Category:

Eco/Invest/Demography

South Africa port operator declares Force Majueure over over cyber attack

The measure covers the Durban, Ngqura, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town harbors because of the effects of the July 22 attack, according to a notice Transnet sent to customers and seen by Bloomberg News.

The issues “continue to persist,” it said. Force majeure is an unanticipated or uncontrollable event that releases a company from fulfilling contractual obligations.”The disruption threatens to have a ripple effect on Africa’s most-industrialized economy, particularly as Transnet’s Durban port handles 60% of the nation’s shipments. The ports are also key to shippers from landlocked African countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

read more

U.S. will not lift travel restrictions, citing Delta variant -White House

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Rochelle Walensky said on Thursday the seven-day average of new cases in the United States was up 53% over the previous week. The Delta variant, which was first found in India, now comprises more than 80% of new cases nationwide and has been detected in more than 90 countries. Psaki also cited the fact that last week, the CDC urged Americans to avoid travel to the United Kingdom, given a jump in cases.

read more

IMF cuts India’s GDP growth forecast to 9.5 pc for FY22

IMF joins a host of global and domestic agencies which have cut India’s growth estimates for the current fiscal. Last month, S&P Global Ratings projected a 9.5 per cent GDP growth in the current fiscal and 7.8 per cent in 2022-23.

IMF’s Chief Economist Gita Gopinath said IMF estimates the pandemic has reduced per capita incomes in advanced economies by 2.8 per cent, relative to pre-pandemic trends over 2020-2022, compared with an annual per capita loss of 6.3 per cent a year for emerging market and developing economies (excluding China).

read more

Regulators turn spotlight on company sustainability ratings

The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), which groups market regulators from the United States, Europe and Asia, recommended in a consultation paper on Monday that its members consider formally regulating an industry that has so far largely been left to its own devices. 

This lack of regulation has prompted concerns among some investors, who say methods of calculating ESG ratings are opaque, and environmentalists, who fear “greenwashing” – or that companies might sometimes get an ESG rating they don’t deserve.

read more

Saudi Arabia threatens 3-year travel ban for citizens who visit “red list” states

“Anyone who is proven to be involved will be subject to legal accountability and heavy penalties upon their return, and will be banned from travel for three years,” the official said. Saudi Arabia has banned travel to or transit at a number of countries including Afghanistan, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Lebanon, Pakistan, South Africa, Turkey, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates.

read more

Lok Sabha passes Factoring Regulation Amendment Bill

The statement of objects and reasons of the bill state that an increase in the availability of working capital may lead to growth in the business of the micro, small and medium enterprises sector and also boost employment in the country.

The bill seeks to amend the definitions of “assignment”, “factoring business” and “receivables”, so as to bring them in consonance with international definitions and also to insert a new definition of “Trade Receivables Discounting System” .

read more