Coronavirus: Vietnam says contagion ‘under control’ in virus epicentre but has spread elsewhere

A new coronavirus outbreak in Vietnam spread to two more provinces on Wednesday (Aug 5), the country's Health Minister said, as the Covid-19 task force declared the contagion "under control" in the central city where the outbreak began. Aggressive contact-tracing, targeted testing and strict quarantining had helped Vietnam contain earlier outbreaks, but it is now battling...

Chinese graduate uses finance skills to assist farmers in boosting income

Different from most women in their 20s, Zhang Wanting chose to work with farmers instead of taking a position as a college lecturer after gaining her master's degree in finance from overseas. Now her eco farm has become one of the most famous agricultural tourist attractions in the city of Shenyang, Liaoning province, demonstrating the nation's...

Fine for 10 who met at Sengkang flat during circuit breaker to drink, watch Netflix

Two residents of a flat in Compassvale were messaging some friends on WhatsApp amid the Covid-19 outbreak when one of them suggested having a social gathering at the unit. The court heard that Leong Chee Mun, 37, and his fiancee, Cassie Ong Shi Hong, 32, agreed to host the event at their home on May 8...

Reform Party conflict goes public as Charles Yeo becomes chairman

Criminal defence lawyer Charles Yeo has been appointed chairman of the Reform Party (RP), while oil and gas company director Mahaboob Batcha is the new party treasurer. The party announced the appointments in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Aug 5), which it said were part of party renewal following the recent general election. But the move has been...

Beirut Explosion: Nur Sajat & BF Jad Issa Mourn Death Of Relative

A massive explosion of an ammonium nitrate fertiliser depot that rocked Lebanon’s capital city Beirut on Tuesday (4th August) evening has reportedly killed 73 people and injured nearly 4,000 locals. The blast not only caused destruction in the area, but also caused damage to several other buildings located a few kilometres from the location. Sadly, among...

Singapore’s Universal Studios deploys facial recognition for entry

Visitors to Universal Studios in Singapore will now have to pass through facial recognition scanners to enter the park, in the city-state’s latest foray with a technology that has stoked privacy concerns. Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), which owns the sprawling area of tourist attractions, hotels and restaurants in which the park sits, said the scheme which...

Taiwanese host Luo Pei-ying found dead at home, body discovered only after two days

The Chinese entertainment scene is reeling from shock after the body of Taiwanese veteran TV host Luo Pei-ying was discovered last night (Aug 3). According to media reports, Pei-ying had been uncontactable over the last few days and a friend went to her home at 9pm — only to find the 59-year-old unresponsive and slumped on...

‘Vaccine nationalism’: Is it every country for itself?

It's dog eat dog in the world of Covid-19 vaccines. That's the fear of global health agencies planning a scheme to bulk-buy and equitably distribute vaccines around the world. They are watching with dismay as some wealthier countries have decided to go it alone, striking deals with drugmakers to secure millions of doses of promising candidates...

Scientists solve mystery of the origin of Stonehenge megaliths

Scientists have solved an enduring mystery about Stonehenge, determining the place of origin of many of the megaliths that make up the famed monument in Wiltshire, England, thanks to a core sample that had been kept in the United States for decades. Geochemical testing indicates that 50 of Stonehenge’s 52 pale-gray sandstone megaliths, known as sarsens,...

Coronavirus dampens Japanese man’s plan to rescue bathhouse culture

Craft beer, live music and lodging featured in renovation plans that Takuya Shimbo had for an aging Tokyo bathhouse, hoping to rescue a fading industry from extinction by reinventing the concept of communal bathing. Then the novel coronavirus struck. The government deemed Japan’s few remaining bathhouses as critical for public hygiene so it requested they stay open,...