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Expats head for the exit as ‘easy’ Singapore’s COVID controls bite
SINGAPORE: Atar Sandler arrived in Singapore in 2019, seizing the opportunity to live in a buzzing global city that is also a convenient base to jet off to more exotic locales nearby.But after two years of mask-wearing, socialising in small
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US considers allowing diplomats to leave China over strict COVID rules
WASHINGTON: The U.S. State Department is weighing whether to authorise departures for American diplomats and their families in China who wish to leave due to the U.S. government’s inability to prevent Chinese authorities from subjecting them to intrusive pandemic control
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Thailand reports first death from Omicron variant
BANGKOK: Thailand reported its first death from the highly contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19. The health office in the southern province of Songkhla said an 86-year-old woman from Hatyai, Songkhla received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech succumbed to Omicron infection
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Moderate quake rocks Java in Indonesia
KUALA LUMPUR: A moderate earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale hit Java, Indonesia, at 8.26am Monday (Jan 17). According to a statement from the Malaysian Meteorological Department, the epicentre of the quake was located 160km south-west of Sukabumi, Indonesia, at
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India confirms first Omicron-related death as COVID-19 cases jump
NEW DELHI: A diabetic man who died in the western state of Rajasthan was India’s first fatality from the Omicron COVID-19 variant, the health ministry said on Wednesday, adding that overall infections had doubled to 58,097 over the past four
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UN allocates US$12 million in emergency funds for typhoon response in Philippines
NEW YORK: UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths on Thursday announced a US$12 million rapid response allocation from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to support the response to Typhoon Rai in the Philippines, Xinhua
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COVID-testing rules spark Christmas travel chaos in Australia as cases hit records
SYDNEY: Australia’s COVID-19 testing facilities were severely stretched on Thursday amid a record surge in cases and as tens of thousands of domestic travellers thronged the centres to get test results necessary to travel interstate for Christmas. Most states require
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Singapore reports first locally transmitted Omicron case
SINGAPORE: Singapore has detected its first locally transmitted case of the COVID-19 variant Omicron in a member of staff at the city state’s airport, authorities said late on Thursday, warning that more Omicron cases are likely to be detected. The
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Saifuddin on two-day official visit to China starting today
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah (pix) will be making a two-day official visit to China starting today, at the invitation of China’s State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Wisma
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Former PM Abe says Japan, US could not stand by if China attacked Taiwan
TOKYO: Japan and the United States could not stand by if China attacked Taiwan and Beijing needs to understand this, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday. “A Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency, and therefore an emergency for
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