The Business Times

Hong Kong to require rapid Covid tests for students as school resumes Officials are still ironing out details such as how frequent the tests should be conducted and how many positive cases would warrant a school suspensi…

Tesla may start mining lithium as Musk cites battery metal cost Lithium is a key component in electric vehicle batteries and so automakers are racing to secure supplies, expecting surge in demand amid a global push for t…

#BTLifestyle: Chanel's watchmaking reaches new heights Chanel is rising fast in the world of horology even though the French maison only branched into watchmaking in 1987. Check out a few key pieces from its latest colle…

Will Smith banned from attending Oscars for 10 years after slap In addition to the Oscars, the film world's most prestigious awards, the board banned Smith from all other academy events and programmes, in person or virtu…

UBS lifts junior banker pay for a second time to rival Wall Street The Swiss bank increased base salaries for first-year analysts in the US to US$110,000, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to b…

China's health system faces raft of challenges as Omicron hits This article takes stock of China's long list of obstacles in keeping its massive populace Covid-free — including vaccination rates, hospital resourcing, the…

#BTLifestyle: A new chapter for Tetsuya Wakuda Fans of the acclaimed celebrity chef will get a second helping of his cuisine when his eponymous new restaurant, which also houses the refurbished Waku Ghin, opens on Apr 17…

Russia, Ukraine 'willing to hold talks' in Turkey "Both Russia and Ukraine are willing to hold the talks in Turkey but they are far away from agreeing on a common text," the official said. There are "some issues pending"…

Ex-Goldman banker convicted of bribery, money laundering conspiracy charges in 1MDB case The jury convicted Ng of 2 counts of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) through bribery and circumventi…

Saudi Arabia expands haj to 1 million pilgrims, easing Covid curbs Pilgrims to Mecca this year must be under age 65 and fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, the ministry of Hajj and Umrah said in a statement carried…

Taiwan to move away from zero-Covid strategy: minister The decision leaves China — and its financial hub Hong Kong — as the only major economy still sticking to the strategy even as Omicron breaks through those defences.

Russia unexpectedly slashes rates as focus shifts to economy The central bank lowered the rate to 17 per cent from 20 per cent on Friday and said further cuts could be made at upcoming meetings if conditions permit. "Ext…

Japan to ban coal imports from Russia, announces additional sanctions This marks a reversal for Japan, which earlier had said it would reduce imports gradually while looking for alternative suppliers in the wake of sanct…

World food prices hit record high over Ukraine war: FAO The FAO's food price index, which had already reported a record in February, surged by 12.6 per cent last month, "making a giant leap to a new highest level since i…

From Hong Kong to Sydney, home prices in Asia's priciest cities are falling The turnaround couldn't be more abrupt after low borrowing costs and a fear of missing out during the pandemic spurred a global property frenzy…

Meta plans virtual currency, creator coins for its apps If implemented, it could also give Meta a new revenue channel and control over transactions in its suite of apps and services, which include Facebook, Instagram, Wh…

Former Bistrot Etroit chef moves to bigger premises at Sage Remember the cranky Yasunori Doi, who served up French bistro fare to just six or seven customers a night in a cupboard-sized outfit at Orchard Plaza? He's expa…

More collective sales expected to be launched in 2022, but many will be overpriced We're already seeing it happening, but it's also important to avoid being greedy when it comes to en-bloc sales.

IEA details plan to release 120m barrels of oil over 6 months to cool prices In addition to a 60 million barrels release from the United States, Japan, the second biggest contributor, said it would release a record 15 mi…

Ahead of reopening, nightlife players fret over lease renewals, uncertainty of operations The green light to reopen that has finally come for nightlife businesses may be a case of "too little, too late" for existing and…

Foreign airlines told to cut passengers into Covid-hit Shanghai Non-Chinese carriers were instructed by Shanghai's Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday (Apr 7) to reduce passenger loads to a maximu…

Devaluation of airline miles likely with air travel resumption, but impact unlikely to be severe With more people now using miles points, a "soft devaluation" is already taking place, warned Aaron Wong, who runs travel s…

#Brunch: Singapore's battered live music scene takes centre stage again Musicians in Singapore, hit by the cessation of live music performances in bars, pubs and restaurants, have for the past two years been mostly self-…

Eligible persons should get 4th Covid-19 vaccine dose for protection against severe illness: Experts An Israeli study of individuals aged 60 and up showed a reduction in severe Covid-19 disease in people who received a f…

1994: The one and only time COEs hit S$100,000 Will COE premiums hit 100k? It's to be expected that many of us will gawk at the numbers now, but some (probably) older folk will remember: They don't actually represent the…

[JUST IN] Surbana Jurong Group CEO Wong Heang Fine to retire on Sep 30, search for successor underway He was its founding group CEO since June 2015, overseeing a growth in revenue from S$320 million that year to S$1.8 bi…

Analysts keeping faith with pure-play China S-Reits The Singapore Exchange has 5 S-Reits — CapitaLand China Trust (CLCT), Sasseur Reit, EC World Reit (ECW), BHG Retail Reit and Dasin Retail Trust — with pure exposure to…

Malaysia's hoteliers report brisk business since borders reopened CBRE Hotels associate director Teo Junrong said the majority of tourists were generally price-sensitive before the pandemic, but with safety being their t…