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SINGAPORE: The aviation and maritime industries in Singapore are looking to develop their sea-air transshipment abilities, in order to capitalise on growth areas that have emerged from the global pandemic. This method of shipping is a multimodal approach, where part of the journey is undertaken by sea, and the other by air. Industry players say it may be an opportunity for Singapore to retain its hub status, which has taken a massive hit with the COVID-19 pandemic closing international borders. Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung said in late July that the country cannot take “for granted” that Singapore will remain an aviation hub when COVID-19 is over. In his ministry's addendum to the President’s Address on Aug 27, Mr Ong said that while the maritime sector has stayed “relatively resilient” during the pandemic, air travel has been “decimated”. READ: Reviving Singapore's air hub safely is transport ministry's 'top and immediate priority' CLOSED BORDERS, … [Read more...] about Sea-air freight model an opportunity to uplift Singapore as a transport hub: Experts

STOCKHOLM: Swedish carmaker Volvo Cars expects to hit its forecast of roughly flat sales year-on-year in the second half of 2020 even as a recent a surge in cases across Europe makes the outlook more uncertain, Chief Executive Hakan Samuelsson told Reuters. Volvo, bought by China's Geely Holding in 2010, has repositioned itself during Samuelsson's tenure as a premium carmaker with a range of popular sports utility vehicles (SUVs), taking on far larger rivals such as BMW and Mercedes . It notched a sixth straight annual sales record in 2019, of more than 700,000 cars, and while hit by the pandemic earlier this year has seen a sharp rebound in recent months, helped by strength in China and the United States. "We have a second wave in Europe which is making the outlook a bit more uncertain, but July and August started very well, and for September we are roughly on the same level as last year," Samuelsson told Reuters. "For the rest of the year I would say our base case is still … [Read more...] about Volvo Cars CEO says demand holding up despite COVID spike

MOSCOW: Sberbank , Russia's dominant lender, is planning one of the biggest reinventions in its 179-year history as it seeks to join the likes of Apple and Google in the global pantheon of Big Tech. The company, which is dropping the word "bank" from its logo as part of this drive, gave Reuters a preview of the devices it has developed to lead its charge - including a TV streaming box, virtual assistant and smart speaker - ahead of their official unveiling on Thursday (Sep 24). Sberbank's Chief Technology Officer David Rafalovsky also said in an interview that it was launching "SmartMarket", an equivalent to Apple's AppStore or Google Play. "It's a huge investment, not a big investment. Even for a successful company, it's a huge investment," he said about the new range of gadgets and tech services, a potentially risky bet in an increasingly competitive market of domestic and foreign players. He declined to disclose the specific amount. The Russian government owns a stake of … [Read more...] about ‘We’re a tech company’: Russia’s Sberbank bets big on strategy shift

REUTERS: The European Tour has scrapped plans to allow a limited number of fans to attend the Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club in East Lothian next month due to the tightening of COVID-19 restrictions in the country. The Tour planned to allow 650 spectators per day for the Rolex Series tournament, which has been rescheduled from its usual July date to Oct. 1-4. However, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced this week that additional restrictions aimed at halting the spread of the second wave of the novel coronavirus outbreak would be imposed. "A robust and thorough plan had been put in place, in close collaboration with the Scottish Government, to welcome a limited number of spectators over the weekend," the European Tour said in a statement. "However, in line with the consistent approach now being taken in Scotland and across the UK to pause pilot events, the tournament will now return to a closed-door model." There have been no fans in attendance at any … [Read more...] about Scottish Open to be played without fans due to rise in COVID-19 cases

LONDON: England and Wales launch a COVID-19 smartphone app on Thursday, allowing users to trace contacts, check the local level of risk and record visits to venues such as pubs, four months after the technology was promised to the public. The NHS COVID-19 app comes as Britain braces for a second wave of infections, with daily cases numbers rising at rates not seen since the peak of the pandemic and a testing system unable to cope with demand in many areas. The government had said a COVID-19 app would arrive in May, but early trials were dogged by problems, and developers abandoned home-grown technology in favour of Apple and Google's model in June. As the delay lengthened, the government downplayed the importance of smartphones in fighting COVID-19, saying that rather than an app being central to the test and trace system, it was "the cherry on the cake". Health Secretary Matt Hancock, however, said that with infection rates rising, every tool available must be used to … [Read more...] about COVID-19 smartphone app finally launches in England and Wales