USA

Commentary: Green offsets let polluting airlines off the hook
Market, USA, World

Commentary: Green offsets let polluting airlines off the hook

Sustainability targets for airlines need to be based on real emissions cuts at their source, says an observer. BIRMINGHAM, England: The coronavirus pandemic has grounded thousands of aircraft, contributing to the largest-ever annual fall in carbon dioxide emissions. At some point though, the planes will soar again and with them, global emissions. Most airlines in the UK have committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. From 2026, it will become mandatory for airlines worldwide to ensure that their annual emissions stay flat. But the UK aviation industry also plans to increase the number of passengers it serves by 70 per cent in the next three decades. To pull this off, airlines will be planning to fly planes at or near full passenger capacity and use cleaner burning fu...
COVID-19 has prompted stimulus measures, but Southeast Asian governments may be missing the chance to go green: Experts
Asia, Singapore, USA, World

COVID-19 has prompted stimulus measures, but Southeast Asian governments may be missing the chance to go green: Experts

Governments around the world are injecting money into their respective economies amid the pandemic. In Southeast Asia though, analysis shows little of those funds are being earmarked for green projects. BANGKOK: Earlier this month, a group of diplomats, politicians and journalists gathered at the Dutch Embassy in Bangkok to discuss an issue of global importance - how to manage a green recovery from COVID-19. This year was meant to be a critical year, they argued, for tackling climate change, where big decisions would be made and transformative policies imagined to avoid future calamity. Instead, they noted that major climate conferences had been postponed and a crisis of potentially staggering magnitude had drifted back to being tomorrow’s problem. The event, hosted by the em...
A stress-free guide to credit cards: How to use them responsibly
Market, USA, World

A stress-free guide to credit cards: How to use them responsibly

There are a lot of perks that come with having a credit card, from the convenience of being able to pay for a purchase when you don't have cash to the chance to earn rewards on every dollar you spend. Having a credit card can also help you build your credit history, which is important if you want to one day apply for a mortgage or personal loan. While having a credit card can help you improve your credit score, it can also hurt it. It's essential to know how to use a credit card responsibly, spending within your means and paying off your balance in full and on time every month. Credit cards can come with high interest rates compared to other financial products like personal loans or student loans. And unlike installment loans, which have predictable monthly payments, you must keep track of...
‘We’re trapped’: Californians now face the dual nightmare of wildfires and a pandemic
USA, World

‘We’re trapped’: Californians now face the dual nightmare of wildfires and a pandemic

Kena Hudson's 7-year-old son Clarence has asthma that's sometimes landed him in the hospital. Typically, when wildfire season starts in Northern California, he'll stay indoors but continue to see friends and attend school. This year, a record spell of wildfires is blanketing much of the state in smoke. Facing a dual threat of reduced air quality coupled with a coronavirus pandemic, Clarence will have to stay indoors around-the-clock. "We're in a pandemic and a heat wave, and we don't have air conditioning," said Hudson, who's based in Oakland, where temperatures are usually mild. "We can't open up the window, we're trapped, we're hot and no one can come over to play." Californians across the state are now facing a crisis across multiple fronts. As the coronavirus pandemic drags on, lightni...
US must end trade deal with China: East Turkistan National Awakening activists
China, USA

US must end trade deal with China: East Turkistan National Awakening activists

In view of China’s consistent engagement in “genocide, organ harvesting and using slave labour of Uyghurs”, the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement has urged the US Trade Representative to ends its trade deal with Beijing and officially recognize the genocide of Uyghur Muslims.“The @USTradeRep must END its #TradeDeal with #China. #America shouldn’t engage in trade with #CCP regime that is engaging in genocide, organ harvesting & using #SlaveLabor of #Uyghurs. We urge the @WhiteHouse to officially recognize the #UyghurGenocide & take ACTION to STOP it,” the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement said in a tweet.Over the years, Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang have been tortured with the objective of eradicating their ethnic identity and the population.According to multiple rep...
Jobless because of SARS, she built a thriving hostel. Now with COVID-19, it’s closing
Market, Singapore, USA, World

Jobless because of SARS, she built a thriving hostel. Now with COVID-19, it’s closing

Last month, Viji Jagadeesh had only eight guests at Mitraa Inn, not even enough to cover the Internet bill. CNA Insider looks at how hostels like hers could face a wipe-out, in a series on micro SMEs beaten down or changed drastically by the coronavirus pandemic. SINGAPORE: During the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, Viji Jagadeesh lost her job when the accounting firm she was working in struggled with poor business. After being jobless for more than a year, she started a small outfit with 12 beds, offering short-term rental to budget travellers. Three years later, Viji opened hostel Mitraa Inn with 60 beds, riding the low-cost aviation boom which saw a spike in budget travellers in Singapore. Her business flourished and, over the years, became one of the ...
From marine waste to fashion: A journey of flip-flops and trash heroes from Thailand’s far south
USA, World

From marine waste to fashion: A journey of flip-flops and trash heroes from Thailand’s far south

PATTANI, Thailand: It was a journey that began five years ago on the islands of Satun, with 100,000 flip-flops and sandals that had been spat out by the sea and washed ashore. It was not known where this debris had come from or how far it had travelled before reaching some of the most beautiful beaches in southern Thailand. It took three months of daily work for all of it to be collected by environmental volunteers in a group called Trash Hero. All of them were crammed into the back of a lorry – a pile of marine trash heading for a new life in Pattani, hundreds of kilometres away. These discarded shoes may have been unwanted before, but someone wanted them now. “I contacted them to ask for some ocean waste we were experimenting with,” said Nattapong Nithi-Uthai, a lecturer at the F...
Police arrest Thai activist Anon Nampa over rally calling for reform of monarchy
USA, World

Police arrest Thai activist Anon Nampa over rally calling for reform of monarchy

BANGKOK: Police in Thailand said they had arrested human rights lawyer Anon Nampa for a third time this month on Tuesday (Aug 25), to charge him for sedition over his role in a political rally where calls were made for reforms to the country's powerful monarchy. “The police brought Anon to the station to read him the charges for his protests on Aug 10, and will question him before bringing him to court to file for detention,” Police Lieutenant General Amphol Buarabporn told Reuters. The rights lawyer will be held along with another political activist, Panupong Jadnok, who was arrested on Monday during a protest against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who first seized power in a 2014 coup. Protesters vowed to move ahead with a planned demonstration on Sep 19, the anniversary of a p...
India-Bangladesh building maritime ties to easily ship goods to NorthEast India
USA

India-Bangladesh building maritime ties to easily ship goods to NorthEast India

In order to ship goods from Kolkata to northeastern Indian states, the ‘chicken’s neck’ or the 22-km wide Siliguri corridor is the only land-based connection which can be used.  However, with the strengthening of India’s maritime ties with neighboring Bangladesh, the goods are easily being transported through the Chattogram (Chittagong) Port now.The first trial container ship from Kolkata to Agartala through Chattogram port was launched by the Shipping Minister Mansukh Madaviya on July 16.Termed as a historic move, this sea route will open a new chapter in the India-Bangladesh maritime relations by allowing use of Chattogram and Mongla ports for transit of goods from India.Vineet Kumar, Chairman of Syama Prasad Mukherjee Port in Kolkata calls it the extension of the Look-East policy of the...
China denounces statement of ‘five eyes’ on Hong Kong as meddling
China, USA, World

China denounces statement of ‘five eyes’ on Hong Kong as meddling

The Chinese embassy in Canada has denounced the five eyes alliance for their statement on Hong Kong government's disqualification of candidates and postponement of Legislative Council elections.On July 9, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States (the five eyes) had said that the disqualification of candidates and postponement of elections have undermined the democratic process that has been fundamental to Hong Kong's stability and prosperity.In a sharp response, the Chinese embassy in Canada, in a statement said, “…the foreign ministers of Canada and other countries made a statement which once again contained irresponsible comments on the Hong Kong affairs and amounted to gross interference in China's domestic affairs. China expresses its strong dissatisfac...