J&J loses bid to overturn baby powder verdict, but damages cut to $2.9 billion

A Missouri appeals court on Tuesday rejected Johnson & Johnson's bid to throw out a jury verdict in favour of women who blamed their ovarian cancer on its baby powder and other talc products, but reduced damages by more than half, to $2.12 billion (S$2.9 billion). The Missouri Court of Appeals lowered the original $4.69 billion...

Judge orders Brazil president Bolsonaro to wear a mask due to Covid-19

A Brazilian judge ordered President Jair Bolsonaro to wear a mask in public after the right-wing populist attended political rallies without one in the middle of the world’s second-worst coronavirus outbreak. Federal Judge Renato Borelli ruled in a decision made public on Tuesday that Bolsonaro was subject to a fine of 2,000 reais (S$540) a day...

Taiwan investigates possible first local coronavirus case in 2 months

Taiwan has put more than 100 people under quarantine while it investigates its first possible local case of coronavirus infection in more than two months, a Japanese woman who tested positive last week, the government said on Wednesday (June 24). Taiwan's early and effective response has kept the pandemic at bay, with just 446 infections and...

Public memorial and funeral for Stanley Ho to be held in early July

The funeral of Stanley Ho Hung-sun, patriarch of Asia’s largest casino empire and the “King of Gambling” for more than half a century, will be held early next month, a family spokesman said on Wednesday. There will be a public memorial for the man, whose very name is synonymous with Macau’s rise to overtake Las Vegas...

Ex-policeman who lied mother was ill to borrow cash jailed for six weeks in Hong Kong

A former Hong Kong policeman who lied about his mother being critically ill to obtain a loan of HK$55,150 (S$9,900) from three officers has been jailed for six weeks. West Kowloon Court heard that Lam Chung-man duped three subordinates into lending him the money in May 2018 under the pretence that he needed quick cash to...

China loses appetite for salmon, seafood on coronavirus contamination worries

China's appetite for salmon and other seafood has crashed this month, after a resurgence in coronavirus infections in Beijing was traced to chopping boards for imported salmon in a wholesale food market in the capital. Exporters all the way to Europe are feeling the pinch as the virus scare prompts supermarkets and e-commerce players such as...

China to buck global economic downturn in 2020 as coronavirus continues to drive down activity, says IMF

China is expected to post positive growth this year even as the global economy contracts 4.9 per cent in a coronavirus-driven plunge in output, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Wednesday. The IMF’s World Economic Outlook Update estimated China’s economy will grow 1 per cent in 2020, a downgrade of its April forecast, but better...

Apple, Google, Amazon take aim at Trump visa ban

US President Donald Trump has suspended the entry of some foreign workers in a bid to boost domestic hiring, sparking opposition from corporate America and tech sector executives including Google's Sundar Pichai and Tesla's Elon Musk. The visa suspension, effective June 24, will last until the end of the year and is expected to open up...

Australia reports first Covid-19 death in more than a month

Australia's second most populous state on Wednesday (June 24) said a man in his 80s died overnight from the coronavirus, the country's first death from the virus in more than a month, as the state logged a double-digit rise in cases for the eighth straight day. Victoria state reported 20 overnight cases, Victoria Chief Health Officer...

Reservation requirement for popular China tourist sites to continue

Regulation helps people avoid mass gatherings, stem the spread of virus After Sunday brunch with friends at Beijing's bustling Wangfujing pedestrian shopping street, Hu Yiting felt it would be a waste of the pleasant spring weather to head back home, crawl into bed and watch TV. That's when the idea popped into Hu's head to climb nearby...