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March
Ukraine president says child died from dehydration in besieged Mariupol
Written by Nur Yasmin
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday a child had died from dehydration in Ukraine's besieged city of Mariupol, which has had no water, power or heating supplies for days.
"In 2022, from dehydration," Zelenskiy said in a video address, likening the humanitarian crisis linked to Russian bombardment of Ukrainian cities to that created by the Nazi invasion during World War Two.
The child's death could not immediately be confirmed independently. Moscow calls its actions in Ukraine a "special military operation" to disarm its neighbour and arrest leaders it calls "neo-Nazis". It denies targeting civilians. (Reuters)
March
Flow of refugees from Ukraine rises to 2 million people, UNHCR head says
Written by Nur Yasmin
The number of refugees fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine has now increased to 2 million, the head of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday.
"Today the outflow of refugees from Ukraine reaches two million people," Filippo Grandi said in a tweet. (Reuters)
March
Ukraine starts evacuating civilians from some besieged areas
Written by Nur Yasmin
Ukraine began evacuating civilians from besieged cities on Tuesday after Russia allowed the creation of "humanitarian corridors", and Kyiv appealed to Moscow to keep its guns silent so that people could leave safely.
Residents began leaving the northeastern city of Sumy and the town of Irpin near the capital Kyiv, but it was unclear if Ukraine would agree to use other humanitarian corridors if they took Ukrainians to Russia or Belarus. read more
"We have already started the evacuation of civilians from Sumy to Poltava (in central Ukraine), including foreign students," Ukraine's foreign ministry said in a tweet.
"We call on Russia to uphold its ceasefire commitment, to refrain from activities that endanger the lives of people and to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid."
Dmytro Zhyvytsky, the governor of the Sumy region, said in a video statement that a second column of civilians would leave Sumy at around 1100 GMT.
Oleksiy Kuleba, governor of the Kyiv region, said more than 150 people had been evacuated from Irpin by 0730 GMT.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 30 buses were also en route to collect evacuees from the port city of Mariupol. There were signs Russian forces were firing in the direction of a route for humanitarian aid, she added, without providing further details.
Civilians have been trapped by fighting since Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, and officials say food, water and other supplies have been running low in some cities.
Some areas have suffered heavy bombardments. Authorities in the Sumy region said 21 civilians, including two children, had been killed in a Russian air strike on a residential street in Sumy late on Monday. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said a child had died of dehydration in Mariupol.
The child's death could not immediately be confirmed independently. Moscow calls its actions in Ukraine a "special military operation" to disarm its neighbour and arrest leaders it calls "neo-Nazis". It denies targeting civilians.
FLOOD OF REFUGEES
Russia's defence ministry said corridors had been opened to evacuate people from Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol, and that Russian forces in Ukraine had introduced a "silent regime" from 0700 GMT, Interfax news agency reported.
But on Monday Ukraine rejected Russian proposals to evacuate Ukrainians to Russia or Belarus, a Russian ally.
Zhyvytsky said on Tuesday it had been impossible to agree on the establishment of other humanitarian corridors but gave no details.
Humanitarian corridors from Mariupol failed on Saturday and Sunday, with each side accusing the other of continuing to fire.
People trying to flee Irpin on Sunday were caught in Russian shelling, Reuters witnesses said.
Some 2 million refugees have already fled Ukraine to other countries, Filippo Grandi, the head of the United Nations refugee agency, said. (Reuters)
March
Iran will not back down on its red lines in nuclear talks, Raisi says
Written by Nur Yasmin
Iran will not back down on its red lines in the nuclear talks with Western powers, President Ebrahim Raisi said on Tuesday, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
"The government pursues nuclear negotiations in full accordance with the principles and framework set by the Supreme Leader, it has not and will not back down on any of these red lines," the Iranian president was quoted as saying.
Negotiations to revive a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers have now reached their climax, with the talks' coordinator Enrique Mora of the European Union saying that it is time for a political decision in the next few days. .
Iran has sought to remove all sanctions and it wants guarantees from the United States that it will not abandon the deal once more.
Iran's top negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, returned to Tehran on Monday for consultations over the nuclear deal's conclusion. (Reuters)
March
EU to propose sanctions regime against disinformation
Written by Nur Yasmin
The European Union's executive will propose a new mechanism to punish disinformation around the world, foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday, citing what he said were lies intentionally spread by Russian state-owned media.
Borrell told the European Parliament that the EU should be able to freeze assets and ban travel to the bloc of those deemed responsible, in order to highlight such abuses of information to manipulate and mislead.
"I will propose a new mechanism that will allow us to sanction those malign disinformation actors," Borrell said, adding that he was not trying to define what was true or false in news, but to protect against manipulation of societies.
He singled out Russian state-owned television network Russia Today and news agency Sputnik as examples of "instruments to push this narrative to manipulate and mislead" Russian people over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Borrell said Moscow was not just bombing houses and infrastructure in Ukraine but also targeting Russians with fake news and disinformation. "They are bombing their minds," he said.
The proposal comes after European Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen said the 27-member bloc will ban the channels following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. read more
Borrell did not give more details about the timing of his proposal. EU governments would have to agree, draw up legal acts and agree on the names of those to target. (Reuters)
March
China says Hong Kong must stick to "dynamic zero" COVID strategy
Written by Nur Yasmin
A top Chinese health official rallied embattled Hong Kong on Tuesday to stick with a "dynamic zero" coronavirus strategy and warned that the city's "lifeline" health system was at risk and the situation had to be turned around as soon as possible.
Hong Kong reported more than 43,100 new cases on Tuesday after the launch of an online platform for people to record infections in a surge that has seen the city suffering the most deaths globally per million people in the week to March 6, according to the Our World in Data publication.
China has championed the "dynamic zero" strategy that involves stamping out infections with strict mitigation measures as opposed to the approach adopted in other places of relying on high vaccination rates and moderate mitigation like masks in an effort to "live with COVID".
The fast-spreading Omicron variant has tested both strategies but Hong Kong is now suffering the consequences of a relatively low vaccination rate, especially among the elderly, as the virus surges through the community.
Hong Kong "must persevere with its dynamic zero strategy", Liang Wannian, an expert from China's National Health Commission, told the state-run Xinhua news agency in an interview.
"Reducing infection, severe cases and deaths is Hong Kong's most urgent and top priority at the current stage," said Liang, who is in Hong Kong to coordinate efforts to battle the outbreak.
"After we achieve the first target, we will then move on to the second and third goals."
Infections in the Asian financial hub have surged to record highs with a total of about 540,000 cases and more than 2,300 deaths - most in the past two weeks.
Liang said that a serious depletion of Hong Kong's medical resources was "endangering the city's lifeline operations".
"Hong Kong is in danger of not being able to function normally," he said.
'EFFECTIVE AND REALISTIC MEASURES'
Compounding Hong Kong's difficulties and public frustration have been contradictory and confusing messages about the campaign against the virus, including a plan for mass testing and whether a city-wide lockdown would be imposed.
Liang said there could be improvements.
"How can more effective and realistic measures be taken to curb the rising momentum of the epidemic and turn the situation around as soon as possible ... This is one of the most important tasks," he said.
Some experts have warned that the "dynamic zero" strategy is not sustainable. Liang said "dynamic zero" did not mean zero infections but the city should do its best to reduce infections and cut transmission.
Liang's comments came as the city's 7.4 million residents braced for details of the mass testing that is expected to take place in coming weeks. Liang said it would need to be done at the right time with all details carefully arranged.
Health authorities on Monday launched a platform for people to register their own rapid antigen test results. The platform accounted for 14,715 of the new cases on Tuesday.
There were also 160 deaths recorded in the past 24 hours.
A team from the University of Hong Kong has estimated that by the end of April the number of people infected in the city of 7.6 million people could be about 4.3 million, with a death toll of 5,000.
Hong Kong's hospitals, isolation centres and funeral parlours are swamped while public transport, malls, postal services, supermarkets and pharmacies are struggling to operate due to a severe manpower crunch.
Food prices have shot up and supermarket shelves have been emptied every day for a week as shoppers panic buy. (Reuters)
March
U.N. rights boss Bachelet says China visit agreed in May, including Xinjiang
Written by Nur Yasmin
U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet announced on Tuesday that she has reached an agreement with China for a visit, "foreseen" in May, and said she had already raised with Beijing cases of arrest and detention of activists.
Her visit would include a stop in the remote western region of Xinjiang, where activists say some 1 million Uyghurs have been held in mass detention, she told the Human Rights Council.
China rejects accusations of abuse, describing the camps as vocational centres designed to combat extremism, and in late 2019 it said all people in the camps had "graduated".
Bachelet, speaking by video message to the Geneva forum, made no reference to her long-awaited report on alleged abuses against Uyghurs. Her office began gathering evidence some 3.5 years ago and in December, her spokeperson had promised its release within weeks. read more
Referring to China, Bachelet voiced concern at the treatment of people who speak up on human rights issues that are deemed critical of Chinese government policies. Some had faced house arrest or prison terms based on criminal charges stemming from their activities, she said.
"My office has raised a number of such cases with the government and encourage the authorities to take steps to ensure that freedom of expression and opinion are fully respected and protected," Bachelet added, giving no details.
An advance team from her office would leave in April to prepare her visit - the first by a U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights since Louise Arbour went to China in 2005 - she said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Faruk Kaymakci were among speakers at the council last week who voiced concern about the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
Blinken said at the time: "In China, the government continues to commit genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang against predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other minority groups, and we urge the High Commissioner to release without delay her report on the situation there."
A Western diplomat in Geneva told Reuters before Bachelet's speech: "We very much hope Michelle Bachelet will reach into the deep freezer in her office and remove from it this report….
"It is long past time that Michelle Bachelet provide this report, we all know what is happening in Xinjiang. We understand the report is written," he said. (Reuters)
March
Ukraine's fight an inspiration for Taiwan, foreign minister says
Written by Nur Yasmin
Ukrainians fighting against Russian invaders have inspired the people of Taiwan, the island's foreign minister said on Monday, as he announced millions of dollars in aid for Ukrainian refugees.
"Despite great adversity, the government and people of Ukraine have been fighting with tremendous courage and determination," the minister, Joseph Wu, told a news conference.
"Let me say this from the bottom of my heart: You have been an inspiration to the Taiwanese people in facing threats and coercion from authoritarian power."
Democratic, self-ruled Taiwan is claimed by China, which has vowed to bring the island back under its control, by force if necessary.
While some people have drawn parallels between the plight of Ukraine, trying to fend off invading Russian troops, and Taiwan, facing the threat of invasion by Chinese forces, China rejects the comparison saying Taiwan has always been a part of China.
Taiwan has also said the island's situation is fundamentally different, citing the natural barrier of the Taiwan Strait - which separates it from China - and Taiwan's key role in the global semiconductor supply chain.
Taiwan has stepped up its alert level since the war in Ukraine began but it has reported no unusual military movements by China.
Wu said many people in Taiwan sympathised with the people of Ukraine.
"Many Taiwanese people will say as I do now: I'm Ukrainian," Wu said, sitting in front of a large Ukrainian flag emblazoned with the message: "Taiwan Stands with Ukraine."
Russia calls its action in Ukraine a "special operation" that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists in power there.
Wu said Taiwan has raised more than NT$300 million ($10.6 million) to help displaced Ukrainians since his ministry set up an account for donations, and Taiwan's representative office in Poland would on Monday make the first disbursement of NT$100 million to a refugee agency.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, Vice President William Lai, and Premier Su Tseng-chang have said they will each give one month's salary for humanitarian relief.
Poland's de facto ambassador in Taiwan, Cyryl Kozaczewski, attended the news conference and thanked Taiwan for its help, including a recent shipment to Poland of 27 tonnes of medical supplies for refugees.
Taiwan has also joined Western-led sanctions on Russia though its own trade with Russia is minimal.
China also promised help for Ukraine on Monday while reaffirming its friendship with Russia. read more
China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, said its Red Cross would "as soon as possible" provide aid to Ukraine, without giving details. It was the first time China has announced such help.
China has declined to call the Russian attack on Ukraine an "invasion" while asking Western countries to respect Russia's "legitimate security concerns". It has called for a solution to the crisis through negotiations. (reuters)
March
Philippine leader approves bill raising sex consent age from 12 to 16
Written by Nur Yasmin
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a bill that raises the minimum age of sexual consent from 12 to 16, his office said on Monday, in a bid to protect minors from rape and sexual abuse.
The Philippines until now has had one of the world's lowest minimum ages of sexual consent, behind Nigeria's age of 11, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
A joint 2015 study by UNICEF and the Center for Women's Resources, a local non-governmental group, showed seven of 10 rape victims in the Philippines were children.
One in five respondents age 13 to 17 reported experiencing sexual violence, while one in 25 experienced forced consummated sex during childhood, the study said.
Under the bill endorsed by Duterte, which is gender neutral, any adult engaging in sexual contact with anyone 16 or under would be committing statutory rape, unless the age difference between them was three years or less and sex was proven to be consensual, and neither abusive nor exploitative.
The exemption does not apply if the one of those involved was under 13.
"We welcome this legal development and hope that it will help protect young girls from rape and sexual abuse," said Josalee Deinla, spokesperson of the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers, which provides legal help to poor and marginalised people in the Philippines.
Lawrence Fortun, one of the bill's main sponsors, described it as "a major step forward".
"I am elated that our collective efforts at pushing for stronger protection against rape and other forms of sexual abuse are advancing," he said in a statement. (reuters)
March
Purpose of suspected N.Korean enrichment plant's annex still unclear -IAEA
Written by Nur Yasmin
The purpose of an annex being built next to a suspected uranium enrichment plant at North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear site remains unclear, U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told a meeting of his agency's Board of Governors on Monday.
"We continue to observe construction activities at the Yongbyon site, including construction of an annex to the reported Centrifuge Enrichment Facility, the purpose of which has yet to be determined," he said in a brief update on North Korea, which his agency has no access to, in a longer statement. (Reuters)