TOKYO: An approaching typhoon battered communities along Japan’s Pacific coast on Monday (Aug 14) with heavy rain and crashing waves, prompting authorities to warn about landslides and flooding. On track to hit the main island of Honshu early on Tuesday, Lan was expected to dump up to 40cm of rainContinue Reading
SINGAPORE: A coroner’s court on Monday (Aug 14) confirmed the identity of a woman who was found dead in the kitchen toilet of her Housing Board flat, using circumstantial evidence after her fingerprints, DNA samples and dental records yielded dead ends.
Madam Tham Yoke Hing, 66, had no children or spouse and lived alone in a flat on the fourth floor at 48 Teban Gardens Road.
On Apr 21 this year, a neighbour living directly below her noticed water leaking from his ceiling and sought help from HDB officers to contact Mdm Tham.
Mdm Tham’s niece went down to the flat on Apr 23, after her uncle was notified of the issue, but was unable to get a response by knocking on the door.
She called the police for help that evening. Officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force broke the door lock to gain entry with the permission of Mdm Tham’s family.
They found Mdm Tham’s body lying in the kitchen toilet in a state of advanced decomposition.
The investigating officer on the case, Inspector Benjamin Sim, said he observed the floor to be wet and slimy when he went down to the scene.
Mdm Tham’s facial features were also “beyond recognition”, he said. There were no signs of ransack, forced entry or struggle, and valuables were intact in the unit.
“The police do not suspect any foul play, but due to the decomposed state of her body, the identity of the body needs to be ascertained,” he said.
Forensic specialists tried twice to lift thumbprints from the body, but were unable to because of the advanced state of decomposition.
Next, DNA was extracted from bone marrow taken from the body, and Mdm Tham’s older brother’s DNA samples were sent for DNA profiling.
However, the results showed that the pair were not biologically related, said INSP Sim. The DNA results did not match any existing DNA profiles in the system.
Mr Tham was interviewed and revealed that his sister was adopted.
A forensic pathologist from the Health Sciences Authority was consulted on using dental means to identify the body, but this was also a futile search as there were no teeth in the mouth and Mdm Tham had no dental records.
As the three primary means of identification – fingerprinting, DNA and dental records – were unsuccessful, INSP Sim said he had to rely on circumstantial evidence and accounts.
Mdm Tham was last seen alive by neighbours about two to three weeks before her body was found.
One neighbour said he used to see her around 9am in the mornings when she went to the market.
Another neighbour said she had not seen Mdm Tham for over a month.
They said Mdm Tham lived alone in her flat and had no relatives or friends to visit her often.
Mdm Tham also did not like visitors because “of the state of her house”, INSP Sim noted.
Mdm Tham’s niece said the older woman usually wore a jade bangle and a metallic watch on her wrist, and the body found in the toilet bore these items, also on the wrist.
Medical records showed that Mdm Tham had chronic conditions, including diabetes, hypertension and osteoporosis.
Her cause of death was ascertained to be hypertensive heart disease, a natural disease process.
State Coroner Adam Nakhoda found that she had died of natural causes.
He added that Mdm Tham had not rented her flat to any tenants, nor did she have visitors. Thus, the body found in the flat could not have belonged to an unknown person, he said.
He confirmed that she was the person found dead in the unit, and extended his condolences to her next-of-kin.
China has developed a new cooling system that allows high-energy lasers to operate infinitely without overheating, an innovation that could point a laser-sharp threat at US space dominance.
South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that scientists from China’s National University of Defense Technology at Changsha, Hunan province, developed a new cooling system that eliminates the harmful heat generated by high-powered lasers, reportedly solving the overheating problem that has limited their operating time and performance.
SCMP notes that a laser weapon generates a high-energy beam using stimulated emission, which involves exciting atoms or molecules in a crystal or gas gain medium to a higher energy state.
When those excited atoms or molecules return to their ground state, they emit photons amplified by optical feedback to create a high-power laser beam, with a highly-precise beam control system directing and controlling the laser typically using mirrors and lenses.
As the beam passes through the air, it heats the gas in its path, causing it to expand and create a turbulent flow, making the beam scatter and distort, reducing its effectiveness and accuracy.
The heated gas can contaminate the mirrors and lenses in the system, degrading its performance and lifespan. In addition, larger pollutant particles burning on the mirrors can result in cracking or damage, reducing the practicability of high-energy laser weapons.
The Chinese science team claimed to have developed an internal beam conditioner that cools down the weapon and improves gas cleanliness.
According to the SCMP report, the system utilizes an air source to provide cool, dry air that flows through a heat exchanger, with gas at the optimum temperature regulated by a gas flow control system and injected into the laser beam path before being removed.
SCMP also noted some design challenges the research team encountered, such as ensuring that the gas flow achieved the desired cooling and cleaning effects, making the device compact and efficient enough for practical applications, and properly building the device to prevent turbulence and vibration from affecting beam quality.
Beijing Times noted the invention has several implications for the battlefield, which include extended engagement durations, amplified range and damage, and reduced maintenance and repair costs. The report also touts other advantages of laser weapons, such as instantaneous hits, negligible cost per shot and possible anti-satellite applications.
The Beijing Times report claims that previous US attempts to make high-power lasers into practical weapons, such as the Mid-Infrared Advanced Chemical Laser (MIRACL), Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) and Airborne Laser (ABL), were eventually scrapped due to their unwieldy size and weight, unsatisfactory destructive power and relatively short range.
China’s internal beam conditioner may be a game-changer for its laser weapons program, especially for ground-based anti-satellite weaponry. For one, ground-based lasers have size, coverage and power advantages over airborne and satellite-mounted weapons.
They can destroy satellites with scalability and plausible deniability, as it is difficult to attribute a blinding laser attack on a satellite orbiting hundreds of kilometers above Earth at thousands of meters per second, as the temporary outage of a satellite could be accidental or the result of hard-to-detect aggression.
In May 2023, Asia Times reported that China may have built ground-based anti-satellite weaponry at its secretive Korla facility in Western Xinjiang, with such weapons intended to conceal sensitive military areas from spy satellites.
Satellite imagery of the Korla facility by US geospatial company BlackSky shows two laser gimbals mounted in hangars with retractable roofs that open around solar noon when foreign imaging satellites are most active.
The satellite imagery also shows huge anti-satellite lasers close to the size of ship-mounted weapons alongside domed structures, likely containing tanks for the gas required to operate the lasers.
Apart from the Korla site, China may have another such facility at Bohu in Xinjiang, with satellite imagery of the Bohu site showing fixed lasers for satellite ranging and mobile truck-mounted lasers for dazzling.
Apart from ground-based weapons, China may already have developed space-based laser weapons. Space-based weapons have several advantages over ground-based systems, such as the shorter distances between orbiting satellites and the lack of atmospheric distortion that degrades laser range and power.
Asia Times reported in March 2022 that China had developed a satellite-mountable solid-state pulse laser capable of generating a megawatt laser light and firing 100 times per second for half an hour without overheating in space.
It is reportedly capable of blinding satellite cameras or permanently blinding satellites. Upon testing, the device reportedly generated a five-nanosecond beam, but it was powerful enough to blind human beings or vaporize target surfaces permanently.
Recent advances in laser cooling technology, including a new cooling device made of copper and indium to absorb excess heat, reportedly made the weapon possible.
Despite those developments, China may still lag the US in other laser weapon areas. Asia Times noted in April 2023 that while China is adept at making smaller laser weapons, such as one possibly used in a February 2023 blinding laser attack against a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship in the South China Sea, it lacks larger models that can intercept bigger targets such as missiles.
Both ground- and space-based laser weapons have drawbacks. Ground-based lasers require vast amounts of power to affect targets high in orbit and have atmospheric beam distortion and accuracy issues at great distances.
Space-based laser weapons face the challenge of developing a power source that is compact and powerful enough to be mounted on a satellite.
As such, China’s laser weapons program may be an asymmetric response to US space dominance, wherein the US exploits the space domain for strategic-level missile defense, intelligence and command and control, with its military and commercial satellites acting as early warning systems, eyes in the sky, or nerve centers for modern military operations.
The ongoing Ukraine war has vividly shown the decisive edge the US maintains in space dominance, with China possibly taking note for its Taiwan contingency plans.
Le Le has been eating, resting and playing on his own, away from Jia Jia.
This is part of a “natural process” that mirrors what happens in the wild, when panda cubs become independent from about 18 to 24 months of age, Mandai added.
“They start displaying signs of being comfortable alone, while the mother pandas also begin to exhibit behavioural changes that lead to the eventual rejection of their cubs.”
As giant pandas are solitary animals, this life stage progression is part of growing up, Mandai said.
“As it is critical to assist the cub and mom safely through the separation, the animal care team has been conditioning Le Le to enter a new private den that is segregated from (his mum’s),” said Mandai, adding that this would empower him to live apart from Jia Jia when the time comes.
Full separation from Jia Jia is expected to occur in the coming months and the process will be closely monitored by the panda care team.
Once separation happens, Jia Jia and Le Le will split their time at their exhibit at the Giant Panda Forest in Mandai’s River Wonders park.
The public will be able to see Le Le from 10am to 2pm and Jia Jia from 2pm to 6pm.
SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un berated “irresponsible” officials for failing to prevent damage from a tropical storm that swept through the Korean peninsula last week, state media said on Monday (Aug 14). Tropical Storm Khanun, which battered Japan before taking a circuitous route towards the Korean peninsula, movedContinue Reading
China has a particular dislike of Lai, who has previously described himself as a “practical worker for Taiwan independence”, a red line for Beijing which has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. Lai, who has pledged to maintain peace and the status quo,Continue Reading
SINGAPORE: Following numerous reports of viewers unable to watch English Premier League (EPL) matches on Saturday, StarHub said it had ironed out the kinks for Sunday’s broadcast. “We have smoothened the TV+ login experience, and all our TV+ and IPTV customers were able to enjoy the games,” the telco told CNA onContinue Reading
Gambling addiction fuelled by poverty, researchers find
Social workers say gambling addiction among blue-collar workers is fuelled by social and welfare issues, not by an individual’s passion as many might have thought. NGOs and government agencies are working together to provide rehabilitation.
Asst Prof Pattamaporn Sooksomsod, from Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Rajabhat University, said gambling addiction arises from workers being paid too little to feed their family.
Most workers in factories work overtime, which takes away their free time for other recreational activities.
“Everyone has their own Facebook account. Just type in a few words and a list of gambling websites shows up. There will also be game plans for gamblers and 24-hour group chats for people to access online gambling. It only takes a few seconds after wiring the money to access the games,” she said.
Based on her research about the effects of online gambling among workers in the manufacturing industry in Ayutthaya, workers do not see online gambling as a problem. Instead, it’s their side income.
Many have set up limit such as not losing more than 300 baht per day. They often think the money they earn from gambling can contribute to their daily expenses. Still, few keep a tally of how much they have lost.
Players aim to make high returns from the games but they are more likely to end up heavily indebted to loan sharks. Once their financial situation deteriorates, the stress tends to affect their relationships, work and health.
The most popular online gambling games among workers include slot machines, the illegal lottery and sports betting, she told participants in the “Gambling Activities in a Daily Life of Workers in Manufacturing Industry” seminar, organised recently by the Center for Gambling Studies and the Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation with support from the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth).
Asst Prof Tanit Toadithep, from Burapha University, said workers who gamble are often the family’s main breadwinner. They do not wish to spend their lives working in factories but would rather save a sum of money large enough to start a small business at home.
But most workers still live from hand to mouth. Many who work in industrial estates pay off pickup trucks or motorcycles by instalment because public transport is not available in the area. Gambling offers a rare ray of hope.
”However, the more they bet, the more they lose,” Asst Prof Tanit said.
He gave as an example workers in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC): when gambling addicts lose control over their betting, they will try everything to make a return. Eventually, they could end up losing all their money, breaking up with their partner and might even quit their job.
Assoc Prof Lae Dilokvidhyarat, president of the Gambling Rehabilitation Direction Division of ThaiHealth, agreed that gambling addiction among low-income workers is the result of poverty.
“We tend to think about gambling addiction as an individual issue but it is actually a social and welfare issue which requires work from various agencies to solve,” he said.
He proposed workers must be paid a reasonable wage which satisfies their life demands. Once they earn enough, the stress that poverty brings will disappear. Then, there will be no point in betting their hard-earned money on games that are impossible to win.
Jirasak Lamlert, president of Nippon Steel Corp Labour Union, said most gambling addicts spend 5-10% of their wages on betting games. Instead of gambling, the union has tried to convince workers to save the same amount for family or household expenses.
Many employers in manufacturing have joined anti-gambling campaigns, as the outcome directly benefits business and union relations, he said.
Wongjan Janyim, coordinator of the Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation, said anti-gambling campaigns sponsored by ThaiHealth offer counselling to workers addicted to gambling, and help them quit their habit.
Ms Wongjan said the network has labour unions to the campaigns. Around 70% of participants are now spending less money on betting and have started to save enough for their families, she said.
SYDNEY: Asian shares struggled on Monday (Aug 14) ahead of China data that is likely to amplify the case for serious stimulus even as Beijing seems deaf to the calls, while rising Treasury yields lifted the dollar to a 2023 peak on the embattled yen. Geopolitics was an added worryContinue Reading
Two years since the Taliban swept into power in Afghanistan, not a single country has formally recognised their rule.
Even engaging with the Taliban government remains deeply controversial. Some say talking with them will help bring about change, others insist the Taliban will never change so there’s no point in talking.
And as the world struggles to decide how to deal with Afghanistan’s new rulers, women’s rights – even their beauty salons – have become frontlines in political battles.
Beautician Sakina – in a dimly lit room, curtains tightly drawn, alongside bunches of lip pencils and gleaming palettes of eye shadow – reflects on why she feels women like her have become a bargaining chip.
“The Taliban are putting pressure on women because they want to push the international community to recognise their rule,” she says in her new secret salon in Kabul.
She was forced underground two weeks ago after the government ordered all women’s beauty parlours to shut. It is the latest in a seemingly endless raft of decrees restricting the lives and liberties of Afghan women and girls.
Sakina is uncertain what approach to the Taliban will work.
“If the Taliban are accepted as the government, they might remove restrictions on us, or they could impose even more,” she says, with the kind of uncertainty and anxiety that plagues this huge, sensitive political issue.
The Taliban insist issues like women’s rights are none of the world’s business.
“Focusing on this one issue is just an excuse” says Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban.
Speaking to the BBC from the Afghan city of Kandahar – home to the Taliban’s supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada – he insists that “the current government should have been recognised long ago. We have made progress in some areas and we will also sort this issue.”
Whether to talk or not to the Taliban government sharply splits many communities with a stake in Afghanistan’s future.
This includes a deeply embittered and still shaken Afghan diaspora, forced to flee their own country when the Taliban swept into power – for a second time – on 15 August 2021.
“Saying don’t talk is easy,” says Fatima Gailani, one of four women who were on the Afghan team that tried to negotiate with the Taliban right up to the moment they seized power.
“If you don’t talk, then what do you do?”
Since the collapse of the last government, she’s been involved in backchannel initiatives.
“We don’t need another war”, she emphasises, in a nod to voices, including former military commanders and old warlords, who still harbour hopes of eventually toppling the current order by force.
Others in the diaspora are calling for greater pressure, including more sanctions and additional travel bans, to intensify the isolation.
“What is the point of engagement?” demands Zahra Nader, editor-in-chief and founder of Zan Times, a women-led newsroom in exile. “They have shown who they are and what kind of society they want to build.”
Diplomats involved in dialogue emphasise that engagement is not recognition, and concede there is little to show so far.
But signs of dissatisfaction, even among senior Taliban leaders, with the most extreme edicts imposed by the ageing ultra-conservative supreme leader, keep kindling faint hope.
“If we don’t engage Afghans who want to engage, in the smartest possible way, we’ll give free reign to those who want to keep a large part of the population essentially imprisoned,” says a Western diplomat involved in recent meetings with mid-level Taliban representatives.
Sources point to a recent unprecedented meeting between the reclusive Akhundzada with Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani – the supreme leader’s first with a foreign official. Diplomats briefed on the discussions say they confirmed wide gaps, especially when it comes to education and women’s rights, but also indicated a possibility to find a way forward, however slowly.
Discussions are tough – it’s hard to find common ground.
“There’s a lot of distrust, even disdain, between sides who fought each other for years,” says Kate Clark of the Afghanistan Analysts Network. “The Taliban think the West still wants to corrupt their nation and the West doesn’t like the Taliban policy on women’s rights and their authoritarian rule.”
Ms Clark highlights a fundamental disconnect: “The West may see issues like recognition as concessions, but the Taliban see it as their right, a God-given right to rule after they defeated the US superpower and returned to power, for a second time.”
Outside powers balance criticism with praise for progress, such as a crackdown on corruption which boosted revenue collection, and some efforts to tackle security threats posed by the Islamic State group. And Western powers look to Islamic countries and scholars to take the lead on shared concerns over the Taliban’s extreme interpretations of Islam.
But there is also a toughening of tactics.
Even the UN now speaks of “gender apartheid” as the Taliban tighten the vice around women by even banning them from public parks, women’s gyms and beauty parlours. Moves are now underway to develop a legal case for “crimes against humanity”.
Despite some mixed messaging and occasional friction between regional and Western countries, so far there’s a rare meeting of minds among world powers, including Russia and China on some red lines, including recognition.
The impasse has devastating consequences for ordinary Afghans.
The UN’s latest report highlights, in bold letters, that their humanitarian appeal is only a quarter funded as of the end of July, as donors turn away. More and more Afghans are going to bed hungry.
Some 84% of households are now borrowing money just to buy food, the UN says.
And there is concern too that the footprint of Islamist groups like Islamic State is growing.
The Taliban government paints a rosy picture. And, even without recognition, their envoys – in signature traditional turbans and tunics – are among the world’s most frequent flyers, jetting to meetings in many capitals.
The acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi receives delegations in Kabul almost daily, with all the usual protocol, including flags and official photographs set in elegant rooms.
Western embassies in Kabul remain shuttered, except for a small European Union and a Japanese mission. Discussion goes on about whether diplomats now based in the Gulf state of Qatar should at least be in Kabul if they want to exercise any influence at all.
There’s no appetite, in any of the world’s capitals, for another bloody chapter in this 40-year war.
And despite any discord among Taliban leaders, their unity remains a goal which matters above all else.
There are no quick or easy solutions.
“The only thing I could say from my heart is that we are really suffering,” says the beautician Sakina.
“Maybe those who are not among us don’t understand it, but it’s really painful.”
