| Saigontourist, AIG tie up to provide travel insurance
(SGT-HCMC) Vietnam's leading tour operator Saigontourist Travel Service Co. inked a deal yesterday with AIG General Insurance (Vietnam) Co. Ltd. to provide global travel insurance for tourists. Under the deal signed in HCMC, AIG is the insurance partner to provide global travel insurance for Saigontourist's outbound tourists in one year from April 1. The insurance policy covers health care costs abroad, around-the-clock emergency support by International SOS, accidents, losses, delayed and damaged luggage. Especially, the policy also covers losses or damages caused by terrorism, natural calamities, and epidemic diseases. The two companies declined to announce the fee, but said that the payout can reach US$10,000. Vo Anh Tai, director of Saigontourist, said that the global travel insurance service not only applies to Vietnamese travel abroad but also for overseas Vietnamese and foreigners who buy outbound tourism services at the company.
Teamsters, Members of Congress Rally for School Bus Workers' Rights
Teamsters rallied here today, calling on the world's largest private school bus transportation company to treat its workers fairly and remain neutral in their fight to form a union. The Teamsters were joined by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Rep. Phil Hare (D-IL). Naperville is home to the corporate headquarters of Laidlaw International Inc., which is being bought by U.K.-based FirstGroup, owner of First Student. The deal would make First Student the largest private school bus transportation company in the world. "We want First Student to be a better employer in Chicago, and for that matter, the entire state of Illinois and the rest of the country," said John Coli, Teamsters International Vice President and President of Teamsters Joint Council 25 in Chicago.
Insure against a medical emergency on vacation
"Why me?" is an expression you often hear from victims of potentially fatal diseases or other calamities. Not meaning to be flippant or judgmental, the answer perhaps should be "Why not you?" Our senior years put us in the more frequent path of those events. A few months ago, a fellow passenger named Bob collapsed in the bathroom of his cabin on a river cruise on the Danube. It was determined after a hospital visit and several tests the next day that he had suffered a stroke. He spent the remainder of the 15-day trip confined to the ship, but that is not the end of the story. What is positive about the emergency is that he had the foresight not only to find out that his medical insurance covered such a calamity overseas, he had also signed onto the trip with a company that is prepared for just such a happening.
Current account deficit reaches alarming level
ISLAMABAD: Pakistans current-account deficit, excluding official transfers, during July-February 2006-07 has reached a worrisome $5.564 billion or 3.97 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP), which may pose threat to the countrys economic health over the medium and long-term.
The largest current account deficit, as a share of economy and in dollar terms, may be a potential risk to the economy simultaneously on both internal and external fronts over medium and long term. However, over short term, the government has the capacity to finance it on the back of strong inflows ie remittance, foreign direct investment and privatisation proceeds.
CAD surged by 49.45 per cent during the period under review from what it was recorded in corresponding period of the last fiscal ($3.723 billion) reveals the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) data issued on Monday.
I am writing this letter in support of Governor Blagojevich’s ...
I am writing this letter in support of Governor Blagojevich's health care plan, Illinois Covered. As a professional in the field of accounting and finance at a somewhat small company, I am very much aware of the rising costs of providing good health care coverage to employees. My concern is that these costs will rise to the point at which my company will no longer be able to provide this benefit to its employees. At that point I would need to seek out good affordable health care. Being a single household, I do not have the opportunity of being added to a spouse's coverage nor the additional disposable income to spend on other expensive healthcare options. I would join a group of over one million adults in Illinois without health insurance. I could not imagine my life without healthcare insurance.
Budget Motel likely to be demolished
Preston Whisenant, the new owner of the Budget Motel, is planning to demolish the structure at 1311 N. Tennessee Street in approximately 10 days to build a retail shopping center at the location -- after asbestos is removed from the property.Whisenant purchased the property last Wednesday and the 22 former tenants of the motel have found new homes. They were asked to move by Sean Wang, the former motel manager, after the city of McKinney's Code Enforcement Department deemed the property a substandard structure after a November 2006 inspection.The city gave the former motel owner approximately 60 days to repair approximately 58 items that were not up to citycode in the inspection. City code enforcement and fire department staff conducted the inspection based on a notice that originated at the McKinney Fire Department last fall, according to city staff.However, the former owner did not make the repairs because he did not have enough money to repair the building, which needs a new roof and new sewer lines, Wang said.The property was placed up for sale after the inspection and the tenants had to find other places to live.
UK Sukuk Policies Welcomed
(MENAFN - Arab News) UK Chancellor Gordon Brown's recent budget 2007 statement regarding the introduction of comparable tax treatment for Sukuk (Islamic trust securities) and clear guidelines on the treatment of Diminishing Musharaka (for Islamic mortgages) and Takaful (Islamic insurance) products has been widely welcomed by regulators and bankers in Muslim countries.
The chancellor announced that Sukuk are to be brought within the "alternative finance" regime which has been introduced over the past three years to cater to other Islamic finance methods such as Murabaha, Ijara and diminishing Musharaka products.
At the Global Islamic Finance Forum held last week in Kuala Lumpur, several regulators from both the GCC and Southeast Asia confirmed to Arab News that they were looking forward to the UK developments and keen to cooperate with the Treasury in the growing Sukuk market.
Where are the safest drivers in the country?
But the cities that follow on the list from Men's Health Magazine may be somewhat puzzling. After Des Moines are Jersey City, New Jersey; New York City; Yonkers, New York, and San Francisco. And where are the worst drivers? Columbia, South Carolina,leads the list, followed by St. Louis; Greensboro, North Carolina; Jackson, Mississippi, and Cheyenne, Wyoming. The survey used data from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Allstate Insurance and the Governors Highway Safety Association to rank 100 cities. .
US secures South Korean trade deal
The US has reached agreement with South Korea on its largest trade deal since the 1992 North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta). Estimates suggest that an additional $20 billion (10.14 billion) of goods will pass between the two countries as a result of the deal, adding to the existing $70 billion (35.48 billion) currently traded. The deal comes at the end of a ten-month negotiation period in which both the vehicle and agriculture sectors proved points of contention. Talks continued up to a deadline imposed on the White House which allowed it to lay trade agreement proposals to Congress without the legislative branch being able to place amendments on the deal. In a letter to Congress, US president George Bush said: "The US-South Korea free trade agreement will generate export opportunities for US farmers, ranchers, manufacturers and service suppliers, promote economic growth and the creation of better paying jobs in the US and help US consumers save money while offering them greater choices." Congress will now vote to accept or reject the trade agreement.
States Driving Health Reforms
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- For many Pennsylvanians, the path to medical care may soon be less likely to lead to a doctor. In one of the most far-reaching attempts at the state level to make health care more accessible and affordable to everyone, Gov. Ed Rendell is seeking to lower barriers in Pennsylvania laws and regulations that prevent a wide range of nonphysician health professionals from providing basic types of care. From nurse practitioners and nurse midwives to dental hygienists and pharmacists, the Rendell administration wants to reshape health care practices in Pennsylvania to help provide lower-cost preventive care. The Democratic governor's initiative is an example of states stepping into a void created by a lack of federal action on health care reform. "The national agenda's been overwhelmed by Iraq, and Washington has been paralyzed by ideological and policy gridlock on health care," said Drew Altman, the CEO of Kaiser Family Foundation, which studies health policy.
Driving down cost of insurance products
SHOPPING around for cheaper car , travel and health insurance may not be as exciting as a little retail therapy, but you could end up saving enough money to fund your next buying extravaganza. It's simple to buy cover on the Internet as policies are easily compared and buying online can save hundreds of pounds. Moneyextra offers some top tips on ways to avoid paying over the odds for your insurance policies. Shop till you drop The price of any insurance cover can vary enormously so don't accept the first insurance quote that comes your way . By obtaining several quotes you can compare prices and ensure you are getting cover that meets your exact requirements. If you are changing your policy, always ensure you are buying like-for-like or you may discover you do not have the same level of cover when you come to claim.
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