Gunmen wound Chinese in Pakistan's port city of Karachi

BEIJING: An inhaled version of CanSino BioLogics' (CanSinoBIO) COVID-19 vaccine triggered immune responses without serious side effects, an early-stage clinical trial showed. The two-dose candidate requires lower dosages than the injected version an...

Crisis-hit Japanese carmaker Nissan upgraded its annual outlook Wednesday, projecting a return to the black, after a strong first quarter performance fuelled by a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia hit another record high for new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday (Jul 28) with 17,405 infections. More than half of the new cases were once again from the Klang Valley with 7,171 in Selangor and 2,880 in Kuala Lumpur. Case numb...

Taiwan's police on Wednesday said they had launched an investigation after local media reported more than 100 LINE messaging app accounts used by officials had been hacked and the company admitted "abnormal activities" had been detected.

HONG KONG: Hundreds of elected community leaders in Hong Kong have resigned and dozens of civil society groups have disbanded as China remoulds the finance hub in its own image. Just days before Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on th...

Governors of three prefectures near Olympics host Tokyo are likely to ask the government to declare states of emergency for their regions, media said on Wednesday, after COVID-19 infections spiked to a record high in the Japanese capital.

Like thousands of his compatriots, Abdel Khalid Nabyar waited outside Afghanistan's main passport office to apply for the precious travel document that would allow him to leave the war-torn nation.

A tropical storm hit northern Japan on Wednesday but there were no immediate reports of damage and Olympic football matches in the region were due to go ahead.

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon and Republican congressmen on Tuesday (Jul 27) aired fresh concerns about China's build-up of its nuclear forces after a new report saying Beijing was building 110 more missile silos. An American Federation of Scientists (A...

SEOUL: South Korea on Wednesday (Jul 28) reported 1,896 new COVID-19 cases for Tuesday, its highest-ever daily increase, as the country struggles to subdue a fourth wave of outbreaks fanned by the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus. Th...

BANGKOK: Thailand reported on Wednesday (Jul 28) a daily record of 16,533 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country's total accumulated cases to 543,361. The country's COVID-19 task force also reported 133 new deaths, taking total fatalities ...

US lawmakers on Tuesday pressed corporate sponsors to pull out of the 2022 Beijing Olympics, accusing them of supporting what Washington considers genocide in China's Xinjiang region, but the companies contended they had little influence.

In a climate of economic hardship, a special programme for people who have the money to buy vaccinations was always going to be unpopular, says a researcher.

China once had positive perceptions of the US public health model and was willing to adopt their practices, but today sees itself on equal footing, says a researcher.

China’s clampdown on Didi reflects regulators’ brewing concerns over cross-border data flows, with implications for digital trade, say Qian Jiwei and Deng Liuchun.

The country faced one of the most devastating waves when a more virulent variant ran rampant killing hundreds of thousands. It has managed to tame the beast but what lessons did its twists and turns yield? India’s former Auditor-General weighs in.

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken arrived Tuesday in India for talks dominated by turmoil in Afghanistan and common worries about China, while also touching on New Delhi's rights record.

Indonesia, which uses the Sinovac vaccine as its main COVID-19 inoculation, is considering providing a booster shot, as a study showed antibodies provided by the two-dose shot fade over time, a senior health ministry official said on Tuesday.

Indonesia is optimistic of reaching a net zero emissions target by 2060 or sooner, a senior minister said on Tuesday, after the government submitted updated nationally determined climate goals to the United Nations.

BEIJING: The death toll from floods in central China's Henan province rose to 71 on Tuesday (Jul 27) as a tribute at a subway where 14 people died was sealed off in a sign of sensitivity to public criticism of the government's handling of the disaste...

IPOH: Malaysian police were investigating an incident where a helicopter landed in an open field in Ipoh, Perak, last Friday (Jul 23), reportedly to collect packets of the popular rice dish nasi kandar for a customer in Kuala Lumpur. Perak police c...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia reported 207 deaths from COVID-19 for the second consecutive day on Tuesday (Jul 27), with the number of critically ill patients also reaching another high. Thirty-one of the victims were classified as "brought in dead" to ho...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's opposition lawmakers on Tuesday (Jul 27) pressed law minister Takiyuddin Hassan for an explanation behind the government's decision to revoke emergency ordinances aimed at tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.  The morning parli...

BANGKOK: Authorities in Thailand began transporting some people who tested positive for the coronavirus from Bangkok to their hometowns on Tuesday (Jul 27) for isolation and treatment to alleviate the burden on the capital’s overwhelmed medical sy...

BANGKOK: A vast forest complex in Thailand has been added to UNESCO's World Heritage List, despite the United Nations' own experts warning of human rights violations against indigenous people in the area. The Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex in western...

Flooding in Myanmar has displaced hundreds of people, slowing efforts to battle a fast-growing coronavirus outbreak amid the chaos that followed the nation's military coup, residents told Reuters on Tuesday (Jul 27). Heavy weekend downpours across s...

JAKARTA: As Indonesia grapples with a devastating wave of coronavirus infections, Jakarta government data shows a fall in cases and easing pressure on hospitals in the capital, even as the situation worsens in other parts of the archipelago. The cap...

Kaylee McKeown's mum says she'll have a word with her daughter after the Australian sensation dropped an F-bomb on live TV after scorching to victory in the women's Olympic 100m backstroke on Tuesday.

TOKYO: Tokyo's 2,848 COVID-19 infections on Tuesday (Jul 27) were the Olympic host city's highest since the pandemic began, officials said, as media reported that authorities had asked hospitals to prepare more beds for patients as the Delta variant ...

HONG KONG: A Hong Kong court will lay down a marker on the city's future legal landscape on Tuesday (Jul 27) when it delivers its verdict in the first trial using a national security law imposed by China to stamp out dissent. One of the key elements...

SEOUL: South Korea on Tuesday (Jul 27) launched COVID-19 vaccinations for workers at key computer chip and electronic businesses to minimise disruptions in the global supply chain amid struggles to keep up with its inoculation schedule. Major tech c...

NEW DELHI: Indian content-sharing platform ShareChat has raised US$145 million in fresh funding from Singapore's Temasek Holdings and two other investors, giving it a valuation of US$2.88 billion, the company told Reuters on Tuesday (Jul 27). The f...

TOKYO: A tropical storm churned towards Japan and the Olympic Games on Tuesday (Jul 27), whipping up welcome waves for surfing medal hopefuls but disrupting other events with rain and strong winds. Olympic organisers have rescheduled rowing and arch...

SEOUL: South Korea and North Korea have restored their once-severed hotlines as part of efforts by the two countries' leaders to rebuild strained ties, Seoul's presidential Blue House said on Tuesday (Jul 27). South Korean President Moon Jae-in and ...

BEIJING: China reported 71 new COVID-19 cases on Monday (Jul 26), the national health authority said on Tuesday, as an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant threatens the eastern city of Nanjing. Local infections accounted for 31 of the ne...

TOKYO: Ryusei Ouchi has all the usual trappings of a skateboarder - the baggy T-shirt, the low-slung trousers, the flat-peak baseball hat. But he also skates with something else: A cane. The 21-year-old, who goes by Jido, has lost 95 per cent of his...

French President Emmanuel Macron faced pressure to apologise for the devastating impact of decades of nuclear testing as he kicked off his first official trip to French Polynesia.

The Indian Premier League, the world's richest cricket tournament, will resume in the UAE on September 19, more than four months after it was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, officials said Sunday.

Rescuers waded through waist-deep mud in western India Monday to reach injured residents and start a massive clean-up as the death toll from monsoon-triggered landslides and floods climbed to 198.

More than 10 million residents of Ho Chi Minh City will be placed under a strict overnight curfew beginning Monday, an unprecedented move to curb infections as Vietnam battles a rapid Covid-19 surge.

The world needs to be more ambitious and step up efforts to boost global technological cooperation, say Hoe Ee Khor and Suan Yong Foo.

An outbreak on a South Korean ship demonstrates the near-impossibility of containing an outbreak in confined places, says former navy man James Goldrick.

BATANGAS, Philippines: The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on Friday (Jul 23) night lowered the alert status for Taal volcano from level 3 to 2 (out of 5), effectively shrinking the defined danger zone.   The alert level had been...

As COVID-19 rages in Southeast Asia, regional governments are racing to roll out their national vaccination programmes. In the second part of a series, CNA looks at how Thailand has been hamstrung by an uncertain vaccine delivery schedule.

Shares in China's food delivery giant Meituan plunged 14 percent Monday after new rules were issued to protect hard-pressed drivers, fuelling investor concerns over rising employment costs.

Bhutan has inoculated most of its eligible population with second doses of Covid-19 vaccinations in a week, in a speedy rollout hailed by UNICEF on Monday as a "success story" for international donations.

Triumphant weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz will now forget the years of exile, sacrifice, training and nutrition that took her to the Philippines' first Olympic gold by tucking into her favourite sweet passions, cheesecake and bubble tea.

The Japanese men's gymnastics team, all Olympic novices on a team without "King Kohei" Uchimura for the first time since 2008, lost to Russia by a whisker on Monday and said that while they regretted it, they were already turning their sights on Pari...

YANGON: Myanmar's junta on Monday (Jul 26) cancelled the results of 2020 polls won by Aung San Suu Kyi's party, announcing they were not "free and fair" almost six months after deposing the Nobel laureate in a coup. Investigations had uncovered more...

MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday (Jul 26) the battle against narcotics is far from over, more than five years after he began a brutal war on drugs that has killed thousands and prompted an accusation of possible crimes agai...

KARACHI: Pakistani port authorities plan to remove fuel from a merchant ship that ran aground in rough seas last week before making a salvage attempt in the middle of next month, an official said on Monday (Jul 26). Panama registered MV Heng Tong 77...

BEIJING: Antibodies triggered by Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine decline below a key threshold from around six months after a second dose for most recipients, although a third shot could have a strong boosting effect, according to a lab study. Chinese re...

BANGKOK: Thailand on Monday (Jul 26) reported 15,376 coronavirus cases, a record number for a second consecutive day, amid public criticism over the pace of the country's vaccination rollout that has fallen behind some neighbours. The Southeast Asia...

SINGAPORE: Badminton player Loh Kean Yew got his Olympic campaign off to a winning start when he beat IOC Refugee Olympic Team’s Aram Mahmoud on Monday (Jul 26).  Loh, ranked 42nd in the world, saw off the challenge 21-15, 21-12 at the Musashin...

TOKYO: Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz made history on Monday (Jul 26) when she became the first athlete from the Philippines to win an Olympic gold medal. The 30-year-old Rio 2016 silver medallist from the southern city of Zamboanga realised her dream i...

NEW DELHI: India is proud of its pluralistic traditions and happy to discuss the issue with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his visit beginning on Tuesday (Jul 27), foreign ministry sources said after Washington said he planned to raise N...

Japan grants health benefits to A-bomb 'black rain' victims

One of Hong Kong's top medal hopes, 23-year-old Siobhan Haughey, is making waves among the top female swimmers with a solid performance in the 200m freestyle heats on Monday, earning her a place in the semi-finals in a hotly contested field.

KUALA LUMPUR: Most Malaysian states are likely to move into phase four or the final phase of the country’s COVID-19 exit strategy by October at the earliest, said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday (Jul 26).  He was speaking at the speci...

XINXIANG, China: Chinese farmer Cheng wades through knee-deep water, pulling dead pigs behind him one-by-one by a rope tied around their ankles as he lines up the bloated carcasses for disposal. More than 100 of Cheng's pigs drowned in floods that p...

KUALA LUMPUR: Police will investigate a strike staged by contract doctors at Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) on Monday (Jul 26), Malaysian media reported.  Dang Wangi police chief Mohamad Zainal Abdullah was quoted as saying that an investigation paper...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia reported a record 207 deaths from COVID-19 on Monday (Jul 26), with the number of critically ill patients also reaching a new high. The latest fatalities, which come about a week after the country's previous death record, ta...

Indonesia's decision to relax some COVID-19 curbs this week, despite reporting record-high deaths in recent days, is being driven by social and economic concerns rather than epidemiological advice, public health experts said on Monday (Jul 26). As t...

FAIRBANKS, Alaska: United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will become the first member of President Joe Biden's Cabinet to visit Southeast Asia this week, seeking to emphasise the importance Washington places on fortifying ties in the region wh...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will not extend a months-long national state of emergency when it ends on Aug 1, law minister Takiyuddin Hassan said on Monday (Jul 26). Malaysia has been under emergency rule since January, with Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yass...

HONG KONG: One of the Hong Kong democracy activists who was returned from a Chinese jail after being captured at sea last year was ordered detention in a training centre for under-20-year-olds on Monday (Jul 26) for attempted arson and possessing dan...

TOKYO: Home favourite Naomi Osaka stepped up her quest for Olympic gold on Monday (Jul 26) as she eased into the third round of the Tokyo Games tennis tournament with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic. The Japanese star was play...

SEOUL: South Korea said on Monday (Jul 26) it has been informed by Moderna of an unspecified production issue involving its COVID-19 vaccine, as the country expands its inoculation campaign for people aged 55 to 59 amid a fourth wave of infections. ...

BEIJING: Beijing urged Washington to stop "demonising" China on Monday (Jul 26) as rancour marked the start of talks with the highest-level US envoy to visit under President Joe Biden's administration. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman's visit...

HONG KONG: China's private education firms are bracing for a "material" hit to their operations after Beijing announced new rules barring for-profit tutoring in core school subjects to ease financial pressures on families. News of the rule changes o...

KUALA LUMPUR: A special meeting for parliamentarians kicked off in Kuala Lumpur on Monday (Jul 26), paving the way for an eventual hybrid parliament sitting. It was the first time that lawmakers gathered in the House of Representatives or Dewan Raky...

BANGKOK: As Thailand’s medical system struggles beneath a surge of COVID-19 cases, ordinary people are helping to plug the gaps, risking their own health to bring care and supplies to often terrified, exhausted patients who have fallen through the ...

MUMBAI: Rescuers waded through waist-deep mud in western India on Monday (Jul 26) to reach injured residents and start a massive clean-up after heavy monsoon rains triggered landslides and floods that killed 159 people. India's western coast was hi...

BEIJING: China reported 76 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday (Jul 25), the highest since the end of January amid a surge of local infections in the eastern city of Nanjing, as it starts a second round of mass testing to contain the outbreak. China has ...

TOKYO: Support for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga slid nine points to 34 per cent, its lowest since he took office, a survey showed on Monday (Jul 26), as worries about COVID-19 clouded his hopes that the Tokyo Olympics would boost his ratin...

TOKYO: There will be no spectators at the Kasumigaseki Country Club this week, but golf-mad Japan will hang off Hideki Matsuyama's every drive, chip and putt as he attempts to add Tokyo Olympics gold to his Masters green jacket. Asia's first US Mas...

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan's ruling party of Prime Minister Imran Khan appeared to be winning in a tight race to elect the regional assembly in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where two poll workers from Khan's party were killed on Sunday (Jul 2...

The financial liberalisation that was supposed to provide emerging markets with more resources for domestic investment has led to exactly the opposite pattern, says Jayati Ghosh.

China's TAL Education Group said on Sunday (Jul 25) that its operations and business prospects could take a hit as a result of Beijing barring for-profit tutoring in core school subjects to ease financial pressures on families.

JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Sunday (Jul 25) that the current restrictions put in place to curb COVID-19 will continue until Aug 2, but several adjustments related to community activities and mobility will be made. Under the P...

Japan's Kei Nishikori advanced to the second round of the men's singles at the Tokyo Games on Sunday, triumphing over fifth seed Andrey Rublev 6-3 6-4 on home soil.

The flamboyant Li Fabin pulled off his signature one-legged "flamingo" on his opening clean and jerk lift on Sunday as he made it two out of two Olympic weightlifting gold medals for China.

SEOUL: South Korea said on Sunday (Jul 25) it will tighten social distancing rules across most of the country this week, warning that its worst-ever COVID-19 wave might spread further in the summer holiday season. The curbs will be increased to Leve...

Japanese judoka Uta Abe, 21, won the gold medal in the women's -52 kg category at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Sunday, defeating Amandine Buchard of France in the final.

China sends supplies to flooded area, rebuilds barriers

TOKYO: Tokyo, host of the summer Olympics, is bracing for a storm that has begun to disrupt competition schedules this week, though the surfers have taken the predicted rougher weather in their stride. Japan's hot, wet and unstable summer weather pa...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's total COVID-19 cases surpassed 1 million infections on Sunday (Jul 25), after the country's health ministry reported a record 17,045 new cases. The country's total number of infections is now 1,013,438.  The new cases...

113 killed in western India landslides, monsoon flooding

Top-ranked taekwondo champion Lee Dae-hoon lost in the first match of his final Olympics on Sunday, dashing South Korea's best hope for a gold medal in the national sport it once dominated.

HANOI: The United States is considering giving more coronavirus vaccines to Vietnam, its ambassador to the United States said on Sunday (Jul 25), as the Southeast Asian country struggles to control outbreaks of the fast-spreading Delta variant of the...

Intense heat and humidity could force competition schedule changes at the Tokyo Olympics and the International Olympic Committee said on Sunday it would back any such plans if needed.

BEIJING: Chinese commercial hub Shanghai and neighbouring coastal regions cancelled all flights, slowed or suspended subway trains and shuttered businesses as Typhoon In-fa made landfall on Sunday (Jul 25). The typhoon landed in the Putuo district ...

Indonesia is preparing more intensive care units after logging several days of record-high COVID-19 deaths last week, while the country waits to see whether the government will extend or loosen tough restrictions due to expire on Sunday.

There is no relaxation on mask wearing rules, International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams told reporters covering the Tokyo Olympics at a news conference on Sunday.

Thailand on Sunday reported 15,335 coronavirus cases, a daily record, bringing the country's cumulative cases to 497,302.

BEIJING: China reported on Sunday (Jul 25) 32 new COVID-19 cases in the mainland on Jul 24, down from 35 cases a day earlier, the national health authority said. The National Health Commission said in a statement five of the new cases were local in...

World Hepatitis Day is observed on Jul 28 every year and this year’s theme is “Hepatitis Can’t Wait”. Hepatitis C elimination in Malaysia may be possible after it made diagnosis and treatment more affordable and accessible.

Turbocharged by Idul Fitri travel, the Delta variant has cost Indonesia precious healthcare resources, especially in smaller towns and communities, says A’an Suryana.

BANGKOK: China has supplied more than 10,000 COVID-19 vaccines to a Myanmar rebel group operating near its southern border, its spokesman said on Saturday (Jul 24), as Beijing seeks to halt the influx of cases from the coup-wracked country. Myanmar...