Huge amounts of funds are required for capital investment and research and development to realise a decarbonised society. It is important for the Japanese government to draw up a strategy that will motivate companies to invest, leading to the growth of the Japanese economy. The government has unveiled the interim report of its Clean Energy Strategy. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida directed his government to formulate the plan, which presents policies to achieve the goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in 2050. The government intends to finalise the strategy by the end of this year. In the interim report, the government…
Author: Asia News Network
Laos is facing a challenge with respect to foreign currency outflow, which is more than the amount of foreign currency entering the country through the banking system. Bank of the Lao PDR governor Sonexay Sithphaxay told a news conference recently that only 33 per cent of the total export value entered the Lao economy through the banking system over the past four months of this year, with the rest deposited offshore. Meanwhile, 98 per cent of the total import value was transferred out of the country through the banking system in this period. This means that commercial banks in Laos…
North Korea appears to be preparing for a possible intercontinental ballistic missile test within the next 48 to 96 hours in time for US President Joe Biden’s visit to Seoul and Tokyo this weekend, CNN reported on May 18. An official familiar with the matter told CNN that a government assessment shows that “things we have noticed in the past for a launch are the things we are noticing now”. While the official did not provide specific details on the latest satellite imagery they observed, he said that the launch site is located near Pyongyang. The US official also said…
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will leave a government that has “failed in its obligations to protect human rights” and that has “encouraged a culture of impunity” by stonewalling on independent inquiries and not bringing to trial cops implicated in wrongdoing in his six-year war on drugs, according to a report by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR). The 48-page report, completed in April and released this week, is one of the final acts by the CHR commissioners whose seven-year terms all expired on May 5. It is an expanded version of a report published in the Inquirer last March, in…
An alleged data leak containing the information of 22.5 million Malaysians born between 1940 and 2004, purportedly stolen from the National Registration Department (NRD), has once again put the country’s data security measures in the spotlight. Local tech portal Amanz reported that the database, 160GB in size, is being sold for $10,000 on the dark web. In the screenshot shared by the portal, the seller claimed that this is an expanded database compared to the one he sold in September last year, which was only up to 1998. In both incidents, it was claimed that the data was siphoned from…
The Public Prosecutors Commission on May 18 unanimously voted to indict a former deputy attorney-general of being careless in making the decision to drop the criminal hit-and-run charge against Red Bull scion Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhaya. The commission, however, did not find Nate Naksuk of being corrupt or committing malfeasance in deciding to drop the charge of reckless driving causing death against Vorayuth in July 2020. As a result, the commission decided to suspend the penalty for Nate’s “careless decision” by telling him to leave the public prosecutor’s service retroactively to the date he quit the service that year. Nate’s decision…
The differentiated home loan policies announced on May 15 by Chinese state financial authorities will not only lower homebuyers’ monthly repayment amount but send a positive signal that the government is all for the stable and healthy development of the housing market, analysts said on May 16, according to state media. In a joint statement on May 15, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), the central bank, and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission said that based on the corresponding tenor of benchmark loan prime rates (LPR), first-time homebuyers can receive home loan interest rates that are 20 basis…
A newly discovered underground gold mine that has just begun operations will significantly bolster mineral production by Lane Xang Minerals Ltd (LXML) and bring socio-economic benefits to Laos. With resources of 9.5 million tonnes and ore production projected to increase from 400,000 tonnes in 2023 to 1.2 million tonnes per annum thereafter, the “Discovery Deeps Underground Mine” is expected to extend Sepon’s mine life by at least seven years to 2030, LXML, a leading mineral producer in Laos, said in a statement. Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines and Sepon Project Management Committee chair Thongphat Inthavong, and other government stakeholders…
Thailand’s commerce ministry will host a meeting with Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) trade ministers to discuss the long-delayed Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). The Apec Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting, to be held at Centara Grand in Bangkok from May 19-22, will be led by Thai commerce minister Jurin Laksanawisit. Several representatives, including ministers from the US, Russia, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Brunei and Vietnam, will be at the meeting in person, though the Chinese minister will attend online. Auramon Supthaweethum, director-general of the Department of Trade Negotiations, said the meeting on May 21-22 will focus on cooperation to…
The Vietnam Blockchain Association was launched in the capital Hanoi on May 17, the country’s first official legal entity specialising in the field of blockchain technology. The association will gather blockchain research and application enthusiasts throughout Vietnam. It aims to promote the nation’s digital economy in other to mark the Southeast Asian country’s position on the world technology map. Among the association’s tasks include expanding relationships with blockchain organisations and communities around the world and creating favourable conditions for members to share experiences and resources to research, test, apply, deploy and trade blockchain technology in accordance with Vietnamese law. Attracting…