Transparency

Australia PM Will Prevent China Base On Solomons

Australia would work with its allies to prevent China setting up a military base in the Solomon Islands, Prime Minister Scott Morrison vowed Sunday during a heated debate before 21 May elections.China's growing clout in the Pacific has become a hot political issue in Australia ahead of the polls, following Beijing's announcement last month that it had signed a security pact with the Solomons.The China-Solomons deal has not been publicly released but a leaked draft alarmed countries

9 May 2022
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COVID-19's Lessons For Democracies

For more than two years, COVID-19 has taken lives, destroyed livelihoods, disrupted daily routines, and dominated political discussion around the world. As the acute phase of the pandemic comes to an end, we must evaluate what COVID-19 has revealed about the ability of democratic systems to respond to such emergencies.There are several lessons to be learned from a crisis that has caused the death of over six million people and produced the deepest recession since World War II.

4 April 2022
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G7’s Alternative To China’s BRI Faces Obstacles

The global infrastructure plan announced by G7 leaders aims to offer developing nations a credible alternative to China's much-criticised Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – but it faces major hurdles on the ground, especially if Beijing's hiccups are any indication. United States (US) President Joe Biden was able to convince the G7 to sign onto the initiative, drawing allies into Washington's strategic rivalry with Beijing, under a plan titled, "Build Back Better Wo

17 June 2021
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Mekong: Reducing Forest Crime And Deforestation

A new Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)-For-Trade project, in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) Programme’s initiative for the Lower Mekong, will promote trade and sustainable forest management (SFM) and at the same time reduce pressure on forests through improved governance in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.PEFC’s Forestry and Trade for Develop

22 April 2021
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Saving Journalism From Big Tech

It is easy to forget that for a long time – long before Google and Facebook went head-to-head with the Australian government last month – there wasn’t a proven business model for the internet.

7 March 2021
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Managing Well In The Work-From-Home Era

Many managers are treating this year’s pandemic-induced shift to work from home as though it were standard telecommuting. But it’s not, and operating under the assumption that it is can ultimately harm employees’ morale. While office workers are typically faring better than essential workers during the pandemic, the abrupt shift to remote work was jarring, and its effects should not be overlooked.

16 December 2020
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Is The Pfizer Vaccine Suitable For Malaysia?

The following is a press statement issued by the Covid Research Centre in Kuala Lumpur on 11 December, 2020. As the issue of a COVID-19 vaccine has become very controversial and emotional, we may need to pre-qualify ourselves on who we are, our knowledge, track record, beliefs and principles on this issue.Our group was the first in the world to publish an “Open Letter To The Suffering People Of Wuhan” on 11 February, 2020 even before the pandemic engulfed the world.

11 December 2020
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China’s BRI Bank Lacks Transparency

The Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) opened for business in 2016 and rapidly established itself as a major multilateral development institution. It now aims to become the world’s leading financier of large-scale infrastructure by 2021. But the bank first needs to raise its game regarding timely public disclosure of its projects’ environmental and social risks.The AIIB currently has 82 member states, with a further 21 countries expected to join soon.

23 October 2020
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China: Virus Pushing US Ties To 'Cold War'

China said Sunday that relations with the United States (US) were "on the brink of a new Cold War", fuelled in part by tensions over the coronavirus pandemic that has killed nearly 350,000 people worldwide and pitched the global economy into a massive downturn. Fresh tensions between Beijing and Washington emerged as Muslims around the world celebrated an end to the holy month of Ramadan muted by virus restrictions and as more European nations prepared to further ease their

25 May 2020
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The Chinese Health Organization?

The COVID-19 pandemic, much like a major war, is a defining moment for the world – one that demands major reforms of international institutions. The World Health Organization (WHO), whose credibility has taken a severe beating of late, is a good place to start.The WHO is the only institution that can provide global health leadership. But, at a time when such leadership is urgently needed, the body has failed miserably.

24 April 2020
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Thai judge shoots himself in court

A Thai judge shot himself in the chest in front of a packed court after acquitting several murder suspects and decrying the kingdom's judicial system in an impassioned speech broadcast on Facebook Live.Critics say Thailand's courts often work in favour of the rich and powerful, while delivering swift and harsh sentences on ordinary people for minor offences. But it is virtually unheard of for judges to criticise the system.Kanakorn Pianchana, a judge at Yala court in the he

7 October 2019
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Towards public transparency in ASEAN

Public transparency and accountability are cornerstones of a citizen-centric approach to governance, and while ASEAN countries show some signs of having transparent processes in place, challenges still exist.A citizen-centric approach is one where instead of the bureaucracy second-guessing citizens, they are consulted about their needs and encouraged to participate in policy planning, service designs and deliveries.According to a joint report published this week by the Asian Development Bank

14 September 2019
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