MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday approved the imposition of lockdown measures in the capital region, in a bid to contain the spread of the Delta coronavirus variant and to shield the country's medical system.

HONG KONG: A Hong Kong waiter was jailed for nine years on Friday after he became the first person convicted under a sweeping new national security law that Beijing imposed on the city to stamp out dissent.

Since April 1, Covid-19 outbreaks have hit 518 factories and a total of 36,861 of their employees in 49 provinces, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.

There were 117 new Covid-19 fatalities and 17,345 new cases over the past 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry reported on Friday morning.

CHON BURI: Six more Covid-19 deaths and 914 new infections were reported in this dark red-zoned eastern province on Friday, with 286 new cases in Muang district.

The manufacturing production index in June rose for a fourth straight month, up 17.58% from a year earlier, boosted by higher production of autos, electronics and steel, the industry ministry said on Friday.

SAMUT SAKHON: Eight more Covid-19 deaths and another 1,186 Covid-19 cases were reported in this dark red-zoned province on Friday.

BANGKOK: Doctors healing patients from hiding, teachers giving up their classrooms and bankers losing their savings are among the stubborn holdouts still on strike to protest Myanmar's military coup six months ago.

A total of 1.54 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine made by Pfizer and donated by the United States arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport on Friday morning.

WASHINGTON: Scientific studies with poor methodology and inaccurate findings are exacerbating a Covid-19 misinformation crisis that is discouraging vaccination and putting lives at risk.