Malaysia has announced restrictions on movement for two weeks from March 18, barring its citizens from travelling overseas and shutting all businesses except shops selling food and daily necessities, in a drastic move to stem a surge in coronavirus infections.In a live address on Monday evening, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the Movement Control Order would be in effect until March 31.“The government views this situation seriously, especially with the development of the second wave [of…
Coronavirus: Metro Manila becomes a ghost town under Philippines government lockdown
As the Philippines confronts an unprecedented health crisis in the form of the coronavirus outbreak, with public confusion heightened by contradictory orders from authorities, an unfamiliar hush had by Sunday fallen over its capital. In Metro Manila, traffic was magically cleared from the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue ring road, known as Edsa, normally choked by infamous gridlock. The sounds of blaring music and honking cars, the rumble and screech of passenger buses revving up in stops and…
Coronavirus: Indonesian President Joko Widodo will take test as cases top 100
Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Sunday said he would get tested for the deadly coronavirus, while some of his ministers had also undergone precautionary tests after the Southeast Asian country’s transport minister tested positive for the disease.Widodo also suggested people work from home and avoid mass gatherings, as he sought to calm rising concerns about the spread of the virus in the sprawling archipelago.Indonesia on Sunday reported its number of infections had risen by 21 to 117. Five…
Why Craig Leeson wants Trump to watch his new climate documentary on melting glaciers
A year after releasing A Plastic Ocean , an award-winning documentary about the disastrous effects of disposable plastic on the world’s oceans, Craig Leeson turned his attention to a different project.
In 2017, the Australian and long-time Hong Kong resident went filming in the Alps to focus on extreme alpine sports – but when he found out about the work of a group of French scientists measuring ice deep inside the glaciers, he was drawn back to the mission of shining a light on the perils of…
US sanction threat spurred Indonesia to drop Russia, China weapons deals
The Trump administration pressured Indonesia into dropping deals to buy Russian-made fighter jets and Chinese naval vessels, part of a global effort to prevent its top adversaries from eroding the US’s military superiority.Indonesia recently decided against moving ahead with a plan to procure 11 Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets for about US$1.1 billion, according to an official familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the details of discussions remain private. As recently as…
South Korea’s coronavirus response is the opposite of China and Italy – and it’s working
For weeks, the graph charting new cases of Covid-19 in South Korea rose in a steep line – a literal illustration of the rapid, seemingly unstoppable spread of the coronavirus. Then the line began to curve.After announcing 600 new cases for March 3, the authorities reported 131 new infections a week later. On Friday, officials reported just 110, the lowest daily toll since February 21. The same day, the number of recovered patients, 177, exceeded new infections for the first time.President Moon…
Singapore billionaire Oei Hong Leong says Vancouver developer threatened ‘bodily harm’ in US$175 million lawsuit
It was a deal negotiated over fine wine and meals in luxury restaurants and mansions on both sides of the Pacific.But the 2015 agreement between Singapore billionaire Oei Hong Leong and Vancouver developer Terry Hui to jointly develop a trophy site that Oei owns in the heart of the Canadian city would collapse in legal acrimony, despite their decades-long friendship.Now, Oei is accusing Hui’s deputy of threatening “bodily harm”, in a C$245 million (US$175 million) lawsuit alleging that Hui…
As coronavirus becomes pandemic, scientists ask if lines on the map hold the key to contagion’s spread
The coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 125,000 people around the world is concentrated in a “corridor” across the northern hemisphere, researchers said, as more studies focused on how temperature and humidity could be used to predict the spread of the contagion.Despite worries that Southeast Asia may become a coronavirus hotspot after central China (where the Covid-19 outbreak started) because of their proximity and travel connections to the infection’s epicentre, more countries…
Coronavirus: Duterte announces lockdown of entire Metro Manila, may call on China for help
President Rodrigo Duterte has announced a month-long lockdown of the whole of Metro Manila as the Philippines looks to contain the spread of Covid-19, adding that he might call on China to help deal with the outbreak.Land, domestic air, and domestic sea travel to and from the National Capital Region will be suspended from Sunday to April 14, while mass gatherings have also been banned, according to local media.In a speech on Thursday night, Duterte also said Chinese President Xi Jinping had…
China-reliant Indonesia feels economic bite of coronavirus before its first cases emerged
At a freight forwarding company in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, rooms once piled high with alternators, diesel engines and audio equipment from China have emptied, to be replaced by similar products from Europe, the United States and Singapore.The reason? “China has halted its production” in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, said 24-year-old employee Erianti, who asked that her full name not be used.Before the outbreak, in an average month Erianti’s company would have orders for as…