Business Archives - Page 19 of 40

The Latest: China pledges 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses

15Aug

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The Latest: China pledges 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses

BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged that 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines would be supplied to the world through this year, increasing China’s commitment as the largest exporter of the shots. Xi’s announcement was delivered late Thursday at a vaccine forum China hosted virtually. The figure likely includes the 770 million doses China has already donated or exported already and it’s not clear if it includes a COVAX agreement for Chinese producers to supply 550 million doses. Xi also promised to donate $100 million to the UN-backed COVAX program, which aims to distribute vaccines to low- and middle-income countries. Vaccine distributions have been starkly unequal, as wealthy countries now consider issuing booster shots to their citizens and poorer nations struggle to ge

MEDICAL DEVICES TO LEVERAGE THAILAND’S COMPETITIVE SUPPLY CHAIN

14Aug

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MEDICAL DEVICES TO LEVERAGE THAILAND’S COMPETITIVE SUPPLY CHAIN

MEDICAL DEVICES TO LEVERAGE THAILAND’S COMPETITIVE SUPPLY CHAIN With technology for medical devices continuing to evolve in line with rising demand, Thailand remains focused on promoting technology and innovation in its medical device industry, leveraging the country’s global strengths as a top medical destination with a well-established and thriving industrial supply chain. The database of Global Trade Atlas showed that the international trade of medical devices has continued to grow during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the trade volume standing at approximately US$830 billion in 2020. Interestingly, the value of global exports outstripped imports at approximately US$530 billion versus US$300 billion, respectively. Durable medical devices accounted for the majority of the global exports a

Food group expands into ready-to-eat products

14Aug

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Food group expands into ready-to-eat products

Food group expands into ready-to-eat products Ms Sudatip promotes the company's new multigrain oatmeal product. Pataya Food Group, the producer and marketer of Nautilus canned fish, has diversified its business to ready-to-eat products as a part of an effort to boost the group's sales to 10 billion baht over the next three years. Sudatip Kiatsrichart, the group's executive director, said starting from this year the company will gear toward expansion in the health food market which is worth more than 100 billion baht. The company recently entered Thailand's ready-to-eat cereal market by launching Nautilus Xten healthy meals to tap into a growing market of health-conscious consumers both in Thailand and abroad, with a particular focus on China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Singa...

Thai police use tear gas against anti-government protesters

12Aug

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Thai police use tear gas against anti-government protesters

BANGKOK - Thai police used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons Sunday to disperse hundreds of anti-government protesters who held a rally in Bangkok despite coronavirus restrictions banning gatherings of more than five people. The demonstrators were demanding Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s government step down, insisting the budget of the monarchy and the military be cut during the pandemic, and calling for the importing mRNA coronavirus vaccines that have yet to be brought to Thailand on a large scale to fight a growing surge of the virus. The rally came as Thailand recorded its largest single-day jump in virus infections — nearly 11,400 — and as fresh restrictions were announced such as the shut down of most domestic flights. Many parts of the country, including Bangkok, are

12Aug

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Ratch acquires 9.9% share in BCIL

Ratch acquires 9.9% share in BCIL SET-listed Ratch Group has acquired a 9.9% share totalling 190 million baht in Bangkok Chain International (Lao) Co (BCIL) to co-invest in a new hospital in Vientiane as it sees an opportunity in the growing healthcare industry. The share purchase agreement made on July 30 is in line with the Lao government's plan on social welfare development, with a goal to enhance the public health system and quality of living. A private tertiary hospital in the Lao capital that has 110 beds is planned in the first phase, with operation scheduled to begin on Aug 19. Full accommodation capacity is 254 beds. It will become an alternative hospital for both locals and expatriates, according to Ratch. The company expects healthcare and wellness businesses will grow as ...

Southeast Asia’s factory powerhouses hit by vaccination woes, Delta

11Aug

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Southeast Asia’s factory powerhouses hit by vaccination woes, Delta

Southeast Asia's factory powerhouses hit by vaccination woes, Delta A view of the Klong Toey port amid the spread of the coronavirus in Bangkok. (Reuters file photo) BANGKOK/KUALA LUMPUR: Fresh outbreaks of the Delta coronavirus variant in Southeast Asia have crippled its factory sector, disrupting global supplies of goods such as rubber gloves, semiconductors and SUVs and threatening the US$3 trillion region's recovery. A series of factory surveys this week showed business activity across most Southeast Asian economies fell sharply in July, a contrast to more resilient manufacturing economies in Northeast Asia and the West, where business growth has slowed but remained in expansion. The economic disruptions in Southeast Asia caused by the virus have been made worse by slow progress in...

Myanmar’s strike holdouts maintain defiance of ‘wicked junta’

11Aug

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Myanmar’s strike holdouts maintain defiance of ‘wicked junta’

Myanmar's strike holdouts maintain defiance of 'wicked junta' Ongoing strikes have left Myanmar's junta deprived of staff to manage utilities, issue bills and collect taxes. BANGKOK: Doctors healing patients from hiding, teachers giving up their classrooms and bankers losing their savings are among the stubborn holdouts still on strike to protest Myanmar's military coup six months ago. Thousands of civil servants joined a mass walkout in the days after the February ouster of Aung San Suu Kyi's government in an effort to deny the junta legitimacy, manpower and resources. It is difficult to know how many are still participating in the campaign, with many sacked for joining protests and a severe coronavirus outbreak likely keeping others away from their desks. The strikes have left the j...

10Aug

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Japan to donate millions more doses

Japan to donate millions more doses A medical worker prepares a dose of the Moderna vaccine against the coronavirus disease during a vaccination session at the National Taiwan Science Education Center in Taipei City on July 3 this year. (Reuters photo) TOKYO: Japan will make additional donations of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to Taiwan and other Asian neighbours this week, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Tuesday. Japan will ship out 1 million doses each to Indonesia, Taiwan and Vietnam on Thursday as part of bilateral deals with those governments, Motegi told reporters. An additional 11 million doses donated through the Covax sharing scheme will be sent this month to Bangladesh, Cambodia, Iran, Laos, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, as well as various Pacific Island states, he sai...

Woman convicted in kidnapping gets re-sentencing hearing

10Aug

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Woman convicted in kidnapping gets re-sentencing hearing

KANKAKEE, Ill. (AP) — A woman convicted in the 1987 kidnapping and death of a northern Illinois businessman has been granted a re-sentencing hearing by the state’s appellate court. Nancy Rish, 59, petitioned in December 2017 for a resentencing hearing so that the court can consider evidence of domestic violence. Stephen Small of Kankakee suffocated in a plywood box when a breathing tube running to the surface failed before a ransom could be paid. Her attorneys argued Rish was coerced by ex-boyfriend Daniel Edwards into driving him and that she was unaware of his kidnapping plan even as he had her pick him up from the remote, wooded burial site and drive him between phone booths where he made ransom calls. The attorneys argued her case is what Illinois legislators had in mind when they p

9Aug

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Time to rein in tutoring firms

Time to rein in tutoring firms I have always been puzzled about why so many Thai parents send their children to private tutors after school. Even my 9-year-old niece has to study on weekends when she could be enjoying time with her parents or playing with two lovely cats at home. It's true that most Thais including myself despair about the quality of the education system, and certainly parents want their children to have any advantage they can get. But the little ones also need time to relax and refresh themselves on weekends and get ready for classes on Monday. Professionals involved in children's wellbeing, including educators, are increasingly speaking out against the fast-growing number of pushy parents who subject their children to additional evening teaching, sometimes from as you...