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  • Everything You Need to Know About Luggage Storage in Victoria Station

    Everything You Need to Know About Luggage Storage in Victoria Station

    Every year, billions of people travel to destinations across the world in search of new experiences and culture. Which means that billions of luggages carrying precious cargo are also making rounds globally. Sometimes, however – well, more often than we’d like to admit –  plans don’t go according to plan

    Last minute changes to your travel itinerary can be frustrating, especially if you’ve been traveling for long hours and you’ve received the unfortunate news that somewhere along the way, your precious luggage has been lost or worse, stolen.

    If you’ve ever lost or have become separated from your luggage, you know what a frustrating experience this can be. Not only does this means you’ve got to buy a whole new wardrobe – and luggage – it also means that many personal and sentimental items may never be seen again.

    How to Keep Your Luggage Safe When Traveling

    Imagine the power to find reputable locations to store your luggage in the palm of your hand. Well, your phone. That’s what a new app-based company that calls itself the largest luggage storage network in the world is aiming to do.

    With locations spread across the world, and in the most popular travel destinations, this company offers a secure pay-per-item daily storing rate to keep you moving. And if you’re traveling to London, you’re in luck because they’ve got multiple locations for luggage storage in Victoria Coach Station.

    After downloading the app on your phone you can move around anywhere in Victoria Coach Station and locate safe and secure luggage storage locations near you. Then, you can book your reservation completely online, unburdening you from the hassle of having to lug your bags when your travel plans don’t always sync up.

    Visiting Victoria Coach Station in Westminster

    Victoria Coach Station in Westminster happens to be the second busiest terminus in London, welcoming more than 74 million annual passengers. With multiple shops and dining options located inside, waiting for your connecting train by never stepping outside the station is definitely an option. But why would you with so many points of interests nearby?

    Westminster and surrounding Whitehall are  home to some of the most decadent and impressive government entities and attractions in London. Buckingham Palace. Big Ben. Sound Familiar? So whether your travels take you here on purpose or by accident, you can relax knowing luggage storage in Victoria Coach Station is available to keep your stuff safe while you’re out and about exploring.

    Nearby Attractions in Westminster and Whitehall, London

    If you’re traveling to this part of London, you’re going to want to prepare yourself for a day of walking. The Westminster and Whitehall boroughs of London are home to the elite of government society and it boasts some of the most iconic and decadent architecture of the land.

    Here are some nearby attractions you can visit:

    Trafalgar Square

    Featuring a central focal point called Nelson’s Column that towers 170 ft. above and flanked by an entourage of bronze lion statues and fountains, Trafalgar Square is a central public square frequented by locals and tourists alike. A great location to sit and rest, the neverending cityscape of vehicles and bustle of people provides a great backdrop for a midday lunch or coffee break.

    National Gallery

    This museum of visual arts boasts more than 2,300 paintings that represent a melting-pot of Italian, Spanish, French, and British artists. A look at all those paintings will take a couple of hours and with free guided tours to keep you enthralled, it’s a better option than staying at the station.

    House Guards

    If you opt for a presentational flair, then Changing of the Guard offers a spectacle of the military and coordinated kind. Featuring two sentries of the Queen’s Household Cavalry on horseback, the ceremony

    Big Ben

    Who can forget an iconic image such as Big Ben? The bell tower next to Westminster House, Britain’s parliamentary buildings, offers a great photo opportunity for any tourist.

    Westminster Abbey

    The esteemed and historic location of the coronation of many kings and queens, Westminster Abbey symbolizes much of Britain’s history.

    The next time you visit London, head down to Victoria Coach Station where you can safely store your luggage and walk outside to bask and take a look back at London’s history.

     

     

     

     

     

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  • Aviation yet to gain takeoff momentum

    Aviation yet to gain takeoff momentum

    On Mar. 15, Vietnam fully reopened its borders to foreign tourists, allowing quarantine-free entry and reinstated its pre-pandemic visa policies, including waivers for nationals of 24 countries.

    “These positive moves have contributed to strengthening confidence in a brighter picture for the aviation industry this year,” Nguyen Huu Nam, deputy director of the HCMC chapter of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), said at an event held last week to present the Vietnam International Aviation Exhibition (VIAE 2022) set to take place in September.

    Regarding this year’s prospects, brokerage Bao Viet Securities (BVSC) has said in recent report that if new coronavirus variants are not too dangerous, international routes can recover strongly from the end of the second quarter onwards.

    It has forecast the number of domestic and international passengers in 2022 at 30 million and five million, up 89.9 percent and 4.6 percent respectively over last year.

    Meanwhile, Viet Capital Securities JSC (VCSC) estimates the number of domestic flights has reached 94 percent of the pre-pandemic period (2019).

    The company expects that the total number of domestic passengers for Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air this year will be 92 percent and 91 percent of 2019, respectively; and that of international passengers will be 44 percent.

    Nguyen Phuoc Thang, Head of Science – Technology and Environment Department of Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, said from now until the end of August, carriers will increase the number of flights to serve tourists and the market will recover “very quickly.”

    The industry is coming out of two quiet years, resuming international commercial flights about a month ago.

    As for international flights, Vietnam officially resumed services on nine routes on Jan. 1 before reopening flights to all markets starting mid-February with several Covid related restrictions.

    According to the General Statistics Office, 91,000 foreigners arrived in Vietnam in the first quarter, up 89.1 percent against the same period last year. Of these, 90.5 percent came on flights, up 165.2 percent.

    In 2021, the number of passengers dropped to the lowest ever level in history, to 15.9 million, with that of foreign and domestic passengers dropping by 96.5 percent and 50.5 percent against 2020, respectively.

    As the fourth Covid-19 wave hit the country in April last year, domestic flights were put on hold late August and only a limited number of flights resumed early October.

    Between Oct. 10-20, only one return flight was allowed on 19 domestic routes compared to 58 routes in 2019. and it was not until after that pilot period that domestic flights resumed gradually.

    The demand for flying in Vietnam entered the “new normal” phase during the latest Tet, or Lunar New Year holiday, which last nine days starting Jan. 29.

    According to the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM), Vietnamese carriers operated 10,711 flights on domestic routes between Jan. 29 and Feb. 2, an increase by more than 69 percent against the previous Tet holiday.

    However, the aviation industry has several obstacles to contend with before it gains a strong recovery momentum. One major obstacle is access to its major feeder markets before the pandemic, namely, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia.

    For now, China is still pursuing a “zero Covid” policy and South Korea still maintains tight border control. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis will also prevent Russian tourists from going on tours abroad.

    The VCSC has suggested that Vietnam diversify its markets while waiting for the traditional ones to recover.

    According to Destination Insights with Google, the U.S. and Europe are among markets with the highest search demand for information on accommodation and air travel to Vietnam since the reopening was announced.

    The other obstacle airlines could face in the near future is fuel prices, which accounted for 29 percent and 43 percent of the input costs for Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air in the 2015-2019 period.

    In January, the average price of jet fuel rose to about $101 per barrel, higher than the $77.8 forecast by the International Air Transpo

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  • Ford dealer reports 36-fold profit increase

    Ford dealer reports 36-fold profit increase

    City Auto Corp, Vietnam’s largest Ford dealer, reported profits of VND51.8 billion (US$2.27 million) last year, a 36-fold rise from 2020.

    But it sold only 4,580 vehicles, 29 percent fewer than in 2020, and the increased profitability was due to the average price of each rising by 13 percent to VND915 million.

    The company attributed the decline in number of cars sold to last year’s Covid-19 outbreak and social distancing, but said business bounced back in the last quarter of 2021 thanks to post-pandemic economic recovery and the registration fee cut.

    It hopes to sell 8,820 units this year and double profits to VND104 billion, its highest ever.

    Opening new Ford dealerships and also distributing other car brands are part of its strategies to achieve the goals, it said.

    It did not exclude the possibility of acquiring other dealerships and selling electric vehicles.

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  • Mercedes dealer to operate luxury car rental service

    Haxaco, a major Mercedes-Benz dealer, will focus on developing luxury car rental service this year besides its core business of car retail.

    In a recent annual meeting, its chairman Do Tien Dung said the firm has almost gained monopoly status in luxury car rental across Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, as competitors had been driven out of business due to the pandemic.

    Haxaco posted VND205 billion ($9 million) in profits in 2021, and it targets raising that by 3.4 percent this year.

    Besides being the dealer of Mercedes in Vietnam, it has also distributed MG, a UK car brand, since 2020.

    Dung said the MG reselling segment saw some achievements but has yet to meet the expectations of the company and its shareholders.

    Haxaco eyes becoming an exclusive distributor of a new car brand in Vietnam, but its chairman also noted that such ambitions need time and planning.

    It also plans to issue shares worth VND595 billion this year to raise funds for opening new Mercedes-Benz showrooms.

    Such investment is vital to maintain competitiveness against larger contenders, Dung added.

  • Creators will be able to sell virtual items in Meta’s Horizon Worlds

    Creators will be able to sell virtual items in Meta’s Horizon Worlds

    Well, well, as you know Facebook rebranded to Meta in order to focus more on the metaverse, a virtual reality world. But of course, the company cannot give up on social media, or at least, a form of social media dubbed Horizon Worlds, which is a virtual world you can hang out with using avatars in the metaverse. Meta has found a way to monetize in the metaverse: with creators selling virtual items on there.

    Pretty much, Meta is looking into ways to let creators make money within Horizon Worlds. Horizon Worlds is a social metaverse platform for Quest VR, and it should be coming soon to mobile phones and possibly game consoles. Now, a handful of Horizon creators will get the possibility to sell virtual items and effects in the worlds they have created.

    Basically, creators will be able to sell anything, whether we are talking about a VIP section in their virtual worlds or just virtual items such as jewelry, or a special basketball, stated Meaghan Fitzgerald, who is the product marketing director for Horizon.

    In the US, participants will be able to earn money from a $10 million creator fund that Meta has recently set up in order to reward creators who have the most engaging worlds. And now, to further incentivize creators to use Horizon Worlds, Meta will be offering an “in-world purchases” system so creators can make money.

    But of course, Meta will be indeed taking a cut of the money that creators earn by selling virtual stuff in the metaverse. You may be wondering what exactly is that cut? Well, for Horizon purchases, Meta is taking a 25 percent cut of the percentage that’s left after a platform fee was applied.

    And that platform fee depends on the platform. For example, there are platform fees with a 30 percent cut, like Meta’s own Quest Store, and the creator will then be left with a little over half of the sale price. Put in simple terms, Meta will get 25% of the 70% left after the platform fee was applied.

    Vivek Sharma, Meta’s VP of Horizon, stated that the company thinks this is a pretty competitive rate in the market, and that other platforms should also be able to have their share. However, as The Verge rightfully reminds us, Meta was calling Apple’s 30% commission for App Store purchases too aggressive, but hey…

    So far, Horizon doesn’t have advertising, except for a recent Wendy’s theme world that was called… wait for it… “Wendyverse”. Apart from that, though, the focus is on monetization for creators, and not on ads right now. Fitzgerald does mention that ads would be an area they want to explore in the future, but as you can imagine, it’s better first to have people in the metaverse. And the best way to get users on there – is to have creators on there.

    Additionally, Meta is rolling out a bonus program to encourage creators to build out their world. It is a “goal-oriented bonus program”, and the bonuses will not be subject to any fees. The bonuses will be calculated based on the engagement of the creator’s world.

    Of course, not everything is allowed in there. Creators will need to follow the company’s VR conduct policy and not publish any content that’s prohibited in Horizon Worlds. If creators fail to follow the rules, they would be removed from the program.

    Horizon Worlds has so far hit 300,000 monthly users just for its few months of existence. So far, the company stated that 10,000 worlds have been created in the metaverse. And Meta plans to expand further, planning to bring Horizon Worlds to mobile phones later this year, and probably to game consoles too (but there, it is still in “early discussions”).

  • Pizza 4Ps loss doubles to $1.66 million

    Pizza 4Ps loss doubles to $1.66 million

    Pizza 4Ps racked up a net loss of VND38 billion ($1.66 million) last year, as it struggled to recover from Covid-19 hits.

    The chain, produces pizzas, cheese and other dairy products, had posted its first ever loss of VND20.8 billion in 2020.

    Before the pandemic hit, the chain earned profits of over VND50 billion in 2018 and 2019.

    Pizza 4Ps charter capital has also fallen to 28 percent to VND98 billion, driving its debt-to-capital ratio up from 0.66 to 1.99.

    It issued bonds worth VND21 billion last year to build new outlets and a cheese factory.

    Founded in 2011 by a Japanese couple, Pizza 4Ps has 25 outlets in HCMC, Hanoi, Da Nang, Hai Phong and Nha Trang.

  • Hanoi housing prices keep rising on low supply

    Hanoi housing prices keep rising on low supply

    Housing prices in Hanoi rose the most in five years, driven up by limited supply and the specter of inflation. According to leading properconsultancy CBRE, the average price of a new apartment increased by 13 percent to US$1,655 per square meter. In the secondary market, it was up 9 percent at $1,278.

    In Vietnam, housing has historically been a safe haven investment during times of high inflation.

    In the quarter ending in March, the new housing supply was 3,500 units, down 39 percent quarter-on-quarter and 20 percent from the same period last year.<

    The decline was caused by a new wave of Covid-19.

    Most of the new supply came from ongoing phases at six projects. Only two came into the market for the first time.

    Mid-priced apartments accounted for 66 percent of the new supply. Demand was higher than new supply, with 4,200 units being sold during the quarter.

    CBRE forecast a supply of 26,000-28,000 units this year, but said the affordable segment would continue to face a scarcity.

    While over 90 percent of the new supply would be sold thanks to the bullish market sentiments, the trajectory could change at the end of this year, depending on the economic situation.

    Prices are expected to keep rising in the first half of 2022 but speculative trading would come down due to a crackdown by authorities, it added.

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  • Rice export prices rise to 3.5-month high

    Rice export prices rise to 3.5-month high

    The prices for Vietnamese 5 percent broken rice rose to $420 per ton late March, the highest in the past 3.5 months.

    Vietnam exported 1.48 million tons of rice worth $715 million in the first three months this year, up 24 percent in volume and 10.5 percent in value against the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

    The ministry said stable global demand and high transportation costs resulted in March’s price hike.

    Vietnam’s 5 percent broken rice was sold at $415-420 per ton in late March, up $20 per ton from the beginning of the month. On average, the rice has cost $414 per ton in the world market in March, up $16 per ton against February.

    Meanwhile, Thailand’s 5 percent broken standard rice was sold at $408-412 a ton, down $16 from the beginning of the month as the baht continued to drop against the dollar.

    Vietnam exported over 6.2 million tons of rice for nearly $3.3 billion last year, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

    The average export price of Vietnamese rice rose 5.5 percent in 2020 to $526.8 per ton in 2021, according to the agriculture ministry.

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  • Musk Promises ‘Dedicated Robotaxi’ With Futuristic Look From Tesla

    Musk Promises ‘Dedicated Robotaxi’ With Futuristic Look From Tesla

    Electric carmaker Tesla will make a “dedicated” self-driving taxi that will “look futuristic,” Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Thursday, without giving a timeframe.

    The 50-year-old billionaire, wearing a black cowboy hat and sunglasses, made the comments at the opening of Tesla’s $1.1 billion factory in Texas, which is home to its new headquarters.

    “Massive scale. Full self-driving. There’s going to be a dedicated robotaxi,” Musk told a large crowd at the factory.

    Musk has several times missed his targets of full autonomy. In 2019, he said robotaxis with no human drivers would be available in some U.S. markets in 2020.

    In January he said he would be “shocked” if Tesla did not achieve full self-driving that is safer than that of humans this year.

    Tesla will expand its “Full Self-Driving” beta software to all North American FSD subscribers this year, he said on Thursday.

    Tesla now sells the advanced driver assistance systems for $12,000, with a promise of more features. It says the software does not make its vehicles autonomous, and requires driver supervision.

    The beta version, launched in late 2020, aims to enable cars to navigate city streets better. By January, it had been installed in nearly 60,000 vehicles in the United States.

    Musk said Tesla had started deliveries of Texas-made Model Y electric sport utility vehicles, with a goal of producing half a million a year at the Texas factory, which he said would be the biggest car factory in the United States.

    He gave no details of such Model Ys, but they are likely to be lower-priced versions to better take on cheaper competitors.

    Tesla will start production next year of its Cybertruck as well as a humanoid robot, Optimus, Musk said.

    The firm’s new giga factories in Texas and Berlin, which will make vehicles and its own battery cells, face challenges of ramping up production with new processes

    Musk said Tesla was simplifying car making by making a car using three major parts.

    Despite record deliveries in the first quarter, a recent COVID-19 spike in China has forced Tesla to suspend production at its Shanghai factory for several days.

    Thursday’s event comes after Musk surprised the market this week by revealing he had bought a stake of 9% in Twitter and will join the board of the social media network.

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  • Mercedes-Benz Accelerates In-House Software Push With New Tech Centre

    Mercedes-Benz Accelerates In-House Software Push With New Tech Centre

    Mercedes-Benz opened a new 200 million euro ($217 million) software center in Sindelfingen on Friday, its latest investment in boosting in-house software capabilities as it works to bring its own MB.OS operating system onto the market by 2024.

    Around 750 of the 3,000 new hires, the luxury carmaker plans to bring in globally to develop the operating system were hired in Sindelfingen, working on features from in-vehicle entertainment to autonomous driving.

    The center is part of a wider effort by Mercedes-Benz to streamline its software strategy from a patchwork approach bringing in technology from a wide range of suppliers to controlling the core of its software offering itself.

    “We take responsibility for software architecture and integration – that is our main goal,” Chief Software Officer Magnus Oestberg said in a roundtable.

    “We don’t do everything ourselves – we place value on partnerships, but of course the parts that are most important for us, we do in-house.”

    One such partnership is with U.S. computer graphics specialist Nvidia, with whom Mercedes-Benz struck a deal in 2020 to develop assisted and self-driving functions that will form part of the MB.OS system launching in two years time.

    The carmaker is 600 unfilled vacancies away from achieving its goal of a global team of 10,000 software engineers in Berlin, China, India, Israel, Japan, and the United States.

    “The profile of a software engineer is highly sought-after – demand is considerably higher than supply,” Chief Technology Officer Markus Schaefer said.

    In a survey of 572 auto executives by research institute Capgemini, 97% said that four out of 10 in-house workers will need to have software skills within five years, from IT architects to cloud management professionals to cybersecurity experts.

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  • GM and Honda To Produce ‘Attainable EVs’ In Bid To Surpass Tesla Sales

    GM and Honda To Produce ‘Attainable EVs’ In Bid To Surpass Tesla Sales

    General Motors and Honda Motor Co said on Tuesday they will develop a series of lower-priced electric vehicles based on a new joint platform, producing potentially millions of cars from 2027 in a bid to beat Tesla in sales.

    The announcement expands on plans for GM to begin building two electric SUVs for Honda starting in 2024 – the Honda Prologue and an Acura model.

    The automakers said the new deal is for “affordable” EVs, including compact crossover vehicles, built using GM’s Ultium battery technology. The compact crossover is the biggest selling auto sector in the world with annual volumes of more than 13 million vehicles, the companies said.

    The companies declined to say how much they are investing as part of the new collaboration.

    GM Chief Executive Mary Barra said Tuesday at an Axios event the pricing will come in below the $30,000 price tag planned for the electric Chevrolet Equinox SUV. She said the new lower-priced vehicles would be “attainable EVs.”

    She said the new vehicle is part of GM’s plan to surpass Tesla in EV sales.

    “We have a very important goal… that by mid-decade, by 2025, we’ll sell more EVs in the U.S. than anyone else and to do that, you need to have a portfolio of vehicles,” Barra said, noting GM plans a wide range of small to large EVs. “We definitely can scale and can do it quickly.”

    The companies said they will also discuss future battery technology collaboration for electric vehicles in a push to drive down costs.

    The deal is part of GM’s push to achieve carbon neutrality in its global products and operations by 2040 and eliminate tailpipe emissions from light-duty vehicles in the United States by 2035.

    Honda has said it aims to reach carbon neutrality on a global basis by 2050.

    The Japanese carmaker owns a stake in GM’s Cruise self-driving car subsidiary and the carmakers are co-developing the Cruise Origin autonomous EV. The companies also have a joint venture to develop and produce hydrogen fuel-cell systems at a plant in Brownstown, Michigan.

    “Honda and GM will build on our successful technology collaboration to help achieve a dramatic expansion in the sales of electric vehicles,” Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe said.

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  • MVNO Google Fi cuts its pricing for unlimited data

    MVNO Google Fi cuts its pricing for unlimited data

    Originally known as Project Fi, Google Fi debuted in April 2015 and was offered by invitation to owners of the Nexus 6. A year later, the Pixel and Pixel XL were added and in February 2018, the service was rebranded as Google Fi.
    Google Fi is an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) which means that while it does offer you wireless service, Google Fi itself does not own any cell towers and pays for the right to use network capacity from T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular. The carrier you will be using on Google Fi at any given time is the one offering a stronger signal at your current location.
    Pricing changes are being made to Fi’s service tiers except for the Flexible plan. With that plan, you pay $10 for each GB of data used and $16-$20 for unlimited calls/text (depending on the number of people on the plan).
    While pricing hasn’t changed for this plan, you can now get “unlimited calling within Canada and Mexico at no extra cost.” Previously, calls from the U.S. to Mexico and Canada were free but by replacing the word “from” to “within,” Google has expanded coverage for Fi users. Allowing subscribers to make unlimited calls within Canada and Mexico is now offered on all three plans (Flexible, Simply Unlimited, and Unlimited Plus) although you’ll pay $10 for each GB of data used on the Flexible plan.
    The Simply Unlimited plan (which is such a Googley name for this tier of service) is celebrating its first birthday with a nice price cut. It is designed to be an affordable unlimited plan for those who like to use plenty of data but don’t like the idea of paying for it. It also doesn’t include a lot of the extras that Google Fi offers to entice you to join its premium service.
    For four or more lines of Simply Unlimited, you now will pay $20 per subscriber each month, down from $30. For three lines, you’ll now pay $25 per subscriber each month, also down from $30. Two lines are now $40 per subscriber each month (down from $45) and the monthly price for a single line has been sliced to $50 from $60.
    Simply Unlimited includes unlimited data in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico with data speeds throttled to 2G (256 kbps) after consumption of 35GB of data, up from 22GB. The plan includes 5GB a month of hotspot tethering.
    Google Fi has also lowered the pricing on its most premium plan which it calls Unlimited Plus. For four or more lines, the price of this plan has been reduced to $40 per subscriber each month from $45. Three lines are now priced at $45 per subscriber per month, down from $50. Two lines are priced at $55 per month for each subscriber (down from $60), and a single line will cost $65 monthly, down from $70.
    With the Unlimited Plus plan, subscribers now receive 50GB of high-speed data which can be employed for hotspot tethering and used internationally. Data can be used on tablets and other devices besides a phone, and there is 100GB of Cloud Storage using Google One. Calls from the U.S. are free to over 50 destinations, and data while traveling outside of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico is free in over 200 destinations.
    Regardless of which plan you choose, Google Fi delivers:
    • Unlimited calls & texts.
    • No contracts or activation fees.
    • Built-in VPN and spam blocking.
    • Contact controls & data budgets.
    • 24/7 customer support.
    And to celebrate the updated pricing, you can save up to $500 on the purchase of certain handsets. If you bring your own phone, you will get a Fi bill credit of $100 if you subscribe or add a line.
    While Google Fi does support the majority of Android handsets, iPhone users will only see 4G data speeds if they subscribe to the MVNO.

     

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  • Chip Undersupply To Last Until 2024, Says Volkswagen CFO Boersen-Zeitung

    Chip Undersupply To Last Until 2024, Says Volkswagen CFO Boersen-Zeitung

    Semiconductor chip supply is unlikely to be enough to completely satisfy demand again until 2024, Volkswagen Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Arno Antlitz said in an interview with German daily Boersen-Zeitung on Saturday.

    He said that although bottlenecks would likely begin to ease towards the end of this year, with production returning to 2019 levels next year, this would not be enough to meet heightened demand for the chips.

    “The structural undersupply will likely only resolve itself in 2024,” Antlitz said.

    A lack of wire harnesses from Ukraine was also still causing some shifts to be canceled, Antlitz said, even as the company was establishing new supplier relationships to source the component from other countries.

    Asked about how funds from a possible IPO of Porsche AG, planned for the end of the year, could be used to bolster Volkswagen’s finances, Antlitz said the money could help fund the carmaker’s software unit and its battery production plans.

    “Only those who can map out their battery supply chain have the advantage at scaling in electromobility. Securing the supply chain comes with that. A Porsche IPO could give us a lot more flexibility in financing this,” Antlitz said.

  • Cebu Pacific, STB renew partnership

    Cebu Pacific, STB renew partnership

    Cebu Pacific (CEB) has renewed its partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), which will facilitate the travel of Filipinos to the Lion City.

    Singapore recently reopened its borders for all fully vaccinated Filipinos, making it easier for tourists to enjoy a convenient, quarantine-free vacation. Since April 1, 2022, vaccinated travelers to Singapore enjoy a simplified travel process, requiring only proof of vaccination, a pre-departure Covid-19 test, and an online Singapore Arrival Card.

    “STB is excited to collaborate with CEB and would like to thank them for this opportunity to bring more visitors from the Philippines to Singapore. Through this partnership, Filipino travelers can look forward to attractive promotions and campaigns to warmly welcome them back to Singapore,” said Juliana Kua, Assistant Chief Executive for International Group, Singapore Tourism Board.

    “We are very happy to firm up our collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board following the easing of travel restrictions in and out the Philippines. We believe this partnership is very timely as it’ll surely contribute to the recovery of both the industry, as well as our respective countries,” said Candice Iyog, Vice President for Marketing and Customer Experience at Cebu Pacific.

    Meanwhile, CEB has achieved a 7-star safety rating from airlineratings.com for its Covid-19 compliance. It continues to implement a multi-layered approach to safety as it endeavors to restore the public’s trust and confidence in air travel.

  • UBS Sets Up Diversity Focused Investment Team

    UBS Sets Up Diversity Focused Investment Team

    UBS has created a new unit dedicated to diversity and inclusion. Switzerland’s largest bank has created a new wealth management unit aimed at mobilizing client funds to offer investments that promote equality and expand outcomes for underrepresented or marginalized groups, according to a report.

    Karen Sunderam will lead the group from New York. According to her LinkedIn profile, she has been with UBS for nearly five years and has been the head of inclusive investing solutions since May last year.

    By responding to client requests for investment options that reflect personal values and are aimed at social good, UBS will offer clients opportunities to channel their money to firms at least partly owned by minorities. This also includes products led by portfolio managers who self-identify as racial or ethnic minorities, women, veterans, disabled and LGBTQ, «Bloomberg» reported.

    Under CEO Ralph Hamers, UBS has dedicated itself to the «purpose» of reinventing investing and connecting people for a better world. Head of sustainability Michael Baldinger was tasked in May 2021 with weaving these threads across the group and advancing diversity.