Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi said they would work together to realise a free and open Indo-Pacific during a 40-minute phone conversation on Tuesday.The two leaders agreed to boost cooperation bilaterally as well as with the United States and Australia, the Japanese foreign ministry said. Together the four countries make up the Quad, a group of major democracies that have been strengthening security ties as a counter to China’s increasing…
Coronavirus: Philippines extends targeted lockdowns and reimposes curfews in Manila as cases surge
Targeted coronavirus lockdowns were expanded in the Philippine capital on Tuesday and nighttime curfews reintroduced in hotspots as authorities battle a resurgence in infections.The number of new daily cases has soared past 3,000 in recent days – twice as many as two weeks ago and the highest in five months – as more contagious variants of the virus spread.Most of the new cases are in Metro Manila where officials have been quarantining compounds, streets, neighbourhoods and even hotels in a bid…
EU consults on use of digital labour platforms
The EU Commission is consulting its trade unions and employers’ organisations about measures it plans to improve the working conditions of ‘crowdworkers’, gig economy workers who access jobs through digital labour platforms.
Pakistan’s women want sexual rights. Do its men feel threatened?
When women in Pakistan ride a motorbike, form a cycling group or drink tea at a roadside stall, they make it to the news: it’s rare to see them doing ordinary things in public spaces. But this changes once a year, on International Women’s Day, when women come together in their thousands in rallies across the country for the Aurat March (women’s march).Thousands of Pakistani women rallied across the country on Monday, defying religious hardliners to demand equal rights. Rallies were organised in…
Fashion giant H&M suspends orders in Myanmar in response to post-coup violence
Sweden’s H&M, the world’s second-biggest fashion retailer, said on Monday it was shocked by the use of deadly force against protesters in Myanmar and that it had paused placing orders in the country.Police and military have killed more than 50 people to quell daily demonstrations and strikes against a February 1 military coup, according to the United Nations last week.H&M has around 45 direct suppliers in Myanmar, it said on its website, and has sourced in the country for seven years.“Although…
Singapore plans support for SME digitisation
Singapore is putting funding and support measures in place to help small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) digitise their processes, products and services, according to Singapore’s communications and information minister S Iswaran.
Dozens of Myanmar citizens gather at Indian border, hoping to escape post-coup violence
Scores of Myanmar nationals have gathered at the border with India waiting to join about 50 who have already crossed the frontier to flee the country’s coup turmoil, Indian officials said on Saturday.Myanmar authorities have meanwhile asked India to send back eight police who fled this week.Forty-eight Myanmar nationals, including the eight police, have entered India’s northeastern state of Mizoram, a senior officer in the Assam Rifles paramilitary force said.“At least 85 civilians from Myanmar…
Vietnam begins Covid-19 vaccination drive without China-made shots
Hanoi resident Hoang Cam Hang, 25, is looking forward to her Covid-19 vaccination. Vietnam, which has among the lowest total reported coronavirus infections in Southeast Asia, will launch its immunisation drive on Monday with over 117,000 doses of the vaccine developed by British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca. The programme will initially be conducted in 18 hospitals treating coronavirus patients, and in areas with higher infection numbers, Vietnam’s health minister Nguyen Thanh…
Thailand protesters rally to demand release of leaders, defying ban on public gatherings
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the Thai capital on Saturday evening to demand that authorities release some protest leaders from jail, defying an order on late Friday banning public gatherings in the city.A youth-led protest movement sprang up last year calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former junta leader, and reform of the powerful monarchy. Thai courts have denied recent requests for bail for some of the jailed protest leaders.“Release our friends,”…
Body of slain Myanmar protester taken from grave and examined, witness says
Guarded by police and soldiers, authorities in Myanmar disturbed the grave of a 19-year-old woman who became an icon of the anti-coup protest movement after she was shot dead wearing a T-shirt that read “Everything will be OK”, a witness and local media said.One witness said the body of Kyal Sin, widely known as Angel, was removed on Friday, examined and returned, before the tomb was resealed in Myanmar’s second city of Mandalay. The independent Mizzima news service reported the same.A military…