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January
Russia reacts furiously to Blinken jibe over troops in Kazakhstan
Written by Nur Yasmin
Russia responded angrily on Saturday to a comment by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Kazakhstan might have a hard time getting rid of Russian troops, saying he should reflect instead on U.S. military meddling around the world.
Blinken on Friday challenged Russia's justification for sending forces into Kazakhstan after days of violent unrest in the Central Asian country.
"One lesson of recent history is that once Russians are in your house, it's sometimes very difficult to get them to leave," Blinken said. read more
Russia's foreign ministry called Blinken's remark "typically offensive" and accused him of joking about tragic events in Kazakhstan. It said Washington should analyse its own track record of interventions in countries such as Vietnam and Iraq.
"If Antony Blinken loves history lessons so much, then he should take the following into account: when Americans are in your house, it can be difficult to stay alive and not be robbed or raped," the ministry said on its Telegram social media channel.
"We are taught this not only by the recent past but by all 300 years of American statehood."
The ministry said the deployment in Kazakhstan was a legitimate response to Kazakhstan's request for support from the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, an alliance of ex-Soviet states that includes Russia.
The Kazakh intervention comes at a time of high tension in Moscow's relations with Washington as the two countries prepare for talks on the Ukraine crisis starting on Monday. read more
Moscow has deployed large numbers of troops near its border with Ukraine but denies Western suggestions it plans to invade. (Reuters)
January
Australia treasurer tests positive for COVID-19 as daily cases soar past 100,000
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said he tested positive to COVID-19, joining other top government officials in contracting the disease as the daily infection rate surpassed 100,000 for the first time amid an outbreak of the Omicron variant.
"Like thousands of Australians, I tested positive today to COVID-19," Frydenberg wrote in a short message which he posted to Twitter and Facebook late on Friday.
"I have the common symptoms and am isolating with my family," he added without elaborating or disclosing which variant he had.
Other high-ranked Australian lawmakers including Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and Defence Minister Peter Dutton have contracted and overcome the illness.
Under current Australian COVID-19 guidelines, people who return a positive test and those deemed "close contacts" must isolate for seven days.
Australia has been posting successive record numbers of new daily infections, with another surge on Saturday.
The country reported 116,025 new cases, smashing the previous day's record of just over 78,000. Nearly 100,000 of the new cases were in the most populous states Victoria, which is home to the upcoming Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, and New South Wales.
Victoria noted that its daily caseload, which more than doubled the previous day's to 51,356, included the results of rapid antigen tests taken up to a week before that could only be tabulated after being submitted on a website starting from Friday.
The country reported 25 new COVID-19 related deaths, its highest since the peak of the Delta wave in October 2021.
Australian leaders, including Frydenberg, have been urging the country to move on from a strategy of stop-start lockdowns now that more than 90% of the population aged over 16 is fully vaccinated.
But state leaders have been reintroducing restrictions amid exploding case numbers, mostly of the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Several states have reintroduced mask mandates and suspended non-urgent elective surgery, while New South Wales on Friday resumed bans on dancing and drinking while standing up in bars. (Reuters)
January
Kazakh president gives shoot-to-kill order to quell protests
Written by Nur Yasmin
Security forces appeared to have reclaimed the streets of Kazakhstan's main city on Friday after days of violence, and the Russian-backed president said he had ordered his troops to shoot to kill to put down a countrywide uprising.
A day after Moscow sent paratroopers to help crush the insurrection, police were patrolling the debris-strewn streets of Almaty, although some gunfire could still be heard.
Dozens have died and public buildings across Kazakhstan have been ransacked and torched in the worst violence the ex-Soviet republic has experienced in 30 years of independence.
Moscow said more than 70 planes were ferrying Russian troops into Kazakhstan, and that these were now helping control Almaty's main airport, recaptured on Thursday from protesters.
The uprising has prompted a military intervention by Moscow at a time of high tension in East-West relations as Russia and the United States gear up for talks next week on the Ukraine crisis. read more
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev blamed foreign-trained terrorists for the unrest, without providing evidence.
"The militants have not laid down their arms, they continue to commit crimes or are preparing for them," Tokayev, 68, said in a televised address.
"Whoever does not surrender will be destroyed. I have given the order to law enforcement agencies and the army to shoot to kill, without warning."
The demonstrations began as a response to a fuel price hike but swelled into a broad movement against Tokayev's government and former President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Nazarbayev, 81, was the longest-serving ruler of any ex-Soviet state until he turned over the presidency to Tokayev in 2019. His family is widely believed to have retained influence in Nur-Sultan, the purpose-built capital that bears his name.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the situation with Tokayev in several phone calls during the crisis, the Kremlin said on Friday.
SCARED
The protesters in Almaty appeared mainly to come from the city's poor outskirts or surrounding towns and villages. The violence has come as a shock to urban Kazakhs, used to comparing their country favourably to more repressive and volatile ex-Soviet Central Asian neighbours.
"At night when we hear explosions, I am scared," a woman named Kuralai told Reuters. "It hurts to know that young people are dying. This has clearly been planned ... probably our government has relaxed somewhat."
In a state where scant political opposition is tolerated, no high-profile leaders of the protest movement have emerged to issue any formal demands.
One man who attended the first night of protests and who did not want to be identified said most of those who initially turned up wanted to "express solidarity spontaneously", before 100-200 "aggressive youths" started hurling rocks at police.
Security forces appeared to have reclaimed the streets of Kazakhstan's main city on Friday after days of violence, and the Russian-backed president said he had ordered his troops to shoot to kill to put down a countrywide uprising.
A day after Moscow sent paratroopers to help crush the insurrection, police were patrolling the debris-strewn streets of Almaty, although some gunfire could still be heard.
Dozens have died and public buildings across Kazakhstan have been ransacked and torched in the worst violence the ex-Soviet republic has experienced in 30 years of independence.
Moscow said more than 70 planes were ferrying Russian troops into Kazakhstan, and that these were now helping control Almaty's main airport, recaptured on Thursday from protesters.
The uprising has prompted a military intervention by Moscow at a time of high tension in East-West relations as Russia and the United States gear up for talks next week on the Ukraine crisis. read more
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev blamed foreign-trained terrorists for the unrest, without providing evidence.
"The militants have not laid down their arms, they continue to commit crimes or are preparing for them," Tokayev, 68, said in a televised address.
"Whoever does not surrender will be destroyed. I have given the order to law enforcement agencies and the army to shoot to kill, without warning."
The demonstrations began as a response to a fuel price hike but swelled into a broad movement against Tokayev's government and former President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Nazarbayev, 81, was the longest-serving ruler of any ex-Soviet state until he turned over the presidency to Tokayev in 2019. His family is widely believed to have retained influence in Nur-Sultan, the purpose-built capital that bears his name.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the situation with Tokayev in several phone calls during the crisis, the Kremlin said on Friday.
SCARED
The protesters in Almaty appeared mainly to come from the city's poor outskirts or surrounding towns and villages. The violence has come as a shock to urban Kazakhs, used to comparing their country favourably to more repressive and volatile ex-Soviet Central Asian neighbours.
"At night when we hear explosions, I am scared," a woman named Kuralai told Reuters. "It hurts to know that young people are dying. This has clearly been planned ... probably our government has relaxed somewhat."
In a state where scant political opposition is tolerated, no high-profile leaders of the protest movement have emerged to issue any formal demands.
One man who attended the first night of protests and who did not want to be identified said most of those who initially turned up wanted to "express solidarity spontaneously", before 100-200 "aggressive youths" started hurling rocks at police. (Reuters)
January
India's COVID-19 cases set for new highs as Omicron spreads
Written by Nur Yasmin
India's daily COVID-19 cases jumped to 117,100 on Friday, a five-fold increase in a week and on course to overtake its previous infection peak as the fast-spreading Omicron variant replaces Delta in cities.
Government officials have privately said they are working under the assumption that daily infections will surpass the record of more than 414,000 set in May, given what has happened in countries, such as the United States where daily cases have risen past 1 million.
"We will clearly surpass our record shortly and reach a new peak by early February," M.D. Gupte, a former director of the state-run National Institute of Epidemiology and an immunisation adviser to the government, told Reuters.
"Given the size of our population, we will report more daily cases than the U.S. But what we have seen is that these cases are much more mild, so the need for hospitalisation and oxygen and all that is not picking up."
He said India's high rate of infection during a previous major wave in April and May, as well as vaccinations, would mean a reduction in the severity of the illness for those infected by the Omicron variant.
Nearly 70% of Indians had been infected with the coronavirus by the middle of last year, according to government serological surveys, while an almost equal proportion of adults have been fully vaccinated as of this week.
As cases have shot up, the health ministry said that starting from Jan. 11 arrivals from all countries would have to isolate at home for a week. Some 2% of such people would be tested at their port of arrival, and sent to institutional quarantine if found positive for COVID-19.
Earlier, only all those arriving from countries with a high number of cases had to be mandatorily tested and sent to institutional quarantine if found positive or home quarantine for a week if negative.
LOW HOSPITALISATIONS
Health officials in the capital New Delhi and the state of Maharashtra, home to the city of Mumbai, which together account for the bulk of new cases, have said hospitals and testing infrastructure have yet to come under pressure as many people are recovering quickly at home.
In Mumbai, about a quarter of all tests are positive but fewer than a fifth of those who have contracted the virus have needed hospitalisation, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope told reporters.
The city recorded 20,181 new infections on Thursday, well above its previous high of just over 11,000 set last year.
"Around 80% of the hospital beds are still empty," he said. "Oxygen demand is not rising in proportion to the rising cases. Right now, there is no plan to impose a lockdown. If required, we may increase restrictions."
The state has closed schools and colleges and limited the number of people allowed in cinemas, at weddings and other functions.
Delhi, where daily cases have risen by more than five times in a week, goes into a 55-hour lockdown from Friday night to Monday morning.
Authorities have also imposed a night curfew on weekdays, closed schools, and ordered most shops to open only on alternate days when there is no curfew.
India's COVID-19 deaths rose by 302 on Friday, taking the total to 483,178. Total infections stand at 35.23 million, fewer than the U.S. tally of about 58 million. (Reuters)
January
Cambodia to take 'different approaches' to Myanmar crisis as ASEAN chair
Written by Nur Yasmin
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen did not seek to meet former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi during his visit to the country this week and will take "different approaches" to the crisis there, Cambodia’s foreign minister said on Saturday.
The comments by Prak Sokhonn indicate Cambodia, this year's chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), will likely invite junta officials to ASEAN meetings - possibly starting with a foreign minister's meeting Jan. 17.
The regional grouping had last year taken the unprecedented step of excluding junta chief Min Aung Hlaing from its annual leaders' summit.
Hun Sen, who himself seized power in a 1997 coup and has in subsequent elections been criticised over crackdowns on his political opponents, returned from Myanmar on Saturday after a two-day trip.
His visit was the first by a head of government since the army overthrew the civilian administration of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1 last year, sparking months of protests and a bloody crackdown. read more
Myanmar's state media on Saturday reported that Min Aung Hlaing had thanked Hun Sun for "standing with Myanmar". The army has said its takeover was in response to election fraud and was in line with the constitution.
Prak Sokhonn, who accompanied Hun Sen to Myanmar, on Saturday denied the trip amounted to backing the junta, saying it was another way of working to implement a five-point ASEAN peace plan adopted in April.
He also confirmed that Hun Sen did not ask to meet with Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate who has been in detention since the army takeover last year and faces more than a dozen criminal charges.
Prak Sokhonn, expected to take up the post as special envoy for Myanmar, said the refusal of the current envoy, Brunei's foreign minister, to visit without guarantees he could meet with Suu Kyi was unproductive.
"If they build a thick wall and we use our head to hit it, it is useless," Prak Sokhonn told reporters. "Cambodia uses different approaches to achieve the five-point consensus." (Reuters)
January
Serbian PM vows to help national hero Djokovic in Australia visa fight
Written by Nur Yasmin
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic threw the weight of her government behind national idol Novak Djokovic on Saturday, saying it stood ready to provide all necessary guarantees to allow the tennis champion to enter Australia.
Djokovic, a vocal opponent of COVID-19 vaccine mandates, has been in immigration detention in a Melbourne hotel since Thursday after his visa was cancelled due to problems with his medical exemption from vaccination.
"He's staying in Park Hotel until the final decision is made," Brnabic told Serbian media.
"We've managed to make sure gluten-free food is delivered to him, as well as exercising tools, a laptop and a SIM card so that he is able to be in contact with his family."
Djokovic, who is seeking to win a record 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open this month, said in a court filing on Saturday that he had been given the vaccination exemption because he had contracted COVID-19 last month. read more
A court hearing will be held on Monday over the visa cancellation.
The drama over the 34-year-old player has caused diplomatic tensions between Serbia and Australia. But Brnabic said on Saturday that she had spoken with Australian government officials and that the talks had been constructive.
"It's a positive tone from the Australian side. The Serbian government is ready to provide all the guarantees necessary for Novak to be allowed to enter Australia, the Serbian president (Aleksandar Vucic) is also involved," she added.
Serbian Parliament speaker Ivica Dacic also threw his support behind the tennis world number one.
"Novak is already a winner, it's obvious that they won't let him play so that he is unable to become the best tennis player in history," he told RTS state TV.
'FREEDOM-LOVING SPIRIT'
Djokovic's family held a rally of support for a third day running. Standing in front of the Serbian parliament building in Belgrade his father Srdjan Djokovic said he was "disgusted" at the way his son was being treated.
"It's appalling what Novak has been going through," he told about 300 protesters.
"The worldwide support he is getting is worth more than dozens of grand slams. They can't call this tournament of theirs an Open anymore when it's closed."
"We're not angry with the Australian people, we're angry with their politicians. He wouldn't have travelled in the first place if they hadn't granted him entry."
Some of the protesters said they shared Srdjan Djokovic's views.
"We hope that justice will prevail and that we will come here on Monday with a different outcome, one that will allow us to celebrate his freedom," Milan Jokic told Reuters.
"His freedom-loving spirit will win, a spirit incarcerated along with him right now," Nada Popovic added. (reuters)
January
Hong Kong leader orders probe of 13 officials who went to COVID-hit party
Written by Nur Yasmin
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has ordered an inquiry into the behaviour of 13 senior government officials who attended the birthday bash of a delegate to China's legislature, where two of the 170 guests tested positive for the coronavirus.
The officials, along with 19 members of Hong Kong's new "patriots-only" legislative council - all of whom have so far tested negative - and the other guests were sent to a quarantine facility this week as authorities scramble to contain the emergence of a new wave of cases.
Lam said in a late Friday statement she ordered "detailed" investigations "as to whether the attendance of 13 officials at the banquet constitutes any breach of discipline."
"I have instructed all officials being subject to quarantine that they should not continue to discharge their duties and that they are required to take their own vacation leave for quarantine."
The party for the 53rd birthday of Witman Hung, a city delegate to the national legislature, took place on Monday, before new restrictions on social life came into force but after Lam appealed to Hong Kong people to avoid large gatherings.
A three-month streak of no transmission within the community ended on Dec. 31, with the confirmation of the city's first local infection with the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
Several more cases have been detected since and hundreds of their close contacts have been sent to quarantine.
Senior officials who attended included Home Affairs Secretary Casper Tsui, Director of Immigration Au Ka-wang, police commissioner Raymond Siu and the head of the city's Independent Commission against Corruption, Simon Peh, authorities said.
All four and others have issued public apologies.
It was the second such statement for Au, who paid a fine last year for attending a dinner in a luxury private club with more people than the four allowed at the time.
The global financial hub is one of the world's last places to stick to a goal of stopping local transmission of the virus altogether, by strict quarantines and largely isolating itself from the rest of the world.
The city on Friday banned dining in restaurants after 6 p.m., closed venues including bars and clubs, gyms, beauty salons and swimming pools, and limited group gatherings to no more than four people. (Reuters)
January
Belarus leader Lukashenko spoke to Kazakhstan's Nazarbayev - report
Written by Nur Yasmin
Belarus's state news agency said President Alexander Lukashenko had spoken by phone on Friday with Nursultan Nazarbayev, the former leader of Kazahstan who was the target of popular anger this week in mass protests that swept the Central Asian country.
It was the first public mention since the start of the unrest of any official contact involving Nazarbayev, who stepped back from the presidency in 2019 but continued to wield power behind the scenes as head of Kazakhstan's Security Council.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev removed him from that position on Wednesday after the protests spread across the vast steppe nation, which is located between Russia, China and three other ex-Soviet republics.
The Belta news agency said Lukashenko and Nazarbayev "discussed in detail the state of affairs in Kazakhstan", but provided no further information.
Security forces appeared to have reclaimed the streets of Kazakhstan's main city, Almaty, on Friday, a day after Russian paratroopers began to arrive to help restore order after days of violence in which dozens were killed and public buildings torched. read more
Lukashenko also faced mass street protests last year against his rule following a disputed election, and had to turn to Russia for financial and military support to stay in power.
Nazarbayev's whereabouts remain unclear, amid speculation and conflicting reports that he may seek to leave the country or may already have left.
The 81-year-old former Communist Party boss ruled Kazakhstan unchallenged for nearly three decades after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and he and his family amassed substantial wealth.
This week's unrest began with fuel price protests but quickly exploded into a wider surge of anger directed against Nazarbayev, with crowds chanting "Old man, go away!" (reuters)
January
U.S. forces in S.Korea raise COVID-19 alert amid record infections
Written by Nur Yasmin
U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) raised its health protection alert on Saturday after posting its highest weekly tally of new coronavirus infections, at 682.
The new cases bring the total infections to 3,027. U.S. forces has said nearly 90% of its soldiers, families and other affiliated people were vaccinated.
In neighbouring Japan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday the government would tighten curbs in three regions that host U.S. military bases to stem a COVID-19 surge that some officials have said the bases have helped fuel.
The U.S. military's "Bravo Plus" plan in South Korea will ban dining at restaurants outside the bases and visiting indoor malls, bars, clubs, gyms, amusement parks, theatres and massage parlours, U.S. forces said on its website on Friday.
Travel to the capital Seoul is also prohibited, except for official duties or for people who live or work there, but activities including grocery shopping and religious services are allowed.
"Due to the continued presence of COVID-19 within USFK and South Korea, USFK has increased its health protection condition to 'Bravo Plus' peninsula-wide," it said.
South Korea had reported record-breaking daily infections of around 7,800 after it eased social distancing rules under a "living with COVID-19" scheme in November, prompting authorities to reinstate tougher curbs the following month.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 3,510 new cases for Friday, bringing the total 661,015, with 5,986 deaths.
The defence ministry said 19 new infections were confirmed among South Korean military personnel as of Friday, for a total of 3,403. (reuters)
January
U.S. approves voluntary departure of some consulate staff from Kazakhstan
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States said on Friday it had approved the voluntary departure of non-emergency U.S. government employees and family members from the consulate general in the Kazakh city of Almaty, amid an ongoing state of emergency in the country.
"U.S. citizens in Kazakhstan should be aware that violent protests may severely impact the U.S. Embassy’s ability to provide consular services, including assistance to U.S. citizens departing Kazakhstan," the State Department said. (reuters)