ASIAN (E)

When Singaporean Denvy Lo, 38, learned she would have to serve a stay-home notice for 14 days after returning from San Francisco, she was filled with dread.The recruiter has claustrophobia, a condition which can trigger anxiety or panic attacks when she is in an enclosed area, and she was worried about having to stay in an unfamiliar place which was not first carefully selected by her.“As someone with claustrophobia, whenever I travel … I tend to pick hotels that don’t have closed windows or…



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Japan’s neighbours are divided over use of the controversial anti-flu drug ‘Avigan’ in their countries; with China welcoming the trial use, while South Korea has declined, saying “serious side effects” potentially cause fetal damage.The Trump administration and US expert groups are also at odds over using the unproven drug, joining the latest international debate.The antiviral drug, also known as favipiravir and developed by Japanese company Fujifilm Toyama Chemical Company, has emerged as a…



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The world’s workers are reeling from the initial shock of the coronavirus recession, with job losses and welfare claims around the globe already running into the millions this week. As the International Labour Organisation warns of almost 25 million lay-offs if the virus isn’t controlled, the cuts from Austria to the US reflect the deepest peacetime recession since the 1930s as economies are frozen to beat the pandemic.“We see unemployment rates in the US and Europe getting up well up into the…



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China’s new restrictions on the export of coronavirus-related medical supplies deal not only a blow to domestic producers but could leave countries still battling Covid-19 with a massive shortfall of essential items, industry insiders said.Beijing said on Wednesday that only those manufacturers with accreditation to sell their products within China are allowed to export test kits, surgical masks, protective gowns, ventilators and infrared thermometers, regardless of whether they have the…



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Donald Trump has fired Michael Atkinson, the inspector general for the intelligence community who handled the whistle-blower complaint that triggered the US president’s impeachment.Trump informed the Senate intelligence committee on Friday of his decision to fire Atkinson, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press.Trump said in the letter that it is “vital” that he has confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general, and “that is no longer the case with regard to this…



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Dazed and confused, I cannot believe I have spent a total of 65 days in quarantine on either side of the border as the coronavirus continues to rage across the globe.

However, I have been enjoying my new life as a minimalist, as well as having a higher efficiency rate and an improved focus while working from home.

Since January 30, I spent more than a month on self-quarantine in my childhood home in Shenzhen, where I lived with my mother and sister. Just two days upon my return to Shenzhen, I…



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Until a fortnight ago, Antony Allen was exporting a total of 45 tonnes of avocados to Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia every week. These days, Allen – the chief executive of agribusiness The Avolution in Brisbane, Australia – is unable to send even a third of that amount to his company’s top three overseas markets.The problem is not a drop-off in demand, which remains strong, but the grounding of global aviation due to the coronavirus pandemic. Freight capacity, most of which is usually…



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This week the government ordered the temporary closure of more entertainment venues, including karaoke lounges and mahjong parlours, in response to growing calls for further restrictions to slow the coronavirus pandemic.

Over the next two weeks Hong Kong will experience, perhaps for the first time in its contemporary history, being one of the quietest places in the world.

After all, what is this city without the cacophony of mahjong tiles being shuffled?

The disappearance of this familiar…



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The turnout of young people in Hong Kong’s district council elections doubled last year to 73.1 per cent, as new voting analysis reveals how pan-democrats secured their landslide victory.

The emergence of 18 to 35-year-olds as the most active age group at the ballot box last November is in stark contrast to previous polls including 2015, when they were the least represented, in a surge attributed to the anti-government protests that broke out in the city last summer with youth as their driving…



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When a freelance reporter with Young Post tested positive for the coronavirus on March 17, 11 staff and freelancers were taken to government quarantine camps as required under new public health rules.Those who had been in close contact with her were tested, and a timeline was constructed of who had been with patient zero, for how long, whether they were masked, and whether they had been eating or drinking together.As the picture became clearer, two of the group were held in hospitals while…



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