PHUKET CITY: Last week’s political turmoil in Bangkok has caused two Chinese airlines to shelve plans to launch direct flights to Phuket from Shanghai and Guangzhou. Following a tourism “roadshow” to mainland China, the Phuket Tourist Association’s Somboon Jirayus said that Shanghai Airlines was set to begin direct flights from Shanghai to Phuket, starting at the end of the month, while China Eastern Airlines was set to begin regular service between Guangzhou and Phuket in May. The flights were to accommodate increased demand from tourists in both markets, he said. Unfortunately, recent events in the capital have raised security fears, causing both carriers to delay their launches indefinitely. Related news 500k baht stolen from Singaporean family in Phuket villa 4 hours ago PLTO continues crackdown on illegal taxis 7 hours ago Aircraft that had been designated to fly the new Phuket route will now continue their … [Read more...] about Political turmoil cost Phuket two direct flights from China
Costs at planned parenthood
It is a challenging number, the reduction to 4.5, but it is feasible. It’s difficult, but feasible
Finance Secretary TV Somanathan TV Somanathan is one of the key persons behind drafting the budget. In an interaction with Shweta Punj of Moneycontrol, the finance secretary shared the thoughts that went into drawing up the document, and nuancing between the known unknowns and unknown unknowns. Edited excerpts: Q: The economy has faced several global headwinds yet managed to stay steady. What were your priorities as you were drafting this budget? What were the three key things that you wanted to ensure? There were three key priorities. One, to act as a driver of growth at a time when global growth is slowing down, but when India is poised to recover its growth rate to its potential. That was one of the objectives, which you see reflected in a big increase in capital investment and in several other parts of the budget, which are essentially to propel growth. The second major concern was that in doing that, we wanted to be sure that we were fiscally prudent. In our … [Read more...] about It is a challenging number, the reduction to 4.5, but it is feasible. It’s difficult, but feasible
Series: Unwind The LIHTC, Create Tax Benefits For Builders And Families
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin There is no doubt that over its 36-year life that the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) has housed many people. But how many? As my last post showed, there are many known unknowns about how and how well the LIHTC has functioned over those years. For example, a common number offered as an answer to the question, “how many units has LIHTC created over its 36 years?” the answer is often something like 29 million. Where does that figure come from? Column V in the LIHTC “database,” a column in the Excel spreadsheet that has 3,000 blanks and 1,500 cells with “0” as the answer. It is a challenge to reform a federal expenditure when no deep evaluation is possible for lack of good data. However, I’d like to close the LIHTC portion of the look back at Paul Ryan’s critique with some ideas for reform. I’ve concluded that the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program isn’t really a program at all. It is behemoth , a complex of … [Read more...] about Series: Unwind The LIHTC, Create Tax Benefits For Builders And Families
Oasis, a dawn-delivery success story, to list on Korea’s Kosdaq
Oasis's CEO Ahn Jun-hyung speaks during a press conference to announce the company's plans for its listing at Yeouido, western Seoul, on Wednesday. [OASIS] Oasis, a Korean e-commerce company that's actually profitable, is set to list on Kosdaq on Feb. 23 in an offering that could raise as much as 206.8 million, with some of the proceeds going to the largest shareholder. If the initial public offering (IPO) goes as planned, Oasis will be the first domestic e-commerce operator to go public. Other e-commerce companies, such as Kurly and SSG.com, have either postponed or canceled. Coupang, another major e-commerce operator, listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021. Founded in 2011, Oasis started off by focusing on developing and selling organic goods through it physical stores. It expanded its business to dawn deliveries and online sales with Oasis Market in 2018. The company plans to issue 3.66 million new shares and 1.57 million old shares priced between 30,500 won to … [Read more...] about Oasis, a dawn-delivery success story, to list on Korea’s Kosdaq
As AI war rages, Korea seeks a place among giants
Google CEO Sundar Pichai [REUTERS/YONHAP] Amid the accelerated rivalry for artificial intelligence (AI) leadership between Microsoft and Google, Korea's tech companies are eyeing the non-English speaking countries with their capabilities in search engine and messenger services. Whereas the ChatGPT — a free chatbot system capable of generating conversational dialogue — displays a surprising level of sophistication in response to English language prompts, the Korean version of its service is lacking. And that might leave an opening for a niche market for local competitors. On Tuesday, Microsoft said that it will incorporate Open AI’s GPT technology into its Bing search engine. “This technology is going to reshape pretty much every software category that we know,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. The updated version of Bing will have a conversational interface similar to ChatGPT. The goal is to have the unpopular search engine compete against Google. Microsoft CEO … [Read more...] about As AI war rages, Korea seeks a place among giants
It’s not just Manchester City. Financial football is becoming more prevalent
Hassane Kamara of Watford FC looks dejected following their side's defeat in the Premier League match between Manchester City and Watford at Etihad Stadium on April 23, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) Hassane Kamara is a high-octane defender at Watford FC in England. He was the club’s player of the year last season despite only joining in January 2022. He’s also emblematic of the financial engineering available to football clubs through the increasingly popular multi-club ownership model. Watford was relegated from the Premier League last summer and Kamara was sold to Udinese of Italy for a profit of about £12 million ($14.4 million). That looked like a great trade — but even better was that Udinese, which is owned by the same Italian family that owns Watford, immediately loaned the player back. No rules were broken and Watford Chairman Scott Duxbury was upfront about the motives, telling the club’s website that the deal aimed to balance … [Read more...] about It’s not just Manchester City. Financial football is becoming more prevalent
Floyd Mayweather’s The Money Team Racing Prepares For Second Nascar Cup Series Season
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Floyd Mayweather’s Nascar team is preparing to make waves in its second season of competition. The Money Team Racing — coined after Maywather’s lifestyle brand — just announced it will attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 with Conor Daly later this month. Mayweather co-owns the No. 50 Chevrolet team with longtime Nascar executive Willy Auchmoody and ONE Entertainment CEO Brent Johnson, who’s Mayweather’s marketing manager. The part-time organization spent several years and the majority of the Covid-19 pandemic to overcome hurdles before qualifying into the 2022 Daytona 500 with Kaz Grala to make its debut. “The Money Team Racing shocked the world by making the Daytona 500 last year and I believe in this team and know we will prepare a great car for this year's race,” Mayweather said in a statement. “Like a fighter who’s always ready to face the best, Conor has the courage to buckle into this beast without any practice … [Read more...] about Floyd Mayweather’s The Money Team Racing Prepares For Second Nascar Cup Series Season
With $22.3 Million In Venture Capital, A Startup Is Transforming Maternity Care
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Oula's has raised $22.3 million in seed and Series A rounds to improve outcomes for pregnant and postpartum people. The U.S. has terrible maternity care outcomes. Compared to other developed countries, the U.S. has worse outcomes , poorer experiences, and higher costs. Women in the U.S. are 50% more likely to die in childbirth than their moms, writes Neel Shah, MD, MPP, FACOO in Harvard Health Blog. The risk to Black women is three to four times more than to white women. More than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable , according to the CDC, and including midwives can help , according to The Lancet. Three women—Adrianne Nickerson, Elaine Purcell, and Joanne Schneider—are changing that with their collaborative care model that brings together doctors and midwives, called Oula. The startup's patients have fewer cesareans and other preterm deliveries. Nickerson, cofounder and CEO, and Purcel, … [Read more...] about With $22.3 Million In Venture Capital, A Startup Is Transforming Maternity Care
Mega Backdoor Roth 401(k) Conversion: Overview and FAQ
What Is a Mega Backdoor Roth 401(k) Conversion? A mega backdoor Roth 401(k) conversion is a tax-shelter strategy available to employees whose employer-sponsored 401(k) retirement plans allow them to make substantial after-tax contributions in addition to their pretax deferrals and to transfer their contributions to an employer-designated Roth 401(k). The Build Back Better Act, H.R. 5376, passed by the House of Representatives on Nov. 19, 2021, contains provisions that, if enacted, would limit the ability of high-income taxpayers to accumulate extremely high-value balances in Roth 401(k)s and would eliminate backdoor Roth conversions for high-income taxpayers after Dec. 31, 2031. As of spring 2022, the Build Back Better Act remains stalled in the Senate, and these provisions may not come to pass, at least not in their current form. But mega backdoor Roth conversions remain an important issue—and a notable route to wealth for higher-income taxpayers. Key Takeaways H.R. … [Read more...] about Mega Backdoor Roth 401(k) Conversion: Overview and FAQ
Navigating Economic Turbulence: 10 Strategies For Business Success In A Downturn
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Boyan Ivanov is the cofounder and Chief Executive Officer at StorPool since November 2011. An economic downturn can be a difficult time for any company. During a downturn, consumers tend to spend less money, resulting in downward pressure on prices, sales cycles getting longer and fiercer competition. All these developments can lead to a decrease in revenue and profitability as well as a higher risk of going out of business for many companies. However, with the right strategies in place, a company cannot only survive but flourish during such a period. Here are 10 tips that can help a company stay afloat and come out stronger on the other side. 1. Optimize your operations and P&L. One of the first things a company should do during an economic downturn is to take a hard look at its income statement and consider optimizing its operations. This can include reducing some expenses or freezing business lines … [Read more...] about Navigating Economic Turbulence: 10 Strategies For Business Success In A Downturn