SME Corp, MIDF launch SME revitalisation financing plan
KUALA LUMPUR: SME Corporation Malaysia and Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Bhd (MIDF) have launched the SME Revitalisation Financing (SMERF) scheme for small businesses severely impacted by the pandemic. In a joint statement on Monday, they said the scheme targets SMEs facing financial difficulties and underserved sectors hit by the Covid-19 restrictions. This new financing scheme […]
IJM Corp launches Covid-19 vaccination campaign for employees, families and supply chain
KUALA LUMPUR: As Malaysia’s Covid-19 vaccination drive continues to gain momentum, IJM Corporation Bhd has launched a programme recently to help its employees, and their immediate family members and the construction supply chain get vaccinated against the virus. More than one thousand vaccine recipients received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at IJM Corp’s […]
Evacuations ordered after two California wildfires converge into one
SACRAMENTO: Crews and officials battling a large fire that has incinerated more than 190,000 acres (77,000 hectares) in northern California braced for the possibility on Sunday that smoke columns could spawn lightning storms capable of igniting more blazes. The swarming Dixie fire in Butte County, north of Sacramento, gained ground on Saturday and was only 21 […]
French parliament set to adopt vaccine passports law after protests
PARIS: France’s parliament was set Sunday to adopt legislation making vaccine passports a key part of daily life in the battle against Covid-19, after a compromise deal between lawmakers from the upper and lower houses. The breakthrough in talks between members of the National Assembly and Senate came a day after France was again shaken by […]
Angered by Covid response, Brazilians protest against Bolsonaro
RIO DE JANEIRO, July 25 — Tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets yesterday to demand the impeachment of President Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing increasing pressure as the pandemic exacts a devastating toll. It was the fourth weekend of protests called by leftist political parties, labour unions and social groups against Bolsonaro, […]
Pollution turns Argentina lake bright pink
TRELEW, Argentina: A lagoon in Argentina’s southern Patagonia region has turned bright pink in a striking, but frightful phenomenon experts and activists blame on pollution by a chemical used to preserve prawns for export. The colour is caused by sodium sulfite, an anti-bacterial product used in fish factories, whose waste is blamed for contaminating the […]
China braces for Typhoon In-Fa as it cleans up flood damage
BEIJING, July 25 — China shut down ports and railways yesterday as it braced for Typhoon In-Fa as parts of the country struggled to recover from devastating floods earlier this week. In-Fa is forecast to make landfall late today in the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang near Shanghai, according to the official Xinhua news agency. […]
S.Korea starts vaccination for 55-59 age group as COVID-19 caseloads remain high
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea kicked off COVID-19 vaccinations for people ages 55-59 on Monday to speed up the pace of its inoculation campaign, as the country battles the fourth wave of infections. The rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations for people in their upper 50s had sputtered to a week-long halt this month after a record […]
Clad in black, hundreds of contract doctors brave ministry, cops’ warnings with ‘hartal’ in support of career stability
KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 — Hundreds of junior doctors and medical officers in public hospitals in several hospitals nationwide staged a walkout today to express dissatisfaction with the government’s recent announcement of improved benefits and contract extensions. Amid heavy police presence at hospitals to maintain order and potential disciplinary action by their Ministry of Health […]
