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December
S.Korea considers tightening COVID-19 rules as new cases climb to daily record
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korea warned on Wednesday it may reinstate stricter social distancing curbs as it posted a new record daily coronavirus tally due to a persistent spike in breakthrough infections among those vaccinated and serious cases.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) posted 7,850 cases for Tuesday, with the number of patients in serious condition also reaching a fresh high at 964.
Daily tallies of infections shot past 7,000 for the first time last week, just days after passing the 5,000 mark, putting ever greater strains on the country's medical capacity.
Total infections in the pandemic so far have risen to 536,495, including 128 cases of the potentially more transmissible Omicron variant, with 4,456 deaths, according to the KDCA.
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said the government is considering reimposing strict distancing curbs including a ban on gatherings and a curfew on dining in eating establishments. An official announcement is expected on Friday.
"We're looking at the current situation very seriously, and seeking to implement even stronger social distancing measures," Kim told an intra-agency meeting, without elaborating.
South Korea has fully vaccinated more than 94% of its adults so far, and is accelerating its ongoing campaign promoting booster shots by shortening intervals for all ages. read more
But the number of new cases has surged almost five times and serious cases tripled since distancing rules were eased last month under a 'living with COVID-19' policy.
The daily death toll also hit its highest levels at 94 on Monday, compared with around 10 in early November, KDCA data showed.
Authorities have scrapped plans for further relaxing, but remained hesitant to trigger a circuit breaker it had vowed to issue if more than 75% of intensive care unit (ICU) beds are used nationwide, due to business backlash and growing public fatigue. read more
More than 81% of ICU beds are occupied nationwide and the ratio topped 86% for the greater Seoul area as of Wednesday. (Reuters)
December
Indonesia cites strong U.S. commitment as Blinken starts Southeast Asia tour
Written by Nur Yasmin
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a strong commitment to Indonesia on Monday, a senior official said, as he kicked off a Southeast Asia trip aimed at strengthening ties with a region that has become a strategic arena for Washington and Beijing.
In his first trip to the region since U.S. President Joe Biden took office in January, Blinken met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, the first of several top officials he will see on a four-day tour that includes Malaysia and Thailand.
Summarising the meeting with Jokowi, as the president is known, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Blinken showed a keen interest in partnering with their country, especially in infrastructure.
"The U.S. commitment was very noticeable," Retno told reporters.
Southeast Asia is a key stage for a rivalry between the United States and China, with a heated struggle for influence as the Biden administration seeks to reconnect with a region to which U.S. commitment was questioned under President Donald Trump. read more
Blinken congratulated Jokowi on Indonesia's G20 presidency and expressed support for its Indo-Pacific leadership role, as a "strong proponent of the rules-based international order," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, adding human rights, the pandemic and the climate crisis were also discussed.
Indonesia is Southeast Asia's biggest economy and its most populous nation. It is the third-largest democracy in the world, and also home to a third of its rainforests.
Blinken will deliver a speech on U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy on Tuesday in the capital Jakarta, among other events, before meetings in Malaysia and Thailand on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.
Blinken will pursue Biden's aim of elevating engagement with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc and discuss the president's vision for an Indo-Pacific economic framework, a top U.S. diplomat for Asia said ahead of the trip. read more
The United States has also been pushing back against Beijing's assertiveness in the South China Sea, a conduit for $3 trillion of annual trade, and accuses its vast coastguard fleet of bullying countries including Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia by disrupting energy and fishing activities.
China claims almost the entire sea as its own, and has rejected U.S. actions as interference by an outside power.
The Biden administration sees closer engagement in Southeast Asia as vital to its efforts to push back against China's growing power, but Trump's withdrawal from a regional trade deal in 2017 has limited its ability to exert economic influence, while Beijing has sought to bolster its trade ties.
The administration has yet to spell out what exactly Biden's envisaged economic framework will entail. (Reuters)
December
U.S. ambassador to Solomons warns of aid that goes to 'one bank account'
Written by Nur Yasmin
The U.S. ambassador to the Solomon Islands has warned Pacific Islands against "aid that benefits one person, one party and one bank account" - remarks that come after the Solomons were beset with riots last month blamed in part on discontent with China.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare was accused last week by the leader of the opposition in parliament of using money from a national development fund that comes from China to prop up his political strength. He has rejected graft allegations. read more
Sogavare has blamed foreign powers that opposed his 2019 decision to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China for influencing anti-government protesters from Malaita province.
Under-developed Malaita has been historically at odds with Guadalcanal province, where the national government is based, and opposed the 2019 switch of ties. It has banned Chinese construction and companies, and in 2020 accepted a $25 million U.S. Aid program.
Malaita protesters last month sparked riots by residents of the capital Honiara, where there is discontent over foreign companies failing to provide local jobs. Large sections of Chinatown burnt down. read more
In her first public comments on the riots, U.S. ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, Erin McKee said in a statement that the loss of life and destruction of property in Honiara was tragic and "should not have happened".
McKee said the U.S. aid project resulted from an exchange of letters between Sogavare and then U.S. vice president Mike Pence, and aid and defence officials travelled to the Solomon Islands in August 2019.
Solomon Islands broke relations with Taiwan and recognised China the next month. Delays to the U.S. project occurred after the switch. It has since commenced operations although the entry of U.S. Peace Corps volunteers is still being negotiated.
U.S. aid contractors worked in partnership with communities so they could build local infrastructure such as roads and maintain it "without outside help", the statement said.
"Do you want aid that benefits one person, one party, and one bank account? Or do you want assistance that empowers entire families, strengthens entire communities, and enriches entire nations?" she said.
"As democratic and independent states, you have a choice of who to partner with. And I believe that the choice is obvious."
The Chinese embassy, which opened in Honiara in September last year, said on its website hundreds of Chinese families were left homeless by the riots.
"Any attempt to sabotage the relationship is doomed to failure," it added.
Over 200 police and soldiers from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji are in Honiara at the request of Sogavare to maintain order. (Reuters)
December
Kabul passport office head urges patience as anxious crowds keep gathering
Written by Nur Yasmin
The head of the Kabul Passport Office has asked for patience from thousands of Afghans waiting for documents that would let them leave the country as large crowds continue to gather outside, a month after the office suspended operations.
As winter closes in and economic crisis deepens in the wake of the abrupt withdrawal of foreign aid after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August, the crowds around the biggest passport issuing centre in the country underline the desperate desire of large numbers of citizens to leave.
"We have done our best to reopen the office but we are still facing some equipment shortages," passport office head Alam Gul Haqqani told Reuters in an interview on Sunday.
Last month the office was forced to close after equipment used for issuing biometric documents broke down under the pressure of processing thousands of applications a day but demand has built steadily.
Even though the office has been closed for weeks, hundreds of people still gather outside the fortified compound clutching plastic document files, regularly beaten back from the crash barriers by Taliban security forces.
"I am sure the office will restart and we will fulfil all applications," Haqqani said. "I assure the nation that no-one will leave our office with any reason to be upset."
He appealed to people to stay away until the office is operational again.
"I am really sorry about this, I am upset because people are facing hardship. They're wasting their money and standing here uselessly," Haqqani said.
"The office is closed, our systems are not operational."
A number of provincial passport offices are still open and officials in Kabul are processing around 2,000-3,000 passports from these offices each day, he said, but it was still unclear when the Kabul office would reopen.
As well as the equipment issues, Haqqani said officials were working on stamping out corruption and rooting out the so-called 'Commissionkar' - commission agents who promise to ensure swift treatment of applications for a fee.
"We have arrested bribe takers, from inside and outside the office," he said. "We will use any possible way to clean the country of bribe takers everywhere." (Reuters)
December
Gunbattle erupts in Indian Kashmir, one militant dead
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indian troops killed a suspected militant during a gunbattle in the federally-controlled Jammu and Kashmir region on Tuesday, two officials said, as violence escalated in the territory at the heart of the decades of tensions with Pakistan.
Fighting between Indian security forces and militants broke out in the early hours in the Surankote area of Jammu's Poonch district, where a small group of insurgents are believed to be holed up, a police official said.
"We have shot one militant," another security official said. Both declined to be named because they aren't authorised to speak to media. The military lost nine soldiers in the same area earlier this year.
In Kashmir's main city of Srinagar, a policeman who was on a bus that was attacked by militants on Monday succumbed to his injuries, taking the number of fatalities from the incident to three, a local police official said.
Militants had opened fire on the bus on the outskirts of Srinagar, wounding 16 personnel who had all been taken to hospital. read more
Vijay Kumar, Kashmir valley's police chief, said Monday's attack had been carried out by militants from the Jaish-e-Mohammad, a Pakistan-based group.
India has long accused Pakistan of supporting an armed insurgency in Kashmir, a Himalayan region that both countries claim in full but only control parts of.
Pakistan denies the charge, saying it provides moral and diplomatic backing for the self-determination of Kashmiri people. (Reuters)
December
Philippines' Duterte withdraws candidacy for a senate seat
Written by Nur Yasmin
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday withdrew his candidacy for a senate seat, the election commission's spokesperson said.
Duterte's term will end in June, 2022, and he is banned by the constitution from seeking another term as president. (Reuters)
December
Afghans face "avalanche of hunger and destitution" - UN agency
Written by Nur Yasmin
Almost all Afghans do not have enough to eat and a failing economy could tip Afghanistan's increasingly dire situation under Taliban rule into catastrophe next year, the U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday.
WFP surveys showed an estimated 98% of Afghans are not eating enough, with seven in 10 families resorting to borrowing food, which pushes them deeper into poverty, a spokesperson for the agency told reporters.
The abrupt withdrawal of foreign aid following the Taliban victory in August has left Afghanistan's fragile economy on the brink of collapse, with prices for food, fuel and other basic staples rising rapidly out of reach for many. read more
"The spiralling economic crisis, the conflict and drought has meant the average family can now barely cope," Tomson Phiri told a Geneva briefing. "We have a huge amount to do to stop this crisis from becoming a catastrophe."
The WFP has provided food assistance to 15 million Afghans so far in 2021, and to seven million in November alone. Next year, it plans to ramp up its assistance to 23 million people across all provinces in Afghanistan.
"We cannot waste any moment," Phiri said. "Our country director describes the situation as quite dire. She says it's 'an avalanche of hunger and destitution'."
Separately, Nada Al-Nashif, U.N. Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said Afghan families face "severe poverty and hunger" with many pushed into desperate measures, including child labour, early marriage and "even the sale of children" (Reuters)
December
Afghanistan's deposed envoy decries 'total reversal' of rights' gains
Written by Nur Yasmin
Afghanistan's envoy from the former government on Tuesday accused the Taliban of committing a wide range of human rights abuses including targeted killings and enforced disappearances since seizing control in August.
"With the military takeover of Kabul by the Taliban, not only we see a total reversal of two decades of advances...but the group is also committing a litany of abuses with full impunity which in many cases is going unreported and undocumented," Nasir Ahmad Andisha told the Human Rights Council. He is Kabul's U.N. ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva who is still recognised by the world body. (Reuters)
December
Afghanistan central bank says it is acting to halt currency slide
Written by Nur Yasmin
Afghanistan's central bank said on Tuesday it was working to ensure the stability of the afghani, a day after the currency lost almost 12% of its value against the dollar in a matter of hours amid a deepening economic crisis and soaring inflation.
The abrupt withdrawal of foreign aid following the Taliban victory in August has left Afghanistan's fragile economy on the brink of collapse, with prices for food, fuel and other basic staples rising rapidly out of reach for many.
The central bank issued a statement saying that it had held a number of meetings with foreign exchange dealers, representatives of commercial banks and the business sector to halt the fall in the afghani.
"Based on its strategic planning policies, Da Afghanistan Bank has always tried to avoid volatility that could be harmful to the purchasing power of the people," it said.
The crisis has accelerated sharply in recent days. On Monday the afghani, which traded at around 77 to the dollar before the fall of Kabul and at 97 a week ago, dropped from 112 to the dollar in the morning at Kabul's Sarai Shazada money market to 125 by the afternoon.
On Tuesday it had recovered slightly and was being quoted at around 118-120 following the central bank move.
"The Islamic Emirate said it would bring the dollar down and issue dollars on the market and it's changing now," a dealer at Sarai Shahzada said, using the name for the new Taliban government.
RISING PRICES
However the pressure on the afghani has already had a stark impact on the prices of daily necessities in an economy where unemployment is widespread and where even many in work have not been paid in months.
Within the space of a week, wholesalers said the price of a 50 kg (110 lbs) sack of flour had risen by between 20-40% to between 2,800-3,200 afghani, from 2,300 a week ago, with the price of sugar up by a third and rice up by more than 15%.
Starved of dollars that used to be physically shipped into Afghanistan, and cut off from the world financial system by the fear of U.S. sanctions, the banking system is only partially functional and some $9 billion in central bank reserves remain blocked outside the country.
Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department formalised guidance allowing personal remittances to Afghanistan and protecting senders and financial institutions from U.S. sanctions, offering some hope to those with relatives outside the country.
But efforts to bring in cash have been hampered by international reluctance to provide funds to the Taliban government, which is still not officially recognised by any other country.
Longer term, business people said prospects were hampered by the structural weakness in an economy whose main exports - apart from illegal narcotics - were dried fruit and handmade carpets, and the lack of a clear economic plan from the new government. (Reuters)
December
Singapore mulls COVID-19 boosters requirement to qualify as 'fully' vaccinated
Written by Nur Yasmin
Singapore is considering requiring its residents to get a booster shot to qualify as fully vaccinated against COVID-19, its health minister said on Tuesday, as it seeks to protect its population from the Omicron variant.
The city-state of 5.5 million people currently allows only those counted as fully vaccinated - or recipients of two shots - to enter malls or dine in at restaurants or at hawker stalls.
From Jan. 1 it will bar unvaccinated employees from entering workplaces, unless they undergo tests each time.
So far, 87% of Singapore residents have received at least two shots and 31% have had a booster.
The Omicron variant, reported in more than 60 countries, poses a "very high" global risk, with some evidence that it evades vaccine protection, but clinical data on its severity is limited, according to the World Health Organization. read more
"This is a clear signal that we all need to take our boosters, because with waning protection, full vaccination status cannot last perpetually," Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said during a media briefing, announcing the booster plans.
Singapore reported 339 new coronavirus cases on Monday, the fewest since early September. It has so far recorded 16 Omicron variant cases, all but two of which were imported.
The health ministry said it will allow up to 50% of workers, currently working from home, to return to their offices from Jan. 1. (Reuters)