As the 47th Asean summit came to a close this week, questions remained over the bloc’s handling of the Myanmar crisis and whether it had done enough to bring peace to the war-torn country.
The three-day summit saw the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations discuss various issues, including the ongoing clashes between Myanmar’s junta and opposition forces. Several members also signed trade deals with the United States.
“Myanmar was lower on the agenda at the summit compared with other…
Australian employers warned to take flexible work requests seriously by FWC
A recent ruling from the FWC has reaffirmed that flexible work is not a benefit or ‘favour’ from an employer to an employee, but a protected entitlement that must be treated with fairness, transparency and legal compliance by employers when considering requests.
South Korea, US reach trade deal at Trump-Lee summit from tariffs to investment
South Korea and the United States reached a comprehensive trade deal on Wednesday, ranging from tariffs and investment to shipbuilding, at the summit in Gyeongju between President Lee Jae-myung and his American counterpart, Donald Trump.
“We reached a deal. We did a lot of different things. Great session,” Trump said.
The two countries agreed to maintain tariffs at 15 per cent following a preliminary deal reached earlier this year, Chief Presidential Secretary for Policy Kim Yong-beom told…
China brokers Myanmar rebel pullback from ruby mining town
One of Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic armed opposition factions has agreed to a China-brokered withdrawal from a lucrative ruby mining hub, the group said on Wednesday.
Myanmar has been mired in a civil war since the military grabbed power in a 2021 coup, with the junta fighting an array of pro-democracy guerrillas and powerful ethnic minority armed groups.
The ragtag opposition initially struggled to make headway before organising a combined offensive in late 2023 that seized huge swathes of…
New consultations launched as Employment Rights Bill moves on
New consultations on improving workers’ access to unions plus better protection and rights for pregnant women and new mothers have been launched in the UK
Historic Vietnam cities of Hue, Hoi An flooded after heaviest ever rainfall
Heavy rains have caused major flooding in central Vietnam, with rivers swelling and submerging homes, farmland and tourist destinations including the historic cities of Hue and Hoi An.
Rainfall in the central city of Hue reached 1,085mm (42 inches) in 24 hours by late Monday, the highest volume ever recorded in Vietnam, according to the country’s meteorological department.
By Tuesday morning, water levels in Hue’s iconic Perfume River had risen to 4.62 meters (15 feet) and were waist-deep in the…
Malaysia’s Anwar turns charm and wit into diplomatic wins for Asean
Few were ready for the zinger that followed when Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim leaned into the microphone and said, with a suitably dramatic pause for effect, that he and US President Donald Trump were alike in many ways.
“President Trump and I share a lot in common,” he said, as ears craned towards the lectern for the punchline. One of the overlapping experiences was “that I was in prison”, Anwar added, “and you almost got there”.
The joke landed well, drawing laughter in the room,…
Landmark data breach penalty a warning to Australian businesses, with more penalties expected
The first civil penalty imposed by an Australian court for serious breaches of the Privacy Act should be a strong reminder for businesses to prioritise the privacy and security of personal information.
Russia hosts North Korea’s foreign minister, hails deepening ties
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that his country’s ties with North Korea were developing “as planned”, as he hosted North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui in the Kremlin.
Choe passed on “warm wishes” from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after she had earlier hailed the “spiritual closeness” between Moscow and Pyongyang during a meeting with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
The visit is the latest in a flurry of diplomatic exchanges between the two countries and comes just…
UN chief urges Myanmar junta to prioritise aid over holding election
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged Myanmar’s junta to focus on increasing aid to its struggling people instead of holding an election, which he said would be neither free nor fair.
Myanmar’s junta has been widely pilloried for pressing on with the election starting this December, while it continues to bomb civilians in a civil war that has killed thousands and displaced more than 3.5 million people.
Guterres, who was in Kuala Lumpur for a summit between the UN and…