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Londoners have been struggling to get their food shopping done as panic buying triggered by the coronavirus crisis has emptied supermarket shelves, but some will soon be receiving food boxes prepared by a Michelin star-winning chef instead. Andrew Wong, who serves up sophisticated interpretations of classic Chinese dishes at his restaurant in London's Pimlico district, has had to abruptly close down along with the rest of the capital's restaurateurs due to a government-mandated lockdown. "All our business plans have gone out the window anyway," Wong told Reuters on Tuesday (Mar 24) in the deserted premises of A.Wong, which boasts one star in the Michelin Guide, the bible of fine dining. "Whatever we can do in the immediate future – if we can help one person and make them temporarily happy, give them one meal, then that's enough for the moment," he said, cutting vegetables, preparing noodles and pouring sauce into takeaway containers. He and his staff have started producing … [Read more...] about Michelin-starred chef in London switches to preparing food boxes for needy

SINGAPORE: Netflix, The Walt Disney Co, Formula One Group and ONE Championship. These industry heavyweights are among 11 members of a new media advisory council that  Singapore expects will give it valuable input and help it assess key trends in the industry. The Media International Advisory Council, chaired by Communications and Information Minister S Iswaran, was launched on Monday (Dec 2). It will convene annually in Singapore as part of the Singapore Media Festival. The inaugural council comprises 11 members appointed by the Infocomm Media Development Authority. They will discuss how media firms in the region can tap on new industry trends, as well as discuss how policy markers and industry players can work together in giving the sector a boost. READ: TV and Internet the highest consumed media platforms in Singapore: Nielsen survey Speaking to the media after the first meeting, Mr Iswaran shared examples of using policies to grow a strong pipeline of tech talent in … [Read more...] about New media advisory council can give Singapore ‘valuable inputs’: Iswaran

The Hanoitimes - The two sides consider inter-parliamentary cooperation an important component of the strategic partnership between the two countries. The first Vietnam-Russia inter-parliament meeting has opened up new areas of cooperation that are poised to foster the comprehensive strategic partnership. Vietnam’s National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Chairman of the State Duma of Russia Vyacheslav V. Volodin. Photo: VNA Vietnam’s National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Chairman of the State Duma of Russia Vyacheslav V. Volodin co-chaired the meeting in Moscow last week. “It would be right for us to work more intensively in the economic sphere, developing both foreign economic relations and goods circulation. It is clearly insufficient for the level of our relations. […] For our part, we must do everything to develop cooperation more effectively than today,” the State Duma quoted Viacheslav Volodin. “When we talk about … [Read more...] about First Vietnam-Russia Inter-parliamentary Commission discusses new areas of cooperation

WASHINGTON: The number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits surged to a record of more than three million last week as strict measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic brought the country to a sudden halt, unleashing a wave of layoffs that likely ended the longest employment boom in US history. The weekly jobless claims report from the Labour Department on Thursday (Mar 26) offered the clearest evidence yet of the coronavirus' devastating impact on the economy, which has forced the Federal Reserve to take extraordinary steps and the US Congress to assemble a record US$2 trillion stimulus package. READ: US$2 trillion COVID-19 rescue package passes US Senate, heads to House Economists say the economy is already in recession. Weekly claims are the most timely labour market indicator. With nearly half the country's population under some form of a lockdown, economists are bracing for further increases in jobless claims. "With partial lockdowns across the … [Read more...] about US weekly jobless claims surge to record 3.28 million

REUTERS: Fast-food chain Wendy's Co said on Thursday it would defer rent and ease royalty and marketing fee payments for franchisees, amid growing pressure in the restaurant industry due to coronavirus-related outlet closures. The Ohio-based restaurant chain also reported same-store sales growth of only 2.8per cent so far in the first quarter and withdrew its forecasts, suspended share buybacks as the company prepares to battle the financial fallout of the pandemic. The U.S. restaurant industry is likely to be among the most severely hurt by the outbreak, as scared customers cook at home instead of dining out and governments force restaurants to shut dining rooms and switch to drive-thru, delivery and take-out only. The company said same-restaurant sales in the week ended March 22 fell about 20per cent. Analysts had anticipated a 4per cent growth in same-store sales for the quarter ending March, as the restaurant chain was expected to benefit from the launch of a breakfast … [Read more...] about Wendy’s to ease payments for franchisees to stem coronavirus fallout