Environment

Nokia Oyj plans to redesign its offices globally, adapting workplaces in 130 countries to a more flexible post-pandemic work environment. The Finnish company is seeking to capture the benefits of having had virtually all staff work remotely for the past 15 months. Starting next year, roughly 70% of office space will be dedicated to collaboration and team work and staff will have the flexibility to work as many as three days a week remotely, the Finnish supplier of 5G network equipment said on Tuesday. “The pandemic forced organisations to change. Technology gave people the tools to innovate. In many cases, the results have been too good to go back to the old way of doing things,” chief executive officer Pekka Lundmark said. “We are accelerating our transition to become a fully hybrid global workplace.” The new rules will apply to all staff – 92,000 globally last year – who will have a “smart-office app” for booking work spaces and office amenities. The policy follows a survey ... » Learn More about Nokia will redesign offices as it adapts to more flexible work

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's proposed changes to consumer rules for the e-commerce sector could be hugely disruptive for some of the country's biggest online shopping websites, including U.S.-based Amazon and Walmart's Flipkart. The rules come as U.S. firms battle allegations from traders for working around foreign investment regulations for the sector, and could further complicate the operating environment for Amazon and Flipkart even as the companies fight antitrust allegations in courts. The companies deny any wrongdoing. India's e-commerce market is projected to grow 30% annually to $200 billion by 2026. It also counts Reliance Industries' JioMart, Tata's BigBasket, Softbank-backed Snapdeal and Future Retail among major players. Here are some of the new proposals, which are open for public consultation until July 6: AFFILIATES AS SELLERS E-commerce companies must ensure none of their "related parties and associated enterprises" are listed as sellers on their shopping ... » Learn More about Factbox: India’s new e-commerce rules that could jolt foreign, local players

The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed 18 new cases of Covid-19 infection in Singapore on June 22, 2021. The total number of Covid-19 cases reported in Singapore is now 62,448. 16 new locations added to list of places visited by infectious Covid-19 cases MOH regularly updates a list of public places visited by confirmed Covid-19 cases for more than 30 minutes while they were infectious. 16 new locations were added to the list on June 22: Those who had been identified as close contacts of confirmed cases would already have been notified by MOH. As a precautionary measure, visitors to these locations during the specified timings should monitor their health closely for 14 days from their date of visit. They should see a doctor promptly if they develop symptoms of acute respiratory infection (such as cough, sore throat and runny nose), as well as fever and loss of taste or smell, and inform the doctor of their exposure history. Individuals may also access ... » Learn More about Redhill Market & Tiong Bahru Plaza among 16 new locations visited by infectious Covid-19 cases

The following is a press release by St. Mark’s International School. Their statements are their own. St Mark’s International School has signed an agreement with the Western Australian  Government’s Education Authority to launch a new university admissions program in  Thailand. BANGKOK, THAILAND, June 22 – St Mark’s International School has become the first school in  Thailand to offer a 16-month university admissions program by partnering with the Schools Curriculum and Standards Authority of Western Australia, providing Thai students with the same pathway to higher education as their Australian cohorts. In a statement, the Australian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand, His Excellency Allan McKinnon said, “Thailand and Australia have been important partners in trade, investment, and now education.  So it’s great news that from 2021, the Australian High School Curriculum has become available in  Thailand.” The International education system in Thailand has evolved ... » Learn More about The Australian Tertiary Admissions Exams Now Available In Thailand

PHNOM PENH (AFP): An Australian company on Monday (June 21)) officially launched operations for Cambodia's first commercial gold mine in the kingdom's resource-rich northeast, officials said. Renaissance Minerals (Cambodia) Limited -- owned by Perth-based Emerald Resources -- has begun work on the Okvau Gold Project in Mondulkiri province. It is expected to generate more than US$300 million in tax revenues and royalties over seven years for the country, according to a statement from the Australian embassy in Phnom Penh. The project has the backing of strongman premier Hun Sen, who wrote in a June 10 Facebook post that it was a "great achievement" to boost Cambodia's economy -- which has been battered by the pandemic. An average of three tonnes of pure gold will be produced per year in its first eight years of operation, he said. Located in Keo Seima district, the Okvau Gold project area has been carved from the once-protected land of Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary, a ... » Learn More about Aussie firm begins Cambodia’s first commercial gold mine

LONDON/HANOI: Buoyed by powerful demand expectations as the world moves away from reliance on fossil fuels, prices of many industrial metals rocketed, but future price rises are likely to be limited to a select few energy transition ingredients. The narrative of a synchronised upswing, characterised by some as a supercycle, is at odds with expectations shortages of materials will occur at different times. "Energy transition metals will take off big time, but not all at the same time," Wood Mackenzie analyst Julian Kettle said. The easing of coronavirus restrictions and robust manufacturing demand for industrial metals ignited a speculative rally that has cooled. Copper, aluminium and tin prices are above the levels needed to incentivise new capacity. Rare earths are not yet at incentive levels. COPPER Wood Mackenzie estimates that copper demand from renewables, energy storage and transmission and electric vehicles and charging infrastructure will more than double ... » Learn More about Energy transition metals poised for uneven, explosive run higher

SINGAPORE: Choa Chu Kang Waterworks, one of Singapore’s oldest water treatment plants, will undergo reconstruction and be transformed into a “state-of-the-art” water treatment facility when completed in 2026, said the national water agency PUB on Monday (Jun 21). This new facility will boast the latest water treatment technologies and smart capabilities to “greatly enhance” its operations, maintenance, safety and security when completed in 2026. The announcement was made in conjunction with Singapore International Water Week 2021, a fully virtual event that runs from Jun 21 to Jul 2. PUB said in a press release that the tender to provide professional engineering services for the waterworks’ reconstruction has been awarded to engineering design and consultancy company Binnies Singapore for S$28.8 million. “Binnies Singapore is required to provide detailed design, construction supervision and commissioning of Choa Chu Kang Waterworks reconstruction project for the next five ... » Learn More about Choa Chua Kang waterworks to undergo major reconstruction; S$29 million tender awarded