Current Affairs / News Thread

KnightDroid

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
45,872
Reaction score
1,923


《秘境之眼》 蛇雕 20200429| CCTV
Let's see what spy cams are capturing this time.

Turn out this little birdie is fighting against it's own shadow in the water.
 

KnightDroid

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
45,872
Reaction score
1,923


Shanmugam: Fake news intended to cause fear, panic | THE BIG STORY

There you have it for foreign workers dorm.



Shanmugam on "malicious" spreading of misrepresented videos to create foreign worker "panic"
 

KnightDroid

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
45,872
Reaction score
1,923


Singtel and StarHub-M1 joint venture win bids to roll out two nationwide 5G networks

Singapore's three biggest telcos have won bids to roll out two 5G networks. The winners are Singtel and a joint venture between StarHub and M1. The Infocomm and Media Development Authority (IMDA) said forging ahead with 5G will allow businesses to quickly ride on digital infrastructure after the COVID-19 pandemic. IMDA added that two 5G networks were rolled out in the initial years to keep competition sustainable. Singtel and StarHub-M1 joint venture must provide 5G wholesale services to other mobile operators.
 

KnightDroid

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
45,872
Reaction score
1,923


「緊急事態宣言」約1カ月延長へ 解除は?補償は?(20/04/30
Is it possible to cancel the "Emergency Declaration" by extending it by about one month? How about compensation? (20/04/30
 

KnightDroid

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
45,872
Reaction score
1,923


[中国新闻]联防联控机制权威发布 确诊病例治愈率连续19天上升| CCTV中文国际
 

KnightDroid

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
45,872
Reaction score
1,923


‘Historically low’ oil prices an opportunity to top up ‘strategic reserve’
Sky News Australia
Apr 26, 2020
 

KnightDroid

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
45,872
Reaction score
1,923
Malaysia: No wholesale markets, no vegetable supply
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/04/30/no-wholesale-markets-no-vegetable-supply
30/04/2020

662802.jpg


PETALING JAYA: Supply of vegetables in the Klang Valley and several states nearby have been affected following the temporary closure of several wholesale markets here and in the capital.

Although Pasar Borong Kuala Lumpur in Selayang was reopened last week after it was closed for several days for sanitisation and decontamination procedures, fewer wholesalers were able to operate due to various reasons.

The situation was compounded when other wet markets, including the one in Petaling Jaya’s Taman Megah and Jalan Othman, and the Chow Kit market in the capital were also shut down for the same procedures.

Kuala Lumpur Vegetable Wholesalers Association president Wong Keng Fatt said some wholesalers and their workers are still waiting for their Covid-19 test results while observing self-quarantine for 14 days.

“In order to enter the market, both wholesalers and their customers (market traders) will need to produce proof that they tested negative for the virus.

“We cannot operate until we are given the all-clear by the authorities. This has affected supplies to wet market traders, ” he said, adding that wet market traders make up 60% of the wholesalers’ customer base.

For now, Wong, who had his second Covid-19 test done yesterday, said there are 80 vegetable wholesalers who can still operate as usual at the market while the rest have been ordered to close temporarily.

All 216 wholesalers are expected to be fully operational beginning May 2 when the quarantine period is over and their second test results come out, he said.

Starting earlier this month, all wholesalers and their workers at the market were instructed to go for Covid-19 screening and observe self-quarantine as a precaution even if they were negative.

The largest wholesalers’ market in the city supplies fresh vegetables to retailers, who are mainly wet market traders, sundry shops, convenience stores and some hypermarkets in the Klang Valley, Negri Sembilan and Kuantan.

Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced on April 20 that the enhanced MCO would be enforced in the surrounding areas of the wholesale market until May 3.

On Monday, two wet markets – in Taman Megah here and in Bahau, Negri Sembilan, were reportedly closed after vegetable traders were infected after they went to the wholesale market.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said on Tuesday that another Covid-19 infection was detected, starting from the KL wholesale market to other localities in the country.

He added the infection was believed to have begun in the wholesale market, stemming from the tabligh cluster in the Seri Petaling Mosque.

“We believe there was a worker there who attended the Seri Petaling gathering and he infected others in the market.

“The total positive cases there are 74, and 13 were not infected at the wholesale market.

“So, this would mean there were traders from other markets who went to the wholesale market to purchase goods before heading to other public wet markets, like in Bahau for example, ” said Dr Noor Hisham.

With fewer wholesalers operating, Wong said vegetables supply in the consumer market will drop and the wholesale prices will remain higher by between 20% and 30%.

However, he said the situation may improve later following the government’s relaxed rules for approved businesses to be fully operational under the fourth phase of movement control order (MCO).

Wong also noted that vegetables supply at major hypermarkets will not be affected much as they normally deal directly with farmers in Cameron Highlands and other states.

Federation of Malaysian Vegetable Farmers Association president Tan So Tiok said the farmers have to look for other market traders to buy their produce.

“Some farmers have utilised trading platforms on the Internet. But vegetables are perishable. Some of the unsolds will have no choice but to be disposed of, minus those that can be given away, ” he said.

Tan said the authorities, when shutting down any market for enhanced MCO, should give time for wholesalers or traders to sort out their stockpile.

“We have seen cases of vegetables left to rot at the market. It was a heartbreaking sight, ” he said.
 
Last edited:

KnightDroid

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
45,872
Reaction score
1,923
Asia Times - Thailand: No rural refuge for Covid-19 unemployed Thais
1 May 2020
https://asiatimes.com/2020/05/no-rural-refuge-for-covid-19-unemployed-thais/

Thailand-Rice-Farmer-November-2019.jpg


BANGKOK – In the rubble of the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, as many as 1-2 million Thai laborers lost their jobs as thousands of Bangkok-based factories and service companies went bankrupt, forcing many workers to return to their countryside homes.

Then, Thailand’s rural sector provided a much-needed safety net for the unemployed masses, with many returning to their agrarian family roots.

Fast forward to the Covid-19 crisis and an estimated seven million Thais will become unemployed as Bangkok and provincial cities impose lockdowns to slow the pandemic’s spread and economic devastation awaits on the other side.

The looming Covid-19 economic crisis has triggered a similar diaspora to rural areas, but this time the kingdom’s rural safety-net has big gaping holes which many will inevitably fall through into poverty.

===========================================

“In 1998 agriculture was a good safety net but now it isn’t because most agricultural households in fact now depend on non-farm employment,” said Nipon Poapongsakorn, distinguished fellow at the Thailand Development Research Institute, a private think tank.

Back in 1997-98, an estimated 50% of rural household incomes came from farming, while 45% came from non-farm activities such as services and remittances from relatives who had migrated to Bangkok and other urban centers to work in the formal and informal sectors.

In today’s Thai economy, 65% of rural household incomes come from non-farm activities, said Nipon. “So those who are now unemployed come back to the villages to eat up 35% of the income,” he said.

Many are returning to parched economic prospects. Thailand has experienced two years of drought, which on top of low global commodity prices means that revenue from traditional cash crops like rice, sugar, tapioca and rubber has been in decline.

Thai-rice-e1539256896942.jpg


“Agriculture has not improved so people are living on the brink of survival, and then having more people return to the village – that’s hard,” said Buapun Promphakping, associate professor at the Social Development Department of Khon Kaen University in Thailand’s northeastern region.

Many of the urban returnees have resorted to picking up their hoes again, albeit with diminished farming skills, according to anecdotal reports. Planting of Thailand’s main rice crop usually begins in May, with the advent of the rainy season, but no one expects better crop prices.

“This year the cultivation area is going to be more, because so many people have moved back to the countryside,” said Charoen Laothamatas, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, a trade group.

“But it doesn’t mean we can export more, because our price is still $70-$80 per ton above the competition because of government subsidies, so we will accumulate another huge stockpile,” he predicted.

At the onset of the Covid-19 scare, some Asian countries were fearful of domestic shortfalls. Vietnam, one of Thailand’s main rivals in rice exports, announced a halt on its rice exports but quickly rescinded the ban when fears subsided.

India and China, which both have huge stockpiles of rice, have rejoined the export market with China already undermining Thailand’s competitive advantage in Africa, a major importer of Thai par-boiled rice, Charoen said.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha’s former coup-installed regime (2014-2019) was widely credited for selling down a huge 18 million ton rice stockpile accumulated under the rule of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Thailand-Rice-Yingluck-Shinawatra-November-2016-scaled.jpg


.............click to learn more.
 

KnightDroid

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
45,872
Reaction score
1,923


Businesses need to be notified before they resume as circuit breaker rules ease on May 12
 

KnightDroid

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
45,872
Reaction score
1,923


Situation in Malaysia not the same as Japan

Senior Minister (Security Cluster), Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that Malaysia is still closing its borders to foreigners entering the country.
 

KnightDroid

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
45,872
Reaction score
1,923
Yiling Pharmaceutical to Increase Productivity of Lianhua Qingwen
https://www.pharmiweb.com/press-rel...l-to-increase-productivity-of-lianhua-qingwen

202004301645_1157dd0c_2.jpg


SHIJIAZHUANG, China, May 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Yiling Pharmaceutical (002603.SZ) announced to launch the productivity-improving project of Lianhua Qingwen, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) used mainly for the treatment of colds and viral influenza. The Company is set to produce 7.5 billion capsules, 99 million sachets of granules and 2.1 billion pills per year to meet the rising demand for the treatment as it is used to alleviate the symptoms of COVID-19.

"Global medical communities are starting to tap into TCM to boost the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients. We are glad the world is recognizing TCM and the pivotal role of Lianhua Qingwen in combating the pandemic," said Xiangjun Wu, GM of Yiling Pharmaceutical. "To meet rising demand, we are ramping up our production capacity to ensure adequate and uninterrupted supply of our medicine to patients globally."

During an online conference with global frontline medical workers fighting against COVID-19, Zhong Nanshan, a Chinese respiratory expert and head of the health commission team investigating the outbreak of the disease in China, noted that the recovery rate of patients administered with Lianhua Qingwen was up to 91.5%.


The State Drug Administration of China recently approved the supplemental drug application for new indications of Lianhua Qingwen, adding "functional indications" to the previously approved indication: "For mild/common types of fever, cough and fatigue in the conventional treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia."

Nations including Brazil, Indonesia, Canada, Mozambique and Romania have granted marketing authorization to Lianhua Qingwen and registered it as herbal medicine or natural health product. In addition, the medication has been approved to enter Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of influenza in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration(FDA).

"Although many counties appreciate Lianhua Qingwen as a powerful medicinal solution to tackling the pandemic, it still has a long way to go. Moving forward, Yiling Pharmaceutical will work with more medical institutions and hospitals to conduct clinical testing for our TCM, helping integrate TCM into modern medicinal practice," Wu said.

"To facilitate the adoption of TCM, we have established the "Collateral Disease Branch" of the World Federation for Traditional Chinese Medicine Societies in North America and Europe. The new centre will provide medical practitioners around the world with access to the fundamental theories and properties of TCM as well as its cultural and philosophical concepts," Wu added.
 

KnightDroid

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
45,872
Reaction score
1,923
Indonesia Mass Produces Covid-19 Testing Kits
https://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesia-mass-produces-covid19-testing-kits
MAY 04, 2020

1587381685.jpg


Jakarta. A consortium of Indonesian research agencies and companies began mass producing Covid-19 testing kits this week to cope with domestic shortage during the pandemic and meet the target of at least 10,000 diagnostic tets per day, a state official said on Sunday.

The locally-made rapid testing kits will be available as soon as Friday, when at least 10,000 kits will be distributed across the country, Research and Technology Minister Bambang Soemantri Brodjonegoro said in Jakarta.

But it took longer to develop testing kits using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, of which the consortium has built only 10 units as prototypes, Bambang said.

The consortium comprises the Technology Assessment and Application Agency (BPPT), Surabaya-based Airlangga University, Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University and state-run medical equipment manufacturer Hepatika.

In a separate project to develop the PCR-based testing kits, the consortium is working with state-run pharmaceutical company Biofarma.

"We thank them for their close cooperation with the Health Ministry’s research and development center in developing rapid diagnostic testing kits and PCR-based testing kits using the strains of viruses from local transmission,” Bambang said in a video conference.

“Development of the rapid testing kits has now entered production stage and by May 8 we will see 10,000 kits ready for distribution,” he added.

By the end of this month, output is expected to reach 50,000 units, he said.

He said the kits were developed using the strains of viruses taken from confirmed Covid-19 patients who caught the disease in local transmissions for "more accurate results".

“This comes as a great relief to us because we now can produce our own testing kits, which are badly needed by the task force and the government to carry out massive testing across the country,” Bambang said.

Indonesia is racing against time to upscale Covid-19 diagnostics in its attempts to trace contacts and locate new breeding grounds of the virus, and ultimately contain the outbreak.

Indonesia reported 11,192 confirmed coronavirus cases on Sunday, 349 more from the day before. The total cases included 845 deaths and 1,876 patients who have recovered.

The number of patients with probable cases stood at 23,130, more than double of confirmed cases, as the country is lacking equipment to test them.

Since the first cases were detected on March 2, just above 83,000 people have undergone PCR-based testing, representing only 0.03 percent of the country’s population of 272 million people.

Furthermore, the number of persons under surveillance for suspected Covid-19 infection is put at 236,369, according to the National Covid-19 Task Force.

People in this category are those who have had contacts with positive cases or showed mild clinical symptoms of the disease that don’t require hospitalization.
 

KnightDroid

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
45,872
Reaction score
1,923


Wet market stalls go online during circuit breaker | The Straits Times
May 4 2020
 

coldish

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2008
Messages
40,048
Reaction score
9,489
I think all ibs should be registered and stay in this thread if they wanna talk about pap/oppies/ccp/usa
 

KnightDroid

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
45,872
Reaction score
1,923
I think all ibs should be registered and stay in this thread if they wanna talk about pap/oppies/ccp/usa

IB please stay out, this is not a political thread as I have posted earlier in the thread. There are other political ones in the sub forums. Not for human right activist as well.

If You maintain objectiveness, you are welcome to join to contribute.
 

KnightDroid

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
45,872
Reaction score
1,923


Big snowfall as cold front lashes Australia's south Nine News Australia OK
May 3, 2020
 
Last edited:

KnightDroid

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
45,872
Reaction score
1,923


Land Features of Pakistan, Sarfaranga Cold Desert Sakardu ( Karakoram Mountains)

Many places are bracing for cold weather at the moment. A look at Pakistan.
 

Darkshadows

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2008
Messages
15,224
Reaction score
4,810
r1lydWR.jpg


nN7N4SB.jpg


Recently there's earthquakes at Indonesia and Taiwan. The plates are moving, magma's flowing. Watch out for disasters which may happen soon.
 
Last edited:
Important Forum Advisory Note
This forum is moderated by volunteer moderators who will react only to members' feedback on posts. Moderators are not employees or representatives of HWZ Forums. Forum members and moderators are responsible for their own posts. Please refer to our Community Guidelines and Standards and Terms and Conditions for more information.
Top