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August
Ukraine's energy minister: IAEA mission a step towards 'de-occupying' nuclear plant
Written by Nur Yasmin
The IAEA mission to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine is a step towards "de-occupying and demilitarising" the site, Ukraine's energy minister told Reuters in a interview on Wednesday.
Speaking in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia, only 55 km (34 miles) away from the plant, German Galushchenko also said it was crucial for the mission, headed by IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, to be allowed to speak to staff at the site.
"It is important from our view... that the mission can speak to the staff, and get the real information, not Russian information, on what is inside," Galushchenko said.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant, the largest in Europe, was captured by Moscow in March but is still operated by Ukrainian staff under the supervision of Russian troops.
Grossi, also speaking to reporters on Wednesday, said the agency's visit was a "technical mission" that aimed to prevent a nuclear accident. Asked about plans for a demilitarised zone at the plant, he said that was "a matter of political will".
"But my mission - I think it's very important to establish (this) with all clarity - my mission is a technical mission," he said.
The plant's territory, which is less than 10 km away from Ukrainian positions across the Dnipro river, has come under repeated shelling over the past month, with Kyiv and Moscow accusing each other of being responsible.
"We have soldiers there, we have heavy vehicles there, so we need to check the real situation there from the point of nuclear safety and security," Galushchenko added.
The minister said that the mission should bring closer the withdrawal of Russian troops from the plant.
"This should be a step (towards) deoccupying and demilitarising the station,” he told Reuters. (Reuters)
August
S.Korea to end pre-departure COVID test requirement for overseas travellers
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korea will from Saturday no longer require travellers to the country to test for COVID-19 before departure, although they will still need to take a PCR test within 24 hours of arrival.
The latest relaxing of rules comes amid an easing in case numbers with daily COVID infections hovering around 100,000 in recent weeks compared with more than 180,000 in mid-August.
"The weekly number of infections have declined for the first time in nine weeks and the virus is showing signs of slowing down," Lee Ki-il, the country's second vice health minister, told reporters.
Wednesday's announcement, which follows steps by Japan and other countries to scrap the pre-departure test requirement, comes as South Korea is set to mark the country's thanksgiving holiday of Chuseok next week.
The number of infections could increase following the holiday season but the figures are likely to remain within control, said Peck Kyong-ran, head of the Korea Disease control and Prevention Agency.
South Korea still has an indoor face-mask mandate and requires those testing positive for COVID to isolate for seven days. (Reuters)
August
WHO places Asia director on leave after accusations of bullying
Written by Nur Yasmin
A senior World Health Organization director has been placed on leave, a spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday, following staff accusations of bullying and other complaints.
"The Regional Director for the Western Pacific Region, Dr Takeshi Kasai, is on leave," a WHO official said in emailed comments, without giving details.
Two WHO sources confirmed to Reuters that the decision to place Kasai, a physician from Japan who has worked at the body for more than 15 years, on administrative leave was related to an ongoing investigation into various staff complaints.
Kasai was not immediately available for comment. An e-mail sent to the WHO Western Pacific office in Manila was forwarded to the headquarters in Geneva.
The Associated Press reported in January that the complaints included allegations of racist language and of sharing confidential vaccine data with Japan.
Kasai, who became the WHO regional director in February 2019, has previously acknowledged being "hard on staff" but rejected the other charges.
He is temporarily being replaced by the U.N. health agency's number 2, Zsuzsanna Jakab, the WHO official added. (Reuters)
August
U.S., S.Korean troops practice war with eye on N.Korea and 'near-peer' enemies
Written by Nur Yasmin
Tanks and howitzers sent smoke and shockwaves through the air less than 20 miles from the fortified border with North Korea on Wednesday, as more than 1,000 South Korean and U.S. troops held a major live-fire exercise in stepped up practice for war.
South Korea and the United States have resumed the largest field exercises in years after diplomatic efforts and COVID-19 restrictions led to many drills being scaled back.
The allies see the exercises as a key part of their efforts to deter North Korea and its growing nuclear arsenal, but North Korea has called them a rehearsal for war and Russia and China have expressed concern that they will increase tension in the region.
Reuters was among a handful of media granted rare access to the drills on Wednesday.
They were the first division-level exercises for the 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division, the U.S. military’s only multinational division formed in 2015. ROK are the initials for South Korea's official name.
The drills included live fire from American and South Korean howitzers, tanks, machine guns, and mortars. American A-10 attack aircraft and Apache helicopters also participated.
Rounds from howitzers pounded into a mountainside at the Rodriguez Life Fire Complex, as tanks from both sides manoeuvred and fired their guns at targets, sending shockwaves across the valley and smoke and dust into the air.
Colonel Brandon Anderson, the division’s deputy commander for manoeuvre, said the drills were not aimed at any one adversary, but they obviously took into account the “reason for the U.S.-ROK alliance” – alluding to North Korea.
“We’re all here for a reason, we all know that’s a potential (threat), and how we would defend against it is what we’re trying to demonstrate here," he said, adding that the drills underscore that U.S. forces won't be leaving the peninsula.
"We are here for the long haul. As long as there is a threat out there, it gives us purpose, and purpose to train."
The United States has about 28,500 troops in South Korea.
The drills also form part of the U.S. military's recent efforts to refocus on large-scale combat operations, and were designed to simulate a counter-attack against a “near-peer” enemy who could match the allies in capabilities, Anderson said.
The conflict in Ukraine had provided lessons on the importance of alliances and the need to improve long-range artillery and surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, he added.
'SMOOTH COOPERATION'
U.S. Army Staff Sergeant John Moreno, who commanded one of the M1A1 main battle tanks in the exercise, said it was only the second time in his crew's nine-month deployment that they had fired their main guns, and the first time doing it with their South Korean counterparts, who operated from their K2 tanks on the range at the same time.
"It keeps the soldiers well trained to fire as often as possible," he said, adding that cooperation with the South Koreans went smoothly - an important factor if war with the North ever broke out.
Anderson denied that these drills were among those delayed for political reasons but said COVID and the logistical challenges of pulling off a multinational exercise with live ammunition meant the allies had been unable to conduct the practice until now.
The restrictions were a blessing in disguise as it allowed the troops to develop expertise at the individual and small-unit levels, Anderson said.
"This is the first time to really bring them all together, over 1,000 people," he said.
South Korean General Kim Nam-hoon, deputy commander of the combined division, said the troops would improve their ability to operate together through joint drills.
Many large exercises were cancelled starting in 2018 as then-U.S. President Donald Trump tried to persuade North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to give up his nuclear weapons. COVID later disrupted more drills.
A former senior defence official told Reuters that in many cases U.S. and South Korean forces continued to train but did not publicize it.
That has changed, with both the United States and South Korea increasingly touting their alliance in the face of increased missile tests by North Korea, and the prospect of it testing another nuclear weapon.
This week, North Korea gathered commanding officers of its paramilitary civil defence forces for training on "full preparations for all-people resistance in our country where a constant threat of war lingers", state media reported on Wednesday. (Reuters)
August
Taiwan president: restraint does not mean it won't 'counter' China
Written by Nur Yasmin
The more China provokes the more calm Taiwan must be, but restraint does not mean there cannot be "strong countermeasures" if needed, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Tuesday visiting front line forces based on islands in the sensitive Taiwan Strait.
China, which claims Taiwan as its territory despite the strong objections of the government in Taipei, has carried out military exercises around the island this month after a visit by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Visiting a major air and naval base on the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, Tsai praised the armed forces for their tireless efforts to protect Taiwan, and condemned Beijing for its drills and intimidation.
"I want to tell everyone that the more the enemy provokes, the more calm we must be," Tsai told naval officers.
"We will not provoke disputes, and we will exercise self-restraint, but it does not mean that we will not counter," she added.
"I have ordered the Ministry of National Defense to take necessary and strong countermeasures in a timely manner to defend the safety of the country's airspace," Tsai said, without elaborating.
No shots have been fired, and Taiwan's government has repeatedly said it has responded calmly to China's activities.
But Taiwan has been particularly upset recently by Chinese drones flying very close to islands it controls next to China's coast, which Tsai said was part of Beijing's "grey zone" warfare.
The warships and fighter jets based at Penghu have been going out armed with live ammunition since China began its exercises this month, officers told reporters on the trip.
Frigate captain Lee Kuang-ping said that they regularly had been trading radio warnings with Chinese warships.
"Sometimes near the drill zone communist Chinese fishing boats appear, and they provocatively say 'hit them, hit them!'" Lee added.
The Chinese military unit responsible for the area adjacent to Taiwan, the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command, released on Aug. 15 a video of the Penghu islands, apparently taken by China's air force.
Taiwan's military termed the video information warfare, accusing China of exaggeration and saying it was not true Chinese forces had come near the islands.
Penghu, a summer tourist destination for its beaches, is close to Taiwan's southwestern coast, unlike the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen and Matsu islands, which are right next to China's shores.
Taiwan's armed forces are well-equipped but dwarfed by China's. Tsai has been overseeing a modernisation programme and has made increasing defence spending a priority. (Reuters)
August
Thailand targets $11 bln tourism revenue in H2 as COVID controls ease
Written by Nur Yasmin
Thailand aims to generate 400 billion baht ($11 billion) in tourism revenue in the second half of the year, the government said on Tuesday, as the tropical holiday destination welcomes back more visitors after pandemic-induced border controls.
The Southeast Asian nation has seen a rebound in tourism numbers in the first eight months of 2022, registering more than 4 million tourists, government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said. It is aiming for 10 million tourists this year.
The foreign arrivals so far, mainly from Malaysia, India and Singapore, have generated revenues of 176 billion baht ($4.93 billion), according to the government.
The return of international tourists have resulted in the registration of 549 new tourism-related businesses in the first seven months of the year, up 169% year-on-year, Rachada said citing commerce ministry data.
The Thai government has recently announced that it will extend one of its most popular tourist visas from 15 days to 30 days starting in October, to further boost the sector.
The return of international tourists have resulted in the registration of 549 new tourism-related businesses in the first seven months of the year, up 169% year-on-year, Rachada said citing commerce ministry data.
The Thai government has recently announced that it will extend one of its most popular tourist visas from 15 days to 30 days starting in October, to further boost the sector. (Reuters)
August
Germany and France have issued a joint warning against a ban on tourist visas for Russians, saying such a step, advocated by other European Union member states, would be counter-productive.
The split on tourist visas will be at the heart of a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers in Prague on Tuesday and Wednesday, as they discuss what further steps they can take to sanction Russia for its six-month old invasion of Ukraine.
"We caution against far-reaching restrictions on our visa policy, in order to prevent feeding the Russian narrative and trigger unintended rallying-around the flag effects and/or estranging future generations," France and Germany said in the joint memo seen by Reuters.
The Kremlin said the calls for a visa ban on Russian tourists were the latest example of the West's anti-Russian agenda.
"Step by step, unfortunately, both Brussels and individual European capitals are demonstrating an absolute lack of reason," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.
"These are very serious decisions that could be directed against our citizens, and of course such decisions cannot go unanswered," he added.
"But in responding, we will do it in such a way that it best meets our interests and protects the interests of our citizens".
The EU's two leading countries Germany and France argue for close scrutiny of Russian visa applications for security risks, but believe visas should still be issued.
"We must not give up on supporting pro-democratic elements with Russian society," they said. "Our visa policies should reflect that and continue to allow for people to people contacts in the EU with Russian nationals not linked to the Russian government.
"We should not underestimate the transformative power of experiencing life in democratic systems at first-hand, especially for future generations," they added.
CLEAR MESSAGE
Others, in particular eastern and Nordic member states, have argued strongly for a ban.
"It is very provocative to me that you see Russian men on European beaches in Southern Europe and at the same time Ukrainian men between 18 and 60 years cannot even leave their country but have to fight for their freedom," Denmark's Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said last week.
"We think it is right that we together in Europe can limit and cut off tourists from Russia and it would send a clear message to (President) Putin."
An EU diplomat said the foreign ministers might agree in principle to suspend a visa facilitation agreement with Russia, which would mean Russians face a longer procedure and pay 80 euros instead of 35 for EU visas, but that divisions over tourism visa bans were too deep for any agreement on that.
Russians mostly enter the EU via the land borders of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said last week, adding that these countries may act on their own if the EU does not agree on a union-wide ban.
Meanwhile, defence ministers meeting in Prague are likely to agree in principle on the less controversial step of organising joint military training missions for Ukrainian troops.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he hoped the ministers would give him a green light to start working on an EU military training mission for Ukraine.
"A number of EU countries are already hosting training facilitation for Ukrainians but I think it would be good to ... ensure that the EU collectively is doing that in an organised way that can last for some time," Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said in Prague.
The Netherlands also backed the idea, saying it was working on de-mining training along with Germany. (Reuters)
August
Guatemala support for Taiwan will not stop 'reunification' of China and Taiwan, says China
Written by Nur Yasmin
Guatemalan support for Taiwan will not stop the "reunification" of China and Taiwan, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday.
Zhao told reporters in Beijing during a regular news briefing that Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party was using countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan for "political manipulation".
Guatemalan Foreign Minister Mario Bucaro said on Tuesday his country would "always support Taiwan". (Reuters)
August
Indonesia parliament approves membership of China-backed regional trade deal
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indonesia's parliament on Tuesday passed a law cementing the country's membership of the China-backed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), making it the latest Southeast Asian nation to join the world's biggest trade bloc.
Lawmakers also ratified a bilateral trade pact with South Korea, hoping to attract investment to develop the electric vehicle and batteries industry in the Southeast Asian country.
Indonesian Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan said the RCEP would boost trade, direct investment and increase the country's GDP growth by 0.07 percentage point.
"We describe this agreement as a toll way to enter the global market, and it is time for Indonesia to storm the international markets," he told lawmakers.
The RCEP, which is seen as an alternative to the U.S.-led Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), covers nearly a third of the world's population and about 30% of its gross domestic product. It was initially agreed by leaders of 15 Asia-Pacific countries in November 2020.
The pact, which does not include the United States, entered into force on Jan. 1 this year after seven nations in Southeast Asia, and Australia, China, Japan, and New Zealand ratified the pact last year.
Under the agreement with South Korea, Jakarta and Seoul will eliminate more than 92% and 95% of tariff lines respectively. Indonesia will give preferential tariffs to support Korean investment in areas ranging from automobiles to apparel, Indonesia's Trade Ministry said in a statement following the deal signing in 2020.
South Korean companies such as Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution are currently among top investors in the electric vehicle and battery industry in Indonesia as it looks to take advantage of its rich nickel reserves. (Reuters)
August
Sri Lanka in 'final stage' of IMF talks; budget deficit widens
Written by Nur Yasmin
Crisis-hit Sri Lanka unveiled fresh measures on Tuesday in an interim budget aimed at clinching a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund, talks for which, the president said, had reached the "final stage".
The budget revised up the island nation's deficit projection for 2022 to 9.8% of the gross domestic product from 8.8% earlier, while outlining a slide in tax revenue and a sharp net increase in expenditure.
Unveiling the measures in parliament, President Ranil Wickremesinghe added that the government would aim to rein in inflation and introduce legislation to bolster central bank independence.
The country of 22 million is battling its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1948. Wickremesinghe, who took over as president last month, is pushing to adopt fiscal consolidation measures agreed with the IMF.
"The government has taken sufficient fiscal reforms, including the VAT hike in the interim budget as well as income tax raises ... which were pre-requisites from a fiscal angle to qualify for the staff-level agreement," said Udeeshan Jonas, chief strategist at Colombo-based investment firm CAL Group.
Negotiations with the IMF, which has a team of officials visiting Sri Lanka, had made headway, said Wickremesinghe, who is also the finance minister.
"The government has taken sufficient fiscal reforms, including the VAT hike in the interim budget as well as income tax raises ... which were pre-requisites from a fiscal angle to qualify for the staff-level agreement," said Udeeshan Jonas, chief strategist at Colombo-based investment firm CAL Group.
Negotiations with the IMF, which has a team of officials visiting Sri Lanka, had made headway, said Wickremesinghe, who is also the finance minister. (Reuters)