Month: March 2020
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 11, 2020
Italy’s transport links in chaos amid travel restrictions to contain COVID-19
News Business Article
ROME: Italy’s transport links with other countries were thrown into chaos on Tuesday (Mar 10) – but not shut down totally – in the wake of the government’s drastic restrictions on travel to contain the coronavirus. READ: COVID-19: All of Italy to be placed under lockdown, says PM Advertisement Advertisement British Airways cancelled all its Italian flights on
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 11, 2020
Australia unveils US$1.6 billion health package to combat coronavirus
News Business Article
SYDNEY: Australia unveiled a A$2.40 billion (US$1.56 billion) health package on Wednesday (Mar 11) that proposes to set up fever clinics and offer cost-free facilities for people to consult doctors over video calls, as it combats the spread of the coronavirus. “Just under US$1.2 billion of that will actually, we anticipate, be spent this financial
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 11, 2020
Japan had 59 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, biggest one-day rise: Report
News Business Article
TOKYO: Japan had 59 new cases of coronavirus infection on Tuesday (Mar 10), the biggest one-day rise since the start of the outbreak, public broadcaster NHK said. Total infections have risen to 1,278 cases, including 696 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship and 14 returnees on charter flights from China, according to NHK data. Advertisement
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 11, 2020
After testing delays, US coronavirus cases surge past 900
News Business Article
WASHINGTON: The number of US cases of the novel coronavirus surged to more than 900 on Tuesday (Mar 10), according to an AFP tally, after public health experts criticised authorities for downplaying the epidemic and lagging behind in testing efforts. At least 23 people have died and 959 people have been infected, according to Johns Hopkins University in
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 11, 2020
Junior UK health minister tests positive for COVID-19
News Business Article
LONDON: British Member of Parliament (MP) Nadine Dorries, a junior health minister, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, she said in a statement on Tuesday (Mar 10). “I can confirm I have tested positive for coronavirus … and have been self-isolating at home,” said the Conservative MP. Advertisement Advertisement Health officials are now trying to
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 11, 2020
Italy prison riots over coronavirus leave 12 dead
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ROME: Italy reported five more deaths on Tuesday (Mar 10) from prison riots linked to the new coronavirus that have now officially claimed 12 lives over three days. The justice ministry has blamed all the deaths on drug overdoses that occurred after prisoners broke into medical storage rooms. Advertisement Advertisement The claim was impossible to immediately
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 11, 2020
Commentary: Muhyiddin Yassin’s interesting Cabinet line-up provides food for thought
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: The biggest surprise from political developments in Malaysia over the past month is less the uncertainty Mahathir Mohamad plunged the country into with his shock resignation or the rapid turn of events that culminated in the Royal Palace swearing in Muhyiddin Yassin. It is that the Malaysian government continued to function for two weeks
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 11, 2020
Senior-centric activities by government agencies to be suspended as part of additional COVID-19 measures: MOH
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SINGAPORE: All senior-centric activities conducted by government agencies will be suspended for 14 days from Mar 11 to Mar 24, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Tuesday (Mar 10). These include activities held at community clubs (CCs), residents’ committees (RCs), senior activity centres, active aging hubs, CREST centres, Health Promotion Board and ActiveSG sport centres.
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 11, 2020
More passengers leave coronavirus-hit cruise ship as Trump praises operation
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OAKLAND: More passengers disembarked from a coronavirus-hit cruise ship in California on Tuesday (Mar 10) after days stranded at sea, as US President Donald Trump said the operation was “going along incredibly well” despite reports of slow progress. The Grand Princess arrived at a sealed-off wharf at the port of Oakland in San Francisco Bay
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 11, 2020
Cyprus shutters schools, locks down hospitals over coronavirus
News Business Article
NICOSIA: Cyprus said on Tuesday (Mar 10) it was closing schools in the capital, banning mass gatherings and locking down two major hospitals to combat novel coronavirus, after three people on the Mediterranean island tested positive for the illness. The Republic of Cyprus had on Monday reported its first two cases of the disease, including
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 11, 2020
Cardinal Pell’s final appeal against child sex abuse to begin
News Business Article
SYDNEY: Cardinal George Pell’s last-chance appeal against his child sex abuse convictions starts in Australia’s top court on Wednesday (Mar 11), with his fate now in the hands of the country’s most senior judges. The 78-year-old, who is serving a six-year sentence for sexually assaulting two choirboys in the 1990s, is not expected to appear
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 11, 2020
EU privacy rules no obstacle to coronavirus fight but smartphone tracking a clear violation
News Business Article
BERLIN: Europe’s privacy rulebook does not create obstacles to taking action to curb the coronavirus epidemic but mass tracking of people’s movements and contacts using smartphone location data would represent a clear violation. Technophiles support the use of such data to reconstruct the movements of people exposed to the flu-like virus and identify others at
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 11, 2020
Cyprus temporarily closes schools in capital over coronavirus
News Business Article
NICOSIA: Cyprus said on Tuesday (Mar 10) it was closing schools in the capital, banning mass gatherings and locking down a hospital to combat novel coronavirus, after three people on the Mediterranean island tested positive for coronavirus. The Republic of Cyprus had on Monday reported its first two cases of the disease, including the chief
Commentary: Should you refuse handshakes and hugs amid the COVID-19 outbreak?
Commentary Commentary It’s about balancing the risk of infection with the negative consequences of breaching social etiquette, says an observer. (Photo: Unsplash/rawpixel) 11 Mar 2020 06:17AM(Updated: 11 Mar 2020 06:20AM) Bookmark LAS VEGAS, Nevada: We are exposed to numerous viruses from our day-to-day interactions with other people all the time. However, our risk of being