Covid-19 sequencing in Singapore has revealed the emergence of the delta variant as the country’s major local virus strain, underscoring the highly infectious nature of the mutation that has proliferated globally since its first detection in India.Of these cases to date, 449 have been found to be caused by variants of concern, among which 428 were infections of the delta strain, said the country’s health ministry. The next largest group was nine cases linked to the beta mutation that first…
NI employers should consider Covid vaccination policy
Employers in Northern Ireland should develop a policy around Covid-19 vaccination ahead of the return of staff to the workplace which takes wider public health measures into account, the Labour Relations Agency (LRA) has said.
Why Biden has been a disappointment to Southeast Asia so far
“They had learned nothing and forgotten nothing,” French diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord once reportedly lamented in response to the House of Bourbon’s inability to learn from even recent history. Soon, France was gripped by another revolution, led by Napoleon Bonaparte’s nephew, which swept away the ancien régime for good.Two centuries later, the world’s reigning superpower has exhibited a similar inability to learn from even what it remembers perfectly. And it’s in Southeast…
South China Sea: Philippines should legislate ‘gains’ of arbitral win, group says
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte should legislate the “gains” of the country’s 2016 arbitral win over its South China Sea claims to end the “impasse” between Beijing and Manila, three legal experts said, weeks ahead of the fifth anniversary of the ruling.Ties between the countries have been strained over China’s increasingly assertive claims over the resource-rich waters, with the swarming of 200 Chinese boats in Philippine waters in February sparking heated exchanges between officials…
Iranian companies may not benefit from court opinion on EU blocking statute
An opinion upholding Iranian companies’ rights under a statute designed to limit the impact of US secondary sanctions within the EU may not have much practical impact – although at first sight it appears beneficial for Iranian businesses.
Apec ministers pledge to expedite transit of coronavirus vaccines
Distribution of coronavirus vaccines was top of the agenda in Asia on the weekend as trade ministers, diplomats and politicians held a series of meetings amid surges in cases throughout the region.In a joint statement on Saturday, Apec trade ministers agreed to ease movement of Covid-19 vaccines and other medical supplies but stopped short of removing tariffs on the goods.“[We] are united behind the essential role of trade in tackling the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and in enabling a…
Coronavirus: Philippines stops nurses from working abroad; Vietnam PM wants eased restrictions
The Philippine government suspended the sending abroad of nurses, and their assistants and aides because the annual limit of 5,000 health care workers deployed has been reached.The processing of permits for the medical workers has been suspended immediately, Bernard Olalia, head of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, said in a June 1 statement posted on the agency’s website.The Philippines, which sends thousands of medical staff overseas to work every year, is seeking to…
As China-Australia ties fray, who is shaping Canberra’s increasingly hawkish policy on Beijing?
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has repeatedly said Australia’s national interests are the sole guide of his government’s policy on China. To help decide where those interests lie, Morrison and his cabinet have relied on a roster of key advisers and appointees – a coterie known for a strong focus on national security and hawkish views on Beijing.The tough approach of Morrison’s inner circle has coincided with a serious deterioration in Sino-Australian relations. While they have been strained in…
At least 20 killed by Myanmar security forces in Ayeyarwady delta
At least 20 people were killed by Myanmar’s security forces in the Ayeyarwady river delta region on Saturday after villagers armed with catapults and crossbows fought back against troops searching for weapons, local media and residents said.That would make it the heaviest civilian death toll in nearly two months. Some 845 people had previously been killed by the army and police since the February 1 coup, according to an activist group. The junta has disputed that figure.Reuters was unable to…
South Korean designer creates robotic ‘third eye’ for smartphone ‘zombies’
A South Korean industrial designer has come up with a satirical solution for “smartphone zombies” who cannot take their eyes away from their screen long enough to stop themselves walking into a wall or other obstacle.Paeng Min-wook, 28, has developed a robotic eyeball he has dubbed “The Third Eye”, which obsessive mobile phone users can strap to their foreheads so they can browse injury-free on the go.The device opens its translucent eyelid whenever it senses the user’s head has been lowered to…