Latest news with #sprung
Economist
12 hours ago
- Business
- Economist
Why Vietnam's new leader is worried
Vietnam's economy may be booming—but To Lam, its new leader, isn't happy. Over the past 15 years, the country has achieved 6% average annual growth, powered by new factories—which have sprung up from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City—to make goods destined for export, largely to America. But many of those factories are foreign-owned and don't work much with Vietnamese firms. In addition Vietnam now risks being caught between a feuding Washington and Beijing. So what can Mr Lam do to revolutionise Vietnam's economy? Hosts: Ethan Wu and Mike Bird. Guests: David Dapice, emeritus professor of economics at Tufts University; and Nguyễn Khắc Giang, a visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
Straits Times
12-06-2025
- Science
- Straits Times
Space station leaks trigger delay to private astronaut mission
Small cracks on the ISS in recent years, particularly on the ageing Russian segment, mean the ISS will be retired by 2030. PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON - Nasa indefinitely delayed a four-person crew's mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 12 over an escalating probe into air leaks aboard the orbiting laboratory's Russian segment. The US space agency said it was working with Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, to 'understand a new pressure signature' detected by cosmonauts in the Zvezda Service Module, a more than two-decade-old core compartment that for months has sprung small leaks. 'Cosmonauts aboard the space station recently performed inspections of the pressurised module's interior surfaces, sealed some additional areas of interest, and measured the current leak rate,' Nasa said, in a statement. 'Following this effort, the segment now is holding pressure.' The agency did not immediately respond to questions on what the leak rate was. Small cracks on the ISS in recent years, particularly on the ageing Russian segment, have contributed to the international partnership's decision to retire the ISS by 2030. Leaks of air from the cracks have been minor and posed no immediate safety threats to the station's astronauts but are increasingly worrisome signs of ageing that Nasa and Roscosmos have been investigating, while having crew members patch the leaks with tape, glue and other solutions. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
USA Today
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Doechii criticizes 'ruthless' Trump administration at BET Awards amid Los Angeles protests
Doechii criticizes 'ruthless' Trump administration at BET Awards amid Los Angeles protests Show Caption Hide Caption See how Los Angeles protests intensified over one weekend What started as a small protest over immigration raids on Friday ballooned into large demonstrations throughout the weekend. Here's what happened. Doechii is getting on the mic for a different cause. During a June 9 appearance at the BET Awards, the Grammy-winning rapper used her acceptance speech to speak out on the dayslong protests in Los Angeles. The "Anxiety" emcee, 26, was recognized with the award for best female hip-hop artist at the star-studded ceremony held at downtown LA's Peacock Theater. "As much as I'm honored by this award, I do want to address what's happening right now outside of the building," Doechii said. "There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order. Trump is using military forces to stop a protest." Doechii's remarks come a few days after several demonstrations erupted across Los Angeles county in response to a handful of immigration raids. "I want y'all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us. What type of government is that?" Doechii continued in her BET Awards speech. ICE protests in LA escalate amid troop deployment The federal invasions, carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), took place in several parts of the city, including outside a Home Depot and a clothing manufacturer in the downtown garment district. The protests had largely been peaceful but flared up when heavily armed, masked agents raided Los Angeles businesses, ending in charred self-driving cars, freeway shut-downs and clouds of tear gas. ICE is carrying out a directive from President Donald Trump to find immigrants living in the United States without legal status. The protests have sprung up against the sweeps the agency is carrying out in various neighborhoods across the sprawling metropolitan area. After small protests against the raids on June 6, President Trump took several swift actions, including calling in the 4,000 California National Guard troops and 700 Marines, which drew ire — and at least one lawsuit — from state officials who accuse the president of stoking tension and escalating unrest. Stars speak out on LA protests: Doechii blasts Trump, Finneas reveals teargassing Trump has stood by his actions, saying the deployments were necessary to contain what he described as "violent, instigated riots." About 150 people have been arrested at the protests, which have included flareups of unruly clashes, vandalism and looting, but have remained limited to a few blocks in the city's downtown area. Doechii isn't the only star who's gotten on her soapbox amid the protests. The federal response similarly prompted backlash from celebrities such as Finneas and Reneé Rapp, who have blasted the Trump administration for inciting the violence it claims to be addressing. "People are being swept up and torn from their families, and I feel it's my responsibility as an artist to use this moment to speak up for all oppressed people: for Black people, for Latino people, for trans people, for the people in Gaza," Doechii concluded. "We all deserve to live in hope and not in fear. And I hope we stand together, my brothers and my sisters, against hate and we protest against it." 10 bingeable memoirs to check out: Celebrities tell all about aging, marriage and Beyoncé Watch Doechii's BET Awards speech Contributing: Christopher Cann and Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY
News18
20-05-2025
- Health
- News18
From Covid-19 To Nipah, What Makes Kerala The 'Alarm Bell' Of India?
Last Updated: As of May 19, only 257 active cases were reported nationwide, of which Kerala reported 69 cases, the highest in the country so far. As Covid-19 cases surge again globally, particularly in Singapore and Hong Kong, health authorities have sprung into action to assess domestic preparedness. The Union Health Ministry is closely monitoring the evolving crisis, concerned about the potential ripple effects of the new Omicron sub-variants fuelling the latest spike. However, every time a new virus starts making headlines, be it Covid-19 or the Nipah virus, it seems the first red flag rises from one particular Indian state: Kerala. The pattern is so consistent that it often prompts a national question: Why always Kerala? From the first Covid-19 case in India, confirmed in a 20-year-old student returning from Wuhan to Thrissur on January 30, 2020, to the highest number of new cases in the latest Covid-19 resurgence, Kerala continues to lead the national tally. According to PTI, as of May 19, only 257 active cases were reported nationwide, of which Kerala reported 69 cases, the highest in the country so far. But instead of viewing this as a sign of vulnerability, experts suggest it's precisely Kerala's strength in public health surveillance that puts it ahead in the viral detection race. A high-level review meeting was convened late Monday night in New Delhi, chaired by the Director General of Health Services. The session brought together top experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Emergency Medical Relief Division, the Disaster Management Cell, and representatives from central government hospitals. Officials reviewed both domestic case trends and international developments. This early detection isn't a coincidence; it's the result of a robust and deeply integrated health intelligence network that operates across the state. Here's why Kerala is often first to sound the alarm: Kerala's health infrastructure has long been recognised as one of the most efficient in the country. Its disease surveillance system is rigorous, proactive, and often faster than that of the Centre. From district hospitals to remote primary health centres, every facility is digitally linked and mandated to report any unusual symptoms in real time. Rapid response teams are mobilised as soon as a suspicious case is flagged, enabling quick testing, isolation, and contact tracing. 2. District-Level Micro-Tracking Each district in Kerala has specialised teams, including virologists and infection control officers, who monitor disease trends daily. Community health workers, often referred to as Kerala's 'health warriors", are trained to detect even minor signs of infection at the grassroots level. This network is so effective that diseases are often 'decoded" in Kerala before they appear on the central health radar. 3. International Mobility and Exposure Kerala has one of the largest populations of expatriates in India, particularly in Gulf countries. With frequent international travel, especially from regions with high infection risks, the likelihood of importing a virus is naturally higher. These travellers often become the first to present symptoms, prompting the state's quick-response mechanism into action. 4. Kerala as a National Health Model What Kerala detects early, India eventually prepares for. After Covid-19 first surfaced in Thrissur, other states began adopting Kerala's methods; door-to-door screening, training of local health volunteers, real-time digital health records, and decentralised tracking systems. The Centre frequently dispatches teams to Kerala to study its methods and share insights nationwide. In many ways, Kerala acts as India's frontline health sentinel – a place where disease trends are first observed, decoded, and reported. While the headlines may often highlight the state's case numbers, they rarely credit its role as the country's early warning system. First Published: May 20, 2025, 18:09 IST
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Voltaire's take on the ‘Utah Way'
Darci Stone holds a sign during the Stand Up For Science protest at the Utah State Capitol on the last day of the legislative session, Friday, March 7, 2025. (Photo by Alex Goodlett for Utah News Dispatch) Perhaps the most eloquent summation of America in the age of Donald Trump comes from the famous quote of eighteenth-century French Enlightenment philosopher and acerbic social critic François-Marie Arouet, known by his pen name as Voltaire. He wrote, 'Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.' Trump has been dragging this country into a land littered with 'absurdities' and non-reality since he rode down the escalator in 2015. Now in his second term, teamed up with apex predator and wolf in DOGE clothing, Elon Musk, those absurdities are in full bloom as authoritarian, Nazi-saluting moral atrocities. Public protests have sprung up throughout the country on almost every move Trump and Musk have made. One of the most important protest movements, but least publicized, is 'Stand Up for Science.' I attended the rally in Salt Lake City on March 8 along with hundreds of other Utahns. But next time the attendance should be hundreds of thousands. Two weeks ago, new director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, announced that EPA's mission would be flipped on its head, i.e. it would no longer be to protect human life, public health and our air, water, and environment from contamination, but to 'lower the cost of buying a car, heating a home and running a business.' Even from an economic standpoint this is an absurdity. On average the economic benefits to EPA regulations established through the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act have been about 30 times the cost to industry of complying with those regulations. Even the narrowest of interpretations of that equation finds a 3-to-1 benefit ratio. It is primarily thanks to EPA regulations on smoke stack and tail pipe emissions that Utah's particulate pollution (PM2.5) has generally improved in the last 20 years (although that improvement is being eroded by more wildfire pollution). A recent study from Utah scientists estimated that up to 8,000 Utahns die, and economic losses are up to $3.3 billion a year, due to current levels of pollution. Voltaire would have cringed at Zeldin boasting the EPA will do its part to 'power the great American comeback.' Comeback to what? More dead and sick Utahns and more economic losses? Even if you assign no economic value to your own health, quality of life, or life expectancy, fossil fuel generated energy is now more expensive than clean energy. On the EPA's official website, Zeldin boasts, 'We are driving a dagger through the heart of the climate change religion.' A MAGA cultist slandering the most important scientific reality in human history as a 'religion' is right from the authoritarian play book: accuse your opposition of the very atrocities you're committing. Over 99.9% of climate research dating back to 1807, has confirmed an accelerating climate crisis from increasing atmospheric CO2. It's been declared the greatest public health threat of the 21st century by the world's top 200 medical journals. Even the oil industry's scientists identified looming catastrophic global warming with 'shocking skill and accuracy' as early the 1970s. As we all know, the industry betrayed their own science, deciding that saving humanity would not interfere with quarterly profits. That Musk promotes himself as a scientific genius while spearing heading some of the most anti-science delusions infecting the Trump Administration is particularly galling. Trump's entire cabinet, their party's Congressional majorities, and even some Democrats have for years personified the scientific absurdity and moral atrocity warned about by Voltaire. For their part, our legislature keeps telling themselves that Utah is the best managed state in the nation. The 25,000-80,000 Utahns that died in the last decade from our air pollution might think otherwise. Our legislature is also disconnected from the wishes of their undead constituency, with their ongoing determination to wrest control of public lands away from the federal government, and to immunize Utah against mythical 'federal regulatory overreach.' A Colorado College annual poll found that 76% of Utahns want their leaders 'to place more emphasis on protecting water, air, wildlife habitat, and recreation opportunities over maximizing the amount of land available for drilling and mining.' Fifty-seven percent 'oppose giving state government control over national public lands,' such as forests, monuments, and wildlife refuges. Nearly two thirds support government action 'to reduce carbon pollution that contributes to climate change.' Yet our leaders persist in doing the opposite. For example, Utah has spent your tax dollars fighting the 'Good Neighbor Rule' which would have required reducing pollution from our coal power plants that send death and disease over to Colorado, as if those lives mean nothing. How does anyone square that moral failure with the Parable of the Good Samaritan whose virtue so many of our legislators hear extolled in their church services? If Voltaire targeted his pen on the vaunted 'Utah Way' in the era of Donald Trump, I'm pretty sure he would say, 'Yup, nailed it.'
