Author - Stephanie Chan

Asymptomatic Covid-19 is due to a specific gene variation some lucky people have

Even during the confusion of early 2020, when the coronavirus was indeed novel and images of lines of coffins being unloaded from Italian hospitals spread fear throughout Europe and beyond, it was apparent that some people who caught the virus either ended up with mild symptoms or none at all. It was always difficult to get...

As Olympics brace for Seine dip, rogue swimmers say water’s fine

While the 2024 Olympics will stage events in the Seine river from the ornate Alexandre III bridge, a proud declaration of the waterway's environmental renewal, many swimmers in the capital are already defying decades-long bans to take the plunge. Fears over pollution and safety led to a ban on swimming in the Seine and the Paris...

Wife of singer Ariana Grande’s new boyfriend reportedly ‘blindsided’

When reports emerged that American pop star Ariana Grande had quickly moved on from husband Dalton Gomez to her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, many were surprised – including, it seems, Slater’s wife. Lilly Jay Slater was “completely blindsided” by the news, reported American publication Page Six. The couple had welcomed their first child, a son, in 2022. An unnamed...

TikTok signs payments pact with Advance Intelligence in Malaysia

TikTok’s ecommerce arm struck a partnership with Advance Intelligence Group, a financial technology startup, to expand its online retail push in Malaysia. Advance Intelligence, backed by Warburg Pincus, will offer its Atome “buy now, pay later” service as a payment option on TikTok Shop in Malaysia, it said in a statement on July 21. The service...

Woman, 21, killed by falling air-con unit while waiting at Taipei bus stop, video purportedly shows

A 21-year-old undergraduate in Taiwan died after being struck by a 30kg air-conditioning unit that fell from the 17th floor of a building on July 20. The student surnamed Huang from National Chengchi University was waiting at a bus stop near Xinpu MRT Station in Banqiao district when the tragedy struck, reported Taiwan News. A video circulating...

‘Mr Fixer’ syndicate busted in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: A syndicate that purportedly promised it could close graft cases being investigated by the authorities has been busted by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). Six men and a woman, who posed as MACC and Home Ministry personnel, are believed to have cheated victims of hundreds of thousands of ringgit by offering to “settle” cases. “They...

Hunting a man-eating croc

KOTA KINABALU: A process of “deduction and elimination” helped wildlife rangers pick out and kill a man-eating crocodile in Tawau. Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said the rangers were surveying the crocodile-infested area around Kg Sungai Mas Mas for a while and zoomed in on the largest reptile in the area. The rangers shot the crocodile...

PM arrives to pay last respects to Salahuddin

PONTIAN: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has arrived at Kampung Serkat here to pay his last respects to the late Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub. Anwar arrived with his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail at about 11am Monday (July 24). They were greeted by Parti Amanah Negara...

Argentina’s cabinet chief says harvest should bring economic relief

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's financial crisis, which has been marked by exchange rate volatility and soaring inflation, should start abating in November and December, with large foreign currency inflows from the wheat harvest, cabinet chief Agustin Rossi told Reuters on Friday. Argentina's prolonged financial crisis has been aggravated by a ferocious drought that reduced crucial...

Michelin-Starred Korean BBQ Steakhouse Cote From NYC Coming To S’pore, Open Till 2am For Supper

In Singapore, K-BBQ isn’t usually a fancy affair — but it sure is at the upcoming Cote restaurant. The swish one-Michelin-starred New York-born eatery, an intriguing cross between a fine Korean barbecue joint and high-end American steakhouse, is opening its first international outlet in Singapore “in the fourth quarter of the year”. It’ll be housed at Como Orchard, a new...