By the end of February 2025, applicants to polytechnics will receive their enrolment details via email on February 4, while those posted to the Institute of Technical Education ( ITE ) will receive theirs via email on February 4. Candidates who want to challenge their choice of JC/MI should contactContinue Reading
United States President Donald Trump’s new commitments to recapture the Panama Canal have signaled rising US-China conflicts in Latin America, America’s resource-rich garden and standard sphere of influence.
US Senator Eric Schmitt introduced a resolution on January 23 calling for the Panamanian government to “expel official and interests of the People’s Republic of China ( PRC ) and terminate Chinese management of key Panamanian ports after Trump declared in his inauguration speech on January 20 that it was time for the US to retake control of the Panama Canal.
Additionally, the solution urges the Panamanian government to:
According to the quality, the US government should make significant investments to upgrade Panama’s river system and provide alternatives to Chinese-funded projects, give technical, financial, and proper support to Panama as it seeks to assert its independence over its crucial infrastructure, and lessen its dependence on organizations affiliated with the PRC.  ,
In essence, Schmitt’s resolution calls for the Panama Maritime Authority ( AMP ) to revoke Hutchison Ports Holdings, a port management company with international interests that Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing controls.
” This has been a problem for a while that China has successfully controlled the Panama Canal. On either close, they control the ships. Why is that significant? Because the Panama Canal is where the majority of the products we ship to the Pacific pass, Schmitt told Fox News in an exam.  ,
” The river is no natural anymore. It’s piece of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, where they buy up ships, they build flights and if you criticize the CCP, you may not find airlines again”, he said. They create a” structure that they can move on and off.” We just, from a national surveillance view, cannot have that situation”.
He claimed that the US did not take into account the fact that its military would have to traverse the Panama Canal before it “foolishly gave it away.” Who will determine the 20th century will determine the great rights’ battle between America and socialist China, he added.
China’s trade and investment with Latin America have significantly increased over the past 20 times.  ,
In a statement, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Atlantic (ECLAC ) reported that China and the countries in the region have increased in recent years, reaching US$ 489 billion in 2023. That figure was only$ 18 billion in 2002.
Also in 2023, China’s overseas direct investment ( ODI) in Latin America and the Caribbean amounted to about$ 9 billion, or 6 % of the region’s total ODI. The US has been carefully monitoring China’s ability to use its economic impact in Latin America for political and military uses there.  ,
Chinese President Xi Jinping inaugurated the Chancay mega-port on November 14th during an online service in Peru. According to state media, China will use the Chancay interface to promote trade and adopt its Belt and Road Initiative.  ,
Mauricio Claver-Carone, the US State Department’s Special Envoy for Latin America, said the US may establish a 60 % tax on all products coming from the Chancay interface.  ,
But the Panama Canal is in Trump’s quick places. Trump reiterated his threat during his inaugural address in a press briefing on January 7 that the use of military power might be used to retake control of the Panama Canal.
In his speech on January 20, Trump said,” The Panama Canal, which mistakenly was given to the state of Panama, has been given because the US spent more money than ever before on a project and lost 38, 000 lives in the Panama Canal’s construction.”
” Our deal’s function and our treaty’s nature have been completely violated.” British ships are receiving a lot of extra money and not being treated quite in any way, shape or form. And that includes the United States Navy”, he said. The Panama Canal is being run by China. And we didn’t give it to China. We gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back” . ,
The Filipino authorities announced the same day that an audit of Hutchison Ports, a nearby entity, had begun. Anel Bolo Flores, the Filipino Comptroller General, promised to launch a probe to check whether Hutchison is complying with its 25-year agreement for the Balboa and Felipe box stations.  ,
Due to this, Filipino President Jose Raul Mulino stated last December that no power could control the Panama Canal, and that their sovereignty and independence are not subject to any kind of power.
China does not participate in waterway management or operation. Never actually has China interfered”, Mao Ning, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said in a press briefing on January 22. We regard the canal’s sovereignty and consider it to be a permanent natural international waterway.
After the Nicaraguan authorities cut decades-old diplomatic relations with Taiwan and leaped toward Beijing, diplomatic relations between China and Panama started in June 2017.  ,
In December 2018, Panama signed on to Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative. Citing a WhatsApp talk, media reports said past Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela had received US$ 143 million of “donation” from Beijing to reduce the Panama-Taiwan ties.
According to Schmitt’s resolution, US construction of the Panama Canal required more than a decade of work ( 1904–1914 ), involved tens of thousands of workers and cost approximately$ 375 million, equivalent to more than$ 10 billion in 2025, with thousands of workers losing their lives due to disease and hazardous conditions.
According to US National Archives ‘ Rediscovering Black History, the majority of the people responsible for building the Panama Canal came from the West Indies, a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. However, some pro-China outlets have claimed that Chinese immigrants were the ones who lost their lives in the Panama Canal’s construction.  ,
In an article published on January 20, The South China Morning Post claimed that thousands of Chinese people lost their lives while building Panama’s canal and railroads.  ,
In an article published on January 25, Guancha.cn columnist Xiong Chaoran claims that Chinese workers left marks on the Panama Canal with their sweat and blood. He criticized US lawmakers for supporting Trump in promoting the Panama Canal issue.
The American Transcontinental Railroad, which was completed in 1869, was reportedly completed with the aid of 15, 000 Chinese immigrants, according to the Chinese Historical Society of America. According to researchers, hundreds of these workers lost their lives while working on the project.  ,
Jimmy Carter, the US president, and General Omar Torrijos, the commander of Panama’s National Guard, signed the Panama Canal Treaty in 1977. It made it certain that after 1999, Panama would regain control of the Panama Canal.  ,
Through an extensionable concession of 25 years plus 25 years that the Panamanian government gave to the management of the ports of Balboa and Cristobal at both ends of the Panama Canal, Hutchison Port Holdings ( Hutchison Ports ), a subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings, established operations in Panama in 1997.
The Panamanian government renewed the concession for Hutchison Ports by 25 years in 2021.  ,
Hutchison Ports requested a right of reply from Asia Times, but the publication had not yet received a response. The business has so far declined to respond to any media inquiries about the matter.  ,
On the Singapore Exchange, some Hutchison Ports ‘ operations are listed as Hutchison Port Holdings Trust. The listed trust has not recently filed any new documents with the bourse.
According to CK Hutchison’s website, Hutchison Ports is the world’s “leading port investor, developer and operator” and operates a network of 53 ports across 24 countries throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australasia.
In addition to Buenos Aires, Argentina’s container terminal, Hutchison Ports runs ports in Mexico and the Bahamas in North America. It also operates ports in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Spain.
It’s not known if Washington will put pressure on other port facilities because it believes they are strategic because they are under Chinese influence.
Yong Jian contributes to the Asia Times. He is a Chinese journalist who specializes in Chinese technology, economy and politics.  ,
Residents of 44 provinces enjoyed good to very good air quality on Monday morning, while 12 of the 76 provinces had orange ( starting to affect health ) levels of PM2.5, according to Gistda.
The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency ( Gistda ) reported at 8am that the whole country was free of red levels , ( hazardous-to-health ) of particulate matter 2.5 micrometres and less in diameter ( PM2.5 ).
The orange levels of PM2.5 over the previous 24 hours ranged from 39 to 66.1µg/m ³ in 12 provinces. Seven of them were northeastern counties - , Chiang Mai, Lampang, Lamphun, Nan, Phayao, Phrae and Sukhothai. The five people were Nakhon Pathom, Phetchaburi, Ratchaburi, Samut Songkhram and Trat.
The government-set secure level is 37.5µg/m³.
Bangkok was among 21 regions with mild air quality, recording , yellow ranges of PM2.5 ranging from 25.4 to 37.2µg/m³.
Other regions with mild air quality were, in descending order of PM2.5 rates, Tak, Uttaradit, Rayong, Samut Sakhon, Yala, Narathiwat, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Pattani, Chon Buri, Samut Prakan, Mae Hong Son, Kanchanaburi, Nonthaburi, Chachoengsao, Kamphaeng Phet, Phitsanulok, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Phanom, Chiang Rai and Chanthaburi.
Seventeen counties had fine weather quality, rporting natural levels of PM2.5 ranging from 15.1 to 24.9µg/m³.
They were, in descending purchase, Phuket, Chumphon, Trang, Phangnga, Ranong, Loei, Prachin Buri, Phetchabun, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phichit, Uthai Thani, Krabi, Surat Thani, Nakhon Sawan, Suphan Buri, Yasothon and Sa Kaeo.
As many as 27 regions had really good air quality represented by blue amounts of PM2.5 ranging from 7.7 to 14.2µg/m³. The lowest levels was recorded by Ang Thong.
Other regions with really good air were Amnat Charoen, Ayutthaya, Bueng Kan, Buri Ram, Chainat, Chaiyaphum, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Lop Buri, Maha Sarakham, Mukdahan, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nong Bua Lam Phu, Nong Khai, Phatthalung, Roi Et, Sakon Nakhon, Saraburi, Satun, Sing Buri, Si Sa Ket, Songkhla, Surin, Udon Thani and Ubon Ratchathani.
The Meteorological Department reported that a strong high pressure method from China had strong winds and reduced conditions by 4-6°C in the Northeast and by 1-3°C in the Central Plain and the East.
All but two of the 181 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 737-800 flight, which was departing from Bangkok and was scheduled to arrive at Muan International Airport, died on December 29 when it overshot the runway during an emergency tummy getting and crashed into the localiser construction.Continue Reading
Authorities are still trying to figure out what caused the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil, with a preliminary report released on Monday ( Jan 27 ) revealing that both engines of the Jeju Air plane that crashed last month contained duck remains. The Boeing 737-800 jet’s two vehiclesContinue Reading
He was the first foreign artist to enjoy Bhutan for the first time on Saturday, according to a video he shared on Instagram. What a job, what a nation, what a wonderful place with extraordinary people. Lemme realize if i may move it, please and thank you.
” And thank you so much for welcoming me, my travelling team, and every voluntary who helped put on like a historic display. We’re hoping to see you soon! “
In the film, Sheeran reflected on how “mad” it was to be breaking a report.
Standing by the level set-up, he reflected:” It’s jealous that this is the first global music around. I hope that there’s many more to travel. “
King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema had welcomed the 33-year-old song to the nation.
He continued,” I went for dinner with the king and queen yesterday, and they said,” We just want people coming to the country who want people who want to love and respect the country and understand the ideals.” ‘
” Yeah, I feel very honoured that I was chosen and I can’t wait to play. This is like, for my jelly. “
The Castle On The Hill vocalist tells the audience how happy he was to do for them in the video before being cut to film from the concert.
He said:” I’ve been all around the world, been to some amazing places, but I’ve never done anything like this before.
To travel to a nation like Bhutan, to be able to perform onstage and bring this present around. I can recall playing in an empty room, and then I get to perform the first foreign concert possibly in Bhutan. “
PUBLISHED: 27 Jan 2025 at 08: 04
Past senator Rosana Tositrakul is asking the Bangkok government to get the immediate destruction of the Aetas condominium in the Pathumwan district, which was ordered by a court ten years ago for a building control act violation.
Ms. Rosana urged government Chadchart Sittipunt to follow the Supreme Administrative Court’s attempt to demolish the 21-story condo building on Soi Ruamrudee, which is still in use ten years later in a Facebook post on Sunday.
According to the former senator, Mr. Chadchart faces dereliction of duty costs under Section 157 of the Criminal Code if he doesn’t carry out the purchase.
The Aetas, built on a small city less than 10 feet broad, has long been a source of concern for visitors. Local residents, led by Dr Songkram Supcharoen, began opposing the initiative in 2005.
Despite their complaints, the job was approved by Pathumwan neighborhood office. The Foundation for Users therefore assisted people in bringing a lawsuit against the Central Administrative Court in 2008.
The jury ordered the building’s destruction within 60 days after ruling in 2012 that it was in violation of the Building Control Act.
However, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration ( BMA ) filed an appeal against the ruling as the case moved to the Supreme Administrative Court.
In October 2014, the court upheld the decision, requiring the defendants, including the then-Pathumwan city producer and Bangkok government, to maintain the demolition get within 60 days of the decision being issued.
Despite this, the structure hasn’t changed since the last judgement, which was made more than ten years ago, and the structure hasn’t been replaced.
Dr. Songkram recalled a tragic fire incident at a hotel in Soi Ruamrudee during a recent forum on the event hosted by the Thailand Consumers Council (TCC ) when the narrow street prevented fire trucks from arriving in time, which led to the death of a foreign tourist.
He warned that a similar drama might occur in the future if the illegal construction of large buildings on small city streets is permitted to proceed unchecked.
Swastik PalMangala Pradhan did not forget the day her one-year-old boy was lost.
It was 16 years earlier, in the cruel Sundarbans- a huge, terrible river of 100 islands in India’s West Bengal state. Her child Ajit, just beginning to wander, was full of life: playful, anxious, and wondering about the globe.
That night, like so many others, the household was preoccupied with their daily tasks. Raja had been fed breakfast and taken to the home by Mangala as she prepared the meal. Her father was out buying fruits, and her ailing mother-in-law rested in another area.
But little Raj, often eager to explore, slipped away undetected. Mangala shouted for her mother-in-law to observe him, but there was no reply. Minutes later, when she realised how peaceful it had become, panic set in.
” Where is my son? Has anyone seen my child”? she screamed. Neighborhoods rushed in to assist.
Desperation quickly turned to heartbreak when her brother-in-law found Ajit’s tiny body floating in the pond in the courtyard outside their ramshackle home. The little boy had wandered out and slipped into the water – a moment of innocence turned into unthinkable tragedy.
Swastik PalOne of 16 parents in the area immediately, Mangala, walks or cycles to two wooden preschools set up by a non-profit where they care for, feed, and teach about 40 kids who are dropped off by their parents on their way to work. According to Sujoy Roy of Child In Need Institute ( CINI), which built the creches,” These parents are the saviors of children who are not their individual.”
In this aquatic area, which is dotted with ponds and rivers, many children proceed to drown. The need for such care is essential. Every home has a water used for cleaning, washing, and also drawing drinking water.
Almost three children between the ages of one and nine years per day drowned in the Sundarbans area according to a survey conducted by the clinical research organization The George Institute and CINI for the year 2020. Incidents peaked in July, when the rain rains began, and between ten in the morning and two in the evening. The majority of children were unsupervised at the time because the caretakers were busy with responsibilities. Around 65 % drowned within 50m of home, and only 6 % received care from licensed doctors. Healthcare was in disrepair: there were few facilities and a lot of common health facilities were shut down.
Swastik PalIn reaction, villagers clung to old superstitions to keep rescued children. They spun the boy’s body over an individual’s mind, chanting devotions. They use stones to repel spirits and hit the water against the spirits.
” As a mom, I know the pain of losing a child”, Mangala told me. I don’t want any other mothers to go through what I did. These kids need my help to prevent swimming. We live amid so numerous problems anyway”.
Living in Sundarbans, apartment to four million people, is a daily battle.
Tigers, known to attack humans, roam dangerously close to and enter crowded villages where the poor eke out a living, often squatting on land.
People fish, collect sweet, and obtain lobsters under the constant risk of lions and poisonous snakes. From July to October, rivers and ponds swell due to heavy rains, storms whip the place, and rampaging lakes eat villages. Climate change is worsening this confusion. Here, there are approximately 16 % of the population aged one to nine.
Swastik Pal” We’ve often co-existed with liquid, unaware of the dangers, until horror strikes”, says Sujata Das.
Sujata’s existence was overturned three months ago when her 18-month-old child Ambika, drowned in the water at their mutual relatives house in Kultali.
An older aunt was busy at home, her children were attending their training lessons, and some of her family members had gone to the business. Her father, who typically works in the southern state of Kerala, was home that evening, repairing a hunting web at the local trawler. Sujata had gone to a nearby handpump to get water because a guaranteed ocean network at her house had not yet arrived.
Next, we discovered her in the water floating. It had rained, liquid had risen. We took her to a nearby doctor, who declared her dying. According to Sujata, this horror has taught us what we should do to stop calamities like this in the future.
Swastik PalSujata and other villagers have plans to use wood and nets to fence their water to stop children from scurrying into the liquid. She hopes that town ponds are where babies who are unable to learn how to swim. She wants to encourage neighbors to practice CPR so that they can give lifesaving assistance to freed drowning children.
” Kids don’t vote, but the political will to address these issues is often lacking”, says Mr Roy. ” That’s why we’re focusing on building local tenacity and spreading information”.
Over the past two decades, around 2, 000 people have received CPR education. A peasant revived a drowning baby before he was taken to the hospital last July, saving him. ” The real problem lies in setting up preschools and raising knowledge in the community,” he continues.
According to costs and regional beliefs, even basic solutions are challenging to implement.
Swastik Pal
Swastik PalSuperstition about enragening liquid gods made it difficult for people in the Sundarbans to fence their ponds. In neighboring Bangladesh, sturdy playpens were introduced in patios to protect children, where drowning is the main cause of death for children aged one to four. But, conformity was lower- children disliked them, and villagers frequently used them for goats and ducks. ” This created a false sense of security, and drowning rates significantly increased over three times”, says Jagnoor Jagnoor, an injury epidemiology at the George Institute.
Eventually non-profits set up 2, 500 creches in Bangladesh, cutting drowning deaths by 88 %. In 2024, the authorities expanded this to 8, 000 areas, benefitting 200, 000 children periodically. Water-rich Vietnam focused on children between the ages of six and ten, using decades of mortality data to create policies and train success skills. This reduced swimming costs, particularly among children who are navigating the water.
Swastik Pal
Swastik PalDrowning continues to be a significant global problem. In 2021, an estimated 300, 000 persons drowned- over 30 life lost every afternoon, according to the WHO. Almost half of them were under 29 and a fourth were under five. India’s information is sparse, actually recording around 38, 000 drowning deaths in 2022, though the real number is likely much higher.
In the Sundarbans, the unpleasant truth is ever-present. Kids have been given years to travel freely or to be tied with ropes and linen to stop wandering. Jingling bracelets were used to warn parents to their children’s movements, but in this cruel, water-surrounded scenery, nothing feels really safe.
Last summer, Kakoli Das ‘ six-year-old boy walked into an overflowing pond while handing a piece of paper to a neighbor. Unable to differentiate between the road and the ocean, Ishan drowned. He had seizures when he was a kid, and because of the risk of disease, he was unable to learn to swim.
” Please, I beg every family: gate your lakes, learn how to revive kids and tell them how to swim. This is about saving livelihoods. We may manage to wait”, says Kakoli.
The preschools offer a way to protect children from the consequences of water for the time being, serving as a beacon of hope. On a new day, four-year-old Manik Pal sang a cheerful lyric to remind his friends: I didn’t go to the water alone/ Unless my kids are with me/I’ll learn to swim and be afloat/And live my life fear-free.
Which physician you may notice for your illness is generally known. Have lingering base discomfort? Go to a podiatrist. Consult a dermatologist for allergies and a doctor if you have heart problems. However, choosing what kind of health advice we need when we’re going through menopause symptoms becomes a little difficult.
Associate Professor Rukshini Puvanendran, co-director at KK Menopause Centre at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) said that menopause is a medical examination.
Physicians assess a girl based on her signs, medical history, and through a physical exam, so that the proper management can be provided. They will determine if the signs – such as poor sleep, stress, weight obtain or heart palpitations – are due to age or other health conditions.
” Your GP or family physician will be a good first place of contact”, she said. The majority of gynecologists can provide advice on how to treat postmenopausal symptoms.
” If an alternative view is deemed essential, general practitioners, family doctors or gynaecologists can make a recommendation to their classmates who specialise in the treatment of menstruation, for example, the group at KK Menopause Centre, “added Assoc Prof Rukshini, who is also KKH’s brain of Family Medicine Service.
She said that growing evidence shows that the drop of oestrogen levels caused by menopause affects a woman’s body from head to toe, including her bones, heart, brain, skin, musculoskeletal system and even emotions.
With experts in gynecology, family medicine, dermatology, and mental health working together, places like the KK Menopause Centre can offer a comprehensive approach to menopause care.
Washington has expressed concern over these actions that China is challenging US effect in its own backyard.
China maintains that its maritime politics is oriented toward the business. Yet, it has established a naval base in Djibouti, a strategically placed American society. Additionally, it is alleged that Equatorial Guinea is developing a new marine center.
According to a recent review by the Asia Society Policy Institute, plan experts believe China is seeking to “weaponise” the Belt and Road Initiative.
In order to accomplish this, it has one way in mind: making the business ports it invests in be as effective as naval bases. 14 of the 17 slots in which it holds a lot stakes have the potential to be used for marine purposes so much. These ports may then fulfill a dual purpose: they support the Taiwanese military’s logistic network and help Chinese naval vessels to travel farther away from home.
US officials worry that China might use its influence on private companies to stifle industry during a time of conflict.
While China’s assets are raising concerns, the West’s determination to invest in ships at this level is limited. The US International Development Finance Corporation, for example, has a little slower, comprehensive approach for its investments, which usually leads to better outcomes for both investors and sponsor nations.
However, some European firms are acquiring stakes in organized and newly built slots in other countries, albeit not to the level of Taiwanese enterprises.
The European shipping and logistics business CMA CGM’s world port development method, for example, includes investments in 60 terminals abroad. In 2024, it acquired power over South America’s largest vessel switch in the Port of Santos, Brazil.
Trump has threatened to impose taxes as a means of limiting China’s position on the world stage. A member of his transition team’s advisor has suggested a 60 % tax on any goods passing through any other Chinese-owned or managed port in South America or the Chancay port in Peru.
Rather than making nations reluctant to sign switch offers with Beijing, but, this kind of action simply erodes Washington’s local influence. Additionally, China is likely to take punitive measures, such as outlawing the US’s import of crucial minerals.
Guest nations like Peru and Brazil, meanwhile, are using the contest for interface investment to their benefit. They are extremely asserting their freedom and adopting a plan of using ports to “play anywhere” on the international stage, drawing attention from both the West and China.
Claudio Bozzi is Lecturer in Law, Deakin University. This commentary , second appeared , in The Conversation.
