Read more on the risk for the current valuation cycle, what’s sweetening PSU stocks’ outlook and ESG plays in this week’s edition of ‘Long & Short of Markets’.
China has decided to pilot testing property tax levies in selected cities during the coming five years, to garner experiences before proceeding with formal legislation, reported local media.This comes when China’s second biggest real estate developer Evergrande is marred with debt it cannot pay back.China’s top legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), adopted the decision on Saturday to authorise the State Council, the cabinet, to pilot property tax levies in some regions, Global Times reported citing Xinhua News Agency.A trial property tax could be tested by the end of this year in selected first and second-tier cities, said industry experts stressing that testing will be possible in the cities that have hot real estate markets, most likely in Guangdong’s Shenzhen, Zhejiang’s Hangzhou, and the southern island province of Hainan.Since 2011, the Chinese central government tried out levying the taxes on high-end private residential properties in …
Other parts of the UK – Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – are also expected to follow similar LFT rules for vaccinated travellers in the coming weeks
The Taliban-led Afghan government launched a plan to create jobs and fight a potential food crisis amid the continuous rise of poverty and unemployment in the war-torn country.
China Evergrande Group said on Sunday it had resumed work on more than 10 projects in six cities including Shenzhen after it appeared to avert default with a last-minute bond coupon payment last week.
These cups are meant to do more than just hold coffee.
Kenya-Jade Pinto for Insider
The Tim Hortons coffee chain has 4,800+ locations in Canada, the US, China, the UK, and Mexico.
Tim’s is testing reusable containers and single-use drink cups that are recyclable and compostable.
The initiatives are part of Restaurant Brands Internationals’ science-based sustainability targets.
A crimson Tim Hortons coffee cup is ubiquitous across Canada and many parts of the United States, but the company is actively working on making them less likely to show up in garbage cans and landfills.
This week, the fast-food chain – known for its donuts, popular commercials, and being named after a Canadian professional hockey player – announced three sustainability initiatives aimed at reducing waste that will be tested in a small number of its restaurants in Canada.
Tim’s will test single-use drink cups partially made of recycled paper that are compostable and recyclable. They’ll also test reusable cups and food containers through TerraCycle’s Loop program – that customers can get with a deposit of $3 and then return to restaurants for cleaning – starting on Nov. 1. Additionally, Tim Hortons is running a pilot to see if AI-assisted image recognition will help improve composting and recycling in 12 locations. The moves could help Tim Hortons avoid being named a top polluter by Greenpeace Canada again by reducing the amount of its packaging littering parks, appearing on shorelines, or going to landfills.
The new sustainability initiatives at Tim Hortons follow the company’s recent switch to a strawless lid and RBI’s announcement of new, science-based targets to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. The company is designing sustainability processes, and items with greater post-consumer value, aimed at significantly increasing what can be recycled or composted into other products. This resulted in a coffee cup with a new kind of liner instead of the traditional, non-recyclable plastic one.
Paul Yang holds a newer, more sustainable version of the Tim Horton’s coffee cup he helped design.
Kenya-Jade Pinto for Insider
One of the challenges in implementing changes to the design and materials of Tim’s signature coffee cup, including a new, paper-based lid, was maintaining its functionality. “As we change materials, as we shift away from sort of certain industry norms, we have to make sure that we’re not sacrificing on performance,” Paul Yang, Tim Hortons’ senior director of innovation and sustainability, told Insider. “We need to make sure function matches with sustainability at the same time.”
In order to prototype and iterate new designs more quickly, Yang said it was important to assemble the right network of partners with the right assets and infrastructure. But the timeline for the company’s new paper cup finally arriving in local restaurants has become a multi-year project due to “a lot of rigorous testing” and the transformation of a complete supply chain, according to Yang.
Tim Hortons has a significant footprint in North America with more than 4,000 locations in Canada, more than 500 in the United States, dozens in Mexico, and a growing number of stores in countries like China, the UK, Saudia Arabia, and Thailand. The company was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, and is currently headquartered in Toronto. In 2014, Tim Hortons merged with Burger King in an $11.4 billion deal to form Restaurant Brands International (RBI), which acquired the US fast-food chain Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen in 2017.
The company is conscious of the fact that many of its customers visit its restaurants on a daily basis and that habits can be hard to change for both franchises and restaurant patrons. But Yang said that research showed that explaining the reasons behind changes and the impact from making a switch – like the transition from double-cupping to recycled paper sleeves eliminating 200 million cups from going in the garbage – made people much more willing to participate. “Inherently everyone wants to do the right thing,” he said. “We just need to make it easier for them to participate and do that.”
Qatar Airways started flying the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in 2021 with a new business class product.
A total of 30 business class s2uites comprise the cabin with sliding doors for privacy.
New innovations including a wireless charging pad can also be found in the suites.
Qatar Airways has a new product to offer its premium cabin customers that are flying on the newest addition to the airline’s aircraft family.
A Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
InsectWorld / Shutterstock.com
Boeing’s 787-9 Dreamliner is now flying for Qatar Airways, with the Middle Eastern carrier the first in the region to debut the ultramodern jet.
A Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Bradley Caslin / Shutterstock.com
The first models were delivered to Qatar Airways just before the pandemic and are finally getting acquainted with passengers. Welcoming passengers in business class is the airline’s new business class suite, found only on the 787-9 Dreamliner.
A Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
Qatar Airways has been steadily improving its premium product, culminating so far in the “Qsuite” that’s found on its Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 XWB family aircraft.
But while the Dreamliner isn’t quite large enough to accommodate the Qsuite, passengers will still have access to an enclosed suite with a sliding door.
A Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
Step onboard a brand-new Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
A total of 30 business class suites comprise the eight-row cabin located squarely between the first two boarding doors.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
Seats along the cabin wall are configured in a reverse herringbone configuration, meaning they’re angled towards the window.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
As these seats face away from the aisle, they’re ideal for passengers traveling alone and have unobstructed views of the window.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
Center aisle seats, alternatively, are configured in a herringbone configuration, angled towards the two aisles in the cabin.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
These seats are ideal for couples or companions traveling together as they are angled in a way that their headrests are nearly touching,
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
A version of the famous Qsuite double bed is not available on the 787-9 Dreamliner but couples can get a similar experience by lowering the seat partition when in lie-flat mode.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
Passengers traveling independently, however, can simply raise the partition for additional privacy.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
Each seat features a high-definition touch-screen display that features Qatar Airways’ Oryx One entertainment system. Flyers can access thousands of hours of content including movies, television shows, music, and more.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
Also controlling the in-flight entertainment system is a large tethered remote with a touch-screen of its own. It also acts as a game controller.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner has exterior cameras that can also be accessed through the entertainment system, offering top-down and forward-facing views.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
And when it’s time to sleep, the seat reclines fully flat to a 79-inch bed.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
Closeable suite doors offer greater privacy, similar to Qsuites. The doors don’t fully latch, however, and there’s a small gap in between the door and the seat wall.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
A do not disturb feature is built into the seat number’s lighting system. Passengers can press a button to turn the seat number red, indicating that flight attendants shouldn’t bother them whether they be sleeping, working, or relaxing.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
Seat controls can be easily accessed when in upright or lie flat mode.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
In-seat power is offered at the seat with a 110v AC power outlet and USB charging port conveniently located next to the counter space. In-flight WiFi is also available for passengers to use.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
Wireless charging is also available and compatible with Apple and Android devices. Airlines are just starting to introduce these types of innovations in business class, as Insider found on a JetBlue Airways flight from London to New York in Mint business class.
A smaller storage compartment can be found above the counter and is just large enough for a passport, small purse, or tablet. There’s also a small mirror for passengers to use.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
When it’s time to eat or work on a computer, the tray table slides out directly from underneath the in-flight entertainment screen.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
Passengers can adjust the length of the table, as well as its angles, depending on preference.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
Qatar Airways is continuing its dine-on-demand offering in the cabin where travelers can order anything on the menu at any time during the flight. Passengers don’t have to abide by the normal airline notions of mealtimes.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
Business class passengers receive amenity kits including items and toiletries such as an eye mask, socks, a toothbrush, and more. Qatar Airways also gives hygiene kits to each passenger including hand sanitizing gel, nitrile gloves, and a face mask.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
Premium brands represented in the cabin and dining offering include Narumi, BRIC’S, Diptyque, TWG Tea, Castello Monte Vibiano Vecchio, and The White Company.
“Our passengers deserve the best and I am confident that they will appreciate the larger Dreamliner variant for its unmatched comfort in the sky,” Akbar Al-Baker, Qatar Airways’ chief executive officer, said in a statement.
At least seven of the 30 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft that Qatar Airways has on order from Boeing have arrived at the airline. The new aircraft have slowly but surely been making their way across the Qatar Airways network.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
From Doha, they’re scheduled to visit destinations over the next few months including Accra, Ghana; Amman, Jordan; Stockholm, Sweden; Athens, Greece; Barcelona, Spain; Madrid, Spain; Paris, France; Jakarta, Indonesia; Phuket, Thailand; Karachi, Pakistan; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Manchester, UK; Muscat, Oman; Nairobi, Kenya; Oslo, Norway; Vienna, Austria; Tunis, Tunisia; and Singapore, among other destinations.
Inside a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
And while the product is not as groundbreaking as Qsuite, it still offers business class travelers an exclusive, private, and luxurious way to travel.
