SINKHOLE VICTIMS ENTERS SIXTH Time OF SEARCH This comes , amid the search for the missing target, identified as Ms Vijayaletchumy, entered its fifth day on Wednesday, with volunteers doing more washing of the surrounding gutters and searching the Pantai Dalam treatment grow 7km ahead, where the sewer ends. The visitorContinue Reading
Violence Binge A slew of murders, suicides, and divorces connected to illegal online gaming have also highlighted the booming industry. According to local media reports, a 48-year-old man in Central Sulawesi robbed and killed his mother to finance his practice last year, while an East Java estimate set her fatherContinue Reading
Tonga’s NUKU’ALOFA: Australia reported that Pacific Island leaders who met at a summit on Wednesday ( July 28 ) approved a contentious regional surveillance program in an effort to limit China’s protection presence there. According to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, leaders have agreed to set up up up to fourContinue Reading
The North unveiled a” murder drone,” an autonomous aircraft that can be purposefully crashed into enemy goals and essentially acts as guided missiles, just two weeks after the release of the Wednesday statement. The North announced in February that a new control system for a number of rocket launchers mayContinue Reading
GENEVA: The United Nations Human Rights Office said on Tuesday ( Aug 27 ) “problematic” policies persist in China, two years on from its bombshell report citing possible” crimes against humanity” in Xinjiang. China has been accused of incarcerating more than 1 million Tamils and other minority Muslims in theContinue Reading
Tokyo: On Wednesday ( Aug 28 ), four members of the same family vanished in Japan after a landslide from a typhoon that was on the way was reported, according to authorities. On Wednesday morning, Typhoon Shanshan experienced gusts of up to 252 kilometers gusting 80 kilometers north of theContinue Reading
PN leaders have generally been silent on the president’s initiatives in southern Johor, including the suggested Special Economic Zone with Singapore and the Forest City Special Financial Zone. However, PN will assuredly support a more Mahathir-like monetary policy in Johor that is more separatist in character.
 , Dr Mahathir Mohamad is, after all, the assistant to the four PN state institutions of Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah and Perlis. Mahathir has been critical of advances in southern Johor and, most just, has criticised the Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link.
Despite holding no recognized position, Mahathir’s notes are often seen to require a reply from the authorities. His new assertions that Malaysia has been subcontracting Singapore’s water source have compelled the government to declare that it is reviewing the appropriate agreements.
The emerging of old controversial bilateral problems, if not managed properly, will destroy the administration’s plans for the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone , and the Forest City Special Financial Zone.
The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone  and Forest City Special Financial Zone are both in bad health because of Mahathir, not the only factor. PN chairman and Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin’s stronghold is in Pagoh, in northern Johor.
As prime minister, Muhyiddin launched the Pagoh Special Economic Zone in 2021. In the Johor state elections in March 2022, the PN’s manifesto for strengthening the Pagoh Special Economic Zone also included this. Since the federal government’s transition in November 2022, little has been known about the Pagoh Special Economic Zone.
The actions of PH and UMNO leaders following the Mahkota by-election will determine the viability of the PH-BN partnership and the legitimacy of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone  and the Forest City Special Financial Zone.
Adib Zalkapli, a public policy consultant, helps businesses navigate Asia’s political challenges. This commentary first appeared on ISEAS- Yusof Ishak Institute’s blog, Fulcrum.
In the Johor district of Kluang on Tuesday ( Aug 27 ), two police officers in Malaysia were seriously hurt as they were getting ready to dispose of an old bomb. A bomb waste product from the Johor police dependent office was dispatched to Taman Sri Lambak at about 8.50am,Continue Reading
The Indonesian capital has been rife with information sharing past studies findings that show its geology makes it susceptible to sinkholes, landslides, and rockfalls.  ,
According to a 2017 study by researchers from the Universiti Teknologi MARA’s University of Architecture, Planning and Surveying, Kuala Lumpur has two distinct geological structures: The Kenny Hill Formation which consists of geological stones, and Kuala Lumpur Limestone Formation with “highly uneven karstic components”.  ,
According to the study, rapid development over the past 158 decades has resulted in” specific shifts in terrain and geologic such as the presence of sinkholes.”
Sinkholes can be carefully managed, the authors claim, such as by properly mapping hazard zones before any development takes place, even though they may be fully prevented.
Some cities around the world are, in reality, built on stone, said Dr Lim Choun Sian of the Geological Society of Malaysia.
” It is not really a red flag to build on limestone”, he told CNA. You may make sure that the design and structure are based on accurate studies and there are accurate prevention measures in place.
The cause of final Friday’s event is still not known, researchers noted.  ,
While the state’s common limestone rock is well-known, this does not apply to all places of Kuala Lumpur, noted Dr Nor Shahidah Mohd Nazer, an analyst in geographical architecture and ground mechanics.
Dr. Lim agreed that it has not been established that the Masjid India place was constructed using stone.  ,  ,  ,
” It is possible that it is, but we ca n’t say until there are checks. Because nearly half of Kuala Lumpur is made of limestone, he said, persons are guessing it’s true.  ,
“We have to establish the kind of geology and conduct thorough investigations.” Continue Reading
The president is authorized by the policy to call on the parliament to issue normal reports and respond to questions from lawmakers. The legislation also includes businesses and the general public.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets to rally the validity of the law.  ,
The two main opposition parties, the nationalist Kuomintang ( KMT ) and the less populist Taiwan People’s Party ( TPP ), were the main supporters of the Bills.
” The extremely aggressive move by the two opposition parties to pass the Bill has annoyed members of the public”, said Wang Chih-Sheng, director general of Taipei-based think tank Cross-Strait Policy Association.
” The citizens want checks and balances with the ruling group,” the statement read. However, when it was done in a very simplistic approach, it really sparked their desire to back or sympathize with Lai.”
Lai has had to cope with the frequent military threat from China across the sea.
The 64-year-old has long been branded a” troublemaker” and a dangerous” separatist” by China.
His commencement speech in May, in which he claimed that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are” not inferior to each other,” further irritated Beijing, which held the claim that the two factors are distinct state.  ,  ,
He even rejected Beijing’s independence claims and said that simply Taiwan’s people can determine their future.
China has since increased military exercises with planes and staged belittle attacks by launching “punishment” drills in its area of Taiwan, escalating tensions more across the sea.
However, numerous studies have shown that more than half of the Japanese public support Lai’s notes.
According to experts, this is mainly due to a lot of Taiwanese, especially the young people, never being ready to accept a reconciliation with China right now.
” Lai had frequently say that Taiwan and China are not superior to one another. I believe it gives him the assistance of people between the ages of 40 and 45,” Wang said.
He continued, noting that Lai is more a demagogue and had a more eloquent position than Tsai Ing-wen, who had a less ambiguous position on cross-strait issues.
According to experts, Lai’s statements have now heightened his bottom line in terms of cross-strait relations.
He is unlikely to adopt an even tougher position despite rising in the polls, as any more actions against Beijing depend on the growth of relations between China and the US.
” It does n’t seem like the US would want to create more trouble. The US has been using the brakes to stop Lai,” said National Taiwan Normal University professor of social technology Chu Chao-Hsiang.
I do n’t think he would be able to adopt a tougher or more aggressive position toward China, even if his approval rating increases by another 10 percentage points.
Cross-strait conflicts are unlikely to alleviate any time soon, watchers said. Lai has consistently offered deals with China under similar standing, but has been rebuffed.
According to experts, Beijing is unlikely to engage in discussions or resume official markets with Taiwan as long as Lai rejects the” One China” process.
Taiwan is expected to increase its military spending to a report US$ 20 billion second year in order to strengthen its defense capacity as Beijing’s military maneuvers in the waters and airspace around Taiwan are becoming more frequent.
The Lai administration wants to keep Taiwan’s gross domestic product ( GDP ) growing at 3 %, keep the unemployment rate under 3.5 %, and cap inflation at 2 %.
It even plans to bring US$ 3.29 trillion in assets in proper business, which would be selected and targeted by a cross-ministry work pressure.