BANGKOK: Moo Deng, the celebrity baby pygmy hippopotamus at a Thai zoo, has just received a huge Christmas present from one of the most influential figures in the crypto world. Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of the Ethereum blockchain platform, “adopted” the beloved Moo Deng through a generous donation of 10 million Thai baht (US$300,000) to the...
SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea's acting president faces an impeachment vote on Friday, intensifying a political crisis as the Constitutional Court meets for its first hearing on suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declared on Dec. 3. The push to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who has been acting president since Yoon was impeached on...
HANOI (Xinhua): Vietnam will likely experience intense heatwaves and scorching weather in 2025, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting has warned. Vietnam News quoted Mai Van Khiem, the centre's director, as saying that localised heavy rains, flash floods, landslides and an increased frequency of large storms were also predicted next year. He described 2024 as a challenging...
Sometimes, people get along. Sometimes, they don't. A video has gone viral on social media of a few men engaging in a bit of fisticuffs at what appears to be a jetty. Did this happen in Malaysia? VERDICT: TRUE According to Semporna police, the incident took place at Kahanga Jetty around 9am on Dec 21. "The fight was due...
Jennie, a member of four-member K-pop girl group Blackpink, will release her first solo studio album in 2025. The 28-year-old made the announcement in a 4½-minute video which went live on YouTube on Dec 23, and was linked to her website on Dec 25. In the video, the South Korea-born star shared that she hopes listeners will...
BANGKOK: A Thai court on Wednesday (Dec 25) sentenced a prominent Vietnamese hill tribe activist to six months in prison for illegally entering the kingdom and staying without a visa, his lawyer told AFP. Judges in Bangkok ruled in September that Y Quynh Bdap (pic) -- who has lived in exile in Thailand since 2018 --...
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): The third executive who was fired by Singapore Post on Dec 21 following investigations over a whistle-blower’s report will contest his termination, saying the move is undue, unfair and without merit. In a statement posted on LinkedIn on Dec 24, Li Yu, the former chief executive of the SingPost international business unit...
JAKARTA (Xinhua): The Indonesian government plans to purchase more rice from farmers in 2025 to enhance their welfare and ensure food security, a minister has announced. Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan said that the volume of rice purchases would increase from 2 million tons this year to 2.5 million tons next year. The rice will...
BEIJING (SCMP): Disgraced Chinese banker, Liu Liange, who has been sentenced to death for corruption, has had his romantic life come under public scrutiny. This includes frequently changing partners and sabotaging his son’s relationship before marrying his girlfriend, leading to widespread criticism and reportedly contributing to the young man’s chronic depression. Born in 1961 in Yongji, Jilin...
SINGAPORE: Singapore Post Ltd shares slumped by the most in more than four years after the firm fired its chief executive officer and a number of other senior executives following allegations related to its international e-commerce logistics parcels business. The stock slid as much as 9.8% at Monday’s open, the most since March 2020 on an...
