Jakarta ramps up mpox mitigation amid suspected cases

Southeast Asia

September 4, 2024

JAKARTA (ANN/JAKARTA POST) – Authorities in Jakarta are intensifying efforts to combat the spread of mpox following the identification of three suspected cases in the city. One case is currently under close monitoring at a health facility, while the other two individuals are self-isolating at home.

The Jakarta Health Agency has activated community health centers (Puskesmas) across the city and is educating medical personnel on how to handle suspected mpox cases, aiming to prevent the highly contagious disease from spreading.

“All of our health facilities are prepared to manage mpox cases, and our medical personnel at Puskesmas are well-trained to identify early symptoms,” Jakarta Health Agency Head Ani Ruspitawati stated on Monday. She also reassured the public that no new positive cases have been recorded recently.

“We have confirmed 11 positive cases so far this year, with nine originating in Jakarta and the remainder from outside the city, all of whom have recovered. While we’ve received reports of suspected cases recently, we can confirm that none were infected with mpox,” Ruspitawati added.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral zoonotic disease transmitted through close physical and sexual contact, as well as contaminated objects. Symptoms include muscle aches, fever, and large skin lesions.

The disease has seen outbreaks since July in several African countries, with the latest variant, identified as clade Ib, being more transmissible and deadlier than previous strains. This variant has also been detected in several countries outside Africa, leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global health emergency for mpox in mid-August.

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport’s Health Quarantine Center official shows a mobile surveillance laboratory parked at the Terminal 3 apron in Tangerang, Banten on Sept. 2, 2024. PHOTO: ANTARA/THE JAKARTA POST via ANN

Indonesia reported its first mpox case in 2022, with the patient contracting the less virulent clade II variant. Since then, 88 cases have been recorded nationwide, 59 of which were in Jakarta.

In response, Indonesia has escalated its efforts to mitigate the spread of the disease through monitoring, testing, and vaccination, although current vaccination efforts are primarily focused on high-risk populations.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin emphasised the importance of public vigilance, particularly in avoiding risky sexual behavior, given that mpox transmission mirrors that of HIV. “The most important thing is for the public to remain vigilant,” Sadikin noted last week, as reported by Antara.

In a recent move, the government intensified mpox vaccinations in Bali, coinciding with the second Indonesia-Africa Forum (IAF) being held from September 1 to 3. The forum is set to focus on sectors such as food, energy, health, and mineral resources. During the event, Minister Budi announced Indonesia’s donation of 5,000 vaccine doses to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to aid in controlling the mpox outbreak in the region.

“The move is beneficial for diplomacy. By supporting our African counterparts, we position ourselves to procure more vaccines if needed,” Budi commented on Tuesday during the IAF.

As a preventive measure, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia’s main air entry point, now requires all inbound travelers to register their details through the SatuSehat electronic health pass.

The airport’s Senior Branch Manager of Communication and Legal Affairs, M. Holik Muardi, confirmed that all international passengers entering Indonesia must complete the SatuSehat self-declaration form before departure. “This policy applies to arrivals from all countries without exception and has been in effect since August 29,” Holik stated on Monday.

The SatuSehat health pass collects travelers’ personal information, including travel history for the past 21 days, and generates a barcode for airport officers to scan upon arrival. The app also provides a color-coded health risk rating to assist in monitoring.

In addition to the registration requirement, airport authorities are urging all travelers to practice good hygiene to prevent the spread of mpox. “The health and safety of all passengers is our utmost priority. We have implemented various proactive measures to prevent the spread of mpox at Soekarno-Hatta airport, in collaboration with the Health Quarantine Center and other relevant authorities,” Holik emphasised.

Nvidia says it plays fair in AI chip market

Technology

September 4, 2024

Nvidia By The Numbers — FILE - A sign for a Nvidia building is shown in Santa Clara, Calif., May 31, 2023. PHOTO: AP

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Nvidia on Tuesday defended its tactics in the hot market for chips to power artificial intelligence in the face of reports the US is probing whether it abused its clout.

“Nvidia wins on merit, as reflected in our benchmark results and value to customers, who can choose whatever solution is best for them,” a spokesperson for the Silicon Valley-based chip maker said in response to an AFP inquiry.

While chip buyers do have options, Nvidia is considered the technology leader when it comes to AI chips even though rivals are working hard to compete.

US antitrust officials are stepping up their look into whether Nvidia made it tough for customers to change to competitors’ GPUs or other chips to power AI, according to a report by Bloomberg and other media.

Legally binding questions have reportedly been sent to Nvidia and other chip companies as part of the US probe.

The US Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The world’s biggest tech companies have invested tens of billions of dollars into Nvidia’s powerful AI chips and software in order to get their ChatGPT-style AI models up and running.

Microsoft, Google, Meta, Tesla and Amazon all depend on Nvidia technology to train generative AI models and execute the heavy computing workloads needed to deploy the new technology.

Nvidia last week said quarterly sales reached a higher than expected $30 billion in the last quarter, though that impressive growth was slower than the furious pace seen in previous quarters.

Nvidia share price fell a sharp eight percent on Monday, as doubts emerged about the AI boom’s resilience in a slowing US economy.

Mobile phones not linked to brain cancer

Lifestyle

September 4, 2024

close-up-woman-wearing-hijab-using-mobile-phone — Close up of a young Muslim woman with her smartphone in shopping mall. Selective focus.

CANBERRA (Xinhua) – Mobile phones are not linked to head cancers, a World Health Organisation-commissioned review by Australian government scientists has concluded.

Researchers from the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) on Wednesday published the results of a systematic review into the potential health effects of radio wave exposure from mobile phones.

The review, commissioned by the World Health Organisation (WHO), analysed the results of over 5,000 studies conducted between 1994 and 2022 found that brain tumor rates have remained steady despite a widespread increase in mobile phone usage in the same period.

“When the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified radio wave exposure as a possible carcinogen to humans in 2013, it was largely based on limited evidence from human observational studies,” ARPANSA’s Ken Karipidis, who led the review, said in a media release.

“This systematic review of human observational studies is based on a much larger dataset compared to that examined by the IARC, that also includes more recent and more comprehensive studies, so we can be more confident that exposure to radio waves from wireless technology is not a human health hazard.”

The research also concluded that there is no link between prolonged mobile phone use or the amount of mobile phone use and cancer.

Karipidis, who is also the vice-chair of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, said the results were consistent with previous ARPANSA research showing there has been no increase in the incidence of brain cancers over the last 20 years.

ARPANSA is the federal government’s primary radiation protection authority.

Fugitive Philippine mayor arrested in Indonesia

Southeast Asia

September 4, 2024

ANN/PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER – Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo has been arrested in Indonesia, the Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed on Wednesday.

In a statement, the DOJ said Guo was arrested in Tangerang City, Jakarta.

Alice Guo. PHOTO: PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

Citing information from Senior Superintendent Audie Latuheru of the Indonesian Police, the department said Guo was arrested at 11:58 pm on Tuesday, September 3.

“This development has been verified by our counterparts in Immigration, who have confirmed that Ms. Guo is currently in the custody of the Indonesian Police at Jatanras Mabes Polri,” the statement read.

The arrest was also confirmed by NBI Director Jaime Santiago in a radio dwPM interview.

Guo is expected to be returned to the country soon. Santiago said Guo will first be taken to the Bureau of Immigration before being handed over to the NBI.

He added that charges will be filed against Guo before she is brought to the Senate.

Guo’s sister, Sheila Guo, and business associate Cassandra Li Ong have been arrested last month and are now detained in the country.

Shiela said she and Alice left the Philippines by boat.

The former mayor has been the subject of scrutiny over her alleged ties to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator firms in Bamban.

Coal generates less than 50pc of Australian electricity for first time

Business

September 4, 2024

Electricity lines passing near the emission funnels of the Bayswater coal-powered thermal power station. PHOTO: AFP

SYDNEY (AFP) – Coal generated less than 50 percent of Australia’s electricity in the last week of August, dropping to a record low as renewable production surged, data showed on Wednesday.

According to market monitor Open-NEM, coal generated 49.1 per cent of the country’s electricity, while renewables accounted for 48.7 per cent as storms boosted wind production.

Australia remains one of the world’s leading exporters of coal and gas and has relied heavily on fossil fuels to keep the lights on.

But climate finance expert Tim Buckley said August’s record figures were caused by wild weather and a warm start to the spring which had reduced demand on the grid by up to 20 percent.

Winds exceeding 150 kilometres per hour in the southeast of the country had also almost doubled the usual wind generation.

“It’s a historically low coal share for Australia in the national energy market, but it’s also a sign of where we are going,” Buckley told AFP. “It will only be a few years from now that coal is contributing virtually nothing,” he added.

In 2022-2023, fossil fuels accounted for 91 per cent of the country’s energy consumed — a wider measure than electricity production that includes fuel used in transport and industry.

Renewables investment
With most of Australia’s 16 coal-fired power stations to close in the coming years, government and industry are racing to invest in the renewable energy sector.

The government unveiled on Wednesday six battery projects to be built across South Australia and Victoria that will provide 1,000 megawatts of storage by 2027.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the energy transition was going to happen because “the climate demands it, and economic reality demands it”.

“We must be implementing sensible solutions now, not in a decade, or two decades, to be certain that Australia’s energy needs will be met.”

Buckley said while Australia’s investment in the sector was growing, it lagged behind other countries.

“China has overtaken Australia in renewables. It is investing nearly a trillion Australian dollars (USD671 million) a year in clean tech and when it comes to renewables,” he said.

“China is installing as much new renewable capacity in a week as Australia installs in a year.”

Last week, Australia’s energy regulator warned ongoing investment in the renewable energy market was needed to avoid blackouts in the coming decades as demand is projected to soar.

‘Game of Thrones’ props are up for auction

Entertainment

September 4, 2024

Costumes from the characters Alliser Thorne and Jon Snow on display at the launch of The Game of Thrones Touring Exhibition at the Titanic Exhibition centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland. PHOTO: AP

AP – After watching eight seasons of the epic saga Game of Thrones, fans can now enter what may be a competition on par with the battle for the Iron Throne: an auction of prized memorabilia from the HBO series.

Fans can now bid on a slew of costumes, props, set pieces and memorabilia from the hit show that ended in 2019. More than 2,000 items – including a melted version of the coveted Iron Throne – distributed across 900 lots will be on the auction block in October through Heritage Auctions.

The starting bids range from USD500 to USD20,000 for items as iconic as Jaime Lannister’s full suit of armor and sword to props as granular as prosthetic teeth used for the White Walkers.

Other notable items include Daenerys Targaryen’s memorable cloaks, coats and leather ensembles (some that feature dragon chokers and accents) worn by Emilia Clarke, Jon Snow’s notorious Longclaw sword wielded by Kit Harington, and the Hand of the Queen Pin donned by Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister.

Even items that didn’t boast much screen time, like the bell wielded during Cersei Lannister’s walk of shame or bloodstained garb from the infamous Red Wedding, are expected to draw fans’ attention during bidding.

Jay Roewe, HBO’s senior vice president of global incentives and production planning, said the auction – a chance for fans to “grab a piece of history” – speaks to the staying power the series has had five years after its finale.

The Iron Throne and costumes on display during the launch of The Game of Thrones Touring Exhibition. PHOTO: AP

“Game of Thrones was a zeitgeist moment in our culture. It was a zeitgeist moment in high-end television. It was a zeitgeist moment in terms of HBO,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “This is something we all grew up with. It’s impacted every single one of our lives. It’s impacted the culture, and ‘Game of Thrones’ has meant something to every single person.”

Although the series started in 2011 and several items in the auction date back to then, they have not been “collecting dust,” Roewe said.

HBO had been carefully preserving thousands of props, costumes and set pieces since the series began for use on potential spinoffs or sequels. With House of The Dragon having recently completed its second season and other projects firmly in development – while others have been discarded — Roewe said the studio now knows what they’ll need to hold on to and what they can part ways with.

“These items have been curated and taken care of since we finished filming. They are the quality that they were when we finished filming, and we’ve had people working on them for years to keep them in shape,” he said. “We don’t need them anymore. It’s time to finally open it up to the world.”

Beyond the preservation and quality of the items, the sheer scale of the auction required months of collaboration with HBO and countless hours of research and planning to organize, said Joe Maddalena, the executive vice president of Heritage Auctions.

Maddalena wanted to ensure fans and collectors didn’t feel like there were any “glaring holes” in the collection by including a wide variety of characters’ costumes and props, displayed in a 750-page catalog. There are even multiples of crucial items like Arya Stark’s rapier Needle, of which there were several versions throughout the series’ run.

The intricate nature and craftsmanship of the costumes and props are part of what make the show so memorable, Maddalena, a fan himself, said. Emmy-winning costume designer Michele Clapton has been praised since the series’ start for the detailed and intentional designs that fueled storylines. The catalog features interviews with Clapton, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and several of the cast members commenting on the episode-specific usage and significance of hundreds of the items. Maddalena called this kind of access and information “uncharted territory” in the auction world.

“You don’t usually get studio-sanctioned auctions like this. This is studio sanctioned,” he said. “Everything comes from the archive. Everything was handpicked, scene specific. You know where your piece was used. You know it was actually used on screen.”

For fans who want to snag a piece of Game of Thrones, the vast collection is now open for preliminary bidding with the auction taking place October 10-12 through Heritage Auctions in Dallas. The collection will be available to preview in the auction house’s New York and London locations starting September 17 through October 4.

Colombian truckers block highways to protest fuel prices

World

September 4, 2024

Commuters walk along an avenue blocked by truckers protesting a government-announced increase in diesel prices in Bogota, Colombia. PHOTO: AP

BOGOTÁ (AP) – Thousands of Colombians were forced to walk to work on Tuesday, as truckers in major cities blocked highways to protest a recent increase in the price of diesel fuel.

Truckers unions have said that plans by the government to eliminate diesel fuel subsidies would push their businesses to the brink of bankruptcy, while the administration of left-wing President Gustavo Petro argues it must phase out subsidies to cut a growing budget deficit and direct more funds to education and health.

On Saturday, the government raised the price of diesel fuel to around USD2.90 per gallon, an increase of 50 cents, following numerous meetings with truckers unions.

In response, the unions have been holding protests around the country, which intensified on Tuesday, with roadblocks in the cities of Bogotá, Medellin and Cali, that have diminished the amount of food arriving at wholesale markets.

Pedestrians walk past truckers blocking a road to protest against a government-announced increase in diesel prices. PHOTO: AP

Diego Torres, a trucker who transports bricks in Bogotá, said that with the new fuel prices he would lose money with every load of construction material that he carries around the city. He said that truckers in Colombia are already facing other problems, including higher crime rates along rural roads.

“I am willing to stay at this protest for a day or two days or three,” Torres said, “because we are tired” of the difficult conditions.

Petro wrote on social media platform X that he would not let truckers unions “block” the country. The former activist, who has led numerous protests throughout his career, wrote Tuesday that fuel subsidies had to be removed in order to “reduce public debt” and “finance the health and education of Colombians.”

Subsidies for diesel fuel have been implemented in Colombia for decades, and previous governments have kept them in place, fearing that a removal could lead to massive protests and increases in food prices.

Truckers block a street to protest against a government-announced increase in diesel prices. PHOTO: AP

According to Colombia’s Finance Ministry, diesel fuel subsidies cost the Colombian government around USD240 million each month paid out to the state oil company Ecopetrol.

Some economists in Colombia have suggested that Ecopetrol sell its diesel fuel for a cheaper price within the country, but that would cut deeply into the company’s margins, and affect shareholders of Ecopetrol, which is also listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
The government says it is planning to remove diesel fuel subsidies in three stages to enable transport companies to plan for the increase in prices. Officials have said, however, that they are willing to meet with truckers unions to discuss ways of compensating them for their higher operational costs.

The debate over fuel subsidies comes as the Finance Ministry gets ready to present a tax reform plan to Colombia’s congress that seeks to raise government revenues by $3 billion next year.

Officials have said they are planning to increase wealth taxes and taxes on personal income that does not come from wages. The finance ministry has also said it plans to increase sales taxes on hybrid cars and online betting.

During the first two years of Petro’s administration, the government’s annual budget has increased by around 30 per cent, as he tries to boost spending on social welfare programs, and increases the number of public servants.

Macho MAGA? Trump locks in America’s hyper-masculine vote

Features

September 4, 2024

JOHNSTOWN (AFP) – He lauds strongmen autocrats, hangs with martial arts stars, and has no greater compliment than calling someone a “fighter.” Donald Trump is going all out for the macho vote in November’s election – and it’s working.

Nick Passano, a tattooed Millennial cryptocurrency investor, attending a political rally where former US President and presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke during a campaign stop. PHOTO: AFP

The real estate tycoon and former president has long crafted an often cartoonish, hyper-masculine image – most controversially including bragging about sexual assault.

Now, in an election where Kamala Harris is vying to become America’s first woman president, Trump’s macho powers are being put to the ultimate test.

Harris is seeing a surge in female support and has made the question of abortion rights a top campaign issue. Trump, meanwhile, is unapologetically drilling down into the part of the electorate that loves cryptocurrency, the ultra-violent Ultimate Fighting Championship, and thinks society has become too feminine and “woke”.

“He speaks to our generation,” said Nick Passano, standing with four tattooed fellow Millennial cryptocurrency investors who dub themselves the Maga Boyz, at Trump’s Make America Great Again, or MAGA, rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, last Friday.

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump reacts as he arrives to speak at a rally. PHOTO: AFP

“We have to set the tone in regards to what we want our children to emulate, which is strong masculine men. And he very much represents that,” said Passano, 37, one of several men who spoke to AFP about the “manosphere” aligning with Trump.

They wore shirts with crass imagery – Trump giving the middle finger – and said he should not put up with “any more BS.”

It might seem a stretch for a billionaire, golf-playing 78-year-old to pose as a bad boy, but Trump knows more than perhaps any other US politician about marketing.

His response to being convicted on 34 felony charges in New York in May was to attend a UFC bout a few days later, winning thunderous applause from the crowd of 16,000.

And at July’s Republican convention, just days after Trump survived an assassination attempt, pro wrestling icon Hulk Hogan ripped his shirt off and hailed Trump as a “gladiator.”

Voters, it seems, are watching: a new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds Trump up against Harris by five points among men – and Harris leading among women by 13.

Alpha male
When President Joe Biden was still seeking reelection, Trump’s strategy was unambiguous. Although only slightly younger than the president, Trump hammered his opponent as weak and senile – and reveled in the battering he delivered during their June debate.

The entry of 59-year-old Harris means Trump is facing someone far younger. Trump also has to contend with the risk that his brash – critics would say bullying – style will backfire against a female and Black opponent.

But University of Pittsburgh communications professor Paul Johnson said Trump won’t – and likely can’t – switch tone.

Trump is pushing the “Trumpian worldview,” Johnson told AFP – a world that is “nasty” and where “‘real Americans’ need to be ready to fight for it, to say uncomfortable and racist truths about the world, and if necessary to use violence.”

This is reflected in Trump’s frequent reposting of crude, sexualized attacks on Harris and his attempt to play the race card by questioning whether she is really Black.

For young voters at the Johnstown rally, however, that’s just Trump being unafraid.

“Him being himself I feel is the reason I like him so much,” said Wyatt Waszo, a 21-year-old restaurant worker.

Fighting ‘male malaise’
The macho movement goes far deeper than just Trump.

Trump’s claims about Democrats jettisoning masculinity and killing off male-dominated blue-collar professions like manufacturing and mining strike a chord in electorally strategic rust belt communities.

And it’s a message echoed on countless right-wing radio shows and influential podcasts about the so-called “male malaise”.

It’s a backlash against globalism and the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, said Kristin Kobes Du Mez, a professor of history and gender studies at Calvin University.

“Trump’s game is playing into fears of losing what you have.”

Polling by nonpartisan researchers PerryUndem last year shows 82 per cent of Republican men say society today punishes men “just for acting like men.”

Harris has so far notably avoided anchoring her campaign around the historic goal of a first female presidency. And Democrats hope her earthy running mate Tim Walz will help balance the ticket in the gender wars.

The 60-year-old Minnesota governor may be a liberal, but it’s the other half of his CV that the party thinks helps him most: military veteran, former school football coach, hunter and ice-fisherman.

What to look out for in the UEFA Nations League

Sports

September 4, 2024

Netherlands’ head coach Ronald Koeman addresses his players during a training session as part of the team’s preparation for the UEFA Nations League game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the KNVB Campus in Zeist. PHOTO: AFP

PARIS (AFP) – International football returns across Europe this week, less than eight weeks after Spain edged out England in the Euro 2024 final in Berlin.

AFP Sport picks out five storylines to follow around the continent ahead of two rounds of fixtures over six days starting on Thursday:

Will Spain pick up where they left off?
Spain are on a high after their magnificent triumph at the Euros and their gold medal success at the Olympics.

Luis de la Fuente’s side are quickly back in action and have another title to defend, having won the last edition of the Nations League. La Roja are in Group 4 of League A and begin with an awkward double-header, a trip to Serbia being followed by a meeting with Switzerland in Geneva. Denmark complete the group.

Their squad does not feature the injured Alvaro Morata, Unai Simon or Mikel Merino, who all played in the Euros final, but wing stars Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams are involved. There are also new faces in Oscar Mingueza, the ex-Barcelona right-back now at Celta Vigo, and Valencia midfielder Pepelu.

“We will keep fighting and trying to go as far as possible in every competition,” insisted De la Fuente.

England start post-Southgate era
After missing out on Euros glory, England begin a new era with Gareth Southgate having stepped down.

He has been replaced on an interim basis by Lee Carsley, the England Under-21 coach. Carsley, 50, is for now only in charge for this double-header of Nations League matches, as England play Ireland in Dublin and host Finland at Wembley.

The English Football Association are buying themselves time as they search for a permanent successor to Southgate, with 2026 World Cup qualifying not beginning until next March.

But a good start may see them keep faith in Carsley for the rest of the Nations League campaign, in which England also play Greece after being relegated from the top-tier League A following the last edition.

Carsley’s first squad is missing the injured Jude Bellingham, but there are call-ups for the uncapped quartet of Noni Madueke, Morgan Gibbs-White, Tino Livramento and Angel Gomes.

Ronaldo plays on
Cristiano Ronaldo endured a disappointing Euro 2024, failing to score in five matches as Portugal went out in the quarter-finals. Many thought the 39-year-old might then accept it was time to retire, but coach Roberto Martinez has continued to back the former Real Madrid striker, naming him in the latest squad.

“When the time comes, I’ll move on,” Ronaldo, of Saudi club Al-Nassr, insisted on Monday after teaming up with the squad to play Croatia and Scotland at home.

Portugal will also come up against Poland in Group 1 of League A, as they aim to win the Nations League for the second time after triumphing in 2019.

An injury to Paris Saint-Germain striker Goncalo Ramos means Ronaldo is likely to play from the start.

Denmark’s Yussuf Poulsen and Morten Frendrup attend a training session with the Danish national football team in Helsingoer, Denmark. PHOTO: AFP

New, or not so new, faces
There are other nations beyond England starting afresh under a new coach.

Ireland’s meeting with England will be the first game for their new Icelandic coach Heimir Hallgrimsson. Aged 57, the former Jamaica boss was appointed in July and will also lead the team in World Cup qualifying.

Wales are also under new management after failing to reach the Euros, with Craig Bellamy having replaced Rob Page.

Sweden play their first competitive matches under new coach Jon Dahl Tomasson, the ex-Denmark forward. Mircea Lucescu, now 79, has returned for a second stint in charge of Romania, 38 years after ending his first spell.

Trying to follow the format
This is the fourth edition of the Nations League, but the format has not got any simpler. New this time is the introduction of quarter-finals next March, involving the top two from each group in League A. The four-team finals will take place next June.

Teams finishing third in League A, and second in League B, will face off in relegation/promotion play-offs, with identical play-offs between Leagues B and C.

There is an impact on World Cup qualifying too.

The 12 group winners in European qualifying will go to the World Cup, with another four places going to winners of play-offs featuring the 12 runners-up plus the four highest-ranked teams in the Nations League who have not otherwise made it.

Thailand nets over 1.3 million kilogrammes of invasive fish

Southeast Asia

September 4, 2024

A man catching blackchin tilapia fish in a canal in Bangkok, Thailand. PHOTO: AFP

BANGKOK (AFP) – Thailand has netted more than 1.3 million kilogrammes (kg) of highly destructive blackchin tilapia fish, the government said yesterday, as it battles to stamp out the invasive species.

Shoals of blackchin tilapia, which can produce up to 500 young at a time, have been found in 19 Thai provinces, damaging ecosystems in rivers, swamps and canals by preying on small fish, shrimp and snail larvae.

As well as the ecological impact, the government is worried about the effect on the kingdom’s crucial fish-farming industry.

Fishing authorities caught 1,332,000kg of blackchin tilapia between February and August 28, according to vice-president of a Parliamentary committee Nattacha Boonchaiinsawat, set up to tackle the spread of the fish.

“We talked to local residents and found out that the spread of tilapia has got worse – they found them in small canals, which was not the case before,” he told AFP.

The outbreak of tilapia will cost the Thai economy at least THB10 billion, Nattacha said.

The fish, native to West Africa, were first discovered in Thailand’s rivers in 2010 before spreading rapidly in 2018, and are now also found in United States and in the Philippines.

In July, the Thai government declared the eradication of the species a national priority and began encouraging people to consume the fish.

Promotional activities in central Phetchaburi province advertised tilapia-based fish sauces and sausages. Restaurants have also increasingly used the fish in cuisine, fried with garlic or sun-dried.

It remains unclear how the fish arrived in Thailand, but local media reports have said they could have been imported by a company from Ghana in 2010.

A Parliamentary investigation is under way to determine the cause of the infestation, Nattacha said.

The Thailand government has encouraged locals to catch the fish, offering to pay people THB15 per kg.

It has also designated 75 vending areas around the country where the fish can be sold.

Authorities have released predator species to hunt down the tilapia and are also developing genetically modified blackchin tilapia to produce sterile offspring. A United Nations (UN) science panel warned last year that the tilapia are spreading faster than ever, wrecking crops, distributing disease and upending ecosystems.

Over 37,000 alien species have taken hold far from their places of origin, costing upwards of USD400 billion a year in damages and lost income, the UN panel said.

Borneo Bulletin OnlineThe Independent Newspaper in Brunei Darussalam, Sabah and Sarawak

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