This Sumatra island is known for tin production and deadly crocodile attacks. What’s the link?

Bangka contributes 90 per share to regional metal output, according to Indonesia’s department of energy and nutrient solutions.

For decades, tin mine in Bangka was done by state-owned business PT Timah, but for more than a decade, illegal mine has been prevalent.

Small-scale miners perhaps me in areas that have been designated for different purposes, such as secured forest areas or concessions of businesses that are undergoing reclaimed.

“We know illegal mines are rampant – behind a school, near office buildings, so it ’s everywhere, ” said Langka.

“Estuarine crocodiles ( Crocodylus porosus ) live near estuaries. They don’t reside in profound river or in the ocean. When illegal mine is carried out close to rivers, the turtles may be harmed. ”

Estuarine turtles, also known as salt crocodiles, are the largest of all reptile species and can increase up to 7m in length and weigh about 1,000kg.    

They are extremely sensitive to sound, said Langka.  

“If there are many illegal mining ( sites ), the sounds will make them feel stressed, and they will try to fight or migrate.

“Sometimes they attack the unlawful workers or fly river, but when they find a new location, there are already various alligators. ”

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Increased risk of fires, transboundary haze in Mekong sub-region as dry season begins

As the dry season approaches in the region, the ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Centre ( ASMC) issued a” Level 1″ alert on Thursday ( Jan 2 ), warning of hotspots and haze in the region.

The center claimed in a press release that the east monsoon’s “established” will result in clean conditions covering the majority of the Mekong sub-region.

The hub and cloud situation over the sub-region may get worse in the coming months due to the season’s persistent dry spells, it added.

The provincial weather center even observed a steady rise in the sub-region’s hotspot count since mid-December. It recorded a leap in the number of areas between Dec 31 and Jan 1, from 164 areas to 335 both.

Although it found some localized smoke plumes or fog in parts of Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, it claimed that there hasn’t been any transnational smoke haze thus far.

The Mekong sub-region even includes Myanmar, Vietnam and parts of China.

At the start of 2025, ASMC added that it anticipates natural or short-lived La Nina conditions, which may cause wetter-than-average conditions in some pieces of Southeast Asia.

” However, its results on snowfall may not be pronounced over the Mekong sub-region&nbsp, and there may still be a danger of expanded hub activities and intergovernmental smoke&nbsp, cloud in the sub-region”, it said.

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IN FOCUS: Awash with billions in Big Tech money, but Southeast Asia’s cloud and AI boom faces limits

Large TALENT GAPS

Although major tech companies have plans to educate millions of people in the area, there is general agreement about a growing online skills space.

” It is still very hard, challenging to find a really, really great software skills. The difference is always there”, Kanggrawan said.

Even as the market experienced the so-called “tech winter,” a business slump of massive work deficits and hiring freezes in the past two years, this is still the situation. &nbsp,

According to Khuong, nations like Thailand and Singapore will have an even “more serious” difficulty finding labor.

He claimed regional education reforms were required, and tech firms may be encouraged to work in this area.

Everyone must execute the catching up game in this area of training their people, according to” I see the space outside, because the technologies actually advance thus quickly.”

Benja Bencharongkul is the owner of Brainergy, a engineering software company run by a telecommunications company called Benchachinda Group, which operates its own data center and cloud services in Thailand.

He claimed that the country is currently suffering from a significant shortage of skilled workers, which is further exacerbated by the arrival of tech companies with high salaries and career opportunities. Local people are left to thrive inconveniently.

” When Google or Microsoft come in, I just see a huge demand increase with, at least in the short term, the same pool of supply ( of talent )”, he said.

” We are hunting in this same small pool, and what we have seen in the last three years is the 50 % or 20 % increase in the cost of talent with no discernible increase in skill.”

He is concerned that Thailand, which has continued to prioritise economic variety, may not be able to keep up with its mates like Vietnam, which has developed a strong tech industry.

” In the older Eastern perspective, when you ask people what they want to be, a lot might say they want to become a doctor, for instance, correct? Never in Vietnam again. They want to be in tech”, he said.

Tech leaders like Benja are concerned about countries trying to be everything at once as digitalization makes its mark on many aspects of society and organization.

” We just have 70 million people and we’re producing less and less people for the workforce”, he said, referring to Thailand’s declining population. ” But, to please every business is going to be a lot more threatening.

Institutions may have to make difficult choices both now and in the future. Trying to compete with global superpowers for AI growth may turn out to be a futile endeavor, according to Kanggrawan.

He claimed that looking for business suit or niche areas to use technology could provide more advantages to citizens.

” And if we can utilize that, perhaps in Southeast Asia, businesses or service providers can become world people, but we must be believable, “he said.

Technology and coaching programs have, nevertheless, created prospects for some people with disabilities.

Jidapa Nitiwirakun, 21, was only a child when she was diagnosed with muscular disease, a condition that has caused her to gain muscle power year on year.

As she got older, she began to consider career options. &nbsp,

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Visibility drops in parts of Delhi as pollution surges

On Wednesday morning, India’s capital, Delhi, a toxic fog enveloped the country’s capital as temperatures dropped and waste increased, causing awareness to decline in some areas and triggering airport authorities ‘ warning that flights may be impacted. Delhi overtook Pakistan’s Lahore as the world’s most polluted city in Swiss groupContinue Reading

Pakistan limits outdoor activities, market hours to curb air pollution-related illness

While backyard activities including outdoor sporting activities, exhibitions and festivals, and outdoor eating at restaurants have been prohibited, “unavoidable spiritual rites” are excluded from this course, the purchase said. Some stores like pharmacies, fuel depots, cheese shops, and fruit and vegetable shops have also been exempted from the directions toContinue Reading