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March
COVID cases in Asia surpass 100 million - Reuters tally
Written by Nur Yasmin
Coronavirus infections in Asia passed 100 million on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, as the region records a resurgence in cases, dominated by the BA.2 Omicron sub-variant.
The region is reporting over 1 million new COVID-19 cases about every two days, according to a Reuters analysis. With more than half of the world's population, Asia contributes 21% of all reported COVID-19 cases.
The highly contagious but less deadly BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron has pushed the figures to greater highs in recent weeks in countries such as South Korea, China and Vietnam. BA.2 now represents nearly 86% of all sequenced cases, according to the World Health Organization.
South Korea leads the world in the daily average number of new cases reported, accounting for one in every four infections reported globally each day, as per Reuters analysis.
While the number of cases has levelled off since earlier in March, the country is still reporting over 300 deaths on average each day, with authorities ordering crematoriums nationwide to operate longer.
China is trying to tame its worst outbreak since the pandemic began. The rise in COVID cases in Shanghai, fuelled by the BA.2 substrain, has prompted the financial hub to go into lockdown. The city moved into a two-staged lockdown of its 26 million residents on Monday, restricting movement through bridges and highways to contain the spread.
China has reported over 45,000 new cases since the start of this year, a figure higher than it reported in all of 2021. Even though China has inoculated 90% of its population, not enough elderly people have received booster doses, making them susceptible to reinfections.
Though China is sticking to its plan for crushing the outbreak, experts overseas remain sceptical about the efficacy of lockdowns in the face of the highly infectious Omicron variant.
"It is clear from Australia and elsewhere in the world that lockdowns are simply not effective against Omicron – so expect a big wave coming," said Adrian Esterman, an expert in biostatistics at the University of South Australia.
India alone accounts for 43 million COVID cases, more than the total in the next three worst-hit Asian countries of Japan, South Korea and Vietnam.
India has reported fewer than 2,000 cases per day for the past 11 days versus its peak this year in January of over 300,000 cases on average per day.
Earlier in March, Asia passed 1 million COVID-related deaths. There have now been 1,027,586 million COVID-related deaths across the continent.
Vaccines are considered less effective against the BA.2 subvariant compared to its predecessors. Studies have shown Omicron can reinfect people previously diagnosed with different coronavirus variants. (Reuters)
March
Taliban ban women in Afghanistan from flying without male chaperone
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Taliban have told airlines in Afghanistan that women cannot board domestic or international flights without a male chaperone, two sources told Reuters on Sunday.
The move comes after the Taliban backtracked on their previous commitment to open high schools to girls, a u-turn that shocked many Afghans and drew condemnation from humanitarian agencies and foreign governments.
The United States on Friday cancelled planned meetings with Taliban officials on key economic issues due to its decision on Wednesday.
The sources, who are not being named for security reasons, said that the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice sent airlines a letter on Saturday informing of them of the new restrictions.
They added that unaccompanied women who had already booked tickets would be allowed to travel on Sunday and Monday. Some women with tickets had been turned away at Kabul's airport on Saturday, they said.
Spokespeople for the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice and the Ministry of Culture and Information did not immediately respond to request for comment.
A Taliban administration spokesman had previously said that women travelling abroad for study should be accompanied by a male relative.
The Taliban say they have changed since their previous rule from 1996 to 2001 in which they barred women from education, work or leaving the house without a male relative. They say they are allowing women their rights in accordance with Islamic law and Afghan culture.
However, the closure of high schools along with some restrictions on women in work and the requirement that women have a chaperone for long-distance travel has drawn criticism from many Afghan women and rights groups.
It was not immediately clear whether the restrictions on air travel would allow any exemptions, for example in emergencies or for women with no living male relatives in the country and whether it applied to foreigners or women with dual citizenship.
The international community has so far not officially recognised the Taliban administration and enforcement of sanctions has crippled the country's banking sector which combined with slashed development funding has plunged the country into a humanitarian crisis.(Reuters)
March
S.Korea says N.Korea staged 'largest ICBM' fakery to recover from failed test
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korea's military has said North Korea's largest missile test yet used an older, smaller intercontinental ballistic missile, and not the massive new Hwasong-17 ICBM, in part to try to head off negative domestic reaction to a failed launch.
South Korean and U.S. officials have concluded that the March 24 launch appears to have been a Hwasong-15 ICBM, a defence ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Washington has not yet publicly weighed in, with Pentagon spokesman John Kirby telling reporters on Tuesday that the test was still being analysed.
North Korea fist test-fired the Hwasong-15 in Nov. 2017, before imposing a moratorium on ICBM testing that ended with last week's launch.
Open-source analysts noted discrepancies in video and photos released by North Korean state media after that launch, saying shadows, weather, and other factors suggested it was from an earlier test, possibly a failed launch on March 16.
“The choice of the Hwasong-15, which is more reliable with the successful test in 2017, could be intended to block rumours and ensure regime stability by delivering a message of success within the shortest time possible, after residents of Pyongyang witnessed the failure of the March 16 liftoff,” the defence ministry said in a report provided to parliament and obtained by Reuters.
The test could additionally have been aimed at boosting its status as a military powerhouse and improving bargaining power against South Korea, the United States and the international community, the report concluded.
U.S. and South Korean officials had said that tests on Feb. 27 and March 5 involved the Hwasong-17 system, likely in preparation for a full-range launch. North Korea never acknowledged the March 16 launch or its reported failure.
Debris from that failed test rained down over Pyongyang, Ha Tae-keung, a South Korean lawmaker briefed by the military told reporters on Tuesday.
That failure prompted North Korea to tell a “big lie” and say the March 24 Hwasong-15 launch was a Hwasong-17 to avoid negative domestic public opinion, Ha said.
Thursday's missile flew for 67.5 minutes to a range of 1,090 km (681 miles) and a maximum altitude of 6,248.5 km (3,905 miles) state media reported. Those numbers are similar to data reported by Japan and South Korea and are further and longer than the first Hwasong-15 test, which flew for 53 minutes to an altitude of about 4,475 km and range of 950 km.
Thursday's missile's characteristics, such as ascending acceleration, combustion, and stage separation times were similar to those of Hwasong-15 even thought the flight flew farther and reached higher altitudes, the report said.
South Korean officials had suggested North Korea may have modified a Hwasong-15 or launched it without a significant test payload to increase its range.
Analysts say the March 16 explosion may have been caused by a problem in the engines. The ministry report noted that the Hwasong-17 requires a more sophisticated cluster of four Paektusan-class engines compared with the Hwasong-15's two, and that eight days between launches was not enough to analyse the cause of the failure.
"If March 16 was a Hwasong-17 failure and March 24 was a Hwasong-15, it obviously shows the Hwasong-17 still has teething problems," said Vann Van Diepen, a former U.S. government official involved in weapons of mass destruction and nonproliferation.
A second successful test of the Hwasong-15 would have confirmed its reliability, but if its improved performance was only because of reduced payload, then the significance would be limited, he said.(Reuters)
March
Biden to broach Russia's war in Ukraine with Singapore PM
Written by Nur Yasmin
U.S. President Joe Biden plans to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's role in the Indo-Pacific with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore at the White House on Tuesday, a senior administration official said.
Lee, who will later meet with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, will join Biden in an Oval Office meeting before the leaders make a joint statement, the White House said.
Speaking on a briefing call, the official, who declined to be identified, said the United States was very pleased with Singapore's decision to impose sanctions and export controls on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine last month.
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that it says are not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.
"We are very happy with what Singapore has done and I think that the key is going to be to continue looking for ways in which we can expand our cooperation on this and other issues," the official said.
Biden had been due to host leaders of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Singapore is a member, this week, but the summit was postponed because not all leaders could attend on the March 28 and 29 dates announced by the White House.
The official reiterated that the White House is working to reschedule the event. "We believe the clock is ticking and we want to try and get this done," the official said, noting there would be "announcements" during Lee's visit while declining to offer details.
Lee's trip comes after Vice President Harris, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo visited Singapore last year. Biden last spoke with Lee on the sidelines of the Group of Twenty (G20) summit in Rome.
Singapore is a key financial and trading center and has been keen to hear details of U.S. plans for an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) in a region Washington says remains a key priority despite the Ukraine crisis.
The Biden administration announced an Indo-Pacific strategy in February in which it vowed to commit more diplomatic and security resources to the region to counter what it sees as China's bid to create a regional sphere of influence.
The document reiterated plans to launch the IPEF early this year, but few details have emerged, and the administration has been reluctant to offer the increased market access Asian countries desire, seeing this as threatening American jobs.
On Monday, the official said the framework is expected to come up in discussions during Lee's visit, but offered little detail. When asked about market access, the official said the Biden administration was "looking for ways that can be done using existing frameworks rather than new market access." (Reuters)
March
China urges restraint by 'all sides' on North Korea's missile tests
Written by Nur Yasmin
China has urged "all sides" to exercise restraint regarding North Korea's long-range missiles tests, the foreign ministry said on Friday.
"We express concern at the present situation," ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said, when asked about the tests at a daily briefing.
On Thursday, North Korea fired a Hwasong-17, a huge new intercontinental ballistic missile, in a test that leader Kim Jong Un said was designed to demonstrate the might of its nuclear force and deter any U.S. military moves. (Reuters)
March
Kazakhstan does not want to be behind new iron curtain, deputy minister says
Written by Nur Yasmin
Companies exiting Russia due to the war in Ukraine are welcome to move production to Kazakhstan, the country's deputy foreign minister told a German newspaper, saying Kazakhstan would not want to be on the wrong side of a new "iron curtain."
Countries should not come merely to avoid sanctions against Russia, "but all companies with a good reputation that want to move their production here are welcome," Die Welt on Monday quoted Roman Vasilenko as saying.
"If there is a new iron curtain, we do not want to be behind it," he said, referring to the Western term for a dividing line between eastern and western Europe during the Cold War.
A raft of Western companies are shuttering businesses in Russia in response to pressure from consumers to take a stand against the invasion of Ukraine.
Kazakhstan has avoided criticising Russia's move to invade a fellow ex-Soviet republic, but Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said this month that all countries must strictly adhere to the norms and principles of the United Nations charter. (reuters)
March
Biden to broach Russia's war in Ukraine with Singapore PM
Written by Nur Yasmin
U.S. President Joe Biden plans to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's role in the Indo-Pacific with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore at the White House on Tuesday, a senior administration official said.
Lee, who will later meet with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, will join Biden in an Oval Office meeting before the leaders make a joint statement, the White House said.
Speaking on a briefing call, the official, who declined to be identified, said the United States was very pleased with Singapore's decision to impose sanctions and export controls on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine last month.
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that it says are not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.
"We are very happy with what Singapore has done and I think that the key is going to be to continue looking for ways in which we can expand our cooperation on this and other issues," the official said.
Biden had been due to host leaders of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Singapore is a member, this week, but the summit was postponed because not all leaders could attend on the March 28 and 29 dates announced by the White House.
The official reiterated that the White House is working to reschedule the event. "We believe the clock is ticking and we want to try and get this done," the official said, noting there would be "announcements" during Lee's visit while declining to offer details.
Lee's trip comes after Vice President Harris, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo visited Singapore last year. Biden last spoke with Lee on the sidelines of the Group of Twenty (G20) summit in Rome.
Singapore is a key financial and trading center and has been keen to hear details of U.S. plans for an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) in a region Washington says remains a key priority despite the Ukraine crisis.
The Biden administration announced an Indo-Pacific strategy in February in which it vowed to commit more diplomatic and security resources to the region to counter what it sees as China's bid to create a regional sphere of influence.
The document reiterated plans to launch the IPEF early this year, but few details have emerged, and the administration has been reluctant to offer the increased market access Asian countries desire, seeing this as threatening American jobs.
On Monday, the official said the framework is expected to come up in discussions during Lee's visit, but offered little detail. When asked about market access, the official said the Biden administration was "looking for ways that can be done using existing frameworks rather than new market access." (reuters)
March
N.Korea's Kim calls for ramping up ideological campaigns amid 'worst difficulties'
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for a propaganda campaign to increase popular support for the country's ideology of self-reliance amid "the worst difficulties," state media KCNA said on Tuesday.
Kim sent a letter to ruling Workers' Party officials attending a workshop on Monday that aimed to boost motivation for socialism and advance innovation in the party's ideological work, KCNA said.
In the dispatch, Kim said the party has been "advancing in the face of the worst difficulties" and stressed the need to spread its vision for "juche", or self-reliance.
"We should regard the ideological and moral strength of the popular masses as the foremost weapon as ever and stir it up in every way," he said, according to KCNA.
The juche theory means that "nothing (is) impossible to do when the people are motivated ideologically," he said.
North Korea faces mounting economic woes amid sanctions over its weapons programmes, natural disasters and COVID-19 lockdowns that sharply cut trade with China, its major ally and economic lifeline. read more
The United States is pushing for tightening international sanctions over Pyongyang's first full test of an intercontinental ballistic missile last week, despite opposition from China and Russia. read more
North Korea has not confirmed any COVID-19 cases, but closed borders and imposed strict travel bans and other restrictions.
Kim said the ideological campaign should focus on dispelling "evil spirits of anti-socialism" and non-socialist elements that have "gnawed away at our revolutionary position," KCNA said.
Pyongyang has cracked down on the influx of South Korean music and entertainment via the Chinese border to curb what it says are non-socialist and anti-socialist influences.
Kim also called for beefing up visual content and stressed film as "an ideological education means of the greatest influence." (Reuters)
March
Japan to revise foreign exchange law to end crypto loophole for sanctions on Russia
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan will revise its foreign exchange law to prevent Russia from evading Western financial sanctions following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine through cryptocurrency assets, top government officials said on Monday.
The government will submit a revision of the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act to the current parliament session to strengthen protections against potential sanction-busting by Russia through digital assets, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said in a press conference.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also called for the law to be amended in a Monday parliament session, where he stressed the need for coordinated moves with Western allies after attending last week's Group of Seven summit in Belgium.
A finance ministry official told Reuters discussions were under way about the proposed amendment, saying he could not provide further details.
The revision "presumably enables the government to apply the law to crypto-asset exchanges like banks and oblige them to scrutinise whether their clients are Russian sanction targets," said Saisuke Sakai, senior economist at Mizuho Research and Technologies.
Following the invasion of Ukraine, the Japanese government has slapped asset-freeze sanctions on more than 100 Russian officials, oligarchs, banks and other institutions. Japan has also banned high-tech exports and revoked the most-favoured nation trade status for Russia, which calls its actions in Ukraine a "special military operation".
Earlier this month, Japan's financial regulatory body demanded about 30 crypto exchanges in the country not to conduct asset transactions with sanction targets. read more
A legislative revision is a stronger step to implement such regulations. According to economist Sakai, Kishida's government probably developed the legal revision plan given Western authorities' stricter rules on the subject, as well as high Japanese public support for sanctioning Russia. (Reuters)
March
Singapore court rejects Malaysian's appeal in high-profile execution case
Written by Nur Yasmin
A Singapore court rejected on Tuesday an appeal against the execution of a Malaysian convicted of drugs smuggling, dismissing an argument put forward by his legal team that he should be spared because he was mentally impaired.
Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, 34, has been on death row for more than a decade for trafficking 42.7 grammes (1.5 oz) of heroin into Singapore, which has some of the world's toughest narcotics laws. read more
His plight has attracted international attention with a group of United Nations experts and British billionaire Richard Branson joining Malaysia's prime minister and human rights activists to urge Singapore to commute his death sentence.
Dharmalingam's lawyer Violet Netto had previouslysought an independent psychiatric review for her client after objecting to presenting his prison medical records, citing confidentiality.
But turning down a request for an independent review, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said on Tuesday it had been unreasonable not to share the medical records and there was no admissible evidence showing any decline in his mental condition.
"The appellant has been afforded due process under law, and it is not open to him to challenge the outcome of that process when he has put nothing forward to suggest that he does have a case to be considered," the five-judge panel said in its ruling.
Dharmalingam, who was wearing a purple prison uniform, did not appear to show any reaction to the ruling.
His sister condemned the court's decision.
"We can't accept it, it's an unfair judgment for my brother. This is a heartless punishment," Sarmila Dharmalingam told Reuters.
Rights groups also called for Dharmalingam's life to be spared.
"The Singaporean government must act now to stop a grave travesty of justice from taking place and end its inhumane, shameful strategy of using the death penalty to address drug-related problems," Amnesty International said.
Anti-death penalty group Reprieve said it believed Dharmalingam is intellectually disabled and should be protected from the death penalty.
The Singapore government says the death penalty is a major deterrent against drug trafficking and that the majority of its citizens support capital punishment.
Dharmalingam has now exhausted his legal avenues in Singapore to escape the death penalty and a petition to the country's president for clemency had been denied.
Clemency for death row inmates is rare in Singapore and the country's leaders had sent a letter to their Malaysian counterparts to say Dharmalingam had been "accorded full due process under law".
It was not immediately clear when the execution would be carried out.
From 2016 to 2019, Singapore hanged 25 people - the majority for drug-related offences, according to official data. (Reuters)