Coverings trade show 2019

The Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) was founded upon the signing of the Treaty of Asuncion in 1991 by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The bloc is a historic achievement in the region and one of the major milestones in Latin American economic integration, which was intended to overcome the previous logic of rivalry between the countries and establish cooperation dynamics. With a population of almost 300 million and an area of about 15 million square kilometers (50 percent larger than the European continent and almost as large as Russia), MERCOSUR is known for its great natural resource and food potential. The bloc exports 63 percent of the world’s soy and is the largest global exporter of beef, chicken, corn, coffee and iron, as well as the eighth largest global automobile producer. Based on its gross domestic product, which in 2019 reached US$4.467 trillion (measured by purchasing power parity), the bloc is the world’s fifth largest economy. Although the explicit goals ... » Learn More about MERCOSUR: Thirty years and counting

THE public service that has probably caused the Philippines the biggest headaches – next to its spectacularly awful telecommunications sector, of course, which continues to practice a level of dysfunctional rent-seeking that could make Satan weep – is electricity. An entire generation in this country has grown up taking it for granted that paying the continent’s highest rates for electric supplies that are, at least in some areas, anything but reliable is a fact of life. The less-than-appealing costs and capabilities of the nation’s electricity infrastructure has also been a significant handicap to industrial development, and has been near the top of the list of reasons to leave for every high-profile manufacturing concern that has pulled up the stakes and gone elsewhere in the past few years. Things are changing, however, and changing quickly, even if it may not yet be apparent to the average consumer, whose attention is more easily captured with simple bad news than more ... » Learn More about The little RES that could

SINGAPORE - A construction firm director died last week after he fell through an opening in the floor of a semi-detached house that was undergoing addition and alteration works. The 53-year-old Singapore permanent resident was overseeing construction work at the two-storey house located at 38 University Walk, which is in a private estate near Dunearn Road, when he fell through the opening and landed on a staircase 4.7m below. The fatal accident on Feb 10 was the fourth work-related death that took place over the first 10 days of the month, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) told The Straits Times in a statement on Thursday (Feb 18). MOM is investigating all four incidents. The Singapore Civil Defence Force was alerted to the Feb 10 incident at 11.40am and the company director was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where ST understands he was pronounced dead. He is believed to be Mr Koh Kok Heng, one of two people listed as directors at JMS Construction. The firm is the occupier of ... » Learn More about Construction firm director dies in fall through hole in floor of 2-storey house near Dunearn Road

Juggling homework, friends and his personal YouTube channel, 12-year-old Kwon Joon is often too busy to check on his investments – not that the South Korean schoolboy is too concerned. With impressive returns of 42 percent since he began dabbling in the stock market last year, Kwon believes online trading can safeguard his financial future, in a world made increasingly insecure by the economic fallout from COVID-19. "To be honest, I sometimes forget to check my stock account because of my school work or when I'm playing with my friends," said Kwon, who has made 14 million won (US$12,364) in profits since he invested 25 million won in seed money last April. "I'm going to take the shares with me until I become an adult. I think this is the benefit of investing in stocks as a young person because you can invest in it for the long term," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation from southern Jeju Island. From South Korea to the United States, a growing number of teens and young ... » Learn More about Easy money? Gen Z invest online to beat coronavirus woes

OPINION by Andrew J Wood Last week the Thai government Minister’s speech shows me that tourism will never be allowed to recover to previous levels. The writing is definitely on the wall, windows and front door, that there has been a major policy shift in government thinking by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s cabinet. In a deeply worrying development for Thailand’s massive Travel & Tourism industry, which last year generated a huge 2.2 trillion baht of income (US$ 55.2 billion), and accounted for 20%t of GNP and 10% of all jobs in Thailand, the deputy PM Supattanapong Punmeechaow said that the country relied too much on tourism and that this was unacceptable . This must be as worrying for property developers as well as investors. If the 39 million tourists that Thailand received last year in 2019, is never to be repeated, why do we need to continue building and investing in new hotels? According to Thailand’s The Nation, deputy PM Supattanapong Punmeechaow admitted ... » Learn More about Thailand tourism is changed forever

MANILA, Philippines — In a rare move on its part, the Supreme Court has issued a statement on the killings and threats against judges and lawyers saying that such actions are “no less than an assault on the Judiciary.” “To assault the Judiciary is to shake the very bedrock on which the rule of law stands. This cannot be allowed in a civilized society like ours. This cannot go undenounced on the Court’s watch,” the Supreme Court en banc said in a statement read by Public Information Chief and Spokesperson Atty. Brian Keith Hosaka Over 60 lawyers were killed under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. The number is higher compared to the number of lawyers and judges killed from the time of strongman Ferdinand Marcos to President Benigno Aquino, which was 49. One lawyer has been missing since 2019 while 10 members of the legal profession have survived murderous attacks, the last of which was Atty. Angelo Karlo Guillen of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL). He ... » Learn More about SC condemns lawyer killings, threats: These are ‘no less than an assault on the Judiciary’

The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) on Wednesday said it is aiming to conclude the awarding of at least P8 billion worth of farm machines by the end of this year, and the remaining P2 billion within the first quarter of 2021, making up P10 billion worth of machines covering 2019 and 2020. In a press briefing, PHilMech Executive Director Baldwin Jallorina Jr. said his department has awarded a total of P7.314 billion worth of contracts as of December 22 for the acquisition of various farm machines under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF)-Mechanization Program. He said that PHilMech has also distributed farm machines worth P2.763 billion to qualified farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs). The P7.314 billion represents 73 percent of the P10-billion funded allocated to PHilMech under Republic Act (RA) 11203 or the “Rice Tariffication Law” for 2019 and 2020. “While the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic presented ... » Learn More about PhilMech to complete bidding for P8-B worth of machines

LONDON: A specialist London court will this week re-consider allowing an historic 14 billion pound (US$19 billion) class action against Mastercard to proceed, which could entitle adults in Britain to about 300 pounds each if successful. Former financial ombudsman Walter Merricks, who alleges that Mastercard overcharged more than 46 million people in Britain over nearly 16 years, hopes the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) will certify the case after the UK Supreme Court overruled objections to it proceeding in December. A two-day court hearing will kick off on Thursday and will determine the fate of Britain's first mass consumer claim - and clarify the rules for a string of other competition class actions that have stalled in its wake. Merricks, who is being advised by U.S.-headquartered law firm Quinn Emanuel, alleges Mastercard charged excessive "interchange" fees – the fees retailers pay credit card companies when consumers use a card to shop - between May 1992 and June ... » Learn More about Mastercard battles return of US$19 billion UK class action

From left: Central Pattana PCL executives, Nattakit Tangpoonsinthana Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Marketing; Chanavat Uahwatanasakul, Chief Development Officer; Wallaya Chirathivat, Deputy Chief Executive Officer; Isareit Chirathivat, Senior Vice President of Leasing. CENTRAL PATTANA to open new fully-integrated mixed-use landmarks at 3 high economic potential cities: Ayutthaya, Si Racha, and Chanthaburi, with total investment of 13.9 billion baht ¬– grand opening to be held at end of 2021-middle of 2022 With a positive future forward, CENTRAL PATTANA is building upon the government's future infrastructure developments in three high-potential cities, expected to increase employment with over 10,000 jobs Highlighting the concept of ‘Imagining Success Together’, in every crisis, there is always a seed of an investment opportunity. Aiming to be Center of Life in every province and ready to reveal popular brands that place their trust to invest together Unveiling long-term ... » Learn More about CENTRAL PATTANA to open new fully-integrated mixed-use landmarks at 3 high economic potential cities

When a North Korean businessman was extradited from Kuala Lumpur to the United States last week to face money laundering charges, the hermit kingdom was outraged. It responded by cutting off diplomatic ties with Malaysia while warning it would “have to bear full responsibility” and that consequences would “be incurred”. Pyongyang’s fury is in part explained by the fact the businessman, Mun Chol-myong, 55, is the first North Korean to be extradited to the US, potentially paving the way for more such actions. Alan Kohler, assistant director of the FBI’s counter-intelligence division, has already said he hopes Mun’s extradition will be “the first of many”. But another element of its anger, according to analysts, is that Mun is a suspected spy and Pyongyang is worried over what intelligence its arch enemy America may be able to glean from him. So great is the fall out, they say, that the possibility of Pyongyang’s retribution taking the form of assassinations – possibly even of ... » Learn More about As North Korea plots revenge over ‘spy’ extradited to US from Malaysia, assassinations and abductions may be next