The Arbitration - Mediation Symposium 2024:Mediation Symposium 2024, themed 'Third parties and influences on arbitral proceedings', will take place in Ho Chi Minh City from March 22 to April 11, according to the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (VIAC). The event, which will be held in a hybrid format, will include workshops on topics such as interim measures in arbitration and the impact of third parties; the execution of arbitration rulings and issues arising from third parties; mediation in arbitration proceedings; neutral third parties' roles and their influence on resolving disputes; and a symposium on completing third party mechanisms for facilitating the arbitration proceedings. Currently, the efficiency of resolving disputes by arbitration in particular and by alternative disputes resolutions (ADRs) in general has been recognised by the business community, according to the organisers. Statistics from the VIAC showed that the number of cases resolved through arbitration and mediation signific antly increased in 2023 but there was also a diversity of industries and parties' nationalities. In the context of increasing disputes and applying the Law on Commercial Arbitration 2010 (LCA) over the past 13 years, the matter related to disputing parties has been raised and discussed, aiming to enhancing and perfecting the legal framework on arbitration in Vietnam. In reality, it can be seen that besides disputing parties (regulated in LCA), third parties have involved in many cases in different roles and they are able to make significant impacts on ensuring the fairness, transparency and effectiveness of arbitration and mediation methods. The VIAC, in collaboration with law training institutions and other partners, decided to organise the symposium, aiming to discussing issues of third-parties in arbitral proceedings through analysing Vietnam's legal framework and international practices, along with giving recommendations for mechanisms for third parties in the arbitration legal framework. The Arbitrat ion - Mediation Symposium (AMS) is an annual event which does not only provide participants with a helpful forum for in-depth discussions but also makes contributions to supporting the parties in resolving disputes effectively and improving the legal framework of ADRs in Vietnam./. Source: Vietnam News Agency SEOUL, The fourth and final unit of the South Korean-built Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has started up, signaling its commercial operation, South Korea's state-run utility firm said Friday. The Unit 4 reactor began producing heat through nuclear fission, used for generating electricity, in a stable manner, with its commercial operation expected in the first half of the year, according to the Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO). It is the last of the four nuclear reactors built in Barakah, 270 kilometers west of Abu Dhabi, under a US$20 billion contract won by a KEPCO-led consortium in 2009. The project marked South Korea's first export of a homegrown commercial atomic power plant. The first Barakah unit began commercial operation in April 2021, the second one in March 2022 and the third one in Feb. 2023. The plant is the first multi-unit operational nuclear plant in the Arab region, using four APR-1400 pressurized water reactors capable of each producing up to 1,400 megaw atts of clean electricity. Source: Yonhap News Agency