Tightened covid measures

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Borneo Bulletin/Asia News Network): The Covid-19 Steering Committee on Tuesday (May 24) announced the discontinuation of the Early Endemic Phase under the National Covid-19 Recovery Framework which is set to end on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, paving the way for more lifting of restrictions. At the daily Covid-19 press conference at the Ministry of Health building in Commonwealth Drive, Berakas, Minster at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Second Minister of Finance and Economy Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Mohd Amin Liew Abdullah (pic) said from June 1, 2022, the guidelines for Covid-19 control measures will be updated including: No limitation on the capacity of mass gatherings at home or in halls. All sporting activities including competitions or matches are allowed with no limitation on the number of spectators. Food preparation for any event at any premises is allowed without any restrictions including buffet meals. No age restriction for all congregations … [Read more...] about Brunei to end early endemic phase o May 31

Grocery inflation has hit its highest level in 13 years - with almost a quarter of shoppers struggling to make ends meet, according to closely-watched industry data. Kantar Worldpanel said its measure of inflation in supermarkets had risen to 7% from 5.9% just a month ago. Prices were rising fastest in markets such as dog food, savoury snacks and fresh beef, the research revealed. Cheapest supermarkets listed; interest UK pays on debt to 'soar'; what Britons are cutting back on revealed | Cost of living latest It reflected the surging costs from things such as energy, fertiliser, fuel and animal feeds being passed down the supply chain in the wake of Russia's war in Ukraine. Advertisement Prices had already been rising in advance of the war in February as worker shortages coupled with high demand to force up shipping costs, hampering the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It would also seem that the food inflation problem has far from … [Read more...] about Cost of living: Products hit hardest by soaring prices revealed as grocery inflation at highest level in 13 years

Experts have drawn parallels to the recent coverage of the monkeypox virus to initial reporting about the HIV/AIDs epidemic in the 1980s, warning that it will fuel stigma and jeopardize the response to the outbreak. The United Nations AIDS agency (UNAIDS) said that "a significant proportion" of recent monkeypox cases have been identified among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. But UNAIDS added that the World Health Organization ( WHO ) has said that available evidence suggests those who are most at risk are people who have had close physical contact with someone with monkeypox, and that risk is not limited to men who have sex with men. David Heymann, a leading advisor to WHO, said the recent cases appear to have gotten into the population through sexual contact . He told the Associated Press earlier this week that the leading theory to explain the recent spread was sexual transmission at raves held in Spain and Belgium. That has led to some reporting … [Read more...] about The dangerous parallel between monkeypox and AIDS

Wordle is a word game that tests veteran players and newcomers who all try to solve the puzzle within six tries; fortunately, Newsweek is on hand to help those who might want some help to work it out. The rules of the puzzle game are simple and follow a color-coded system that players use in order to work out the five-letter word. In the game, green tiles show the player has chosen the correct letter and that it is in the right place, a yellow tile indicates the letter is right but in the wrong place while a gray tile means the letter is not in the word. Luckily, Wordle resets each day, which means those players who failed to solve the puzzle only need to wait a few hours before they can try again. Software engineer Josh Wardle create Wordle during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as a game for him and his partner to play. When Wordle launched in October 2021, there were an estimated 90 people who could be counted among its active player base but it has since grown … [Read more...] about Wordle #337 answer: Hints and tips to solve Sunday, May 22, Wordle

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/Asia News Network): Improved cooperation between Lao and Thai labour authorities has enabled Thailand’s labour ministry to register almost 20,000 undocumented Lao migrant workers. Lao nationals working in Thailand have encountered difficulties in getting information about proper registration with Thai authorities because of the Covid-19 outbreak, which has slowed their registration on the Thai government’s books, labour officials say. However, Lao labour authorities expect the registration process to move at a faster pace following an employment cooperation agreement between the two countries. Over the next month, labour authorities in both Laos and Thailand will do more to register and provide assistance to Lao workers in Thailand who do not have legal documentation, following an announcement on the matter by the Prime Minister’s Office. Officials from Laos’ Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare plan to go to Thailand to help register and formalise … [Read more...] about 20,000 migrant Lao workers register with Thai authorities