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August
Philippine children back in school as pandemic restrictions ease
Written by Nur Yasmin
Millions of Philippine students returned to classrooms for the first time in more than two years on Monday, after the country lifted most remaining COVID-19 curbs to try and reverse learning losses.
Students, all wearing face masks, queued to enter their classrooms and attended flag raising ceremonies in their schoolyards across the Southeast Asian country as the government phases out remote learning.
"For two years, we longed for face-to-face classes so even if there's a flood, we will continue our lessons," said school teacher Mylene Ambrocio, 37, as she stook in ankle-deep water in a classroom in Pampanga province north of the capital. "I am happy to see the children face-to-face."
Precautions such as temperature checks, mandatory masks and limits on the number of students per classroom remain in place.
The country's school closures due to the pandemic were among the longest in the world, with reopening delayed by slow vaccine rollouts and elections earlier this year.
In November, the education ministry pilot tested in-person classes involving almost 300 schools but only this week broadened that out to cover all schools as the new school year got underway.
The education ministry currently mandates students learn in-person for at least three days a week. Starting Nov. 2, all schools should have transitioned to five days of in-person classes, it said.
The shift to online classes, self-learning modules and educational television and radio programmes has proven extremely challenging for the country of more than 110 million where less than a fifth of households have internet access and many lack mobile devices.
The shift to online classes, self-learning modules and educational television and radio programmes has proven extremely challenging for the country of more than 110 million where less than a fifth of households have internet access and many lack mobile devices. (Reuters)
August
Japan PM Kishida's support tumbles, hit by questions over church and COVID
Written by Nur Yasmin
Support for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government has tumbled, battered by questions about the ruling party's ties to the Unification Church and its response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a public opinion poll.
Links to the church, founded in South Korea in the 1950s and famous for its mass weddings, have become a headache for Kishida since July 8, when former premier Shinzo Abe was shot and his suspected killer said his mother was bankrupted by the church and blamed Abe for promoting it.
According to a survey done at the weekend by the Mainichi Shimbun daily, Kishida's support fell to 36% from 52% a month ago, the lowest since he took office last October.
Those who believed ties between the Unification Church and Kishida's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) were either "an extreme problem" or "something of a problem" hit 87%. Only 4% believed it was not a problem at all.
Kishida reshuffled his cabinet on Aug. 10 and removed some cabinet members with ties to the church in an attempt to bolster support, but 68% of respondents said they did not approve of the move against only 16% who did.
"Regarding the issues related to the Unification Church, we should pay enough attention to relationships with organisations that are socially criticised, so people won't have concerns," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a regular news conference.
New coronavirus cases remain persistently high, prompting 55% of respondents to say they did not approve of the government's handling of the situation. On Sunday, Kishida himself tested positive for the coronavirus, forcing him to cancel a trip to an aid conference in Tunisia.
Matsuno said Kishida's condition was stable and he would be working remotely until Aug. 30.
On the question of the state funeral for Abe set for Sept. 27, which will be paid for by the government, 53% said they were against the idea. (reuters)
August
Farmers break barricades as protests return to Indian capital
Written by Nur Yasmin
Protesters broke barricades and shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Indian capital of New Delhi on Monday, after thousands of farmers gathered to protest against what they said were unfulfilled promises by the government.
More than eight months after farmers called off a year-long protest and the government conceded to several of their demands, more than 5,000 farmers gathered in the centre of the capital to protest against Modi and his government.
Farmers are demanding that the government guarantee a minimum support price for all produce and clear all farmer debts, among other things, according to a statement from the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the farmer organisation that organised the protest on Monday.
A spokesperson for the federal agriculture ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Protesters wielded banners and flags and broke through barriers as they marched towards the venue, shouting slogans against Modi.
Last November, Modi said he would roll back three farm laws that had aimed to deregulate produce markets but which farmers said would allow corporations to exploit them.
The federal government also agreed to set up a panel of growers and government officials to find ways of ensuring Minimum Support Prices (MSP), as the guaranteed rates are called, for all farm produce.
Last month, the federal government set up the panel and invited representatives of farmer organisations to join in.
Security around the borders of the national capital was tightened and police presence was heightened in and around the protest area. (Reuters)
August
Russia fires rockets at areas near nuclear plant, Kyiv bans Independence Day rallies
Written by Nur Yasmin
Russia fired rockets at towns to the west of Europe's largest nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine early on Monday while the capital Kyiv banned rallies this week to commemorate independence from Soviet rule for fear of Russian attacks.
Artillery and rocket fire close to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor complex, on the Russian-occupied south bank of the Dnipro River, has stirred fears of a nuclear disaster and calls for the surrounding area to be demilitarised.
Ukraine and Russia have traded blame for the repeated shelling, some of which has grazed the plant. It was seized by Russian forces shortly after they invaded Ukraine in February but is still run mainly by Ukrainian technicians.
Overnight Russian rocket salvoes into Nikopol, across the Dnipro from Russian-occupied Enerhodar where the Zaporizhzhia plant is situated, and nearby Krivyi Rih and Synelnykovsky districts injured at least four people, regional Governor Valentyn Reznichenko wrote on Telegram on Monday.
Ukraine also reported a Russian missile strike on Voznesensk, to the southwest and not far from the country's second-largest atomic power station.
On Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone call stressing the importance of ensuring the safety and security of Ukraine's nuclear installations.
They also welcomed recent discussions on enabling a mission by the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency to Zaporizhzhia, while reaffirming their "steadfast commitment" to support Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion.
Russia began what it called a "special military operation" on Feb. 24 to demilitarise its smaller neighbour and protect Russian-speaking communities. Ukraine and its Western backers accuse Moscow of waging an imperial-style war of conquest.
The conflict, Europe's biggest since World War Two, has flattened towns and cities, killed thousands, forced millions to flee and deepened a geopolitical chasm between Russia and the West.
Since Ukraine repelled a Russian attempt to capture Kyiv early in the war, the fighting has been concentrated in the east and south where frontlines have been largely static for weeks.
INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS BANNED
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned of the risk of more severe attacks ahead of Ukraine's 31st anniversary on Wednesday of independence from Russian-dominated Soviet rule.
Local authorities in Kyiv have banned large public events, rallies and other gatherings related to the anniversary in the capital from Monday until Thursday due to the possibility of rocket attacks, according to a document published by the Kyiv military administration signed by its head Mykola Zhyrnov.
Zelenskiy said Moscow could try "something particularly ugly" in the run-up to Wednesday, which also marks half a year since Russia invaded.
Zelenskiy said he had discussed "all the threats" with his French counterpart and word had also been sent to other leaders including Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
"All of Ukraine's partners have been informed about what the terrorist state can prepare for this week," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address, referring to Russia.
The Financial Times, in an article published on Sunday, quoted Gennady Gatilov, Moscow's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, as saying Erdogan had tried to facilitate dialogue.
But he dismissed speculation about talks between Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying there was no "practical platform for having this meeting", the report said.
SMALL RUSSIAN ADVANCE IN SOUTH
In its morning update on Monday, Ukraine's General Staff said Russian forces had made incremental advances into the Blagodnatne area in the direction of the city of Mykolaiv, a major target in the south.
Russia was also trying to regain momentum towards Pisky, Bakhmut and Kramatorsk, key towns in Donetsk province which, along with neighbouring Luhansk, captured by Moscow's forces earlier in the summer, comprise the eastern Donbas region.
Russian artillery and multiple rocket launcher systems hammered the areas of Soledar, Zaytseve and Bilogorivka near Bakhmut, the Ukrainian military command's update said.
At least two civilians were killed, the regional administration said. Russia denies targeting civilians.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the battlefield reports.
In Russia, authorities were investigating a suspected car bomb attack outside Moscow that killed the daughter of Alexander Dugin, an ultra-nationalist Russian ideologue who advocates Russia absorbing Ukraine.
While investigators said they were considering "all versions" when it came to establishing who was responsible, the Russian Foreign Ministry speculated there could be a link to Ukraine, something a Zelenskiy adviser dismissed.
"Ukraine, of course, had nothing to do with this because we are not a criminal state, like the Russian Federation, and moreover we are not a terrorist state," Mykhailo Podolyak said on Ukrainian TV. (Reuters)
August
S.Korea expresses regret over N.Korea's criticism of President Yoon
Written by Nur Yasmin
A South Korean minister expressed regret on Friday over the slamming by North Korea's Kim Yo Jong of President Yoon Suk-yeol and the rejection of Seoul's proposal to boost the North's economy in exchange for giving up nuclear weapons.
Kim Yo Jong is the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
"I express deep regret over Kim Yo Jong's very disrespectful and indecent criticism of our president," Unification Minister Kwon Young-se told a parliamentary session. (Reuters)
August
North Korea's Kim praises military medics for frontline COVID fight in capital
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a ceremony to thank and praise military medics for spearheading the country's fight against the coronavirus in the capital Pyongyang, state media said on Friday.
Thousands of medics of the Korean People's Army, who had been dispatched to the "emergency anti-epidemic front", were discharged after Kim declared victory over COVID-19 and eased restrictions last week.
Kim held the event at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang on Thursday to celebrate the medics' "heroic feats" on the frontline of the COVID battle in the country's most populated city.
"Noting that the army medics took the greatest trouble to defuse the anti-epidemic crisis in the capital city, he gave warm thanks ... to them who displayed the indefatigable spirit and the invincible combat strength of our army," the official KCNA news agency said. "He specially called and congratulated medics who performed distinguished feats in the capital's anti-epidemic struggle."
KCNA said this week that the medics had returned to their units on Sunday without a sending-off ceremony, but Kim said he had felt "empty and sorry" that he had not done enough to publicly recognise their sacrifice, the report said.
North Korea has never confirmed how many people caught COVID, apparently lacking the tools to conduct widespread testing.
Infectious disease experts have cast doubts on North Korea's claims of progress, and the World Health Organization said the COVID situation there could be getting worse, not better, citing an absence of independent data. (Reuters)
August
Taliban leader says foreign engagement will be in line with sharia
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Taliban will deal with the international community in line with sharia law, the supreme leader of the hardline Islamist group said, according to a copy of his speech shared by the information ministry on Friday.
Yet to be formally recognised as a government by any foreign capital, the group is struggling with a severe economic crisis due to strict enforcement of international sanctions and the cutting off of development aid.
Many governments, including Washington, have put pressure on the Taliban to ease its restrictions on women and to open schools for high-school aged girls.
Around 3,000 tribal leaders, officials and religious scholars had gathered in the southern city of Kandahar, where the group's supreme spiritual leader Haibatullah Akhundzada is based, on Thursday, according to state-run news agency Bakhtar. It was the second such gathering since the group took power around a year ago.
"This meeting is called to think about the freedom we received by the blessing of Allah, which we achieved from the blood of our mujahideen (fighters)," he said in the speech.
"We will deal with the international community as per Islamic Sharia ...if Sharia doesn't allow it, we will not deal with any other country," Akhundzada said.
Talks with U.S. diplomats have continued, in particular over how to revive the country's stalled banking sector and the possible release of frozen central bank assets held overseas. But officials have cautioned that many hurdles remain to any progress.
In an escalation of tensions, the United States last month carried out a drone strike in central Kabul to kill al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and accused the Taliban of violating an agreement between them by sheltering Zawahiri.
Thursday's gathering issued several resolutions, according to Bakhtar news agency, including one condemning the drone strike and another saying any neighbouring country that allowed the use of its airspace for the strike was complicit.
The United States usually needs to receive permission from neighbouring nations to access landlocked Afghanistan via air.
Officials have not disclosed the drone's travel path. Pakistan, which shares a border with Afghanistan, has said its airspace was not used for the attack. (Reuters)
August
Japan to look into summit meet with China - Nikkei quotes Japan minister
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan will look into holding a summit meeting between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Nikkei business daily quoted Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi as saying in an interview on Friday.
Sino-Japanese ties have long been plagued with a territorial dispute over a group of tiny uninhabited East China Sea islets, legacy of Japan's wartime aggression and regional rivalry.
The meeting could take a form of in-person talks or telephone conversation, but it will more likely be an online conference sometime this fall, the Nikkei said. (Reuters)
August
China issues first national drought alert, battles to save crops in extreme heatwave
Written by Nur Yasmin
China has issued its first national drought alert of the year as authorities battle forest fires and mobilise specialist teams to protect crops from scorching temperatures across the Yangtze river basin.
The national 'yellow alert', issued late on Thursday, comes after regions from Sichuan in the southwest to Shanghai in the Yangtze delta have experienced weeks of extreme heat, with government officials repeatedly citing global climate change as the cause. The alert is two notches short of the most serious warning on Beijing's scale.
In one of the Yangtze's important flood basins in central China's Jiangxi province, the Poyang Lake has now shrunk to a quarter of its normal size for this time of year, state news agency Xinhua said on Thursday.
As many as 66 rivers across 34 counties in the southwestern region of Chongqing have dried up, state broadcaster CCTV said on Friday.
Rainfall in Chongqing this year is down 60% compared to the seasonal norm, and the soil in several districts is severely short of moisture, CCTV said, citing local government data.
The district of Beibei, north of Chongqing's urban centre, saw temperatures hit 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday, according to China's weather bureau.
Chongqing accounted for six of the 10 hottest locations in the country on Friday morning, with temperatures in the district of Bishan already approaching 39 degrees Celsius. Shanghai was already at 37 degrees.
The Chongqing region's infrastructure and emergency services have come under increasing strain, with firefighters on high alert as mountain and forest blazes erupted across the region. State media also reported an increase in cases of heatstroke.
The gas utility in the district of Fuling also told customers on Friday that they would cut off supplies until further notice as they deal with "serious safety hazards".
The Chongqing agricultural bureau has also set up expert teams to protect vulnerable crops and expand planting to compensate for losses ahead of the autumn harvest.
The water resources ministry has instructed drought-hit agricultural regions to draw up rotas determining who can access supplies at any particular time, to ensure they do not run out.
According to data from China's emergency ministry late on Thursday, high temperatures in July alone caused direct economic losses of 2.73 billion yuan ($400 million), affecting 5.5 million people.
Meanwhile China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) renewed its high-temperature red alert on Friday, the 30th consecutive day it has issued alerts, it said on its Weibo channel. State forecasters also predicted that the current heatwave would only start to abate on Aug. 26.
The weather agency said in its daily bulletin that 4.5 million square kilometres of national territory had now experienced temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius or more over the past month - nearly half the country's total area - with more than 200 weather stations recording record highs. (Reuters)
August
U.S. Air Force secretary: China's actions around Taiwan increase risk
Written by Nur Yasmin
U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said on Friday that China's actions around Taiwan increase the level of risk and he hoped that China's behaviour returns to the norms that were established before.
China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has been staging military exercises this month to show its anger about a visit to Taipei of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, blaming Washington for the tension.
Kendall, speaking to reporters on a teleconference from the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam as part of a trip to the region that will also take in Australia and Japan, said: "We are living in a dangerous time".
Referring to China's drills around Taiwan, which included firing missiles over the island and repeatedly crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait, normally an unofficial barrier, he said Beijing was being very provocative.
"The military activities that China engaged in during the time of the speaker's visit increased the level of risk and they violated a number of norms, crossing the line was one, firing into the exclusive economic zone of Japan was another, and firing over Taiwan itself was another," Kendall said.
Japan said five of the missiles China fired landed in its economic zone.
"These are not actions that are designed to promote peace and stability in the region, they are very provocative and they increase the level of risk," he said.
While Kendall declined to comment directly on the details of China's crossing of the median line, he said China had overreacted to Pelosi's trip.
"I would hope that their behaviour returns to the norms that were established before," he said.
China says Taiwan is the most sensitive and important issue in its ties with the United States, and that it has a right to ensure its security and defend its territorial integrity.
Taiwan's government says that as the People's Republic of China has never ruled Taiwan is has no right to claim it or decide its future, which can only be set by the island's 23 million people.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has been overseeing an impressive military modernisation programme, including developing stealth fighters and aircraft carriers, alarming many of its neighbours and the United States.
"I am concerned, I think it's clear to say the United States is concerned, about China's modernisation programmes, and we're also concerned about its behaviour in the region," Kendall said. (Reuters)