World

If you're thinking about finding a new job, switching careers or negotiating your pay, it's important to understand the salary range for different roles you're interested in, as well as chances for higher – or alternative – compensation, such as sign-on bonuses or working in a different state. Millions of Americans left their jobs during the second half of 2021 in a quitting spree experts have called "The Great Resignation" fueled by record-high job openings and pandemic realizations about the role work plays in our lives. A surgeon in South Dakota, for example, makes almost $30,000 more each year, on average, than a surgeon in Massachusetts – that's according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest state occupational employment and wage estimates , which are based on salary informatio...

Western analysts fear a failure to check Russia’s revanchist ambitions will serve to embolden China in the axis of autocracies. On Feb. 4, on the opening day of the Winter Olympics in Beijing that was boycotted by Western diplomats, Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin declared a “no limits” partnership and backed each other on Ukraine and Taiwan. A second narrative holds that increased U.S. military presence will reassure NATO allies and check Russian belligerence, but only at the cost of distracting America from the bigger strategic challenge of China in the Indo-Pacific, most imminently in Taiwan. Given China’s dramatic expansion of military might and economic strength, U.S. promises to defend Taiwan against attack might prove hollow. A fall of Taiwan would vastly complicate U.S. e...

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO : Self-driving vehicle companies from Tesla Inc to General Motors Co's Cruise are racing to start making money with their technology, outrunning efforts by regulators and Congress to write rules of the road for robot-driven vehicles. On Tuesday, Cruise said that SoftBank Group Corp will invest another $1.35 billion in anticipation of Cruise launching commercial robo-taxi operations. Cruise needs one permit, from California's Public Utilities Commission, to start charging for rides around San Francisco in vehicles with no human driver. Cruise, Tesla, Alphabet Inc's Waymo and Aurora Innovation Inc are among many companies aiming to deploy fully autonomous vehicle technology in the United States within the next two to three years, whether or not federal regulators ...

This year began amid widespread despondency about the resurgent COVID-19 pandemic and the struggling global economy, as well as premonitions of heightened political conflict in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and even the United States. True, there is now some hope that the omicron variant may be the pandemic’s last hurrah. But troubling questions remain about the economic and political legacy of the crisis. The World Bank’s latest biannual Global Economic Prospects report, released last week, points to some possible answers. Produced by a team of talented economists, the report is one of the best summaries of the current outlook for the world economy. And while the report uses the diplomatic language of multilateral organizations, it nonetheless packs a powerful cautionary punch. For s...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian badminton ace Lee Zii Jia, ranked seventh in the world, was Friday (Jan 21) banned from tournaments for two years as a punishment for quitting his national team to go independent. Lee has been held up as the heir to Malaysian legend Lee Chong Wei, rising rapidly up the rankings and scoring a breakthrough victory at the prestigious All England Open last year. Following some poor performances in recent months, including at the Olympics, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) disclosed this week he had quit the body and wanted to play as an independent. But the association refused to back the move, instead deciding to punish him with a two-year ban from all tournaments sanctioned by world governing body the Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF sanctions the v...

Beijing may be 6,500 kilometers (4,000 miles) from Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, but the geopolitical stakes for China in the escalating crisis over Ukraine’s fate could not be higher. If Russia invades Ukraine and precipitates a drawn-out conflict with the United States and its Western allies (though a direct military confrontation is unlikely), China obviously stands to benefit. America will need to divert strategic resources to confront Russia and its European allies will be even more reluctant to heed U.S. entreaties to join America’s anti-China coalition. But if U.S. President Joe Biden defuses the crisis by acceding to some of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands, China will likely end up worse off strategically. While Putin will reap the benefits of his coercive diplomacy, an...

YANGON: Myanmar's junta on Tuesday (Feb 15) dismissed the latest exit from the country by a foreign company after last year's coup, saying beer brewed in partnership with departing Japanese drinks giant Kirin would be "easy to substitute". Human rights groups have pressed foreign companies to rethink their activities in Myanmar following the February 2021 coup and a subsequent crackdown which, according to local monitoring groups, has left more than 1,500 people dead. Kirin on Monday became the latest to turn off the taps in recent weeks, following energy giants TotalEnergies, Chevron and Woodside - although junta has not commented directly on any of these. The junta said in a statement it had no comment on Kirin's "internal company affairs" and its decision to end its involvement in My...

MANILA: The Philippines will reopen to fully vaccinated tourists from most countries on Feb 10 and lift quarantine requirements, officials said Friday (Jan 28), nearly two years after closing its borders to contain the coronavirus. Tourism operators across the archipelago nation famed for its beaches and dive spots have been devastated by a plunge in international visitors and restrictions on domestic travel. Their misery was worsened by a super typhoon that smashed into the country in December, wiping out resorts, restaurants and bars in popular tourist destinations. "The tourism industry can now recover and it can contribute big to jobs, livelihoods and the country's economic growth," presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles told a briefing. A previous plan to welcome back tourists from...

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the opening bell January 25, 2022. TIMOTHY A. CLARY | AFP | Getty Images Stocks have taken a beating in January. The S&P 500 index, a widely cited barometer of U.S. equities, touched into "correction" territory for the first time since the pandemic-fueled market turmoil in March 2020. Just what does that mean and what should investors know? A "correction" applies when stocks fall 10% or more from a recent high. In a wild day of trading on Monday, the S&P 500 stock index — a basket of the country's largest publicly traded companies — sustained heavy losses. At one point it was down more than 10% from its high mark on Jan. 3. The index eked out a slight gain after a late-day rally, but was again teetering on a correction as of ear...

BINTAN: The Flight Information Region (FIR) Agreement between Singapore and Indonesia will ensure that air traffic control services are provided safely, while allowing Changi Airport to grow in the long term as an international air hub, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Tuesday (Jan 25). Speaking to reporters after the conclusion of the 5th Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat in Bintan, he noted that the FIR Agreement realigns the FIR boundaries to be “generally in accordance” with Indonesia's territorial boundaries. “But secondly, it makes sure that Changi (Airport) is able to operate efficiently, safely and fully, and provide air traffic control services in order to function as an important international airport, and to be able to grow in the long term as an international airport...