Indonesia reported the highest daily COVID-19 caseload with 64,718 infections recorded on February 16, according to data released by the national COVID-19 task force.
Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesia reported the highestdaily COVID-19 caseload with 64,718 infections recorded on February 16,according to data released by the national COVID-19 task force.
The figure exceeded the peak single-day jump of 56,757reported on July 15, 2021, during the Delta wave, the task force said.
To curb the spread of COVID-19, Indonesian President JokoWidodo urged all citizens to keep calm, remain disciplined in implementing thegovernment's health protocols, and reduce unnecessary activities.
By Feberuary 16. the country had logged 4,966,046 COVID-19 cases, including 4,375,234 recoveries, 445,190 patients undergoing treatment and 145,622 deaths.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s Bangkok is racing to set up more beds inisolation facilities to cope with a spike in coronavirus cases.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said all 50district offices had been directed to set up additional community isolationcentres in an effort to ease caseloads of infected patients at hospitals,alleviating pressure on the health system as a whole. People who test positivefor coronavirus but do not have serious symptoms are treated at the centres.
Over the last 24 hours, Thailand recorded 16,426 newCOVID-19 cases and 27 related deaths, raising the national count to nearly 2.64million and death toll to 22,516.
In related news, Singapore has expanded its Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL)scheme to Hong Kong (China), Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with VTL quotas to berestored and progressively increased.
Singapore will also streamline its border measures for theVTL that would benefit fully vaccinated travellers.
Others include travel history requirement will be reducedfrom 14 to 7 days; and VTL travellers will no longer need to perform anon-arrival Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test.
On February 15, Singapore detected 19,179 new cases, most ofwhom show no or mild symptoms./.
Bank Indonesia (BI) is running a pilot project for a cross-border quick response (QR) payment linkage with the central banks of Malaysia and Thailand - Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and Bank of Thailand (BOT), in a bid to propel digitalisation and make transactions between the said countries more efficient.
A senior Indonesian official has reaffirmed the country’s commitment in implementing an energy transition roadmap during a meeting with Managing Director for Operations Axel van Trotsenburg and Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific Manuela Ferro of the World Bank on February 16.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and EAEU Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev jointly declared the conclusion of FTA talks on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), according to the statement.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
Efforts to empower women must transcend dialogue and translate into concrete commitments, including corporate pledges and government partnerships, according to the spouse of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The forum featured two in-depth discussion sessions, engaging representatives from governments, think tanks, and businesses from both ASEAN and China, on how to forge closer ties for a common future.
The new FIFA Hub in Jakarta will not only support football development in Indonesia but also serve as a coordination centre for 21 football associations across Southeast and East Asia.
Minister Counselor Nguyen Hoang Nguyen reaffirmed Vietnam’s principled and consistent stance on the Palestine issue, calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire across the entire Gaza Strip.
PM Anwar Ibrahim affirmed the determination of Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair for 2025, to utilise all viable regional mechanisms of the bloc and work with partners to de-escalate violence and restore a peace process led by Myanmar.
Illustrative image (Source: AP) 
