A Russian social media celebrity was being deported from Indonesia on Sunday after he held a party at a luxury hotel on the resort island of Bali attended by more than 50 people despite coronavirus restrictions.The party held on January 11 violated health protocols put in place to fight the spread of the virus, said Jamaruli Manihuruk, chief of the Bali regional office for the Ministry of Law and Human Rights.As Chinese tourists steer clear of Indonesia, resort islands feel the pinchSergei…
Some 132,000 Filipinos call Japan home, years after arriving to work at pubs
Almost four decades after the first workers arrived in Japan to work at “Philippine pubs”, the Filipino community has become one of the most rooted in the East Asian country – but one that still remains largely female.Filipinos are the fourth-largest foreign group after the Chinese, South Korean, and Vietnamese communities, with many choosing to spend their lives here.As of June 2019, just under half of the 282,023-strong Philippine community legally living in Japan – or 132,551 people – held…
Coronavirus: Japan death toll tops 5,000; Malaysia cases hit new daily high
The death toll from the novel coronavirus in Japan surpassed 5,000 on Saturday as the country struggles to curb a third wave of infections, according to a Kyodo News tally.The pace of deaths linked to the virus has accelerated recently, forcing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to declare a state of emergency in 11 of the country’s 47 prefectures, including Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, earlier in the month.Of the total, more than 3,000 deaths were reported since the ongoing resurgence emerged in…
When President Biden gets tough on China, can US count on Vietnam?
Vietnam must navigate the troubled relationship between the United States and China – its two most important trade partners – at a particularly complex time, just as new leaderships emerge in both Hanoi and Washington.With Joe Biden’s inauguration as US president and a leadership shake-up expected at the Vietnamese Communist Party’s National Congress, which starts on Monday, experts say there will be opportunities in the months ahead to strengthen the relationship between Vietnam and its former…
A short guide to public procurement in post-Brexit UK
The public procurement regime has now changed in the UK following the expiry of the Brexit transition period.
Coronavirus: Singapore says it’s given 60,000 vaccine shots, as it tightens social distancing curbs ahead of Lunar New Year
Some 60,000 residents in Singapore have received their first Covid-19 vaccine shots since December 30, authorities said on Friday, adding that immunisation efforts would be ramped up in what it touted as the “largest vaccination exercise in our history”.This figure included staff working in the health care sector and in frontline and essential services, the health ministry said.In Southeast Asia, only Singapore and Indonesia have so far started their vaccination drives, with the latter…
Review of sentence discounting in Scotland shows little public support
Better public information should be made available to increase support for discounted sentences, according to a review of sentencing and plea decision-making in Scotland.
Philippines plans tender for geothermal and hydropower projects
The Philippines’ Department of Energy (DOE) announced a tender for five geothermal projects and 17 hydropower projects which will be awarded in April.
Isis support in Indonesia drops, but militants aren’t sitting still, warns IPAC think tank
Pro-Islamic State (Isis) activity and support for it in Indonesia declined last year, but authorities should not rest easy as militant groups are splintering to produce small “pop up” terror cells that aim to conduct jihad operations, a Jakarta-based think-tank has warned. In its latest report released on Tuesday, the Institute of Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) outlined the factors that led to a fall in pro-Isis activity, including better law enforcement, the collapse of Isis, and “self…
Court of Appeal upholds Drax generating station development consent
The Court of Appeal has dismissed a challenge by ClientEarth to the grant of development consent for two carbon capture ready gas-fired generating units at the existing Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire.