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November
S.Korea shelves plans to ease COVID measures due to high case count, Omicron
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korea said on Monday it has shelved plans to further relax COVID-19 curbs due to the strain on its healthcare system from rising hospitalisation and death rates as well as the threat posed by the new Omicron variant.
President Moon Jae-in said the crisis had deepened and called for a united response to prevent the variant from entering the country including the mobilisation of more personnel and tightening contact tracing.
"Numbers for new confirmed cases, severe cases and deaths are all on the rise and hospital bed capacity is tighter," Moon told a special COVID-19 response meeting.
This month, South Korea lifted restrictions on operating hours for restaurants and cafes. It was going to lift limits on hours for bars and clubs as well as allow parties of up to 100 people from Dec. 13 and then scrap all limits on gatherings by mid-February - but those plans are now on hold.
South Korean hospitals are treating 629 patients with severe COVID-19 and at least 1,200 are waiting for beds to free up in Seoul and its surrounding areas, Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said, urging the public to get tested and get booster shots.
South Korea has not yet detected any cases of Omicron, which is potentially more transmissible and has been described by the World Health Organization as posing a "very high" global risk. The country is restricting arrivals from South Africa and seven other nations over concern about the new variant.
There were 3,309 new COVID cases logged in South Korea for Sunday - down from a record high of 4,116 marked last week but still much greater than levels of around 2,000 before restrictions on cafes and restaurants were eased this month.
It has had 444,200 cases and 3,580 deaths since the pandemic began. Almost 80% of its population of 52 million is fully vaccinated. (Reuters)
November
Travellers on edge as countries tighten rules due to Omicron fears - travel agents
Written by Nur Yasmin
Some would-be travellers are considering cancelling or delaying trip plans in response to fresh curbs prompted by the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, travel agents said on Monday, threatening an already fragile recovery for the global tourism industry.
Southern Africa, where Omicron was discovered, accounts for only a tiny portion of the world's international travel but Israel and Japan have announced border closures to all foreign travellers and Britain and Australia have tightened rules for all arrivals in response to the new variant. read more
Some Australian travellers booked through Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (FLT.AX) have cancelled or delayed trips amid new requirements for arrivals to isolate at home or a hotel for 72 hours while awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test, a spokesperson for the travel agency said. read more
"We're not being rushed off our feet," he said of the number of changes to trips. "It is still very early days and people are generally prepared to wait and see what eventuates."
Australia's border remains closed to tourists from all countries except New Zealand and Singapore.
Jeremiah Wong, senior marketing communications manager at tour agency Chan Brothers Travel in Singapore, said some concerned customers had called to enquire about options for upcoming Australia trips due to the new isolation requirement.
"At this moment, the observation is that people are still keen to carry on with their travel plans, because they have been planning for this for a long time," he said. "We have not received any calls of concern for Europe tours."
Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIAL.SI) said it had converted some of its passenger flights to Johannesburg and Cape Town to cargo-only after Singapore put in place restrictions on travellers who had been to southern Africa.
Singapore had only recently begun a cautious reopening to foreign travel and the country on Sunday deferred plans to open its borders to vaccinated travellers from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia because those countries are transit hubs for African travel.
Singapore's Skyline Travel, which sells tour packages to Europe and South Korea, is "worried" about the situation though it has not yet seen cancellations, a spokesperson said.
"We have been making it compulsory for our clients to purchase travel insurance due to the fluidity of the situation," he said. (Reuters)
November
Kyrgyzstan parliamentary election set to bolster president
Written by Nur Yasmin
Allies of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov appeared set to win Sunday's parliamentary election by a landslide, according to early figures, further cementing his grip on the Central Asian nation with close ties to Russia and China.
A Russian military airbase located in Kyrgyzstan allows Moscow to project power throughout the broader region and to locations such as Afghanistan.
With ballots from more than 90% of polling stations counted, opposition party Butun Kyrgyzstan had received 6.8% of the vote, with the rest split between a host of pro-presidential parties.
Japarov, 52, came to power during the turmoil that followed the October 2020 parliamentary elections, the results of which a number of political parties refused to accept.
Freed from prison where he was serving a sentence for a political stunt that involved kidnapping a provincial governor, Japarov became prime minister within days and then successfully ran for president on a nationalist and populist platform.
Aside from pushing through constitutional reforms strengthening the presidency, Japarov's major step so far has been the de facto nationalisation of the giant Kumtor gold mine operated by Canada's Centerra Gold (CG.TO), precipitating an ongoing legal battle.
Japarov has maintained the former Soviet republic's traditionally close ties with Russia and dismissed suggestions of allowing the United States to establish a military base in the country in addition to the existing Russian facility.
This week the state security service headed by Japarov's close ally said it had prevented a coup planned by a group of unnamed former senior officials and parliament members.
About 1,300 candidates from 21 political parties contested 90 parliamentary seats in Sunday's vote under a mixed system in which some seats are assigned to constituencies and others distributed between parties.
Parties needed to pass a 5% threshold to win any seats.
"I have voted for someone based on their track record, for the people whose work I have seen," Bakytbek, a 35-year-old construction engineer, said after voting at a polling station where coronavirus precautions involved voters having temperature checks from people clad in protective suits before being allowed to enter.
"In terms of what they promise, all candidates are the same." (Reuters)
November
Australia confirms two cases of Omicron COVID-19 variant
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australia confirmed on Sunday that two people arriving from southern Africa over the weekend had tested positive for the Omicron coronavirus variant, adding to a growing number of countries fighting the highly infectious strain.
Health officials in New South Wales, the most populous state, said both passengers had arrived in the state capital, Sydney, on Saturday evening and tested positive for COVID-19 late that night, before genome sequencing confirmed the Omicron variant on Sunday.
Australia joins Britain, Germany and Italy in detecting Omicron cases over the weekend as more nations imposed restrictions on travel from southern Africa.
Both people were asymptomatic, fully vaccinated and in quarantine, said NSW Health. Another 12 passengers from southern Africa were also in 14 days of hotel quarantine, while around 260 other passengers and aircrew have been directed to isolate.
"Close contacts will be contacted regularly, and compliance checks will be undertaken," the health department said in a statement.
Australia imposed new restrictions on Saturday on people who have been to nine southern African countries, as the highly infectious variant raises concerns about another wave of the pandemic.
The countries are South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, the Seychelles, Malawi and Mozambique.
New Zealand announced fresh measures from Sunday evening.
COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said late on Saturday that only New Zealand citizens will be allowed to travel into the country from the nine southern African nations.
Citizens would be required to stay in managed isolation for a full 14 days, as well as undergo testing, he said in a statement.
Australia early this month eased its international border restrictions for the first time during the pandemic, allowing fully vaccinated residents to return to the country without quarantine after higher vaccination levels.
Australia had largely stamped out infections for most of this year until an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant in late June spread rapidly across its east. About 205,000 cases and 1,985 deaths have been recorded so far, lower than many other countries in the developed world. (reuters)
November
Japan reverses border easing, bars foreign visitors due to Omicron
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan said on Monday it would shut its borders to foreigners to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, joining Israel in imposing some of the strictest border controls since the variant's discovery in southern Africa.
Japan will bar entry to foreigners from midnight on Monday, and Japanese returnees from a number of specified nations will have to quarantine in designated facilities, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.
"These are temporary, exceptional measures that we are taking for safety's sake until there is clearer information about the Omicron variant," Kishida told reporters.
"I'm prepared to bear all criticism from those saying the Kishida administration is being too cautious."
The tougher restrictions mark a rapid tightening after Japan on Friday already said it would strengthen border controls on people arriving from six African nations, even though no cases of Omicron have been detected in the country and much about the new variant remains unknown.
Nations around the world have enacted border curbs since the WHO dubbed Omicron a "variant of concern".
But Japan's measures are among the strongest, following Israel in banning entry of foreigners, and Morocco, which has halted all inbound flights for two weeks, and they mark a rapid change of course.
BUSINESS LOBBY
Business lobbies in Japan clamoured for months for the government to ease what were some of the world's most restrictive border controls.
Only last week a monthly limit on inbound travellers was raised from 3,500 to 5,000 and earlier this month, quarantine periods were shortened for vaccinated passengers.
A government official said all the easing will be reversed, although foreigners holding current, resident visas will be allowed back into Japan, as will some diplomatic travellers and humanitarian cases.
Kishida said he would bolster Japan's response to the pandemic after dissatisfaction over handling of the crisis prompted the resignation of his predecessor Yoshihide Suga in September.
Koji Wada, a professor at Tokyo's International University of Health and Welfare and adviser to the government on the pandemic response, said Japanese citizens were expected to support "radical decision" even if the business community was unhappy.
"This is a good opportunity for the government to show their attitude toward COVID-19, and I think many people will support this decision," Wada said.
"The problem is, shutting down the border is not a solution. The government should have a middle-term plan on how to handle this Omicron virus," he added.
Health Minister Shigeyuki Goto said a traveller from Namibia has tested positive for the novel coronavirus but further tests were needed to find out if it was from the new variant.
After a slow start, Japan's vaccination rate is the highest among Group of Seven economies, and COVID-19 infections have fallen significantly since a fifth wave peaked in August.
Tokyo reported eight new cases on Monday, down from more than 5,000 a day in the weeks following the Summer Olympics held in Japan's capital.
Health experts are however concerned about a possible rebound this winter, and a round of booster shots are scheduled to start from Dec. 1.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says it could take "days to several weeks" to determine the severity of the new variant. (reuters)
November
Chinese police capture North Korean convict on the run
Written by nuke
Human Rights Watch said in a July report that at least 1,100 North Koreans are detained in China, Pyongyang's main ally and economic benefactor. (Photo: AFP/File/Greg Baker) -
Chinese police have captured a North Korean prisoner who staged a daring escape from jail in October and had been on the run for more than forty days, authorities said Sunday (Nov 28).
Officials in northeast China were offering a US$23,000 bounty for the recapture of the escapee, in a manhunt that has sparked massive interest on social media.
The 39-year-old prisoner, identified by the Chinese name Zhu Xianjian, was jailed in China after fleeing reclusive North Korea.
He escaped the facility in Jilin city by scaling a shed and vaulting the outer wall on Oct 18, and managed to stay at large before being captured Sunday.
A one-line statement from Jilin police said he had been reprimanded at about 10am local time Sunday morning, without giving more details.
Videos shared by state-run Beijing News showed an emaciated-looking man being carried by several officers, with a photograph of him then lying on the ground with his hands behind his back.
Zhu was convicted of illegal entry into China, larceny and robbery, and was due for release and deportation back to the North in 2023, prompting online speculation that he broke out to avoid being sent back.
He illegally crossed a river separating North Korea from China in 2013. He then raided several houses in a nearby village, stealing money, mobile phones and clothes, court records show.
He also stabbed an elderly woman who discovered him and tried to flee in a taxi before being arrested by police.
Human Rights Watch said in a July report that at least 1,100 North Koreans are detained in China, Pyongyang's main ally and economic benefactor.
Many face deportation back to their home country upon release, where they may suffer torture and other rights violations, according to the NGO//CNA
November
Travellers at Sydney's International Airport on Nov 1, 2021. (File photo: AFP/Saeed Khan) -
Health officials in Australia said Sunday (Nov 28) they had detected the COVID-19 Omicron strain for the first time after testing two passengers from southern Africa who flew into Sydney.
The eastern state of New South Wales' health authority said it had conducted urgent genomic testing and confirmed the new strain was present two passengers who landed in Sydney on Saturday.
Both passengers came from southern Africa and arrived in Australia on a Qatar Airways flight via Doha, NSW Health said in a statement.
They tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after arriving, leading to an urgent analysis for possible infection by the heavily mutated Omicron strain.
"The two positive cases, who were asymptomatic, are in isolation in the special health accommodation. Both people are fully vaccinated," NSW Health said.
Another 12 passengers from southern Africa in the same flight did not test positive for COVID-19 but have been placed in quarantine, it said.
About 260 passengers and crew on the plane have also been told to isolate, the health authority said.
Australia had earlier on Saturday imposed new restrictions on people who have been to nine southern African countries, as the highly infectious Omicron variant raises concerns about another wave of the pandemic.
Britain, Germany and Italy detected Omicron cases on Saturday as more nations imposed restrictions on travel from southern Africa.
New Zealand also announced fresh measures from Sunday evening, Radio New Zealand reported.
COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said late on Saturday that only New Zealand citizens will be allowed to travel into the country from the nine southern African nations, according to the news service.
Citizens would be required to stay in managed isolation for a full 14 days, as well as undergo testing, he was quoted as saying.
Australia early this month eased its international border restrictions for the first time during the pandemic, allowing fully vaccinated residents to return to the country without quarantine after higher vaccination levels.
Australia had largely stamped out infections for most of this year until an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant in late June spread rapidly across its east. About 205,000 cases and 1,985 deaths have been recorded so far, lower than many other countries in the developed world//CNA
November
Singapore tracking the emerging Omicron COVID-19 variant very closely: PM Lee
Written by nuke
People take their antigen rapid test under supervision, at a Quick Test Centre during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Singapore September 28, 2021. REUTERS/Edgar Su -
Singapore is tracking the emerging Omicron COVID-19 variant 'very closely', and could be forced to take a few steps back again before taking more steps forward, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Nov 28).
Speaking at the People's Action Party (PAP) convention, Mr Lee said that Singapore has made "a lot of progress" in the fight against COVID-19, but must be prepared for more bumps along the way.
"Right now, a new variant of concern is emerging. We've learnt a new word – the Omicron variant. We are tracking this very closely. We are not sure yet, but we may well be forced to take a few steps back, before we can take more steps forward," said Mr Lee.
"But despite all this, I am confident that we will find our way to living with the virus, and safely resume all the things we love to do. We are making all this effort because we want to get there safely, suffering as few casualties along the way as possible."
The Omicron variant has been designated "of concern" by the World Health Organisation, with countries imposing travel curbs on travellers from a number of African countries.
On Friday, Singapore also said it will restrict entry to travellers with recent travel history to seven African countries following the emergence of the variant in that region.
All long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with travel history within the previous 14 days to Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe are not allowed to enter Singapore or transit here.
Mr Lee also noted that COVID-19 has been a "searching test" of public trust, and this applies to countries all around the world.
"Some societies are high-trust, others are low-trust – and it makes all the difference in a crisis. Singapore is and must always be high-trust."
"That is the way to weather not just COVID-19, but any storm that comes our way."
Mr Lee gave the example of countries that have had great difficulty vaccinating their whole population, despite vaccines being available. He pointed out that "political divisions and deep distrust" have made it harder for the US and many European countries to bring COVID-19 under control.
"Many of them are anti-vaxxers - not just because they are misguided or ignorant, but because of deep distrust – of authority in general, and of their own government in particular," he added.
He noted that Singapore is fortunate not to have such divisions in its society.
"We did not become a cohesive, trusting society overnight. Social cohesion is the work of decades. And trust has to be built up long before the crisis. When a crisis strikes, if the trust is not already there, then it is already too late," said Mr Lee.
"I am grateful that the PAP government enjoys the public’s trust, built up over years of working closely with Singaporeans. We've been delivering faithfully on promises. Consistently producing results for the people – housing, healthcare, education, well-paying jobs, better lives. We have shown year in, year out, in good times and bad, in crisis after crisis, that the PAP government will always be there - with you, for you, for Singapore."
During the COVID-19 crisis, the Government needed to draw on this "reservoir of trust", as it faced many difficult and urgent decisions impacting lives and livelihoods, said Mr Lee.
"Whatever we decide, however hard we try to get it right and to cushion the impact, more often than not some group or other will be affected or disappointed," he added.
"Yet still the Government must exercise its judgment to the best of its ability, and carry Singaporeans along."
Mr Lee noted that in a crisis, leaders cannot afford to waver.
And as leaders strive to do the right thing, they must continue nurturing the people’s trust, he added. This means dealing competently with the problems, explaining clearly what they are doing and why, as well as where they are headed as well as being open and transparent.
It is also important to lead by example, he pointed out.
"In Singapore we take this for granted, but it is very important and worth reminding ourselves. The same rules apply to everybody – safe distancing, mask wearing, testing and isolation requirements," Mr Lee said.
"You may be Minister or MP, community leader or safe distancing ambassador – you abide by the same rules, whoever you may be."
Trust is important not just between Singaporeans and the leaders, but between each other too, said Mr Lee. And while rules and penalties are necessary, they are not enough, he explained.
"We must also trust our collective spirit as one people. Looking out for one another, supporting those in greater need, staying united in a crisis," Mr Lee added.
"Singapore cannot claim to have better doctors or scientists, or better healthcare than the US or Europe. But the decisive difference in our response is this: We trust one another, and therefore we work with one another and not against one another."//CNA
November
Afghan women allowed to attend university under Taliban rule: Acting minister
Written by nuke
Abdul Baqi Haqqani said the Taliban want to "create a reasonable and Islamic curriculum". (Photo: AFP) -
Afghan women will be allowed to study at university but there would be a ban on mixed classes under their rule, the Taliban's acting higher education minister said on Sunday (Nov 28).
The hardline Islamist group that stormed to power in mid-August after ousting the Western-back government have vowed to rule differently compared to their 1990s stint when girls and women were banned from education.
"The... people of Afghanistan will continue their higher education in the light of Sharia law in safety without being in a mixed male and female environment," Abdul Baqi Haqqani, the Taliban's acting minister for higher education said at a meeting with elders, known as a loya jirga, on Sunday.
He said the Taliban want to "create a reasonable and Islamic curriculum that is in line with our Islamic, national and historical values and, on the other hand, be able to compete with other countries".
Girls and boys will also be segregated at primary and secondary schools, which was already common throughout deeply conservative Afghanistan.
The group have pledged to respect progress made in women's rights, but only according to their strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Whether women can work, get education at all levels and be able to mix with men have been some of the most pressing questions.
But the Taliban rebranding is being treated with scepticism, with many questioning whether the group will stick to its pledges.
No women were present at the meeting in Kabul on Sunday, which included other senior Taliban officials.
"The Taliban's ministry of higher education consulted only male teachers and students on resuming the function of universities," said a lecturer, who worked at a city university during the last government.
She said that showed "the systematic prevention of women's participation in decision making" and "a gap between the Taliban's commitments and actions".
University admission rates have risen over the past 20 years, particularly among women who have studied side by side with men and attended seminars with male professors.
But a spate of attacks on education centres in recent months, killing dozens, had caused panic.
The Taliban denied being behind the attacks, some of which were claimed by the local chapter of the Islamic State group.
During their previous brutal rule, the Taliban excluded women from public life, entertainment was banned and brutal punishments were imposed – such as stoning to death for adultery.
The Taliban have yet to announce their government, saying they would wait until after the departure of US and foreign forces//CNA
November
Israel to ban entry of foreigners from all countries over Omicron COVID-19 variant
Written by nuke
A passenger arrives at Ben Gurion international airport before Israel bans international flights, in Lod near Tel Aviv, Israel on Jan 25, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Ronen Zvulun) -
Israel on Saturday (Nov 27) said it would ban the entry of all foreigners into the country, making it the first country to shut its borders completely in response to a new and potentially more contagious coronavirus variant, and said it would use counter-terrorism phone-tracking technology in order to contain the spread of the Omicron variant.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement that the ban, pending government approval, would last 14 days. Officials hope that within that period there will be more information on how effective COVID-19 vaccines are against Omicron, which was first detected in South Africa and has been dubbed a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization.
"Our working hypotheses are that the variant is already in nearly every country," Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked told N12's Meet the Press, "and that the vaccine is effective, although we don't yet know to what degree".
Israelis entering the country, including those who are vaccinated, will be required to quarantine, Bennett said. The ban will come into effect at midnight between Sunday and Monday. A travel ban on foreigners coming from most African states was imposed on Friday.
The Shin Bet counter-terrorism agency's phone-tracking technology will be used to locate carriers of the new variant in order to curb its transmission to others, Bennett said.
Used on and off since March 2020, the surveillance technology matched virus carriers' locations against other mobile phones nearby to determine with whom they had come into contact. Israel's Supreme Court this year limited the scope of its use after civil rights groups mounted challenges over privacy concerns.
The variant, which has also been detected in Belgium, Botswana, Hong Kong, Italy, Germany and Britain, has sparked global concern and a wave of travel curbs, although epidemiologists say such restrictions may be too late to stop Omicron from circulating globally.
Israel has so far confirmed one case of Omicron, with seven suspected cases. The Health Ministry has not said whether the confirmed case was vaccinated. Three of the seven suspected cases were fully vaccinated, the ministry said on Saturday, and three had not returned from travel abroad recently.
About 57 per cent of Israel's 9.4 million population is fully vaccinated, according to the Health Ministry, which means they have either received a third shot of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine or it has not yet been five months since they received their second dose. Israel has recorded 1.3 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 8,000 fatalities since the pandemic began//CNA