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BANGKOK: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Southeast Asia was one of the fastest growing markets for air transport. But despite being buoyed by high demand, a deregulated airline market squeezed the profit margins of most Southeast Asian airlines, leaving them particularly vulnerable to the economic fallout from COVID-19. Southeast Asia’s "sky liberalisation" produced fierce competition between low-cost carriers (LCCs) and full-service carriers (FSCs) over the last decade. This rivalry had a revolutionary impact on airfares. But the price war that increased affordability simultaneously reduced margins, with unstable fuel costs further elevating the industry’s cost structure. With the pressure of such a business environment, airlines were already struggling to perform. The emergence of a COVID-19-induced recession has now debilitated the industry. READ: Malaysia Airlines boss says will have to shut down if restructuring plan fails: Report READ: Commentary: The outlook for … [Read more...] about Commentary: Southeast Asian airlines are falling from the sky in this COVID-19 storm

February 26, 2015, was hardly one minute old when the day’s first big news broke. At 12:01 a.m., Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser allowed the city’s marijuana legalization law to take effect. Plenty more news would follow. As the East Coast braved its morning commute, the Palm Beach Post reported news of a man who checked into a local hospital complaining of a headache, before doctors found a bullet lodged in his head. The New York Times reported news of “3 Brooklyn Men Accused of Plot to Aid ISIS’ Fight.” British intelligence officials identified the notorious ISIS executioner Jihadi John. A paper in Nature discovered evidence of a “ Supermassive Black Hole Dating to Cosmic Dawn .” The Federal Communications Commission was scheduled to vote on net neutrality, prompting the editors of Tech Policy Daily to ask, “ Will February 26, 2015 Mark the Death of Internet Freedom? ” And late-evening reports that billionaire Donald J. Trump was “more serious than ever … [Read more...] about 2/26: How Two Llamas And A Dress Gave Us The Internet’s Greatest Day

HONG KONG: Hong Kong will ease strict coronavirus restrictions from Feb 18, reopening sports and entertainment facilities and extending dining hours, Health Secretary Sophia Chan said on Wednesday (Feb 10), as the city logged a steady decline in daily cases. Chan said catering businesses would be able to operate until 10pm, granting them an additional four hours. Beauty salons, theme parks, cinemas and all sports facilities would be allowed to resume with conditions in place. "We are cautiously optimistic on the pandemic," Chan told a news conference, adding that she hoped the city could quickly get back on its feet. New cases have fallen to fewer than 30 a day from more than 80 at the end of January. READ: Hong Kong leader defends 'ambush lockdown' tactics Separately, a government advisory panel for COVID-19 vaccines said on Wednesday that China's Sinovac vaccine was safe and effective, bringing it a step closer to getting the greenlight in the Asian financial hub. … [Read more...] about Hong Kong to ease COVID-19 restrictions as daily cases fall

HONG KONG: Hong Kong's Chinese New Year fairs, usually an opportunity to sell creative merchandise critical of the government alongside festive foods and decorations, are subdued this year amid COVID-19 restrictions and a sweeping national security law. In January last year, fairs sold a variety of items carrying slogans popularised by mass demonstrations in 2019, from tote bags and T-shirts to coasters and temporary tattoos. But protests evaporated as the COVID-19 pandemic prevented large gatherings. Then China imposed a sweeping national security law in June, and Hong Kong authorities began arresting activists and opposition politicians. Early in the afternoon on Thursday (Feb 11), just a few dozen people shopped for flowers in Victoria Park in the city's dense Causeway Bay neighbourhood and across the harbour in Mong Kok, two of the most common areas for mass demonstrations in the past. Crowd controls were in place and temperature checks were mandatory. READ: In … [Read more...] about Hong Kong holds scaled-down Chinese New Year fairs amid COVID-19, national security law

SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 334 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday (Apr 14), bringing the national total to 3,252. One more fatality was confirmed - a 70-year-old Singaporean man linked to the SAFRA Jurong cluster - bringing the death toll from the novel coronavirus to 10. The man, known as Case 128, was confirmed to have the infection on Mar 6. "The National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) has reached out to his family and is extending assistance to them," the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its daily update. None of the cases reported on Tuesday are imported. Of the new cases, 198 are linked to previously identified clusters. The "vast majority" are work permit holders in dormitories, said MOH. INTERACTIVE: All the COVID-19 clusters at dorms and construction sites Twenty-two of the new cases are linked to other local cases. Ten of them are Singapore citizens or permanent residents and 12 are work permit holders. A total of 114 are still unlinked, … [Read more...] about Singapore’s COVID-19 cases exceed 3,000 with 334 new infections, death toll rises to 10