Opinion

The ABS-CBN Shutdown Controversy

The Philippines at the moment is not only confronted by the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, rather it is also faced with a huge controversy surrounding one of the most influential media networks in the country, ABS-CBN or popularly known as the “Kapamilya” (Family) Network. The reason for the whole controversy is due to the expiration of its congressional franchise on 4 May, 2020 followed by a “cease and desist” order (CDO) issued by the National Telecommunications Commissi

23 December 2020
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Can Poor Countries Avoid A Vaccine Bidding War?

The world has received the best possible gift for the coming year. The development of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines in such a short time is something close to a medical miracle and portends an end to the crisis that dominated 2020. But the pace at which we will end the pandemic depends on three factors. The first is the extent of continued compliance with recommended safety measures such as mask wearing, social distancing, crowd avoidance, and hand washing.

23 December 2020
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Countdown To Climate Catastrophe

Jamaica, Rwanda, the Marshall Islands, and Mongolia are among the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, and account for just a small percentage of global emissions.

22 December 2020
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Philippines: Weaponising The ICC Against Duterte?

The latest report on Monday (14 December, 2020) by the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Fatou Bensouda stated that there is “reasonable basis to believe” that the Philippines has committed crimes against humanity in connection with President Rodrigo Duterte’s so-called war on drugs operation. However, Bensouda’s report stressed that her office "anticipates deciding on whether to seek authorisation to open an investigation into the situation in the Philippines in the

20 December 2020
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Rooting Out Corruption In Malaysia

It’s been sagaciously said that the love of money lies at the root of all evil. Experience tells us that this is so, and therefore it could be also said that the vice of corruption or bribery as an element of the “original sin” of the love of money constitutes a root – as part of the wider root - of all evil. Corruption defined properly in broad terms and inclusively ranges from the simple giving of a bribe to misappropriating and embezzlement of public funds through the pro

18 December 2020
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My Man Of The Year

On 12 December, Jimmy Lai, a successful businessman and brave campaigner for freedom and democracy, was led into court in Hong Kong in handcuffs and chains, accused of breaking the national security law recently imposed by the Communist Party of China (CPC).

18 December 2020
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Bull Or Bear In 2021?

In my previous commentaries on the peculiar world of equity markets in 2020, I offered a bullish outlook for how events would unfold as the year progressed (with all due caveats for the market’s overall unpredictability). In the event, things have broadly played out as I anticipated, owing to a remarkable monetary – and fiscal-policy expansion and the timely arrival of vaccines that appear capable of ending this dreadful pandemic. What can we expect in 2021?

17 December 2020
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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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Should China Join The Paris Club?

Global indebtedness has never been greater than it is today. With interest rates so low for so long, anyone who could borrow has done so. But, even with rock-bottom borrowing costs, the economic fallout from the pandemic has forced one vulnerable country after another to declare sovereign default, or to signal that it may do so soon. Worse, the main creditor to debt-distressed emerging economies, China, has little experience managing cascading sovereign defaults.

15 December 2020
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Assessing China’s Prospects For Carbon Neutrality

At the United Nations (UN) General Assembly this September, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Given that China has been the planet’s single-largest source of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in recent years – accounting for about 30 percent – decarbonisation there could contribute substantially to the global effort to mitigate climate change. China, of course, will have to rebalance its economy.

14 December 2020
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