The Seoul city government said on Thursday it had filed a police complaint against members of South Korea’s main labour group who defied Covid-19 curbs to protest for more jobs and better work conditions while wearing outfits from the TV megahit Squid Game.Thousands of members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) staged a nationwide demonstration on Wednesday, according to the group.In downtown Seoul, dozens of members dressed up in flamboyant jumpsuits and masks worn by actors in…
Victims of Indonesia’s 1965 communist killings tell UK to tell truth about its role in genocide and anti-Chinese propaganda
Survivors and descendants of those killed in Indonesia’s anti-communist purge of 1965-1966 are urging Western countries to apologise for their roles in what the CIA has itself described as “one of the worst mass murders of the 20th century”.The spotlight on the West’s role in the state-backed genocide, which claimed the lives of at least hundreds of thousands of Indonesians, has intensified with the recent declassification of British documents revealing that a shadowy propaganda unit of the UK…
The impact of rising energy prices on the infrastructure sector
In summer 2021 it became apparent that due to the combination of disrupted imports due to the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit, and increased activity as major global markets emerge from lockdown, there were shortages in construction products and raw materials including timber, steel, pitched roofing, plastics and cement.
Coronavirus: Singapore extends two-person limit on dining in, social gatherings as hospitals risk ‘being overwhelmed’
Singapore officials said on Wednesday that tighter social gathering measures first put in place in late September would be extended for four weeks, as the country’s health-care system comes under strain from rising Covid-19 hospitalisations despite a high national vaccination rate.The measures – which limit dining in and all social gatherings to groups of two – have caused frustration among vaccinated residents who had hoped authorities would speed up a plan to “live with the virus”.But…
Malaysia expects more Chinese boats in South China Sea as Petronas drills for oil
Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah on Wednesday said he expected more Chinese vessels to enter the country’s waters “for as long as” its state-owned Petronas oil and gas company is developing a gas field in its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.He also said Malaysia’s current relations with China was “very difficult to quantify but is much better now”, despite what happened in the South China Sea.Oil and gas company Petronas is developing the Kasawari gas field located…
UK carbon capture, usage and storage favoured clusters confirmed
The decarbonisation of industry in the UK will be boosted by the announcement of two favoured clusters for the development of carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) technology, an expert in climate change and sustainability has said.
Bangladesh holds ‘peace rally’ to denounce violence against minority Hindus
Thousands of activists marched in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Tuesday to denounce a wave of violence against minority Hindus over an allegedly blasphemous social media post in the predominantly Muslim South Asian country.The ruling Awami League party of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina organised the “harmony procession and peace rally” a day after assailants carried out arson attacks on a remote village in the northern Rangpur district, leaving at least 20 Hindu homes burnt to ash.The violence…
Myanmar frees hundreds of political prisoners after pressure from Asean
Myanmar’s military government has freed hundreds of political prisoners from the notorious Insein prison, including Aung San Suu Kyi’s party spokesman and a famous comedian Zarganar, local media reported.Minutes after military ruler Min Aung Hlaing’s speech on Monday, state television announced more than 5,600 people arrested or wanted over their roles in anti-coup protests would be freed in an amnesty on humanitarian grounds.The release was described by some activists as a ploy by the ruling…
Japan’s ENEOS to buy renewables company for US$1.8bn
Japanese oil company ENEOS will acquire the renewable energy company Japan Renewable Energy (JRE) for 200 billion yen (US$1.8bn), it has announced.
4 Chinese nationals killed by Philippine police in drugs operation
Philippine police on Monday killed four Chinese nationals during an anti-drugs operation that lead to the confiscation of more than 262 million pesos (US$5.24 million) worth of crystal meth.The suspects, from Fujian and Shanxi in China, were “known distributors of illegal drugs” in the capital and surrounding provinces, a police report said.Police set up a sting operation to buy crystal meth from the suspects in a residential subdivision in Angeles City, 83km north of Manila. Known locally as…