As nations across the Asia-Pacific region yesterday extended or reimposed restrictions to tackle fresh waves of infections, Moscow recorded its worst daily COVID-19 death toll so far.
The COVID-19 pandemic has now killed close to 4 million people worldwide, but vaccination drives have brought down infection numbers in many wealthy countries.
However, the Delta strain of the virus remains a concern, as the variant is now in 85 countries and is the most contagious of any COVID-19 strain identified, the WHO has said.
In much of Europe and the US curbs on daily life are easing as vaccination programs bear fruit, although Russia is grappling with a deadly third wave.
Moscow yesterday recorded 144 COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, a day after Saint Petersburg set the previous highest figure.
Saint Petersburg has hosted six UEFA Euro 2020 soccer matches and is due to host a quarter-final on Friday, with spectator numbers capped at half, but still upward of 26,000 people.
Russia as a whole has seen an explosion of infections since the middle of this month driven by the Delta variant, which is also feeding fresh outbreaks in Southeast Asia, where authorities have brought back or prolonged restrictions.
From today, Thailand is reimposing restrictions on restaurants, construction sites and gatherings in Bangkok.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has said he plans to fully reopen the country by October, but this would require vaccinating 50 million people in four months.
In Malaysia, the prime minister announced that a nationwide lockdown in place for about a month already would continue, and he gave no date for the lifting of restrictions.
His government had previously said the strict curbs would be eased in stages, as long as there was a drop in infections, intensive care bed use and a rise in vaccination rates.
In Bangladesh, tens of thousands of migrant workers yesterday fled the capital, Dhaka, on the eve of a tightened lockdown that would curtail most economic activity and confine people to their homes.
Ferries have been operating on overdrive, with some running 24 hours a day and cramming more than 1,000 people onto each trip.
A senior Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corp official said that at least 50,000 people had left the city by ferries yesterday alone.
Infections declined last month, but started to rise again this month, with just more than 6,000 daily cases on Thursday and 108 deaths on Friday, the health ministry said.
Meanwhile, British Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock resigned on Saturday after revelations he broke government COVID-19 restrictions during an affair with a close aide, with former British chancellor of the exchequer Sajid Javid taking up the role.
The frontman for the UK’s response to the pandemic quit in a letter to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“We owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down as I have done by breaching the guidance,” he wrote.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
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