SYDNEY (BLOOMBERG) – Legislation aimed at stopping violent crime and acts of extremism from being live-streamed on the internet was passed by Australia’s Senate amid warnings from the legal profession and technology companies that the proposed law is flawed. The Bill, aimed at preventing the “weaponising” of social media platforms by terrorists and criminals, cleared Parliament’s upper house late on… Read more »
HONG KONG • Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He will resume negotiations with his United States counterparts in Washington as both governments push for an agreement to end their protracted trade dispute. The latest round of talks follow discussions last week in Beijing, where Mr Liu met US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Outstanding issues include protection for… Read more »
PARIS (AFP) – Even as the number of coal-fired power plants under development worldwide declines, increased coal use in China and a proposal to boost capacity could imperil global climate change goals, researchers have warned. The industry’s powerful China Electrical Council called this month for ramping up the national coal power capacity to as much as 1,300 gigawatts by 2030,… Read more »
SEOUL (AFP) – A German advertisement showing an Asian woman getting aroused after smelling dirty laundry worn by white men has fuelled anger in Seoul, with many women calling it racist and demanding an apology. The commercial, produced by German DIY-store chain Hornbach, shows white men working outside in a garden before removing their sweaty clothing and dumping it in… Read more »
BEIJING (AFP) – China on Thursday (March 28) hit back at criticism from the United States’ top diplomat who called its treatment of Muslims “shameful hypocrisy” after speaking with a former prisoner from a Chinese detention camp. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the comment after meeting with Mihrigul Tursun, a member of the Uighur ethnic group who has… Read more »