#Art

Nearly a third of Taiwan’s corals are dying from bleaching caused by warming oceans in an alarming phenomenon that poses a severe threat to the island’s delicate underwater ecosystem, conservationists warned Wednesday. An investigation conducted last year in 62 locations around the island by the Taiwan Coral Bleaching Observation Network (TCBON) showed bleaching had reached […]

A Chinese province of more than 37 million declared an “emergency state” on Wednesday to snuff out a handful of Covid-19 cases, as the country moved decisively to contain infections. China had largely brought the coronavirus under control since its emergence in Wuhan late in 2019. But recent weeks have seen smatterings of cases, prompting […]

by Andrew MCKIRDY Tokyo Olympics organisers played down a poll showing plunging support for the Games on Tuesday and said a report claiming cancellation could be discussed next month was “fake news”. The comments, less than 200 days before the postponed Games start in July, come with greater Tokyo under a state of emergency over […]

Chinese authorities sealed off a city of almost five million people and imposed strict travel restrictions on several others on Tuesday as they worked to quash a number of Covid-19 clusters near Beijing. The country had largely curbed the spread of the coronavirus, which first emerged in Wuhan in late 2019, with small outbreaks swiftly […]

by Danny KEMP with AFP bureaus The European Union started the approval process for its third vaccine on Tuesday after WHO scientists warned that herd immunity from coronavirus was unlikely this year even with mass inoculation schemes. The 27-nation EU — under fire for lengthy approval processes and slow national rollouts of drugs — promised […]

by Deborah COLE A German-led police operation has taken down the “world’s largest” darknet marketplace, whose Australian alleged operator used it to facilitate the sale of drugs, stolen credit card data and malware, prosecutors said Tuesday. At the time of its closure, DarkMarket had nearly 500,000 users and more than 2,400 vendors worldwide, as the […]

A judge has granted a stay of execution to Lisa Montgomery, who was set Tuesday to be the first female inmate executed by the US federal government in 70 years. Montgomery, 52, has been imprisoned for 16 years after she killed a pregnant woman in order to steal her fetus. She was scheduled to receive […]

by Haeril HALIM The crew of an Indonesian passenger jet that crashed off Jakarta at the weekend with 62 people aboard did not declare an emergency or report technical problems before it suddenly plunged into the sea, an investigator said Monday. So far, inspectors have so far been unable to say why the 26-year-old plane crashed […]

More than half a million people were placed under lockdown in Beijing on Monday as the government imposed strict measures to stamp out a handful of Covid-19 cases. China has largely brought the virus under control, but is tackling a number of local infections with lockdowns and mass testing. Authorities are keen to stem any […]

A sumo wrestler in Japan said he had “no choice” but to quit the sport after his request to skip a tournament for fear of catching coronavirus was rejected. The 22-year-old known as Kotokantetsu said the Japan Sumo Association had insisted he fight in the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, which began on Sunday and […]

Seven mass coronavirus vaccination sites opened across England on Monday as the government races to dose millions of people while a new strain of the disease runs rampant across the country. The sites include football stadiums and a horse racing course, and are located in cities including Bristol, London, Newcastle and Manchester. They are to […]

Jakarta — The black box recorders from an Indonesian passenger plane that crashed into the sea shortly after take-off on Saturday (Jan 9) have been located, according to officials. Divers are now closing in on them. The Sriwijaya Air plane had taken off at 2.36 pm from Jakarta airport for the city of Pontianak in […]

Singapore — The next World Economic Forum (WEF) Special Annual Meeting, which is scheduled to be held in Singapore, has been pushed back by two weeks to from May 25 to 28 this year. The global summit, which brings together top leaders in politics, business and academia, was initially supposed to take place from May […]

Biden says Trump decision to skip inauguration a ‘good thing’ US President-elect Joe Biden welcomed Donald Trump’s announcement on Friday that he won’t attend the January 20 inauguration, calling it a “good thing.” “I was told on the way over here that he indicated he wasn’t going to show up at the inauguration,” Biden told […]

Singapore — Rioters stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday (Jan 6), making headlines around the world and forcing members of Congress to leave the building. It was reported later that four people had died in the insurrection, which many believed to have been incited by President Donald Trump on the day when Congress was to have […]