Articles by Helen Chang

Moldova and UAE Set to Launch Space Technology Payloads through UNOOSA and MBRSC Partnership The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) have announced the winners of the second round of the Payload Hosting Initiative (PHI). Two innovative space projects, from the Technical University of Moldova (TUM) and Madari Space Limited of the UAE, have been selected to join the PHI-2 mission. The PHI programme, part of UNOOSA’s Access to Space for All Initiative, gives teams from around the world a chance to send scientific equipment, known as payloads, into space…

In July this year, the EU Commission suggested the punitive tariffs for imported electric cars from China. The provisional countervailing duties up to 36.3 percent were announced on 20. August. If passed by the majority of the member states in mid-October, the tariffs shall come into force and apply for five years for the time being.  For the Chinese manufacturer BYD, the EU provides for a final tariff of 17 percent, for Geely 19.3 percent and for Saic as high as 36.3 percent. The punitive tariffs also apply to the Western carmakers such as Tesla and VW which produce in…

After three years of work, the committee established by the UN General Assembly to negotiate a new convention on cybercrime agreed today on a draft convention text. The draft convention is expected to be adopted by the General Assembly later this year, thus becoming the first global legally binding instrument on cybercrime. This achievement represents the culmination of a five-year effort by UN Member States, with the input of civil society, academic institutions and the private sector. UNODC served as the substantive secretariat for the negotiations. “The finalization of this Convention is a landmark step as the first multilateral anti-crime…