Business

With potential sanctions and boycotts against Myanmar likely following the military coup, the Thai-Myanmar Business Council says Thai investors are concerned their businesses in the neighbouring country will be affected. It’s unclear what effect the coup will have on Thai-owned businesses in Myanmar. The country’s economy, already battered by the Covid-19 pandemic, is expected to slow down with potential sanctions. The United States has already threatened sanctions against Myanmar. With an economic downturn, Thai operators in Myanmar are expecting to lose money, the council says. No statement from the military has been issued regarding foreign investment and businesses. Myanmar’s new military-run government might decide not to honour the contracts Thai investors signed with the previous administration led by the National League for Democracy, according to the council. Bilateral trade may only be slightly affected, the council says. On the other hand, an international trade expert … [Read more...] about Thai investors in Myanmar concerned with future business following the military coup

THE Tarlac Agricultural University (TAU), Laguna State Polytechnic University (LSPU) and Batangas State University (BatStateU) have recently partnered with the Los Baños-based Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca). TAU and LSPU have formalized ties with Searca on areas of mutual interest such as education, research and training while BatStateU agreed to cooperate in the same areas with special focus on innovative agricultural technologies, agribusiness incubation and technology transfer. Under the partnership, a five-year memoranda of understanding (MoU) was signed by Glenn Gregorio, Searca director; Max Guillermo, TAU president; Mario R. Briones, LSPU president; and Tirso Ronquillo, BatStateU president. “Searca’s collaboration with agricultural universities is part of its strategy to harness academe-industry-government interconnectivity to revitalize the agriculture sector in the country,” Gregorio said. He said Searca … [Read more...] about 3 state universities, Searca partner for agri innovation

Things have changed. In some cases they’ve changed a lot and may never be the same again. Many people are suffering as a result of the impacts of lockdowns and the border closures. Entire industries, like aviation and entertainment, have been profoundly affected. Some people are being forced to re-invent their lives as a result. Fears over Covid-19 are causing people to change their habits and re-evaluate their lives. Here are some of the main things we believe have changed since January this year. Face Masks The now ever-present face mask will be with us for a long time. In Asia, it was never uncommon to see people wearing face masks for traffic, air pollution, fears of disease or just as a fashion statement. In the Covid-era, mask wearing will now just become part of what we wear when in public spaces. When we leave home we’ll check if we have our keys, our wallet AND our face mask. Even when the government relaxes the current laws about the wearing of face masks, most … [Read more...] about Top 10 things that changed in Thailand during the Covid outbreak

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has assured Filipinos that the government is strengthening its efforts to address higher food prices. “We will continue working to augment the supply of meat, particularly pork, to ensure that Filipinos have access to affordable, nutritious and adequate food,” Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua was quoted as saying in a statement on Friday. This comes after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) announced that the country’s headline inflation rose to 4.7 percent from January’s 4.2 percent on higher prices of food, especially pork. The acceleration was the fastest since 5.1 percent in December 2018. The NEDA pointed to the continued outbreaks of the African swine fever (ASF) in the country and lower local production of cattle and poultry last year for February’s consumer price growth. Outbreaks of the hog disease that began in Luzon in the second half of 2019 have dampened supply, leading to … [Read more...] about NEDA: Govt bolstering efforts on food inflation

WASHINGTON: The United States on Thursday (Mar 4) unveiled new measures to punish Myanmar's army for its Feb 1 coup, blocking the ministries of defence and home affairs and top military conglomerates from certain types of trade. Washington has also subjected Myanmar to "military end use" export control restrictions, requiring its US suppliers to seek difficult-to-obtain US licences to ship it certain items. The actions were taken in response to the Myanmar military's intensified crackdown on peaceful protesters who oppose the takeover that overthrew elected officials including leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who had won a national election in November. Police broke up demonstrations with tear gas and gunfire in several cities across the country. The United Nations said that at least 54 people have been killed since the coup. More than 1,700 people had been arrested, including 29 journalists. READ: Myanmar police break up protests again after bloodiest day since coup President … [Read more...] about US blocks Myanmar ministries, military businesses from certain trade