Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 16, 2020
Contempt of court: Apex court dismisses appeals by opposition politician John Tan, activist Jolovan Wham
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: The Court of Appeal on Monday (Mar 16) dismissed appeals by social activist Jolovan Wham and opposition politician John Tan against their convictions and sentences for contempt of court. This means that Tan, who was re-elected into the Singapore Democratic Party’s (SDP) Central Executive Committee last October, cannot contest the next General Election. Advertisement Advertisement
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 16, 2020
Five dead in fire at Petronas-Aramco petrochemicals complex in Johor
News Business Article
KUALA LUMPUR: A fire and explosion on Sunday night (Mar 15) killed five people at a refining and petrochemicals complex in Malaysia’s southern state of Johor. Another person sustained 70 per cent burns, Pauzan Ahmad, an official with the Johor state fire and rescue department, said on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement The incident occurred at the diesel
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 16, 2020
In Nagoya, scramble for hospital beds shows coronavirus challenge for ageing Japan
News Business Article
TOKYO: Hospitals in Nagoya city in Japan’s industrial heartland have more coronavirus patients than they can treat, forcing transfers to nearby areas and offering a glimpse of the challenges the outbreak poses for a country with a huge elderly population. Japan has closed schools and canceled public events, which experts say has helped prevent an
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 16, 2020
Japanese man sentenced to death for killing 19 disabled people
News Business Article
YOKOHAMA: A Japanese man was sentenced to death on Monday (Mar 16) for killing 19 disabled people in a knife-wielding rampage in 2016. Satoshi Uematsu, 30, admitted to stabbing to death or injuring the victims at a care centre for people with mental disabilities. He had once worked in the facility, located in Sagamihara, southwest
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 16, 2020
INSEAD dean tests positive for COVID-19, close colleagues put on leave of absence
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: The dean of graduate business school INSEAD tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Sunday (Mar 15), it said in a statement. INSEAD said that Ilian Mihov was currently warded in isolation at a hospital in Singapore. Advertisement Advertisement “In full compliance with established contact tracing procedures, all those who have been in close contact with Mr Mihov have been put on
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 16, 2020
PM Lee’s Canberra trip to be replaced with video conference in view of Australia’s COVID-19 restrictions
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: A scheduled visit by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to Australia will be replaced by video conference in view of Australia’s COVID-19 restrictions, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Monday (Mar 16). Mr Lee was originally scheduled to visit Canberra on Mar 23 but discussions will now take place remotely, in light of Australia’s new travel restrictions
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 16, 2020
Man jailed for offering bribe to officer after being caught smoking under sheltered walkway
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: A 61-year-old man was sentenced to four weeks in jail on Monday (Mar 16) after attempting to bribe an enforcement officer who caught him smoking under a covered walkway. Wong Sin Wah was spotted smoking under a sheltered walkway on Jun 20 last year by two enforcement officers on a routine patrol in Yishun, the Corrupt Practices
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 16, 2020
Saudi Arabia restricts movement, other Gulf states limit entry as coronavirus spreads
News Business Article
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia closed public spaces on Sunday (Mar 15) and announced a pause in most government operations while Qatar and Oman imposed entry restrictions as Gulf Arab states broadened efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus and support their economies. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar reported new cases, raising the
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 16, 2020
SGX unveils S$5 million care package as part of COVID-19 relief measures
News Business Article
SINGAPORE: The Singapore Exchange (SGX) has rolled out a S$5 million care package to “provide support and relief measures amid the COVID-19 outbreak”. The SGX care package will benefit national healthcare-support programmes, Singapore-listed companies as well as SGX employees and contract staff. Advertisement Advertisement The move is aimed at bolstering “efforts by the financial community to
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 16, 2020
French infant among four new coronavirus cases in Cambodia
News Business Article
PHNOM PENH: Cambodia reported four new cases of coronavirus including in a four-month-old French boy and two people who had travelled to Malaysia for a religious ceremony, the Ministry of Health said late Sunday (Mar 15). The baby is the son of a French man who travelled from Paris via Singapore to Phnom Penh and tested
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 16, 2020
Japan identifies 15 coronavirus clusters
News Business Article
TOKYO: Japan’s health ministry said it has identified 15 clusters of coronavirus infections around the country. The biggest cluster was in the Osaka area, with more than 50 infections centred around a music venue, according to a document on the ministry’s website. It was initially reported by Kyodo news. Advertisement Advertisement The prefectures of Hokkaido,
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 16, 2020
New York bars, restaurants to be take-out only: Mayor
News Business Article
NEW YORK: New York on Sunday (Mar 15) ordered all its bars and restaurants to close except for take-outs, in the latest dramatic shutdown as authorities worldwide struggle to tackle the coronavirus outbreak. “I will sign an Executive Order limiting restaurants, bars and cafes to food take-out and delivery,” city mayor Bill de Blasio said in
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 16, 2020
China Jan-Feb industrial output shrinks 13.5%; investment plunges 24.5%
News Business Article
BEIJING: China’s industrial output contracted at the sharpest pace in 30 years in the first two months of the year as the fast spreading coronavirus and strict containment measures severely disrupted the world’s second-largest economy, data showed on Monday (Mar 16). Urban investment and retail sales also fell sharply and for the first time on record, reinforcing
Commentary: Even with near-zero interest rates, a global economic recession is almost certain
Commentary Commentary The US Federal Reserve howitzer will minimise chances of financial calamity, but more will be needed to arrest the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, says the Financial Times’ Robin Wigglesworth. FILE PHOTO: A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange shortly before the closing bell as the market takes