Proposed changes to South Africa’s public procurement framework could have significant implications for businesses that work with government, particularly those operating in the infrastructure, construction and energy sectors.
The security-obsessed global economy needs its own Helsinki process
Forty years ago, the Stockholm Document turned the political promise of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act into a more practical system of confidence-building. Amid the Cold War, Europe’s East and West did not disarm, abandon deterrence or begin to trust one another. Instead, they agreed that military competition could be made safer through prior notification, observation, information exchange and verification. The lesson was modest but durable: adversaries do not need trust to reduce uncertainty.
That…
MHRA backs microbiome-based medicines and pilots cut to clinical trial approvals
The UK’s medicines regulator has given encouragement to pharmaceutical companies developing microbiome-based medicinal products (MBMPs) that their products will be able to meet UK regulatory requirements and be sold on the UK market.
Could Mecca defence pact be first step to new Middle East order?
The Mecca security pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan stipulates that an armed attack against one shall count as an attack against all three. Yet the real message is directed at the United States: if being an American ally offers no immunity against attack, there is little point in waiting for Washington to honour its security guarantees.
That there has been no official White House statement casts some doubt on whether Donald Trump is really “very happy to see that Saudi Arabia,…
Singapore’s island merger plan fuels nuclear power speculation
Singapore’s plan to merge several islands off its southwest coast into a new hub for industry, defence and “new power generation infrastructure” has stirred speculation over whether the site could one day host a nuclear power plant.
The city state is studying advanced nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors (SMRs), as part of its long-term planning for a net-zero power system, but the government has not decided whether to deploy nuclear energy, let alone where any future plant…
Meet the Indian food safety officer shaking up Mumbai with viral raids
Tukaram Mundhe is an Indian bureaucrat on a mission.
As a state food safety commissioner, the 51-year-old has raided food businesses in the country’s commercial capital Mumbai in an unprecedented crackdown on poor hygiene and unsafe food that has captivated the public nationwide.
Mundhe has led the suspension of food permits of four Domino’s and one Pizza Hut outlet in recent weeks, and has also targeted cricket clubs, hotels and well-known restaurants in over 3,000 raids since he took over as…
What AI and copyright means for Australian data centre operators and AI infrastructure investment
How Australia charts its own course on AI and copyright will directly influence future demand for data centre capacity in the country.
Can Singapore’s latest pro-family push change minds on parenthood?
Singapore’s latest pro-family push has been welcomed by some parents for tackling the costs of raising children, but others say lower fees and more leave are unlikely on their own to overcome deeper worries over time, careers, housing and lifestyle.
During the annual National Day Rally on Sunday night, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced a raft of measures to make having children more appealing in the city state.
These include increasing childcare leave based on the number of children a…
Former cricket captains appeal to Pakistan over jailed ex-PM Imran Khan’s healthcare
A group of 21 former international cricket captains, including India’s Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, signed a letter to Pakistan’s government on Sunday regarding the healthcare of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.
Khan has been in prison since 2023 and was sentenced late last year along with his wife to 17 years on corruption charges they both deny.
The 73-year-old, who was also a former Pakistan cricket captain, was transferred back to jail on Friday hours after he was taken to hospital…
Indonesia arrests 72 suspected of starting forest fires as haze persists
Indonesian authorities arrested 72 people suspected of starting some of the forest and peatland fires as huge blazes in central and west Indonesia triggered choking haze.
Indonesia has been battling fires driven by an intensifying El Nino pattern and a prolonged dry season, generating dense smoke that crossed into Malaysia, according to Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, or BNPB.
Fires are a regular problem in Indonesia that strain relations with neighbouring countries.
Plantation…