The exemplary teacher became the icon of the Sultanate’s future-oriented academic approach and a model for educators in the Southeast Asia region as she was bestowed with the coveted Princess Maha Chakri Award in recognition of her professional work in teaching Chemistry.

With the growing political instability across the world resulting in global recession nearly every country has been facing the challenge of unsustainable employment. From the big cities to the smaller ones a common trend is the scarcity of the reasonable jobs.

According to The 2017 Global Least & Most Stressful Cities Ranking report Kathmandu city has the highest rate of unemployment in Asia. With 8.34 per cent of the population still looking for a job, the city faces youth unemployment as one of the biggest issues. Apart from the lack of skills among the job seekers, the lack of promotion of agri-based industries and agricultural sector which is the mainstay of the economy is seen as the main cause of the unemployment.

Brunei’s capital, Bandar Seri Begawan which is well-known for its standard of living has the second highest rate of unemployed people according to the report. The public sector is the main employer in Brunei and it is not able to absorb the growing numbers of young people wishing to enter the workforce every year.

Fighting drug war, Philippines is also struggling to create jobs for the expanding population. Although the idle population rate is steadily declining in Jakarta, it still has 6.26 per cent population waiting for work opportunity.

Pakistan’s commercial capital Karachi has 6.12 per cent of unemployment rate. Although it is the major industrial base of the country but due to the persistent political unrest it has seen little investment.

Bangladesh’s major city Dhaka has 4.81 per cent jobless people. Various reports suggest that it is the scarcity of skill and education amongst the youth that contributes to the rising unemployment. The disconnect of youth to the labour market is seen as a growing global challenge.

India’s capital, New Delhi is next with 4.38 per cent of population struggling to find a job. With people from around the country flocking to the capital in search of work, the unemployment rate keeps rising. According to an economic survey of Delhi, thousands of the unemployed people have a degree or diploma and it is a concern for the governemnt to generate jobs for this demographic.

The growing industrial sector in Colombo seen as critical for ecomic take off has failed to absorb the growing labour force in the country. The unemployment rate in the city is 4.14 per cent.

Osaka perfecture once seen as a thriving labour hub is seeing decline in employment rate. A neighbourhood with lots of construction jobs available once is facing job scarcity with unemplyment rate at 3.72 per cent . Osaka perfecture has the largest number of homeless people in the country mostly becaue of the unemployment.

With the economy slowing and smaller businesses having difficulty to grow, Seoul  has an unemployment rate of  3.48 per cent. The urban unemployed population comprises mostly of youth who despite studying for many years and appearing in tests fail to secure desired employment.

High unemployment not only damages economies but also disrupts social structures. Heavily populated Shanghai and Japan’s busy capital Tokyo is facing the vicious problem despite strong technological advancements. Modern city, Kuala Lumpur is also witnessing slow job growth and rise in unemployment.

With the global economic slowdown India’s metro cities like Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore are still struggling with staggering employment opportunities.

Like other media organisations worldwide, SPH’s core newspaper business has been hammered by the proliferation of online publications, with its advertising revenues and circulations falling.

The job cuts unveiled Wednesday were part of 400 lay-offs previously announced, about half of which had already been made.

But SPH originally planned to axe the remaining jobs by the end of 2018 — now all the cuts will be made by the end of this year.

A substantial number of the job losses would come from the newsroom, said SPH, which publishes the English-language daily Straits Times and a stable of other newspapers and magazines.

SPH had a headcount of 4,410 at the end of August.

“Profits from the media business are much weaker due to digital disruption,” SPH chief executive Ng Yat Chung said at a briefing announcing the company’s full-year earnings.

He said the “sharp reduction” of staff was needed “so we can have a media business that is leaner and more orientated to the current media environment, but (also) recognising that print still has strong legs”.

Ng said there were no plans to shut down any newspapers in the company’s stable.

Despite the problems in the media sector, the chief executive said other parts of SPH’s business, including its property arm, were doing well.

SPH said its group net profit for the financial year ended August came in at Sg$350.1 million ($258 million), up 32 percent from the previous year.

The profit however was bolstered largely by a hefty Sg$149.7 million gain from partial divestment of its stake in the regional classified ads business.

Operating revenue for its core media business fell 13 percent during the year. Revenue from advertisements declined by 16.9 percent, while turnover from circulation dipped 5.1 percent.

They will visit Thailand from October 25 to 27, the spokesman said.

The Royal families of Thailand and Bhutan are close. The Bhutanese King and Queen visited Bangkok on October 16 last year to pay respects to the late King, who passed away on October 13.

Meanwhile, South Korea will send a special delegation to the funeral, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said on Tuesday. Headed by Vice National Assembly Speaker Park Joosun, the delegation will visit for five days and attend the funeral services to be held starting October 26, Yonhap news agency reported.

Park is a member of the liberal opposition People’s Party. The delegation will also include Representative Kang Byunwon of the ruling Democratic Party, Representative Baek Seungjoo of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party and Representative Ji Sangwuk of the splinter Bareun Party, according to the presidential Blue House statement.

The special delegation, headed by Vice National Assembly Speaker Park Joo-sun, will attend funeral services to be held starting October 26 for five days, reported Yonhap news agency on Wednesday.

Park is a member of the liberal opposition People’s Party. The delegation will also include Rep Kang Byun-won of the ruling Democratic Party, Rep Baek Seung-joo of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party and Rep Ji Sang-wuk of the splinter Bareun Party, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

He was shot twice in the head and also broke his arm. The night before, Raymart figured in a heated argument with a neighbor that ended up in the village hall, where the neighbor accused the teenager, who had no bad record at all, of being a marijuana peddler.

Witnesses claimed that Raymart was forced by the men to ride with them and, upon reaching an area known as Bangkulasi, was ordered to alight from the vehicle and run. Raymart was wailing for anyone’s help on the street. He just could not run.

“My son Raymart could not run. He had a club foot,” Luzviminda Siapo, a former OFW in Kuwait, told over a hundred audience of Filipinos and other foreign nationals during the Dying Democracy: A Public Forum on the War on Drugs and Human Rights in the Philippines last October 5 at the Foreign Correspondent Club in this city.

According to Luzviminda, that neighbor pawned his house to her. But her family has left the house after Raymart’s death.

The killing of minors as well as the unexplained deaths of hundreds in the Philippines under the government’s campaign against illegal drugs prompted concerned Filipinos in Thailand to convene an informal group called ANAK or the Advocacy Network against Killings in the Philippines.

The group is a union of different non-government organizations (NGOs) and the academe that are “alarmed by the spiraling human rights crisis and political situation in the Philippines under the Duterte administration and deeply worried about the safety and welfare of their family members at home.”

In its statement read during the forum, ANAK condemned the Duterte administration by using the “war on drugs” as a platform to attack democratic institutions.

Presently, the Duterte administration’s drive against illegal drugs has claimed the lives of 13,000 people, many of which were under the custody of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and facing investigations.

Philippine Human Rights Commissioner Leah Tanodra-Armamento; Imesh Pokharel, Thailand Country Program Coordinator of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOCHR) Regional Office for Southeast Asia; and Dr. Agnes Callamard, the UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial Summary, or Arbitrary Execution were the speakers in the forum.

Tanodra-Armamento conveyed that the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has been alarmed on the parallelism of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs to Martial Law during the Marcos regime where the PNP were given power to suppress and sow terrorism among the citizenry.

Mr. Pokharel noted the need to “reflect deeply” on the value of life. He asserted that Mr. Duterte’s acts are “unbecoming of a leader” when he openly supported the shoot-to-kill policy against suspects and launched personal attacks to those who oppose him.

“Despite the threat of the abolition of the CHR, we are committed to protect the human rights. CHR created Task Force EJK (extrajudicial killings) due to the current phenomenon,” Tanodra-Armamento said.

The CHR official also said that they could hardly cope up with the cases that have not reached the courts because of so-called red tape and tampered evidence, and regretted that if the PNP declared the deaths of suspects were due to “legitimate operations” the cases are considered resolved without further investigation.

Tanodra-Armamento said that CHR is in close coordination with the human rights office of the PNP and Armed Forces of the Philippines for the continuing human rights education of policemen and military, respectively,

However, Tanodra-Armamento lamented that “consciousness on human rights” among the PNP is not directed on the war on drugs.

Thailand’s failed drug war

Dr. Sriprapha Petcharamesree, of the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies in Mahidol University, narrated the failed “drug war” in Thailand in 2003 under Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

According to Dr. Sriprapha, 2,800 individuals were killed in three months under the anti-illegal drugs campaign but the 2007 investigation revealed that half of those killed have no connection to illegal drugs.

Currently, Dr. Sriprapha said that education and research to better understand substance use and abuses are being done in several universities across Thailand.

She then warned about the pattern supposedly being followed by Mr. Duterte in his efforts against illegal drugs.

“Because of the popularity of the leader, harsh measure is approved by the public. This is the danger of populism,” Dr. Sriprapha said.

“When a life is lost arbitrarily, democracy is lost. Philippine democracy is dying,” she pointed out.

‘Duterte is God-sent’

Nelly Palpallatoc, of OFW Quick Servants, an organization supporting Duterte in Thailand said that under Duterte’s administration, OFWs are given more attention compared to the previous administration.

“Since Duterte became the president, there are so many financial assistance being given to us in Thailand who need help in terms of medical/hospitalization and repatriations in coordination with DFA, OWWA, DOLE, POEA and DSWD” Palpallatoc claimed.

Despite the killings, Palpallatoc believed that police officers are doing their jobs. She also claimed that many of these were done by the criminals and drug pushers to “clean their own mess”.

“If we need to sacrifice one drug lord’s life just to save thousands of innocent people, I do believe God allows it,” she said.

Nancy Catane, from Mindanao, said that people feel safer from what she experienced when she took a vacation last April in the Philippines.

“I take this personally because I have a brother whose life was destroyed by drugs and is now serving his sentence. Duterte’s fight against illegal drugs is not (just the responsibility) of the government but it is everybody’s. He is a God-sent whose heart belongs to the poor and the working class,” Catane said.

But self-confessed former drug user, Mr. Anand Chabungbam, regional coordinator of Asian Network of People who use Drugs (Anpud), said during the forum that Duterte has no right to take away life because he is not God.

War vs poor

Tanodra-Armamento said the victims of the war on drugs are mostly poor from the slum communities.

Mrs. Siapo said that more poor people including minors are killed, and that the families left behind are experiencing difficulties in dealing with the loss. She discontinued her contract in Kuwait and decided to stay in the Philippines to take care of her daughter, who has been traumatized by the death of her brother, Raymart.

She is in close coordination with the CHR but there is difficulty in obtaining statements from the witnesses because of fear from the authorities.

The CHR and international community agreed that public awareness on the effects of drugs must be done in order to also stop stigma against rehabilitated drug addicts.

The CHR said it supports amendments of the Philippines’ anti-drug law as well as proposals to decriminalize drug abuse by making it a health issue that needs to be appropriately addressed.

Dr. Agnes Callamard showed her support to the actions of the civil society groups and the international community to put pressure on the Duterte administration to stop and investigate EJKs and other forms of torture in the Philippines. She also encouraged the families of the victims to work with the civil society groups and CHR to build networks to support each other.

As Spain headed into the unknown, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was to chair an emergency cabinet meeting early Wednesday to discuss the central government’s response.

In a speech to regional lawmakers in Barcelona that drew both praise and criticism from separatists, Catalan president Carles Puigdemont said he had accepted “the mandate of the people for Catalonia to become an independent republic” following a banned referendum on October 1.

But the 54-year-old asked the Catalan parliament to “suspend the effects of the independence declaration to initiate dialogue in the coming weeks”.

Rajoy has vowed to use everything in his power to prevent independence and has refused to rule out imposing direct rule over the semi-autonomous region — an unprecedented move many fear could lead to unrest.

He has called the cabinet meeting for 0700 GMT Wednesday.

Political leaders in Catalonia, Spain and Europe have come out against secession, concerned over the country’s biggest upheaval since its transition to democracy in the 1970s.

Puigdemont and his allies signed an independence declaration outside the parliament chamber, but he then suspended it and again called for dialogue, a regional government spokesman told AFP.

Deputy prime minister Soraya Saenza de Santamaria told reporters shortly after the signing that Puigdemont was “a person who doesn’t know where he is, where he’s going or with whom he wants to go”.

‘A historic day’

EU nations are watching developments closely amid concern that any Catalan move to break away from Madrid could put further pressure on the bloc still dealing with the fallout from Britain’s shock decision to leave.

Reaction was mixed among those who had hoped to witness a historic moment for a region that remains deeply divided over independence.

Merce Hernandez, a 35-year-old architect, said: “I am very emotional, this is a historic day. I’m satisfied.”

But in Barcelona’s trendy Gracia neighbourhood, resident Maria Rosa Bertran said she was against a delayed secession.

“I find it even worse because it is suffering a longer agony, indecision and uncertainty is the worst thing that can happen to us,” she told AFP.

Police deployed en masse around the regional parliament ahead of Puigdemont’s address, blocking public access to a park that houses the building as crowds watched the session on giant screens, waving Catalan flags and some brandishing signs reading “democracy.”

At stake is the future of a region of 7.5 million people deeply divided over independence, one of Spain’s economic powerhouses whose drive to break away has raised concern for stability in the European Union.

EU President Donald Tusk had earlier urged Puigdemont against making a decision that would make “dialogue impossible”.

But the Catalan president says the result of the independence referendum that was held in defiance of a Spanish court ban justified splitting from Madrid.

Around 90 percent of those who cast ballots voted for independence but the poll was poorly monitored and many Catalans opposed to secession boycotted what Madrid branded an illegal plebiscite.

Spain had sought to prevent the referendum from taking place by seizing ballot boxes and arresting a number of organisers, and police used rubber bullets and batons against voters on the day, triggering concern at home and abroad.

Anger on both sides

On Monday, Ada Colau, the popular mayor of Barcelona, warned that a unilateral declaration of independence would put “social cohesion” at risk.

Pro-unity and pro-independence supporters have staged mass rallies in Barcelona over the past week, highlighting divisions in Catalonia.

Puigdemont’s regional government allies, the far-left CUP, lamented a missed opportunity for independence.

“We believed that today was the day to solemnly declare a Catalan republic, and we probably missed an opportunity,” said party lawmaker Anna Gabriel.

The crisis has also caused deep uncertainty for businesses in one of the wealthiest regions in the eurozone’s fourth largest economy.

Spain’s stock market shed nearly 1.0 percent ahead of Tuesday’s parliamentary session and a string of companies have already moved their legal headquarters — but not their employees — from Catalonia to other parts of the country.

“The companies have left, the banks are gone, we are all going to see what will happen,” said Barcelona resident Bertran.

Publishing house Planeta was the latest to announce a move to Madrid after Puigdemont’s speech.

Demands for independence in Catalonia, which has its own language and cultural traditions, date back centuries.

But a 2010 move by Spain’s Constitutional Court to water down a statute that gave Catalonia additional powers, combined with a deep economic meltdown in Spain, sparked a surge in support for independence.

Having loudly dismissed reports that Tillerson had once called him a “moron,” Trump refused to let the controversy go, renewing questions about Tillerson’s future.

In an interview with Forbes magazine, Trump was asked about last week’s report that Tillerson had insulted him behind his back — a story that both had already denied.

“I think it’s fake news,” Trump said, before allowing: “But if he did that, I guess we’ll have to compare IQ tests. And I can tell you who is going to win.”

The interview was published hours before the two men met in the White House for talks on Iran, Turkey and North Korea and then lunch with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

Ahead of the sit-down, Trump had insisted he still had confidence in the secretary of state, saying: “I did not undercut anybody. I don’t believe in undercutting people.”

But White House insiders say that Tillerson’s refusal to personally deny an NBC News report that he labelled Trump a “moron” after a July meeting had only deepened the rift.

President ‘allowed to joke’

After the meetings, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders insisted there was no rift between the men — and that Trump does not think Tillerson stupid.

“The President certainly never implied that the secretary of state was not incredibly intelligent. He made a joke, nothing more than that,” Sanders insisted.

“He has full confidence in the secretary of state. They had a great visit earlier today. And they are working hand in hand to move the president’s agenda forward.”

Over at the State Department, spokeswoman Heather Nauert declared when asked that Tillerson’s IQ was “high” but insisted that the top diplomat he had not been offended.

“Speaking with some of our folks who were over there with the president, with the secretary and the president. The meetings were described as positive,” Nauert said.

“I think the president is allowed to joke. He’s allowed to have a sense of humor … the secretary is more than fine with that,” she said of Trump’s remarks about IQ.

Since the alleged insult was reported, White House chief of staff John Kelly has been struggling to keep a lid on the crisis, and on renewed rumors of Tillerson’s departure.

But that effort that has been consistently thwarted by Trump’s tweets and barbed remarks.

Last week, before the report of the insult was published, Trump took to Twitter to accuse the former ExxonMobil CEO of “wasting his time” trying to negotiate with North Korea.

The rebuke revived rumors that Tillerson is unhappy at his post, but he insists he has no intention of resigning.

Crucial time

In Washington, Tillerson, along with Mattis, Kelly and chairman of the joint chiefs Joseph Dunford are increasingly seen as a buffer against Trump’s impulses.

Kelly has worked to control the flow of information across Trump’s desk and imposed a decision-making structure that was absent in the early days of the administration.

But for many in Washington, even former supporters from the president’s own party, he has not yet been successful.

“The White House has become an adult day care center,” Senator Bob Corker declared at the weekend, an astonishing public rebuke from a Republican who campaigned for Trump and chairs the Senate foreign relations committee.

Tillerson’s departure would be a major blow to those hoping to temper Trump and prevent the slide towards what Corker described as “the path to World War III.”

And it could not come at a more sensitive time diplomatically.

Trump is poised to confront Iran by questioning a major nuclear deal later this week and appears set on stepping up his threats against nuclear-armed North Korea.

Tillerson will also play a major role in preparing Trump’s monster trip to Asia next month, that will take in Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines.