PNCA puts off events over third corona wave
Islamabad
March 14, 2021
Islamabad : The Pakistan National Council of the Arts has announced that the third wave of coronavirus has forced it into postponing many of its programmes and shifting the rest to outdoor venues.
According to the PNCA, the events will have limited audience and will be
held with the strict enforcement of the standard operating procedures notified by the government to prevent the spread of coronavirus. All events will be streamed live on the PNCA Facebook Page, so you can enjoy them while sitting at home, it said.
The revised events include concert of Ustad Raza Ali Khan (Classical) – 6 pm at PNCA courtyard, Youth Drama Festival on March 15-19 at 10 am-11:30 am and 4pm-5:30 pm, Bethak with puppeteer Farooq Qaiser on March 17 at 11 am and Nowruz celebrations on March 20 at 6:30 p.m. The online programmes will continue.
Doha crown puts icing on Basilashvili s Federer triumph
14 Mar 2021 - 10:46
Reuters
Nikoloz Basilashvili arrived in Doha without any expectation, having won just two of his previous 16 matches, but the Georgian managed to not only cut short his idol Roger Federer s return to the tour during the week but also clinched his fourth title.
Basilashvili saved a match point in the final set of his quarter-final to beat 20-times Grand Slam winner Federer, who was playing his first tournament in 14 months at the Qatar Open after double knee surgery in 2020.
The 29-year-old, who reached a career high ranking of 16th in 2019, defeated Spain s former top-10 player Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6(5) 6-2 in the final on Saturday.
RBA puts to rest rate rise chatter and washes hands of house price boom
By Maja Garaca Djurdjevic
10 March 2021
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1 minute read
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The Reserve Bank of Australia has put to rest chatter among investors that conditions for a higher cash rate could be met as early as next year and reaffirmed its position that its job does not involve targeting housing prices.
As the RBA announced its rate hold earlier this month, chatter among investors increased, with many predicting that given the property price boom, the bank could be forced to intervene earlier than planned.
Shane Oliver, chief economist at AMP Capital, tipped at the time that a rate hike could occur in the March quarter 2023.
Amid Covid baby boom, Fertility Associates puts itself up for sale
10 Mar, 2021 04:35 AM
5 minutes to read
A Fertility Associates pitch to investors reveals a high-margin business - but its head says there are extra expenses ahead, as well as new opportunities in areas such as social fertility (keep reading).
Read More A leaked presentation says the company, currently owned by its doctors, will have operating earnings of $14 million on revenue of $44m in its 2021 financial year as patients pay around $14,000 per IVF cycle.
Fertility Associates now has five clinics around NZ, and an estimated 70 per cent market share, with most of the balance going to the public health system s IVF unit, Fertility Plus, then a slither to a local outpost of an Australian chain.
Rising tension: Bond yields puts market at odds with RBNZ
9 Mar, 2021 04:00 PM
4 minutes to read
Reserve Bank is keen to keep mortgage interest rates low in the face of rising bond yields. Photo / NZ Herald
Reserve Bank is keen to keep mortgage interest rates low in the face of rising bond yields. Photo / NZ Herald
Rising bond yields have continued to put the market at odds with the Reserve Bank s efforts to keep funding costs low. The Reserve Bank last week advised that its week bond buying programme would increase this week to $630 million, from the previous rate of $570m, but market analysts said the increase was more likely to be technical rather than signalling any change of stance.