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September
North and South Korea Conduct Duelling Missile Tests As Arms Race Heats Up
Written by Nur Yasmin
Both North Korea and South Korea test fired ballistic missiles on Wednesday, the latest volley in an arms race that has seen both countries develop increasingly sophisticated weapons while efforts to get talks going on defusing tension prove fruitless.
South Korea tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile(SLBM), becoming the first country without nuclear weapons to develop such a system.
South Korea President Moon was attending that test firing when word came of the North Korean launches, its first ballistic missile tests since March.
North Korea fired a pair of ballistic missiles that landed in the sea off its east coast, according to officials in South Korea and Japan, just days after it tested a cruise missile that is believed to have nuclear capabilities.
North Korea has been steadily developing its weapons systems amid a standoff over talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear and ballistic missile arsenals in return for U.S. sanctions relief. The negotiations, initiated between former U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2018, have stalled since 2019.
"North Korea fired two unidentified ballistic missiles from its central inland region toward the east coast, and intelligence authorities of South Korea and the United States are conducting detailed analysis for further information," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement.
The missiles were fired just after 12:30 p.m. (0330 GMT), flying 800 km (497 miles) to a maximum altitude of 60 km (37 miles), the JCS reported.
The U.S. military's Indo-Pacific Command said North Korea's missile launches did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, territory, or allies, but highlight the destabilising impact of its illicit weapons programme.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called the missile launch "outrageous" and strongly condemned it as a threat to peace and security in the region.
China's foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a daily briefing that China hoped "relevant parties" would "exercise restraint".
'THE STRONGEST KOREA'
South Korea has been splurging on a range of new military systems, including ballistic missiles, submarines, and its first aircraft carrier. It has a stated policy of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.
The arms race has accelerated under Moon for a number of reasons, including his push for more foreign policy autonomy, wariness of relying on the United States after Trump's presidency and military developments in both North Korea and China, said Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a Korea expert at King's College London.
"South Korea would face many political and legal obstacles to develop nuclear weapons, both internal and external," he said. "So it will develop all other capabilities to deter North Korea and show who the strongest Korea is."
Officials at the SLBM test announced the development of several other advanced missiles including a supersonic cruise missile and a ballistic missile with a larger warhead.
Moon cited the nuclear-armed North's "asymmetric capabilities" as a reason for South Korea to develop better missiles.
"Enhancing our missile capability is exactly what's needed as deterrence against North Korea's provocation," he said, while stressing that the SLBM test had been planned and was not in response to the North's launches.
Unlike the South, North Korea's ballistic missile systems have been banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions.
In November 2017, North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the entire United States and declared it had become a nuclear power. It has since focused mainly on testing shorter-range missile and rockets.
North Korea this year declared it was seeking to miniaturise nuclear warheads, which could potentially be fitted to tactical missiles.
"North Korea continues to prioritise military modernisation," said Leif-Eric Easley, international studies professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
'GREAT SIGNIFICANCE'
The latest launch came as foreign ministers of South Korea and China held talks in Seoul amid concern over North Korea's tests and the stalled denuclearisation negotiations.
North Korea said it successfully tested a new long-range cruise missile last weekend, calling it "a strategic weapon of great significance". Analysts say that weapon could be its first cruise missile with a nuclear capability.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, when asked about the cruise missile tests, said all parties should work to promote peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.
"Not only North Korea but other countries are carrying out military activity," he told reporters. "All of us should make efforts in a way that helps resume dialogue."
In a meeting with Wang on Wednesday, Moon asked for China's support to restart dialogue, saying North Korea had not been responding to South Korean and U.S. offers for talks or engagement such as humanitarian aid, Moon's spokesperson said.
The nuclear envoys of South Korea, Japan, and the United States were meeting in Tokyo this week as well.
U.S. envoy Sung Kim said on Tuesday the United States has no hostile intent towards North Korea and hoped it would respond positively to calls for talks.
The United States wants North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programmes in exchange for sanctions relief. North Korea has refused. (Reuters)
September
Self-belief and strategy: Japan's Taro Kono upends race for next premier
Written by Nur Yasmin
When Taro Kono, Japan's leading contender to be prime minister, was a senior in high school, he asked his father to send him overseas for university, but was flatly refused.
Instead, the elder Kono, a leading politician in the ruling party, took his son to a U.S. embassy reception in a bid to prove his English was not good enough.
But the move backfired.
"I went around the room telling people enthusiastically, in my broken English, how I wanted to study abroad but my father was against it, so I had a problem," Kono wrote in a recent book.
Everyone said no, he should wait. But that response, and perhaps his son's audacity, somehow convinced the father, and Kono wound up spending four years at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Now 58, Japan's popular vaccines minister is fluent in English and hopes to parlay that early combination of self-belief, strategy and stubbornness into becoming leader of the conservative ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and prime minister.
TOKYO, Sept 14 (Reuters) - When Taro Kono, Japan's leading contender to be prime minister, was a senior in high school, he asked his father to send him overseas for university, but was flatly refused.
Instead, the elder Kono, a leading politician in the ruling party, took his son to a U.S. embassy reception in a bid to prove his English was not good enough.
But the move backfired.
"I went around the room telling people enthusiastically, in my broken English, how I wanted to study abroad but my father was against it, so I had a problem," Kono wrote in a recent book.
Everyone said no, he should wait. But that response, and perhaps his son's audacity, somehow convinced the father, and Kono wound up spending four years at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Now 58, Japan's popular vaccines minister is fluent in English and hopes to parlay that early combination of self-belief, strategy and stubbornness into becoming leader of the conservative ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and prime minister.
In addition to a resume studded with high-profile portfolios such as foreign affairs and defence, he runs a Twitter feed in two languages and, in a world of staid politicians, speaks bluntly, by contrast with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
"Kono's a tight communicator, he's talking," said Corey Wallace, a foreign policy specialist at Kanagawa University.
"He's always out there, giving press conferences on the vaccine rollout and so on," Wallace added. "Suga looked like he only communicated when he absolutely had to."
Kono regularly tops opinion polls as voters' choice for the next prime minister, which will help him with both rank-and-file members in the LDP contest, and young lawmakers worried about keeping their jobs as a general election looms this year.
Image, at which Kono excels, could trump policy, said Airo Hino, a professor of political science at Waseda University.
"Lawmakers are definitely going to pick who they think is better for re-election," Hino added.
"They're thinking of election posters, and their faces on them with the LDP president. This is especially true in urban areas, and with the young."
SOCIAL MEDIA REACH
Kono's outreach has flourished on social media, where he has garnered 2.4 million followers on Twitter.
The whimsical posts of early this year, featuring memes, his lunch, or a mask with a dinosaur skull, have shifted to promoting the vaccine and highlighting online policy meetings.
That Kono had forged a genuine connection with those who do not usually care about politicians became clear when debate erupted online after he blocked some of those who disagreed with him on Twitter.
But that incident also throws light on one of his biggest weaknesses, say analysts.
"He wants you to like him, and he wants to like you, and he wants to engage, but he has a little bit of an angry streak and it can be a liability," Wallace said.
In 2019, when foreign minister, Kono berated the South Korean ambassador during a meeting in front of cameras, telling him he was "extremely rude".
These memories stir consternation in South Korea, already nervous about the conservative stance Kono took on key policies when a cabinet minister.
That is a contrast with his father, Yohei Kono, the chief cabinet secretary who authored a landmark apology in 1993 to "comfort women," a euphemism for those forced to work in Japan's wartime brothels.
South Korean media have played up his hardline stance, and some commentators fear already-strained ties might not improve.
But at home there is hope that Kono, whose maverick nature brings to mind the wildly popular Junichiro Koizumi, prime minister from 2001 to 2006, may be able to get things done.
Analysts say most of the blame for Japan's handling of the pandemic has landed on Suga, sinking his cabinet, while Kono has built an image of working hard on the vaccine rollout.
Japan's emergency measures achieved little until recently to curb virus infections that swamped its hospitals, but after a slow start vaccination rates have risen to a little more than half, pulling close to the United States and other G7 nations.
"He ... overcame all the hurdles and bureaucratic excuses notably made by the ministry of health," said Kenji Shibuya, former director of the Institute for Population Health at King’s College London, who directed municipal vaccinations in Fukushima prefecture, north of Tokyo, the capital.
"I think he is the only candidate who can challenge the status quo."
But first Kono must win, which means he will have to overcome the deep-seated fears of party elders that he could be difficult to keep in check.
"That's not to say Kono is completely against what the party wants to do," Wallace added. "But he will be his own prime minister, one way or another." (Reuters)
September
Myanmar's Suu Kyi returns to court but still 'somewhat dizzy'
Written by Nur Yasmin
Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi returned to court on Tuesday, a day after she did not appear because she was unwell, seeming relieved but saying she was still "somewhat dizzy", her lawyer said.
The health of 76-year-old Suu Kyi is closely watched in Myanmar, where she spent many years in detention for challenging its military governments. She is on trial over multiple charges since her overthrow in a Feb. 1 coup.
Suu Kyi could not appear on Monday due to dizziness and drowsiness that her legal team said was caused by motion sickness while being driven to court from the undisclosed location where she is being held. read more
"Daw Aung San Suu Kyi seemed quite relieved, but she said she was still somewhat dizzy," chief lawyer Khin Maung Zaw said by text message, referring to her by a Myanmar honorific.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner is charged with a litany of offences, including breaking coronavirus protocols, illegally possessing two-way radios, accepting bribes of cash and gold, incitement to cause public alarm and violating the Official Secrets Act.
Her lawyers have rejected the accusations.
The cases are being handled by courts in Yangon, Mandalay and Naypyitaw, which some of her allies fear could tie her up in legal proceedings for years.
The court was scheduled to proceed with two cases on Tuesday, the second of which was adjourned after prosecution witnesses failed to appear.
Myanmar has suffered political and economic paralysis since Suu Kyi's elected government was toppled, sparkling a nationwide backlash, with protests and violence in the countryside and in its biggest cities.
Diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis have made little progress. Many of Suu Kyi's loyalists have fled or have been arrested or joined a shadow government of junta opponents that has called for a revolt. (Reuters)
September
'S.Korea's Bernie Sanders' tops presidential polls with talk of universal basic income
Written by Nur Yasmin
A South Korean politician who once said he aspired to be a "successful Bernie Sanders" is leading the field to replace Moon Jae-in as president after rising to prominence with an aggressive pandemic response and a populist economic agenda.
Lee Jae-myung, the governor of Gyeonggi province, has led in many recent national polls and dominated the early rounds of the ruling liberal Democratic Party primary, including the latest voting over the weekend.
As governor, Lee advocated for universal basic income and instituted cash payments to all 24-year-old people for a year. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, all province residents also received regular payments.
Under Lee, Gyeonggi also took aggressive steps to combat the pandemic, introducing restrictions on gatherings that were later adopted by the national government, raiding a church at the centre of a large outbreak, and imposing a controversial requirement that all foreign residents be tested.
His outsider image was once seen as a liability in the face of establishment competitors with closer ties to the outgoing Moon.
But with many South Koreans disillusioned by runaway housing prices, a poor employment outlook for young people and a string of corruption scandals, that populist message has driven him to the head of the pack as he looks to blunt conservatives' efforts to capitalise on voter discontent.
Lee no longer compares himself to Sanders, the progressive senator who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party nomination for U.S. president, and has expressed willingness to adjust his policies to avoid strife while embracing "compromise and consensus".
But he still casts himself as someone who will take on the establishment - which at the moment is largely his own party.
"Only politicians who have the courage and driving force to put up with the resistance and backlash from the establishment can keep and fulfil promises and achieve results," Lee said during a primary in the eastern province of Gangwon on Sunday. "And I have never made a promise that I could not keep."
EXPANDING WELFARE STATE
Born to an impoverished farming family in a remote mountain village in the country's southeast, Lee, 56, attributes his focus on economic equality to an early life as a child labourer in chemical factories that left him with impaired hearing and a wrist deformity.
When elected mayor of Seongnam, one of the largest cities in Gyeonggi, in 2010, he initiated a plan to establish a new, larger public hospital with unprecedented numbers of negative pressure rooms and intensive care beds. The facility now serves as a national COVID-19 centre and has treated more than 3,000 patients.
"Keeping people from disasters and infectious diseases by providing public medical service is one of the government's most fundamental duties, and my political career began from there," Lee told Reuters in December.
A longtime advocate of universal basic income, Lee vowed to provide 1 million won ($850) to all citizens and another 1 million to people aged 19-29 every year if he takes office.
He also pledged to boost housing supply by building more than 2.5 million homes, including 1 million to be distributed under a "basic home" scheme, aimed at allowing non-homeowners to live in high-quality public housing at low prices for up to 30 years.
To bankroll the programmes, Lee proposed a carbon tax and a national land tax scheme to increase taxes for all property holders and cut transaction costs.
"I will adopt universal basic income as a national policy to pave the way for a grand transition from a low burden, low welfare state to a medium burden, medium welfare state, while minimising tax resistance," he told a news conference in late July.
FROM OUTSIDER TO FRONTRUNNER
Lee, who came in third during the Democratic Party's last presidential primary in 2017, has been dogged by personal controversy while in office, including allegations of an affair with an actress, which he has denied.
As proof of their alleged relationship, the actress said the governor had a large mole on his body. In 2018, Lee publicly undertook an examination to refute that claim, with doctors concluding he had no such mark.
A lawsuit by the actress demanding 300 million won ($255,000) in compensation from Lee is pending in court.
Lee's rise has been driven chiefly by young and politically independent South Koreans who propelled Moon to victory in 2017 but have since grown disillusioned.
This year Lee has pulled past party bigwigs such as former prime minister Lee Nak-yon, who were seen as favourites of insiders seeking a trusted nominee who can protect Moon's political legacy.
The conservative opposition, meanwhile, remains in disarray with no one emerging as a potent contender yet.
"Despite mainstream Democrats' efforts to keep him at bay, Lee's experience and outsider image cater to many voters' craving for a candidate who can get the job done," said Kim Hyung-joon, a political science professor at Myongji University in Seoul. (Reuters)
September
Philippines' Duterte accused of stifling scrutiny in senate probes
Written by Nur Yasmin
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered members of his cabinet to get his consent before appearing at senate investigations, fuelling accusations from activists and some politicians of an attempt to stifle scrutiny.
Duterte gave the directive in a recorded televised address aired on Tuesday after he said senators probing hisgovernment's use of more than $1 billion in pandemicfunds were using the hearings to further their political ambitions. read more
"I will require every cabinet member to clear with me any invitation, and if I think he will be called...to be harassed, berated...I will not allow (them to attend)," Duterte said.
This was not the first time Duterte has challenged the investigative powers of Congress. In January, he directed the head of his military detail to ignore legislative summons issued by the senate, which was probing his guards for inoculating themselves with an unauthorised COVID-19 vaccine.
"I will limit you to what you can do with the executive department," Duterte told the senators, but added if the invitation was reasonable and "in pursuant of the truth" then he would not stand in the way.
In a post on Twitter, activist Renato Reyes of the left-wing alliance Bayan (Nation), labelled the order as "tyrannical" and accused Duterte of trying to cover up corruption.
Duterte has told senators to stop probing ongoing programmes after they zeroed in on a multi-billion peso medical supplies contract his government awarded to a small-capitalised firm with links to public officials during the hearing. read more
Duterte, whose government is facing growing criticism over its handling of the pandemic, has said the deal was above-board, and accused the senators of "stretching the hearing because it is good for elections".
Former congressman and activist Neri Colmenares urged cabinet members to keep attending the senate hearings because otherwise it breached the "wish of the people" to scrutinise such transactions.
Senate President Vicente Sotto has defended the senate's record, saying last month, the upper chamber's investigations have led to the removal of government officials and the filing of cases against them. (Reuters)
September
Sydney COVID-19 infections ease, but unclear if they have peaked
Written by Nur Yasmin
Sydney's COVID-19 cases rose at the slowest pace in nearly two weeks on Tuesday, but officials said they needed to see a steady drop in daily cases before deciding whether infections had peaked after 12 weeks in lockdown.
New South Wales (NSW) state reported 1,127 new local cases, the majority in state capital Sydney, down from 1,257 on Monday. Two deaths were reported.
"It's too early to know if we're flattening the curve, but we're seeing, pleasingly so far, that cases haven't been increasing as fast as they have been," Jeremy McAnulty, NSW Executive Director of Public Health Response, told reporters in Sydney.
"We'll look to see what's happening throughout the rest of this week to know how we're going."
Nearly half of Australia's 25 million population is in lockdown, including people in Sydney and Melbourne, its largest cities, and the capital Canberra, as the country grapples with a third wave of infections from the fast-moving Delta variant.
Still, its coronavirus numbers are far lower than comparable countries, with around 77,000 cases and 1,102 deaths, and the mortality rate in the latest outbreak is lower than last year.
Sydney and Melbourne hope to come out of their extended lockdown around the middle of next month through higher vaccination rates. Officials hope to ease some tough curbs once two-dose vaccination rates in the adult population reach 70%, and then relax more curbs at 80%. Currently only 42% of Australia's adult population is fully vaccinated.
The lockdowns are expected to cause a sharp contraction in Australia's economy this quarter, Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Philip Lowe said on Tuesday, but he was confident activity would rebound quickly once restrictions were eased.
"We expect the economy to be growing again in the December quarter, with the recovery continuing into 2022," Lowe said in a speech. read more
Victoria state reported two new deaths and detected 445 new local cases, down from the year's high of 473 hit a day earlier, as it looks to accelerate the vaccination rollout in Melbourne's hardest-hit suburbs, the state capital.
The federal government plans to move an additional 417,000 vaccine doses over the next three weeks for residents in Melbourne's north and west, where most new infections are being detected. Pop-up hubs will be set up in schools, community centres and places of worship.
Authorities on Tuesday extended the lockdown in Canberra for four weeks until Oct. 15 as it reported 22 new local cases, up from 13 a day earlier. (Reuters)
September
Grateful for vaccines, Taiwan minister to lead Europe investment delegation
Written by Nur Yasmin
Grateful for COVID-19 vaccine gifts and other support, Taiwan will send a senior minister to head an investment delegation to three central and eastern European countries next month to boost business ties, Taiwan's foreign ministry announced on Tuesday.
Remus Chen, head of the ministry's Europe department, told reporters the 65-person group would travel by chartered flight to Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Lithuania, who have together pledged a total of 60,000 shots to Taiwan, from Oct. 20-30.
It will be led by Kung Ming-hsin, who runs the National Development Council which is in charge of Taiwan's industrial development policy, Chen added.
Taiwan's relations with the three countries have continued to improve, he said, pointing to not only the vaccine donations but also last year's visit of the head of the Czech Senate and Lithuania's decision to allow Taiwan to set up a de facto embassy, with Lithuania planning the same in Taipei.
"This shows the unity of international democratic partners and friendship," Chen said.
China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has been angered by these interactions, with Lithuania most recently feeling the brunt of Beijing's displeasure.
Chen said the delegation would include representatives of tech firms in particular, including electric vehicle makers, though he did not say which companies would participate.
"Taiwan has many great industries and companies. The government must be a firm backer to help them go out into the world," he added.
Major Apple Inc (AAPL.O) supplier Foxconn (2317.TW) already has plants in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Taiwan has been heartened by the support of the three European Union members, as well as Poland which donated 400,000 vaccines doses earlier this month, though the bloc has not moved on Taiwan's request to push forward with a stalled proposal for a bilateral investment agreement.
The EU has however been trying to boost cooperation on semiconductor production, tight supplies of which have especially affected global auto makers, including in Europe.
Taiwan is one of the world's most important chip makers. (Reuters)
September
Singapore's health ministry reported 607 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the highest since August last year.
The country's COVID-19 cases have hit a one-year high in the recent days as it entered a phased reopening after more than 80% of its population was fully vaccinated. (Reuters)
September
New Zealand looks to boost COVID-19 vaccinations as new cases ease
Written by Nur Yasmin
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern asked New Zealanders on Tuesday to get vaccinated as soon as possible, as it was the only way to beat the spread of coronavirus and see curbs lifted in the biggest city of Auckland.
Tuesday's 15 new infections in New Zealand were a drop from Monday's figure of 33, but about 1.7 million people will stay in lockdown in Auckland until next week, as the government battles to hold down a cluster of the highly infectious Delta variant.
"The vaccine is the best tool we have in our toolbox and our ticket to greater freedom," Ardern told a news conference. "The more people who are vaccinated, the fewer restrictions you have to have."
Auckland's lockdown has shut schools, offices and public places, with people allowed to leave home only for exercise or to buy essential items. In the rest of the country, the lockdown was lifted last week.
New Zealand had been largely virus-free for months until a Delta outbreak forced a snap lockdown on Aug. 17. It has infected 970 people so far, most of them in Auckland.
The lockdowns and international border closure since March 2020 have been credited with holding down COVID-19, but a slow vaccination effort has spurred criticism for Ardern. Just 34% of the population of 5.1 million have been fully vaccinated.
To boost the programme, New Zealand has bought doses of Pfizer-BioNTech (PFE.N) vaccine from Spain and Denmark.
"There is nothing holding us back in Auckland when it comes to vaccines," Ardern added. "There's capacity to administer 220,000 doses of vaccine in the region this week."
Vaccine buses will begin plying this week to reach more people, she said. (Reuters)
September
Qatar's foreign minister visits premier of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan
Written by Nur Yasmin
Qatar's foreign minister held talks with the prime minister of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan on Sunday, in the highest-level foreign visit to Kabul since the militant group seized the capital last month.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani called upon the country's new rulers to "involve all Afghan parties in national reconciliation" when he met Prime Minister Mullah Muhammad Hasan Akhund, Qatar's foreign ministry said.
Qatar is considered one of the countries with the most influence over the Taliban and played a pivotal role in the massive U.S.-led airlift of its own citizens, other Western nationals and Afghans who helped Western countries.
The Qatari capital Doha also hosted the Taliban's political office, which oversaw the negotiations with the United States that eventually led to the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
Sheikh Mohammed and new premier Akhund also discussed "concerted efforts to combat terrorist organizations that threaten the stability of Afghanistan", ways to enhance peace in the country and the safe passage of people, according to the Qatar ministry.
Sheikh Mohammed met the prime minister and a number of other senior ministers, a Taliban spokesman said.
"The meeting focused on bilateral relations, humanitarian assistance, economic development and interaction with the world," according to the Taliban.
Sunday's meeting in the presidential palace was attended by a number of other Afghan ministers including Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Defence Minister Yaqoob Mujahid, Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and intelligence chief Abdul Haq Wasiq.
The Taliban said the leadership of the Islamic Emirate, the term used by the group to describe the new order in Afghanistan, thanked the Qatar government for supporting the Afghan people.
The Doha agreement, signed by the United States and the Taliban, was a "landmark achievement, all sides should adhere to its implementation", the Taliban added.
Qatar's Sheikh Mohammed also met Abdullah Abdullah, a senior official in the previous Afghan government, and former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the foreign ministry said. (Reuters)