World / Asia

Indonesia approves Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use 30 Apr 2021 - 01:58 pm

JAKARTA - Indonesia's drug regulator on Friday approved the COVID-19 vaccine of China's Sinopharm, which it will use in a private immunisation scheme...

Indian states run out of COVID-19 vaccines, nationwide inoculation delayed 30 Apr 2021 - 01:50 pm

BENGALURU/NEW DELHI - Several Indian states have run out of COVID-19 vaccines a day before a planned widening of a nationwide inoculation drive,...

Pakistan to get 15.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine next two months, says health minister 29 Apr 2021 - 07:09 pm

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has purchased 13 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from three Chinese companies, its health minister told Reuters on Thursday. Faisal Sultan...

Australia says two deaths not likely to be linked to COVID-19 vaccine 29 Apr 2021 - 05:18 pm

SYDNEY: There is no evidence linking the deaths of two Australians to coronavirus vaccine doses they received, the chief of the country's medicines...

Thailand makes masks mandatory, bans Bangkok dining 29 Apr 2021 - 04:45 pm

BANGKOK: Thailand added more measures on Thursday to arrest its biggest coronavirus outbreak yet, including a nationwide requirement to wear masks in public...

Vietnam reports first local COVID-19 cases in 35 days 29 Apr 2021 - 04:31 pm

HANOI: Vietnam said on Thursday it had detected its first locally transmitted cases of the coronavirus in 35 days, as authorities ordered tighter...

Chinese officials plan next steps in oil spill clean-up off Qingdao 29 Apr 2021 - 01:25 pm

QINGDAO, China - Chinese officials were considering siphoning the remaining cargo at sea from a huge tanker that spilled hundreds of tonnes of...

India foreign secretary says 40 countries to supply oxygen 29 Apr 2021 - 11:39 am

NEW DELHI: India has prioritised imports of oxygen, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Thursday, adding that 40 countries had pledged their...

Germany to send ventilators, mobile oxygen facility to India 29 Apr 2021 - 11:26 am

BERLIN: Germany will send 120 ventilators to India on Saturday, followed by a mobile oxygen production facility next week, to help the country...

Philippines extends limits on movement, gatherings to curb COVID 28 Apr 2021 - 07:48 pm

MANILA: President Rodrigo Duterte is extending restrictions on movement and gatherings in the Philippines' capital region and four nearby provinces for another two...

US contractor sentenced for stealing truck from Afghan base 28 Apr 2021 - 07:24 pm

ALEXANDRIA, Va.: An American military contractor has been sentenced to prison for her role in a theft ring on a military installation in...

With few travellers, Thailand turns airport into vaccination centre 28 Apr 2021 - 04:50 pm

BANGKOK: Long queues have returned to Thailand's unusually quiet international airport this week, after it converted its check-in area into an immunisation centre...

Malaysia makes AstraZeneca shots optional amid public worry 28 Apr 2021 - 01:33 pm

Malaysia will allow people to use AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine on a voluntary basis and exclude the shots from its inoculation program amid public...

Japan's unused 14 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccines point to logistical hurdles 28 Apr 2021 - 01:20 pm

Tokyo: Japan has only used about a fifth of the COVID-19 vaccine doses it has imported so far, government data showed on Wednesday,...

Pakistan sees record COVID-19 deaths as officials consider stricter lockdowns 28 Apr 2021 - 12:35 pm

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan recorded more than two hundred COVID-19 deaths in a day for the first time since the start of the pandemic...

South Korea to lift mandatory quarantine for residents fully vaccinated against COVID-19 28 Apr 2021 - 12:26 pm

SEOUL - South Korea said on Wednesday it will offer some exemptions to mandatory quarantine measures for people who have been fully inoculated...

India's coronavirus toll tops 200,000 after record surge in cases 28 Apr 2021 - 10:53 am

NEW DELHI - India's toll from the coronavirus surged past 200,000 on Wednesday, the country's deadliest day, as shortages of oxygen, medical supplies...

Kazakhstan rolls out its own COVID-19 vaccine 27 Apr 2021 - 05:59 pm

ALMATY: Kazakhstan on Tuesday launched its own, domestically-developed vaccine for mass inoculations against COVID-19, starting with popular locations such as shopping malls. Almost...