A Thai court has ruled that three anti-government activists who had called for reform of the country’s powerful monarchy violated the constitution by making what it called a veiled attempt to overthrow the institution.The Constitutional Court ruling on November 10 in a case brought by a royalist lawyer said a controversial 10-point call for reforms of the institution by three student protest leaders in August last year was designed to topple the monarchy.“The actions have hidden intentions to…
Southeast Asia’s internet economy bounces back with record investments in e-commerce, digital financial services
Global investors pumped in a record US$11.5 billion into Southeast Asia’s tech companies in the first half of this year, with the bulk of funds going into e-commerce and the digital financial services sector, according to a new industry report.The number of deals between January and June in 2021 rose by 65 per cent compared to the same period last year, suggesting a rebound from the pandemic-induced slowdown in 2020, when US$11.6 billion flowed into the internet economy.The figure was US$12…
Germany navy chief vows commitment to Indo-Pacific as warship to sail South China Sea
The chief of Germany’s navy on Tuesday said that its dispatch of a warship to the Indo-Pacific underscored his country’s concerns that freedom of navigation and the rule-based international order were being threatened in the region, an apparent reference to its biggest trading partner, China.Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schonbach, in Tokyo for a port call by the frigate Bayern, said escalating tensions, territorial disputes and the changing military balance in the region can have an extensive impact…
US, China not turning inward for good, says Singapore minister, urging superpowers to ‘win the world over’ with leadership
Singapore believes neither the United States nor China is turning inward for good, as both recognise their dependence on the rest of the world for talent, resources and markets, one of the city state’s next generation leaders said on Tuesday.With the two superpowers competing within a single global system, success would be determined by who could manage domestic challenges and exercise global leadership “through the power of their example rather than the example of their power”, Minister of…
Using data to improve buying decisions from a net zero carbon perspective
Businesses are increasingly looking for solutions to meet carbon reduction commitments, and IT procurement processes could be one way to maximise the value of data in search of these aims.
UK regulator raises concerns over cost of processing card payments
The cost to businesses of processing card payments in the UK is greater than it should be, and it is too difficult for those businesses to switch between intermediaries that link them into card payment systems, a UK regulator has found following an extensive review.
Australia to send Cambodia 3 million vaccine doses as Marise Payne makes Southeast Asia tour
Australia’s foreign minister on Monday met Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on issues including the Covid-19 pandemic during the second stop of her four-nation Southeast Asian tour.Foreign Minister Marise Payne exchanged views with her host on trade and Australia’s provision of assistance to Cambodia in the education, health, agriculture and defence sectors, said Eang Sophalleth, a spokesman for the Cambodian premier.Payne mentioned during talks that Australia will provide 3.5 million doses of…
Singapore’s highest court to rule Tuesday on reprieve for Malaysian drug trafficker facing execution
Singapore’s highest court will on Tuesday make an 11th-hour ruling on whether to grant a stay of execution for a convicted Malaysian drug trafficker who is facing imminent execution, following a constitutional challenge that claimed the death sentence violated the 33-year-old man’s fundamental rights.The Court of Appeal will convene on Tuesday to hear the case of Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam, said anti-death penalty activist and journalist Kirsten Han on Twitter.The urgent convening of the…
Two Indian families are fighting over 19th century shipping magnate’s US$1 billion fortune and Saudi Arabia doesn’t know who to give it to
A US$1 billion fortune left behind by a 19th century Muslim shipping magnate who built a guest house for pilgrims to Mecca is being fought over by two feuding families in India.The money has been lying in a Saudi Arabian coffer for decades due to the inability of both the Saudi and Indian governments to adjudicate which of the two families, who live within a few miles of each other in Kannur, Kerala, has the rightful claim.At the heart of the dispute between the Keyi family, who number around 1…
Eight years on, Typhoon Haiyan’s young Philippine survivors have grown up and joined the climate change battle
Cyrel Bajen was 16 years old when Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded, put parts of his hometown in the Philippines under six metres (20 feet) of water.But he can remember that tragic day in 2013 well. The storm had cut visibility to near zero, so he was unable to see even as far as his neighbours’ home. Yet he could hear them drowning.“I heard them screaming and crying as they held on to posts [to avoid being swept away], they were fighting for their lives…