Friday, 15 Nov 2024

Asia

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Evening Update: Today's headlines from The Straits Times on May 18

Good evening! Catch up on some of the main headlines on Tuesday, May 18. Teens aged 12 to 15 to get Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in S’pore The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has demonstrated high efficacy and safety for this age group. READ MORE HERE S’pore delays 2nd vaccine dose to 6-8 weeks later; those aged 40-44 can […]

Japan Is Shaken After a Detainee, Wasting Away, Dies Alone in Her Cell

NAGOYA, Japan — First came a high fever. Then her face and limbs turned numb. Soon, she could keep down little more than water, sugar and bites of bread as she wasted away in her cell in a Japanese detention center. By early March, Wishma Rathnayake — a migrant from Sri Lanka who was being […]

27 new Covid-19 community cases in S'pore, with 11 unlinked

SINGAPORE – There were 38 new Covid-19 cases, including 27 in the community, as at noon on Tuesday (May 18), said the Ministry of Health (MOH). Of the community cases, 11 are currently unlinked. The remaining 16 are linked to previous cases. Fourteen of the community cases had already been quarantined. There were also 11 […]

Ikea recalls some crockery items after reports they're unsafe with hot food

SINGAPORE – Ikea is recalling some of its plates, bowls and mugs because of safety concerns. In a press release on Tuesday (May 18), the Swedish furniture chain said the Heroisk and Talrika plates, bowls and mugs can break when used with hot food and potentially cause burns. It had received reports of these products breaking. […]

Japan's Fujifilm says it can make new coronavirus variant detection kits in weeks

TOKYO (REUTERS) – A unit of Japan’s Fujifilm Holdings Corp said on Tuesday (May 18) it can develop detection kits for new variants of the coronavirus in about a month, responding to concerns over the spread of more infectious strains of the virus. Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Corp developed a kit that can identify the […]

Tokyo doctors call for cancellation of Olympic Games due to Covid-19

TOKYO (REUTERS) – A top medical organisation has thrown its weight behind calls to cancel the Tokyo Olympics, saying hospitals are already overwhelmed as the country battles a spike in coronavirus infections less than three months from the start of the Games. The Tokyo Medical Practitioners Association, representing about 6,000 primary care doctors, said hospitals in […]

Taiwan president says to scrutinise electricity management after outages

TAIPEI (REUTERS) – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen pledged on Tuesday (May 18) to look into the tech powerhouse’s electricity management after two major blackouts hit homes and businesses in less than a week, triggering criticism of the government’s power policy. Taiwan, which hosts major chipmakers such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, imposed power cuts on Monday […]

Man who was part of unlawful gathering at actor Terence Cao's home fined $3,000

SINGAPORE – Veteran actor Terence Cao Guohui, who had initially organised a gathering at his home for himself and five others last October, later found more guests at his doorstep after one of his friends invited them to the party. The friend, Lance Lim Chee Keong, 50, had invited four more people and the total […]