As the pace of global warming races ahead of efforts to tame it, diplomats from more than 190 nations begin crunch UN climate talks in Bangkok Tuesday to breathe life into the Paris Agreement.
This year is the deadline to finalise the “rule book” for the 2015 treaty, which calls for capping the rise in global temperatures at “well below” two degrees Celsius, and 1.5 degrees if possible.
The pact also promises US$100 billion annually from 2020 to poor nations already…
And the winner of the Asian Games is … Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s re-election campaign
Indonesia’s hosting of the Asian Games and a record haul of gold medals has swelled national pride, providing a boost to the re-election campaign of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
The two-week-long games ended Saturday with Indonesia fourth on the medal table behind China, Japan and South Korea.
A good chunk of its 30 gold medals were in obscure sports held only at the Asian Games, and none was from swimming or athletics.
But for Indonesia, which has won only seven Olympic…
‘Who am I?’: Mahathir’s right-hand man Daim Zainuddin on claims he is blocking Anwar
Alternate power centre, me? In an interview with This Week in Asia, Daim Zainuddin, the influential adviser to Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, poured scorn on growing talk that he is emerging as an unelected political force trying to stop Anwar Ibrahim from succeeding as the country’s next leader. The current opposition – from the Barisan Nasional coalition defeated in the May 9 election – say Daim and the Council of Eminent Persons he heads wield too much…
‘This is history’: Bangkok mall opens Thai cave rescue display, featuring plastic tunnel
In Bangkok’s upmarket Siam Paragon shopping centre, a young man crawls through a small, dank-looking tunnel.
The sound of dripping water can be heard as he disappears into the shadows, mixed with a blast of Daft Punk’s Get Lucky from the shopping centre speakers.
“This tunnel is great for children,” said Supira Pungkanok, 78, as the man tumbles out of a tunnel entrance nearby. “It’ll warn them to not do anything adventurous.” The 10-metre plastic…
Social Care Compliance Scheme to continue despite Mencap decision
A national minimum wage (NMW) back pay compliance scheme for care sector employers will continue to operate in its current form despite a recent court judgment on how staff should be compensated for overnight ‘sleep-in’ shifts.
Singapore and Dubai to collaborate on fintech
Financial regulators in Singapore and Dubai have signed an agreement to work more closely together on fintech, including a mechanism which will allow each authority to refer innovative businesses to the other.
Indonesia courts Chinese investment for infrastructure projects
The Indonesian government has offered $13.2 billion worth of infrastructure projects to companies in China, holding a market-sounding event in Guangzhou of south China, attended by 90 potential investors.
India’s women-only comedy show Femapalooza tackles breasts, bras and bias
Men are strictly banned at Femapalooza, a comedy show for Indian women where the punchlines range from breasts and bras to equal pay and censorship.
They are not allowed to attend, perform, or even check tickets at the most recent show at a New Delhi club.
For Femapalooza founder Jeeya Sethi, humour just for women is a way to make progress in deeply patriarchal India, where rape and gender bias are hot-button issues and women are widely expected to adhere to conservative stereotypes.
Sex, pork…
James Ricketson: the ‘spy’ who loved Cambodia, and paid for it
Throughout his 15-month incarceration and three-week espionage trial, Australian filmmaker James Ricketson has lived under appalling conditions, locked up in Cambodia’s notorious Prey Sar prison.
That stay was extended when after a bench of three judges found him guilty of spying for “foreign states” and sentenced him to six years behind bars.
It was the latest saga in an extraordinary era in Cambodian politics that culminated in Hun Sen winning all 125 seats in the National…
Freezing injunction duty of disclosure ‘should not be taken lightly’
The High Court has discharged a $3 billion worldwide freezing order (WFO) granted in favour of the sovereign wealth fund of Angola due to “serious and substantial” breaches of its duty to provide full and frank disclosure of all material facts in the case.