ASEAN IN FOCUS

Sumatran tigers infected with coronavirus at Indonesian zoo

Two Sumatran tigers were recovering at a Jakarta zoo after being infected with coronavirus, Indonesian officials said Sunday, as they probed how the critically endangered animals got sick. Nine-year-old Tino and 12-year-old Hari tested positive in mid-July after they experienced flu-like symptoms, trouble breathing and appetite loss. But the male tigers were on the mend after treatment. “Both animals are healthy now,” Suzi Marsitawati, head of Jakarta’s Parks and Forest Service, said in a statement. […]

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Myanmar coup: six months of turmoil

Myanmar’s military seized power on February 1, ousting the civilian government and arresting its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. More than 900 people have since been killed and thousands of others arrested during the violent suppression of mass protests against junta rule. Here is a look back at the six months since the military brought Myanmar’s nascent democracy to a sudden end: – Pre-dawn raids – Soldiers detain Suu Kyi and her top allies during […]

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Myanmar junta chief says new elections in two years

Myanmar’s junta chief said Sunday that elections would be held and a state of emergency lifted by August 2023, extending the military’s initial timeline given when it deposed Aung San Suu Kyi six months ago. The country has been in turmoil since the army ousted the civilian leader in February, launching a bloody crackdown on dissent that has killed more than 900 people according to a local monitoring group. A resurgent virus wave has also […]

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Watch: ASEAN in Focus

NCR shifts to ECQ Aug. 6-20 Travel ban on India, 9 other nations extended to Aug. 15 Duterte, Austin renew PH-US alliance US Defense Secretary Austin says US security commitment to Philippines ‘ironclad’ Bangladesh evacuates 10,000 Rohingya from landslide-hit camps Thai hospitals short of beds as Covid cases due to Delta variant soar Cambodia imposes virus curbs along Thailand border over Delta fears Hero’s welcome for Philippines’ first Olympic gold medalist Pres. Duterte awards Hidilyn […]

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UN warned of ‘dire’ Covid situation in Myanmar: Half of population could become infected in 2 weeks

  UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — Britain warned the United Nations Security Council Thursday that half of coup-wracked Myanmar’s population of 54 million could become infected with Covid-19 within the next two weeks. The UK convened the meeting in response to what it called the “dire” coronavirus situation in Myanmar, which has “spiralled” since the military seized control in February. Britain urged the Council to ensure resolution 2565, which demands ceasefires in conflict zones to allow […]

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Thai hospitals short of beds as Covid cases soar: ministry

  BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Thailand’s health ministry sounded the alarm over Bangkok’s dire lack of hospital beds and isolation facilities on Thursday as Covid-19 cases and deaths soared to a new record. The Southeast Asian country is struggling to contain its latest outbreak fuelled by the highly contagious Delta variant, with infections and deaths skyrocketing and the healthcare system stretched thin. Despite the hardest-hit provinces being placed under severe restrictions and a nighttime curfew, […]

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Indonesia reports record 2,069 virus deaths in 24 hours

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia reported a record 2,069 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours Tuesday as the Southeast Asian nation faces its deadliest Covid-19 surge since the pandemic began. Tuesday’s grim tally was nearly 600 deaths higher than the previous day and topped last week’s daily record 1,566 deaths, the health ministry said. New infections also shot up to just over 45,000, from about 28,000 on Monday. The eye-watering data comes after Indonesia this week […]

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Indonesia loosens Covid-19 curbs despite warnings of another wave

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Small shops, streetside restaurants and some shopping malls reopened in coronavirus-battered Indonesia on Monday after the government loosened a shutdown despite warnings it could unleash another Covid-19 wave. President Joko Widodo said Sunday that a partial lockdown imposed in early July would continue until August 2 even as the highly infectious Delta variant tears across the vast archipelago nation, which has overtaken India and Brazil to become the global pandemic epicentre. […]

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6.2-magnitude quake strikes off Indonesia’s Sulawesi: USGS

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia’s Sulawesi island Monday, the United States Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of damage. The strong quake hit offshore at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), about 100 kilometres west of the town of Luwuk. Tremors were felt in Palu on Sulawesi, some 200 kilometres from the epicentre, an AFP journalist in the city said. […]

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Malaysia emergency to end as parliament sits after virus shutdown

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia’s government will not extend a controversial coronavirus state of emergency beyond August 1, a minister said Monday, as parliament convened after a months-long suspension that sparked widespread anger. The king in January declared the country’s first nationwide state of emergency in more than half a century to fight Covid-19, following the advice of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. It allowed the government to rule by decree and suspend parliament, prompting […]

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AstraZeneca searching for vaccines for virus-hit Southeast Asia

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Drugmaker AstraZeneca said Saturday it was scouring its supply chain to find more doses of its Covid-19 vaccine for Southeast Asia, which is facing its most serious outbreak yet of the virus. The statement from the Anglo-Swedish company — which produces its vaccine in Thailand for use domestically and in neighbouring countries — comes in the wake of a supply shortage which has sparked heavy criticism of Thai Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha’s […]

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