Author: Gence Hasni

Chinese specialists are conducting free examinations and performing cataract removal surgeries at the Republican Clinical Center for Eye Diseases in Dushanbe, according to the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Population (MoHSPP). “This initiative is part of the Health Express: Bright Journey project by China’s Ministry of Health,” an official source at a MoHSPP told Asia-Plus in an interview. The program is running from May 31 to June 18. During this period, a team of Chinese specialists—comprising 4 doctors, 3 nurses, an engineer, and other supporting staff – is providing free examinations and surgeries for patients. “Under this project, 500 patients…

Jakarta – Three victims of the plane crash on BSD City, South Tangerang, Indonesia, have been taken to the National Police Hospital, Keramat Jati, East Jakarta. All victims were confirmed dead. They are pilots, co-pilots and aircraft technicians. “Information from colleagues, the pilot was thrown out of the plane,” said South Tangerang Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Ibnu Bagus Santoso, Sunday, May 19, 2024. The light aircraft with wing number PK-IFP flew from Tanjung Lesung, Banten, to Pondok Cabe airfield, this afternoon. The crashed plane was carrying three people and crashed near Sunburst field, Cilenggang, BSD City, South Tangerang City, at…

ECONOMYNEXT – Ahead of both presidential and parliamentary election in 2024, Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe suggested to raise minimum wage of plantation workers to 1,700 rupees as requested by them. “President Ranil Wickremesinghe advised the leaders of plantation companies to engage in a collective agreement concerning the wage hike for plantation workers, aiming for a minimum of Rs. 1700, as per their request,” the President’s Media Division said in a statement. “Alternatively, they were urged to reach a consensus on the increased wage amount before December 31st.” The President has said both the presidential and parliament polls will be held…

A new analysis released on Tuesday by Family Farmers Alliance found that small scale farmers receive only 0.12% of total international public climate finance in Bangladesh. Small-scale family farmers produce a third (32%) of the world’s food yet only 0.3% of international climate finance was spent helping them adapt in 2021. The report indicated that over 35 million small-scale producers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific, are being released ahead of COP28 which is set to agree a Global Goal on Adaptation. The UAE presidency is also urging governments to include food and agriculture in national climate plans…

KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.N. refugee agency has warned that Afghans could die in harsh winter conditions if they don’t get adequate shelter once they cross the border from Pakistan. Almost half a million Afghans have left Pakistan since early October, when the Islamabad government announced it would arrest and deport foreigners it said were in the country illegally. The overwhelming majority of them are from neighboring Afghanistan, though Islamabad insists the policy doesn’t target a specific nationality. The forced returns are piling pressure on Afghanistan and aid agencies, which are providing the bulk of essential services like health care. Freezing temperatures…

Cutting just a teaspoon of salt per day from your diet could lead to better heart health in as little as one week, new research suggests. The modest reduction in dietary sodium (better known as salt) has been found to reduce blood pressure as much as common medications, according to a small study published November 11 in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center looked at data from 213 adults aged 50 to 70 from Chicago and Birmingham to see whether the amount of salt they had in their diets might affect their blood…

Chinese scientists have created a robot chemist that can make oxygen using Martian rocks, bringing humans a step closer to colonizing the red planet. The robot was able to analyze minerals found in Martian meteorites, come up with the chemicals it needed to make oxygen, and carry out experiments “without human intervention,” a study published Monday reported. Sending supplies, such as oxygen, to Mars is extremely expensive so being able to create it on the red planet could remove a major barrier to establishing future colonies. “We have developed a robotic AI system that has a chemistry brain,” said study lead Jun Jiang…

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan is hosting a weeklong naval exercise with China in the Arabian Sea that officials said Monday would further enhance their “joint operational capabilities in dealing with maritime security threats and safeguarding peace.” The two neighboring countries began the drills Saturday at a naval base in Karachi in the waters and airspace of the northern Arabian Sea and will conclude them on November 17. China’s defense ministry said Monday the two navies would also conduct joint anti-submarine warfare, noting that “China and Pakistan will conduct their first joint maritime patrol.” The ministry said several warships and submarines, including the…

ISLAMABAD – Demonstrators gather in front of the High Commission of India, on Monday.—Reuters THE revelation by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of ‘credible allegations’ that agents of the Indian government were behind the June 18 killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar has sent shockwaves all around the globe, with Canada being the epicentre. The announcement dominated media headlines here all of last week, adding chill to an already strained relationship between the two countries. While in India, for the G20 summit a few days earlier, Trudeau brought up the issue in his discussions with PM Modi, ‘directly and in no uncertain terms’. The cold…

Toxic levels of air pollution are disrupting the lives of millions of people in South Asia forcing closure of schools, impacting sporting events and leaving governments urging people to stay in doors to avoid health problems. The worsening air pollution is an annual problem for South Asian nations as winter approaches and cold, heavy air traps pollution in a thick layer of smog. South Asia has become the global hotspot for air pollution, with studies finding four of the world’s most polluted countries and nine of the 10 most polluted cities in the region. Why is pollution in South Asia…