SINGAPORE – There were 31 new coronavirus cases confirmed as at noon on Wednesday (June 2), taking Singapore’s total to 62,100. Wednesday’s figure included 24 community cases, said the Ministry of Health (MOH). Of these, five are currently unlinked. Of the 19 linked cases, 18 had already been placed under quarantine, while one was detected […]
TAIPEI (REUTERS) – Taiwan reported a rise in domestic coronavirus infections on Wednesday (June 2) after six days of falls, and unveiled details of a mass vaccination plan that aims to eventually cover 1.7 million people a week. After months of relative safety, Taiwan is battling a spike in community infections, placing curbs on gatherings […]
MANILA (REUTERS) – The Philippine power grid operator warned on Wednesday (June 2) of further outages on the island of Luzon, which is home to more than half of the country’s 110 million people, after electricity supplies were hit by power plant shutdowns. The electricity output capacity is projected to be 6 per cent short […]
HANOI (AFP) – International flights to Vietnam’s two biggest cities are to resume, officials said Wednesday (June 2), reversing a short-lived ban imposed over fears of a new coronavirus wave. The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam on Monday announced a temporary suspension for international passenger arrivals at Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport from June 1 to […]
TOKYO (REUTERS) – Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is planning to pledge an additional US$800 million (S$1.05 billion) to the World Health Organisation’s Covax programme, which provides Covid-19 vaccines to countries in need, the Mainichi newspaper reported on Wednesday (June 2). Japan has already pledged US$200 million to Covax, and the country is expected to […]
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – Malaysian teenager Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam’s unexpected rise from anonymous pupil to national leader against school harassment began with a teacher allegedly joking about rape. When the 17-year-old called out the incident in a viral TikTok clip, thousands of fellow students responded by sharing their harrowing experiences of verbal and physical […]
SYDNEY (AFP) – A coronavirus lockdown of Australia’s second-biggest city will be extended by another seven days, the authorities announced on Wednesday (June 2), as they attempt to stamp out a cluster of cases in Melbourne. Five million Melbourne residents were due to exit a seven-day lockdown just before midnight on Thursday (June 3), but were […]
SINGAPORE – While parents are concerned about the side effects of the Covid-19 vaccination on their children, most are still keen to sign them up for the jab to protect them against the coronavirus. Some parents The Straits Times spoke to on Tuesday (June 1) said they were looking forward to getting their children vaccinated, for […]
MANILA – How about a cow for a jab? It may not be as eye-popping as a US$1 million (S$1.3 million) lottery win, but innovative rewards are being offered here too, to entice people to take a Covid-19 vaccine. The mayor of a farming town an hour’s drive north of Manila is promising to raffle […]
KUALA LUMPUR – Less than a year ago, Malaysia was hailed as a success story in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic, with fewer than 13,000 cases by early October. Since then, it has chalked up over half a million Covid-19 cases, hitting a daily record high of 9,020 cases last Saturday (May 29). While […]