PUNE: The CEO of the world’s biggest vaccine maker, Serum Institute of India, said the company has bolstered its manufacturing ahead of launches over the next few years of shots against diseases like malaria and dengue by repurposing facilities used to make COVID-19 immunisations. With COVID manufacturing scaled back as demandContinue Reading
JAKARTA: Days of torrential rain have brought floods and landslides in Indonesia’s province of West Sumatra, forcing the evacuation of more than 70,000 people, while killing at least 19, with seven going missing, authorities said on Sunday (Mar 10). The havoc since last Thursday in the provincial capital of PadangContinue Reading
NEW DELHI: India’s second-highest ranked election commission official has resigned, the justice ministry said, days before the expected announcement of general elections in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will seek a third term. Arun Goel resigned Saturday (Mar 9), leaving the Election Commission of India with only one of itsContinue Reading
SYDNEY: China will complete a review into years-long tariffs on Australian wine by the end of March and is also reviewing its restrictions on lobster imports, Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell said on Sunday (Mar 10). Farrell said he was hopeful China would lift the tariffs of up to 218Continue Reading
There appears to be clear consensus among cannabis operators that regulations are necessary for the industry to be sustainable and viable.
But they disagree with blanket bans on recreational use and “fake restrictions” such as requiring a medical certificate for purchasing the drug in future.
The draft bill also includes a fine of up to 60,000 baht (US$1690) for recreational use, while those selling recreational cannabis or participating in the advertisement or marketing of buds, resin, extract or smoking devices face jail terms of up to a year, a fine of up to 100,000 baht, or both.
Those farming cannabis without a licence face tougher jail sentences, ranging from one to three years and fines from 20,000 baht to 300,000 baht.
“It will be a perfect mess,” said Mr Pachara Chayavoraprapa, the chief operations officer of Buddy Group, the operator of Plantopia.
“The current regulation is that there’s not really many stringent rules. It’s really loose. The best scenario would be, if possible, to draw new parameters, quite strict ones on cannabis.
His idea is to follow a model emulating Amsterdam, where cannabis use has come further out of the shadows and is supported by cultural events and social spaces. He said selling could be limited to certain zones.
“For businesses who have invested a lot to be brought back into the illegal system, I think is a bit unfair,” he said.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former president Asif Ali Zardari won a second term on Saturday (Mar 9), supported by the ruling coalition in a vote by parliament and regional assemblies, the election presiding officer said. The role of president is largely ceremonial in Pakistan but Zardari is known as a master ofContinue Reading
HONG KONG: Two people have been arrested in Hong Kong after a cleaner found the bodies of two babies in glass bottles in the living room of a vacated apartment. The suspects – a 24-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman – are believed to be the parents of the babies.Continue Reading
In February this year, CPI rose 1.0 per cent month-on-month, outpacing the 0.3 per cent uptick in January and the 0.7 per cent growth forecast by economists. But the producer price index (PPI) fell 2.7 per cent from a year earlier in February versus a 2.5 per cent drop theContinue Reading
Separately, a sweeping anti-corruption effort driven by President Xi since taking power more than a decade ago has sustained its momentum, standing out both for its sweeping reach and how far up the ranks it has stretched.
The highest-profile casualty was Zhou Yongkang, who was brought down early on in the graft-busting effort. Before his downfall in 2012, he was a Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) member and national security chief.
Zhou’s case shattered the taboo against investigating retired members of the PSC, breaking an unspoken rule – known in Chinese as “xing bu shang chang wei” – of letting them enjoy their golden years in peace.
More recently, in terms of the numbers, the Global Times reported in 2022 that the anti-graft watchdog had punished some 4.7 million people as of April that year.
That the anti-corruption drive has endured till now is a testament to Mr Xi’s growing influence over the party and state, say analysts.
From the perspective of the party elite, the political status quo also affords more stability, Dr Lim Tai Wei, an adjunct senior fellow at NUS’ East Asian Institute, told CNA.
“(To them), there is certainty in the command structures, and less avenue for alternative lobbying capacity or rival factional strife,” added Dr Lim.
But centralising power under the party and Mr Xi is a double-edged sword, observers note.
“In some ways, looking at the People’s Republic of China politics is easier. It is all about Xi,” said NUS’ Dr Chong.
“However, that also means decision-making processes are more opaque and subject to the whims of one person.”
Similarly, Mr Lye from ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute told CNA the moves have made it more challenging to access or understand China’s politics and policies, especially for the outside world.
“Issues which can be readily understood or addressed by approaching it from a purely technocratic or problem-solving approach have now given way to a higher order priority that includes maintaining the Party’s primacy in various fields and upholding national security,” he added.
Separately, a sweeping anti-corruption effort driven by President Xi since taking power more than a decade ago has sustained its momentum, standing out both for its sweeping reach and how far up the ranks it has stretched.
The highest-profile casualty was Zhou Yongkang, who was brought down early on in the graft-busting effort. Before his downfall in 2012, he was a Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) member and national security chief.
Zhou’s case shattered the taboo against investigating retired members of the PSC, breaking an unspoken rule – known in Chinese as “xing bu shang chang wei” – of letting them enjoy their golden years in peace.
More recently, in terms of the numbers, the Global Times reported in 2022 that the anti-graft watchdog had punished some 4.7 million people as of April that year.
That the anti-corruption drive has endured till now is a testament to Mr Xi’s growing influence over the party and state, say analysts.
From the perspective of the party elite, the political status quo also affords more stability, Dr Lim Tai Wei, an adjunct senior fellow at NUS’ East Asian Institute, told CNA.
“(To them), there is certainty in the command structures, and less avenue for alternative lobbying capacity or rival factional strife,” added Dr Lim.
But centralising power under the party and Mr Xi is a double-edged sword, observers note.
“In some ways, looking at the People’s Republic of China politics is easier. It is all about Xi,” said NUS’ Dr Chong.
“However, that also means decision-making processes are more opaque and subject to the whims of one person.”
Similarly, Mr Lye from ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute told CNA the moves have made it more challenging to access or understand China’s politics and policies, especially for the outside world.
“Issues which can be readily understood or addressed by approaching it from a purely technocratic or problem-solving approach have now given way to a higher order priority that includes maintaining the Party’s primacy in various fields and upholding national security,” he added.