Covid 19 pandemic

SEOUL: In June 2013, a seven-member boyband released its first music video No More Dream. The track reached the heady heights of #84 on the South Korean government-sponsored Gaon Music Chart. Six years on, BTS would become just the third group in 50 years to have three number one albums on the Billboard 200 charts in less than 12 months. Recently, its first all-English single Dynamite made its debut at the top of the Billboard singles chart, making BTS the first South Korean singer or group to achieve such a feat. With dismal economic data at every turn because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the success of BTS has been welcome news for South Korea, not just for cultural pride but also for the tangible benefits that come with it. A government study projects that the chart-busting Dynamite will generate 1.7 trillion won (US$1.43 billion) of economic activity and nearly 8,000 new jobs. READ: BTS hit Dynamite worth US$1.4 billion to South Korea - Government study READ: … [Read more...] about Online concerts and government spending: How K-pop is riding out the COVID-19 pandemic

SINGAPORE: The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced new measures on Thursday (Sep 3) to enhance the banking system's access to Singapore dollar and US dollar funding to bolster the sector's resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. These include the establishment of a new term facility to provide banks and finance companies an additional channel to borrow SGD funds at longer tenors and with more forms of collateral. The MAS SGD Term Facility, to be launched in the week of Sep 28, will offer SGD funds in one- and three-month tenors. Pricing will be set above prevailing market rates, in line with the facility’s objective to serve as a liquidity backstop, the central bank said. Domestic systemically important banks – designated as such because they have a significant impact on the stability of the country's financial system – that are incorporated in Singapore can pledge eligible residential property loans as collateral at the MAS SGD Term Facility. READ: MAS urges … [Read more...] about MAS enhancing banking system’s liquidity during COVID-19 pandemic

SAN FRANCISCO, California: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan will donate US$300 million to help the US election process deal with challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The amount will be donated to two non-partisan organisations for recruiting poll workers, renting polling places, and buying personal protective equipment kits for poll workers, Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Sep 1). "There will be historic levels of voting by mail, and increased need for poll workers and equipment to support contact-free voting," Zuckerberg said. BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram … [Read more...] about Zuckerberg, Chan to donate US$300 million for US elections to deal with COVID-19 pandemic

GENEVA: The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday (Aug 27) that his agency was setting up a review committee to evaluate the performance of its International Health Regulations (IHR) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement to Geneva diplomats hours ahead of a press conference. "The Committee will make technical recommendations on the functioning of the IHR as well as regarding possible amendments," he said, according to his remarks. He said the review committee's first meeting would be on Sep 8-9. Gro Harlem Brundtland, one of Tedros' predecessors at the helm of the UN agency, told reporters in June that the WHO should change the IHR guidelines that led it to oppose travel restrictions early in the outbreak - a step criticised later by the United States. BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the … [Read more...] about WHO panel to review international health regulations in COVID-19 pandemic: Tedros

MADRID: Spain will call in the army to help identify those who have been exposed to people infected with coronavirus as part of efforts to curb the spread of the disease, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Tuesday (Aug 25). The central government will make 2,000 soldiers who are trained in tracking available to the regions, which are responsible for health care, to assist in tracking cases and stem a rise in infections, he told a news conference. "We could even increase this figure as required through the urgent training which we have planned," Sanchez said. Many experts have blamed a lack of virus trackers for a surge in COVID-19 infections in several Spanish regions such as Madrid and Catalonia. Sanchez urged residents in Spain to use a smartphone app designed by the government called RadarCovid which can identify people who have crossed paths with a contagious patient and alert them so they can get tested or be quarantined. READ: Spain's COVID-19 cases top 400,000 after … [Read more...] about Spain calls in army to fight COVID-19 pandemic