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 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...
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 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...
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...
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...
A 29-year-old woman gave birth to quadruplets recently in Yichang, Hubei province, according to Beijing Youth Daily. The woman, surnamed Gao, gave birth to the four babies - two pairs of twins - on Aug 12 at a local hospital. Li Hua, the doctor in charge of the obstetrics department of the hospital, said it was the...
A cellphone number that ends with five "eights" was offered 2.25 million yuan (S$445,000) at a court-organised online auction on Sunday, Beijing Daily reported on Monday. The phone number, which begins with "1890" and ends with five "eights", was issued by China Telecom, one of the country's largest telecom operators. It was put up for auction on the Taobao e-commerce platform with a starting price...
The US Secret Service abruptly escorted President Donald Trump out of the White House press room in the middle of a briefing on Monday because of a shooting outside the White House. Trump returned to the media room several minutes later and said a person had been shot by law enforcement and taken to the hospital. He...
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has lauded Russia’s efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine and is willing to participate in trials, as he welcomed a supply offer from Moscow that he expects will be free of charge. Russia expects regulatory approval for a potential Covid-19 vaccine this month and is ready to provide it to the Philippines,...
