Covid-19: No foreign worker cluster for now, but screening ongoing: Malaysian health ministry

PUTRAJAYA, April 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — While Malaysia has not detected any COVID-19 cluster among the foreign workers, there have been continuous efforts to screen them for the coronavirus. Health Ministry director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a daily press conference that the ministry would focus on high-risk areas with a huge population…

Israel MPs tasked with ending deadlock over unity govt

JERUSALEM, April 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Israel’s parliament was tasked with forming a government after speaker Benny Gantz and Prime Minister Benjamin missed a deadline to seal an alliance, but both sides said negotiations would continue. Israel’s deeply divided 120-member parliament has no clear path towards a stable governing coalition, so the…

Myanmar to free almost 25,000 prisoners in New Year amnesty: President

A man cycles along an empty street on the first day of Myanmar’s New Year in Yangon on April 12 YANGON, April 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Myanmar will release almost 25,000 prisoners in an amnesty to mark the traditional New Year, the president’s office said on Friday. President Win Myint said…

Covid-19: Philippine President Duterte threatens martial law-like crackdown

MANILA, April 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened a martial law-like crackdown to stop people flouting a virus lockdown in the nation’s capital. Duterte spoke a day after authorities reported an upsurge of cars on Manila’s roads, which have been nearly deserted since a sweeping lockdown was…

Covid-19: Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping slam attempts to blame China for late coronavirus response

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping MOSCOW, April 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday rejected as counterproductive attempts to blame Beijing for delaying informing the world about the coronavirus, the Kremlin said. Putin and Xi spoke after US President Donald Trump’s administration berated…

Covid-19: Singapore reports record 728 new cases, mostly from foreign worker dormitories

Workers wearing face masks SINGAPORE, April 17 (NNN-CNA) — Singapore reported a record 728 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 4,427.  Of the new cases, 81 per cent are linked to previously identified clusters while the rest are pending contact…

Update: US coronavirus death toll passes 32,000 – tracker

WASHINGTON, April 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The confirmed coronavirus death toll in the United States reached 32,917, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The toll as of 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Friday) marked an increase of 4,491 deaths in the past 24 hours, by far the highest daily toll…

Covid-19: Oil climbs as Trump lays out reopening of virus-hit US

SINGAPORE, April 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Oil prices pushed higher Friday as President Donald Trump’s plan for a reopening of the virus-battered United States offset worries about a devastating supply shock triggered by the pandemic. Brent crude, the international benchmark, was up nearly three percent in Asian trade at $28.65 a…

Covid-19: UN chief calls to protect children from coronavirus consequences

UNITED NATIONS, April 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on families and global leaders to “protect our children,” who stand to suffer severe consequences of the pandemic even if they are at lower risk. “I appeal to families everywhere, and leaders at all levels: protect our children,” Guterres…

Covid-19: Republicans urge Pres Trump to withhold funds unless WHO chief quits

WASHINGTON, April 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Congressional Republicans urged President Donald Trump to condition US funding for the World Health Organization on the resignation of its chief over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Seventeen Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee said they had “lost faith” in Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s…