Jonvic Remulla, the governor of Cavite province in Philippines, has drawn a connection between the country's favourite pastime with the Covid-19 virus, claiming that nighttime karaoke singers are somehow hurting the nation's fight against the pandemic.
This Week's News Spotlight:
Thailand’s ‘plane cafes’ | Philippines governor urges citizens to stop karaoke | E-commerce in ASEAN surpasses forecast | Tencent picks Singapore as Asia hub | Philippines’ 30cm social distancing rules deemed “reckless”
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Thailand’s ‘plane cafes’ - The Straits Times
Thailand has 3,400 infections and 58 deaths.
Travel restrictions have dealt a huge blow to the airline industry. In Thailand, airline companies are innovating by offering customers a unique experience of “plane cafes”, where customers can pretend that they are on a flight.
Thailand is heavily reliant on tourism, and its economy has been badly affected by Covid-19’s travel bans. However, the government is contemplating travel bubbles with countries that have a low number of Covid-19 cases.
Philippines governor urges citizens to stop karaoke - The Guardian
The curfew limits travel between 8pm and 5am.
In the Philippine province of Cavite, residents are turning to karaoke to pass away the time spent under curfew due to Covid-19. However, this has led to a slew of noise complaints.
Governor Jonvic Remulla has urged residents to report noisy neighbours, telling them to “respect your neighbours who have to wake up at 4am”.
E-commerce in ASEAN surpasses forecast - The Edge
MDEC CEO Datuk Ng Wan Peng noted that as businesses go online, businesses are better able to sustain.
According to the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Covid-19 has driven ASEAN to adopt e-commerce earlier than previously predicted. Prior to the pandemic, MDEC forecasted that ASEAN e-commerce users would reach 310 million by 2025, but the new projection is now 340 million due to Covid-19 accelerating growth of the industry.
Tencent picks Singapore as Asia hub - The Straits Times
Both Western and Chinese corporations are eyeing Singapore as a regional base due to its financial and legal system.
Chinese internet giant Tencent, which owns messaging app WeChat, has selected Singapore as its foothold for Asia. It intends to open a new office in Singapore to support its business in “Southeast Asia and beyond”, and is recruiting for dozens of positions.
This comes amidst a slew of bans on Chinese apps. Tencent’s WeChat will be banned in the United States from September 20, and the company’s mobile games PUBG Mobile and Arena of Valor are both banned in India.
Philippines’ 30cm social distancing rules deemed “reckless” - CNA
Total fatalities have increased to 4,630 in the Philippines.
The Philippines has decided to cut the social distancing minimum to 30cm on public transport, a move that experts have described as dangerous and premature.
The country has been badly hit by Covid-19, with 295 new confirmed deaths on Monday, which was “a record for the second time in three days”. In the past 35 days, infections have doubled to 265,888, the highest in Southeast Asia.