Market

Commentary: Targeted travel restrictions needed but careful not to undermine Changi Airport’s connectivity
18Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, China, Market, World

Commentary: Targeted travel restrictions needed but careful not to undermine Changi Airport’s connectivity

A handful of netizens have been calling for the aviation hub to close its doors to the world after a COVID-19 cluster there but IPS’ Faizal Yahya says be careful what you ask for. SINGAPORE: The recent wave of infections in Singapore, which included a COVID-19 cluster at Changi Airport last month, has prompted some calls for the suspension of passenger travel at the airport altogether. While many have called for an earlier tightening of restrictions of travel from certain places with surges in infections, which are reasonable, worryingly, there are some who have commented that Changi should also have been closed to inbound travelers to protect Singapore from bringing in COVID-19 cases into the country. “Can’t they just close the border for 14 days?” asked one. “How about a complet...
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Commentary: Why are the major G7 economies delaying a break with the fossil fuel industry?
18Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, Market, World

Commentary: Why are the major G7 economies delaying a break with the fossil fuel industry?

As long as fossil fuels remain profitable, governments are in an awkward position, say business lecturers. CARDIFF, Wales: The climate crisis was a hot topic at the G7 summit in Cornwall. Yet while the leaders of the world’s richest countries agree in theory on the need to reach net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest, they remain faithful to a fossil fuel industry reluctant to substantively change its business model. A recent report by the International Energy Agency, a typically conservative advisory body, argued for an immediate ban on new fossil fuel projects. But investments by oil, gas and coal companies into finding new sources continue, as does industry lobbying to undermine regulation. The environment ministers of the G7 countries committed to end funding for new overseas...
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Giving away 70,000 free meals in NYC’s Chinatown changed this bakery manager’s perspective on leadership
17Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, China, Market, World

Giving away 70,000 free meals in NYC’s Chinatown changed this bakery manager’s perspective on leadership

Patrick Mock, general manager of 46 Mott, and volunteers have delivered 70,000 free meals to low-income Chinatown residents in the last year. "There's never an easy day for me," Patrick Mock tells CNBC Make It over the phone as he surfaces from the New York City subway to Manhattan's Chinatown. Mock, 27, grew up in the neighborhood and has been the general manager of 46 Mott, a Cantonese-style bakery, for four years. And in the last year, he's taken up organizing efforts to help save struggling Chinatown businesses while also caring for the neighborhood's most vulnerable residents during the pandemic. He now spends his days running the bakery on top of making sure the meals program he launched last spring — where he hand-delivers free meals to Chinatown's elderly and unhoused — is running...
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China’s factory output, retail sales, investment all miss expectations in May
17Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, Market, World

China’s factory output, retail sales, investment all miss expectations in May

BEIJING: Growth in China's factory output slowed for a third straight month in May, possibly due to disruptions caused by COVID-19 outbreaks in the country's southern export powerhouse of Guangdong. The Chinese economy has largely shaken off the gloom from the coronavirus-induced slump last year, but officials warn the foundations for the recovery are not yet secure amid challenges including rising raw material prices and global supply chain disruptions, especially a shortage of micro chips. Industrial production grew 8.8per cent in May from a year ago, slower than the 9.8per cent uptick in April, National Bureau of Statistics data showed on Wednesday. That missed a 9.0per cent on-year rise forecast by analysts from a Reuters poll. Most China watchers had expected some moderation i...
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Philippines again suspends scrapping of troop pact with US amid China dispute
17Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, Market, USA, World

Philippines again suspends scrapping of troop pact with US amid China dispute

MANILA/WASHINGTON: The Philippines has again suspended a decision to scrap a crucial agreement governing the US troop presence in the country, its foreign minister said on Monday (Jun 14), amid continuing maritime pressure from China. The Pentagon welcomed the announcement from Manila - the third suspension of the decision covering the two-decade-old Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) that had been due to expire in August - but analysts said there would be disappointment in both countries that it was not renewed. Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin said the suspension would be for a further six months while President Rodrigo Duterte "studies, and both sides further address his concerns regarding, particular aspects of the agreement". The Philippines is a US treaty ally and sever...
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Illegal drugs trade goes digital for pandemic
17Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
Market, World

Illegal drugs trade goes digital for pandemic

Like supermarkets, restaurants and purveyors of sourdough bread, the illegal drugs trade went digital to serve its customers during lockdown, and could stay that way when the COVID-19 pandemic is over, Europe's drugs agency said on Tuesday. LISBON: Like supermarkets, restaurants and purveyors of sourdough bread, the illegal drugs trade went digital to serve its customers during lockdown, and could stay that way when the COVID-19 pandemic is over, Europe's drugs agency said on Tuesday. "The pandemic is pushing drug criminals online, reinforcing a trend," said the European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson during the online launch of the 2021 drugs report put together by the Lisbon-based agency EMCDDA. "Drug dealers are moving from the streets onto social media, taking orde...
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Japan’s factory output rose in April on overseas demand for capital goods
16Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, Market, World

Japan’s factory output rose in April on overseas demand for capital goods

Japan's industrial output extended gains in April as manufacturers benefited from a recovery in appetite for capital goods, especially in key overseas markets. The world's third-largest economy is expected to grow in the current quarter at a much slower pace than previously thought, after the government extended COVID-19 emergency measures in Tokyo and other major areas. Separate data on Monday showed that retail sales, a key gauge of consumer spending, surged in April, thanks largely to favorable statistical base effects from a year earlier, when the country was under even stricter COVID-19 curbs. Official data released Monday showed factory output grew 2.5% from the previous month in April, as higher production of general-purpose and electrical machinery offset a contraction in cars a...
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Singapore’s core inflation positive for third consecutive month in April
16Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
Market, World

Singapore’s core inflation positive for third consecutive month in April

SINGAPORE: Consumer prices in Singapore rose in April, driven by smaller declines in electricity and gas costs, as well as retail and other goods, data showed on Monday (May 24). This is the third straight month that Singapore's core inflation has remained positive. Core inflation rose 0.6 per cent year-on-year in April, an increase from 0.5 per cent in March, according to data from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI). The headline consumer price index (CPI), or overall inflation, rose to 2.1 per cent in April, from 1.3 per cent in March, driven by higher private transport and accommodation costs as well as an increase in core inflation. Core inflation excludes the price of private transport and accommodation. "The increase in both ...
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COVID-19 pandemic relapse spells trouble for India’s middle class
16Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, Market, USA, World

COVID-19 pandemic relapse spells trouble for India’s middle class

NEW DELHI: Ram Babu moved from his village to the Indian capital New Delhi in 1980, to clean cars. Soon, he learned to drive and got a job as a tour bus driver. Decades later, he set up his own company, Madhubani Tours and Travels. In March 2020, a stringent nationwide lockdown to fight the coronavirus pandemic froze economic activity overnight. Babu's business collapsed, and he drove his family back to their village. “Since March last year, we haven’t earned a single rupee,” he said. “All of my three buses are standing still for more than a year. We are completely broken.” India’s economy was on the cusp of recovery from the first pandemic shock when a new wave of infections swept the country, infecting millions, killing hundreds of thousands and forcing many people to stay home. C...
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Commentary: Could S$1 ride-hailing fee hike hurt Grab more than it realises?
16Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
Market, World

Commentary: Could S$1 ride-hailing fee hike hurt Grab more than it realises?

Grab has a fine balancing act to consider yet in this instance, both customers and drivers were not happy, says NUS Business School's Nitin Pangarkar. SINGAPORE: Grab recently announced a S$1 increase in its base fare effective from Jun 1. The fare increase is aimed at increasing the earnings of its drivers, albeit marginally. The hike will apply to Grab’s transport offerings except for Standard Taxi, GrabHitch and GrabCoach. Grab had earlier offered benefits to eligible drivers before new restrictions under Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) were announced, including rental rebates of up to S$45 a week for GrabRentals, delivery opportunities on the Grab platform, and training and career support initiatives via Grab Academy. The fare increase has attracted negative reactions from some cus...
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