India regulatory cost / Thailand military budget / Afghanistan integrity hackathon

Regulatory Cost Weighs on India's CEOs as Modi Fights Corruption.  Companies operating in India see regulatory compliance as the biggest cost overrun in the next two years, a sign that Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s efforts to curb corruption may be clashing with his plans to improve ease of doing business in Asia’s third-largest economy.

Upmanyu Trivedi/Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-20/regulatory-cost-weighs-on-india-s-ceos-as-modi-fights-graft

 

Military jumps the gun (Editorial).  With key political parties vowing to downsize the military and defence spending as part of their campaign policies, the junta this week has tried to safeguard its interests by claiming transparency in its budget proposals and citing possible adverse effects if the country lacks an adequate defence.

Bangkok Post: https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1633090/military-jumps-the-gun

 

Using Tech to Combat Corruption in Afghanistan.  In partnership with Blockchain Learning Group, UNDP Afghanistan brought together over 100 technology enthusiasts and socially conscious young people for a citizen-centered ‘Hack4Integrity’ hackathon in Kabul to design prototypes for technology-based solutions to combat corruption in the country.

UNDP Afghanistan: http://www.af.undp.org/presscenter/pressreleases/2019/Hack4Integrity.html?fbclid=IwAR2pMG8w4Cr60hwfFtw71z4pgwE7Xvk4U3rKGhQGspeJFQJNJKAYZEkWB2E