The best of Australia’s natural beauty !

^{By Khesigga Sugumaran – 6 February 2021 @ 10:40pm}

The diversity and scale of Australia’s nature is truly awesome, including gnarled, ancient rainforest, humblingly-huge desert and the world’s most precious coral reef. To really appreciate it, you have to see it in person.

Witness the best bits yourself by visiting one of the most highly rated Australian destinations for nature, according to global travellers.

Cape Tribulation, Queensland

When British explorer, James Cook, was passing the remote headland of Cape Tribulation in June 1770, his ship was badly damaged as it scraped the reef. And so the place was named because, according to Cook, ‘here begun all our troubles’. Year-round access to the Cape was only established with a new bridge in 2011, so the rainforest remains much as Cook would have discovered it in the 18th century. Go on a guided walk through the 135 million-years-old Daintree Rainforest, then take a wildlife tour to see the local crocs in the wild, and maybe finish up with some jungle zip-lining. Check into Noah Creek Forest Stay for eco-friendly, idyllic accommodation in the middle of the rainforest.

Kalbarri, Western Australia

One of the many amazing things about Kalbarri National Park is the fact that it is home to two very distinct landscapes. Inland, steep river gorges and auburn-hued rock formations date back hundreds of millions of years, with the most popular spots being Nature’s Window, a rock arch that frames the Murchison River picture-perfectly, and the Z-Bend lookout where you can stand precariously high with a plunging gorge before you. Meanwhile along the coastline you’ll find white sand, wildflowers, clear blue sea and the chance to spot dolphins and whales. Gecko Lodge Kalbarri is the highest-rated accommodation in Kalbarri.

Pemberton, Western Australia

Gloucester National Park is known for housing some of the tallest trees in the world, a type of tree known as Karri that are only found in the South West corner of Western Australia. Towering out of the red dust and lime-green bracken, they are so huge that in order to see the canopy, you’ll need to try one of the forest walkways. Or, provided you’re not afraid of heights, climb the ladder to the top of the Gloucester Tree, the world’s second tallest fire-lookout tree at 53 metres. Aside from this rare, primeval forest, you should also see the Yeagarup Sand Dunes (the largest landlocked sand dunes in the southern hemisphere and quite something to behold) and enjoy a sedate canoe down the Blackwood River. Stay at Pemberton‘s Big Brook Cottages.

Uluru, Northern Territory

As much a symbol of the country as the Kangaroo, the massive sandstone monolith of Uluru (formerly known as Ayer’s Rock) is unmissable if you want to experience Australia’s natural beauty. It is 3.6km long, 348 metres tall, and just a little bit baffling when surrounded by completely flat desert. Though you are asked (and obliged) not to climb it out of respect to the Indigenous Australians for whom it is sacred, gazing up at it while the sunset changes it from flaming red, to amber, to midnight blue, is quite something. Stay in nearby Alice Springs, in self-catered apartments with an outdoor pool at Alice On Todd Apartments.

Port Campbell, Victoria

The coastal town of Port Campbell lies on the Great Ocean Road near the Twelve Apostles, Victoria’s most precious natural asset. Confusingly, there are now only eight of the Apostles left but these limestone stacks that jut out from the mainland are still just as profound standing tall amid crashing surf. If you get to see them on a sunny day, the colours are astounding – the water a glowing sea green, the sand silky smooth and golden and the ochre sandstone cliffs lit up by sunlight. Stay in your own private cottage overlooking countryside and ocean at Anchors Port Campbell.

Coles Bay, Tasmania

Coles Bay is a town that sits on the wider Great Oyster Bay, in Tasmania’s Freycinet National Park. Akin to New Zealand, Tasmania is an unspoiled wilderness, with mountains, ancient forest and some of the world’s most outstanding beaches. As it is more off the beaten track than mainland Australia, these beaches are often deserted, despite the blindingly-bright white sand, aquamarine Tasman Sea, orange lichen growing decoratively on the rocks, and relatively tame local wallabies. Wake up to beautiful views at Edge of the Bay Resort

RECIPE: AVACADO PANCAKES

^{By Khesigga Sugumaran – 6 February 2021 @ 10:30pm}

YIELDS: 10PREP

TIME: 0 HOURS 10 MINS

TOTAL TIME: 0 HOURS 35 MINS

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 small avocado
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. lime zest
• 2/3 c. buttermilk
• 2 large eggs 
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 
• Butter, for pan and for serving
• 1/2 c. blueberries, plus more for serving
• Maple syrup, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. 
2. In a medium bowl, mash avocado and lime juice with a fork until smooth. Whisk in honey, lime zest, and buttermilk. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until fully combined. 
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. 
4. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt a thin pat of butter to coat the bottom of the skillet. Ladle ¼ cup pancake batter into skillet, then use the bottom of the measuring cup to smooth batter into a 4 ½”-wide pancake. Top with a few blueberries if desired, then cook until bubbles start to form in batter and pancake is golden underneath, about 3 to 4 minutes. 
5. Flip and cook the other side until golden, 3 to 4 minutes more. Repeat with remaining batter.
6. Serve pancakes with butter, maple syrup, and more blueberries.

NGOs come to aid of destitute brothers

By Annmira Joseph

BUKIT MERTAJAM, Feb 4 — The plight of two Muslim converts here who had been living in poverty and surviving only on instant noodles caught the attention of two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) today

Abdul Rahman Lim, 56, and his 57-year-old brother, Abdul Rahim, a person with disabilities (PwD), have had to ration food that mostly consisted of instant noodles or crackers daily.

Abdul Rahman said since their story went viral on social media yesterday, he had been received calls from various parties who wanted to help.

“Thank you very much to those who have helped us. We are very grateful to everyone,” he told reporters when met at their house in Machang Bubok, near here, today.

Abdul Rahman said he does not have a permanent job currently, relying only on odd jobs to get them through.

He is also unable to work daily as he needs to take care of his brother who suffers from health issues such as seizures and the loss of a left limb in an accident.

“If we want to eat, we need to save but neighbours do offer food to us. Some friends also bring us to a nearby clinic whenever we need treatment,” he added.

Earlier, Penang Islamic Propagation Society International (IPSI) and Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia visited the brothers to hand over basic necessities.

IPSI president, Datuk Kamarudin Abdullah also called on the mosque parish and local surau to ensure the welfare of converts are taken care of so that no one is marginalised.

— BERNAMA

Annuar: I’m ashamed that Ebit Liew can do more than I can to help the people

By Annmira Joseph

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 — “I am ashamed because I am the people’s representative, yet I can’t do as much as he does,” said Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa when commenting on the way preacher Ebit Liew swiftly carries out his charity work.

Annuar said the preacher was one of the figures that he wanted to meet to share matters related to welfare and contributions to the public, and maybe even learn from him.

“Perhaps I have a slightly different view, the roles of NGOs (non-governmental organisations) and that of the government are different but, at the same time, we (the leaders) must have a sense of shame… not in a negative sense, though,

“This is because there are people with no power like him (Ebit Liew), who is willing to do more, whereas people like us who have power, we do not do enough,” he said in the online Bicara Minda programme, hosted by Sinar Harian, that was streamed live on Facebook tonight.

However, the minister said the government’s responsibility was not the same as that of NGOs because the government also needed to focus on formulating good policies.

He said the government also had agendas and programmes that might not be seen by the people now but the results would only be seen in the long run.

“If there is a problem, we will go and solve them, that is important too but as the government, especially, we have to think further than that.

“So, if we are not seen as going to help, it doesn’t mean the government is not functioning, but it’s better that we manage the government in terms of good policy implementation while we also continue to be a government that cares about the problems faced by the people,” he said.

— BERNAMA

M’sian Trolls Woman Who Tried To Scam Him By Offering ‘Sugar Mommy’ Services

By Annmira Joseph

A Malaysian man took an alleged scammer on a wild goose chase by playing along with her attempts at cheating him for his money.

In a Twitter thread, Kenneth Chai from Kuching, Sarawak shared the conversation he had with ‘Lady Suzan’, seemingly an agent, who messaged him on Telegram on 1 February 2021.

“Do you wanna hook up with a sugar mommy that will make you rich and she’ll spoil you with money? She or he will pay you RM5,000 to RM20,000 per meeting,” Lady Suzan said.

Speaking to WORLD OF BUZZ, Kenneth said that this happened right after he jokingly tweeted that he was “considering being a Sugar Baby”.

Lady Suzan stopped replying after that and that was the last Kenneth saw of her.

This is one of the instances where scammers attempt to use creative and unsuspecting ways to lure potential victims into giving up their money. Fortunately, Kenneth was smart to not fall victim to her tricks.

If you ever come across random messages like this from strangers, please ignore them as most of them are probably fake. Or you can be like Kenneth and troll them!

Archaeologists unearth bronze age graves at Stonehenge tunnel site

By Annmira Joseph

Bronze age graves, neolithic pottery and the vestiges of a mysterious C-shaped enclosure that might have been a prehistoric industrial area are among the finds unearthed by archaeologists who have carried out preliminary work on the site of the proposed new road tunnel at Stonehenge.

One of the most intriguing discoveries is a unique shale object that could have been part of a staff or club found in a 4,000-year-old grave. Nearby is the resting spot of a baby buried with a small, plain beaker.

Ditches that flank the C-shaped enclosure contain burnt flint, suggesting a process such as metal or leatherworking was carried out there thousands of years ago.
Just south of the site of the Stonehenge visitor centre, archaeologists came upon neolithic grooved ware pottery possibly left there by the people who built the stone circle or visited it.

“We’ve found a lot – evidence about the people who lived in this landscape over millennia, traces of people’s everyday lives and deaths, intimate things,” said Matt Leivers, A303 Stonehenge consultant archaeologist at Wessex Archaeology. “Every detail lets us work out what was happening in that landscape before during and after the building of Stonehenge. Every piece brings that picture into a little more focus.”

The plan to drop the A303, which passes close to the stones, into a two-mile tunnel is hugely controversial, with many experts having said that carrying out such intrusive construction work would cause disastrous harm to one of the world’s most precious ancient landscapes and lead to the loss of hundreds of thousands of artefacts. A legal challenge was launched against the £1.7bn plan late last year.

Highways England and Wessex Archaeology, which is leading the exploration of the tunnel corridor, said they were working on the project systematically and sensitively.

During this preliminary phase, Wessex experts have hand dug and sieved almost 1,800 test pits and excavated and recorded more than 400 trial trenches.

The next phase of archaeological excavations will begin later this year, lasting approximately 18 months and involving up to 150 archaeologists. Construction work on the tunnel is due to start in 2023.

Near the planned eastern portal of the tunnel, the archaeologists discovered large amounts of debitage – waste material from the manufacture of flint tools – and ditches that may date to the iron age and could be associated with Vespasian’s Camp, a hillfort to the south.

Close to the western end, two burials of Beaker people, who arrived in Britain in about 2,500BC, were found. One was an adult, buried in a crouched position with a pot or beaker. Also in the grave was a copper awl or fragment of a pin or needle and a small shale cylindrical object, of a type that is not believed to have been found before.

“It is an oddity,” said Leivers. More detailed work will be carried out to find out what it is, but one theory is that it could be the tip of a ceremonial wooden staff or mace.

Also found in the same area was a pit dating to the age of the Beaker people containing the tiny ear bones of a child and a very simple pot – a sign that this too was a grave. Usually Beaker pots are ornate but this one is plain, probably to reflect the age of the person who died

A little farther south, the C-shaped enclosure was found. “It is a strange pattern of ditches,” said Leivers. “It’s difficult to say what it was, but we know how old it is because we found a near-complete bronze age pot in one of the ditches.”

Also in the ditches was a large quantity of burnt flint. “This suggests there may have had some industrial function,” said Leivers. “It could be metal or leatherworking, pottery manufacture, crop processing.”

Another find was a group of objects dating to the late neolithic period – when the stone circle was built – including grooved ware pottery, a flint and red deer antlers.
For the time being the finds are in storage in Salisbury and will ultimately go on display in the city’s museum.

The team accepts that all road schemes have an impact on an area’s archaeology. Andy Crockett, A303 project director for Wessex Archaeology, said: “There isn’t one option that would allow zero impact on archaeological remains; that’s true of every development you can think of.”

He said the trade-off was that the sight of cars and lorries trundling along the A303 close to the stones would vanish and two halves of the world heritage site now split by the road would be reunited.

Highways England said the amount of survey work that had been carried out was unprecedented because of the significance of the site. David Bullock, A303 project manager for Highways England, said: “There has been a huge amount of investigations so that this route can be threaded through so as to disturb as little as possible.”

UK banks given six months to prepare for possibility of negative interest rates

By Annmira Joseph

The Bank of England took a step closer to introducing negative interest rates for the first time on Thursday, after it gave lenders six months to prepare for such a move.

Threadneedle Street’s monetary policy committee (MPC) voted unanimously to keep the official interest rate at historically low levels while it agreed to set the deadline for banks to prepare themselves after policymakers said they were ready to make negative lending rates part of their toolkit.

According to the minutes of the MPC meeting, officials were split over asking lenders to put in place the measures needed to facilitate negative rates on loans and mortgages, with some fearing it would signal to investors that the central bank planned to move ahead in the next few months.

But the committee agreed that to include a cut in interest rates to below zero in the raft of measures available to policymakers, lenders would need to put in place the technical requirements allowing them to implement it at short notice.

There are fears that negative lending rates, which are expected to lower borrowing costs for households and businesses, would force high street banks and building societies to offer negative savings rates.
Savers would suffer a loss of income and pension funds, which also rely on deposit savings, would also be hit.

Officials said the balance of risks in the economy, mainly from new variants of Covid overwhelming the benefits of the current vaccination programme, meant it needed to keep rates low. The negative lending announcement came as MPC members voted unanimously to keep the official interest rate at the historically low level of 0.1%.

GDP is expected to fall by about 4% in 2021 Q1, in contrast to expectations of a rise in the November report.

However, the Bank expects growth to bounce back as the NHS vaccine programme takes effect and schools, universities and most businesses return to more normal levels of activity.

The Bank’s quantitative easing bond-buying programme was left unchanged at £895bn after pumping an additional £150bn into the economy at the outset of the second lockdown in November.

Earlier this week, the chairman of the Building Societies Association said cutting the BoE’s lending rate to below zero would force institutions to subsidise savings rates to keep them positive, leaving them no option but to recoup the costs from higher mortgage costs.

After Rihanna, Greta Thunberg and others make farmers’ protest global

By Annmira Joseph

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg has extended her support to the farmers protesting on the borders of New Delhi against the three farm laws saying that she stands in solidarity with the farmers.

“We stand in solidarity with the #FarmersProtest in India,” Thunberg wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.The teen activist’s post on the micro-blogging site came after Rihanna shared a news article highlighting the Centre’s crackdown on the farmers by cutting off internet services in many regions.

“Why aren’t we talking about this?!”, wrote Rihanna, as she added the hashtag #FarmersProtest along with the post on the micro-blogging site.

Apart from Thunberg, UK Member of Parliament Claudia Webbe also expressed solidarity with the Indian farmers.”Solidarity to the Indian Farmers. Thank you Rihanna. In an era where political leadership is lacking we are grateful for others stepping forward,” she wrote along with sharing a screenshot of Rihanna’s tweet.Author and niece of US Vice President Kamala Harris, Meena also showed her support on social media towards the agitating farmers as well.She wrote on Twitter, “It’s no coincidence that the world’s oldest democracy was attacked not even a month ago, and as we speak, the most populous democracy is under assault.””This is related. We ALL should be outraged by India’s internet shutdowns and paramilitary violence against farmer protesters,” she added.

Harris wrote further, “Militant nationalism is just as potent a force in US politics as it is in India or anyplace else. It can only be stopped if people wake up to the reality that FASCIST DICTATORS aren’t going anywhere.”

US House Representative Jim Costa also called the ongoing unrest as troubling and added that the situation is being closely monitored.”The unfolding events in India are troubling. As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I am closely monitoring the situation. The right to peaceful protest must always be respected. #FarmersProtest,” Costa wrote.Meanwhile, the Haryana government has extended the suspension of mobile internet services in several districts of the state till 5 pm on February 3.Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 last year against the three newly enacted farm laws: Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

How volunteers in Punjab are keeping Indian farmers protest alive

By Annmira Joseph

Jartauli, Punjab – Birds fly over lush green fields as an announcement made from the loudspeaker of a local Sikh temple, gurdwara, breaks silence on a misty, winter morning.

“Our trolleys and volunteers are ready to leave in a while. People are requested to come over to bid farewell to our brave hearts,” a male voice reverberates in Jartauli, a nondescript village 25km (15 miles) southwest of Ludhiana in Punjab province of India.

Without any delay, men, women and children – all visibly excited – start pouring in the lawns of the gurdwara. They surround seven tractors decked with colourful flags and attached with trolleys.

The trolleys are floored with carpets and rugs and roofed by tarpaulins fitted on ropes and bamboo sticks. Between the roof and the floor is a bed of logs loaded with sacks of wheat flour, rice and pulses, cartons of packaged water, bags of disposable plates and cups, and several boxes of medicine.

Each among the 20-odd volunteers is garlanded by the village head, as villagers wait to greet and hug them. Some take pictures as the volunteers embark on their journey.

Loaded with supplies, the caravan of tractors is headed for a 325km (201 miles) journey to Singhu on the outskirts of the Indian capital, New Delhi, where thousands of farmers have been protesting against India’s new farm laws for more than two months.

The protesting farmers, mostly from Punjab, are spread over several kilometres near Singhu border, blocking important highways to the capital with their tractors and tents.

The farmers fear three new laws brought in by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in September last year will end a system of guaranteed price on their produce and push the country’s vast agriculture sector under the control of private corporations.

The farmers demand a repeal of the laws, which the government claims will modernise farming and make farmers richer.

Multiple rounds of talks between the government and the leaders of the farmers’ unions have failed. The farmers have also rejected a government offer to suspend the implementation of the law for 18 months.

Protests began in Punjab
The protests first broke out in September in towns and cities across Punjab. In late November, the farmers marched towards New Delhi, but were stopped at entry points to the capital, including Singhu, which became the epicentre of the protest movement – one of the largest India has witnessed in decades.

Farmers say they are determined to stay put and claimed to be carrying supplies that will last months. Thousands of men and women are being sustained by huge community kitchens serving food day and night, and other facilities, including makeshift medical camps.

Behind the continuing protests is a well-organised network of volunteers from villages in Punjab and the neighbouring Haryana state, supplying the agitators with “whatever is required”.

Jartauli village sent 10 volunteers with two tractors to join the protest at Singhu two months ago. Since then, they keep sending in supplies almost every week and a new group of volunteers replaces the old ones.

Days before the latest convoy of tractors was ready to leave Jartauli, which has a population of about 450 households, Narmal Singh, 47, accompanied by a group of volunteers went to every house to collect financial donations and food supplies.

“With empty barrels in a truck, we passed by homes and people donated whatever they could,” said Narmal, who, like most people in his village, is also a farmer and owns two acres (0.81 hectares) of land.

“People give rice, wheat flour, sugar, pulses, vegetables, blankets, clothes and other things.”

Among the things they collected that day were 1,500kg wheat flour, 1,000kg khoya (a dairy product), 400kg rice, besides 80,000 rupees ($1,097) in cash.

Since the protests began, Narmal said people from his village have donated more than 500,000 rupees ($6,800) in cash.

Every morning in Jartauli, a volunteer collects milk from each household and supplies to the protest sites. The villagers say they have supplied about 4,000 gallons (15,142 litres) of milk so far, averaging 150 litres a day.

“Whatever we are supplying is our home produce and we will keep supplying till our demands are not fulfilled,” said Narmal.

As the truck passed through the village, with a speaker system mounted on top asking for donations, the barrels got filled. Narmal kept writing names of the people who donated for the record.

The supplies were stocked in sacks and loaded on the trolleys. Some are kept for making traditional sweet dishes, called peeni in gurdwara’s kitchen, and then loaded with the stock.

“We also contact our people who are at the protest site and ask them for the additional list of things they need. That stuff is brought from the market from the donations,” said Harbans Singh, a 65-year-old farmer who is also working as a volunteer.

“Sometimes, shopkeepers in the market do not take money or make considerable discounts,” he said.

Behind the well-managed chain of pooling resources is a decades-old tradition in Punjab villages.

“We did not set up any new structure to support the protests,” 55-year-old Jigrup Singh told Al Jazeera.

“In villages, we always have volunteers associated with the gurdwara who keep pooling in resources for different religious and social occasions.”

Jigrup says the concept of community kitchen is central to Sikhism.

“In our village, we prepare food in the community kitchen of gurdwara once or twice every month or whenever someone passes away,” said Jigrup.

At many gurdwaras across India, the community kitchens are run on daily a basis.

The villagers say they are working for the farmers’ protest at Delhi border on the same pattern.

“We are collecting donations and material supplies like we do for our festivals,” said 42-year-old Sharanjit. “It is just that the quantity of supplies has increased. We are treating it as a big festival which needs more supplies.”

“Feeding people is part of our religion,” he added.

Besides the huge protest at Singhu, smaller protests are going on across Punjab as well. And the state’s villages keep feeding these protest sites as well.

As Narmal Singh bids adieu to the group of volunteers – which also includes his 21-year-old son, Prab Singh, and brother Amreek Singh – a group of villagers circles him. They are registering their names as volunteers to go with the next batch.

“Everyone wants to go to the protest site,” says Narmal. “But we have to also work at the backend here in the villages and keep the supply chain working.”

Asked how long can they sustain their protest, he says, “We are prepared till 2024” – the year Prime Minister Modi’s term gets over and new elections are scheduled.

M’sians among over 6,000 completed full Covid-19 vaccination in S’pore

By Annmira Joseph

SINGAPORE: A number of Malaysians working in Singapore are among over 6,000 individuals who have received the second jab of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine here, completing the full vaccination.

“Alhamdulillah and I feel relieved,” Imra Astata Ibrahim told Bernama when met recently after receiving his second vaccine injection at a polyclinic in Pioneer near here.

He and another Malaysian working in the marine sector, one of the sectors given priority for vaccination in the republic, received their first injection in stages since early January.

Imra Astata, 40, who accepted the offer from his employer without hesitation, expressed his gratitude for not having to wait long to receive the vaccine.

Imra Astata only returned to the republic on Sept 24, 2020 after strict measures at the borders were introduced in March last year to curb the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Hopefully this vaccine is effective and I do hope the situation will be back to normal,” said the father of three who has high hopes that by getting vaccinated, it will be easier for him to travel back and forth to Johor as before.

According to the republic’s Ministry of Health, as of Feb 2, more than 175,000 individuals have received the first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine here and about 6,000 of them completed the full vaccination.

In two weeks’ time, the ministry said they will be adequately protected against Covid-19.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the first Covid-19 vaccine used in Singapore with the first delivery arriving on Dec 21 and the vaccination program started on Dec 30.

As an advice to those who are still skeptical of the Covid-19 vaccination, Imra Astata said: “Certainly every government will run a clinical trial. Do not worry about the side effects too as they are very minimal.”

“To those who have yet to take it … please do take it when the opportunity arises,” said Imra Astata, adding early recipients of the vaccine should not be regarded as ‘laboratory rats’.

He said he only experienced a slight numb and pain at the injection area in the first three days after the jab. He received his second injection after 21 days.

“The injection is not painful .. it is like taking a BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guerin) vaccine injection during school days,” he said before leaving on his motorbike to return to work.

Although it is voluntarily, Singapore has made provision for all Singaporeans and long-term residents in Singapore to get vaccinated by end-2021, and it will be free.

Singapore on Feb 3 has granted an interim authorisation for the second Covid-19 vaccine, Moderna, to be used in Singapore and is expected to arrive in March 2021.