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By Estelle Shirbon (Reuters) -A South African study suggests reduced risks of hospitalisation and severe disease in people infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant versus the Delta one, though the authors say some of that is likely due to high population immunity. Questions about Omicron’s virulence are at the heart of scientific and political debate …

South African study suggests lower risk of hospitalisation with Omicron versus Delta Read More »

(Corrects this December 17 story to show in third paragraph that the pictures were obtained from a third party and not taken by Reuters) (Reuters) – At a secret jungle camp in Myanmar’s eastern Karen state, a fitness coach and other civilians are training with armed ethnic guerrillas to fight back against the country’s military …

In Myanmar jungle, civilians prepare to battle military rulers Read More »

By John Geddie (Reuters) – Myanmar will start accepting Renminbi as an official settlement currency next year for trade with China, it said on Wednesday, as it looks to restart several joint projects and forge closer economic ties with Beijing. Myanmar’s junta, which seized power in a Feb. 1 coup, said in a statement it …

Myanmar seeks closer China ties with Renminbi trade project Read More »

MANILA (Reuters) -The Philippines has halved to three months the waiting time for a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine in its battle to rein in the more infectious Omicron variant of coronavirus, which has forced a global tightening of curbs. The Southeast Asian nation joins Britain, Germany, South Korea and Thailand among a growing list …

Philippines halves COVID-19 booster wait time to three months Read More »

MANILA (Reuters) – The deadly typhoon that killed hundreds in the Philippines also damaged dozens of homes and government infrastructure on the country’s biggest, strategically most important outpost in the South China Sea, including a newly built coast guard station. Typhoon Rai, which left nearly 400 people dead and displaced hundreds of thousands, hit the …

Philippine-held island in South China Sea suffers typhoon damage Read More »

By Ju-min Park and Sakura Murakami TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan reported on Wednesday its first instance of community spread infection from the Omicron variant of coronavirus. Health minister Shigeyuki Goto said three infections of the Omicron variant in the prefecture of Osaka were a cases of community transfer because the infection route was not clear. …

Japan reports first case of community spread of Omicron Read More »

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore will freeze the sale of tickets for arriving flights and buses under its quarantine-free travel programme for four weeks from Thursday, the government said, citing the risk from the fast-spreading Omicron COVID-19 variant. Under the vaccinated travel lane (VTL) programme, Singapore allows quarantine-free entry for fully vaccinated travellers arriving from certain …

Singapore to freeze new ticket sales for quarantine-free arrivals Read More »