(Eagle News) — Two explosions rocked Jolo, Sulu today, Monday, Aug. 24, killing seven soldiers, six civilians, one policeman, and injuring scores of people near a grocery store and a computer shop along a busy street. The first explosion happened at 11:53 a.m while the second one was at around 1 p.m. Police initially reported at least six casualties — five soldiers and the sixth initially tagged as the female suicide bomber. Later, the number […]
ASEAN IN FOCUS
Thai court issues warrants after protesters tackle royal taboos
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — A Thai court issued arrest warrants Wednesday for six pro-democracy activists involved in recent rallies that have seen frank discussion of the monarchy and calls for an overhaul of the government. The near-daily demonstrations by a youth-led pro-democracy movement have been largely tolerated by authorities so far, but police said Wednesday they now had warrants to arrest half a dozen of the most prominent protesters. They will be charged with “sedition, […]
Malaysia coast guard kill Vietnamese fisherman in S. China Sea clash
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — The Malaysian coast guard shot dead a Vietnamese fisherman whose boat tried to ram a patrol vessel in the South China Sea, an official said Monday. The incident took place inside Malaysian waters, where local fisherman have complained in the past about Vietnamese fishing boats that damage their nets. Coast guard chief Zubil Mat Som told AFP that two Vietnamese fishing boats had entered Malaysian waters some 80 nautical miles […]
Vietnam looking to buy Russia virus vaccine
HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam’s health ministry is looking to buy a bulk order of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine, state media said on Friday, despite global scepticism over its effectiveness and safety. The communist nation of 95 million people has been widely praised for its effective handling of the pandemic and went nearly 100 days without recording a locally transmitted infection until last month. But an outbreak in the beach resort of Danang has put […]
Malaysian economy shrinks most in more than 20 years
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia’s economy suffered its worst contraction in more than 20 years during the second quarter, hit by a collapse in global trade and tough curbs to contain the coronavirus, the central bank said Friday. The economy shrank 17.1 percent on-year in April-June — the first since the global financial crisis in 2009 and the deepest since the Asian financial turmoil 11 years before that — putting it on course […]
Indonesia’s Mt. Sinabung blasts tower of smoke and ash into sky
MEDAN, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung erupted Monday, belching a massive column of ash and smoke 5,000 metres (16,400 feet) into the air and coating local communities in debris. The volcano on Sumatra island has been rumbling since 2010 and saw a deadly eruption in 2016. Activity had picked up in recent days, including a pair of smaller eruptions at the weekend. There were no reports of injuries or deaths, but authorities warned of […]
PHL now has most COVID-19 tests done daily in Southeast Asia, says testing czar Dizon
Over 1.7 million COVID-19 tests done in PHL so far (Eagle News) – With more than 30,000 tests done daily, the Philippines is now the country in Southeast Asia with the most number of COVID-19 tests done per day compared to its Southeast Asian neighbors, according to the country’s COVID-19 testing czar Vince Dizon. Dizon, who is also president of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) cited recent figures from Our World in Data, […]
PHL leads ASEAN with most COVID cases as numbers rise to 122,754, overtaking Indonesia
PHL COVID-19 cases even surpass numbers from previous COVID epicenter China (Eagle News) – The country’s total COVID-19 cases rose to 122,754 on Friday, Aug. 7, as an additional 3,379 confirmed cases were added from the report of 89 certified laboratories. With this number, the Philippines officially becomes the country in Southeast Asia with the most COVID-19 cases, overtaking previous frontrunner Indonesia which only has 118,753 cases. Singapore is the third ASEAN country with […]
PHL becomes close 2nd to Indonesia with most COVID cases in ASEAN, as cases near 116,000
PHL- 24th country with most COVID-19 cases in the world, based on Johns Hopkins University data (Eagle News) – The Philippines became a close second to Indonesia in terms of having the most COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia as the total confirmed virus infections in the country reached 115,980 on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020. The country came very close to Indonesia’s record of 116,865 as of late Wednesday afternoon, at 5:34 pm (PST) based […]
Vietnam records first virus death as pandemic rebounds
HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam recorded its first coronavirus death on Friday as the pandemic rebounds in a country that had previously been praised for stubbing out the contagion. The patient, a 70-year-old man, died in the central city of Hoi An nearly three weeks after being admitted to hospital with serious underlying conditions, according to state media. The communist nation was applauded earlier this year for controlling COVID-19 with strict restrictions on movement, […]
Vietnam counts record number of cases as virus creeps back
HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam has recorded 45 new cases of COVID-19 — its highest single daily tally since the pandemic began — as an outbreak in the resort city of Danang erodes the country’s efforts to stay virus-free. The Communist state won praise for stubbing out the virus early with strict restrictions on movement, extensive quarantine measures and a robust track and trace regime. It had not recorded a locally transmitted infection for nearly […]
Malaysian ex-PM Najib guilty on all charges in first 1MDB trial
by M. Jegathesan / Patrick Lee Agence France Presse KUALA KUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Former Malaysian leader Najib Razak was found guilty Tuesday of corruption over the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal that cost him his government, and could face decades in jail. The ex-prime minister was convicted on all charges in his first trial related to the looting of sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad. Billions of dollars were stolen from the investment vehicle and […]