Day: March 23, 2020
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 23, 2020
Father jailed for sexually abusing daughter over 3 years from when she was 6 years old
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: A man with three daughters who sexually abused the youngest for three years from when she was six has been jailed on Monday (Mar 23). For a mix of sexual offences and consumption of methamphetamine, the 52-year-old man, who cannot be named because of a gag order protecting the victim, was sentenced to 18 years’
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 23, 2020
Taxi drivers affected by reduced demand could be temporarily redeployed as ‘transport ambassadors’: Khaw Boon Wan
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: Taxi drivers who have seen their incomes drop as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak may be employed temporarily as “transport ambassadors”, Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan said on Monday (Mar 23). Speaking during a visit to the future Bright Hill MRT station, he said these ambassadors could help ensure physical distancing between
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 23, 2020
From athlete’s village to hotel, Indonesian government prepares makeshift facilities for COVID-19
News Business Article
JAKARTA: Buildings in Indonesia are being converted to makeshift facilities for the COVID-19 pandemic, as the government scrambles to deal with a growing number of cases. On Monday (Mar 23), President Joko Widodo visited Jakarta’s 2018 Asian Games Athlete’s Village in Kemayoran, which has been turned into an emergency makeshift hospital to treat COVID-19 patients. Advertisement Advertisement Speaking
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 23, 2020
Hong Kong will ban all non-resident arrivals amid COVID-19 outbreak
News Business Article
HONG KONG: Hong Kong will ban all non-residents from entering the financial hub from Wednesday (Mar 25), its leader said on Monday, as it tries to halt a recent spike in coronavirus infections from people returning from abroad. “From midnight of Mar 25, all non-Hong Kong residents flying in from overseas will not be allowed
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 23, 2020
Singapore, Australia leaders hold virtual meeting, agree to keep markets open amid COVID-19 outbreak
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: Singapore and Australia on Monday (Mar 23) agreed to keep markets open and supply chains running amid the COVID-19 pandemic, said Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his counterpart Scott Morrison welcomed the conclusion of several key agreements during the 5th Singapore-Australia Leaders’ Meeting, which was held via video-conference on Monday,
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 23, 2020
PM Modi tells Indians to save themselves from coronavirus as Delhi locks down
News Business Article
NEW DELHI: Streets were deserted in Delhi on Monday (Mar 23) and office buildings shuttered as a lockdown to halt the spread of the coronavirus began and Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to stay at home and save themselves. India has reported 415 cases of the coronavirus and seven deaths but health experts have
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 23, 2020
Malaysia government allocates additional RM600 million for Health Ministry to combat COVID-19
News Business Article
PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian government will channel additional funds worth RM600 million (US$135.28 million) to the Health Ministry to support its efforts in combating COVID-19, said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday (Mar 23). Speaking during a televised press conference, Mr Muhyiddin said the additional funds will be used to purchase equipment like ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE)
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 23, 2020
Singapore core inflation falls into negative territory for the first time in a decade
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s main price gauge slipped into deflation for the first time in more than a decade in February, data showed on Monday (Mar 23). Prices fell 0.1 per cent from a year earlier, according to a joint release by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI). Advertisement Advertisement Economists polled by Reuters had been
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 23, 2020
Indonesia invokes emergency measures in Jakarta, bonuses for doctors
News Business Article
JAKARTA: Indonesia’s capital Jakarta shut cinemas and other public entertainment on Monday (Mar 23) at the start of a two-week emergency period to try to slow the accelerating spread of the coronavirus in Southeast Asia’s biggest city. The new measures, which include urging people to work from home, still fall short of the tougher lockdowns
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 23, 2020
‘Joy of spring’: Japan fetes cherry blossoms despite virus
News Business Article
TOKYO: The crowds might be thinner and parties smaller, but warnings from officials over the coronavirus have done little to stop Japanese celebrating as the country’s famed cherry trees explode into bloom. Over a warm long weekend in Tokyo, people packed into traditional blossom hotspots, many not even wearing face masks, to admire the fluffy
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 23, 2020
Malaysia reports one more COVID-19 death, bringing total to 11
News Business Article
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Monday (Mar 23) reported one more COVID-19 death, bringing the death toll to 11 in the country. In a Facebook post on Monday, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the latest fatality is a 70-year-old Malaysian man – Case 1,070 – with a history of chronic illness. Advertisement Advertisement “He had travelled
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 23, 2020
Man gets jail, caning for raping maid after asking her for massage
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: A man raped his maid after asking her for a massage, going on to molest another woman and assault a third while on court bail. The 43-year-old man, who cannot be named due to a gag order, was sentenced on Monday (Mar 23) to about 11 years and seven months’ jail and nine strokes of
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 23, 2020
Italy sees 651 new coronavirus deaths, toll nears 5,500
News Business Article
ROME: Italy’s world-topping toll from the coronavirus pandemic approached 5,500 on Sunday (Mar 22) after the Mediterranean country reported another 651 deaths. The latest daily toll was smaller than Saturday’s record 793 fatalities but still the second-highest registered during Italy’s month-long crisis. Advertisement Advertisement The number of infections rose by 10.4 per cent to 59,138. Italy’s
Commentary: Are banks strong enough to withstand the coronavirus crash?
SHEFFIELD: One of the most visible outcomes of the COVID-19 crisis is the mayhem in the global stock markets. Between Feb 20 and Mar 19, the S&P 500 index plunged from 3,373 to 2,409, the FTSE 250 from 21,866 to 12,830, and the Nikkei from 23,479 to 16,552. Advertisement Advertisement The oil price war, in