Swiatek, a four-time French Open champion at Roland Garros, went into Thursday’s match at a sweltering Court Philippe Chatrier on a 25-match win streak in Paris. The 23-year-old had also defeated Zheng in all of their six previous meetings. However, she was hit off the court by the powerful 21-year-oldContinue Reading
JAKARTA: The Indonesian government will set up a national registry to record statistics on suicide attempts and deaths as part of prevention efforts.
The registry is among several health policies in a new regulation issued by President Joko Widodo on Tuesday (July 30), reported news outlet Kompas.
The registry is expected to include details such as the individuals’ gender, age, location, method, risk factors as well as motives.
The bulk of the information will come from the Indonesian National Police (Polri), population and civil records, agencies involved in gathering data as well as health services agencies. No timeframe was given for the establishment of the registry.
The presidential order also outlines mitigation and prevention measures for suicide, which include responsible reporting of suicide by the mass media and on social media, as well as guidelines on mitigating thoughts of self-harm by developing life, social and emotional skills.
According to the guidelines, people with suicide risk should be restricted from access to tools, materials or facilities that can trigger attempts, for instance.
The government will provide access to counselling services through suicide prevention hotlines, support through survivor groups, and physical and mental health treatment for survivors.
The relevant government agencies will also prohibit the public from abandoning, shackling, or committing violence against people with mental disorders, or ordering others to do so, the health regulation states.
Netizens welcomed the new regulation but cautioned that data, especially for attempted suicide cases, must be handled carefully.
Indonesia suffered a crippling ransomware attack in recent weeks on its national data centres that affected 239 institutions, including 30 government ministries and agencies.
The hacker group Brain Cipher claimed responsibility and demanded US$8 million from the government to unlock the data, but later unexpectedly released the decryption key for free.
“Suicide attempts recorded by the government will have the potential for stigmatisation if it leaks,” commented a netizen on social media platform X. The netizen hoped more details on safeguards would be spelled out in the regulations.
Based on data from Indonesian police’s National Criminal Information Center (Pusiknas), there were 287 suicides in Indonesia from January to March this year.
Of these cases, about a-third or 97 cases took place in Central Java.
According to a groundbreaking study published in February, however, suicides are likely under-reported by about 860 per cent in Indonesia based on data from 2016 to 2018. Reasons include families asking for a suicide not to be reported, and suicide-related investigations that are not pursued by the police.
Through a national government partnership, the researchers from various institutions and universities in Australia and Indonesia obtained non-public data on attempts and suicides from 2016 to 2021, and put together Indonesia’s first suicide statistics profile.
Indonesia’s national suicide attempt rate was 2.25 attempts per 100,000 individuals, according to the study, titled “Indonesia’s first suicide statistics profile: an analysis of suicide and attempt rates, underreporting, geographic distribution, gender, method, and rurality”.
The ratio of female to male suicides was found to be 1: 2.11.
The highest suicide rates were in Bali, Riau Islands, Yogyakarta, Central Java and Central Kalimantan. “Further investigation is needed to identify underlying patterns in these priority provinces,” stated the study, published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia.
The data provides “essential information which can allow for critical steps in suicide prevention, such as means restriction and allocation of resources between rural and urban areas, as well as certain geographic regions”, the researchers wrote.
“Given the scarcity of resources for suicide prevention and mental health, resources must be used judiciously”, together with data-driven approaches to maximise effectiveness, they said.
Three others were detained in the following days with the government saying at the time they had been held for their own safety. Justice Minister Anisul Huq told AFP on Thursday that all six had volunteered to be in police custody. “They came willingly. They said they wanted to go.Continue Reading
Petronas is treading carefully.
In its official responses to the media, including CNA, the national oil corporation said that it is in close talks with both the Sarawak government and Mr Anwar’s administration to achieve a “mutual resolution” to the state gas distribution situation.
It stressed that “all parties need to understand and acknowledge each other’s constraints”.
The political chutzpah displayed by Mr Abang Johari, Sarawak’s chief minister or premier as he is referred to in the state, spotlights how the balance of power in Malaysia has been upended following the May 2018 general election that has since led to four changes in government.
The fractured political landscape in Peninsular Malaysia has turned Sarawak and neighbouring Sabah, which are collectively referred to as the Borneo bloc, into serious crutches for Mr Anwar’s unity government.
That, in turn, has emboldened the ruling political entities in the two states to impose demands on Kuala Lumpur to meet provisions established in a charter when both states joined then-Malaya to create the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, which at the time included Singapore. The island state became independent in 1965.
Of the two Borneo bloc states, Sarawak has been more aggressive in its dealings with Kuala Lumpur because of the political cohesiveness of the state government led by Mr Abang Johari.
The demands by Petros join a list of other demands by Sarawak.
Last month, Sarawak signed a memorandum of understanding with the Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT), which manages the pension fund for certain members of the armed forces, to explore potential cooperation and sharing of information. Mr Abang Johari said it is securing necessary approvals to take a bigger stake in domestic financial institution Affin Bank, of which LTAT is the largest shareholder.
Two weeks ago, Sarawak also retook control of Bintulu Port, a previously federal government-controlled port in the state.
But it is the control over the oil and gas resources that is drawing close scrutiny.
According to the federal government, Sarawak’s probable and proven reserves of petroleum represent 60.87 per cent of Malaysia’s total, while Sabah’s make up around 18.8 per cent.
Sarawak is insisting that oil and gas resources in its territory must be regulated under a colonial-era Oil Mining Ordinance 1958, which stipulates that oil and gas resources found within 200 nautical miles of its waters belong to the state.
The state government wants the six new oil and gas fields discovered in the Balingian province of the continental shelf and the West Luconia area to be developed jointly with Petronas to ensure that the state receives more than the annual 5 per cent royalties that it currently enjoys.
Senior government officials and political operatives in Mr Anwar’s inner circle acknowledge that the demands by Sarawak and Petros could trigger a snowball effect and prompt other states to make greater demands on the federal government, which is already struggling with serious budgetary constraints because of a national debt burden of about RM1.22 trillion.
Several political and economic watchers in Malaysia say the stakes are also high for Mr Abang Johari, a seasoned politician who is regarded as a strong and able administrator.
“Abang Johari is in a strong position but he needs to be careful not to overreach (when dealing with the federal government),” said Mr Manu Bhaskaran, chief strategist at Centennial Asia Advisors.
“The gas distribution issue needs to be settled where it is a win for both sides, and I hope that the demand for full control by Sarawak is just an opening gambit in the ongoing negotiation.”
SEOUL: North Korea wants to reopen nuclear talks with the United States if Donald Trump is re-elected as president and is working to devise a new negotiating strategy, a senior North Korean diplomat who recently defected to South Korea told Reuters. The escape of Ri Il Gyu from Cuba madeContinue Reading
As climate change loads the dice for more and worse disasters, leaders in the Philippines will have to tackle their nation’s systemic vulnerabilities to disaster, as will other frontline nations.
We’re starting to see evidence climate-boosted disasters hit people in emerging urban centres harder. Typhoons are at their most lethal when they strike fast-growing megacities in emerging economies.
In 2007, the world passed an urbanisation milestone. For the first time in recorded human history, more people lived in cities than in rural areas. Since then, urbanisation has only accelerated, as people from rural areas head to burgeoning megacities such as Lagos in Nigeria and Dhaka in Bangladesh. But residents of these cities are often more at risk from flooding and other climate-boosted extreme weather events.
What can we do? As Filipinos braced for Typhoon Gaemi, many frantically looked for information. Data on dangerous flood areas from open access hazard assessment tools proved useful to boost individual preparedness.
But governments must actually plan for and tackle root causes of flooding to make fast-growing cities better able to resist the disasters of the future.
Emily Nabong is a PhD candidate in Humanitarian Engineering at the University of Sydney. Aaron Opdyke is a Senior Lecturer in Humanitarian Engineering at the University of Sydney. University of Sydney Masters students Sheryn See and Isaac Besarra contributed to this article. This commentary first appeared in The Conversation.
In his Instagram caption, Mr Zainul said they spoke about the Hamas-Israel conflict and relations between Indonesia and Israel.
The post went viral with public anger and condemnation that forced Mr Zainul to disable the comments section of his account. He has since deleted the post.
Mdm Hurriyah, a political lecturer at the University of Indonesia, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said that the trip provoked such strong reactions because it “was held amid Israel’s genocide, and the Indonesian government has condemned it.”
About 39,000 people have been killed in Palestine since October, according to local health authorities.
Professor Asep Saepudin Jahar, chancellor of Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, who specialises in the sociology of Islamic law, said that the NU members had lacked sensitivity to the wider political situation.
“Even without war, a visit to Israel is a controversial matter (for Indonesians), let alone during war or attacks on Palestinian citizens.
“And they do not understand that they are being used or the situation is being politicised as it appears Israel wants to get support from Indonesian Muslims (by having the NU members in Israel),” he said.
On Jul 16, NU’s general chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf held a press conference at the organisation’s headquarters in Jakarta where he apologised for the uproar.
“Whatever happens, as the general chairman of NU, I apologise for the mistakes made by the NU members and on their behalf to the wider community.
“Hopefully, they (the wider community) are willing to forgive. Hopefully, it will not happen again,” said Mr Yahya, who was the subject of public criticism in 2018 for meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
As the quintet has different roles within NU, Mr Yahya said he would let the relevant parties decide how to proceed with the individuals who went to Israel.
Mr Sukron told CNA the trip was solely initiated by civil society and not sponsored by the (Israeli) government.
“We went to Israel not only to visit the president, but there were many other activities to help us better understand the situation and possibilities of how Indonesian civil society can help.
“From our perspective, since Indonesia has no diplomatic relations with Israel, therefore civil society must render a concrete contribution to cease the war, or at least reach an armistice between parties in conflict because the victims are always civilians,” he said.
JAKARTA: Indonesia’s controversial decision to let religious community organisations manage mining concessions has led to rifts within the country’s two largest Islamic organisations even as their leaders have signalled support for the policy.
The central leadership board of the country’s second-largest Islamic group, Muhammadiyah, announced on Sunday (Jul 28) its approval of the government’s policy after months of deliberation.
Muhammadiyah general secretary Abdul Mu’ti said at a press conference that the organisation is now prepared to accept mining concessions to operate state-owned mines.
Its decision follows that of the country’s largest Islamic group, Nahdlatul Ulama, which expressed its support about a week after President Joko Widodo’s administration introduced the policy in May. The two groups have an estimated total of over 100 million followers in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.
Critics have slammed the government’s policy as a move by Mr Widodo to reward the religious groups that mobilised support for his perceived candidate of choice in February’s presidential election.
Although Mr Widodo stopped short of endorsing his defence minister Prabowo Subianto in the election, his administration announced public programmes that were widely seen to favour Mr Prabowo, whose vice-presidential partner is Mr Widodo’s son Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Mr Prabowo went on to win the Feb 14 election by a landslide.
Environmental groups questioned if religious organisations are suitable entities to operate mines and warned of the potential to trigger greater environmental damage.
Religious organisations may antagonise local communities when negative impacts of mining activities arise, some activists noted.
Environmentalists have also criticised the religious groups’ support for the policy. Civil society group Cik Di Tiro staged a protest last Saturday at ‘Aisyiyah Yogyakarta University, urging Muhammadiyah to reject the mining offer.
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) Mining Advocacy Network’s (JATAM) campaigner Alfarhat Kasman said Muhammadiyah’s narrative of wanting to develop an environmentally-friendly mining model was an empty promise.
There is no mining operation that does not damage the environment, water and food sources of local communities, he was quoted as saying by BBC Indonesia.
The junta had been unable to hold fresh polls as planned following an initial two-year state of emergency “due to the terrorist acts” by its opponents, broadcaster MRTV reported. All the members of the junta-stacked National Defence and Security Council “unanimously decided to extend the period of the state ofContinue Reading
Speaking to the state broadcaster on Monday (Jul 29), the university’s vice president Zhao Hongguang said graduates can pursue careers in industry associations, marriage agencies, or family and marriage counselling organisations, to name some.
According to Ms Yu, there is currently a lack of highly trained professionals in the wedding and matchmaking industries in China. There has also been increasing demand for people who can provide “sophisticated wedding planning services and design and develop matchmaking services”.
The unveiling of a marriage-related degree comes as the country of 1.4 billion people keeps up a concerted push to encourage marriages and childbirth in turn, especially as the implications of a declining population weigh heavy.
The number of marriages in China has been going down for close to a decade, aside from a post-pandemic rebound in 2023. While the number of newlyweds rose to 7.68 million last year, a 12.3 per cent on-year jump, it’s still far below the peak of 13.47 million couples in 2013.
Marriage rates are closely tied to birth rates. But more women in the country are choosing to stay single, amid record youth unemployment and an economic downturn.
According to official data, China’s single population aged over 15 hit a record 239 million in 2021. That same year, a Communist Youth League survey of about 2,900 unmarried urban young people also found that 44 per cent of women do not plan to marry.
In March, Chinese Premier Li Qiang pledged that the government would work towards “a birth-friendly society and promote long-term, balanced population development”, as well as reducing the cost of childbirth, parenting and education.
He said the country would improve policies to boost birth rates by “refining parental leave policies, improving the mechanism for sharing the related labour costs of employers and increasing the supply of childcare services”.