SINGAPORE – A 95-year-old Singaporean woman died from Covid-19 complications on Sunday (May 30). She was confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus on May 17 when she was warded at Changi General Hospital for an unrelated medical condition, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Sunday. The patient had not been vaccinated against the […]

By Richard C. Paddock Vietnam, which is coping with its worst outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, announced new restrictions for its largest city on Sunday, a day after its health minister said a “very dangerous” new variant of the coronavirus had been detected in the country. New social distancing requirements will be imposed in Ho […]

SINGAPORE – Local organisation Humanity Matters has sourced four tonnes of relief supplies worth $85,000 to send to Gaza in response to an international appeal for aid to the region. The relief items, which will be dispatched to Cairo, Egypt, in the coming week, include fluid-resistant surgical respirators, surgical gloves, high-risk gowns, surgical goggles, and […]

SINGAPORE – There were 25 new Covid-19 cases, including 19 in the community, as at noon on Sunday (May 30), said the Ministry of Health (MOH). Six of the community cases are currently unlinked. The remaining 13 are linked to previous cases. Eleven had already been quarantined. There were also six imported cases who had […]

WELLINGTON (REUTERS) – Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison arrived in New Zealand on Sunday (May 30) for annual talks with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern amid differences between the two neighbours on China and Australia’s deportation policy. Quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand began last month after both nations controlled the spread of Covid-19, allowing […]

NEGOMBO, SRI LANKA (AFP) – Sri Lanka launched a criminal probe on Sunday (May 30) into a massive container ship fire that has swamped the island nation’s coast with plastic pollution in an unprecedented marine disaster. Tonnes of microplastic granules have inundated the South Asian country’s famed beaches, forcing a fishing ban and prompting fears […]

BEIJING (BLOOMBERG) – China and the European Union are partners, not competitors, and cooperation will help both sides, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Polish counterpart as the Asian nation seeks support after an investment deal with the bloc was put on hold. Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said his country believes a China-EU […]

SINGAPORE – When creating a learning space for your children, consider other aspects of early childhood development like play, creativity, sensory experiences and motor skills, advise experts. Madam Fynn Sor, 38, who teaches parents how to set up learning spaces at home, says learning is more than just ABCs, 123s and worksheets. “A well-designed learning […]

SINGAPORE – An online poll sexualising ustazah, or female Islamic religious teachers, with a view to commit sexual violence against them has been removed from social media platform MeWe. Mr David Westreich, marketing director of MeWe, told The Straits Times on Sunday (May 30) that the poll, which is currently being investigated by the police here, […]

YANGON (REUTERS) – Breathless, fevered and without the extra oxygen that could help keep them alive, the new coronavirus patients at a hospital near Myanmar’s border with India highlight the threat to a health system near collapse since February’s coup. To help her tend the seven Covid-19 patients at Cikha hospital, day and night, chief […]