Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
India PM Modi orders one-day nationwide virus curfew
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NEW DELHI: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (Mar 19) appealed to the 1.3 billion population to follow a one-day curfew alongside a ban on international flight arrivals to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Modi said in an address to the nation that the curfew on Sunday from 7am to 9pm would test the giant country’s
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
COVID-19 whistleblower doctor punished ‘inappropriately’: Chinese probe
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BEIJING: Police in China’s virus epicentre Wuhan acted “inappropriately” by punishing a doctor who blew the whistle on the outbreak that has now killed more than 9,000 worldwide, a Chinese government investigation found on Thursday (Mar 19). Li Wenliang, one of a group of doctors in Wuhan who shared posts on social media warning of a
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
London stations close as UK tries to halt virus spread
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LONDON: Transport officials in the British capital closed dozens of London Underground stations on Thursday (Mar 19), as the city tries to stem the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The move, alongside other measures to scale back public transport across London, came as the government placed 20,000 troops on standby to help in the fight against
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
Delhi bus gang-rapists to hang on Friday: Lawyer
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NEW DELHI: Four men convicted of the 2012 gang-rape and murder of a New Delhi student will be executed on Friday (Mar 20), the victim’s lawyer said after a court dismissed a final last-minute petition to delay the hangings. The brutal attack on Jyoti Singh aboard a city bus sparked nationwide demonstrations and shone a
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
Arrangements being made for Malaysian workers who slept at Kranji MRT station after travel restrictions kicked in
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SINGAPORE: More than a dozen Malaysian workers who were found sleeping rough at Kranji MRT station have been taken to an “evacuee assistance centre” in Jurong East, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a statement on Thursday (Mar 19). The statement follows a TODAY report about how some Malaysian workers who had crossed over
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
HSA takes down online listings of products claiming to ‘prevent and cure’ COVID-19
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SINGAPORE: Online listings of products making false or misleading health claims, such as being able to prevent and cure COVID-19, have been taken down by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) as part of an Internet-based enforcement exercise coordinated by Interpol. Operation Pangea, which lasted from Mar 3 to Mar 10, saw more than 2,500 product
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
NATAS travel fair in May cancelled as COVID-19 outbreak continues
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SINGAPORE: Amid a COVID-19 outbreak that has prompted various countries to issue travel advisories, the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) has cancelled a fair scheduled for May and will “decide in due course” whether to do the same for another event later this year. The association typically organises two massive travel fairs a
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
‘Broad support’ for Singapore’s plan for new interest rate benchmark: Committee
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SINGAPORE: Singapore’s plans to adopt a new interest rate benchmark called the Singapore Overnight Rate Average (SORA) has received “broad support”, a steering committee overseeing the change said in an update on Thursday (Mar 19), as it laid out key initiatives ahead. It was announced in August last year that Singapore would transition from the use
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
Discussions about allowing 300,000 Malaysians to continue working in Singapore under way: Ismail Sabri
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PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia is in discussions with Singapore over allowing about 300,000 citizens to continue working on the island while the movement control order is in force, said Senior Minister (Health Cluster) Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Thursday (Mar 19). Malaysia is proposing the idea on the condition that Singapore provides accommodation for the affected workers, he
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
Internet under strain from streaming services during COVID-19 crisis: European Commission
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BRUSSELS: EU Industry Chief Thierry Breton has called on video streaming platforms such as Netflix and Alphabet unit YouTube to take measures to prevent Internet gridlock caused by people teleworking and streaming at home due to the coronavirus outbreak. The European Commission said abnormal traffic distribution risks straining the Internet infrastructure at a time when it
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
STI dives to near 2,300 as US dollar soars
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SINGAPORE: Singapore’s stock market joined yet another global sell-off on Thursday (Mar 19), while the US dollar surged, as massive stimulus and emergency central bank measures in Europe, Japan, the United States and Australia failed to halt a fresh wave of panic-selling over the coronavirus pandemic. The Straits Times Index came close to falling below
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
Japan’s cherry blossom viewing parties wither away due to COVID-19 outbreak
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TOKYO: Japan’s famed cherry blossom season is in full bloom but parks in Tokyo are empty of traditional “viewing parties” this year, part of efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Cherry blossom viewing known “hanami” is a beloved part of the Japanese social calendar, with friends, family and work colleagues gathering for picnics,
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
Italy to extend lockdown measures over virus: Conte
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ROME: Lockdown measures taken in Italy over the coronavirus pandemic will be extended beyond their original deadlines, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Thursday (Mar 19). Imposed nationally on Mar 12, the shutdown of most businesses and a ban on public gatherings in Italy, the European country worst hit by the pandemic, are due to expire
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
Former teacher jailed for sexually abusing secondary school student
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SINGAPORE: A former teacher who sexually exploited his underage student, abusing her in his bedroom during “remedial lessons”, was sentenced on Thursday (Mar 19) to three years and seven months’ jail. The 33-year-old man and the school cannot be named due to gag orders protecting the victim’s identity. Advertisement Advertisement The man had taught the girl
