Author: Reuters

Singapore to ban sugary drink ads

SINGAPORE: Singapore will ban advertisements of certain fizzy drinks and juices, its health ministry said yesterday, part of a raft of measures to curb consumption of sugar in the city-state, which has some of the world’s highest diabetes rates. Under the measures, further details of which will be released next

German recession looms

BERLIN: German industrial orders fell more than expected in August on weaker domestic demand, data showed yesterday, adding to signs that a manufacturing slump is pushing Europe’s largest economy into recession. Contracts for ‘Made in Germany’ goods fell 0.6 percent from the previous month, with demand for capital goods down

HSBC reportedly to slash 10,000 jobs

LONDON: HSBC Holdings Plc is planning to cut up to 10,000 jobs, more than 4 percent of its workforce, as interim chief executive officer Noel Quinn seeks to reduce costs across the banking group, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The plan represents the lender’s most ambitious attempt in years

Greek economy to grow 2.8 percent in 2020

ATHENS: Greece expects its economy to grow by 2.8 percent in 2020 whilst respecting fiscal pledges to the country’s creditors, a draft budget released yesterday said. The draft also forecasts an unemployment fall to 15.6 percent from 17.4 percent this year, the finance ministry said. EU-IM creditors want Greece to

Brexit ups stakes in aircraft trade war

LONDON: US tariffs on European goods have plunged Britain into a trade war between the European Union and United States just as it plans to leave the 28-nation bloc, infuriating Scotch whisky makers and handing it a dilemma over thousands of Airbus jobs. The United States has pledged tariffs on

Vietnam to limit outdoor activities

HANOI: Vietnam warned its people yesterday to limit outdoor activities because the air quality in the Southeast Asian country has persistently been at “unhealthy” levels for days. The levels of hazardous small particles known as PM2.5 in the air at the country’s two largest cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh

S. Korea patrols over disputed islands

SEOUL: South Korean fighter jets conducted a patrol flight yesterday over islands at the centre of a bitter dispute with Japan, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said at an event marking the founding of the South Korean military. South Korea showcased newly acquired F-35 stealth fighter jets to mark Armed

Japan proceeds with sales tax hike

TOKYO: Japan rolled out a twice-delayed increase in the sales tax to 10 percent from 8 percent yesterday, a move that is seen as critical for fixing the country’s tattered finances but that could tip the economy into recession by dampening consumer sentiment. The government has already applied measures to

Malaysia pushes for strict law to police vapes, e-cigarettes

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is planning to introduce strict regulations on the sale and use of electronic cigarettes and vaporisers, health officials said yesterday, as countries around the world move to ban devices that have been linked to deaths and youth addiction. India, which has the second-largest population of adult smokers

Nigeria’s diesel-reliant economy braces for clean fuel rules

LAGOS: Nigeria’s frenetic commercial capital, Lagos, is plunged into darkness several times a day. Then its generators roar, and the lights flood back on. Nigeria is one of the world’s largest economies where businesses rely so heavily on diesel-powered generators. More than 70 percent of its firms own or share the