Thailand on Saturday confirmed 110 new coronavirus infections, of which 64 were local infections, connected to an outbreak in a seafood centre in the southwest province of Samut Sakhon.More than 1,500 infections have been linked to the seafood centre outbreak since last week, the majority of those migrant workers from Myanmar, making it the country’s coronavirus worst outbreak yet.Of the new infections, 30 were among migrant workers and 16 were imported cases, Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman…
Coronavirus: South Korea considers tighter restrictions after new cases surge on Christmas Day
South Korea plans to discuss whether it needs to further tighten distancing rules this weekend as the current curbs failed to reverse a resurgence in outbreaks, with the daily coronavirus count hitting another high on Friday, officials said.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 1,241 new coronavirus cases as of midnight on Thursday, the highest daily count recorded.Daily numbers have been hovering at record levels over the past few weeks, around 1,000, but the…
Hong Kong’s domestic workers from the Philippines yearn for home on Christmas amid Covid-19 isolation
Melody de Guzman, a 45-year-old domestic worker in Hong Kong, had to twice cancel her plans to go to the Philippines this year. She could not fly in April to see her son’s graduation. Now, she won’t be able to spend Christmas with her family.“I am under more pressure,” said the migrant worker, who has lived in Hong Kong since 2013. “I have a big family and before my sisters could buy my mum’s medicines, but now they totally depend on me. It’s very hard to earn any money in the Philippines at…
UK-EU trade agreement finalised
Businesses will welcome the certainty provided by news of a new trade agreement being reached between the UK and EU at a time when they face other challenges, such as those associated with the impact of the coronavirus crisis, according to legal experts.
Hong Kong financial regulators launch plan for green finance
Financial institutions including banks, asset managers, insurance companies and pension trustees, will be subject to enhanced climate-related disclosure obligations in Hong Kong, regulators have announced.
Facebook bans Australian celebrity chef Pete Evans over coronavirus conspiracy theories
Facebook has banned Australian celebrity chef and conspiracy theorist Pete Evans for repeatedly spreading misinformation about the coronavirus.With more than 1 million social media followers, Evans had been an influential promoter of conspiracy theories about the pandemic and vaccines.Facebook said on Thursday it would not “allow anyone to share misinformation about Covid-19 that could lead to imminent physical harm” or falsehoods about Covid-19 vaccines.“We have clear policies against this…
Online communications reform could benefit universities
Proposed changes to online communications offences could assist higher education providers in balancing rights of free speech on campus against harassment risks.
India, Vietnam strengthen defence ties amid shared concerns over China’s assertiveness
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc have called for a peaceful, “open and rules-based” Indo-Pacific while also proposing to enhance their defence and security partnership – statements made with an eye on China’s growing dominance in the region.During a virtual summit on Monday, the two leaders agreed to increase military-to-military exchanges through regular ship visits, joint exercises, and training and capacity building programmes across their…
New restructuring law in Germany could bring advantages for investors
New laws set to come into force in Germany in January will give investors greater influence over restructurings at businesses they finance, according to legal experts.
Data sharing code expands ICO’s views on M&A data due diligence
Financial services institutions will welcome further clarity given by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) of the standards of data-related due diligence that must be met when businesses are in the process of acquiring other companies, a data protection law expert has said.