World

The United States on Wednesday, September 22, promised to buy 50 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses to donate to other countries as it comes under increasing pressure to share its supply with the rest of the world. President Joe Biden made the announcement during a virtual summit aimed at boosting global vaccination rates against the coronavirus and rallying world leaders to do more. "To beat the pandemic here we need to beat it everywhere," Biden said as he kicked off the summit, which included leaders from Britain, Canada, Indonesia and South Africa as well as World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "This is an all hands on deck crisis," Biden said of the pandemic that has raged since early 2020, killing more than The additional vaccines will bring US donations to more than 1.1 billion doses, far short of the 5 billion to 6 billion doses global health experts say is needed by poorer countries. Delivery of the new tranche will begin ... » Learn More about Under pressure, US donates half billion more COVID-19 vaccine doses to world

SHAH ALAM (Bernama): The head of the religious cult Perjalanan Mimpi Yang Terakhir (PMYT), Masitah Ab Jalar, who announced her declaration of repentance (Istitabah) on Monday (Sept 27), has called on her followers to repent and return to the true teachings of Islam. During the ceremony held at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque, here, Masitah, 39, who is also known as Sittah Annur, said she was making the declaration willingly and without coercion from any party. "I repent and will practice the teachings of Islam based on authentic sources of knowledge. "Therefore, I call on all parties or any individual who had listened to, followed, or believed in my ‘dream’ to immediately stop any form of belief built upon my statements, and return to the true teachings of Islam," she said. Masitah then signed the declaration of repentance document. Selangor Mufti Datuk Dr Anhar Opir; Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) director Datuk Mohd Shahzihan Ahmad; Selangor ... » Learn More about Cult leader calls on followers to repent, return to true teachings of Islam

(Reuters) - Seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton is under "way more pressure" than his Formula One title rival Max Verstappen, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said on Friday. Verstappen, 23, leads Mercedes' Hamilton by five points in the championship after 14 of 22 races but will start Sunday's Russian Grand Prix from the back of the grid after an engine change. Hamilton, 36, will be expected to regain the overall lead in Sochi, with a compliant team mate in Valtteri Bottas and at a track where Mercedes have won every race since the first in 2014. The two title rivals sparred verbally on Thursday with Hamilton saying he knew from experience how much pressure Verstappen was under in chasing a first crown and the Dutch driver saying he was "very chilled" and loving the fight. "I think Lewis trying to get his eighth title is under way more pressure than Max going for his first," said Horner. "Max is just enjoying what he's doing, he's driving better than ever. If ... » Learn More about Motor racing – Hamilton under more pressure than Verstappen, says Horner

SINGAPORE - Singapore has given 122,400 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine as well as medical supplies to support Thailand's fight against Covid-19. Singapore's ambassador in Bangkok, Mr Kevin Cheok, handed over the items, which included 200,000 diagnostic tests and 500,000 nasopharyngeal swabs, to Thailand's deputy Prime Minister and minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul on Monday (Sept 27), Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement. "Singapore and Thailand are close friends with longstanding and strong bilateral ties. Our contribution reinforces both countries' mutual commitment to weather this pandemic together," MFA said. In March 2020, the Singapore Government also donated US$500,000 (S$730,000) to support the World Health Organisation's Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan for Covid-19. The plan aims to limit human-to-human transmission of the virus. ... » Learn More about S’pore contributes AstraZeneca vaccine and medical supplies to Thailand

SINGAPORE - Responding to an appeal by the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Singapore Government is donating US$500,000 (S$730,000) in the fight against the coronavirus. Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Monday (March 23) said that this contribution is to support WHO's Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan for Covid-19. The plan aims to limit human-to-human transmission of the virus. In a statement, MFA said: "Singapore is deeply concerned about the growing scale of the Covid-19 outbreak and its enormous public health, social and economic impact, including the loss of many precious lives." The ministry also noted that on March 11, WHO declared Covid-19 a pandemic and warned that all countries are at risk and need to prepare for and respond to the disease. "Singapore will continue to work closely with the WHO and the UN to explore how best we can contribute to the ongoing efforts," MFA added. In February, WHO ... » Learn More about Coronavirus: Singapore Govt donates $730,000 to WHO plan to limit human transmission of virus

The quake damaged buildings and sent panicked residents rushing into the streets. ATHENS: A strong earthquake struck the Greek island of Crete early Monday, killing a man who was working in a church that collapsed and injuring 11 others, officials said. The quake, measuring magnitude 5.8 according to Greece's seismological observatory, sent panicked residents rushing into the streets and damaged buildings on Greece's largest island. It struck at 9.17am. (0617 GMT), 23 kilometres from the Crete capital of Heraklion. "So far, one man is dead and 11 people are in hospital suffering mostly from fractures, according to a spokesman from the National Centre for Emergency Care. Spiros Georgiou, spokesman for the civil protection agency, had earlier said nine people were slightly injured in the farming town of Arkalochori which was particularly badly hit. He said the man died in a small church that collapsed in the town. Images on ERT public television showed old buildings that ... » Learn More about One dead in strong quake on Greek island of Crete

Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg A plot of land in Singapore owned by the Crown Prince of Johor, which has been left disused and to rot for decades, will possibly be transformed into a multi-billion dollar luxury housing development, Bloomberg reported. A cluster of high-end homes The land is registered under the Johor Crown Prince, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim. Representatives of the Crown Prince are currently in talks with Singapore authorities for permission to develop a cluster of high-end homes, but all these were reportedly occurring under wraps with discussions ongoing since 2020, according to Bloomberg . Alan Cheong, executive director of research at Savills Singapore, said the plot could be worth between S$2.66 billion and S$4.5 billion. This is based on current estimates of the land size and planning parameters, inclusive of development charges. The land’s net value is at least S$600 million, excluding the ... » Learn More about S’pore land with abandoned Istana Woodneuk on it to be redeveloped into luxury homes

Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg The Taliban have issued warnings to their foot soldiers for taking selfies, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported . In an audio message released on Thursday, the Taliban government's Defence Minister, Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob — a son of Taliban founder Mullah Omar — reprimanded the fighters for engaging in such an activity, as well as hanging out in large groups. He said, "Stick to the tasks you have been assigned. You are damaging our status, which has been created with the blood of our martyrs." Taliban minister: Selfies are compromising the security of our leadership Yaqoob highlighted that he was particularly annoyed with fighters who, during their encounters with the Taliban's leaders, used their phones to take photos of them. Such photos compromise the security of their leadership once they are uploaded onto social media, Yaqoob added, as it gives away their location. The ... » Learn More about Taliban leader scolds fighters for taking selfies, wearing sunglasses & ‘fashionable’ clothes

Hyonhee Shin (Reuters) PREMIUM Seoul, South Korea   ● Mon, September 27, 2021 South Korea's President Moon Jae-in said on Monday there might be a need to prohibit dog meat consumption amid debate over the controversial practice and growing awareness of animal rights. While no longer as common as before, dog meat is eaten mainly by older people and is served in some restaurants and can be bought at specific markets. Moon made the remarks after being briefed by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on efforts to improve the handling of abandoned animals and a mandatory registration system for dogs. "After the briefing, he said time has come to carefully consider imposing a dog meat ban," Moon's spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee said in a statement. It was the first time that Moon raised a ban, which is likely to give fresh momentum to debate over whether to curtail the practice. To boost their popularity, several... to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR ... » Learn More about South Korea’s Moon hints at dog meat ban amid debate over animal rights

AFP PREMIUM Taipei, Taiwan   ● Mon, September 27, 2021 The Royal Navy said a British warship was sailing through the Taiwan Strait on Monday, a rare voyage by a non-US military vessel through the sensitive waterway that is likely to strain ties with Beijing. "After a busy period working with partners and allies in the East China Sea, we are now en route through the Taiwan Strait to visit Vietnam and the Vietnam People's Navy," tweeted HMS Richmond, a frigate deployed with Britain's aircraft carrier strike group. HMS Richmond had been deployed in the East China Sea taking part in United Nations sanctions enforcement operations against North Korea, Reuters reported. Local media said it was the first time a British warship had transited through the narrow waterway separating Taiwan and mainland China. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying did not offer the usual h... to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month ... » Learn More about UK warship makes rare transit through Taiwan Strait