India bangladesh

The USS John Paul Jones "asserted navigational rights and freedoms," inside India's EEZ in line with international law by sailing about 130 nautical miles (241 km) west of India's Lakshadweep islands, the US Seventh Fleet said in a statement on Wednesday (April 8). But an Indian foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement that UN rules did not allow such passage without consent. "The Government of India's stated position on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is that the Convention does not authorise other States to carry out in the Exclusive Economic Zone and on the continental shelf, military exercises or manoeuvres, in particular those involving the use of weapons or explosives, without the consent of the coastal state," the spokesman said. India's military monitored the movement of the John Paul Jones as it transited from the Persian Gulf towards the Malacca Straits, the foreign ministry said. The US Navy has previously conducted so-called freedom of ... » Learn More about India protests US Navy’s transit through its exclusive economic zone

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India on Sunday banned the export of anti-viral drug Remdesivir and its active pharmaceutical ingredients as demand rocketed due to a record surge in COVID-19 infections, leading to a crippling shortages in many parts. Authorities have blamed the ferocious resurgence of the virus mainly on crowding and a reluctance to wear masks. Still, religious gatherings have continued and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have themselves addressed election campaigns attended by tens of thousands of people, many without masks and hardly any following social distancing. As new COVID-19 cases surged to 152,879 on Sunday, the sixth record rise in seven days, harried relatives of patients made a kilometre-long queue to buy Remdesivir outside a big hospital in the western state of Gujarat, witnesses said. India, known as the pharmacy of the world, has already stalled major exports of coronavirus vaccines though its supply too has run short in some ... » Learn More about India bans Remdesivir exports as coronavirus rages on; rallies continue

China has administered 164.47 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of Saturday, the National Health Commission said on Sunday. This represents around 24.5 million doses in the past six days, as the country's vaccine rollout continues to accelerate. Last week a Chinese official said the country is expected to produce around 3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of the year. Chinese health authorities on Sunday reported 10 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 22 asymptomatic cases, bringing the country's total to 90,410, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,636. The National Health Commission, in a statement, said all the new cases were imported infections originating from overseas. The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, rose to 22 from 11 cases a day earlier. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Mainland China now stands at 90,410, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,636. Meanwhile, in ... » Learn More about China administers 164.47 million COVID-19 vaccinations as of April 10

(NYTIMES) - No one in Ms Deena Al Mahbuba's family has met her daughter, Aara. She was born at the end of 2019, extremely premature. By the time Aara left the hospital for her home outside Boston in mid-June, the world was already months into Covid-19 lockdowns. Ms Mahbuba's close relatives, along with her husband's, all live in Bangladesh. The couple moved from there in 2013. Family members have done their best to stay connected, but Ms Mahbuba, a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wishes her relatives were nearby. Her elder siblings could help her soothe Aara when she is sleepless. Or they could show her how they introduced foods to their babies. Aara, now 15 months old, struggles with new foods after having been tube-fed in her early life. Ms Mahbuba also hopes Aara will learn to speak Bengali, but worries she needs exposure to the language from people besides her parents. "Sometimes, I feel really sad," she said. "I feel like there is ... » Learn More about Bonding with a child born during pandemic times

Debate is raging on social media following a claim from the Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, that Thailand’s plan to orbit the Moon is going ahead. Anek Laothamatas adds that it will be “mission accomplished” within the next 7 years, costing, “only 3 billion baht”. A report in the Bangkok Post says that, according to Anek, Thailand will be producing satellites weighing 50–100 kilograms within 5 years, and in the following 3 years, will start building spaceships capable of going beyond the Earth’s orbit. He says we can all look forward to an official announcement on January 13. “The new economy of space travel will be a way for Thailand to overcome the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and then to escape the middle-income trap, and the ministry will embrace creativity and innovation.” Anek’s announcement has sparked debate on social media, with some saying the poverty and other social issues facing their fellow countrymen should take ... » Learn More about Minister’s insistence Thailand’s moon mission will go ahead sparks social media debate

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is clearly not seen as a “strategic environmental partner on climate action” by the United States, said Democratic Action Party's secretary-general Lim Guan Eng on Thursday (Apr 8). This came after environment minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man explained that Malaysia is not involved in a US-led virtual leaders summit for climate change as it is not among top greenhouse gas emitters and those most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In a statement, Mr Lim said: “Tuan Ibrahim’s explanation why Malaysia was not invited has shown him to be no different from former US President Donald Trump’s lack of knowledge and enthusiasm for climate change activism." Mr Lim stated that the reasoning by the minister was unacceptable. “Tuan Ibrahim’s rationale for Malaysia’s exclusion is that Malaysia is not climate-vulnerable like Vietnam and Indonesia, as well as not a big country contributor to 80 per cent of greenhouse gases (GHG) to limit global warming to 1.5 ... » Learn More about Malaysia not seen as ‘strategic environmental partner’ by US, says DAP leader on climate summit snub

Fresh out of graduate school, Ms Balaka Niyazee joined the sales department of Procter & Gamble (P&G) in 1999. Her days were often spent meeting distributors of P&G products. All men, they would question her stamina to travel around to check on the products sold in far-flung shops across western India. "They had never seen a woman come and sit at a table and talk to them as an equal," she said yesterday at a forum for women executives. "They did not know how to react." But her diligence, consistency and commitment dispelled their initial doubts and today, Ms Balaka is vice-president of P&G Korea, where she will be based from next month. Now aged 44, she is among 100 senior women executives speaking in various panel discussions at the first Women's Forum Singapore, a three-day event, which ends today, on the obstacles they faced and the mentors they had in their climb up the corporate ladder. The forum, attended by about 700 delegates from across the ... » Learn More about Gender bias biggest hurdle for women execs

SINGAPORE - Technology can be a catalyst for narrowing the gender gap, President Halimah Yacob said at the opening of the Women's Forum Singapore on Wednesday (Sept 12) at Raffles City Convention Centre. The three-day forum, part of an international platform which looks at major social and economic issues from a gender perspective, aims to foster women's leadership for social progress and economic impact across the world. President Halimah told those gathered for the opening that the disruptive economy could be viewed in a positive light. "We have, today, a world that is disrupted. Disruption has accelerated changes and challenges to the economy," said President Halimah, noting that a World Economic Forum study found that the automation of jobs was more likely to impact women negatively. But she said research has also shown that access to and, more importantly, the ability to understand and use technologies could have a positive impact on women's education and employment ... » Learn More about Technology can help narrow gender gap, President Halimah Yacob says at Women’s Forum Singapore

KUALA LUMPUR: The crude palm oil (CPO) futures contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives may see volatile trading next week, ahead of the release of production, stocks and exports data. Singapore-based Palm Oil Analytics owner and co-founder Dr Sathia Varqa said markets will closely monitor the Malaysian Palm Oil Board's (MPOB) data, which is due on Monday. In addition, investors are also awaiting April 1-10 projections by cargo surveyors, which are likely to be released next week. "Focus will be on March production. However, prices are likely to be firmer but volatile," he told Bernama, today. Earlier this week, Sathia said global demand and export for palm oil products will see strong recovery from April to June 2021, mainly from India and China, which are severely understocked at the moment. He said China's stocks have been in deficit for many months with the latest data showing stocks being in deficit by 27 per cent. Meanwhile, palm oil trader David Ng expects CPO prices ... » Learn More about CPO futures to see volatile trading next week, eyes on MPOB data

Chief executive officer Datuk Dr Wan Zawawi Wan Ismail said the price forecast was based on uncertainties pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic recovery, political situation and stimulus packages. "We forecast the average CPO price to be at RM3,846 per tonne for the first quarter and second quarter of 2021, ranging from a low of RM3,502 per tonne to a high of RM4,190 per tonne,” he said at the virtual Palm Oil Internet Seminar (POINTERS) 2021 today. He said palm oil exports are also expected to increase marginally from 17.39 million MT in 2020 to 17.5 million MT in 2021. "China, India, the European Union, ASEAN, Saudi Arabia, Africa, and the United States will be the major export destinations for Malaysia,” he pointed out. In March 2021, Wan Zawawi said the delivery price for CPO already exceeded RM4,100 per tonne despite the reinstatement of CPO export duties and the prices are expected to remain firm as concerns of supply limitations due to heavy rains in January and February ... » Learn More about MPOC: Moderate recovery seen for Malaysia’s palm oil exports in 2021