Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on March 28

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Saturday, March 28.


49 new coronavirus cases in Singapore; 3 cases form new cluster at SingPost Centre

According to Singapore Post, the three cases comprise one contract staff member and two full-time employees working on the same floor. PHOTO: ST FILE

According to SingPost, the cases comprise one contract staff member and two full-time employees working on the same floor.

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Coronavirus: Historic $3.1 trillion aid package passes US House, becomes law

Trump signs the Bill into law at the White House. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

The massive Bill passed the Senate and House of Representatives nearly unanimously.

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19th Shangri-La Dialogue, scheduled for June, called off due to coronavirus outbreak

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen speaking during the 18th Shangri-La Dialogue at Shangri-La Hotel on June 2, 2019. PHOTO: ST FILE

This marks the first time that the annual Shangri-La Dialogue has been called off since it was first launched in 2002.

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askST: If Singapore closes schools, will exams go on?

Students returning to Zhenghua Primary School. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

What if parents do not work in essential services like the healthcare sector, but in jobs like retail, and cannot take leave on home-learning days?

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Crowd-limiting measures at malls, public venues as new safe distancing rules kick in

People queueing to enter Nex mall in Serangoon on March 27, 2020. ST PHOTO: TIMOTHY DAVID

Most malls sealed the majority of their entrances, including underpasses to MRT stations and other buildings, to control traffic flow.

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Coronavirus: SIA must move fast when recovery comes

The SIA Group's extensive network - with Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flying to 94 destinations in 34 countries pre-coronavirus - attracts foreign carriers which fly to Singapore so that they can tap the group's connectivity to the rest of the region. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

By the end of May, most airlines will be bankrupt but Singapore Airlines will not be on that list.

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Coronavirus: 88,000 eligible self-employed to receive $9,000 cash payout this year

The Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme is part of a landmark $48.4 billion supplementary Budget announced by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat. PHOTO: ST FILE

The Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme will cost $1.2 billion in total.

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Coronavirus: Death of teenager, who had 'just a cough', shakes France

A man walks on the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower during restrictions in Paris on March 21, 2020. PHOTO: NYTIMES

The high school student's death brought home what experts have warned - the new virus is not a threat only to the elderly or people with underlying medical problems.

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One in six protection orders filed by husbands

Social workers say significantly fewer men than women seek help when they are abused by their spouse. ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA

Men filed 278 applications against their wives last year; women filed 1,321.

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From hotels to HDB carparks, farming hits the roof

Citiponics runs a rooftop gardening outfit which is in close concert with Singapore Food Agency to bring pesticide-free produce to supermarkets. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

The harvests from these farms are supplied directly to restaurants and customers.

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