Business Archives - Page 32 of 40

Myanmar extends ban on foreign visitors before elections

11Nov

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Myanmar extends ban on foreign visitors before elections

Myanmar extends ban on foreign visitors before elections Supporters of the opposition Union Betterment Party (UBP) ride an oxcart during a campaign in Naypyidaw on Monday, ahead of next month's elections. (AFP photo) Myanmar extended a ban on international commercial flights and issuance of all types of visa until the end of November to contain the spread of coronavirus outbreak ahead of the general elections. The ban on foreigners’ entry through land borders will also be extended for another month, the Ministry of Transport and Communications said in a statement Monday. The extension of curbs, which were due to end Oct 31, were ordered by the National Committee on Covid-19 Control chaired by de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, it said, adding that essential business travellers must seek

Hard hit by virus, airlines push for tests over quarantines

8Nov

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Hard hit by virus, airlines push for tests over quarantines

FRANKFURT - What will it take to get people flying again? International air traffic is down 92 per cent this year as travellers worry about catching COVID-19 and government travel bans and quarantine rules make planning difficult. One thing airlines believe could help is to have rapid virus tests of all passengers before departure. Scattered experiments on improving safety are under way around the world, and a UN organization is leading talks to set guidelines. There is a lot at stake. With no end in sight to the pandemic, the near total halt to international travel will hinder economies as they try to bounce back from recession and return to normal levels of business activity. Millions of jobs - at airlines, airports and travel related businesses such as hotels and restaurants - are affe...

What the pandemic taught us about food imports from China

7Nov

By Online DeskNo Comments

What the pandemic taught us about food imports from China

As the pandemic compelled the world to look eastwards and into its deep dungeons, a new issue was boiling underneath the chaos; how safe is the food that is being imported from China? With hundreds of videos that are doing their rounds across several platforms , showing the condition of the wet markets in China and its suburbs, the people across the globe have gone into a state of frenzy. Everybody is concerned about the safety of the imports from China, especially food. The greed for higher benefits in China's flourishing business sector economy, joined with the absence of viable assessment and law implementation, and the relinquishment of hygiene and cleanliness campaigns, have all added to the exacerbating circumstance of sanitation. China is presently reaping the outcomes. Thous...

South Asian Island nations feel pressure of Chinese tourist debt traps

7Nov

By Online DeskNo Comments

South Asian Island nations feel pressure of Chinese tourist debt traps

The pandemic hit economies are struggling to revive and restructure their economic development by providing bailout packages and other stimulus measures. However economies dependent on tourism have long and tough road ahead, even more so for countries dependent heavily on Chinese tourists. The two of South Asia’s travel hotspots, Sri Lanka and Maldives, have more to provide to China than their scenic natural beauty. The two island nations are struggling with the complete shutdown of international travel on account of the ongoing pandemic. Their economies being heavily dependent on tourism, the countries experienced enormous drops in GDP. However, these weakened economies now serve China’s ultimate strategic and geo-political objectives. Both the countries are marred with immense debt f

6Nov

By Desk TeamNo Comments

AP dives back into provincial projects

Mr Vittakarn says provinces chosen for projects must specialise in a sector. KHON KAEN: SET-listed developer AP Thailand has reentered the provincial market with low-rise houses in answer to demand, offering more flexible development. Vittakarn Chandavimol, chief of corporate strategy and creation, said people in many provinces don't want to live in urban condo units as the travel time from outer city areas to inner areas is quick. Similar to Kanchanaphisek Road in Bangkok, major provinces often have a ring road surrounding central areas. Locations on ring roads are usually where low-rise houses are developed as land prices are lower than those in inner cities. "Condos are preferred in Bangkok because travel from the outer city to inner areas consumes a lot of time," he said. "In the p...

As virus flares globally, new strategies target hot spots

6Nov

By Desk TeamNo Comments

As virus flares globally, new strategies target hot spots

NEW YORK - After entire nations were shut down during the first surge of the coronavirus earlier this year, some countries and U.S. states are trying more targeted measures as cases rise again around the world, especially in Europe and the Americas. New York’s new round of virus shutdowns zeroes in on individual neighbourhoods, closing schools and businesses in hot spots measuring just a couple of square miles. Spanish officials limited travel to and from some parts of Madrid before restrictions were widened throughout the capital and some suburbs. Italian authorities have sometimes quarantined spots as small as a single building. While countries including Israel and the Czech Republic have reinstated nationwide closures, other governments hope smaller-scale shutdowns can work this tim

Alibaba pays $3.6bn to take over China hypermarket giant SunArt

5Nov

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Alibaba pays $3.6bn to take over China hypermarket giant SunArt

Alibaba pays $3.6bn to take over China hypermarket giant SunArt Alibaba has taken control of SunArt which runs hundreds of hypermarkets in China as it expands its grip on the mainland retail sector. PARIS: China's e-commerce behemoth Alibaba has bought a controlling $3.6 billion stake in SunArt which runs hundreds of hypermarkets on the mainland for French shopping giant Auchan. The move to take a 72% holding in SunArt tightens Alibaba's grip on China's vast e-commerce sector as it looks to soak up the new customers pushed online to buy groceries, fresh food and healthcare products by the coronavirus. It also hands over control of 13 million square metres of retail space in scores of cities across the country. SunArt was created by Auchan in 2000 with Ruentex Group and joined in an "a...

Toronto could lose 270,000 jobs to second wave, economists say — and many will be gone for good

3Nov

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Toronto could lose 270,000 jobs to second wave, economists say — and many will be gone for good

The immediate economic pain from the second wave of COVID-19 won’t be as drastic as what we felt this spring, but the Canadian economy will still be dealing with the pandemic’s broader fallout for years to come, economists say. While the second wave — and associated closures — will cause more layoffs, the immediate impact won’t be as widespread or as strong, said Jim Stanford, an economist with the Centre for Future Work. “It’s not going to be as dramatic as the first time, because not as many things are being shut down, and we’ve learned to do some things more safely,” Stanford said. The trouble will be much more narrowly focused this time around, said David Macdonald, senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. “I think the pain won’t be as widespread as it was

2Nov

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Soldiers without ranks

Young Muslims trained in arms and light ammunition are sought after pawns in the markets of conflict and turmoil. Wearing the masks of Islam, they are out to create mayhem and massacre. In most cases, theses forces are out to challenge the State and its well-structured armies and police forces. In old times, such confrontations were a part of the game between rulers and their opponents.However, in modern times, the rules of the game have changed. Generally, the confrontations take place according to rules of war, as well as according to the international law approved by international community. But in this case, the engagement and employment of pawns is either overlooked or ignored. This strategic game was being played in pre-colonial and even colonial era as a state craft.The rulers who u...

Today’s coronavirus news: Toronto adds 560 new beds for homeless for winter; de Villa warns outbreak in Toronto could be worse than April; COVID-19 cases increased 40% in Canada over past 7 days

1Nov

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Today’s coronavirus news: Toronto adds 560 new beds for homeless for winter; de Villa warns outbreak in Toronto could be worse than April; COVID-19 cases increased 40% in Canada over past 7 days

KEY FACTS 2:15 p.m.: De Villa warns outbreak in Toronto could be worse than April 2 p.m.: COVID-19 cases increased 40% in Canada over past 7 days 1:27 p.m.: Italy imposes nationwide outdoor mask mandate The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Wednesday. This file is no longer updating. Click here to read the latest coverage. Web links to longer stories if available. 10:35 p.m. South Korea has 69 new confirmed coronavirus cases, most of them in the Seoul region area where health workers are struggling to track transmissions tied to hospitals, churches, schools and an army unit. The figures released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Thursday brought the national total to 24,422 cases, including 427 deaths. Forty-nine of the new cases were report...