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November
Indian farmers hold mass rally, keep pressure on Modi despite climbdown
Written by Nur Yasmin
Flushed with victory after Prime Minister Narendra Modi caved into demands for agricultural reform laws to be repealed, Indian farmers held a mass rally on Monday to demand minimum support prices be extended to all produce, not just rice and wheat.
The protest movement launched by farmers more than a year ago became the most serious political challenge to the Hindu nationalist government, and resulted in Modi making a surprise commitment on Friday to roll back the reforms.
Thousands gathered for the latest rally in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, where Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party will seek to hold onto power in state elections due early next year.
Since late 2020, thousands of farmers have camped on the outskirts of New Delhi as part of a mass agitation to pressurise Modi into rolling back the reforms.
His climbdown sparked celebrations by farmers, but their leaders immediately warned that the protests would continue until the government promised to introduce a law that would guarantee minimum prices for all crops. read more
Currently, the government mainly buys rice and wheat at Minimum Support Prices or guaranteed prices, but the safety net benefits barely 6% of India's millions of farmers.
In a letter addressed to Modi one Sunday, the main farmers' body said: "Minimum Support Price, based on the comprehensive cost of production, should be made a legal entitlement of all farmers (and) for all agricultural produce . . ."
Farmers also asked for the federal government to withdraw a draft electricity bill, that they fear would lead to state governments withdrawing their right to free or subsidised power, used mainly for irrigation.
The northern state of Punjab, part of India's grain belt, gives free electricity to the agriculture sector, while some states subsidise power to farmers.
Growers have also asked the government to drop fines and other penalties for burning their fields after harvesting to remove stalk and chaff. The smoke has become a major source of air pollution in Delhi and satellite towns bordering the crop growing northern states. (Reuters)
November
Xi tells Southeast Asian leaders China does not seek 'hegemony'
Written by Nur Yasmin
Chinese President Xi Jinping told leaders of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at a summit on Monday that Beijing would not "bully" its smaller regional neighbours, amid rising tension over the South China Sea.
Beijing's territorial claims over the sea clash with those of several Southeast Asian nations and have raised alarm from Washington to Tokyo.
But Xi said China would never seek hegemony nor take advantage of its size to coerce smaller countries, and would work with ASEAN to eliminate "interference".
"China was, is, and will always be a good neighbour, good friend, and good partner of ASEAN," Chinse state media quoted Xi as saying.
China’s assertion of sovereignty over the South China Sea has set it against ASEAN members Vietnam and the Philippines, while Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also lay claim to parts.
The Philippines on Thursday condemned the actions of three Chinese coast guard vessels that it said blocked and used water cannon on resupply boats headed towards a Philippine-occupied atoll in the sea.
The United States on Friday called the Chinese actions "dangerous, provocative, and unjustified," and warned that an armed attack on Philippine vessels would invoke U.S. mutual defence commitments.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told the summit hosted by Xi that he "abhors" the altercation and said the rule of law was the only way out of the dispute. He referred to a 2016 international arbitration ruling which found China's maritime claim to the sea had no legal basis.
"This does not speak well of the relations between our nations," said Duterte, who will leave office next year and has been criticised in the past for failing to condemn China's conduct in the disputed waters.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
MYANMAR NO SHOW
Xi told the summit that China and ASEAN had "cast off the gloom of the Cold War" - when the region was wracked by superpower competition and conflicts such as the Vietnam War - and had jointly maintained regional stability.
China frequently criticises the United States for "Cold War thinking" when Washington engages its regional allies to push back against Beijing's growing military and economic influence.
U.S. President Joe Biden joined ASEAN leaders for a virtual summit in October and pledged greater engagement with the region.
The summit was held without a representative from Myanmar, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said on Monday. The reason for the non-attendance was not immediately clear, and a spokesperson for Myanmar's military government did not answer calls seeking comment.
ASEAN sidelined Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, who has led a bloody crackdown on dissent since seizing power on Feb. 1, from virtual summits last month over his failure to make inroads in implementing an agreed peace plan, in an unprecedented exclusion for the bloc.
Myanmar refused to send junior representation and blamed ASEAN for departing from its non-interference principle and caving to Western pressure.
China lobbied for Min to attend the summit, according to diplomatic sources. (Reuters)
November
Australia to reopen to foreign visa holders in bid to revive economy
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australia will allow foreign visa holders to enter the country from the start of December, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, the latest step to restart international travel and support its economy.
Australia shut its international border in May 2020 and allowed only restricted numbers of citizens and permanent residents to enter in a bid to curtail the spread of COVID-19.
The rules were relaxed in recent weeks to allow foreign family members of citizens to enter, and Morrison said this will be scaled up from Dec. 1 to allow vaccinated students, business visa holders and refugees to arrive.
"The return of skilled workers and students to Australia is a major milestone in our pathway back," Morrison told reporters in Canberra. Australia will also allow in vaccinated tourists from South Korea and Japan from Dec 1, he said.
The return of foreign students, who are worth about A$35 billion ($25 billion) a year to the Australian economy, will be a major boost for the education sector.
More than 235,000 foreigners, including about 160,000 students, held visas for Australia at the end of October, government data showed.
Many Australian universities have come to rely on foreign students, who make up about 21% of total enrolments, and the border closure led higher education facilities to lay off hundreds of staff.
Many students locked out of Australia have said they would switch to alternative universities if they were unable to begin face-to-face learning in 2022. read more
The relaxation of the border rules is also expected to ease labour shortages, which threaten to stymie an economic rebound.
"This will be critical relief for businesses who are struggling to find workers just to keep their doors open and for those who need highly specialised skills to unlock big projects," said Jennifer Westacott, chief executive of the industry body, the Business Council.
Border rules, swift lockdowns and tough social distancing rules helped Australia to keep its coronavirus numbers far lower than many other comparable countries, with around 200,000 cases and 1,948 deaths.
Most new infections are being reported in Victoria state, which logged 1,029 cases on Monday. New South Wales, home to Sydney, reported 180 cases. Other states and territories are COVID-free or have very few cases. (Reuters)
November
Philippines' Duterte tells summit he 'abhors' maritime incident involving China
Written by Nur Yasmin
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday told a regional summit hosted by Chinese leader Xi Jinping that he "abhors" a recent altercation with Chinese ships in the South China Sea and said the rule of law was the only way out of problems.
"We abhor the recent event," Duterte said in the ASEAN-China special summit. "This does not speak well of the relations between our nations." (Reuters)
November
Deeper Q3 loss for Malaysia's AirAsia Group on lower revenue, forex moves
Written by Nur Yasmin
Malaysian budget airline AirAsia Group Bhd (AIRA.KL) reported a wider quarterly net loss on Monday, as pandemic restrictions on travel in two of three of its operating markets weighed on revenue, while it logged a foreign exchange loss.
It said enhanced lockdowns and travel restrictions in Malaysia and Indonesia impacted its aviation revenue, although its Philippines unit had a strong quarter.
The group said in bourse filings it recorded a net loss of 887 million ringgit ($212 million) for the July-September quarter, 4.1% more compared with a loss of 851.8 million ringgit a year earlier.
Revenue for the period dropped 37% to 295.9 million ringgit. However, its logistics business Teleport tripled its revenue, contributing 53% to the group total revenue.
AirAsia's income statement filed to the stock exchange showed that a foreign exchange loss of 216.9 million ringgit further dragged its financial performance during the period.
The group said investments in technology, talent and network for its digital businesses and in Teleport also added to its losses.
The airline carried 351,971 passengers in the third quarter, 82% less than 1.9 million a year ago, while the load factor - which measures how full planes are - was little changed at 67%.
AirAsia said it has seen "an upward trajectory of sales with the gradual recovery of travel" since domestic travel reopened in the region.
"We expect the current sales momentum and reduced cashburn trend to continue into (the following quarter) as the Group is well positioned to serve the pent up leisure travel demand," it said.
It has also completed two rounds of renegotiation with lessors for lower lease rental in the future and expects to complete the renegotiations with all lessors by the end of the year.
AirAsia maintained that it will have sufficient liquidity to sustain the business operations throughout 2021 and 2022.
Earlier this month, the airline won shareholder approval for a rights issue to raise 1 billion ringgit. (Reuters)
November
New Zealand to end tough COVID curbs, adopt new virus-fighting system
Written by Nur Yasmin
New Zealand will adopt a new system of living with the coronavirus virus from Dec. 3, which will end tough restrictions and allow businesses to operate in its biggest city, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.
New Zealand remained largely COVID-19 free until August but has been unable to beat an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant, forcing Ardern to abandon an elimination strategy and switch to treating the virus as endemic.
Its biggest city Auckland has been in lockdown for over 90 days, although some measures were eased recently.
"The hard truth is that Delta is here and not going away, but New Zealand is well set to tackle it because of our high vaccination rates and our latest safety measures including the traffic light system and Vaccine Pass," Ardern said in a statement.
The new system will rate regions as red, orange or green depending on their level of exposure to COVID-19 and vaccination rates. Auckland, the epicentre of the Delta outbreak, will start at red, making face masks mandatory and putting limits on gatherings at public places.
Ardern said about 83% of eligible New Zealanders are fully vaccinated, while 88% have had their first shot.
The government previously said the country would drop lockdown measures and move to the traffic-light system to manage outbreaks after 90% of the eligible population was fully vaccinated.
Along with its geographic isolation, New Zealand enforced some of the tightest pandemic restrictions among OECD nations, limiting the spread of COVID-19 and helping its economy bounce back faster than many of its peers.
The country of 5 million has so far reported about 7,000 cases in all and just 39 deaths.
Its international border is still shut and it is unclear when it will reopen.
Air New Zealand (AIR.NZ) said on Monday it has cancelled more than 1,000 flights to neighbouring Australia through to the end of the year due to border uncertainty.
New Zealand ended quarantine free travel with Australia in August after a new Delta outbreak there, and has kept its borders tightly sealed.
"This will be particularly tough news for families and friends who were hoping to catch up over Christmas," said Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty.
"Our hands are tied until border restrictions ease, and we receive further clarity from the New Zealand government." (Reuters)
November
Three Cambodian refugees deported by Thailand have been jailed on charges of conspiracy and incitement, police said on Monday, as pressure grows on Thailand to protect activists at risk of persecution at home.
The pre-trial detention of the three members of Cambodia's disbanded opposition party comes amid a broad crackdown that started in the run up to a 2018 general election and has been condemned by the United Nations and the West.
Veourn Veasna and Voeung Samnang were registered refugees under U.N. protection and returned earlier this month. Thavry Lanh, a former commune chief, was sent back to Cambodia on Saturday, according to Human Rights Watch.
"The 'swap mart' arrangement between Cambodian and Thai authoritarians is operating at full speed, running roughshod over refugee protections and rights," its Asia deputy director Phil Robertson told Reuters on Monday.
Thailand's embassy in Phnom Penh declined to comment. Thailand's immigration bureau said it had no details on the specific cases but it was typical for the U.N. refugee agency to be consulted, even though Thailand is not a party to the refugee convention.
The bureau's spokesman Achayon Kraithong said Thailand would prioritise immigration law but avoid sending people into danger
Cambodian police spokesman Chhay Kim Khoeun said the three jailed activists had violated immigration law in Thailand and Cambodia had not sought their deportation.
"They have arrest warrants against them so when they arrived, we must enact the arrest warrants," Chhay Kim Khoeun said.
"How can this be a human rights violation when living in Thailand illegally? I don't understand. Thailand enforced its law and we enforce our law," he said.
Dozens of activists are likely to be in hiding in the two respective countries, rights groups say, fleeing crackdowns by authorities on opponents.
"These individuals deserve protection, not deportation to a country where they could face persecution or ill-treatment," said Ming Yu Hah, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for Campaigns. (Reuters)
November
Rivals for Honduras presidency hold final rallies before vote eyed by Taiwan, China
Written by Nur Yasmin
The top two contenders to be the next president of Honduras held boisterous final rallies over the weekend, one week ahead of an election that could end diplomatic support for Taiwan in the Central American country if the leftist candidate wins.
Should poll leader Xiomara Castro, of the leftist opposition Libre Party, beat the ruling National Party's Nasry Asfura and put an end to its dozen-year run in power, she would also become the first woman to be president in Honduras.
"We're going to take out the dictatorship," she thundered on Sunday, before thousands of supporters in downtown Tegucigalpa, in a nod to the bitterly disputed re-election of outgoing President Juan Orlando Herdandez in 2017.
Castro is running on an anti-corruption platform, while also favoring a partial legalization of abortion and a diplomatic opening to China, which would mark a major shift from country's current embrace of Taiwan over Beijing.
"As a united opposition, we say enough to so much thieving, so much corruption and drug trafficking," said Castro, who has also pointed to a the conviction of Hernandez's younger brother on drug charges in the United States earlier this year.
In a visible reminder of the united opposition backing her, Castro's crowd was also peppered with the white and yellow flags of the party of her running mate, popular television host Salavador Nasralla, the 2017 runner-up who describes his views as center-right.
Castro is the wife of former President Manuel Zelaya, who was deposed in a 2009 coup, after business and military leaders allied against him.
Presidential hopeful Asfura, a popular two-term mayor of the capital, held his own final rally on Sunday at a baseball stadium, projecting confidence despite trailing in a recent poll.
"We're going to create jobs and opportunity," he said. "We're going to work hard on social programs that bring progress and development to the entire country."
Unlike Castro, Asfura has not offered a detailed campaign platform.
A poll earlier this month showed Castro with a 17 point lead, but some analysts still expect a tight race. (Reuters)
November
Singapore health minister says return to strict COVID-19 curbs a last resort
Written by Nur Yasmin
A return to stricter COVID-19 curbs in Singapore will be a "last resort", Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Monday, as the city-state partially eased limits on social gatherings and dining out under its calibrated reopening approach.
Ong also said the international travel and tourism hub would continue to open "travel lanes" with more countries for vaccinated visitors.
Singapore is gradually granting small groups of vaccinated people increased liberties, resuming in-person business events and permitting quarantine-free travel from select countries as it ramps up its vaccine booster programme.
"I feel it's important to do it this way, because it minimizes the chance of us having to backpedal too frequently," Ong told Reuters in an interview on Monday for the upcoming Reuters Next conference.
"You can't rule out having to throttle back sometimes, but it should always be a last resort, because it's extremely frustrating for people."
Singapore has vacillated between tightening and easing restrictions for its population of 5.45 million in recent months as, like many countries, it was hit by a fresh wave of infections fuelled by the Delta variant.
Ong said it was too difficult to put a timeframe on when Singapore would reach a "new normal", but he hoped the country's high vaccination rates and the current roll-out of booster shots meant it would continue to ease restrictions.
"I hope that whatever liberty that we now gradually, progressively can return back to the people, we can keep them for next year, even as a new wave arrives," said Ong.
Singapore was one of several so-called COVID-zero countries that enforced some of the world's strictest measures to keep infections and deaths from the pandemic - at around 252,200 and 662, respectively - relatively low.
This year, it switched to a strategy of living with the virus as endemic. Around 94% of those eligible have been vaccinated, while 23% of the total population has received a booster shot.
Among its latest easing measures, limits on social gatherings and dining out were eased from two to five people, still restrictive compared to many other countries.
Authorities have also tightened measures against unvaccinated people, effectively barring them from dining out or entering malls and will begin to charge them for COVID-19 treatment if they refused a vaccine by choice.
TRAVEL HUB
Singapore has been expanding quarantine free travel from more than a dozen countries, including Britain, France, Germany, Australia, Canada and the United States via so-called vaccinated "travel lanes."
It will start these lanes with Malaysia and India at the end of the month. The lanes allow fully vaccinated people to enter the island without quarantining if they pass their COVID-19 tests.
"It is important for us to establish this, as such a small outwardly oriented country, we need to connect with the world," said Ong. "For the foreseeable future, I think vaccinated travel lanes will be the norm." (Reuters)
November
Singapore reports 1,670 new COVID-19 cases and 8 more deaths; ICU utilisation rate falls to 52.9%
Written by nuke
Pedestrians in face masks crossing a street. (Photo: Calvin Oh) -
Singapore reported 1,670 new COVID-19 cases and eight more deaths linked to the coronavirus as of noon on Sunday (Nov 21).
The fatalities were aged between 63 and 95. All of them had various underlying medical conditions. The Ministry of Health (MOH) did not specify what those medical conditions were.
Singapore's death toll from the coronavirus now stands at 662.
The overall intensive care unit (ICU) utilisation rate is at 52.9 per cent - the lowest since MOH started releasing this data about a month ago.
The weekly infection growth rate rose slightly to 0.81 from Saturday's 0.78.
The figure refers to the ratio of community cases for the past week over the week before. It has stayed below 1 for nine consecutive days.
The daily case count on Sunday is down from the 1,931 infections reported on Saturday. It is also the lowest since Sep 27.
Among the new cases, 1,657 are locally transmitted, comprising 1,577 infections in the community and 80 cases in migrant workers' dormitories.
The remaining 13 are imported cases, MOH said in its daily update released to the media at about 11.05pm.
As of Sunday, Singapore has reported 252,188 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.
A total of 1,362 cases are warded in hospital, said MOH.
Among them, 186 require oxygen supplementation in general wards, 44 patients are unstable and under close monitoring in the ICU, and 60 are critically ill and intubated.
A total of 2,640 cases were discharged over the past day, of whom 448 are seniors aged 60 and above.
As of Saturday, 94 per cent of the eligible population - those aged 12 and above - have completed their full regimen or received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
Twenty-three per cent have received their booster shots.
Of the 79,364 COVID-19 cases over the last 28 days, 98.8 per cent had mild symptoms or were asymptomatic, while 0.8 per cent required oxygen supplementation in the general ward, 0.2 per cent were in the ICU and 0.2 per cent died.
MOH said it is "closely monitoring" three large clusters.
Fully vaccinated people, including those from different households, will be able to dine together in groups of five when restrictions are eased on Monday. The limit on social gatherings and household visitors will also be raised from two to five people.
Visits to hospitals and residential care homes will also resume on Monday with "enhanced" vaccine-differentiated measures - both the hospital patient or care home resident and their visitors must be fully vaccinated//CNA