COVID-19 patient receives treament in Manila, the Philippines (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The Lao Ministry of Health announced on January 9 thatthe country has recorded 924 new COVID-19 infections and seven deaths over thepast 24 hours.
After a few days back to the 4-digit increase, the number ofnew cases in Laos returned to a 3-digit increase and decreased by 142 casescompared to that on January 8. Vientiane continues to be the epicentre with 354new cases.
To date, the total number of COVID-19 infections in Laos hasreached 118,880, of which 487 people have died.
On January 9, the Philippines continued to record a new highnumber of COVID-19 cases with 28,707 infections after a🐟 record number of 26,458infections of the day before.
Since the beginning of the pandemic outbreak, this SoutheastAsian country has reported a total of 2,965,447 infections, including 52,150 fatalities.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Health earlier on January 9 announced that it had detected the first Omicron community case in the country.
It said the man, a 23-year-old from Phnom Penh’s Russey Keo district – had visited his cousin at a hospital before being detected with the variant, reported The Phnom Penh Post.
The ministry noted that from December 27 to January 5, the man had travelled with his cousin – who arrived in Cambodia from Australia on December 27 – to various places including Phnom Penh and the provinces of Kampong Thom, Siem Reap and Kampot.
He visited the cousin at th꧑e hospital on January 5 and was detected with the coronavirus later that day. His sample was then sent to the Pasteur Institut du Cambodge and was confirmed as Omicron on January 8./.
The Philippine House of Representatives has gone into lockdown to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus while Indonesia has reportedly prepared 120,000 hospital beds to cope with outbreaks caused by this new variant.
Philippine authorities have cancelled the traditional "Black Nazarene" procession in Manila capital city, in response to the huge spike in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila.
The Health Ministry of Laos on January 6 reported 1,083 new COVID-19 cases and two more fatalities in the last 24 hours, lifting the national tally of infections and death toll to 115,870 and 411, respectively.
Laos has found first infection case of Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the country's National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control said during a press briefing January 6.
A participant in the Malaysia Economic Forum 2025 said despite challenges, there are significant opportunities in AI, digital transformation, and green technologies, requiring the country to balance both risk and potential thoughtfully.
Themed “emerging trends in terrorism and violent extremism”, the event drew over 200 participants from domestic and international agencies, discussing the rapid evolution of terrorism and the need for stronger regional and global cooperation.
Indonesia aims to start nuclear power generation by 2034, with a government roadmap already in place to develop small modular reactors (SMRs) with capacities ranging from 300 to 500 megawatts.
The package, endorsed on June 24, comprises 481 projects designed to boost GDP by an additional 0.4% and generate temporary employment for about 7.4 million people nationwide.
An Indonesian official emphasised that energy security is extremely essential amid global geopolitical and economic fragmentation, highlighting the need for the energy industry to strengthen resilience and responsiveness in the face of fluctuating oil prices and the shift to clean energy.
ASEAN must deepen collaboration through platforms such as the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) to ensure regional responses keep pace with the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape.
Speaking at the launch of the Indonesia Economic Prospects June 2025 edition on June 23 in Jakarta, Turk noted that Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 4.9% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
Anti-dumping duties will continue to be imposed on producers from China and Japan while those on relevant exporters from the RoK and Vietnam will be terminated, starting from June 23.
A specialist police unit has acquired a fleet of off-road vehicles to help officers navigate rough, unpaved terrain – and flood waters – to respond more quickly to public security incidents.
The pact covers goods, services, investments, intellectual property rights, customs facilitation, competition policy, sanitary and phytosanitary, trade and sustainable development, government procurement and economic cooperation.
The talent programmes mark another milestone in the technical partnership between PETRONAS and the Energy Institute, which focuses on three pillars: promoting decarbonisation and operational excellence through innovative solutions, enabling informed decision-making with expert advice, and nurturing the next generation of energy professionals.
The firefighters found an active blaze at the lorry depot located in the city of Pasir Gudang near the state capital of Johor Bahru, with flames spreading quickly due to strong winds and igniting a neighboring disused oil storage area.
Investigators believe the operation is part of a broader scam network involving romance scams, where victims are lured into fake relationships and persuaded to transfer money.
Ambassadors, Consuls General, along with staff and their families, joined traditional sports and cultural activities of Southeast Asia and performances bearing regional identity, thus contributing to strengthening unity and the ASEAN community spirit in New York.
In his post on social media the same day, Hun Manet said energy companies would be able to import sufficiently from other sources to meet domestic fuel and gas demands in the country.
COVID-19 patient receives treament in Manila, the Philippines (Photo: AFP/VNA) 
