Uncategorized

Singapore plans coronavirus tests for all migrant workers as some businesses reopen Singapore plans to test all 323,000 migrant workers living in cramped dormitories that have become a hotbed for coronavirus in the city-state, the government said on Tuesday. The island’s tally of 24,671 infections is one of Asia’s highest, with the vast majority of migrant workers squeezed into dormitories which are often unsanitary. “The taskforce has drawn up a plan to allow migrant workers residing in the dormitories… to be progressively cleared so they can be safely returned to work when the time comes,” Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said. Infections in the dormitories had “stabilized,” Gan added, with the daily average having fallen to around 700 in the past week, down from more than 1,000...

Yemen govt forces ‘to confront armed rebellion’ in south after separatists declared self-rule Yemen’s forces will confront an “armed rebellion” by separatists in the south, the government said on Tuesday. It added that the group had refused to de-escalate the situation after declaring self-rule last month. The Southern Transitional Council (STC) declared self-rule in Aden and nearby areas on April 25, threatening to renew a conflict with the Saudi-backed government, its nominal ally in a coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis. Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hadhrami said the STC had refused calls from the government and the international community to reverse its declaration. The army will do “everything necessary to preserve the state, its institutions, and the safety of its citizen...

2nd virus wave in Denmark is ‘unlikely’, expert says as govt plans increased testing Denmark is “very unlikely” to be hit by a second wave of coronavirus, the country’s chief epidemiologist said on Tuesday. Kare Molbak made the statement after the government laid out plans for increased testing and a contact tracing system. The Nordic country, which has 533 coronavirus-related deaths, was the first in Europe to relax its coronavirus lockdown almost a month ago. The infection rate and the number of deaths have continued to drop. Denmark this week began a second phase of relaxing its lockdown which will include reopening of restaurants and shopping malls. “No country has seen an actual second wave yet. Some countries have seen the spread go up and down,” Molbak told reporters. “...

Suicide blast at funeral of Afghan police commander in Nangarhar ‘kills, wounds dozens’ – reports Some 40 people are believed “to have been killed or wounded” in a suicide blast on Tuesday at the funeral of a police commander in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar, according to Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the local government. The attacker detonated his explosives in the middle of the ceremony, Khogyani said. At least 10 people were killed in the attack, TASS said, citing a report by Afghanistan’s Ariana News TV channel. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. Nangarhar, a province near the Pakistan border, has long been a stronghold for both Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) and Taliban militants and has witnessed some of the hardest fightin...

Spanish govt orders 2-week quarantine for incoming travelers on May 15-24 The government in Madrid has ordered a two-week quarantine for all travelers coming into Spain from May 15 in a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Incoming travelers will have to remain locked in and will only be allowed to exit for grocery shopping, go to health centers and in case of “situation of need,” according to an official order which was published on Tuesday. The quarantine has been enforced for all travelers coming to the country between May 15 and at least May 24, when the state of emergency is due to end. The quarantine order can be extended jointly with possible state of emergency extensions, Reuters said. Spain has so far extended its restrictions four times since mid-March.&#...