Over a fifth of NHS suppliers providing items including surgical instruments, gloves, gowns and face masks are at “high risk” of using modern slavery, according to a government review. Nearly half of all NHS suppliers of gowns and uniforms are based in China, which also provides the bulk of all masks. The finding is included in a review of 1,361 suppliers to the NHS, conducted by the Department of Health and Social Care, following a government commitment to eradicate modern slavery from the healthcare system. The review highlighted specific areas…
Year: 2023
‘Parasite’ Actor Lee Sun-kyun Found Dead: Report
Seoul, South Korea — South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, best known for his role in the Oscar-winning film “Parasite”, was found dead Wednesday in an apparent suicide according to a police official. The actor was discovered inside a vehicle at a park in central Seoul, Yonhap news agency reported, citing police. Lee, 48, had been under police investigation over his alleged use of marijuana and other psychoactive drugs. Once celebrated for his wholesome image, local news outlets reported that the actor was being dropped from television and commercial projects following…
Chinese gaming stocks regain some ground as Beijing softens rhetoric
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Chinese gaming stocks regained some ground on Wednesday after Beijing appeared to soften its rhetoric on the sector in the wake of new regulations for the world’s biggest gaming market that triggered a record sell-off last week. Shares in Tencent had tumbled more than 12 per cent on Friday after regulators rocked markets with a plan to curb how much money and time adults spend while playing online games —…
China struggles to control data sales as companies shun official exchanges
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Technology sector myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. China is struggling to reduce the influence of a shadow market for business data, as companies shun the official exchanges that have been set up to tighten control over the sale of information. Local governments across the country have established 48 exchanges, most of them coming after Beijing enshrined data as a national priority in 2020, making it a fifth pillar of production alongside land, labour, capital and entrepreneurship. Under…
S. Korea Sanctions 8 N. Koreans Over Arms Trade, Cyberattacks
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea imposed sanctions on eight North Koreans linked to nuclear and missile development through arms trade, cyberattacks and other illicit activities, Seoul’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday. The sanctions came days after North Korea fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile, which South Korea and the United States strongly condemned as a grave violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The newly blacklisted people include Ri Chang Ho, head of the Reconnaissance General Bureau involved in overseas hacking operations, and Yun Chol, who helped supply nuclear materials…
Why hasn’t China joined US-led naval force against Houthi rebel attacks in Red Sea?
However, despite the likely impact of the attacks on China’s own supply chains, Beijing might not take part in the anti-piracy drive until there are actual security threats to Chinese vessels, the observers said. The Houthis’ actions are mainly concentrated around the Bab el-Mandeb strait from the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden along the Yemeni coast – a unique energy corridor connecting to Egypt’s Suez Canal linking Europe and Asia. The 193km (120-mile) canal, one of the world’s busiest waterways and the shortest shipping route between Europe and…
10 Dead in Australia Thunderstorms, Thousands Without Power
SYDNEY — Ten people were killed in Australia after severe thunderstorms battered the country’s east over the Christmas holidays, authorities said on Wednesday, with tens of thousands of properties still without power. Wild weather lashed the states of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland on Dec. 25 and 26 bringing large hailstones and torrential rains. Strong winds blew off roofs and brought down trees in some of the worst-affected areas. More than 90,000 households are still without power. Three men were killed after a yacht with 11 on board capsized…
Three remain missing in sub accident: Taiwan Navy
The search continues for three crew members of a Taiwanese submarine, who were swept off their boat by a sudden large wave last week, Taiwan’s Navy has said. The accident took place last Thursday when the Hai Hu (Sea Tiger) submarine was on a training mission in southeastern Taiwan. Despite the window known as “golden 72 hours,” when the survival rate of the victims is high, having long passed, the search-and-rescue mission has not stopped. “All officers and soldiers are brothers and sisters and we will not give up the…
China turns spotlight on digital economy in quest for ‘common prosperity’ under President Xi Jinping
China will focus on the digital economy to promote President Xi Jinping’s vision for “common prosperity”, national planning and data authorities said. The National Development and Reform Commission and the new National Data Administration have jointly released a plan to expand the application of digital technology to support the development of China’s real economy. The government “aims to consistently narrow disparities among regions, urban and rural areas, various demographic groups, and among fundamental public services, while striving to continually bridge the digital divide”, the data administration said in announcing the…
Indonesia’s Bank Mandiri ‘strikes back’ at fintech rivals
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Surging downloads and use of its two-year-old digital banking apps are boosting the confidence of Indonesia’s top lender Bank Mandiri, as fintech players try to retain existing customers while looking for more among the country’s large unbanked population, the bank’s chief told Nikkei Asia. Darmawan Junaidi, president-director, said that when he assumed his role in October 2020 at Indonesia’s largest lender by assets, both financial technology experts and customers doubted…