China – the world’s biggest emitter of the pollutants driving climate change – operates thousands of coal mines, even as Beijing has pledged to peak greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. While safety standards in the country’s mining sector have improved in recent decades, accidents still frequently plague the industry, oftenContinue Reading
“THIS IS OURS” “We are very grateful for this assistance,” said Johnny Arpon, 53, whose 10m boat Janica arrived at the shoal in time to stock up on extra diesel. Some of the Filipino fishermen crowding around the BRP Bankaw in small outriggers to receive provisions climbed aboard to eatContinue Reading
But in recent years, some of China’s policy tightening measures against private enterprises have raised concerns and undermined the expansion of the middle class, as their careers and economic prospects mainly depend on the private economy. This demographic dividend is disappearing due to China’s rapidly ageing population. Both labour shortagesContinue Reading
One girl and 41 boys, ages 8 and older, gathered for a race. The families used their cars and motorcycles to herd the horses to the starting line. Parents smiled and motioned for us to follow as they lined up their cars next to the horses. When the horses took off, we did too, speeding across the grass alongside the racers at nearly 50mph.
Just as the first horse crossed the finish line, it began to hail. What would have been a celebration turned into an exodus. Some of the riders crossed the finish line and then headed straight into the hills, braving pellets of ice.
As we drove on toward the hot springs, torrential rain overpowered the windshield wipers, and we began to slide. We passed Priuses, a favourite car in Mongolia, mired on the roadsides. Each time we forded a swollen river, the water rose closer to the cab, until we got stuck and it finally leaked in.
The storm had also flooded the hot springs. As we shivered in a tepid pool, one English-speaking boy commiserated: “Sorry you missed the hot water.”
ALONG CAME A SPIDER
After days of slow, off-road driving, we finally arrived at sparkling blue Khuvsgul Lake – our final destination. We wanted to spend the night in a ger, so we called Erdenesukh Tserendash, a 43-year-old horse herder who goes by the nickname Umbaa. His number was on Facebook.
Umbaa, his wife and two sons welcomed us into one of his family’s tents, lit by bulbs hooked to car batteries. For dinner, the family served boiled sheep and horse meat on a communal tray with carrots and potatoes. After dinner, they cracked open the bones and sucked out the marrow, and before bed, we sipped tea with yak milk. As I lay there scrolling, in the light of my phone, I noticed something on my face and swatted. It was a spider the size of a quarter.
The next day, Umbaa took us on a full-day horse ride. We cantered across meadows of wildflowers, saw reindeer and climbed a mountain overlooking the lake, lazing in the sun for lunch, an idyllic finale to our journey.
While modest fashion in the Muslim world typically refers to outfits that are less revealing and cover certain areas of the body, interpretations vary in different cultures. The definition of modest fashion is also “personal and subjective” to the individual, added Vivy. “It’s very difficult to define modest fashion. What we offer are clothes with loose silhouettes, with longer hemlines that are more covered. Less is more, and so far, that has worked well. We’re not trying to define modesty for anyone, we’re just offering what we think women might want.”
Vivy wants Duck to be a brand not just for women who wear the hijab. “We have customers who wear our tops with shorts, or our scarves as a top to the beach. It’s really up to individuals to style our products.”
When expanding into different markets, there are also design preferences and tastes that Duck needs to take into consideration. “In the UK, they don’t really wear a lot of prints. In Asia, they are more accepting of loud designs,” shared Vivy. “These are things we learn along the way. We might have to create a special line of products for different markets, which makes supply chain a bit more complicated.”
To better understand her customers all around the world, Vivy holds occasional in-person meet-ups during her travels. “As a founder and an entrepreneur, I’m always curious about my customers. I always want to get their feedback. What do they like and more importantly, what do they not like?”
Malaysia’s pursuit of wealthy investors is part of a larger global race among nations to secure foreign capital and talent. In 2022, global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows reached US$1.3 trillion. For Malaysia specifically, FDI accounted for 61.7 per cent of total approved investments in the country last year, or RM163.3 billion (US$34.8 billion).
The infusion of wealth and capital from rich investors can have a transformative impact on Malaysia’s economy. These investors bring not only financial resources but also expertise, networks and connections that can stimulate local industries.
One of the key strategies Malaysia has implemented to attract overseas retirees and wealthy investors is the Malaysia My Second Home programme (MM2H).
Launched in 2002, the programme grants eligible participants a multiple-entry social visit pass, allowing them to stay in Malaysia for up to 10 years, with the option of renewal. Between 2002 and 2019, close to 50,000 foreigners were approved under the MM2H programme.
In a surprising move, however, the government in 2021 introduced more demanding requirements, reducing uptake for the scheme. This included a quadrupling of the minimum monthly income to RM40,000 and increasing the required period for physical presence to 90 days in a year.
This was not all. More onerous was the new bank deposit requirement of RM1 million, up from the previous amount of RM150,000 to RM300,000, and that of liquid assets of RM1.5 million (up from RM350,000 to RM500,000 previously).
It was almost as if the revised MM2H wanted to dissuade potential applicants since other countries in the region had less stringent thresholds. Since the regulations were tightened in 2021, there have been a 90 per cent drop in the number of applicants.
A second programme to attract wealthy foreigners is the Premium Visa Programme (PVIP). This programme is not by any stretch of imagination less demanding in its requirements than that for MM2H, with applicants having to open a local fixed deposit account of about RM1 million.
PVIP differs from MM2H in that it allows applicants to conduct business and seek employment; it does not require a minimum period of stay in Malaysia and waives the need to show proof of liquid assets.
At first glance it is quizzical why a country that seeks to attract wealthy investors should raise the thresholds; and why it should position itself to be less competitive than other countries in the region.
There have been calls from various quarters for the MM2H regulations to be eased, with the Johor sultan urging the government on multiple occasions to revise the conditions. In April, the government confirmed that it would review the criteria for the programme.
Other perpetrators who are known to victims are usually in some sort of a romantic relationship. This is when a girl is asked to perform indecent acts on camera, and might not even know that they are becoming a victim of child pornography.
“The latest trend I see is that boys like to record these acts as a kind of keepsake,” ACP Kamsiah said.
Perpetrators who are not known to victims usually start off by using a fake account or identity to get in touch with their victims on private messaging apps.
“The perpetrators usually befriend the victims and convince them to be lovers. Then they start to engage in explicit conversations, until the victim is influenced to share things like nude pictures,” ACP Kamsiah said.
“This is when the perpetrator takes the opportunity to record or download these images, which will then be used to threaten and trap the victim into eventually having sex.”
In some cases, the videos and images are shared with friends on various platforms, or if paedophilic elements are involved, in private groups or on the dark web.
ACP Kamsiah said these child sexual abuse material cases often escalate to physical sexual abuse, pointing out that they usually start with the sharing of explicit images, and culminate in having sex with a minor.
“They start with sharing nude images, then they meet and engage in sexual intercourse. So when a report is made, the police will classify it as a case of rape,” she said.
Dr Rahman believes it is important that child survivors of sexual abuse be given not only physical shelter, but also sustained emotional support. He said some privately-run shelters lack intervention and counselling resources.
“They don’t even have counsellors, and they are banking on volunteers to chip in,” he said, adding that he helps monitor 30 private shelter homes registered in Selangor.
“If let’s say the kids do not receive any proper and continuous intervention, throughout the years (the trauma) will be triggered again.”
Dr Nayagam, who has four decades of experience handling child abuse cases, said suspected cases are first sent to hospitals to get a physical check-up. If the doctors confirm the abuse, the cases could be reported to authorities.
During case discussions with other agencies, he said he tries as far as possible not to place children in shelters, citing the “stigma” that comes with it.
Children need to be emotionally stable in the company of a family member, like a grandparent or cousin, he said.
Child survivors are placed in a shelter as a last resort. They usually stay for about six months, and move out when a caregiver can take them in, or when they are nearing 18 and ready to live and work independently.
Nevertheless, Dr Nayagam feels there is a lack of manpower in the child social service ecosystem, in terms of social workers, counsellors and psychologists.
“But we are moving in the right direction,” he said.
BEIJING: China is willing to work with South Korea to promote a strategic partnership to develop with the times, President Xi Jinping told South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Saturday (Sep 23), amid rising tensions surrounding Russia, the United States and North Korea. Xi held talks with Han inContinue Reading
BEIJING: China is willing to work with South Korea to promote a strategic partnership to develop with the times, President Xi Jinping told South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Saturday (Sep 23), amid rising tensions surrounding Russia, the United States and North Korea. Xi held talks with Han inContinue Reading
TAIPEI: A fire at a golf ball factory in Taiwan killed at least six people, three of them firefighters who died in an explosion, authorities said Saturday. The fire, which began on Friday (Sep 22) evening and raged all night, injured more than 100 people, most of them workers, theContinue Reading