Geopolitics

COVID-19: Latest Developments Across Asia

Here are the latest developments in Asia related to the novel coronavirus pandemic:Back To School In Shanghai And BeijingTens of thousands of students returned to school in Shanghai and Beijing after months of closures as China's major cities gradually return to normality.Shanghai students in their final year of middle and high school went back to classrooms, while only high school seniors in Beijing were allowed on campus again to prepare for the all-important "gaokao" univers

28 April 2020
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Searching For The Right Virus Strategy

While some countries have tried to contain the new coronavirus with widespread testing, others have imposed lockdowns to save lives in the face of concerns over the economic hardships they will involve.Still others are letting the virus circulate almost unimpeded, hoping to avoid health system collapse while perhaps edging towards "herd immunity" - despite fears that this might be out of reach.Here are some of the different approaches to tackling the pandemic:Lockdowns: The Price Of

27 April 2020
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Lockdowns Ease As Infections Near 3 Million

Spanish children were allowed outside on Sunday for the first time in six weeks as countries eased lockdown measures in a bid to slowly reopen economies gutted by the coronavirus pandemic that has infected nearly three million people worldwide.Governments from France to Italy and the United States are starting to peel back severe restrictions that have kept more than half of humanity indoors for weeks on end.

27 April 2020
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WHO Warning Over Virus Immunity

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Saturday that recovering from the coronavirus might not protect people from reinfection as the death toll from the pandemic approached 200,000 around the globe.Governments are struggling to limit the economic devastation unleashed by the virus, which has left half of humanity under some form of lockdown and reported infections approaching three million.The United Nations (UN) has joined world leaders to speed up development of a vaccine, but effec

26 April 2020
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Biotech Firm Says Its Vaccine Protects Monkeys

A novel coronavirus vaccine has for the first time "largely protected" monkeys from infection during an animal trial, data from a Chinese pharmaceutical giant showed.It is among a slew of vaccines being developed around the world as countries race to stop an outbreak that has infected around 2.7 million people globally and killed more than 190,000.Nasdaq-listed Sinovac Biotech said it injected two different doses of its vaccine into eight rhesus macaque monkeys and exposed them to t

25 April 2020
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Muslims Start Ramadan Under Lockdown

Muslims across the world began marking the holy month of Ramadan under unprecedented coronavirus lockdowns on Friday as the United States (US) added another half a trillion dollars to its already-massive support package to help its pandemic-ravaged economy.The virus has upended life around the planet as nations try to stop the spread of the disease that has so far claimed nearly 190,000 lives, infected close to 2.7 million people and hammered the global economy.Ramadan spirits have been dampe

25 April 2020
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Pandemic: Fate Of ASEAN’s Prisoners In The Balance

To date, over 190,000 people have perished due to the deadly new coronavirus. The COVID-19 pandemic has also severely affected the livelihoods of people around the world. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), overcrowding, poor ventilation, deficient health and poor sanitation conditions “favours the spread of infectious diseases”.

24 April 2020
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COVID-19 Could Trigger 'Secondary' Health Crisis

Diverting the scarce healthcare resources of developing countries to the rapidly expanding COVID-19 pandemic could see a 45 percent jump in child and maternal mortality before the end of the year, an international health consortium warned Thursday (23 April).Unless poorer nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America get a rapid infusion of drugs, medical oxygen, protective equipment and on-the-ground assistance, the global South is likely see 1.2 million children and 57,000 mothers die over the

24 April 2020
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Vietnam Relaxes Virus Restrictions

Vietnam eased social distancing measures Thursday (23 April), with experts pointing to a decisive response involving mass quarantines and expansive contact tracing for the apparent success in containing the coronavirus.Despite a long and porous border with China, the Southeast Asian nation has recorded just 268 virus cases and zero deaths, according to official tallies.Although the numbers tested for COVID-19 are relatively low and experts caution the authoritarian government's health mi

24 April 2020
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Martial Law-Like Lockdown For The Philippines?

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought chaos to the world. The virus has negatively affected livelihoods and the global economy since it first emerged in the city of Wuhan in China’s Hubei province. To date, more than 2.5 million people have been infected with the virus and over 180,000 have succumbed to the deadly outbreak. Governments across the world are scrambling to contain the new coronavirus.

23 April 2020
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WHO Warns 'Long Way To Go' In Virus Crisis

The World Health Organization on Wednesday warned that the coronavirus crisis will not end any time soon, with many countries only in the early stages of the fight, as the global death toll surpassed 180,000.The pandemic has sparked not only a health emergency, but a global economic rout, with businesses struggling to survive, millions left jobless, and millions more facing starvation.United States (US) President Donald Trump - with an eye on widespread unemployment and his re-election prospe

23 April 2020
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Aceh Holds Public Floggings Despite Virus Fears

Six people were publicly flogged in Indonesia's conservative Aceh province on Tuesday (21 April) for breaking local Islamic law, despite widespread bans on mass gatherings over coronavirus fears. Officials insisted they followed social distancing rules but vowed that the global pandemic wouldn't stand in the way of doling out justice."To comply with current conditions, we're trying to cut unnecessary procedures like the usual opening speech," said Safriadi, t

22 April 2020
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