The coverings of the brain

Thomson Reuters Foundation DANG, Nepal —  In the eight years that Basudev Pokharel has worked as a forest guard, he has rarely seen a fire as huge as the one that raged through his village in western Nepal in March. Hundreds of such fires have been spreading across the country since November, in the worst wildfire season Nepal has seen in a decade. The night the blaze reached Pokharel’s village of Sungure, in Dang district, a neighbor woke him to warn him. “We tried to control the fire, but it spread so rapidly that we were helpless,” the 55-year-old recalled. “The fire came very close to my house and burned all the hay that I had piled up to feed the animals. Luckily, I could save my house.” The government sent a fire control expert to direct the villagers as they tackled the blaze, and by the next day it was out – but only after destroying more than 80 hectares (198 acres) of forest. “That night, I couldn’t sleep the whole night,” Pokharel said, as he worried that ... » Learn More about Nepal chokes on smoke and ash as drought-worsened wildfires rage

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Friday said “haggling” for infrastructure projects by some members of the House of Representatives may have been the reason a P469-billion lump-sum appropriation reappeared in the proposed budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for next year. Lacson, however, admitted that “there’s no way of validating” the information he received from someone familiar with the crafting of the P4.5-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2021 that Malacanang had presented to Congress. He did not identify his source or the representatives. He said the delay in the DPWH’s submission of its planned spending prompted the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to include thousands of infrastructure projects that had already been funded and implemented by the government in this year’s NEP. “(House members were) haggling for projects to be pre-inserted or embedded in the NEP as a new scheme resorted to by some (congressmen) ... » Learn More about Lacson sees ‘haggling’ for projects in DPWH budget

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Wednesday raised the red flag on P469 billion worth of infrastructure projects that had already been financed by the government for implementation this year but were again funded in the proposed P4.5-trillion national budget for 2021, saying this contravened the 1987 Constitution. Lacson asked Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado to remove the questionable items from the 2021 National Expenditure Program (NEP), which was presented by President Duterte’s economic managers to the Senate finance committee, chaired by Sen. Sonny Angara. Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Sen. Risa Hontiveros also questioned the government’s priorities, noting that the budget for the anti-insurgency campaign was bigger than the allotment for departments tasked with leading the recovery from the debilitating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to the economy. Lump-sum appropriations Lacson, whose scrutiny of the government’s yearly budget had saved ... » Learn More about Lacson flags P469 billion in repeat funding for DPWH projects

SINGAPORE - From the second half of January 2021, short-term business travellers from all countries arriving in Singapore will no longer need to be quarantined, under new segregated travel lane arrangements. The Ministry of Trade and Industry said on Tuesday (Dec 15) that those who opt to use the lane will be transported from the airport to dedicated facilities where they will stay and work. There, they can have meetings through floor-to-ceiling air-tight glass panels with local businessmen, as well as with other foreign businessmen with safe distancing measures in place. Regular testing will be conducted throughout the duration of their stay - for instance on alternate days - in addition to tests before departure from their home countries and upon arrival here. They will also have to move within their pre-declared travel group of up to five people to reduce the risk of mass transmission. The segregated travel lane is distinct from existing reciprocal green lane arrangements, ... » Learn More about Singapore to launch segregated lane for business travellers who will not need to be quarantined

SINGAPORE - Singapore has joined over 40 other countries in tightening restrictions on travellers arriving from the United Kingdom, following the emergence of a new coronavirus strain there that appears to be more contagious. From 11.59pm on Wednesday (Dec 23), all long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with travel history to the UK within the last 14 days will not be allowed to enter or transit through Singapore, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday. This ban will also apply to all those who had obtained prior approval for entry into Singapore. Travellers from the UK are currently required to serve a 14-day stay-home notice at a dedicated facility. As for returning Singaporeans and permanent residents, they will have to be tested on arrival, and again towards the end of their 14-day stay-home notices. Education Minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force combating Covid-19, told reporters on Tuesday that Singapore has been monitoring ... » Learn More about Singapore tightens restrictions on travellers from UK after emergence of new Covid-19 strain

IPOH: The Ramadan bazaar near the Perak Stadium here drew a large crowd on its first day of operation after being disallowed last year owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many visitors were seen checking in with the MySejahtera QR code and having their temperature taken at the entry point while Ipoh City Council enforcement officers and policemen were seen in the area. Inside the trading area, some stall operators could be heard reminding customers to observe the standard operating procedures (SOPs). However, cordoned-off passageways turned out to be a hindrance when queues forming at stalls took up half the walkways, resulting in congestion. One visitors, who asked to be identified only as Saiful, said enforcement officers or policemen should patrol the trading area more frequently. "They should go around reminding the people to maintain physical distancing. "If a queue is too long, they could advise the customers to come back later or buy from another stall," said the ... » Learn More about Ramadan bazaar near Ipoh’s Perak Stadium draws large crowd on first day

KLANG: Mary Lim, 50, and her husband, Nick Ooi, 58, had never imagined they would be subjugated to sheer misery for deciding to go out on an outing on Aug 31 last year. In the six hours they were out from their home in Section 19, Petaling Jaya, their house was broken into and valuables stolen. Besides stealing some watches, handbags, new clothes and RM3,000 in cash, the robbers also carted away the family’s beloved pet dogs. "We are not actually bothered about the money and things that were stolen but are very heartbroken at the loss of our beloved pets. "They took away our Cocker Spaniel Goodluck as well as our Malteses Mae-Mae and Titi," said Lim. She added that the thieves had also taken the dogs’ carriers and beds with them. Neighbours informed Lim they had spotted four men breaking into her home and coming out with the three dogs that were inside the house. "We arrived home at about 9pm to find our house literally flipped upside down. "Neighbour told us what ... » Learn More about Couple still looking for pet dogs stolen in house break-in

PART of Pulau Tikus market in Penang has been spruced up with a landscaping project near the public toilet and old lighting changed to LED light tubes. Pulau Tikus assemblyman Chris Lee Chun Kit said Penang Island City Council (MBPP) had spent RM568 for the landscaping and RM16,000 for the LED lighting. He said there were complaints from traders and market-goers about the smell and mess beside the toilet. “We also received complaints that some people threw cigarette butts and rubbish there. “So, I proposed to MBPP to cover up the area but they counter proposed to landscape it with some plants, ” he said when he and MBPP councillor Connie Tan visited the market recently. “We will continue to beautify the market and we want to add more greens. “We will be putting up some decorations in Pulau Tikus town before Chinese New Year to lift up the spirit of the people, ” Lee said. Lee (with yellow mask) and Tan (right) being briefed by an MBPP worker on the landscaped area near ... » Learn More about Beautifying Pulau Tikus market

3 young men are being summonsed in connection with the assault of Nopparat Boonrat, a world-renowned dancer and Buri Ram native. Buri Ram is a north eastern province. The men, aged 20-23, whose names have been withheld at this stage, are accused of severely injuring Nopparat last Wednesday night at a restaurant in Lahan Sai district in this northeastern province. Police say 2 of the 3 suspects were just released from jail after committing drug offenses when they joined a group of men in attacking the man while he was eating at the restaurant with his elder brother. He was reportedly kicked, punched and hit in the head many times with bottles and a chair, leaving his skull cracked. Nopparat was admitted to Buri Ram Hospital, where he underwent brain scans. Doctors say he was able to speak and eat but was suffering from a ‘bad headache’. His mother, 40 year old Kanchana Puwonpa, told police that Nopparat returned from Bangkok to visit his family and she did not know why he was ... » Learn More about 3 people summonsed after allegedly attacking world-renowned Buri Ram dancer

SEOUL - South Korean Ryu Hyun-soo describes himself as an “LG phone maniac” and says he won’t give up his LG smartphones even though the company that makes them is getting out of the business. LG Electronics Inc said this month it would wind down its smartphone division by the end of July because of a prolonged sales slump. Ryu, 53, who has collected nearly 90 devices over 23 years, said he started using LG phones because he liked their design and creative functions, but the audio quality made him fall in love with them. “I went all in on the LG phones due to the audio,” he said. At his house in Anyang, south of Seoul, Ryu has a room dedicated to the devices and the parts and tools to fix them. LG, which had been making mobile phones for about a quarter of a century, ultimately fell behind rivals Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, in part due to lacklustre marketing and slow software updates. Its smartphone division logged nearly six years of losses, totalling ... » Learn More about South Korean ‘phone maniac’ won’t give up his LG smartphones