As tensions between India and China deepen amid an increasing fractious border dispute, the world is heading for a shortage of cashmere wool, a highly prized and super soft material that comes from pashmina goats living on the “roof of the world”.Wool from pashmina goats, reared by nomads in the inhospitable high-altitude cold desert region of Ladakh, is the most expensive and coveted cashmere in the world.But the shaggy creatures that provide the yarn are being pushed out of their grazing…
Malaysia detains 269 Rohingya refugees found in boat off Langkawi island
Authorities in Malaysia detained 269 Rohingya refugees and found a body on board a suspected smuggling boat they said had been intentionally damaged so it could not be turned back to sea.Marine officials intercepted the vessel Monday off the northern resort island of Langkawi, the National Task Force said in a statement.It said 53 people who jumped off the boat and tried to swim ashore were detained, another 216 were detained from the boat and the body of a woman was found on board.‘They were…
Singapore reveals coronavirus-era election measures, as July poll speculation increases
Singaporean election officials on Monday said special measures such as the allocation of suggested “time bands” for voters to cast their ballots and priority for elderly citizens to vote in the morning would help ensure that the country’s upcoming general election does not compromise public health.Also in the slew of measures announced by the Elections Department for the safe conduct of the polls in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic was a 25 per cent increase in the number of polling…
In Vietnam, Gen Z youths are fighting social stigma to talk about safe sex and consent
Huong, 20, has had two abortions in two years. No one had ever talked to her about sex: not her parents, not her teachers – and her friends knew as little as she did.“I was terrified when I found out I was pregnant,” she said. “I think if we had been told about safe sex, we would not have fallen into this trap.”Huong is not alone. A lack of sex education at home or in school has resulted in some young people in Vietnam relying on abortion as a form of birth control, experts say.Talking about…
Malaysia will lift coronavirus restrictions this week, PM Muhyiddin Yassin confirms
Malaysia on Sunday said it would reopen nearly all economic activity and allow interstate travel starting June 10, lifting coronavirus restrictions imposed nearly three months ago as it moves to revive an economy battered by the pandemic.Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced in a televised address the novel coranvirus outbreak was “successfully” under control and Malaysia would begin a new recovery phase until August 31.“I am aware the government cannot control your lives forever to control…
Coronavirus turns Teflon Thailand’s wealth gap into a economic chasm
On a roadside in a mixed Bangkok neighbourhood stands a shiny metal box – a “Pantry of Sharing” – where the haves in one of the world’s least equal countries can leave food for the have-nots, the ranks of whom are bulging as the coronavirus lays waste to the Thai economy.Each day, maids from the grand mansions nearby drop off an inventory of essentials – eggs, noodles, milk, sugar and water, sometimes a bag of mangosteens or rambutans – charity for those suddenly jobless.Opposite the pantry,…
Australia’s Victoria back in the spotlight for going it alone on belt and road agreement with China
Eighteen months after the Australian state of Victoria signed a controversial memorandum of understanding with China supporting its Belt & Road Initiative, the four-page document is back in the spotlight.State Premier Daniel Andrews was publicly criticised by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison when he signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) in support of the initiative in October 2018.It is the only state in Australia to sign a MOU, and Andrews has been accused of selling out…
Philippines’ move to keep US military pact reveals shift in South China Sea calculations
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision last week to retain, for now, a long-standing military pact with the United States reflects Manila’s shifting geopolitical calculations as Beijing’s assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea fuels anxieties in the region, analysts say.The experts add that economic woes also factored into the move to keep the two-decade-old Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) – which is central to the Philippines-US military alliance – as the Philippines grapples…
Malaysia unveils US$8.2 billion package to save jobs amid coronavirus recession
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Friday unveiled a fresh 35 billion ringgit (US$8.2 billion) stimulus package to fend off job losses caused by the coronavirus recession, adding to measures rolled out earlier in the year worth over US$61 billion.In a televised address, Muhyiddin refrained from directly addressing heated chatter about defections from his fragile administration to the former ruling coalition led by Mahathir Mohamad, but said trade conflicts and political unrest around…
1MDB trial: Najib Razak’s first case ends, verdict due on July 28
The first of Najib Razak’s five corruption trials wrapped up on Friday, with lawyers of Malaysia’s former prime minister making the final arguments that he had been duped by the fugitive billionaire Jho Low and other “rogue bankers”.The trial judge, Justice Mohd Nazlan Ghazali, is now expected to analyse some 2,000 pages of submissions before coming to a verdict on July 28.The case involves seven of the 42 criminal charges Najib is facing over his alleged role in the looting of some US$4.5…