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☆ Scaled-Back but Determined Protests in Kenya Call for President to Resign
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Abdi Latif Dahir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Protesters returned to the streets of Kenya on Thursday, some of them demanding the resignation of President William Ruto, despite his announcement a day earlier that he was abandoning a tax bill that drew large-scale demonstrations in which nearly two dozen people were killed. On Thursday, a heavy police and military presence was visible across the capital, with officers in cars and trucks and on horseback guarding the roads leading to Parliament, the president’s official residence and several downtown streets. Much of the central business district remained closed as police officers chased and tear-gassed smaller crowds waving white roses. Some activists and opposition political leaders had urged demonstrators not to march toward the president’s official residence in Nairobi on Thursday for fear of more bloodshed. But others said the killings, shootings and abductions of those opposing the tax increases in recent days — which activists said were some of the bloodiest days in Kenya’s recent history — would not deter them from pushing Mr. Ruto to resign.

Persons: William Ruto, Ruto Locations: Kenya, Nairobi

☆ Kenya rocked by fresh protests despite president’s U-turn over tax bill
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Nimi Princewill | Larry Madowo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Police in Kenya fired tear gas on protesters as a fresh wave of demonstrations swept the country, despite President William Ruto’s U-turn on controversial tax plans. In a surprise move on Wednesday, Ruto said he would not sign the finance bill, saying he had been “listening keenly” to the Kenyan people. “It’s more than about the finance bill now,” Maria, a Kenyan protestor from Nairobi told CNN. Some have called on President Ruto to resign for failing to withdraw the unpopular bill much earlier to save the lives lost. Others are seeking justice for the deceased protesters and demanding the recall of lawmakers who voted in support of the finance bill.

Persons: William Ruto’s U, ”, Ruto, ” Maria, Daniel Irungu, “, Mwangi, Moody’s, Herman Manyora, ” Manyora, ” Ruto, Manyora Organizations: CNN — Police, House, Security, State House, Kenyan, CNN, Civic, Law Society of Kenya, Monetary Fund, International, University of Nairobi Locations: Kenya, Nairobi, East, Kenya’s

☆ Hongkong Land plans $1 billion luxury retail destinations in financial hub
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Hongkong Land announced a more than $1 billion, three-year investment in ultra-luxury retail in the heart of the city's financial district on Wednesday. Hongkong Land announced a more than $1 billion, three-year investment in ultra-luxury retail in the heart of the city's financial district on Wednesday. The expansion plan comes against a backdrop of overall sliding retail and office markets in Hong Kong, where vacancy rates are at record high levels. But Hongkong Land said its "Very Important Customer" group has continued to spend more in 2023 and 2024, an average of HK$1 million ($128,080) each last year. VIC contributed around 80% of the company's luxury retail sales in Hong Kong.

Persons: Jardine Matheson, Cartier, Louis Vuitton Organizations: Hongkong Land, Hong Kong's, Tiffany, Co, Louis, HK, VIC Locations: Hong, Hong Kong

☆ Opinion: Will Julian Assange receive a hero’s welcome in Australia?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Opinion Latika Bourke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Julian Assange is no martyr, but the Trump administration’s continued pursuit of the WikiLeaks founder ended up making him one — in the eyes of many Australians. Assange, who was released from prison in the UK on June 24, has long been a polarizing figure in his native Australia. Once Assange pleads guilty, under the plea agreed with the US, he will have spent five years in solitary confinement. Assange’s WikiLeaks disclosures put Western human intelligence sources at risk by the way they were dumped on the internet unredacted. He is reported to be heading to Canberra where he’ll be given a hero’s welcome by some, including his family and hardline supporters.

Persons: Latika Bourke, ”, Read, CNN — Julian Assange, Trump, Latika Bourke Louis Douvis, Assange, narcissist, Pamela Anderson, Vivienne Westwood, Assange “, Chelsea Manning, Matt Canavan, ” Canavan, Julian Assange, Saeed Khan, Canavan, “ he’s, George W, “, Assange’s, Julian Hill, Stella Assange, indefatigably, Hill, Caroline Kennedy, Joe Biden, Anthony Albanese, Albanese’s, Albanese, Scott Morrison, he’s, ” Hill, Assange hasn’t, he’ll Organizations: Nightly, Sydney Morning Herald, Love, CNN, WikiLeaks, Trump, US Army, Australian, Wikileaks, Getty, Reuters, Australian Labor, Democrat, Labor, Liberal, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Australian, India, British, Ecuadorian, London, Sweden, Sydney's, Australia, AFP, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, Iraq, Canberra

☆ Hong Kong stock markets will continue trading during typhoons, starting Sept. 23
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, CHINA - OCTOBER 13: A taxi crosses an empty intersection in the Central business district during a No. 8 Storm signal raised for Typhoon Kompasu, the 18th typhoon of this year, on October 13, 2021 in Hong Kong, China. Hong Kong's financial markets will continue trading even during typhoons and extreme weather starting from Sept. 23, Chief Executive John Lee announced Tuesday. "Hong Kong is an international financial center and there is no reason for us not to align with international financial standards," Lee said. He noted that in consultations conducted by the Hong Kong Exchange, over 90% of brokerage firms and securities firms supported the proposal.

Persons: Kompasu, John Lee, Lee Organizations: Hong Kong Exchange Locations: HONG KONG, CHINA, Central, Hong Kong, China, Hong

☆ With congestion pricing stop, New York City enters new era of economic gridlock
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Alexander Spatari | Moment | Getty ImagesAs U.S. cities continue their recovery from the pandemic and inflation, New York City was expected to provide a key national test for the economic value of congestion pricing. A cost of living crisis, preparing for climate challenges, and aging infrastructure, including public transportation, all made the congestion pricing plan make sense to many. Her group also has supported a congestion pricing plan for two decades. The long, and often losing, history of congestion pricing The battle over congestion pricing in New York City has a much longer history than you may think. In 2007, then-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg made the case for congestion pricing, but couldn't get enough support in the state's capital.

Persons: Alexander Spatari, United States —, Kathy Hochul, Hochul, JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, —, Kathryn S, Wylde, Josh Gottheimer, William Vickrey, Michael Bloomberg, Andrew Cuomo, Cuomo, that's, Gottheimer Organizations: Metropolitan Transportation Authority, MTA, New, Business District, Gallup, JPMorgan, New York's Department of Transportation, Partnership, Community Service Society, MTA Traffic, Regional Plan Association, Jersey Transit, New York City, New York Times, New York, Buffalo . Rep, Buffalo Bills Locations: New York City, United States, Covid, Manhattan, New York, New Jersey, New Jersey's Sussex County, Jersey, Connecticut, Long Island, Southeastern New York, New, Buffalo

☆ NY Gov Hochul delays controversial NYC congestion pricing plan ‘indefinitely’
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Gloria Pazmino | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A source familiar with the Governor’s plan said Hochul pushed for the delay due to concerns about affordability and the potential impact to the city’s post-pandemic economic recovery. New York’s congestion pricing would have been the first of its kind in the United States. “As a longtime champion of Congestion Pricing and the Congressional Representative of a significant portion of the Central Business District (CBD), I am disappointed by reports that Governor Hochul will not implement Congestion Pricing on June 30, as previously planned,” Nadler said in a statement. “For years, Leader Hakeem Jeffries has maintained neutrality with respect to the congestion pricing policy debate. Congestion pricing is a $15 billion lifeline for the MTA – critical funding that will be lost if the program is stalled,” the group said in a statement.

Persons: Kathy Hochul, ” Hochul, Hochul, John Samuelsen, CNN Hochul, ” Samuelsen, Joe Borelli, ” Borelli, ”, Ritchie Torres, Jerry Nadler, ” Nadler, Hakeem Jeffries, Andy Eichar, “, Jeffries, ” Eichar Organizations: CNN, New, Yorkers, The New, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Transport Workers Union, Republican, “, Rep, Democrat, Congressional, Central Business, Transportation, MTA Locations: New York City’s, Manhattan, United States, London, Stockholm, The, The New York City, Staten Island, Hudson, Brooklyn, New York State

☆ Hochul Pushes for Congestion Pricing Delay in Last-Minute Reversal
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Dana Rubinstein | Grace Ashford | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Kathy Hochul is quietly maneuvering to delay a plan to toll drivers entering Manhattan’s central business district, just weeks before it is slated to go into effect, according to two people familiar with the discussions. The first-in-the-nation congestion pricing plan, which has been decades in the making, is slated to start June 30. Drivers using E-ZPass will pay as much as $15 to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street. But even as Ms. Hochul believes that congestion pricing is good environmental policy, she has concerns that the timing was less than ideal, according to a person familiar with her thinking. The governor feared that it might deter commuters from returning to the central business district, which has yet to fully recover from the pandemic.

Persons: Kathy Hochul, Hochul Locations: Manhattan, New York City

☆ Go inside one of the world’s most iconic hotels: Raffles Hotel Singapore
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Few hotels are as synonymous with old world grandeur and colonial architecture as the Raffles Hotel Singapore — the hotel of choice for the city-state's visiting elite since it first opened in 1887. Built upon three hectares near the city's Central Business District, the hotel is itself a tourist attraction. Visitors stop to photograph its ornate façade or to sip a Singapore Sling at the drink's birthplace, the hotel's Long Bar. But half of the hotel is reserved for guests only, said Managing Director Christian Westbeld. Watch the full video to see more of Raffles Hotel Singapore.

Persons: Rudyard Kipling, Catherine , Princess, Christian Westbeld Organizations: Raffles Hotel, Central Business District, Sling, CNBC Locations: Raffles Hotel Singapore, Wales

☆ See inside Ford's new tech campus, a century-old Detroit train station restored for $950 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The $950 million project encompasses the 18-story former train station called Michigan Central Station – once the state's marquee transit building – an adjacent 270,000-square-foot building and other, supporting facilities. The 30-acre "Michigan Central" campus and station was initially announced in 2018 and slated to open by 2022. Train station campusThe Michigan Central campus is located southwest of Detroit's main business district in a trendy neighborhood known as Corktown. The Michigan Central campus in total spans 1.2 million square feet of commercial space, including retail, restaurants and hospitality. The restored grand waiting room inside Ford's Michigan Central Station in Detroit.

Persons: Michael Wayland, Bill Ford Jr, Ford, Bill Ford, He's, Henry Ford, Ford Ford, Josh Sirefman, it's, It's Organizations: CNBC DETROIT, Michigan Central, Ford, CNBC, General Motors, Renaissance, eBay, Michigan Central Station, Detroit, Michigan, Central Station, CNBC Ford, Architects, Detroit Public, Depository, Google, Detroit Lions Locations: Motor, Michigan, Detroit, Silicon Valley, California, East, Detroit's, Dearborn , Michigan, Ford's, Mankato, Indiana, CNBC, Motor City, Pontiac, Rouge

☆ Zhongnanhai: The scenic garden that became China’s secretive seat of power
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-25 | by ( Jonathan Chatwin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

As the seat of power, Zhongnanhai is often thought of as China’s equivalent to the White House, or the Kremlin. Architectural changesThere have been serious revisions to the architecture of Zhongnanhai since the end of imperial rule in 1912. Having re-established Zhongnanhai as a center of political power in the new China, Mao set about rebuilding the compound according to his tastes. “It was here,” noted Aldrich, “with the background trappings of a scholar, that he met Nixon and Kissinger in 1972.”Most subsequent leaders have preferred to keep a house outside the Zhongnanhai compound. However, the compound hasn’t always been so forbidden for the masses following the collapse of China’s imperial dynasty.

Persons: Jonathan Chatwin, “, Deng Xiaoping, Leung Chun, Xi Jinping, Simon Song, Xi Jinping’s, Ming, Geremie Barmé, Qianlong, Feng Li, ” Linda Jaivin, ”, Dowager Cixi, Zhongnanhai, Cixi, Dowager, M, Aldrich, Mao Zedong, ” Aldrich, China’s, Yuan Shikai, Yuan Shikai ‘, William Lewisohn, Xinhuamen, William Cooper, —, Qianlong Emperor, Yuan, Invincible Mao, — Mao, Kangxi, Mao, Zhou Enlai, Chen Yi, Zhang Wentian, Nikita Khrushchev, Khrushchev, Nixon, Kissinger, Hu Jintao, Jiang Zemin, Newscom Aldrich, Mao’s, Li Zhisui, Xi, Chicago's Walter, Hu Yaobang, Gong, “ Heck Organizations: CNN, Bell, Communist Party, CCP, White, Hong, China Morning, University of Bristol Library, Great Communist Party of China, ”, Shuangqing Villa, Alamy, State Council, China’s Politburo, Huairen, Chicago's Walter Payton College Preparatory, New York Times, Zhongnanhai, Bloomberg Locations: Modern China, Prospect, Tiananmen, Hong Kong, Zhongnanhai, City, China, Beijing, “, People’s Republic, New China, Arlington, Peking, Xinjiang, Russian, Beihai, Beijing’s, Huairen, Qinzheng Hall

☆ Iranian currency plunges to record low against dollar after strikes on Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Two men are holding Iranian banknotes on a sidewalk in Tehran's business district, in Tehran, Iran, on April 13, 2024. Iran's currency, the rial, briefly plunged to a record low against the dollar on the unofficial market, after Tehran launched an expansive missile and drone attack on Israel on Saturday night, exacerbating tensions in the Middle East. The exchange rate was at 705,000 rials / USD on the open market around 10:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, according to data from foreign exchange monitoring site Bonbast. The government set an official exchange rate of 42,000 rials / USD in 2018. The development marked the first instance of a direct attack on Israel from Iranian territory, and Tehran now runs the risk of being hit with further trade and diplomatic restrictions.

Persons: Joe Biden, Iran's rial, Donald Trump's, Biden Organizations: Israel, . Security Locations: Tehran, Iran, Israel, Damascus, U.S

☆ The city whose 'doom loop' just might be worse than San Francisco's
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An office building in St. Louis sold for $3.6 million after selling for $205 million 18 years prior. Downtown St. Louis is filled with unoccupied buildings and an unwillingness to visit them. The steep drop in the tower's value is just one sign that St. Louis' central business district is struggling, reports say. Indeed, St. Louis' downtown resembles a ghost town with a number of boarded-up buildings, according to The Wall Street Journal's Konrad Putzier. AdvertisementThe problem with Midwestern cities, like St. Louis, is that there's not much attracting people to the center of the city — and that applies to commuters, tourists, and residents.

Persons: Louis, —, Konrad Putzier, Glenn MacDonald, Business Insider's Eliza Relman, Michael Hicks, BI's Relman, Relman, Tracy Hadden Loh Organizations: Service, T, Goldman Group, News, Washington University, Olin Business School, Business, University of Toronto, Midwest ., Ball State University, Midwest, Brookings Institution Locations: St, Downtown St, Francisco's, North America, Midwest, Midwest . San Francisco, Indiana, —, San Francisco and New York

☆ China's commercial property segment is seeing some bright spots amid a slump in the wider realty sector
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty ImagesBEIJING — China's commercial property sector is seeing pockets of demand amid an overall real estate slump. Commercial real estate, which includes office buildings and shopping malls, makes up just a fraction of China's overall property market. Sales for both commercial and residential properties had fallen for much of last year, according to Wind. Covid-19 restrictions on movement had also cut demand for China's commercial property, in line with global trends. China's economy, however, took longer than expected to rebound from the pandemic, amid a broader slump in the property market.

Persons: JLL Organizations: Visual China, Getty, BEIJING Locations: Beijing, China

☆ Asia markets climb as U.S. Treasury yields pressure Wall Street; data from Australia and Japan on deck
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

An aerial view of the central business district and Sydney Opera House on February 17, 2023. On Tuesday, investors in Asia will observe business confidence surveys from Australia and consumer confidence data from Japan. Asia-Pacific markets climbed even as U.S. Treasury yields put pressure on Wall Street equities Monday. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 16,831, pointing to a weaker open compared to the HSI's close of 16,732.85. Treasury yields rose, with the rate on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note up about 4 basis points to 4.42%.

Persons: CNBC's Hakyung Kim, Yun Li Organizations: Sydney Opera House, Treasury, Wall, Nikkei, Dow Jones, Nasdaq Locations: Asia, Australia, Japan, Pacific, U.S, . Federal

☆ Workers aren't going to the office, but they are hitting the bars
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Jordan Hart | Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewZachary Timms, a project engineer in Houston, has rules around how he does happy hour with coworkers. Late-afternoon spending may have slipped in New York, per Square data, but post-work socializing seems to be going strong later in the evening for office workers. Seasoned employees warning younger colleagues about bringing out their "weekend personality" at work happy hour haven't always deterred the newest class. One TikToker shared her excitement for 5:01 p.m. this summer and the start of happy hour with colleagues. Advertisement"Just a quick reminder that you were actually more drunk and annoying at that work happy hour than you remember," TikToker Jack Lawler advised.

Persons: —, Zachary Timms, Timms, Zachary Timms He's, Shadé Smith, I've, Ara, Kharazian, TikToker, TikToker Jack Lawler, Brown, Gen Zers Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Houston, New York, NYC's, Irish

☆ What’s it like to dine at Asia’s ‘best’ restaurant?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Chris Dwyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But his career and trajectory have always been defined by global experience, exposure and a passion for embracing other cultures and cuisines. Back in 2006, Australian Chef Shane Osborn of Hong Kong’s acclaimed Arcane hired Calvert to work at his two Michelin-starred Pied à Terre restaurant in London. The culinary Holy Grail of Paris followed, with a stint at Epicure, which like Per Se is also a three Michelin-starred restaurant. His global culinary journey continued with a move to Hong Kong and the contemporary Parisian bistro Belon, where he earned the restaurant a Michelin star and reached fourth place on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. Calvert is happy to modestly take the considerable accolade of the best restaurant in Asia with a pinch of salt, as it were.

Persons: Daniel Calvert, “, ”, It’s, Shane Osborn, Hong Kong’s, Arcane, Calvert, who’ve, ” Osborn, Daniel Calvert's, Chef Thomas Keller’s, Paris, “ I’ve, ” Calvert, Hong, André Fu, morel, SÉZANNE Calvert, Ashley Caley, shima, botan ebi, there’s, sommelier Nobuhide Otsuka, “ I’m, ” Chris Dwyer Organizations: CNN, Champions League, Michelin, Sézanne Locations: Sézanne, “ Tokyo, Marunouchi, Tokyo, London, British, London , New York, Paris, Hong Kong, New York, Epicure, France’s Champagne, Hokkaido, France’s Jura, Yamaguchi Prefecture, morel, bouillon, Asia, @chrismdwyer, Instagram

☆ Alice Springs, Australia: A town has imposed a curfew on its children as it grapples with youth crime
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Since then, relative calm has returned to Alice Springs, or Mparntwe, its traditional name. Decades of racism and neglect erupted on the streets of Alice Springs on Tuesday, though youth crime is a problem in many other Australian cities. Those are the issues that are part of the story of Alice Springs,” Lawler said. “There is nowhere in the world that has said that a youth curfew is effective – it just criminalizes young people. Northern Territory Police Force Commissioner Michael Murphy speaks to media during a press conference in Darwin, Wednesday, March 27, 2024.

Persons: –, Eva Lawler, they’re, ”, Alice Springs, Darren Clark, Alice, rampaged, “, ” Clark, It’s, don’t, ” Lawler, Matt Paterson, Jared Sharp, that’s, ” Sharp, Michael Murphy, Neve Brissenden, Catherine Liddle, haven’t Organizations: Australia CNN, Northern, Sydney, Alice, North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency, Sky News, Northern Territory Police Force, Reuters, Australia –, Torres, Guardian, of National Aboriginal, Islander, Northern Territory Police, Children Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Alice Springs, “, Northern, Alice, Utopia, Darwin, Northern Territory, Torres Strait

☆ Hong Kong lawmakers pass new national security law, giving government more power to curb dissent
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong lawmakers passed a new national security law on Tuesday that grants the government more power to quash dissent, widely seen as the latest step in a sweeping political crackdown that was triggered by pro-democracy protests in 2019. The legislature passed the Safeguarding National Security Bill during a special session Tuesday. The law threatens stringent penalties for a wide range of actions authorities call threats to national security, with the most severe — including treason and insurrection — punishable by life imprisonment. "I fully agree with what the Chief Executive said: the sooner the legislation is completed, the sooner national security will be safeguarded," he said. Hong Kong's political scene has changed dramatically since the massive 2019 street protests that challenged China's rule over the semi-autonomous territory, and the imposition of Beijing's National Security Law.

Persons: Hong, John Lee, Andrew Leung, Critics, China's Organizations: National, Kong's Legislative, Legislative, British, National Security Law Locations: Central, Hong Kong, Beijing, Kong's

☆ Russia presidential election: Putin set to sweep to fifth term in power
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) approved only three candidates to oppose Putin: Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party, Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party and Nikolay Kharitonov of the Communist Party. “A vote for Slutsky and LDPR is absolutely not a vote against Putin,” he said. Although the ruling United Russia party has declared its “full support” for the president, Putin is running as an independent candidate, placing himself above party politics. A local election commission member prepares a polling station for early voting in the Republic of Karelia, March 10, 2024. Polls are set to open in Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka at 8 a.m. local time on Friday (4 p.m.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Joseph Stalin, Leonid Slutsky, Vladislav Davankov, Nikolay Kharitonov, Slutsky, “, ”, Stringer, Yekaterina Duntsova, Boris Nadezhdin, Alexey Navalny, Navalny “, Navalny, “ Putin, Yulia Navalnaya, Don’t, Natalia Kolesnikova, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Dmitry Serebryakov Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Commission, Liberal Democratic Party, New People Party, Communist Party, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, United, Getty, CEC, Russian Security Service, The New York Times, TASS, Russia Locations: Alaska, Kaliningrad, Ukraine, Russia, Soviet, United Russia, AFP, Moscow, Republic of Karelia, Avdiivka, Russia’s, Kamchatka

☆ Singapore bumps up 2024 GDP forecast on manufacturing growth; lowers headline inflation outlook
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Singapore's economy expanded by a slightly more modest pace than initially expected in 2023, as manufacturing activity contracted and services growth slowed. Singapore's economy in 2024 is forecast to grow faster than estimated earlier, while the outlook for inflation has been revised lower, the Monetary Authority of Singapore's survey showed Wednesday. The survey of forecasters has pegged this year's growth at 2.4% and headline inflation at 3.1%, compared with the December survey's estimates of 2.3% GDP growth and inflation at 3.4%. Singapore's manufacturing sector — which makes up over 20% of the country's GDP — is now expected to grow at 4% in 2024, up from 2.3%. While economists raised their forecasts for the manufacturing, finance and insurance, and construction sectors, the outlook for the wholesale and retail trade, as well as accommodation and food services sectors was revised lower.

Organizations: Monetary Authority Locations: Singapore

☆ Bike lanes are good for business
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Freaked-out business owners have been fighting bike lanes coast to coast, in cities from San Diego to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Rowe compared sales taxes in these “Neighborhood Business Districts” with those in similar districts in the city that didn’t get bike lanes. In one NBD, which replaced car lanes and three parking spots with two bike lanes, sales closely tracked those in the bike-less areas, both in peaks and troughs. Sometimes nothing changed, but more often the areas near bike lanes wound up with more employees and more revenue. It’s the new normal.” All the data in the world may prove that bike lanes are good for business.

Persons: —, ”, Joseph Poirier, Nelson Nygaard, “, It’s, I’ve, Kyle Rowe, Rowe, it’s, Poirer, Jenny Liu, Wei Shi, Liu, Poirier, Shi, ” Liu, downtowns, who’s, Larisa Ortiz, ” Poirier, Adam Rogers Organizations: —, University of Washington, New York City Department of Transportation, ”, San, Portland State University, Center for Urban Studies, Portland State, Boston Globe, Automobile, Getty, Business Locations: San Diego, Cambridge , Massachusetts, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx, ”, San Francisco, there’s, Oregon, Portland, San Francisco , Minneapolis, Memphis, Minneapolis, America’s, downtowns, United States, Chicago ; New York City, Angeles

☆ A Gen Zer ditched NYC for Milan. She loves that Italian bosses don't care how much vacation you take — and that a glass of wine costs $4
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Maria Noyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

You're going to go on these trips. You're going to enjoy them, you're going to go on the school ones, you're going to go on the vacation ones.'" Milan may be fast-paced by Italian standards, but it's much slower than NYCAccording to Monto, Milan is considered Italy's "hectic" city. Milan, Italy. "It seemed like my generation and, honestly, maybe even some of the millennials, are more awakened to the idea that not everything has to revolve around work," Monto said.

Persons: —, wasn't, Monto, Alessandro, Numbeo, Italy Monto, didn't, It's, they're, Gary Yeowell, aren't, Zer Organizations: Service, Business, New, Yorker Locations: New York City, San Diego, Italy, New York, Milan, France, Monto, Italian

☆ Hong Kong GDP to grow 2.5%-3.5% in 2024, scraps property tightening measures
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

People cross an intersection in the Central business district of Hong Kong on Feb. 27, 2024. Hong Kong's economy is expected to grow 2.5%-3.5% this year, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on Wednesday as he announced measures to bolster a flagging property market and support the economy. The special administrative region, which expanded 3.2% in 2023, will cancel all buy-side property tightening measures for residential properties and waive stamp duties payable on the transfer of REIT units, Chan said. "We decided to cancel all demand-side management measures for residential properties with immediate effect. We consider that the relevant measures are no longer necessary amidst the current economic and market conditions," Chan said, adding that there was room to further adjust measures for the property market.

Persons: Paul Chan, Chan Organizations: Financial, HK Locations: Central, Hong Kong, Hong

☆ I was in Moscow the day Putin invaded Ukraine, and some Russians were in tears
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Russian police officers detain a woman during an unsanctioned protest rally against the military invasion on Ukraine, March,6, 2022, in Central Moscow, Russia. These quickly ceased when they saw Russian colleagues in tears, whose life savings had halved overnight. Russian friends began referring to Tbilisi as the "new Constantinople," referencing the city where anti-Bolshevik Russians fleeing the Communist revolution had taken refuge a century before. Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) meets French President Emmanuel Macron (R) on February 07, 2022 in Moscow, Russia. I stood at the glass window silently as the Russian border guard inspected my passport and now useless work permit.

Persons: —, Cameron Manley, Russia's, didn't, Vladimir Putin, Putin idi nakhui, Putin, Mir, Pushkin, Konstantin Zavrazhin, Alexey Malgavko, Stringer, Zelenskyy, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Karen Minasyan, pragmatically, gossiped, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: Service, Business, REUTERS, National Guard, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Armed Forces of, Facebook, Bolshevik, Communist, Kremlin Press, AP, Saint Locations: Edinburgh, Scotland, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia's, Europe, Russia, Central Moscow, Russian, Omsk, Kyiv, Armed Forces of Ukraine, seeping, Belarus, Yerevan, Armenia, AFP, Istanbul, Dubai, Tbilisi, Constantinople, St Petersburg, Helsinki, West, Switzerland, Saint Petersburg, Finland

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