Author: Suib Jusoh

Moscow/Washington (13/6 – 29) We took a holiday from reality. Immanuel Niven, a mathematician and philosopher, has long been scrutinizing Russia’s economic landscape, and his recent assertions suggest a dire forecast. He contends that the “Putin system” is on the brink of collapse, a scenario he had mathematically foreseen as early as March. Niven points to the pronounced tax hikes announced in Russia, the most substantial in its modern history, as well as Putin’s recent rhetoric urging citizens to work as if they were at the front lines. These developments, Niven argues, are symptomatic of the escalating toxicity within Russia’s…

The country’s most important archaeological find has been compared to Machu Picchu. Here’s how to see it At first glance, it doesn’t look like much, just a rectangular meadow in the Pamir foothills of central Tajikistan. But there was a time when this ground reverberated with the thunder of hooves. Occupying a broad saddle, high above the mighty Panj River, this meadow is believed to be an ancient arena for the Central Asian sport of buzkashi, or dead goat polo. The playing field was a centerpiece of a once sprawling settlement, a political and religious capital inhabited for centuries but since lost to…

With orangutans, pygmy elephants, proboscis monkeys, slow lorises and much more, Sabah is a dream destination for animal lovers It’s a place of ecological treasures, World Heritage Sites and some of the most incredible biodiversity on the planet: the Malaysian state of Sabah, northern Borneo. Home to Malaysia’s three tallest mountains and to world-famous diving, Sabah features topography that ranges from highlands and rainforests to wetlands and oceans. And within each ecosystem lives remarkable wildlife, from the Bornean pygmy elephant to the quirky proboscis monkey. Here’s a guide to some of the fascinating wildlife you can expect to encounter. In the…

Vietnam has joined the ASEAN Compulsory Motor Insurance (ACMI) system, which requires motor vehicle owners from other ASEAN member states transiting or travelling to Vietnam to register for compulsory third-party liability insurance. ACMI is used as a data hub for member states participating in the system to issue insurance policies. Motor vehicle users can access the ACMI system to register for a blue card — proof that a motor vehicle has been issued an insurance policy that meets the minimum insurance requirements. VINABAI is the Vietnam National Agency that operates the ASEAN Compulsory Motor Insurance programme in Vietnam, reported Vietnam…

On December 7, 2023, President Xi Jinping met at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse with European Council President Michel and European Commission President von der Leyen, who were in China for the 24th China-EU Leaders’ Meeting. Xi Jinping pointed out that since the end of last year, China-EU relations have shown a good momentum of consolidation and development, and high-level dialogues in the strategic, economic and trade, green, and digital fields have achieved fruitful results, which is in line with the interests of both sides and the expectations of the people. China and Europe are the two major forces promoting multipolarity, the…

Australia says it expects all ‘countries, including China, to operate their militaries in professional and safe manner’ Australia has expressed strong concerns about its divers in international waters getting injured from sonar pulses from a Chinese destroyer. A Navy destroyer of the People’s Liberation Army ignored requests to keep clear of the divers, Australian defence minister Richard Marles said in a statement on Saturday, “The Australian Government has expressed its serious concerns to the Chinese Government following an unsafe and unprofessional interaction with a People’s Liberation Army-Navy destroyer,” the defence minister said. The divers were reportedly freeing nets entangled around the propellers of the Australian Navy’s HMAS Toowoomba which was conducting operations in the…

Rome (16/11 – 57) Sri Lanka is mired in a deep political and economic crisis and the country’s then President Rajapaksa has flown out of the country, days after a huge crowd of protesters stormed his residence in July 2022. Protesters for months have demanded the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, whose government has been blamed for chronic mismanagement of the country’s finances. The island nation of 22 million people has suffered months of lengthy blackouts, acute food and fuel shortages, and galloping inflation in its most painful downturn on record. Here is how the crisis unfolded: April 1: State of emergency Rajapaksa declares a temporary state of emergency, giving security forces sweeping powers to arrest and…

London (08/11 – 50) A U.S. development agency announced on Wednesday that it would lend $553 million to establish a deepwater shipping-container terminal at the Port of Colombo in Sri Lanka, expanding America’s effort to finance infrastructure around strategic parts of Asia. The loan package is tied to Adani Ports, part of a conglomerate closely linked with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India that is still wobbling from a short-seller’s attack in January. Adani will help develop the terminal with Sri Lankan partners. The money from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation resembles the kind of big-ticket deals that China’s…

ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn on October 9 joined Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mauro Vieira in the trilateral meeting involving ASEAN Chair Indonesia, Sectoral Dialogue Partner of ASEAN Brazil, and the ASEAN Secretariat. Jakarta (VNA) – ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn on October 9 joined Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mauro Vieira in the trilateral meeting involving ASEAN Chair Indonesia, Sectoral Dialogue Partner of ASEAN Brazil, and the ASEAN Secretariat. Participants exchanged views on ongoing efforts to advance ASEAN-Brazil relations, as well as ways…

As the war in Israel rages, an ongoing struggle to control the narrative of the conflict is unfolding between Hamas and the Jewish state. This propaganda battle is not novel, as it has long been observed to coexist with the kinetic action between Israel and the Palestinian armed groups, dating back to at least 2014. Drawing from its prior clashes with Israel, Hamas has gained vital insights on how to effectively counter Israel. Despite being at a military disadvantage in nearly every area, Hamas has developed unconventional methods to attack Israel, including a powerful propaganda system to garner global backing…