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Sabtu, 05 Desember 2020

Trump to appear in Georgia in gamble over control of US Senate - CNA

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump ventures out of Washington on Saturday for his first political appearance since his election defeat to Joe Biden, campaigning in Georgia where two run-off races will decide the fate of the US Senate.

The president takes the stage at 7pm in the southern city of Valdosta, exactly one month before special Jan 5 elections.

It is just under a month since he was declared the loser in the presidential race.

Yet at a time when most defeated presidents would be working to burnish their legacy, Trump - who has yet to concede to Biden - has barely left the White House, sending out a stream of angry tweets challenging the result and demanding that Republicans nationwide defend him.

Biden won in Georgia by just under 12,000 votes. That result, while narrow, has been confirmed by subsequent recounts, making all the more surprising a phone call Saturday from Trump to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp reportedly urging him to press state legislators to overturn the result.

The stakes in the run-off elections are sky-high. Former president Barack Obama laid them out at a virtual rally on Friday, saying that "the special election in Georgia is going to determine ultimately the course of the Biden presidency."

If Democratic challengers Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff defeat Republican senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, the Senate will be evenly divided at 50-50, meaning Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris would cast any deciding votes, as the Constitution dictates.

US President-elect Joe Biden speaking on December 4, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware; his success once in office hinges largely on two US Senate runoff elections in Georgia. (Photo: AFP/Jim Watson)

The race has drawn enormous attention. One measure of the intense interest: With donations pouring in from across the country, the candidates have already spent more than US$315 million, the AdImpact website reported, an astounding figure for senatorial races.

And figures as prominent as Obama, Vice President Mike Pence and now Trump himself are scrambling to boost voter turnout.

MIXED MESSAGING

But Trump has placed himself in a difficult spot. Since Biden won the Nov 3 election, the president has repeatedly, and baselessly, attacked the US electoral system as riddled with "fraud."

Despite an overwhelming series of setbacks in the courts, the president and his lawyers have advanced wild conspiracy theories (one involving long-dead Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez) to explain Biden's victory.

Now analysts say he might have created a political monster - having undercut Georgia voters' faith in the election system just as he needs them to turn out on Jan 5.

A headline in the Valdosta Daily Times summed up the conflicted feeling among area voters: "Trump in Valdosta: S.Ga. excited, outraged by presidential visit."

VIRUS RECORD

Part of the "outrage" stems from the notion of yet another mass Trump rally coming on a day when the banner headline in the Atlanta Journal Constitution reads: "State sets single-day virus record."

Masks will be required and temperatures taken at the airport rally, local media reported, though public health officials say such mass gatherings always carry risk.

Trump's ability to excite his supporters remains powerful, and he thrives on the campaign rally setting.

Vice President Mike Pence addressed this Dec 4, 2020 rally in Savannah, Georgia in support of two Republicans facing a runoff with national implications. (Photo: AFP/Spencer Platt)

But some voters even in long conservative Georgia are expressing weariness over the constant drama surrounding the president.

Analysts said it could make a crucial difference whether Trump, in Valdosta, merely repeats his litany of election grievances or instead addresses the importance of maintaining Senate control.

"It will be good for the rally if it's about Perdue and Kelley Loeffler and how we need to go vote," Spud Bowen, a Republican businessman from Tifton, Georgia, told the Valdosta Daily Times, "but I am certainly not in the mood to hear any more name-calling."

THIN LINE

Loeffler and Perdue have moved cautiously, urging Georgians to vote without directly challenging Trump's angry complaints.

But Trump has not made things easier for Georgia Republicans, angrily attacking officials in his own party over his loss there, starting with Governor Brian Kemp.

"I'm ashamed that I endorsed him," Trump said of Kemp, furious that the governor did not denounce Republican secretary of state Brad Raffensperger - branded an "enemy of the state" by the president - for certifying the election.

The president phoned Kemp early Saturday in what the Washington Post called a "brazen effort" to interfere in the long-settled election.

The Post said Kemp, once a devoted Trump ally, had refused the entreaty. His office confirmed the call, the Post said, if not its contents.

Kemp's office said earlier he would not attend the rally Saturday, after a young Loeffler staff member and close family friend of Kemp's, Harrison Deal, died in a car crash Friday.

For the 74-year-old Trump, who is considering a fresh White House run in 2024, the Georgia rally represents a gamble.

His performance there could boost his political chances, said conservative commentator Marc Thiessen.

But "if he lets Democrats take back the Senate because he was focused on rooting out some mythical communist conspiracy to steal the 2020 election, he will go down in ignominy," Thiessen wrote in The Washington Post

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2020-12-05 22:15:31Z
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Malaysia to allow interstate travel from Monday, some COVID-19 restrictions remain for KL, Selangor and Sabah - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will allow movement across states and districts nationwide from Monday (Dec 7) without the need for a police permit, except in areas under a lockdown known as Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO).

“Police will also remove roadblocks from Dec 7 but would focus on compliance with the standard operating procedure (SOP),” said Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob during a media conference on Saturday.

He also said that the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) will end as scheduled on Dec 6 for most states.

However, it will be extended until Dec 20 for Kuala Lumpur, Sabah, most of Selangor, as well as some parts of Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan and Perak.

Under the CMCO, all schools, institutions of higher learning, skills training institutes, pre-schools and tahfiz centres must be closed. All social and cultural activities including at entertainment centres and nightclubs are also not allowed.

READ: Domestic travel bubbles approved in Malaysia as movement curbs lifted in four states

The decision to lift the CMCO was made after considering the current and expected impact on economic recovery if the restrictions were to be extended, Mr Ismail said.

“The country is expected to suffer a GDP loss of RM300 million (US$74 million) a day if CMCO is continued and this will result in a decline in the labour market and household spending, investment uncertainty, permanent job loss, business closure and other effects either directly or indirectly," he said.

"Therefore, the government needs to consider all aspects in formulating any approach to create a balance between maintaining public health and impact on the economy."

LATEST ROUND OF CMCO WAS REINSTATED IN OCTOBER

Malaysia has implemented various stages of restrictions since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, beginning with the Movement Control Order in March.

The pandemic appeared to be under control between June and August until cases started to rise again in September. This was partly due to the surge in travel to and from Sabah for the state election.

Selangor and Kuala Lumpur have been under a CMCO since Oct 14 as COVID-19 cases surged there as well, partly due to infections at Top Glove, the world's biggest maker of latex gloves.

READ: Movement restrictions to tighten in Selangor, KL and Putrajaya as cases spike amid third wave of COVID-19

READ: Malaysia to shut some Top Glove factories in phases amid COVID-19 outbreak

On Nov 9, the CMCO was reinstated across all but three states in Peninsular Malaysia for four weeks as the country continued to battle a resurgence of the coronavirus. That period of restrictions was to last until Dec 6.

On Saturday, Malaysia reported 1,123 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the national tally to 71,359.

Four more deaths were reported, taking the total to 380.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

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2020-12-05 13:28:26Z
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Hong Kong's tai-tai dance clubs blamed for large cluster of Covid-19 cases - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - The tai tais and their young male instructors shimmy, maskless and close together, their dance club a delightful pastime from a world ravaged by a pandemic.

Little did anyone suspect that some of them had caught - and were spreading - the deadly Covid-19. Now, Hong Kong is paying for that lapse.

The city's dance studios - known as playgrounds for its "tai tais" or ladies of leisure - are in the spotlight after they were blamed for what Chief Executive Carrie Lam called an "ultra-large cluster" of Covid-19 infections that sparked the fourth coronavirus wave in the territory.

More than 600 cases have so far been linked to the cluster, accounting for nearly 10 per cent of all infections.

Videos circulated widely online of these dance studios show dozens of middle-aged women, adorned with shimmering dresses or ruffled skirts, hair neatly coiffed and earrings gleaming under the roving lights, keeping in step with their visibly younger male counterparts in tight shirts and fitted vests.

Many of these men are paid handsomely for their lessons and company, with some even illegally ferried into Hong Kong from mainland China, according to local media.

Some of the instructors, who cover salsa, ballroom, tango and other classic forms of dance, teach at multiple studios, with premises rented specifically to host such get-togethers, thereby facilitating the spread of the disease.

Several members of Hong Kong's high society have tested positive for Covid-19 as the latest wave throws the spotlight on their exclusive social circles. Billionaire Rossana Wang Gaw, 75, who chairs listed property development firm, Pioneer Global Group, fell ill after visiting Starlight Dance Club in the upmarket Wan Chai district last month.

Other well-known names linked to the cluster include former actress Tse Ling Ling, 64, former wife of Lai Sun Development chairman Peter Lam Kin-ngok; as well as Mr David Chiu Tat Cheong, 66, who owns Hong Kong Cable Television and chairs property conglomerate Far East Consortium, and his wife Nancy Chiu Ng Wai Ping, 64.

Ms Tse has clarified that she was not part of the dance group but that she came into contact with an infected friend during a mahjong session. Mr Chiu and his wife told the media that they were diagnosed after a private dinner at a friend's home that included someone infected in the group.

Local papers have gone into overdrive with the news of the coronavirus wreaking havoc with the city's rich and famous, and some did not pass up the opportunity to be salacious, highlighting in particular the large age gap between the women and their instructors, going so far even to insinuate impropriety between them.

The South China Morning Post quoted a dance enthusiast, identified only as Mr Ip, 63, as saying: "When dancing with the teacher, female dancers are treated like a princess on the stage."

He also claimed that some of his female friends had hired speedboat services to ferry dance teachers from Shenzhen to Hong Kong despite the closure of the border between the two cities.

Critics say the tai-tai dance cluster lays bare an uncomfortable truth: Many of Hong Kong's rich people care little for the lives and well-being of their less well-off compatriots.

The city's dance studios are in the spotlight after they were blamed for what Chief Executive Carrie Lam called an "ultra-large cluster" of Covid-19 infections. PHOTO: FUNG TAI/FACEBOOK

"If they had any decency, they would have maintained social distancing. Or at least put on masks," said administrative assistant Elaine Lai, in her 30s, who lives with her husband and two-year-old son just a few walk from the Wan Chai dance club. "We cannot afford to fall sick. If we stop working, the food will stop coming in too and the landlord will kick us out."

But there were others who were more forgiving.

"People can be inconsiderate whether they are rich or poor. In the case of the tai tais, they should have kept their masks on or postponed their dance activities," said Ms Sandra Wong, a corporate communications director in her 40s. "But I also think that the owners of the venues should be penalised, as they shouldn't have allowed such big gatherings or let people go maskless on their premises."

Most however could not help but note that the premises were allowed to stay open for the elite to party, despite rules requiring social distancing and masks to be worn elsewhere. Many livelihoods and the economy will bear the brunt of that decision.

As a result of the new surge in cases, nightlife venues, mahjong parlours and theme parks have once more been forced to shut, restaurant dine-in hours and capacity limited again, and public gatherings now reduced to just two.

What would have been the world's first quarantine-free travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore - an attempt at normalising air travel - was halted due to the resurgence of Covid-19 in the territory.

Much of the blame may lie with the government rather than anyone else, dancesport athlete Sam Ng suggested in a column published on local news site Stand News.

"Perhaps the failure to contain the coronavirus should not be blamed on the behaviour of the Hong Kong people, but rather, government policy rife with loopholes," he said.

"Dancing isn't a sin… So what if the age gap between the dance partners is huge? The elderly woman who wants to dance may be widowed and unable to find a partner. What's so wrong with hiring a much younger instructor... Must she really take the trouble to find an 'appropriate' 80-year-old dance teacher for herself?"

Malaysia lifts Covid-19 lockdown for most states but curbs remain for KL, Selangor districts - The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia will lift movement curbs for most states from next Monday (Dec 7), a Cabinet minister announced on Saturday.

But the partial lockdowns, called Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO), will be extended to Dec 20 for its capital city Kuala Lumpur, the state of Sabah and six of the nine Selangor districts.

Parts of Negeri Sembilan and Johor states will also remain under the CMCO, said Senior Minister (Security cluster) Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said that from Monday, interstate travel will be allowed and all roadblocks will be removed.

Only areas under full lockdowns, called Enhanced MCO (EMCO) - such as those surrounding Top Glove factories and dormitories - will be off-limits.

The areas under the EMCO have barbed wire fencing installed around them to quarantine residents and allow health workers to conduct health screenings.

Most Malaysian states, along with the federal territories of KL, Putrajaya and Labuan, were placed under CMCO from October onwards, as the country battles its third wave of coronavirus infections.

The curbs on Putrajaya and Labuan have been lifted.

Mr Ismail said in a televised address that the widespread curbs have had a heavy economic toll.

"Yesterday (Dec 4), I read on social media that many are asking what will happen tomorrow since the CMCO is expected to end," he said.

"The government understands how hard the situation can be. Whether we like it or not, we have to move forward with our lives.

"We stand to lose RM300 million (S$98.6 million) a day if the CMCO is extended… there will be more job losses and so on. Due to that, we need to be careful when taking care of the people and also the economy," he added.

Under the CMCO, while most economic activities were allowed to continue, only three people per household were allowed to venture out of their homes. Inter-state travel was banned except for work and emergencies.

Schools and entertainment outlets were shut during the CMCO, while operating hours of eateries, sundry shops and convenience stores were restricted to between 6am and 10pm.

Selangor and Kuala Lumpur have been under the CMCO since Oct 14 as Covid-19 cases surged, partly caused by the infections at Top Glove, the world's biggest maker of latex gloves, and at two KL construction sites.

Sabah and Labuan have been placed under a similar order since Oct 13 and Oct 17.

Perak, Penang and Negeri Sembilan's CMCO was imposed from Nov 9, while Kelantan's was enforced on Nov 21.

Malaysia on Saturday reported 1,123 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total to 71,359.

The number of fatalities stood at 380, with the addition of four new deaths.

Malaysia to know status of Covid-19 movement curbs on Saturday - The Straits Times

PUTRAJAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The status of the movement control curbs known as conditional movement control order (CMCO) imposed on several Malaysian states will be made known on Saturday (Dec 5).

A scheduled press conference by Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Friday was shelved at the eleventh hour.

The public had anticipated the announcement by Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri on whether the CMCO would be lifted or extended.

This comes as the number of Covid-19 infections in Malaysia hit the 70,000 mark after the Health Ministry confirmed another 1,141 new cases in the country on Friday.

However, no fatalities were recorded on Friday, keeping the death toll at 376.

The CMCO for all states except Kedah, Melaka, Terengganu and Johor will end on Sunday.

Mr Ismail Sabri's aide said the minister was unable to give a media conference, as he had to attend back-to-back meetings.

"He attended a Cabinet meeting in the morning, followed by the National Security Council (NSC) meeting and another meeting after that. We have to reschedule the press conference, " said the aide when contacted.

Cabinet meetings are held on Fridays during Parliament meetings instead of their usual slot on Wednesdays.

Mr Ismail Sabri has been giving daily updates on non-health related matters pertaining to the Covid-19 pandemic since March.

During his media briefings, he would also announce the NSC's decision to impose the CMCO or enhanced movement control order (EMCO) in certain states or localities.

The CMCO for Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Putrajaya has been in place for close to two months, since Oct 14.

Sabah and Labuan have been placed under a similar order since Oct 13 and Oct 17, respectively.

Perak, Penang and Negri Sembilan's CMCO was from Nov 9 while Kelantan's was enforced on Nov 21.

While business communities preferred targeted MCO in selected areas, Sabahans feel that the order should be extended, with some adjustments in standard operating procedures according to zones.

Penang has asked the NSC to consider imposing the order in targeted sub-districts and specific localities instead of statewide.

Trump campaign files election lawsuit in Georgia, suffers more legal defeats - CNA

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump's campaign said it filed a lawsuit in Georgia state court on Friday (Dec 4) seeking to invalidate the presidential election results there, the latest in a series of legal challenges aimed at reversing his loss that have so far gone nowhere.

The Trump campaign said in a statement its new lawsuit would include sworn statements from Georgia residents alleging fraud.

Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, like Trump, and other state officials have said repeatedly they have found no evidence of widespread fraud in the Nov 3 election won by Democrat Joe Biden.

Trump's team and various individuals backing him have suffered a string of legal defeats around the country, including in cases filed in Nevada and Wisconsin that sought court orders to reverse those states' election results.

READ: Among first acts, Biden to call for 100 days of mask-wearing

President-elect Biden won the election with 306 Electoral College votes - against the 270 required - to Trump's 232.

A district judge in Nevada on Friday dismissed a case brought by would-be Republican presidential electors and said they must pay defendants' legal costs after failing "to meet their burden to provide credible and relevant evidence to substantiate" any of the lawsuit's claims.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision declined to act on a case that sought to have the court nullify the presidential election in the state and pave the way for the state legislature to choose Wisconsin's 10 presidential electors.

"Such a move would appear to be unprecedented in American history," Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Brian Hagedorn wrote in his concurring opinion of four justices issued on Friday.

Trump's campaign has spent nearly US$9 million on its unsuccessful bid to overturn the results of the election, including nearly US$2.3 million to lawyers and consultants.

The campaign and the Republican National Committee have raised at least US$207.5 million since Election Day, much of it from solicitations asking for donations to an "Official Election Defense Fund".

The fine print made clear most of the money would go to other priorities through Trump's new political action committee, which could fuel his future political endeavors.

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2020-12-05 02:48:59Z
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Jumat, 04 Desember 2020

The Straits Times Asians of the Year: Heroes in the fight to end Covid-19 pandemic - The Straits Times

Six people who have spent 2020 tirelessly seeking a way out of the greatest crisis of our era have been named The Straits Times Asians of the Year.

Between them, the recipients of the 2020 award capture the entire trajectory of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

They are Chinese researcher Zhang Yongzhen, who led the team that mapped and published online the first complete genome of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that sparked the pandemic; three scientists - China's Major-General Chen Wei, Japan's Dr Ryuichi Morishita and Singapore's Professor Ooi Eng Eong - who are among those at the forefront of developing vaccines against the virus; and two businessmen - South Korea's Mr Seo Jung-jin and India's Mr Adar Poonawalla - whose companies will enable the making and dispensing of the vaccines and other Covid-19 treatments to the world.

Collectively referred to as "the virus busters", they are heroes of a kind, having devoted themselves to the pressing cause of resolving the coronavirus pandemic, each in their own capacity.

"Sars-CoV-2, the virus that has brought death and hardship to the world's largest and most populous continent, is meeting its tamer in The Virus Busters," the award citation said. "We salute your courage, care, commitment and creativity. In this peril-filled hour, you are a symbol of hope for Asia, indeed the world."

In deciding to honour The Virus Busters, ST editors had in mind those who have, in one way or another, enabled the complex, multi-stage process of preventing as many people around the world from getting the deadly disease in as little time as possible.

Said Mr Warren Fernandez, editor-in-chief of Singapore Press Holdings' English/Malay/Tamil Media Group and editor of ST: "Each year, ST editors seek out a person, team or organisation that has not only made or shaped the news, but also helped contribute positively to Asia in the process.

"This year, we naturally looked to those involved in the fight against Covid-19, which has dominated the headlines. We debated long and hard, but finally agreed on a group of people who have done the most to help find an answer to the crisis brought on by the virus.

"They are a disparate group whose collective efforts have pushed forward the search for vaccines, allowing these to be discovered and delivered with an urgency never attempted or seen before. Their commitment and actions have helped save lives and give hope to people all around Asia, and the world."

Working to end pandemic

Professor Zhang Yongzhen, 55, of China's Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre helped kick-start the process of working towards an end to the pandemic.

He and his team toiled through two straight nights in early January - after receiving their first sample of the mysterious illness then plaguing the city of Wuhan in central Hubei province - to map the first complete genome of the virus.

With the identification of the pathogen came the realisation of the enormity of the situation.

Prof Zhang's team quickly shared their findings with the authorities and posted the information online to alert the global scientific community of the dangerous virus about to sweep the world.

It would have taken extraordinary gumption to do so, as some whistle-blowing doctors who had earlier tried to sound the alarm about the disease had been detained at that time. Prof Zhang and his team's timely transparency proved vital in the swift development of testing kits and early research into treatments and vaccines for the illness.

Over in Wuhan, the Chinese military's top epidemiologist Chen Wei, 54, scrambled to develop a viable vaccine to bring an end to the outbreak that she could already foresee wreaking havoc across the globe.

In barely 50 days, she and her team had produced a potential vaccine with Chinese firm CanSino Biologics ready for clinical trials. It became the world's first vaccine to be approved for restricted use.

While Maj-Gen Chen's vaccine employed a tried-and-tested method of using a common cold virus to carry genetic data of the coronavirus' protein to elicit an immune response, other researchers are blazing a trail in experimenting with novel technologies in developing their own vaccines.

In Japan, Dr Ryuichi Morishita, 58, a professor of clinical gene therapy at Osaka University, is working with home-grown biotech start-up AnGes on a DNA vaccine, while Singapore's Professor Ooi Eng Eong, 53, is leading scientists at the Duke-NUS Medical School and US pharmaceutical firm Arcturus Therapeutics to develop a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine.

The DNA and mRNA vaccines differ from traditional ones in that, instead of injecting a form of a virus into the body, they take only a small part of the coronavirus' genetic data to stimulate cells to create a protein that would produce antibodies against the virus.

If the DNA and mRNA Covid-19 vaccines make it through the clinical trials and are approved for use in humans, they will be among the very first of their kind.

The first such mRNA vaccine, an American-German collaboration by drug-makers Pfizer and BioNTech, was approved for mass production only on Wednesday.

These novel technologies can be developed quickly, and may churn out vaccines that are cheaper to produce.

The Asian efforts are but part of a wider, global collaboration. Developers in the United States and Europe, too, have been working at lightning speed to crunch down the typical years taken to create a vaccine to just months.

There are promising vaccine candidates from Russia and China as well, though they have been less transparent in releasing clinical trial results.

Scientists and researchers are not the only ones with a part to play.

Nations are now gearing up for mass production and distribution of these much-anticipated vaccines, with many in Asia moving to make them free for their people. Among those enabling the process are two key Asian businessmen whose contributions have helped push us closer by the day towards the end goal of getting billions of doses of the vaccines and treatments within reach of people around the world.

Mr Seo Jung-jin, chairman of one of South Korea's largest pharmaceutical firms, Celltrion, and the country's second-richest man, is investing 300 billion won (S$368 million) into producing an antibody treatment that will complement the Covid-19 vaccines. Celltrion is also South Korea's biggest distributor of biological medicines worldwide.

With an eye towards offering affordable treatment, Mr Seo, 63, has vowed to provide Celltrion's Covid-19 drug - which will seek conditional approval by the end of this month - at production cost in South Korea, and at lower prices than competitors to the rest of the world.

"During a pandemic crisis, pharmaceutical companies must serve as public assets for the country," said Mr Seo.

Mr Adar Poonawalla - billionaire chief executive of India's Serum Institute, the world's biggest producer of vaccines, has put US$250 million (S$333 million) of his family fortune into ramping up his firm's manufacturing capacity.

"I decided to go all out," said Mr Poonawalla, 39, who has pledged that his firm's Covid-19 vaccines will help supply lower- and middle-income countries that face significant disadvantages in the quest to obtain them.

Serum Institute is also developing its own vaccine.

In the big picture of ending the pandemic, commonality of purpose is key. The ST Asians of the Year have led the way, as have scores of other individuals in their own fields. When an end comes into sight, it will be due in no small part to these people who - undaunted by the tumult - have committed themselves to the sobering, much-needed work to put together an exit plan from the crisis, for humanity.

Said Ms Bhagyashree Garekar, ST's foreign editor: "There has not been a day this year when the pandemic has not been in the news. ST's editors felt there could be no more deserving recipients this year than the people squaring up to Asia's biggest-ever health challenge, engaged in pioneering and courageous efforts to prevent the highly contagious virus from wreaking more damage.

"In a year that is ending with a wish for great resets... Asia's virus busters are the face of hope on the horizon."

Past recipients of The Straits Times Asian of the Year award

2012

Myanmar President Thein Sein

2013

Chinese President Xi Jinping and then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

2014

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

2015

Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew (awarded posthumously)

2016

"The Disruptors": Grab co-founders Anthony Tan and Tan Hooi Ling, Flipkart co-founders Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal, Gojek founder and chief executive Nadiem Makarim, Tencent Holdings founder Pony Ma and Razer co-founder Tan Min-Liang

2017

Chinese President Xi Jinping

2018

"The First Responders": Singaporean paraglider Ng Kok Choong (awarded posthumously), Indian Navy helicopter pilots P. Rajkumar and Vijay Varma, Indonesia's national disaster management agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, Singapore's Mercy Relief, and Jakarta-based Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management

2019

Indonesian President Joko Widodo

Cinmpring kici

Sabtu, 05 Desember 2020

Trump to appear in Georgia in gamble over control of US Senate - CNA

Malaysia to allow interstate travel from Monday, some COVID-19 restrictions remain for KL, Selangor and Sabah - CNA

READ: Domestic travel bubbles approved in Malaysia as movement curbs lifted in four states

READ: Movement restrictions to tighten in Selangor, KL and Putrajaya as cases spike amid third wave of COVID-19

READ: Malaysia to shut some Top Glove factories in phases amid COVID-19 outbreak

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Hong Kong's tai-tai dance clubs blamed for large cluster of Covid-19 cases - The Straits Times

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Malaysia lifts Covid-19 lockdown for most states but curbs remain for KL, Selangor districts - The Straits Times

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Trump campaign files election lawsuit in Georgia, suffers more legal defeats - CNA

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Jumat, 04 Desember 2020

The Straits Times Asians of the Year: Heroes in the fight to end Covid-19 pandemic - The Straits Times

Working to end pandemic

Past recipients of The Straits Times Asian of the Year award

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