Singaporean father of three YJ works as a warehouse supervisor and used to earn an additional S$1,000 (US$730) a month setting up banners and dismantling fixtures at trade shows and events. That vanished when Covid-19 hit and international travel stalled last year.With Singapore now opening its borders to 21 places – offering vaccinated residents and tourists the option of quarantine-free travel – and the return of large exhibitions and conferences, the 49-year-old is hopeful that the lost work…
Philippines says China is ‘the trespasser’ as it refuses to move ship from disputed South China Sea shoal
The Philippines has rejected a demand from China that it remove a naval vessel grounded on a shoal in the South China Sea that has been the centre of heated exchanges between the two countries in recent days.Philippine defence chief Delfin Lorenzana on Thursday said Beijing’s demand that it remove the BRP Sierra Madre from the Second Thomas Shoal – part of the disputed Spratly chain of islands – was “baseless” and it was China that was the “trespasser” in the area.The Philippines deliberately…
UK government attempts to accelerate parliamentary approval for HS2 plans
The UK government has announced its strategy to speed up the parliamentary approval process for the final sections of the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project.
Ikea’s largest store opens in Philippines as it eyes expansion in Asia, South America
Ikea opened its biggest store in the world in the Philippines, with the new 730,000 square foot facility in Manila a cornerstone of the home-furnishings giant’s expansion plans in Asia.Thursday’s opening was feted with an event held at the store’s cafeteria attended by Philippine trade secretary Ramon Lopez and foreign minister Teodoro Locsin, where Ikea’s cult-favourite Swedish meatballs were served to some attendees. They were accompanied for the big day by a special Philippine twist – adobo…
China to join oil reserve release ‘based on its own needs’ after US, UK, Japan, South Korea and India commit
China will join coordinated global efforts to release oil reserves “based on its own needs” with Beijing in communication with other nations who have already laid out details of their plans to tame worldwide market turbulence, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.The United States, Britain, Japan, South Korea and India have already committed to releasing state reserves in an attempt to cool high energy prices after the issue was brought up during last week’s summit between President Xi…
Blackpink’s Lisa tests positive for Covid-19; Rose, Jennie and Jisoo not listed as close contacts
K-pop superstar Lisa from Blackpink on Wednesday tested positive for Covid-19, her production company announced.YG Entertainment said the three other members Rose, Jennie and Jisoo were waiting for their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results, Yonhap reported. The three were not listed as close contacts of Lisa.The illness comes a few months after the Thai-born artist, whose real name is Lalisa Manoban, unveiled her solo single LALISA.The music video garnered 73 million views on YouTube…
Biden orders release of 50 million oil barrels from emergency reserves to reduce prices, challenging Opec+
The US will release 50 million barrels of crude from its strategic reserves in coordination with China, Japan, India, South Korea and the UK in an unprecedented, coordinated attempt by the world’s largest oil consumers to tame prices that could prompt a backlash by Opec+.Of that amount, 32 million will be released from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve as an exchange over several months, while 18 million will be as an accelerated release from previously authorised sales, the White House said…
Singapore health minister Ong Ye Kung to visit Hong Kong for global conference
Singapore’s health minister Ong Ye Kung will be in Hong Kong on Wednesday for a conference on global health, the first time “zero-Covid” Hong Kong has hosted a minister from the city state since the beginning of the pandemic.The visit comes three months after the two cities dropped an ill-fated plan for a travel bubble that was twice suspended at the eleventh hour.Ong – who is among a dozen experts attending the inaugural Asia Summit on Global Health to discuss how countries can work together…
How industrialised construction will change the nature of construction disputes
The industrialisation of construction processes is likely to reduce the number of some types of construction disputes because harnessing the power of technology and data should enable better management of projects.
UK FCA confirms temporary use of synthetic sterling and yen LIBOR settings
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is to allow the temporary use of ‘synthetic’ sterling and yen LIBOR rates after the end of the LIBOR regime for these currencies in December 2021.