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Senin, 20 April 2020

Merkel urges 'transparency' from China on outbreak - CNA

BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday (Apr 20) urged China to be as transparent as possible about the coronavirus outbreak, as Beijing faces mounting pressure over its management of the crisis.

Critics have accused China of downplaying the scale and scope of the outbreak when it first emerged late last year, while conspiracy theories have swirled in the US the virus could have been leaked from a lab.

READ: The Wuhan lab at the core of a coronavirus controversy

Merkel urged for more information about the early days of the outbreak, which originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

"I believe the more transparent China is about the origin story of the virus, the better it is for everyone in the world in order to learn from it," Merkel told reporters in Berlin Monday.

Chinese scientists say the virus was likely first transmitted to humans at a wet market where wild animals were sold.

Unproven theories that the virus came from a maximum-security virology lab in Wuhan have been raised by US officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who has said an investigation was under way into how the virus "got out into the world".

The Wuhan Institute of Virology has strongly rejected claims it could be the source of the outbreak, calling it "impossible".

READ: China says Australia's questions on its COVID-19 handling groundless

Chinese authorities have been accused of initially downplaying the outbreak and last week authorities in Wuhan admitted mistakes in counting their death toll and revised the figure up by 50 per cent.

French President Emmanuel Macron last week told the Financial Times it would be "naive" to think China had handled the pandemic well, adding: "There are clearly things that have happened that we don't know about."

In Britain, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said China will face "hard questions" about the coronavirus outbreak, namely "how it came about and how it couldn't have been stopped earlier".

Australia meanwhile has called for an independent investigation into the global response to the pandemic, including the World Health Organization's handling of the crisis.

Its foreign minister has said the country would "insist" on a review that would probe, in part, China's response to the outbreak.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

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2020-04-20 15:11:15Z
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Hong Kong unemployment rate hits highest in more than 9 years - CNA

HONG KONG: Hong Kong's unemployment rate rose to the highest in more than nine years in the first quarter as the coronavirus pandemic dealt a sharp shock to an economy already in recession.

The seasonally adjusted jobless rate in January to March rose to 4.2 per cent from 3.7 per cent in the previous three-month period, government data showed on Monday (Apr 20).

The underemployment rate hit nearly a decade high of 2.1 per cent, from 1.5 per cent in the previous three-month rolling period.

Total employment fell by around 48,800 to 3.72 million.

READ: Hong Kong reports zero new coronavirus cases for first time since early March

The year-on-year declines in total employment and the labour force widened further to 3.6 per cent and 2.2 per cent respectively, both the largest on record.

The unemployment rate in the consumption and tourism-related sectors combined soared to 6.8 per cent, the highest since the global financial crisis a decade ago.

"The labour market will continue to face significant pressure from the economic fallout arising from the pandemic in the near term," Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong said in a statement.

READ: COVID-19 sparks boom for local farmers in import-dependent Hong Kong

The government earlier this month announced relief measures worth HK$137.5 billion (US$17.7 billion) to help businesses and people losing money due to the coronavirus outbreak to stay on their feet, and urged employers not to lay off workers.

Around 10,400 retail employees are expected to lose their jobs in February to May, about 4 per cent of the 260,000 workforce in the retail sector, Hong Kong Retail Management Association said.

Hong Kong's economy contracted for the first time in a decade in 2019 due to often violent anti-government protests and the US-China trade war.

While the government of the Asian financial centre has stopped short of full lockdowns seen in some other cities, the recession is expected to deepen this year.

The Chinese-ruled city recorded zero new coronavirus cases on Monday for the first time since early March, health authorities said, though they urged residents to maintain strict hygiene and social distancing practices and avoid unnecessary travel.

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2020-04-20 10:35:47Z
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Foreign worker dormitory linked to grassroots gains $70m in valuation after govt approves redevelopment plan on 10 Feb - The Online Citizen

It was announced on today that the number of new COVID-19 cases in Singapore hit a new record of 1,426 with the total number of infected cases exceeding 8,000.

As of yesterday, Singapore has highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in South-East Asia.

Of the 1,426 new cases, “vast majority” of the new cases are work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its media release of preliminary figures.

As of 20 April, there are a total of 18 foreign worker dormitories that have been declared as isolation areas.

As reported earlier, Westlite dormitories are run by public listed company Centurion Corporation who is helmed by Potong Pasir grassroots leaders: David Loh Kim Kang and Han Seng Juan (‘Foreign worker dormitories with active COVID-19 clusters linked to PA grassroots leaders‘, 10 Apr).

According to its website, Centurion Corporation currently operates 5 foreign worker dormitories:

Westlite Toh Guan and Westlite Mandai have been gazetted as isolated area while Westlite Woodlands has been identified by MOH as a cluster.

SLA extends dorm lease and Centurion doesn’t have to pay development premium

In any case, 2 months ago (14 Feb), Centurion Corporation announced that it has obtained approval from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on 10 Feb for the redevelopment of an existing block at Westlite Toh Guan dormitory to an 8 storey workers dormitory and industrial training centre. It said the company has obtained planning permission from the URA in relation to the redevelopment project.

Also, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) would issue the company an offer to regularise the title restriction so as to reflect the approved use of the property as a worker dormitory, training centre and ancillary commercial use.

SLA would also extend the use of the existing lease of Westlite Toh Guan by another 25 years from 2032 to 2057. The company said it “understands” from SLA that a development premium for the “intensification of the property” is not payable.

Westlite Toh Guan dormitory was the first 2 foreign worker dormitories to be gazetted on 5 Apr as isolation areas under the Infectious Diseases Act, after a large surge in the numbers of infected workers were seen in the 2 dormitories.

After its announcement on 14 Feb, Centurion Corporation gave a positive profit alert on 18 Feb to the public in relation to the “good news” it had received from URA and SLA earlier.

It said that as the period of use for Westlite Toh Guan is extended by 25 years, the company would gain a fair value uplift on the investment property by S$70 million. It announced that property firm Knight Frank has valued Westlite Toh Guan at S$284 million as at 31 December 2019 giving the revaluation gain of S$70 million or about 33% from the original value.

With the valuation gain thanks the redevelopment approvals the company had received from the government, it’s not known if it would also help to create a less crowded and better living environment for those foreign workers living in its dormitories.

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2020-04-20 09:45:13Z
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Foreign worker dormitory linked to grassroots gains $70m in valuation after govt approves redevelopment plan on 10 Feb - The Online Citizen

It was announced on today that the number of new COVID-19 cases in Singapore hit a new record of 1,426 with the total number of infected cases exceeding 8,000.

As of yesterday, Singapore has highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in South-East Asia.

As of 20 April, there are a total of 18 foreign worker dormitories that have been declared as isolation areas.

According to its website, Centurion Corporation currently operates 5 foreign worker dormitories:

Westlite Toh Guan and Westlite Mandai have been gazetted as isolated area while Westlite Woodlands has been identified by MOH as a cluster.

SLA extends dorm lease and Centurion doesn’t have to pay development premium

After its announcement on 14 Feb, Centurion Corporation gave a positive profit alert on 18 Feb to the public in relation to the “good news” it had received from URA and SLA earlier.

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Hong Kong reports zero new coronavirus cases for first time since early March - CNA

HONG KONG: Hong Kong recorded zero new coronavirus cases on Monday (Apr 20) for the first time since early March, health authorities said, though they urged residents to maintain strict hygiene and social distancing practices and avoid unnecessary travel.

The city, which has avoided the exponential increases seen in other parts of the world, has confirmed 1,026 total cases and four deaths since the outbreak began in January. The previous day with no recorded cases was Mar 5.

READ: COVID-19 sparks boom for local farmers in import-dependent Hong Kong

READ: COVID-19 outbreak forces famous Hong Kong snake meat restaurant to shut

While schools remain closed, many people are working from home and shopping malls and restaurants are less busy, Hong Kong has stopped short of a full lockdown like those imposed in other cities such as London and New York.

Almost all Hong Kongers wear masks, office buildings, commercial centres and public institutions run temperature checks, and free sanitiser dispensers are widely available.

READ: 'We are social animals': Hong Kong residents flout COVID-19 rules to throng popular sites

Hong Kong banned public gatherings of more than four people for 14 days from Mar 29 and later extended that restriction until Apr 23.

Game centres, gyms, cinemas and other places of amusement and public entertainment are also closed and foreign arrivals at the airport are suspended indefinitely.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

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2020-04-20 09:24:32Z
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With COVID-19 'under control', Germany begins opening up - CNA

BERLIN: Germany takes its first steps back towards normality on Monday (Apr 20), with smaller shops in some regions opening up for the first time in a month after politicians declared the coronavirus "under control".

From florists to fashion stores, the majority of shops smaller than 800 sq m will be allowed to welcome customers again, in a first wave of relaxations to strict curbs on public life introduced last month.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and regional state premiers announced the decision to reopen last week, though they have been careful to cast it as no more than a cautious first step.

While the first shops will open their doors on Monday, each of Germany's 16 states is set to lift the restrictions at a slightly different pace.

READ: 'I've been lucky': German COVID-19 patient breathes on her own after 20 days in ICU

In some states such as the capital Berlin, reopening will take a little longer.

Merkel, who has been praised for her handling of the coronavirus crisis, is hoping to reinvigorate the ailing German economy, which officially entered into recession last week.

Some shops in Cologne will be open from Monday as Germany looks to reboot its economy and return to normality. (Photo: AFP/Ina Fassbender)

GERMANY'S SUCCESS REMAINS "FRAGILE"

With 139,897 confirmed cases and 4,294 deaths as of Sunday, Germany has been one of the countries worst hit by COVID-19, but also one of the quickest to react.

On Friday, the Robert Koch Institute for public health announced that the rate of infection - the number of people each ill person contaminates - had dropped below one for the first time, leading Health Minister Jens Spahn to declare the virus "under control".

Yet Merkel, who was herself quarantined for two weeks earlier this month before testing negative for the virus, has warned that Germany's success remains "fragile".

"We will not be able to go back to our normal lives for a long time," said her conservative party colleague Armin Laschet, the state premier of North-Rhine Westphalia, the country's most populous region.

In an interview with Der Spiegel weekly, Laschet warned that some coronavirus restrictions could last until 2021.

A ban on gatherings of more than two people and a requirement to stand more than 1.5m apart from others in public areas remain in force.

That means that hairdressers, initially deemed an essential business, cannot open until at least May 4.

READ: Commentary: Why is Germany’s COVID-19 fatality rate so low?

Cultural venues, bars, leisure centres and beauty salons will also remain closed for the time being, while large-scale public events such as concerts and football matches have been banned until Aug 31.

But Germans can look forward to at least some relaxations to the existing shutdown measures, although they have not been welcomed by everyone.

With larger shops unable to open, the German Trade Association warned on Friday of a possible "distortion of competition".

Economy Minister Peter Altmaier defended the 800 sq m limit, saying that "the belt can only be loosened bit by bit".

There will be no Bundesliga football until August 31, not even for the cardboard cut-out supporters — There will be no Bundesliga football until Aug 31, not even for the cardboard cut-out supporters of Borussia Moenchegladbach. (Photo: AFP/Ina Fassbender)

SCHOOLS REOPENING

Schools will also be partially reopened in the coming weeks, with most states set to welcome back older students from May 4.

Education policy is traditionally decided at state level in Germany, and Bavaria, the region worst hit by the virus so far, will keep its schools closed for an extra week.

On Apr 29, regional education ministers are set to present concrete plans on how social distancing can still be enforced in the classroom.

Germany hopes to combine the lifting of restrictions with a more efficient tracing of the spread of COVID-19.

READ: Exit lockdowns with caution to avoid being confined again, say experts

The country hopes to ramp up testing - it has already tested about 2 million people - and aims to produce around 50 million protective masks, including 10 million of the higher efficiency FFP2 standard a week from August.

Though not yet obligatory, Merkel said her government "strongly advises" wearing a mask in public.

With more movement of the population expected as shops reopen, eastern states Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Saxony have made masks obligatory on public transport.

In doing so, they have followed the example of the eastern city of Jena, which unilaterally enforced the wearing of masks earlier this month.

According to German media, the city has had no new cases in a week.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

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2020-04-20 05:01:10Z
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Singaporean student and friend hurt in racist attack in Melbourne - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE (THE NEW PAPER) - In a foreign land in the grip of a pandemic, the two young women kept to themselves in public.

But what was supposed to be a simple grocery run turned into a nightmare for the Singaporean and Malaysian undergraduates, who were verbally abused and assaulted in the heart of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, last Wednesday (April 15).

A video circulating on social media shows the 18-year-old Singaporean and her 20-year-old friend being attacked.

Believed to be racially motivated, the incident has drawn strong criticism from the Australian authorities.

The Victoria Police said the victims were walking along Elizabeth Street near the Queen Victoria Market at about 5.30pm on Wednesday when the two alleged perpetrators began verbally abusing and assaulting them.

The area is within the city's Central Business District.

Describing the attackers as skinny Caucasians, the police said they reportedly shouted "coronavirus" repeatedly and hurled death threats at the victims.

Melbourne's Nine News reported that the students were also told to "go back to China" and were attacked when they responded to the taunts.

The 20-second video shows a woman in a sleeveless parka and white skirt grabbing one student by the hair and punching her repeatedly on the head before dragging her to the ground and kicking her.

Her accomplice, in a pink jacket, pushes the other student, then blocks her and another woman from helping the first victim.

The assault stops after a man intervenes by shouting at the assailants.

The incident was reported to the police, who said the victims suffered minor injuries.

The girls, whose faces were blurred out, later told Nine News they were now terrified to leave their homes.

One of them said: "She started saying, 'Get the f*** out of our country - you don't belong here'."

Her friend said while sobbing: "I'm really scared they think it's okay to do (this) to other people."

Identifying the victims as undergrads at the nearby University of Melbourne, vice-chancellor Duncan Maskell condemned the attack and said: "This is a disgusting and unprovoked attack on two of our female students.

"These senseless and vicious attacks on two young women must never be tolerated in our community. The people who did this are a disgrace."

RACIST ATTACK

Calling it a racist attack, UniMelb Student Union president Hannah Buchan said the undergrads were told by the attackers to "get out of our country".

Melbourne mayor Sally Capp also condemned the attack on social media, saying: "I am appalled by the disgraceful attack on two young students... The violence displayed is completely unacceptable. It does not reflect the values that Melburnians stand for or the behaviour we expect in our city."

During the assault, one of the victim's AirPods fell off and were stolen by a man who was not involved in the attack.

Described as a 1.75m-tall Caucasian with a solid build, he was wearing a black puffer jacket and carrying a black backpack.

In a statement yesterday, the Victoria Police said they have charged a 21-year-old Melbourne woman in relation to the case.

She appeared before the Melbourne Magistrates' Court yesterday and was charged with recklessly causing injury and committing the offence while on bail.

Investigators are still trying to identify the second woman involved in the assault and a man who was allegedly with them but is not seen in the video.

In February, a 23-year-old Singaporean student was assaulted in London in an attack that was also believed to be racially motivated.

The student, who had been studying in Britain for two years, posted a photo of himself with a swollen eye after the incident.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement yesterday evening that it is aware of the latest incident, and the Singapore High Commission in Canberra is in touch with the Singaporean student to render consular assistance.

The High Commission is also reaching out to the local authorities to ensure the incident is investigated and dealt with in accordance with the law, MFA added.

The ministry said it has approached the Australian High Commission here, which has stressed that the Australian authorities are taking the incident very seriously and that investigations are under way.

Senin, 20 April 2020

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