EL SEGUNDO, California (AP) — Basketball great LeBron James has become the first professional male athlete to have his likeness depicted in a Ken doll.
Mattel Inc. unveiled the LeBron Ken doll on Wednesday to kick off the toy manufacturer’s “Kenbassador” series. Last year, nine female athlete Barbies, including tennis star Venus Williams, were introduced.
“As a young kid, I was fortunate to have role models who not only inspired me but also showed me what’s possible through hard work and dedication,” James said. “Now, as an adult, I understand how vital it is for young people to have positive figures to look up to. That’s why partnering with Barbie to release the LeBron James Kenbassadors doll is such an honour. It’s an opportunity to recognise the powerful impact of role models who instill confidence, inspire dreams, and show kids that they, too, can achieve greatness.”
The LeBron doll wears sunglasses, headphones and a blue-and-white letterman’s jacket with “LJ” on the left breast, his number 23 on the right sleeve and Ohio and crown patches on the other. His first name is on the back with “Just a kid from Akron” underneath. His T-shirt says “We Are Family,” a nod to the LeBron James Family Foundation. His blue shoes, of course, are Nikes.
The doll costs USD75 and goes on sale Monday.
In an Associated Press-produced video of James seeing the doll for the first time, the “King” expressed his approval, repeatedly calling the doll “dope,” another word for “cool.”
While looking it over, he put an “I Promise” wristband on the doll’s wrist and adjusted the strap on its fanny pack.
“OK, now we ready,” James said. “I mean, he might need to do a little lifting. Legs look a little skinny. Little frailty little fellow. Nah, that’s dope.”
Mattel senior vice president Krista Berger noted that Ken is Barbie’s longtime best friend and supporter.
“We are excited to bring fans a new presentation of Ken that celebrates LeBron as a role model, his icon status, lasting impact on culture, and dedication to setting a positive example for the next generation to reach their limitless potential,” Berger said.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James warms up before an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Oklahoma City. PHOTO: AP
BANGKOK (ANN/VIET NAM NEWS) – The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) on Tuesday released its latest report assessing the readiness of Asia-Pacific economies to tackle climate-related challenges, with Vietnam identified as one of the 11 countries most vulnerable to climate change from a macroeconomic perspective.
Despite driving 60 per cent of the world’s economic expansion in 2024, several countries in the Asia-Pacific region are still not ready to cope with climate shocks and the implications of transitioning to a greener system, according to the 2025 edition of the Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific.
The report highlights the complex macroeconomic-climate interplay. It outlines the challenges testing the economic resilience of the region – including slower productivity growth, high public debt risk, and rising trade tensions.
“Increasing global economic uncertainty and deepening climate risks are also not making it easy for the fiscal and monetary policymakers,” said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP.
“Navigating this evolving landscape requires not only sound national policies but also coordinated regional efforts to safeguard long-term economic prospects and tackle climate change, ” she stressed.
Among the 30 countries analysed in the survey, 11 were identified as more exposed to climate risks from the macroeconomic perspective: Afghanistan, Cambodia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
There are also notable disparities in coping ability theoughout the region. While some countries have mobilised significant climate funding and implemented eco-friendly policies, others encounter various challenges, including fiscal constraints, weaker financial systems and limited public financial management capacity.
Despite remaining relatively vibrant in comparison with the rest of the world, average economic growth in the developing economies in the Asia-Pacific region slowed to 4.8 per cent in 2024 from 5.2 per cent in 2023 and 5.5 per cent during the five years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the case of least developed countries, the 2024 average economic growth rate of 3.7 per cent was significantly lower than the 7 per cent per annum GDP growth target set out in Sustainable Development Goal 8.
To ensure sustained economic growth, the survey highlights the importance of proactive government support in upgrading to more productive, higher value-added economic sectors.
The region also needs to capitalise on its robust competitiveness in green industries and value chains as new engines of economic growth, while fostering inclusive regional economic cooperation that meets the developmental goals of both developed and developing countries.
A mangrove forest grown to mitigate climate change impacts in Quang Ngai Province. PHOTO: ANN/VNA/VIET NAM NEWS
SINGAPORE (ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES) – Changi Airport has been named the world’s best airport in 2025 at London-based aviation consultancy Skytrax’s World Airport Awards, reclaiming the title from Qatar’s Hamad International Airport, which came out on top in 2024.
It is the 13th time it has nabbed the No. 1 spot, a record in the history of the awards that started in 2000.
Changi Airport also claimed the titles for Best Airport in Asia, Best Airport that serves 60 million to 70 million passengers, Best Airport Dining Experience and World’s Best Airport Washrooms at the ceremony held in Madrid, Spain, on April 9.
Hamad International Airport came in second, followed by Japan’s Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) (third), South Korea’s Incheon International Airport (fourth), and Japan’s Narita International Airport (fifth).
Meanwhile, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport swept the World’s Best Airport Hotel and Best Airport Hotel in Asia awards. This is the 10th consecutive year that the hotel at Changi Airport Terminal 3 has won these prizes.
The awards were based on a global survey conducted by Skytrax. Over 13 million airport users from more than 100 countries responded to the survey from August 2024 to February 2025.
Travellers were asked to rate airports according to their experience at different points – from check-in, arrival, transfer, shopping, security and immigration through to departure at the gate.
Skytrax chief executive Edward Plaisted called it a “great achievement” that Changi Airport has been named the world’s best airport for a record-breaking 13 times.
He also said in a statement: “With washrooms being a major driver of customer satisfaction during their airport experience, we congratulate Singapore Changi Airport on receiving the first-ever world’s best airport washrooms award.”
Changi Airport Group (CAG) chief executive Yam Kum Weng said: “It is indeed gratifying to receive this recognition, and this certainly encourages us to continue to strive to provide the best travel experience. We thank all our passengers for their vote of confidence.”
These awards make Changi Airport the world’s most awarded airport with 697 accolades, said CAG.
Skytrax launched its first global airport customer satisfaction survey in 1999 and held the first World Airport Awards in 2000.
In 2024, Changi Airport handled 67.7 million passengers, just shy of the record 68.3 million in 2019. This was a 14.8 per cent increase from 2023, bringing passenger volume almost on a par with pre-Covid-19 levels. The authorities expect the airport to handle more passengers in 2025 than it did before the pandemic.
FILE – This marks the 13th time Changi Airport has nabbed the No. 1 spot, a record in the history of Skytrax’s World Airport Awards. PHOTO: ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump delivered another jarring reversal in American trade policy Wednesday, suspending for 90 days import taxes he’d imposed barely 13 hours earlier on dozens of countries while escalating his trade war with China. The moves triggered a powerful stock market rally on Wall Street but left businesses, investors and America’s trading partners bewildered about what the president is attempting to achieve.
The U-turn came after the sweeping global tariffs Trump announced last week set off a four-day route in global financial markets, paralysed businesses and raised fears the US and world economies would tumble into recession.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt tried to characterise the sudden change in policy as part of a grand negotiating strategy. But to those outside the Trump administration, it looked like a cave-in to market pressure and to growing fears that the president’s impetuous use of import taxes – tariffs – would cause massive collateral economic damage.
Trump’s turnaround Wednesday capped a wild week in US trade policy. On Wednesday April 2 — which Trump labeled “Liberation Day’’ — the president announced plans to impose tariffs on almost every country on earth, upending the world trading system. The first of his new tariffs — a 10 per cent “baseline’’ tax on imports from most countries – went into effect Saturday.
At midnight Wednesday, he upped the ante by slapping what he called “reciprocal’’ taxes on countries he accused of unfair trading practices and adding to US trade deficits. Those are the tariffs he suspended for 90 days, saying the pause would give countries time to negotiate with him and his trade team.
There was one exception to the reprieve: He raised the tariff on Chinese imports to a staggering 125 per cent, punishing Beijing for announcing retaliatory tariffs on the United States. Meanwhile, the 10 per cent baseline tariffs — a substantial act of protectionism in their own right — remain in place.
COMPANIES CUT BACK, DELAY PLANS
Trump’s ever-changing trade war tactics — which include earlier levies on cars, steel and aluminum, and Mexico and Canada — have already done damage, forcing dazed companies to delay or cancel plans as they tried to figure out what Trump was doing and how they should respond.
Some companies temporarily laid off workers after Trump’s widespread tariffs were announced, while there were signs that many firms held off on hiring amid the widespread uncertainty the tariffs created.
Truck awaits to load shipping containers at the Port of Los Angeles Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Los Angeles. PHOTO: AP
Minutes from the Federal Reserve’s March 18-19 meeting, released Wednesday, showed that many of its policymakers said that their business contacts “reported pausing hiring decisions because of elevated policy uncertainty.”
And Delta Air Lines said earlier Wednesday that demand for domestic leisure trips and corporate travel has stalled because of the uncertainty around global trade. In a conference call with investors, the company said it was cutting capacity. It also declined to provide a full-year financial forecast.
DESPERATELY SEEKING CLARITY ON TRUMP’S TARIFFS
Businesses have sought greater clarity around Trump’s ultimate tariff policies for weeks. It’s not clear that the 90-day pause has reduced their uncertainty.
Jeff Jaisli, CEO of the New Jersey-based importer/exporter Jagro, said Trump’s Truth Social post on Wednesday had made things “even worse’’ and more confusing. He was trying to figure out which tariffs applied to which countries.
TRUMP’S TRADE WAR WITH CHINA ESCALATES
Trump’s tariffs have set off a tit-for-tat trade war with China, the world’s second-biggest economy. Even before Trump upped his taxes on China to 125 per cent, the Chinese had set their own tariffs on the United States at 84 per cent.
The World Trade Organisation’s director-general, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, warned that the rising tension could reduce US-China merchandise trade by 80 per cent and “severely damage the global economic outlook.”
Citing WTO projections, she warned the negative effects could ripple through to other economies, especially developing ones. She urged countries to ensure an open global trading system and resolve differences through cooperation.
Meanwhile, US companies struggled to figure out how to respond to huge levies on Chinese products they’d come to rely on.
“The worst thing is uncertainty and we have massive uncertainty,” said Jason Goldberg, chief commerce strategy officer at Publicis Groupe, a global marketing and communications company. “No one can make any moves. Everybody is trying to save as much cash and defer any unnecessary expense. People are getting laid off. Orders are getting cancelled. Expansion plans are being put on hold.”
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine on Wednesday expanded on its claim that significant numbers of Chinese nationals are fighting for Russia’s invading army, saying it had gathered detailed intelligence on more than 150 mercenaries Moscow allegedly recruited through social media. In China, officials called the allegations “totally unfounded.”
The Ukrainian accusation and Chinese denial come as the U.S. strives to secure a ceasefire in the more than three-year war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Tuesday that the Ukrainian military had captured two Chinese men fighting alongside the Russian army on Ukrainian soil. It was the first time Ukraine had made such a claim about Chinese fighters in the war.
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy said he was willing to exchange the two prisoners of war for Ukrainian soldiers held captive in Russia. Without providing evidence, Zelenskyy said officials in Beijing were aware of Russia’s campaign to recruit Chinese mercenaries. He stopped short of saying the Chinese government authorised the mercenaries’ involvement in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine has the last names and passport data for 155 Chinese citizens fighting for the Russian army and that “we believe that there are many more of them.” He shared with journalists documents listing names, passport numbers and personal details of the alleged Chinese recruits, including when they arrived in Russia for military training and departed for service; the AP has not independently verified the documents.
China has provided strong diplomatic support for Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It has also sold Russia machinery and microelectronics that it can use to make weapons, Western officials say, in addition to providing an economic lifeline through the trade in energy and consumer goods.
China is not believed to have knowingly provided Russia with troops, weapons or military expertise.
U.S. officials have accused Iran of providing Russia with drones, while American and South Korean officials say North Korea has sent thousands of troops and ammunition to help Russia on the battlefield.
With the U.S. and Europe having provided substantial military support and diplomatic heft for Ukraine, the war has to some degree become a contest between power blocs.
In this photo provided by Ukraine’s 65th Mechanised Brigade press service, Ukrainian servicemen prepare to fire a multiple launch rocket system based on a pickup truck in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. PHOTO: Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine’s 65th Mechanised Brigade via AP
Tensions between the U.S. and China have deepened in recent years. Disputes have centered on geopolitical influence, technology and trade — and recently escalating import tariffs between the countries have roiled global financial markets. Zelenskyy said U.S. officials expressed “surprise” when informed of the presence of Chinese mercenaries in Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to follow through on a campaign promise last year to swiftly end the war in Ukraine.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said at a briefing in Washington on Tuesday that reports of Chinese citizens fighting on behalf of Russia were “disturbing.”
But Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, said he is “not convinced yet” the Chinese personnel identified as fighting on behalf of Russia against Ukraine are more than mercenaries or volunteers.
Kellogg noted that Ukraine also has volunteers from other countries, including the United States, fighting on its behalf. He added that the early reports of Chinese personnel are not on par with North Korea’s deployment of thousands of troops to the frontlines.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, also called Beijing “the key enabler of Russia’s war.”
Dual-use goods are entering Russia via China, she said in Brussels, adding “it’s clear that if China would want to really stop the support then it would have an impact.”
China has surged sales to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics and other technology that Moscow in turn is using to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weaponry for the war, according to a U.S. assessment last year.
The Kremlin has effectively rejected a U.S. proposal for an immediate and full 30-day halt in the fighting in Ukraine. The Kyiv government has consented to it. Both sides are believed to be readying spring-summer military campaigns.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in Beijing that China has played a “constructive role in politically resolving the Ukraine crisis.”
Lin told a daily news briefing Wednesday that “the Chinese government always asks Chinese citizens to stay away from conflict zones, avoid getting involved in any form of armed conflict, and especially refrain from participating in any party’s military operations.”
His comments appeared to indicate that the captured Chinese had joined Russia’s ranks on their own initiative. Both Russia and Ukraine allow foreign soldiers to enlist.
China has previously put forward a vague peace plan that was swiftly dismissed by most observers.
In the meantime, both countries have kept fighting a war of attrition along the roughly 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) front line and targeted each other with long-range strikes.
In this photo provided by Ukraine’s 65th Mechanised Brigade press service, Ukrainian servicemen fire a multiple launch rocket system based on a pickup truck in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. PHOTO: Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine’s 65th Mechanised Brigade via AP
PARIS (AP) — A wonder goal from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia upstaged a brilliant curling shot from teammate Désiré Doué as Paris Saint-Germain beat Aston Villa 3-1 in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday.
After Morgan Rogers gave Villa the lead in the 35th minute, the 19-year-old Doué drew PSG level four minutes later with the 12th goal of his breakthrough season.
Kvaratskhelia put PSG in front four minutes after the break and left back Nuno Mendes added a third goal in stoppage time at the Parc des Princes stadium with a fine finish of his own to the dismay of watching Villa fans, including Britain’s Prince William.
“I think the result reflects the difference between us and them,” said PSG coach Luis Enrique, whose side has greater firepower and showed more of a threat going forward. “Our objective is to keep the ball and be aggressive in attack.”
Kvaratskhelia’s was the goal of the night.
He sprinted down the left from just over the halfway line and then mesmerised Villa’s defense in a blizzard of quick feet and superb balance.
Advancing at pace with the ball seemingly glued to his right foot, he then wrong-footed defender Axel Disasi with a sudden change of direction, before rolling the ball onto his left foot in one smooth motion and blasting an unstoppable shot over the head of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
“For a coach like me it’s so great to have a player like him, with his mentality. He scored a brilliant goal,” Luis Enrique said about Kvaratskhelia.
The return leg is next Tuesday.
In Wednesday’s other game, five-time champion Barcelona crushed Borussia Dortmund 4-0 with veteran striker Robert Lewandowski scoring twice either side of goals from Raphinha and Lamine Yamal.
PSG’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, centre, challenges for the ball with Aston Villa’s Amadou Onana, left, and Aston Villa’s Pau Torres, right, during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. PHOTO: AP
Kvaratskhelia belongs to such an elite company.
His goal was exactly the kind of effort that earned the flying Georgia winger the nickname “ Kvaradona ” when he was playing for Napoli, in reference to soccer maestro Diego Maradona — the Italian club’s greatest ever player — and prompted PSG coach Luis Enrique to spend EUR70 million (then USD72 million) on him in the winter transfer window.
Shortly after Kvaratskhelia’s goal, Martinez made a great save low to his right against Achraf Hakimi’s powerful shot as PSG poured forward looking for a third goal.
Villa was at this stage of the competition for the first time since 1983 and dealt well with early pressure before taking the lead with a well-worked goal.
Bustling captain John McGinn won the ball in midfield and advanced before picking out Marcus Rashford, the forward who scored a stoppage-time winner here for Manchester United six years ago. Rashford fed Youri Tielemans overlapping down the left and he pinged a cross to the back post where Rogers was left unmarked to tap in.
The lead was brief as Doué picked up the ball on the left of the penalty area, skipped past two players and curled the ball into the top right corner.
Martinez played long balls early on to test PSG’s defense, but he was soon called into action with a flying save from Dembélé’s angled strike in the eighth minute.
He couldn’t do much about the goals that beat him, however, with Nuno Mendes showing a forward’s touch when he latched onto Dembélé’s pass, cut inside a defender and deftly guided the ball in.
But Villa coach Unai Emery believes he can still eliminate the club he coached from 2016-18.
“I believe we will win next week,” he said. “Villa Park is our home.”
ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES – For Ang Bin Xiu, it’s a Pokemon enthusiast’s dream come true: his job involves opening packs of Pokemon cards live on stream.
The unique career path began in 2022 when he rediscovered Pokemon cards at a convenience store, reigniting a childhood hobby fueled by nostalgia in his 20s.
He said, “Now that I had ‘adult money’, buying the cards felt like fulfilling a childhood dream.”
The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a global resurgence interest in Pokemon card collecting, as well as live streaming as a way of shopping. Riding on this wave, Ang has managed to make a career out of his hobby. Now 31, he works as a full-time live streamer who opens packs of Pokemon cards daily for audiences on his TikTok channel.
He operates on what is known as a “rip and ship” business model.
Viewers, who range from students to young working adults from Singapore, can purchase packs of cards on his live stream.
After they buy the cards, Ang opens them on the stream. The contents of the opened pack are then shipped to buyers.
Ang acquires his product from distributors and retailers both locally and overseas. Each pack contains anywhere between five and 10 cards, depending on the set.
Ang said that beyond the entertainment value of watching and interacting with the live stream, the appeal of his business is the accessibility it provides, especially when it comes to harder-to-find card sets from Japan or more expensive vintage sets.
Ang Bin Xiu managed to sell USD1 million worth of products within the first nine months of starting his live stream. PHOTO: ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES
“(My business) allows them to buy just one or two packs from these sets without having to buy a whole box.”
Each box contains 30 to 36 packs and can cost anywhere from just over USD50 to several thousand dollars. Ang said that he usually tries to fulfil requests, although some niche sets are too expensive for his business model.
Inspired by influencers with similar business models in America, Ang first began live-streaming in December 2022 as a side hustle while working full-time as a trainer at Amazon.
During a typical live stream, Ang opens packs of Pokemon cards ordered by his customers while interacting and speaking with his viewers. He can open up to a hundred packs during each six-hour-long stream.
When he first began streaming, his intention was not to make money, but rather, to find community.
He said, “I’m a collector before I’m a seller. I wanted to find a community where I could meet (other hobbyists) and (open) packs together just for the fun of it.”
He was also motivated to give live streaming a shot due to the low overhead costs. He said, “It was something I could do from the comfort of my own home, and I really only needed to purchase the card packs.”
Ang managed to sell USD1 million worth of products within the first nine months of starting his live stream.
At his peak sales period of May to June that year, he took home up to USD10,000 monthly.
His business was doing so well that in September 2023, he left his job at Amazon to focus on live-streaming full time. He has since diversified to also include sports cards and cards from other trading card games such as One Piece.
Online live-streaming shopping businesses like Ang’s, and other forms of social media-based shopping experiences, are expected to grow significantly over the next five years. A market report on researchandmarkets.com estimated that the gross merchandise value of the social commerce industry in Singapore will increase from USD1.2 billion in 2023 to reach USD8.47 billion by 2029.
Consumers of the social commerce industry tend to skew young too. According to a 2024 report released by New York-based data analytics firm Earnest Analytics, Gen Zs aged between 18 and 24 are more than three times as likely to spend at TikTok Shop than the average shopper.
Associate professor of marketing at the National University of Singapore Yan Zhang said that for small businesses, integrating social media into business models can be more effective than typical digital marketing strategies, such as buying online advertisements.
She said, “An online advertisement may reach more people, but it’s more expensive and only a small number of people who see it are going to be interested.
“Using social media not only makes use of the (social media) platform’s more targeted algorithm, but it also allows for interaction with customers, which often leads to higher conversions.”
Ang’s initial sales have since cooled off, which he attributes to the growing number of live streamers in the region with a similar business model, but the job remains sustainable for him.
“When I first started, there were only five or six people doing this. But because of the low barriers to entry, there are about three to five new streamers trying it out every month,” he said.
Still, Ang does not regret his career switch, in part because of the personal friendships that he has been able to build through his business, some of whom he has regular offline catch-ups with regularly.
He said, “I don’t like to see my viewers as customers, but as friends. (My live streams) are more about the common love of the hobby rather than just profit.”
Ang said the biggest challenge he faced running his live-streaming business was fluctuating demand for his products.
He said, “(How much money I take home) is different month to month. During months when there’s a new set (of cards) released, I may take home more money, but during slow periods, it can be difficult.
“But, I think it’s important to be resilient. If you can power through the tough times, there’s no stopping you.”
OXFORD (AP) – Rara Sekar closed her eyes in meditation after performing a song that speaks of rays of light that cut through the fog as one political prisoner faced death more than six decades ago.
The song, which recalls a period of political turmoil in Indonesia, has become a symbol for the singer who has focused on encouraging people to be creative in responding to the climate crisis in Indonesia, her homeland.
The prisoner’s song is “very healing”, Sekar told The Associated Press after performing at the Skoll World Forum, an annual event focused on ideas for change on issues ranging from climate change to health and human rights.
“When I find myself hopeless doing climate activism, or other activism, I sing it.”
Sekar’s campaign for a healthy environment in Indonesia focuses on a return to “low-waste life”, which includes foraging in the forest for wild food and communal potlucks. Between 2022 and 2023, she organised bicycle rides on the island of Java, where erosion and flooding have engulfed homes, that she said were meant to show locals the joys of communing with nature.
“I try to give back to nature in everything I do,” she said. “Not just about the songs I write but also how I live.”
Rara Sekar attends a session during the Skoll World Forum in Oxford, England. PHOTO: AP
A vast tropical archipelago stretching across the equator, Indonesia is home to the world’s third-largest rainforest, with a variety of wildlife and plants, including orangutans and elephants.
But environmental degradation is widespread, and the nation has faced extreme weather events in recent years that range from flooding to landslides.
Indonesia is consistently ranked as one of the largest global emitters of plant-warming greenhouse gases, stemming from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, along with deforestation and fires of wetland ecosystems called peatlands.
Since 1950, more than 74 million hectares of Indonesian rainforest – an area twice the size of Germany – have been logged, burned or degraded for development of palm oil, paper and rubber plantations, mining and other commodities, according to Global Forest Watch.
Sekar performed Kabut Putih at Skoll, which takes place in Oxford, England. She sang as part of the Found Sound Nation, a New York-based group that works to engage communities through music.
Kabut Putih – or White Fog – was written in 1971 by Zubaidah Nuntjik, an Indonesian woman who is believed to have died after being freed from the prison camp where she and many others had been detained. Sekar released a recording of the song in 2024, working with a group that includes families of victims and survivors of the 1965 mass killings.
Sekar, who also performs under the name hara, said the song’s spirit “gave me strength just to be hopeful” as a climate campaigner.
“Most of my songs are inspired by nature,” she said. “I guess I try to incorporate ways of educating people about climate, the climate crisis, through my tour.”
AP – A giant female Chinook salmon flips on her side in the shallow water and wriggles wildly, using her tail to carve out a nest in the riverbed as her body glistens in the sunlight. In another moment, males butt into each other as they jockey for a good position to fertilise eggs.
These are scenes local tribes have dreamed of seeing for decades as they fought to bring down four hydroelectric dams blocking passage for struggling salmon along more than 644 kilometres of the Klamath River and its tributaries along the Oregon-California border.
After those dams came down in the largest dam removal project in United States (US) history, salmon are once more returning to spawn in cool creeks that have been cut off to them for generations.
Video shot by the Yurok Tribe show that hundreds of salmon have made it to tributaries between the former Iron Gate and Copco dams, a hopeful sign for the newly freed waterway.
“Seeing salmon spawning above the former dams fills my heart,” said chairman of the Yurok Tribe Joseph L James. “Our salmon are coming home. Klamath Basin tribes fought for decades to make this day a reality because our future generations deserve to inherit a healthier river from the headwaters to the sea.”
The Klamath River flows from its headwaters in southern Oregon and across the mountainous forests of northern California before it reaches the Pacific Ocean.
Salmon are once more returning to spawn in cool creeks that have been cut off to them for generations. PHOTO: APThe Klamath River winds along Highway 96 near Happy Camp, California in the United States. PHOTO: APABOVE & BELOW: A view shows the Copco 1 Dam in California; and excess water spills over the top of a dam on the Lower Klamath River. PHOTO: APPHOTO: AP
The completion of the hydroelectric dam removal project marked a major victory for local tribes. Through protests, testimony and lawsuits, the tribes showcased the environmental devastation caused by the dams, especially to salmon, which were cut off from their historic habitat and dying in alarming numbers because of poor water-quality.
There have been lower concentrations of harmful algae blooms since the dam removal, fisheries programme manager with the Karuk Tribe Toz Soto said during a press conference after the dams came down.
The water temperature during the day was an average of eight degrees Celsius cooler compared to the same month over the last nine years, according to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, the non-profit entity created to oversee the project.
“All in all, the fish that came up this year were really healthy,” Soto said. “I didn’t see fish with bacterial infections and things like that, so water temperature’s already having an impact on the fishes’ health.”
The number of salmon that have quickly made it into previously inaccessible tributaries has also been encouraging. Experts have counted 42 redds, or salmon egg nests, and have tallied as many as 115 Chinook salmon in one day in Spencer Creek, which is above the former JC Boyle dam, the furthest upstream of the four removed dams, said Mark Hereford with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“They’re showing us where the good habitat is; they’re showing us where there’s a lack of habitat,” said Director of the Yurok Tribal Fisheries department Barry McCovey Jr. “So we can use these fish to inform us as river managers, as scientists, where restoration needs to take place.”
Power company PacifiCorp built the dams to generate electricity between 1918 and 1962.
But the structures halted the natural flow of the waterway that was once known as the third-largest salmon-producing river on the West Coast. They disrupted the lifecycle of the region’s salmon, which spend most of their life in the Pacific Ocean but return to the chilly mountain streams to lay eggs.
At the same time, the dams only produced a fraction of PacifiCorp’s energy at full capacity, enough to power about 70,000 homes. They also didn’t provide irrigation, drinking water or flood control, according to Klamath River Renewal Corporation.
McCovey said the return of so many salmon happened faster than he had expected and makes him hopeful for the future of the river.
“Out of all the milestones that we’ve had, this one to me is the most significant,” he said.
“It feels like catharsis. It feels like the right path.” – Hallie Golden
BERNAMA – Selangor Police Chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan denied claims that the authorities are concealing reports of fatalities due to the gas pipeline explosion in Putra Heights, Selangor, Malaysia on April 1.
He said there was no reason for the police to do so and he also gave an assurance that every investigation was carried out transparently, with the cooperation of all the relevant agencies.
“(Claims of) hiding fatalities is not true at all… the police have never hidden any fatality cases that occurred in Malaysia and we have nothing to gain from doing such things.
“If any family member or friend says there is a fatality, please come forward to lodge a police report. So, do not make baseless allegations that could cause public anxiety. Police and the government agencies involved are always transparent. All documentation is done individually. Each (agency) will write its own report and conduct its own investigation so that nothing is concealed,” he told a media conference at the Incident Control Post (PKTK) in Jalan Putra Harmoni, Putra Heights, Subang Jaya yesterday.
He said that police have, so far, not received any reports related to property theft from any party.
He added that in their bid to ensure the safety of the property of the affected residents, police have deployed over 120 personnel, including from the Civil Defence Force (APM), to be on 24-hour duty at every junction in Taman Putra Heights, Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru and Kampung Sungai Baru. “So, if anyone claims to have lost any items, please go to the nearest police station or the mobile police station placed at the temporary relief centre,” he said.
He said that, so far, police have received 675 reports regarding damage to homes and property, in addition to recording the statements of 186 witnesses, including the security guards at the incident site. Meanwhile, Hussein said 270 of the 437 homes affected in the incident are deemed safe for reoccupation after assessments carried out by the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM), Public Works Department (JKR) and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).
“Of the 571 vehicles assessed by JBPM, 88 vehicles sustained over 50 per cent damage, 332 sustained less than 50 per cent damage and 151 were not affected,” he said. The Petronas gas pipeline fire incident at 8.10am on April 1 resulted in a fire rising more than 30 metres high, with temperatures reaching over 1,000 degrees Celsius. It took nearly eight hours for the blaze to be fully extinguished.
The incident resulted in 81 houses completely destroyed with structural damage exceeding 40 per cent, another 81 houses were partially destroyed, 57 houses were affected but not burnt and 218 houses were not affected.
The area affected involving a gas pipeline explosion at Jalan Putra Harmoni, Putra Heights, Malaysia. PHOTO: BERNAMA
