Facebook-owner Meta and China’s TikTok restricted a record number of social media posts and accounts in Malaysia in the first six months of 2023, data published by the firms showed, amid a jump in government requests to remove content. Between January and June this year, Meta restricted about 3,100 pages …
Read More »Freezing temperatures, snow, ice blanket China, shutting highways
Chinese authorities limited traffic flows on highways on Friday in several provinces after vehicles collided on icy patches as temperatures plummeted to below freezing across most of the country. Temperatures will drop to as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of the northeastern province …
Read More »Traffic cop suspended for kicking motorcyclist for failing to pull over
The Ho Chi Minh City traffic police have suspended an officer who was caught on camera kicking a motorcyclist who refused to pull over. Captain Duong Hai of the District 3 traffic police was patrolling on the afternoon of Dec. 5 when he saw a 30-year-old man driving in the …
Read More »Disgraced province leader arrested for abuse of power
A sacked former Party secretary of Ben Tre Province in the Mekong Delta has been arrested for abuse of power, the public security ministry said Thursday. But it did not provide any further explanation for the arrest of Le Duc Tho. The move is the latest development in a case …
Read More »PM leaves for Japan to attend ASEAN-Japan summit
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh left Hanoi for Japan on Friday to attend the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation and bilateral activities in the country. The trip, taking place from Dec. 15-18, is made at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio. Over …
Read More »US identifies use of AI as risk in financial system
U.S. regulators have identified the use of artificial intelligence as a vulnerability in the financial system for the first time, according to a report released on Thursday. There is a need to monitor “rapid developments in AI, including generative AI, to ensure that oversight structures keep up with or stay …
Read More »Below 3 degrees Celsius possible in Vietnamese mountains
A cold front expected in Vietnam Saturday morning could plunge temperatures in Hanoi to 11 degrees at the lowest, with mountainous areas potentially experiencing a frosty 3 degrees. Rain may also hit northern Vietnam regions on Saturday, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting. Temperatures the day after could …
Read More »Miss Grand’s managers sued for alleged contract breach
A beauty clinic has sued Miss Grand Le Hoang Phuong’s management company for VND10 billion ($412,201), accusing Phuong of advertising for a competitor while contracted as the clinic’s brand ambassador. The People’s Court of Binh Thanh District in Ho Chi Minh City accepted the lawsuit, which involves the alleged contract …
Read More »GM to lay off 1,300 workers at two Michigan plants
General Motors said on Thursday it is laying off 1,300 workers at two Michigan auto factories in early January. The largest U.S. automaker said 945 workers will be laid off at its Orion Assembly plant, which is ending production of the Chevrolet Bolt EV and being converted for electric truck …
Read More »Asia’s climate activists lukewarm on COP deal that ‘falls short’
Far from the standing ovation delivered by delegates in Dubai, activists in some of Asia’s most climate-vulnerable nations responded to the COP28 agreement with disappointment on Thursday. The deal, approved by nearly 200 countries on Wednesday, contains their first call for a transition from fossil fuels, language hailed by U.S. …
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