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Singapore unveiled one of the world’s biggest floating solar power farms on July 14, 2021. Covering an area the size of 45 football fields, the project comprises 122,000 panels on the Tengeh Reservoir. It is part of Singapore’s efforts to quadruple its solar energy production by 2025. The farm will produce enough el…
Fireworks lit up the skies in France as the country celebrated its national day on July 14, 2021. Last year’s Bastille Day events were scaled back and the annual military parade was cancelled because of concerns about the spread of Covid-19.
Heartbreaking scenes of mourners in protective suits saying farewell to loved ones are taking place every day at Indonesia’s Rorotan Public Cemetery. In the two months since it was designated as a Covid-19 burial ground, more than 1,800 pandemic victims have been buried at the site in northern Jakarta. Indonesia has…
Fire tore through a coronavirus isolation ward at the al-Hussein hospital in Iraq’s southern city of Nasiriyah, on July 12, 2021, killing at least 52 people and wounding 22 others. Demonstrators gathered outside the hospital to blame the local government for the fire reportedly triggered by an oxygen tank explosion.…
Thousands took to the streets across Cuba on July 11, 2021, to join the biggest demonstrations against the communist government seen in the country in decades. The protests erupted as the Caribbean island faced its worst economic crisis since the break-up of its former ally the Soviet Union in the 1990s. A record su…
Olympic host city Tokyo has been conducting earthquake simulations in preparation for the delayed 2020 Games. The drills at the Ikebukuro Life Safety Learning Center were held as geologists warned about the persistent threat of earthquakes in the quake-prone country. Japan has also been battling the Covid-19 pandemi…
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US President Joe Biden said on July 12, 2021, that his administration firmly supports the people of Cuba in their calls for freedom and relief from the Covid-19 pandemic and economic problems. Thousands of Cubans took to the streets on July 11 in the biggest anti-government protests seen in Cuba in decades. The demo…
Myanmar is battling its worst wave of Covid-19 infections since the start of the pandemic, as the country remains mired in bitter and violent political unrest sparked by the military seizing power on February 15, 2021. The Southeast Asian country reported 4,377 infections on July 10, following a full week of record-…
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The Chinese border city of Ruili in southwestern Yunnan province went into lockdown on July 7, 2021 after mass testing found 23 locally transmitted Covid-19 infections. Seven of the cases were reportedly linked to the highly transmissible Delta variant which has been circulating in neighbouring Myanmar. All resident…
A massive billboard featuring a 3D cat has drawn crowds in Shinjuku, one of Tokyo’s busiest districts. The 4K-resolution display was organised by local businesses who hope to revive the area and cheer people up during the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 18 months since the coronavirus was first reported in China, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on July 7, 2021, that the global death toll from Covid-19 passed the “tragic milestone” of 4 million. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned the world has reached a “perilous point” in…
Indonesia is battling one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks in Asia with nearly 35,000 daily infections and over 1,000 deaths recorded on July 7, 2021, alone. Debryna Dewi Lumanauw, a Jakarta-based doctor working at the forefront of the nation’s pandemic fight, says fear helps health workers stay vigilant as they stru…
Indonesia is fighting a severe Covid-19 wave driven by the highly infectious Delta variant. The surge in cases has put a strain on the country’s health care system, and hospitals have seen shortages in beds, oxygen supplies and manpower. New coronavirus restrictions were announced in Java and Bali on July 1 to conta…
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It has survived two world wars, the fight against colonialism and bankruptcy. The Mumbai Samachar is considered Asia's oldest newspaper still in print. Founded in 1822 for businessmen living in the key port city, the paper this year entered its 200th year on July 1, 2021. The Gujarati-language daily is struggling, b…
A Japanese broadcast tradition known as rajio taiso started in 1928, when the Postal Life Insurance Bureau of Japan’s Ministry of Communications established a national exercise programme to improve people’s health. The state-run insurance firm took a cue from US insurance companies which sponsored fitness programmes…
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Senior citizens are back to shake, shimmy and groove on dance floors in South Korea. Vaccinated seniors were allowed to meet for group activities again from July 1, 2021 after authorities eased Covid-19 social-distancing restrictions that had been in place for a year in the country. The change, which offers a return…
More than 200 tourists have arrived on the first day of Thailand’s quarantine-free tourism pilot programme for the resort island of Phuket. The island, which was hit hard by economic losses during the pandemic, started welcoming fully-vaccinated tourists on July 1, 2021. The arrivals are under the “Phuket sandbox” p…
A police officer was seriously injured by a lone assailant with a knife on a busy Hong Kong street on Thursday night as the city marked the 24th anniversary of its return to Chinese sovereignty. A video that captured the moment at around 10pm on July 1, 2021, has circulated widely online. Police said the uniformed o…
The streets of Hong Kong were subdued on July 1, 2021, as the former British colony marked the anniversary of its handover to Chinese sovereignty 24 years ago. The date, which this year coincided with celebrations on the mainland for the 100th anniversary of China’s ruling Communist Party, is usually a time of prote…
Tuk-tuk drivers in Bangkok have been struggling to make ends meet during the Covid-19 pandemic as visitor numbers tumbled amid tight border restrictions. However, unexpected help has come from K-pop fans, who have been placing ads on tuk-tuks to celebrate their idols’ birthdays and album launches. The K-pop-obsessed…
Shallow graves have been emerging from the banks of India’s Ganges river. The bodies, which washed up from seasonal monsoon floods, are believed to belong to Covid-19 victims who died during the second pandemic surge in April and May. Mass cremations are being carried out amid worries over river contamination. Local…
Though annual July 1 rallies were banned by police, citing pandemic restrictions, a flag-raising ceremony went ahead in the morning of July 1, 2021, to mark the 24th anniversary of former colony Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty. Police said they will deploy about 10,000 officers across the city, have made c…
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The coronavirus Delta variant, first identified in India in October 2020, is spreading quickly around the globe, becoming the dominant virus strain. The World Health Organization said on June 25, 2021, that Delta has become the most transmissible Covid-19 virus variant discovered so far. As of June 25, the Delta str…
The highly transmissible Delta coronavirus variant is exposing the vulnerability of economies with low vaccination rates, such as Australia and Hong Kong. Catherine Bennett, public health expert and epidemiologist at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, explains how infectious the variant is and how it could f…
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The Philippine town of Bibiclat in central Luzon celebrated the annual Taong Putik festival on June 24, 2021. The tradition to honour the town’s patron saint, John the Baptist, is also a time to pray for good health. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, this year’s celebration was held without the usual large crowds. Instead…
Every year, thousands of worshippers from the Tengger tribe journey up Mount Bromo in eastern Java, Indonesia for the Yadnya Kasada festival. They throw sacrifices into the volcano’s crater in hopes of “appeasing the mountain gods” to secure a good harvest. Offerings include livestock, fruit, vegetables and flowers.…
During Hong Kong’s first black rainstorm of the year on June 28, 2021, a landslide took place on South Lantau Road, near Upper Cheung Sha Beach, as the city was inundated with rain. The severe weather led to the suspension of classes and vaccine services as well as delayed the opening of the stock market. More than …
A strict national coronavirus lockdown will come into force in Bangladesh starting from July 1, 2021. Ahead of the measures, that will shut down most economic activity and confine people to their homes, tens of thousands of migrant workers were seen fleeing the capital Dhaka on June 27, 2021. Bangladesh reported mor…
Hong Kong’s first black rainstorm warning was issued at 8.20am on June 28, 2021. The severe weather led to the suspension of classes and vaccine services and delayed the opening of the stock market. The government said coronavirus jabs will resume if the weather warning is cancelled before the end of operating hours…
A fire broke out on a yacht in southern Hong Kong’s Aberdeen South Typhoon Shelter in the early hours of June 27, 2021, and quickly spread to a number of vessels. The fire’s status was later upgraded to alarm No 3 – on a scale of one to five, with five being the most severe. One person was sent to hospital, and more…
A fire broke out in southern Hong Kong’s Aberdeen South Typhoon Shelter at 2.34am on June 27, 2021, and quickly spread to a number of vessels. The fire’s status was later upgraded to alarm No 3 – on a scale of one to five, with five being the most severe. One person was sent to hospital, and more than 30 boats were …
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While only a tiny portion of China’s population eats dog meat, about 10 million canines are still killed each year, according to the Washington-based Humane Society International (HSI). Thousands of dogs are slaughtered each June alone during the controversial Yulin Dog Meat Festival in southern Guangxi province. Th…
Former Philippine president Benigno Aquino III died at the age of 61 on June 24, 2021. His sister Aurora “Pinky” Aquino-Abellada confirmed his death and said he had died of renal disease secondary to diabetes.
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A group of elderly people exercise by chanting slogans and laughing out loud in a park in eastern China’s Liaoning province. By following the routine, they believe it can help improve their mental health and even cure diseases.
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Durian lovers in Singapore may have to wait a little longer this year. The country’s border has been under strict Covid-19 restrictions that have impacted trade with its largest durian provider, Malaysia, and made importing the fruit much more difficult. The 2021 durian season is also being delayed by poor weather i…
President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines said on June 22, 2021, that he will jail people who refuse to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. His country is battling one of Asia’s worst Covid-19 outbreaks, with more than 1.3 million cases and over 23,000 deaths as of June 22. Duterte’s remarks contradicted those…
