Month: March 2020
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 17, 2020
Man admits molesting, sexually abusing his 13-year-old daughter
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: A 47-year-old man admitted in court on Tuesday (Mar 17) to repeatedly molesting his 13-year-old daughter while they were alone at home. The man, a Singapore permanent resident, cannot be named as it will identify the victim. Advertisement Advertisement The court heard that he molested his daughter between August 2016 and July 2017, causing
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 17, 2020
Australia considers tougher movement restrictions to combat COVID-19
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SYDNEY: Australia is considering tougher restrictions on public gatherings to slow the spread of the coronavirus as the Sydney Opera House closed its doors, national airline Qantas slashed its international flight capacity and courts suspended hearings. Prime Minister Scott Morrison will meet with the newly formed national cabinet, an emergency response team that includes state
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 17, 2020
Arrivals in Hong Kong to be subject to 14-day quarantine
News Business Article
HONG KONG: Hong Kong will quarantine arrivals in the city for 14 days starting midnight on Thursday (Mar 19) to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the Asian financial hub’s leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday. Those arriving in Hong Kong will be put under home quarantine, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. Advertisement Advertisement
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 17, 2020
Singapore’s exports fall 4.8% month-on-month in February
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SINGAPORE: Singapore’s non-oil domestic exports (NODX) fell 4.8 per cent on a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis in February, reversing the previous month’s 4.5 per cent growth. Non-electronic domestic exports declined, while electronics grew, according to official data released Tuesday (Mar 17). Advertisement Advertisement Total trade declined over the month, falling by 8.6 per cent in
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 17, 2020
Australian carrier Qantas slashes international routes 90%
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SYDNEY: Australian airline Qantas announced Tuesday (Mar 17) it was slashing its international capacity by 90 percent and domestic flights by 60 per cent in a further coronavirus blow to the beleaguered travel industry. Facing a growing list of travel bans around the globe and a “precipitous decline in demand”, Qantas said the cutbacks would continue
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 17, 2020
MOM sets out guidelines for employers over employees’ travel during COVID-19 outbreak
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Manpower (MOM), together with the National Trades Union Congress and the Singapore National Employers Federation, on Monday (Mar 16) issued an advisory for employers on how they should handle their employees’ travel movements in response to COVID-19. The advisory follows an announcement by the Ministry of Health on Mar 15, advising the
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 17, 2020
Singapore ‘not facing any immediate risks of running out of food’: Chan Chun Sing on Malaysia’s restricted movement order
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: Singapore is not facing immediate risks of running out of food or essential supplies, said Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing on Monday (Mar 16), shortly after Malaysia announced travel restrictions into and out of the country. “The Government has been actively working with essential firms such as NTUC Fairprice, Sheng Siong and Dairy
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 17, 2020
US begins first human trial of coronavirus vaccine
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WASHINGTON: The first human trial to evaluate a candidate vaccine against the new coronavirus has begun in Seattle, US health officials said on Monday (Mar 16), raising hopes in the global fight against the disease. But it may be another year to 18 months before it becomes available, once it has passed more trial phases to
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 17, 2020
Commentary: Is the UK’s herd immunity strategy to combat COVID-19 worth pursuing?
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Commentary Commentary Achieving herd immunity to COVID-19 in the UK could result in the deaths of more than 1 million people with a further 8 million severe infections requiring critical care, says an observer. People wearing protective face masks are pictured near Buckingham Palace in central London. Tolga AKMEN/AFP 17 Mar 2020 06:14AM(Updated: 17 Mar
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 17, 2020
Commentary: Why Singapore is better prepared to handle COVID-19 than SARS
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: On Mar 1, 2003, SARS hit Singapore. Over the next four months, we witnessed its spread through public hospitals and the community, infecting 238 people with 33 succumbing to the virus. I lost a close friend, Alex, whom I had known since primary one. A visit by an overseas scientist further led to my being
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 17, 2020
More wage support, direct rental rebates on businesses’ wish list for second relief package
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SINGAPORE: More wage subsidies, relief on rent and foreign worker levy, as well as broader bridging loan programmes are among the types of aid that business owners, industry groups and economists hope the Government would prescribe in its second stimulus package. Amid a deepening global spread of COVID-19, they are also hoping for help to
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 17, 2020
Trump urges US to halt most social activity in coronavirus fight, warns of recession
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WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump urged Americans on Monday (Mar 16) to halt most social activities for 15 days and not congregate in groups larger than 10 people in a newly aggressive effort to reduce the spread of the coronavirus in the United States. Announcing new guidelines from his coronavirus task force, the president said people
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 17, 2020
EU weighs in with loan to support CureVac’s COVID-19 vaccine production
News Business Article
FRANKFURT: The European Commission said on Monday (Mar 16) it offered up to 80 million euros (US$89 million) of financial support to CureVac to scale up development and production of a coronavirus vaccine in Europe. The funding pledge comes one day after German government sources told Reuters that the Trump administration was looking in to
Commentary: COVID-19, the biggest crisis ever for Singapore’s aviation industry and Singapore Airlines
SINGAPORE: International travel is grinding to a virtual halt as the COVID-19 outbreak prompts a fast-growing list of countries to impose travel restrictions. Most international flights could be suspended for at least several weeks, creating an unprecedented crisis for the global airline industry. Advertisement Advertisement Asia’s airline industry has already been dealing with the COVID-19