These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
Get up to speed with what’s happening in the fastest growing region in the world.
Stay informed with The ASEAN Post.
Singapore pledges to phase out unabated coal in electricity mix by 2050
Singapore on Thursday (Nov 4) joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance, an international coalition of countries, cities, regions and businesses that promotes the transition from coal to clean energy.
Announcing Singapore's membership during the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said over a video message: "The burning of coal is putting billions of people at immediate risk. This is why Singapore has decided to join the Powering Past Coal Alliance."
Singapore is the first country in Asia to join, said the alliance in a statement. - Straits Times
64 Covid-19 deaths yesterday
Malaysia recorded 64 deaths due to Covid-19 yesterday (Thursday), raising the death toll to 29,155.
Based on data shared on CovidNow and GitHub, 16 of the total fatalities were brought-in-dead (BID).
A majority of the deaths were in Sarawak with 19 followed by eight in Johor. - New Straits Times
Ministry prepares vaccine push for capital returnees
The Public Health Ministry is preparing to distribute second and third shots of Covid-19 vaccines to people returning to work in the capital following the easing of curbs around the country.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said some people are scheduled to get their second or third dose in their home provinces, but they can get their jabs in Bangkok instead.
Mr Anutin said the Department of Disease Control and the Department of Medical Services are collaborating to ensure vaccine services for this group are not disrupted. - Bangkok Post
PNP Covid-19 recovery rate nears 99%
The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday recorded an almost 99-percent recovery rate from the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
In its latest Covid-19 bulletin, the PNP Health Service said 78 more police officers recovered, bringing the total tally to 41,522 or 98.9 percent of the total of 41,981 confirmed infections since the start of the pandemic.
Only 10 new infections were recorded, raising the active case count to 336. - Philippine News Agency
HCM City needs advanced waste-treatment technologies, say experts
HCM City will need to adopt advanced energy-efficient waste-treatment technologies that safeguard the environment, and seek recycling technology to achieve a circular economy, experts said.
The city needs to ensure waste is not released directly into the environment but is handled effectively, and technology would help reduce landfill, they said.
The city discharges 9,000-9,500 tonnes of solid waste into the environment per day, incinerating, composting or recycling more than 30 per cent and dumping the rest into landfills. - Vietnam News
C-19 trash offenders to face three to six-year jail term and $2,500 fine
The Phnom Penh City Hall has warned Covid-19 patients treated at home that if they do not follow strictly the right procedure to throw their used trash, they could be taken to task under the Covid Law.
Under the Law on Measures to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 and other Highly Contagious Diseases, those responsible for the spread of the disease to others will be punishable by six months to three years in prison and a fine of $2,500.
Phnom Penh deputy governor Keut Chhe said yesterday that they had to issue a stern warning is because of some irresponsible Covid-19 victims being treated at home throwing their used trash irresponsibly. - Khmer Times
Hundreds displaced as clashes break out in Pekhon, southern Shan State
A battle between Karenni resistance forces and the Myanmar army in southern Shan State’s Pekhon Township on Tuesday forced around 300 people to flee from their homes, according to a representative of one of the anti-junta armed groups.
The three-hour clash took place near the 70-household village of Larwhe at 2pm on Tuesday, with the Pekhon People’s Defence Force (PDF), Loikaw PDF, Central Myanmar Regional Operation Task Force, Karenni National Defence Force (KNDF) and the Karenni Army (KA) all fighting the junta’s armed forces.
Four members of the Karenni alliance were injured, a spokesperson for the Pekhon PDF said. - Myanmar NOW
Ministry preparing one-door Umrah pilgrimage scheme
The Religious Affairs Ministry has continued to make Umrah pilgrimage arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic, which include a one-door Umrah departure scheme through Soekarno-Hatta Airport.
"We need to convey to the otban (airport authority) that the Religious Affairs Ministry is (trying to) prepare various technical matters as an anticipatory measure for the opening of Umrah during the pandemic," head of the sub-directorate for monitoring and supervision of Umrah and special hajj at the Religious Affairs Ministry, M. Noer Alya Fitra, said in a written statement received here on Thursday.
The one-door Umrah pilgrimage departure scheme was initiated to facilitate control and supervision as well as ensure the health, security, and safety of pilgrims amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he explained. - AntaraNews.Com