World Archives - Page 341 of 346

[South Asia] Philippines to downsize lockdowns in villages

17Jun

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[South Asia] Philippines to downsize lockdowns in villages

In order to control covid-19 spread, the Philippines is planning to downsizing lockdowns in villages from regions, as it balances further reopening its economy with stemming the virus outbreak. Carlito Galvez, chief implementer of the nation’s policies to stem the outbreak, said “We will lock down villages with coronavirus cases so that we can preserve economic activity.”In the same briefing President Rodrigo Duterte said said the stricter curbs may be brought back should a second wave of infections occur. The government prepares for the arrival of more returning overseas workers. Malls and some businesses have been allowed to open in the capital since May 16.The government is considering the gradual lifting of restrictions with strategies adopted in other countries as governments remain w

[South Asia] Proposed Pakistan dam can lead to disaster like Chernobyl

17Jun

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[South Asia] Proposed Pakistan dam can lead to disaster like Chernobyl

Pakistan is building is a 908 ft high RCC dam atop Central Asian fault-line, which can lead to another Chernobyl. The dam site has felt at least three hundred tremors in a month, which make the proposed dam as destructive as hydrogen bomb. Tow major quakes of seven plus magnitude were witnessed in the area recently.It is scary that Pakistan wants to make a world record by building the world’s highest Roller Compacted Concrete dam to store eight million acre feet (MAF) of water. Pakistan’s top engineer, Suleman Najib has warned “Review the dam. Its destructive power will wipe out everything on the Indus (river basin).” Najib is the Convenor of Water Resources Development Council of Pakistan. Yet, neither the all-powerful Pakistani Army, which is footing thirty percent of the bill through

[South East Asia] Farmers in South East Asia may lose their land dues to Covid-19

17Jun

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[South East Asia] Farmers in South East Asia may lose their land dues to Covid-19

Many farmers and indigenous people in South East Asia are on the verge of losing their lands due to the lockdowns that are imposed to contain the Covid-19 (coronavirus), according to land rights activists who are backing new technologies to help track the growing number of conflicts.With over 4.4 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally and about 300,000 have died, farmer across the world are struggling to tend to their fields, and some indigenous people kept from forests because of restrictions on movement, making it easier for illegal loggers and companies to encroach their lands, analysts said."The pandemic has opened an opportunity for activities such as illegal logging and land grabs across Asia-Pacific because of less oversight and accountability,"...

Vietnam rejects China’s ban on fishing in South China Sea

17Jun

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Vietnam rejects China’s ban on fishing in South China Sea

Defying the ban by China on summer fishing in disputed areas of the South China Sea, Vietnam has encouraged its fishermen to continue their activities there. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said the waters were Vietnamese sea territory and the ban was invalid. It also directed provinces and cities to encourage fishermen with guide groups and teams to support the fishermen at sea. According to the Vietnam Express, the ministry said fishing vessels with licenses valid until the end of this year can fish in the Tonkin Gulf common fishing area, but asked them to avoid the area east of the Tonkin Gulf delimitation line. On April 30, China announced that the annual fishing ban on the South China Sea has begun on May 1 and would last until August 16, Chinese news agency Xinhua r

Indonesia urges UNHC to be vigilant of abusive practices in fisheries industries

17Jun

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Indonesia urges UNHC to be vigilant of abusive practices in fisheries industries

After Chinese fishing vessels were found to have thrown bodies of three Indonesian fishermen overboard, Jakarta has urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to be vigilant of abusive practices in the fisheries industry, its U.N. mission said Tuesday."Indonesia underlines the urgent need for the council to protect the rights of vulnerable groups, specifically the rights of people working in the fisheries sector," said Hasan Kleib, the Indonesian ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, according to a release issued by the mission. The Indonesian mission in Geneva raised the issue on Friday with the U.N. council, which is discussing ways to balance the response to the coronavirus pandemic with protecting human rights. Three Indonesian fishermen died aboard Chinese fishing vessels in the Pacifi

Thailand fights plastic as Covid-19 pandemic battles goes on

17Jun

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Thailand fights plastic as Covid-19 pandemic battles goes on

Nicha Singhanoi, a Thailand national believes that her country would cut back the waste that puts her country among the world’s top five choking the oceans with plastic as the ban on single-use plastic bags began this year. Then the coronavirus pandemic forced school closures and authorities told people to stay home, and far from falling, Bangkok’s plastic waste soared 62 percent in volume in April, as more people opt to have food and other goods delivered. “There is so much bubble wrap and product packaging, or bags and containers from food deliveries,” said Nicha, 27, an avid online shopper, who said that working from home deprived her of the time to cook. Even if the pandemic eases, environmentalists fear Thailand is simply a pointer for the situation elsewhere in Southeast Asia, home t

Beijing looks beyond economic in in Arctic

17Jun

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Beijing looks beyond economic in in Arctic

It has been long China has been regarded the Arctic as consequential to its strategic, economic and environmental interests. China also believes that, in line with international legal treaties — especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Spitsbergen Treaty — it enjoys such rights as scientific research, freedom of navigation, and overflight, fishery, cable-laying and resource development in the Arctic high seas. Even before the Arctic policy was unveiled, Beijing gradually expanded its footprint in the region. Notably, since 1999, the Chinese have conducted numerous Arctic expeditions and built their first research base, the Yellow River Station on Svalbard Island in 2004. Generally, China’s current policy involves the acquisition of knowledge about the region;

UN Security Council to discuss violence escalation in Myanmar

17Jun

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UN Security Council to discuss violence escalation in Myanmar

As the violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state increases and impacts the coronavirus pandemic in the country, the UN Security Council will hold a videoconference to discuss the concerns. The closed-door meeting, planned for Thursday, was requested by the UK. The UN envoy for Myanmar, Switzerland's Christine Schraner Burgener, is scheduled to give comments. At the end of April, a Myanmar government health worker was injured and his driver -- who worked for the World Health Organization (WHO) -- was killed when their United Nations-marked vehicle was ambushed as they carried COVID-19 test samples in conflict-ridden Rakhine state. The country's northwest has been embroiled in an increasingly brutal civil war between Myanmar's military and Arakan Army rebels demanding more autonomy for the state's

Concerns in US over China stealing research technology

17Jun

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Concerns in US over China stealing research technology

Bill Evanina, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, has warned that China and others with a track record of stealing cutting-edge medical technology may steal COVID-19 Research. He cautioned the American firms to exercise extreme caution in safeguarding their research against China and others as researchers around the globe race to develop a coronavirus vaccine. "We are imploring all those research facilities and hospitals and pharmaceutical companies that are doing really great research to do everything in their power to protect it," said Evanina. "We don't want that company or the research hospital to be the one a year from now, two years from now, identified as having it all stolen before they finished it," said Evanina, whose center falls under the direc

Buddhist monks in Thailand, Cambodia alter ritual during Covid-19 pandemic

17Jun

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Buddhist monks in Thailand, Cambodia alter ritual during Covid-19 pandemic

Buddhist monks in Thailand and neighbouring Cambodia have altered their rituals during Covid-19 pandemic as many religious rites are being changed or cancelled to limit the spread of virus. As worshippers in the region mark holidays, monks have been forced to change their religious routines. Monks are venturing out from Bangkok's Ladprao temple to collect alms amid the Covid-19 pandemic as fewer of the Buddhist faithful visiting pagodas to make donations, ccording to monk Phra Surasak Suthanto. But other daily rituals, religious rites and holiday celebrations are being adapted, restricted or cancelled for now, Surasak said. "We still receive alms in the morning but we wear face masks. When we give blessings, we have to keep a distance of around a metre or two," he said. In Buddhist-majorit