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International News (6891)
February
South Korea to scrap COVID test on arrival rule for travellers from China
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korea will not require travellers from China to test for COVID-19 upon arrivals from next month although they will still need to take pre-departure tests, a South Korean official said on Wednesday, its latest easing of rules to stop the virus.
South Korea imposed several restrictions on passengers from China after it lifted its stringent zero-COVID policy late last year, but it has been easing them, citing an improved COVID situation in its neighbour.
"Additional easing of quarantine measures appears possible as the positive rate among arrivals from China has dropped from 18.4% in the first week of January to 0.6% in the third week of February," Kim Sung-ho, a vice ministerial official at the Ministry of Interior and Safety, said during a meeting on the COVID response.
Effective March 1, South Korea will also allow flights from China to land in airports other than its main Incheon International Airport, which has been the sole gateway for flights from China since early January.
Mandatory PCR tests before departure for passengers from China will remain in place until March 10, Kim said, to monitor and evaluate the impact of the rule relaxation.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Beijing was willing to consider reciprocal measures when the time was appropriate.
South Korea earlier resumed issuing short-term visas for travellers from China, followed by Beijing's lifting of similar visa curbs that were imposed in a response for Seoul's border restrictions. (Reuters)
February
Australia, Philippines discuss joint South China Sea patrols
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Philippines and Australia on Wednesday discussed pursuing joint patrols in the South China Sea, days after the Southeast Asian country held similar talks with the United States on the need to counter China's assertiveness in the strategic waterway.
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles met with Philippine counterpart Carlito Galvez in Manila, something they said they plan to do yearly to deepen their security ties.
"We did talk today about the possibility of exploring joint patrols and we will continue that work and we hope that comes to fruition soon," Marles said at a joint news conference.
"As countries which are committed to the global rules-based order, it is natural that we should think about ways in which we can cooperate in this respect."
With some overlapping maritime claims, the Philippines is ramping up its attempts to counter what it describes as China's "aggressive activities" in the South China Sea, which has also become a flashpoint for Chinese and U.S. tensions around naval operation.
On Tuesday, a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) aircraft flew over the South China Sea, as part of efforts to boost its presence in contested waters and protect what it says is its maritime territory.
In a statement, the PCG said it saw a Chinese coast guard vessel and dozens of what it suspected were boats manned by Chinese militia around the Second Thomas and Sabina Shoals, both of which are inside the Philippines' 200-mile exclusive economic zone.
The PCG ordered the suspected militia to leave, telling them "they were not authorised to loiter nor swarm these shoals."
China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The possibility of the Philippines and Australia holding joint patrols comes on the heels of similar discussions between Manila and Washington about conducting joint coast guard patrols, including in the South China Sea.
Military ties between Australia and the Philippines date back to 1922 and the two nations have an agreement on visiting forces that provides a legal and operational framework for defence activities.
Galvez on Tuesday had a call with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin where they discussed resumption of combined maritime activities in the South China Sea, according to a Pentagon statement.
They talked about "concerning developments" including a Feb. 6 incident in which China's coast guard directed a military-grade laser at the crew of a Philippine coast guard vessel around Second Thomas Shoal.
China has said the Philippines' account did not reflect the truth and that its actions were legal. (Reuters)
February
South Korea's world lowest fertility rate drops again
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korea's fertility rate dropped last year to a record low, data showed on Wednesday, in yet another grim milestone for the country with the world's lowest number of expected children for each woman.
The average number of expected babies per South Korean woman over her reproductive life fell to 0.78 in 2022 down from 0.81 a year earlier, the official annual reading from the Statistics Korea showed.
That is the lowest among countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), which had an average rate of 1.59 in 2020, and far below 1.64 in the United States and 1.33 in Japan the same year.
The government has failed to reverse the falling birth rate despite spending billions of dollars each year on childcare subsidies.
As of 2020, South Korea was the only country among the OECD members to have a rate below 1, giving it a shrinking population.
Being married is seen as a prerequisite to having children in South Korea, but marriages are also plunging in the country amid sky-high costs of housing and education.
The nation's capital Seoul logged the lowest birth rate of 0.59. (reuters)
February
For two Russian women, the war in Ukraine stirs pride or fear
Written by Nur Yasmin
For two Russian women, both named Yekaterina, the war in Ukraine has stirred them to very different emotions. One supports President Vladimir Putin and expects victory, while the other opposes Putin and thinks Russia will lose.
A year since Putin sent troops into Ukraine, the views of Russia's 145 million people about the war are still difficult to discern, though official opinion polls say Putin's approval rating remains around 80%.
Yekaterina, 38, is a supporter of Putin and believes that Russia will ultimately triumph, even though it is now fighting a Ukraine backed by the U.S.-led NATO military alliance.
Her flat in southern Moscow is packed full of bags of donated clothes and boxes of food that she has collected to send to Russian-controlled Donbas, where many people have been left homeless by the war.
"When my boyfriend went off to fight as a volunteer, I understood that I had to do something to help," she said, asking for her surname not to be used for fear of online abuse from supporters of Ukraine.
"We need to help to defend our country, our families, those who are close to us and all of Russia," she said, adding she supported Putin and the current path of the Kremlin leadership.
In her flat, she sorted dozens of bags, carefully labelling those containing winter clothes, fur-lined boots and baby clothes, sometimes discarding boots that were not in good enough condition.
Polling by the independent Levada Centre indicates around 75% of Russians support the Russian military, while 19% do not and 6% don't know. Three-quarters of Russians expect Russia to be victorious.
Many diplomats and analysts doubt the figures.
"I support the president and think he is working well," Yekaterina said. "Russia will be victorious - unequivocally."
TWO VIEWS
Just 10 kilometres (6 miles) south, another Yekaterina has a completely different view. Yekaterina Varenik, 26, who used to work at state-controlled gas giant Gazprom, hates the war and publicly opposes Putin.
After a Russian strike on Dnipro last month, she held up a placard reading "Ukrainians are not our enemies but our brothers" in front of the Moscow statue of Lesya Ukrainka, a Ukrainian poet.
Her flat echoes with emptiness. Everything has been sold or stored as she packs up to leave Russia for Kyrgyzstan to join her husband, who left soon after Putin ordered troops into Ukraine.
Varenik recalled the shock and emotion of first hearing the war had started on Feb. 24 last year. Like many Russians, she has close familial and friendship networks which criss-crossed the borders of post-Soviet Russia and Ukraine.
She remembers holidaying in Ukraine as a child. Now her family is divided by several closed borders and impassable front lines.
After her placard protest, she spent 12 days in detention.
"Many of my friends have left," Varenik said. "If you are in danger and in order not to be complicit in these events, you need to use all means to escape."
Since the war, and after Putin's partial mobilisation in September, sections of Moscow's wealthy cultural, technological and economic elites have left in the biggest wave of emigration since the years following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
Soon after the war began, Putin warned Russians to be vigilant about Russian "traitors" and "scum" who he said the West would try to use as fifth column to destroy the country.
Some officials have been concerned by such a large exodus of Russian talent, though others dismiss the concerns and say Russian society is now much more united without those whose allegiances are questionable.
"It is very sad but it seems to me that this will not be ending any time soon," Varenik said. "I think this is only going to end when Russia either admits defeat or loses."
In her view, Russia's and Russians' reputation will be sullied for ever.
"We in Russia will probably never be able to wash it off." (Reuters)
February
India ties up with Singapore for its first real-time overseas payments link
Written by Nur Yasmin
India and Singapore launched on Tuesday a real-time link to facilitate easier cross-border money transfers between the two countries, the first such for the South Asian nation that is the world's biggest recipient of remittances.
Transfers of funds between the two countries will now be possible using just mobile phones due to the tie-up between India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Singapore's PayNow facility.
Such arrangements, which are a growing trend in Asia, typically lower the costs of payments. Singapore has already established a cross-border payments link with Thailand and is working on one with Malaysia, according to the website of the city-state's central bank.
"This will enable people from both the countries to immediately and at low-cost transfer funds (by) just using their mobile phones," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a virtual event for the launch of the service. The linkage will help migrant workers, professionals, students and their families, said Modi.
UPI is an instant real-time payments system, allowing users to transfer money across multiple banks without disclosing bank account details. Similarly, PayNow is a service offered by participating banks that allows sending and receiving Singapore dollar funds from one bank to another using a mobile number.
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told the launch event cross-border retail payments and remittances between the two countries currently amount to over $1 billion annually.
"The UPI-PayNow linkage will grow in utility and will contribute more in facilitating trade," Lee said.
India received $89 billion in foreign remittances in 2021/22, the highest ever in a year by any nation. The World Bank has projected that number to rise to $100 billion in the current year.
"This interlinkage aligns with the G20's financial inclusion priorities of driving faster, cheaper and more transparent cross-border payments...," the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in a statement.
In the India-Singapore link, to begin with, State Bank of India (SBI.NS), Indian Overseas Bank (IOBK.NS), Indian Bank (INBA.NS) and ICICI Bank (ICBK.NS) will facilitate both inward and outward remittances while Axis Bank (AXBK.NS) and DBS India will facilitate inward remittances, RBI added.
For Singapore users, the service will be made available through DBS-Singapore (DBSM.SI) and Liquid Group - a non-bank financial institution. More number of banks will be included in the linkage over time, it added.
Initially, an Indian user can remit up to 60,000 Indian rupees ($725.16) a day. (Reuters)
February
UN torture prevention panel terminates visit to Australia
Written by Nur Yasmin
A U.N. torture prevention panel terminated its suspended visit to Australia, saying it continued to face obstacles in getting access to some detention centres in the country.
The U.N. Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) on Monday said it had requested several assurances in order to resume its visit but some guarantees were not provided, and it could not decide on a "reasonable timeframe" for a visit.
"Despite the good cooperation the Subcommittee has with the Australian federal authorities following our initial mission, there is no alternative but to terminate the visit as the issue of unrestricted access to all places of deprivation of liberty in two states has not yet been resolved," SPT Chairperson Suzanne Jabbour said in a statement.
The Australian government "deeply regrets" the decision by the U.N. panel, a spokesperson for Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in an emailed response.
"This is despite the fact that the SPT carried out successful visits to places of detention across almost all jurisdictions in Australia, and the progress made by Australia in addressing the concerns raised by the SPT," it said.
An optional protocol against torture and degrading treatment, which Australia is a signatory to, allows for SPT to visit prisons, police stations and other detention centres unannounced.
New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, in October 2022 blocked the panel from visiting its prisons, saying the state maintained high standards at its jails and Australia was a sovereign country. Dreyfuss then said the decision by New South Wales was disappointing.
The U.N. delegation was also prevented from visiting correctional facilities in Queensland state prompting it to suspend its 12-day visit.
The offices of the premiers of New South Wales and Queensland did not immediately respond to a Reuters request seeking comment.
Jabbour said a report based on what the panel had observed during its October visit would be shared with the Australian authorities. (Reuters)
February
Japan says economy in modest recovery, caution over global slowdown
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan kept its assessment of the economy unchanged in February as consumer spending remained on a recovery trend despite soft exports and factory output due to the global economic slowdown.
The government also retained its caution over the impact of global monetary tightening, price hikes and supply constraint in its monthly report. It will continue to closely monitor financial market fluctuations and China's COVID-19 situation, the report said.
The new economic assessment comes after data last week showed Japan's economy averted recession but rebounded much less than expected in the fourth quarter last year as business investment slumped.
"The economy is picking up moderately, although some weakness is seen recently," the Cabinet Office said in its monthly economic assessment, which was unchanged from January.
Consumer spending, which accounts for more than half of Japan's gross domestic product (GDP), was "recovering moderately" as people spent on eating at restaurants and travelling as well as purchasing autos, according to the report.
The government's campaign to subsidise domestic travel and the easing of border control steps boosted tourism, the report said.
The Cabinet Office described exports as "weakening recently", unchanged from the January report. Japan's shipments to Asia weakened due to impacts from China's coronavirus wave and softer demand for the semiconductor market. These also impacted manufacturers' production activities. The Cabinet Office said recovery in Japan's factory output was "stalling" in the latest report.
Uninspiring data highlights the delicate task at hand for academic Kazuo Ueda, the government's nominee to become the next central bank governor, as he plots a path to normalising the bank's ultra-easy policy without derailing a fragile economic recovery. (Reuters)
February
Australia's foreign interference laws designed for China - former PM Turnbull
Written by Nur Yasmin
Exposing China's activities was the "key purpose" of Australia's foreign interference laws, but the scheme has failed to do this, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who introduced the laws, said on Tuesday.
The Australian government was careful not to name China when introducing laws to prevent foreign interference in 2018, but the move nonetheless sparked tension with Australia's largest trading partner that later developed into a diplomatic freeze.
Turnbull told a parliamentary committee the "key purpose" of a foreign interest register was to disclose the links the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department had formed in Australia.
"The most active state and political party seeking to influence public affairs in Australia is China ... but they don't seem to appear on the register," he told a parliamentary inquiry in Canberra on Tuesday.
The law was aimed at authoritarian states and not Australia's security allies, and geopolitical tensions had worsened since it was introduced, he added.
The Albanese government, elected in May, has sought to stabilise relations with Beijing and wants to restart exports to China that were hit by trade bans during the diplomatic dispute, but says it has not changed its policy on China.
The committee is examining whether to adjust the foreign interference laws to improve their effectiveness.
Australia's government plans to "out" foreign interference operations that are targeting politicians, academics and community leaders, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said earlier this month. (Reuters)
February
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Tuesday said he would dissolve parliament next month ahead of an election that would likely take place on May 7, a potential date previously outlined by the country's poll body.
The former army chief, who has been in power since he led a coup in 2014, said the election commission needed until the end of this month to agree on a timeframe, while house dissolution in March would be sufficient time for candidates to prepare.
Asked by a reporter if the election would be on May 7, Prayuth said: "Sure, why not?"
Campaigning is already underway in Thailand for an election that could upset the status quo after nearly nine years of government led or controlled by the military and its backers in the royalist establishment.
Opinion polls on the top choice for next leader show Prayuth, 68, trailing political newcomer Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the 36-year-old daughter and niece of two former prime ministers elected in landslides but toppled by the army.
Paetongtarn will represent the opposition Pheu Thai, the latest incarnation of a party controlled by the billionaire Shinawatra family, which has won the most votes in every election since 2001.
Prayuth, who leads a 17-party coalition government, has switched to the new United Thai Nation party (UTN), while his military mentor and deputy prime minister, Prawit Wongsuwan, 77, will represent the ruling Palang Pracharat party.
Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri on Tuesday presented a rough timeline for an election likely in early May, with results announced in early July.
The new legislature would choose a prime minister by the end of July and name their cabinet in early August, with Prayuth's government serving as caretaker in the interim, Auncha told a news conference. (Reuters)
February
Japan, China to work towards direct communication line for security, Japan says
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan and China will work towards launching a direct communication line for security from this spring, Japan's defence ministry said on Tuesday in a statement after talks between senior defence officials from both countries.
Japan told China that violations of its airspace by unmanned surveillance balloons were unacceptable, Kyodo news agency reported, citing a Japanese defence ministry source.
Tokyo also urged Beijing to examine the situation and take preventive steps, the report said.
Japan's Defence Ministry said last week it "strongly suspects" Chinese surveillance balloons had entered Japanese territory at least three times since 2019.
Senior officials from the two nations are due to meet on Wednesday for security talks. (Reuters)