World

Australia may open borders to Asia as it records third day without local COVID-19 case
14Nov By Team FPNo Comments
Asia, China, Singapore, World

Australia may open borders to Asia as it records third day without local COVID-19 case

SYDNEY: Australia is considering opening its borders to Asian countries, including parts of China, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday (Nov 10), as Canberra seeks to revive an economy ravaged by COVID-19. Australia in March shut its borders to all non-citizens and permanent residents, though in October, Canberra allowed New Zealand residents to enter. Internal travel is limited, although those restrictions are scheduled to be removed by the end of the year. Morrison ruled out entry from the United States or Europe, but said Australia may allow people from low-risk places such as Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and even provinces in China. "We ... are looking at what alternative arrangements could be had to channel visitors through appropriate quarantine arrangements for low-risk ...
Read More
Philippines, Vietnam brace for tropical storm Saudel
14Nov By Team FPNo Comments
World

Philippines, Vietnam brace for tropical storm Saudel

HANOI: Authorities in Vietnam and the Philippines braced on Tuesday (Oct 20) for a tropical storm that could bring flooding and landslides in both countries, as the death toll in Vietnam from weeks of adverse weather rose to 105, with dozens still missing. Rescue teams and disaster officials were on standby and preparing equipment in the Philippines, awaiting the arrival on the main island of Luzon later on Tuesday of tropical storm Saudel, which could bring heavy rains and cause mudslides. Moderate early rains triggered some minor landslides on Tuesday, blocking several roads. Vietnam's weather agency is expecting Saudel to arrive in its central region on Saturday, bringing more intense rains, risking exacerbating its worst flooding in years. Floods and mudslides during October ha...
Read More
China holds meet with Pak, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh to fight Covid-19
13Nov By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

China holds meet with Pak, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh to fight Covid-19

With an aim to fight coronavirus and boost economy, China hosted a high-level virtual meeting with Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka to build up “political consensus” in all nations.Termed as the “five-parties” meeting by the Chinese foreign ministry in a late-night statement on Thursday; the meet was an expansion of a similar meeting held in July involving Pakistan, Nepal, and Afghanistan, and hosted by foreign minister, Wang Yi.“To jointly defeat Covid-19, protect people’s life, safety and health, and accelerate economic and social recovery and development, China, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka convened a vice-ministerial-level video conference on Covid-19 response on November 10,” the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.“The five parties had in-de...
Read More
Irked by proposed US-Taiwan economic talks, China calls Washington to ‘stop exchange or contacts’ with Taipei
12Nov By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

Irked by proposed US-Taiwan economic talks, China calls Washington to ‘stop exchange or contacts’ with Taipei

China has urged the United States to “stop exchange or contacts” with Taiwan and stop elevating its relationship with Taiwan in any substantive way after Washington and Taipei announced they would hold economic talks this month.Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Webin while addressing a briefing, urged the US to adhere to the one-China principle.China considers Taiwan as its own territory with no right to form official ties with other countries and has watched with growing alarm as the US stepped up is support for the island.Taiwan is sending a delegation to the US for the inaugural meeting of the US-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue later this month. The US side will be led by Undersecretary Keith Krach, who visited Taiwan in September.“China consistently opposes off...
Read More
China’s covert op Fox Hunt is targeting Canada’s Chinese community: Canadian Intelligence
12Nov By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

China’s covert op Fox Hunt is targeting Canada’s Chinese community: Canadian Intelligence

Canada’s Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) on Wednesday said that covert “anti-corruption” operation named Fox Hunt is attacking members of the Chinese community in Canada to curb dissent among its diaspora.“Certain foreign states routinely attempt to threaten and intimidate individuals around the world through various state entities and non-state proxies. These states, such as the People’s Republic of China, may use a combination of their intelligence and security services as well as trusted agents to assist them in conducting various forms of threat activities,” said (CSIS) spokesperson John Townsend.This announcement came in less than a month following the US Justice Department charged eight individuals who allegedly participated in the same covert Chinese operation in the United Sta...
Read More
Californians pass proposition to let Uber treat drivers as contractors: projection
12Nov By Team FPNo Comments
Market, World

Californians pass proposition to let Uber treat drivers as contractors: projection

Voters in trend-setting California backed a ballot proposal by Uber and its allies that cements app-based food delivery and ride-hail drivers' status as independent contractors, not employees, according to a projection by data provider Edison Research. REUTERS: Voters in trend-setting California backed a ballot proposal by Uber and its allies that cements app-based food delivery and ride-hail drivers' status as independent contractors, not employees, according to a projection by data provider Edison Research. Victory in the most expensive ballot contest in state history is a rebuke to state legislators and allows Uber, Lyft and allies to set the employment terms of the gig economy that they helped create. Some had threatened to leave California, their home market, if they lost. The ...
Read More
Kelly Evans: Here’s what we know…
12Nov By Team FPNo Comments
Market, World

Kelly Evans: Here’s what we know…

...as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time: (1) Stocks are jumping, tech stocks especially. The Dow's up more than 500 points. The Nasdaq is up almost 4%! Why? No blue wave. No matter the outcome of the presidency, this makes the prospect of major tax hikes (sell your winners, i.e. tech) less likely. It means no killing the filibuster, which could have introduced frequent major policy swings, as we've discussed. It more or less means the "good" kind of D.C. gridlock, in which any big changes require a large consensus, not just a slim majority. (2) Bond yields are slumping. The 10-year, which ran up to a high of 0.94% early last night when the Democrats' prospects looked more promising, has now slumped to 0.75%. Wow. The reason for that, people say, is much lower odds of any major Covid relief pack...
Read More
Malaysia says aviation firms may need three years to recover from COVID-19
12Nov By Team FPNo Comments
Asia, Market, Singapore, World

Malaysia says aviation firms may need three years to recover from COVID-19

KUALA LUMPUR: Airlines in Malaysia could take three years to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic, depending on the outbreak in the country and abroad, the transport ministry said. Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong said earlier this week that in the Malaysian Aviation Commission's (MAVCOM) revised projections for passenger traffic this year, it expects passenger numbers to shrink as much as 75.6 per cent to 26.6 million, compared with the 109.2 million passengers recorded in 2019. "In this regard, airlines are expected to need a period of three years to fully recover the situation from the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, subject to the of the outbreak in the country and abroad," Wee said in a written parliamentary reply dated Monday (Nov 9). Airlines globally have taken a hit from ...
Read More
US charges Houston technology mogul Robert Brockman with tax, securities fraud
12Nov By Team FPNo Comments
World

US charges Houston technology mogul Robert Brockman with tax, securities fraud

WASHINGTON: Federal prosecutors said on Thursday (Oct 15) they had charged Houston-based technology executive Robert Brockman with hiding US$2 billion in income from the IRS over 20 years, in the biggest tax fraud case against an individual in US history. At the same time, the US Attorney for the Northern District of California announced he had struck a non-prosecution agreement with Robert E. Smith, the billionaire chief executive of Vista Equity Partners, in exchange for his help in securing the charges against Brockman. At a press conference, US Attorney David L Anderson said Brockman used various offshore entities in Bermuda and Nevis to evade taxes. He said Brockman also bought and sold debt securities in his own company, "breaking a promise to investors that he would not buy o...
Read More
Maryam Nawaz says Pakistan PM Imran Khan, his party is like Coronavirus
11Nov By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, World

Maryam Nawaz says Pakistan PM Imran Khan, his party is like Coronavirus

In a scathing attack on Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz Sharif, on Monday, likened coronavirus to the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and Prime Minister Imran Khan."The disease called COVID-19 came to the world recently, but it had already spread in Pakistan in 2018," she said while addressing a public gathering in Gupis, Gilgit-Baltistan.She further said that this disease does not go away by wearing masks, and has to be thrown out.The daughter of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is on a seven-day election campaign ahead of the Gilgit-Baltistan elections scheduled for November 15, said it "pained her to take the name of a person like Imran".She added that Khan and his party of 'turncoats' is the nam...
Read More