Israel may be using starvation as 'weapon of war': UN - CNA

IMMINENT FAMINE

The comments came after a UN-backed food security assessment determined that the war-torn Palestinian territory is facing imminent famine.

The devastating war since Hamas's Oct 7 attack on Israel has left roughly half of Gazans - around 1.1 million people - experiencing "catastrophic" hunger, the assessment warned.

Without a surge of aid, famine would hit the 300,000 people in Gaza's war-battered north by May, it said.

The finding comes just over five months into the Gaza war, which erupted after Hamas's unprecedented Oct 7 that killed about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Militants also seized about 250 hostages, of whom Israel believes 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 who are presumed dead.

Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed more than 31,800 people, most of them women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry.

Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, pointed to the difficulty of clearly determining if the strict criteria have been met to declare a famine.

"The famine thresholds may already be the case in northern Gaza," he told reporters, highlighting that for weeks people had already been reduced to eating bird seed, animal fodder, wild grass and weeds.

"There is literally nothing left," he said.

Looking ahead, he warned that without more aid, Gaza could soon be looking at "more than 200 people dying from starvation per day".

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2024-03-19 13:10:00Z
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Many hospitals in China stop newborn delivery services as birth rate drops - CNA

China's population fell for a second consecutive year in 2023 as the record-low birth rate and high deaths due to COVID-19 accelerated a downturn that officials fear will have profound long-term effects on the economy's growth potential.

The most recent available data from China's National Health Commission showed the number of maternity hospitals dropped to 793 in 2021 from 807 in 2020.

Local media including Daily Economic News said the plummeting number of newborns meant that it was not possible for many hospitals to keep operating their obstetrics departments.

"'The obstetric winter' seems to be coming quietly," the newspaper reported on Friday (Mar 15).

Many women in China are opting to remain childless due to high childcare costs, an unwillingness to marry or put their careers on hold in a traditional society where they are still seen as the main caregivers and where gender discrimination remains rife.

Authorities have tried to roll out incentives and measures to boost the birth rate, including expanding maternity leave, financial and tax benefits for having children and housing subsidies.

But China is one of the world's most expensive places to bring up a child relative to its gross domestic product per capita, a prominent Chinese think tank said in February, as it detailed the time and opportunity cost for women who give birth.

More babies are being born in hospitals across China in the Year of the Dragon, which began on Feb 10, financial news outlet Yicai reported, with the dragon Chinese zodiac sign believed to be particularly auspicious. But demographers say any bump from a "dragon baby" boom is likely to be short-lived.

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2024-03-19 07:48:00Z
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Adopt 'Malaysia First' attitude to strengthen ringgit, says country's finance ministry - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government urges all parties to work together and take a whole-of-nation approach to strengthen the value of the ringgit, says the finance ministry.

It said on the Parliament website on Monday (March 18) that all Malaysians are encouraged to adopt a "Malaysia First” attitude in their daily lives.

"This includes buying domestic goods, as well as investing in the domestic capital market. More tourism campaigns in the country also need to be introduced and improved,” it said.

The ministry was replying to Mr Mohd Syahir Che Sulaiman (Perikatan Nasional-Bachok) who wanted to know the concrete steps taken within the framework of the Madani Economy to increase the resilience and competitiveness of the value of the ringgit.

Last month, the Malaysian ringgit fell to its lowest levels in 26 years since the Asian Financial Crisis of the late 1990s.

The finance ministry said that various concrete measures have been and are being taken by the government and Bank Negara Malaysia to deal with the fall in the value of the ringgit, including ensuring that the domestic foreign exchange market remains orderly while monitoring the conversion of export proceeds into ringgit by exporting companies.

The ministry also said that the government and Bank Negara also took integrated and coordinated actions to bring in the flow of funds to the foreign exchange market; and control overseas investments by private companies, including encouraging them to prioritise domestic investment and delaying new overseas investment.

It added that the impact of the depreciation of the ringgit is higher on imported goods, including food which includes meat and dairy, fish and seafood, fruits and vegetables.

"However, moderated global commodity prices have, to some extent, curbed the effect of the ringgit’s devaluation on inflation,” it said in a reply to Mr Abdul Latiff Bin Abdul Rahman (Perikatan Nasional-Kuala Krai) who asked about the government’s efforts to holistically deal with the issue of the fall of the ringgit and the impact on import transactions that cause the price of goods to increase for consumers.

According to the ministry, the government is also planning measures to implement more effective subsidies and targeted income assistance, especially to help the affected groups ensure fiscal strengthening can be achieved through more productive spending.

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2024-03-19 02:43:39Z
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Famine expected by May in Gaza, says UN-backed report - CNA

SKIPPING MEALS

The study also said the number of people deemed at risk of catastrophic hunger across Gaza was nearly double the figure reported in December, when the last report was issued and there was already record hunger.

"From mid-March to mid-July, in the most likely scenario and under the assumption of an escalation of the conflict including a ground offensive in Rafah (city), half of the population of the Gaza Strip (1.11 million people) is expected to face catastrophic conditions," the IPC said.

Because of a lack of aid, almost all households were skipping meals every day and adults were reducing their meals so children could eat, the report said.

In northern Gaza, in nearly two-thirds of households people went entire days and nights without eating at least 10 times in the last 30 days, it added. In southern areas, that applied to one-third of the households.

Israel has said it has a plan to assault Rafah, the southern Gaza city bordering Egypt, to root out Hamas fighters, but it is also involved in mediation talks about a possible truce.

The IPC analysis said famine could still be avoided if Israel and Hamas stop fighting and aid organisations gain increased access.

"But in order to do that, we must act and we must act now," chief economist of the World Food Programme, Arif Husain, told Reuters following the release of the IPC report.

"We need full access, we need large quantities of food, and we need the ability to reach people where they are and provide them with this food as soon as possible. If we can do this, our hope is we can still avert a full-fledged famine. But the window is shutting, and it is shutting very, very fast." 

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2024-03-18 11:58:00Z
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Russia-China relations will become stronger, Putin says in victory speech - South China Morning Post

The Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) put Putin on 87 per cent. First official results indicated the polls were accurate.

“The relations between Russia and China are a stabilising factor, while good personal relations between the leaders of the two nations allow to develop ties even further,” Putin said at his campaign headquarters, according to Tass news agency.

“Our relations have been taking shape over the past two decades. They are very strong and we are complementing each other.”

Referring to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Putin said: “I’m sure that this relationship will be maintained, including, to a great extent, thanks to our good personal relationship with the president of the People’s Republic of China.

“But the most important thing is that our national interests coincide, and this creates a favourable environment for resolving our common tasks and in the sphere of international relations, where relations between Russia and China serve as a factor of stability,” he added.

Though not a formal alliance, China and Russia have forged a partnership with “no limits”.

Tensions with the United States and its allies over the Ukraine war have pushed the two countries closer.

China has replaced Europe as Russia’s biggest energy buyer, while Russia’s reliance on Chinese products has also increased.

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2024-03-17 23:10:56Z
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Chinese embassy urges its citizens in Singapore to 'stay away' from gambling - The Straits Times

China, through its embassies, has previously reminded its citizens in countries including Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and South Korea that travelling abroad to gamble is illegal. PHOTO: REUTERS

SINGAPORE – The Chinese embassy in Singapore on March 18 asked its citizens in the Republic to “stay away” from gambling, adding that cross-border gambling violates Chinese laws.

The embassy, in a statement on its official WeChat account, “solemnly reminded” Chinese citizens in Singapore to raise their legal know-how and steer clear of gambling, which is strictly prohibited by law in China.

“Even if overseas casinos are opened legally, cross-border gambling by Chinese citizens is suspected of violating the laws of our country and face the risk of punitive actions,” said the embassy, warning that embassies may not be able to provide consular protection for illegal gambling violations.

Using a Chinese idiom to describe how 10 out of 10 bets lead to cheating incidents or losses, the embassy said in its notice that people who gamble face the risk of running up debts, financial ruin and the destruction of their families.

Cross-border gambling may also be related to illegal activities not limited to scams, money laundering, kidnapping and smuggling, the embassy added.

Those who know of Chinese citizens operating casinos overseas or approaching fellow Chinese to gamble were also urged to report it through official reporting platforms or the Singapore police.

The Straits Times has contacted the Chinese embassy for comment.

Cross-border gambling banned

Apart from state-sanctioned lotteries, gambling is banned in China. But that has prompted organisations such as the Guangdong Club, which operates an online gambling platform, to register itself overseas in Costa Rica.

Special administrative region Macau is the only part of China where gambling activities are legal.

China, through its embassies, has previously reminded its citizens in countries including Malaysia, Italy, Angola, Sri Lanka and South Korea that travelling abroad to gamble is illegal.

China has been working with countries in South-east Asia to deter cross-border gambling.

In September 2023, six Asean member nations – Malaysia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines – signed an agreement to collaborate on combatting transnational gambling crime in the region.

The agreement notably targeted organised crime groups that have lured thousands of people to work in casinos or scam compounds under the guise of jobs paying lucrative wages.

More On This Topic

Chinese tourists flock to S-E Asia as overseas travel bounces back

Thailand again considers legalising casinos, up to now a losing bet with public

• Singapore
• China
• Gambling

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2024-03-18 05:54:00Z
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Moscow polling station protesters pay tribute to Navalny - CNA

"SYMBOLIC ACTION" 

Images shared on social media by Navalny's team showed larger queues of voters at other polling stations in Moscow and elsewhere in Russia.

At another polling station in southwest Moscow, Leonid, an 18-year-old student, said there were "not that many people" taking part in the protest but he was "just happy that some people came".

The polling station in a school was where Navalny scored his highest result – 70 per cent – in his failed bid to become Moscow mayor in 2013.

Navalny later attempted to run against Putin in the 2018 presidential election but his candidacy was rejected.

Olga Mironenko, a 33-year-old IT worker, said she had never voted for Putin but it was difficult to express her views in a country where "you can't even express your opinion on social media".

She said it had felt good to come to the polling station and be "with people who are on the side of light and truth".

Denis, 21, who works in advertising, said: "I came to express solidarity with a very important person. It's a symbolic action."

"This election is a way to honour Navalny's memory," he said.

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2024-03-17 12:56:00Z
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