Sports data analysis firm Sportradar has warned of rising cases of match fixing across Asia, particularly in lower leagues. The company’s report shows that 52% of suspicious football matches in 2021 involved third-tier or lower, including youth competitions and regional leagues. However, about 31% of suspicious matches occurred in the second tier. The report said the problem was “growing substantially in certain regions where those responsible for match manipulation have enjoyed success in recent years”, adding that suspicious live betting was affected by Asian-based betting operators due to loose regulations.
There is a growing chance that the planet will warm to more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels within the next five years, according to the United Nations arm the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). In 2015, the nations of the world committed to prevent such a rise in temperatures in the Paris Agreement. In 2017, the WMO estimated that there was a 48% chance that this target would be breached, but this estimate has now increased to 66%. The WMO has said it is almost certain that one of the next five years will be the hottest in human history.
Pop star Taylor Swift and rock musician Matthew "Matty" Healy have sparked rumours of a dalliance after photos emerged of the couple leaving Electric Lady Studios in New York City together. Healy, frontman of English band The 1975, has previously admitted to exchanging numbers with Swift in 2014 and more recently, flew 19 hours from the Philippines to Nashville to watch Swift perform in May. The speculation surrounding their relationship has split Swift's fans, with some believing that the carefully managed narrative has been orchestrated by Swift, who many credit with establishing herself as a powerful influence in her own story. Healy, who has been criticised for echoing misogynistic and racist views through his Twitter account, has never been shy of controversy. Swift dated actor Joe Alwyn for six years, and recently completed a reimagining of her 2008 album Fearless.
Several hundred young people, mostly in their 20s, were recruited by San Francisco-based outsourcing company Sama to work in its Nairobi hub moderating Facebook content. In a lawsuit against Sama and Facebook owner Meta, 184 petitioners are alleging human rights violations and wrongful termination of contracts. The case, one of the largest of its kind, has potential global implications for the conditions of tens of thousands of moderators employed to filter out the most toxic material from social media networks. The cases are the first filed outside the US that seek to change through court procedures how moderators of Facebook content are treated. In 2020, Facebook paid out $52m to settle a lawsuit and provide mental health treatment for American content moderators. Many moderators in Kenya who spoke to The Financial Times said the work left them psychologically scarred, plagued by flashbacks and unable to maintain normal social relations.
China urges Australia to help find crew of capsized fishing boat
Reuters
23-05-18 03:43
China's ambassador to Australia has called for the country to increase its efforts in locating the 39 missing crew members after a Chinese fishing boat capsized in the Indian Ocean early this week. President Xi Jinping has reportedly ordered all efforts be made to locate the crew, who include 17 Chinese nationals, 17 Indonesians and five individuals from the Philippines. The capsized fishing boat has been located, but no survivors have been discovered. The Chinese government has coordinated with nearby countries regarding the search and rescue mission.
A Chinese envoy to Australia has asked for increased efforts from the Australian authorities to search for any survivors of a capsized fishing boat; 39 individuals are still missing. Equipped with four airplanes and three ships, the search area covers some 5,000kms of the centre of the Indian Ocean, although no survivors or life rafts have been located. Coordinating with “friendly countries”, including Australia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, China is keen to invest resources to help support the search and rescue initiative and has urged Australia to do the same.
The Philippines is emphasising territorial defence, especially in the South China Sea, rather than internal security. Defence is becoming a front-burner issue as the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the Philippines and the US expands. A key site of the pact is on the island of Palawan off the west coast of the country, close to territorial claims by China and Taiwan. The visit by the Philippines' military was to show their concern over possible maritime intrusions into the country's waters.
Nikkei Asia300 Investable Index set for June reshuffle
Nikkei Asia
23-05-18 08:53
Nikkei will add 20 new issues to its Asia300 Investable Index, designed to gauge the performance of 300 high-growth Asian companies, and will remove 20 constituents including Ayala Land of the Philippines. Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Nio is among those being added to the index, whose components are selected from listed companies in 10 Asian countries and regions based on market capitalisation, trading value, revenue growth, percentage of shares available for trading and other factors. The index is reshuffled every June.
Myanmar's neighbours are unable to agree on what action should be taken over the country's conflict, as more than 1.3 million Burmese people have been displaced and over 30,000 killed since the military junta seized power in early 2021. A summit of the 10-country Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) on 10 May discussed progress on ASEAN’s draft peace plan for Myanmar. While some countries called for Myanmar’s generals to be invited back to the club’s meetings, more democratic countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore remained critical of the junta. ASEAN’s divisions are widening over the issue.
China has recently become the country closest to Myanmar’s junta, as it seeks to protect its investments and establish strategic advantage in a country that offers access to the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean, bypassing the Malacca Strait. China has already committed over $21bn into a China-Myanmar Economic Corridor of roads, railways, pipelines and a port. In addition to economic expansion, China is promoting President Xi Jinping’s foreign-policy mantra of “community with a shared future for mankind” that prioritises economic development over individual rights. China’s influence as ASEAN’s unity weakens is allowing the country to advance its interests to the detriment of Burmese people.
A new study by World Weather Attribution claims that the recent heatwave in Asia, which caused temperatures of up to 45C, was made at least 30 times more likely by the effects of climate change and increased temperatures by at least 2C. The heatwave resulted in deaths, destroyed infrastructure including melting roads and caused hospitalisations. The impact of heatwaves is typically not seen until weeks or months later when scientists analyse death rates. Street vendors, farmers and construction workers and many of the region's poorest inhabitants are most likely to be affected by such events.
The Philippines will receive Australian drones and other surveillance technology to strengthen their coast guard maritime domain awareness capabilities. The US and the Philippines have been holding talks on proposed joint naval patrols in the South China Sea, and earlier this year, the Australian Defence Minister and his Philippine counterpart said they were looking at Australian and Philippine forces carrying out joint patrols. Wong thanked the Philippine Government for help in discovering a sunken Japanese ship that resulted in Australia’s largest maritime wartime loss, announcing the potential move to joint patrols is to ensure “sovereignty is respected”. Australia will cooperate with partners to “exercise freedom of navigation and overflight."
Vietnam has accused China of violating its sovereign rights by sending a research ship into its exclusive economic zone, while also castigating another neighbour, the Philippines, for laying navigational buoys in disputed seas. The South China Sea is an important trade route and conduit for more than $3tn of annual commerce. Tensions are high between China and Vietnam in relation to parts of the sea, while the Philippines also disputes China's claim to the disputed Spratly archipelago.
Water UK has issued a collective apology on behalf of nine privatised UK water companies for releasing human waste into rivers and seas. The companies have promised to invest £10bn ($12.7bn) over 10 years to reduce sewage overflows. However, the amount falls just £400m short of the £1.4bn in total dividends paid to shareholders by the nine firms in 2017. Private water firms were nationalised in a number of countries, including the UK, in the 19th century. While most countries have kept their water companies in public ownership, the UK privatised the industry under Margaret Thatcher.
The upcoming G7 meeting in Hiroshima, which aims to provide a “united front” on the Ukraine crisis and growing concerns about China’s global power, reflects a rapidly changing international order, according to the BBC. The summit of the world’s wealthiest democracies, which will start on Friday in the Japanese city, has also this year been extended to include Australia, India, Brazil, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Comoros (representing the African Union) and the Cook Islands (representing the Pacific Islands Forum). The new attendees represent the so-called “Global South”, which is keen to stress that there is an alternative to Russia and China. However, gaining support for sanctions to be placed against Moscow will be a challenge as many of the G7’s new guests maintain complex political and economic ties with both Russia and China. A number of the new attendees also depend heavily on Chinese aid and are economically tied to Beijing.
The United States must manage its efforts to balance assistance to Ukraine and deterrence against China to ensure both priorities are met, according to a report by The Heritage Foundation. Supporting the self-defense of Ukraine and the defense of Taiwan are both in the interest of the United States. Any form of forced unification of Taiwan by China would entail direct harm to US economic and national security interests, with global consequences. A Russia that emerges from the Ukraine war capable of further territorial aggression could also threaten NATO, non-NATO countries, and international trade routes.
To date, not enough has been done to ensure support for Ukraine does not detract from building a strong deterrence posture against China. The administration and Congress must first acknowledge this and then actively manage US efforts to accomplish both. Effective support for Ukraine will not only weaken the Kremlin’s foreign policy, generally, it will also constrain the resources Moscow has to cement its relationship with China, according to the report. The US should protect its interests in both theaters.
The US government provides defense articles, training, and services to eligible foreign governments through security assistance programs. Since February 24, 2022, the US has provided $36.9bn in security assistance to Ukraine, the report showed. However, policymakers should also understand the tension between the two countries’ foreign military sales (FMS) purchases while working to fix the administrative and capacity problems causing a backlog in FMS deliveries.
The leaders of the G7 met this past weekend in Hiroshima to discuss issues including climate change, amid global energy crises and Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine. As we commented last week, Japan has been criticised for promoting dangerous fossil gas as part of the global energy transition, something the Biden administration is also being condemned for. Both nations are accused of making commitments to climate issues then backing out. Despite the relative success of the Kyoto Protocol in incentivising CO2 reductions when it was signed in 1997, targets have been revised upwards repeatedly since.
During 2020 US and partner militaries conducted more than 300 counterterror operations in the Middle East alone, killing nearly 700 ISIS fighters. Despite this, the threat remains; it is estimated that around 30,000 ISIS fighters are imprisoned in Iraq and Syria and could be re-harnessed to rebuild the organisation. Additionally, ISIS terror branches, networks and cells exist outside Iraq and Syria with ties to groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, the Philippines and in countries in Africa. It is believed that al-Qaida threat is no longer what it used to be, but there is still concern it will advance its Islamist, anti-West agenda via its affiliates around the world. US policymakers are particularly concerned about East Africa's al-Shabab which has reportedly been killing Americans. The article argues that even amongst concerns of nuclear proliferation and international competition with superpowers such as Russia and China, domestic and regional terrorist groups must also be a priority.
The economic issues surrounding the use of electric vehicles (EVs) in the US, including their cost, convenience, and environmental impact, are outlined in a recent episode of the Heritage Foundation's Heritage Explains podcast. The Biden administration's new regulations requiring EVs to represent at least 54% of all new vehicles sold in 2030 will have an adverse economic impact on the country, the podcast's guest speaker warned. Furthermore, the reliance on China for EV production will make it economically stronger while weakening the US economy. Trillions of dollars would, therefore, be wasted on EV production to benefit China, which makes solar panels, wind turbines, and electric batteries.
Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, the US envoy to Japan, said Micron Technology's deal with Japan for financial aid to produce next-gen memory chips, has set a precedent for countering Beijing's "coercion", and shows that Japan and the US will act in unison to help secure supply chains from being targeted by China's coercion. The financial aid from Japan is reportedly worth around $1.5bn. China rejected those claims and accused the US of starting trade wars and bullying nations. Emanuel cited examples of China trying to intimidate companies, including US consultancy Bain & Company, Micron and Mintz Group. Discussions on how to respond to China's growing influence will feature at G7.
Indian navy locates capsized Chinese fishing vessel, life raft
Reuters
23-05-19 12:42
The Indian navy has found a Chinese fishing vessel which capsized in the Indian Ocean earlier this week with 39 crew members onboard. The vessel Lupeng Yuanyu 028 had 17 Chinese crew, 17 Indonesians and five from the Philippines on board. The Indian navy has not referred to any casualties regarding the shipwreck.
