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September
UNICEF trying to reunite evacuated Afghan children with families
Written by Nur Yasmin
UNICEF is trying to reunite hundreds of Afghan children who were separated from their families and evacuated to various countries during the hurried U.S. withdrawal from the country, the U.N. agency said on Tuesday.
Hundreds of children were separated in the chaotic scenes at Kabul airport and UNICEF is trying to get them back together with their families, spokesperson James Elder told a U.N. briefing in Geneva.
"They have gone to a range of countries and we are working with those governments where children have arrived without family support," he said, adding that more than 100 of the children are back with family members.
Dramatic footage last month showed a small girl lifted up over the high perimeter wall of the airport and passed into the hands of an American soldier. It was not clear whether the girl was reunited with her family within the airport.
September
Philippines defers new COVID-19 plan, maintains capital curbs
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Philippines capital region will remain under the second strictest coronavirus containment measures, a senior official said on Tuesday, despite a day earlier announcing a relaxation of curbs to spur business activity.
Imposition of the more relaxed "general community quarantine" in Metro Manila has been deferred, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said, without giving a reason.
The decision means a delay in the government's planned shift to smaller and localised lockdowns, which Roque said had been approved in principle by President Rodrigo Duterte.
The Philippines has among the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths in Asia and has been battling an epidemic since March last year, which has hamstrung efforts to revive an economy that contracted more than 9% in 2020.
Cases in the past 30 days alone accounted for more than a fifth of the country's 2.1 million cases, while total deaths have exceeded 34,400.
The announcement of an extension of curbs will sour the mood of small business owners who were anticipating better times with a relaxation of restrictions from Wednesday.
Salon owner Ricklem Badiang had been looking forward to getting his business back and running after weeks without income.
"We are hoping that we will have at least some customers because we owners have nothing left to shell out to pay for building rent and employee's pay," Badiang said before the government's announcement.
The Philippines, which exited recession in the second quarter after five consecutive quarters of gross domestic product contraction, is expected to grow slower than previously thought after a renewed surge in COVID-19 led to stricter mobility curbs in August.
September
New Zealand 'very close' to deal for more COVID-19 vaccines
Written by Nur Yasmin
New Zealand is "very close" to procuring more coronavirus vaccines and a deal could be announced this week, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said on Tuesday, as the country looks to get on top of an outbreak of the Delta variant.
The government is in talks with several countries, Hipkins said, but he did not specify when it would make the announcement about a deal.
"We're very, very close ... within the next 24 to 48 hours, things should be locked down, locked and loaded. People will have some good news," Hipkins told radio station Newstalk ZB.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday eased nationwide curbs, except in the biggest city, Auckland, after daily cases dipped to 20 on Monday from a peak of 85 on Aug. 29.
About 30% of the country's 5.1 million people have been fully vaccinated, the slowest pace among the wealthy nations of the OECD grouping.
September
Chinese FM to visit S.Korea amid stalled N.Korea talks
Written by Nur Yasmin
China's foreign minister will visit South Korea next week amid stalled denuclearisation talks with North Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
Wang Yi, who is also a state councillor, will arrive in Seoul on Sept. 14 for a two-day stay and hold talks the next day with his counterpart, Chung Eui-yong, the ministry said.
"The two ministers plan to exchange in-depth opinions about the situation of the Korean peninsula and regional and global issues," the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry added that both sides would hold a separate meeting to explore ways to promote cultural exchanges ahead of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year.
Wang's trip comes amid stalled negotiations aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes in return for U.S. sanctions relief, which fell apart in 2019.
A reactivation of inter-Korean hotlines in July boosted hopes for a restart of the denuclearisation talks. But North Korea stopped answering the hotlines as South Korea and the United States began their annual military exercises last month, which Pyongyang has warned could trigger a security crisis.
A day before Wang's arrival, the chief nuclear negotiators of South Korea, the United States and Japan will most likely meet in Tokyo, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.
Seoul's foreign ministry spokesman said that meeting has not yet been finalised.
The U.S. special envoy for North Korea, Sung Kim, said in Seoul late last month that Washington has no hostile intent toward Pyongyang and that he is ready to resume dialogue "anywhere at any time." read more
South Korea and China could also discuss a visit to Seoul by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which had been expected early last year but was postponed amid the pandemic.
China, North Korea's sole major ally, has played a key role in efforts to press it to dismantle its nuclear programmes.
September
Hong Kong to reopen China border for some residents as govt eases COVID-19 rules
Written by Nur Yasmin
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that some residents from China and the former Portuguese colony of Macau will be allowed to enter the city without undergoing quarantine from Sept. 15, relaxing strict border restrictions to curb COVID-19.
Speaking at her weekly press conference, Lam said the government would let up to a total of 2,000 residents from both places enter the financial hub each day, subject to certain requirements such as a negative COVID-19 test prior to arrival.
Visitors would have to undergo 14 days of quarantine on return to the mainland or Macau.
Beijing-backed Lam has repeatedly said reopening the border with mainland China is a priority over boosting travel with the rest of the world, despite increasing calls to ease restrictions on arrivals from places such as Europe and the United States.
From Sept. 8, Lam said residents of Hong Kong would be allowed to return to the city from mainland China or Macau without undergoing quarantine, provided they do not arrive from high-risk areas.
The government has faced growing pressure from business lobby groups to open borders or risk losing executives and investment.
Restrictions have prompted expatriate and Chinese staff to return home, a fund manager recently told Reuters.
Officials say Hong Kong's vaccination rate needs to be much higher to relax in a safe manner. Around 60% of the population have received one dose but rates for elderly are among the lowest in the world due to worries about vaccine safety.
Hong Kong has recorded around 12,000 coronavirus cases in total and 212 deaths, far lower than many other developed cities.
September
UN says basic services in Afghanistan are collapsing
Written by Nur Yasmin
Afghanistan is facing the collapse of basic services and food and other aid is about to run out, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday.
OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke told a U.N. briefing in Geneva that millions of Afghans were in need of food aid and health assistance, urging donors to give more ahead of an international aid conference for Afghanistan on Sept. 13.
The agency has released a flash appeal for around $600 million to meet humanitarian needs for 11 million people for the remainder of the year amid warnings of drought and starvation.
"Basic services in Afghanistan are collapsing and food and other lifesaving aid is about to run out," he said. "We urge international donors to support this appeal fast and generously."
More than half a million people have been displaced internally in Afghanistan this year as the Taliban has swept across the country, culminating in its seizure of the capital Kabul on Aug. 15.
September
Qatar and Turkey working to restore Kabul passenger flights, ministers say
Written by Nur Yasmin
Qatar and Turkey are working to restore passenger flights at Kabul airport soon but have yet to agree with Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers how to run the airport, their foreign ministers said on Tuesday.
Both countries have technical teams at the airport and Qatar is chartering near daily humanitarian flights following the withdrawal of U.S. troops a week ago, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said.
"We hope in the next few days we can get to a level where the airport is up and running for passengers and for humanitarian aid as well," Sheikh Mohammed told a joint news conference in Doha with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
Damage to the airport's runways, towers and terminals, needs to be repaired before civilian flights can resume, Turkey has said. read more
Because of the damage, pilots flying into and out of the airport are operating in "fly-as-you-see" mode, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday.
He told Turkish broadcaster NTV that Turkey and Qatar were working to ensure that both humanitarian and commercial flights could operate. "For both of these, the most important criteria is security," he said.
Turkey says it wants to provide security inside the airport to protect any Turkish team deployed there and safeguard operations, but that the Taliban have insisted there can be no foreign forces present.
Cavusoglu suggested the task could be given to a private security company. "In the future, if everything comes back on track in Afghanistan and the security concern is lifted, Afghan forces can do this.
"But right now, nobody is certain. There is no confidence."
Cavusoglu said a "pre-delegation" of 19 Turkish technicians was working at Kabul airport with a Qatari team.
September
IFRC urges urgent global humanitarian support for Afghanistan
Written by Nur Yasmin
Conflict, drought and the pandemic have rendered 18 million Afghans in need of humanitarian assistance, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Tuesday, calling for urgent international action.
Foreign governments have pledged continued humanitarian support, but there is no clarity on how this help will be delivered following the fall of Kabul to the Islamist militant Taliban movement last month.
"Some 18 million Afghans – half the population – are in need of humanitarian assistance as severe drought compounds hardships caused by years of conflict and the pandemic," an IFRC statement said.
It added that tens of thousands of families have left their homes, seeking food and shelter in urban areas where some are staying in relief camps without food or income.
The Taliban, too, have appealed to the international community to continue support for Afghanistan. On Sunday, a Taliban spokesman said the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, Martin Griffiths, had promised to maintain assistance to the Afghan people. read more
Western countries pulled out their diplomatic presence as international forces withdrew from the country and the Western-backed government capitulated as a lightning Taliban offensive culminated in the capture of Kabul in mid-August.
But, foreign governments have yet to recognise the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan.
Asked whether the United States would recognise the Taliban, U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters at the White House late Monday: “That’s a long way off."
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, whose country has increased its aid budget for Afghanistan, said last week that humanitarian assistance would flow through agencies and not to the Taliban directly.
Western countries fear that the looming humanitarian crisis and economic collapse could result in hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees.
The IFRC said it is scaling up its appeal to more than 36 million Swiss francs ($39.34 million) to support the Afghan Red Crescent to deliver emergency relief and recovery assistance to 560,000 people in 16 provinces worst affected by drought and compounding conflict-induced displacement.
September
New Zealand COVID-19 cases steady ahead of decision on easing curbs
Written by Nur Yasmin
New Zealand reported 20 new cases of COVID-19 for a third day in a row on Monday, ahead of a decision on whether coronavirus restrictions would be eased in most of the country.
All new cases were in Auckland, the epicentre of the current outbreak, and took the total number of infections to 821, the health ministry said in a statement.
The government is set to decide on Monday whether coronavirus restrictions enforced in the country will be eased. (Reuters)
September
Myanmar junta agrees to ASEAN call for ceasefire to distribute aid -Kyodo
Written by Nur Yasmin
Myanmar's military rulers have agreed to an ASEAN call for a ceasefire until the end of the year to ensure distribution of humanitarian aid, Japan's Kyodo news agency said, citing the envoy of the southeast Asian bloc to the crisis-torn nation.
Following a coup in February, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been trying to end violence in which hundreds have been killed in Myanmar, and open a dialogue between the military rulers and their opponents.
The envoy, Erywan Yusof, proposed the ceasefire in a video conference with Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, and the military had accepted it, he told the agency.
"This is not a political ceasefire. This is a ceasefire to ensure safety, (and) security of the humanitarian workers" in their effort to distribute aid safely, Erywan said, according to Sunday's report.
"They didn't have any disagreement with what I said, with regards to the ceasefire," it quoted the envoy as saying.
Erywan had also passed his proposal indirectly to parties opposed to rule by the military, it added.
A military spokesman did not answer calls from Reuters to seek comment.
The junta could not be trusted to honour the deal, however,
Myanmar pro-democracy activist Thinzar ShunLei Yi told Reuters, adding, "Ceasefires buy more time for the military to reload bullets."
Maw Htun Aung, a deputy minister in the National Unity Government formed of opponents of military rule, said ASEAN needed to tell the junta to stop "killing and terrorising" its own people.
In an interview with Reuters on Saturday, Erywan said he was still negotiating with the military over the terms of a visit he hoped to make before late October, and had sought access to ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi. read more
"What we are calling for now is ... for all sides to undertake a cessation of violence, especially with regards to distribution of humanitarian assistance," he said.
ASEAN nations and dialogue partners had pledged $8 million in aid for Myanmar, he added.
The military seized power after alleging irregularities in an election swept by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party. International monitors and the electoral commission at the time said the army accusations were wrong. (Reuters)