Asia

South Asia faces fresh health crisis as children miss vaccinations

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AFP) — South Asia could face a further public health crisis as children miss routine vaccinations, the UN warned Tuesday, spurring fears that the fallout from the novel coronavirus pandemic might reverse hard-earned gains in the region. The United Nations children’s agency UNICEF said hundreds of thousands were at risk as lockdowns across South Asia halted immunization drives and parents refrained from taking their children to doctors to be inoculated. “While the COVID-19 […]

Continue Reading →

Arab doctor leads Israeli hospital’s anti-virus fight

by Majeda El-Batsh Agence France Presse HAIFA, Israel (AFP) — Each morning since February, Israeli Arab doctor Khitam Hussein has woken up before dawn to rush to a job on the frontline of the country’s fight against the novel coronavirus. Hussein, 44, has emerged as a prominent member of Israel’s often marginalized Arab community which is now playing an essential role in confronting an unprecedented health crisis. She heads the outbreak response at the Rambam […]

Continue Reading →

Trump says US may seek damages from China over virus

WASHINGTON DC, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that he may seek damages from China over the coronavirus outbreak which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan and spread around the world. “We are not happy with China,” Trump said at a White House briefing. “We are not happy with that whole situation because we believe it could have been stopped at the source. “It could have been stopped quickly […]

Continue Reading →

Saudi Arabia eliminates death penalty for minors

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) –Saudi Arabia on Sunday ended the death penalty for crimes committed by minors after effectively abolishing floggings as the kingdom seeks to blunt criticism over its human rights record. The reforms underscore a push by de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to modernize the ultra-conservative kingdom long associated with a fundamentalist strain of Wahhabi Islam. The death penalty has been eliminated for those convicted of crimes committed while they […]

Continue Reading →

Students return to class in Shanghai and Beijing

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Tens of thousands of students returned to school in Shanghai and Beijing Monday after months of closures intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus, as China’s major cities gradually return to normality. Shanghai students in their final year of middle and high school returned to classrooms, while only high school seniors in Beijing were allowed back on campus to prepare for the all-important “gaokao” university entrance exam. But the students […]

Continue Reading →

Back to school in China as lockdowns start to ease

by Sebastien RICCI and AFP bureaus Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — Children in China’s two most important cities went back to school Monday after more than three months at home, as coronavirus restrictions eased and governments around the world began charting a path out of the pandemic lockdown. Europe’s four worst-affected countries all reported marked drops in their daily death tolls, offering hope that the outbreak may have peaked in some places — […]

Continue Reading →

Sri Lanka extends virus lockdown

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) — Sri Lanka reversed plans to end its virus lockdown on Monday, extending it for another week after a spike in coronavirus infections led to a recall of military personnel on leave. Within hours of announcing on Saturday that the nationwide restrictions imposed on March 20 would be lifted, the government revoked the order and extended them to May 4. Army chief Shavendra Silva said on behalf of the army, navy […]

Continue Reading →

North Korea’s Kim ‘alive and well’: Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is “alive and well”, a top security adviser to the South’s President Moon Jae-in said, downplaying rumors over Kim’s health following his absence from a key anniversary. “Our government position is firm,” said Moon’s special adviser on national security Moon Chung-in, in an interview with CNN on Sunday. “Kim Jong Un is alive and well.” The adviser said that Kim had been staying in […]

Continue Reading →

Beijing bans ‘uncivilized’ behaviour to improve public hygiene

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing has banned “uncivilized” behaviour such as not covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, the city government said Sunday, in a new set of regulations to improve public hygiene amid the coronavirus outbreak. The laws aim to promote “civilized behaviour” and relate to combating the pandemic which has infected more than 82,000 in China alone. Rulebreakers will be slapped with fines for offences including not wearing a […]

Continue Reading →

Singapore’s COVID-19 cases leap to over 11,000; still country with most virus cases in Southeast Asia

  (Eagle News) – Singapore’s COVID-19 cases jumped anew, reaching more than 11,000 as more than a thousand new infections were added in one day. Singapore’s total cases reached 11,178 as of Thursday, April 23, with 12 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University’s virus dashboard on global COVID-19 cases. Because of this, Singapore remains the country with the most coronavirus infections among the ASEAN member states. On Wednesday, April 22, the COVID-19 cases […]

Continue Reading →

China to give WHO $30 million more after US freezes funds

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China announced Thursday it will donate another $30 million to the World Health Organization to help in the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic, days after Washington said it would freeze funding. “China has decided to donate another $30 million in cash to the WHO, in addition to the previous donation of $20 million, to support the global fight against COVID-19 and strengthen developing countries’ health systems,” foreign ministry spokesman Geng […]

Continue Reading →

UAE considers reopening malls after virus shutdown

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — The United Arab Emirates said Thursday it is looking into reopening its massive shopping malls, a month after they were closed as part of measures to curb the spread of coronavirus. The restrictions have hit businesses hard, particularly retailers who had expected to cater to a rush of Ramadan shoppers. Health ministry and crisis authorities have requested a study into “the possibility of reopening commercial centers with their private […]

Continue Reading →
1 … 336 337 338 339 340 … 823