Taiwan asks US not to cause ‘misunderstanding’ after flag tweet removed

Taiwan has asked its office in Washington to remind the United States not to cause "unnecessary speculation or misunderstanding" after the White House deleted a social media post on Covid-19 vaccine donations that included Taiwan's flag. The White House Covid-19 Response Team this week posted on Twitter an image giving details of US vaccine donations globally,...

Chinese gang masquerading as relationship saviours detained for fraud

Shanghai authorities busted a fraudulent gang of “relationship saving masters” after they swindled over seven million yuan (S$1.5 million) from more than 500 people across China. The Shanghai Municipal Police said 69 people were detained under suspicion of pretending to be relationship counsellors despite having zero training and not attempting to help their clients . On a...

Umno withdraws support for Malaysia PM Muhyiddin, calls on him to resign

Malaysia's biggest political party and key ally in the ruling coalition withdrew support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin late on Wednesday (July 7) and called on him to resign for failing to manage the Covid-19 pandemic. The decision by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) to pull support came just hours after Muhyiddin appointed a senior...

Malaysia PM appoints new deputy amid coalition infighting

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Wednesday (July 7) named defence minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob as his deputy, in a move that could ease tensions with a key ally in the ruling coalition. Muhyiddin's tenure since he came to power in March last year has been plagued by tensions with the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO)...

Dad stunned by $6,000 bill after 6-year-old son makes in-game purchases on tablet

A man got the shock of his life when he received a bill of almost $6,000 for in-app game purchases made by his six-year-old son in just two days. Stomp contributor Jason said the charges were made by his Primary 1 son, who had used his tablet for home-based learning, between July 2 and July 4. Jason discovered the $5,866.72...

European Union braces for Slovenia’s unorthodox presidency

Slovenia takes over the European Union presidency with its prime minister in the focus because of his squabbles with Brussels, close alliance with populist Hungarian leader Viktor Orban and increasingly autocratic policies which cast doubt on the small country’s credibility to lead the 27-nation bloc. Although the rotating six-month EU Council presidency, which Slovenia assumes from...

Thousands of EU citizens may lose legal status to live in UK

    Marlies Haselton has called Britain home for more than 30 years. The Dutch national married a Briton, had her children there, and considers herself “part and parcel” of the U.K. Until Britain’s divorce from the European Union, she had never given a thought to her immigration status in the U.K. Haselton, 55, is among the millions...

Feuding princes to reunite for unveiling of Diana statue in London

Britain's feuding princes, William and Harry, will put their differences aside on Thursday (June 24) to attend the unveiling of a statue to their late mother Princess Diana on what would have been her 60th birthday. For most of their lives, the royal brothers have been close, united by the shared trauma of losing their mother who...

Coronavirus: Early signs Sinovac’s jab is safe and effective in children

The Covid-19 vaccine developed by Chinese company Sinovac is safe and effective for children as young as three, early stage human trials have found, as China seeks to expand immunisation coverage. The vaccine, which gained World Health Organisation emergency use approval for adults earlier this month, has already been approved for emergency use for children above...

How should women be sexy? Photo shoot featuring famous Chinese comedienne sparks feminism debate

A debate has exploded in China about how women should define their own sex appeal after one of the country’s most famous stand-up comedians was featured in a photo spread in a sexually suggestive men’s magazine. The pictures feature Li Xueqin, who became famous, in part, for her clever jokes about Chinese patriarchy, and were published...