A Myanmar military tribunal has sentenced 28 people to 20 years in jail with hard labour for arson attacks on two factories, state media reported, after a string of mainly Chinese-financed businesses were torched during unrest in Yangon in March.The army-run Myawady news portal said the offenders had targeted a shoe plant and a garment factory in the industrial Hlaing Tharyar suburb of Myanmar’s biggest city.Martial law was imposed in the suburb after the blazes, with dozens killed or wounded…
Confucius Institutes at Australian universities could be the next casualty of strained Beijing-Canberra ties
When the University of Adelaide launched its Confucius Institute in partnership with Shandong University in 2007, Australia’s foreign minister Alexander Downer oversaw the opening ceremony.The Chinese cultural centre was not only uncontroversial, it was welcomed across the board, former director Mobo Gao recalled.“Politicians on both sides, the business community, the education sector and culture sector all collaborated with us and they all liked our programmes,” said Gao, who ran the institute…
UK government confirms changes to supply chain plans for renewable energy projects
The UK government will have the ability to withdraw or terminate a contract for difference (CfD) if a developer fails to deliver an acceptable supply chain implementation statement (SCIS) under changes to the renewables auction scheme.
Indonesia jails hardline Muslim cleric Habib Rizieq Shihab for Covid-19 violations
An Indonesian court on Thursday sentenced hardline Muslim cleric Habib Rizieq Shihab to eight months in prison and fined him 20 million rupiah (US$1,400) for violating coronavirus restrictions by hosting crowded events after his return last year from self-imposed exile in Saudi Arabia.The jailing of Rizieq, who led the now banned Islamist vigilante group, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), was not expected to trigger a violent reaction from his hundreds of thousands of followers “as he will be…
‘Super blood moon’ total lunar eclipse transfixes viewers around the world
People around the world stayed up on Wednesday to watch a cosmic event called a super blood moon, a combination of a total lunar eclipse and a brighter-than-usual super moon.During the build-up, a glittering moon rose above the horizon. As the Earth’s shadow began taking bites from the moon, it created a dramatic effect. Half the moon vanished, leaving it looking like a black-and-white biscuit.When the full eclipse took hold, however, the moon darkened, turning a smudgy dark orange colour for…
Report confirms international appeal of LCIA
The London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) remains an attractive forum for resolving disputes between businesses, regardless of where those companies are based around the world, a report published by the institution has confirmed.
Most Filipinos don’t want a coronavirus vaccine. Especially not a Chinese one
Marked by delay, disorganisation and erratic supply, the Philippine effort to achieve herd immunity from Covid-19 faces two emerging problems: most Filipinos don’t want to get inoculated, and of those who do, many reject vaccines from China.On May 17, a vaccination centre in Parañaque City, Metro Manila, was swamped by members of the public when word got around it was administering jabs from Pfizer.Media reports showed long lines of people disregarding social distancing forming at the centre,…
Hundreds of illegal Chinese fishing boats are taking our catches: South Korea
Hundreds of Chinese fishing boats operating illegally along the sea border between South and North Korea are decimating local catches and damaging the environment, according to South Korean authorities and fishermen. In a development that has reignited a long-standing point of contention between Seoul and Beijing, a great surge of Chinese vessels has entered the waters surrounding the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea. On South Korean estimates an average of 180 Chinese boats have been…
Guide brings environmental claims under increased UK consumer law scrutiny
Businesses can expect claims they make about the ‘green’ credentials of their products and services to come in for greater scrutiny for their compliance with UK consumer laws and advertising standards, experts have said.
UN envoy urges Asean to act as Myanmar junta ignores consensus plan
The United Nations special envoy for Myanmar has warned Asean that time was running out in getting the country’s junta to comply with the five-point consensus plan drawn up in April, with the regional bloc also being criticised by commentators for its inertia over the matter.“Clearly, it’s up to Asean how to react,” Christine Schraner Burgener said in a virtual press conference. “We should be aware that time is ticking and we have not a lot of time to see action on the ground, because time will…