Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by CiTY convenience STORE

12 Taiwanese die over AZ past 3 days

CiTY convenience STORE — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 13:53:51 +0800

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Over the past three days, 12 elderly people in eight cities and counties across Taiwan were reported to have died after receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

In response to the surge in local COVID-19 cases, Taiwan began to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine on a large scale on June 15. Among the 2.68 million slated to receive this first wave of shots are vulnerable groups such as residents of long-term care facilities, kidney dialysis patients, and people over the age of 75.

However, reports have started to pour in of recipients dying after returning home from their injection. As of Thursday (June 17), health departments in eight cities and counties have reported 12 sudden deaths following AZ jabs, including one in Taipei, three in New Taipei City, one in Hsinchu County, one in Hsinchu City, three in Taichung, one in Changhua County, one in Chiayi City, and one in Kaohsiung, reported TVBS.

Whether these deaths are the result of adverse reactions to the vaccine has yet to be confirmed.

Since the launch of public vaccination in June, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) has only officially announced two deaths following AstraZeneca vaccinations. One was in Chiayi City, while the location of the other has not yet been revealed.

The CECC is still investigating whether these two deaths were the result of an adverse reaction to the vaccine. As of June 16, a total of 1.916 million people have received at least one dose nationwide.

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4225271

Wow any death rate happened in Taiwan will multiplied. Scary!

Why Malaysia youth wage low?

CiTY convenience STORE — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 15:58:02 +0800

Our marginal labor output always on par with working hours. Meaning efficiency wise we are not improving enough to create higher wages.

Does this means Malaysians are kind of inefficient? Kind of but this is not the issue. Our university level should guarantee us to have good efficient work skill.

But truth reality is Malaysia cycle of refreshing efficient young work force has been stagnant due to stagnant of corporate extension and aging of workforce population. The salary distribution don't correlate among age group and work portfolio, but correlate with the experience years of workforce. This truly examine the meritocracy inside a healthy corporation.

Long story short, efficient young people can't find good job that correlate with their qualification and leaving country causing brain drain. Comfort zone experienced people have their efficiency stagnated but salary still increased overtime.

Honestly if we lost control on this we might become another Philippines or Japan.

She has sweet cultural xchange in Telangana, India

CiTY convenience STORE — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 10:30:21 +0800

https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/travel...telengana-india

“Are you Muslim or Christian?”

I turned around to see the woman who had asked me the question – she had a square face and pouty lips. Behind her were three other women, all middle-aged and with dark brown skin. The ends of their sarees were loosely draped over their chest, their bellies half exposed.

“A Muslim, ” I said, and folded my prayer rug.

I had seen them entering the house. I was praying, and from the corner of my eye I could see them huddling in the living room, gawking at me and muttering some words. I thought they had come here to ask me where I was from. It seemed like I was the first foreigner to ever set foot in Thogarrai, so I presumed they must be curious.

Thogarrai is a small village in Karimnagar, one of the districts in Telangana state in India. It is located in the north-east of Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana, and a more well-known tourist destination.

Jagadeesh – a friend whose wedding was the real reason for my visit to south India – had told me not to be surprised by the state of his village. “It will be very remote. It will not be like the ones in Malaysia, ” he wrote.

For the most part, the village was a stretch of brown and green squares of padi and corn fields. Occasionally, groves of banana trees, some cattle and crops dotted the landscape. Houses in Thogarrai were what the Indians call “pucca”, traditional South Indian houses made of bricks, stones and cement. They were rectangular, flat-roofed and protruded from the ground.

The topography of the village looked like a film set of the Bollywood film, Swades.

The auto-rickshaw that Chitti and I took from Sultanabad dropped us in front of a dusty track that narrowly led to a small settlement. My arrival immediately caught the attention of a group of men in their 50s and 60s, all in white dhotis, congregating outside a mint green house.

Chitti, Jagadeesh’s cousin, said, “This is Jagadeesh’s mother’s house. But we will sleep at my mother’s house.”

Chitti introduced me to her mother, Padma, a short, gawky lady. Her hair was black, her skin was the colour of chestnut. I asked for her permission to use the bathroom and pray in the living room, but she didn’t understand the word “pray”. I put my palms together, brought my hands in front of my chest and said, “puja” (pray/worship).

Padma moved her head and said, “Haan, haan (yes, yes). Puja.”

After I prayed, Chitti and I visited her neighbour, Jothi. She was one of the women who had come to see me that afternoon. Her house was just a stone’s throw away from Padma’s. There, I met the other women who were with Jothi earlier. One of them was Lata, while the lady with pouty lips was Vanitha.

When we left Jothi’s house, the afternoon warmth had ebbed. It was getting dark. Rooftops were silhouetted against the golden sky as the ball of red light slowly sank below the horizon. We walked to Jagadeesh’s house where his family was hosting a pre-wedding feast.

At the house, Jagadeesh’s sister-in-law welcomed me. She took a pinch of vermilion from a silver tray and pressed the red powder on my forehead, in between my eyebrows. I thanked her, and smiled.

I moved aside to give way for the crowd and that was when I felt a tap on my arm. I tilted my head and saw, sandwiched between two middle-aged women, a girl in a green dress. Her eyes were round and her eyelashes were long. I wanted to say “hi” but she spoke first, asking “Are you a Muslim?”

I stood awkwardly in the corner of the room until some women made space for me to sit on the floor. I folded my legs and tucked them to the side – the way Malaysian women would. Sitting across me was the girl, her legs crossed. She patted her knees, and said to me, “Here, we sit like this!”

I laughed. It’s interesting how etiquette varies across Asian cultures. My mum would have given me a disapproving look if she had seen me sitting cross-legged on the floor!

Jagadeesh’s sister-in-law appeared from the kitchen with some food. She placed a silver plate in front of me, scooped some rice, and poured a generous amount of lentil curry over it. A teenage girl in a purple dress came and sat next to me. “I’m Nene. Jagadeesh is my uncle, ” she said.

The groom’s blessing ritual was about to start. Jagadeesh’s sister ushered me to a room where I saw him sitting on the floor, looking pensive. A group of photographers had set up their equipment.

One woman was holding a silver tray containing rice grains. Then, two other women took turns to pound the grains. Turmeric powder was added to the rice and Telegu hymns were sung, bestowing blessings on to the grains that had now turned pale yellow.

The chanting, thumping of wooden mortar on silverware, clicking of cameras, jingling jewellery – all the rhythms reverberated between the walls. Within seconds, the small room was filled with more sounds and movements than it could contain. What an experience that was.

Philippines denies seeking vaccines from Taiwan

CiTY convenience STORE — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 23:17:22 +0800

MANILA - The Philippines on Tuesday denied that it wrote a letter to Taiwan seeking for COVID-19 vaccines.

Taiwanese media earlier reported that an official from Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center confirmed that the Philippines "sent a letter to us" seeking to adopt the emergency utilization authority of locally-produced COVID-19 jabs.

"I deny that," Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque told ABS-CBN News when asked to confirm the report.

Philippine vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. also denied that the country - which has been utilizing jabs from China, Russia, UK, and US - are trying to get more COVID-19 inoculants from Taiwan.

"I am not aware of asking for any donation particularly vaccines not recommended in our portfolio with Emergency Use Authorization from PH FDA (Food and Drug Administration)," he said.

ABS-CBN News also reached out to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III for comment, but the Department of Health chief was yet to respond.

Earlier this month, Taiwan's Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp announced that it was seeking an emergency use authorization from the government for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate after safely completing phase II trials.

Developing its own vaccine has been a major goal of Taiwan's government, though it also has ordered some 20 million shots from Moderna Inc, AstraZeneca Plc and the COVAX global sharing scheme for lower income countries.

Only about 3 percent of Taiwan's 23.5 million people have received at least one shot, with further supplies held up by global production problems, as the island deals with a spike in domestic cases after months of relative safety.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/15/21/phil...-taiwan-request

Lol pinoy not stupid la

World kept pouring filth on innocent scientists

CiTY convenience STORE — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 13:06:57 +0800

To a growing chorus of American politicians and scientists, she is the key to whether the world will ever learn if the virus behind the devastating Covid-19 pandemic escaped from a Chinese lab. To the Chinese government and public, she is a hero of the country’s success in curbing the epidemic and a victim of malicious conspiracy theories.

Shi Zhengli, a top Chinese virologist, is once again at the center of clashing narratives about her research on coronaviruses at a state lab in Wuhan, the city where the pandemic first emerged.

The idea that the virus may have escaped from a lab had long been widely dismissed by scientists as implausible and shunned by others for its connection with former President Donald J. Trump. But fresh scrutiny from the Biden administration and calls for greater candor from prominent scientists have brought the theory back to the fore.

Scientists generally agree that there is still no direct evidence to support the lab leak theory. But more of them now say that the hypothesis was dismissed too hastily, without a thorough investigation, and they point to a range of unsettling questions.

Some scientists say Dr. Shi conducted risky experiments with bat coronaviruses in labs that were not safe enough. Others want clarity on reports, citing American intelligence, suggesting that there were early infections of Covid-19 among several employees of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Dr. Shi has denied these accusations, and now finds herself defending the reputation of her lab and, by extension, that of her country. Reached on her cellphone two weeks ago, Dr. Shi said at first that she preferred not to speak directly with reporters, citing her institute’s policies. Yet she could barely contain her frustration.

“How on earth can I offer up evidence for something where there is no evidence?” she said, her voice rising in anger during the brief, unscheduled conversation. “I don’t know how the world has come to this, constantly pouring filth on an innocent scientist,” she wrote in a text message.

In a rare interview over email, she denounced the suspicions as baseless, including the allegations that several of her colleagues may have been ill before the outbreak emerged.

The speculation boils down to one central question: Did Dr. Shi’s lab hold any source of the new coronavirus before the pandemic erupted? Dr. Shi’s answer is an emphatic no.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/14/world/as...n-lab-leak.html

Sad reality.

Will Mahiaddin ditched Assmin and rejoin PH?

CiTY convenience STORE — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 12:53:33 +0800

Dunno why got this gut feeling.
Because first day YDPA met with Mahiaddin, Anwar, LGE and Mat Sabu.

[INFOGRAFIK] Perbincangan Khas Majlis Raja-Raja

CiTY convenience STORE — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 12:51:50 +0800

[YOUTUBE]naSAJSqa8sg[/YOUTUBE]

Hmm why YDPA jumpa MCA first before UMNO and MIC?

Taiwan scholar, ex official sue Tsai and DPP gov

CiTY convenience STORE — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 14:53:34 +0800

A group of Taiwan people have sued Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's regional leader, and others in her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for politicalizing the pandemic to benefit themselves. One scholar accused them of adopting policies which "severely endanger people's lives and health" amid the island's ravaging new COVID-19 wave.

Chang Ya-chung, a Taipei-based political scientist and member of the Kuomintang (KMT), and Chung Chin, former director-general of Taiwan's information office, and others filed a lawsuit on Friday to the Taiwan Taipei District Prosecutor Office against Tsai, Su Tseng-chang, head of Taiwan's executive body, and Chen Shih-chung, the head of Taiwan's health authorities.

Chang said that the death rate of Taiwan's COVID-19 infections has stayed above the world average with a recording close to 3 percent. Yet Tsai, along with other two Taiwan officials, not only thwarted the mainland's help of vaccines, but also supported Taiwan local vaccines, which have not gained WHO recognition.

The scholar accused those three officials of misconduct, desire of profiting themselves and "killing people with policies."

Taiwan's regional authority has rejected 30 million doses of BioNTech-Fosun vaccine preordered by Taiwan pharmacopolists in 2020. At the same time, it fooled its people by saying the importation of vaccines was obstructed by Chinese mainland intervention.

When the island of Taiwan faced worsening COVID-19 situation in late May, people in Taiwan began to donate vaccines they purchased from the Chinese mainland and other countries, including 5 million doses from Sinopharm and 5 million vaccines produced by BioNTech which were purchased by Chang himself. Yet Tsai's secessionist authority rejected those donations, citing excuse of administrative procedures, at a time when the island is still facing severe shortages of vaccines, according to Chang.

Then, before the vaccine produced by Medigen Vaccine Biologics Co releases its Phase-II trial data, Tsai on May 18 asked people on the island to take the vaccine in July. This fueled the soaring of the company's stock price. Chang said by doing this, Tsai is under the suspicion of interfering with the stock market to benefit others.

Then Tsai announced on May 31 that they will purchase 5 to 10 million vaccines from the company, a decision Chang said goes against scientific and rational policymaking.

Chen Pei-jer, a scholar with Taiwan's top research institution, resigned last week from the island's COVID-19 vaccine review committee. Chen criticized Tsai for making comments that could put pressure on the vaccine review committee to approve vaccines made in Taiwan.

Tsai authorities' action of forcing people to use locally produced vaccines, which haven't undergone a Phase-III trial, has sparked public outrage in Taiwan. Tsai on Friday apologized for the loss of lives in the island due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202106/1226019.shtml

Wow, can we sue mahiaddin gov too?

Thailand denies blocking exports of AstraZeneca

CiTY convenience STORE — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 00:13:23 +0800

BANGKOK: Thailand is not blocking exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine, a government representative said, after Taiwan said Thailand was keeping for itself doses of the vaccine that it is producing.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Friday (Jun 11) Taiwan had ordered 10 million doses from AstraZeneca , which was mainly producing them in Thailand, but Thailand was "giving priority for vaccines to be used in Thailand".

"Thailand is not blocking exports of AstraZeneca,” deputy government spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul said on Twitter late on Saturday.

"It is a matter for the producer to manage," she said.

She did not specify whether she meant AstraZeneca or the Thai manufacturer, Siam Bioscience. The health ministry could not be reached on Sunday, and both companies have declined to comment on reasons for export delays.

Both Thailand and Taiwan have seen a surge of coronavirus cases in recent week after months of successfully keeping their outbreaks in check.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/t...accine-15005518

I think delay is on logistic issue. But simply saying Thailand side is blocking export a bit like main taichi.

NOC or not, Mahiaddin’s fate is sealed

CiTY convenience STORE — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 02:19:26 +0800

ScarletPanda9731: National Operations Council (NOC) or not, Parliament must be convened and discussions and debates should take place. All bills must pass through the Parliament door before funds could be spent.

Sadly and regrettably, Parliament has been sidelined. Do not be hypocritical by talking about democracy on the one hand and do just the opposite by imposing an emergency on the other.

Now that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) may collapse any time, you talk about democracy.

Put the PN government to the test - if you are right that you have the support of the majority, then you can go ahead and do your duty; but if you do not have the majority support, be a gentleman and bow out gracefully. Do not try a red herring or use Covid-19 as an excuse to hold on to power.

How can other countries battle the pandemic successfully without an emergency and Malaysia cannot? In fact, in spite of emergency powers to curb the spread of Covid-19, the reverse has been happening; the situation is getting worse.

I think perhaps the king has resolved that the emergency has not helped. Hence, the call for all political leaders to the palace for discussions. If things had improved, there would not be any alarm bells.

Soon, on June 16, there will be the Rulers' Conference. The writing is on the wall, and an urgent meeting of minds is required. Next week, we may have a clearer picture.

IndigoTrout2522: It is critical to maintain democracy. The NOC is not good for the country as no one can foresee the unintended consequences. Resume Parliament and have a vote of no confidence in the government.

If the PM survives, all parties, politicians, and the rakyat should support him until the 15th general election (GE15).

If he is defeated, a new government should be formed and similarly, the nation should support it until the next general election. That is true democracy and the monarchy should remain above politics.

The PM should be someone with a majority support of MPs, no matter how slim. It is possible there could be some realignment of parties or politicians.

Dr Raman Letchumanan: Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, through his principal private secretary Marzuki Mohamad, should not pre-empt or try to influence the rulers through this lengthy public statement.

This is disrespectful or uncouth to the rulers, to say the least. Other leaders have been contrite in their response after the meeting with the Agong. PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang was even worse, blasting away angrily and quoting the holy book.

After all, the rulers have given all the powers to this backdoor government to govern for the past 15 months. Is it so wrong for the rulers to review the situation which has gotten worse?

Unwittingly, the respect and good name of the monarchs have been affected by the misdeeds done under their authority. This shows the true character of the ruling government.

I hope the rulers will do what is best for their subjects and our beloved country.

Wee_R_Malaysian: Muhyiddin's fate is sealed one way or the other – he is unable to rein in the ongoing pandemic, there is a slower than expected vaccination rate and a deteriorating economy.

PN has exposed its weakness and inability to lead this country time and again. And this resulted in Malaysians turning to the king to save them from further calamity.

The problem that the PN backdoor regime fails to comprehend is that its power-retaining tactic indirectly caused the public to seek help from the king.

Doc: Surprisingly, the Agong meeting all these political party heads for reasons no one is sure of does not seem to be turning the heads or sparking off any enthusiasm from the common folk.

I guess the rakyat is pretty much fed up with the PN government’s lack of leadership or mental acumen in handling this Covid-19 infection rates, vaccination drive, or imploding economy.

But we the rakyat don't think a change of government at this point is going to bring about a beneficial effect. I guess Malaysians of all races and religions have learned one important lesson after more than a year into this pandemic - "Kita jaga kita" (We take care of ourselves).

Cogito Ergo Sum: The politicians have had their go at running the country. It’s time that a team of technocrats took over the running of the nation.

Specialists in finance, health, law, economics, and other essential areas must be appointed to run the country until the pandemic and acute economic dysfunction we are in are alleviated.

The people are tired of politicking and politicians who have only self-interest at their core. No one person or party has all the expertise and integrity to get us on track. We need real-world professionals to put us back on the path of recovery.

Merely One: @Cogito Ergo Sum, how does this work? These 'specialists' are put in place - presumably via some consensus between the rulers and the major political parties?

The experts successfully sort out the pandemic and the economy. Then what? The specialists go back to their day jobs and we elect a new bunch of incompetents?

Anonymous_47029368: We must be naive to think that politicians, who are still busy playing politics and wanting to seize power to benefit themselves when our country is still in a dire situation, can sit and work together in a NOC.

Hang Babeuf: Those who created this mess now have an obligation to try to clean it up. So it is now back to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Council of Rulers. Let us see what they can do.

For their own sakes, they cannot be seen to be found wanting in this crisis. They cannot afford to put themselves in that situation. And some of them must surely realise that brutal fact.

The Analyser: @Hang Babeuf, it’s not up to the Council of Rulers to decide anything. They have no constitutional decision-making power. Nor should they have.

This mess was created by then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad (who resigned). The Agong did the only thing he could do at the time. Now he has run out of options and can only act on advice from the PM.

Hang Babeuf: @The Analyser, yes, you are right. In principle.

The Agong must/should act [only] on the advice of a/the PM. Meaning: a legitimately elected and appointed PM.

The problematic/questionable legitimacy of this PM and his government has plagued the nation now ever since his appointment. That PM's lack of legitimacy has now also become the Agong's problem too.

But it also gives him some necessary [constitutional] "room to manoeuvre" - the possibility of acting on his own initiative to resolve this problem that, as a result of the manoeuvres around him of others, he helped occasion.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/578464

Mahiaddin resign jer la.

Taiwan businesses struggle amid COVID restriction

CiTY convenience STORE — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 23:42:29 +0800

Taiwan has been struggling to speed up its vaccination roll-out as it deals with a spike in local COVID-19 infections. Business owners are worried about their ability to stay afloat amid restrictions. Only 3% of Taiwan's 23-million population has been vaccinated -- the lowest in the developed world. It has secured just two million doses of vaccines. New supplies may not arrive until August, and many wonder if businesses on the island can wait that long.

[YOUTUBE]zIzcrBrQAi4[/YOUTUBE]

Perhaps msia can implement 4 days working hours

CiTY convenience STORE — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 12:13:27 +0800

Extra 2 hours for Monday to Thursday, 9am to 8pm.
Friday included into weekend.

Then we can achieve French style efficiency. Less politic, more straight to the solution. Somemore reduce the covid spread with lesser day of traffic time.

Anwar unable to suggest solutions to crisis

CiTY convenience STORE — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 20:33:13 +0800

[YOUTUBE]DK2NTAPIGPc[/YOUTUBE]

Why Taiwan 7000 active cases jer, ward dah full?

CiTY convenience STORE — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 11:55:57 +0800

Malaysia ward only reached 100% when active covid case reached 100k mark.

I thought their medical is far superior than us? Even DLCW went there to treat cancer.

Xi Jinping is actually a very good leader

CiTY convenience STORE — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 10:38:19 +0800

He improved standard of living of their citizen so much.
He curbed rampant corruption and make China one of safest nation on earth.
He digitized whole countries. Hence have the fundamental infrastructure to curb covid 19.
He supports local company. Same strategy like South Korean leaders where local company can sprung up and grow big internationally.
He always plan forward like Singaporean gov.

I wish Malaysia can have a good leader like him, 50% also enough.

Taipei mayor: 1st dose az, 2nd pfizer/moderna

CiTY convenience STORE — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 04:22:23 +0800

[YOUTUBE]iJxshVP3ibw[/YOUTUBE]

Ok I believe him since he is doctor and supported by citation.

Msia local uni ranking dropped under mahiaddin gov

CiTY convenience STORE — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 04:09:46 +0800

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/202...kings-t/1980714

Sad la top 5 uni all ranking dropped.

Why palm oil price still skyrocketed?

CiTY convenience STORE — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 20:26:23 +0800

I thought whole world boycott coz destroy orangutan habitat?

PDRM extorted RM500 from young hawkers

CiTY convenience STORE — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 23:32:02 +0800

We don’t have to tell you that hawkers are suffering through the pandemic. Many of them are losing sales due to the lessened foot traffic in hawker centres, making it harder for them to make a living.

What’s saddening is that there are people who extort these hawkers, while they’re already enduring financial difficulties.

Based on a report by Sin Chew, two hawkers from a restaurant in Kepong has RM500 extorted from them after they were accused of drug possession and trafficking.

The 21-year-old cook and his 13-year-old brother were on their way to their stall at 6.30am on 2 June, when they were allegedly stopped by three police officers on motorbikes near the Malaysian Forest Research Institute (FRIM) in Kepong.

When the officers reportedly found out that they had not obtained a letter from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), they informed them that a fine would be issued. According to the Kepong MP’s account of what happened that day, the police officers suspected them of carrying drugs, which led to them raiding the hawkers’ car and a search of their bodies, wallets and phones.

The officers then apparently proceeded to pour out 33 bowls worth of soup, the boys’ potential income for the day, onto the road in an effort to find drugs in it.

“I asked the police why they had dumped our soup, but they said they wanted to check the soup base for drugs,” the 21-year-old hawker shared.

On top of that, the officers apparently threatened the boys with fines totalling RM3,000 (RM1,500 for each of them) but reportedly asked them for RM500 for ‘tea money’ if they could not afford the fine.

https://worldofbuzz.com/pdrm-officers-alleg...-food-products/

gg tried to bully kids but kena headline pulak.

Malaysia may be barred from Olympics

CiTY convenience STORE — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 15:14:31 +0800

WILL Malaysia be denied the opportunity to participate in the Tokyo Olympics on July 23-Aug 8?

That is the grim scenario as it is learnt the Japanese government has asked the Games organising committee to consider denying entry for 10 countries, including Malaysia, which has experienced a surge in Covid cases recently.

The other countries on the possible "no entry list" are India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom.

The Japanese cabinet, however, noted that if denying entry to athletes from these countries is not possible due to "management and preparation for the Games", stricter measures will be imposed on them.

This includes a mandatory 14-day quarantine for the Olympic contingents from the 10 countries.

These measures, sighted by Timesport in a circular, were implemented yesterday and are to last throughout the Games.

This has put the athletes from the 10-listed countries at a huge disadvantage.

For even if they are granted entry into Japan, they will be denied the chance to train at the venues.

Even if they are under a 14-day quarantine, the athletes can only train inside their hotel rooms, which is of little help when they are competing at Olympic level.

The last time Malaysia missed the Olympics was back in 1980, Moscow, in protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2021/0...barred-olympics