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☆ What’s a President to Do When a Nation’s Capital Is Sinking? Move It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Hannah Beech | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +38 min

A new capital city for a place with such disparities and diversity presents both a challenge and a chance for reinvention. Moving the Seat of Power From Java to Borneo Detail area Malaysia Nusantara Borneo Java Sea Indonesia Jakarta Java Indian Ocean Detail area Malaysia Nusantara Borneo Java Sea Indonesia Jakarta Java Indian Ocean Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara, will be about 800 miles from the current capital, Jakarta. It cannot be overnight, it’s not like Aladdin comes with his genie,” said Bambang Susantono, the head of the Nusantara Capital City Authority. We have to prove that this will be a self-propelling city.” — Bambang Susantono, head of the Nusantara Capital City AuthorityCritics of I.K.N. Indonesia’s capital city faces sinking land and rising seas.

It is in these poorly constructed camps that aid agencies fear Cyclone Mocha has hit the hardest. A man walks past destroyed buildings in Sittwe, in Myanmar's Rakhine state, on May 15, 2023, after Cyclone Mocha made landfall. Residents ride motorcycles past broken utility poles in Sittwe, in Myanmar's Rakhine state, on May 15, 2023, after Cyclone Mocha made landfall. At one point Cyclone Mocha had been predicted to hit the camp but it was spared a direct hit with the storm making landfall further down the coast. According to the UN, roughly 15,000 homes were destroyed in Rakhine state during that storm.

Millions of Bangladeshi citizens have been hit by frequent power cuts in recent months, as erratic weather patterns and high global energy prices have made fuel supply to power plants unreliable. "We are experiencing power cuts every other hour and there is hardly any gas to cook. Zainul Abdin Farroque, a senior leader of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, accused the government of not doing enough to ensure reliable power supply despite hiking tariffs. Power supply was about 17% short of demand on Monday while the deficit was more than 14% on Sunday, data from Bangladesh's grid operator showed. Bangladesh's other floating LNG unit, the Moheshkhali LNG terminal, will resume operations "in the next few days", Petrobangla Chairman Zanendra Nath Sarker told Reuters.

☆ Opinion | At 75, Israel Has Plenty to Celebrate
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Bret Stephens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Jewish state turned 75 on Sunday, mostly in a sour mood. The country is governed by a coalition that includes political extremists, proud homophobes, ideological monomaniacs, and the merely corrupt. Its peer group of countries includes Syria, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and North and South Korea. As with Israel, many of those problems still dog most of those states. Those who think the Palestinian issue is unique should consider the situation of Kashmiris in India, Tamils in Sri Lanka, or Kurds in Syria.

☆ Cyclone Mocha: Early reports of 'extensive damage' as storm hits the Myanmar coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Video from the conflict-racked Rakhine state showed powerful gusts of wind blowing trees to the ground. “But early reports suggest the damage is extensive and needs among already vulnerable communities, particularly displaced people, will be high. A resident drives his motorbike past fallen utility poles in Kyauktaw in Myanmar's Rakhine state on May 15, 2023, after Cyclone Mocha crashed ashore. However, torrential rain battered Rakhine state in western Myanmar, bringing threats of flooding and landslides. According to the United Nations, roughly 15,000 homes were destroyed in Rakhine state during the storm.

☆ Cyclone Mocha Leaves Thousands Homeless in Bangladesh and Myanmar
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Saif Hasnat | Suhasini Raj | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Hundreds of thousands of people began repairing or rebuilding their homes and livelihoods on Monday after a deadly cyclone hit Myanmar and Bangladesh over the weekend. The storm, named Mocha, killed several people in Myanmar, though there were conflicting accounts from leaders as to exactly how many. The Myanmar government said the number was five, but the shadow government, called the National Unity Government, which may have more sources in the country’s remote conflict zones, said it was 18. Though the damage from the powerful storm was not as dire as predicted, there were still hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees left homeless, along with reports of people stranded and having to make their way through storm debris to get home. The damage in Myanmar was mostly confined to Rakhine State, Chin State and other areas in the west, according to officials and aid workers.

☆ Powerful storm snaps communications network in Myanmar's Rakhine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Strong winds and heavy rainfall is seen at ThekayPyin Rohingya camp, as Cyclone Mocha approaches, in Sittwe, Rakhine, Myanmar, May 14, 2023 in this screengrab taken from a handout video. Some 400,000 people were evacuated in Myanmar and Bangladesh ahead of Cyclone Mocha making landfall, as authorities and aid agencies scrambled to avoid heavy casualties. "All communication is still down and people are in trouble because all the roofs are gone," said Khine Thu Kha, a spokesman for the Arakan Army, which control swathes of Rakhine state. Benjamin Small, a consultant with the United Nations Development Programme, said it was hard to understand the scale of destruction because of ruptured communications in Rakhine. "The storm itself is a trigger for more problems as heavy rains continue and landslides and flooding tend to follow."

☆ Powerful cyclone barrels towards Myanmar, Bangladesh; 400,000 evacuated
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Ruma Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

But many more could suffer as the storm moves inland from the Bay of Bengal, the United Nations Satellite Centre has warned. "People at risk are in the process of being transferred to safe shelters and we are also arranging relief packages," said Farah Kabir of ActionAid Bangladesh. Most refugees live in makeshift dwellings in the densely packed camps after having fled a military-led crackdown in Myanmar in 2017. "We have arranged for meals in co-operation with local residents but if this becomes long-term, there will be more problems." About 6 million people are already in need of humanitarian assistance and 1.2 million are displaced in Rakhine and the northwest, OCHA says.

CNN —Western Myanmar is being battered by strong winds and heavy rain after Cyclone Mocha made landfall on the Bay of Bengal coastline Sunday. Local residents check the damages after Cyclone Mocha's crashed ashore in Kyauktaw in Myanmar's Rakhine state on May 14, 2023. Two children stand under a roadside shelter to protect from rain before Cyclone Mocha hits in Sittwe, Rakhine State, on Sunday, May 14, 2023. APTropical Cyclone Mocha has intensified to the equivalent of a category 5 Atlantic hurricane. Most live in bamboo and tarpaulin shelters perched on hilly slopes that are vulnerable to strong winds, rain, and landslides.

Since forming in the Bay of Bengal early Thursday, tropical Cyclone Mocha has intensified to a high-end Category 4 Atlantic hurricane, with sustained winds of 240kph (150mph). Tropical cyclones (also known as hurricanes, typhoons and tropical storms depending on ocean basin and intensity), feed off ocean heat. They need temperatures of at least around 27 degrees Celsius (80 Fahrenheit Fahrenheit) to form, and the warmer the ocean, the more moisture they can take up. The waters in the Bay of Bengal are currently around 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit Fahrenheit), about 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than average for May. Climate-change fueled sea-level rise adds to the risks, worsening storm surges from tropical cyclones and allowing them to travel further inland.

☆ Cyclone Mocha heads to Bangladesh, Myanmar coasts as thousands flee
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Ruma Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DHAKA, May 13 (Reuters) - A powerful storm packing winds of up to 175 kph (109 mph) barrelled towards the coasts of eastern Bangladesh and Myanmar on Saturday, threatening around a million Rohingya refugees and others living in low-lying areas. Thousands of people in both countries have already fled to safer areas ahead of the storm. Cyclone Mocha is likely to intensify further and make landfall on Sunday between Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh and Myanmar, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department said in a bulletin. Cox's Bazar, a southeastern border district, is where more than a million Rohingya refugees live, most of them having fled a military-led crackdown in Myanmar in 2017. At least 10,000 have left their homes in Myanmar's Rakhine state for safer areas, local media reported.

LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia May 11 (Reuters) - Myanmar's ruling military has made no significant progress on implementing a peace plan agreed with ASEAN two years ago and the bloc must show unity in deciding how to address the escalating crisis, Indonesia's president said on Thursday. On (the) implementation of the 5PC, there has not been significant progress," he said. "Therefore, ASEAN unity is required to decide on the next steps." The army has been fighting on multiple fronts against ethnic minority rebels and militias in a growing, pro-democracy resistance movement. Reporting by Kate Lamb; Writing by Ananda Teresia; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Southeast Asian leaders pledge crackdown on human traffickers online scams
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Kate Lamb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia, May 10 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian leaders pledged on Wednesday to crack down ononline scams operated by human traffickers to prey on vulnerable job seekers, particularly in the poorest countries of the region. Meeting in Indonesia for a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the leaders called for a regional approach to combat human trafficking. Issuing the first declaration by ASEAN on the danger of traffickers' cyber scams, the leaders noted "the increasing abuse of technology in facilitating trafficking in persons in Southeast Asia and globally, proliferated through the use and abuse of social media and other online platforms". There has been a spike in cases of people enslaved in cyber scams, and more than 1,000 victims have been rescued just in recent days. ASEAN's efforts to combat human trafficking will include enhancing the capacity of law enforcement agencies to investigate, collect data, exchange information and conduct joint exercises, the declaration said.

☆ Myanmar conflict centre stage as Southeast Asian leaders hold summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Kate Lamb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Will ASEAN only be silent or will ASEAN be able to become the driver or peace or growth? The prime minister of East Timor, a former Portuguese colony bordering Indonesia that is seeking ASEAN membership, stressed the need to restore order in Myanmar. "We also have the obligation to push ASEAN and the international community to create peace in Myanmar," Taur Matan Ruak said. Indonesia has also been quietly engaging Myanmar's military, its shadow government and armed ethnic groups to try to kick-start peace talks. But some have called on ASEAN to take a harder line with Myanmar's junta.

☆ Hurricanes of Data: The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Porter Fox | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +35 min

The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea Shortly after dawn on Sept. 30, 2021, Richard Jenkins watched a Category 4 hurricane overrun his life’s work. That August, a sister ship, SD 1031, successfully entered Tropical Storm Henri, but only in its early stages. Hurricane research, modeling and forecasting requires many terabytes of data for every square mile the storm passes through, including vitally important sea-level data from inside a storm. The next day, the depression was upgraded to a tropical storm and officially given the name Sam. And four months later, Tropical Storm Megi killed more than 150, wiped out several villages with landslides and displaced more than a million people.

☆ Indonesia president condemns attack on ASEAN officials delivering aid in Myanmar
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JAKARTA, May 8 (Reuters) - Indonesia's President Joko Widodo on Monday condemned an attack in Myanmar on ASEAN officials delivering humanitarian aid, and called for an end to violence in the strife-torn country. Jokowi, as the president is popularly known, did not provide details of the incident but said it would not deter efforts by Indonesia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to push for peace in Myanmar. This condition will not make anybody win," he said, adding that Indonesia encourages all stakeholders to have a dialogue and find solutions. Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government, which is allied with the anti-junta militias, the People's Defence Forces (PDF), said it was not aware of any attack. A spokesperson for the Myanmar junta did not respond to a request for comment.

☆ Why has India's Manipur state exploded in ethnic violence?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

People are evacuated by the Indian army to a temporary shelter as they flee ethnic violence that has hit the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, near Imphal on May 7, 2023. Manipur, a lush, hilly state which borders Myanmar, has long history of civil conflict since modern India’s creation. The divide between the Meiteis and the other ethnic groups is cut sharply across political and geographic lines. People wait at a temporary shelter in a military camp, after being evacuated by the Indian army, as they flee ethnic violence that has hit the northeastern Indian state of Manipur on May 7, 2023. Modi, who is in the southern Indian state of Karnataka to campaign for state elections, is yet to speak publicly about the unrest, sparking widespread anger among Manipur’s residents.

☆ Rohingya refugees demand citizenship and security on first return to Myanmar
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh said on Saturday they would not return to Myanmar to “be confined in camps” after making their first return visit as part of efforts to encourage their voluntary repatriation. Twenty Rohingya Muslim refugees and seven Bangladeshi officials visited Maungdaw Township and nearby villages in Rakhine state on Friday to see the arrangements for resettlement. Myanmar is offering Rohingya national verification cards (NVC), which Rohingya refugees regard as inadequate. A Myanmar delegation, however, visited the camps in March to verify a few hundred returnees for a pilot repatriation project. “UNHCR maintains that dialogue with the Rohingya refugees is a must to make an informed decision,” the agency said in a statement.

☆ Rohingya say will not go home to Myanmar to be stuck in camps
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Ruma Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DHAKA, May 6 (Reuters) - Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh said on Saturday they would not return to Myanmar to "be confined in camps" after making their first return visit as part of efforts to encourage their voluntary repatriation. Nearly a million Rohingya Muslims live in squalid camps in the Bangladeshi border district of Cox's Bazar. Myanmar is offering Rohingya national verification cards (NVC), which Rohingya refugees regard as inadequate. A Myanmar delegation, however, visited the camps in March to verify a few hundred returnees for a pilot repatriation project. “UNHCR maintains that dialogue with the Rohingya refugees is a must to make an informed decision,” the agency said in a statement.

☆ Dozens Killed in Ethnic Clashes in India’s Manipur State
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Alex Travelli | Suhasini Raj | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Clashes between rival ethnic groups in Manipur, a remote state in India’s northeast, have reportedly killed dozens of people in recent days, and the situation remains volatile, even as the authorities rush troops to the area to quell the disorder and seek to control the flow of information. The unrest, which began Wednesday, arose from a dispute over who gets to claim a special tribal status that grants extra privileges. The largest group in the state, slightly over half the population, is seeking that designation for itself. By Thursday, the violence had reached an extraordinary level, as people set fire to homes and vehicles, churches and temples. In response, the Indian Army has flown nearly 10,000 troops and paramilitary forces to Manipur, a state of less than 3 million people near the borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar, more than 1,000 miles from New Delhi.

☆ Rohingya say they won't return to Myanmar to be stuck in camps
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DHAKA, May 6 (Reuters) - Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh said on Saturday they would not return to Myanmar to "be confined in camps" after making a visit to the country as part of efforts to encourage their voluntary repatriation. Myanmar is offering Rohingya national verification cards (NVC), which Rohingya refugees regard as inadequate. “Myanmar is our birthplace and we are citizens of Myanmar and will go back with citizenship,” said refugee Abu Sufian, 35. Bangladeshi officials have made several trips to Myanmar as part of efforts to get repatriation going, but this was the first by Rohingya refugees since 2017. A Myanmar delegation, however, visited the camps in March to verify a few hundred returnees for a pilot repatriation project.

Speaking later at a press conference, Retno said it was vital to secure the trust of all those involved. "Indonesia is using non-megaphone diplomacy, this aims to build trust with all stakeholders, so they want to talk to us," she said. "Indonesia continues trying to play a bridging role to reduce a deep and sharp gap among the stakeholders." Representatives of the Myanmar junta and two armed ethnic groups did not respond to requests for comment. An Indonesian foreign ministry official confirmed the move to engage all stakeholders had the support of ASEAN members.

☆ Indonesia held multiple engagements on Myanmar, urges end to violence, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

JAKARTA, May 5 (Reuters) - Indonesia's foreign minister on Friday confirmed her country had engaged with Thailand, China, India and the United Nations on the crisis in Myanmar, as well as Myanmar's key stakeholders, during which it called for an immediate halt to violence. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told a press conference it was crucial to build trust and not use megaphone diplomacy. Retno earlier on Friday told Reuters exclusively that Indonesia, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), had been communicating with key stakeholders in Myanmar's crisis, with its diplomats involved in more than 60 engagements in the past four months. Reporting by Ananda Teresia; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India's Adani Ports sells Myanmar port for a discounted $30 mln
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, May 4 (Reuters) - India's Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSE.NS) said on Thursday that it has completed the sale of its port in sanction-hit Myanmar for $30 million, significantly lower than its investment in the project. Inputs from key minority shareholders were a key driver in the company's decision to exit the project, Adani Ports previously said, reiterating it would not engage with a sanctioned entity. However, a source familiar with the matter said Adani Ports had invested $195 million in the greenfield project, which had not become operational yet. Adani Ports did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Shares of Adani Ports rose as much as 1.2% after the announcement.

☆ US Declining Population, Worker Shortage Will Cause Economic Crisis Without a Fix
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Gadel Valle | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

That means that unless people start having a lot more kids, the US population could eventually start to shrink — just like China's population has. While the US population has managed to avoid an outright drop, population growth reached an unprecedented low of 0.12% in 2021. One way the US could encourage more immigration is by focusing on temporary visas for specific industries that need workers. And the treatment of workers in the country on temporary visas has been a problem for decades. After all, the US is running out of options, and soon its growing people shortage is going to spell economic disaster.

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