The Asia-Pacific region is one of the fastest-growing markets for arms dealers, with economic growth, territorial disputes and long-sought military modernisation propelling a 52 per cent increase in defence spending over the last decade to US$392 billion in 2018, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.The region accounts for more than one-fifth of the global defence budget and is expected to grow. That was underscored last week by news of Taiwan’s bid to strike a US$2…
Pension code of practice updated as industry cracks down on scammers
The industry code designed to support pensions trustees and providers in tackling pensions scams has been updated for a second time in a year to reflect the latest regulatory developments, such as a ban on cold calling.
Vietnam cracking down on Chinese goods falsely labelled and shipped to US to avoid tariffs
Vietnam said it will impose higher penalties on Chinese goods transferred to the country and illegally relabelled as being “made in Vietnam” for export to the US to avoid tariffs.The customs department has detected dozens of fraudulent certificates of product origin and illegal transfers of goods ranging from agriculture and textile to steel and aluminium, the Vietnamese government said on its website on Sunday.Vietnam’s exports to the US have surged this year at the same time that China’s…
Bangladesh highway blocked as fishermen protest catch ban
Several thousand fishermen blocked Bangladesh’s busiest highway on Sunday, police said, as protests escalated over a two-month fishing ban in the Bay of Bengal.The fishermen say the 65-day blockade – intended to replenish fish stocks – is driving them out of business.Their one-hour protest at the coastal town of Sitakunda caused several kilometres of traffic jams on the main road linking the capital Dhaka to the second city of Chittagong.Local police chief Suman Banik said the demonstration by…
Philippines President Duterte demands arrests in dead patient dialysis scam
President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the arrest of those involved in a dialysis treatment scam that defrauded Philippine Health Insurance Corp, and plans a revamp of the state-run insurer for losing more than 150 billions pesos (US$2.89 billion) from fictitious claims and abuse.“I will really go after this” and “I am ordering the National Bureau of Investigation” to take over, invite people and start making arrests, Duterte said Saturday during an interview in the television show of his ally…
‘I hope my son dies before me’: 44 years after US-Vietnam war, Agent Orange victims are treating brain damage with painkillers
Every night for the past 20 years, Nguyen Thi Tai takes four white tablets before bed so she can sleep without pain. The painkillers and anti-epilepsy medication provide relief for the 32-year-old, who has brain damage and muscular dystrophy caused by wartime toxin Agent Orange. “If she does not take the pills, she will be up all night crying and knocking her head against the wall,” says Tai’s mother, Tran Thi Gai, 58, at their home in Vietnam’s poverty-stricken Quang Tri province. Four of…
Thailand’s child kick-boxers face an often deadly fight to escape poverty
Jakkrit Matha – who only turned 16 in May – has battled to overcome the hardships of life. His mother was only recently released from prison after serving time on drug charges. His 70-year-old grandfather still drives a bus to earn a living, while his grandmother looks after his two siblings in Phetchabun province, 300km from Bangkok, after his father left the family.Today, Jakkrit fights to support himself and his grandparents financially, quite literally – through Muay Thai, or Thai kick…
Using Huawei for 5G in South Korea presents ‘little security risk’
A top South Korean official on Friday said there was little security risk in using equipment by Chinese telecoms giant Huawei for his country’s 5G network, amid efforts by the United States to persuade allies to avoid the company.The presidential Blue House official said South Korea used Huawei hardware for less than 10 per cent of its fifth-generation cellular infrastructure, with the rest provided by Samsung and other firms.“[Huawei equipment] is clearly isolated from our defence and security…
Fitness for purpose rejected as implied term in data centre design contract
The Singapore High Court has said that ‘fitness for purpose’ was not an implied term in a data centre construction contract.
Money2020: progress needed on digital IDs
ANALYSIS: Financial institutions have an opportunity to build on the trust customers have in their handling of sensitive data to develop market-leading digital identity (ID) solutions that can be used to access other on- and off-line services.