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Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayshal Wan Ahmad Kamal has filed a motion for the Dewan Rakyat to demand the attorney-general to explain the dropping of corruption charges against Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
A notice for the motion under Standing Order 18 was submitted this morning, according to a timestamp on a copy of the notice shared by the Bersatu politician on his Facebook page.
The motion calls for the upcoming session beginning Monday next week to…
If you want to bring your own wheels when you move to Italy, you’ll need to register your vehicle and swap your licence plates. We break down the latest rules and what you need to do to keep your car or motorbike on the road…
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This is the most heartbreaking story I’ve ever written about. It’s a story that shows the love of siblings for each other in spite of having the same abusive father. Their journey, what happened along the way, and the outcome are all unforgettable. This is worth the entire read – trust me.This is in her words.
This tore my heart to pieces. It’s an injustice that no family should ever have to face. The abusive father deserves punished for this and Quinten deserves justice.Sign The Petition For An Investigation HereAnd please share this story with everyone you know.
Camping can make for an enjoyable and cost effective holiday – but before you book, it’s important to know what you’re signing up for. Here’s our guide to maximising your fun and avoiding disappointment on an Italian camping trip…
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India’s merchandise trade deficit widened to $20.67 billion in the month of July from $20.13 billion in June, data released by the government showed on Monday. India’s trade deficit in June 2022 stood at $25.43 billion.
India’s merchandise imports stood at $52.92 billion in July, down from $53.10 billion in June. In June 2022, the number stood at $63.77 billion. Merchandise exports in the month of July stood at $32.25 billion, down from $32.87 billion in June and $38.34 in June 2022.
Economists expected a July trade deficit of $21 billion, according to a Reuters poll.
Services exports in July were $27.17 billion, while imports were $14.85 billion. In June, services exports were $27.12 billion and imports were $15.88 billion.
For the April-July period, services and merchandise exports fell about 6 per cent year-on-year to $244.15 billion, while imports fell 11 per cent to $272.41 billion.
Global commerce has slowed down over the last twelve months, indicating a downturn and worries of recession in major economies around the world. China, the world’s biggest exporter, this week reported the biggest contraction in overseas shipments since Covid-19 walloped the nation in February 2020. Germany, the global No. 3, saw its exports sink in the latest monthly data by the most on a year-on-year basis since early 2021.
Exports from the US, which pips Germany for the global No. 2 slot, also contracted over the year to June. But the American economy is enjoying a newfound sense of optimism thanks to an ingredient many of its rivals lack: robust domestic demand.
This trend is likely to impact India’s economic growth momentum, the country’s finance ministry said in a report recently. “Negative cross-border spillovers and adverse global developments can act anytime as a deterrent to achieving the potential high growth path in the current financial year,” the ministry’s monthly economic review said.
The report expects India’s trade deficit to narrow in next few years, driven by strong performance in services exports.
(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.)
Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
LAMONGAN, Indonesia — The Brondong Fisheries Port in Indonesia’s East Java province was busy on a Friday morning in February as workers worked as swiftly as possible to unload the catches. Among the landed crates of fish, there were sharks and rays that appeared to be different types.
Rizal, one of the many fish buyers who had stood by at the port since early morning, looked happy at the sight of that day’s catches. He eventually collected the biggest volume among the group with some 10 tons of both sharks and rays. Rizal’s fish handlers immediately got to work and cut off the sharks’ fins.
Shark fins are the most valuable for Rizal. He could only get as much as 14,000 rupiah ($0.93) per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of shark meat, but the fins could be sold for millions of rupiah per kilogram. The longer the fins, the higher the price. For those measuring 15 centimeters (6 inches), the price point is between 500,000-700,000 rupiah ($33-46) per kilogram, while those measuring 40 cm (16 in) are priced at 2 million-2.4 million rupiah ($132-$159).
Rizal said his buyers, who are from other cities in Java such as Surabaya, Pati, Tegal and Jakarta, would typically pay for 50-100 kg (110-220) of the fins.
Brondong is one of many Indonesian ports where sharks and rays are landed. A Mongabay-Indonesia investigation between January and April 2023 found that this practice is rampant in the ports along the northern coast of Java Island, known by its acronym Pantura, such as Tasikagung Fisheries Port, Bajomulyo Fisheries Port, and Tegalsari Fisheries Port.
Every day hundreds of sharks and rays are landed in each of those ports. Most of these marine vertebrates are either protected species by Indonesian law or under strict conservation regulations. But, the trade in sharks and rays is poorly monitored so that illegal practices are left unchecked, posing direct threats to the species population in the wild while degrading the health of the marine ecosystem at large.
The trade in sharks and rays in Indonesia is extensively regulated. Some species are fully protected, meaning it’s illegal to catch and trade them, while many others are subject to national and international trade regulations. However, Mongabay-Indonesia’s investigation found that traders could easily make leeway around the regulations that protect or control the sharks and rays.
In December 2022, an Indonesian-flagged container ship owned by PT Salam Pacific Indonesia Lines (SPIL) arrived at the Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya, East Java province, from the Merauke Port in Papua. Its loads included 589 kg (1,299 lbs) of shark fins. Documents provided by the Fish Quarantine and Quality Control Agency (BKIPM) showed that the fins were to be delivered to Hendrik Setiyoko, a local in Purwodadi village of Kediri district in East Java. But it appeared that Hendrik was not the true buyer of those shark fins.
“They belong to my boss,” said Hendrik, who works at PT Jaya Dina Buana (JDB), a fish processing company in Surabaya. He said his employer intentionally used his name for that shipping.
“Maybe it’s because I’ve had experience in this,” he said, noting that the company he worked before had also traded shark fins.
But official notary acts showed that PT JDB was based in Bandung, West Java, and was founded in October 2022. Mongabay-Indonesia reached out to that company, but our request for comments was declined. Hendrik, however, said the company already had an established network of buyers from China, Singapore and Vietnam despite being newly founded. “All of it [shark fins] was for export,” he said.
He said the shipments PT JDB received from Papua could reach 2 tons, or 3,500 fins. The fins arrive by ship, or sometimes by plane, and are usually taken directly to the company’s warehouse in Surabaya.
Indonesian law only gives full protection for several species of sharks and rays, such as the whale shark (Rhincondon typus), manta rays and four freshwater ray species. This protected species status means catching, keeping as pets or trading them is illegal.
Meanwhile, other shark and ray species are subject to strict trade regulations imposed by the Indonesian government and international agencies, namely the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which Indonesia ratified in 1978. Anyone who wishes to trade these particular species must obtain a recommendation letter from the authorities. Selling these species abroad must also have permits, known by their acronyms SIPJI and SAJI, and exporting them is limited by a quota set by the government.
Mongabay-Indonesia in March paid a visit to a fish warehouse in East Java. In the main area of the facility, two workers were seen sorting sea cucumbers; meanwhile that space also held nearly 40 kg (88 lbs) of shark fins that were packed in plastic bags and were ready for sale. We were told the fins belonged to several species, including blacktip sharks, white sharks, hammerhead sharks and also rays.
Afe, the owner of the warehouse, said the fins were leftovers from previous sales. “Yesterday we sent 2 tons to Jakarta. This is the rest,” he said, and offered to sell it for 67 million rupiah ($4,428).
However, such trade is absolutely illegal, said Suwardi Purboyo, the coordinator of the Denpasar Coastal and Marine Resources Management Center (BPSPL) for the East Java region. He said that as of March, there were only 35 SIPJI holders in the region, 13 of whom were exporters.
“Neither Hendrik nor JDB are in our data. Those names are not listed,” Suwardi told Mongabay-Indonesia at his office in March.
JDB is only one of the companies in Java that regularly receives shark supplies from Papua, according to BKIPM documents. Two other companies, PT Nafish Rafa Bahari and CV Mina Miranda Jaya, could not be immediately verified. PT Nafish Rafa Bahari was recorded carrying 100 kg of shark fins in April. Meanwhile, CV Mina Miranda Jaya received 3.6 tons of shipment.
Mongabay-Indonesia also visited the company address listed in the document but found no trace of that company. Locals said they had never heard of them either. A search for company documents on the AHU (administration of general laws) directorate general’s website also yielded no results.
A 2018 decree issued by the Indonesian Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (KKP) requires companies to have a fish species utilization permit (SAPJI) and fish transportation document (SAJI) to sell and transport sharks and rays to ensure the traceability of the species.
For this reason, license applicants must include a list of fishing vessels, said Anhar Rusdi, head of the Serang Coastal and Marine Resources Management Workshop (LPSPL).
Given the size of Indonesia’s fishing fleet, many unregistered vessels catch sharks or rays. In cases like this, said Anhar, it is certain the species caught are not reported until they enter the illegal market, because they do not have the proper permits.
Indonesia’s vast waters are home to almost half of the world’s approximately 500 species of sharks and rays, including 120 species of sharks and 101 rays.
According to Muhammad Abdi Suhufan, the national director of the advocacy group Destructive Fishing Watch (DFW), one of the areas that is currently the main fishing location is the Arafura Sea, in southern Papua. This is because other locations, such as the Java Sea, are running low in stock due to overfishing.
“Eventually, the fishers are shifting their catching zone to the east,” he said.
Most of the sharks and rays caught in Indonesian waters are shipped to Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city and a gateway to export markets including China, the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea.
“Most of it is exported,” said Suwardi from BPSPL, adding that domestic sales are rare because the prices are very high.
Data from BKIPM in Merauke, Papua, also show a high supply of sharks from Eastern Indonesia. On average, more than 177 metric tons of sharks were shipped from this single port annually between 2018 and 2022.
Nearly 59% of the 852 SAJI permits issued by BPSPL Denpasar in 2021 are for export purposes. Overall, the number of sharks traded in the East Java region that year included 2,582.3 tons of frozen sharks without heads and fins, and 157.3 tons of dried shark fins. The total economic value of the shark and ray trade in Indonesian territory reached 105 billion rupiah that year (almost $7 million).
High international demand is driving the legal and illegal trade in sharks and rays from Indonesian waters. According to the KKP, Indonesia contributes 16.8% to the global shark market. There are rising concerns as the fishery is unsustainable.
Mukhlis Kamal, a shark and ray researcher from the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB), said conservation of this species is very important to maintain the balance of the marine ecosystem. As large carnivores, sharks regulate the food chain and control the ecological balance of the sea by eating other species.
“If their population decreases or becomes extinct, the impact on the ecological balance will be felt. The whole ecosystem could collapse,” he said.
The wildlife monitoring NGO TRAFFIC in its 2022 report noted concerns from the CITES Technical Committee over the data reported by parties not meeting experts’ estimations as the trades were likely undetected and unreported. The TRAFFIC paper also highlighted Indonesia being a clear example of the potential for undetected trade in shark catch.
According to TRAFFIC, this is especially the case when the fins of sharks harvested from protected species, such as the silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis), are found among those of unprotected species.
DFW research revealed that the Arafura Sea supplied an average of 18.6 tons of dried shark fins per year in 2018-20. “That’s just reported data. I believe the number that goes unreported is much greater than that,” Abdi said.
Data from BKIPM also show a high supply of sharks from eastern Indonesia. On average, more than 177 metric tons of sharks were shipped from this single port annually between 2018 and 2022.
Okta Tejo Darmono, a researcher at the Fisheries Resource Center Indonesia (FRCI), said he believes unreported catches of sharks and rays are much more numerous than those reported. Increased oversight, he said, would reduce this.
“Officers must check the accuracy of the number of catches reported in the logbook, whether they match the actual data or not,” said Tejo.
However, at all the ports visited by Mongabay, there was not a single officer who supervised or collected data on fish landings. No one verified the landed catch with the reported data. On the other hand, sharks and rays were taken directly by buyers.
Tejo said it was difficult to confirm the volume of sharks, rays and their derivatives in the domestic and international markets because many illegal and unrecorded products were circulating. Meanwhile, government data are also unreliable, further raising concerns that illegal export of shark rays and rays persisted with impunity.
The Export of Fisheries Products 2017-2021 published by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries 2022 stated that 492.3 tons of shark fins that were dried and preserved were exported in 2021.
In contrast to data from BKIPM, the total export volume was 40% higher, totaling 689.7 tons. In addition, ministry documents reported that exports of frozen sharks were 4,032.3 tons, but according to BKIPM data, it was 4,785 tons.
Ardiyansah is a local artist based in Rembang, Central Java, who buys ray skins and ships hundreds of them to China using a delivery service every month. This international forwarder service lacks strict monitoring and is known to be one of the ways for shark and ray fins to get smuggled abroad.
Another common practice is for companies to use fake names and documents of another firm that actually holds the required permits. This practice is carried out by PT Jaya Dina Buana in Surabaya. Workers say the company uses a large network of companies under pseudonyms to conduct its business. The company claims to have “insiders” who are used to “playing” the shark fin trade. In fact, there is no need to mix protected and unprotected fins to trick officials.
Purboyo, of BPSPL, said this practice was a result of limited monitoring capacity and resources. “Some of the officers at the lower levels are not very tech savvy,” he said.
Mukhlis, the shark researcher, said that Indonesia’s territory is so vast that it enables the illegal shark trade. This situation, he said, is exacerbated by inadequate supervisory personnel.
“Some may also be corrupt,” he said.
Susanto, a supervisory at the Lamongan marine resource and fisheries agency, dismissed accusations of weak supervision. According to him, four of his personnel carry out routine and sting surveillance for permits in the warehouses.
“This is to check stock conditions and traceability of goods,” he said.
However, these inspections are not without caveats. Before they are carried out, the people concerned receive a letter regarding the inspection plans. Sting inspections happen only when there are reports from the public.
In practice, as observed in several ports visited by Mongabay-Indonesia, sharks and rays are freely traded, even by traders who do not have SIPJI or SAJI permits or letters of recommendation for the species being traded.
Mukhlis called on the government, especially the directorate general of Marine and Fisheries Resources Supervision under the KKP, to increase supervision.
He also said the government had to increase protection for sharks and rays because only 10 of the more than 200 species in Indonesia have protected status.
“Don’t let us be misled into thinking that there are still many stingray sharks. It turns out that there are some that are already in danger of extinction.”
Sharks, he said, are big business. With a price of millions of rupiah per kilogram, the value is estimated at trillions of rupiah per year.
“If we don’t take it seriously, sharks will eventually become extinct too.”
This story was reported by Mongabay’s Indonesia team and first published here and here on our Indonesian site on July 11 and 15, 2023.
See related to this article:
Investigation reveals loopholes for illegal shark fin exports from Indonesia
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(Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA)
Sitting about 9.7 billion light-years from Earth lies a (very) hefty galaxy cluster with a mass equivalent to something like 3 million billion suns. It’s a cosmic clump lovingly nicknamed El Gordo, which translates from Spanish to “The Fat One.” Over the years, the Hubble Space Telescope has blessed us with some mesmerizing views of El Gordo — but now, there’s a new space observatory in town.
On Wednesday (Aug. 2), scientists announced the James Webb Space Telescope has offered us a pretty mind-bending new perspective on El Gordo. With its infrared eyes, the trailblazing machine has revealed gravitationally distorted realms, a red giant star and tons of other space goodies Hubble could only hint at.
One subject, for instance, is known as “El Anzuelo,” or “The Fishhook.” Located 10.6 billion light-years away, this galaxy can be clearly seen toward the top right of the image as a bright red arc. To put into perspective how trippy this new photo is, you’re seeing El Anzuelo as it was 10.6 billion years ago. This is because it took that long for light from this point in the galaxy’s life to reach the JWST.
“We were able to carefully dissect the shroud of dust that envelops the galaxy center where stars are actively forming,” Patrick Kamieneski of Arizona State University and lead author on one of several papers about these JWST observations, said in a statement. “With Webb, we can peer through this thick curtain of dust with ease, allowing us to see firsthand the assembly of galaxies from the inside out.”
Related: James Webb Space Telescope’s ‘exquisite’ 1st year has some astronomers in tears
But beyond the fact that the JWST is able to parse through dust veils, thanks to its infrared capabilities, this telescope’s new lens on El Gordo is crucial because of how distinctly it can capture a phenomenon called gravitational lensing.
In short, gravitational lensing is a concept associated with Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. This theory basically imagines space and time as woven together like a tangible fabric — a 4D sheet of silk that can warp and ripple depending on what masses are present within. Black holes warp this fabric a lot, stars affect it quite a bit, Earth warps it somewhat and even you and me warp it an incredibly tiny, indiscernible amount.
What’s important for this JWST image, however, is that general relativity theory also predicts that those spacetime fabric warps impact the way light moves across the universe. At risk of simplification, the warps can force light to bend and twist while traveling through space — but this is a good thing for astronomers. If scientists can focus their observatories (like the JWST) on super-duper warped areas (like a hefty galaxy cluster), they can catch some of that warped light. And depending on where the light’s coming from, those warps can create a sort of magnifying effect on the source. That effect is called gravitational lensing.
Returning to our image, the main reason we can see El Anzuelo at all, despite it living so immensely far away, is due to none other than gravitational lensing! And thanks to the spectacular concept, scientists realized the distant galaxy is disk-shaped, about 26,000 light-years in diameter (one-fourth the size of the Milky Way), in addition to dissecting other interesting information about its history.
Furthermore, the reddish tint you see in El Anzuelo has to do with another cosmic light phenomenon. Basically, as stuff gets farther and farther away from our vantage point on Earth — in conjunction with the universe’s expansion — the lightwaves they emit stretch out like unbreakable rubber bands. As that happens, those waves appear redder and redder due to a phenomenon known as redshift.
So as this galaxy is looking quite red, it’s quite far.
Because of how much gravitational lensing is apparent in this image – you can tell based on the fact that a bunch of glittering galaxies look like smudges rather than spirals and ellipticals we expect — there’s a wealth of cosmic information to glean from it.
In fact, the JWST’s very first image was also filled with a slew of gravitationally lensed galaxies, rightfully earning heaps of praise from space enthusiasts across the globe.
“This lensing effect provides a unique window into the distant universe,” Brenda Frye of the University of Arizona, co-lead of the PEARLS-Clusters branch of the Prime Extragalactic Areas for Reionization and Lensing Science (PEARLS) team and lead author of another paper, said in the statement.
“Gravitational lensing was predicted by Albert Einstein more than 100 years ago. In the El Gordo cluster, we see the power of gravitational lensing in action,” Rogier Windhorst of Arizona State University and principal investigator of the PEARLS program, said in the statement. “The PEARLS images of El Gordo are out-of-this-world beautiful. And, they have shown us how Webb can unlock Einstein’s treasure chest.”
Straying away from major galaxies, the JWST portrait of El Gordo also amazingly caught sight of a singular red giant star. Scientists nicknamed it Quyllur, which translates from the indigenous Quechua language of the Peruvian highlands to simply “star.”
The amazing part? This marks the first individual red giant star observed by the JWST that’s more than 1 billion light-years from Earth. Quyllur is actually located somewhere around 11 billion light-years away from us, near a galaxy known as La Flaca, or “The Thin One.” La Flaca can be seen as a pencil-like line at the left-center of the image.
“It’s almost impossible to see lensed red giant stars unless you go into the infrared. This is the first one we’ve found with Webb, but we expect there will be many more to come,” Jose Diego of the Instituto de Física de Cantabria in Spain, lead author of another paper on El Gordo, said in the statement.
Frye and her team also point out five lensed galaxies that seem to be part of a baby cluster about 12.1 billion light-years from Earth – possibly holding a total of 17 galactic members. There are also some ultra-diffuse galaxies that appear present some 7.2 billion light-years away, which are similar to normal galaxies except their stars are much more spread out.
“We examined whether the properties of these galaxies are any different than the ultra-diffuse galaxies we see in the local universe, and we do actually see some differences. In particular, they are bluer, younger, more extended, and more evenly distributed throughout the cluster.” Timothy Carleton of Arizona State University, lead author on another paper about these observations, said in the statement. “This suggests that living in the cluster environment for the past 6 billion years has had a significant effect on these galaxies.”
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
Published on July 27th, 2023 at 08:50am EDT
Updated on July 27th, 2023 at 10:37am EDT
As a newcomer to Canada, managing your finances efficiently is important for a successful transition.
Fortunately, the rise of mobile and online banking has made it easier than ever to stay on top of your money matters in real-time.
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While both TD Mobile Banking App and TD EasyWeb offer remote access to banking services, they each have their own differences and benefits. Let’s take a look at them in detail.
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Track your spending and saving from any device.
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As a new Canadian, using mobile and online banking platforms like these can significantly streamline your financial management. These tools offer convenience, security, and flexibility, empowering you to track and manage your finances in real-time. By taking advantage of the features and benefits they provide, you can make informed decisions, monitor your spending, and work towards achieving a solid financial foundation in your new home.
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Legal Disclaimer: Information provided by TD Bank Group and other sources in this article is believed to be accurate and reliable when placed on this site, but we cannot guarantee it is accurate or complete or current at all times. Information in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide financial, legal, accounting or tax advice and should not be relied upon in that regard. This information is not to be construed as a solicitation to buy. Products and services of the TD Bank Group are only offered in jurisdictions where they may be lawfully offered for sale. All products and services are subject to the terms of the applicable agreement. The information in this article is subject to change without notice.
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Economic turmoil
The International Monetary Fund had to revise its growth expectations for the country from 4.4 to 3.7 percent for 2023 and to 5 percent from 5.3 for 2024. Inflation should remain high, with food prices still driving the hike. The government has put in place a series of monetary policies that are still to show some results. It also announced new measures to bolster the private sector, with the aim to increase its contribution from 30 percent in 2021 to 65 percent in 2025. Two ambitious roadmaps – Egypt Vision 2030 and the National Climate Change Strategy 2050 – should bring more governance changes in the coming years. Soaring temperatures are a major concern for Egypt, as the country is deeply reliant on the River Nile for drinking water, agriculture, energy and transportation.
Striving tourism sector
But there is at least one piece of good news. As the country is trying to fend off its economic turmoil, the tourism industry is doing surprisingly well, despite losing its large crowd of Ukrainian and Russian visitors. Foreigners have been returning to landmark sites now that all Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted. The sector’s activity had fallen to a low of 3.7 million visitors in 2020, but now the country wants to reach a total of 15 million tourists this year, which would top 2010’s pinnacle of 14.7 million. The Minister of Tourism recently revealed that its administration has high ambitions, hoping to double the figure to up to 30 million visitors annually by 2028. According to a report published earlier this year, Fitch Solutions forecasts Egypt’s tourism revenues to grow by 17.7 percent to hit USD 13.6 billion in 2023 and USD 17.9 billion by the end of 2026. With these ambitious goals in mind, the hospitality industry is planning to increase its hotel capacity by 500,000 rooms. Extensive renovation works on most touristic sites have started, and officials are also setting their sights on transportation: major roadworks have been announced, as well as increased charter flights. New visa facilitations have also been announced this year, with a new five-year multiple entry stamp now available to foreigners. It allows holders to stay for up to 90 days on one trip but costs USD 700. Procedures have been eased for incoming tourists from China, Iran, India, Turkey, Morocco and Algeria. Visas on arrival are also easier to obtain, provided that visitors already hold entry visas for the USA, UK, Schengen countries, Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
With this series of measures, authorities hope to resolve the shortage of foreign currency and tame inflation. Another idea to attract more visitors is to diversify the country’s offerings. Egypt is now embracing the growing trend of medical tourism. To facilitate patients’ journeys, online visas as well as visas on arrival are being issued. Additionally, major modernizing roadworks are currently underway across the country. In a unique approach, authorities are turning to augmented reality through the program “We take care of You in Egypt,” allowing visitors to virtually visit health facilities. However, there are still some challenges to address in the plan. Many foreign insurances do not yet cover medical procedures in the country. Finally, officials have decided to establish tourism chambers across the country to give more leeway to the private sector and attract more investment as the traditional stranglehold of the state on businesses has long dissuaded foreign investors from putting their money into local projects.
Nada Alameddine
Partner
Hodema Consulting Services
