Singapore morning news for February 20, 2020

WHO ‘very impressed’ with Singapore’s COVID-19 response
Singapore is leaving no stone unturned as it faces the coronavirus outbreak, said World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Tuesday (Feb 18).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

3 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore; 5 more discharged, including Chinese national who was first confirmed patient
Singapore reported three more confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday (Feb 19), said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a daily update, including two patients who are linked to existing church clusters.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Singdollar may fall to lowest level since 2017: UBS
Singapore’s currency may tumble to the lowest level since 2017 if the central bank responds as strongly to the spread of the coronavirus as it did to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) epidemic two decades ago.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Coronavirus: Singapore looking for new sources for masks
Singapore is looking for new sources of supply for masks and developing capabilities to manufacture them locally as other Asian countries clamp down on mask exports, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong has said.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Coronavirus: Employers who send healthy workers to hospitals for Covid-19 test may get work pass privileges suspended, warns MOM
Hospitals reported that employers were dropping off workers to have them tested for the coronavirus.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Police warn of new scam involving takeover of WhatsApp accounts
The police on Wednesday (Feb 19) warned of a new variant of a scam involving the takeover of WhatsApp accounts.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

World’s first second-generation crocodile monitors hatch in Singapore Zoo
The Singapore Zoo welcomed its first pair of crocodile monitor hatchlings in November last year, a milestone achievement as both are the world’s first second-generation crocodile monitors to hatch in a zoo.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Leak of closed-door Chan Chun Sing meeting ‘deeply disappointing’ and a ‘betrayal’, says Singapore Chinese Chamber president
The leak of a recording from a closed-door meeting between Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) members and minister Chan Chun Sing is deeply disappointing and a betrayal of trust, the chamber’s president said on Tuesday (Feb 18).
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Coronavirus: Grab works with Chubb to give infected drivers and delivery partners payouts
Grab drivers and delivery partners will be able to claim a payout of up to $1,000 should they be diagnosed with the coronavirus.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Incentives likely to encourage electric vehicle adoption in Singapore, but questions remain, say analysts
Newly announced measures aimed at incentivising the use of electric vehicles (EVs) are likely to encourage their adoption, say observers, though there are still questions about their implementation.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Singapore Budget 2020: Airlines, airport retailers welcome relief on fees and rentals
Flying an Airbus A-380 plane from Shanghai into Singapore would typically cost Singapore Airlines (SIA) about $6,300 to land at Changi Airport.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

COVID-19: Demand for sanitisers, antibacterial soap and thermometers still high, say retailers
Demand for health and cleaning products such as hand sanitisers, antibacterial soaps and thermometers continue to surge, almost one month into the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore, pharmacies and supermarkets told CNA.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Construction at Seletar Aerospace Heights halted since first COVID-19 case reported
The real estate company behind the Seletar Aerospace Heights work sites linked to five cases of COVID-19 immediately halted construction after it was notified of the first confirmed case on Feb 9.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Singapore Budget 2020 and what it means for the tech ecosystem this year
The Singapore Budget 2020 puts a great emphasis on cross-sectoral collaboration
— e27

More measures needed to help businesses during coronavirus outbreak: ST-UOB round table
The Budget delivered a slew of measures to help tide businesses over until the coronavirus outbreak subsides but experts said more still needs to be done to help a broad range of enterprises stay afloat.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Businesses welcome S$4 billion package as timely relief, but some say more help needed
A newly announced S$4 billion support package has been largely welcomed by businesses as a swift prescription of help amid a novel coronavirus outbreak that is likely to take a toll on an already-fragile Singapore economy.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Coronavirus: Full recovery for all three local cases linked to Grand Hyatt event
They had attended a business conference on Jan 20 to 22 organised by British company Servomex at the hotel, from which four overseas cases also emerged.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Coronavirus: Prudential offers customers $500 cash if quarantined, defers SME premiums
Life insurer Prudential Singapore on Wednesday (Feb 19) introduced a $1.5 million relief package for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and individuals affected by the coronavirus outbreak (Covid-19).
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Singapore’s Budget gives ‘fairly large’ boost to economy: Heng Swee Keat
Singapore’s Budget provides a fairly large fiscal boost to the economy to counter the impact of the coronavirus, with the Government still expecting positive growth for the year, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Wednesday (Feb 19).
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Coronavirus: Singapore Red Cross to send $2.3m worth of aid to China, steps up local outreach to seniors
The first phase of relief efforts in China will go towards the purchasing and distributing of protective equipment, such as surgical masks, for hospital staff and other healthcare workers.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Delivery services see spike in business because of COVID-19
The COVID-19 outbreak has impacted many businesses in Singapore – from retail to food establishments.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

S’pore’s 1st Covid-19 patient: “I didn’t want to bring suffering to S’poreans”
He is very thankful for the medical care and healthcare workers here in Singapore.
— Mothership

Sheng Siong, SIA and S-Reit shares get a lift from Budget 2020
Consumer stocks, some companies in coronavirus-hit sectors as well as local real estate investment trusts (Reits) have scored a sugar rush from Tuesday’s Budget.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Chill, down-to-earth aunties & uncles went to an art exhibition. Here’s what they had to say about the artwork.
Tours are organised as part of Singapore Biennale 2019, a festival of contemporary art showing until 22 March 2020.
— Mothership

Judge dismisses The Online Citizen’s POFMA challenge
A High Court judge on Wednesday (Feb 19) dismissed an appeal by The Online Citizen (TOC) against a correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Man tries to smuggle 200kg of food products in Thai-registered truck into Singapore
A 37-year-old man was fined S$22,000 on Wednesday (Feb 19) after he was caught with more than 200kg of food products in his Thai-registered truck at Tuas Checkpoint last week.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

New suitor Longview International and joint venture partner express interest in embattled Hyflux
Another investor has come calling on embattled water treatment firm Hyflux.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Car COE premiums rebound, while those for other vehicles continue to slide
The prices of two car certificates of entitlement (COE) rebounded from last fortnight’s substantial falls, but remained relatively low at the latest tender Wednesday.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Coronavirus: Migrant worker NGOs under strain but push on
At Geylang community clinic HealthServe on Feb 12, migrant workers seeking medical care lined up to have their temperature and blood pressure taken.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

COE prices close mixed in latest bidding exercise
Certificate of Entitlement (COE) premiums closed mixed in the latest bidding exercise on Wednesday (Feb 19).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Mediacorp postpones Star Awards 2020 over COVID-19 concerns
The 26th edition of the annual event, which was originally slated for Apr 26, will be pushed back to the second half of the year.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Tan Kheng Hua scores major role in Kung Fu reboot from producers of Arrow
The Singaporean actress will star as the female lead’s mother in the pilot remake of the popular 70s TV series that made David Carradine famous.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Great Eastern Q4 profit more than doubles to $287m
Great Eastern Holdings on Wednesday posted a net profit of $287 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2019 more than double the $136.9 million a year ago.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Attracting talent ‘still a hurdle for Singapore deep-tech startups’
TALENT is key for deep-tech to take off here, and although the niche sector was in the spotlight in the startup space in Budget 2020, few here see entrepreneurship as a viable path, industry players said.
— The Business Times

No collateral needed for retail investors to trade
THE Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has decided it will not need retail investors to pledge collateral on their open stock positions.
— The Business Times

ST News Tablet a novel way to keep up with updates
Readers of The Straits Times have been turning to its recently launched ST News Tablet as a novel way to keep up with the latest news, from updates on the coronavirus outbreak to the Budget measures announced on Tuesday to help Singaporeans cope with the economic slowdown.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

M’sian academic says S’pore lacks gratitude for all M’sia has done for them
Another panelist said that Singapore has to stop being high and mighty on the water issue.
— Mothership

46-year-old arrested after man found with stab wounds in Geylang
A 46-year-old suspect has been arrested after a man was found with stab wounds in Geylang on Tuesday morning.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Woman guilty of assaulting neighbour, causing him to fall and suffer fatal head injury
A dispute in 2017 turned fatal after a woman slapped her neighbour and pushed him, causing him to fall backwards and hit his head on the floor.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Low-income family of seven reeling from coronavirus outbreak and economic slowdown
Madam Sufiyyah Ithnin’s family of seven is reeling from the coronavirus outbreak and economic slowdown.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

1 woman & 4 men, aged 17-26, arrested for Carousell face mask scams
Between the five separate cases, they are believed to have cheated more than S$4,696.
— Mothership

Head of ophthalmology at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital admits to throwing glass bottle at car
Kidnapped as a child in 1969, eye doctor Lennard Harold Thean See Yin developed a fear of dying inside a vehicle after his abductors’ car careened off a road and ended up inside a drain with him in it.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Surgeon who overdosed patient and didn’t send her to ICU suspended for a year
The patient, who was having her uterus, cervix, ovaries and fallopian tubes removed, died.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

KFC Singapore’s fried chicken skin snack is back to mess with your diet
The treat will be sold for S$3.50 at 83 outlets islandwide from Thursday (Feb 20), while stocks last.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Feature photo Malay Language Academy

This week’s Singapore morning news feature photo focuses on International Mother Language Day, February 21.

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

—

About Singapore morning news.

Singapore morning news roundup is the most comprehensive hand-curated selection of Singapore English language news headlines published. Each weekday we scour hundreds of local and international news sites and websites to find the most recent Singapore English language news today.

We filter our the dull, the boring, the repetitive, and the click-bait and package all of the Singapore daily news that you need to know to start your day into an easy to read, time saving format of Singapore news headlines and first paragraphs before 8.15am Singapore time.

We clearly identify the source of all the Singapore news headlines, whether it is behind a paywall, a media release, or whether the news site uses annoying pop-up advertising or auto-play video, in case those things annoy you too. If a website uses particularly invasive pop-up adverts, we’ll tell you.

This enables you to make an informed choice of whether you want to learn more by clicking directly through to the original Singapore news article, or keep on reading the remaining Singapore daily news headlines.

Click here to get your Singapore English language news today by email before 9am Singapore time daily. Remember to watch out for the confirmation email from us to confirm your subscription. Check your trash folder if you do not see it.

For more immediate updates download the AEC News Today Mobile App from the Apple or Google stores, or follow us on Twitter.

#Independentmedia

Governance, not government; policies not politics.

Singapore morning news for February 20 added by Justhine De Guzman Uy on February 20, 2020
View all posts by Justhine De Guzman Uy →

Bio
Latest Posts

Justhine De Guzman Uy

Writer at AEC News Today

Justhine De Guzman Uy completed a Bachelor of Arts Major in Mass Communication at New Era University, Quezon City, the Philippines in 2016

After graduation she worked at the Philippine Broadcasting Service performing transcription and business news writing, before moving to Eagle Broadcasting Corporation where she worked as a news editor, translator and production assistant.