A majority of global infrastructure firms see decarbonisation as “extremely or critically important” for their business, according to research by Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.
Indonesia plans global Buddhist site at Borobudur temple
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, is seeking to preserve and promote the mystical 9th-century Buddhist Borobudur temple in Central Java amid growing intolerance, raising hopes it could escape the fate of Afghanistan’s Bamiyan Buddha statues. Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas said Borobudur occupied a significant place of respect for Buddhists and officials were studying how to promote ceremonies “which can be attended by Buddhists all over the world”,…
Coronavirus: young South Koreans blamed as Seoul tightens curbs amid surge in cases
As South Korea prepared on Friday to raise antivirus restrictions in the greater Seoul area to their highest level after new Covid-19 cases climbed to a daily record for the second day running, unvaccinated young people were increasingly being blamed for spreading the disease. Under the Level 4 restrictions, effective from Monday, residents of the capital region will be advised to stay home as much as possible, schools will be closed, public meetings will be restricted to two people after 6pm…
Role for HR in climate-related financial disclosures
Sarah Munro tells HRNews about HR’s role in preparing for mandatory climate-related financial disclosures
Plan now for winter flu employers warned
Anne Sammon tells HRNews why flu will present unprecedented challenges for employers this winter
South China Sea: Chinese coastguard ships, warplanes engaged in ‘parallel escalation’ off Malaysia, US think tank says
A controversial incident that saw 16 Chinese military aircraft near Malaysian air space in late May coincided with similar activity by Chinese coastguard vessels in the area, and may have been part of “parallel escalation” efforts aimed at challenging energy exploration activities in the South China Sea, a US think tank said.Unreported minor stand-offs between China and Southeast Asian claimant states are continuing, details in the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) report published…
Young members of ethnic minority groups most at risk in Vietnam-China human trafficking trade: report
Most people prosecuted for trafficking women from Vietnam to China between 2012 and 2020 were young members of ethnic minority groups with no prior criminal record, a new report has found, underlining how vulnerable people from those communities are to being caught up in the illicit trade.The study by the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, a Hanoi-based non-profit that rescues and defends victims of human trafficking, was shared exclusively with This Week in Asia ahead of its Thursday release…
Tougher Building Safety Bill introduced to UK parliament
Planned changes to the building and fire safety regime will now apply to Wales as well as England, while residents in high-rise buildings will be given longer to seek rectification of defects, the UK government has confirmed.
Singapore says Asean to ‘expedite’ Myanmar plan, as UN warns that civil war looms
Implementation of a five-point consensus reached by Asean to deal with the crisis in Myanmar would be expedited, Singapore’s foreign minister said, as the UN rights chief warned of a post-coup “human rights catastrophe” that was driving the troubled country towards possible civil war.“We recognise that implementation of the five-point consensus has been slow and a little disappointing,” Vivian Balakrishnan said on Tuesday in written replies to parliamentary questions.“We are working within…
How Indonesia’s EV plans will shape its relations with the US and China
The market for electric vehicles (EVs) is projected to explode over the next 10 years as they become an increasingly important technology for the global clean-energy transition. By 2030, roughly 26 million EVs are expected to be sold worldwide, compared with 1.7 million last year. Even major companies such as Ford and General Motors plan to go fully electric by 2035.With lithium-ion batteries constituting about 40 per cent of EV manufacturing costs, they will be an increasingly important…