Hong Kong to ban all restaurant dining, mandate masks outdoors: Media

Hong Kong on Monday will announce further restrictions to curb the surge in coronavirus cases, including a total ban on restaurant dining and mandated facemasks outdoors, media reported. The new rules will take effect from Wednesday, local television channels Cable TV and Now TV said, as authorities warned it was a critical period to contain the...

After backlash, Malaysia makes U-turn on licenses for social media videos

A day after saying social media users would need to obtain a license before posting videos, Malaysia’s government abruptly abandoned the move, which critics said could have undermined freedom of expression. Expanding a decades old-law on video production, Communications and Multimedia Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said on Thursday that licenses were needed for videos to be published...

‘This is what I love to do’: Patriotic driver zhngs ride again for National Day

  How do you show your love for Singapore? Some drivers zhng (decorate) their rides by slapping on a couple of Singapore-related decals, but this man's flashy ride takes the cake. Gojek driver Henry Ho is back on the roads again with his Toyota sedan decked out in numerous decorations showing off his national pride. Besides the small Singapore flags fastened to...

310 People Slapped With RM1k Fine Each After Partying At Mutiara Damansara Club

Yesterday morning (Sunday, 26th July), 310 individuals were caught partying at a club in Jalan PJU 7/3 Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya. As a result, the 110 women and 200 men – 10 of which were foreigners – were slapped with RM1,000 compound each after the venue was raided by police. Source: Facebook “10 officers and 19 personnel from...

Harry and Meghan sue paparazzi to protect son’s right to privacy

Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, filed a lawsuit in California on Thursday against unnamed paparazzi photographers for allegedly taking “illegal” photographs of their son, Archie. The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles, cited “serial intrusions” of privacy of the couple’s 14-month old child, and came as...

China’s sex toy makers enjoy boom as coronavirus lockdowns fuel global appetite

Sex toy manufacturers in China have seen a surge in orders since the start of the coronavirus, marking one of a few bright spots in an economy battered by the pandemic, according to industry insiders. China's economy, including its manufacturing outlook and exports, crashed at the start of the year at the height of the outbreak...

In Malaysia, confusion reigns over licences for TikTok, Facebook videos

Malaysians were left baffled after the government on Thursday appeared to walk back an earlier announcement that all video producers – including media agencies and users of social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook – must obtain official licences. Communications and multimedia minister Saifuddin Abdullah clarified the government did not intend to use the existing Film Act to stifle personal...

Don’t expect first Covid-19 vaccinations until early 2021: WHO expert

  Researchers are making “good progress” in developing vaccines against Covid-19, with a handful in late-stage trials, but their first use cannot be expected until early 2021, a World Health Organisation (WHO) expert said on Wednesday. WHO is working to ensure fair vaccine distribution, but in the meantime it is key to suppress the virus’s spread, said...

China scheduled to launch independent Mars mission on Thursday

China is scheduled to launch an unmanned probe to Mars on Thursday, aiming to demonstrate its technological prowess as it makes a bid for global leadership in space with its first independent mission to visit another planet. The probe, due to blast off on the Long March 5 Y-4 rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre...

Malaysian court orders ex-PM Najib to pay $550m tax bill

A Malaysian court on Wednesday ordered former Prime Minister Najib Razak to settle 1.69 billion ringgit (S$550 million) in unpaid taxes over seven years while he was still in office, according to a report by national newswire Bernama. Defeated in the 2018 general election amid widespread outrage over allegedly rampant graft in his government, Najib is...