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With the United Nations security council backing the reappointment of António Guterres as UN secretary general for another five years, it is time to ask whether the global body’s political leadership needs a major overhaul.

The answer surely has to be ‘yes’.…

The striking of a coalition agreement in Israel that not only unites right- and left-wing parties, but for the first time in the country’s history includes an Arab party – the United Arab List – signals that real change is possible for Israelis and Palestinians.…

A south-east Asian regional power grid is moving closer in the latest stage of a phased 10-year plan to bring energy security, accessibility, affordability and sustainability,

New, upgraded, extended, stronger, and more flexible electricity transmission and distribution grids are key to this ongoing programme, helping the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to meet the power demands of population and economic growth, rising urbanisation and affluence.…

A FORMER correspondent for International News Services has published a memoir about the four years she lived in Myanmar.

Our Home in Myanmar is written by Australian journalist, Jessica Mudditt, who moved to Yangon with her Bangladeshi husband in 2012 to join The Myanmar Times. She also worked at the country’s state-run newspaper during the historic elections of 2015, and was a consultant for the United Nations and the British Embassy.…

The under-developed system of higher education of African archipelago country São Tomé & Príncipe is growing slowly amidst expanding demand, being assisted by international projects and funds.
One major potential initiative that may cause significant progress, however, involves this Lusophone country being chosen by the Pan African Institute for Development (PAID) to host a future International University of Development Sciences.…

GLOBAL ratings agency Fitch has warned that the current global shortage in semiconductor supplies is expected to continue – a major worry for automotive manufacturers and traders seeking to ramp up production as Covid-19 declines, especially as vehicles become ever more reliant on micro-chips.…

The narcotics trade was a prime motivator to enact global anti-money laundering regulations to curb dirty money flows. Over 30 years later, drug trafficking is still considered the largest transnational crime by international law enforcement agencies. It is worth an estimated USD344 billion-a-year, according to Interpol, followed by counterfeiting crimes (USD288 billion) and human trafficking (USD157 billion).…

THE GROWING popularity of cryptocurrencies has stoked concerns that they offer a haven for money launderers. The concern focuses on the risk that crypto can be used anonymously to buy goods and services, without them being converted into fiat currencies through exchanges that are a key focus of emerging AML/CFT controls.…

New regulatory plastic waste obligations coming into force in July (this year) will force tobacco producers selling into the European Union’s (EU) 447-million-person market to take measures to reduce butt littering. The move, part of the EU’s Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) (Directive (EU) 2019/904), are designed to reduce the 4.5 trillion cigarette butts that end up as litter annually worldwide (according to the UN), generating 845,000 tonnes of waste, according to a New York (USA) state document.…

With President Joe Biden assuming office in the United States, the Mexican clothing and textile industry is hoping improved trading relations, building on the legacy left by former President Donald Trump that it regards largely positively.

The Mexican Apparel Association (CANAIVE – Cámara Nacional de la Industria del Vestido) was particularly happy with the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), now called the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement: “USMCA opened new opportunities for our industry while seeking to obtain a more solid regional integration,” said CANAIVE, in a note to just-style.…