MELBOURNE, March 5, 2024 (AFP) – Australia unveiled plans to ramp up investment in Southeast Asia on Tuesday, setting aside US$1.3 billion to bolster trade in a region of rising economic might. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the funding as leaders from the 10-nation ASEAN forum met in Melbourne for a three-day summit. “The government I lead has made it clear. More than any other region, Southeast Asia is where Australia’s future lies,” Albanese told […]
Tag: fund
Norway’s wealth fund posts record loss of $164 bn
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, said Tuesday it recorded a loss of 1.637 trillion Norwegian kroner ($164 billion) in 2022, the largest since its creation, citing volatile markets. “2022 was a truly dramatic year in the world. It affected financial markets and hence it also affects our global fund,” deputy chief executive Trond Grande of Norges Bank Investment Management which manages the fund told a press conference. “We had multiple different emergencies and […]
Hike in SSS members’ contributions to start by January next year
(Eagle News) — The contributions of members of the Social Security System (SSS) are set for a scheduled increase by January next year, according to the Department of Finance. This sew SSS contribution rate will “ensure pension fund viability, increase benefits for members and beneficiaries” according to a DOF release. The increase in the monthly contribution of SSS members “will ensure the long-term viability of this pension fund and increase the benefits to be […]
Norway proposes UN corona fund to help poor countries
OSLO, Norway (AFP) — Norway said Monday it wanted to start a United Nations donors’ fund to help poor countries fight the new coronavirus pandemic. “We are concerned about the way the virus will affect developing countries which have fragile healthcare systems,” Norway’s Development Aid Minister Dag-Inge Ulstein said in a statement. “International solidarity across borders is more important than ever. That’s why it is important for us to contribute financially to such a fund […]
Rihanna presses leaders to fund global education
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Rihanna on Thursday used her star power to urge key governments to commit to ensuring education for the world’s poorest as she takes part in an international conference in Senegal. The chart-topping singer arrived in the capital Dakar where she on Friday will join the Global Partnership for Education talks co-hosted by Senegalese President Macky Sall and French leader Emmanuel Macron. Rihanna, the fourth most followed person on Twitter […]
Disney to pay $1,000 bonuses, expand education funding
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Disney announced Tuesday it will pay bonuses to 125,000 US employees and launch a new employee education program, joining other big companies in steering some funds from tax reform to employees. The two initiatives represent a total allocation of more than $175 million in this fiscal year, the entertainment giant announced in a statement. US hourly and non-executive salaried employees will receive a one-time $1,000 cash bonus in two […]
Trump wants to fund Mexico border wall with 20% import tax: spokesman
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump plans to fund his construction of a wall on the Mexican border by imposing a 20 percent import tax on goods from Washington’s southern neighbor, his spokesman said Thursday. The financing of the project, which is aimed at clamping down on illegal immigration, has sparked tensions between the two countries: Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Thursday called off a visit to Washington set for next […]
Lack of funds threatens malaria progress: WHO
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Global progress on controlling malaria risks stalling due to an “urgent need” for more funding, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in its annual report Tuesday. Overall, the number of new cases fell by 21 percent between 2010 and 2015, and mortality rates fell by 29 percent — 31 percent in the African region. But globally there were still 212 million new cases and 429,000 deaths last year, and 43 […]
Zuckerberg fund pledges $3 bn to banish disease
by Glenn CHAPMAN SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Mark Zuckerberg and his wife on Wednesday pledged $3 billion over the next decade to help banish or manage all disease, pouring some of the Facebook founder’s fortune into innovative research. “This is a big goal,” Zuckerberg said at a San Francisco event announcing the effort of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative established by the couple. “But we spent the last few years speaking with experts who […]





