This photo taken from the official website of Nervotec shows the app developed by the Singapore startup. SINGAPORE- Each morning before work at a Singapore construction site, Gunasekar Udayakumar, 41, gets his vital signs checked, without going to a clinic, or even seeing a nurse. All he needs is his smartphone, which in just 45 […]
Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne speaks during a press conference at the US Department of State following the 30th AUSMIN on July 28, 2020, in Washington, DC. (PHOTO / POOL / AFP) SYDNEY – Australian Defence Minister Linda Reynolds will take a period of medical leave following advice from her cardiologist over a pre-existing medical […]
This handout photo taken on Aug 24, 2020, and released by Greek National Defense Ministry shows an F-16 fighter jets and a vessel taking part in a Greek-US military exercise in the eastern Mediterranean sea south of Crete. (HANDOUT / GREEK DEFENCE MINISTRY / AFP) ANKARA – Greek F-16 fighter jets "harassed" a Turkish research […]
This photo taken on Feb 23, 2021 and released by the Press Office of President of Afghanistan shows Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Afghan First Lady Rula Ghani, left, wearing facemasks during a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, as Afghanistan launched a COVID-19 vaccination campaign. (PHOTO / AFP) DUBAI / SEOUL / JERUSELAM […]
Nepalese celebrate the Supreme Court order to reinstate the parliament in Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb 23, 2021. (NIRANJAN SHRESTHA/AP) KATHMANDU – Nepal’s top court on Tuesday ordered the reinstatement of parliament, dealing a blow to Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli two months after he dissolved the house and called for an early election amid squabbling within […]
Iranian national flags fly near a major highway through Tehran, Iran, on Sept 17. 2019. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG) Iran said South Korea has begun to release some of the US$7 billion it has trapped in the Asian country because of US sanctions, progress toward ending a spat linked to the seizure of an oil tanker. […]
Members of Afghan security forces stand guard at the site of an attack in Kabul on Dec 20, 2020. (ZAKERIA HASHIMI / AFP) KABUL – Civilian casualties in Afghanistan escalated sharply after peace talks began last year, the United Nations said in a report released on Tuesday, calling for a ceasefire as negotiators met for […]
NEW DELHI – India's Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) conducted two successful launches of vertical launch short-range surface to air missile (VL-SRSAM), officials said Tuesday. The launches were carried out on Monday from a static vertical launcher from integrated test range (ITR) Chandipur coast in Balasore district, about 208 km northeast of Bhubaneswar, the […]
Police security forces stand guard behind a barricaded section of Sule Pagoda Road in Yangon, Myanmar Saturday, Feb 20, 2021. (PHOTO / AP) WASHINGTON – The United States imposed sanctions against two Myanmar military officials on Monday. A one-year state of emergency was declared in Myanmar after President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung […]
Passport checking aisles for foreign nationals stand empty following a government quarantine order in the departure terminal at Ben Gurion International airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 10, 2020. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG) As the world waits for a vaccine-driven return to normal, Israel is showing what a long and arduous road it will be. With […]
An immigration truck believed to be carrying Myanmar migrants from Malaysia back to their homeland, is seen heading towards the Naval base in Lumut, outside Kuala Lumpur on Feb 23, 2021. (MOHD RASFAN / AFP) KUALA LUMPUR – A Malaysian court has allowed a temporary stay of deportation of 1,200 Myanmar detainees who were scheduled […]
A woman uses her mobile phone to check Facebook in Yangon on Feb 4, 2021. (PHOTO / STR / AFP) CANBERRA – Facebook will restore Australian news pages after Canberra offered amendments to legislation that would force the tech giant to pay for media content, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Tuesday. Australia and the social […]
This handout photo taken and released on July 27, 2020 by the Philippines' Presidential Photo Division (PPD) shows Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivering his annual State of the Nation Address in congress in Manila. (PHOTO / AFP) NEW DELHI / JERUSALEM / SYDNEY / PHNOM PENH / GAZA / JAKARTA / TEHRAN / BAGHDAD / […]
In this Jan 5, 2021 file photo, journalists watch the arrival of the Qatar envoy ahead of the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council summit in the city of al-Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia. (FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP) DUBAI – Delegations from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar met in Kuwait on Monday for the first time […]
This is a screengrab of Indonesian President Joko Widodo address at Imlek Nasional, the national celebration of Lunar New Year, at Bogor Palace in Jakarta on Feb 20, 2021. Indonesian President Joko Widodo was wearing reddish traditional Chinese attire when attending a special get-together marking the national celebration of Lunar New Year on Feb 20. […]
This handout photo taken on Aug 25, 2019 and provided by the South Korean Navy shows the South Korean Navy's Aegis-equipped destroyer, Sejong the Great, participating in a military drill near the Dokdo islets. (HANDOUT/ SOUTH KOREAN NAVY / AFP) SEOUL – South Korea's foreign ministry denounced Japan Monday for its renewed territorial claim to […]
Rohingya refugees are seen on a Bangladesh's Navy ship as they are being relocated to Bhashan Char Island in the Bay of Bengal, in Chittagong on Jan 29, 2021. (PHOTO / AFP) The United Nations refugee agency on Monday called for the immediate rescue of a group of Rohingya refugees who were adrift in their […]
Doctors, medical students and healthcare professionals wearing face masks and protective equipment as part of preventative measures against the COVID-19 attend a rally to protest against a government proposal to increase its annual intake of medical students, in the Yeouido district of Seoul on Aug 14, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP) SEOUL – Doctors in South […]
This photo taken on May 10, 2018 shows a view of Auckland, New Zealand. (GUO LEI / XINHUA) WELLINGTON – New Zealand will use its platform as host of an Asia-Pacific trade group in coming months to seek a global approach to coronavirus vaccinations that would eliminate tariffs on goods needed to fight COVID-19. Amid […]
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks at a press conference to discuss sexual assault allegations against a male staffer at Parliament House in Canberra, on Feb 16, 2021. Morrison apologized to a former government staffer who alleged she was raped by a colleague in a minister's office two years ago. (MICK TSIKAS / AAP IMAGE […]
This file photo taken on Oct 23, 2019 shows a Facebook employee walking past a sign displaying the "like" sign at Facebook's corporate headquarters campus in Menlo Park, California. Facebook was branded "arrogant" and "unconscionable" for banning Australian users from sharing news on Feb 18, 2021, as its defiant response to government regulation inadvertently crippled […]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talks to the media during a visit to the Fitness gym ahead of the re-opening of the branch in Petah Tikva, Israel, on Feb 20, 2021. (PHOTO / AP) SYDNEY / WELLINGTON – Israel reopened swathes of its economy including malls and leisure facilities on Sunday, with the government saying […]
This picture taken from the Israel-annexed Golan Heights on February 15, 2021, shows the border fence with the Syrian governorate of Quneitra. (JALAA MAREY / AFP) Israel agreed to buy hundreds of thousands of doses of Russian-made coronavirus vaccine for Syria as part of a prisoner swap deal, the Haaretz newspaper reported on Sunday, without […]
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) crew carry the body of a victim following rescue efforts from Tapovan tunnel in Chamoli on February 14, 2021, after flash floods thought to have been caused when a glacier broke off on February 7. (VIRENDER SINGH NEGI / AFP) NEW DELHI – Authorities in the northern Indian state of […]
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech as he holds a press conference following the cabinet meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on February 1, 2021. (ADEM ALTAN / AFP) ANKARA – The common interests of Turkey and the United States outweigh their differences and Ankara wants improved cooperation with Washington, President Tayyip […]
The Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Javad Zarif, speaks during a meeting with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez (out of frame), in Havana, on Nov 6, 2020. (YAMIL LAGE / AFP) DUBAI – Iran’s decision to end snap inspections by UN inspectors on Feb 23 would not mean abandoning its 2015 nuclear […]
An image grab taken from Kurdistan 24 TV channel on Feb 19, 2021 shows damage following a rocket attack two days ago targeting a military complex inside the Arbil airport that hosts foreign troops deployed as part of a US-led coalition. (KURDISTAN 24 CHANNEL / AFP) BAGHDAD – Three Katyusha rockets on Saturday landed on […]
Police security forces stand guard behind a barricaded section of Sule Pagoda Road in Yangon, Myanmar Saturday, Feb 20, 2021. (PHOTO / AP) YANGON – Myanmar's Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) of 10 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) signatories on Saturday announced a suspension of political dialogues with the military. The PPST demands the release of […]
This file photo illustration taken on March 25, 2020 shows a Facebook App logo displayed on a smartphone in Arlington, Virginia in the United States. (Olivier DOULIERY / AFP) CANBERRA – Facebook Inc is back at the negotiating table, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Saturday after the tech giant this week blocked news […]
Vendors register to be vaccinated for COVID-19 coronavirus at the Tanah Abang textile market in Jakarta on Feb 17, 2021. (ADEK BERRY / AFP) WELLINGTON / SYDNEY / DUBAI / JAKARTA – Indonesia extended movement curbs in several areas after signs that the measures helped contain the coronavirus outbreak. The restrictions are extended until March […]