The UK government is conducting a wide-ranging review into the tax credits system for qualifying expenditure on research and development (R&D) activity.
New Zealand family urges Japan to stop restraining patients at psychiatric hospitals
Four years after a New Zealand teacher died in Japan, where he was restrained to a hospital bed for more than a week, his family remains committed in their campaign to call for the end of the practice they believe killed their son.Kelly Savage died in Yamato City Hospital in Kanagawa Prefecture on May 17, 2017, a week after suffering a heart attack and more than two weeks after he was hospitalised for mental health issues.His parents, Martha and Mike Savage, believe he died after suffering a…
Myanmar junta suspends more than 125,000 teachers for opposing coup
More than 125,000 schoolteachers in Myanmar have been suspended by the military authorities for joining a civil disobedience movement to oppose the military coup in February, an official of the Myanmar Teachers’ Federation said.The suspensions have come days before the start of a new school year, which some teachers and parents are boycotting as part of the campaign that has paralysed the country since the coup cut short a decade of democratic reforms.A total of 125,900 schoolteachers had been…
Climbing guide says at least 100 people infected with coronavirus on Mount Everest
An expert climbing guide said on Saturday that a coronavirus outbreak on Mount Everest has infected at least 100 climbers and support staff, giving the first comprehensive estimate amid official Nepalese denials of a Covid-19 cluster on the world’s highest peak.Lukas Furtenbach of Austria, who last week became the only prominent outfitter to halt his Everest expedition over virus fears, said one of his foreign guides and six Nepali Sherpa guides have tested positive.“I think with all the…
Coronavirus: Singapore reports first case of school-based transmission; Malaysia further tightens curbs
Singapore reported its first case of school-based Covid-19 transmission as an outbreak in the city state showed little signs of abating.A student at a local school contracted the virus after his classmate tested positive on Wednesday, according to a statement by the Ministry of Education on Saturday. Close contacts of both pupils have been placed under quarantine.Singapore reported 22 new cases of locally-transmitted infections on Saturday, of which eight are currently untraceable, the…
Coronavirus: India asks social media firms to remove references to ‘Indian variant’
India’s information technology (IT) ministry has written to all social media companies asking them to take down any content that refers to an “Indian variant” of the coronavirus, according to a letter issued on Friday which was seen by Reuters.The World Health Organization said on May 11 that the coronavirus variant B.1.617, first identified in India last year, was being classified as a variant of global concern.The Indian government a day later issued a statement saying media reports using the…
Strong customer authentication deadline extended again by FCA
Payment services providers operating in the UK have been given a further six months to implement ‘strong customer authentication’ (SCA) standards for e-commerce transactions. A backstop deadline for compliance of 14 March 2022 now applies.
Myanmar junta to dissolve Suu Kyi’s NLD party, step up security at China border
Myanmar’s junta-appointed election commission will dissolve Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party (NLD) because of what it said was fraud in a November election, a local news outlet reported on Friday.Myanmar Now said the decision was made during a meeting with political parties that was boycotted by many parties including the NLD.The election fraud conducted by the NLD was illegal “so we will have to dissolve the party’s registration”, the chairman of the junta-backed Union…
Kiribati’s China-backed airstrip upgrade fuels political divisions in Pacific nation
A China-backed plan to upgrade an airstrip on Kiribati is fuelling political divisions in the tiny Pacific Island nation, with opposition figures questioning Beijing’s intentions and the project’s purpose.Kiribati’s 33 islands are scattered across resource-rich waters that make up one of the world’s largest exclusive economic zones.The proposed revamp of the airstrip, which was used by American bombers during World War II, comes amid heightened scrutiny of Beijing’s outreach efforts to…
Court backs Irish regulator on Facebook data transfers inquiry
The High Court in Ireland has dismissed a legal challenge brought by Facebook over plans outlined by the country’s data protection authority to open an investigation into the company’s arrangements for transferring personal data from the EU to the US.