Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
Grab forced to close centre after crowd forms to collect food delivery bags amid COVID-19 measures
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SINGAPORE: Ride-hailing firm Grab was forced to close one of its offices on Wednesday (Apr 8) after a large number of drivers turned up to collect food delivery gear, on the second day of “circuit breaker” measures aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19. Photos and videos circulating on social media showed long queues outside the operator’s
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
Malaysia’s COVID-19 cases cross the 4,000 mark, new sub-cluster detected in Negeri Sembilan
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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia reported another 156 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday (Apr 8) as total cases crossed the 4,000 mark. The country’s cases had earlier pushed past 3,000 last Thursday. With a total of 4,119 infections, Malaysia is still the worst-hit country in Southeast Asia. Advertisement Advertisement Health Ministry director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah announced at a press conference
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
India considers narrowing lockdown to coronavirus hotspots
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NEW DELHI: India is considering plans to seal off coronavirus hotspots in Delhi, Mumbai and parts of the south while easing curbs elsewhere as a way out of a three-week lockdown that has caused deep economic distress, officials said on Wednesday (Apr 8). The sweeping lockdown of India’s 1.3 billion people to prevent an epidemic
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
Police warn of fake cash giveaways on social media
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SINGAPORE: There has been a spike in the number of scam cases involving fake cash giveaways on social media, said the police on Wednesday (Apr 8), adding that there had been at least 13 reports lodged since December last year. Scammers would use social media platforms like Facebook to advertise the giveaways, instructing victims to share
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
New S$30 million grant to help Singapore farms speed up production of eggs, vegetables and fish
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SINGAPORE: The agri-food industry will receive a S$30 million boost to speed up the production of commonly consumed food items like eggs, vegetables and fish. Called the 30×30 Express grant, it is aimed at further strengthening Singapore’s food security, as part of its goal of meeting 30 per cent of the country’s nutritional needs with food produced locally by 2030. Advertisement
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
Woman masterminded pubs’ S$1 million tax evasion, gets jail and penalty of S$1.2 million
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SINGAPORE: A woman who masterminded the evasion of about S$1 million in income and Goods and Services Taxes by two pubs over four years was given 41 weeks’ jail on Wednesday (Apr 8). Ann Phua Si Si, 53, was also ordered to pay a total of S$1.2 million in penalties. Advertisement Advertisement She did not
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
‘Painful lesson’: How a military-style lockdown unfolded in Wuhan
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BEIJING: As the world grapples with the escalating coronavirus pandemic, China reopened the city of Wuhan on Wednesday (Apr 8), allowing its 11 million residents to leave for the first time in more than two months, a milestone in its effort to combat the outbreak. But while the operation to contain Wuhan’s coronavirus outbreak has
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
Man jailed for trying to smuggle 11 pieces of rhino horn via Singapore to Vietnam
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SINGAPORE: A South African man was sentenced to 17 months’ jail on Wednesday (Apr 8) for trying to smuggle 11 pieces of rhinoceros horn through Singapore to Vietnam. Thurman Shiraazudin Aiden Matthews, 45, had travelled from South Africa to Vietnam, via Singapore, three times to familiarise himself with the route before carrying out the deed.
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
Volunteers rush to deliver laptops to families in need before full home-based learning kicks in
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SINGAPORE: When Mdm Nor learnt that schools would go into full home-based learning on Wednesday (Apr 8), she thought it would be “so impossible” for her and three kids. There was only one laptop at home, which belongs to her 17-year-old daughter. It is “very laggy” and “hanged” all the time due to heavy usage for school. Mdm
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
Trains full on first day of Japan’s COVID-19 emergency, but some shops shut
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TOKYO: Commuters heading to work packed into trains in the Japanese capital on Wednesday (Apr 8), the first day of a state of emergency aimed at containing the COVID-19 outbreak, with some expressing confusion over how best to restrict their movements. The scenes across central Tokyo contrasted with deserted streets and tough lockdowns elsewhere in the world
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
More TV programmes, support for telcos among initiatives to help Singapore residents during ‘circuit breaker’ period
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SINGAPORE: To help Singapore residents through their efforts to stay home in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19, a series of media and digital-related initiatives was announced on Wednesday (Apr 8). These include providing more content for viewers on free-to-air channels, as well as on Singtel and StarHub’s pay-TV platforms. Advertisement Advertisement The Infocomm Media Development Authority
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 8, 2020
Commentary: No, 5G radiation doesn’t cause or spread the coronavirus
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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
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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
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