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October
Malaysia's king held routine meeting with PM, palace says amid election speculation
Written by Nur Yasmin
Malaysia's King Al-Sultan Abdullah held a routine meeting with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Thursday to discuss government related matters, the palace said in a statement.
The statement comes after Ismail said he may discuss holding early elections with the king. (Reuters)
October
Russians fleeing war call-up face new stresses on arrival in Kazakhstan
Written by Nur Yasmin
Russians opposed to the war in Ukraine or fearful of being sent to fight there have fled to Kazakhstan in their hundreds of thousands, but many are finding new problems on arrival.
Worries about money, sudden large increases in housing costs in response to the Russian influx, and scarce jobs are compounded by pressures from family back home - some have even been accused by relatives of betraying their country.
And the scale of the exodus has given rise to concerns from some Kazakhs who see the incoming Russians as a potential economic burden and even a security risk.
Kamar Karimova, a university professor in Kazakhstan's biggest city Almaty, had to move out of a rented apartment within a day when her landlord abruptly raised the monthly rent by 42% to 340,000 tenge ($723).
"Many of my friends, acquaintances and students ended up in similar situations," she says.
Rents have soared in Kazakhstan and other Central Asian nations - as well as Georgia - where Russians have headed since President Vladimir Putin announced a "partial mobilisation" on Sept. 21 to boost Russia's flagging war effort in Ukraine.
In Georgia, some landlords have started adding a "no Russians" clause to their rental ads.
"Colleagues and I...rented out a one-bedroom apartment in poor condition located in what we were told was a dangerous neighbourhood," said Dmitry, 39, a Russian interviewed in the Kazakh capital Astana who asked not to be identified by his full name.
"The price is not critical, but if you are paying 20,000 tenge ($43) per day and everyone tells you it is not worth even 10,000 tenge, you start believing them and it begins to stress you out."
The Kazakh government said this week that more than 200,000 Russians had entered the country since Putin's announcement, and some 147,000 had since left. No data is available on their final destinations, though some are thought to have headed to neighbouring former Soviet republics.
About 77,000 have registered in Kazakhstan's national ID system, a prerequisite for getting a job or a bank account.
The Kremlin on Thursday denied reports that 700,000 Russians had fled the country since the mobilisation decree. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov could give no precise figures but said "of course they are far from what's being claimed there".
'DRAFT DODGERS'
The sudden influx has worried and even angered some locals in Kazakhstan. Several bloggers have posted videos online in which they ask newly arrived Russians about their position on Crimea, the peninsula which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
"To be honest, I am concerned because I do not know who they are, what they think, because they only started leaving (Russia) after the so-called partial mobilisation was declared," Kazakh politician Mukhtar Taizhan said.
"They are draft dodgers, to put it bluntly, the ones who got [became?] afraid they would be sent to war. We do not know... whether or not they support Putin."
Taizhan said he wanted the government to introduce tighter border controls, including background checks, or, ideally, to shut the border completely for Russians to protect the local labour market and avoid security risks.
"Tomorrow, they might unite into a group, start demanding something here," he said. "This might turn into a concern for our security and, God forbid, territorial integrity."
Uzbekistan's government said on Tuesday it was strengthening border controls, with border guard troops to be involved in vehicle and cargo checks alongside customs officials.
Jobs are another concern, both for Kazakhs and for the Russians. Yana, 25, who left Moscow after getting detained and briefly jailed a few times for attending anti-government protests, is trying to find a job as a waiter in Almaty, but everyone tells her waiters need to speak Kazakh.
"I have visited about 10 cafes, but no luck so far," she said.
Some Kazakh businesses have publicly announced job offers for those fleeing the Russian draft, but some of those offers explicitly stated they were aimed only at ethnic Kazakhs.
Muscovite Alexei, 41, plans to continue working remotely for his company's Russian office, having relocated to Almaty.
"I am mostly concerned about not being able to transfer money from my Russian bank account to my new Kazakh card. A bank clerk here offered a couple of solutions. Will be good if it works. If not, I'm screwed," he said.
Nikita Rakhimov, a Russian psychologist who has also moved to Kazakhstan and set up a psychological help chat in messaging app Telegram for fellow emigres, says the most common complaints are accusations of treachery from Russian relatives, and anxiety.
"People usually react to accusations of betrayal with confusion, because this means that this relative values my life lower than the (outcome of) the conflict in Ukraine," he said.
"(Anxiety) is the most typical complaint right now. Everybody is experiencing it. Even those who had a well thought-out plan when they left - and those are in the absolute minority. Against the backdrop of this anxiety, a person's worries are amplified. And neuroses worsen." (Reuters)
October
A court in military-ruled Myanmar has sentenced a Japanese documentary filmmaker to 10 years in prison for violating sedition and communications laws, a Japanese foreign ministry official said on Thursday.
Toru Kubota, 26, was arrested in July at a protest in Myanmar's main city of Yangon. At the time, it was reported he faced charges of breaking an immigration law and encouraging dissent against the ruling military.
Kubota was on Wednesday sentenced to three years in prison for sedition and seven years for violating a law on telecommunications, the ministry official said, citing the filmmaker's lawyer.
However, he was expected to serve the sentences concurrently, media in Myanmar reported, citing the junta's communications team.
A court hearing on his alleged violation of the immigration control law was scheduled for Oct. 12, the Japanese ministry official said.
"We have been asking Myanmar authorities for Mr. Kubota's early release, and we intend to keep on doing so," he said.
Calls to a Myanmar military spokesperson seeking comment were not answered. The junta says Myanmar's courts are independent and those arrested are receiving due process.
Myanmar has been trapped in a spiral of violence since the military overthrew an elected government last year. The junta has arrested thousands including politicians, bureaucrats, students, journalists, and foreigners as it attempts to smother dissent.
A Japanese freelance journalist was arrested last year and charged with spreading false news in his coverage of anti-coup protests. He was later freed with the junta saying his release was in recognition the two countries' close ties. (Reuters)
October
UN rights body renews accountability mandate for Sri Lanka
Written by Nur Yasmin
The U.N. rights body on Thursday agreed to renew a resolution on Sri Lanka that mandates monitors to collect evidence and develop accountability strategies on gross human rights violations despite intense criticism from several countries including China and Pakistan.
The resolution brought by Britain, Canada, the United States and others passed with 20 votes in favour and 7 against. It called on Sri Lanka to make more progress towards establishing a credible investigation into alleged war crimes during the civil war that ended in 2009 and promote demilitarisation of the island's north and eastern regions.
It also called for the government to investigate and prosecute former and current public officials who triggered the island's worst financial crisis in more than seven decades plunging the 22 million population into soaring inflation, currency depreciation and severe food and fuel shortages. (Reuters)
October
Taiwan foresees more Chinese coercion, intimidation in Xi's next term
Written by Nur Yasmin
Taiwan expects China to increase its coercion and intimidation to achieve its goal of bringing the island under Beijing's control once President Xi Jinping assumes a third term in office, a senior Taiwanese minister said on Thursday.
Beijing's once-in-five years leadership reshuffle is set for the Communist Party congress that starts Oct. 16, where Xi is poised to break with precedent and secure a third leadership term.
China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has ramped up military and political pressure to assert sovereignty claims, including staging war games near the island in August after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei.
Speaking to lawmakers, Chiu Tai-san, the head of Taiwan's China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council, said Xi will further consolidate his power at the party congress.
"Following that, the strength of the Chinese Communist Party will gradually expand, along with the continuous emphasis on promoting the reunification process in its development strategy," Chiu said.
"We believe that the Beijing authorities' work on Taiwan has entered the stage of strengthening the practice of the so-called 'anti-independence and promoting reunification'," he added
China will do this by using "coercion and intimidation", "grey zone" activities and international law to "interfere with and hinder Taiwan's interaction and cooperation with the international community to achieve its goals towards Taiwan", Chiu said.
Speaking at a parallel session in parliament, Taiwan's National Security Bureau Director-General Chen Ming-tong said Xi was using Taiwan as a way to stay in power.
"It has been his position that the Taiwan issue can't be passed onto the next generations anymore, so he's using the Taiwan issue as an excuse to extend his term," Chen said.
"As a result he can't just do nothing about Taiwan. However, if he settles the Taiwan issue then he has no excuse for another term."
As a result, Chen said, Taiwan must make preparations to make China "pay a great price" for attacking the island, including consequences for its economy and foreign relations.
China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, but has also pledged to work for peaceful "reunification" with Taiwan under a "one country, two systems" model.
All mainstream Taiwanese political parties have rejected that proposal and it has almost no public support, according to opinion polls.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not answer calls seeking comment. The country is in the middle of a weeklong national holiday.
China refuses to speak to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, re-elected by a landslide in 2020 on a promise to stand up to Beijing, believing she is a separatist. Tsai has repeatedly offered talks based on parity and mutual respect. (Reuters)
October
Malaysia PM Ismail raises prospect of early election
Written by Nur Yasmin
Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said he could propose a date for the dissolution of parliament in a Thursday meeting with the country's monarch, though the palace played down the meeting as a regular weekly discussion.
The palace said the two held a "routine" meeting to discuss government matters. Its statement did not mention dissolution. Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's office did not have an immediate comment.
An election is not due until September 2023, but Ismail has been under pressure from some factions of his ruling coalition to hold the vote earlier for a stronger mandate and due to infighting.
If he dissolves parliament soon, the election would come just as the economy starts to feel the pinch of rising costs and a global slowdown. It would also coincide with the year-end monsoon season and floods, which could reduce voter turnout.
Ismail met King Al-Sultan Abdullah at the national palace at 4 p.m. (0800 GMT) and left about 45 minutes later.
Before the meeting, Ismail said he would mainly discuss cabinet matters with the king and that a date for dissolution of parliament would be submitted only if there was time, the Bernama news agency said.
"Still unsure whether it will be brought up. If it takes too long to discuss cabinet issues, it will be about cabinet only," Ismail said.
His government is set to present its 2023 budget in parliament on Friday, the finance ministry has said, putting to rest some speculation that a dissolution could be announced before that.
An election must be held within 60 days of dissolution.
Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy and the king typically acts on the prime minister's advice. But the king does wield certain discretionary powers, including withholding consent for the dissolution of parliament.
MIXED VIEWS IN RULING COALITION
Last week, Ismail's party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the biggest in the ruling coalition, said the premier would seek the king's consent to dissolve parliament this year, spurring speculation that Ismail could call polls any day.
However, Ismail's coalition is not unanimous on the timing of an election.
Many alliance partners have cited economic problems, such as the rising cost of living and the anticipated year-end floods, as reasons not to hold a vote this year.
Malaysia was hit late last year by unusually heavy rain and floods that caused damage of about 6 billion ringgit ($1.3 billion).
Some cabinet ministers wrote to the monarch this week asking him not to hold elections this year due to flood risks, according to domestic media. (Reuters)
October
India vows action if cough syrup proved to be behind Gambia deaths
Written by Nur Yasmin
India is testing samples of cough syrups produced by Maiden Pharmaceuticals after the World Health Organization said its products were linked to the deaths of dozens of children in Gambia, a government official said on Thursday.
The deaths of 66 children in the West African country is a blow to India's image as a "pharmacy of the world" that supplies medicines to all continents, especially Africa. The cough syrup was made by New Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals, the WHO said.
"Samples have been sent to a central pharmaceutical laboratory for testing," Anil Vij, the health minister of Haryana state where Maiden has its factories, told reporters. "Strict action will be taken if anything is found wrong."
The federal health ministry would take all "required steps" in the matter, two officials said, adding that India was awaiting a report establishing "causal relation to death with the medical products in question" from the WHO.
Naresh Kumar Goyal, a Maiden director, told Reuters it heard about the deaths only on Thursday morning and were trying to find out details.
"We are trying to find out the situation because it cropped up only today," he said by phone. "We are trying to find out with the buyer and all that what has happened exactly. We are not selling anything in India."
He declined to speak further.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters on Wednesday that the U.N. agency was investigating the deaths from acute kidney injuries with India's drug regulator and the drug maker.
The agency informed the Drugs Controller General of India of the deaths late last month after which the regulator launched an investigation with state authorities, in tandem with the WHO, the two India health ministry sources said.
The ministry has not issued a statement.
The WHO said laboratory analysis of Maiden cough syrup had confirmed "unacceptable" amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which can be toxic and lead to acute kidney injury.
Maiden, which launched its operations in November 1990, manufactured and exported the syrup only to Gambia, the Indian ministry sources said. Maiden says on its website it has two manufacturing plants, in Kundli and Panipat, both near New Delhi in Haryana, and has recently set up another one.
It has an annual production capacity of 2.2 million syrup bottles, 600 million capsules, 18 million injections, 300,000 ointment tubes and 1.2 billion tablets.
Maiden says on its website it sells its products at home and exports to countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, though Goyal said they were not currently selling in India.
The two health ministry sources said that importing countries typically test such products before allowing their use.
The WHO said the Maiden products - Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup - may have been distributed elsewhere through informal markets but it had only been identified in Gambia. (Reuters)
October
World Bank cuts India's growth forecast to 6.5% as region takes a hit
Written by Nur Yasmin
The World Bank trimmed India's growth forecast for this financial year by a full percentage point on Thursday and predicted a 9.5% contraction in crisis-hit Sri Lanka, as rising commodity prices and debt trouble hit economies in South Asia.
Growth estimates for the region - comprising India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives - were revised down to 5.8% from 6.8% forecast in June. India's forecast was trimmed to 6.5% from 7.5%.
The bank cited the impact of war in Ukraine, which has caused a rise in commodity prices, and the uneven recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the region. It forecast inflation in the region rising to 9.2% this year before gradually subsiding.
"Private investment growth is likely to be dampened by heightened uncertainty and higher financing costs," the World Bank said in its twice-a-year report on South Asia, noting that slowing global demand will impact the country's exports.
Afghanistan was excluded from the regional report as it had not released national account data since the Taliban took power in August 2021.
The region's economies grew at 7.8% in 2021, when most were recovering from the pandemic slump.
Last week, the Reserve Bank of India cut its growth forecast to 7% from an earlier estimate of 7.2% after raising the benchmark repo rate by 50 basis points to 5.9% as it battles to contain high inflation - seen to remain above 6% until early 2023.
The COVID-19 pandemic, swings in global liquidity and commodity prices along with weather disasters had hit the regional economies in a rapid succession.
"In the face of these shocks, countries need to build stronger fiscal and monetary buffers," said Martin Raiser, World Bank Vice President for South Asia, urging the governments to use scarce resources to protect people.
The World Bank also urged the governments to ease restrictions on labour movement by introducing flexible visa policies and support migrant workers to protect long-term development prospects. (Reuters)
October
U.N. body rejects historic debate on China's human rights record
Written by Nur YasminThe U.N. rights council on Thursday rejected a Western-led motion to hold a debate about alleged human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang region after a U.N. report found possible crimes against humanity.
The defeat (19 against, 17 for, 11 abstentions) is only the second time in the council's 16-year history that a motion has been rejected and is seen by observers as a setback to both accountability efforts and the West's moral authority on human rights. The United States, Canada and the United Kingdom were among the countries that called for the motion.
There was a rare burst of applause after the result was announced in the packed Geneva-based council room.
China's ambassador had warned shortly before the vote that the motion would create a "dangerous shortcut" for examining other countries' human rights records.
"Today China is targeted. Tomorrow any other developing country will be targeted," said Chen Xu.
The U.N. rights office on Aug. 31 released a long-delayed report that found serious human rights violations had been committed in Xinjiang, in a move that has increased pressure on China.
Beijing vigorously denies any abuses and has said it is "ready for the fight" if action is taken against it. (Reuters)
October
Pfizer COVID vaccine clears Japan panel for use with young children
Written by Nur Yasmin
A Japanese health ministry panel on Wednesday recommended approving Pfizer Inc's (PFE.N) COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as six months old.
Japan in January expanded use of the vaccine to those as young as five years old. Last month, health authorities started to dispensing Pfizer and Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) booster shots that target the Omicron variant of the virus.
The panel also recommended approval of a version of the Pfizer vaccine that protects against the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron. Moderna said earlier on Wednesday it was seeking Japanese approval of its own subvariant shot. (Reuters)