Economic equity

Bird's-eye view of Saemangeum economic zone where SK On will build a new plant [Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency] Korean battery maker SK On will build a 1.21 trillion-won ($945 million) manufacturing facility on the country's southwest coast in a joint project with local materials producer EcoPro and China's Green Eco-Manufacture (GEM). Under an agreement due to be signed Friday, the three companies plan to spend up to 1.21 trillion won for what will be their second joint venture to construct a plant for precursor, key materials used in electric vehicle battery. The precursor plant, to be located in Saemangeum, a reclaimed area on the country's southwest coast, aims for an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons, equivalent to powering about 300,000 electric vehicles. Construction is set to be completed in 2024. The trio of companies signed in November last year their first venture deal to build a facility in Indonesia to produce mixed hydroxide precipitate … [Read more...] about SK On to build $945 million precursor plant in joint venture

The Southern Poverty Law Center bankrupted the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups through the power of the legal system—and so it might have come as a surprise when the organization recently unveiled its new logo, it was conspicuously lacking the scales of justice icon that had defined the organization for years. It was a change that no one on the project team took lightly—but the organization was committed to bold moves, and for good reason. “Historically, it’s been a law firm, it’s been a legal service for voting rights and civil rights and advocacy groups, but over time, it’s expanded into something that’s much more than that,” says Chris Mihal, SPLC’s director of creative. In 2022, the organization completed a new strategic framework focused on its four key offerings: law, education, policy, and programming, centered around the critical subjects of hate and extremism, children’s rights, economic justice, immigrant justice, LGBTQ rights, criminal justice reform, … [Read more...] about Why the SPLC’s new logo ditched its famous icon

Last summer, a friend of mine was about to leave on a trip for Mexico when she realized that her passport had expired. One round-trip flight and hundreds of dollars in fees later, and she got the expedited renewal before her trip. But the secondhand anxiety was enough for me to go immediately check my own passport. Expiration: April 2029. I should be good, right? For now, yes. But when—or maybe if, at this rate—2029 rolls around, I could be in exactly the same position as my friend. So, I created a calendar event called “1 year till passport expires” and set it for April 2028. A to-do list doesn’t do the trick for every task Yes, I could have added “renew passport” to my to-do list and set a deadline or a reminder. On many apps, I could have even hidden the task from view until it was time to do it. But do I really want a task that’s not coming up for another half a decade to live in my to-do list? No, I do not. I do have a personal to-do list (in Google … [Read more...] about Make this radical change to your to-do list

A monk, a composer, and an industrial designer walk into a bar. No, I’m not making a joke. I’m simply imagining a hypothetical scenario where the cofounders of Headspace, Pandora, and Airbnb decide to meet up for drinks. You may think these figures represent a lonely cohort within tech entrepreneurship. We’re often confronted with the tired (and, as the data shows, largely inaccurate) stereotype of the algorithm-crunching, code-wrangling, Patagonia-wearing startup founder. These characters —who undeniably exist, but are more marginal than perhaps realized—effortlessly straddle the worlds of engineering and business. They’re the full package. Admittedly, these characters also tend to be the most visible. Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Mark Andreessen all have storied engineering careers—and often complex personal and professional lives that inevitably work their way into popular culture. But when we examine the data, we see a different picture. Rather than … [Read more...] about POV: Tomorrow’s founders can’t code—and that’s OK

TAIPEI  -Taiwan’s central bank raised its policy rate on Thursday in a surprise move reflecting concerns about inflation despite recent market turmoil caused by U.S. and European bank failures, which could play into further rate decisions this year. The central bank, in a unanimous decision, raised the benchmark discount rate by 12.5 basis points (bps) to 1.875 percent – the fifth hike since it began the current round of tightening in March last year. Governor Yang Chin-long told a news conference after the meeting that the rate hike was mainly because of inflation concerns and that their monetary policy goal was to maintain the stability of domestic prices. Taiwan’s rate hikes are mild and gradual, and while this move was not what the market expected, the central bank cannot be called hawkish, he added. Asked if this would be the last rate rise this year, Yang said: “The uncertainty is very big, particularly the confidence and contagion effect on the public from the U.S. … [Read more...] about Taiwan central bank unexpectedly raises rates on inflation concerns

Senator Grace Poe MANILA, Philippines — The executive order from President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on the creation of Water Resource Management Office (WRMO) is a “timely intervention” that will boost action to address the rising water stress in the country, said Senator Grace Poe. Marcos earlier said that his directive for the establishment of WRMO had already been signed and would soon be released for implementation. Poe, chair of the upper chamber’s panel on public services, welcomed the move on Thursday as she noted that bills seeking a more integrated water policy in the country are still being deliberated upon in Congress. “This is a timely intervention from the executive branch which will hopefully alleviate the creeping water crisis in the country,” she said in a statement. The legislator lamented the irony of the Philippines being plagued by a water crisis despite being an archipelago – all because of “fragmented resource management.” “We expect that this … [Read more...] about Poe: Marcos order creating water management office a ‘timely intervention’

COMPOSITE IMAGE: DANIELLA MARIE AGACER (INQ STOCK PHOTOS) MANILA, Philippines—A recent Supreme Court (SC) decision strengthened a 2004 law, which seeks to address the prevalence of violence against women and their children (VAWC) by their intimate partners. Looking back, no less than former presidents Rodrigo Duterte and Joseph Estrada had flaunted their philandering ways. Sometimes, they even appear to be trivializing what they’re doing, making it less complex than it really is. But as Psych Central said, “infidelity can have lasting impacts on partners and children the couple may have,” stressing that “grief, brain changes, behaviors down the road, and mental health conditions such as anxiety, chronic stress, and depression can result.” Now, almost 20 years since Republic Act (RA) No. 9262, or the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act, was enacted into law, the SC held that marital infidelity is one of the forms of psychological violence, which can be penalized … [Read more...] about Violence vs women, kids: Why SC tagged marital infidelity as a crime

PS-DBM logo MANILA, Philippines — Despite the cloud of controversy surrounding the government’s pandemic supply purchases and the suspension of several officials, the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) remains committed to its procurement and administrative reforms. In a Thursday statement, the PS-DBM accepts the verdict of the Ombudsman, mandating a preventive suspension for incumbent and former officials involved in the controversial multibillion-peso deals awarded by the Duterte administration to Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp at the peak of the COVID-19 crisis. READ: Ombudsman suspends 33 execs in Pharmally mess The agency assured the public that it would implement the order from the Ombudsman within the given time frame. “Under the current leadership, the PS-DBM shall continue to implement and institute crucial procurement and administrative reforms while implementing zero tolerance on irregularities and any form of corruption,” it … [Read more...] about After suspension of execs, PS-DBM vows to press on with procurement, admin reforms

Senator Robin Padilla and Leyte Rep. Richard Gomez. Screengrab from PDP-Laban press conference / Facebook MANILA, Philippines — Senator Robinhood Padilla and Leyte Rep. Richard Gomez on Thursday ramped up their call to amend the 1987 Constitution, specifically its economic provisions, likening their alliance to the biblical brothers Cain and Abel. In a press conference through the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) — both of which are members — Padilla amplified his calls to amend the 1987 Constitution with Gomez. “Hindi naman po kaila sa inyo ‘yan na kaming dalawa ang Cain at Abel, kaming dalawa ‘yan. Pero ngayon nandito kami magkasama kami hindi para sa pelikulang Pilipino kundi para sa taong bayan, para ipakita, sa ating mambabatas na hindi na ito issue ng senado o kongres, ito po ay issue ng pagunlad, totoong pagbabago” said Padilla. (You know that we are Cain and Abel. But today, we are here together, not for the Filipino film industry but for the … [Read more...] about Once rivals, now allies: Robin Padilla, Richard Gomez team up for Cha-cha

Warren Rex Liong —Photo from Philippine Reclamation Authority website MANILA, Philippines — A former official of the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget Management (PS-DBM) is seeking to clear his name after he was placed under preventive suspension for his involvement in the graft-tainted government purchases of healthcare supplies at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through his legal counsel Rafael Calinisan, Warren Rex Liong – then the PS-DBM’s procurement group director and now the Overall Deputy Ombudsman – along with 32 other former and current officials of the Department of Health and the PS-DBM, were meted out a six-month suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman pending investigation. READ: Ombudsman suspends 33 execs in Pharmally mess They are currently in hot water for their alleged hand in the graft-tainted, multi-billion deals awarded by the Duterte administration to Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. for the supply of government pandemic supplies. … [Read more...] about Liong seeks to clear name: I didn’t earn a single peso from Pharmally deals