What you need to know
According to BNN, Indonesia’s economy loss from drugs has reached up to US$ 4.8 million. Drugs circulated within Indonesia per year include marijuana (158,000 kg), amphetamine (219,000 kg) and MDMA (14 million pills).
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Singapore: Apple to power Singapore operations with renewable energy
Apple announced on November 15 that it will open its first store in Singapore and all of its Singapore operations will be powered with 100% renewable energy.
Starting in January, solar energy developer Sunseap Group will provide Apple with 100% renewable electricity from its portfolio of solar energy systems built atop more than 800 buildings in Singapore.
The deal will make Apple the first company in Singapore to run exclusively on renewable energy.
The rooftop solar panels will be placed on both public-owned buildings and Apple’s own facilities, generating 50 MW of solar energy, enough to power the equivalent of 9,000 homes, according to Apple.
Apple will receive 33 MW of the project’s capacity. The project won the backing of Singapore’s development board because it will also provide electricity for public-owned housing.
There are a total of 18 countries with Apple storefronts, with the latest opening in United Arab Emirates in October.
Photo Credit: AP
Malaysia: ISIS targeting Malaysian leaders, says Defense Minister Hishammuddin
On November 15, Malaysian Minister of Defense Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has put several Malaysian leaders on its list of targets, including himself.
However, he says that this will not scare or stop Malaysia from fighting terrorism.
“The information on the threat from ISIS was made before the joint Asean Defense Ministers meeting held at Langkawi in March, where all 10 nations agreed to a joint effort in fighting terrorism," he said.
Datuk Seri Hishammuddin told reporters after a Deepavali celebration event on November 15, the attacks in Paris show that terrorism could happen in any country and should not be underestimated.
He also shows sympathy towards Paris and says Malaysia will oppose any violence of any kind. Moreover, he calls on the public to not connect the terrorism with Islamic.
Separately, Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said the government was stepping up security control at all entry points, including airports in Malaysia, following the attacks in Paris on November 13.
“Malaysia has been on high alert most of the time and we will continue to do so," he said.
Photo Credit: AP
Indonesia: Indonesia becomes Asia’s biggest drug market
Indonesia has not only become the biggest market for narcotics in Asia with 5.9 million users but has become a narcotics-producing country, says National Narcotics Agency (BNN) chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso.
“As of June 2015, the number of narcotics users reached 4.2 million people, and that number grew to 5.9 million by November," Budi said in Medan on Wednesday.
Budi further said that around 60% of prisoners held in the country’s prisons had been convicted on drug-related charges. With 70% of its 2,700 prisoners having been convicted on drug-related charges, Tanjung Gusta Penitentiary in Medan, North Sumatra houses the highest number of drug convicts out of all prisons in the country.
In its effort to eradicate drugs, BNN will cooperate with the Indonesian Military to conduct raids and put an end to the circulation of narcotics.
According to BNN, Indonesia’s economy loss from drugs has reached up to US$ 4.8 million. Drugs circulated within Indonesia per year include marijuana (158,000 kg), amphetamine (219,000 kg) and MDMA (14 million pills).
According to the survey conducted by BNN and universities in Indonesia, 33 people die from drugs each day and the youngest drug user is only ten years old. Regions including Jakarta, Bekasi, Medan and Jambi were reported to have elementary students using drugs.
Photo Credit: Reuters
Translated and compiled by June and Eric Wong
Edited by Olivia Yang
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