Author: Ismad Qaasim

Punishing hot weather affects not only a person’s health or work productivity but also affects couples’ fertility and birth outcomes, a project by the National University of Singapore (NUS) found. Rising temperatures could further reduce Singapore’s resident total fertility rate, which dipped below 1 – a record low – in 2023. The rate refers to the average number of babies each woman would have during her reproductive years. Researchers from the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine studied sperm samples from 818 men that were already stored at the National University Hospital’s (NUH) andrology section. The scientists then traced the men’s…

HERNDON, Va. — January 11, 2024 — BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) won a multi-year contract from PT Len supporting the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Indonesia to provide immediate access to subscription-based real-time, high-frequency imagery and analytics services. “Meeting the growing global demand for real-time monitoring solutions, BlackSky has the unique ability to activate instant access to high-cadence imagery and AI-driven analytics for our customers,” said Brian E. O’Toole, BlackSky CEO. “The Indonesian MoD has made a bold and innovative step towards defense modernization as an early adopter of space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance on-demand.” The Assured access…

ASEAN+3 region’s economy is set to expand by 4.5 percent in 2024 with Indonesia possibly witnessing a 5.2 percent growth this year, according to a report. The ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) recently published its quarterly update of the regional economic outlook. The ASEAN+3 encompasses all 10 of the bloc’s member states, while also including China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea. The January report shows that AMRO decided to maintain its 4.5 percent outlook for ASEAN+3. AMRO attributes the growth to improving external demand amid resilient domestic demand. Tourism rebounds to pre-pandemic levels, coupled with the gradual recovery of China’s property…

The Philippines increases provocations in the South China Sea, US ships trespass on Ren’ai Reef, and the People’s Liberation Army resolutely fights back In recent days, the Philippines has continuously launched provocations against China’s sovereignty in the South China Sea. Less than 24 hours after the confrontation between China and the Philippines at Oxbow Reef, the USS Giffords trespassed into the waters adjacent to China’s Second Thomas Shoal . In response, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army took decisive action, issuing a notice as soon as possible and organizing maritime forces to track and monitor the situation. This move shows that China will no longer tolerate…

Frankfurt (18/12 – 14) That there are remarkable advantages in being ignored is not generally recognized. Central Asian countries, historically under the thumb of Moscow, all through the 70+ years of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, were more or less cut off from the outside world. There was little trade or other exchange. The USSR was in fact a grab-bag of ethnicities, religions and languages, controlled with an iron fist by Stalin and afterwards with unbroken dominance through subsequent regimes. Under Soviet management, Central Asia had stayed poor and ignored; it had not developed any hydrocarbon resources to lure…

The government will seek to capitalise on all the opportunities offered by its chairing of the regional bloc next year, when the Visit Laos Year 2024 tourism promotional campaign will also be rolled out. VIENTIANE – The government has confirmed its readiness to take on the chairmanship of Asean next year, which it views as an important opportunity to raise the country’s profile in the region. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Saleumxay Kommasith, who is also deputy head of the National Steering Committee on Preparation for and Implementation of Laos’…

Sarawak Energy, Malaysia’s leading renewable energy developer, has sealed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Masdar, the Abu Dhabi-based clean energy giant, during the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) in Dubai. This strategic collaboration aims to significantly advance renewable energy projects across Sarawak and Malaysia. The partnership is poised to focus on various key areas, leveraging innovative technologies like Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) for the development of renewable energy projects. One of the immediate goals outlined in the MoU is a joint effort to…

KOTA KINABALU: Malaysia is fast becoming the preferred destination for Korean golfers, only trailing behind Thailand and the Philippines. South Korean consulate-general in Kota Kinabalu, Joo Jung-cheol, said the state’s fairways attract Koreans due to their accessibility. “Golfers in Korea highly value South East Asia, including destinations like Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines,” he said. He added that attracting 10% of the estimated five million Korean golfers to Sabah would be significant. Joo said this in a meeting with state Tourism, Culture, and Environment Assistant Minister cum Sabah Tourism Board chairman, Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, on Monday (Nov 20).…

KOTA KINABALU: Malaysia could face the risk of economic downturn and social discord among the various Malaysian races, said Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan. The Sabah Parti Solidariti Tanah Air (Star) president said he was concerned that Malaysians were already displaying signs of division in response to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s support for the Palestinian cause in the ongoing conflict with Israel. “While supporting Palestine is not wrong, I would appeal for careful balance and caution to avoid undue ramifications on the interracial and interreligious relations in our pluralistic Malaysia,” he said in a…

Southeast Asia must be careful to avoid getting caught in the headwinds of geopolitical rivalries that could lead to regional fragmentation, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara said on Monday. “At a time when we need more global cooperation, the world has become more fragmented with friend-shoring, decoupling and geopolitical rivalry becoming the norm,” Parnpree said during his keynote speech at the Post’s Hong Kong-Asean Summit 2023. “Major power rivalry must be turned into a rule-based strategic competition that does not force countries in the region to choose sides, nor forgo economic opportunity out of geopolitical consideration.” Asean does not want…