India looks to sow more climate-resilient crops as it braces for more heatwaves, water crises

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Farmers in India are given these crops, but they are then required to persuade them to move from the ones the government intends to increase to those that are unfamiliar with them.

The shift has a price tag that is beyond belief, but it does promise to change everything.

Roughly three-quarters of India’s$ 32 billion is used for welfare initiatives and subsidies. How much of the remaining portion will be used for produce analysis is unknown.

Khandelwal noted:” If we look at what is being spent towards development and deployment of climate-resilient seeds or climate-resilient agriculture practices, the expenditure is miniscule as compared to ( subsidies ). It’s this mismatch which is more worrisome”.

Bayer, a German leader in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, hopes to use climate-resilient planting methods and technology in addition to the government’s crop breeding efforts.

It is working with an American federal agency to use drones to monitor crops and spray pesticides.

Bayer wants to encourage farmers to use direct seeding rice machines rather than individually transplanting crops. According to the report, this is reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 44 % and reduce water usage by up to 30 %.

The wish is that public-private collaborations like these can better make India’s agriculture industry for the uncertainty that will arise as India prepares for a more uncertain future with environment.

There are also hopes that they will aid in the sustainability of producers and the billions of people who rely on agriculture for meals.

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Bo Guagua: Son of disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai reportedly in Taiwan and getting married

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According to local media reports, Bo Xilai’s son, a disgraced former high-ranking Chinese politician, is reportedly in Taiwan and getting married this Saturday ( Nov. 23 ). &nbsp,

Apparently, the ceremony will take place in the city of Hsinchu, which is located west of Taipei. &nbsp,

Bo Xilai, 36, the younger brother of past Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai, who was also a part of the strong Politburo before being expelled and given a life sentence for fraud, larceny, and abuse of power.

According to a report from Taiwan’s Central News Agency ( CNA ), which cited official information from the Mainland Affairs Council ( MAC ) on November 15 and is reportedly in town to visit his fiancee’s parents, the younger Bo has been granted legal travel authorization to visit Taiwan. &nbsp,

According to the CNA report, his rumored bride is a Chinese lady from a well-known family in northeast Yilan County. &nbsp,

The couple met while Mr. Bo was worldwide, according to Chinese news website The Taipei Times, and they were planning to get married this year. &nbsp,

In its speech, carried by Chinese media outlets, MAC officials said they were closely monitoring the situation given Mr Bo’s “unique history” and urged people to “respect his protection and his wish to keep a small page”. &nbsp,

Out of respect for his protection, MAC stated that his visa application would not be made public. &nbsp,

While the information was censored in China, it drew attention and comments from Chinese netizens on Twitter, many praising Mr Bo on his relationship while others criticised the media’s “obsession” with his arrival. &nbsp,

Some also made fun of Mr. Bo’s and his Chinese bride’s union, which meant that Xi Jinping’s government referred to two sides as “one family.”

According to reports, Mr. Bo Guagua has been employed by the Power Corporation of Canada as a business analyst.

Before his families were arrested, he was well-known for his colorful attitude, frequent events, nightclub parties, and photo opportunities at parties. He has since studied at prominent international universities, including Oxford University in the UK and Harvard and Columbia in the US.

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Hundreds of students affected by Malaysia’s clampdown on Thai border illegal crossings; education ministry to investigate

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” A WAY OF LIFE IN THE COMMUNITY”

Primary and secondary school students may wait until 6 a.m. every night before getting on boats to Malaysia, according to Bernama. &nbsp,

To board a boat from one of the five illegal bases that locals find to be the most popular, each of them pays a RM1 ($ 0.22 ) fee. &nbsp,

Students are ferried to school at 6:30 am ( Thailand time ) and back at 2 pm ( Malaysia time ) using the long-standing boat service twice daily.

Mr Ishak Gazali, 61, a Malaysian who has lived in Narathiwat’s Sungai Golok community for generations, shared with Bernama that the kids in his community have been attending college in Rantau Panjang for three years.

According to Mr. Ishak,” I’m a Indonesian, and when the police announced that they would begin detaining Malaysians using these crossings starting on December 1,”” I became concerned because many children in this area use this route to get to school.”

He added that because many individuals do not have cars and reside far from these immigration structures, it would be difficult for them to use standard access points like the Rantau Panjang Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, and Security Complex ( ICQS). &nbsp,

According to Thai member Abdullah Abu Bakar, who is married to a Malay, cross-border migrations have become a way of living for the local community, particularly the kids from Thailand who attend Rantau Panjang’s schools. &nbsp,

According to a 64-year-old man quoted as saying,” I hope the governments of Malaysia and Thailand will make it easier for our children to continue their education without interruption. &nbsp,

People of both sides of the border, Sinar Harian reported, claim that the inhabitants were like “brothers and daughters.” Some people are distributed across the border, too. &nbsp,

The valley is also a source of income, especially for boat providers, others pointed out. &nbsp,

” If ( the authorities ) want to take action, arrest those that did wrong such as smuggling”, a resident was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian. &nbsp,

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on Wednesday ( Nov 19 ) reiterated that there are only three official entry points along the Malaysia-Thailand border in Kelantan– the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complexes ( ICQS ) in Rantau Panjang, Bukit Bunga and Pengkalan Kubor. He claimed that going off the beaten path is against the rules.

The National Security Council would approve the Kelantan administration’s proposal to build a 100 km border wall this month, according to Mr. Saifuddin, while it is still in debate. The wall is expected to cost RM445 million ( US$ 99 million ) and the Thai government has reportedly agreed to it.

The walls proposal was made days after Thai authorities detained six Malaysians in a hotel in Sungai Golok for possessing more than 6, 000 meth pills while illegally crossing the border. A well-known native musician from Kelantan was among the detainees.

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Japanese, Koreans bottom of global love life survey

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Japan: &nbsp, Chinese people are the least happy with their sexual and intimate lives, closely followed by South Koreans, a global study by a European research firm showed. With their persistently low birth rates, which are extremely high, the two Asian rivals are dealing with a similar socioeconomic crisis. TheContinue Reading

How did China tackle its once-deadly air pollution, and is it gone for good?

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AIR POLLUTION AND LIFE EXPECTANCY

According to Dr. Hasenkopf, “air waste is frequently cited in terms of the number of people it kills.” Millions of people are born every year around the world, but that number is so huge and challenging to link to one’s life.

The Air Quality Life Index, based on her study, incorporated air pollution into its impact on human life duration.

According to the index, people are losing as much as 3.2 years of life on average in China’s most poisoned place of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei.

” That’s not just necessarily at the end of a long life”, Dr Hasenkopf pointed out. &nbsp,

The number also factors in life that are cut small, “like children or infants who are even more seriously affected by air pollutants than, say, child populations”, she said. &nbsp,

NEW ACTION Program

In December next month, China released a new air quality action plan to cut PM2.5 levels by 10 per share next year, compared with 2020.

The plan also includes lowering nitrogen oxide emissions and volatile organic compounds by 10 % and reducing the annual percentage of heavily polluted days to 1 % or less.

By 2025, China wants non-fossil power to accounts for at least 20 % of its total energy intake. It is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2060.

Although China has made amazing progress, according to experts, new goals are getting harder to hit.

” There’s also a long way to go”, said Professor Huang Yanzhong, senior fellow for global wellbeing at American think tank Council on Foreign Relations.

” But improving air quality, because the low hanging fruit is no longer there, will be a more uphill battle” .&nbsp,

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Composer AR Rahman and wife Saira Banu announce divorce after 29 years of marriage

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Their union, arranged by Rahman’s family, had been a major part of the Slumdog Millionaire writer’s voyage. Rahman, who was at the time devoted his life and work to finding a mate, had given his family permission. Over the years, their marriage remained mostly secret, despite this, their bond was seen as solid by the community.

After the speech was released, Rahman, 57, wrote on social media platform X:” We had hoped to reach the great 30, but all things, it seems, have an unknown finish. Perhaps the throne of God may tremble as a result of broken emotions. However, in this breaking, we seek interpretation, though the items may not find their place repeatedly. Thank you for your compassion and respect for our privacy as we navigate this difficult book, companions.

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IN FOCUS: High stakes in Indonesia’s regional elections for Prabowo, Megawati amid power play

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In mineral-rich areas such as Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua, regional leaders must maintain sources also by tackling illegal mine, environmental decay and other issues. &nbsp,

Java, however, is where businesses tend to be located.

This means business objectives and the local elections are “inseparable”, said Madam Titi Anggraini, an vote law lecturer at the University of Indonesia.

Business persons backing specific prospects in regions with abundant natural resources are at odds with them because they believe they must protect their investments and businesses, she continued. &nbsp, &nbsp,

This time around, business organizations have backed some prospects. In addition to funds, this requires sending volunteers to plan for them or, when a popular businessperson is successful, supporting them to increase their support. &nbsp,

For example, Pengusaha Pejuang Bersatu, a group of businesspeople, supports Jakarta government candidate Ridwan Kamil.

The group ‘s&nbsp, advisory board chairman &nbsp, is Mr Ryan Haroen, a director in property developer PT Maskapai Pembangunan Industri Sumatra and a shareholder of a coffee shop. &nbsp,

A group of businessmen known as Pengusaha Sahabat Ahmad Luthfi-Taj Yasin, which has supported him along with Mr. Widodo’s youngest kid Kaesang Pangarep, has supported Ahmad Luthfi as the candidate for governor of Central Java. Mr. Kaesang is an investor by trade, and his family hails from Solo, a provincial town. Additionally, he serves as the party’s chairman, the Indonesian Solidarity Party ( PSI).

Analysts believe that Mr. Prabowo’s Advance Indonesia Coalition (KIM ) and former Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle ( PDI-P) will continue to exert power as the regional elections take place nine months after the presidential and legislative elections in February.

Mr Prabowo’s big-tent partnership of political parties has been dubbed the KIM Plus, and is frequently seen to be backed by his father, Mr Widodo. &nbsp,

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From local ice cream parlour to global food behemoth: What’s next after Jollibee’s acquisition of Tim Ho Wan?

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Mr Jose Antonio Cipres, a research scientist at the AP Securities trading, said Jollibee’s most remarkable acquisitions were of Chinese-Filipino fast-food network Chowking and cooking restaurant team Mang Inasal.

Chowking had 162 trees when it was acquired in 2000, and that amount has now grown to 566, he said. And Mang Inasal has 573 businesses, away from 303 when Jollibee took over in 2010.

” Since its founding, Jollibee’s quest is testament to successful brand, resilience and a strong understanding of consumer choices”, said Mr Jonathan Ravelas, managing director of eMBM, which provides expert service.

He continued,” It is remarkable that Jollibee has grown from a small local business to a global player in the foods business.”

CONCERNS OVER Value

However Jollibee’s method of acquiring companies has never come without censure. &nbsp,

According to Banderlipe, Banderlipe of De La Salle University, several customers believe that Jollibee’s companies may experience a decline in their food and service standards with a focus on generating higher profits.

” When the bread firm Red Ribbon was acquired, some loyal users complained about losing the’ liqueur-ish’ taste of the Black Forest pie that made Red Ribbon famous”, he said.

A tie-up with a major mall operator in the Philippines will allow the coffee beans and tea leaves to appear in 89 malls as shops, which Mr. Banderlipe described as a drop for devoted customers.

On CNA’s Instagram post about Jollibee’s merger of Tim Ho Wan, one person posted:” Good luck with the high-quality”!

Another responded:” Agree. Costs fluctuate, while food and service quality fluctuates.

According to Mr. Banderlipe,” Jollibee must concern itself to increase or maintain the quality of the products and service of the models it purchases.”

As Jollibee expands its brand portfolio, Jollibee did not respond to CNA’s issues immediately. &nbsp,

STILL ON THE Fall

However, experts who spoke to CNA were convinced of Jollibee’s continuing progress, as it pushes towards its owner’s purpose to have 50 per cent of system-wide sales, which include owned and franchised stores, to travel from international company.

For the first nine months of the year, global operations made up 40.3 per share of system-wide income.

According to AP Securities ‘ Cipres, Jollibee was making corporate moves to expand its market share in various industries.

He pointed to another&nbsp, new acquisition- of Compose Coffee Company in South Korea- which he said would soon increase Jollibee’s earnings, since the chain is successful. &nbsp,

According to Prof. Gutierrez of the University of the Philippines, Jollibee could acquire Chinese, fast-food, or coffee shops.

Jollibee CFO Shin made a point during the media conference on Tuesday that the company had not yet entered some Southeast Asian markets like Indonesia and Thailand. &nbsp,

Those remain opportunities for growth, he said.

The fried chicken restaurant chain, which saw an increase in same-store sales of 8.2 % in the first three quarters of 2024 compared to the same period last year, is still a major success.

” Jollibee… will always be the’ nightmare’ of the’ M ‘ brand”, said&nbsp, Mr Banderlipe. ” (McDonald’s is ) the world’s number one, but not in the Philippines” .&nbsp,

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