SEOUL (REUTERS) – In the 10 years since Kim Jong Un came to power, North Korea has cracked down on people trying to get out of the country, leaving many defectors without hope of seeing their families and homeland again. Even before the coronavirus pandemic slowed the number of defectors to a trickle, Kim oversaw […]
Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Friday, Dec 17, 2021. S’pore setting up paediatric vaccination centres; one can jab 1,000 children a day PHOTO: ONG YE KUNG/FACEBOOK The centres are being set up as Singapore prepares to roll out its vaccination programme to children aged five to 11 later this month. […]
MANILA (REUTERS) – Typhoon Rai rapidly intensified to a Category 5 storm before making landfall in the southern Philippines on Thursday (Dec 16), forcing mass evacuations and flight cancellations as floodwaters reached chest-high in many low-lying communities. Rai, the 15th typhoon to enter Philippine territory this year, hit the holiday island of Siargao in the […]
BENGALURU (REUTERS) – Three people were killed and 10 injured in a fire at a plant owned by Indian chemicals-maker Gujarat Fluorochemicals in the western state of Gujarat, the company said late on Thursday (Dec 16). The fire at a small standalone plant at its Ranjitnagar site that makes fluorospeciality chemicals did not lead to gas […]
BRUSSELS/BANGKOK (REUTERS) – Tens of millions of migrants may be denied Covid-19 vaccines from a global programme because some major manufacturers are worried about legal risks from harmful side effects, according to officials and internal documents from Gavi, the charity operating the programme, reviewed by Reuters. Nearly two years into a pandemic that has already […]
Subscriber picks is a weekly curation of the best from The Straits Times – where we bring you exclusive reports, in-depth analyses, and the latest happenings in Singapore and beyond. What you need to know about Singapore’s new property cooling measures ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI How would the measures affect HDB and private home buyers? […]
KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, XINHUA) – Malaysia has detected its second case of the Covid-19 Omicron variant. Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the case was detected after the eight-year-old patient returned from Nigeria with her family. He also announced that there are 18 probable cases that are currently undergoing genomic sequencing to determine […]
SYDNEY (AFP) – One child has been killed and several were seriously injured after a bouncy castle was blown into the air in Australia on Thursday (Dec 16), a police statement said, with emergency services declaring a serious incident. Police confirmed one fatality and a number of other children critically injured after they fell from […]
SYDNEY (AFP) – One child has been killed and several were seriously injured after a bouncy castle was blown into the air in Australia on Thursday (Dec 16), a police statement said, with emergency services declaring a serious incident. Police confirmed one fatality and a number of other children critically injured after they fell from […]
PUTRAJAYA – A member of the entourage travelling with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on his four-day tour of South-east Asia has tested positive for Covid-19 in Malaysia. The person, who has not been named, did not participate in any of Mr Blinken’s scheduled activities in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday (Dec 15). Mr Blinken […]