Indonesia to deport Australian surfer jailed for drunken rampage in conservative province
An Australia surfer who was jailed for attacking several people while drunk and naked in Indonesiaโs deeply conservative Muslim province of Aceh will be deported back to his country after he agreed to apologize and pay compensation.
2 Australian states urge against under 40s taking AZ vaccine
The Queensland and Western Australia state governments have advised people under age 40 not to take the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine because of the risk of a rare blood clotting disorder, despite the Australian government making those shots available to all adults.
Asia Today: S. Korea reports 950 cases, biggest daily jump
SEOUL โ South Korea has reported 950 new coronavirus cases, its largest daily increase since the emergence of the pandemic, as fears grow about overwhelmed hospitals in the greater capital area. The decision to lift travel restrictions came after New Zealand went 28 days without a local case. Germany had sought an open meeting but Russia and China, both neighbors of North Korea, objected. Seven council members -- Germany, Belgium, Dominican Republic, Estonia, France, United Kingdom and United States -- joined by Japan said in the statement that North Korea was putting nuclear power and military might over its people. North Korea sealed its border with China, its biggest trading partner and aid benefactor, as the coronavirus started spreading in January.
Asia Today: India, Philippines ease rules; Bali reopens
Struggling tourism businesses in Queensland, known as Australias Sunshine State, will soon lose visitors from the nations biggest city, Sydney. The Health Ministry on Friday also reported 779 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking fatalities to 35,747. Vietnams health ministry reported a daily high of 45 more cases Friday, all of them connected to a Da Nang hospital where the first case surfaced last week. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte further relaxed quarantine restrictions and will shift the virus response to localized lockdowns where infections surge. Hong Kong had almost 150 new cases reported Friday.
Asia Today: Another spike brings India past 900,000 cases
Authorities reimposed lockdown on Monday in parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir, including the region's main city, following surge in coronavirus cases. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)NEW DELHI India's number of coronavirus cases jumped by another 28,000 on Tuesday and are fast approaching 1 million. The 28,498 cases reported in the past 24 hours took the national total to 906,752. The Health Ministry also reported another 553 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking total fatalities up to 23,727. The figures announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention brought the caseload to 13,512 cases, including 289 deaths.
Quarantine loopholes bring fresh efforts to fight outbreaks
The city of Melbourne in Victoria recorded 270 new coronavirus infections overnight, with more than 4,000 cases now active across the state. India, which has the third-most cases, was rapidly nearing 1 million cases with a jump of more than 28,000 reported Tuesday. The ebb and flow of the pandemic has governments scrambling to quash fresh outbreaks while attempting to salvage economies from the devastation of long shutdowns and travel restrictions. Hawaiis governor pushed back by another month plans to waive a 14-day quarantine requirement for out-of-state travelers who test negative for COVID-19. He cited rising numbers of local cases, uncontrolled outbreaks in several U.S. mainland states and a shortage of testing supplies.
Asia Today: Australia state locks out people from virus spot
(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)CANBERRA An Australian state has closed its doors to people fleeing a second lockdown in Australias second-largest city. Beaches and streets on the island emptied in early April except for special patrols to ensure virus-containment protocols were observed. Indonesians from other parts of the country will be allowed to visit starting July 31 and new foreign arrivals on Sept. 11. South Korea has reported 50 new cases of the coronavirus as new clusters emerge across the country. The near elimination of local virus transmission has allowed the reopening of most businesses and resumption of some social activities.
Asia Today: South Korea's cases surpass 50 for 2nd day
Queensland state police community liaison officers hand out face masks to people gathering for the Black Lives Matter protest in Brisbane on Saturday, June 6, 2020. Black Lives Matter protests across Australia proceeded mostly peacefully Saturday as thousands of demonstrators in state capitals honored the memory of Floyd and protested the deaths of indigenous Australians in custody. South Koreas caseload peaked in late February and early March when it recorded hundreds of new cases each day. The new cases in recent weeks have been linked to nightclubs, an e-commerce warehouse, church gatherings and door-to-door sellers in the Seoul metropolitan area. It is on guard against imported cases as it begins to ease restrictions on flights and people arriving from abroad.