News Headlines - 15 May 2021

Suga Cabinet support rate falls to record 32.2% in Jiji poll | The Japan Times

The approval rate for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s Cabinet stood at 32.2% in May, the lowest level since its launch in September, a Jiji Press monthly opinion survey showed Friday.
The figure was down 4.4 percentage points from April, according to the survey, conducted for four days through Monday.
The disapproval rate climbed 6.9 points to 44.6%, the highest ever for Suga’s Cabinet. Disapproval topped approval for the fifth successive month.

Pre-Games camps cancelled at 45 municipalities | NHK WORLD

Japan's minister in charge of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games says training camps for foreign athletes at 45 municipalities, as well as associated cultural exchange events, have been called off... Officials say that in some cases, competitors and staff will go directly to the athletes' village in Tokyo without holding camps as a precaution against the coronavirus.
In others, training facilities set up by local authorities are being converted into vaccination venues.

Taiwan raises COVID restrictions after surge in cases - Nikkei Asia

Taiwan imposed stricter movement restrictions around its capital on Saturday after a surge in COVID-19 cases on an island that had been seen globally as a model for its handling of the pandemic.
The number of local cases soared to 180 from 29 on Friday, prompting the government to raise its warning level to three on a scale of four in Taipei City and New Taipei City -- the economic hub of the island.

Kiribati Says China-Backed Pacific Airstrip Project for Civilian Use | US News

The Pacific island nation of Kiribati said on Thursday that China-backed plans to upgrade an airstrip on a remote island about 3,000km southwest of Hawaii were a non-military project designed to improve transport links and bolster tourism.
The project involves revamping a near 2km (6,562ft) runway on the tiny island of Kanton (also spelled Canton), a coral atoll strategically located midway between Asia and the Americas, deep in territory that has been aligned with the U.S. and its allies since World War Two.

Harry and Meghan's waxworks moved away from other royals at Madame Tussauds

A PAIR of Royal dummies have found a new home among Hollywood A-listers.
Waxworks of Harry and wife Meghan have been moved away from other royals at Madame Tussauds in London.
They now stand among Tinseltown’s finest as part of a new Awards Party zone.