ASEAN News

State-owned electricity firm PLN has announced its intention to supply Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) on 450-volt ampere (VA) contracts with six months of free electricity as part of the government’s latest expansion of social aid. According to PT PLN (Persero) president director Zulkifli Zaini, the company has started gathering data of around 500,000 pre-paid customers from small businesses …

SINGAPORE – Madam Yap Lay Hong, 102, Singapore’s oldest COVID-19 patient, has been discharged from Tan Tock Seng Hospital on May 1 (Friday). Madam Yap was 16 residents at an old age home who were tested positive for the virus. A cluster that led the government to ban visitors to all nursing and old age homes last April. On Friday, …

Metro Manila – Celebrity couple Coleen Garcia and Billy Crawford are going to be parents. The two made the announcement on Friday (May 1) via Instagram and that Coleen is already 5 months pregnant. Billy Crawford’s Instagram Post Coleen wrote, “It’s been over 5 months now. And just like that, we’re more than halfway through! We found out earlier this …

Vaccines and drugs against COVID-19 are currently being researched and developed. Scientists are also trying other alternatives that are more practical and brief by using the blood plasma of patients recovering from COVID-19 as a ‘medicine’. The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) for Jakarta region, expressed willingness to collect blood of recovered COVID-19 patients for trial of treatment using convalescent blood …

The International Golf Federation and International Olympic Committee have announced an adjustment to the qualifying system for the Tokyo2020 Olympic Games to accommodate the new dates of competition in 2021. In light of the one-year delay, athletes now will accumulate Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR) points through a period ending on 21 June 2021 for the men and 28 June 2021 for …

A 48 year old man from Northern Ireland, has been arrested in Pattaya, Thailand and charged with the murder of a Thai woman. The woman who is believed to be in her late thirties worked as a bar entertainer. The Irishman allegedly beat the woman with a pool cue and then killed her with a machete. Upon responding to the …

HANOI – Vietnam has reported less than 300 cases of Covid-19 without fatality since January 2020, according to official records. The country with a population of 95 million, Vietnam is quietly winning its war against the virus by implementing early measures such as sealing the borders, quarantined masses of people, used soldiers and police to track down potential infections and …

For many Malaysians the declaration of the 6-month automatic deferment of all loans by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) has been greeted with relief. At a time when work stability in Malaysia and across the globe is inexistent, the decision to give no fines for failure to pay off a significant monthly contribution is also a good news. However, a bit …

MANILA – Presidential spokesman Harry Roque reiterated on Thursday that Taiwan is part of China despite mounting protest from Taiwan. The remark drew “strong dissatisfaction and high regret” from Taipei. Roque stood by his position saying the Philippines, like many countries in the world, consider Taiwan as part of China. “We have always had one position with this regard, together …

PHNOM PENH – Up to 130 factories in Cambodia have suspended operations due to massive decline in sales brought upon by Covid-19 pandemic. Labour Ministry secretary of state and spokesman Heng Sour said in a press conference most of these garments are being exported to European countries and the United States as its major markets. “Cambodia has yet to receive …