Business

Workers in Qatar still facing abuses: report HRW says foreign workers in Qatar are still facing abuses in the energy-rich Gulf nation despite promises to improve labour laws. DOHA: Qatar's massive migrant workforce is still being exploited by employers who withhold wages, threaten expulsion, and deduct pay, leaving some staff unable to eat, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday. Widespread abuses persist even after Qatar -- where more than 90% of the 2.75 million population are migrant workers -- pledged to clean up its act following a torrent of criticism of its labour laws when it won the contest to host the 2022 World Cup a decade ago. "Independent employers, as well as those operating labour supply companies, frequently delay, withhold, or arbitrarily deduct workers' wages," the ...

FPO: Q3 looking less dire as 'swoosh-shaped' bounce looms Thailand's third-quarter economic outlook has better prospects than in the previous quarter after improved economic indicators in July, says the Fiscal Policy Office (FPO). The economy already bottomed out after consecutive GDP contractions in the first two quarters, with economic indicators in July suggesting the third-quarter outlook will improve because of government stimulus measures, said FPO deputy director-general Wuttipong Jittungsakul. The private consumption indicator in July also suggested a recovery from the second quarter, Mr Wuttipong said. "Most economic indices improved [in July] from the previous month, therefore the third-quarter economic outlook is expected to improve from the second quarter," he said. "The ec...

Walmart is the latest company to want a piece of TikTok, the popular Chinese-owned video app that has come under fire from the Trump administration. The world’s largest retailer made a joint bid with tech giant Microsoft to buy TikTok’s U.S. business, according to a person close to the deal who isn’t authorized to discuss the terms publicly. It may seem like an unlikely combination, but Microsoft and Walmart are already business partners. Microsoft provides cloud computing services that help run the retailer’s stores and online shopping. The two companies signed a 5-year partnership in 2018, enabling them to join forces against a shared rival: online shopping giant Amazon. Walmart said in a statement Thursday that a deal with Microsoft and TikTok could help it expand its advertising bus

Alibaba shares leap after Ant Group IPO filing Alibaba's Ant Group, which is planning a Hong Kong and Shanghai listing, operates Alipay, one of China's two dominant online payment systems. HONG KONG: Shares in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba jumped to a new record Wednesday morning, a day after the group's financial arm filed paperwork for a joint Shanghai and Hong Kong listing. The IPO for Ant Group, the financial technology arm of Alibaba, is being billed as one of the world's largest listings, potentially eclipsing the record US$29 billion raised by Saudi Aramco last year. The company filed paperwork on Tuesday evening for a joint listing closer to home as tensions spiral between the United States and China. It did not detail a timetable for its public offering or how much money i...

WASHINGTON - The Trump administration said Wednesday it is imposing sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for Beijing’s military build-up in the South China Sea. The move is the latest salvo in the U.S. pressure campaign against China that has picked up steam ahead of November’s presidential election over a variety of contentious issues. The State Department announced it had hit an unspecified number of Chinese officials and business executives responsible for the militarization of disputed South China Sea areas with travel bans. Immediate family members of those targeted may also be barred from travel to the United States, the department said. At the same time, the Commerce Department said it had added 24 state-owned Chinese enterprises, including subsidiaries of the China Communic