News

  AFP A major US health insurance company has said it will help buy Apple smartwatches for customers as part of a move to integrate the gadgets into wellness management programs. Aetna announced that, in the coming open enrollment period, it will make Apple Watch buys an option for large employers and individual customers, becoming the first major health care ...

  Agencies The entire state of South Australia lost electricity after severe winds and storms lashed the region, according to Adelaide-based SA Power Networks. The distributor, which services about 850,000 homes and businesses, said that Australia’s fourth-largest state by area is currently without power and there is “no upstream supply from the transmission network.” The state — about one and ...

  Bloomberg India has more than doubled the amount of coal small and medium companies can buy as the country aims to boost domestic sales of the fuel to reduce a glut. The cap was raised to 10,000 metric tons a year, from 4,200 tons set almost nine years ago, the coal ministry said in a notice. The new guidelines ...

  Kuala Lumpur / AFP An airbag made by Takata — the Japanese firm at the heart of the auto industry’s biggest-ever safety recall — ruptured after a crash in Malaysia which killed the driver, Honda said on Wednesday. “Honda has confirmed that the Takata single stage driver’s airbag inflator ruptured in a crash… in Malaysia” the carmaker said in ...

  JAKARTA / AFP An Indonesian power company said on Wednesday it had removed its founders last year and takes seriously allegations of “improper behaviour” after revelations US justice officials are probing Standard Chartered over suspected bribery at the firm. London-based, Asia-focused Standard Chartered, which controls the MAXpower Group, acknowledged it was being investigated by the US Department of Justice over ...

  TOKYO / AFP Uber, which has struggled to win Japan over to its ride-sharing service, is hoping to fare better with takeout deliveries. UberEats opens Thursday, initially just in central Tokyo, ranging from simple dishes costing just hundreds of yen to Michelin-star dining at the equivalent of hundreds of dollars. Delivery is free at first, although fees are expected ...

  Sembalun / AFP Hundreds of tourists have fled a volcanic eruption at a popular Indonesian hiking destination, an official said on Wednesday, expressing fears some may have stayed behind to document the natural wonder. Around 1,000 tourists, including about 600 foreigners, were believed to be in the area when Mount Barujari sent columns of ash and smoke shooting high ...

  Ajman / Emirates Business A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote tourism growth in the emirate and enhance business opportunities was signed between the Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD) and Gulf Chinese Trading Corporation. HE Faisal Al Nuaimi, General Manager of ATDD and Feng Luo, General Manager of Gulf Chinese Trading Corporation, operator of Ajman China Mall signed the ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Emirates NBD, one of the leading banking groups in the region, is partnering with Integreat Center, a newly founded educational institution for young adults with disabilities, to fund their ‘Money Management’ programme, aimed to teach students with disabilities about financial literacy and enable them to further their financial independence. Under its Together Limitless platform, the ...

  Ajman / Emirates Business Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated entity for culture, arts and heritage, will be celebrating a decade of success with the 10th edition of the Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre. The upcoming festival, which will run for 10 days from the October 22 to 31, is expected to attract a significant ...