Opinion: Decades-old dream of poverty-free China about to come true

If China, as it has pledged, eliminates absolute poverty by the end of this year, it will be an unprecedented achievement in the world. There could be many reasons behind its imminent success, but the top reason, according to me, is strong and consistent leadership. Addressing a Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee panel discussion...

Facebook Blocks Video Praising Malaysia’s Effort In Handling Covid-19

Back on 18th May, American content creator Dustin Pfundheller published a video on his YouTube account titled “Other Side of the Truth”, praising Malaysia’s effort in their fight against Covid-19. Unfortunately, it was revealed that the video, titled “How Malaysia Did The Impossible”, was blocked by Facebook. According to Pfundheller, the clip promotes “false, misleading and deceptive...

China’s social media magnate to privatise microblog operator Sina

Sina Corporation, the operator of social media platform Weibo, said late Monday that a company controlled by its chairman offered to take it private, making it the latest US-listed Chinese firm to consider a privatisation offer as rising tensions between the world’s two biggest economies have some companies rethinking their American listings. The Beijing-headquartered company said...

Landslide in China’s Hubei buries nine after heaviest rain in years

A landslide buried nine people on Wednesday in China's Hubei province, the People's Daily newspaper reported, after some of the heaviest rain in decades brought floods that have killed more than 100 people. The landslide occured in Huangmei County in the early hours and efforts were being made to rescue the people, the newspaper said. From June...

Chinese father and daughter complete journey to Tibet on bike

A father and his 4-year-old daughter have completed a 71-day bicycle journey — 4,139 kilometres — to reach Lhasa, Tibet, becoming well-known online and receiving lots of support from netizens. Dou Haobei and his daughter Dou Dou had set out from Dongguan, Guangdong province on April 2 and reached their destination in the Tibet autonomous region...

Chinese family stranded in Seychelles by coronavirus finally home

A Chinese family that was stranded in the Seychelles for five months because of the coronavirus pandemic is finally back home. Rex Yang Zhouhu and his mother, sister and three-year-old nephew are under a 14-day self-quarantine in a Shanghai hotel after flying from Ethiopia last Tuesday. The 33-year-old Chongqing native became a social media star in China...

US coronavirus cases hit new global record, rising over 55,000 in single day

The United States reported more than 55,000 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, the largest daily increase any country has ever reported, according to a Reuters tally. A surge in coronavirus cases across the United States over the past week has put President Donald Trump's handling of the crisis under the microscope and led several governors to...

Indonesian Ministry claims ‘antivirus necklace’ prevents Covid-19, experts beg to differ

The Agriculture Ministry plans to release a eucalyptus-based “antivirus necklace” that minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo claims can help prevent Covid-19 transmission. The “antivirus necklace” was “invented” by the ministry’s Health Research and Development Agency (Balitbangtan) and will be mass-produced next month, he said. It is one of four products developed by the ministry’s researchers intended to treat...

Bali holds mass prayers for reopening from coronavirus lockdown

Bali conducted mass prayers on Sunday as the Indonesian resort island prepares to reopen to tourists shut out due to the Covid-19 pandemic. More than a thousand people attended a prayer at Besakih Hindu temple in the town of Karangasem, expressing gratitude for the handling of the new coronavirus on the island and seeking blessings for...

City in China’s Inner Mongolia issues warning of suspected bubonic plague case

Authorities in a city in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia issued a warning on Sunday (July 5), one day after a hospital reported a case of suspected bubonic plague. The health committee of the city of Bayan Nur issued the third-level alert, the second-lowest in a four-level system. The alert forbids the hunting and eating of...