OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada’s annual inflation rate in June posted its biggest jump in more than nine years as restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus outbreak were lifted, Statistics Canada said on Wednesday. The rate jumped to 0.7% from a 0.4% decline in May. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected the annual rate to increase […]
NEW DELHI (AFP) – Almost a quarter of people in New Delhi have had the coronavirus, according to a study that cast serious doubt on the official numbers both in the megacity and across India. India last week became the third country after the United States and Brazil to hit one million cases but many […]
LONDON (Reuters) – HSBC (HSBA.L) has appointed Franck Lacour as its new head of equities, following the resignation of Hossein Zaimi, according to a staff memo on Wednesday. Lacour currently serves as head of Markets, France, which he will retain until a successor is named, the memo – signed by Georges Elhedery, Co-CEO Global Banking […]
(Reuters) – Payments group Finablr (FINF.L) said on Wednesday it has brought in law firm Skadden to investigate any historic potential misconduct within the group and any misappropriation of assets of Finablr. Finablr, which said in mid-March it was planning for potential insolvency, added it expects forensic experts to be appointed in relation to the […]
JAKARTA (REUTERS) – Indonesia’s military rejected allegations on Wednesday (July 22) by Papuan separatists that a father and son killed at the weekend in the country’s easternmost province were civilians, insisting the victims were linked to an armed rebel group. The two adult men were carrying weapons when they were fatally shot by troops on […]
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s ruling parties are at odds over which flag to fly under at polls expected as soon as the end of the year, with Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Perikatan Nasional (National Alliance) yet to be registered as an official entity. At stake is not just which symbols and logos would be more […]
SINGAPORE – More than half of the 67,000 hotel rooms in Singapore are currently being used in the battle against Covid-19, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) chief executive Keith Tan told the media on Tuesday (July 21). Their functions include isolation and quarantine facilities, as well as accommodations for returning residents serving their 14-day stay-home notice, […]
ISLAMABAD (AFP) – Pakistanis with Covid-19 are risking their lives and navigating a shady black market to get blood plasma transfusions, despite scant medical proof about the remedy’s effectiveness. Convalescent plasma treatment, where the antibody-rich part of the blood from a recovered patient is transfused to a coronavirus sufferer, is growing in popularity across Pakistan […]
JAKARTA (BLOOMBERG) – With the worst coronavirus outbreak in South-east Asia taking a toll on Indonesia’s economy and jobs, two out of three citizens oppose the continuation of strict social distancing orders to contain the deadly disease, according to a survey. The government should prioritise efforts to revive the economy rather than tackling the virus […]
SINGAPORE – Without the support of its residents, many of Singapore’s favourite eateries, shops and leisure activities may not survive the coming months. This appeal is the basis of a $45 million campaign to drive local spending as the Republic gradually reopens its economy amid a pandemic, recession and tourist drought. In store are packages […]