Town bombing kills 9, wounds dozens in Philippine south

A bombing in a town on a restive southern Philippines island killed nine people and wounded dozens on Monday, among them soldiers and civilians, the military said, with Islamist militants suspected of being behind the attack. Two explosions believed to be homemade bombs were triggered within one hour of each other in the main urban centre...

Bali to stay closed to foreign travellers till end of 2020

Plans to reopen Bali to international tourists on Sept. 11 have been reconsidered following the government's decision to wait until the end of this year before welcoming foreign visitors. "The government is still prohibiting its citizens from traveling abroad at least until the end of 2020. In line with the policy, we also cannot open the gate to international travelers...

Piglet petting zoo opens in Shanghai mall

A shop that allows customers to interact with mini-musk swines has opened in Shanghai's Super Brand Mall. Located on the second floor of the shopping mall, the shop currently has 10 of these small piglets. According to the shop attendant, customers are allowed to feed the piglets once during their visit. Each entry costs 69 yuan (S$15)...

Thousands of tourists make a splash in former coronavirus centre Wuhan

About 2.7 million Chinese tourists visited Hubei, the province where Covid-19 first emerged, over the past week, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Images and videos that circulated online included thousands of largely mask-free visitors packed together at a pool party in Wuhan during a music festival that runs until the end of the month. When the park...

Taiwan says China behind cyberattacks on government agencies, emails

Taiwan said on Wednesday hacking groups linked to the Chinese government had attacked at least ten government agencies and some 6,000 email accounts of government officials in an “infiltration” to steal important data. Democratic Taiwan has been urging its people to be alert for what officials call “omnipresent infiltration” from China, involving from Beijing-backed media campaigns to...

WHO blasts ‘vaccine nationalism’ in last-ditch push against hoarding

Nations that hoard possible Covid-19 vaccines while excluding others will deepen the pandemic, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday, issuing a last-ditch call for countries to join a global vaccine pact. The WHO has an Aug. 31 deadline for wealthier nations to join the “COVAX Global Vaccines Facility” for sharing vaccine...

Democrats nominate Joe Biden for president, vowing to end Trump ‘chaos’

Democrats formally nominated Joe Biden for president on Tuesday, vowing his election would repair a pandemic-battered America and put an end to the chaos that has defined Republican President Donald Trump’s administration. The second night of the party’s four-night national convention, under the theme “Leadership Matters,” featured elder statesmen like former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy...

WHO says people in 20s to 40s increasingly driving coronavirus pandemic

The World Health Organisation said on Tuesday (Aug 18) it was concerned that the novel coronavirus spread was being driven by people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, many of which were unaware they were infected, posing a danger to vulnerable groups. WHO officials said this month the proportion of younger people among those infected had...

Rihanna & Lady Gaga Poke Fun At The Trumps’ Awkward Interaction

You cannot help but cringe at the viral video of First Lady Melania Trump refusing to hold US President Donald Trump’s hand as they stepped out from an Air Force One aircraft. However, we’re not the only ones who are cringing. This video was also seen by popular pop star Rihanna, who cheekily edited the clip...