US air travel hits highest level since March 2020
(CNA) - Airports in the United States saw their largest number of passengers in a year, data showed, following a shuddering halt in travel brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Just more than…
U.S., India, Japan and Australia counter China with billion-dose vaccine pact
(Reuters) - The United States and three of its closest Indo-Pacific partners committed to supplying up to a billion coronavirus vaccine doses across Asia by the end of 2022 at a summit on Friday…
Huawei listed anew as threat to US national security
(Bangkok Post) - US regulators on Friday listed Huawei among Chinese telecom gear firms deemed a threat to national security, signalling that a hoped for softening of relations is not in the…
Biden’s meeting with “the Quad,” a new alliance to counter China, explained
A decade-old idea — a four-nation group to curb China’s aggression — is about to have a big moment.
(VOX) - When President Joe Biden meets virtually with the leaders of Japan, India, and Australia…
Biden signs huge stimulus bill ahead of coronavirus speech
(The Sun Daily) - President Joe Biden signed a massive US$1.9 trillion (RM7.8 trillion) economic stimulus bill yesterday ahead of giving a national address where he was set to urge “hope” on the…
UK: Meghan Markle saw herself as biracial, but the royals saw her as Black
(The Star) - One of the most intriguing questions still lingering from Meghan Markle’s and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey is who in the royal family was concerned about whether the…
Myanmar coup: ‘We were told to shoot protesters’, say police who fled
(BBC) - Police officers from Myanmar have told the BBC they fled across the border into India after refusing to carry out the orders of the military which seized power in a coup last…
Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill wins final approval in House
(Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives gave final approval on Wednesday to one of the largest economic stimulus measures in American history, a sweeping $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill…
China among first in the world to roll out Covid-19 vaccine passport
(The Star) - China has rolled out an international vaccine health certificate in anticipation that it will be recognised by other countries soon, making global travel easier.
The country is…
Buckingham Palace in crisis after Harry and Meghan unload on royal family
(Malay Mail) - Britain’s Queen Elizabeth was in crisis talks today after Prince Harry and his wife Meghan lifted the lid on life inside Buckingham Palace with an explosive interview that…
US daily virus death toll below 1,000 for first time in months
(The Sun Daily) - For the first time in nearly three and a half months, the United States recorded fewer than 1,000 deaths in a day from Covid-19 on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University.…
Myanmar: military revokes licences of five media outlets in blow to press freedom
(The Guardian) - Myanmar’s military junta has revoked the licences of five media outlets as it seeks to clampdown on independent coverage of anti-coup protests, a major blow to press freedom in…
Chinese lawmaker proposes removing English as core subject
(Global Daily) - Is English really that important? A Chinese lawmaker at the two sessions has proposed removing English as a core subject for Chinese students receiving compulsory education,…
Oil Jumps Above $71 After Key Saudi Crude Terminal Attacked
(Bloomberg) - Brent oil surged above $71 a barrel after Saudi Arabia said the world’s largest crude terminal was attacked, although output appeared to be unaffected after the missiles and drones…
Global food prices continue to rise with poorest countries hit hardest
World food prices spiked for the ninth consecutive month to hit a six year-high in February, led by sugar and vegetable oils, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of…
Swiss agree to outlaw facial coverings in ‘burqa ban’ vote
A far-right proposal to ban facial coverings in Switzerland won a narrow victory in a binding referendum on Sunday instigated by the same group that organised a 2009 ban on new minarets.…
China’s 7,500-Mile Undersea Cable to Europe Fuels Internet Feud
The U.S. and China are vying to control the world’s digital infrastructure, and the new “Peace Cable” has Europe caught in the middle.
(Bloomberg) - An undersea cable will emerge later this year…
US Senate passes US$1.9 trillion relief bill
(Bloomberg) - President Joe Biden’s signature $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill passed the Senate 50-49 on Saturday following a more than 25-hour marathon of amendment votes completed after…
70 countries extend support to China on HK policy at UN Human Rights Council
(The Star) - On behalf of 70 countries, a representative of Belarus to the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council expressed support to China’s implementation of “one country, two systems” in…
Myanmar protesters suffer “bloodiest day” since military coup as 38 killed by security forces
(CBS) - Demonstrators in Myanmar protesting last month's military coup returned to the streets Thursday, undaunted by the killing of at least 38 people the previous day by security forces. A…
Pope Francis holds historic meeting with Iraq’s top Shi’ite cleric
(Reuters) - Pope Francis began a historic meeting with Iraq’s top Shi’ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani on Saturday, in a powerful appeal for coexistence in a land torn by sectarianism and…
US blocked Myanmar junta attempt to empty US$1 bil Fed account
(FMT) - Myanmar’s military rulers attempted to move about US$1 billion held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York days after seizing power on Feb 1, prompting US officials to put a freeze on the…
China’s parliament to delay Hong Kong legislative vote, overhaul electoral system
(Reuters) - Elections for Hong Kong's legislature will likely be deferred for a second year to September 2022 as Beijing plans a major overhaul of the city's electoral system, a severe blow to any…
1 in 5 Chinese Australians report attacks or threats amid pandemic
(FMT) - One in five Chinese Australians say they have been physically threatened or attacked in the past year because of the Covid-19 pandemic and tensions in Australia’s relationship with China,…
Saudi Arabia: Only those who have been vaccinated can perform haj this year
(Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's health ministry has ruled that only people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 will be allowed to attend the haj this year, Saudi newspaper Okaz reported on Monday…
Myanmar’s ousted president faces 2 new charges: Lawyer
(CNA) - Myanmar's ousted President Win Myint is facing two new charges, his lawyer said on Wednesday (Mar 3), including a breach of the constitution that is punishable by up to three years in…
U.S., EU impose sanctions on Russia for Navalny poisoning, jailing
(Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions to punish Russia for what it described as Moscow’s attempt to poison opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a nerve agent last year, in…
New worldwide coronavirus infections up for first time in 7 weeks, WHO says
(SCMP) - The number of new coronavirus infections globally rose last week for the first time in seven weeks, the World Health Organization said on Monday.
“We need to have a stern warning for…
France: Sarkozy found guilty of corruption, sentenced to prison
(Al Jazeera) - A Paris court has found Nicolas Sarkozy, France’s former president, guilty of corruption and influence peddling, sentencing him to one year in prison and a two-year suspended…
Vietnam spurns China’s vaccine diplomacy with homemade shot
(Nikkei) - A Vietnamese pharmaceutical company has begun second phase trials on a coronavirus vaccine, an important step toward Hanoi's goal of vaccine independence from China amid rising…