Facts about southeast region

- A + A (May 26): The world’s food problem is already severe as prices jump and protectionism flares but there’s a good chance governments can stop it from getting way worse if they heed a lesson from the crisis in 2008 — don’t panic. With a gauge of global prices already at a record following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a spate of nations have moved to curb exports in crops from wheat and sugar to cooking oils, exacerbating security risks for the rest of the world. Bad weather is a concern, too. Still, while wheat, corn and soy have soared, rice, a staple for more than three billion people, has so far been more stable. If nations do not panic or start hoarding, they can stop the current crisis from becoming a rerun of the one in 2008, when rice prices soared to put the region’s food security at serious risk, according to Harvard University Professor Emeritus Peter Timmer, who’s studied food security for decades. “The 2008 lesson is: Do not spook the market,” … [Read more...] about Bigger food crisis can be averted If Asia remembers not to panic

This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on May 16, 2022 - May 22, 2022. - A + A OVER the years, there has been much debate on whether low-carbon solutions such as carbon capture technology are relevant in the light of renewable energy adoption and the energy transition. The recent energy crunch, which saw oil and gas prices skyrocket amid high demand, and pushed some countries to even revisit coal for power generation, has proved that fossil fuel use cannot be avoided in the near term. This means it is even more pertinent to explore technologies that allow carbon reduction and offset during the energy transition, says Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) vice-president and chief sustainability officer Charlotte Wolff-Bye. “In this current sort of crisis in the energy sector, I believe that the energy transition can’t be delivered without the oil and gas industry. We actually need to decarbonise existing energy systems and continue … [Read more...] about Petronas: Decarbonising fossil fuel the way to go

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The farthest solar-powered spacecraft ever has sent back another batch of spectacular images of Jupiter. The fifth planet from the Sun—about 499 million miles from Earth—and the largest in the Solar System has had NASA’s Juno spacecraft in orbit since 2016. Juno is in a highly elliptical orbit of Jupiter, so spends most of its time far from the gas giant. However, every 63 days it dives close to the planet’s poles. That’s called a perijove . Here are nine jaw-dropping images produced from the data Juno sent back to NASA earlier this week during its 42nd perijove—which come just a few days before this weekend’s “super conjunction” of Jupiter and Mars as seen from Earth (details below): All of the images you see from Juno—including all of these—actually come from a talented and dedicated group of “citizen scientists.” They each download the raw image data from Juno’s two-megapixel JunoCam imager and … [Read more...] about In Photos: See This Week’s Jaw-Dropping New Images Of The ‘King Of Planets’ As ‘Super Conjunction’ With Mars Nears

Billionaire brothers John and Patrick Collison built Stripe into one of the world’s most-hyped, highest valued — and profitable! — startups, worth some $95 billion. Now they must stave off going from disruptor to disrupted. I t’s just before five o’clock, and Stripe Cofounder John Collison is preparing to address his hundreds of Ireland-based employees on the top floor of his headquarters in Dublin’s “Silicon Docks” District. Such regular Friday town halls, which are also simulcast to New York, San Francisco, Singapore and anywhere else its 7,000 employees want to tune in from over Zoom, are an almost sacred tradition at Stripe, the payments company that Collison cofounded with big brother Patrick in 2010. With Patrick away getting married, it’s up to John, 31 and with a dusting of gray hair now topping his boyish face, to field questions. It could get contentious: There’s a social media “kerfuffle” playing out over Twitter this week: Stripe has been accused in a … [Read more...] about The Collison Brothers Built Stripe Into A $95 Billion Unicorn With Eye-Popping Financials. Inside Their Plan To Stay On Top

Books for children aged 5-13, across genres from mystery to fun facts. (Image: eShe) It’s that time of the year again. With scorching temperatures soaring every day, you’re probably wondering how to keep your kids busy and engaged at home during the upcoming summer vacations. Well, here is a curated list of 16 recently released books for children – all tried and tested by a real mom and a group of terrific kids from ages five to 13! The books span a wide range of interesting themes – from inspiring women to values, mountain tales, mysteries and fantasy worlds. We hope you find them useful and they keep your little ones entertained! Inspiring Women Kamala and Mayan’s Big Idea by Meena Harris, illustrated by Ana Ramirez Gonzalez (5+ years): An inspiring true story about two young sisters, Kamala and Maya, who have a big idea: of turning their empty apartment courtyard into a playground. The two girls preserve in the face of disappointment, and with the help of their … [Read more...] about 16 great children’s books for the holidays – curated by a real mom and a group of terrific kids!

This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on May 16, 2022 - May 22, 2022. Klang Valley Data Centre in Cyberjaya - A + A WITH 5G and digital services being two key growth areas, Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) is actively seeking partners and solutions in the digital space to strengthen its value proposition. And it is not discounting the possibility of acquisitions or joint ventures taking place this year. “That [the need to invest to be better positioned for new growth areas] is partly why we are looking at conserving our cash position,” its managing director and CEO Imri Mokhtar tells The Edge. “We are actively scouting the market [for acquisitions]. As we go into more specific projects, for example, we do need to acquire some of these specialists or boutique technology companies to complement [our portfolio].” Deals being sought include cloud computing, smart workforce, productivity and specialised industry-based solutions to bolster its … [Read more...] about Cover Story: Telekom on the prowl for M&A, JV to grow new digital services unit Credence

London-based author Sonia Faleiro’s latest book The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing (Penguin Hamish Hamilton, ₹599) is the tragic, real-life story of two village girls, who, in the summer of 2014, were found hanging from a tree in the Katra Sadatganj village in the Badaun district of western Uttar Pradesh. After several conflicting eyewitness interrogations, post-mortem examinations and CBI inquiries, the authorities concluded that the girls had taken their own lives—they were afraid that being found with a boy would bring dishonour to them and their families. Several people questioned this verdict. Padma (16) and Lalli (14)—whose names have been changed in accordance with Indian law—were inseparable. Cousins and best friends, “people called them Padma Lalli, like they were one person.” One evening, the girls were given permission to attend a village fair—presumably the best day of their lives—after which they returned home. When they went to relieve themselves in the … [Read more...] about The Good Girls: Sonia Faleiro’s chilling chronicle of the 2014 hanging of two teens in Uttar Pradesh

Marjan Minnesma has devoted decades of her life to sustainability efforts. She was campaign director for Greenpeace Netherlands and spent years in academia alongside climate scientists. She founded an NGO called Urgenda, which organized a collective-buying initiative for solar panels—the first in Europe, per the foundation —helping to bring the price of panels down, and also helped spur electric vehicle purchases in the Netherlands. advertisement advertisement Urgenda won. And when the government appealed, the foundation won again in 2018; and when the government appealed again, the case was brought to the Netherlands Supreme Court, which upheld the ruling; and, at the end of 2019, ordered the government to reduce emissions by at least 25%. “It’s an enormous relief when after so many years, it’s finally a done deal, and the government really has to do what it has promised to do,” she says. “We didn’t ask anything strange; we simply said, you have … [Read more...] about Meet the 2022 winners of the ‘Green Nobels’ working on environmental activism

The Qutub Minar is a protected monument since 1914 and its structure cannot be changed now, the ASI stated. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Tuesday submitted its reply on the Qutab Minar case to a Delhi court where it opposed the petition to revive the temple at the location. "The revival of worship cannot be allowed at a monument where such a practice was not prevalent at the time of it being granted the 'protected' status," the ASI told the court. The Qutub Minar is a protected monument since 1914 and its structure cannot be changed now, the ASI stated. According to a report in India Today , the ASI added, "The destruction of old temples to build the Qutub Minar complex is a matter of historical fact. The Qutub Minar complex is a living monument that has been protected since 1914. No one has the right to worship on the complex." The petition was filed on behalf of Jain deity Tirthankar Rishabh Dev and Hindu god Vishnu by advocates Hari Shankar Jain … [Read more...] about Qutub Minar row: Can’t revive temple at a protected monument site, ASI tells Delhi court