April 03, 2020 11:15 PMSINGAPORE - From next Tuesday (April 7), most workplaces and retail outlets - except for those in key economic sectors and essential services - will be closed, as Singapore adopts stricter safe distancing measures to stem the transmission of Covid-19.

April 03, 2020 10:29 PMSINGAPORE - DBS Bankretail customers will be able to defer their mortgage repayment for the rest of the year and convert their outstanding credit to a loan of up to five years.

April 03, 2020 9:41 PMSINGAPORE - It is Friday (April 3) morning at Kallang Estate Market - a morning that seems like any other - except boxes marked in red can be seen on the floor all around the market.

April 03, 2020 9:00 PMThe number of new imported cases has continued to be lower than locally transmitted ones, with just nine announced on Friday.

April 03, 2020 8:06 PMSINGAPORE - Will next week's certificate of entitlement (COE) bidding exercise be postponed? Industry watchers think it is likely, given the new stringent measures announced to combat the Covid-19 outbreak.

April 03, 2020 7:28 PMSINGAPORE - A couple who allegedly abused their son to his death in 2016have been acquitted of murder by common intention, with the High Court on Friday (April 3) directing that the prosecution file alternative charges.

April 03, 2020 7:54 PMSINGAPORE - Additional support for businesses and families will be announced by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat next week, when Parliament sits from Monday (April 6).

April 03, 2020 7:58 PMSINGAPORE - When Third Sergeant Reuben George Pharez was activated to call people on stay-home notices - who are not allowed to leave home even to buy food - in the second week of March, his team of six was making about 50 to 100 calls a day.

PERENNIAL Treasury, a subsidiary of real-estate developer Perennial Real Estate Holdings, on Friday said it has secured a loan facility of S$250 million.

April 03, 2020 7:04 PMSINGAPORE - The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is taking the lead in helping hotel employees affected by the Covid-19 situation by offering them temporary positions, as more jobs become available through the SGUnited Jobs initiative.

It plans to expand its market reach, optimize IT infrastructure, and recruit more staff to grow its platform.

A total of 70 investors have signed up, including Vertex Ventures, Gobi Partners, Sequoia Capital, and SoftBank Vision Fund.

BIT will use the funds to scale its core products and double its revenues.

While most pivot their businesses amid the pandemic, alternative protein startups are setting their sights on the world’s most populous country.

Each Friday afternoon starting today, FinanceAsia will pen an editorial highlighting our unique capital markets news from the past week and place them in context of the bigger picture for the months ahead. We welcome your comments and criticisms. It is the best way to start the weekend.

The Bengaluru-based startup plans to strengthen its product, make new hires, and extend its reach outside of India.

The company former COO, Jian Liu, is believed to have inflated revenues by US$310.5 million.

Interested teams may apply until April 15.

As more than $28 billion in start-up investment is expected to be lost due in 2020, Indonesian entrepreneurs and investors are getting on the front foot to tackle to pandemic.

It plans to use the new funds to extend its runway "as far as possible," its CEO said.

April 03, 2020 11:30 PMNEW YORK - An American who survived World War II and the Spanish Flu pandemic is now the world's oldest coronavirus survivor after a miraculous recovery.

April 03, 2020 11:14 PMLONDON (REUTERS) - Face masks could help limit the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to researchers who studied the effect of surgical masks on the transmission of other corona and flu viruses.

April 03, 2020 10:52 PMMADRID (REUTERS) - Spain overtook Italy for the first time on Friday (April 3) for the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, but the overnight death toll fell from the previous day, providing a small glimmer of hope.

April 03, 2020 11:08 PMNEW YORK (NYTIMES) - Bill Withers, the legendary soul singer behind 1970s hits like "Lean on Me", "Lovely Day" and "Ain't No Sunshine," died on Monday (March 30) in Los Angeles, his family said. He was 81.

April 03, 2020 10:37 PMPARIS (AFP) - Two leading French doctors have triggered a storm of criticism after discussing on a television programme the idea of testing a vaccine for coronavirus in Africa.

April 03, 2020 9:45 PMDUBAI (BLOOMBERG) - Saudi Arabia moved to avert large-scale job layoffs during the coronavirus pandemic by pledging to help struggling companies with wages, in perhaps the kingdom's most significant measure so far to limit damage to the private sector.

April 03, 2020 9:50 PMLOBDON (AFP) - Queen Elizabeth II will make a special broadcast this weekend to Britain and the Commonwealth on the coronavirus pandemic, Buckingham Palace said on Friday (April 3).

WHSmith, New Look and Pret are among high street names to withhold payment

April 03, 2020 3:56 PMWASHINGTON - For weeks, US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo forcefully used the controversial terms "Chinese virus" and "Wuhan virus" in public and said they intended to hold Beijing responsible for the crippling coronavirus pandemic.

April 03, 2020 3:04 PMUNITED NATIONS, UNITED STATES (AFP) - The UN General Assembly on Thursday (April 2) approved a resolution calling for "international cooperation" and "multilateralism" in the fight against Covid-19, in the first text to come out of the international body since the outbreak began.