When the leaders of Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands this month signed off on a deal to link the three countries via an undersea internet cable, Canberra positioned itself as a thoughtful neighbour, eager to help developing nations in its own backyard. “We spend billions of dollars a year on foreign aid and this is a very practical way of investing in the future economic growth of our neighbours in the Pacific,” said Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull,…
Will Duterte’s sharia gift bring lasting peace to southern Philippines?
At long last, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law new autonomous powers for his country’s restive and poverty stricken Muslim-majority south, which observers hope will defuse one of Asia’s long-running conflicts, stem extremism and kick-start a vital economic revival.
Thursday’s signing of the Bangsamoro Organic Law is the culmination of a drawn-out process that had appeared on the verge of collapse on multiple occasions, including in the immediate…
Court dismisses claim duty of care is owed to employees in litigation
Employers do not owe their employees a duty of care in the way they defend claims that they are vicariously liable for actions of those employees, the UK Supreme Court has ruled.
Barnier rejects UK’s Brexit customs plan
The UK’s proposed post-Brexit customs arrangements with the EU have been rejected by Michel Barnier, the EU27’s chief Brexit negotiator.
Data protection certification scheme in Singapore to be piloted
Businesses based in Singapore are being encouraged to participate in a new data protection certification scheme being piloted in the country.
North Koreans frustrated about delay to end-of-war declaration, says son of former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung
North Korean officials are frustrated about the delay of an official declaration ending the Korean war, and China will need to join peace talks to stabilise the denuclearisation process, according to a son of a former South Korean president. Kim Hong-gul, chairman of the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation and son of the late Kim Dae-jung – who introduced South Korea’s “sunshine policy”, designed to soften Pyongyang’s attitude towards Seoul…
Vehicle-related terrorism claims ‘mutualised’ by UK motor insurers
Motor insurers in the UK are to share the costs involved in meeting third party claims raised by victims of terrorist attacks involving vehicles.
Cambodian activist Youk Chhang who investigated genocide and Indian doctor Bharat Vatwan who rescued homeless recognised with ‘Asia’s Nobel Prize’
A Cambodian genocide survivor who helped document the Khmer Rouge atrocities and an Indian psychiatrist who led the rescue of thousands of mentally ill street paupers to treat and reunite them with their families are among the six winners of this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Awards, regarded as Asia’s version of the Nobel Prize.
The other recipients named Thursday are a Filipino who led peace talks with communist insurgents, a polio-stricken Vietnamese who fought discrimination against…
China deploys People’s Liberation Army team to assist with relief efforts after Laos dam collapse
Rescuers battled fresh rains Thursday to reach scores of people still missing after a dam collapse in southern Laos that unleashed a torrent of water, washing away whole villages and killing at least 26 people.
The search for survivors has been hampered by monsoon weather in the remote southern corner of Laos where the Xe-Namnoy dam collapsed on Monday.
Panicked residents took flight, taking refuge on rooftops or making their way to evacuation centres where some said they were given just a few…
Irish renewables scheme must deliver tech diversity, says Murphy
Ireland’s new ‘renewable electricity support scheme’ (RESS) must offer support to a range of renewable energy technologies to ensure the country can deliver on the promise of a low carbon future, a specialist in energy projects has said.