Australian businesses are grappling with the growing toll of workers out sick or ordered to isolate for being close contacts

The probes come amid an embarrassment for the government over senior officials attending a birthday party in violation of its own rules

The moves follow an import suspension by South Korea last month, after Canada reported its first bovine spongiform encephalopathy case in six years.

Anyang, a city with a population of 5 million in central Henan Province, is the latest city in recent weeks to begin city-wide testing and impose strict Covid-19 prevention measures

Officials in the northern city have tightened exit controls and requires residents to get approval from employers or local authorities before leaving town in a bid to block the spread of the Covid variant.

The capital New Delhi and several states have imposed night and weekend curfews and restricted capacity at hotels and restaurants

Australia is now battling record infections in its effort to live with the virus after recording higher vaccination rates. It is now rolling out vaccines for children.

Amid restrictions in Tianjin port, the most traded iron ore futures on Dalian Commodity Exchange, for May delivery, dropped 2.2% to 698 yuan ($109.52) per tonne

The Covid-19 pandemic has driven changes in logistics, which includes acceleration of innovation, automation and digitalisation

Many people face the prospect of spending a second year away from their families over the holiday break because of concern about catching Covid-19

India and the Philippines have both seen a huge surges of cases in recent days, while 14 million people have been told to stay at home in Tianjin, the port near Beijing.

Country has been forced to suspend its Test & Go quarantine waiver scheme but foreign tourists will be able to visit more beach sites in the South if they agree to the 'Sandbox' arrival scheme