ASEAN IN FOCUS

Myanmar orders 2 million to stay home as Covid-19 cases spike

  YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) – Myanmar authorities imposed stay-at-home-measures on the country’s second city Friday as coronavirus cases in the coup-wracked country surge, with many health workers striking to protest against the junta. Inhabitants of Mandalay, as well as two townships in the southern Bago region woke up to new restrictions banning more than one person leaving home for non-medical reasons. There was no timeframe given for the new rules, announced by the health and […]

Indonesia to impose ’emergency’ curbs to battle virus surge

  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia will impose “emergency” coronavirus restrictions this week to battle an alarming surge in infections, President Joko Widodo said Thursday, as the country scrambles to avoid a collapse of its overwhelmed healthcare system. Widodo said the new restrictions, starting Friday, would last more than two weeks in the capital Jakarta and across hard-hit Java, as well as on the holiday island Bali, after infections surged to record levels. New daily […]

Indonesia hits record of over 21,000 daily virus infections

Total COVID-19 cases at over 2.1M, while total deaths reach 57,138   JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia set a new record for daily coronavirus cases on Sunday with more than 21,000, as hospitals are flooded with patients in Jakarta and other Covid-19 hotspots across Southeast Asia’s hardest-hit nation. The figure brings the country’s tally for the pandemic to more than 2.1 million coronavirus cases with 57,138 deaths. But the real number is believed to be […]

Over a dozen vaccinated doctors dead as Indonesia’s virus cases surge

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Over a dozen fully vaccinated doctors have died of Covid-19 in Indonesia, a medical association said Friday, as the Southeast Asian country battles a rash of severe cases in inoculated medical workers and highly infectious new virus strains. Infections have surged in the nation of 270 million people in the past week, passing two million cases on Monday as hospital occupancy rates soared to over 75 percent in Jakarta and other […]

Indonesia hits 2 million virus cases as crisis deepens

by Agnes ANYA JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia passed two million coronavirus cases Monday as infection rates soar and hospitals are flooded with new patients, prompting warnings that the Southeast Asian nation’s health crisis could spiral out of control. The unwanted milestone comes after daily case rates more than doubled in recent weeks and authorities identified the presence of highly infectious Covid-19 variants. On Monday, official figures showed that Indonesia had recorded a daily record […]

WATCH: Interview with Israel’s ambassador to the PHL H.E. Rafael Harpaz – ASEAN in Focus

  (Eagle News) — NET25’s “ASEAN in Focus” interviews Israel Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Rafael Harpaz who shares how the situation is “back to normal” in Israel as majority of the people are already fully vaccinated. “There is really normal life in Israel, completely normal life in Israel, and the economy is starting to move fast, we have a fast recovery of the economy unemployment is going down,” he said on Wednesday, June 16. […]

5.8 magnitude quake hits eastern Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — A 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s remote Maluku islands on Wednesday, the United States Geological Survey said, but there was no tsunami warning. The shallow quake hit at 1:43 pm local time (0443 GMT) in the Banda Sea about 70 kilometres (44 miles) southeast of Amahai on the island of Seram. Shallow quakes tend to do more damage than deep ones, but there were no immediate reports […]

Vietnam to postpone SEA Games until next year: state media

HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam plans to postpone this year’s Southeast Asian Games, state media said Wednesday, as the country grapples with a new virus outbreak. The regional Olympics are due to be held in Hanoi and 11 other locations — some of them at the epicentre of the fresh Covid-19 wave — from November 21 to December 2. But Vietnam reportedly wants to move the 31st SEA Games to next year. An online meeting […]

Russia’s Ambassador Pavlov, PHL envoy Sorreta laud opening of NEU Russian Studies Center

Note importance of efforts to promote bilateral cooperation on culture and humanitarian spheres between Russia and the PHL   (Eagle News) — The New Era University School of International Relations has officially opened the Russian Studies Center which is seen to further strengthen cultural and educational ties between the Philippines and Russia. The Russian Studies Center aims to foster a better understanding of Russia from its geography and history to language and culture, science and […]

Tourist-hungry Thailand launches virus vaccination push

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Thailand launched a mass Covid-19 vaccination drive on Monday as it seeks to beat a third wave of infections and reboot its vital tourism industry, which has been devastated by pandemic travel curbs. The kingdom plans to give out some six million jabs in June, initially focusing on Bangkok — where the country’s current third wave began — and the tourist island of Phuket. The push comes as the government faces […]

6.1 magnitude earthquake strikes eastern Indonesia: USGS

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s remote Maluku islands Thursday, the United States Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was issued. The strong quake hit at a relatively shallow depth of 31 kilometers (20 miles), about 127 kilometres southwest of the city of Ternate. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. Indonesia experiences frequent quakes due to its position on the Pacific “Ring […]

Indonesia halts deep-sea salvage of sunken submarine

  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia has called off its bid to salvage a military submarine that sank off the coast of Bali, killing all 53 crew aboard, the navy said Wednesday. The KRI Nanggala 402 disappeared in April while it was scheduled to take part in live torpedo training exercises, sparking a desperate international rescue effort. An underwater rescue vehicle later spotted the German-built sub lying on the sea floor more than 800 metres […]