VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Britain's Prince Charles flew to Barbados as the Caribbean nation prepared for a celebration on Monday marking the founding of a republic and the removal of the queen as sovereign, cutting imperial ties some 400 years after English ships first arrived.

Barbados won independence from Britain in 1966 but has retained Queen Elizabeth as its official sovereign. She will be replaced with a Barbadian president in an inauguration ceremony to be held when the country celebrates independence on Tuesday.

Shedding the final vestiges of a colonial system that once spanned the globe will not have a direct impact on Barbados' economy or trade relations.

Prince Charles will deliver a speech just after midnight on Tuesday, saying that much of the relationship between the two nations will remain the same, including "the myriad connections between the people of our countries – through which flow admiration and affection, co-operation and opportunity."

Buckingham Palace says the issue is a matter for the people of Barbados to decide.

It will mark the first time in three decades that the queen is removed as head of state. Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean, proclaimed itself a republic in 1992.

The celebration will begin late on Monday and extend into Tuesday, when Sandra Mason will be inaugurated as the country's first president to serve as a largely symbolic figure behind Prime Minister Mia Mottley.

Mason currently holds the position of Governor-General, the queen's representative in Barbados.

The shift may spur discussion of similar proposals in other former British colonies that have Queen Elizabeth as their sovereign, which include Jamaica, Australia and Canada.

Mottley in a speech on Saturday said foundation of the republic marks a step forward for Barbados, but added that citizens must confront challenges such as inequality and climate change with the same fervor with which they sought independence in the 20th century.

"As we move to become a parliamentary republic after 396 years of British monarchical rule ... I ask us to recognize that the challenges may have changed, but they are as daunting as they ever were," said Mottley at the inauguration of a park that honors Barbadian independence activists. (reuters)

China's military is trying to wear out Taiwan's armed forces with its repeated missions nearby, but Taiwan is capable of responding, Taipei's defence minister said on Monday after a renewed spike in Chinese air force activity.

Taiwan scrambled fighters again on Sunday after 27 Chinese air force planes again entered its air defence identification zone, or ADIZ.

"Their intention is to slowly exhaust, to let you know that we have this power," Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told reporters on the sidelines of a parliamentary briefing for lawmakers, when asked about the latest incursion.

"Our national forces have shown that, while you may have this power, we have countermeasures."

Taiwan has complained for a year or more of repeated missions by China's air force near the democratically governed island and in its ADIZ - not its territorial air space, but a broader area Taiwan monitors and patrols that acts to give it more time to respond to any threats.

Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own and has not ruled out taking by force, calls China's activities "grey zone" warfare.

Chiu, who described the situation as "very serious", said Taiwan will continue to analyse the types of aircraft China uses to inform future plans.

The latest Chinese mission included 18 fighters jets plus five nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, as well as, unusually, a Y-20 aerial refuelling aircraft, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said.

The bombers and six of the fighters flew to the south of Taiwan into the Bashi Channel which separates the island from the Philippines, then out into the Pacific before heading back to China, according to a map the ministry provided.

Those aircraft were accompanied by the refuelling aircraft, suggesting China refuelled the shorter-ranged fighters inflight, a skill the country's air force is still working to hone to enable it to project power further from China's shores.

Taiwan sent combat aircraft to warn away the Chinese aircraft, while missile systems were deployed to monitor them, the ministry said.

China has previously said such missions are designed to protect the country's sovereignty. (reuters)

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday the country will move into a system of living with the COVID-19 virus later this week despite the new Omicron variant posing a fresh health threat to the world.

There were no cases of the Omicron variant in New Zealand at this stage but the developing global situation showed why a cautious approach was needed at the borders, she said.

"Omicron is a reminder of the risk that still exists at our borders," Ardern said at the news conference.

New Zealand has some of the toughest border controls in the world and plans to keep borders closed to most international travellers for a further five months. read more

It also introduced fresh border measures for travellers from nine southern African nation on the weekend, announcing that only citizens from these countries can travel to New Zealand and will have to stay in state quarantine for 14 days.

Ardern said a lot of evidence still needed to be gathered to know the impact of the Omicron variant.

"It may impact on our vaccines, but it may not. It may be more severe or it may be more mild than Delta ... we simply dont know," Ardern said.

Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said authorities were looking at whether more needed to be done at the borders to keep Omicron away.

"It's really just looking to keep it (Omicron) out while we learn more about it," Bloomfield told reporters at the news conference.

New Zealand moves into a new "traffic light" system from Friday that rates regions as red, orange or green depending on their level of exposure to COVID-19 and vaccination rates. Auckland, the epicentre of the country's Delta outbreak, will start at red, making face masks mandatory and putting limits on gatherings at public places.

New Zealand has had about 11,000 cases so far and 43 related deaths. (reuters)

Singapore and Malaysia reopened one of the world's busiest land borders on Monday, allowing vaccinated travellers to cross after nearly two years of being shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although travellers welcomed the chance to reunite with family and friends, there were concerns the border might be closed again due to the new Omicron coronavirus variant.

As many as 300,000 Malaysians commuted daily to Singapore before the pandemic. The sudden closing of the border in March 2020 left tens of thousands stranded on both sides, separated from families and fearing for their jobs.

At the Queen Street bus terminal in Singapore, a few dozen people waiting to board the first buses to Malaysia expressed caution.

"The borders may close soon because of the new variant," said Eugene Ho, a 31-year-old banker leaving Singapore for the first time in nearly two years. "I am actually very worried about getting stuck."

Travellers must test negative for COVID-19 before departure, and also take an on-arrival test.

Malaysia's health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said on Monday one traveller had tested positive to a rapid antigen test, noting some COVID-19 cases were inevitable.

"What's important is our diagnostic capabilities and requirements, and the risk assessment steps to be taken when something like this happens," he said.

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob was welcomed by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at one of the land border crossings on Monday, his first official visit as premier to Singapore.

Both countries were aiming to include general travellers in this reopening plan from mid-December onwards, Lee said during a joint news conference.

Under the latest arrangement, up to 1,440 travellers from either side can cross the land border per day without quarantine, if they hold citizenship, permanent residency or long-term visas in the destination country.

Siva Kumar, a 41-year-old engineer in the semiconductor industry based in Singapore, said he had been inundated with calls from his two teenage sons waiting eagerly for his return to Malaysia.

"All morning they keep calling, 'Where are you now? Have you taken the bus yet?'," Kumar said. "(I want to) hug them, kiss them. I've really missed them."

The first flights operating under an air travel lane for vaccinated passengers between the two countries also arrived in both countries on Monday.

Singapore has vaccinated 85% of its entire population, while about 80% of Malaysia's population has been inoculated.

With an aging population of 5.5 million, Singapore relies heavily on Malaysians living in the southern state of Johor to staff businesses ranging from restaurants to semiconductor manufacturing.

Singapore reported 747 locally acquired COVID-19 cases on Sunday, its lowest tally since mid-September. Malaysia reported 4,239 cases on Sunday, the smallest number since early November. (reuters)