VIENTIANE -- Lao health authorities are monitoring tourists for cases of monkeypox, following a report from the World Health Organization (WHO) that cases of the disease have emerged in several countries.

The Local daily Vientiane Times on Wednesday quoted Rattanaxay Phetsouvanh, director general of the Department of Communicable Disease Control under the Lao Ministry of Health, as saying that health workers will be screening visitors and asking them about their travel history. People who have spent time in at-risk areas will not be allowed to enter Laos. (Laos-Monkeypox-Alert)

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WELLINGTON -- New Zealand reported its first case of the Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1 in a community case of COVID-19 on Wednesday, without a clear link to the border.

The case was found in Hawke's Bay from a test result returned on May 10, said the Ministry of Health. (New Zealand-Omicron Subvariant)

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SEOUL -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired three ballistic missiles eastward, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Wednesday.

The JCS said it detected the missiles fired into the eastern waters from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at about 6:00 a.m., 6:37 a.m. and 6:42 a.m. local time respectively, marking the 17th projectile launches by the DPRK this year. (South Korea-DPRK Missile Launch)

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NEW DELHI -- India's COVID-19 tally rose to 43,142,192 on Wednesday with 2,124 new cases registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.

Besides, 17 deaths from the pandemic registered across the country since Monday morning took the total death toll to 524,507. (India-COVID-19-Cases)