Myanmar to produce dried bamboo shoots with int’l technology
Yangon, Sep 9: Bamboo shoot businesses in Myanmar are working together to produce dried bamboo shoots using international technologies to meet a yearly demand of about 200 tons from China, Japan, and Thailand, local media reported on Monday.
The media reports, citing U Tin Aung Cho, an entrepreneur involved in the Nay Pyi Taw-based cluster of bamboo and bamboo shoot cultivation and production, said that currently, a total of 38 entrepreneurs from the cluster are testing and planning to work with other regions to secure the required amount of dried bamboo shoots, as sourcing raw materials may pose challenges.
To meet global standards and expand beyond the local market, the production process is being upgraded for locally available dried bamboo shoots to align with international market demands, reports Xinhua news agency, citing state-run Global New Light of Myanmar.
The primary focus is on the Chinese market, with plans to begin by introducing a product sample domestically this year. (IANS)
Malaysia’s childfree choices challenge Islamic norms
Tokyo, Sep 9: The rise of childfree marriages has led to heated debate, especially among Malays. This reflects the deep religious influence on Malaysia’s public discourse.
In mid-2024, Malaysia’s Malay language social media platforms were abuzz with heated debates over the rising trend of childfree marriages, where couples deliberately choose not to have children.
The topic gained traction after couples shared stories about leading fulfilling childfree lives.
The country’s religious authorities and ministers also weighed in.
The Religious Affairs Minister Mohd Na’im Mokhtar claimed the childfree trend contradicts Islamic teachings and stressed the importance of family in Islam by referencing Quranic verses.
The childfree lifestyle contradicts Islamic teachings because it goes against the Sunnah (sayings and teachings) of Prophet Muhammad, who encouraged having children, and it is considered makruh (discouraged) in Islam to avoid having children solely to escape responsibility.
The Federal Territories Mufti’s Office explained that while being childfree due to health risks is permissible, choosing this path without a valid reason is not encouraged in Islamic jurisprudence. (Agencies)
Golden eagle attacks toddler, three others
Copenhagen, Sep 9: A young golden eagle attacked a toddler in Norway, clawing her so badly that she needed stitches, in what an ornithologist says is likely the bird’s fourth such attack on humans in the past week.
The bird’s unusual aggression occurred over five days across a vast mountainous area of southern Norway.
The golden eagle – common in Norway and the Scandinavian country’s second-largest bird of prey – typically eats smaller animals, as well as foxes and sheep. The toddler and the bird’s other victims needed stitches and medication for deep gouges. The bird was killed after the attack on the small child.
The golden eagle “likely had a behavioural disorder” that prompted the attacks, Alv Ottar Folkestad, an eagle expert with BirdLife Norge, told The Associated Press on Monday.
“What happen is radically different from normal,” he said, adding that the attacks were likely all by a female eagle born this year.
“Details in the plumage make me believe it is the same bird. The plumage means that no two golden eagles are alike,” Folkestad said, adding that in the past days there were “favourable weather conditions” with high-altitude winds for the eagle to fly long distances over southern Norway.
In the most recent attack, a 20-month old girl was playing outside a farm in Orkland, a small municipality in the south, on Saturday when the eagle came “out of the blue” and clawed her. (AP)
Kerala-born appointed min in Australia
Melbourne, Sep 9: Kerala-born Jinson Charls, who defeated a sitting Labour minister in Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) elections, will become the new minister for disability, arts, veterans and multicultural affairs in the regional government, according to a media report on Monday.
Charls was among the two India-born politicians elected to the regional assembly last month. Khoda Patel of Gujarat descent, also won a seat.
Their Country Liberal Party (CLP) secured a landslide victory in elections in the Northern Territory on August 24, claiming 17 of the Legislative Assembly’s 25 seats. Charls, who worked as a registered nurse and in health leadership roles, will become the new minister for disability, arts, veterans and multicultural affairs. He will also manage the portfolios of youth, seniors and equality, as well as people, sport and culture, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Monday.
“His appointment marks a historic occasion for the NT parliament, with the new government featuring the highest-ever representation of politicians of South Asian and South-East Asian heritage,” a report had said.
Charls and the new Casuarina MLA, Khoda Patel, were born in India, while the new Fong Lim MLA, Tanzil Rahman, has Bangladeshi roots, and the new Wanguri MLA, Oly Carlson, is of Indonesian heritage. “I have been getting phone calls, messages, for the last few days, including the media back in India – they are excited as well.” (AP)
Polish military dogs receive army ranks
Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki, Sep 9: The new privates received their ranks amid military pomp in a town near Warsaw where a Napoleonic fortress attests to a long military history. The group was made up of a German shepherd, a Dutch shepherd and two Belgian Malinois.
The dogs – Einar, Eliot, Enzo and Emi – were bestowed with their ranks on Friday as part of a new Polish programme aimed at honouring the service of dogs used to detect explosives, a job valued for its role in protecting human life.
Gen. Wieslaw Kukula, Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Army, decided last year that dogs serving in the Polish army would qualify for six military ranks ranging from private through corporal to sergeant. (AP)