Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, June 22

NEW DELHI– India’s health ministry on Tuesday alerted the states of Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh on a new variant of COVID-19 called Delta Plus. The ministry described Delta Plus as a Variant of Concern. “Based on the recent findings of Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia, the health ministry has alerted and advised Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya…

NEW DELHI — India’s health ministry on Tuesday alerted the states of Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh on a new variant of COVID-19 called Delta Plus.

The ministry described Delta Plus as a Variant of Concern (VOC).

“Based on the recent findings of Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia (INSACOG), the health ministry has alerted and advised Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh regarding the Delta Plus variant of COVID-19 being found in some districts in these states,” the ministry said in a statement. (India-COVID-19-Delta Plus)

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KATHMANDU — Nepal’s Supreme Court on Tuesday annulled two cabinet expansions by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, dismissing 20 ministers including two deputy prime ministers from the cabinet.

Issuing an interim order, Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana and Justice Prakash Kumar Dhungana directed the government to relieve the ministers of their duties until a final verdict is delivered.

Responding to a writ petition, the court said the constitution of Nepal does not allow a caretaker prime minister to expand the cabinet. (Nepal-Cabinet-Supreme Court)

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PHNOM PENH — Cambodia logged 678 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the national caseload to 44,124, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said in a statement.

The new infections included 620 local cases and 58 imported cases, the ministry said.

Eighteen more fatalities were confirmed, taking the overall death toll to 459, the ministry said, adding that 763 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 38,766. (Cambodia-COVID-19)

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HONG KONG — Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that the recent actions taken by the Hong Kong police and Security Bureau of the HKSAR government against relevant personnel and organizations of Apple Daily are in accordance with the law.

Speaking ahead of the Executive Council meeting, Lam told a press briefing that the HKSAR government will not allow the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR to exist only in name and will take vigorous enforcement actions when applying it. (Hong Kong-Apple Daily-Chief Executive)

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BANGKOK — Thailand’s cabinet on Tuesday approved a plan to allow quarantine-free travel to the country’s resort destination Phuket from July 1, government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri said.

The plan, known as the “Phuket Sandbox,” will allow international visitors to enter and travel freely on the island without quarantine, provided they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and are from what the government deemed low- or medium-risk places. (Thailand-Phuket-Reopening) Enditem