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December
Cambodian leader Hun Sen says backs eldest son to succeed him
Written by Nur Yasmin
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, one of the world's longest serving leaders after 36 years in power, on Thursday offered support for his eldest son as his potential successor, a move the main opposition leader compared to North Korea.
Hun Sen, who has presided over a broad crackdown on the opposition, civil society and the media that began in the run-up to 2018 elections, has in the past said he planned to rule until he felt he should stop.
His son, Hun Manet, 44, a deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and joint chief of staff, graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1999 and holds a doctorate in economics from Britain's University of Bristol.
"I announce today that I support my son to continue as prime minister, but it is through an election," Hun Sen said in a speech in the coastal province of Preah Sihanouk.
Hun Sen defended the idea of establishing a political dynasty.
"Even Japan has its own dynasty, like (former prime minister) Abe. His grandfather was prime minister and he had visited Cambodia. Abe's father was a foreign minister and Abe was a prime minister," Hun Sen said.
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said Hun Sen's determination to promote Hun Manet reflected his fear of losing impunity when he can no longer lead the country, and Hun Manet's mission would be to protect his father.
In an email to Reuters, he said Hun Sen's succession plan would fail, because Cambodia was not "the private property" of the Hun family, "and is not North Korea either".
Hun Sen's Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), which has been in power since 1979, holds every seat in the 125-member legislature after the main opposition was dissolved ahead of the 2018 election, accused of plotting to overthrow the government.
Western countries and human rights groups have long condemned Hun Sen for crackdowns on opponents, civil rights groups and the media.
In June last year, Hun Sen said the ruling party would be a dominant force in politics for as long as a century, telling the opposition it should wait until the next life if it wants to take power. (Reuters)
December
Russia deploys coastal missile system on island chain near Japan
Written by Nur Yasmin
Russia has deployed its Bastion coastal missile defence system to a remote part of the Kuril island chain in the Pacific near Japan, the Ministry of Defence's Zvezda TV channel said on Thursday.
Japan lays claim to the Russian-held southern Kuril islands that Tokyo calls the Northern Territories, a territorial row that dates back to the end of World War Two when Soviet troops seized them from Japan.
The dispute has prevented them signing a formal peace treaty.
Russia used large landing ships to deliver equipment and personnel to the remote Matua island in the central part of the island chain, Zvezda said.
Russia is trying to beef up its military infrastructure on the island chain, the Ministry of Defence announced in August. (Reuters)
December
World food prices climb in November, stay at 10-year peak -FAO
Written by Nur Yasmin
World food prices rose for a fourth straight month in November to remain at 10-year highs, led by strong demand for wheat and dairy products, the U.N. food agency said on Thursday.
The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) food price index, which tracks international prices of the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 134.4 points last month compared with a revised 132.8 for October.
The October figure was previously given as 133.2.
The November reading was the highest for the index since June 2011. On a year-on-year basis, the index was up 27.3% last month.
Agricultural commodity prices have risen steeply in the past year, driven by harvest setbacks and strong demand. read more
The FAO's cereal price index rose by 3.1% in November from the previous month and was 23.2% higher than its year-ago level, with wheat prices hitting their highest level since May 2011.
FAO said wheat prices were supported by concerns about unseasonable rains in Australia and uncertainty over potential changes to export measures in Russia.
The dairy price index posted the largest monthly rise, up 3.4% from the previous month. "Strong global import demand persisted for butter and milk powders as buyers sought to secure spot supplies in anticipating of tightening markets," FAO said.
Global sugar prices rose 1.4% on the month and was up nearly 40% year-on-year. "The increase was primarily driven by higher ethanol prices," FAO said.
The meat price index posted its fourth consecutive monthly decline, shedding 0.9% on the month, while world vegetable oil prices fell 0.3% on October levels, but international palm oil prices remained firm, FAO said.
Rome-based FAO cut its projection of global cereal production in 2021 to 2.791 billion tonnes from 2.793 billion estimated a month ago, according to its cereal supply and demand outlook.
However, the expected world cereal output would still represent a record, FAO said.
"The month-to-month downgrade is primarily the result of an anticipated marginally smaller global coarse grains outturn, reflecting reduced forecasts for barley and sorghum production," FAO said.
World cereal utilization in 2021/22 was forecast to rise by 1.7% above the 2020/21 level, hitting 2.810 billion tonnes. FAO's forecast for world cereal stocks by the close of seasons in 2022 stood at 822 million tonnes, up 2.9 million tonnes since November but still down 0.7% from opening levels. (Reuters)
December
Sydney braces for more Omicron cases but no lockdowns for now
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australian authorities on Wednesday flagged another probable case of the Omicron variant in Sydney as they braced for more infections after at least two international travelers visited several locations in the city while likely infectious.
Officials in New South Wales (NSW), home to Sydney, said initial testing "strongly indicates" a man in his 40s, who arrived from southern Africa on Nov. 25, had been infected with the Omicron variant and had spent time in the community.
"We believe it is likely it will be confirmed later this afternoon as a definite Omicron case," NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard told reporters, but he ruled out lockdowns to contain the newly identified variant.
"I feel like it's time for a change in approach. We don't know how many more variants of this virus are going to come," Hazzard said.
Sydney, Australia's largest city, came out of nearly four months of lockdown in early October to contain a Delta outbreak and has been gradually easing curbs after higher vaccinations.
Omicron has prompted Australia to delay by two weeks its plans to reopen its borders from Wednesday to skilled migrants and foreign students. Mandatory two-week quarantine has been enforced for citizens returning from southern African countries.
Vaccinated Australians reaching Sydney and Melbourne from all other countries must now quarantine for 72 hours. Other states have not opened their international borders yet.
"It's very confusing, it was very emotional ... I did lots of praying. I just thought I'm going to land here and see what happens," Lorelle Molde, who returned to Australia from the United States, told Reuters at the Sydney airport.
When confirmed, the latest probable case would bring the total number of confirmed infections in Australia to seven, with six detected in NSW.
The other person who contracted the Omicron variant is in isolation in the quarantine facility in the remote Northern Territory. Police said three people were taken into custody after escaping from the facility early Wednesday morning.
Authorities on Tuesday confirmed the country's first community case of the new variant but the national cabinet decided against more restrictions and to wait for more data on its severity and transmissibility.
Australia has recorded around 212,000 cases and 2,012 deaths from COVID-19. (Reuters)
December
Japan escalates Omicron emergency as airlines halt reservations, 2nd case found
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan's flag airlines halted new reservations on Wednesday and the government widened a travel ban amid escalating alarm over Omicron after a second case of the coronavirus variant was detected in the country.
Japan Airlines Co (9201.T) and ANA Holdings Inc (9202.T) said they were suspending new reservations for international flights to Japan until the end of December. The move came at the request of the transport ministry, which has also requested foreign airlines to halt all such reservations.
Japan took some of the strictest steps globally on Monday by closing its borders to new foreign entrants for about a month in light of the emergence of Omicron. A day later, Japan's first Omicron case was discovered - a Namibian diplomat who arrived in the country on Sunday.
A second case was found in a male traveler in his 20s coming from Peru who landed at Narita International Airport on Saturday, the health ministry confirmed.
The government said it will prevent the reentry of those with residency status traveling from 10 southern African states from midnight on Wednesday for at least a month.
The restrictions apply to Japan residents coming from South Africa, Eswatini, Namibia, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Lesotho, Angola, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
"From the view of prevention, we won't just restrict new entry by foreigners but also returning foreigners with resident status, unless there are special extenuating circumstances," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a news conference.
"We will maintain a sense of urgency and keep track of the situation in various countries to be able to respond quickly and flexibly."
Regarding other passengers on the plane with the Namibian diplomat, he said none of the 70 people designated as close contacts and currently observing quarantine had shown signs of falling ill.
Health Minister Shigeyuki Goto later said his ministry was in contact with local governments to keep an eye on the fellow passengers.
Japanese border measures were loosened slightly a few weeks ago, but all of those changes have been rolled back in a move generally applauded by the public and accepted by business leaders, although some sectors of the economy dependent on foreign trainees could be hit if the closing is extended. (Reuters)
December
Former PM Abe says Japan, U.S. could not stand by if China attacked Taiwan
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan and the United States could not stand by if China attacked Taiwan, and Beijing needs to understand this, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday.
Tensions over Chinese-claimed Taiwan have risen as President Xi Jinping seeks to assert his country's sovereignty claims against the democratically ruled island. Taiwan's government says it wants peace but will defend itself if needed.
Speaking virtually to a forum organized by Taiwanese think tank the Institute for National Policy Research, Abe noted the Senkaku islands - which China calls the Diaoyu Islands - Sakishima islands and Yonaguni island are a mere 100 km (62 miles) or so away from Taiwan.
An armed invasion of Taiwan would be a grave danger to Japan, he added.
"A Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency, and therefore an emergency for the Japan-U.S. alliance. People in Beijing, President Xi Jinping in particular, should never have a misunderstanding in recognizing this," Abe said.
Japan is host to major U.S. military bases, including on the southern island of Okinawa, a short flight from Taiwan, which would be crucial for any U.S. support during a Chinese attack.
The United States is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, though there is ambiguity about whether it would send forces to help Taiwan in a war with China.
The United States and its allies would take unspecified "action" if China were to use force to alter the status quo over Taiwan, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last month.
Abe, who stepped down as prime minister last year, is head of the largest faction of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and remains influential within the party.
On Sino-Japanese relations going forward, Abe said Japan should advance its ties with China while firmly saying to its giant neighbor what needs to be said, echoing incumbent Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
"Japan, Taiwan, and all the people who believe in a democracy need to keep urging President Xi Jinping and other Chinese Communist Party leaders repeatedly not to step onto a wrong path," Abe said.
Japan and Taiwan must work together to protect freedom and democracy, added Abe, speaking to an audience that included Cheng Wen-tsan, mayor of the northern Taiwanese city of Taoyuan, tipped as a possible future presidential candidate.
"A stronger Taiwan, a thriving Taiwan, and a Taiwan that guarantees freedom and human rights are also in Japan's interests. Of course, this is also in the interests of the whole world," Abe said. (Reuters)
December
With China and U.S. talks, South Korea tries to push forward on N.Korea
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korea will broach North Korea separately with two different audiences on Thursday, holding talks with Beijing's top diplomat in China and with visiting U.S. military leaders in Seoul.
In China, talks are expected to include South Korean President Moon Jae-in's hopes for a declaration to end the 1950-1953 Korean War. The conflict halted with an armistice and not a peace treaty.
In Seoul, U.S. and South Korean top brass are expected to discuss ways to strengthen a military alliance whose main goal is deterring a conflict with Pyongyang, and being prepared to fight one if that fails.
"Unfortunately, our mission to ensure peace on the Korean peninsula remains incomplete. There are piles of tasks ahead of us," South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum told the U.S. and South Korean military leaders at a reception on Wednesday.
North Korea has so far rebuffed U.S. entreaties for diplomacy since President Joe Biden took over from Donald Trump, who had three summits with leader Kim Jong Un.
Seoul sees an "end of war declaration" as a way to build trust with Kim, restart stalled denuclearisation talks, and eventually move toward a lasting peace agreement.
But Moon, who has tried to engage with North Korea throughout his presidency, is running out of time to clinch an agreement before his term ends in May.
South Korean national security adviser Suh Hoon will have talks with China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi in the Chinese city of Tianjin on Thursday on North Korea, the presidential Blue House said.
Critics of Moon's push are also concerned about the risk of giving Pyongyang a symbolic "end of war" declaration without getting anything concrete in return from Kim.
UPDATING WAR PLANNING
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met Suh in Seoul on Wednesday and in a brief address later, renewed Washington's commitment to South Korea's defense.
On Thursday, Austin and U.S. Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will attend annual military talks with South Korea. The discussions are expected to cover an update to operational planning for a potential conflict with North Korea.
"It's needed, given the circumstances and new capabilities that the alliances possess," one U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We do this all the time."
North Korea has tested new weapons systems in recent months, including a submarine-launched ballistic missile. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency also cautioned in August that North Korea's nuclear program was moving "full steam ahead" with work on plutonium separation, uranium enrichment, and other activities.
In a meeting on Wednesday with General In-Choul Won, South Korea's Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Milley emphasized the U.S. commitment to providing "extended deterrence" to South Korea - a reference to Washington's pledge to defend its ally with nuclear weapons if necessary.
Another issue expected to top the agenda in Seoul is South Korea's efforts to win wartime operational control of combined military forces.
Currently, a U.S. general would command those forces during a war. Progress toward that transition has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reuters)
December
U.N. says about half of Myanmar's people could sink into poverty in 2022
Written by Nur Yasmin
Urban poverty is on course to triple in Myanmar, pushing nearly half the population below the poverty line next year, the United Nations said on Wednesday, as the twin impact of the pandemic and a military coup threatens progress made in the past decade.
The army seized power from the elected civilian government of Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, unleashing political and economic turmoil as it sought to crush opposition and hurting efforts to fight the coronavirus.
Based on a survey of 1,200 households, the U.N. Development Program (UNDP) said Myanmar was set to return to levels of deprivation not seen since 2005 before democratic reforms began.
"A slide into the poverty of this scale could mean the disappearance of the middle class – a bad omen for any rapid recovery from the crisis," Kanni Wignaraja, the director of the UNDP Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, said in a statement.
A spokesman for the military junta did not respond to requests for comment by Reuters.
In the worst-case scenario, the United Nations estimates the numbers of those living below the poverty line could double to 46.3% from 24.8%, while urban poverty is expected to triple by 2022 to stand at 37.2%, versus 11.3% in 2019.
Half of the survey respondents in urban areas said they had no savings left, while about a third reported having sold a motorbike, often a family’s main means of transport.
There was a "clear rising trend of households eating less food" and increasing high school drop-out rates.
Major cities such as Yangon and Mandalay, formerly home to a growing middle class, have seen disruptions to small businesses and sectors, from construction and hospitality to retail and textiles, bringing job losses and reduced wages, the UNDP said.
In October, the junta’s investment minister told Reuters military authorities were trying their best to revive the economy, and blamed foreign-backed "economic sabotage" for the crisis, but gave no details.
If no action was taken, "you're going to see this carried through an entire generation," the U.N. official, Kanni Wignaraja, added.
"You lose a generation not only due to war, but you also lose a generation because of impairments and disabilities that come from a lack of food, poor nutrition, just extreme poverty," she told Reuters.
The World Bank, which before the coup projected economic growth in Myanmar despite COVID-19, now forecasts the economy to contract by more than 18% this year, far outstripping its neighbors.
Myanmar's campaign against the disease foundered along with the rest of the health system after the military overthrew the elected government, which had stepped up testing, quarantine, and treatment.
Services at public hospitals collapsed after many doctors and nurses joined strikes in a civil disobedience movement at the forefront of opposition to military rule and sometimes on the frontline of protests that were quashed.
More than 1,200 people have been killed by junta troops, says a monitoring group, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, and the protests have grown into an armed uprising, bringing clashes countrywide. (Reuters)
December
U.N. pushes cash handouts to avert mass poverty in Afghanistan
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United Nations said on Wednesday that a program to pay $300 million a year in cash to Afghan families with children, elderly or people with disabilities is the best way to target increasing poverty.
In what the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) described as an "alarming" socio-economic outlook for Afghanistan for the next 13 months, it also pushed a $100 million "cash for work" project to boost employment and $90 million in small business payments.
"This will be probably the best shot at halting this massive collapse into near universal poverty," UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Kanni Wignaraja, told Reuters.
As Afghanistan struggles with a sharp drop in international development aid after the Taliban seized power in mid-August, an economy and banking system on the brink of collapse, the COVID-19 pandemic and severe drought, UNDP has projected that poverty may become nearly universal by mid 2022 - affecting more than 90 percent of the country's 39 million people.
The U.N. World Food Programme has said 22.8 million people are facing acute food insecurity.
UNDP set up a special trust fund in October, with a 50 million euros ($58 million) pledge from Germany, to provide urgently needed cash directly to Afghans. So far, the fund has received pledges for $170 million.
The UNDP report makes the case for boosting a cash payment program, known as ABADEI, which was launched in October. Since then UNDP said it has made $100,000 in "cash for work" payments, creating jobs for 2,300 people in Mazar, Kunduz and Herat, and is being expanded to other provinces.
The report also warned that Afghanistan's economic growth will not turn positive in the near term unless restrictions on women working are lifted, $250 million a year in aid to combat COVID-19 continues and sanctions are eased to allow for humanitarian assistance.
It estimates that restricting female employment could cause an immediate economic loss of between $600 million and $1 billion - 3 to 5 percent of gross domestic product.
Wignaraja, who has met Taliban officials in Kabul, said a message needed to be sent that "all capable men and women should be fully back to work and contribute to your full potential to not only mitigate the immediate economic disaster, but think about this as the future of the country."(Reuters)
December
Taiwan seeks to work with new Honduras government as China looms
Written by Nur Yasmin
Taiwan will work with the Honduran president-elect Xiomara Castro to deepen relations on the basis of their long-standing friendship with the country, the government said on Wednesday, though she has floated the idea of ditching Taipei for Beijing.
Honduras' conservative ruling party candidate late on Tuesday conceded defeat, paving the way for his leftist rival Castro to become the first female leader of the struggling Central American country, one of only 15 nations with formal diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan.
Taiwan, which had held off offering congratulations until formal results were in, said its ambassador in Tegucigalpa, Diego Wen, had "at the first moment" congratulated Castro on behalf of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.
In a brief tweet on Wednesday, Castro expressed her gratitude, saying: "Many thanks President Tsai Ing-wen."
Honduras is an important friend in Central America, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said, and it is "obvious to all" the good results of their bilateral cooperation projects.
"On the basis of the long-term friendship established with Honduras, our country will deepen cooperation between the two countries with the new government team led by president-elect Castro, and jointly enhance the well-being of the two peoples," the ministry said in a statement.
Castro said in her election manifesto that she would "of course" seek to establish formal ties with Beijing if she won.
However, shortly after an unusually-timed visit to Honduras last week by Brian Nichols, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere, the Castro aide who wrote the manifesto said no final decision had been taken.
The two have a relationship dating back to 1941, before the Republic of China government fled to Taiwan after losing the Chinese civil war to the Communists who established the People's Republic of China.
Hours earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also congratulated Castro, saying they looked forward to working with the next Honduran government.
Taiwan warned Honduras in the run up to the election not to be taken in by China's "flashy and false" promises.
China's efforts to win over Taiwan's friends have alarmed and angered Washington, which is concerned about Beijing's growing international influence.
Pacific island nations Kiribati and the Solomon Islands were the last countries to cut ties with Taipei in September 2019.
China views democratically-ruled Taiwan as one of its provinces with no right to the trappings of a state, a view Taiwan's government strongly disputes.(Reuters)