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Cuaca lembap dan ribut petir dijangka berterusan

Cuaca lembap dan ribut petir dijangka berterusan

PETALING JAYA: Beberapa negeri di utara serta Pantai Timur Semenanjung diramal berdepan hujan dan ribut petir pada hari ini berdasarkan ramalan cuaca yang dikeluarkan oleh Jabatan Meteorologi (MetMalaysia). Menurut MetMalaysia, kejadian ribut petir pada waktu pagi meliputi beberapa tempat di negeri Kedah, kawasan pantai di Pulau Pinang serta beberapa kawasan di Tawau dan Sandakan di ... Read more The post Cuaca lembap dan ribut petir dijangka berterusan appeared first on Utusan Malaysia .

Ethiopia’s weavers struggle to keep garment tradition alive

Ethiopia’s weavers struggle to keep garment tradition alive

ADDIS ABABA : Behind the looms of a workshop in the heart of Addis Ababa, dozens of weavers deftly repeat the same motions to craft traditional dresses -- a centuries-old skill now threatened by Ethiopia’s economic hardships. For generations, the “habesha kemis” -- long white cotton dresses often adorned with colourful embroidery -- have been handwoven. Their elaborate designs serve as attire for festivities and religious ceremonies. It takes a week to weave the simplest dresses, and twice as long for those adorned with intricate embroidery -- a meticulous, painstaking craft, several artisans say in a workshop where the steady clink of looms fills the air. “The work is exhausting... we live day by day,“ said Asefaw Yemu, 45, a weaver with three decades of experience who earns between 10,000 and 15,000 birr ($68-102) a month, before deducting the cost of raw materials. In the dimly lit room, men hunch over their looms, shuttling cotton threads back and forth as their feet work a complex pedal system that never seems to rest. Asefaw said he works nine hours a day, six days a week -- but with inflation hovering around 21.5 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund, demand has slowed sharply. - ‘No Future’ - About 39 percent of Ethiopia’s 130 million people lived below the poverty line -- less than $3 a day -- in 2021, a figure the World Bank projected will rise to 43 percent this year. At the same workshop, Getu Derza, 48, carefully embroiders colourful silk threads into intricate patterns. “What we produce with so much effort can now be made instantly by machines in factories... It affects our income,“ said Derza, who began the craft at the age of 14. An influx of cheaper machine-made habesha kemis from China years ago undercut Ethiopia’s traditional weavers. Government restrictions came too late for many, who had already turned to other jobs. In this struggling economy, Derza said what was once a skill passed down from generation to generation now “ends with us”. At 23, Abush Dubule, the youngest among the weavers, is already considering a career change “There’s no future,“ he said. “The economy isn’t what it used to be... it’s not just Chinese products. People are buying less overall.” - ‘Special moment’ - A habesha kemis can cost several hundred euros -- a considerable sum in Ethiopia. Belhu Belta, 48, runs a small shop selling traditional dresses and scarves. He said he struggles to attract customers but stays in business, hoping there are still those who value handmade garments. “If the market continues like this, the craft might disappear,“ Belhu said. Adanech Daniel, 50, was shopping for a wedding dress and refused to compromise on quality -- representing the kind of customer who keeps Belta optimistic. “When you wear these traditional clothes together as a family or couple, it brings vibrance and joy to the occasion,“ she said. “It’s beautiful, it shines and makes the moment special.” - AFP

Mercedes-Benz Unveils Vision Iconic Concept Car

Mercedes-Benz Unveils Vision Iconic Concept Car

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a concept car known as the Vision Iconic. The vehicle was revealed at the marque’s design house in Shanghai, China. As per the official fluff, the concept represents the bridge between the future of the company’s EV cars and the rich heritage of the automaker, by combining classic design elements with new […] The post Mercedes-Benz Unveils Vision Iconic Concept Car appeared first on Lowyat.NET .

Award-winning Nigerian agronomist dreams of a cassava ‘revolution’

Award-winning Nigerian agronomist dreams of a cassava ‘revolution’

IBADAN, NIGERIA: Mercy Diebiru-Ojo’s ambitions are straightforward -- increase Nigerian yam and cassava yields by 500 percent, fight hunger and raise her country’s position on the agricultural value chain from a mere grower to a processor. The first steps, at least, are already underway for the 44-year-old agronomist, who was awarded this year’s prestigious Africa Food Prize for her research on yams and cassava, both major food staples in Africa. Traditionally, farmers in Nigeria -- which produces 70 percent of the world’s yams -- replant chunks of yams and cassava from the previous year’s harvest, to grow this year’s crop. Gradually, the plants lose their resistance to diseases -- a serious problem for food security in a country where 30 million people are not getting enough to eat, according to the United Nations’ World Food Programme. Diebiru-Ojo’s research involves growing the plants hydroponically in greenhouses, where they are protected from disease. Then, as they sprout, a portion is cut and planted in potted mineral-rich soil in the greenhouse. Only later is it replanted in the fields outside. “So your materials are going to grow very vigorously in terms of vegetative growth,.. even the root formation and all of that,“ Diebiru-Ojo told AFP in an interview on the sprawling campus of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in the southwestern city of Ibadan. The result -- 30 tonnes of yams and cassava per hectare, compared to the typical five. Diebiru-Ojo worked with US agro-research firm Sahtechno, which developed what it calls “semi-autotrophic hydroponics” (SAH) some two decades ago, to adapt the technique to Nigerian agriculture. Her techniques, if widely adapted, could be welcome news for the country’s farmers. - Huge potential - Despite being the world’s top cassava producer, “when it comes to the yield, actual yield potentials and all of that, we are still way behind”, Diebiru-Ojo said. As is the case in many African countries, skilled farmers, with generations of knowledge, face a host of challenges. They must rely on seasonal rains for irrigation, soils are declining in health, financing costs are high and governments have limited budgets for extension services. Despite producing roughly 20 percent of the world’s cassava each year, Africa’s most populous country still imports some $600 million in cassava products, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria. Yams are also a prized ingredient in Nigerian cuisine -- fried, boiled, mashed or turned into flour. But there’s also a huge -- if largely unrealised -- potential for their use in bioplastics and biofuels, as well as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and textiles, thanks to their starch. Moving up the so-called “value chain” -- switching from producing raw materials to transforming them into finished products -- is a key step in any country’s economic development, economists say. Diebiru-Ojo, who was named an Africa Food Prize Laureate last month alongside Kenya’s Mary Abukutsa-Onyango, is quick to talk of a “revolution of the cassava sector” in Nigeria. It’s an ambition shared by the government -- at least rhetorically -- in a country where critics say a focus on oil has long sidelined investments in agriculture. - Cassava a ‘strategic asset’ - “Cassava is one of the most strategic assets in our agricultural portfolio,“ Vice President Kashim Shettima said in July. He specifically mentioned IITA’s research, and the need to do more processing and food transformation locally. The promise of increased yields also comes at a time when rural farms are under pressure from various armed groups -- jihadists in the northeast, armed gangs in the northwest and farmer-herder conflicts in the Middle Belt. The country’s myriad conflicts are adding to existing pressures on hunger and food inflation. But with better techniques, even in “a very small space, maybe just a garden behind your house, you can produce a lot”, Diebiru-Ojo said. Take-off will require help from the private sector to market the seeds and train farmers on SAH. Already, IITA collaborates with public institutions and private companies in 15 countries on the continent. The objective is “helping a food-secure Africa, not only Nigeria”, Diebiru-Ojo said. An added bonus, she said, would be for her win to serve as an “inspiration to a whole lot of others coming, especially for the women in agriculture”. - AFP

APAD issues show-cause letter to KDEBWM over Batu 14 toll crash

APAD issues show-cause letter to KDEBWM over Batu 14 toll crash

KUALA LUMPUR : The Land Public Transport Agency has issued a show-cause letter to KDEB Waste Management following an accident involving the company’s lorry at Batu 14 Toll Plaza in Puchong. APAD confirmed the letter was dated October 13 in response to the October 10 incident. All new applications from KDEBWM are now suspended pending the completion of the investigation. An intensive investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident and ensure corrective actions are taken. Should any breach of licence conditions be found, the licence may be suspended or revoked under Section 62 of the Land Public Transport Act 2010. APAD reiterated its commitment to safety and reminded operators to comply with licence conditions. Operators must ensure drivers are properly qualified and maintain vehicles in good condition with proper safety features. In the 2.30 pm accident, the truck attendant sustained serious facial and head injuries. The vehicle was driven by an Indonesian man who lost control and crashed into the Puchong Toll Plaza concrete barrier. The driver fled the scene after the accident occurred. The case is being investigated under Section 42 of the Road Transport Act 1987. – Bernama