An expert climbing guide said on Saturday that a coronavirus outbreak on Mount Everest has infected at least 100 climbers and support staff, giving the first comprehensive estimate amid official Nepalese denials of a Covid-19 cluster on the world’s highest peak.Lukas Furtenbach of Austria, who last week became the only prominent outfitter to halt his Everest expedition over virus fears, said one of his foreign guides and six Nepali Sherpa guides have tested positive.“I think with all the…
Coronavirus: Singapore reports first case of school-based transmission; Malaysia further tightens curbs
Singapore reported its first case of school-based Covid-19 transmission as an outbreak in the city state showed little signs of abating.A student at a local school contracted the virus after his classmate tested positive on Wednesday, according to a statement by the Ministry of Education on Saturday. Close contacts of both pupils have been placed under quarantine.Singapore reported 22 new cases of locally-transmitted infections on Saturday, of which eight are currently untraceable, the…
Coronavirus: India asks social media firms to remove references to ‘Indian variant’
India’s information technology (IT) ministry has written to all social media companies asking them to take down any content that refers to an “Indian variant” of the coronavirus, according to a letter issued on Friday which was seen by Reuters.The World Health Organization said on May 11 that the coronavirus variant B.1.617, first identified in India last year, was being classified as a variant of global concern.The Indian government a day later issued a statement saying media reports using the…
Strong customer authentication deadline extended again by FCA
Payment services providers operating in the UK have been given a further six months to implement ‘strong customer authentication’ (SCA) standards for e-commerce transactions. A backstop deadline for compliance of 14 March 2022 now applies.
Myanmar junta to dissolve Suu Kyi’s NLD party, step up security at China border
Myanmar’s junta-appointed election commission will dissolve Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party (NLD) because of what it said was fraud in a November election, a local news outlet reported on Friday.Myanmar Now said the decision was made during a meeting with political parties that was boycotted by many parties including the NLD.The election fraud conducted by the NLD was illegal “so we will have to dissolve the party’s registration”, the chairman of the junta-backed Union…
Kiribati’s China-backed airstrip upgrade fuels political divisions in Pacific nation
A China-backed plan to upgrade an airstrip on Kiribati is fuelling political divisions in the tiny Pacific Island nation, with opposition figures questioning Beijing’s intentions and the project’s purpose.Kiribati’s 33 islands are scattered across resource-rich waters that make up one of the world’s largest exclusive economic zones.The proposed revamp of the airstrip, which was used by American bombers during World War II, comes amid heightened scrutiny of Beijing’s outreach efforts to…
Court backs Irish regulator on Facebook data transfers inquiry
The High Court in Ireland has dismissed a legal challenge brought by Facebook over plans outlined by the country’s data protection authority to open an investigation into the company’s arrangements for transferring personal data from the EU to the US.
FCA pledges action over online investment scams
Financial institutions should evaluate whether the technology, controls and processes they have in place are sufficient to address the risk that their customers fall victim to investment scams run by unregulated businesses, legal experts have warned.
Tech CEO, ex-US Marine arrested in Thailand over plot to kidnap Taiwanese businessman
Police in Thailand said on Thursday they were pursuing more suspects in the kidnapping of a Taiwanese businessman in which an American entrepreneur with a criminal past and two other men have been arrested. The case involves a business dispute over the purchase of nitrile gloves – critical personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic.Louis William Ziskin, the CEO of a Los Angeles-based tech company, and Jeremy Hughes Manchester, identified as a former US Marine, were arrested…
In South Korea, women in military becomes gender battleground
A heated debate in South Korea about mandatory military service for women is inflaming divisions between the sexes rather than narrowing social gaps, the country’s gender equality minister said.The issue has been the subject of wide discussion since April, when ruling party lawmaker and 2022 presidential hopeful Park Yong-jin reacted to local election defeats by suggesting mandatory military service for women would promote gender equality.Chung Young-ai, who leads the Gender Equality and Family…