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Ales Byalyatski, Russia’s Memorial and Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties win 2022 Nobel Peace Prize

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 07, 2022

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize is going to jailed Belarus rights activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian group Memorial and the Ukrainian organization Center for Civil Liberties, the award’s judges said Friday.

Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the judges wanted to honour”three outstanding champions of human rights, democracy and peaceful coexistence in the neighbour countries Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.”

“Through their consistent efforts in favour of human values and anti-militarism and principles of law, this year’s laureates have revitalized and honoured Alfred Nobel’s vision of peace and fraternity between nations, a vision most needed in the world today,” she told reporters in Oslo.

The award follows a tradition of highlighting groups and activists trying to prevent conflicts, alleviate hardship and protect human rights.

Last year’s winners have faced a tough time since receiving the prize. Journalists Dmitry Muratov of Russia and Maria Ressa of the Philippines have been fighting for the survival of their news organizations, defying government efforts to silence them

They were honoured last year for “their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.”

A week of Nobel Prize announcements kicked off Monday with Swedish scientist Svante Paabo receiving the award in medicine for unlocking secrets of Neanderthal DNA that provided key insights into our immune system.

Three scientists jointly won the prize in physics Tuesday. Frenchman Alain Aspect, American John F. Clauser and Austrian Anton Zeilinger had shown that tiny particles can retain a connection with each other even when separated, a phenomenon known as quantum entanglement, that can be used for specialized computing and to encrypt information.

The Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded Wednesday to Americans Carolyn R. Bertozzi and K. Barry Sharpless, and Danish scientist Morten Meldal for developing a way of “snapping molecules together” that can be used to explore cells, map DNA and design drugs that can target diseases such as cancer more precisely.

French author Annie Ernaux won this year’s Nobel Prize in literature Thursday. The panel commended her for blending fiction and autobiography in books that fearlessly mine her experiences as a working-class woman to explore life in France since the 1940s.

The 2022 Nobel Prize in economics will be announced on Monday.

The prizes carry a cash award of 10 million Swedish kronor (nearly $900,000) and will be handed out on Dec. 10. The money comes from a bequest left by the prize’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, in 1895.

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Bhutan to organise ‘Snowman Race’, the world’s toughest ultra-marathon at high altitude

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 07, 2022

THE NATION

Bhutan is organising the first Snowman Race from October 13 to 17.

The Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) on Thursday said 29 endurance athletes, including nine Bhutanese runners, will compete over 203 kilometres across five days at an oxygen-sparse height of around 4,500 metres above sea level, with the highest point at 5,470 metres.

Athletes from the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, France, Germany, Singapore, Tanzania, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Bhutan have signed up for the event.

The trail has been covered by fewer people than the number that has summited Mt Everest, and normally requires between 20-25 days to complete, the TCB said.

The athletes will navigate the most challenging trekking route in Bhutan, the Snowman Trail, passing through some of the most stunning areas, including the remote Lunana area.

Athletes will also traverse the base of Gangkhar Puensum, the world’s highest unclimbed mountain (and Bhutan’s tallest peak at 7,570m).

The route straddles the mountain passes between Gasa Dzong and Chamkhar Town in Bumthang, and in places reaches altitudes of 5,470m, the TCB said.

The trail takes in two of Bhutan’s largest national parks, the Jigme Dorji National Park and the Wangchuck Centennial Park, the TCB added.

They represent the most biodiverse areas of the eastern Himalayas and stretch from forests to ice fields and glaciers. They are home to several rare and protected flora and fauna.

The race aims to generate greater awareness about the climate emergency and global warming. 

Bhutan’s fragile ecosystem makes it highly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, the TCB said.

The country also aims to boost its position as a vocal thought leader on climate change and continues to promote results-driven, sustainable development initiatives throughout the country, the TCB said.

The event will conclude with a virtual climate conclave to be held the very next day of the final day of the race, the the tourism council added.

THE NATION

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US reviews Saudi ties after Opec+ announces huge slash in oil production

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 07, 2022

The United States is reviewing several options regarding its relationship with Saudi Arabia after Riyadh and other Opec+ nations agreed this week to large cuts in oil production, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.

“As for the relationship [with Riyadh] going forward, we’re reviewing a number of response options. We’re consulting closely with Congress,” Blinken said at a news conference in Lima alongside his Peruvian counterpart.

He did not specify what steps Washington was considering.

Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration has been mulling a response after the Opec+ oil producers, which include Russia, agreed on Wednesday to slash production.

Democrats in the US Congress called on Thursday to slash the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia. Some lawmakers question Washington’s security ties with Riyadh, angered by civilian deaths in Saudi-led military operations in Yemen as well as alleged human rights abuses.

Biden’s administration is worried that decreased oil output could push up the price of petrol right before the November 8 US midterm elections, when Democrats will defend their control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Biden has yet to announce what steps Washington might take in response to the cuts. Blinken told the press in Peru that Washington would not do anything that infringes upon its interests.

“That’s, first and foremost, what will guide us, and we will keep all of those interests in mind and consult closely with all the relevant stakeholders as we decide on any steps going forward,” Blinken said.

Reuters

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Biden overhauls US policy on cannabis, pardons marijuana-related convictions

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 07, 2022

President Joe Biden on Thursday took executive action to change US policy on marijuana, pardoning all prior federal offences of simple marijuana possession.

“There are thousands of people who have prior federal convictions for marijuana possession, who may be denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities as a result,” Biden said in a statement. “My action will help relieve the collateral consequences arising from these convictions.”

Biden’s actions fulfil a campaign promise and are likely to please members of his left-leaning political base ahead of the November midterm elections in which Biden’s fellow Democrats are defending their control of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Biden said he had directed Attorney General Merrick Garland to develop an “administrative process” to issue certificates of pardon to those who are eligible.

The president also said he was urging state governors to follow suit.

“Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either,” he said.

Biden said he was asking federal officials to start a review process of how marijuana is “scheduled”, or classified, under federal law. Presently it falls under the same classification as heroin and LSD and in a higher classification than fentanyl and methamphetamine, he said.

“Finally, even as federal and state regulation of marijuana changes, important limitations on trafficking, marketing, and underage sales should stay in place,” Biden said.

“Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”

A senior administration official said more than 6,500 people with prior federal convictions could be affected by the pardons.

Supporters welcomed the move and its impact on racial imbalances in the US justice system.

Shares of cannabis growers and sellers surged following Biden’s comments, with Tilray Brands and Canopy Growth both jumping more than 20 per cent.

The global cannabis industry is forecast to hit US$55 billion in sales by 2026, with the US market growing to $40 billion by then, up from $25 billion last year, according to cannabis-focused research firm BDSA’s September projections.

Industry experts believe US federal reforms could push those figures much higher.

Reuters

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Malaysia unveils exoskeleton to boost palm oil harvesting amid labour crunch

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 07, 2022

Malaysian research student Haziq Ramli wears an outfit resembling a light jetpack, with poles strapped to his biceps, to wield a long pruning pole that clips heavy bunches of fruit from oil palm trees nearly twice his height.

“The use of the exoskeleton gives support to both sides of my upper arm. So when I’m working, it holds up my arm, so as such, I’m not using energy,” says the bespectacled Haziq, clad in jeans and sneakers.

Working on a family plot of roughly two football fields (1.2 hectares), he is part of a team trying to perfect the wearable exoskeleton, which promises to lighten the load for labourers as they manipulate pruning poles weighing as much as 8 kilos.

“Based on our experiments… it reduces about 20 per cent of the workload of harvesters,” says Hazlina Selamat, the lead researcher of the University of Technology (UTM) team who developed the exoskeleton, which is dubbed “Terer”.

Hazlina estimates 200,000 ringgit (1.6 million baht) has been spent on developing prototypes and envisions the exoskeleton could cost around 7,000 ringgit (56,400 baht) if mass-produced.

Efforts to automate harvesting in the world’s second-biggest palm oil producer have accelerated in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Almost 80 per cent of Malaysia’s plantation workers are migrants, many recruited from neighbouring Indonesia to do the back-breaking work of harvesting, but pandemic curbs caused a shortfall of about 120,000 workers this year.

The labour crunch is expected to cost companies over 20 billion ringgit in losses this year, according to industry estimates, hurting margins and giving an edge to bigger rival Indonesia which has no such labour problems.

With Malaysia set to face increasing competition from emerging producers in Africa, Latin America and India in the coming years, innovations are now crucial not only to address the unsustainable reliance on labour but to ensure the industry did not lose out to competitors.

“Eventually there’ll be more and more players in the world that are producing palm oil. So if, come to a stage we are not competitive with them, then I think the whole industry will be affected and it will not be good,” said Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir, the director-general of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board.

Experts say it will take time for automation to phase out manual labour though, as few existing machines are practical for traversing vast and towering plantations. There is also concern that a swing to mechanisation would threaten livelihoods.

Palm oil farmer and engineer Hamidon Salleh, who has been assisting the researchers at UTM, is keen to get any help being offered.

“I would be really happy if there is technology… to ease agricultural work,” he says, holding up a heavy motorised pruning pole to lop off a palm frond at his plantation.

Reuters

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A cafe in Vietnamese city is a home to stray cats and helps with adopting the pets

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 06, 2022

Two foreigners, Alex Ward and Geneva Marcelino, are running cafes that work with local animal rescue shelters to help stray dogs and cats find their new homes in Vietnam.

When Ward and Marcelino came to Vietnam and realised that there was a missing link between the great work that the local animal rescue shelters were doing and the understanding about rescuing and adopting pets in Vietnam, they set out to open cafes that would help in adopting dogs and cats.

The journey began three years ago.

Marcelino, who came from the Philippines, started to work and open an animal rescue agency named Pawfect Match in 2019 to work with local shelters and help stray animals in Vietnam to find their forever-owner and create a sustainable rescue process.

Ward, who came from the US, and Marcelino, also wanted to create a visible space to support the rescuing and adopting process without having to rely much on donations. Hence, R House, a dog cafe, was opened in 2020.

After gaining a good amount of experience from the cafe and the agency, recently in March, they opened a new spot in Ho Chi Minh City. This time, the place was created for cats, a cafe named “The Meow House by R House”, or Meow House for short.

The Meow House by R House is a cat cafe, which is also a foster home for cats. All the food and drinks on the menu are vegetarian and vegan, and the revenue from the cafe will be used to take care of cats as well.

So far, out of the 15 cats that have been staying in Meow House, two were adopted in May and June and the couple are going to welcome eight more cats to the cafe soon.

The cafe was opened in District 2, but it was planned to be moved to a new location on October 5 at 266 Dien Bien Phu Street, Binh Thạnh district.

Building “The Meow House by R House” was not easy even with all the experience that the couple has.

“The biggest challenge with the cat cafe is keeping the cats super healthy and ensuring there are no infections and diseases, and maintaining the health of the cats each day,” Ward said, while stroking Re, one of the cats at the cafe.

Forming a strong and professional model of cat rescue like this and making people believe in their work are big obstacles when you are not a native person.

Luckily, the couple had the help of not only the shelter’s staff from Pawfect Match but also their Vietnamese friends.

Together, they have been working on showing everyone that the model that they are building, including the agency and cafes, is legitimate and people can trust and adopt cats from them.

Le Ngoc Chau Anh, a guest of Meow House who lives in Ho Chi Minh City, said that after seeing the information about the cafe on Facebook, she had come to experience the place and was very happy because all the cats are very friendly and are not afraid of humans.

When someone comes into the cafe and wants to adopt a cat, the adoption process is carried out very carefully.

“The first step of this process is to identify the cat that they feel the connection with that they would like to adopt,” Ward said. “From there, they will message our partner agency Pawfect Match.”

Pawfect Match has a very comprehensive interview or questionnaire, which asks every individual about their current work status, living status, their history with animals and having pets.

“So, if they complete the interview or the questionnaire, it is passed on to the shelter, which has the final say if it was a match for the adoption or not,” Ward said. “And then the adoption process starts out with a two-week adoption trial.”

Even after the cats are adopted, Meow House will check on them every six months and will always ask their owners for the animals’ pictures and videos for updates on them.

The cats are always fully vaccinated and sterilised before being adopted.

An adoption fee will then be included for each cat, which is used for running the cafe.

No matter if it is a shelter or foster home, there are cats that have a hard time finding their matching owner. To Meow House, this is not a problem, and cats can stay in the cafe until their matching owner arrives.

Marcelino and Ward are also careful when it comes to bringing a new cat to the cafe. In order to make sure that all the cats are healthy, every cat that comes to stay at the cafe will have to have a good health record to help form a sustainable environment.

With all of the above work and obstacles, some might think that Ward and Marcelino are tired of taking care of all of that. But on the contrary, after three years of taking care of cats and dogs, the love that they have for the job right now is even more.

“The rescue effort for animals grows bigger because every day there is more connection with them, and every day we get to know them better, and it is one big family,” Alex said.

Marcelino told Vietnam News that when she was a small child, she would always take care of stray cats around her house by giving them scraps of food. By feeding the cats, she had learned to cherish and love all life that exists on Earth as much as a human.

“Loving is always hard, right? Whether it is human or animal. But, even though it is hard, because of the love, it keeps us going. We keep it going for the cats and now, we can see more cats have their lives changed thanks to the model,” Geneva shared.

Thuy Dan

Viet Nam News

Asia News Network

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US has made its views on energy supply clear, Blinken says after Opec+ oil cuts

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 06, 2022

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday Washington had made clear to oil-producing countries the need for energy supply to meet demand after Opec Plus agreed to its deepest cuts to oil production in years.

The United States had been pushing for the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, known as Opec+, not to cut output as it tries to keep energy prices down amid the disruption of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“What we’ve been clear about is the need for energy supply to meet demand…. When it comes to Opec, we’ve made clear our views to Opec members,” Blinken said at a press conference during a visit to Chile.

“We are working every single day to make sure to the best of our ability that, again, energy supply from wherever is actually meeting demand in order to ensure that energy is on the market and the prices are kept low,” Blinken said.

Asked if he was disappointed in US ally and Opec member Saudi Arabia, Blinken said Washington has a “multiplicity of interests with regard to Saudi Arabia”.

North Korea ‘risks further condemnation’

During the news conference, the US secretary of state warned that North Korea risked further condemnation and isolation from the international community if it continued its “provocations” after Pyongyang flew a missile over Japan on Tuesday.

“I think what we’re seeing is that if they continue down this road, it will only increase condemnation, increase the isolation, increase the steps that are taken in response to their actions,” he said.

Blinken is on a week-long trip to Colombia, Chile and Peru, all of which have relatively new leftist leaders.

Reuters

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Germany, Spain stick to plan to build new gas pipeline as leaders meet

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 06, 2022

Germany and Spain are sticking to their plan to build a new gas pipeline across the Pyrenees in defiance of French opposition, a joint action plan showed, as the leaders of the two European nations met on Wednesday in the northern Spanish city of La Coruna.

The meeting between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez came as their governments disagreed on other possible measures to tackle Europe’s energy crisis in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Spain has backed calls within the European Union for joint borrowing to help the 27-nation bloc navigate the energy crunch together and for a gas price cap. Germany has opposed both measures and come under criticism for going its own way with a vast €200-billion (7.4 trillion baht) relief package its peers could not afford.

“Right now Spain has a regasification potential that could be at Europe’s disposal. The paradox is that Spain and Portugal are energy islands because we are not interconnected but we have European regulations. Therefore what Spain and the Iberian peninsula is asking is to be interconnected, to be part of the energy market. I think that would be good for France, good for Germany, good for Europe and without a doubt in the moment we are living it would bring peace of mind to the whole of Europe because we will have more alternatives,” said Spain’s Sanchez after the meeting.

Scholz did not think France had ruled out building a gas pipeline across the Pyrenees and said he firmly believed Europe needed more energy connections.

“We do not have the impression it has been ruled out,” Scholz said after a meeting with Sanchez.

“Some connections are maybe not economic every day, but they can become it,” he added, referring to French scepticism.

At a time of a shifting balance of power within Europe, Spain and Germany’s leaders vowed to strengthen their alliance and doubled down on their plan to build a new Pyrenean gas pipeline despite opposition from mutual neighbour France.

Scholz and Sanchez held their countries’ first inter-government consultations in nine years, resulting in a joint action plan emphasising closer cooperation, particularly on energy and security matters.

In a joint news conference, the two Social Democrat leaders, who respectively run the European Union’s first and fourth largest economies, played down their differences on how to approach Europe’s energy crisis in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The summit came as the EU’s traditional French-German axis appeared to be faltering somewhat and Italy had elected its most right-wing government since World War Two.

Spain and Germany also agreed to strengthen cooperation on defence, but the final version of the action plan excluded a mention in an earlier draft of common “air defence” amid controversy over whether Scholz and Sanchez would discuss plans for a German-led European missile defence shield.

“Regarding the anti-missile shield, reports on which have appeared in the media, I have already said that the bilateral relationship Germany and Spain have from a European and Nato perspective is extraordinary and multiple. We haven’t addressed this issue, we haven’t talked about it but we will study it when it comes,” Sanchez said.

German Ambassador to Spain Maria Margarete Gosse had said late on Tuesday there had already been “low-level” talks between the two Nato members about Spain joining the initiative.

Reuters

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Will Malaysia’s parliament be dissolved?

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 06, 2022

At 4pm (local time) today, Thursday, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob will have an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, or the country’s King, an event that the whole country will be watching with bated breath.

It is actually touted as Ismail Sabri’s weekly briefing for the King before a Cabinet meeting and tabling of Budget 2023.

However, it could turn out to be much more than that.

The prime minister could seek the dissolution of parliament, and there is even talk that it might be immediate, with the budget not being tabled at all.

No wonder then that the audience at Istana Negara will be one of the most closely watched political events since Ismail Sabri took over as prime minister in August last year.

Over the past few days, talk has been rife that the budget will not be tabled, defusing the opposition’s allegations that the budget would be tabled just before dissolution, turning it into Barisan Nasional’s manifesto.

It has happened before.

In 1999, parliament was dissolved immediately after the budget was tabled.

Other sources said the tabling of the budget is on track “for now”.

“As of today, it is still on, as far as we are concerned. But it also depends on the outcome of the prime minister’s meeting with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who will have the final say when it comes to dissolution,” a source said.

Government sources also said preparations to table the budget are going to plan – for now.

But anything could happen in the next day or two.

Notice has been served to ministers to attend the cabinet meeting, which will be held after the audience with the King.

However, there are also reports that some ministers are already emptying out their offices in anticipation of a dissolution.

“We have received the notice for the [cabinet] meeting.

“As to whether it will actually take place is still up in the air, with talk that parliament will be dissolved,” said a minister.

Umno sources, meanwhile, said the prime minister, who is also a party vice president, is very likely to seek a dissolution.

“During our conversations with him [Ismail Sabri], all signs show that he plans to seek consent for dissolution.

“Unless the prime minister is planning to have another audience with the King specifically for that purpose, then I believe today will be the day,” said an Umno supreme council member.

Barisan’s partners in government, however, have not been enthusiastic over the idea of having national polls now.

Perikatan Nasional has voiced its objections to any such move.

The government, it said, must focus on preparations for the monsoon season and on efforts to speed up economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang also wants the revival of the economy and the impending monsoon season to be the priority.

Umno has been the main party pushing for an early general election, with the supreme council insisting that polls be held this year although the parliament term ends only in July next year.

The Star

Asia News Network

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US to release more oil as Opec, Russia decide to cut production

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 06, 2022

THE NATION

The Opec Plus bloc including Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed on Wednesday to go in for a large production cut despite the US and Europe urging the group to increase production to bring oil prices down to earth.

Responding to the move by Opec Plus, US government officials said the Energy Department would be instructed to release 10 million more barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in November.

“The [US] president is disappointed by the shortsighted decision by Opec Plus to cut production quotas while the global economy is dealing with the continued negative impact of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine,” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and National Economic Council director Brian Deese said in a statement.

The 2-million-barrels-a-day cut represents about 2 per cent of global oil production.

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said Opec Plus was acting amid signs of a downturn in the world economy that might cause oil demand to weaken and prices to fall.

“We would rather be pre-emptive than sorry,” he added.

Following the group’s announcement, the price of Brent crude rose more than 1.5 per cent.

The bloc also agreed to extend to December 2023 an agreement that created Opec Plus (Opec plus Russia and its allies), which expires this December.

Earlier, the US had no plans to continue its six-month move to release one million barrels a day, which was scheduled to finish at the end of October.

US President Joe Biden and European leaders have been calling on Opec to increase oil production to ease fuel prices and punish Moscow for its war against Ukraine, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has been accused of using energy as a weapon against opposing countries.

Source: NY Times

THE NATION