Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 20 (NNN-Bernama) — MAB Kargo Sdn Bhd (MASkargo) has formed a special team specially for the coordination process in receiving Malaysia’s COVID-19 vaccine supply, said its chief operations officer Mohd Zulkefly Ujang.

He said the team set up two months ago comprises 30 members who have expertise in vaccine management.

“The team will manage the vaccine when the shipment arrives here this Sunday as well in the following phases. The members have been given adequate training,” he told Bernama.

JAKARTA, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Floods inundated several areas in Jakarta on Saturday, forcing thousands to leave their homes following heavy rains in the capital city in the past few days.

No casualties were reported, the Jakarta disaster mitigation agency's acting head Sabdo Kurnianto said in a statement on Saturday.

According to him, more than 1,300 people have to leave their homes as the depth of floodwaters reached between 0.4 meters and 1.8 meters, mostly in the southern and eastern parts of the city.

BEIJING, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The lander and the rover of the Chang'e-4 probe have been switched to dormant mode for the lunar night after working stably for the 27th lunar day, according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration.

The lander was switched to dormant mode at 1:30 p.m. Friday (Beijing Time) as scheduled, and the rover, Yutu-2 (Jade Rabbit-2), at 1:48 a.m. Friday, said the center.

BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday called on the United States to expand economic and trade cooperation while properly handling disputes with China on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha survived a no-confidence vote Saturday in parliament amid allegations that his government mismanaged the economy, bungled the provision of COVID-19 vaccines, abused human rights and fostered corruption.

Nine other ministers also survived the vote.

TOKYO, February 19. /TASS/: At least 73.9% of Japanese residents think that current relations with Russia are not in a good shape to a certain extent, the Kyodo news agency reported on Friday, citing results of a survey by the chancellery of the Japanese cabinet of ministers conducted from October through December 2020.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices slid more than 1% on Friday, adding to overnight declines, on worries that refineries will take time to resume operations after the big freeze in the U.S. South, creating a gap in demand, while OPEC+ supplies were expected to rise.

“The market was ripe for a correction and signs of the power and overall energy situation starting to normalise in Texas provided the necessary trigger,” said Vandana Hari, energy analyst at Vanda Insights.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea’s prime minister assured there were no safety issues with AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine on Friday, as the government held final drills ahead of next week’s scheduled rollout of the first vaccines.

The AstraZeneca vaccine, which was developed with Britain’s Oxford University, was the first to win approval in South Korea, but it has been dogged by questions over its efficacy among older people and concerns over side effects.

BANGKOK, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Thailand is expecting to receive the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from China's Sinovac Biotech next week and kick-start its national inoculation program.

The first batch is scheduled to arrive at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport on Feb. 24, flied by a Thai Airways International (THAI) cargo flight, Chaiyapruk Didyasarin, THAI chairman of the board of directors, said earlier this week.

BEIJING, Feb 18 (APP): China on Thursday rejected the claims that it backed the Myanmar upheaval and hoped that all parties in the country can handle difference under the constitution and legal framework and restore political and social stability.