Must-reads

India overtook Brazil as the country with the second-highest number of Covid-19 cases and Bangladesh halted international flights and shut offices as a new wave of infections battered South Asia. The region - home to almost a quarter of the world's population - has been hit by soaring infection rates in recent weeks.

Covid-19 vaccines protect people from the symptoms and more severe forms of the disease but are not designed to fully prevent them from being infected, experts said. They said inoculation was vital as although those who have had the jabs could still catch the virus, they were much less likely to get seriously ill.

President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday made his first public appearance in two weeks, quashing wild rumours about his failing health and even untimely death.

Mr Duterte presided over a meeting of his ministers overseeing the government's efforts to contain another coronavirus surge, far worse than what the Philippines experienced last year.

Even as India's economy recovers, its job crisis, which predates the pandemic, remains a key area of worry in a country where 10 million to 12 million job seekers join the workforce each year. As demand rises for better-paying roles, supply of jobs must catch up to keep recovery sustainable, experts say.

Home owners and public rental tenants who are unable to pay their Housing Board mortgage and rental payments in time will have their late payment charges suspended for a further six months until Sept 30, as part of a targeted move to help households experiencing financial difficulties.

Grab Holdings and Traveloka are poised to become public companies in the coming months, kick-starting a coming-out party for South-east Asia's long-overlooked Internet scene. The mega deals will front a chain of initial public offerings from the region's most valuable start-ups from this year.