Business

The Latest: Mississippi hospital to require masks
29Jul By Desk TeamNo Comments

The Latest: Mississippi hospital to require masks

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi’s only level-one trauma hospital and academic medical center will require all employees and students who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 to wear an N95 mask while inside, a decision that a top official acknowledged would not be popular with everyone in the country’s least vaccinated state and may result in the loss of employees. University of Mississippi Medical Center Vice Chancellor Dr. LouAnn Woodward said the university has responsibility and an obligation as “the place that takes care of the sickest patients” to set the example for others in health care across the state. “I feel strongly that this is the right thing to do,” she said, emphasizing that the vaccines are safe and offer strong protection against contracting the potentially life-threatenin
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China jabs deal hailed as leaders tackle Covid economic woes
29Jul By Desk TeamNo Comments

China jabs deal hailed as leaders tackle Covid economic woes

China jabs deal hailed as leaders tackle Covid economic woes Covax has delivered more than 100 million jabs so far, well short of its aims after expected supplies from India failed to materialise. GENEVA: A global initiative to distribute coronavirus vaccines to poorer countries was boosted on Monday by a deal to buy more than 100 million Chinese jabs, as Asia-Pacific leaders agreed to address the Covid-induced economic slump. European countries were also facing a reckoning with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson expected to announce further details of England's plans to do away with most restrictions on July 19, and French President Emmanuel Macron set to address the nation on his ideas for weathering the onslaught from new variants. The virus has killed more than four million people sin...
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Racing for super app supremacy
29Jul By Desk TeamNo Comments

Racing for super app supremacy

Grab and Gojek have diversified their services. A push by corporates to become super app operators like the case of Malaysian-based airline AirAsia casts light on their determination to create ecosystems that could drive down costs and expand customer bases through integrated services, say business pundits. On Wednesday, AirAsia announced it would acquire Indonesian ride-hailing and payments firm Gojek's Thailand business, saying the deal is the right move to leverage the know-how of Gojek and integrate it with the stronger brand of AirAsia which is looking to expand into food deliveries and fintech services. A series of companies are striving to achieve merger and acquisition deals to expand their reach to boost revenue streams as existing businesses run out of steam. Business experts...
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Telenor announces Myanmar exit
29Jul By Desk TeamNo Comments

Telenor announces Myanmar exit

This file photo shows customers queue to buy Telenor sim cards at a mobile shop in Yangon. (AFP photo) OSLO: Norwegian telecoms firm Telenor ASA has sold its Myanmar business, blaming the difficulties of operating under the military junta and dealing a blow to activists who say they relied on the only Western operator for communications. Telenor, one of the biggest foreign investors in Myanmar, sold its operations to Lebanese investment firm M1 Group for $105 million, announcing its retreat from a country that slid into chaos after a military coup in February. It was one of the few Western companies to bet on the Southeast Asian country after it emerged from military dictatorship a decade ago. Myanmar accounted for 7% of Telenor's earnings last year. "There are three reasons why we th...
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The Latest: SKorea sees 11th straight day over 1,000 cases
29Jul By Desk TeamNo Comments

The Latest: SKorea sees 11th straight day over 1,000 cases

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea has reported another new 1,455 cases of the coronavirus, its 11th straight day over 1,000, as officials push to tighten pandemic restrictions nationwide. The numbers reported by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Saturday brought the national caseload to 176,500, including 2,055 deaths. The record-breaking surge has been mostly driven by transmissions in the greater Seoul region, home to half of the country’s population of more than 51 million. Officials here have enforced the country’s toughest social distancing restrictions, which prohibit private social gatherings of three or more people after 6 p.m., ban visitors at hospitals and nursing homes, and shut down nightclubs and churches. Officials are also discussing whether to enforce fou
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Asian markets mixed but traders on edge after China crackdown
28Jul By Desk TeamNo Comments

Asian markets mixed but traders on edge after China crackdown

Asian markets mixed but traders on edge after China crackdown The Federal Reserve's meeting will be closely watched for an idea about its plans for monetary policy as the US economy continues to improve. HONG KONG: Asian markets were mixed Tuesday with confidence at a premium after the previous day's sell-off, with investors keeping a wary eye on China following its latest crackdown on a range of industries. The announcement of new regulations on the tutorial sector -- which has decimated private education firms -- along with more moves against tech firms and fresh rules for property and food delivery companies has traders worrying where Beijing will strike next, analysts said. That comes against a backdrop of rising concerns about the fast-spreading Delta Covid variant and the slow ro...
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Govt: Phuket Sandbox going well, marred by fake news
28Jul By Desk TeamNo Comments

Govt: Phuket Sandbox going well, marred by fake news

Govt: Phuket Sandbox going well, marred by fake news Phuket deputy governor Piyapong Chuwong, right, and provincial health chief Dr Kusak Kukiatikoon, left. (Photo: Achadthaya Chuenniran) The Phuket Sandbox scheme aimed at revitalising the economy and tourism and is going well, with tourists continuing to arrive, but its success has been marred by "fake news" on social media of its imminent collapse, a government spokesman said. Thanakorn Wangboonkongchan, secretary to the Prime Minister's Office minister and spokesman for the Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA), said false reports were being disseminated on social media that Phuket had been ordered closed because Covid-19 had spread beyond control. Mr Thanakorn said this was not true. The Phuket Sandbox programme was...
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In Mekong region, drug trade thrives
27Jul By Desk TeamNo Comments

In Mekong region, drug trade thrives

In Mekong region, drug trade thrives Confiscated synthetic drugs, including 167 kilogrammes of ketamine as well as other popular recreational drugs, in this file photo from April 7. (Photo: Nutthawat Wicheanbut) An example of a resilient business model in hard times? Indeed, except that this describes how the synthetic drug industry has been expanding in East and Southeast Asia, home to the Mekong region which is the manufacturing and trafficking hub that supplies illicit drugs that reach not just the wider Asia but the globe. Referring to a report on the synthetic drug situation, Inshik Sim, drug programme analyst for Southeast Asia and the Pacific for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said: "Covid-19 has had very, very limited impact and especially in the Mekong re...
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USA: China passes new sanction which targets US
26Jul By Online DeskNo Comments

USA: China passes new sanction which targets US

Washington, US: US has imposed penalties on Hong Kong in response to which China has targeted many US individuals and entities by imposing sanction on Anti-Foreign Sanction law Hours after the latest sanctions announced by China targeting several American citizens, the US said it is "undeterred" and added that it is "fully committed" to implementing all relevant Washington sanctions authorities. China on Friday imposed sanctions on seven US individuals and entity, under Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, in response to the US penalties imposed on the Hong Kong officials over the crackdown on democracy in the semi-autonomous region. Reacting to it, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that these actions are the latest examples of "how Beijing punishes private citizens, companies an...
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South Africa calls up army reserves in bid to crush looting
26Jul By Desk TeamNo Comments

South Africa calls up army reserves in bid to crush looting

South Africa calls up army reserves in bid to crush looting Reinforcements: Troops stand guard outside the Chris Hani shopping mall in Vosloorus on the outskirts of Johannesburg. JOHANNESBURG - South Africa mustered its army reserves on Thursday in a bid to quell looting that has stoked fears of shortages and dealt a crippling blow to its already battered economy. "All reserve members are to report for duty at first light tomorrow morning 15 July 2021 at their respective units," army chief Lieutenant-General Lawrence Mbatha said in orders issued overnight as the unrest entered its sixth day. Soldiers should "report ready with their necessary equipment," the defence ministry said in a statement. On Wednesday, the government said it would call out around 25,000 troops to tackle the emer...
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