Senin, 11 Maret 2024

UN chief "appalled and outraged" by ongoing war in Gaza in Ramadan - CNA

The United Nations says that lack of humanitarian aid means famine is a growing risk in Gaza, where 2.4 million people are under near-total siege by the Israeli military, as it battles Hamas militants.

The war, started by a bloody October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, has resulted in the deaths of 31,112 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza.

"UNPRECEDENTED IN ALL MY YEARS"

US President Joe Biden called for a temporary ceasefire ahead of Ramadan but his call went unanswered as Muslims in Gaza marked the start of the one-month holiday Monday. 

Guterres said, "The eyes of history are watching."

"We cannot look away. We must act to avoid more preventable deaths," Guterres said. 

"We have witnessed month after month of civilian killing and destruction at a level that is unprecedented in all my years as Secretary-General," he said.

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2024-03-11 18:30:38Z
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Europe must do more against 'catastrophic' climate risks: EU - CNA

COPENHAGEN: Europe could suffer "catastrophic" consequences from climate change if it fails to take urgent and decisive action to adapt to risks, a new EU analysis warned on Monday (Mar 11).

Areas in southern Europe are most at risk, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said in its first report on the climate risks the continent faces.

The dangers include fires, water shortages and their effects on agricultural production, while low-lying coastal regions face threats of flooding, erosion and saltwater intrusion.

"Many of these risks have already reached critical levels and could become catastrophic without urgent and decisive action," the agency said.

That doesn't mean northern Europe is spared the negative impact, as floods in Germany and forest fires in Sweden have demonstrated in recent years.

"Extreme heat, drought, wildfires, and flooding, as experienced in recent years, will worsen in Europe even under optimistic global warming scenarios and affect living conditions throughout the continent," the EEA warned.

The report lists 36 risks related to climate in Europe, 21 of which demand more immediate action and eight were "particularly urgent."

At the top of the list were risks to ecosystems, mainly relating to coastal and marine ones.

For instance, the combination of heat waves as well as acidification and oxygen depletion of the seas and other human-caused factors such as pollution and eutrophication - meaning an excess of nutrients which collapses aquatic ecosystem - and fishing, threaten marine ecosystems, the report noted.

"This can result in substantial biodiversity loss, including mass mortality events, and declines in ecosystem services," it said.

European governments and populations unanimously recognising the risks and agreeing to do more, faster should be the priority, according to the EEA.

"We need to do more, to have stronger policies," Yla-Mononen stressed.

Despite the alarm, the agency also acknowledged "considerable progress" made "in understanding the climate risks they are facing and preparing for them," among member states.

"These events are the new normal," EEA director Leena Yla-Mononen told a press briefing ahead of the report's release.

"It should be the wake-up call. The final wake-up call," she added.

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2024-03-10 23:57:19Z
CBMicGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vc3VzdGFpbmFiaWxpdHkvZXVyb3BlLW11c3QtZG8tbW9yZS1hZ2FpbnN0LWNhdGFzdHJvcGhpYy1jbGltYXRlLXJpc2tzLWV1LTQxODU2NzbSAQA

First post-surgery photo of Kate, UK's Princess of Wales, withdrawn by news agencies due to manipulation - CNA

The royal family has been under more scrutiny than usual in recent weeks, because both Kate and King Charles III cannot carry out their usual public duties due to health problems.

Royal officials say Charles is undergoing treatment for an unspecified form of cancer, which was discovered during treatment for an enlarged prostate. The monarch has canceled all his public engagements while he receives treatment, though he has been photographed walking to church and meeting privately with government officials and dignitaries.

Kate, 42, underwent surgery on Jan 16 and her condition and the reason for the surgery have not been revealed, though Kensington Palace, Prince William and Kate’s office said it was not cancer-related.

Although the palace initially said that it would only provide significant updates and that she would not return to royal duties before Easter - Mar 31 this year - it followed up with a statement last month amid the rumours and conspiracy theories by saying she was doing well and reiterating its previous statement.

“Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates,” the palace said Feb 29. “That guidance stands.”

At the time, royal aides told The Sun newspaper: “We’ve seen the madness of social media and that is not going to change our strategy. There has been much on social media but the Princess has a right to privacy and asks the public to respect that.”

Further questions were raised last week when the British military appeared to jump the gun in announcing Kate would attend a Trooping the Color ceremony in June, apparently without consulting palace officials.

The appearance would have been her first major official duty since the surgery, but Kensington Palace did not confirm any scheduled public events for Kate. It’s up to palace officials, not government departments, to announce and confirm the royals’ attendance at events.

The army later removed the reference to her attendance.

British media reported that the army did not seek approval from Kensington Palace before publishing details about Kate's appearance in June, and announced the event based on the expectation that Kate, in her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards, would inspect the troops this year at the annual military ceremony.

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2024-03-11 00:37:00Z
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Minggu, 10 Maret 2024

Fasting starts on Tuesday [NSTTV] - New Straits Times

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Fasting starts on Tuesday [NSTTV]  New Straits TimesView Full coverage on Google News
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2024-03-10 12:24:03Z
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'A perfect mess': Thailand's proposed cannabis crackdown steeped in political games and business owner anger - CNA

There appears to be clear consensus among cannabis operators that regulations are necessary for the industry to be sustainable and viable.

But they disagree with blanket bans on recreational use and “fake restrictions” such as requiring a medical certificate for purchasing the drug in future.

The draft Bill also includes a fine of up to 60,000 baht (US$1690) for recreational use, while those selling recreational cannabis or participating in the advertisement or marketing of buds, resin, extract or smoking devices face jail terms of up to a year, a fine of up to 100,000 baht, or both.

Those farming cannabis without a licence face tougher jail sentences, ranging from one to three years and fines from 20,000 baht to 300,000 baht. 

“It will be a perfect mess,” said Mr Pachara Chayavoraprapa, the chief operations officer of Buddy Group, the operator of Plantopia.

“The current regulation is that there's not really many stringent rules. It's really loose. The best scenario would be, if possible, to draw new parameters, quite strict ones on cannabis.

His idea is to follow a model emulating Amsterdam, where cannabis use has come further out of the shadows and is supported by cultural events and social spaces. He said selling could be limited to certain zones.

“For businesses who have invested a lot to be brought back into the illegal system, I think is a bit unfair,” he said.

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2024-03-09 22:00:00Z
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US, UK, French military shoot down Houthi drones after attack on carrier, warships - CNA

CAIRO: US, French and British forces downed dozens of drones in the Red Sea area overnight and on Saturday (Mar 9) after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis targeted bulk carrier Propel Fortune and US destroyers in the region, the US military said in a statement.

The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians during Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

The group's military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech on Saturday they had targeted the cargo vessel and "a number of US war destroyers at the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with 37 drones".

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the US military and coalition forces had downed at least 28 uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) over the Red Sea in the early hours of Saturday.

"No US or Coalition Navy vessels were damaged in the attack and there were also no reports by commercial ships of damage," CENTCOM said in a statement.

Earlier on Saturday, CENTCOM said the military was responding to a large-scale attack on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden between 4am and 630am ET (5pm and 730pm, Singapore time).

The UAVs were intended to present "an imminent threat to merchant vessels, US Navy, and coalition ships in the region", it said in a post on social media platform X.

A French warship and fighter jets also shot down four combat drones that were advancing towards naval vessels belonging to the European Aspides mission in the region, a French army statement said.

"This defensive action directly contributed to the protection of the cargo ship True Confidence, under the Barbados flag, which was struck on Mar 6 and is being towed, as well as other commercial vessels transiting in the area," it said.

France has a warship in the area as well as warplanes at its bases in Djibouti and the United Arab Emirates.

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2024-03-09 18:56:00Z
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Sabtu, 09 Maret 2024

With strong track record, Communist Party of China should be confident enough to face media - The Straits Times

Commentary

With strong track record, Communist Party of China should be confident enough to face media

(Clockwise from top left) Former premiers of China Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, Wen Jiabao and Li Keqiang. PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES, LIANHE ZAOBAO FILE, AFP

BEIJING - When the feared but respected Zhu Rongji became China’s premier in March 1998, he declared at his maiden news conference that he would prepare 100 coffins as part of a renewed crackdown on corruption – 99 for unscrupulous officials and one for himself in the event that he was vindictively assassinated.

There was never a dull moment whenever Mr Zhu, who was also the country’s economic czar, met the press over the next five years. In March 2000, the no-nonsense prime minister warned Taiwanese voters ahead of a closely contested presidential election not to vote for an unspecified pro-independence candidate. But he stopped short of threatening to invade the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its own.

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2024-03-09 11:00:00Z
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