Lower Mekong River water levels have increased by 20-30 percent compared to the same period of previous years as China releases dam water. According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the Mekong Delta region, where the Mekong River reaches the sea, has received a volume of water that is …
Read More »Vietnam records 8,270 new Covid cases
The Health Ministry confirmed 8,270 new local Covid-19 cases in 60 cities and provinces Monday. Hanoi led Monday’s tally with 941 cases, followed by northern Yen Bai Province with 410 and northern Vinh Phuc Province with 255. Eight deaths were confirmed on Monday, raising the death toll to 43,024. The …
Read More »Hanoi woman fined for mid-traffic meme dance
A woman in Hanoi was fined VND8.8 million ($382.90) for taking her hands off the handlebars while riding a motorbike to do a dance. The unnamed 24-year-old woman was fined for doing a “fan dance” by using her hands to mimick fans while riding a motorbike, and also not having …
Read More »Hanoi woman fined $382 for mid-traffic meme dance
A woman in Hanoi was fined VND8.8 million ($382.90) for taking her hands off the handlebars while riding a motorbike to do a dance. The unnamed 24-year-old woman was fined for doing a “fan dance” by using her hands to mimick fans while riding a motorbike, and also not having …
Read More »Three critically endangered Sumatran tigers killed in Indonesia
Three critically endangered Sumatran tigers were found dead in western Indonesia on Sunday after being ensnared by traps, police said, dealing another blow to the species’ rapidly declining population. Rampant deforestation has reduced the tigers’ natural habitat and increasing conflict with humans has left only several hundred of the endangered …
Read More »Beijing’s biggest district begins Covid mass testing
Beijing kicked off three rounds of Covid-19 testing for all residents of its biggest district Chaoyang on Monday after dozens of cases were reported, prompting people to stock up on food over fears of an eventual strict Shanghai-style lockdown. Authorities in Chaoyang, home to 3.45 million people, late on Sunday …
Read More »All in the family: Philippine dynasties tighten grip on power
If the son of former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos wins the May 9 presidential election, he will not be the only Marcos currently in power — and will almost certainly not be the last. Elite families have long ruled the poverty-ravaged nation, holding on to positions of power for generations …
Read More »Illegal loggers in Vietnam train as jungle tour guides
Vietnamese logger turned jungle tour guide Ngoc Anh knows the value of trees. For years he chopped them down illegally to sell as timber, often working with others to carry 100-kg logs out of a rapidly thinning forest. But as extreme rainfall and floods increasingly devastated his community in the …
Read More »Twitter, under shareholder pressure, begins deal talks with Musk
Twitter Inc kicked off deal negotiations with Elon Musk on Sunday after he wooed many of the social media company’s shareholders with financing details on his $43 billion acquisition offer, people familiar with the matter said. The company’s decision to engage with Musk, taken earlier on Sunday, does not mean …
Read More »France’s Macron defeats far-right, pledges change
Emmanuel Macron comfortably defeated far-right rival Marine Le Pen on Sunday, heading off a political earthquake for Europe but acknowledging dissatisfaction with his first term and saying he would seek to make amends. His supporters erupted with joy as the results appeared on a giant screen at the Champ de …
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