Outbreaks of Avian influenza (AI), commonly known as bird flu, have been reported to the World Organization for Animal Health across Europe and Asia, causing concern among experts. Whenever avian influenza viruses are circulating in poultry, there is a risk of sporadic infection and small clusters of human cases due to people’s exposure to infected poultry or contaminated environments.
Asia's biggest airshow takes place in Singapore this week with the aviation sector hoping 2022 marks a turning point in a region where tough curbs have left coronavirus-battered airlines struggling to recover.The event, which takes place every two years and kicks off on Tuesday, brings together hundreds of airlines, plane manufacturers and other industry players to display their latest equipment, network, and strike deals.But the pandemic – which has been the biggest crisis to ever strik
Persistently high levels of ozone pollution in Asia are costing China, Japan and South Korea an estimated US$63 billion annually in lost rice, wheat and maize crops, a new study says.While ozone forms a protective layer around the Earth in the upper atmosphere, it is a harmful pollutant at ground level.It is created by a chemical reaction when two pollutants, often emitted by cars or industry, combine in the presence of sunlight and it can interfere with plant photosynthesis and growth.The re
More than 50 European and Asian leaders called for vaccine equity Friday at a virtual summit as a new COVID-19 variant was detected in South Africa.The two-day 13th summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting, hosted by Cambodian leader Hun Sen, came as nations raced to slow the spread of the new more infectious strain – known as B.1.1.529 – that scientists fear could be more resistant to vaccines.Globally, coronavirus jab distribution has been unequal with poorer nations' vaccination rates remain
Smokestacks belch noxious fumes into the air from a massive coal-fired power plant on the Indonesian coast, a stark illustration of Asia's addiction to the fossil fuel which is threatening climate targets. Asia-Pacific accounts for about three-quarters of global coal consumption – even as the region struggles with the environmental and public health impacts of global warming, from deadly levels of air pollution in India to extreme heatwaves and wildfires in Australia. H
As the United States (US) and Europe ramped up their COVID-19 vaccination programs, the Asia-Pacific region, once lauded for its pandemic response, struggled to get them off the ground.
Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday the United States (US) would find new ways to "raise the pressure on Beijing", accusing China of bullying in hotly disputed Asian waters for the second time in two days.Harris made the comments as she began a visit to Vietnam to stress US commitment to Asia, a trip that critics have slammed as tone-deaf given the parallels with the superpower's evacuations from Saigon and Kabul.During a meeting with Vietnam President Nguyen Xuan Phuc,
United States (US) Vice President Kamala Harris landed in Vietnam Tuesday after an "anomalous health incident" in Hanoi delayed her flight from Singapore, the US embassy said, an apparent reference to the so-called "Havana syndrome" that has sickened diplomats in several countries.Harris is in Vietnam as part of a Southeast Asia trip where she is seeking to rally regional allies as the US' superpower status takes a hit over Afghanistan.She was due to depart Singapore
United States (US) Vice President Kamala Harris vowed "enduring engagement" in Asia on Monday, offering reassurances of Washington's commitment to the region even as the US completes its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover.The hard-line Islamists' swift return to power a week ago, and desperate scenes of thousands trying to flee, have cast a shadow over the US' status as a global superpower.But on a visit to Singapore, her first stop on a trip
Britain announced Wednesday it would begin donating millions of coronavirus vaccine doses around the world, including Commonwealth countries, following its pledge to provide 100 million jabs globally by next June.Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the rollout of an initial nine million inoculations from Friday would go to Kenya, Jamaica and several Asian nations."They will go to countries, vulnerable places like Lao and Cambodia, partners like Indonesia, Malaysia (and) a range of Common
Virus-wracked Indonesia posted record daily infections topping 54,000 on Wednesday as the highly infectious Delta variant rips across the archipelago, catapulting it ahead of India as Asia's COVID-19 epicentre.The Southeast Asian nation has been battered by a virus explosion that overwhelmed hospitals, leaving scores to die at home, while desperate relatives hunt for oxygen tanks to treat the sick.On Wednesday, Indonesia's health ministry posted its highest-ever 54,517 new cases and
Continuing attempts to curb the sale of wild animals and their meat have failed to engender change at wet markets in the Asia Pacific, even as the region struggles to contain the largest and deadliest wave of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly three-quarters of emerging infectious diseases that spread to humans originate in animals.
