Bhutan

THIMPU, Bhutan: Bhutan on Wednesday (Apr 7) said it had given about 60 per cent of its entire population a first jab against COVID-19 since the Himalayan kingdom started an ambitious vaccination drive nine days ago. The tiny nation wedged between India and China told AFP that 470,000 people out of 770,000 in total had been administered the first shot of a two-dose regime of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine donated by India. Its rapid rollout puts Bhutan far ahead of other leading nations in reaching the 60 per cent mark, including the Seychelles, Israel and the United Arab Emirates, according to AFP analysis. When Bhutan's campaign launched on Mar 27, it set the speedy target of vaccinating 533,000 adults - having excluded pregnant women, new mothers, people with certain health conditions and seriously ill patients - in just one week. However the nation, famous for measuring gross national happiness, extended its deadline by several weeks. A health ministry spokeswoman told ... » Learn More about Bhutan vaccinates 60% of population against COVID-19 in record time

THIMPU, Bhutan: When plotted on a graph, the curve of Bhutan's COVID-19 vaccination drive shoots upwards from the very first day, crossing Israel , the United States, Bahrain and other countries known for vaccinating people rapidly. Those countries took months to reach where they are, painstakingly strengthening their vaccination campaigns in the face of rising coronavirus cases. But the story of Bhutan's vaccination campaign is nearly finished – just 16 days after it began. The tiny Himalayan kingdom wedged between India and China has vaccinated nearly 93 per cent of its adult population since Mar 27. Overall, the country has vaccinated 62 per cent of its 800,000 people. The rapid roll-out of the vaccine puts the tiny nation just behind Seychelles, which has given jabs to 66 per cent of its population of nearly 100,000 people. Its small population helped Bhutan move fast, but its success has also been attributed to its dedicated citizen volunteers, known as ... » Learn More about Small but quick: Bhutan vaccinates 93% of adults in 16 days

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Thousands of Bhutanese travelled to schools and public buildings for vaccination on Saturday as the Himalayan kingdom launched its biggest inoculation drive against COVID-19 with the AstraZeneca shots provided by neighbouring India. Ninda Dema, a 30-year-old woman born in the year of the Monkey as per the Buddhist astrology, became the country’s first to receive the shot at a school-turned vaccination centre in the capital Thimphu, an event that was televised live. Ninda, a bureaucrat, folded the sleeve of her jacket and pressed her palms in traditional gesture of greetings and prayers as she received the dose from a masked nurse amid lighting of butter lamps and chanting of Buddhist prayers. The nurse was also born in the same year of the Monkey. Buddist years are named after 12 animals like goat, rooster, pig and religious followers believe that people born in the year of the Monkey are inventive and can solve even the most difficult problems rather ... » Learn More about Bhutan begins biggest vaccination drive against COVID-19

The World Bank has announced that South Asia is advancing towards its worst economic performance in 40 years. With decades of progressing in the battle against poverty, now the nations are facing problems that could bring poverty back to the front doorsteps of South Asia countries – India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other smaller nations, have some of the most densely populated cities combining a total of 1.8 billion citizens. So far the nations have reported relatively few coronavirus cases but experts fear they could be the next epicentre of the virus. The World Bank reports… “South Asia finds itself in a perfect storm of adverse effects with widespread lockdowns freezing most normal activities. Tourism has completely dried up, supply chains have been disrupted, demand for garments has collapsed and consumer and investor sentiments have deteriorated, leading to large numbers of poor workers ... » Learn More about South Asia risks becoming the next epicentre for Covid-19 pandemic

Today, March 20,2021, is the International Day of Happiness. It is thanks to the initiative of a tiny country that happiness is celebrated at a global level now. Bhutan first proposed the idea of a World Happiness Day in 2011, and in the following year, the United Nations declared March 20 to be that day. The day is marked in recognition of the common belief that “happiness and well-being are universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world”. Today, Bhutan measures development and success not in terms of gross national product but as “gross national happiness". Following Bhutan’s lead, many other countries have appointed "Ministers of Happiness" to enhance the mental, spiritual and physical well-being of their people. Although Bhutan deserves the credit for drawing world attention to happiness, the world in general, and Malaysians in particular, should not overlook the fact that long before Bhutan, it was Malaysia that first held out the principle of ... » Learn More about Malaysia once had the world’s happiest prime minister

THE Philippines is expects to receive a million doses of Covid-19 vaccine from India in April. The group of Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria Concepcion 3rd is presently negotiating with Indian manufacturer Bharat Biotech to supply vaccines to the private sector under New Delhi’s “Dose of Hope” campaign. Concepcion said a million doses of the Covaxin vaccines would arrive next month. The Food and Drug Administration is currently evaluating the emergency use authorization application of Bharat Biotech, which has submitted phase three clinical data as well as manufacturing data. Vaccine diplomacy Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said the country’s “Vaccine Maitri” (vaccine friendship) policy has also become a source of strength for other nations who are vulnerable during the pandemic. “They can see that there is at least one major nation that truly believes in making vaccines accessible and affordable to others in dire need,” ... » Learn More about 1-M Indian vaccine doses to arrive in April

NEW DELHI: As countries scramble to secure COVID-19 vaccines, ugly expressions like “vaccine race” and “vaccine nationalism” have entered the global lexicon. But, at a time when global cooperation in sharing vaccines is minimal, and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) vaccine-distribution plans are yet to get off the ground, India has taken a different tack, quietly pursuing “vaccine diplomacy.” Its “Vaccine Maitri” (Vaccine Friendship) campaign has shipped hundreds of thousands of Indian-made Covishield vaccines, manufactured under license from Oxford-AstraZeneca, to some 60 countries. READ: Commentary: COVID-19 vaccine deployment may be messy, but will reshape health systems for good India is a global pharmaceutical powerhouse, manufacturing some 20 per cent of all generic medicines and accounting for as much as 62 per cent of global vaccine production, so it was quick off the mark when the pandemic struck. Before COVID-19 vaccines were developed, India supplied some ... » Learn More about Commentary: What’s behind India’s generous vaccine diplomacy?

By DataLEADS – Asia News Network Facebook is the most popular social network worldwide and Asia is Facebook’s most active region in terms of active users. India has the most number of Facebook registered users not only in Asia but in the world. Facebook users in India now number 251 million, becoming the largest audience country for the social media giant. But social media penetration remains relatively low in India as compared to other high Facebook user regions. But Singapore has an astonishing 4.3 million users, not many you think. But when the total population is only 5.6 million users, that’s a really high percentage. At 131 million users, Indonesia has the second highest number of Facebook users in Asia. The number of users has increased by six percent in the last year. It is followed by Japan with 71 million users, not bad for a country of 127 million. But most Facebook users in Japan are adults while younger ones prefer Instagram and Twitter. The Philippines has the ... » Learn More about India has highest number of Facebook users but Singapore is Asia’s FB star

WASHINGTON, DC: President Joe Biden on Friday (Mar 26) invited 40 world leaders, including Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, to attend the Leaders Summit on Climate next month, the White House announced. "The Leaders Summit on Climate will underscore the urgency – and the economic benefits – of stronger climate action.  It will be a key milestone on the road to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow," the White House said in a press release. Other world leaders include Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand. In a press statement on Saturday, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said Mr Lee has accepted the invitation to participate in the summit. "Climate change is an existential threat to mankind, and requires a concerted and sustained global response," said MFA. "As a small island state, ... » Learn More about President Biden invites 40 world leaders to climate summit, including Singapore’s PM Lee

Tech giant Apple Inc is expanding its Independent Repair Provider programme to more than 200 countries, which means nearly early country where Apple sells its products will be covered under the programme. The Independent Repair Provider programme offers repair providers access to genuine parts, tools, repair manuals, and diagnostics for out-of-warranty repairs. Apple had originally launched the Independent Repair Provider programme in 2019 and expanded it to Europe and Canada last year. There are now more than 1,500 Independent Repair Provider locations serving customers across the US, Canada, and Europe. “Being a part of the Independent Repair Provider program has been a huge benefit to my business, employees, and customers,” said Scott Baker, owner of Mister Mac in Wimberley, Texas. “Since joining, we’ve received great support from Apple, and we’re able to deliver that same level of service to our customers. It has even brought genuine excitement to our town,” he added. ... » Learn More about Apple expands repair provider programme to more than 200 countries, including Malaysia