Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 1, 2020
Saudi Arabia asks Muslims to put haj plans on hold
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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia wants Muslims to wait until there is more clarity about the coronavirus pandemic before planning to attend the annual haj pilgrimage, the minister for haj and umrah said on state TV on Tuesday (Mar 31). Some 2.5 million pilgrims from around the world usually flock to the holiest sites of Islam in
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 1, 2020
The Mask Middlemen: How pop-up brokers seek big paydays in a frenzied market
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REUTERS: Brian Kolfage, a Florida military veteran, recently convinced Americans to donate millions of dollars for a privately built wall on the US southern border. Now he has jumped into a new venture: hawking millions of protective face masks that are in critically short supply during the coronavirus pandemic. About a month ago, Kolfage formed a
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 1, 2020
Cruise ship operator urges ‘compassion,’ warns more may die
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FORT LAUDERDALE: The operator of a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship and its sister vessel has pleaded for a port to allow them to dock, calling for “compassion” and warning that more passengers may die. Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line, made the appeal in a south Florida newspaper ahead of a meeting on Tuesday of
Written by Gabriel HerveyApril 1, 2020
‘Sailors do not need to die,’ warns captain of US aircraft carrier
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WASHINGTON: The captain of the US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, in a blunt letter confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday (Mar 31), has called on Navy leadership for stronger measures to save the lives of his sailors and stop the spread of the coronavirus aboard the ship. The four-page letter, the contents of which were confirmed by
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 31, 2020
UK reports record 381 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours
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LONDON: Britain reported a record daily coronavirus toll of 381 on Tuesday (Mar 31), more than double the number of nationwide deaths posted in the previous 24 hours. “As of 5pm (1600 GMT) on 30 March, of those hospitalised in the UK, 1,789 have sadly died,” the health ministry said on its Twitter page, up from
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 31, 2020
Israel tests coronavirus vaccine prototype on rodents at laboratory
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JERUSALEM: Israel has begun testing a COVID-19 vaccine prototype on rodents at its bio-chemical defence laboratory, a source said on Tuesday (Mar 31). Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR), in rural Ness Ziona, to join the fight against the coronavirus pandemic on Feb 1, prompting an easing of its secrecy
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 31, 2020
Malaysia’s stay-at-home order preventing major spikes in COVID-19 cases, says government
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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s stay-at-home order has prevented major daily spikes in coronavirus infections, the government said on Tuesday (Mar 31), but the World Bank warned the trade-reliant country’s economy would shrink this year for the first time in more than a decade. Malaysia recorded 140 new coronavirus cases and six deaths on Tuesday, taking the
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 31, 2020
COVID-19: LTA waives vehicle entry permit fee for Malaysian motorists in Singapore during movement control order period
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SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will provide a one-off Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) fee waiver for all owners of Malaysia-registered cars and motorcycles who have had to stay on in Singapore due to Malaysia’s movement control order. This decision was made in response to feedback from Malaysian workers in Singapore, their employers and unions,
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 31, 2020
US Army Corps to build hundreds of temporary hospitals for COVID-19 crisis
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WASHINGTON: US officials want to build hundreds of temporary hospitals across the country to cope with the thousands of new coronavirus cases being diagnosed daily after the United States endured its deadliest day yet on Monday (Mar 30) with 575 fatalities. The US Army Corps of Engineers, which converted a New York convention center into a 1,000-bed
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 31, 2020
Landlords and tenants need to see each other as long-term partners, share both pain and benefits: Chan Chun Sing
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SINGAPORE: Landlords and tenants must see each other as “long-term partners”, who share both the pain and the benefits, in good times and bad, said Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing on Tuesday (Mar 31). This means both parties working out how to share the rebates given to them by the Government, said
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 31, 2020
Individuals can apply to defer property loan, insurance premium payments amid COVID-19: MAS
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SINGAPORE: Home owners facing financial pressure amid the COVID-19 outbreak will soon be able to apply to defer repayments for their residential property loans until Dec 31 this year. This option applies to either the principal payment, or both the principal and interest payments. Interest will accrue only on the deferred principal amount, which means
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 31, 2020
Events postponed, restaurants ‘near empty’: F&B industry on the chopping block as COVID-19 measures bite
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SINGAPORE: The World Gourmet Summit, known for its myriad of dining events featuring culinary stars from around the world, will be postponed for the first time since it started 24 years ago. Usually held in April, the annual gastronomy festival has been pushed back to August because of the COVID-19 situation. Advertisement Advertisement “At the
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 31, 2020
US coronavirus death toll rises past 3,000 on deadliest day
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NEW YORK: The US death toll from the coronavirus pandemic climbed past 3,000 on Monday (Mar 30), the deadliest day yet in the country’s mounting crisis, while New York cheered the arrival of a gleaming 1,000-bed US Navy hospital ship as a sign of hope in the city’s desperate fight. In a grim new milestone marking the spread
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 31, 2020
Myanmar reports first COVID-19 death; man had 4-day layover in Singapore
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SINGAPORE: A Myanmar national who had a four-day layover in Singapore on his way home from Australia has died from COVID-19, Myanmar Ministry of Health and Sports spokesperson Dr Khin Khin Gyi said on Tuesday (Mar 31). The 69-year-old man, who died at about 7.30am on Tuesday at Way Bar Gyi hospital in Yangon, is the first
