Business Archives - Page 26 of 40

Shares recover in volatile week for dollar, crypto

6Jun

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Shares recover in volatile week for dollar, crypto

Shares recover in volatile week for dollar, crypto Recap: Global shares rose yesterday amid optimism fed by strong US economic and earnings reports, while Covid restrictions receded in some countries. The upturn capped a volatile week in which worries about inflation and an early US interest-rate hike pushed the dollar near a three-month low, the cryptocurrency market tanked while gold and silver shone as safe-haven assets. The SET index moved in a range of 1,529.69 and 1,570.37 points this week before closing yesterday at 1,552.44, up by 0.19% from the previous week, in daily turnover averaging 90.25 billion baht. Retail investors were net buyers of 4.95 billion baht, institutional investors bought 1.73 billion and brokerage firms purchased 1.49 billion baht worth of shares. Foreign in...

These parts of Asia beat coronavirus early. Here’s why they’re suddenly in lockdown

6Jun

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These parts of Asia beat coronavirus early. Here’s why they’re suddenly in lockdown

TAIPEI, TAIWAN—While much of the world is moving beyond the pandemic, Taiwan, which for so long had kept the virus at bay, is unnerved by scenes countries have long forgotten: listless streets, shuttered shops, a run on toilet paper and untold empty seats on subways. The sudden reversal in Taiwan’s status mirrors setbacks unfolding across Asia. Nations that were lauded and often envied for the way they controlled COVID-19 — keeping death tolls low and allowing millions to work, attend schools and dine out — are now beset by new lockdowns, dwindling hospital beds and growing fatigue as the pandemic wears on. That feeling of defeat is most profound here. For the first time since COVID-19 emerged, Taiwan has imposed strict lockdown measures to stop a virus that’s killed more than 3.3 millio

5Jun

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Ratch closing in on new acquisitions

Wind turbines at the Collector Wind Farm project in New South Wales, Australia. It started operations in the first quarter this year. SET-listed Ratch Group expects to conclude its 7-billion-baht purchase of new power generation assets soon offering 350 megawatts of capacity, strengthening its status as the largest private power producer by capacity. Chief executive Kijja Sripatthangkura did not name the assets, saying only that they are both fossil fuel-fired and renewable power plants, which are both operating and under construction. Once the acquisition is complete, Ratch expects to increase its power generation capacity to 9,224MW by the end of this year, up from 8,874MW at present, including facilities that are under construction. "Asset acquisition is the fastest way to expand ou...

Actor John Cena faces backlash in China over Taiwan comment

5Jun

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Actor John Cena faces backlash in China over Taiwan comment

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Actor and professional wrestler John Cena has apologized to fans in China after he called Taiwan a country in a promotional interview for his upcoming film and became the latest celebrity to face the fury of Chinese nationalists. In a short video posted Tuesday on Chinese social media site Weibo, Cena did not refer to Taiwan or go into much detail about the incident, which occurred earlier this month when he was doing a promotion for “Fast & Furious 9” with Taiwanese media. “In one interview, I made a mistake,” he said in heavily accented Mandarin Chinese. “I need to say now that this is very, very, very, very, very important. I love and respect China and the Chinese people. I’m very, very sorry. As for my mistake, I really apologize for it.“ In his interview with

Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario reports 2,759 new COVID-19 cases and 31 deaths; province extends stay-at-home order until June

5Jun

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Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario reports 2,759 new COVID-19 cases and 31 deaths; province extends stay-at-home order until June

The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Thursday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available. 7:03 p.m. Alberta has moved to close loopholes people might use as a way to avoid wearing masks in public indoor places, The Canadian Press reports. Dr. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health, said Thursday that effective immediately, anyone not wearing a mask where required will need to have a medical exception letter, according to CP. Wearing masks remains a “critical public health measure” to help stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus and there are a “limited number of health issues” for which a mask exception is possible, she said. Those include sensory-processing disorders, developmental delay or cognitive impairment

‘Aren’t we human and worth life?’ Palestinian artist’s murals of ‘hope’ destroyed by airstrikes in Gaza

5Jun

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‘Aren’t we human and worth life?’ Palestinian artist’s murals of ‘hope’ destroyed by airstrikes in Gaza

Ismail Matar has been in this position before. Watching his artwork destroyed. Thinking about when it will be safe to paint again. Matar, 23, is a Palestinian student and artist living in Gaza. In recent years, he has gained a following on social media, sharing his art to more than 5,500 followers on Instagram, and earned praise from people around the world, including some in Canada. Last weekend, as Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza, Matar took cover and watched buildings crumble. His murals — like one of a long, blue octopus with arms outstretched representing the trapped feeling under occupation — painted on city and building walls near several refugee camps, turned into piles of dust and rubble. “The house I live in dances with every bombing. Black smoke is rising around us,” Matar wrote

The Latest: W Virginia steps up prizes for vaccination

2Jun

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The Latest: W Virginia steps up prizes for vaccination

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia will step up its prizes for vaccines, enrolling all residents who have received a coronavirus shot into a lottery for the chance to win a college scholarship, an F-150 pickup truck or cash rewards. Republican Gov. Jim Justice announced the plan for the new incentives Thursday, but more details are expected to be finalized next week. The governor has aimed to turn around a vaccination drive that drastically slowed down after a strong early start. “We’re going to make a few West Virginians millionaires before this is over,” Justice said. The program is expected to be paid through federal pandemic relief funds. ___ MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK: — AMA Journal: 2 China vaccines appear safe and effective — Britain’s Johnson defends virus record after ex-aide

Malaysia’s worsening COVID-19 outbreak sparks alarm

31May

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Malaysia’s worsening COVID-19 outbreak sparks alarm

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A worsening coronavirus outbreak in Malaysia has sparked alarm and is spilling over into neighboring Thailand, which recently discovered a more infectious variant in its south believed to have come from Malaysia. Malaysia has experienced a rapid climb in new cases since April that has strained its hospitals and prompted the government to impose a near lockdown until June 7. But infections have not abated, with a record 7,289 new cases reported Tuesday, pushing the country’s tally to 525,889 — a five-fold increase since the start of the year. Deaths have spiked to more than 2,300. It is the third worst-hit country in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and the Philippines. Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah warned Tuesday that the country has to “prepar

Tourists scarce as travel bubbles fail to inflate

31May

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Tourists scarce as travel bubbles fail to inflate

Australia and New Zealand hope to see two-way travel improve after slow start The mountain resort of Queenstown in New Zealand has been hoping to benefit from the country's travel bubble with Australia. (AFP Photo) WELLINGTON: Quarantine-free travel bubbles were hailed as a "godsend" for tourism earlier this year, but cancellations and suspensions have deflated hopes they will herald a return to pre-pandemic normality. Perhaps the world's most high-profile bubble opened between Australia and New Zealand on April 19, leading to emotional scenes as families split when borders closed almost 400 days earlier were reunited. Since then, New Zealand has ordered partial shutdowns on four occasions due to virus scares in Australian states, the most serious of which forced Melbourne into a snap ...

31May

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FDA approves use of Sinopharm vaccine

Five vaccines now approved, two still being considered Nurses at the Department of Mental Health's Rajanukul Institute in Bangkok's Din Daeng district are providing Covid-19 vaccination for people with disabilities from Friday until August. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Sinopharm coronvirus vaccine for emergency use in Thailand. The FDA on Friday approved the registration application for Sinopharm's Covid-19 vaccine submitted by Biogenetech Co. It is the fifth coronavirus vaccine approved so far in Thailand, FDA secretary-general Paisarn Dankum told a news conference. It is an inactivated vaccine, manufactured by Beijing Institute of Biological Product Co, and requires two doses with the recommended interval being 28 days. Sinopharm...