Asia Pacific

CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Monday that revenues from the Suez Canal had "decreased by 40 to 50 percent" so far this year due to attacks on shipping by Yemen's Houthi rebels.The canal is one of the main sources of foreign currency for Egypt which is gripped by a severe financial crisis.Since November, the Iran-backed Houthis have launched numerous attacks on vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea, which the group says are aimed at ships with links to Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians in the war-torn Gaza Strip.The attacks have caused several major shipping...

DOHA, Qatar — Taliban officials sent a defiant message to Western nations, donors and Afghan women’s groups this week, refusing to attend a conference hosted by the United Nations to discuss humanitarian crises facing Afghanistan and cooperation on human rights issues.The two-day conference, which began on Sunday, was the second of its kind. It was held to try to chart a course forward for international engagement with the country. But the Taliban administration took issue with the inclusion of some groups at the meeting. Attended by special envoys from 25 countries and regional organizations, the conference is aimed at increasing...

By: Salman Rafi Shiekh Don’t worry, we’ll take charge here Pakistan’s February 8 elections have produced a severely divided mandate, with no party able to win a majority and with universal claims of rigging. While such political situations usually eventually produce coalition governments, this is proving to be extremely difficult: whichever party comes to… Source link

According to all credible quick counts, Prabowo Subianto will be the next president of Indonesia. He and his running mate, President Joko Widodo’s son Gibran Rakabuming Raka, won the three-way race with a convincing 58% of the votes, easily clearing the 50% threshold required to win in a single round. The losing candidates, former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo, may challenge these results in the Constitutional Court, and some protest from civil society groups is expected. But it is unlikely that the outcome will change given the large margin of victory and because there...

Asian Scientist Magazine (Feb. 15, 2024) —The phrase ‘volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity’, or VUCA for short, has become a commonly heard term that encompasses the challenges companies face in an ever-changing business environment. To keep up with VUCA and remain ahead, companies must avoid traditional and outdated approaches to management, leadership and day-to-day working. In the face of challenging economic situations, Michael Goh, Chief Operating Officer at IPI, suggests SMEs take advantage of the stormy seas and learn to ride the wave by embracing innovation and working with trusted partners. To pivot towards new opportunities and see growth in...

Most domestic and international commentary on Indonesia’s 14 February elections has focused on the presidential race. But on the same day, Indonesians will also vote for legislators at district, provincial and national levels. Almost 10,000 candidates will compete for the national legislature alone, in what will be the country’s sixth legislative election since the collapse of Suharto’s authoritarian regime in 1998. Legislative elections are a vibrant affair in Indonesia. The streets are plastered with campaign posters months in advance of voting day, candidates hold gruelling rounds of public events, and they develop sophisticated social media campaigns. Most candidates and their...

There are several prominent business figures playing key roles in the campaign teams of Indonesian presidential candidates. Arsjad Rasjid, the chairman of KADIN, Indonesia’s largest business association, is leading Ganjar Pranowo’s campaign. Rosan Roeslani, a businessman and former Indonesian ambassador to the United States, is heading Prabowo’s team. Thomas (Tom) Lembong, a former minister of trade, is a key member of Anies Baswedan’s team. The involvement of business leaders in politics is not new, with figures like Jusuf Kalla, Surya Paloh, and Hasyim Djoyohadikusomo having played significant roles in political parties in the past. The current scenario is unique in...

Asian Scientist Magazine (Feb. 8, 2023) —Years of education attained (EduYears) is an important trait explored for its association to various socioeconomic outcomes. Beyond its relevance in behavioural genetics, EduYears functions as a proxy for cognitive ability and genetically correlates to several cardiovascular, neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders—making it just as significant for epidemiology and medical research. However, until now, genetic studies of EduYears and its link to health conditions have been limited to Western populations. To fill this gap, Professor Won Hong-hee, research fellow Kim Jae-young at the Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology (SAIHST) and Professor Myung...

AsianScientist (Feb. 07, 2024)–Precision medicine has transformed the healthcare landscape as we know it. A departure from the conventional one-solution-fits-all approach, the field uses a patient’s own genetic data to tailor diagnostics and treatments to their unique needs. Such solutions leverage the rich and complex world of genetic differences between individuals. This is made possible with next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, which have enabled researchers to sequence the full genetic profiles of patients quickly and at a low cost. At the helm of enhancing sequencing technologies for precision medicine is Twist Bioscience, a global leading synthetic biology and genomics company. With...