Queen ‘Shrieked With Laughter’ At Rude Joke Staff Tried To Stop Her Hearing

I think it's safe to say most people picture the Queen as an upstanding, sensible and generally serious figure, but it turns out she's still just as much a fan of rude jokes as any of us. Whether it's an age-old 'pull my finger' or a more intricate quip with a perfectly-timed punch line, rude jokes are typically...

Australian prime minister tests positive for Covid-19

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday (March 1) said he has tested positive for Covid-19 and was experiencing flu-like symptoms, including fever. "I am continuing to follow health guidelines and am isolating at home in Sydney," Morrison said in a statement issued late Tuesday night. Morrison said he would continue to discharge his duties as prime minister...

In unaffordable Seoul, housing is at the centre of the South Korea election

Lee Jae-hong would have had no trouble buying a home in the suburb of Ilsan on the outskirts of Seoul back in 2018. With a strong credit score and a job at a blue chip company, borrowing enough for an average apartment in the city costing about US$562,000 (S$763,000) was well within reach. But the now 39-year-old...

Chinese man saves abandoned animals and gives them a new home at his private park

Over the past three decades, an 81-year-old Chinese man has been operating by himself a small zoo hosting animals, most of which were saved off the streets or on the way to be slaughtered. The zoo on Phoenix Mountain Forest Park in Enshi, central Hubei province, is dubbed as the “world’s loneliest zoo” as very few...

Dream Cruises’ World Dream to cease operations; company currently assessing its ability to offer refunds

Dream Cruises' vessel World Dream, one of two ships that began cruises to nowhere pilots here in 2020, will cease operations after it returns to Singapore shores on Wednesday (March 2), with the operator saying it no longer has the financial capacity to keep it going. The death knell sounded on Monday has been anticipated and dreaded...

Rumours and fears as China tech hub Shenzhen under pressure to contain coronavirus outbreak

As new coronavirus cases reach fresh highs in Hong Kong, the neighbouring city of Shenzhen is also feeling the pressure to contain its worst outbreak fuelled by a new Omicron sub-variant. To help prevent transmission, Shenzhen has put cross-border drivers under greater scrutiny. From Tuesday (March 1), drivers must show a negative nucleic acid test result from...

South Korea rolls back Covid-19 vaccine pass as infections burden testing centres

South Korea will temporarily lift a requirement for vaccine passes or negative Covid-19 tests at a number of businesses to ease the strain on testing centres, authorities said on Monday (Feb 28), as the country faces a wave of Omicron infections. The move will allow public testing and health facilities to devote more resources to battling...

‘Delay means death’: UN climate report urges immediate, drastic action

Climate change is already disrupting billions of lives and humanity is not doing enough to limit the suffering, the United Nations (UN) climate science panel warned in a major report on Monday (Feb 28). Noting that nearly half the world's population was already vulnerable to increasingly dangerous climate impacts, the report calls for drastic action on...

Daily roundup: Family of 6 opens up about living with Covid-19 in a 2-room flat — and other top stories today

Stay in the know with a recap of our top stories today. 1. 'I can't afford to get infected': Family of 6 on living with Covid-19 in a 2-room flat As the unit's sole bedroom became his daughters' isolation room, the family tried to make do with the rest of the space they had 2. K-drama Squid Game wins big...