International well control forum

- A + A MOSCOW (June 30): Western fashion brands are conspicuous by their absence at a gleaming new shopping centre on the outskirts of Moscow - and customers say they scarcely miss them. Following Moscow's decision to send thousands of troops into Ukraine at the end of February, international fashion brands from Adidas to Zara have paused operations in Russia, while Nike is one of the handful to commit to a definitive exit from the market. "I am neutral on this, whether we have them or not," shopper Alexandra Moskunova told Reuters at the mall in Khovrino. "I can happily do without them." Another customer, Irina Stakhanova, said: "I only really liked H&M and another one that I can't remember. It's not that I need foreign things, I just need something that fits me and looks good, to lift the mood." There are few overt signs in the Russian capital that the mood needs lifting. Buskers sing and play, restaurant terraces spill onto the pavement and, as … [Read more...] about Moscow mall opens for Russian business after big brand exodus

With just days to go before Phuket re-opens, and talks underway to re-open the country as a whole in October, one of the world’s largest hotel platforms says the data shows things are looking up for Thailand. Bradley Haines from SiteMinder says Thai hotel operators should feel some encouragement from current booking trends around the world. According to Haines, the rollout of vaccines and the loosening of restrictions in many countries has led to the highest number of global hotel bookings since the pandemic began. TTR Weekly reports that in recent days, bookings have jumped to over 65% of 2019 figures, recording a 465-day high. Haines believes watching developments in Europe gives a good indication of what lies in store for Thailand’s hotel industry. “A particularly interesting case study for Thailand, however, is the recovery of some European markets. The speed at which booking momentum has been able to evolve in certain countries has been fascinating to watch, and Spain comes … [Read more...] about Hotel platform predicts increasing demand for holidays in Thailand

Big Bazaar retail chain Singapore International Arbitration Centre on June 28 dismissed Future's plea seeking termination of arbitration proceedings between the group and American e-commerce major Amazon. The Kishore Biyani-led group had sought termination of arbitration on the grounds that the investment deal between its Future Coupons Pvt Ltd (FCPL) and Amazon no longer enjoyed the Competition Commission of India's approval. The CCI in December 2021 passed an order keeping its approval for the deal in abeyance noting that Amazon had failed to divulge its strategic interests in the Future group's retail business. Future group based its plea for terminating arbitration proceedings on CCI's order and argued that without CCI's approval, the deal would be rendered invalid and the arbitration proceedings emanating from the underlying agreement ought to be terminated. As per sources close to the development, SIAC rejected the plea for termination of arbitration noting that … [Read more...] about Singapore panel rejects Future plea to terminate arbitration proceedings with Amazon

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (June 30): Former Prasarana Malaysia Bhd group chief finance officer (CFO) Datuk Mohd Zahir Zahur Hussain has been appointed as an independent non-executive director of Mycron Steel Bhd. Mohd Zahir, 46, served as Prasarana’s CFO from Jan 2012 to Sept 2015. He has an established career as an auditor with various accounting firms including PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte & Touche, both at their Malaysia and overseas offices, Mycron said in a filing. Mohd Zahir also served as the Tracoma Holdings Bhd’s CFO, a company focusing on the manufacturing of automotive components, before being appointed as the audit director for Baker Tilly Monteiro Heng, sixth largest accounting firm in the world. He then assumed the role of head of fund operations for CIMB-Principal Asset Management (CPAM), where he helped obtain global investment performance standards and improved the company's internal control and processes. He was subsequently promoted as … [Read more...] about Former Prasarana CFO Mohd Zahir joins Mycron Steel as director

Thailand is planning on streamlining the proof of vaccination process by offering an e-vaccine passport for free for international travellers. The CCSA announced the plan as one of the topics covered in their meeting today which also saw the elimination of Dark Red Zones and curfews, as well as a switch from RT-PCR tests for entering tourists to the faster, cheaper antigen tests . The decision was made to offer a digital version of the vaccine passport that are currently issued at a charge of 50 baht, though the date from which the e-passport will be available has yet to be determined. When the programme does launch though, the digital vaccine passport will be available through the Mor Prom mobile application. The CCSA made the announcement but also issued a warning at the same time, reminding travellers to check in advance the requirements for whatever country they plan on travelling to and confirm that their destination accepts an electronic vaccine passport or if a … [Read more...] about Vaccine passport soon to be made digital and issued for free

T Rabi Sankar has taken over as the new deputy governor at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Following this, the central bank has redistributed the portfolios of the deputy governors. RBI has four deputy governors. Rabi Sankar, who was serving as an executive director, has been given important portfolios such as  department of currency management, external investments and operations, government and bank accounts, Information Technology and Payment and Settlement Systems. Besides, he has also been given foreign exchange department, internal debt management department and right to information, the RBI said. Rabi Sankar has been appointed for a period of three years. On May 2, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet cleared the name of T Rabi Sankar as a Deputy Governor. This was after B Kanungo retired on April 2. RBI has four deputy governor posts, one of which fell vacant due to Kanungo's retirement. The other three deputy governors are Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Patra and … [Read more...] about T Rabi Sankar takes over as deputy governor, RBI reshuffles portfolios

The “Phuket Sandbox” and “Samui Plus” travel schemes were approved by the Thai Cabinet yesterday, allowing the islands to reopen to travellers who are vaccinated against Covid-19. Phuket is set to reopen on July 1 while the trio of islands in the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao, is set to reopen on July 15. The details still need to be published in the Royal Gazette to make the travel schemes official. Only tourists travelling from countries classified as a low-risk for spreading Covid-19 can enter Thailand under the Sandbox and Samui Plus schemes without going through a 14-day quarantine, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Nopakun Natapanu, who gave details on the travel schemes during today’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration daily briefing. “It will allow fully vaccinated tourists from low-risk countries, as announced by the Ministry of Public Health, to travel to Phuket and these 3 other destinations without state … [Read more...] about CCSA gives details on “Phuket Sandbox” and “Samui Plus” travel schemes

Qantas Airways is gearing up to resume flights from Sydney to Bangkok and Phuket from early next year, with the Aussie airline keen to get the ball rolling as international travel restrictions are gradually being lifted. Sydney is set to see the resumption of regular routes in January, more than two months ahead of schedule, as both the federal and state governments have moved to pave the way for the reopening of international borders. The New South Wales government has confirmed that quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated arrivals will be removed from November 1. While ahead of schedule, it will nonetheless be a staged resumption of services, with the Australian government requiring that initial flights are limited to Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families and parents. In the Covid-19 climate, however, any progress takes on additional significance, with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce labelling it “the best news we’ve had in almost two years”. Joyce added … [Read more...] about Qantas to resume flights from Sydney to Bangkok and Phuket early 2022

In announcing what is expected for the first arrivals in the Phuket Sandbox plan on July 1, Governor Narong Woonsew mostly reconfirmed the rules set out , though a few details and additions came to light. Thailand will welcome back international travellers with the first international flights arriving next Friday. The first arrivals to Phuket will be fully vaccinated Europeans from low- and medium-risk countries. They will fly on Thai Airways flights from London, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Paris, and Zurich on July 1. As has been established during the constant evolution of the Phuket Sandbox reopening rules, all travellers must be fully vaccinated and have a negative Covid-19 test as well as US $100,000 worth of Covid-19 insurance. They will be required to stay in a Safety and Health Administration Plus certified hotel and must stay within Phuket province for at least 14 days before travelling elsewhere in Thailand. (Shorter stays are allowed if the passenger is leaving Thailand … [Read more...] about Phuket governer reviews rules, new details for July 1 arrivals

4 bills on torture and forced disappearances have now successfully passed the House of Representatives in a triumph for human rights in Thailand. One member of parliament abstained from voting while the rest voted unanimously in favour of the 4 bills in a vote of 368 to 0. The bills include 34 sections covering a wide range of facets of dealing with the corrupt practices of forced disappearances and torture in the country. The bill differentiates these crimes and calls for them to be handled separately, treated as special cases with jurisdiction being granted to the Department of Special Investigations. After investigation by the DSI, the bills also would push trials for cases involving torture and forced disappearances to the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct for judgement. The bills encompass topics such as rehabilitation for the victims of maltreatment and abuse, as well punishment for offenders convicted of the practice. Included in the punishments proposed by … [Read more...] about Torture and forced disappearances bills pass House vote 368-0