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PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin will be undertaking official visits to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates starting March 6. This will be Muhyiddin's first official visit to both countries since assuming office on March 1 last year, said Wisma Putra. The Prime Minister's three-day visit to Saudi Arabia will start on March 6 and from there, he will undertake a visit to the UAE starting March 9. The Prime Minister will be accompanied by a small delegation comprising Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, and senior officials from the Prime Minister's Office and Foreign Ministry. "The official visit will be subject to strict Covid-19 preventative SOP as agreed upon by the Health Ministry, the National Security Council (NSC), and by the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Health and Prevention of the UAE," said Wisma Putra in a statement on Friday (March 5). Among the SOP is for the Malaysian delegation to provide negative ... » Learn More about Muhyiddin to make official visits to Saudi Arabia and UAE

Deputy Minister of Health Dante Saksono Harbuwono has confirmed the two cases of the new Covid-19 variant in Indonesia. "I received information that right after one year we found a B117 mutation in Indonesia," he told a press conference on Tuesday. The country detected the coronavirus disease for the first time on March 2, 2020. He said the two cases of the new variant were found on Monday evening, meaning Indonesia would face the pandemic with more difficulties. Indonesia reported the two cases of the new variant in the Karawang district, West Java province. This variant, which was first reported in Britain, is said to be more contagious. Two women with the initials M and A tested positive for the B117 coronavirus mutation. They were migrant workers in Saudi Arabia and arrived in Indonesia at the end of January 2021. When arriving at Soekarno Hatta Airport in Banten province, M and A conducted a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) swab test and showed positive for ... » Learn More about New Covid-19 variant in Indonesia gives govt more headache in fight against pandemic

Deputy Minister of Health Dante Saksono Harbuwono has confirmed the two cases of the new Covid-19 variant in Indonesia. "I received information that right after one year we found a B117 mutation in Indonesia," he told a press conference on Tuesday. The country detected the coronavirus disease for the first time on March 2, 2020. He said the two cases of the new variant were found on Monday evening, meaning Indonesia would face the pandemic with more difficulties. Indonesia reported the two cases of the new variant in the Karawang district, West Java province. This variant, which was first reported in Britain, is said to be more contagious. Two women with the initials M and A tested positive for the B117 coronavirus mutation. They were migrant workers in Saudi Arabia and arrived in Indonesia at the end of January 2021. When arriving at Soekarno Hatta Airport in Banten province, M and A conducted a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) swab test and showed positive for ... » Learn More about Indonesia surprised by new variant as Covid-19 problems linger in country

CAIRO: A United Nations humanitarian agency warned that more than 16 million people in Yemen would go hungry this year, with already some half a million people in the war-torn country living in famine-like conditions. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, said the risk of large-scale famine in the Arab world’s poorest country “has never been more acute,” adding that the years-long conflict, economic decline and institutional collapse created enormous humanitarian needs in all sectors. The stark warning comes a day before a pledging conference co-hosted by Sweden and Switzerland. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will appeal for $3.85 billion in relief aid for Yemen this year. The response to the UN appeal is unlikely to meet expectations, given that the coronavirus pandemic and its devastating consequences hit economies around the globe. Wealthy Gulf donors such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which contributed generously to ... » Learn More about Famine stalks 16M people in Yemen

DOVER: Britain’s first lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and related communities (LGBT+) retirement home is to open in London later this year, after securing a multimillion-pound loan from the city’s mayor, a housing association announced on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila). Tonic Housing said the £5.7-million ($7.9-million) loan from the Greater London Authority would help buy 19 properties in the Vauxhall area in the south of British capital. Sales of the one- and two-bedroom shared ownership homes on the top four floors of the Norman Foster-designed Bankhouse development on the banks of the River Thames will begin in the coming months. Prices are likely to start from £135,000 for a 25-percent share of a one-bed apartment and £180,000 for a 25-percent share of a two-bed apartment. Tonic called the scheme a “major milestone.” “There is no LGBT+ affirming provision with care currently in operation in the UK, despite there being a clearly defined need and demand from within the ... » Learn More about Britain to open LGBT retirement home

Officials in Bangkok say they may look at lifting some restrictions in the capital, despite yesterday’s cases going up by 37, to a total of 1,989. The Bangkok Post reports that officials are optimistic the overall situation will improve. Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, spokesman for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, says provided the capital avoids any further “super-spreader” events, officials may consider lifting restrictions in the coming weeks. “If the number of new cases drops within a fortnight and clusters in other provinces are confined, the BMA might consider lifting restrictions.” Pongsakorn says officials have already traced the origins of the latest infections, with 2 clusters of 135 cases under observation. Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang says patients in the first cluster visited or worked at restaurants, nightlife venues, or massage parlours in the capital. Officials are now tracing other customers or employees from those venues. In addition, Aswin adds that 15,908 “at ... » Learn More about Bangkok officials to consider easing Covid restrictions

Candidate number one has flown to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Candidate number two just wants to get back to work at City Hall, and candidate number three has opted to spend quality time with his family. That’s how the Jakarta gubernatorial candidates said they would spend their time between Feb. 11, which was the last day of the campaign period, and Feb. 15, election day. Agus flew to Mecca for umrah , or minor haj, with his celebrity wife, Anisa Pohan, on Saturday night. Anisa posted a photo of her and Agus in white clothing before leaving for umrah on her Instagram account @annisayudhoyono, with the caption: “Getting ready for umrah .” Agus’ running mate, Sylviana Murni, meanhwile, said she would stay in the city and would spend time praying. The incumbents, Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and his running mate Djarot Saiful Hidayat, said they were ready to get back to their City Hall offices as governor and deputy governor, respectively. Ahok will inaugurate a ... » Learn More about How Jakarta election contenders await D-day after end of campaign

Mr. Peng delivering a speech at the online Pre-MWC Shanghai 2021 Briefing 5G development beyond expectations. At Huawei's online media and analyst pre-briefing for MWC Shanghai 2021, Mr. Ritchie Peng, President of Huawei's 5G Product Line, delivered a keynote speech titled Building Optimal 5G Networks by Sustained Innovation. Two years into the commercial adoption of 5G, mobile services maintain a strong momentum, and the mobile industry is presented with many fresh, tremendous opportunities. Huawei has proposed the "1+N" 5G Target Network strategy to make achievements that will benefit all parties through sustained innovation and collaboration with customers. Mr. Peng emphasised that "Huawei will work with industry partners to figure out how to deliver ultimate user experience anytime and anywhere with 1+N 5G network." The forecasts about 5G network deployment that were made one year ago have all become a reality. The number of 5G users globally has reached 200 million, and ... » Learn More about Ritchie Peng: Building Optimal 5G Networks by Sustained Innovation

MECCA: Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin performed the umrah on Saturday. He was given the opportunity to enter the Kaabah. His wife Puan Sri Noorainee Abdul Rahman also performed the umrah. The couple completed the ritual in the morning. Muhyiddin, who is on a four-day official visit to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), performed the umrah at the invitation of the Saudi Arabian King and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. Muhyiddin’s official visit to Saudi Arabia and the UAE is aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and exploring new cooperation with both countries. This marks his first official visit to either country since he took office on March 1 last year. He will be in Saudi Arabia for three days, followed by his visit to UAE tomorrow. Muhyiddin will be accompanied by a small delegation comprising Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Office and Foreign ... » Learn More about PM and wife perform umrah

ADEN (Reuters) - A fire at a holding facility for migrants in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, killed at least eight people, including guards, and injured more than 170 others on Sunday, the United Nations Migration Agency (IOM) said. The total death toll from the fire, whose cause remains unclear, could be higher, the IOM regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, Carmela Godeau, said in a Twitter post. It was not immediately clear how many people were being held at the facility. IOM was providing emergency healthcare for the injured, more than 90 of whom were in serious condition, and distributing food to those affected, Godeau added. The organisation estimates that thousands of migrants became stranded in Yemen after movement restrictions were imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic across the Gulf region and Horn of Africa. Alongside refugees, about 100,000 migrants arrive in Yemen each year by sea from the Horn of Africa hoping to trek north into wealthy Saudi ... » Learn More about Fire at migrant facility in Yemen kills at least eight, U.N. says