Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 30, 2020
China slashes rate, pumps US$7 billion into market to counter COVID-19 impact
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BEIJING; China’s central bank on Monday (Mar 30) cut an interest rate on loans to banks by the largest margin in five years and injected 50 billion yuan (US$7 billion) into the financial system to help the world’s second-largest economy weather the coronavirus impact. The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) said it launched a 50-billion-yuan reverse
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 30, 2020
Thailand reports 136 new coronavirus cases, bringing total to 1,524
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BANGKOK: Thailand saw 136 new coronavirus cases on Monday (Mar 30), raising the total number of infections to 1,524, said the spokesman of the government’s Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). Infections in Thailand are likely to keep rising, and recently new cases have been reported more in the provinces than in the Thai capital,
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 30, 2020
US regulator approves limited use of malaria drugs for COVID-19
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WASHINGTON: A limited emergency-use authorisation for two anti-malarial drugs touted as gamechangers by President Donald Trump has been issued by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat coronavirus patients. In a statement published on Sunday (Mar 29), the US Department of Health and Human Services detailed recent donations of medicine to a national stockpile
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 30, 2020
Japanese comedian Ken Shimura dies from coronavirus
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TOKYO: Japanese comedian Ken Shimura, who had been hospitalised after being infected with COVID-19, has died, becoming the first Japanese celebrity to die of the virus. His death, late on Sunday, set off widespread grief among fans. Advertisement Advertisement Shimura, 70, one of Japan’s best-known comedians with a career dating back to the early 1970s,
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 30, 2020
Probation for former JC student who trespassed into NUS UTown toilets to peep at women
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SINGAPORE: A former junior college student who developed a habit of cycling regularly to the National University of Singapore’s UTown to look at women, later trespassing into toilets to peep at them, was given 21 months’ probation on Monday (Mar 30). Zachary Lim Yong Hao, 18, will also have to perform 120 hours of community
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 30, 2020
PM Lee warns against fake COVID-19 email purportedly sent by him asking people for ‘contributions’
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SINGAPORE: An email purportedly sent by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong asking for “contributions and thoughts” as Singapore tackles the spread of COVID-19 is fake, said Mr Lee on Monday (Mar 30). The incident has been reported to the police, Mr Lee added. Advertisement Advertisement “A fake email that purports to come from me is circulating
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 30, 2020
Retractable laundry racks, laminated timber doors among modern fittings for ageing HDB flats
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SINGAPORE: Retractable laundry racks, laminated timber doors and modern bathroom walls and floor tiles – these are some of the fittings owners of ageing Housing & Development Board (HDB) flats that are eligible for upgrading works can look forward to. About 230,000 HDB flats built between 1987 and 1997 are set to be upgraded under the
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 30, 2020
Trump accuses hospitals of hoarding ventilators
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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump accused hospitals on Sunday (Mar 29) of hoarding ventilators that are in scarce supply across the United States as the coronavirus spreads, adding any hospitals not using the devices must release them. Trump, whose critics have accused him of trying to deflect blame over his handling of the crisis, did
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 30, 2020
Bryant’s towel fetches US$33,000 at auction: Report
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LOS ANGELES: The towel that Kobe Bryant wore over his shoulders during his farewell speech after his final National Basketball League game has fetched more than US$33,000 at auction, the US media said on Sunday (Mar 29). With the towel draped around him to help mop up his sweat, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar closed his
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 30, 2020
Gulf’s massive migrant workforce fears virus limbo
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DOHA: Millions of migrant workers across the Gulf face uncertainty as host countries lock down, employers withhold wages or mull redundancies, and strict coronavirus containment measures lead to deportations and confinement. “We’ve been in lockdown for the last eight to 10 days, we don’t know when it will end,” said a 27-year-old Pakistani engineer in
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 30, 2020
2,300 polytechnic and university students asked to return from overseas placements amid COVID-19 pandemic: MOE
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SINGAPORE: About 2,300 students in the Autonomous Universities and polytechnics have been asked to return from their official overseas placements “as soon as practicable”, said the Ministry of Education (MOE). Responding to questions from CNA, a spokesperson for the education ministry said it was working closely with institutions and Singapore’s overseas missions “to provide the
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 30, 2020
South Korea COVID-19 cases rise steadily, more financial aid expected
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SEOUL: South Korea reported 78 new coronavirus cases on Monday (Mar 30), keeping the rate of infections fairly steady, as President Moon Jae-in held an emergency meeting with economic policymakers to discuss financial support for the public. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said the national tally stood at 9,661, while the
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 30, 2020
Eight killed after medical evacuation plane crashes in Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport
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MANILA: A medical evacuation plane exploded during take-off in the Philippine capital on Sunday (Mar 29), killing all eight passengers and crew, including an American and a Canadian, officials said. The Lionair plane, owned by a Philippines-registered charter service Lionair, had been bound for Haneda, Japan, but burst into flames at the end of the runway around
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 30, 2020
China reports 31 new COVID-19 cases, all but one are imported
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BEIJING: Mainland China reported 31 new coronavirus cases on Sunday (Mar 29), including one locally transmitted infection, the country’s National Health Commission said, dropping from 45 cases a day earlier. The commission said in a statement on Monday that four new deaths were reported, putting the cumulative death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in the
