Southern Asia swelters under unprecedented heat

Rising temperatures have prompted a series of health alerts and school closures across South and South-east Asia.

From the Philippines to Thailand, to India and Bangladesh, forecasters have warned that temperatures could exceed 40ºC in coming days.

Bangladesh and the Philippines have ordered school shutdowns while Indonesia is facing a sharp rise in dengue fever cases.

Millions of pupils in public schools across the Philippines were ordered to stay home on Monday after authorities cancelled classes because of the intense summer heat that has been worsened by humidity.

In the capital, Manila, home to more than 14 million people, the temperature soared to 38.8ºC on Saturday, surpassing a record set decades ago.

The hot weather is expected to last until mid-May and has stoked fears of water shortages, power cuts and crop damage.

Cambodia is facing its highest temperatures in 170 years, said Chan Yutha, a representative of the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology. Temperatures in most parts of the country could hit 43ºC this week.

Myanmar’s meteorological department said on Monday that seven townships in the central Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing and Bago regions experienced record-high temperatures.

A number of towns in Myanmar were on a list of the hottest spots around the world last week.

In Thailand, temperatures have topped 44ºC in some northern parts while Bangkok has recorded temperatures higher than 40ºC.

The Thai meteorological department said this year’s summer is expected to be 1ºC to 2ºC hotter than last year, with rainfall expected to be lower than average.

The meteorological service in Singapore said temperatures there could exceed last year's, the country's fourth-warmest year since records began in 1929.

Singapore's hottest day recorded was on May 13 last year, when the temperature soared to 37ºC.

Vietnamese media reported that the intense heat has driven residents of Ho Chi Minh City to seek relief in air-conditioned shopping malls.

The state power company has urged people not to overwork their air conditioning units while the national weather agency warned of the risk of forest fires as the temperatures in parts of northern and central Vietnam are set to range between 40.2ºC and 44ºC.

Malaysia's meteorological department issued a hot weather warning for 16 regions on Sunday as temperatures of between 35ºC and 40ºC were forecast for three consecutive days.

Health risks

Cases of heat-related illness have been reported across the South-east Asia region, with people admitted to hospitals due to dehydration and heat stroke.

Thailand’s Department of Disease Control said last week that at least 30 people have died from heat stroke so far this year, compared with 37 last year.

Malaysia's Health Ministry recorded a total of 45 cases of heat-related illnesses as of April 13, with two deaths from heat stroke reported.

At least 34 people have fallen ill due to the extreme heat in the Philippines so far this year, including six who died. The Department of Health said it was verifying the exact cause of the deaths.

Media in Bangladesh reported that at least 20 people died from heat stroke during a five-day period earlier this month.

The warmer temperatures in Indonesia have caused a surge in dengue fever, a mosquito-borne infection, with cases more than doubling to 35,000, from 15,000 a year earlier, the Health Ministry said.

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics

On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

Killing of Qassem Suleimani

National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate

Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble

Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks

Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence

Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground

Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Killing of Qassem Suleimani

National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate

Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead

Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble

Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks

Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence

Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

The Buckingham Murders

Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu

Director: Hansal Mehta

Rating: 4 / 5

On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

The%20Color%20Purple

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBlitz%20Bazawule%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFantasia%20Barrino%2C%20Taraji%20P%20Henson%2C%20Danielle%20Brooks%2C%20Colman%20Domingo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 640hp
Torque: 760nm
On sale: 2026
Price: Not announced yet

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

What sanctions would be reimposed?

Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

An arms embargo
A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods

Company%20Profile

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20myZoi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Syed%20Ali%2C%20Christian%20Buchholz%2C%20Shanawaz%20Rouf%2C%20Arsalan%20Siddiqui%2C%20Nabid%20Hassan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2037%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Initial%20undisclosed%20funding%20from%20SC%20Ventures%3B%20second%20round%20of%20funding%20totalling%20%2414%20million%20from%20a%20consortium%20of%20SBI%2C%20a%20Japanese%20VC%20firm%2C%20and%20SC%20Venture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Red flags

Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching