Hong Kong finance chief expects jobless rate to top 16-year high
The latest jobless rate is scheduled to be released Tuesday. Unemployment stood at a high of 6.4% for the three months ended October, matching a high from January 2005.
Bloomberg
PUBLISHED ON JAN 17, 2021 03:49 PM IST
Hong Kong’s unemployment rate for the three months ended December is likely to exceed the highest level in 16 years because of the impact of tightened coronavirus restrictions, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on his blog Sunday.
The latest jobless rate is scheduled to be released Tuesday. Unemployment stood at a high of 6.4% for the three months ended October, matching a high from January 2005.
Chan said he expected more business closures and layoffs in the city after the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, if the coronavirus situation isn’t brought under control soon.
“The Lunar New Year is usually a time when businesses such as retail and restaurants are the most prosperous and highest earning, but currently they are being severely affected by the epidemic,” Chan wrote.
Explainer: Meet the vaccine appointment bots, and their foes
Posted by Kunal Gaurav | AP
PUBLISHED ON FEB 25, 2021 10:53 PM IST
- Bots — basically autonomous programs on the web — have emerged amid widespread frustration with the online world of vaccine appointments.
Joe Biden revokes Trump-era ban on legal immigration
By Yashwant Raj
PUBLISHED ON FEB 25, 2021 10:47 PM IST
In a proclamation issued on Wednesday, the US president said the ban “does not advance the interests of the United States”
Majority of Americans support $15 minimum wage, poll shows
Reuters, Washington
PUBLISHED ON FEB 25, 2021 10:43 PM IST
Democrats are trying to pass the progressive policy without Republican votes through a manoeuvre known as reconciliation.
UK work visas plunged in pandemic as investors stayed away
Bloomberg
PUBLISHED ON FEB 25, 2021 10:10 PM IST
The figures released by the Home Office coincided with the worst economic slump in three centuries and a surge in unemployment, with lockdowns to control the virus shutting vast sections of the economy.
Pakistan stays in FATF ‘grey list’, given June deadline to implement action plan
By hindustantimes.com | Edited by Amit Chaturvedi
UPDATED ON FEB 25, 2021 10:23 PM IST
Pakistan has been on the FATF's grey list since June 2018 and the government was given a final warning in February 2020 to complete the 27 action points.
Sentence reduced for driver in fatal Dubai tour bus crash that killed 12 Indians
Posted by Kunal Gaurav | AP, Dubai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 25, 2021 10:02 PM IST
- Among the 31 people on the ill-fated bus were also citizens of Bangladesh, Germany and the Philippines.
High-definition, zoomable view of Mars captured by Nasa's Perseverance rover
By hindustantimes.com | Edited by Kunal Gaurav, New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON FEB 25, 2021 09:17 PM IST
- The US space agency on Wednesday released the first 360-degree panorama taken by Mastcam-Z, a dual-camera system equipped with a zoom function.
US government revises fourth quarter GDP up slightly to 4.1%
PTI
PUBLISHED ON FEB 25, 2021 09:16 PM IST
Gross domestic product — the broadest measure of economic health — grew at an annual rate of 4.1% in the fourth quarter, up from an initial estimate of 4% growth, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.
US jobless claims fall to 730,000 but layoffs remain high
AP
PUBLISHED ON FEB 25, 2021 09:08 PM IST
The latest figures come as the job market has made scant progress in the past three months. Hiring averaged just 29,000 a month from November through January.
Texas lawmakers kick off investigation into deadly power blackout
Reuters
PUBLISHED ON FEB 25, 2021 08:48 PM IST
Up to 48% of the state's power generation was offline at times last week. Utilities were ordered to cut power to prevent a larger catastrophe, Bill Magness, chief executive of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the state's grid operator, said on Wednesday.
China approves two more domestic Covid-19 vaccines, increasing number to 4
Reuters
PUBLISHED ON FEB 25, 2021 08:47 PM IST
The two newly approved vaccines are made by CanSino Biologics Inc and Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, an affiliate of China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm).
Anthony Fauci asks Americans to take whatever vaccine is available
AP, Washington
PUBLISHED ON FEB 25, 2021 07:50 PM IST
- Dr Anthony Fauci warns people not to hold off on getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine while waiting for the slightly more effective Pfizer or Moderna shots.
China celebrates official end of extreme poverty, lauds Xi
AP
PUBLISHED ON FEB 25, 2021 07:16 PM IST
The propaganda apparatus has been linking national successes to Xi, including fighting the coronavirus, China’s rise as a technology creator and December’s successful lunar mission to bring back moon rocks.
Israel, Bahrain leaders discuss Iran, possible vaccine plant
Reuters
PUBLISHED ON FEB 25, 2021 07:02 PM IST
Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates formalised ties with Israel on Sept. 15 in part over shared concerns about Iran, in a deal forged by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Dubai's Latifa urged UK police to reopen sister's kidnapping case: Report
Posted by Kunal Gaurav | Reuters
PUBLISHED ON FEB 25, 2021 06:47 PM IST
Latifa reportedly asked Cambridgeshire Police to refocus on the case of her sister Shamsa, now 39, who was captured aged 18 and has not been seen in public since.
