Business Archives - Page 24 of 40

Anurak takes over men’s teams in caretaker capacity

9Jul

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Anurak takes over men’s teams in caretaker capacity

Former Thailand star Anurak Srikerd. The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) has appointed former Thailand international Anurak Srikerd as the interim head coach of the Thai national men's teams. Akira Nishino, who is the official head coach of the War Elephants, returned to Japan to take care of some "personal business" after the Thais finished fourth in their group and failed to reach the final stage of the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 Fifa World Cup. While Nishino has apparently missed the deadline to submit his report on the Thai failure in the United Arab Emirates, the FAT has yet to confirm if the veteran Japanese coach has been relieved of his duties. The FAT said Anurak has been appointed to continue the work needed to prepare the Thai squads for participation in the 2022 A...

Cheap alcoholic drink haunting tribal people in Pakistan

8Jul

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Cheap alcoholic drink haunting tribal people in Pakistan

Landi Kotal, Pakistan: The tribal region of Pakistan is addicted to an alcoholic drink called Drone, the most threatened people are youth and regular drinkers. The moonshiners and youth in the remote Tirah Valley of Khyber tribal district of Pakistan's province can easily concoct "Drone" due to the availability of its ingredients at cheap prices. "The ingredients of this alcoholic drink are easily available over-the-counter drugs, syrups and cold drinks," a resident. A Tirah-based doctor confirmed that the concoction originated in Tirah and proliferated quickly to the settled districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. "It has been given this funny name because it instantly makes you high and you start feeling light," the doctor said, reported Dawn. The communities hit hardest b...

Melbourne extends lockdown as ‘Kappa’ variant spreads

16Jun

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Melbourne extends lockdown as ‘Kappa’ variant spreads

Melbourne extends lockdown as 'Kappa' variant spreads A coronavirus lockdown in Australia's second-largest city Melbourne has been extended by a week. MELBOURNE: Melbourne was ordered to remain in lockdown for another week on Wednesday, as Australian authorities try to stamp out a quick-spreading coronavirus strain they described as an "absolute beast". Five million city residents were hoping to exit a seven-day lockdown just before midnight Thursday, but those plans have been thwarted by the spread of the "Kappa" variant, which originated in India. "We've got to run this thing to ground otherwise people will die," Victoria's acting state Premier James Merlino said, describing this strain of the virus as "quicker and more contagious than we have ever seen before". Australia is battlin...

Staging Olympics ‘a suicide mission’, says Japanese exec

16Jun

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Staging Olympics ‘a suicide mission’, says Japanese exec

A man looks at his phone as he walks by billboards promoting the Olympics on Friday in Tokyo. (Reuters Photo) Holding the Olympics as planned in Tokyo in two months would be like a “suicide mission” because Japan has been so late in vaccinating its population, a Japanese business leader has warned. Hiroshi Mikitani, chief executive of the online retailer Rakuten Group and an outspoken critic of the government’s handling of the pandemic, made the comment in an interview with CNN. “It’s dangerous to host the big international event from all over the world,” he said. “So, the risk is too big and … I’m against having the Tokyo Olympics this year,” he said, describing the Games as “a suicide mission”. His comments came as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga reiterated that he was confident that

G7 countries to offer infrastructure plan

15Jun

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

G7 countries to offer infrastructure plan

In the G7 summit the seven nations to counter the influence of China have decided offer a infrastructure support plan.The G7, whose leaders are meeting in southwestern England, has been searching for a coherent response to the growing assertiveness of Xi after China's surging economic and military rise over the past 40 years.U.S. President Joe Biden and other G7 leaders hope their plan, known as the Build Back Better World (B3W) initiative, will provide a transparent infrastructure partnership to help narrow the $40 trillion needed by developing nations by 2035, the White House said."This is not just about confronting or taking on China," a senior official in Biden's administration said. "But until now we haven't offered a positive alternative that reflects our values, our standards and o...

These Toronto students beat over 100 teams around the world to capture a $50,000 urban thinking and design prize. What can the city learn from their expertise?

15Jun

By Desk TeamNo Comments

These Toronto students beat over 100 teams around the world to capture a $50,000 urban thinking and design prize. What can the city learn from their expertise?

Governments — not profit-seeking corporations — should drive solutions to Toronto’s big post-pandemic challenges, say local graduate students who captured a prestigious international prize for urban thinking and design. The five students from Ryerson University, York University and the University of Toronto recently beat more than 100 teams from the U.S., Canada and Singapore to win the Urban Land Institute’s Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition. The Toronto-based students bested other finalists from Georgia, Texas, California, Pennsylvania and New York to clinch the $50,000 (U.S.) prize for best detailed redevelopment plan for a large-scale urban site. Although they won for professionally presented solutions to housing affordability, equity, transportation, mobility, sustai

Japan to probe China-funded Confucius Institutes amid propaganda, spy threat

14Jun

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Japan to probe China-funded Confucius Institutes amid propaganda, spy threat

TOKYO - Japan is set to open a probe into the Beijing-funded Confucius Institutes in the country, following warnings from its security partners that the purported cultural centres may be a conduit for Chinese propaganda and even espionage. At the same time, it is toughening visa checks on Chinese students and tightening access to sensitive technology for all researchers, especially those involved in Beijing's Thousand Talents Plan to woo scholars. "There is growing concern among regions that share common values such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law - including our ally the US as well as in European countries - that the Confucius Institutes should be abolished or be required to fully disclose their operations," Education Minister Koichi Hagiuda told the Diet last month in announc...

China established anti-sanctions law by National People’s Congress Standing Committee

14Jun

By Nectar GanNo Comments

China established anti-sanctions law by National People’s Congress Standing Committee

Beijing, China: A new las has been sanctioned in the country dealing with recently passed anti-sanctioned law. China passed the law to not let overpower wester powers.Those on the list may face countermeasures including denying and revoking visas or expulsion, seizing and freezing assets within China, blocking or restricting transactions and cooperation with Chinese individuals and entities within China, as well as other unspecified "necessary measures".According to the legislation, a mechanism will be established for "overall planning and coordination" of anti-sanctions work.Relevant departments of the State Council will strengthen coordination and information sharing, determine and implement relevant countermeasures in accordance with their respective responsibilities and tasks.Chinese ...

Workers in Chinese being channelled to increase productivity

14Jun

By Nectar GanNo Comments

Workers in Chinese being channelled to increase productivity

Beijing, China: China has installed new productivity-enhancing tools into everyday office life, which actually is channelled to squeez more value from the employees.Nikki Sun for Nikkei Asia writes that rapid technological development in China's tech industry is accompanied by poor labour regulations, which has created a potential for labour abuse. The big tech companies themselves, locked in cutthroat competition for new business opportunities, are pioneering these technologies and tools in their own operations.Andy Wang, an IT engineer at a Shanghai-based gaming company, said that a surveillance software called DiSanZhiYan, or "Third Eye" was installed on the laptop of every employee to track their screens in real time, recording their chats, browsing activity and document edits.After t...

Hi-tech hub Shenzhen gears up for steady economic expansion

14Jun

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Hi-tech hub Shenzhen gears up for steady economic expansion

Hi-tech hub Shenzhen gears up for steady economic expansion People are seen in front of the Tencent company headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China. (Reuters file photo) HONG KONG: Shenzhen, China's Silicon Valley and the richest city in southern Guangdong province, expects to achieve steady economic expansion through 2025 under a new five-year plan, helping cement the metropolis' role as the "core engine" of the Greater Bay Area (GBA). The city's 14th five-year plan from 2021 to 2025, released by the Shenzhen government this week, expects the local economy to reach 4 trillion yuan (US$626 billion) by the end of that period, up from 2.8 trillion yuan in 2020. Under that plan, Shenzhen's per capita gross domestic product is forecast to hit 215,000 yuan in 2025, or US$33,629,...