World

London (CNN) The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has once again reached record highs, according to a UN report published Monday, putting the planet on course for warming that far exceeds critical limits to stave off catastrophic climate change. The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2020 was 149% higher than levels before industrialization, hitting another annual record, according to the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) Greenhouse Gas Bulletin. A COP flop? Covid looms over crucial climate talks as some key leaders snub the event Although the Covid-19 pandemic caused a temporary decline in new emissions , it had no discernible impact on the amounts or impact of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere, the report found. Instead, the gradual trend of increasing greenhouses gases that had been registered over the past decade has continued. The findings add to a sense of urgency ahead of the COP26 … [Read more...] about CO2 levels in the atmosphere reach a 3 million-year high, putting the world ‘way off track’ on climate goals

Orange juice prices are expected to soar in 2022 after inclement weather and citrus disease constrained the supply of oranges in the U.S. while demand surged during the pandemic, CNN Business reported. Frozen orange juice futures climbed over 50% during the COVID-19 pandemic and reached a two-year high in January, according to CNN Business. “You have your classical supply-demand mismatch,” Shawn Hackett, president of Hackett Financial Advisors, told CNN Business. This supply-demand conflict will cause consumers to see “much higher prices at the supermarket.” The United States Department of Agriculture expects Florida to produce 44.5 million boxes of oranges in 2022, the lowest figure since 1945 when the Sunshine State harvested 42.23 million boxes. Florida oranges make up a majority of the country’s orange juice supply, and the crop’s supply has been shrinking in recent years, Judith Ganes, president of J Ganes Consulting, told CNN Business. Florida oranges have reportedly … [Read more...] about Orange Juice Prices Expected To Soar After Worst Harvest Since World War Two

AFP Washington, United States   ● Thu, January 20, 2022 2022-01-20 15:30 0 22dc95a23fb944820adae5904f1246c6 2 Americas CIA,havana,report,foreign-powers,espionage,Antony-Blinken Free The CIA has concluded that US diplomats suffering mysterious headaches and nausea in what has been dubbed "Havana Syndrome" were not targeted in a global campaign by a foreign power, reports said Wednesday. NBC News, The New York Times and Politico cited multiple officials briefed on a CIA intelligence assessment on the incidents that first surfaced among diplomats in 2016 in the Cuban capital, in which US and Canadian officials complained of severe headaches, nausea and possible brain damage after hearing high-pitched sounds. Since then, diplomatic and intelligence officials have reported similar experiences in countries including Australia, Austria, China, Colombia, Germany and Russia. The reports said the CIA did not rule out foreign involvement in about two dozen … [Read more...] about CIA says ‘Havana Syndrome’ is not attack by foreign power: reports

AFP Moscow, Russia   ● Thu, January 20, 2022 2022-01-20 14:45 0 0c06e8ca436d6e21bba3a70856134656 2 Middle East and Africa Vladimir-Putin,Ebrahim-Raisi,diplomacy,Nuclear Free Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi hailed bilateral ties during a meeting in Moscow Wednesday, as pressure mounts for a decision on the Iran nuclear deal. Raisi said he had presented Moscow with draft documents on strategic cooperation that would cement joint collaboration for the next two decades. "We in Iran have no limits for expanding ties with Russia," the Iranian leader said on his first state visit since taking office in August. He said Tehran wanted to develop relations with Moscow that would "not be temporary, but permanent and strategic". "Today's exceptional circumstances require significant synergy between our two countries against US unilateralism," he said in televised remarks. Putin praised the countries' "close … [Read more...] about Putin, Raisi hail bilateral ties in Moscow meeting

Photo by Suhaimi Yusuf/The Edge - A + A KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 20): FGV Holdings Bhd has signed 12 collective agreements (CAs) with its workers' unions for the years 2022 to 2024. In a statement on Thursday (Jan 20), FGV's group chief executive officer (CEO) Mohd Nazrul Izam Mansor said that the successful negotiations for the 12 CAs, amidst lingering pandemic challenges, demonstrated strong commitments and commendable industrial relations among all parties. "FGV is blessed with over 40,000 employees including workers who are covered under the unions, whom we recognise as the backbone of the company. "The agreements forge a better understanding between the employers and the employees, thus encouraging better cooperation and support to achieve FGV's aspiration to become a world-class agribusiness and food company. Mohd Nazrul added that in the midst of various challenges affecting the palm and its related industries over the past few years, unions and management … [Read more...] about FGV concludes signing of collective agreements with 12 workers’ union for 2022-2024

This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on January 10, 2022 - January 16, 2022. (Photo by Suhaimi Yusuf/The Edge) - A + A AS a technocrat, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz knows fiscal reforms are painfully overdue. He felt the financial strain firsthand as the government’s cash needs skyrocketed in the past two years due to the necessary spending to save lives and livelihoods hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. The ex-investment banker also knows Malaysia — whose direct debt burden will cross the RM1 trillion threshold this year — needs debt to be more productive in order to expand the economic pie and sustain growth towards the desired high-income status. As it is, interest payments on direct government debt alone take away more than RM18 out of every RM100 the government earns. This and the fact that RM49 out of every RM100 earned goes to paying civil servants’ salaries and public pension obligations are clear signs that the … [Read more...] about Cover Story: Making the right but unpopular moves

This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on January 10, 2022 - January 16, 2022. The government has discussed flood mitigation plans and will have to come up with a long-term solution (Photo by Mohamad Shahril/The Edge) - A + A Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz looks none the worse for wear after two years in the political hot seat of overseeing the country’s finances. The former investment banker knows tough measures need to be made fast but admits that changes to the status quo will not be easy to push through. Below are excerpts from his interview with The Edge’s Cindy Yeap and Esther Lee. The Edge: It’s been only two months since the tabling of Budget 2022 but so many things have happened that it looks like you need to redo the budget or table a supplementary budget. Zafrul : Every year, there is a supplementary budget but, yes, only just now I told the cabinet that we have to relook and reprioritise to make … [Read more...] about Cover Story: Ensuring fiscal sustainability

- A + A LONDON (Jan 20): A group of investors of Unilever said on Thursday (Jan 20) they had filed a fresh resolution urging the company to fix a "crucial blind spot" in its strategy and set ambitious targets to sell healthier foods. The resolution by an 11-strong investor group with US$215 billion (about RM900.16 billion) in assets, including Candriam, Actiam and Greater Manchester Pension Fund, calls on Unilever to disclose the current proportion of sales linked to healthier products. It also urges the company to set a target to "significantly increase" that share by 2030, and publish an annual review of the progress. While Unilever, the owner of the Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Hellmann's mayonnaise and Pot Noodle brands, is seen as a leader in sustainable business by many funds, the investors said increasing regulations around health mean a failure to act could hit its finances. Governments in many of the company's main markets have introduced taxes on … [Read more...] about Unilever investors call AGM vote to push for healthy food targets

Sill: As the payment landscape continues to evolve we are leveraging on real innovation that comes from a blend of human collaboration and new technologies to transform. - A + A KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 20): HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd has launched Malaysia’s first multi-currency digital wallet that enables small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to make and receive international payments simply and securely from a single global account. In a statement on Thursday (Jan 20), HSBC Malaysia said the multi-currency digital wallet Global Wallet is fully integrated within its existing business banking platform (HSBCnet), which in tandem with the bank’s global payment networks allows SMEs to “pay and receive like a local” – complete transactions within the same or next day. The bank noted that Global Wallet cuts down on the time required for money to be delivered to an overseas beneficiary and removes the need for businesses to use third-party providers for international transactions. … [Read more...] about HSBC launches Malaysia’s first multi-currency digital wallet for SMEs

- A + A HONG KONG (Jan 20): Stocks and bonds of Chinese property developers stretched their gains into Thursday on hopes a slew of recent government measures would help ease a funding squeeze in the embattled sector, even as another developer warned of default. Beijing unexpectedly lowered borrowing costs on its medium-term loans for the first time since April 2020, and cut its benchmark lending rates for corporate and household loans for a second straight month. Sources have told Reuters that policymakers were also drafting nationwide rules to make it easier for developers to access funds from sales still held in escrow accounts. These accounts are currently controlled by municipal governments, with no central oversight, and withdrawals have been tightened in the wake of the sector's woes. Better access to escrow funds would improve the short-term liquidity and help developers buy time "to meet their debt repayments until property sales show meaningful … [Read more...] about China property shares, bonds rally on hopes govt measures will aid liquidity