Month: April 2020
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 1, 2020
Private property prices fall 1.2% in Q1: URA flash estimates
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: Private home prices in Singapore fell 1.2 per cent over the quarter in the first three months of the year, according to flash estimates released by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on Wednesday (Apr 1). This reverses the 0.5 per cent increase seen in the previous quarter. Advertisement Advertisement The private residential property index
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 1, 2020
Diabetes, lung and heart disease common in US COVID-19 patients: CDC
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ATLANTA, Georgia: Diabetes, heart disease and long-term lung problems are the most common underlying conditions among Americans hospitalised with the illness caused by the new coronavirus, but more than one in five people requiring intensive care had no such health issues, according to a report issued on Tuesday (Mar 31). The findings show that higher
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 1, 2020
Use Metrics Wisely – CNA
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LOOKING BEYOND GDP Beyond these more immediate challenges, longer-term threats to the global economy are also looming in the form of climate change issues, rising healthcare costs and ageing societies, and the widening income gap. Indeed, some economists wonder if markets are focusing on the wrong metrics altogether. There has been a growing chorus of
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 1, 2020
Trump warns US headed for ‘very, very painful two weeks’
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WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Mar 31) warned of a “very painful” two weeks as the United States wrestles with a coronavirus surge that the White House warns could kill as many as 240,000 Americans. “This is going to be a very painful, a very, very painful two weeks,” Trump told a press conference
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 1, 2020
‘No magic solution’: Lawrence Wong on why Singapore is not locked down amid COVID-19 outbreak
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SINGAPORE: There is no “magic solution” to the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore, and a series of brakes are needed to handle the situation, said National Development Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday (Mar 31). When asked at a press conference why Singapore has not been locked down, Mr Wong said: “There is a view, I think,
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 1, 2020
COVID-19: Firms that do not allow telecommuting where ‘reasonably practicable’ may be issued stop-work order, says Josephine Teo
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SINGAPORE: Companies that do not allow telecommuting wherever possible may be issued a stop-work order, said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo on Tuesday (Mar 31). In a press conference held by the multi-ministry task force tackling the COVID-19 outbreak, Mrs Teo said the manpower ministry is looking at levelling fines and other penalties on such companies,
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 1, 2020
US records 700 coronavirus deaths in a single day for first time
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WASHINGTON: The US government raced to build hundreds of makeshift hospitals to ease the strain on overwhelmed healthcare systems as the United States marked 700 deaths in a single day from COVID-19 for the first time on Tuesday (Mar 31). That is the equivalent of a person dying every two minutes. Advertisement Advertisement Nearly half those
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 1, 2020
13-year-old UK boy dies after contracting COVID-19
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LONDON: A 13-year-old British boy has died days after testing positive for COVID-19, hospital officials and his family said on Tuesday (Mar 31), with relatives saying he had no underlying illnesses. The boy, who died Monday at King’s College Hospital in London, is believed to be Britain’s youngest confirmed death in the coronavirus pandemic. Advertisement Advertisement
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 1, 2020
Commentary: How well has India been handling the COVID-19 pandemic?
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Commentary Commentary Given internal migration, high population density and a healthcare sector dominated by the private sector, India’s low number of COVID-19 cases is questionable, says an observer. People queue standing in circles drawn with chalk to maintain safe distance as they wait to buy medicine during a 21-day nationwide lockdown to limit the spreading
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 1, 2020
Commentary: COVID-19 – maybe countries will get serious about strengthening social safety nets now
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NEW YORK CITY: If the COVID-19 pandemic has sent the world one message, it is that we are only as safe as the most vulnerable among us. Those who are unable to quarantine themselves or to get treatment endanger their own lives and the lives of others, and if one country cannot contain the virus,
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 1, 2020
Coronavirus the worst global crisis since WW II, says UN chief
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UNITED NATIONS: The coronavirus pandemic is the worst global crisis since World War II, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday (Mar 31), expressing concern that it could trigger conflicts around the world. Guterres said that the scale of the crisis was due to “a disease that represents a threat to everybody in the world
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 1, 2020
Facebook feature lets people reach out for help in pandemic
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SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook on Tuesday (Mar 31) activated a feature allowing people impacted by the coronavirus pandemic to reach out for help from their community. The Community Help feature was added to the social network four years ago as a way to find shelter, food or supplies during natural disasters, and this week added the
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 1, 2020
Spain sees record 849 coronavirus deaths but downward trend
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MADRID: Spain reported a new daily record of 849 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday (Mar 31), but health officials said the trend in new infections continues to decline. After Italy, Spain has suffered the world’s second most deadly outbreak with the loss of 8,189 lives. The latest figures came a day after the death toll had dipped
Commentary: Trump fights a two-front war on the coronavirus
SINGAPORE: Presidents such as Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt achieved greatness leading the US in war. Maybe that’s why so many other US presidents describe their actions in militaristic terms. Advertisement Advertisement President Lyndon Johnson declared a “war on poverty” in 1964. Seven years later, President Richard Nixon did the same with a “war on