- NASA launches probe to study if life possible on icy Jupiter moon
- 'Unique' Ronaldo an example to everyone, says Martinez
- New lawsuits against Sean Combs allege sex assault, including of minor
- Italy begins migrant transfers to Albania with first group of 16
- Google signs nuclear power deal with startup Kairos
- Carsley open to foreign England manager amid Guardiola links
- Pogba hungry to have his football cake after doping ban
- India and Canada expel top envoys in Sikh separatist killing row
- Mbappe says victim of 'fake news' after 'rape' report in Sweden
- Lebanon says 21 killed in strike on northern village
- Netanyahu vows no mercy after deadly Hezbollah drone strike
- Russia could be able to attack NATO by 2030: German intelligence
- EVs seek to regain sales momentum at Paris Motor Show
- Clarke backs Scotland to bounce back from 'tough' run
- Harris, Trump target crucial Pennsylvania as US vote looms
- NASA probe Europa Clipper lifts off for Jupiter's icy moon
- Lebanese Red Cross says 18 killed in strike in north
- Mendy borrowed money from Man City team-mates for legal fees
- Palestinian officials say Israeli forces kill two in West Bank
- Football leagues, unions file EU complaint against FIFA in calendar dispute
- Nigeria boycott AFCON qualifier in Libya after 'inhumane treatment'
- India to recall top envoy to Canada: foreign ministry
- Hezbollah, Israeli troops in 'violent clashes' after drone strike
- China insists won't renounce 'use of force' to take Taiwan as drills end
- Painkiller sale plan to US gives France major headache
- Italy begins landmark migrant transfers to Albania
- Russia jails French researcher for three years
- 'Unsustainable' housing crisis bedevils Spain's socialist govt
- Stocks shrug off China disappointment but oil slides
- New Zealand 4-0 up in America's Cup but British show signs of life
- Russian prosecutor demands 3 years prison for French researcher
- 'Innocent' British nerve agent victim caught in global murder plot: inquiry
- Afghan Taliban vow to implement media ban on images of living things
- Russian prosecutor demands 3 years, 3 months jail for French researcher
- England ready for Pakistan's spin assault in second Test
- New Zealand's Ravindra excited for India Tests with father in crowd
- India's capital bans fireworks to curb air pollution
- Stocks diverge, oil retreats as China disappoints markets
- FIFA to open 'global dialogue' on transfer system after Diarra ruling
- Trio wins economics Nobel for work on wealth inequality
- Starmer vows to cut red tape as he urges foreign investors to 'back' UK
- Ex-Stasi officer jailed over 1974 Berlin border killing
- 'Not viable': Barcelona turns against surging tourism
- Hezbollah says targeted Israeli naval base after deadly drone strike
- Rice praises 'unbelievable' England interim boss Carsley despite uncertainty
- Nepali teenager hailed as hero after climbing world's 8,000m peaks
- England captain Stokes back from injury for second Pakistan Test
- Shanghai stocks gain after stimulus briefing as markets rally
- Shanghai stocks gain after stimulus briefing as Asian markets rally
- South Korea military says 'fully ready' as drone flights anger North
RBGPF | 2.84% | 61.23 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.11% | 24.738 | $ | |
SCS | 0.5% | 12.975 | $ | |
GSK | 0.79% | 39.14 | $ | |
BTI | 0.78% | 35.455 | $ | |
RELX | 1.18% | 47.39 | $ | |
RIO | 0.69% | 67.695 | $ | |
BP | -0.36% | 31.995 | $ | |
BCC | 0.49% | 143.075 | $ | |
AZN | 0.96% | 78.1 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.08% | 24.97 | $ | |
BCE | -1.41% | 32.56 | $ | |
RYCEF | 0.43% | 7.03 | $ | |
VOD | 0.31% | 9.68 | $ | |
JRI | -0.29% | 13.212 | $ | |
NGG | 0.98% | 66.895 | $ |
Singapore eases movement curbs for migrant workers
Migrant workers in Singapore no longer need special permission to leave their dormitories from Friday, after two years of coronavirus curbs, but campaigners criticised the decision to maintain some "discriminatory" restrictions.
Around 300,000 migrant workers, many of them from South Asia, live in dorms in the prosperous city-state, where they are typically packed into shared rooms and sleep on bunk beds.
The vast complexes were hit by Covid-19 and locked down at the start of the pandemic, casting a rare spotlight on what rights activists said were the poor living conditions of the low-paid workers.
For most people in Singapore, strict movement curbs were only in place for a short period, but migrant workers remained largely confined to their dorms, except to go to work or run errands.
Authorities have gradually eased restrictions, allowing them to visit specially built "recreation centres", and rolled out a scheme allowing them to apply for special "exit passes" to visit specific areas.
From Friday, the workers -- employed in industries including construction and maintenance -- will no longer need passes to leave their dorms.
But authorities in tightly-controlled Singapore still require them to apply for permission to visit four popular locations on Sundays and public holidays, with up to 80,000 passes available per day.
The measure is to manage "potential high footfall" in those areas, a labour ministry spokesperson told AFP.
"Even as we free up community visits, there is still a need to be vigilant as the pandemic is not over."
Desiree Leong, from the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics, a local group that supports migrant workers, welcomed an end to the exit pass requirement but slammed the remaining restrictions as "discriminatory".
"For the rest of us, we don't have movement restrictions any more," she said. "It's difficult to see why those restrictions still apply to migrant workers."
M.Fischer--AMWN