G-7 Hiroshima summit: Who’s attending, what will be discussed?

By MARI YAMAGUCHI today AP

FILE - Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during an interview with foreign media members at the Prime Minister's official residence Thursday, April 20, 2023, in Tokyo. Leaders of seven of the world’s most powerful democracies will gather this weekend for the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, the location of the world’s first atomic attack at the end of World War II. The leaders are expected to strongly condemn Russia’s war on Ukraine while pledging their continuing support for Ukraine. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

FILE – Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during an interview with foreign media members at the Prime Minister’s official residence Thursday, April 20, 2023, in Tokyo. Leaders of seven of the world’s most powerful democracies will gather this weekend for the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, the location of the world’s first atomic attack at the end of World War II. The leaders are expected to strongly condemn Russia’s war on Ukraine while pledging their continuing support for Ukraine. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

TOKYO (AP) — Leaders of seven of the world’s most powerful democracies will gather this weekend for the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, the location of the world’s first atomic attack at the end of World War II.

From the emergence of crucial developing countries to security worries, including growing aggression from China, North Korea and Russia, here’s a look at the G-7, who will attend and some of the key issues:

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North Korea has stolen $721m worth of cryptocurrency from Japan in the past five years

Vietnam was the next largest victim, having lost $540m, the US following with $497m and finally Hong Kong, which suffered losses to the Diplomatic Republic of North Korea (DPRK) of $281m.

Hackers linked to the government in Pyongyang regularly target foreign adversaries looking to steal funds.

By Claudia Glover, techmonitor

North Korean hackers have stolen cryptocurrencies worth $721m from Japan in the past five years, a report revealed this week. The long history of animosity between the countries, and the close association between Japan and the US, is likely to be behind the trend, researchers say.

Japan has been the main target of North Korean hackers since 2017. (Photo by Astrelok/Shutterstock)

This figure is equal to 30% of the total of such losses worldwide, states the report. The research was carried out by UK cryptocurrency research company Elliptic on behalf of Asia Nikkei.

North Korea has stolen $721m from Japan since 2017

According to Elliptic’s findings, Japan is the worst hit by North Korea’s worldwide cryptocurrency raids, suffering $721m in thefts out of a global $2.3bn between 2017 and the end of 2022. 

Vietnam was the next largest victim, having lost $540m, the US following with $497m and finally Hong Kong, which suffered losses to the Diplomatic Republic of North Korea (DPRK) of $281m.

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Japan’s quiet leadership as it hosts the G7 summit in Hiroshima

brookings.edu

Mireya Solís, director of the Center for East Asian Policy Studies at Brookings, explains the significance of Japan hosting the G7 summit in Hiroshima, and how Tokyo centers its foreign policy on promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region. “This is Japan’s grand strategy,” Solís says, “this is really the roadmap that Japan has charted to achieve its security and prosperity.”

Mireya Solís, director of the Center for East Asian Policy Studies at Brookings, explains the significance of Japan hosting the G7 summit in Hiroshima, and how Tokyo centers its foreign policy on promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region. “This is Japan’s grand strategy,” Solís says, “this is really the roadmap that Japan has charted to achieve its security and prosperity.”

TRANSCRIPT

[music]

DOLLAR: Hi, I’m David Dollar, host of the Brookings Trade podcast Dollar and Sense. Today, my guest is Mireya Solís, director of the Center for East Asian Policy Studies here at Brookings. Mireya is a leading expert on Japan’s trade and economic diplomacy, and she has a book coming out this summer on Japan’s quiet leadership. And one aspect of this quiet leadership, or maybe not so quiet right now, is Japan will be hosting the G7 summit in Hiroshima starting on May 19. That’s the main thing we’re going to talk about.

Because of the Memorial Day holiday in the United States, we’re going to push back production one week. So, the next episode will come out on June 5th.

So, welcome to the show, Mireya.

SOLÍS: Thank you so much, David. It’s a pleasure to be here.

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Gần 72% doanh nghiệp thừa nhận tình trạng cán bộ nhũng nhiễu

vietnam.net

Để có “phong bao” không ít công chức, viên chức đã “mê cung hóa” những quy trình xử lý, làm doanh nghiệp không thể không móc hầu bao.

Nhũng nhiễu tăng vọt

Giám đốc một doanh nghiệp tại Hà Nội cho biết, công ty ông phải tiếp các đoàn thanh tra khá thường xuyên. Mà trong mỗi lần kiểm tra thì y như rằng, họ yêu cầu, xét nét đủ thứ, không có “phong bao” thì không được. Có cán bộ còn chủ động xin số zalo để kết nối dễ, mỗi lần “có việc” là họ lại chủ động liên hệ “xin”.

Đây chính là hành vi nhũng nhiễu, hay nói chính xác là tham nhũng vặt, của những người có chức vụ, quyền hạn, nhằm vụ lợi từ doanh nghiệp. Những hành vi này đã diễn ra từ lâu và diễn ra hàng ngày ở nhiều nơi, nhiều cơ quan, tổ chức khác nhau, thậm chí gần như trở thành thông lệ, thói quen, của không ít cán bộ hiện nay.

Chi phí không chính  thức vẫn tồn tại phổ biến trong nhiều lĩnh vực quản lý Nhà nước. Ảnh minh họa: Hoàng Hà

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Kiện đòi nợ bảo hiểm xã hội: Văn minh phải đáo tụng đình

VŨ THỦY – K.Y. – 15/05/2023 20:02 GMT+7

TTCTKiện doanh nghiệp ra tòa để đồi nợ bảo hiểm xã hội là cách người lao động tự bảo vệ tài sản của mình hiệu quả nhất.

Những trường hợp doanh nghiệp nợ bảo hiểm xã hội của người lao động kéo dài, có khi lên tới hàng năm trời, không hề hiếm gặp. Người lao động tự bảo vệ mình như thế nào, và hệ thống công đoàn, tư pháp hiện tại hiệu quả tới đâu trong cuộc đi đòi công lý?

Công nhân Công ty Dệt may Gia Định đến trụ sở công ty yêu cầu trả nợ lương và BHXH. Ảnh: TUYẾT NGUYỄN

Mới tuần trước, 53 công nhân của Công ty cổ phần quốc tế Quang Điện ở Khu công nghệ cao, TP Thủ Đức, TP.HCM, đã nộp đơn khởi kiện yêu cầu Tòa án nhân dân TP Thủ Đức giải quyết yêu cầu thanh toán tiền lương, bảo hiểm xã hội, bảo hiểm y tế, và bảo hiểm tai nạn.

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Pou Chen lays off 6,000 people in Vietnam and hires 20,000 in India

laconceria – 4 May 2023

Taking jobs away from Vietnam to give it to India. It seems to be the strategy of Pou Chen Corp, the largest global manufacturer of sporting shoes, which decided to cut 6,000 jobs from a Vietnam-based production site (in photo) and invest 280 million USD to build a new plant in India. The goal: to hire 20,000 people in the next 12 months. One year ago, Hong Fu Group had also planned to invest for a similar operation to that of Pou Chen.

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Mỗi tuần một chuyện: Tre Campuchia thật là dẻo…

HUY THỌ – 13/05/2023 09:58 GMT+7

TTCTĐã hơn nửa đường SEA Games 32 trôi qua, và điều đọng lại lớn nhất trong tôi chính là chủ nhà!

Campuchia là một quốc gia nghèo trong khu vực Đông Nam Á. Tính thu nhập bình quân đầu người, trong khu vực họ chỉ đứng trên Myanmar và Đông Timor.

Ảnh: Inside The Games

Vậy mà lần đầu tiên tổ chức SEA Games, một sự kiện phải chăm sóc cả chục ngàn con người tham gia, chưa tính du khách, họ đã làm rất tốt. 

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Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Universal Declartion of Human Rights (1948) >>

The Core International Human Rights Instruments and their monitoring bodies

There are 9 core international human rights instruments. Each of these instruments has established a committee of experts to monitor implementation of the treaty provisions by its States parties. Some of the treaties are supplemented by optional protocols dealing with specific concerns whereas the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture establishes a committee of experts.

DateMonitoring Body
ICERDInternational Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination21 Dec 1965CERD
ICCPRInternational Covenant on Civil and Political Rights16 Dec 1966CCPR
ICESCRInternational Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights16 Dec 1966CESCR
CEDAWConvention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women18 Dec 1979CEDAW
CATConvention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment10 Dec 1984CAT
CRCConvention on the Rights of the Child20 Nov 1989CRC
ICMWInternational Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families18 Dec 1990CMW
CPEDInternational Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance20 Dec 2006CED
CRPDConvention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities13 Dec 2006CRPD
ICESCR – OPOptional Protocol to the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights10 Dec 2008CESCR
ICCPR-OP1Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights16 Dec 1966CCPR
ICCPR-OP2Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty15 Dec 1989CCPR
OP-CEDAWOptional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women10 Dec 1999CEDAW
OP-CRC-ACOptional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict25 May 2000CRC
OP-CRC-SCOptional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography25 May 2000CRC
OP-CRC-ICOptional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure19 Dec 2011CRC
OP-CATOptional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment18 Dec 2002SPT
OP-CRPDOptional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities12 Dec 2006CRPD
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) >>

International Covenent on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1967) >>

A law that cancels cancel culture? This country is considering it

By Heather Chen, CNN

Published 9:57 PM EDT, Fri May 12, 2023

‘Cancel culture’ or corporate cowardice?

07:49 – Source: CNN — 

Cancel culture, the online trend of calling out people, celebrities, brands and organizations – rightly or wrongly – for perceived social indiscretions or offensive behaviors, has become a polarizing topic of debate.

To some, it’s an important means of social justice and holding powerful figures to account. But to others, it’s often “misused and misdirected” and has become a form of mob rule.

But one country wants to put an end to the deeply contested online phenomena by introducing what legal experts and observers say would be the world’s first law against cancel culture – raising alarm among rights activists who fear that such legal powers could be used to stifle free speech.

Over the past year, Singapore’s government has been “looking at ways to deal with cancel culture,” a spokesperson told CNN – amid what some say is a brewing culture war between gay rights supporters and the religious right following the recent decriminalization of homosexuality in the largely conservative city-state.

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Eight things the world must do to avoid the worst of climate change

Latest IPCC report highlights key measures countries must take to avoid climate catastrophe

Fiona Harvey, Environment editor, The Guardian Tue 21 Mar 2023 19.10 GMT

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published the “synthesis report” of its sixth assessment report (AR6) on Monday. Eight years in preparation, this mammoth report encompasses the entire range of human knowledge of the climate system, compiled by hundreds of scientists from thousands of academic papers, and published in four parts, in August 2021, February and April 2022, and March 2023.

The report drew together the most important findings – but also highlighted some key measures that governments and countries must take immediately if we are to avoid climate catastrophe:

Reduce methane

A flare to burn methane from oil production in North Dakota, US.
A flare to burn methane from oil production in North Dakota, US. Photograph: Matthew Brown/AP

Sharp cuts to short-lived climate pollutants, methane chief among them, could cut more than half a degree from global heating. Produced from oil and gas operations and coalmines, and from animal husbandry and natural sources – such as decaying vegetation – methane is a greenhouse gas about 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. But it lasts only for about 20 years before degrading into CO2.

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“Tôi xin làm vật vô tri…”

TƯỜNG ANH – 12/01/2023 06:51 GMT+7

TTCTThừa nhận đa dạng giới là một chuyện, nhưng cùng lúc việc thúc đẩy chuyển giới trong năm qua đã bộc lộ nhiều vấn đề của nó.

Một trong những vấn đề ít được công khai nhưng đã và đang len lỏi tới từng ngóc ngách các hoạt động năm qua trên thế giới: bản dạng giới và chuyển giới. Đấy cũng sẽ là vấn đề tiếp tục đặt ra những thách thức mới cho ứng xử của mỗi chúng ta và mỗi quốc gia.

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Gian nan con đường thể thao nhà nghề

HUY ĐĂNG – 13/05/2023 07:01 GMT+7

TTCTVới nhiều môn thể thao, tấm HCV ở các kỳ đại hội lớn (Olympic, Asiad, SEA Games) là mục tiêu đỉnh cao. Nhưng với một số khác, đó lại chỉ là bước đệm.

Danh sách này gồm bóng đá, bóng rổ, quần vợt, cầu lông, các môn đấu võ đài… Đó thường là những môn thể thao nhà nghề có tính giải trí cao với lực lượng người hâm mộ đông đảo.

Việt Nam lần đầu tiên có HCV bóng rổ ở một kỳ SEA Games.  Ảnh: Nam Trần
Việt Nam lần đầu tiên có HCV bóng rổ ở một kỳ SEA Games. Ảnh: Nam Trần

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Long popular in Asia, floating solar catches on in US

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The sun rises over floating solar panels on May 3, 2023, in Selangor, Malaysia. Floating solar panel farms are beginning to boom in the United States after rapid growth in Asia. They're attractive not just for their clean power and lack of a land footprint, but because they also conserve water by preventing evaporation. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

By ISABELLA O’MALLEY

May 10, 2023 AP

When Joe Seaman-Graves, the city planner for the working class town of Cohoes, New York, Googled the term “floating solar,” he didn’t even know it was a thing.

What he did know is that his tiny town needed an affordable way to get electricity and had no extra land. But looking at a map, one feature stood out.

“We have this 14-acre water reservoir,” he said.

Seaman-Graves soon found the reservoir could hold enough solar panels to power all the municipal buildings and streetlights, saving the city more than $500,000 each year. He had stumbled upon a form of clean energy that is steeply ramping up.

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