Month: March 2020
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 4, 2020
14 new cases of COVID-19 in Malaysia, new cluster identified
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KUALA LUMPUR: Fourteen new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Malaysia on Wednesday (Mar 4), bringing the national total to 50. Most of these new cases are close contacts or linked to Case 26, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Case 26 has also been identified as the source of a COVID-19 cluster,
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 4, 2020
Singapore to plant 1 million trees, develop more gardens and parks by 2030
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SINGAPORE: Singapore plans to plant 1 million trees and develop more and better connected green spaces over the next 10 years, said Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee on Wednesday (Mar 4), as he announced a new stage of urban planning for the National Parks Board (NParks). “We want to transform Singapore into a City
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 4, 2020
New QR code initiative to speed up process of providing feedback on municipal issues
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SINGAPORE: The Municipal Services Office (MSO) has launched an initiative to simplify the way residents can report issues. Under the programme, called OneService Lite, QR codes can be scanned at places where residents frequent, such as HDB lift landings. They can then send their complaint through an online form, without having to download the OneService
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 4, 2020
Researchers identify two coronavirus types as China cases dwindle
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SHANGHAI: Scientists in China studying the viral disease outbreak’s origin said they had found that two main types of the new coronavirus could be causing infections. The researchers, from Peking University’s School of Life Sciences and the Institut Pasteur of Shanghai under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, cautioned that their analysis examined a limited range
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 4, 2020
Orchard Towers death: First two men sentenced for role in fatal fight
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SINGAPORE: Two men were sentenced to jail on Wednesday (Mar 4) for their roles in a gang fight that led to the death of a man at Orchard Towers last year. Joel Tan Yun Sheng, 26, was given four weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to voluntarily causing hurt to the victim by common intention. Another charge of consorting
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 4, 2020
Serial upskirter walked around with hidden camera in shoe, was arrested 6 times in 5 years
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SINGAPORE: Armed with a hidden camera in his shoe, a serial offender walked around shopping malls and his school, filming upskirt videos of multiple women over five years and getting arrested six times. Tham Heng Yew, 27, was sentenced on Wednesday (Mar 4) to 44 weeks’ jail for 30 charges, mostly for insulting a woman’s
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 4, 2020
COVID-19: Visitors from Singapore to Thailand do not need to self-quarantine, says tourism authority
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SINGAPORE: Visitors from Singapore to Thailand will not have quarantine to themselves amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the Tourism Authority of Thailand confirmed on Wednesday (Mar 4). This comes after the Thailand’s Health Ministry announced on Tuesday afternoon that Singapore was among nine places listed as “high-risk”, and that visitors from Singapore will have to quarantine themselves for
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 4, 2020
Singapore sends COVID-19 diagnostic tests, machines to Myanmar
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SINGAPORE: Singapore has contributed diagnostic tests and machines to Myanmar to help in the detection of the novel coronavirus, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Wednesday (Mar 4). A total of 3,000 diagnostics tests and two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machines were sent in response to a request from the Myanmar Ministry of Health
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 4, 2020
Thousands wait for hospital beds in South Korea as coronavirus cases surge
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SEOUL: South Korea reported hundreds of new coronavirus cases on Wednesday (Mar 4) as many sick people waited for hospital beds in Daegu, the city at the centre of the worst outbreak outside China. The new cases bring South Korea’s total to 5,621, with at least 32 deaths, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 4, 2020
About 14,000 hawkers to get a month’s worth of rental fees waived amid COVID-19 outbreak
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SINGAPORE: About 14,000 hawkers will get the equivalent of a month’s rental waived, as the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) assist hawkers with operating costs during the current COVID-19 situation. The waiver will apply to all stallholders in the 114 hawker centres managed by NEA or NEA-appointed operators. This includes stallholders
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 4, 2020
India’s COVID-19 cases rise to 28, including 16 Italians
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NEW DELHI: Sixteen Italians in India have tested positive for COVID-19, India’s health minister said on Wednesday (Mar 4), as the total number of cases in the country rose sharply to 28. On Monday , the world’s second-most populous country had only six reported cases of coronavirus, but it is one of places US intelligence agencies are
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 4, 2020
Hong Kong’s public housing ban on married gay couples unlawful: Court
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HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s high court ruled Wednesday (Mar 4) that married same-sex couples should be allowed to apply for public housing after a government ban was found to be unconstitutional. It is a step forward for LGBTQ rights in Hong Kong, which has been criticised by campaigners for lagging behind on equality issues. Advertisement
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 4, 2020
Mandatory cleaning standards to be introduced, starting with childcare centres, schools and hawker centres
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SINGAPORE: Mandatory cleaning standards are set to be introduced in Singapore, beginning with higher-risk premises such as childcare and eldercare facilities, schools and hawker centres, announced Senior Minister of State for Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor on Wednesday (Mar 4). The Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) will work with sectoral leads to
Commentary: Super Tuesday and the stunning resurrection of Joe Biden
Commentary Commentary Former Vice-President Joe Biden’s Lazarus-like re-emergence gives the Democratic party a new mantra: Decency, says the Financial Times’ Edward Luce. Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden addresses supporters at his Super Tuesday night rally in Los Angeles, California on Mar 3, 2020. (Photo:REUTERS/Mike Blake) 04 Mar 2020 04:30PM(Updated: 04 Mar 2020