Must-reads

Taiwan raised its coronavirus alert level and imposed fresh restrictions on its residents yesterday as the pandemic rampaged through parts of Asia, with India logging a record number of single-day deaths and Malaysia its most new cases ever. The island has recorded more than 1,200 local infections in just five days.

The ousting of Donald Trump critic Liz Cheney from the Republican Party's third-highest ranking position in the House is the highest-profile example so far of how public opposition to the former United States president is a disqualification from power in the Republican Party, says US bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh.

With more children exposed to the coronavirus this year than in the last, a number of parents have had to accompany their young ones as they serve their quarantine order in hotels here.

The Ministry of Health has not disclosed the number of children served with a quarantine order.

Indonesian tycoon and former KS Energy chief executive Kris Taenar Wiluan was fined $480,000 in default of 18 months of imprisonment after pleading guilty to three charges of market rigging. These were three of six charges, with the remaining three taken into consideration. He has until May 26 to pay the fine.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) reassured an anxious Japan that the Tokyo Olympics would be safe for athletes as well as the host community, amid mounting opposition to the Games and fears it will fuel a spike in Covid-19 cases. This comes as the country battles a fourth wave of infections.

As South Korean drama series grow more popular globally, productions as wide-ranging as romance comedy True Beauty (starring actor Cha Eun-woo) and revenge thriller Taxi Driver are turning to webtoons for creative storylines. The Straits Times takes a look at some of these adaptations.