Press freedom organizations

As President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration moves closer to beginning its second year in October, a new Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) poll indicates more Indonesians are satisfied with the government’s performance as they see improvements in four sectors, namely the economy, law, politics and maritime affairs. The number of Indonesians who reported they were satisfied with President Jokowi’s administration climbed from 50.6 percent in 2015 to 66.5 percent in 2016, the findings showed. “The economic sector remains a challenge for the government,” CSIS researcher Arya Fernandes told a press conference on Tuesday. Despite these positive results, confidence in the Indonesian economy is still lacking, with citizens unsure whether the government has managed to boost Indonesia’s economic growth and enhance the country’s investment climate. The number of Indonesians who reported that they were satisfied with the current economic situation stood only at ... » Learn More about Indonesians ‘satisfied’ with govt’s performance: Survey

THE first thing to disclaim is that the title is a question, and it is not rhetorical. I would even have to justify the question, but if we have the arguments that the Warriors ruined the NBA, the Lakers cheated (by trading for AD and trying to sign Kawhi Leonard), then this seems like a fair question. There is a basis for it since James Harden did sabotage the Houston Rockets. What would you call playing badly, blatantly violating Covid-19 protocols (at a strip club, no less), showing up overweight and having your stats dip every game? That could just be dismissed as a dip in performance, but when he suddenly averages a triple double once he changes his jersey, then it doesn’t take much to add one and one together. Harden forced his way out of the Houston Rockets, and he did it his own way. It worked, and this is a player who knows what he wants and finds a way to get it. Harden will flop, bait defenders into flimsy fouls, or travel a lot to get his points. It obviously worked, ... » Learn More about Did the Brooklyn Nets sabotage the NBA?

When schools across Singapore put their students on full home-based learning (HBL) on April 8 as part of the circuit breaker measures, Ms Adele Leong remembers the wide-eyed look of hope in her daughter Carolyn's eyes. "Are they going to be postponing the PSLE or cancelling it? How are we going to sit the exams now schools are closed?" she recalls her 11-year-old asking. Ms Leong, 44, is one of many parents grappling with the unprecedented academic changes the coronavirus pandemic has brought. The Ministry of Education (MOE) cancelled all mid-year examinations, but is still proceeding with national ones such as the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), as well as the N, O and A levels, as it says these are "major milestones" and it does not want to disadvantage graduating students. "Technically, it's not my first time doing the PSLE, but since the circumstances are so different, I might as well say it's my first time because it's hard to expect what's to come," says Ms ... » Learn More about Fretting over big exams in a time of Covid-19

SINGAPORE - From June 2, pre-schools will start to resume general services for children in stages, Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee said on Tuesday (May 19). Kindergarten 1 and Kindergarten 2 children - five- and six-year-olds - will be the first to return from June 2, while Nursery 1 and Nursery 2 children may go back a week later, from June 8. From June 10, the youngest group of children in infant care and playgroups may return. In tandem with circuit breaker measures, pre-schools have been closed  since April 8 to most children except for a small group who need care support. When they reopen, centres will have to adhere to safe management measures such as compulsory mask or shield wearing for all staff and children aged two years and older, having smaller groups of children during activities, as well as staggering drop-off and pick-up timings of children. Speaking at a press conference by the multi-ministry task force tackling Covid-19 in Singapore, ... » Learn More about Pre-schools in Singapore to open from June 2 in stages, with K1 and K2 kids returning first

SIBU: A total of 443 new Covid-19 cases were recorded in Sarawak on Sunday (April 11) and the total number of recorded cases stands at 20,001, says Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas. Bintulu district tops the list with 89 cases followed by Sibu (83), Miri (61), Julau (43), Kapit (32), Mukah (31), Kuching (26), Sarikei (22), seven each for Matu, Samarahan and Meradong, six each for Subis and Serian, Kabong (five), three each for Beluru, Belaga, Betong and Bukit Mabong, Kanowit (two), and one each for Saratok, Tanjung Manis, Tatau and Sebauh. The state disaster management committee (SDMC) chairman also said that three new clusters have been detected; the Abak Bon Subis and Jalan Badarudin clusters in Kuching and the Nanga Kelangas cluster in Julau. "Of the 49 existing clusters, 10 clusters have new cases today while another 39 clusters reported no new cases," he added. Douglas said at a press conference on Sunday (April 11) that Sarawak has managed to control the spread of Covid-19 ... » Learn More about Covid-19: 443 new cases in Sarawak on Sunday (April 11), Bintulu highest with 89

HOTELS on Penang’s mainland are bouncing back faster ahead of their island counterparts after a period of downtime during the conditional movement control order (MCO). Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Penang chapter chairman K. Raj Kumar said as more people were returning to offices for work, many factories on the mainland have resumed full operations. “On the mainland, all of the hotels are business hotels and rely a lot on factories. “We have factories in Juru and Batu Kawan and outstation workers need to come in to restart certain parts of them. “That’s the reason why we’ve been experiencing a good average occupancy over the last month, ” said Raj Kumar, who is also the general manager of The Light Hotel Penang in Seberang Jaya. Overall, mainland hotels have been enjoying an average of 70% weekday occupancy rate and 40% on weekends, with an overall daily average of a 55% occupancy rate in March. Commonly, business hotels experience better weekday occupancy over ... » Learn More about Big boost from working crowd

LIKE walking into an oasis within an oasis, Penang Hill boasts of bypaths with myriad plants and trees that feel almost like a scene out of a fairy tale. A stroll along the 400m Bamboo Walk will leave one gasping in awe to see a tree with its gnarly roots exposed, taking one back to the scary trees scene in the Disney movie, Snow White. Upon learning further from Nature [email protected] Hill team director KP Ong, the leaves of this tree – Simpoh Gajah (Dillenia Reticulata King) – are used in Indonesia to pack meals as they keep the food fresh. The walkway boasts of a variety of bamboo plants and medicinal herbs, making it not only pleasing to the eye but educational. At Heliconia and Ginger Walk, the 450m path boasts a variety of colourful plants such as the Brazilian Red cloak and Red Ginger (Alpinia purpurata) which are part of the ginger family. The Moniot Trail 1825 is considered the main hidden gem as it is an all-natural trail that takes one through a pathway that narrows ... » Learn More about Enriching walk with Mother Nature

Come with creative investment proposals on tourism products and services to make Putrajaya an iconic ecotourism draw. That is the message from Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa to the private sector, as a way to increase the number of visitors to the administrative capital. “As Putrajaya is already a planned city with iconic buildings and complete facilities, private companies can readily utilise them, ” he said during a press conference to announce a glamping project in Putrajaya Wetlands Park. “This means they will not need big capital expenditure but just add value and run promotion programmes to draw attention to their tourism products and services. “We will be open and transparent so that these companies can help make Putrajaya a major recreational city that is eco-friendly and family-oriented, ” he said during the event held in Precinct 3. Annuar noted that Putrajaya was lacking in pull factor, which explained why the 25-year-old administrative capital ... » Learn More about Putrajaya keen to attract ecotourism projects

QR codes will be placed on telco towers to allow people to get information about the structures, including their legal status. Perak youth, sports, communications and multimedia committee chairman Khairul Shahril Mohamed said with the codes, people could find out who owned the structures and the avenue to lodge any complaint they might have. “People can also scan the codes to complain about issues pertaining to reception. “This is part of the state’s telecommunication infrastructure coordinating agency’s plan to legalise these structures, ” he said in a press conference after a briefing about telecommunication infrastructure development in the state. “There is also a plan to issue permit renewal certificates to telco tower owners to ensure the structures have obtained licences from local governments and the Land and Mines Office, ” he said. He added that the legalisation of the structures was mostly for infrastructural safety purposes. The state has received 712 requests ... » Learn More about Residents can scan code to check ownership of telco towers

AUGUSTA, Ga.: Japan's Hideki Matsuyama stormed home in style to put himself in position to become the first Asian golfer to win the Masters as he held a four-shot lead after the rain-interrupted third round at Augusta National on Saturday. Matsuyama, who began the day three shots behind overnight leader Justin Rose, played eight holes after a 78-minute weather delay and went a sizzling six under over that stretch for a seven-under-par 65 that brought him to 11 under. "Before the horn blew I didn't hit a very good drive, but after the horn blew for the restart I hit practically every shot exactly how I wanted to," Matsuyama, whose last PGA Tour win came in 2017, said through an interpreter. "This will be a new experience for me being a leader going into the final round in a major. I guess all I can do is just relax tonight, prepare well and just do my best tomorrow." Rose (72), seeking his first Green Jacket after a pair of close calls, was in a four-way share of second ... » Learn More about Japan’s Matsuyama in control of Masters, leads by four shots