China
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Travel bubbles may be postponed “indefinitely”
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand now says the proposed “travel bubble” scheme, which could have allowed limited numbers of tourist arrivals from designated “low risk” countries, may have to be “postponed indefinitely”, after its 3 target partners – China, Japan and South Korea – experienced new outbreaks of Covid-19. On Tuesday, the CAAT’s director-general told reporters he expected Thailand…
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
State quarantine for Thais entering Singapore, while harder hit nations get a pass
Singapore’s government will continue to require that all Thai arrivals to the city-state undergo a 14 day mandatory state quarantine before being allowed to enter the country and mingle with the general population. Singapore, which has 45,298 total cases, says that Thais must serve their “Stay Home Notice” at dedicated government quarantine facilities. Arrivals from China, which has seen a total…
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
First post-Covid flight from China lands in Bangkok
The first charter flight from China to Thailand has landed in Bangkok, after Thailand partially lifted its 3 month ban on foreign arrivals on July 1. Yesterday, a Spring Airlines flight flew 31 Thai nationals and 21 members of a Chinese company in Thailand from Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International airport. All foreigners, except those with work…
- Hot News
Facebook blocks Hong Kong’s user data requests after China’s new security law
Facebook is blocking requests from Hong Kong to receive user data after China’s passing of a new national security law that reportedly aims to crack down on government critics. WhatsApp and Twitter are also included in the blocking of data requests with Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone saying it is stopping the review of such requests until it evaluates the new…
- World
Australia and UK may offer a safe haven to Hong Kong citizens
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia is “actively considering” providing a safe haven for Hong Kong citizens to migrate to the country after controversial national security laws enforced by China have come into effect. Yesterday, hundreds of people were arrested after protesters took to the streets to protest the new laws introduced by China to suppress dissidents. When asked…
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Thailand praised by China for successful suppression of Covid-19
An official from the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok has congratulated Thailand for its handling of the Covid-19 outbreak and seemingly successful suppression of the virus. Speaking on behalf of the Chinese Ambassador, the diplomat says such success is due to the measures implemented by the Thai government. Thailand has now gone more than a month without a case of community…
- World
Chinese scientists find new flu strain similar to 2009 swine flu
Chinese scientists have identified a new strain of the flu similar to the 2009 swine flu, saying it has the potential to become a pandemic in China. The researchers are concerned that it may further mutate so that it can spread easily from person to person and trigger a global outbreak. While this is not an immediate problem, they say, it…
- World
India bans TikTok among almost 60 other Chinese apps
India has decided to ban almost 60 Chinese apps, including the explosively popular TikTok and WeChat, which has left millions of users reportedly startled and disappointed. The Indian government says the apps were “prejudicing the sovereignty and integrity of India, the defence of India, and the security of state and public order.” Although TikTok has refused to share any data…
- Hong Kong
Beijing passes new Hong Kong security law
China has passed the controversial new national security law for Hong Kong in what critics believe could be the start of a wave of ‘mainland’ political repression. The National Standing Committee, China’s top lawmaking body, approved the legislation. The passing of the new law has been reported on Now TV, RTHK and the South China Morning Post. Chinese officials maintain…
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
World hits milestone in Covid-19 total infections and deaths
The world has hit a new milestone with 500,000+ deaths and 10 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 with officials warning the worst may be yet to come. Meanwhile more than 5.5 million people have recovered from the virus. The statistics surged through the milestones yesterday, coupled with another record mark for daily new infections at 189,000. The true death toll of…
- World
Hong Kong residents protesters of new national security law arrested
Hong Kong residents protesting China’s new national security law found themselves arrested for unlawful assembly after fights broke out. Yesterday’s protest was largely supposed to be silent but ended with armed riot police arresting 53 people and using pepper spray on parts of the crowd after chanting and slogans were shouted towards them. Such arrests may be an indication of the…
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
China’s Covid-19 cases spike: 17 in Beijing
Mainland China today reported its highest number of new Covid-19 cases in 4 days, driven by a resurgence of the virus in Beijing. The National Health Commission reported 21 new confirmed infections nationwide on, up from 13 a day earlier and the highest since Monday. In Beijing, 17 new confirmed cases were reported, up from 11 a day earlier and…
- World
Hong Kong documentary sees scene removed after new law
A pro-democracy Hong Kong documentary saw a scene removed after a new law criminalized anything that is seen as “insulting” China’s national anthem. The director of the documentary, Evans Chan, says he had to delete the scene which featured an artist playing the national anthem, which reveals how the new law is already censoring artistic creativity. Hong Kong is considered a…
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Chinese citizens in Russia caught forging Covid-19 results
The Chinese Embassy in Moscow has caught several of its citizens trying to forge Covid-19 test results in order to be allowed to fly back to China. But the numbers of those producing counterfeit tests is unclear and the embassy has not revealed what cities or areas of Russia the hopeful returnees were residing. It is also unclear how many of…
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
UK starts human testing on experimental Covid-19 vaccine
The UK is joining the race to develop a Covid-19 vaccine with volunteers already getting jabbed as the testing continues. But the new vaccine isn’t merely a weaker version of the actual virus- it ‘clones’ the virus so its receivers don’t actually get infected with Covid-19. Imperial College London is behind the new vaccine which uses synthetic strands of genetic code,…
- World
China’s second-richest is an ex-Google employee
Apparently, working for any kind of technology company in today’s world can reap massive wealth. That’s the case for one of China’s citizens who became the second richest person in the nation after previously working for Google. Colin Huang is valued at $45.4 billion by Forbes, placing him second in China after Tencent’s Pony Ma after his e-commerce company Pinduoduo…
- World
Only 1 out of 4 Australians trust China’s actions
A recent survey has indeed concluded that Australians trust in China has collapsed with only 23% saying they trust the communist nation’s actions on the world stage. The number has significantly dropped by about 30% in the last two years with some pointing to the recent diplomatic stoush between the two nations. That battle has both countries sending threats over…
- World
China’s dog-meat festival opens for another year
In spite of the Government’s campaign to boost animal welfare, China’s infamous annual dog-meat festival opened again, but activists hope that its days are numbered. An animal rights activist, Zhang Qianqian, who was in Yulin Saturday, says it was only a matter of time before the dog meat festival had been banned. “From what we understand from our conversations with meat…
- World
Japan and China island-rights battle heating up
A small group of uninhabited islands may be the centre of upcoming military sabre-rattling between China and Japan as both sides appear to be claiming the territory as their own. The islands are called Senkakus (Japan) and Diaoyus (China) with Japan controlling the area since 1972. The potential for the clashes is growing with the US now threatening to intervene.…
- World
Asia stocks rise along with coronavirus cases
Asian stocks are rising along with the number of coronavirus cases after the WHO reported the highest daily rise since the pandemic began. The fine line between a second wave in cases and the removal of lockdowns seems to favour a more conservative approach in the stock market as caution is being taken. The Nikkei 225 ranked 0.3% higher in…
- Crime
224 arrested in another Mae Sot gambling raid
Police raided a large and sophisticated online gambling operation, arresting more than 200 people at a hotel in the Mae Sot district in Northern Thailand, close to the Burmese border, as part of an on-going investigation into Chinese-related online gambling. Apparently, there was a crackdown on the illegal gambling in the Myanmar town Myawaddy, causing those involved to flee to…
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Fears over “second wave” as China reports new outbreak in Beijing suburb
Beijing has once again instigated tight controls as China reports 49 new cases of the Covid-19 virus, 36 of which are in the Fengtai district. Until recently, the city had gone more than 50 days without any new cases, but it has now recorded 36 new cases on two consecutive days. This is the highest number of daily cases since…
