Day: April 8, 2020
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
Commentary: No, 5G radiation doesn’t cause or spread the coronavirus
News Business Article
MELBOURNE: A conspiracy theory claiming 5G can spread the coronavirus is making the rounds on social media. The myth supposedly gained traction when a Belgian doctor linked the “dangers” of 5G technology to the virus during an interview in January. Closer to home, Facebook group Stop5G Australia (with more than 31,700 members) has various posts
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
Careful first steps back to normality for Wuhan residents as COVID-19 lockdown is lifted
News Business Article
WUHAN: Two days before Wuhan, the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak, came under an unprecedented lockdown, 40-year-old cross-talk performer Li Jinglun had no idea it would be the last time he would be standing on stage for a while. As Wuhan became the “eye of the storm”, said Mr Li, he never expected to take up a
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
New Zealand PM cautiously optimistic about COVID-19, urges Easter ‘staycation’
News Business Article
SYDNEY: New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said on Wednesday (Apr 8) she was cautiously optimistic about slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus as authorities reported the lowest number of new daily cases in two weeks. New Zealand reported 50 new cases on Wednesday from 54 on Tuesday and 67 on Monday, bringing its
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
Luxury pet hotel owner fined for selling pedigree cats without pet shop licence
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: An owner of a luxury pet hotel was fined S$2,500 on Wednesday (Apr 8) for using hotel premises as a pet shop to sell three pedigree cats for S$2,800 each. Estelle Tayler, the 37-year-old owner of pet hotel The Wagington, admitted to one charge of using the 27B Loewen Road premises to sell two
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
Volunteers to sew 50,000 cloth masks at home amid COVID-19 ‘circuit breaker’
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: Volunteers across the country have taken on the mammoth task of producing 50,000 reusable masks to be distributed to their loved ones and those in need, as Singapore begins its month-long “circuit breaker” initiative to break the COVID-19 cycle of transmission. The Masks Sewn With Love project organised as part of People’s Association Women’s
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
Police officer fined for molesting female colleague while on duty
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: A police officer was fined S$9,000 on Wednesday (Apr 8) for molesting his female colleague three times while on duty. The 29-year-old staff sergeant and the police post he was from cannot be named due to a gag order protecting the identity of the victim. Advertisement Advertisement The offender was on duty with the victim
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
COVID-19: Man, 71, arrested after he insisted on eating at void deck, refused to leave
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: The police arrested a 71-year-old man on Tuesday (Apr 7) for disorderly behaviour after he tried to eat at a void deck and refused to leave despite being told to do so. Police officers were on foot patrol at Block 28, Bendemeer Road at about 11.40am when they came across a group of elderly people
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
Hong Kong extends social distancing restrictions to contain COVID-19
News Business Article
HONG KONG: Hong Kong said on Wednesday (Apr 8) social-distancing restrictions including the closure of some bars and pubs and a ban on public gatherings of more than four people would be extended until Apr 23 as it battles to halt the spread of coronavirus. The government said a “drastic” more than two-fold spike in the
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
US COVID-19 fatalities jump a record 1,939 in a day
News Business Article
WASHINGTON: Nearly 2,000 people infected with COVID-19 have died in the United States in the last 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University on Tuesday (Apr 7) night. The record daily figure of 1,939 brings the total number of deaths in the US to 12,722, which is approaching death tolls in the
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
Cardinal Pell accuser ‘accepts’ acquittal
News Business Article
SYDNEY: A former choirboy who accused Australian Cardinal George Pell of molesting him said Wednesday (Apr 8) he accepts the top Vatican cleric’s acquittal, but urged survivors of child sex abuse to keep coming forward. A day after Australia’s top court quashed Pell’s conviction and released him from jail, “Witness J” said he understood and
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
COVID-19: Jakarta’s low-wage workers hard hit by layoffs, forced unpaid leave
News Business Article
JAKARTA: Mr Haekal Anshori, an employee in a small T-shirt printing shop, has been trying to contact his employer for days. He was trying to get an update on his monthly salary, which is now one week overdue. He is owed 2.5 million rupiah (US$212.50), which would have been a lifesaver as Jakarta is on the
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
US navy chief out over handling of ship virus outbreak
News Business Article
WASHINGTON: Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly resigned on Tuesday (Apr 7) after he faced mounting backlash for firing and ridiculing the commander of a US aircraft carrier who pleaded for help stemming a coronavirus outbreak onboard. Modly stepped down five days after removing the captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier for writing a
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
COVID-19: Uruguay approves flight to evacuate Australian, New Zealand passengers from cruise ship Greg Mortimer
News Business Article
MONTEVIDEO: Uruguay said on Tuesday (Apr 7) it has authorised a humanitarian flight to evacuate Australian and New Zealand passengers stranded on a coronavirus infected cruise ship. About 128 of the 217 people on board the Australian-owned Greg Mortimer, including passengers and crew, have tested positive for the deadly virus. Advertisement Advertisement Six of those have been taken off suffering
Commentary: The joys and frustrations of home-based learning
SINGAPORE: There is a joke circulating on social media that given the rise in children’s home-based learning in the wake of COVID-19, desperate parents will soon beat scientists to finding a cure for the dreaded disease. This hilarious meme effectively captures the challenges of transforming your home into a virtual learning environment for children more