World

Virtual tours and opportunities: The Singapore property market during COVID-19
4Jul By Team FPNo Comments
Market, Singapore, World

Virtual tours and opportunities: The Singapore property market during COVID-19

Singapore is now in the first phase of the post-circuit breaker period. Some sectors of the economy have reopened, but it isn’t quite business as usual in the property sector. Money Mind reports. SINGAPORE: Singapore is now in the first phase of the post-circuit breaker period. Some sectors of the economy have reopened, but it isn’t quite business as usual in the property sector. Developers’ show galleries remain closed, and property agents are still unable to conduct face-to-face meetings or viewings with prospective buyers. Amid these challenging operating conditions, new private home sales fell 12 per cent in the first quarter. In the same period, prices fell 1 per cent. Most market watchers expect prices to continue this downward trend. Ms Christine Sun, head of research and c...
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Malaysia resumes travel, haircuts and retail therapy as coronavirus curbs ease
4Jul By Team FPNo Comments
World

Malaysia resumes travel, haircuts and retail therapy as coronavirus curbs ease

KUALA LUMPUR: Hair salons and shopping malls reopened, traffic jams returned and interstate travel resumed in Malaysia on Wednesday in a further easing of coronavirus restrictions to revive an economy hard hit by the pandemic. In the capital Kuala Lumpur, customers queued for temperature checks at malls while shop staff added the finishing touches to window displays. Barber shops and beauty salons were reopening to customers after having to remain shut for nearly three months. "Thank God the government decided to ease movement control order restrictions, so we can go out and get our hair cut and become handsome again," joked Abdul Rahman Mohamed after his trim. "Before we looked terrible." Malaysia confirmed two new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, the lowest number since restrict...
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Wall Street climbs on signs of economic recovery, Nasdaq hits record high
3Jul By Team FPNo Comments
World

Wall Street climbs on signs of economic recovery, Nasdaq hits record high

Wall Street's three major indexes rose on Tuesday as improving economic data and the prospect of more stimulus bolstered hopes of a swift recovery, while a jump in technology shares powered the Nasdaq to another record high. REUTERS: Wall Street's three major indexes rose on Tuesday as improving economic data and the prospect of more stimulus bolstered hopes of a swift recovery, while a jump in technology shares powered the Nasdaq to another record high. White House advisor Larry Kudlow said tax rebates and direct mail checks are on the table in the next coronavirus relief bill. The Nasdaq hit a fifth record high this month with Apple Inc providing the biggest boost after at least three brokerages raised their price targets, a day after the iPhone maker said it would use its own chi...
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5 skills experts say workers should master right now
3Jul By Team FPNo Comments
World

5 skills experts say workers should master right now

As the U.S. economy begins to re-open, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that at least 16.3% of Americans, over 21 million people, are unemployed. Some of these unemployed workers hope they will return to the jobs they had before coronavirus pandemic, but many may be forced to find new opportunities. For some, this might mean entering a new line of work entirely or learning a new skill. CNBC Make It spoke with business executives and education experts to learn what skills workers should pick up right now. Data science The most common skill that the experts mentioned was being comfortable analyzing, interpreting and harnessing data. Jake Schwartz, CEO of General Assembly, an education company that offers classes in coding, design, data science and business, says the number one skil...
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Wirecard says missing US$2.1 billion never existed, rips up earlier accounts
2Jul By Team FPNo Comments
World

Wirecard says missing US$2.1 billion never existed, rips up earlier accounts

FRANKFURT: Wirecard said on Monday (Jun 22) that €1.9 billion (US$2.1 billion) missing from its accounts was likely never there and it was looking at the sale or closure of parts of its business as it sought to avert a looming cash crunch. The former German stock market darling, which processes payments for companies including Visa and Mastercard, has seen billions of euros wiped off its value in recent days and began trading in Frankfurt down 40 per cent. Wirecard is scrambling to shore up its finances and has appointed investment bank Houlihan Lokey as it seeks a deal with creditors, after seeing its credit rating slashed to 'junk' by rating agency Moody's on Friday. In a statement on Monday, Wirecard also withdrew financial statements for 2019 and said it was examining cost cuts ...
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Boeing 737 MAX report may boost effort to reform US airplane certification
2Jul By Team FPNo Comments
World

Boeing 737 MAX report may boost effort to reform US airplane certification

A new report into the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to certify the Boeing 737 MAX may help proponents seeking reforms to the long-standing practice of delegating some aircraft certification tasks to manufacturers. WASHINGTON: A new report into the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to certify the Boeing 737 MAX may help proponents seeking reforms to the long-standing practice of delegating some aircraft certification tasks to manufacturers. On Wednesday, the Transportation Department's inspector general released a 52-page report that said Boeing withheld key information about a crucial safety system known as MCAS, that is tied to two fatal crashes and raises questions about whether Boeing employees performing work for the FAA faced undue pressure. On June 16, Se...
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Travel from Japan to Vietnam to partially resume as virus curbs eased
1Jul By Team FPNo Comments
World

Travel from Japan to Vietnam to partially resume as virus curbs eased

Travel from Japan to Vietnam will partially resume this week, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tuesday, marking the first step in easing travel restrictions aimed at stemming the spread of the novel coronavirus. Several chartered flights carrying about 440 businesspeople are scheduled from Thursday through Saturday, with Vietnam agreeing to accept travelers on condition they agree to enhanced preventive measures, Motegi said at a news conference. Motegi said last Friday that Japan and Vietnam had agreed to ease travel restrictions “partially and gradually,” and that it “won’t take long” before travel between the two countries resumes. Japan currently has an entry ban in place for more than 100 countries and regions, with foreign travelers that have been to any of those areas with...
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Japan’s Dentsu evacuates Tokyo HQ after bomb threat
1Jul By Team FPNo Comments
World

Japan’s Dentsu evacuates Tokyo HQ after bomb threat

TOKYO: Japan's largest advertising agency, Dentsu Group, has evacuated its Tokyo headquarters after receiving a bomb threat, an internal company email reviewed by Reuters showed on Friday (Jun 5). The company, in an email to employees, cited a message sent to its website, saying: "Warning of explosion at Dentsu's Shiodome headquarters building with deadline past 7 am on Jun 7, Sunday." Dentsu confirmed it has closed the building due to a bomb threat, and said it has notified the authorities. Entry to the building was forbidden over the weekend, the company said in the email. Dentsu had already introduced work-from-home measures because of the coronavirus outbreak. The company is the focus of political scrutiny having been awarded almost US$700 million in government funds to help ru...
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COVID-19: UK starts mandatory self-quarantine for arrivals
1Jul By Team FPNo Comments
World

COVID-19: UK starts mandatory self-quarantine for arrivals

LONDON: Most people arriving in the UK from Monday (Jun 8) will have to self-isolate for two weeks under a new coronavirus restriction that has been roundly condemned by the ailing aviation sector. The measure, which applies to both residents and visitors with some exceptions, aims to prevent a second wave of contagion from abroad. But critics question why the UK - where the number of new COVID-19 infections per 100,000 people in the past fortnight was the second-highest in Europe - is inflicting more pain on hotels and airlines by reducing travel from countries with fewer virus cases. British Airways and budget carriers EasyJet and Ryanair have launched joint legal proceedings against the government over what they called a "disproportionate and unfair" step. Health Secretary Matt ...
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IBM gets out of facial recognition business, calls on Congress to advance policies tackling racial injustice
1Jul By Team FPNo Comments
World

IBM gets out of facial recognition business, calls on Congress to advance policies tackling racial injustice

SVP and Director at IBM Research Arvind Krishna speaks on stage during the 2016 Wired Business Conference on June 16, 2016 in New York City. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna called on Congress Monday to enact reforms to advance racial justice and combat systemic racism while announcing the company was getting out of the facial recognition business. The decision for IBM to get out of the facial recognition business comes amid criticism of the technology, employed by multiple companies, for exhibiting racial and gender bias. Amazon's own use of facial recognition was put to a shareholder vote last year, with 2.4% of shareholders voting in favor of banning the sale of the technology to government agencies amid privacy and civil rights concerns "IBM firmly opposes and will not condone uses of any tec...
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