Latest news with #disputes
South China Morning Post
13 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Beijing approves convention establishing global mediation organisation in Hong Kong
Beijing has approved the convention establishing the world's first intergovernmental organisation on mediation in Hong Kong, while indicating it would not bring forth World Trade Organization (WTO) disputes to the new body. Observers said on Friday the move was an indication of Beijing's support for the WTO and that it would still bring other disputes to the new organisation. The state-run Xinhua News Agency said the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress had approved the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation, which was signed in Hong Kong at the end of May. At the same time, the country's legislature declared that under Articles 25 and 29 of the convention, the government would not submit its disputes under the WTO to the new body. The articles state that the new body shall not provide mediation services to jurisdictions that have made a declaration indicating disputes they would refuse to submit to the body, such as those concerning territorial sovereignty or maritime interests. Lau Siu-kai of the semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies think tank said Beijing had always underscored the centrality of the WTO in promoting international trade and resolving disputes that arose from it.
RNZ News
a day ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Raft of customer complaints following faulty Watercare metres
politics local council 26 minutes ago The watchdog that settles disputes about essential services like electricity and gas believes it should be mandatory for water suppliers to sign up to the scheme. Utilities Disputes is an independent disputes resolution service; its compulsary for gas and electricity companies and broadband installers to be part of the scheme. But it's voluntary for water suppliers. It comes after Checkpoint revealed 13,000 Watercare smart metres are not working properly, leaving some customers struggling to pay big catch up bills and frustrated by Watercare's service. Watercare is a voluntary member of Utilities Disputes, which means it has to refer any complaints to the service, customers cant make complaints directly. Utilities Disputes Commissioner Neil Mallon spoke to Lisa Owen.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
UK joins WTO trade arbitration alternative
GENEVA, June 25 (Reuters) - The United Kingdom has become the latest country to join an alternative mechanism for resolving disputes to the World Trade Organization, it said in a statement on Wednesday. The World Trade Organization's top appeals body has been inactive since 2019, after President Donald Trump, during his first term, blocked new appointments to the top appeal's court. That left the WTO's key dispute settlement system only partially functional, as the Appellate Body no longer had enough members to hear cases. Washington had accused the WTO Appellate Body of judicial overreach in trade disputes. The U.K. announced the decision on Wednesday as part of its new trade strategy, which it said will protect and boost British business amid a turbulent economic situation, resurgent protectionism and unfair trading practices. "The UK will join the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA)...demonstrating our commitment to an effective rules-based international trading system," the Department of Business and Trade said in a statement. Sixteen WTO members established the separate appeals mechanism for trade disputes in March 2020 as an alternative temporary arbitration arrangement for resolving WTO disputes that are appealed by a member while the WTO Appellate Body is not operational. The MPIA currently has 56 members, according to the MPIA website, opens new tab, including the European Union, Canada and Brazil. The decision comes one week after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Trump signed an agreement formally lowering some tariffs on imports into the U.S. from Britain as the countries continue working toward a formal trade deal. Britain had avoided tariffs of up to 50% on steel and aluminium that the U.S. imposed on other countries earlier this month, but it could have faced elevated tariffs starting July 9 unless a deal to implement the tariff reduction was reached.
CNA
4 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Fewer disputes between homeowners and builders due to quality assessment scheme, says industry group
SINGAPORE: Legal disputes between homeowners and landed property builders have fallen by around 10 per cent since BuildTrust, a government-backed quality assessment scheme, was launched in April last year, according to the Micro Builders Association Singapore (MBAS). The scheme sets construction standards for areas including floors, walls and electrical fittings in landed homes and smaller-scale commercial properties undergoing building works. The standard was developed by MBAS, which represents building contractors, in consultation with the Building and Construction Authority (BCA). Under BuildTrust, contractors can get their projects independently assessed and receive a report as proof of their quality of work. About 15 per cent of MBAS' members have joined the scheme and the association hopes more will sign up as it looks to decrease the yearly average of disputes by half. Mr Kelvin Bing, the owner of Renaissance Planners and Designers, told CNA that the scheme helps to reduce conflicts and misunderstandings between owners and builders regarding defects. 'BuildTrust … encompasses professionals in Singapore … the assessors themselves used to be from (the) industry or the BCA,' he said. 'It (aligns) homeowners' expectations, for example, like tiles or marble finishes, (with) what the industry expects in terms of the gaps (or) the pointers between the tiles.' MORE DEFECT CHECKING COMPANIES Some defect checking firms said they have seen an increase of at least 10 per cent in the number of landed property owners seeking their services compared with two years ago. Mr Ng Kim Wah, director of Uncle Defect, said the demand has led to more such firms entering the industry. He added that regulations are long overdue as some defect checkers harbour vested interests, such as finding fault with negligible issues like patchy paint, and recommending solutions they can profit from. 'I feel there's a conflict of interest, because the more they check, the more defects they find … (and) the more they can sell their services,' said Mr Ng, who has been in the business for five years. Defect checkers, hired by some homeowners when their houses are being constructed or renovated, usually place a sticker to mark a possible construction fault, such as uneven wall plaster or plumbing problems. MBAS' chief assessor Chua Tai Kee noted that many of these stickers placed by unregulated third-party checkers may not mark real defects. 'If I'm a layman, I come to a house where the building checker (places) 1,000 stickers over the house, the whole world will think … is it a dangerous place to stay? You need to have a criteria,' he said. 'We will try our very best to educate the homeowners to let them know that these are not genuine defects … but something (they) can live with.' ACCREDITATION IS IMPORTANT Up to 40 per cent of MBAS' members have gotten into disputes with homeowners over the past three years, often due to cases of defects identified by unregulated third-party checkers. Such assessments often cause long-drawn disputes lasting up to a few months between contractors and homeowners, the association said. It added that in one such dispute, a contractor had to pay more than S$1 million (US$800,000) in legal fees after winning the case, adding that such cases prevent firms from taking up new projects as their time, resources and manpower are tied up in existing projects. Mr Ng said that adopting BuildTrust is important in advising contractors and homeowners if a problem needs fixing or if it is within the tolerance limit specified in the standards. '(Building a house) is considered (manual labour) … you need to expect that there must be some form of tolerance to the quality and workmanship,' he said. He added that anyone could register a business and claim to be a defect checking company, but accredited assessors such as Uncle Defect have more experience and expertise. The firm has carried out around 7,000 inspections, including more than 250 landed properties, to date without any disputes from contractors and homeowners regarding their assessment reports. One of its clients, homeowner Tai Yi Long, said he hired Mr Ng after encountering disputes regarding construction quality issues with a builder he engaged to renovate his family's three-storey property. Mr Ng identified more than 100 areas of concern but noted not all of them were necessarily defects. He flagged them for further observation at Mr Tai's request. 'When we write it as an observation, the owner and the contractor will know. In my experience, most of the time, the contractor will try to (fix) it, because it must be something that the homeowner is very particular (about),' said Mr Ng. Reports by defect checkers include videos of the areas of concern, making it easier for homeowners to point them out to contractors. 'If you have the capability, it's good that you check (for) yourself, but defect checkers (provide) a third-party perspective to help you,' said Mr Tai.
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Family inheritance disputes hit 10-year high
Family inheritance feuds have hit their highest levels in more than a decade, figures show. More than 11,300 wills were challenged last year, up from 10,410 in 2023, according to official data revealed to The Telegraph by a Freedom of Information request. The figures represent a marked increase in disputes, with challenges up 56pc from before the pandemic. Lawyers said that rising property values and larger estates mean that there's 'more at stake' . In Britain, a person has testatory freedom – the right to decide to whom or what they leave their money – in all but very limited circumstances. This is in contrast to countries such as France, where a portion of estates must be left to direct descendants. However, this principle is not absolute as those who were financially dependent on the deceased can lay claim to the estate if they are not included. To do this, the person will usually lodge a 'caveat'. This blocks the granting of probate, the vital legal document needed to distribute an estate to the beneficiaries. Last year, 11,362 caveats were issued, and it's estimated that approximately 60pc of claimants succeed. The majority were settled out of court. Less than 5pc will be successful at trial, lawyers said, and it can be very expensive. Scott Taylor, partner in private wealth disputes at law firm Moore Barlow, said: 'Rising property values mean there's simply more at stake when it comes to inheritance. The cost of living crisis has left many people viewing inheritance as essential rather than a bonus. He said: 'The concern is that there's little evidence this trend will slow as the economic screw continues to turn. Courts are already close to capacity, and that could become a serious issue in the near future before even considering the human impact on those involved.' Tamasin Perkins, partner at firm Charles Russell Speechlys, said: 'Family tensions and financial pressures are all playing a part. The rise in house prices also means that the family home is becoming more important to younger family members who cannot otherwise afford to get on the property ladder. 'At the same time, people are becoming more switched on; caveats are cheap to obtain and can be done using a simple online process and without lawyers. 'Whilst accessibility is important, this process can be open to misuse when people use caveats tactically to try to force an early settlement.' The surge in feuds comes after the Law Commission published a landmark report into wills in May, having started an investigation into the legal documents in 2016. The report found that current laws are not doing enough to protect the elderly and vulnerable from financial abuse, amid a rise in so-called 'predatory marriages'. The commission also recommended that electronic wills be considered valid, that marriage should no longer invalidate a will, and that those aged over 16 should be given the right to make a will, rather than just those over 18. And it said that more informal wills should be recognised by courts, and proposed changes to rules about when disabled or mentally incapacitated people can make decisions for themselves.
