The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade deal will take effect on 1 January 2022 following ratification by Asia-Pacific counties.
NEC defects dispute must go to adjudication before the court
It is possible to raise court proceedings in Scotland, to avoid losing a right to pursue money claims, under some NEC contracts even if the contractual requirement to pursue those claims in adjudication first has not been met, according to a recent ruling by a court in Edinburgh.
Armistice remembrances take place around world again, after cancelled last year due to Covid-19
Armistice remembrances took place around the world on Thursday after the coronavirus pandemic wiped out ceremonies twelve months ago to mark the 1918 end of World War I.Dignitaries and government leaders across the Western Front in Europe stood still and pondered the losses of millions during the four-year war, whose end 103 years ago harboured the seeds of an equally cruel World War II a little over two decades later.In Paris, President Emmanuel Macron was joined by US Vice-President Kamala…
Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn returns to Germany, with entourage of 250 people and 30 poodles
King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand has returned to Germany – together with 30 poodles – after spending more than a year away from his adopted home in the Bavarian alps, according to German media reports.The tabloid-style Bild newspaper published a picture of what it said was the 69-year-old monarch wearing a dark brown and orange Adidas track suit on the way to the public swimming pool of the Hilton Airport hotel in Munich. The newspaper said the king had arrived in Munich on Monday and that…
Hybrid working creating GDPR risk as staff print documents at home
Aisleen Pugh tells HRNews how remote working has created a data protection risk with employees printing off documents at home
Irish Central Bank emphasises climate-related expectations for financial firms
The governor of the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) has written to financial institutions highlighting statutory obligations and supervisory expectations relating to climate issues.
Thailand court rules students’ calls for royal reform sought to overthrow monarchy
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…