HONG KONG: Hong Kong will roll out compulsory testing for Covid-19 starting mid-March for its 7.4 million residents, leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday, as university researchers predicted new infections could peak at a staggering 180,000 a day next month. © New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
GENEVA: The Swiss were voting Sunday on whether to ban almost all advertising of tobacco products and separately on a blanket ban on all animal testing. © New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
WARSAW: Poles will be able to get tested for Covid-19 in pharmacies free of charge, the government said on Friday, after the country reported a record 36,665 daily cases as the Omicron variant takes hold. © New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday said the shortages of at-home antigen tests were “not unique” to the country as authorities deal with a runaway Omicron outbreak that has driven up hospitalisation rates and strain testing systems. © New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
BERLIN: Germany on Thursday reported a record of more than 81,000 Covid-19 infections in a day as the government's coronavirus crisis manager warned of possible bottlenecks in testing. © New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
WASHINGTON: Days out from Christmas, Americans are facing long lines to get tested for the coronavirus amid a new surge driven by the Omicron variant and a dire shortage of options for this vital screening measure. © New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
WASHINGTON: US consumer prices rose last month at a rate not seen in nearly 40 years, the government reported Friday, underscoring how inflation threatens the world's largest economy and President Joe Biden's public support. © New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
MADRID: Ronald Koeman said his players will benefit from knowing he is staying on as Barcelona coach and his theory will be tested by a pivotal week that starts with a trip to Valencia on Sunday. © New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
The test will run in the United States and will go on for a few months, Instagram said in a blog post. — AFP pic SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 12 — Facebook Inc’s Instagram said yesterday it is testing a feature to notify users of outages or technical issues directly on the photo-sharing app, days after … Read more
BANGKOK: For families struggling to survive on US$150 a month in Bangkok’s biggest slum, coronavirus swab tests are a luxury that few can afford. © New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
