Malaysia’s tigers in crisis due to poachers, habitat loss

For two years, Malaysian conservationists tracked a tiger named “Bulan” as she raised four cubs. Then a fatal traffic accident made her another statistic in the country’s dwindling population.
Malaysia’s national animal is in trouble.
Poaching, food loss and diminishing habitat have slashed the population from 3,000 in the 1950s to less than 150 roaming free today, according to official estimates.
The government said last month it was ramping up efforts to combat wildlife crime, introducing…

Philippine steel firm denies link to alleged radioactive shipment

SteelAsia Manufacturing Corp. said it was ordered by the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute to take custody of 23 cargo containers allegedly containing radioactive zinc dust and rejected by Indonesia, adding it had no connection with the shipments.
The Philippine steel company said it was tagged as the source of the radioactive materials by PNRI, and ordered to entomb the containers in its Calaca scrap recycling plant in Batangas province, according to a statement on Saturday.
“The containers…

Artificial rain? Delhi tries cloud seeding in fight against deadly smog

India trialled cloud seeding over its smog-filled capital for the first time, spraying a chemical from an aeroplane to encourage rain and wash deadly particles out of the air.
Cloud seeding is the practice of using aeroplanes to fire salt or other chemicals into clouds to induce rain.
New Delhi city authorities, working with the government’s Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, launched a test run on Thursday afternoon using a Cessna light aeroplane over the city’s northern Burari area.
“A…

Philippines hits hard against campaign to recruit military and destabilise state

The Philippine military has launched an unusually aggressive pushback against what it describes as a growing campaign to destabilise its personnel and ultimately unseat President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr.
Army and navy officials have warned that disinformation campaigns, rogue recruitment drives and seditious messaging – often amplified on social media – pose a growing threat to military cohesion. The crackdown comes amid fears of a reprise of coup plots that rocked the country in previous…

Is the ‘Big One’ coming? Earthquake mania grips Philippines as fears mount

A spate of powerful earthquakes across the Philippines has triggered widespread panic, sparked a flood of misinformation and prompted officials to take decisions that experts warn could undermine long-term disaster readiness.
Analysts say the anxious public reaction – from mass hysteria in schools to viral conspiracy theories about “The Big One” – underscores a pressing need for better science communication and coordination between government agencies, especially in a country highly exposed to…

Indonesian high-speed railway’s debts spark debate over who should pay the bill

Indonesia is pushing back against calls to tap the state budget to cover mounting debt from its China-backed high-speed railway, while Beijing has signalled it is open to repayment restructuring talks to ensure the line remains operational.
The dispute over who should shoulder the debt highlights deeper concerns about the project’s long-term viability, the role of Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund and whether the current financing model risks setting a troubling precedent for future…