The Future Energy Show Philippines 16-17 November

indie 16 11 月

4 minutes

MANILA, Nov 16, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - On 16-19 November 2020 (09:00, GMT+8), The Future Energy Show Philippines (16-17 Nov) and The Future Energy Show Vietnam (18-19 Nov) launches live online, bringing together thousands of virtual participants to chart the future of energy in two of Southeast Asia's most exciting markets.With the Philippines' growing population and continued industrialization, the Department of Energy (DoE) has forecast the country's demand for electricity in 2040 to reach over 40,000 megawatts (MW), which far exceeds the existing dependable capacity of 22,736 MW. The Philippine Energy plan targets to increase installed renewable capacity to 20,000 MW by 2040, to help achieve the goal of reliable energy for all in the Philippines. This landscape, together with the government's initiatives, presents the rise of new opportunities in the Philippines' energy sector. To showcase possibilities in the industry, the Future Energy Show Philippines, co-located live online with the Future Energy Show Vietnam, will gather the energy sector ecosystem in the region to discuss industry strategies, trends, and key innovations to help local energy stakeholders in their work to a...

Asia stocks gain as vaccine shields Covid-19 second wave worries

elean 16 11 月

4 minutes

SYDNEY (REUTERS) - Asia's stock markets opened higher on Monday (Nov 16), as vaccine optimism offset worries about rising coronavirus cases in Europe and new lockdowns in the United States, while oil prices and risk-exposed currencies also edged higher. Japan's Nikkei opened 1 per cent higher at 29-year peak. Australia's ASX 200 rose 1 per cent to an eight-month high and MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan stood at its highest since January 2018. S&P 500 futures rose 0.7 per cent following the index's record closing high on Friday and futures pointed to positive a positive start to the week in Hong Kong. The US dollar, meanwhile, was marginally lower against the Antipodean currencies. Oil prices crept higher, though not enough to recoup late-week losses on worries about the winter ahead. Traders are expecting more good vaccine news as soon as this week from drugmaker Moderna, following the successful trial of Pfizer's similar drug - and that seems enough to assuage nearer-term concerns about the virus' economic harm. "There's just mountains of cash sitting on the sidelines, waiting to be put to work and since we've got this vaccine news, as well as diminished...

Japan exits recession as economy rebounds from record slump

elean 16 11 月

3 minutes

TOKYO (AFP, REUTERS) - Japan’s economy exited recession in the third quarter, growing a better-than-expected 5 per cent, government data showed on Monday (Nov 16), as signs of recovery began to emerge after a record contraction. A rise in domestic demand as well as exports helped drive the quarter-on-quarter growth, after the coronavirus pandemic and a consumption tax hike slammed the economy into reverse earlier in the year. The positive figures come after three quarters of contraction in the world’s third-largest economy, with revised data showing the economy shrank 8.2 percent in Q2, more than the previously estimated 7.9 per cent. That was the worst figure for Japan since comparable data became available in 1980, exceeding even the brutal impact of the 2008 global financial crisis. The Q3 growth will be welcome news for Japan’s government, which has avoided the tough lockdown measures seen in some other countries as it tries to balance preventing the spread of coronavirus with protecting the economy. The results also beat economist expectations of 4.4 per cent growth, and analysts said the recovery was likely to continue into the final quarter of the year. “Between July and Sep...

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Nov 16

aseanpr 16 11 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Monday, Nov 16. 15 countries, including Singapore, sign RCEP, the world's largest trade pact They comprise all 10 Asean members and key partners Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. READ MORE HERE TraceTogether app's upgrade will make contact tracing smoother for tourists The app will be upgraded by next month to allow tourists to do SafeEntry check-ins at shopping malls and dining venues. READ MORE HERE Who should be first to get access to a Covid-19 vaccine in Singapore? A committee has been formed to prioritise the people who should be given the vaccines as they become available. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Trump backtracks on acknowledging Biden won election, concedes ‘nothing' Twitter flagged the posts to indicate that the claims of election fraud are disputed. READ MORE HERE Why Biden will be tougher on China than Obama Congressional dynamics and popular sentiments in the US support a more confrontational stance. READ MORE HERE NTUC LearningHub CEO Kwek Kok Kwong dies at age 53 It is believed Mr Kwek collapsed after a cycling session wit...

Walmart to sell most of Japan supermarket chain Seiyu to KKR and Rakuten

elean 16 11 月

1 minute

TOKYO (REUTERS) - US retailer Walmart has agreed to sell most of Japanese supermarket chain Seiyu to investment firm KKR and e-commerce company Rakuten in a deal that values Seiyu at 172.5 billion yen (S$2.22 billion), the companies said. KKR will buy 65 per cent of Seiyu and Rakuten will acquire a 20 per cent stake while Walmart will retain 15 per cent, the companies said in a joint statement. The move will enable to Seiyu to accelerate its digital transformation, they said. More on this topic Related Story Walmart to hire 20,000 holiday staff to meet expected online demand Related Story Walmart joins Microsoft bid for TikTok as TikTok CEO quits

ITE culinary arts graduate now runs his own hawker chain

aseanpr 16 11 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Before he graduated in 2013, Mr Shah Indra Jasni applied for an internship at La Pyramide, a two Michelin-starred restaurant in Vienne, France. The four-month stint was part of Mr Indra's final-year internship requirement for the Institute of Technical Education's (ITE) Technical Diploma in culinary arts programme. Said Mr Indra, who is now 28: "It was difficult to be there alone. I could speak a little French, enough to do my job and move around but it was tough to adjust to the restaurant and environment there. "It was different from school, back home." But the experience taught him a great deal. In 2017, Mr Indra started Burgs by Project Warung with two friends selling halal burgers at Golden Mile. The business has expanded to four outlets, although they have closed the original Golden Mile stall. Last month, he opened a new stall called Birdhaus by Project Warung, selling fried chicken. Daily sales across his different stalls have hit about four figures per outlet, he said. Mr Indra was among the first to be enrolled in the technical diploma programme, which started in 2011, and it has since produced a number of chefs and business owners. Mr Indra, who was one of fo...

Unlikely partners join hands as part of Sweden-S’pore initiative

elean 16 11 月

1 minute

SINGAPORE - Two unlikely partners are gearing up to organise a virtual storytelling competition for migrant workers in Singapore. Local textile boutique Aaria Creations is linking up with British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca for a good cause. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

How business networks are helping members amid pandemic

elean 16 11 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - With the Covid-19 pandemic showing no signs of abating, business networks in Singapore have been facilitating information exchanges through webinars and establishing new initiatives to support member businesses. Business luncheons that used to be held face to face have been moved online to ensure that members can continue to engage with one another. The coronavirus outbreak has shown the value and importance of partnerships between businesses, the community and the authorities, chamber representatives said. Dr Lei Hsien-Hsien, chief executive of the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore (AmCham), said: "Collaboration between businesses and with the Government will be crucial to help return the economy to pre-Covid-19 levels of productivity and activity." AmCham is launching a programme later this month to support close to 200 of its small and medium-sized enterprise members, through avenues such as strategic partnerships and training and development, to help these firms grow and transform their businesses. The Singaporean-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (SGC) has conducted eight surveys over the past few months to better understand the impact of Covid-19 on ...

Must-reads

aseanpr 16 11 月

2 minutes

THE BIG STORY Singapore signs world's largest trade pact The world's largest trade pact, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, was inked by ministers from 15 countries including Singapore. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said it was a "major step forward for the world, at a time when multilateralism is losing ground, and global growth is slowing". THE BIG STORY Who should be given a Covid-19 vaccine first? A number of Covid-19 vaccine candidates are undergoing late-stage trials and if successful, may be used to inoculate millions from as early as next month. Senior health correspondent Salma Khalik speaks to experts to understand who should be given priority and how much protection the vaccines can give, among other things. SINGAPORE ST photojournalists' personal take on their word of the year Words may fail many of us in trying to capture the misery of the past few months, but the wise folk at Collins Dictionary - lexicographers is the word for them - have hit on "lockdown" as their word of the year. Armed with the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, The Straits Times photojournalists give a personal take on their word of the year. OPINION Why Biden will be t...

A true Eureka moment: Dutch doctors went from cancer research to discovering new salivary glands

aseanpr 16 11 月

7 minutes

Puzzlement turned to wonder when a group of Dutch doctors who were carrying out cancer research stumbled upon a pair of new salivary glands. It was a feat made possible by their curiosity and new technology. The doctors from the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NCI) in Amsterdam were in 2017 studying scans from prostate and urethral gland cancer patients, which pinpointed pools of cancer cells in the body. The specialised scans detect salivary glands as well. When they called up the first images of the patients' head and neck regions, they expected to see the three known pairs of salivary glands near the ears and jaw light up in orange. But they were surprised to see a pair of curious-looking spindly structures smack in the middle of the head glowing too. The structures had never been seen before. "At first, we thought... it's not real. Or maybe it was some sort of tissue. But it looked a bit like a salivary gland, and then we wondered if it is a salivary gland," said Dr Wouter Vogel, a radiation oncologist at NCI. All 100 scans - 99 from males and one from a female - detected the hook-like pair lodged in the area where the nasal cavity and throat meet. The average length of each tiss...

AI business matching at Autumn Sourcing Week | ONLINE

indie 15 11 月

7 minutes

HONG KONG, Nov 15, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is running Autumn Sourcing Week | ONLINE (ASWO) from 16 to 27 November, featuring the latest products from different industries including electronics, houseware, lighting, outdoor lighting, eco tech, gifts and premiums, toys, baby products, stationery, optical and watches and clocks. The virtual fair serves as a one-stop online sourcing platform to keep small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) connected with global buyers and help create business opportunities across various sectors.Autumn Sourcing Week | ONLINE (ASWO), which will open tomorrow (16 November), has attracted 2,600 exhibitors from 33 countries and regions, featuring 37 group pavilions and covering the latest products from 11 industries.The new 3D virtual booths at ASWO help exhibitors to showcase their products and promote their brands in a unique way. The pictures show the 3D booths for the HKSAR's Environment Bureau.The Intelligence Hub features more than 20 webinar sessions covering a broad range of industries. The webinars are categorised into four series: SmartTech, Lifestyle, Green and Sustainability and Business Essentia...

BYD Debuts DM-i Hybrid Technology and 1.5L Xiaoyun Engine

indie 15 11 月

5 minutes

SHENZHEN, CHINA, Nov 15, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - On November 13, BYD launched the DM-i hybrid technology alongside the official announcement of the high efficiency version, which is dedicated for plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), of the 1.5L Xiaoyun engine. As a leader in new energy vehicles (NEVs), the announcements underline BYD's lead in strategically segmenting its plug-in hybrid technologies. After defining new performance standards for PHEVs with the DM-p technology, BYD continues to break new ground with the DM-i, this time prioritizing ultra-efficient fuel consumption.Eric Li, Deputy General Manager of BYD Auto Sales (Middle) presenting tech details of Xiaoyun Engine.The new highly efficient 1.5L plug-in hybrid engine, is specifically built for the DM-i hybrid technology. With a Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTE) of 43%, it stands as the world's highest thermally efficient gasoline engine in production. The engine's immense fuel efficiency easily meets China's newest national emissions standards, while also providing a distinctly smooth and quiet driving experience.The DM-i Hybrid Technology - Bold new advances for a more fuel-efficient worldIn the Chinese government's recent Ne...

15 countries, including Singapore, sign RCEP, the world’s largest trade pact

aseanpr 15 11 月

5 minutes

SINGAPORE - The world's largest trade pact was inked on Sunday (Nov 15) by the leaders of 15 countries after eight years of talks, a move seen as a boost for the region as it battles its worst crisis in decades. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will open up trade in goods and services, and includes protections in areas like e-commerce and intellectual property. The participating countries account for 30 per cent of the global economy and one-third of the world's population. They comprise all 10 Asean members - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam - and key partners Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. Speaking at the RCEP leaders summit before the signing, Singapore's Prime Minister, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, said the agreement is a "major step forward for the world, at a time when multilateralism is losing ground, and global growth is slowing". "It signals our collective commitment to maintaining open and connected supply chains, and to promoting freer trade and closer interdependence especially in the face of Covid-19 when countries are turning inwards and are under protectionist pr...

Job fair for careers in environmental services offers more than 350 positions

aseanpr 15 11 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Since getting retrenched from oil and gas giant ExxonMobil two weeks ago, Mr Hameem Mustafa has applied for over over 20 jobs, with no replies yet. On Sunday (Nov 15) the job hunt for the 48-year-old continued at an environmental services sector job fair in his neighbourhood in Hong Kah North. The former workplace safety and health professional told The Straits Times that retrenchment has been difficult for him and his wife Ms Halimah Yazeen, 47. She was working in an administrative role but her contract ended in 2019. The couple, who do not have children, care for their elderly parents. “Now to survive, we have to be open. I’ll probably have to go for half of what I was earning because we can’t demand. “At this moment, the important thing is to get the job,” said Mr Hameem. The couple was among several attendees at the job fair, which is promoting careers in the environmental services sector for those who may have been impacted by the economic downturn. More than 350 job vacancies in about 21 organisations are on offer at the event, which is running from Sunday to Tuesday at the Hong Kah North Community Club. The jobs range from waste collection truck captain to waste ...

Orchard Road malls keeping it simple for Christmas; shoppers find decor subtle but brilliant

aseanpr 15 11 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Orchard Road malls are keeping it simple for Christmas, with pared-down decorations to mark the festive season. This year's light-up, which began last Friday (Nov 13), is a more subdued affair with malls cutting spending amid the slide in retail sales and the Covid-19 pandemic. Wisma Atria has outlaid 19 per cent less on Christmas decorations compared with last year, Tanglin Mall said it has spent "slightly less", while Mandarin Gallery's budget has been "moderated downward". Design and build company Dezign Format, which dressed up five Orchard Road malls this year, said decoration budgets have been "affected across the board". Malls such as Far East Plaza are reusing some decorations from last year, sprucing them up where necessary. Retail sales have taken a beating this year, with the latest government figures showing that for eight months since February, monthly retail sales excluding motor vehicles were down from a year ago. Sales excluding motor vehicles fell 12.7 per cent in September compared with the same month last year. Mr Amos Tan, a senior lecturer at Singapore Polytechnic's School of Business, said malls may be erring on the side of caution after retail sta...

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Nov 15

aseanpr 15 11 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Sunday, Nov 15. East Asia Summit leaders call for greater cooperation to tackle pandemic, economic crisis Countries must work together to rebuild economies, said PM Lee Hsien Loong. READ MORE HERE Stuck at sea: Seafarers who kept international trade humming despite Covid-19 Sailors around the world are stuck on ships due to the pandemic as few ports let crew disembark. READ MORE HERE A trade pact nearly 10 years in the making: 5 things to know about RCEP The world's largest trade pact is set to be signed on Sunday (Nov 15). READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Picking a reusable mask: Breathability v filtration efficiency With so many types of masks available, the question is: How effective are they against Covid-19 ? READ MORE HERE Lunch With Sumiko: Pastry chef Janice Wong on what sweet dreams are made of The dessert queen tells Executive Editor Sumiko Tan that chefs need an identity, and must innovate. READ MORE HERE Older interns impress with growth mindset Firms value their perspectives and past experience and younger interns view them as role models. READ MORE HE...

PM Lee urges countries to work with Asean to resume travel safely

aseanpr 15 11 月

5 minutes

The gradual resumption of travel will enable economic recovery and spur confidence in businesses in South-east Asia, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday, as he urged countries to lift restrictions on Asean states as the Covid-19 situation stabilises. Speaking at the virtual 23rd Asean Plus Three (APT) Summit between the regional bloc and China, Japan and South Korea, PM Lee emphasised the need to resume essential travel safely between countries. He noted that Singapore has bilateral green lane arrangements with some Asean member states and the three East Asian countries to facilitate essential travel. "Eventually, we look forward to resuming safe and smooth travel within the region. This will strengthen our people-to-people ties and give our economies a much-needed boost," he said. In separate meetings with Australia and New Zealand, PM Lee said the Republic has lifted border restrictions to allow visitors from the two countries, and hopes they will do the same soon. He added that the two countries and Asean should work towards "progressively and safely lifting travel restrictions", as the Covid-19 situation stabilises and economies get back on track. "The reopening of ou...

Singlife CEO channels funds to where he can add value

elean 15 11 月

1 minute

Cars may be depreciating assets in Singapore and are generally regarded as a poor investment from a financial standpoint, but Singlife founder and group chief executive Walter de Oude considers his car - a 2005 Aston Martin DB9 - a great investment. The 47-year-old South African native, who became a Singapore permanent resident in 2008, thinks that older cars in Singapore are good investments because they do not depreciate in value as much, are not as expensive to maintain as many would think and can always be resold or exported. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

Preserving wealth with gold you can touch

elean 15 11 月

1 minute

This is what more than $4 million worth of gold looks like. In all, these two stacks of pure gold bullion comprise 50 pieces, each smaller than the palm of your hand but weighing a hefty 1kg. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

Q: My employer owes me several months’ worth of salary and says he cannot afford to pay me yet because business is really bad due to Covid-19. What should I do?

elean 15 11 月

1 minute

A: Under the Employment Act, your employer must pay your salary within seven days after the end of a salary period, which cannot be longer than one month. For overtime work, salary must be paid within 14 days after the end of a salary period. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

Copyright © 2020 ASEANPR.Com All rights reserved.