Most of those involved in the annual exodus in Indonesiawill start heading home by air, land and sea from the fourth week of April.PHOTO: AFP
This Week's News Spotlight:
Thai national parks ban single-use plastics, Styrofoam items - CNA | Indonesia education minister rejects Malaysia's proposal to make Malay the second language of ASEAN - CNA | Chinese, Ukrainian foreign ministers discuss Russian invasion - CNA | Coronavirus: time to ‘lie flat’? - SCMP | Shanghai vows to improve food deliveries as discontent grows over Covid-19 curbs - ST
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Thai national parks ban single-use plastics, Styrofoam items - CNA
Vets examine plastic waste and other trash recovered from the stomach of a dead deer in Thailand's Khun Sathan National Park, April 6, 2022.
Thailand banned Styrofoam packaging and single-use plastics from national parks as it fights a scourge of waste threatening wildlife.
Waters off the coast of Thailand are choked with pollution and the coronavirus pandemic has brought a surge in plastic waste as demand for takeaway food grows.
Offenders can be fined up to 100,000 baht (US$3,000) if caught travelling into the parks with single-use plastic items or Styrofoam containers.
The government wants 100 per cent recyclable plastic to be in use by 2027.
Indonesia education minister rejects Malaysia's proposal to make Malay the second language of ASEAN - CNA
In this photo released by Indonesian Presidential Palace, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, left, speaks as Indonesian President Joko Widodo looks on during a press conference following their meeting at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, April 1, 2022. (Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
Indonesia’s Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology Nadiem Makarim has rejected Malaysia’s suggestion to make Malay the second language of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
In a written statement released on Monday (Apr 4) evening, Mr Makarim said it is more feasible to consider the Indonesian language as an ASEAN language, taking into account its historical, legal and linguistic advantages.
Chinese, Ukrainian foreign ministers discuss Russian invasion - CNA
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a meeting with Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo on Jan 9, 2022. (File photo: AFP/Ishara S Kodikara)
China and Ukraine's foreign ministers have spoken for the first time in more than a month, with Beijing maintaining its push for peace talks even as allegations of Russian atrocities in towns around Kyiv grow.
During the call, which Beijing said was made at Kyiv's request, Wang said that China's "basic attitude towards the Ukraine issue is to promote peace talks", according to a Chinese foreign ministry readout.
China has repeatedly refused to condemn its long-time ally Russia for the invasion of its neighbour, echoing Moscow's talking points in blaming American meddling and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) expansion for setting the stage for a conflict.
Coronavirus: time to ‘lie flat’? - SCMP
A pedestrian walks along a near-empty street in Shanghai amid a citywide lockdown to stop the spread of Covid-19. Photo: Bloomberg
The Chinese internet has become a centre of a debate about the efficacy of widespread lockdowns as officials try to maintain a “dynamic zero-Covid” policy amid a worsening Covid-19 pandemic driven by the Omicron variant.
Over the past two weeks, the debate came to a head as Shanghai, China’s largest city, imposed a strict two-part lockdown on March 28 that was meant to be temporary but has become indefinite as the case numbers surge.
The central government has been defending the strategy, saying it is based on the doctrine of “People First, Life First”, which contended that allowing the virus to spread would result in significant deaths in China.
According to What’s On Weibo, a website that tracks trends on the social media platform, the website has been trying to promote positive or inspiring stories to improve morale.
Shanghai vows to improve food deliveries as discontent grows over Covid-19 curbs - ST
A delivery worker passes food to a man over the barriers of an area under lockdown in Shanghai, on March 23, 2022. PHOTO: REUTERS
Shanghai on Thursday (April 7) said it was trying its best to improve the distribution of food and essential goods to locked-in residents, responding to growing discontent over such difficulties as Covid-19 curbs stretched into an 11th day.
Shanghai has sufficient reserves of staples such as rice and meat, but issues have cropped up in distribution and last-mile deliveries because of epidemic control measures.
Some have complained on social media waking up at dawn for a chance at booking a grocery delivery, but finding them sold out within seconds. Others have turned to community WeChat groups to try to bulk-buy fruit and vegetables.