China is expected to post positive growth this year even as the global economy contracts 4.9 per cent in a coronavirus-driven plunge in output, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Wednesday. The IMF’s World Economic Outlook Update estimated China’s economy will grow 1 per cent in 2020, a downgrade of its April forecast, but better...
US President Donald Trump has suspended the entry of some foreign workers in a bid to boost domestic hiring, sparking opposition from corporate America and tech sector executives including Google's Sundar Pichai and Tesla's Elon Musk. The visa suspension, effective June 24, will last until the end of the year and is expected to open up...
Australia's second most populous state on Wednesday (June 24) said a man in his 80s died overnight from the coronavirus, the country's first death from the virus in more than a month, as the state logged a double-digit rise in cases for the eighth straight day. Victoria state reported 20 overnight cases, Victoria Chief Health Officer...
Regulation helps people avoid mass gatherings, stem the spread of virus After Sunday brunch with friends at Beijing's bustling Wangfujing pedestrian shopping street, Hu Yiting felt it would be a waste of the pleasant spring weather to head back home, crawl into bed and watch TV. That's when the idea popped into Hu's head to climb nearby...
China has approved a coronavirus vaccine candidate developed by Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products' unit to begin human testing, the company said in a filing on Tuesday (June 23). The potential vaccine, co-developed by Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical and the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has received a certificate from the National Medical...
A new railway operating plan will be implemented starting July 1, which will boost China's passenger transport capacity, according to China's railway operator on Thursday. Under the new plan, a few rail lines will be put into operation to further optimize the country's railway network and significantly enhance regional transportation capacity, said China State Railway Group. Among...
When Gloria – not her real name – returned to Hong Kong from the Philippines late last month, she had to do a mandatory quarantine imposed by the government to combat the coronavirus pandemic. While her employer put her in a hotel, those 14 days were all but easy. “When my boss told me about doing...
The country’s tourism sector is expected to get a much-needed boost when both Malaysia and Singapore open their borders, which have been closed for three months due to Covid-19 pandemic. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said that the tourism sector is one of the key sectors for economic growth in Malaysia. "States...
Indonesia reported 1,331 new coronavirus infections on Thursday (June 18), its biggest daily increase since the outbreak started locally, taking its total number of cases to 42,762. Health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said 63 more deaths were reported on Thursday, with total fatalities now at 2,339, the highest coronavirus death toll in East Asia outside of...
The recent outbreak of Covid-19 cases in Beijing is under control as the city has seen a decline in confirmed cases, but the caseload will continue to grow for some time, health expert Wu Zunyou said on Thursday. "It's positive that Beijing has controlled the epidemic. All the cases reported today were infected before June 12,"...
