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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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Hong Kong bans non-residents from three more countries over Omicron
HONG KONG: Hong Kong will ban non-residents from entering the city from Japan, Portugal and Sweden from Friday, adding to a fast-expanding list of countries facing travel restrictions due to concerns over the Omicron coronavirus variant. Non-Hong Kong residents who have
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Singapore says two travellers to Sydney with Omicron transited at Changi
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s health ministry said two travellers from Johannesburg who tested positive for the Omicron coronavirus variant in Sydney, had transited through Changi airport. The two individuals left Johannesburg on Nov. 27 on a Singapore Airlines flight and arrived at Changi
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Japan to bar foreign visitors as Omicron worries grow globally
TOKYO: Japan, the world’s third-biggest economy, will close its borders to all foreigners, while Australia’s plans to re-open to skilled migrants were also in doubt as nations scrambled on Monday to rein in the spread of the Omicron variant of the
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Turkey, Malaysia ink pacts to boost collaboration in aerospace industry
ANKARA: Sirim Berhad and Turkish Aerospace on Thursday inked a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at fostering collaboration in developing the Aerospace Industry ecosystem. With the MoU, both parties will co-operate in areas related to conformity assessment, quality and standards development, research
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India’s Modi says he will repeal controversial farm laws
NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday he had decided to repeal three controversial farm laws against which farmers have protested for more than a year, a significant climbdown by the government. “Today I have come to tell
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Indonesia’s batik-makers turn to mangroves as demand grows for eco-dyes
CILACAP: In a quiet mangrove forest in central Indonesia, a man moves gingerly across vegetation distinguished by its big, wooden stilt roots, searching for fallen mangrove fruits that rest on leaves or float on the water. Gathering a handful of what
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