Indonesian officials are forcing social distancing violators to recite Koran verses, stay in "haunted" houses and submit to public shaming on social media as the country battles to contain surging coronavirus infections.The Southeast Asian archipelago began deploying around 340,000 troops across two dozen cities to oversee enforcement of measures aimed at halting transmission of the disease, such as wearing facemasks in public.But provincial leaders are buttressing these efforts wit

China's parliament approved plans Thursday to impose a security law on Hong Kong that has ratcheted up tensions with the United States (US) and sparked new protests over fears the city is losing its special freedoms.The vote by the rubber-stamp National People's Congress (NPC) came hours after the US revoked the special status conferred on Hong Kong, paving the way for the territory to be stripped of trading and economic privileges.US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the status h

The Philippines will lift key coronavirus lockdown measures in the nation's capital, President Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday, aiming to resuscitate a faltering economy after nearly three months of strict home quarantine.Manila has endured one of the world's longest lockdowns, which has hit the livelihoods of millions of workers but not halted a steady stream of new infections.

The coronavirus crisis has made many of us paranoid. Fear and anxiety intensify as the number of worldwide infections inch towards the six million mark. To date, over 350,000 people have succumbed to the deadly virus. Governments have imposed drastic measures to contain the virus such as citywide lockdowns and travel curbs.

Thailand's premier on Wednesday urged parliament to approve the kingdom's biggest-ever stimulus package to revive an economy battered by coronavirus, which has brought tourism to a standstill, slashed exports and left millions jobless. The THB1.9 trillion (US$59.6 billion) package would be a much-needed financial boost for Southeast Asia's second biggest economy, which is expected to shrink by 5-6 percent in 2020. Members of parliament - who inaugurated a new

Even people with minor illness from the coronavirus can develop antibodies that could leave them immunised for several weeks or more, according to an early French study that tested hospital staff with mild infections.Researchers said the results, which have not yet been peer reviewed, were "encouraging" since little is known about the mechanisms of immunity against the novel coronavirus, especially in people with minor forms of the disease."We knew that people with severe forms

According to local newspapers in the subcontinent, India sent a formal request on 14 May, 2020 to the Malaysian government for the extradition of the controversial Islamic televangelist, Dr Zakir Naik, who has been living in the ASEAN member state since 2017 after he was granted permanent resident status there.The Indian government's latest move came after the change of guard at Putrajaya, Malaysia's administrative capital, in the hope that the United Malays National Organisation (U

Thailand is conducting tests on macaque monkeys as it races to produce a cheaper, alternative coronavirus vaccine it hopes will be ready by 2021, a top researcher said Monday.More than 100 candidate vaccines are currently in various stages of development around the world, at least eight of which are in clinical trials with humans, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Oxford University researchers are considered the frontrunners in the race, starting clinical trials last

Muslims around the world began marking a sombre Eid ul-Fitr on Sunday, many under coronavirus lockdown, but lax restrictions offered respite to worshippers in some countries despite fears of skyrocketing infections.The festival which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, is traditionally celebrated with mosque prayers, family feasts and shopping for new clothes, gifts and sweet treats.But this year, the celebration is overshadowed by the fast-spreading coronavirus, with many countries t

China said Sunday that relations with the United States (US) were "on the brink of a new Cold War", fuelled in part by tensions over the coronavirus pandemic that has killed nearly 350,000 people worldwide and pitched the global economy into a massive downturn. Fresh tensions between Beijing and Washington emerged as Muslims around the world celebrated an end to the holy month of Ramadan muted by virus restrictions and as more European nations prepared to further ease their