SEOUL (REUTERS) – South Korea’s energy ministry said on Sunday (Jan 31) that documents about a potential plan to build a nuclear power plant in North Korea were meant to suggest an “idea” but this has never been pursued as an official project. Last Thursday, South Korean broadcaster SBS unveiled a prosecution indictment listing more […]
SINGAPORE – Police are investigating 344 people, aged between 16 and 77, suspected of being scammers or money mules and cheating victims of more than $9.84 million. The 229 men and 115 women were rounded up in an operation from Jan 16 to last Friday (Jan 29), the police said on Sunday. They are believed […]
NEW DELHI (REUTERS) – India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday (Jan 31) that protesters who stormed New Delhi’s Red Fort had caused “insult” to the country, his first public comments on a months-long farmers’ agitation that turned violent last week. Tens of thousands of farmers have camped on the outskirts of the capital for more […]
HANOI (AFP) – Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong was re-elected on Sunday (Jan 31) – a victory that makes him the most powerful leader in decades – but his win was overshadowed by a serious coronavirus outbreak in the country. Mr Trong, a 76-year-old pro-China conservative who is said to be in […]
New variants of the virus that causes Covid-19 have recently caused some concern that they may evade the immune response induced by existing vaccines, but there is no evidence yet of this occurring, said experts here, urging people not to hesitate over getting vaccinated. “Existing vaccines work against the virus variants circulating in the community, […]
MANILA (REUTERS) – The Philippines’ health ministry on Sunday (Jan 31) welcomed the offer of the country’s group of Catholic bishops to help in the coronavirus vaccination drive of the government, which is struggling to persuade many Filipinos to get the shots. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has offered to transform church facilities […]
BEIJING – On Jan 10, a mineshaft in a Shandong goldmine collapsed after an explosion, trapping 22 miners. But local officials in Yantai sat on the news for nearly 30 hours before notifying the provincial authorities, hampering rescue efforts. It took two weeks before 11 miners were pulled from deep underground, in an effort that had […]
SEOUL – A rooftop barbecue turned into a spat with his neighbour for Mr Alex Kim over noise that his daughter and her friends made jumping and running around. “It was supposed to be a relaxing evening for everyone up on the roof last year, but our neighbour living right below came up to shush […]
SINGAPORE – Since Feb 18 last year, residents returning to Singapore have been put under stay-home notices (SHNs), a rule that has been extended to all travellers entering the country from March 20. The SHN period can be spent in dedicated facilities or personal residences, depending on the individual’s travel histories. The government has been constantly […]
BANGKOK (REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) – Thailand reported 930 new coronavirus cases on Saturday (Jan 30), taking its total infections to 17,953. One new death was reported, while 14 new infections were imported from abroad, the country’s Covid-19 task force said. Thailand has recorded 77 coronavirus-related deaths since the outbreak started last January. On Friday, the Covid-19 […]