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International News (6893)

26
January

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Humanitarian aid to Tonga is ramping up after the airport was cleared of ash, making it safe for planes to land, the Red Cross said on Wednesday, days after a volcanic eruption and tsunami devastated the South Pacific archipelago.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said that with the extra supplies, its staff and volunteers are stepping up deliveries of drinking water and setting up shelters across the country's many islands.

 

"This disaster has shaken the people of Tonga like nothing we have seen in our lifetime," Sione Taumoefolau, secretary general of Tonga Red Cross, said in a statement. "The tsunami has wiped out homes and villages, but we are already rebuilding amid the ashes."

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), said the United States is providing an additional $2.5 million in humanitarian assistance and the guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson, part of a multinational effort, arrived this week to support the efforts in Tonga.

 

The Australian government said on Wednesday it will provide an additional A$2 million ($1.43 million) in humanitarian funding to Tonga, bringing Australia's commitment to date to $3 million.

It also said that Australia is widening its support, including through the restoration of power and communications, and the storage and delivery of relief supplies.

An Australian warship arrived to coronavirus-free Tonga on Wednesday evening, delivering aid without human contact after about two dozen cases of COVID-19 have been recorded among the crew. read more

 

"The ship is undertaking an entirely contactless delivery of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies," Austarlia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne, Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Minister for International Development and the Pacific Zed Seselja said in a joint statement.

Tonga's Broadcom Broadcasting radio cited Tonga's Health Minister Saia Piukala as saying that 29 positive cases had been reported onboard of the HMAS Adelaide, but all the positive personnel were asymptomatic.

"Australians from the ship will unload their cargoes and sail from port," Piukala said.

The United Nations, Red Cross and other relief agencies on the ground in Tonga have warned that a COVID-19 outbreak in the island would be catastrophic at this time.

"There is an urgent need for people to have access to safe water sources in the days and weeks to come," Taumoefolau said.

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano eruption triggered a tsunami that destroyed villages and resorts and knocked out communications for the nation of about 105,000 people. Three people have been reported killed, authorities said. (reuters)

26
January

 

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 Thousands rallied against the mistreatment of Indigenous people across Australia on Wednesday as citizenship ceremonies took place to mark the country's national day intended to celebrate the birth of modern Australia.

 

The Jan. 26 public holiday marks the date the British fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour in 1788 to start a penal colony, viewing the land as unoccupied despite encountering settlements.

 

 

 

But for many Indigenous Australians, who trace their lineage on the continent back 50,000 years, it is "Invasion Day".

 

Many protesters at rallies across cities dressed in black to mourn the day, with some carrying the Aboriginal flag and "change the date" signs. Some protests were organised online amidst concerns of surging COVID-19 cases.

 

A monument depicting Captain James Cook, who arrived in the Pacific 252 years ago triggering British colonisation of the region, was doused in red paint overnight in Melbourne.

 

 

 

Speaking at the national flag-raising and citizenship ceremony in Australia's capital, Canberra, Prime Minister Scott Morrison honoured the traditional custodians of the country.

 

"We recognise Indigenous peoples right across our land from the Torres Strait Islander people in the north, to the people in Tasmania, to the people across the Nullarbor in Perth and the Larrakia people in the Top End," Morrison said.

 

 

 

"Like the country itself, Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are diverse, they're unique and they connect us through time."

 

While the Australian Day remains contentious, this week's poll by the market research company Roy Morgan showed nearly two-thirds of Australians say that Jan. 26 should be considered "Australia Day". The rest say it should be "Invasion Day."

 

Australia's 700,000 or so Indigenous people track near the bottom of its 25 million citizens in almost every economic and social indicator. Living often in remote communities, they also have been at greater risk from COVID.

 

Most of the 200 or so Aboriginal communities spread across Western Australia are closed to tourists and travellers.

 

The main Aboriginal health body of Central Australia, a vast outback region in the Northern Territory centred on the town of Alice Springs, called on Tuesday for a "complete lockdown" of the area to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

 

The Northern Territory, home to about 247,000 people, recorded 492 new cases on Wednesday, bringing the total number of active cases to 3,208, with 84 people in hospitals.

 

Australia on Wednesday recorded at least 87 deaths from the virus, the highest number of COVID deaths in a day since the start of the pandemic, as the highly-infections Omicron variant tore through the country. (reuters)

 

26
January

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South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases exceeded 13,000 for the first time on Wednesday, driven by the spread of the Omicron variant, as the government launched a new pilot testing scheme to meet skyrocketing demand.

The record 13,012 cases for the previous 24-hour period came just a day after the tally first topped 8,000 despite the extension of tough social distancing rules. read more

The highly contagious but less-lethal Omicron became the dominant variant in South Korea last week, and the daily numbers could more than double or surge to even higher levels in the coming weeks, health officials warned.

 

"Going forward, our top priority is to reduce critically ill patients and deaths," Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum told an inter-ministry meeting on Wednesday.

The government introduced a new testing policy in four designated cities on a pilot basis, under which only priority groups take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test while others can get a rapid antigen test at a local clinic for faster initial diagnosis.

 

The programme will be scaled up starting Saturday to enable 256 state-run testing stations nationwide to distribute the rapid antigen self-test kits, Kim said. Another 430 local clinics will be added next week.

As part of efforts to free up resources for serious patients, the government has also cut mandatory isolation for people who have been vaccinated but tested positive to seven days from 10, and expanded self-treatment at home for asymptomatic and mild cases.

 

Son Young-rae, a health ministry official, said more than 80% of intensive care unit beds are available nationwide, compared with some 20% in early December when record-breaking infections threatened to saturate the country's medical system.

South Korea is currently carrying out 400,000-500,000 PCR tests a day, but has capacity for 800,000, Son added.

The Omicron surge has fuelled worries about a new wave of infections ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday which begins on Saturday, when tens of millions travel nationwide to meet families.

President Moon Jae-in also met with aides on Wednesday to oversee the government's efforts, calling for moves to prevent any potential shortages of test kits and ensure sufficient consultations with doctors at local clinics.

On Tuesday, some 46 South Korean athletes and coaches who will compete in the Beijing Olympics had to receive a COVID-19 test after attending a ceremony for the delegation where an official at the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee later tested positive.

South Korea, with a population of 52 million, has largely been successful in mitigating COVID, with 762,983 total infections and 6,620 deaths.

More than 95% of adults are fully vaccinated with some 58% having received a booster dose, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. (reuters)

26
January

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Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen urged Myanmar's military ruler to allow a visit by a special envoy of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and support humanitarian aid access, an official said on Wednesday.

Hun Sen as ASEAN chairman held a video call with military strongman Min Aung Hlaing and appealed to him to follow a five-point agreement to address the Myanmar conflict, Kao Kim Hourn, secretary of state at Cambodia's foreign ministry, told reporters.

 

The consensus, which Min Aung Hlaing agreed to in a face-to-face meeting with ASEAN leaders in April last year, commits to ceasing hostilities, granting humanitarian access and supporting inclusive dialogue.

"He asked HE (his excellency) Min Aung Hlaing to facilitate so that an ASEAN special envoy can visit in Myanmar for the first time in the future," Kao Kim Hourn said.

"He appealed to all sides including the Myanmar government to cease violence and reach a ceasefire," and invited him to join ASEAN countries in providing humanitarian aid "to Myanmar people who need it the most," Kao Kim Hourn said.

 

Myanmar has been in crisis since the military overthrew an elected government nearly a year ago, with close to 1,500 civilians killed in the junta's crackdown on its opponents and troops in the countryside fighting on multiple fronts with pro-democracy militias and ethnic minority armies.

The junta says it is fighting "terrorists".

Kao Kim Hourn did not say how Min Aung Hlaing responded to the proposals. A spokesman for Myanmar's military government did not answer a call seeking comment on Wednesday's discussion.

 

The Cambodian leader met Min Aung Hlaing in Myanmar on Jan 7, a trip that had some regional neighbours worried it could be construed as an endorsement of the junta. Hun Sen is one of the world's longest serving leaders after 36 years in power.

He expressed to Min Aung Hlaing his concern that hostilities had taken place since their meeting, Kao Kim Hourn said.

As ASEAN chair Hun Sen has come under pressure to hold Min Aung Hlaing to the ASEAN agreement. Some members have demanded ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has since been convicted of several crimes, be freed and allowed to join a peace process.

ASEAN last year sprung a surprise by barring the junta from key meetings over its failure to honour the ASEAN consensus. (reuters)

26
January

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Germany will host the main finance meeting of its presidency of the Group of Seven economic powers from May 18-20, the Rheinische Post newspaper reported on Wednesday.

"This year, the challenges are particularly great. We are seeing inflation and increased debt," Finance Minister Christian Lindner told the newspaper.

"The G7 countries have a special role as anchors of stability," he added. "Nationally as well as internationally, we must pay attention to sustainable public finances."

 

Finance ministers and central bankers from the G7 nations - the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada - would join the meeting in Koenigswinter, near Bonn.

The president of the European Central Bank and officials from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) were also expected, the paper said.

Lindner said fiscal stability was essential to foster for investment and innovation.

 

"This is the only way we can grow out of the crisis worldwide and master future tasks in climate protection and digitisation," he added. (reuters)

26
January

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 U.S. President Joe Biden has picked a longtime career diplomat and former North Korea sanctions enforcer as ambassador to South Korea, a diplomatic source in Seoul said on Wednesday.

Philip Goldberg, serving since 2019 as ambassador to Colombia, will be nominated to the post in Seoul, the source said, speaking on condition on anonymity.

The Chosun Ilbo newspaper, citing multiple unnamed diplomatic sources, reported that the United States has asked for Seoul's agreement after deciding to nominate Goldberg late last year and that an official announcement was imminent.

 

A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Seoul said they had no announcements to make at this time, and that any formal notification would come from the White House.

South Korea's foreign ministry said it could not confirm the reports.

Goldberg, who recently served as ambassador to the Philippines and Bolivia, among other posts, also worked as coordinator for the implementation of United Nations sanctions on North Korea from 2009 to 2010.

 

While Seoul and Washington insist their alliance is "iron-clad," the sanctions have been a source of controversy as they blocked South Korea's plans for more economic engagement with the North.

The post in one of the United States' key allies has been filled by a charge d'affaires ad interim for more than a year since the last ambassador to South Korea, former navy admiral Harry Harris, stepped down as Biden took office in January 2021.

 

Harris' tenure was marked by tension in the alliance as then-President Donald Trump pressed Seoul to pay billions of dollars more toward supporting the roughly 28,500 U.S. troops stationed there, while South Korea chafed at the United State's push for strict sanctions enforcement. (reuters)

26
January

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The euro hovered near 1-month lows versus the dollar and yen on Wednesday, hurt by concerns about the potential for military conflict in Ukraine and ahead of the Federal Reserve wrapping a meeting that could herald accelerated monetary tightening.

Bank of Canada is also set to announce policy later in the day, and the Canadian dollar saw some of the biggest action in Asian trade, strengthening 0.21% as traders fretted over the outcome with chances of a rate hike seen finely balanced. read more

 

The euro slipped 0.07% to $1.12945 after hitting $1.12640 overnight for the first time since Dec. 21. It was little changed at 128.69 yen , after touching 128.25 in the previous session, also a first since Dec. 21.

Western leaders stepped up preparations for any Russian military action in Ukraine while Moscow said it was watching with great concern after 8,500 U.S. troops were put on alert to deploy to Europe in the event of an escalation. read more

 

Most of the market's angst was, however, focused on the Fed as traders awaited clues to the timing and pace of U.S. interest rate hikes, as well as how the central bank will go about slimming down its almost $9 trillion balance sheet, a process dubbed quantitative tightening (QT). read more

"Market sentiment remains fragile," said TD Securities strategists, noting that any hints 'around the starting point for QT or 'sooner' and 'faster' on hikes could be market-moving."

 

But they added that they didn't expect definitive signals and the result could be mixed messages.

Money markets are currently priced for a first hike in March, followed by three more quarter-point increases by year-end.

The dollar index , which measures the currency against six major peers, edged 0.06% higher to 96.030, after climbing to 96.273 on Tuesday, its strongest level since Jan. 7. It has rallied as much as 1.74% from a two-month low touched on Jan. 14.

"I think the Fed will acknowledge that a March hike is likely, and then key is if they'll indicate a faster pace of hikes and also an earlier end to tapering than they've signalled so far," said Shinichiro Kadota, senior FX strategist at Barclays. "If it turns out to be more hawkish then obviously the dollar will benefit."

On the simmering tensions around Ukraine, he said: "until that is solved, there should be demand for safe haven currencies, so I think the yen should remain bid."

Elsewhere, sterling was little changed at $1.3503 after dipping to $1.3436 overnight, its lowest in more than three weeks.

In addition to jitters over Ukraine and the Fed, sterling is contending with political uncertainty at home, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson under investigation for possible COVID-19 lockdown breaches. The findings of an internal inquiry could be announced as soon as Wednesday, according to media reports. read more

The Canadian dollar strengthened to CAD$1.26075 per greenback, recovering from a drop to CAD$1.2702 at the start of the week, its weakest level since Jan. 7.

"There is a huge amount of uncertainty around the January Bank of Canada rate announcement, as policymakers attempt to balance very strong realized data on employment and inflation from Q4 versus the sharp increase in COVID infections and subsequent lockdowns in late December and January," TD Securities analysts wrote.

"Ultimately, we think it makes more sense for the BoC to lift rates."

The risk-sensitive Australian dollar was little changed at $0.71555, consolidating after sliding to a one-month low of $0.70905 on Monday.

The Reserve Bank of Australia meets next week, and traders are anxious to see if blowout inflation numbers released Tuesday will force Governor Philip Lowe to backtrack on his previous insistence that rate hikes this year are extremely unlikely.

Australian stock and bond markets are shut on Wednesday for a holiday.

The yuan touched a near four-year high against the dollar as Chinese authorities appeared to be taking a more tolerant of view of the currency's strength, at least for now.

Prior to the market opening, the People's Bank of China set the midpoint at 6.3246 yuan per dollar, the firmest since April 2018. Onshore spot yuan strengthened to a high of 6.3201, also the strongest since April 2018.

In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin firmed to around $37,200. That's after it hit a low of $32,950.72 at the start of the week - a level seen for the first time since July. It has halved in value from its all-time peak at $69,000 in November. (Reuters)

26
January

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Hong Kong's security chief said on Wednesday that his government would strengthen laws against espionage as part of extra national security legislation now being drafted.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang told the city's legislature that Hong Kong's existing laws against spying, contained in the British-era Official Secrets Ordinance, could not reflect the "importance" of the crime.

"We will reflect the importance of spies in the legislation," said Tang, the city's former top policeman.

 

The government is drafting legislation to cover a range of security crimes to meet its obligations under Article 23 of the Basic Law - its mini-constitution following its 1997 handover from British colonial rule.

Article 23 says Hong Kong must enact laws "on its own" against crimes including treason, secession, theft of state secrets and activities by foreign political groups.

The city government's last attempt to pass those laws, in 2003, triggered street protests by Hong Kong people who saw the legislation as a threat to the city's special freedoms.

 

Some diplomats, legal scholars and activists say the Article 23 legislation will significantly extend the scope and reach of a national security law that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in 2020.

Tang said the existing ordinance was too limited when it came to provisions including giving information useful to an enemy.

"We feel that the definitions are not enough for us to combat all manner of espionage activities," he said.

 

As well as espionage, Tang said the legislation would outline specific crimes of treason, sedition, theft of state secrets as well as forbidding activities by foreign political groups inside Hong Kong and ties between such groups and local organisations.

The drafting is expected to be completed in the next few months and to be introduced after the city's new leader takes office in July, government officials have said.

Critics say the national security law has put freedoms at risk with tough bail provisions and expanded police powers under a legal regime that punishes subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison.

Hong Kong and Chinese officials say the law was vital to ensure stability after the Asian financial hub was rocked by sometimes-violent pro-democracy protests for much of 2019, and say prosecutions are not political. (Reuters)

26
January

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Ukraine is committed to seeking a diplomatic solution to the current tension with Russia, its ambassador to Japan, Sergiy Korsunsky, said on Wednesday, adding that he saw little chance of all-out war, although there might be smaller conflicts.

Korsunsky warned an attack on a country with more than a dozen nuclear reactors would bring about a devastating regional impact on Europe.

"I believe that full-scale war is very, very, very difficult to expect, but we may see more localised conflict," Korsunsky told a news conference in the Japanese capital Tokyo.

 

"If we come to military terms, let me tell you, we are very much ready, our army is very well prepared."

Russia has massed tens of thousands of troops on its borders with Ukraine, and Western states fear Moscow is planning a new assault on a country it invaded in 2014 to annex the Crimean peninsula.

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he would consider personal sanctions on President Vladimir Putin if Russia invades Ukraine, as Western leaders stepped up military preparations and made plans to shield Europe from a potential energy supply shock. read more

 

"If war is going to happen, that will be the first ever in the history of mankind, war against a country which has on its territory 15 nuclear reactors, which has 30,000 km of gas and oil pipelines, full with gas and oil," said Korsunsky.

"If all these infrastructure is destroyed, there is no more Ukraine. But this is just one consequence. There is no more central Europe and probably western Europe would be affected, too."

 

An accident at the Chernobyl reactor, located in what is now Ukraine, spewed tonnes of nuclear waste into the atmosphere in 1986, spreading radioactivity across swathes of the continent and causing a spike in cancers in the more immediate region.

Russia's Ambassador to Australia, Alexey Pavlovsky, said on Wednesday that Russia did not plan to invade Ukraine.

"We don't intend to invade at all," Pavlovsky told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio.

"Our troops on the border...These troops are not a threat, they are a warning. A warning to Ukraine’s rulers not to attempt any reckless military adventure," he said.

"As to the sanctions, I think that by now everybody should understand that it is not the language which should be used when talking to Russia. The sanctions just don’t work." (Reuters)

25
January

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North Korea fired two cruise missiles into the sea off its east coast on Tuesday, South Korea's military said, amid rising tension over a recent series of weapons tests.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff did not specify the missiles' range or trajectory, but said it was conducting an analysis together with U.S. authorities.

The launch was North Korea's fifth of the year, following tests of a tactical guided missile, two "hypersonic missiles" capable of high speed and manoeuvring after lift-off, and a railway-borne missile system.

 

Tension has been growing, with leader Kim Jong Un vowinglast week to bolster the military and warning he could lift a self-imposed moratorium on testing atomic bombs and long-range missiles. read more

North Korea has not launched intercontinental ballistic missiles or nuclear weapons since 2017, but began testing a slew of shorter-range missiles after denuclearisation talks stalled following a failed summit with the United States in 2019.

 

The flurry of recent tests sparked a U.S. push for fresh U.N. sanctions, followed by heated reaction from Pyongyang. read more

The U.N. Security Council bans North Korea from any launches using ballistic technology, but not cruise missiles. China and Russia have recently called for removing a ban on Pyongyang's exports of statues, seafood and textiles, and raising a refined oil imports cap. read more

 

South Korea's Unification Minister Lee In-young, in charge of cross-border ties, urged the North to return to talks, not escalate further.

"While thoroughly preparing for additional tests, we'd like to emphasise again that dialogue and cooperation is the only way to peace," he told a meeting with foreign diplomats based in Seoul.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno did not confirm the latest test but said Tokyo would work with neighbours to gather and analyse necessary information.

Lee Sang-min, a military expert at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said the recent missile volleys could be aimed at building geopolitical tensions and perhaps pushing the United States to come up with a new strategy toward Kim.

"Cruise missiles are slower than ballistic missiles and so are regarded as less of a threat, but they hit targets with high precision, something North Korea would continue to develop," Lee said.

North Korea has said it is open to talks, but only if the United States and its allies drop "hostile policy" measures such as sanctions and military drills. (Reuters)