The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published its business plan for 2021-22, setting out its priorities for the coming year as the regulator seeks to keep up with changes in technology and adjust to economic challenges.
South Korea poised to expand space programme with new satellites for 6G communications and national security
South Korea’s space programme is set for a major boost with new satellites to keep it at the forefront of the 6G communications competition and more eyes in the sky for national security purposes, the science minister said.Lim Hye-sook said this means launching multitasking satellites on home-grown rockets, and eventually a mission to the moon.“Space exploration will be the platform for new businesses,” said Lim, who received her doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science from the…
Asian air travel could take 3 years to recover from coronavirus pandemic, lagging behind rest of the world
Asian air travel may take another three years to recover fully from the devastation wrought by the pandemic, lagging behind rebounds in other regions and offering a stern headwind for refiners making jet fuel.It will take until 2024 for international air travel across the region to reach pre-virus levels, a year after global traffic hits that milestone, according to the International Air Transport Association. Similarly, consultancy Energy Aspects says jet fuel consumption will reach pre…
Harnessing neurodiverse potential can help with digital talent shortage
The battle for talent in technology and digital markets has intensified as a shortage of digital skills is exacerbated by increased demand as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic.
Tokyo Olympics: will activist athletes test the rules by protesting on podiums?
Fifty-three years after Tommie Smith and John Carlos’s medal podium protest in Mexico City, a new generation of activist athletes is poised to take centre stage at the Tokyo Olympics.US sprinters Smith and Carlos faced the ultimate sanction for their black-gloved salute of defiance in 1968, expelled from the Games in disgrace and returning home to be greeted by widespread opprobrium.But while attitudes to Smith and Carlos have shifted over time – the duo are now celebrated as civil rights…
Coronavirus: Thai doctors want Pfizer vaccines amid doubts over Sinovac’s efficacy against Delta variant
For the past five years, Wipa, a doctor in her 20s, has had to adjust to a gruelling shift pattern of 36 hours on, eight hours off, for three to five days a week.The long hours are necessary as she oversees the inpatient wards, outpatient services and emergency room operations of a busy public hospital in Pathum Thani province, on the edge of Bangkok, Thailand.But in recent weeks, the shifts have felt even longer and heavier than usual. The hospital has only 20 doctors, who between them treat…
Do the UK’s VAT and property rules need to be simplified?
The UK government has launched a call for evidence seeking views on whether the current VAT rules for land and property need to be simplified.
Tokyo Olympics: athletes’ village opens but Covid-19 concerns overshadow build-up to Games
The athletes’ village for the Tokyo Olympics officially opened on Tuesday, 10 days before the start of the world’s largest sporting event, with a renewed coronavirus surge dampening the otherwise festive mood.Daily coronavirus testing and the wearing of masks are among the strict precautions being enforced on some 18,000 athletes and officials when they stay at the 44-hectare village in Tokyo’s Harumi waterfront district to prevent the spread of the virus.The village, which houses 21…
US out to counter China in Asia with proposed digital trade deal
White House officials are discussing proposals for a digital trade agreement covering Indo-Pacific economies as the administration seeks ways to check China’s influence in the region, according to people familiar with the plans.Details of the potential agreement are still being drafted, but the pact could potentially include countries such as Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, according to one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the process…
UK government announces further anti-pension scams plans
The UK government has again committed to tackling pension scams, pledging to release a Fraud Action Plan and review its planned flag system for pension transfers regularly.