Pandemic Financial News

By Antonella Cinelli

Working in silos during the pandemic period helped many lawyers make independent decisions in key cases, which boosted the confidence of several of them to start their own. Since the operating cost of such boutique firms is low, these lawyers have the flexibility to take up small-ticket disputes for which litigants wouldn't approach full-service firms.

closely monitoring the recent outbreak of H9N2 cases and clusters of respiratory illness among children in northern China. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a press release addressing concerns raised by some media reports about the clustering of respiratory illness cases in the region. Also Read | Mysterious pneumonia outbreak in China: Hospitals overwhelmed as cases surge, WHO issues advisory – All you need to know The press release reassured that there's a low risk to India from both the avian influenza cases and the clusters of respiratory illness reported from China.

Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday that non-bank financial companies (NBFCs) and small finance banks should be cautious while lending. The previous day, RBI governor Shaktikanta Das said these lenders should diversify their sources of funding and not rely too much on bank loans. Mint looks at why the minister and the regulator are cautioning NBFCs.

Covid might have negatively impacted the bone tissues of young patients, including both bone mineral density in the forearm and total bone mineral content, according to new research. Assessing people during the pandemic and before, researchers at Comenius University, Slovakia, found that the disease caused a significant bone mineral density decrease in young adults.

Prominent Canadian retailer Mastermind Toys has filed for creditor protection as it says the challenges facing the company are “too significant to overcome.”

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna says China’s cooperation is vital on an issue that has divided it and much of Europe: ending the war in Ukraine

Shoppers hunting for big deals packed malls on Black Friday as retailers stepped up discounts and other perks to lure customers weighed down by inflation and sticking to tighter budgets

China has announced that it will allow visa-free entry for citizens of five European countries and Malaysia as it tries to encourage more people to visit for business and tourism

In the 10 years that it has been operating in New Jersey, internet casino gambling has generated nearly $7 billion in revenue for casinos and their affiliates, sent over a billion dollars in tax revenue to the state’s coffers, and helped keep Atlantic ...

COP21, the UN Climate Change Conference, led to a new international climate agreement, applicable to all countries, aiming to keep global warming at 1.5-2° C, in accordance with the recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Since then, progress on reducing CO2 emissions has been glacial. The Covid pandemic shifted attention away from climate change for a while. But global economic slowdown also led to a slowdown in global emissions increases.

BRASILIA (Reuters) — Home working in Brazil may be relieving wage pressure in an otherwise buoyant labor market, a study signed by top central bank officials and released by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) showed on Friday.

Buoyed by strong housing demand, the average residential prices in key micro markets across the top 7 cities saw a significant surge in the last three years between October-end 2020 and the corresponding period in 2023.

Average property prices in key locations of top seven cities have surged up to 33% in last three years between October-end 2020 and the corresponding period in 2023, according to Anarock Research data.

(Reuters) — Airline operator Virgin Australia on Friday said it has added six Boeing (NYSE:BA) MAX-8 aircraft to further expand its fleet and meet travel demand, taking its total order for the planes to fourteen.

China, where covid broke out in November 2019, is in the spotlight again. The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked the country for details on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children. Its northern parts have had a hospitalization surge, as Chinese health officials disclosed on 13 November.

By Suban Abdulla

Oroton, one of the oldest Australian luxury brands, has recorded double-digit sales growth for a second year and a doubling in profit, signalling the retailer is back on solid footing after years of turmoil.

return to office, companies that champion hybrid and flexible work options are increasingly focusing on employee engagement initiatives to reduce the disconnect and boost productivity. Company executives ET spoke with said the «disconnect» is not only impacting collaboration and productivity, but also leading to lack of bonding. The employee engagement initiatives are seen benefiting all, especially the younger workers who had taken up their first job around the time people were asked to work remotely due to the pandemic, they said. NatWest Group, Tech Mahindra, EY, and Capgemini are among the companies that have launched a host of initiatives, including frequent team catch-ups, in-person group sessions, 'fun at work' and sports events, and assigning 'buddies' to the new employees — all aimed at promoting cohesiveness at work and improving productivity.

In a world of rapidly changing geopolitical realities with growing uncertainty and instability, international trade is striving to cope with emerging challenges. After abrupt supply-chain disruptions during the pandemic, revealing global overdependence on China for trade as well as investment, national governments and corporates worldwide sought to diversify both and establish alternative supply chains.

By Holger Hansen and Kirsti Knolle