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SINGAPORE: In March, ASEAN Economic Ministers discussed the possibility of launching a regional digital vaccine passport, reviving talk of an intra-ASEAN travel bubble. If successfully launched, the passport will help resuscitate the region’s flailing tourism industry that contributes a significant amount to the GDP of each ASEAN member state. This border-opening idea comes with several challenges, particularly data privacy ones, that ASEAN’s institutional structures are not presently well-suited to address. Without institutional changes, this timely proposal likely will become another tombstone in the graveyard of beneficial ideas that could not survive ASEAN’s structures and principles. The vaccine passport system is expected to store large amounts of personal data. If ASEAN is committed to successfully initiating the digital vaccine passport, it cannot ignore the longstanding absence of strong ASEAN agreements that allow for region-wide comprehensive data privacy ... » Learn More about Commentary: A digital vaccine passport could open up Southeast Asia travel bubble but some changes needed first

PHUKET FC hangs up its boots Phuket Football Club has hung up its football boots for the last time and announced its dissolution after getting sued by 3 foreign players for a total of 83 million Baht. The President of Phuket FC held a press conference yesterday announcing the club is being forced to disband. The 3 players, including Roland, Alonso and Santos, filed the lawsuit asking for 83 million Baht claiming that their contracts had been revoked unfairly and includes a FIFA fine. Both the outgoing President and a consultant were scathing about previous administrations and have accused past staff of thefts and incompetence, leading to the current woes. General caught in slanging matches If General Prayut’s field trip to Pattani and Songkhla was meant to boost his popularity, the organisers failed on that count. The General appeared surprised by the locals when they welcomed him with yells and confrontation instead of polite applause and cheers. While the junta ... » Learn More about WEDNESDAY MORNING BRIEFING – All your local news in 3 minutes

CAIRO: For Ramadan this year, Magdy Hafez has been longing to reclaim a cherished ritual: Performing the nighttime group prayers called taraweeh at the mosque once again. Last year, the coronavirus upended the 68-year-old Egyptian’s routine of going to the mosque to perform those prayers, traditional during Islam’s holiest month. The pandemic had disrupted Islamic worship the world over, including in Egypt where mosques were closed to worshippers last Ramadan. “I have been going to the mosque for 40 years so it was definitely a very, very, difficult thing,” he said. “But our religion orders us to protect one another.” Still, “It’s a whole other feeling, and the spirituality in Ramadan is like nothing else.” Egypt has since allowed most mosques to reopen for Friday communal prayers and for this Ramadan it will let them hold taraweeh, also with precautions, including shortening its duration. Ramadan, which begins this week, comes as much of the world has been hit by an ... » Learn More about Muslims navigate restrictions in the second Ramadan amid COVID-19 pandemic