Covid news

This Friday, July 1, there will be an official declaration that Thailand is now in “post pandemic” mode. Here’s an overview of the current situation and what to expect. The word endemic is being avoided as Thai officials believe it will be up to the World Health Organisation to make that call. According to the Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr. Kiattiphum Wongrajit, “What we expect to see is only small or medium clusters that will not do any harm to our public health service. The disease will be under control.” He commented on the international concerns over two new Covid-19 sub-variants, BA.4 and BA.5, noting that infections had already been detected in Thailand but, at this stage, had not led to an increase in the number of serious cases being admitted to hospitals. On the tourist side of the pandemic, deputy government spokeswoman Traisulee Traisaranakul announced that the International Air Transport Association is predicting that foreign visitors to … [Read more...] about Thailand News Today | Post pandemic Thailand – What to expect

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah (right) shakes hands with Australian Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong after holding a press conference at Wisma Putra on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. (Bernamapix) - A + A PUTRAJAYA (June 28): Malaysia and Australia reaffirmed their commitment to enhance cooperation in multifaceted areas of mutual interest, driven by Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) that both countries will build on. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah said he and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong had discussed in depth the various positive growth areas under the CSP. The areas of growth include economy, people-to-people relations, technology as well on stability and security in the region, especially in the post Covid-19 pandemic period and beyond. “We expressed our delight and satisfaction towards the positive growth of our multifaceted cooperation, especially in the post Covid-19 pandemic period. “Malaysia is confident … [Read more...] about Malaysia, Australia reaffirm commitment to strengthen strategic partnership

Bloomberg filepix for illustration purpose only - A + A KUALA LUMPUR (June 28): The Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed last month between Malaysia and Japan will see Malaysian workers going to Japan for work and to hone their skills further, so that they can contribute to the local labour market upon their return. Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia Katsuhiko Takahashi said the MoC did not mean that Japan is going to absorb labour from Malaysia. “The basic idea of the programme (MoC) is to make them work in Japan for a specific period of time (around three to five years), among others in the hospitality and agriculture sectors. Usually, after gaining skills, those Malaysians will come back to the local labour market. “This (programme) is not a system to absorb labour forces from Malaysia to Japan, but this is rather a value-added quality and journey where we provide them training and encourage them to come back and serve their own country,” said Takahashi … [Read more...] about Japan-Malaysia’s MOC to better equip skilled workers for labour market, says envoy

FILE PHOTO: A medical worker takes care of a patient suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), inside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ward at the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) hospital, in Greater Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo NEW DELHI — India’s information technology (IT) ministry has written to all social media companies asking them to take down any content that refers to an “Indian variant” of the coronavirus, according to a letter issued on Friday which was seen by Reuters. The World Health Organization said on May 11 that the coronavirus variant B.1.617, first identified in India last year, was being classified as a variant of global concern. The Indian government a day later issued a statement saying media reports using the term “Indian Variant” were without any basis, saying the WHO had classified the variant as just B.1.617. In a letter to social media companies on Friday, the IT … [Read more...] about India asks social media firms to remove reference to ‘Indian variant’ of coronavirus

A dog that has been trained to sniff out the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), screens a sweat sample at Chulalongkorn University, in Bangkok, Thailand May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Jorge Silva BANGKOK — Thailand on Friday deployed dogs trained to detect coronavirus infections by sniffing samples of human sweat, as the country deals with a spike in infections, including many without symptoms of the virus. Three of six trained Labradors made their debut at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University after trials that the project leader said had shown a success rate of about 95%, with about 2,000 samples sniffed this month. “The canines are very fast at screening,” said co-researcher Thitiwat Sirprasart. “At this pace, we are able to isolate those whom we suspect are infected from those who are virus-free.” The dogs are not required to smell the humans directly. Sweat samples are collected from humans and stored in small metal containers for the dogs to inspect one by one. When a suspected … [Read more...] about Sweat-sniffer dogs make Thai debut as coronavirus detectors

MASKED CELEBRATIONS Thousands of devotees turned up at a Mass in Tondo, Manila, during the Feast of the Sto. Niño (Child Jesus) on Jan. 17 this year, wearing masks and face shields. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ MANILA, Philippines — Christianity was introduced to the Philippines 500 years ago, the faithful have found ways to weave the Filipino culture into their expression of faith, particularly through religious festivals or fiesta — joyous occasions that fill communities with color, hope and a sense of unity. “Although Christianity — the prayers, rituals and devotions — comes from Europe, the past 500 years have shown that the Filipino people have not only embraced Christianity; we have given it a ‘Filipino flavor,’” said former Manila Archbishop Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. In “Fiesta: Ang Makulay na Pananampalatayang Pilipino,” a documentary film produced by Jesuit Communications to commemorate the 500 years of Christianity in the country, some Filipino festivals and traditions are … [Read more...] about Fiestas survive pandemic albeit on socially distanced, masked or virtual scale

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Across all levels and industries, recruiting the best talent remains a challenge in the current market. Tempting new employees while retaining your existing staff and keeping staffing levels high is ever-challenging. At the start of the pandemic, the quick reduction in workforce demand laid bare the fundamentals of the company and employee relationship. The subsequent quick market flip for talent put the power of choice very much at the heart of the employee. With the dynamic of the working environment changing and prospective hires being able to choose when and how they work, companies suddenly had to review every aspect of their business to compete - from mentorship and facetime policies to compensation and benefits - all these softer aspects of work have been turned on their head. Many companies are now trying different tactics to attract new talent with limited success. The most obvious of these are to increase starting … [Read more...] about Recruiting The Best – Transparency Trumps Theatrics

Reuters Sydney, Australia   ● Tue, June 28, 2022 2022-06-28 11:30 0 53ea05b5fe2e13733519dbf4e3327f47 2 Asia and Pacific Australia,Pacific-islands,defense,geopolitics,Fiji,Penny-Wong,Anthony-Albanese Free Australia will establish a defence school to train Pacific island militaries, Canberra's new Pacific minister said, amid intensifying competition for security ties and as Beijing seeks to host a rival meeting to the main regional group, the Pacific Islands Forum, next month. Australia will double its funding for aerial surveillance of the Pacific islands vast fishing zone, and provide financing for Pacific islands to build more resilient infrastructure as Pacific sea level rises are forecast to be four-times the global average, Minister for International Development and Pacific, Pat Conroy, told a Pacific conference on Tuesday. "The Australian Government knows that the issue of security is inseparable from the issue of climate change," he said in a … [Read more...] about Australia commits to Pacific islands defence training