Asia

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman approved a range of initiatives aimed at assisting firms and individuals operating in support of Islamic pilgrimages, Saudi state news agency SPA said late on Monday. The initiatives are aimed at mitigating the financial and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic across the sector that provides …

South Korean authorities said on Wednesday they are investigating the deaths of two people, both with pre-existing conditions, who died within days of receiving AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine. A 63-year-old nursing home patient with cerebrovascular disease, developed symptoms including high fever, after being given the vaccine four days ago, Korea Disease …

A decision by South Korean health authorities to allow more doses to be extracted from coronavirus vaccine vials sparked controversy on Tuesday as the country ramped up its vaccinations of healthcare workers and the elderly. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) had allowed healthcare workers to use the …

Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi said on Monday the United States and China could work together on issues like climate change and the coronavirus pandemic if they repaired their damaged bilateral relationship. According to Wang Yi, diplomat and foreign Minister, Beijing is ready to reopen constructive dialogue with Washington after …

A deal for Taiwan to buy 5 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Germany’s BioNTech SE is on hold, the island’s health minister said on Wednesday, citing potential Chinese pressure for the delay. According to the Taiwan Health Minister Chen Shih-chung, officials were on the verge of announcing …

A court in Bangladesh sentenced to death five members of an Islamist militant group on Tuesday for killing a U.S. blogger critical of religious extremism six years ago. Avijit Roy, a U.S. citizen of Bangladeshi origin, was hacked to death here by machete-wielding assailants in February 2015 while returning home …

China called on the United States on Wednesday to invite the World Health Organization to investigate origins of the COVID-19 outbreak there, as sparring over the pandemic continued after the WHO wrapped up its field work in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Hours after the WHO team revealed preliminary findings …

A civil disobedience movement in Myanmar is gaining momentum with teachers and students protesting against Monday’s military coup. Demonstrators at a university in the biggest city, Yangon, chanted support for jailed leader Aung San Suu Kyi and wore red ribbons, her party’s colour. Although Ms Suu Kyi has not been …

Singapore become the first Asian country to approve Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine as it begins rolling out its immunisation programme to the wider population. The city-state expects to receive the first shipment of the Moderna shots around March, adding to its stock of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine approved in December. According to authorities, …

Japan is set to extend a state of emergency in Tokyo and other regions for another month on Tuesday, seeking to keep the upper hand over a Covid-19 outbreak even as daily case numbers begin to edge down. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to formally announce the extension to …