nmnwiki - User contributions [en]

Portugal Must Diversify Tourism-dependent Economy After Pandemic ...

2020-12-31T01:03:14Z

FannyMoreland:

By Catarina Demony LISBON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Portugal's tourism sector is set to lose 60,000 jobs this year alone due to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak and a recovery is still far off, Tourism Secretary Rita Marques said on Monday. Some of the country's regions must diversify their tourism-dependent economy after the pandemic, Marques also told Reuters in an interview. She expected a rebound of international visits to happen by the third quarter of 2021, depending on the success of a COVID-19 vaccine, [https://kynghidongduong.vn/blog/le-hoi-hoa-tam-giac-mach-ha-giang-va-nhung-diem-check-in-voi-hoa-dep-nhat.html hoa tam giác mạch] but it could take until 2023 for those to return to pre-pandemic record levels. Last year, Portugal had more than 16.4 million foreign visitors. "We know it will be hard, it will take some time," Marques said, adding that Portugal sought to be among the first to benefit when people were allowed to travel freely again. Tourism was crucial for Portugal's recovery from the 2010 [https://openclipart.org/search/?query=economic economic] and debt crisis and Marques is convinced it will help Portugal recover from the pandemic. However, some regions rely too heavily on tourism, she said, calling for the development of other sectors there and [https://kynghidongduong.vn/blog/le-hoi-hoa-tam-giac-mach-ha-giang-va-nhung-diem-check-in-voi-hoa-dep-nhat.html kynghidongduong.vn] a boosting of their international competitiveness. Regions such as the southern Algarve, famous for its beaches and golf courses and particularly popular with British visitors, are among the most affected. In Algarve, the tourism industry is not only suffering with the economic impact of the pandemic, which pushed the number of registered jobless up 134% to 24,088 last month from a year ago, but also from concerns about the implications of Brexit. It is crucial not only to develop other sectors but to also attract more [http://dict.leo.org/?search=tourists tourists] from markets other than Britain to Algarve, Marques said. "We need to diversify...but we will work to guarantee the Algarve continues to welcome all British people - no matter what happens with Brexit," Marques said. The tourism industry contributed about 15% to Portugal's gross domestic product in 2018, latest official data show. Though the sector all but collapsed due to the pandemic, with revenues sliding nearly 65% between January and September, Marques said residents opting to spend their holidays closer to home have lent a helping hand to the sector. "I believe domestic tourism is here to stay," she said. (Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Angus MacSwan)

Portugal apos;s NOS To Cut Capex To Minimum If 5G Auction Rules Prevail ...

2020-12-30T18:00:34Z

FannyMoreland:

By Sergio Goncalves LISBON, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Portuguese telecoms firm NOS will cut investments to a minimum and carry out a cost-cutting restructuring in 2021 if the rules of a 5G frequency license auction the provider deems 'unfair' are not reversed, its CFO said on Thursday. Portugal's regulator ANACOM has reserved a spectrum in the 900 MHz and 1,800 Mhz bands for new entrants - framed as a push to encourage competition and improve services. Under the rules, long-time market players Altice, Vodafone and NOS will have to share their infrastructure and offer national roaming to the new entrants' customers. NOS has invested 2.5 billion euros ($2.96 billion) in the last six years, averaging around 400 million euros a year, but CFO Jose Pereira da Costa told Reuters that if the regulator's rules prevail it was "inevitable" the company would cut capex in 2021. "This regulation makes any investment, that goes beyond the minimum stipulated by law, absolutely irrational," da Costa said in an emailed response to questions from Reuters. "No economic agent invests for the benefit of third parties, particularly when they are its direct competitors and already benefit from outrageously discriminatory advantages," da Costa said. Portugal's telecoms regulator said in early November it would start its auctions of 5G frequency licences this month, even as major players warned they would go to court to [http://www.cafemom.com/search/index.php?keyword=challenge%20rules challenge rules] they said unfairly favoured new entrants. Established operators will have to commit to setting up 5G services covering 75% of the population by 2023 and 95% by 2025, well above a requirement of just 25% and 50% respectively for new entrants. Investment into R&D will also be significantly reduced if the rules go ahead, [https://kynghidongduong.vn/blog/le-hoi-hoa-tam-giac-mach-ha-giang-va-nhung-diem-check-in-voi-hoa-dep-nhat.html hoa tam giác mạch] da Costa said. In 2019, the company invested 67 million euros and [https://kynghidongduong.vn/blog/le-hoi-hoa-tam-giac-mach-ha-giang-va-nhung-diem-check-in-voi-hoa-dep-nhat.html kynghidongduong.vn] allocated 193 employees to the area. "These are investments with a longer-term return, so they will be the first to be eliminated", he said, adding NOS will also start a restructuring that "will lead to transversal cuts and reductions, to be implemented already in 2021". Last week, NOS filed a precautionary injunction in a Lisbon court against the rules imposed by ANACOM. It has also sent a complaint to the European Commission. ($1 = 0.8457 euros) (By Sergio Goncalves; Editing by Victoria Waldersee and Susan Fenton)

Tony Blair: US And Europe Need A Common Position On Chinese Tech

2020-12-30T15:23:34Z

FannyMoreland:

id="article-body" class="row" section="article-body"> Tony Blair speaking at Web Summit in Lisbon. Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images Chinese tech is experiencing something of a boom, and it would be fair to say the US and Europe are unsure how to react. Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has an idea. "One thing that will be really good is for America and Europe to work out how they actually cooperate in the technological sphere, and how they make sure that in respect to China, and as China rises, they take a common position," he said, speaking at the Web Summit in Lisbon on Wednesday. CNET NowAll the latest tech news delivered to your inbox. It's FREE!.shortcode.newsletter h2 width:100%!important; China is the source of much of the cutting-edge research and development in technology, in areas from [/news/huawei-mate-x-is-finally-here-but-its-only-in-china-for-now/ phones] to [/news/peter-thiel-says-googles-ai-work-in-china-is-bad-for-america/ AI] to [/news/scientists-in-china-claim-to-have-created-first-gene-edited-human-babies/ genetics]. But given how vastly different its political system is from that of the US and Europe, the regions need to work out how closely they're prepared to work together, said Blair. "Do you decouple from China or do you try and have some form of competitive cooperation or cooperative competition?" Blair shared the Web Summit stage with [/news/silicon-valley-congressman-ro-khanna-regulate-political-ads-on-facebook-like-copyright/ Silicon Valley congressman Ro Khanna], who agreed that a common position is the key to both regions excelling in technology. But unlike Blair, he was less [http://www.community.covnews.com/archives/search/?searchthis=focused focused] on cooperation with China and had his eyes fixed firmly on the competition. "The most important thing for the United States and Europe is to win the technology race," said Khanna. "We can't afford to lose in artificial intelligence, in quantum computing, in biotechnology -- we need to make those fundamental investments and be in the lead and make sure China is more dependent on our technology than vice versa." Now playing: Watch this: China's voyage to the far side of the moon 4:14 Blair said it's also important that the cooperation between the US and Europe extends to taking a common position on regulation -- and ensuring they invest the time and effort in [http://www.squidoo.com/search/results?q=developing%20regulation developing regulation] that's fit for the purpose. "Politicians are very simple people -- what they don't understand, they don't like, and what they don't like, they will regulate, but often badly," he said. "Big tech is developed in a way where these companies have enormous power, enormous reach. It's inevitable there's going to be a desire to regulate them. But you've got to get the regulation right." Europe is largely considered to be at the forefront of regulating big tech, thanks to the strong position it's taken on antitrust and tax and the implementation of its General Data Protection Regulation as a bid to protect privacy. "I regret that the United States hasn't been able to participate as much in the conversation because our Congress has not had a privacy framework, we haven't had an antitrust framework," added Khanna. "Frankly, I think there's been too much of a deferral on the regulatory framework to Europe." He said he hopes there will be more of a conversation between the two regions in future. Blair, [https://kynghidongduong.vn/blog/le-hoi-hoa-tam-giac-mach-ha-giang-va-nhung-diem-check-in-voi-hoa-dep-nhat.html hà giang] who was prime minister of the UK from 1997 to 2007, stressed that preserving the transatlantic alliance he had fostered with the US during his time in office was key to establishing this conversation, and [https://kynghidongduong.vn/blog/le-hoi-hoa-tam-giac-mach-ha-giang-va-nhung-diem-check-in-voi-hoa-dep-nhat.html kynghidongduong.vn] warned against its breakdown. "Our own relationship is becoming transactional when it shouldn't be," he said, but added that he thinks it's salvageable. "The values that bind America and Europe together are strong and important, and we're both, in the end, whatever the temporary issues around our politics, defenders of liberal democracy."

Portugal apos;s President Asks Parliament To Extend COVID-19 Emergency

2020-12-30T05:22:52Z

FannyMoreland: Created page with " By Catarina Demony LISBON, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Portugal's president asked parliament on Thursday to back an extension of a state of emergency imposed to fight the c..."

By Catarina Demony LISBON, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Portugal's president asked parliament on Thursday to back an extension of a state of emergency imposed to fight the coronavirus for an additional 15 days from next week as the number of new daily infections reached a record high. The nationwide state of emergency, which came into force on Nov. 9, [https://kynghidongduong.vn/blog/le-hoi-hoa-tam-giac-mach-ha-giang-va-nhung-diem-check-in-voi-hoa-dep-nhat.html hà giang] includes a night-time curfew and a half-day lockdown on weekend days across 191 of Portugal's 308 municipalities. It is due to expire on Nov. 23 but lawmakers are likely to [http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/search/?q=approve approve] the request by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa for [https://kynghidongduong.vn/blog/le-hoi-hoa-tam-giac-mach-ha-giang-va-nhung-diem-check-in-voi-hoa-dep-nhat.html kynghidongduong.vn] an extension on Friday. Under Portuguese law, the state of emergency is limited to 15 days but can be extended indefinitely in 15-day periods. If given the green light the state of emergency would be in place until Dec. 8, according to a statement shared on the president's website. "Prevention is essential and begins with each one of us," Rebelo de Sousa told reporters after meeting health experts, adding it was now important to adjust measures to [http://www.futureofeducation.com/main/search/search?q=address address] the level of risk in each of the country's municipalities. A tiered system of coronavirus restrictions is on the table but the government said earlier on Thursday it would only announce new measures on Saturday. Portugal, with around 10 million people, has recorded 243,009 coronavirus infections and 3,701 deaths, relatively low figures compared to some European countries, but cases have been rising and are putting the health system under pressure. Confirmed new infections hit 6,994 on Thursday, the highest daily figure since the pandemic started, with most of the cases concentrated across the country's northern region. Testing has also increased. A total of 3,017 COVID-19 patients are now in hospital, with 458 in intensive care units - more than the first wave peak of 271 in April. (Reporting by Catarina Demony; Additional reporting by Patricia Vicente Rua; Editing by Gareth Jones, Kirsten Donovan)

Portugal apos;s Novo Banco 9-month Net Loss Soars 49 On Provisions

2020-12-30T04:53:34Z

FannyMoreland:

By Sergio Goncalves LISBON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Portugal's Novo Banco, which emerged from the ruins of the collapsed Banco Espirito Santo, reported a 49% leap in its net loss for [http://search.usa.gov/search?affiliate=usagov&query=January-September January-September] to 853 million euros ($1 billion)following provisions to discontinue its business in Spain. The bank, 75% owned by Lone Star since October 2017 and 25% by the state-backed Portuguese Resolution Fund, said late on Friday its results were also hit by provisions for bad loans. The impairments and provisions for the exit from its retail network in Spain and for higher credit risk totalled around 727 million euros, the bank said, adding it also took a hit of 187.2 million euros due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, [https://kynghidongduong.vn/blog/le-hoi-hoa-tam-giac-mach-ha-giang-va-nhung-diem-check-in-voi-hoa-dep-nhat.html hoa tam giác mạch] sources told Reuters that Novo Banco was looking to sell its loss-making retail network in Spain, [https://kynghidongduong.vn/blog/le-hoi-hoa-tam-giac-mach-ha-giang-va-nhung-diem-check-in-voi-hoa-dep-nhat.html kynghidongduong.vn] seeking to bolster its balance sheet and prevent further losses. The provisions reflect expected losses on any deal. The bank has already sold assets in France, Asia and Cape Verde. Novo Banco's recurrent net income fell 30% to 98 million euros, but the bank said the results showed its "value-creation capacity and sustainable profitability". Net interest income, a measure of earnings on loans minus deposit costs, increased 9.3% to nearly 373 million euros. The lender halved its non-performing loans (NPL) to 2.8 billion euros in September, after it sold problematic asset portfolios, and cut its NPL ratio to 9.7% from 19.9% a year earlier. Portugal is going through its worst recession in almost a century due to the pandemic, with the government predicting the economy will contract 8.5% this year. ($1 = 0.8445 euros) (Reporting by Sergio Goncalves; Editing by [http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/sitesearch.do?querystring=Catarina%20Demony Catarina Demony] and Mark Potter)

User:FannyMoreland

2020-12-30T04:53:22Z

FannyMoreland: Created page with "I'm Fanny (27) from Losensteinleiten, Austria. I'm learning Hindi literature at a local university and I'm just about to graduate. I have a part time job in a universit..."

I'm Fanny (27) from Losensteinleiten, Austria. I'm learning Hindi literature at a local university and I'm just about to graduate. I have a part time job in a university. Feel free to surf to my page [https://kynghidongduong.vn/blog/le-hoi-hoa-tam-giac-mach-ha-giang-va-nhung-diem-check-in-voi-hoa-dep-nhat.html hoa tam giác mạch]