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September
Malaysia's government signs cooperation pact with opposition in boost for PM
Written by Nur Yasmin
Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's coalition and the main opposition bloc on Monday signed a cooperation pact to ensure stability during the COVID-19 pandemic, an agreement that could also help the premier win a confidence vote.
Ismail Sabri took office last month with a slim parliamentary majority, becoming the third prime minister in as many years, but the constitutional monarch has called for him to face a vote of confidence to prove he has majority support in parliament.
The legislature reconvened on Monday but no date has been set for the confidence vote.
The bipartisan pact signed on Monday covers six areas including strengthening a COVID-19 plan, transformation in governance, parliamentary reforms, and freedom of the judiciary, Ismail Sabri said in a statement.
"The government is confident that this will not only see political differences being put aside but also ensure the national recovery will be inclusive and holistic," he said.
Ismail Sabri, however, did not say whether the agreement included his previous offer to the opposition to introduce political reforms including laws to prevent defections and to limit a prime minister to 10 years in office. read more
His offer on Friday had also included: bipartisan agreement on every bill to be introduced in parliament, input from opposition parties on a national recovery council and immediate lowering of the minimum voting age to 18 from 21. He also said the opposition leader would get the same pay and privileges as a cabinet minister.
Malaysia has seen political instability since the election defeat in 2018 of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which had governed for more than 60 years since independence, after a string of corruption allegations.
Two governments had collapsed since then and Ismail Sabri's appointment restored the premiership role to UMNO. (Reuters)
September
MOH suspends in-person visits to residential care homes from Monday as COVID-19 cases rise among residents, employees
Written by nuke
Two elderly men are seen in Singapore. (File photo: Gaya Chandramohan) -
All in-person visits to residential care homes will be suspended from Monday (Sep 13) after an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases among staff, clients and residents.
Forty-two cases across 18 aged care facilities have been detected in the past two weeks, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Sunday. “With the number of cases expected to continue to rise in the coming weeks, we need to take further action to protect the vulnerable seniors in these settings,” the ministry added.
Visits will be suspended for four weeks, until Oct 11. “This temporary suspension of visitation will give us time to encourage more unvaccinated seniors to get vaccinated, and roll out the vaccine booster programme for residents of aged care facilities,” said the Health Ministry.
Employees, residents and clients of aged care facilities will be tested more frequently with Antigen Rapid Tests (ART) as part of efforts to “strengthen” the testing regime, MOH said.
The ministry also encouraged the next-of-kin of unvaccinated seniors in aged care facilities “to support and encourage their loved ones to be vaccinated”.
“Unvaccinated seniors may suffer severe illness if infected. It is also important for vaccinated seniors to receive the booster vaccination when it is made available, to ensure a continued high level of immunity and protection from severe disease,” the Health Ministry said//CNA
September
Domestic tourism boom gives UK seaside new lease of life
Written by nuke
Seaside resorts such as Blackpool in northwest England have enjoyed a mini-revival from staycations after COVID-19 r (Photo: AFP) -
Children clutching glow sticks shrieked with delight and onlookers gazed awestruck as Blackpool's Illuminations lights festival launched to a spectacular volley of fireworks from its 158m Victorian tower.
The northwest English town's lights display crowns an extended tourist season as Britain's traditional seaside resorts benefit from a domestic tourism boom during the coronavirus pandemic.
Expensive COVID-19 tests, vaccine certification, quarantines and the UK government's ever-changing traffic-light system for international travel have made overseas trips less attractive and even inaccessible for British holidaymakers.
But the lifting of restrictions has helped domestic tourism, providing a boon to seaside resorts that were once Britons' favourite destinations before the advent of cheap overseas package holidays to warmer and sunnier climes.
Blackpool, on the Irish Sea north of Liverpool and Manchester, embodies the rise and fall of the quintessential British seaside resort.
After the arrival of the railways, it became Britain's premier mass tourist destination in the 19th and 20th centuries for city dwellers to escape smog and enjoy bracing sea air and cheap entertainment.
But affordable air travel and holidays from the 1960s lured Britons overseas and knocked Blackpool off its perch. By 2008, it offered 40 per cent fewer bed spaces than in 1987.
Once synonymous with leisure and pleasure, Blackpool became a byword for decline and poverty.
A 2019 UK government study found Blackpool had eight of England's 10 most deprived neighbourhoods.
And its historic dependence on tourism and hospitality meant the coronavirus pandemic dealt a devastating blow to the town's economy and vulnerable social groups.
But Blackpool and seaside towns like it have seen soaring domestic visitor numbers while international travel remains unpredictable.
Tourists thronged its promenade on Illuminations switch-on day earlier this month, to explore its tower, piers, theme park, beach, amusement arcades and shops selling fish and chips, ice cream and local sweet treat Blackpool rock.
Surveys by Britain's tourism board have indicated that domestic holidaymakers have preferred traditional coastal towns this summer.
Rail and coach companies have recorded strong demand for other classic destinations such as Brighton and Bournemouth in southern England, and Scarborough in the north.
Blackpool restaurant owner Alex Lonorgan, 37, has enjoyed two busy summers in a row amid the hardship of three pandemic-enforced closures since March 2020.
"It's been amazing that so many families have had something different by having a UK holiday - Blackpool is going to be back on everybody's map," he said.
Lockdowns were also tough for 18-year-old Alfie Hayden, a doughnut and sweets seller.
His shop had to shut on multiple occasions but the future seems brighter, even if trade has not reached pre-pandemic heights.
"We were losing a lot of sales and it wasn't very good. It is what it is," he said.
"This is the best place to come for a quick getaway and it's brought up our sales a lot."
Blackpool Council leader Lynn Williams said recent regeneration work was aiming to attract private investment and retain UK tourists who would usually holiday abroad.
Blackpool "has changed from when people came as a child and how it's portrayed. But we won't change in that we are a welcoming seaside resort", she added.
Vaccines may tame the pandemic across Europe and North America and facilitate international travel again, meaning the British seaside's revival could be a flash in the pan.
But Williams believes Blackpool's renaissance will be sustainable, as Britons rediscover attractions closer to home//CNA
September
China's foreign minister Wang Yi visiting Cambodia to discuss virus, trade
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi listens during a meeting in Manila, Philippines January 16, 2021. Francis Malasig/Pool via REUTERS//File Photo -
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is visiting Cambodia, where he is expected to meet with Prime Minister Hun Sen and other officials to discuss COVID-19 and other regional issues.
Cambodia's foreign ministry said Wang's meetings on Sunday (Sep 12) and Monday would include discussions of trade and security as well.
Wrapping up a visit to neighboring Vietnam on Saturday, Wang said China planned to donate 3 million vaccine doses to the country, which is under a lockdown to contain a COVID-19 surge.
China is Cambodia’s biggest investor and closest political partner. Beijing’s support allows Cambodia to disregard Western concerns about its poor record in human and political rights, and in turn Cambodia generally supports Beijing’s geopolitical positions on issues such as its territorial claims in the South China Sea.
In recent months, the United States has expressed concern about their ties and urged Cambodia's leaders to maintain an independent and balanced foreign policy that would be in its people's best interests.
The concerns partly have focused on China’s construction of new facilities at Ream Naval Base in Cambodia and the potential for its military to have future basing rights there.
Ream faces the Gulf of Thailand that lies adjacent to the South China Sea, and holding basing rights in Cambodia would extend Beijing’s strategic military profile considerably//CNA
September
Japan's vaccines minister Kono leads opinion poll on succeeding Suga
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: Taro Kono, Japan's vaccination programme chief and ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmaker, attends a news conference as he announces his candidacy for the party's presidential election in Tokyo, Japan, September 10, 2021. REUTERS/Issei Kato -
Japan's minister in charge of vaccines, Taro Kono, led a public opinion poll on who should succeed Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Kono had 27 per cent support in the poll by the Nikkei newspaper and TV Tokyo that asked who would be "the right person" to lead the party and become the next prime minister.
The results of the Sep 9 to 11 poll were released on Saturday (Sep 11).
Former LDP Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba was next with 17 per cent, and ex-policy chief Fumio Kishida was third with 14 per cent. Former Interior Minister Sanae Takaichi was fifth with 7 per cent.
Kono, who also serves as minister of administrative reform, announced his candidacy on Friday, the third to make his intention official after Kishida and Takaichi.
Ishiba may not run for the party's leadership and instead will likely support another candidate, the Jiji news service said Saturday, citing sources close to him.
Suga, in a surprise move, said on Sep 3 he would step down, marking an end to a one-year tenure that was marred by plunging public support and dissatisfaction with his coronavirus response.
That set the stage for a Sep 29 leadership vote among grassroots LDP members and lawmakers. The winner is virtually assured the premiership because the LDP has a majority in parliament's lower house.
Following the LDP leadership vote, Japan will likely hold a general election in the first half of November, Kyodo reported citing ruling party lawmakers.
The Nikkei-TV Tokyo poll follows earlier ones showing strong public support for Kono, 58, to succeed Suga//CNA
September
Australia buys additional 1 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine
Written by nuke
Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine -
Australia has purchased an additional 1 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine from the European Union, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, as the country accelerates its inoculation programme to fight record high infections.
The purchase is a boost for Australia's A$2 trillion (US$1.5 trillion) economy, which is at risk of slipping into its second recession in as many years as a result of lockdowns of the country's two most populous cities, Sydney and Melbourne.
These lockdowns will remain until 70 per cent of the country's near 26 million population are fully vaccinated, which is not expected until late October.
But Morrison said the million doses will arrive later this week. Australia has ordered 25 million vaccines from Moderna.
"Some good news today. A family-sized dose of hope for our vaccination programme," Morrison told reporters in Sydney.
The purchase comes as Australia struggles to contain an outbreak of the highly transmissible Delta variant, with daily infections on Saturday (Sep 11) topping 2,000 cases for the first time.
Australia has recorded 73,610 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic begun. The death toll rose by 7 to 1,091.
Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, reported on Sunday 1,262 locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, down from 1,599 infections recorded a day earlier.
Neighbouring Victoria reported 392 COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, down slightly from the 450 cases recorded in the state the day before.
Meanwhile, Queensland, Australia's third most populous state, said on Sunday it does not need to order a lockdown after it detected zero COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours.
The state on Saturday reported five cases of COVID-19, with state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk warning that a lockdown could be needed to stop the spread of the virus.
However, the state said testing had yet to detect any further cases, avoiding the need for such a measure.
"We're not out of the woods yet, but this is the best result we could have hoped for at this point in the outbreak," Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles told reporters in Brisbane//CNA
September
Japan, Vietnam sign defence transfer deal amid China worries
Written by nuke
Japan's Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, speaks to the members of the media after he inspected the British Royal Navy's HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier at the US naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan on Sep 6, 2021. (Photo: AP/Kiyoshi Ota) -
Japan can now give defence equipment and technology to Vietnam under an agreement signed on Saturday (Sep 11), as the two countries step up their military cooperation amid worries about China's growing military influence.
Japan's Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi said the deal elevates their defence partnership “to a new level” and that Japan and Vietnam plan to deepen defence ties through multinational joint exercises and other means. Details about the transfer of specific equipment, including naval vessels, will be worked out in subsequent talks, the ministry said.
Kishi’s meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart, Phan Van Giang, in Hanoi coincided with a two-day visit to the Vietnamese capital by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. He wrapped up his visit by saying China plans to donate 3 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine to Vietnam.
The agreement comes two weeks after the US Vice President Kamala Harris travelled to Vietnam to strengthen ties with the Southeast Asian nation. During the tour, Harris urged countries to stand up against “bullying” by China in the South China Sea.
Japan’s Defence Ministry said in a statement that Kishi and Giang agreed on the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation and overflight in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as cooperation in various defence areas including cybersecurity.
Tokyo regularly protests the Chinese coast guard's presence near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands, which China also claims and calls Diaoyu. Japanese officials say Chinese vessels routinely violate Japanese territorial waters around the islands, sometimes threatening fishing boats.
During the talks, Kishi expressed Japan's strong opposition to "any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by coercion or any activities that escalate tensions”, referring to China’s increasingly assertive activity in the East and South China Sea, but without identifying any country by name.
Vietnam is the 11th nation with which Japan has signed a defence equipment and technology transfer deal. Tokyo is looking to expand military cooperation beyond its longtime ally the United States, and has signed similar agreements with Britain, Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia//CNA
September
Biden visits all three attack sites on 20th anniversary of 9/11
Written by nuke
(FromL to R) Former President Bill Clinton, former First Lady Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg attend the annual 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP) -
President Joe Biden commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Sep 11 attacks on the United States on Saturday with visits to each of the sites where hijacked planes crashed in 2001, honouring the victims of the devastating assault.
In the first of his wordless tributes, Biden stood in somber silence with former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton at the New York City site where planes brought down the World Trade Center's twin towers.
The three leaders, flanked by Jill Biden, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton, shared a moment of silence with the crowd at 8.46am EDT to mark the time that the first plane hit, heads bowed. They listened as relatives read the names of those who died.
The Bidens then flew to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, before heading back to the Washington area to visit the Pentagon memorial.
Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks in New York, at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and in Pennsylvania, where passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 overcame the hijackers and the plane crashed in a field, preventing another target from being hit.
Biden did not deliver remarks at any of the sites. He released a video on Friday to express his condolences to the loved ones of the victims and highlight the national unity that resulted, at least initially, after 9/11.
"The core of who we are is not divided," Biden said Saturday during a visit to a fire station after the Shanksville ceremony.
In New York, on a clear, beautiful day similar to the weather 20 years ago, the New York Police Department pipes and drums band played Hard Times Come Again No More, an American folk song from the 1850s. Bruce Springsteen, playing an acoustic guitar, sang I'll See You in My Dreams.
Rudy Giuliani, mayor of New York at the time of the attacks, attended the ceremony. Former President Donald Trump, a New York native, did not.
In Shanksville, the Bidens participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial where names of the dead are etched on a white marble wall.
The passengers who stormed the cockpit had stepped up in a crisis, Biden told reporters later.
"That's genuine heroism," he said.
He praised a speech given in Shanksville earlier in the day by former President George W Bush, the Republican who had been in office less than a year when the hijacked planes changed the country, and the world.
In a rare public address, Bush warned of the threat from domestic terrorism. He recalled how Americans came together after the attacks and urged a spirit of greater unity amid growing political division in the country.
Bush also urged a common front against violent extremists both domestic and foreign, saying "they are children of the same foul spirit, and it is our continuing duty to confront them".
Biden's last visit of the day was to the Pentagon, the symbol of US military might that was pierced by another of the planes used as missiles that day.
The Bidens, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff touched a memorial wreath at the site where a series of benches have been erected representing each of the 184 victims. They put their hands on their hearts, with Biden raising his in a salute, while "Taps" played.
The anniversary comes shortly after the end of the US-led war in Afghanistan that Bush launched 20 years ago to root out the al Qaeda militant group that carried out the 9/11 attacks.
Biden's withdrawal of US troops in August, months after a deadline set by his Republican predecessor Trump, and the resulting rapid fall of the country to the Taliban has drawn criticism from members of both political parties//CNA
September
Trudeau expected to call Canada snap elections Sunday
Written by nuke
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to call snap elections on Sunday, according to local media -
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to pull the plug on his minority Liberal government and call snap elections on Sunday (Sep 12) despite a nationwide uptick in COVID-19 infections that is worrying voters.
Trudeau is to visit the governor general to ask her to dissolve parliament and announce voting will be held on Sep 20, according to public broadcaster CBC and other local media, citing unnamed sources.
He and opposition leaders have been crisscrossing the country in recent weeks making election-style announcements as talk of a possible fall ballot has heated up.
In power for six years, Trudeau was re-elected in 2019 but lost his majority in his second term amid scandals.
Despite rolling out massive pandemic aid, passing a federal budget and other key legislation with opposition backing over the past year, he has lamented that parliament in recent months has become dysfunctional, with a "level of obstructionism and toxicity in the House that is of real concern".
Opposition leaders have pushed back on the move, with one urging Governor General Mary Simon to rebuff Trudeau, informing her in a letter that his party was prepared to continue propping up the minority Liberal government to pass key legislation until the pandemic ends.
"While Justin Trudeau wants to act like (the pandemic) is over ... it's not over and people are still worried," New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters, echoing public health warnings of a looming Covid surge despite rising vaccination rates.
Erin O'Toole, who has struggled to make himself known to voters since becoming head of the main opposition Tories last year, said earlier this week: "We shouldn't be rushing to an election."
O'Toole has been at odds with his rank-and-file over policy proposals such as curbing climate change, but on Thursday he tweeted that his party "is ready" to fight an election.
Royal Military College of Canada politics professor Stephanie Chouinard said Trudeau had valid reasons for wanting to seek a new mandate "to steer Canada through a post-pandemic recovery".
"The timing is good," she argued, "as Canadians are generally in a good mood" since most public health restrictions have been lifted and life is "close enough to being back to normal".
Authorities have been preparing for a possible election, ordering in advance millions of single-use pencils, bottles of hand sanitizer, masks and plexiglass shields.
They could face challenges finding people to staff election stations as seniors who usually volunteer are reluctant due to COVID-19 risks.
Securing locations for polling stations has reportedly been challenging too. Schools, for example, are reluctant to jeopardize September reopenings by allowing use of their facilities for voting booths.
If a general election were to be held now, the Liberals would be in striking distance of a majority in parliament, according to the latest poll by Abacus Data, with 37 per cent support.
The Conservatives and the New Democrats trail on 28 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively.
Abacus found that 38 per cent of Canadians would be happy to cast a ballot in the fall while 17 per cent are firmly opposed.
If COVID-19 cases spike, however, one in five voters, including many Liberal backers, "would be angry enough not to vote Liberal," the polling firm said in a statement//CNA
September
UK PM Johnson to address parliament on COVID-19, BBC reporter says
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks at a news conference in Downing Street, in London, Britain, September 7, 2021. REUTERS/Toby Melville -
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to address parliament and hold a news conference on Tuesday (Sep 14) about how to manage COVID-19 through the winter, a BBC reporter said on Saturday.
"The prime minister is expected to address both parliament and a news conference on Tuesday about the government's plan for managing Covid through the autumn and winter," BBC reporter Chris Mason said on Twitter.
"Officials are exploring contingency plans for what might become necessary if pressure on hospitals in England were to grow, such as the use of facemasks or working from home if possible."//CNA