Facebook says it should not be blamed for U.S. failing to meet vaccine goals
By Jan Wolfe and David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, July 17 (Reuters) - Facebook on Saturday defended itself against U.S. President Joe Biden's assertion that the social media platform is "killing people"...
Indonesia braces for worsening COVID-19 outbreak
INDONESIA is bracing for its coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak to get worse after a near vertical climb in cases, a senior minister said on Thursday, warning that infections had spread faster than anticipated due to the more virulent Delta variant.
HK arrests 4 in alleged $155-M crypto scheme
HONG KONG (HK) authorities arrested four men for a suspected money-laundering syndicate involving HK$1.2 billion ($155 million) with virtual currency.
Thailand says AstraZeneca asks to delay delivery of 61M vaccine doses
BANGKOK — AstraZeneca has asked Thailand to extend the timeline for the delivery of 61 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine by five months, a deputy minister said on Thursday, a move likely to disrupt further the country’s sluggish vaccine rollout.
Singapore’s economic rebound slows amid renewed virus limits
Singapore’S economy lost momentum in the second quarter as weeks of tightened mobility restrictions weighed on this year’s expansion.
Indonesia’s daily cases surge past India, becomes new COVID epicenter
Indonesia surpassed India’s daily coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case numbers, marking a new Asian virus epicenter as the spread of the highly-contagious delta variant drives up infections in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
Blinken calls on Southeast Asian nations to take action on Myanmar
HANOI — The United States has “deep concerns” about the military coup in Myanmar and called on Southeast Asian nations to take action to end violence and restore democracy in the country, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.
South Korea imposes tighter curbs as new COVID-19 cases set record
SEOUL — South Korea tightened social distancing rules across most of the country on Wednesday to tackle its worst-ever outbreak of coronavirus a day after new cases soared to a new daily peak of 1,615.
European efforts to assess Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine stymied by data gaps
PARIS — The developers of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine have repeatedly failed to provide data that regulators deem to be standard requirements of the drug approval process, according to five people with knowledge of European efforts to assess the drug, providing new insight into the country’s struggle to win foreign acceptance of its product.
All on Singapore cruise ship confined to cabins after suspected COVID-19 case
By Chen Lin and Aradhana Aravindan
SINGAPORE, July 14 (Reuters) - A Genting Cruise Lines' ship on a "cruise to nowhere" has returned to Singapore after a passenger was suspected...
U.S. Senate Democrats agree to $3.5 trln for budget reconciliation bill
By Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Joe Biden's drive for big new infrastructure investment got a boost on Tuesday when leading Senate Democrats agreed on a...
Hong Kong says no personal data shared in vaccine deal with Fosun
HONG KONG - Hong Kong's agreement to buy BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines from Chinese sales agent Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd did not include...