HONG KONG -- Acting Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Matthew Cheung said Thursday that Hong Kong's economy will soon recover as long as it leverages on its unique advantages and integrates itself into the overall development of the country with the strong support of the central government.

Cheung said at a public event that containing the COVID-19 outbreak is important for restarting the economy. The HKSAR government recently announced a new direction in fighting the pandemic and will adjust social distancing measures with a "vaccine bubble" as the basis, which is expected to enable the society to gradually return to normal operations and resume cross-boundary people flow soon. (HK-Economic recovery)

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MUMBAI -- Death toll caused by low oxygen supply after leakage in the tank rose to 29 in India's Nashik city, 167 km from Mumbai, the country's financial center, according to local officials.

The tragedy at the civic-run hospital that struck on Wednesday had previously reported 22 casualties out of the 150 patients admitted at the hospital. (India-Oxygen supply tragedy-Death toll)

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COLOMBO -- Sri Lanka's Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi has said the government will not suspend the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine but authorities have been studying to identify cases suffering from adverse side effects after receiving the vaccine.

Wanniarachchi said the government has appointed a committee of medical experts to identify cases with long term side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is headed by Health Ministry's Chief Epidemiologist Sudath Samaraweera, according to local media reports on Thursday. (Sri Lanka-Astrazeneca Vaccine)

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TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Thursday the country will aim to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 46 percent from fiscal 2013 levels by fiscal 2030, compared to its prior commitment of a 26 percent reduction.

"I have pledged to achieve a carbon-neutral society by 2050 and have made it a pillar of our growth strategies. Japan is now taking a giant step forward toward solving global challenges," Suga said at a government task force meeting. (Japan-Greenhouse gas emission-Target)

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HONG KONG -- Hong Kong's jobless rate declined in the first quarter of this year as the pressure on the labor market began to ease due to an abating COVID-19 epidemic, official data showed Thursday.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate retreated to 6.8 percent during the January-March period, down from a 17-year high of 7.2 percent registered from December to February, according to the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government. (HK-Jobless rate) Enditem

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