Distribution of coronavirus vaccines was top of the agenda in Asia on the weekend as trade ministers, diplomats and politicians held a series of meetings amid surges in cases throughout the region.In a joint statement on Saturday, Apec trade ministers agreed to ease movement of Covid-19 vaccines and other medical supplies but stopped short of removing tariffs on the goods.“[We] are united behind the essential role of trade in tackling the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and in enabling a…
Coronavirus: Philippines stops nurses from working abroad; Vietnam PM wants eased restrictions
The Philippine government suspended the sending abroad of nurses, and their assistants and aides because the annual limit of 5,000 health care workers deployed has been reached.The processing of permits for the medical workers has been suspended immediately, Bernard Olalia, head of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, said in a June 1 statement posted on the agency’s website.The Philippines, which sends thousands of medical staff overseas to work every year, is seeking to…
As China-Australia ties fray, who is shaping Canberra’s increasingly hawkish policy on Beijing?
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has repeatedly said Australia’s national interests are the sole guide of his government’s policy on China. To help decide where those interests lie, Morrison and his cabinet have relied on a roster of key advisers and appointees – a coterie known for a strong focus on national security and hawkish views on Beijing.The tough approach of Morrison’s inner circle has coincided with a serious deterioration in Sino-Australian relations. While they have been strained in…
At least 20 killed by Myanmar security forces in Ayeyarwady delta
At least 20 people were killed by Myanmar’s security forces in the Ayeyarwady river delta region on Saturday after villagers armed with catapults and crossbows fought back against troops searching for weapons, local media and residents said.That would make it the heaviest civilian death toll in nearly two months. Some 845 people had previously been killed by the army and police since the February 1 coup, according to an activist group. The junta has disputed that figure.Reuters was unable to…
South Korean designer creates robotic ‘third eye’ for smartphone ‘zombies’
A South Korean industrial designer has come up with a satirical solution for “smartphone zombies” who cannot take their eyes away from their screen long enough to stop themselves walking into a wall or other obstacle.Paeng Min-wook, 28, has developed a robotic eyeball he has dubbed “The Third Eye”, which obsessive mobile phone users can strap to their foreheads so they can browse injury-free on the go.The device opens its translucent eyelid whenever it senses the user’s head has been lowered to…
New EU medical device regulations take effect
The quality, performance and safety of medical devices intended for the EU market is the subject of stricter new regulation that has come into effect.
EU standard contract clauses bolstered for international data flows
The European Commission has published updated standard contractual clauses to support the transfer of personal data outside of the EU.
Two Indian parties can choose a foreign seat of arbitration, court rules
The Indian Supreme Court has confirmed that two Indian parties are allowed to choose a forum for arbitration outside India to resolve a dispute.
Thai general Manus Kongpan, jailed for trafficking Rohingya refugees, dies in prison
Manus Kongpan, the former Royal Thai Army lieutenant general who was jailed in 2017 for human trafficking and corruption after the discovery of Rohingya refugees in mass graves, has died in prison.At least 30 bodies were found in 2015 at an abandoned human trafficking camp in Thailand’s Songkhla province, near the border with Malaysia. Some were in shallow graves, while others were left to die in the open. Investigations revealed they had died of starvation or disease as traffickers waited for…
Japan lures TSMC with US$1.8 billion plan to revive domestic chip industry
The Japanese government has placed semiconductors at the heart of its future economic growth strategy, announcing this week a research and development fund designed to attract foreign chip manufacturers and marry them with domestic firms.The plans, outlined in a draft paper unveiled on Wednesday, indicate that Japan intends to do everything in its power to safeguard supplies of components that are critical to domestic companies but have been severely disrupted as a result of the trade dispute…