Global Pulse

作者： admin

  • Sarawak town chokes as haze pushes air pollution past Malaysia’s emergency threshold

    Sarawak town chokes as haze pushes air pollution past Malaysia’s emergency threshold

    A small agricultural town on Malaysia’s Borneo Island has recorded hazardous haze levels that cross the country’s emergency threshold, amplifying concerns over the annual regional air quality crisis driven by Indonesian forest fires. On Friday, Sarawak state’s Serian, a border community of roughly 89,000 people adjacent to Indonesia’s Kalimantan province, saw its Air Pollutant Index (API) spike to 521, according to official data from Malaysia’s environment department. Not far away, Kuching, Sarawak’s capital and largest urban center, also posted a dangerous reading of 311, placing it firmly in the hazardous category of Malaysia’s air quality scale.

    Transboundary haze is a chronic seasonal challenge for Southeast Asia. Every dry season, smoke from slash-and-burn land clearing and forest fires in Indonesia drifts across national borders, degrading air quality in neighboring countries including Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore. Under Malaysia’s regulatory framework, any API reading above 500 triggers an emergency protocol that requires halting non-essential work and outdoor activities; schools have already been ordered closed in areas with readings exceeding 200. As of Friday evening, Malaysian officials had not yet issued a formal emergency declaration for Serian.

    This year’s haze outbreak is far more severe than average, experts note, fueled by a combination of increased fire activity across multiple Indonesian provinces and extended dry weather conditions that have allowed blazes to spread rapidly across Borneo. Sarawak has emerged as the hardest-hit region in Malaysia, with multiple localities recording hazardous air pollution levels for consecutive days.

    Indonesian authorities have ramped up response efforts to contain the blazes. Latest satellite data from Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry, released Friday, shows 717 confirmed hot spots — areas of elevated temperature linked to active fires — detected across the country since August 1, with 103 new hot spots recorded in just the 24-hour period leading up to the report. To slow fire growth, Indonesian authorities have deployed large-scale ground and aerial firefighting teams, and have carried out cloud seeding operations to induce much-needed rain.

    Law enforcement action has also been stepped up, particularly in Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of Borneo that is the source of much of this year’s smoke. Five companies operating in the province have already had their business licenses suspended over allegations that illegal fires burned within their concession areas. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni announced that penalties could extend far beyond temporary suspensions: companies that fail to meet mandatory land restoration requirements, or that are found to have intentionally set fires, will face full criminal prosecution.

    The ongoing crisis highlights the persistent challenge of addressing transboundary air pollution in Southeast Asia, where dry seasonal conditions and lax land management enforcement have created a recurring public health threat that crosses national borders.

  • ‘Layer upon layer of miracles’: How Nepal flood survivors were rescued from tunnel

    ‘Layer upon layer of miracles’: How Nepal flood survivors were rescued from tunnel

    Last week, catastrophic flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border left more than 1,300 people dead and devastated multiple hydropower infrastructure projects, including the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station, where a construction tunnel was completely buried under mud, rock and flood debris. In what a senior international tunnelling expert has called a succession of overlapping miracles, two workers trapped inside the blocked tunnel were pulled alive by rescue teams in the early hours of Friday, with an intensive search now underway for dozens more still missing deep in the mountain.

    Arnold Dix, president of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association, who has served as a lead advisor to Nepalese hydropower authorities on the unprecedented rescue operation, shared a detailed account of the extraordinary challenges his team faced from the very start of the mission.

    Unlike any rescue Dix has worked on in his decades-long career, the first major hurdle was simply locating the tunnel’s entrance. The flash flood and accompanying avalanche of debris completely rearranged the mountain landscape, moving the original entrance from its position up the hillside to a spot completely buried underground. “I’ve never known a rescue operation where you had to look for an entrance of a tunnel that was previously up the hill, that was now underground. You can imagine the enormity of the avalanche, it completely buried the entrance,” Dix explained.

    To pinpoint the entrance’s approximate location, Dix and his team combined a range of tools: conventional engineering methods, decades-old topographic maps, post-disaster satellite imagery, aerial helicopter footage, and even visible surface markers like standing power poles, to triangulate the most probable position and begin digging. Against steep odds, their approach worked, and they uncovered the buried entrance – but an entirely new set of obstacles stood between rescuers and the trapped workers.

    The entire tunnel passage was choked solid with mud and boulders, some as large as passenger cars. To clear the massive blockage, teams were forced to use controlled explosives – a dangerous measure never used in standard tunnel rescue scenarios, due to the extreme risk of collapsing the tunnel or harming trapped survivors. Dix praised the Nepalese army for its exceptional precision in executing the blasts, which successfully cleared debris without destabilizing the remaining tunnel structure.

    Rescuers also discovered the tunnel was still filled with standing floodwater. To address this hazard, Nepalese crews used excavators and heavy pumping equipment to carve a network of drainage trenches running from the interior of the tunnel all the way out to the adjacent river, draining excess water to create safe working conditions.

    In the final stage of the approach to the detected survivors, teams dug a narrow human-sized access passage through the debris along the top of the original tunnel. Dix noted this strategic choice had two key benefits: it leveraged the original tunnel’s intact roof as the roof of the new passage, cutting down on digging time and reducing collapse risk, while also mitigating the ongoing threat of secondary flooding inside the tunnel.

    In the pre-dawn hours of Friday, rescuers detected faint sounds coming from deep in the passage. After calling out to confirm the presence of survivors, they received a faint reply of “okay” from two trapped men. Within minutes, workers pulled out Sanjaya Shah and Kabir Maharjan, both alive.

    Despite this breakthrough, the rescue mission is far from complete. Dozens of workers are still believed to be trapped inside the tunnel, and teams have so far only cleared roughly 60 meters of debris from the entrance. Another 150 meters of digging remains before crews can reach the main hydropower station complex deep inside the mountain.

    Rescuers hold cautious optimism that flood debris never reached the main station complex. If debris did penetrate the station, it would bring severe complications: any survivors there could have been injured by rock and mud flows, or the area could be fully flooded.

    Dix added that rescue teams still face life-threatening risks as they push deeper into the mountain. Crews could unexpectedly encounter standing water that could trap or drown tunnellers, and the threat of a second flash flood upstream means water could surge into the tunnel from behind the rescue team, leaving crews surrounded by water on both sides.

    Even so, Friday’s successful rescue has renewed the entire team’s determination and hope that more survivors can be found. The first successful extraction confirmed that the team’s untested approach to the unprecedented disaster was correct, Dix said, giving the entire operation a jolt of renewed energy. “It’s a big relief, that we are on the right track. And it gives us renewed energy that our thinking on how to conduct the rescue works… we have never done something like this before.”

    Teams are now advancing toward what Dix calls the “Goldilocks zone,” the upper level of the hydropower station complex, where open dry space makes it the most likely area for survivors to have held out. Refusing to end the operation after the first successful rescue, Dix said the team is committed to pushing forward: “We got two people out. If we were playing at a casino, some might say it’s time to walk away, but we say game on, time to take on the house.”

  • Boy, 12, dies after car hit by train

    Boy, 12, dies after car hit by train

    A devastating traffic incident has claimed the life of a 12-year-old boy following a collision between a passenger train and a private car at a rural level crossing in County Mayo, Republic of Ireland. The crash unfolded at approximately 8:45 p.m. local time on Thursday in the small community of Kiltybo, just outside the town of Ballyhaunis.

    Local law enforcement with Gardaí, Ireland’s national police service, and multiple emergency response teams were dispatched to the scene immediately after receiving emergency calls about the crash. Of the two people inside the car at the time of impact, the 12-year-old passenger was pronounced dead by first responders on site. The driver, a man in his late 40s, was airlifted by ambulance to a nearby medical facility for urgent care; officials have confirmed his injuries are not considered life-threatening.

    None of the passengers aboard the involved train suffered harm, and all were able to safely exit the vehicle following the collision. As of Friday morning, the local road remains closed to through traffic while official investigations get underway. Forensic Collision Investigators are scheduled to conduct a detailed technical examination of the crash site to piece together the exact sequence of events that led to the collision.

    Irish authorities have notified the local Coroner’s office, and the boy’s remains have been transported to the mortuary at Mayo University Hospital. A post-mortem examination has been scheduled to confirm the official cause of death. In a public appeal, Gardaí are asking any members of the public who witnessed the incident, or who may have dashcam footage from the area around the time of the crash, to come forward to assist with the ongoing investigation.

  • War lingering, Pentagon extends Mideast troop deployments into ’27

    War lingering, Pentagon extends Mideast troop deployments into ’27

    Three years into a deeply contentious, costly and unpopular U.S. military campaign against Iran, the U.S. Pentagon has confirmed plans to extend deployments of American troops, fighter jet squadrons and naval warships in the Middle East well into next year, with some ground forces potentially remaining as late as 2027, according to an exclusive Wall Street Journal report published late Wednesday.

    The development marks a stark reversal of early promises from top Trump administration officials, including Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump himself, who both repeatedly insisted the military assault on Iran would conclude quickly. Under the newly unveiled plan, the U.S. will maintain a force of roughly 50,000 service members in the region, a posture designed to preserve presidential flexibility for future policy shifts, the report notes, citing internal correspondence that military leadership sent to family members of deployed personnel. The document also confirms that elements of the Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division could remain stationed in the Middle East through 2027.

    Intriguingly, the report adds that Trump – who has drawn widespread criticism for falsely claiming Iran is a “dead” country – is currently holding closed-door discussions with senior advisors about formally declaring the Iran war over, even as cross-border airstrikes continue, thousands of U.S. troops remain deployed in theater, and the administration continues to ramp up crippling economic sanctions on Tehran.

    Critics across policy and advocacy circles have rapidly condemned the administration’s handling of the conflict, calling the open-ended deployment a confirmation that the war was both unnecessary and illegal from its outset. “The Trump administration seems to excel at bombing schools and weddings,” Brian Finucane, senior adviser to the U.S. Program at the International Crisis Group, wrote in commentary Wednesday. “Winning the illegal and unnecessary war with Iran – not so much.”

    Hegseth has publicly thrown his support behind a new strategy that relies on “periodic” targeted bombings across Iran to keep commercial ship traffic moving through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy chokepoint. But independent analysts warn this approach would lock the U.S. into a permanent state of low-intensity conflict with Iran with no clear off-ramp.

    Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, argued earlier this week that Trump’s current posture appears tailored to upcoming midterm elections: he is leaning toward maintaining a limited, low-level conflict through the vote, pursuing neither a diplomatic breakthrough to end the standoff nor allowing tensions to spiral into full-scale all-out war. “Iranian officials say, both publicly and privately, that they expect the U.S. and Israel to resume full-scale hostilities after the midterms regardless of the impact of the so-called D-Day sanctions,” Parsi noted in his analysis. “Regional diplomats have largely reached the same conclusion.” Parsi added that if sanctions gradually weaken Iran’s economy while global markets adjust to new trade patterns through the Strait, a prolonged pause in major operations will work against Tehran’s interests. That dynamic, he warned, could push Iranian leadership to launch dramatic military escalation in the run-up to the election, taking advantage of what they see as Trump’s domestic political vulnerability.

    The human and economic cost of the conflict continues to mount. To date, the war has killed thousands of Iranians – including hundreds of civilian children – along with at least 18 U.S. service members. For average American households, the conflict has driven an extra $1,200 in annual costs, primarily due to spiking global energy prices that have pushed gasoline costs to record highs. When asked about this financial burden on American families, Trump has publicly stated he does “not think about Americans’ financial situation” when making policy decisions about the Iran war.

    The open-ended conflict has also paved the way for the Trump administration to push for a record $1.5 trillion military spending budget for the upcoming fiscal year, a request that has amplified fears among critics that the U.S. is settling into a permanent “forever war” in the Middle East focused on Iran.

    In a public analysis published Wednesday, the National Iranian American Council outlined the growing risk of prolonged conflict for civilians on both sides. “Washington is betting that sustained military and economic pressure will eventually force Tehran to retreat,” the organization wrote. “Iran appears to be betting that it can survive long enough to force Washington to do the same. For ordinary Iranians, American servicemembers, and civilians across the region, the danger is that testing those two assumptions will require a much longer and more destructive war.”

  • 100 influencers invited to US Open spark debate on ‘tennis etiquette’

    100 influencers invited to US Open spark debate on ‘tennis etiquette’

    The US Open, one of tennis’ four prestigious Grand Slam tournaments, is facing a growing debate centered on a major shift to expand its audience reach: doubling the number of accredited influencers and content creators for this year’s New York event. The move, designed to introduce tennis to younger, digitally native audiences, has ignited discussion over how to grow the sport without compromising its long-held, unwritten etiquette rules that govern both player and fan behavior.

    Tennis has always relied on a foundation of quiet decorum during active play, a core norm that sets it apart from many other professional sports. For spectators, the expectation is simple: avoid disrupting players mid-point, a rule that reflects respect for the intensity and focus required to compete at the highest level. This year, the US Open’s decision to grant press-level accreditation to roughly 100 digital creators – twice the number invited in 2025 – as part of its broader push to turn the event into a fan-focused “tennis Disneyland” has tested that norm.

    Tension boiled over during two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka’s opening round match on the main court at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the world’s largest tennis venue with a capacity of more than 23,000. A group of content creators set up a portable ring light for a photoshoot in their hospitality suite while Osaka was in the middle of serving, prompting an official reprimand from the chair umpire. A viral video captured the same group talking loudly while filming content during active play, forcing the umpire to publicly call for them to stop. When Osaka returned to the court for her second-round match Thursday, the umpire was forced to repeat calls for crowd silence multiple times – a frequency Osaka said she had never experienced before.

    “I tell people I normally just focus on the match and the court, but there was a moment where there was people shouting and you could hear it quite clearly,” Osaka told reporters after the match. “I think it bothered my opponent, too.”

    The four-time Grand Slam champion echoed a common middle ground held by many players, acknowledging that influencer outreach can help grow the sport, but calling for stricter management of fan and creator behavior. “It could be a good thing for people to make the sport of tennis popular to their specific audience, but I think it has to be managed a lot better, especially in the situation like my first-round match,” she said. “Overall, I think there are huge positives. You want people to continue to grow the sport. I just think it has to be in a way that everyone knows the rules and the etiquette.”

    That sentiment was echoed by American world No. 3 Jessica Pegula, who described some disruptive behavior as outright “disrespectful.” “I can appreciate the influencers coming and showcasing the US Open experience,” Pegula said. “But I do think that it’s tough when you see videos when they’re taking pictures and using the selfie lights. People are down there trying to perform. It’s their career and their job. It seems a bit disrespectful. I think it’s become a little too much this year.”

    Coco Gauff, the world No. 4 who has become one of the sport’s biggest young stars, framed the expectation as a simple matter of following event norms. “I definitely think it’s cool to have a new demographic and I definitely think it helps grow the sport,” Gauff said. “But if you’re being invited to a red carpet, you wouldn’t show up in jeans. I think it’s just follow the etiquette of the sport. That’s all.”

    Not all players have pushed back on the expanded influencer policy, however. Many veteran competitors have embraced the push to expand tennis’ reach, arguing that growing the fan base outweighs growing pains. Men’s seventh seed Daniil Medvedev, who has had a complicated relationship with New York crowds in the past, said he supports the US Tennis Association’s (USTA) new approach. “I think the more we try to raise awareness about tennis, the better it is, the more popular the sport is,” Medvedev said. “The more the sport grows, the better it is. I trust USTA with what they are doing. I think [there is] a lot more upside than downside, so go for it.”

    American 11th seed Frances Tiafoe echoed that optimism, praising the US Open for welcoming a diverse mix of attendees. “I think the Open is great because you get all types of people that want to come and watch tennis,” he said. “All different walks of life, different types of people, different type of occupations. Personally, I love that. I have no problem with anybody doing anything, coming to watch the tennis.”

    The expanded influencer accreditation is just one part of a years-long series of overhauls the US Open has rolled out to rebrand itself as a more accessible, fan-friendly event. In 2024, the tournament introduced free fan movement, allowing spectators to take their seats at any time rather than waiting for changeovers. The following year, it expanded the tournament to 15 days, adding a “Fan Week” before the main singles draw that features revamped mixed doubles competition and exhibition matches with retired and current stars. Tournament chief executive Craig Tiley has publicly framed these changes as part of a goal to create “the tennis Disneyland” that draws casual and hardcore fans alike.

    Speaking ahead of the tournament, Tiley defended the creator credential program as a necessary adaptation to modern media consumption. “We need to find ways of reaching new audiences, reaching people in a way that they connect with media today,” he said. “The creation of the creator credential has been a key part of that because it’s enabled us to talk to people in a way that they’re listening. That’s been a big focus.”

    In the wake of the high-profile disruption during Osaka’s opening match, tournament organizers have already stepped up efforts to reinforce etiquette rules. Digital screens across the Arthur Ashe Stadium complex now display frequent reminders asking attendees to “refrain from any activity that could disrupt the game, including noise levels, flash photography and ring lights.”

    In a formal statement, the USTA reiterated its commitment to balancing growth and respect for competition. “The USTA is always striving to grow tennis in this country and bring new audiences into the sport,” the organization said. “We want all of our fans and guests to have an incredible time when they attend, but we also need to ensure they do not interfere with the action and competition on the court. We are continually looking for ways to ensure fans in the stands know what is permitted and what is prohibited.”

  • Volkswagen board approves plan to cut another 50,000 jobs

    Volkswagen board approves plan to cut another 50,000 jobs

    German automotive giant Volkswagen has taken one of the most dramatic steps in its 88-year history, greenlighting a fresh round of 50,000 job cuts that brings the total number of positions targeted for elimination by 2030 to 100,000. This landmark restructuring, first signaled by CEO Oliver Blume back in July, follows an initial 50,000 job cut announcement made by the company in March.

    The multinational automaker, whose brand portfolio encompasses mass-market nameplates like Volkswagen, Skoda and Seat alongside luxury marques including Audi, Porsche, Bentley and Lamborghini, is also re-evaluating the future of four underperforming manufacturing facilities across Germany. The plants based in Emden, Zwickau, Hanover and Neckarsulm are currently operating with excess production capacity that outpaces current consumer demand, and company officials confirmed that alternative use cases for the sites are still under active assessment.

    Alongside workforce adjustments, Volkswagen outlined sweeping changes to its product lineup: by 2035, the firm will cut the total number of vehicle models it produces in half, while reducing overall product complexity by 75%. The company says it will refocus its resources on high-demand, high-margin “most compelling vehicles” and ramp up production volumes per surviving model, a strategy designed to drive significant cost reductions across operations.

    In a formal statement released Thursday, Blume framed the tough decisions as a critical investment in Volkswagen’s long-term viability, arguing the moves send a “strong signal” for the company’s future while demonstrating that leadership is “taking responsibility for our entire workforce.” As of 2025, Volkswagen employs more than 660,000 workers across its global operations.

    Christianne Benner, president of Germany’s powerful IG Metall industrial union – Europe’s largest industrial union – and deputy chair of Volkswagen’s supervisory board, acknowledged that the cuts come as the company navigates a serious “crisis situation,” noting that firm leadership had “fought hard for good solutions” amid the pressures it faces.

    Volkswagen’s restructuring push comes as the brand confronts mounting industry headwinds that have dragged profits sharply lower in recent years. Once one of the company’s largest and most reliable growth markets, China has seen plummeting Volkswagen sales amid fierce competition from domestic Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers that have leveraged lower production costs and rapid technological innovation to capture market share. Chinese automakers like BYD have seen explosive sales growth not just in their home market, but across the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Southeast Asia as they expand their global footprint. Volkswagen has also faced declining sales in the US market, a downturn partially attributed to longstanding import tariffs on vehicles introduced during the Trump administration.

    Market reaction to the approved restructuring plan was broadly positive: Volkswagen’s share price rose roughly 7% in Frankfurt trading during Friday morning hours. Company leadership emphasized that a fundamental reshaping of the firm’s global workforce capacity is non-negotiable to protect long-term competitiveness amid shifting consumer demand and the ongoing industry-wide transition to electric vehicle technology. The new round of cuts will include management roles across the group, matching the scale of the initial 50,000 reductions announced earlier this year.

  • Ukrainian quits college team over Russian signing

    Ukrainian quits college team over Russian signing

    A 20-year-old Ukrainian women’s college basketball player has opened up about her choice to exit Louisiana State University’s program, confirming that the team’s decision to add Russian player Anna Minaeva to its roster was the direct catalyst for her departure after just one season with the Tigers.

    Kate Koval, who averaged 8.3 points per game during her debut 2024-2025 season and was projected to start at center for LSU in the upcoming campaign, initially had her exit listed as being for “personal reasons” when the announcement was made. In a candid public post shared to her Instagram account, Koval tied her departure directly to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a conflict that has directly impacted her immediate family and childhood home.

    Koval explained that her father currently serves in the Ukrainian armed forces, defending the country against what she described as Russian military aggression. For the young player, the war is not a faraway international dispute—it is a deeply personal trauma that has touched every part of her life. “People close to me have been killed and wounded in Russian attacks, and places where I grew up and first began playing basketball have been destroyed by missile strikes,” she wrote.

    After Minaeva’s signing, Koval said she was forced to confront whether LSU could still be the right fit for her, given the profound personal toll the conflict has taken on her, her family, and her loved ones still living and fighting in Ukraine. She emphasized that her choice was not an easy one to make. “While I understand and respect that roster decisions are a part of college basketball, I have to remain true to myself, my values and my country,” she added.

    Koval still has two years of NCAA eligibility remaining, but faces a hurdle in transferring to a new program for the 2025-2026 season: the NCAA’s transfer portal has already closed for upcoming roster changes. In her statement, she appealed to the collegiate sports governing body to grant her an exception, noting the unique and serious circumstances surrounding her decision, and asking the association to recognize the deep personal stake she has in the situation.

    Despite her departure, Koval spoke warmly of her time at LSU, saying she had once felt she found a home within the program’s community. She expressed gratitude to her former teammates, who she said became like family, as well as to the program’s coaching staff, administrative team, university professors, and the wider LSU community. “I will always cherish the relationships, experiences, and memories I made there,” she said.

  • Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing visiting Vietnam as he seeks to normalize relations with ASEAN

    Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing visiting Vietnam as he seeks to normalize relations with ASEAN

    HANOI, Vietnam — Myanmar’s military-backed government leader Min Aung Hlaing has arrived in Hanoi for high-stakes talks with top Vietnamese officials, marking the latest step in his years-long campaign to repair Myanmar’s fractured regional standing and court much-needed foreign capital amid widespread international isolation.

    This diplomatic outreach comes more than five years after Min Aung Hlaing, then serving as Myanmar’s army chief, seized power in a February 2021 coup that ousted the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. The takeover triggered widespread global condemnation, years of diplomatic shunning, and a brutal nationwide civil conflict that has persisted to this day, following a deadly military crackdown on mass anti-coup protests that spawned a widespread armed resistance movement.

    Since his controversial swearing-in as president in April 2024, following an election widely dismissed by critics as a sham to cement the military’s permanent grip on power, Min Aung Hlaing has ramped up his global diplomatic schedule. Prior to this Vietnam visit, he has undertaken official trips to India, China, Laos, Thailand, and more recently, Eurasian nations including Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Russia, where he has held one-on-one meetings with national leaders and hosted business forums focused on attracting foreign direct investment to Myanmar.

    Vietnam holds unique significance for Myanmar’s military leadership: the two Southeast Asian countries share decades of deep military-to-military ties, including formal defense cooperation agreements. Vietnam’s state-owned military telecommunications conglomerate Viettel also holds a major stake in Mytel, one of Myanmar’s largest domestic telecom operators, which is partially owned by entities linked to Myanmar’s military.

    Despite these longstanding connections, bilateral economic ties between the two nations have weakened sharply in recent years. Official data shared by Min Aung Hlaing with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung during their August meeting in Naypyidaw shows bilateral trade plummeted from $853 million in 2020, the final full year before the coup, to just $590 million in 2025, and only reached $335 million in the first half of 2026, according to Vietnam’s foreign ministry.

    According to Myanmar’s state-run MRTV television, Min Aung Hlaing departed the country’s capital Naypyidaw on Friday morning for the visit. During his time in Hanoi, he is scheduled to hold formal talks with Vietnamese President To Lam and other senior Vietnamese government leaders, alongside attending an investment-focused business forum accompanied by members of his cabinet.

    This trip marks Min Aung Hlaing’s third official visit to an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member state as he works to rebuild Myanmar’s standing within the 11-nation regional bloc. Following the 2021 coup, ASEAN barred Min Aung Hlaing from the bloc’s top-level summits for years over his failure to implement a 2021 consensus peace plan designed to de-escalate post-coup violence in Myanmar.

    Western governments have maintained broad sanctions and diplomatic shunning of Min Aung Hlaing and his inner circle since the 2021 coup, in response to the ouster of the elected government and widespread human rights violations documented by independent monitors during the ongoing civil conflict.

  • Tata Chemicals ordered out of Kenya by president

    Tata Chemicals ordered out of Kenya by president

    A major economic and diplomatic shift is unfolding in Kenya, where President William Ruto has publicly ordered Tata Chemicals, an Indian multinational chemical giant part of the sprawling Tata Group conglomerate, to cease operations and leave the country over accusations that the firm has failed to deliver sufficient local economic benefits. The announcement was made during Ruto’s recent visit to Kajiado County, the location of Tata Chemicals Magadi’s flagship soda ash extraction and processing plant on the shores of Lake Magadi, roughly 75 miles southwest of the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

    For more than a century, the Magadi site has hosted soda ash operations, with Tata taking control of the facility in 2005 after acquiring the previous owner, UK-based Brunner Mond Group. Today, the plant stands as Africa’s largest producer of natural soda ash – the industrial-grade sodium carbonate that serves as a core input for glass manufacturing, chemical production, battery manufacturing, water treatment, detergent formulation, and paper and textile production. Kenya itself ranks as the world’s fourth-largest natural soda ash producer, contributing roughly 1% of total global output, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey.

    Under Tata’s management, the facility exports over 350,000 tonnes of soda ash annually, with more than 95% of its total product shipped to overseas markets including India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and other regional African economies. The operation also produces industrial and animal-feed grade natural salt. In its 2024 financial reporting, Tata Chemicals Magadi recorded roughly $78.7 million in turnover from 245,000 tonnes of soda ash sales. The firm directly employs approximately 500 local workers, and states that its community outreach programs deliver basic services including clean water, healthcare access, school infrastructure, and public works development that benefit an estimated 30,000 residents in the Magadi region.

    Despite this footprint, President Ruto has leveled sharp criticism at the company, arguing that its century-long operating contract has failed to deliver inclusive growth for Kenya and local communities in Kajiado. Speaking in Swahili during his site visit, Ruto accused the firm of extracting Kenya’s natural resources for export without adding local value, specifically saying the company has chosen to ship raw soda ash abroad instead of building domestic downstream processing facilities to manufacture finished glass and chemical products. “Tata Chemicals Magadi has had a contract for 100 years, and they have done nothing. I told them the other day to pack up and leave,” Ruto said. “They have not built anything in Kajiado, they have not built any factory in Kajiado.”

    Ruto added that the Kenyan government has already identified two new domestic and international investors to take over the Magadi operations, with a core mandate to expand local job creation, drive additional capital investment, and develop downstream manufacturing to capture more value for Kenya’s economy.

    The order to exit is the culmination of escalating regulatory tensions between Tata and the Kenyan government. Five weeks before Ruto’s public announcement, Kenya’s mining cabinet secretary had already ordered the firm to suspend all operations, citing alleged failures to pay required royalties and meet other local regulatory obligations. In response to that order, Tata released a statement saying it had submitted a full, comprehensive response addressing all concerns raised by the ministry, including detailed documentation proving its compliance with all applicable Kenyan regulations, and was awaiting a formal review of its submission and further official guidance.

    Following Ruto’s exit order, Tata Chemicals reaffirmed its position, stating that it respects the Kenyan government’s decision, and remains committed to resolving outstanding issues through constructive dialogue within the country’s legal and regulatory frameworks. The firm also noted that since its 2005 acquisition of the Magadi facility, the operation has been an important contributor to the Kenyan economy and remains a core part of Tata Chemicals’ global business portfolio.

  • From ‘dog fruit’ to darling: India’s avocado boom

    From ‘dog fruit’ to darling: India’s avocado boom

    Fifteen years ago, avocados were an afterthought in India, left to rot on branches or be eaten by feral dogs—earning them the unflattering local nickname “dog fruit.” Today, the once-overlooked fruit sits at the center of a fast-growing agricultural revolution, as surging consumer demand transforms how Indian farmers, entrepreneurs, and researchers approach avocado cultivation.

    Sunil Bopaiah, a 26-year veteran of India’s plantation industry and current group manager at Kerala-based Cottanad Plantations, has witnessed this shift firsthand. For decades, his operation, which grows cocoa, rubber, coffee, and spices in the hills of Wayanad, used avocados solely as shade trees for coffee crops. No one imagined the fruit would become a profitable standalone venture. That changed around 2011, when Bollywood icon Shilpa Shetty publicly cited avocados as a core part of her skincare routine. The celebrity endorsement triggered an immediate market shift: avocado prices doubled overnight, and they have continued climbing steadily in the years since.

    To meet rising demand, Cottanad Plantations has dedicated 40 acres exclusively to avocado cultivation, harvesting between 10 and 15 tonnes of fruit annually. The operation projects output will jump to 40–50 tonnes within the next three to four years, as the team adapts growing practices to suit the crop’s unique needs. Drawing on guidance from South African agricultural experts, the plantation completely redesigned its cultivation approach, switching to raised planting beds and wider tree spacing to protect avocado roots, which are extremely susceptible to fungal disease.

    Industry analysts estimate massive untapped potential for Indian avocado production, driven by a yawning gap between domestic supply and consumer demand. Manilal Palliyath, who works to expand India’s avocado sector, notes that India currently produces just 8,000 to 9,000 tonnes of avocados annually, while importing roughly 15,000 tonnes to meet total demand. For many farmers, shifting to avocados also offers a critical buffer against climate volatility that has hurt traditional staple crops. “Coffee and pepper have suffered because of changing climatic conditions, making diversification essential for farmers,” Palliyath explains.

    As demand grows, India’s hospitality sector has echoed the call for consistent, high-quality local avocados. Hussain Shahzad, executive chef at Mumbai-based Hunger Inc. Hospitality—which operates popular venues including The Bombay Canteen and Veronica’s—says the group currently relies on imported avocados to meet kitchen needs. While local growers have made great strides in improving cultivation, Shahzad notes that domestic produce still struggles with inconsistent quality, flavor, and availability across seasons and regions. “Imported ones currently offer the consistency we need in terms of flavour, texture, size, and ripening,” he says, adding that the group is eager to shift to local sourcing as the industry matures: “Supporting Indian agriculture and working with indigenous ingredients is central to how we approach food.”

    A new generation of Indian entrepreneurs is working to close the quality gap by bringing advanced cultivation techniques and popular foreign varieties to domestic farms. Harshit Godha, founder of the Indo-Israel Avocado Nursery in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, launched his business in 2021 after completing a month-long training program on avocado production in Israel. Today, his operation is thriving: over the past five years, he has supplied roughly 18,000 saplings of high-demand international varieties including Hass and Pinkerton to farmers across the country.

    Godha notes that Israel’s arid climate has pushed the country to develop the world’s most advanced water-efficient avocado growing technology, making it an ideal model for parts of India facing water scarcity. But scaling commercial production requires a complete shift from traditional Indian growing practices, where avocados were interspersed among other crops as shade trees. Commercial production requires grafting high-yield fruit varieties onto rootstocks bred to tolerate local conditions, rather than growing trees from seed. Producers also must implement aggressive pruning to keep tree heights manageable for harvesting, and plant a precise mix of two avocado varieties to enable cross-pollination—one of the most common mistakes that derails new orchards, Godha explains. “If a farmer gets this planting ratio wrong, the trees will fail to produce fruit, no matter how advanced the irrigation tech is,” he says. “This single botanical detail is what separates a highly profitable, high-yielding orchard from one that looks great on paper but fails in reality.”

    Alongside the adoption of foreign varieties, Indian agricultural researchers are working to develop standardized, high-yield domestic avocado varieties adapted to local growing conditions. Dr Ganeshan Karunakaran, principal scientist at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) in Bengaluru, has spent 25 years leading a breeding project that has already released two improved domestic varieties, including Arka Supreme.

    Karunakaran explains that the biggest barrier to a consistent domestic avocado market has been genetic variation: most existing backyard avocado trees in India are genetically distinct, leading to inconsistent fruit quality across the supply chain. “Our objective is to provide farmers with uniform, high-yielding, good-quality planting material rather than thousands of different unnamed trees,” he says. He also warns of risks from unregulated nurseries that sell unlabeled or diseased saplings, which can look healthy for years before suddenly dying, leaving farmers with devastating financial losses.

    Despite the growing pains, early adopter farmers remain optimistic about avocados’ long-term potential in India. Shiju Sebastian, who planted his first two-acre avocado orchard in Wayanad, Kerala, eight years ago, is already harvesting 3,500 kilograms of fruit annually that sells out entirely in Bengaluru. He now plans to expand his avocado cultivation by another three acres. “Avocado will never fail you. It’s such a loving and lovable fruit. I have fallen in love with this fruit now,” he says, adding that the biggest need for new growers is consistent technical guidance and guaranteed access to retail markets.