China vows retaliation after Trump ends preferential status for Hong Kong

President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered an end to Hong Kong’s special status under US law to punish China for what he called “oppressive actions” against the former British colony, prompting Beijing to warn of retaliatory sanctions. Citing China’s decision to enact a new national security law for Hong Kong, Trump signed an executive order that he...

Tokyo Games likely to be pared down, says JOC chief

The rearranged Tokyo Olympics are likely to be a pared-down version of recent editions of the four-yearly Games, Japanese Olympic Committee chairman Yasuhiro Yamashita said on Tuesday. Japan and the International Olympic Committee postponed the Tokyo Games until 2021 in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, organisers have spoken of trying to simplify the event...

Malaysian court hears contempt case against news portal Malaysiakini amid media crackdown

A Malaysian court heard on Monday (July 13) a contempt case brought by the government against independent news portal Malaysiakini and its editor-in-chief over readers' comments posted on its website, in a case widely seen as a test for press freedoms. Rights groups have accused Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's government of stifling dissent after a series...

Malaysian PM unseats house speaker in vote seen as crucial test of support

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin cleared a major hurdle in parliament on Monday, as lawmakers narrowly approved a motion to remove the lower house speaker, in a vote seen as an important barometer of his support. While not officially a confidence vote, the outcome was the first real measure of how much legislative backing Muhyiddin could...

US coronavirus cases surpass 59,000 in a single day, setting record

The United States reported more than 59,000 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, the biggest increase ever reported by a country in a single day, according to a Reuters tally. The United States faces a bleak summer as infections surge and many states are forced to close bars and popular beaches to try to curb the rise. In...

Statue of US first lady Melania Trump set on fire in Slovenia

A wooden sculpture of US first lady Melania Trump was torched near her hometown of Sevnica, Slovenia, on the night of July Fourth, as Americans celebrated US Independence Day, said the artist who commissioned the sculpture. Brad Downey, a Berlin-based American artist, told Reuters he had the life-sized blackened, disfigured sculpture removed as soon as police...

Toll rises from rain storms in China as student bus plunges into reservoir

A bus carrying high school students plunged into a reservoir in southwest China on Tuesday, as days of torrential rain triggered flood warnings across large parts of the country and disrupted the first day of national college exams. In the central city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus epidemic first erupted in December, a record-breaking 426 millimetres...

Opinion: Decades-old dream of poverty-free China about to come true

If China, as it has pledged, eliminates absolute poverty by the end of this year, it will be an unprecedented achievement in the world. There could be many reasons behind its imminent success, but the top reason, according to me, is strong and consistent leadership. Addressing a Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee panel discussion...

Singapore clinches 3 of top 5 South-east Asia deals despite Covid-19 slowdown

Singapore clinched three of the top five private equity and venture capital deals struck in the region in the first quarter amid markedly slower economic activity across South-east Asia due to the pandemic. There were 141 such deals worth US$1.4 billion (S$1.95 billion) in the region in the three months to March 31, Ernst & Young...

Facebook Blocks Video Praising Malaysia’s Effort In Handling Covid-19

Back on 18th May, American content creator Dustin Pfundheller published a video on his YouTube account titled “Other Side of the Truth”, praising Malaysia’s effort in their fight against Covid-19. Unfortunately, it was revealed that the video, titled “How Malaysia Did The Impossible”, was blocked by Facebook. According to Pfundheller, the clip promotes “false, misleading and deceptive...