ASEAN IN FOCUS

Myanmar military seizes Yangon city hall: AFP journalist

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar troops on Monday seized control of Yangon city hall, as signs grow of a coup d’etat after the military arrested the country’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. An AFP journalist saw five military trucks inside the city hall compound, with soldiers turning people away as they arrived for work. © Agence France-Presse

News channels blocked as Myanmar’s Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, other ministers detained

  News channels have been cut off in Myanmar and internet connection were severely disrupted on Monday, Feb. 1, as the nation’s State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar President Win Myint, had been “detained” in the capital Naypyidaw. Along with Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, the chief minister of Karen state and several other regional ministers were also held, according to party sources, on the very day when the new parliament was […]

Myanmar’s Suu Kyi detained by army in apparent coup

  YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s military has detained the country’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi in an apparent coup, her ruling party’s spokesman said Monday. The military, which ruled the country for nearly five decades, had this week refused to rule out seizing power over its claims of voter fraud in November’s elections, won by Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party. Myo Nyunt, the spokesman for the NLD, said Suu […]

Vietnam reports first virus outbreak in nearly two months

  HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam recorded its first coronavirus outbreak in almost two months on Thursday, with more than 80 new cases reported as authorities began testing tens of thousands of people to contain the spread. The infections were detected in northern Vietnam, where one cluster has been linked to a case of the more contagious coronavirus variant first spotted in Britain. The figure was a new daily record for the communist nation of […]

Indonesian volcano erupts, spewing hot ash three kilometres away

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — One of the world’s most active volcanoes, Indonesia’s Mount Merapi, erupted Wednesday, belching out huge clouds of smoke and ash that billowed down the sides of its rumbling crater. The volcano, near Indonesia’s cultural capital Yogyakarta, shot hot ash into the air around three dozen times throughout the day. Some of it travelled as far as three kilometres (two miles) away from its peak, Indonesia’s geological agency said. Authorities told residents […]

Indonesia passes one million coronavirus cases

  by Dessy SAGITA Agence France Presse JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia’s Covid-19 cases topped the one million mark on Tuesday, as the archipelago launches one of the world’s biggest vaccine drives to clamp down on a soaring infection rate. The Southeast Asian nation of nearly 270 million has recorded 1,012,350 virus cases and almost 29,000 deaths, according to official data. But low testing rates mean the crisis is believed to be much more severe […]

PHL at 32nd spot for weeks among countries with COVID-19 cases, based on Johns Hopkins data

PHL is 2nd ASEAN country with most COVID-19 cases after Indonesia   (Eagle News) – The Philippines has dropped to no. 32 among countries with the most number of COVID-19 cases from 19th place four months ago. This was according to the virus dashboard of the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) on Monday, Jan. 25. The country has 513,619 COVID-19 cases and 10,242 deaths as of that date. Even the Philippine government has observed that the […]

President Duterte sends greetings to US President Biden, VP Harris

Says US has shown world how it is an “exemplar” for democracy (Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte greeted the 46th United States President Joe Biden and his Vice-President Kamala Harris on Thursday, January 21, shortly after the inauguration of the top US officials, saying that the Philippines is looking forward to continuing its “long-standing partnership with the United States.” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced this in a press briefing Monday, Jan. 21. “Our President, […]

Indonesian medics overwhelmed by quake casualties

by Andi Hajramurni, with Dessy Sagita in Jakarta MAMUJU, Indonesia (AFP) — Medics battled exhaustion and the risk of Covid-19 as they raced Monday to treat scores of people injured by a devastating earthquake on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island. At least 81 people were killed and thousands left homeless by the powerful 6.2-magnitude quake that struck early Friday, reducing buildings to a tangled mass of twisted metal and chunks of concrete in the seaside city of […]

China to donate one million Sinovac vaccine doses to Cambodia: PM

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AFP) — China will donate one million doses of its Sinovac coronavirus vaccine to Cambodia, the kingdom’s strongman premier Hun Sen has said, thanking “friend” Beijing for its generosity. Cambodia has long been a staunch ally of Beijing, receiving billions of dollars in soft loans and investment from China. While many countries reacted early in the pandemic by closing its borders to Chinese travellers, Hun Sen refused, and even travelled to Beijing […]

Indonesia quake death toll at least 42 as rescuers search for those trapped beneath rubble

  by Haeril HALIM / Agnes ANYA Agence France Presse JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — A powerful earthquake rocked Indonesia’s Sulawesi island Friday, killing at least 42 people, levelling a hospital and severely damaging other buildings, authorities said, as they warned there were people still trapped beneath rubble. Hundreds were also injured when the 6.2-magnitude quake struck in the early hours, triggering panic among the terrified residents of the island, which was hit by a huge […]

At least 34 killed as quake rocks Indonesia

  by Haeril HALIM / Agnes ANYA Agence France Presse JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — A powerful earthquake rocked Indonesia’s Sulawesi island early Friday, killing at least 34 people, levelling a hospital and severely damaging other buildings, authorities said. Hundreds more were injured when the 6.2-magnitude quake struck in the early hours, triggering panic among the terrified residents of the island, which was hit by a huge quake and tsunami two and a half years ago […]