hopes that the United States will shift away from Trump’s disruptive confrontational approach toward China relations and embark on a path of pragmatic engagement. Advertisement Advertisement At stake is whether this crucial
SINGAPORE: Australia is split down the middle of an Australian Open muddle, livid that millionaire tennis players flying in for the tournament could possibly wreck months of hard work in keeping communities safe from COVID-19 and returning to some sort of normalcy. And it is hard to blame them. Advertisement Advertisement See, Australians had to
SINGAPORE: In a manner of speaking, Chinese New Year had always been one mega open-house for the entire “clan”. No one ever received an official invite, and no one ever needed one either. Advertisement Advertisement There has always been an unspoken understanding that if you were even remotely related to someone, whether by blood or
The European Parliament is demanding the immediate release in Vietnam of three journalists jailed this month on anti-state charges, calling respect for freedom of expression an essential element of a free trade agreement signed between the EU and Vietnam in 2019. “Parliament calls on the Vietnamese government to immediately and unconditionally release human rights defenders
The democratic island of Taiwan has reiterated a ban on imports of COVID-19 vaccines made in China, as repeated incursions by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) into its air defense zone in recent days stoked simmering regional tensions. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in a recent statement to Reuters that the island’s 23 million
SINGAPORE: Three individuals were arrested on Tuesday (Jan 26) evening after a protest was held against transphobia outside the Ministry of Education (MOE) building. In response to queries by CNA, police said late on Tuesday night the three, aged between 19 and 32, were arrested for allegedly taking part in a public assembly without a permit. Advertisement
SINGAPORE: Three previously reported COVID-19 cases have tested positive for the new B117 variant and could be linked, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Tuesday (Jan 26). “Whole genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis conducted by the National Public Health Laboratory have revealed that three previously reported cases (Cases 59028, 59340 and 59351) have tested positive for
BANGKOK: An 80-year-old writer accused of defaming Thailand’s monarchy in 2015 because of comments he made at a public seminar about the constitution was acquitted on Tuesday (Jan 26) by the Criminal Court. The court ruled that Bundit Aneeya had not violated the lese majeste law because he had not specifically referred to royalty and
DOHA: Afghan government negotiators holding peace talks with the Taliban charged on Tuesday (Jan 26) their opponents had been avoiding formal engagement for more than a week, an accusation the insurgents denied. The two sides have been meeting in the Qatari capital Doha since September in a US-backed effort to contain the violence in their
A China-backed newspaper on Tuesday warned that Hong Kong would have to leave behind any notion of “Western” democracy, suggesting that the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is planning to further tighten its grip on the city’s political life amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent. In an article titled “Leaving behind the myth of Western democracy: consultative
WUHAN: A relative of a coronavirus victim in China is demanding to meet a visiting World Health Organization expert team, saying it should speak with affected families who allege they are being muffled by the Chinese government. China approved the visit by researchers under the auspices of the UN agency only after months of negotiations. It
KABUL: The World Health Organization’s COVAX programme has pledged US$112 million for COVID-19 vaccines to reach 20 per cent of Afghanistan’s population, an Afghan health official said on Tuesday (Jan 26). The COVAX programme is a global scheme to vaccinate people in poor and middle income countries against the coronavirus. It aims to deliver at
SINGAPORE: The Government is targeting to have one community vaccination centre in every town by the end of March, said Minister of Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing on Tuesday (Jan 26). Speaking to journalists on a visit to Tanjong Pagar Community Centre, where the first pilot community vaccination centres will open for COVID-19 vaccinations
NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar: Myanmar’s powerful military on Tuesday (Jan 26) raised the spectre of staging a coup as it ramped up demands for an investigation into alleged voter fraud during last year’s election, swept by Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling party. The National League for Democracy (NLD) won November’s poll in a landslide, but has been much
KATHMANDU: A team of Nepali climbers that made the first winter summit of K2, the world’s second tallest peak, arrived back in the country to a heroes’ welcome on Tuesday (Jan 26) from crowds of well-wishers. The 10 men, who climbed the 8,611m K2 peak on Jan. 16, attributed their success to team spirit and a
SINGAPORE: It may take four to five years before the COVID-19 pandemic ends and the world can look to a “post-COVID normal”, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong on Monday (Jan 25). “At some point in time the pandemic will pass, but it may take four to five years before we finally see the end of the
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has filed a lawsuit against Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and the federal government, by initiating a judicial review challenging Mr Muhyiddin’s advice to the king to suspend paliamentary sittings during the country’s state of emergency. In a statement on Tuesday (Jan 26), Mr Anwar’s lawyer Ramkarpal Singh said that
SINGAPORE: The Singapore Zoo welcomed its first lion cub conceived through assisted reproduction on Oct 23 last year, Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) said on Tuesday (Jan 26). The male cub is “Singapore’s very own Simba”, said WRS, referring to the iconic Disney animated film Lion King. Like in the movie, the cub was named Simba,
WELLINGTON: China and New Zealand signed a deal that upgrades their existing free trade pact on Tuesday (Jan 26), giving exports from the Pacific nation greater access to the world’s second-largest economy. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed the signing of an expanded trade deal with China, noting its significance amid the pandemic. Advertisement
PARIS: As Olympic organisers deny reports that the Tokyo Games this summer will be postponed again, they, and other sports bodies, are wrestling with the issue of vaccinating participants for COVID-19 at international events. On Monday (Jan 25), Denis Masseglia, the president of the French National Olympic Committee, said there was no choice but to vaccinate
SINGAPORE: The former principal consultant of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) was charged on Tuesday (Jan 26) with conspiring to cheat two statutory boards. Jeffrey Ho Kiat, 54, was charged with conspiring to cheat IMDA as well as the People’s Association (PA) of more than S$77,000. Advertisement Advertisement A former director of Goldentree Innovations
Petitioners calling for help from Vietnam’s government in resolving complaints over land grabs and other injustices have been detained in advance of a major Communist Party Congress beginning in the capital Hanoi on Monday, sources say. Independent journalists and other democracy advocates are also being kept under surveillance by police as Party meetings get under
BEIJING: China reported a fall in new COVID-19 infections as the number of cases in two of the provinces particularly hard hit by the latest coronavirus wave fell to single digits, official data showed on Tuesday (Jan 26). A total of 82 confirmed cases were reported in China on Jan 25, the National Health Commission
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