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October
N.Korea's food situation appears perilous, experts say
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korea's food situation remains perilous according to analysts and a United Nations expert who raised doubts this week about its harvest, and there are signs that it is receiving large shipments of humanitarian aid from China.
North Korea has long suffered from food insecurity, with observers saying that government mismanagement of the economy is exacerbated by international sanctions, natural disasters, and now the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted unprecedented border lockdowns there.
The country typically relies on imports and aid from China to make up for poor harvests, but its strict self-imposed border lockdowns aimed at preventing a coronavirus outbreak have slowed trade to a trickle and cast doubts on its ability to overcome food shortages.
International sanctions imposed over North Korea's nuclear weapons programme cause additional hurdles, and should be eased to stave off a humanitarian crisis, a U.N. rights investigator said in a report seen by Reuters this week.
Despite its economic woes, North Korea has continued to develop its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile arsenals, including testing a flurry of new short-range missiles in recent weeks, and building a major addition to its main nuclear reactor facility, which analysts said could be aimed at enriching more weapons-grade uranium.
Much is riding on this year's harvest after leader Kim Jong Un said the food situation was "tense."
In July the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization said the 2021 growing season appeared to be off to a good start, but a new report this week by a U.S.-based think-tank said data gathered by satellite point to a yield that falls short of an average or good harvest.
"While not yet a crisis of famine proportions, the negative trend, combined with external factors such as low yields in the previous year and flood damage to the northeastern croplands and crop transport infrastructure, aggravate the food insecurity in the country," the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a report released on Monday.
For the first time in months this week there were signs that North Korea was accepting international aid, United Nations agencies saying some shipments had entered the country and were now in quarantine in North Korean ports.
Health and nutrition supplies from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and medical supplies to support anti-pandemic work from the World Health Organisation were among the aid that had reached North Korea.
The aid shipments have been pending for a long time, and don't likely signal a broader opening of borders as North Korea has been letting in other goods for months, said Chad O'Carroll, CEO of the Seoul-based Korea Risk Group, which monitors North Korea.
"North Korea has been letting other goods into the country since May, including large volumes of what appears to be humanitarian assistance from China," he said.
China's exports to North Korea rose for the third straight month in August, to $22.5 million. That was a fraction of the $219 million of exports in August 2019, before the pandemic lockdowns.
O'Carroll said he thinks North Korea will still be able to stave off major food shortages through the aid and imports from China.
"However, the quality, range and nutritional value of the food supplies on offer will be low," he added.
October
China proposes cutting items on negative list for market access
Written by Nur Yasmin
China has further reduced the number of sectors and industries that are off-limits to both Chinese and foreign investors in its latest draft version of so-called negative list for market access.
The 2021 list of industries that are either restricted or prohibited has been cut to 117, according to a document released by the National Development and Reform Commission on Friday, compared to 123 sectors on the 2020 list.
Industries not on the list are open for investment to all and require no approval.
October
UN passes resolution making clean environment access a human right
Written by Nur Yasmin
The U.N. Human Rights Council comfortably passed a resolution on Friday that recognises access to a safe and healthy environment as a fundamental right despite criticism in the lead-up to the vote from Britain, the United States and other countries.
The resolution, proposed by Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland, was passed with 43 votes in favour and 4 abstentions from Russia, India, China and Japan, prompting a rare burst of applause in the Geneva forum.
Britain, which was among the critics of the proposal in recent negotiations, voted in favour in a surprise move. The United States did not vote since it is not currently a member of the 47-member Council.
October
Russian editor Muratov dedicates Nobel Prize to staff murdered for their work
Written by Nur Yasmin
Russian newspaper editor Dmitry Muratov dedicated the Nobel Peace Prize he won on Friday to six of of his paper's journalists murdered for their work, and said he would try to use the award to help defend reporters under pressure.
"Igor Domnikov, Yuri Shchekochikhin, Anna Politkovskaya, Stas Markelov, Anastasia Baburova, Natasha Estemirova - these are the people who have today won the Nobel Prize," Muratov said, reciting the names of six slain journalists or contributors to the paper whose portraits hang in its headquarters.
"We will leverage this prize in the interests of Russian journalism which (the authorities) are now trying to repress," he told Podyom, a journalism website.
Referring to a law that forces some reporters to register as foreign agents, he said: "We will try to help people who have been recognised as agents, who are now being treated like dirt and being exiled from the country."
Muratov was awarded the Nobel Prize on Friday along with Maria Ressa, a journalist from the Philippines, in what the committee described as an endorsement of free speech rights in jeopardy around the world. read more
Novaya Gazeta said Muratov would donate part of his prize winnings to a charity that helps children with rare and serious diseases.
HOSTILE
The decision to award the Nobel peace prize to Muratov comes at a time when the authorities have moved against Russian media they view as hostile and foreign-backed. Muratov said he had thought the call from the Norwegian prize committee was spam and had therefore not taken it.
Muratov, 59, helped found Novaya Gazeta in 1993 leaving the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper where he worked with a group of colleagues to set up a new publication at a time of new-found freedom in Russia after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
From the beginning, Novaya Gazeta's mission was to conduct large-scale investigations into human rights issues, corruption and abuse of power.
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader and the last Russian winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, donated some of his own money from the award to help fund equipment and salaries for the paper.
Some of the journalists who worked for the paper were among the highest profile critics of President Vladimir Putin to have been killed in the last two decades, including reporter Politkovskaya and rights activist Estemirova, who both infuriated the Kremlin with dispatches from Chechnya.
Politkovskaya was gunned down in her apartment stairwell in 2006 on Putin's birthday. Estemirova was abducted from her home in the Chechen capital Grozny and murdered in 2009.
Muratov edited the newspaper for more than two decades between 1995 and 2017 when he stepped down, citing the exacting demands of the job. He returned in 2019 at the behest of the staff who voted for him to resume his duties.
The Kremlin congratulated Muratov on his prize.
"He persistently works in accordance with his own ideals, he is devoted to them, he is talented," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "He is brave."
October
Russia says it will protect Tajikistan in case of incursion from Afghanistan
Written by Nur Yasmin
Russia is ready to protect its ally Tajikistan in the event of any incursions from neighbouring Afghanistan, a senior diplomat was quoted on Friday as saying, amid Russian media reports of a militant Tajik group preparing a cross-border attack.
Tajiks are the second largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and make up a majority of the population in some northern areas close to the border with Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic.
According to Russian media reports, the predominantly ethnic Pashtun Taliban have struck an alliance with one particular Tajik militant group which may be planning an incursion into Tajikistan.
"All necessary assistance will be provided to Tajikistan if required, both within the (Moscow-led) Collective Security Treaty Organisation framework and bilaterally," Interfax news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko as saying.
"There are indeed reports that the Taliban cannot control the situation (in northern Afghanistan)... Still, we hope they will honour the promises they have made (about not attacking neighbours)," Rudenko added, without elaborating.
Reuters has been unable to confirm the Russian media reports concerning the Tajik militant group.
Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon has previously accused the Taliban of human rights violations during their siege of the Panjshir province, where Afghan opposition forces have held rallies.
The Taliban, which seized power in August amid the chaotic departure of U.S.-led foreign forces from Afghanistan, has warned Dushanbe against meddling in their country's affairs.
October
More than 100 killed and wounded in mosque blast in northeastern Afghanistan - UN
Written by Nur Yasmin
A suicide bomb tore through a mosque in Afghanistan's northeastern Kunduz province on Friday, killing or wounding more than 100 people, a UN agency said.
Video footage showed bodies surrounded by debris inside the mosque that is used by people from the minority Shi'ite Muslim community.
"Initial information indicates more than 100 people killed and injured in a suicide blast inside the mosque," the United Nations' mission to Afghanistan said in a tweet.
No group immediately claimed responsibility. The blast followed several attacks, including one at a mosque in Kabul, in recent weeks, some of which have been claimed by the Sunni Muslim militants of Islamic State.
One Taliban official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said at least 28 people had been killed and dozens more wounded in Friday's blast.
The attacks have underscored security challenges for the Taliban, which took over the country in August and have since carried out operations against Islamic State cells in Kabul.
"This afternoon, an explosion took place in a mosque of our Shiite compatriots ... as a result of which a number of our compatriots were martyred and wounded," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter.
October
China's Xi, Japan's new PM hold first talks, agree on need for dialogue
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan's new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday he had agreed in his first talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping since taking office on the need to work together on issues of shared concern.
"I frankly raised concerns between both countries from my side, and I suggested we should continue dialogue in the future," Kishida said in comments aired by public broadcaster NHK after he spoke with Xi on the telephone.
Kishida said the issues he had raised included the disputed islands that are known in Japan as the Senkaku and in China as the Diaoyu, as well as Hong Kong and Beijing's treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. He did not elaborate on what was said.
"Xi and I agreed to work together on various shared issues, including North Korea," Kishida, a former foreign minister, also said about the 30-minute talks.
The Chinese Communist Party's official People's Daily said Xi had told Kishida in their conversation that the two nations should handle sensitive issues such as Taiwan "appropriately".
Kishida's new government signalled on Tuesday a more assertive stance on China's posture towards self-ruled Taiwan, suggesting Tokyo would prepare for "various scenarios", while reaffirming its close security ties with the United States.
Tension has been rising over Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, to be taken by force if necessary. Taiwan says it is an independent country and will defend its freedoms and democracy.
"At present, China-Japan relations have both opportunities and challenges," the daily quoted Xi as saying to Kishida.
Xi also told Kishida that China and Japan should actively strengthen their dialogue and economic policy coordination and promote regional cooperation, the People's Daily reported.
October
As Sydney readies to exit lockdown, doctors fret re-opening is moving too fast
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australian doctors warned a too-rapid easing of COVID-19 curbs in Sydney could put pressure on health systems and risk lives, as the city prepares for key restrictions to be relaxed next week after more than 100 days in lockdown.
Stay-at-home orders are due to be lifted on Monday after New South Wales state this week hit its 70% target of full vaccination for its adult population, and owners of restaurants and other public venues are now scrambling to arrange supplies and staffing.
While an easing of restrictions on travel for Sydneysiders outside of their local government areas had previously been flagged, authorities on Thursday also decided to bump up permitted limits for home gatherings, weddings and funerals - earning the ire of the Australian Medical Association (AMA).
"New South Wales must not be reckless at this critical time," AMA President Omar Khorshid said in a statement, adding that "too fast or too early" could result in avoidable deaths and the reintroduction of lockdowns.
State Premier Dominic Perrottet has defended his decision to bring forward the easing of several restrictions amid a steady fall in infections, saying the pandemic "is an economic crisis too".
Officials have a staggered plan to ease limits on gatherings as full inoculation hits 70%, 80% and 90% of adults and while movement around the city will be permitted from Monday, restrictions on travelling to regional areas remain.
Stuart Knox, owner of Fix Wine, a downtown restaurant and bar, said it was exciting to be re-opening even if preparing was difficult.
"We're still flying blind, we've got no idea as a CBD restaurant how many people are coming back and it's all murky what we're going to deal with," he said.
He added he was still unsure how to check patrons' vaccination status as required since a promised smartphone app was not yet operational.
Daily infections in New South Wales rose on Friday to 646 cases, the majority in Sydney, up from 587 on Thursday. They had previously fallen for the past seven days as first-dose inoculations in people over 16 near 90%. Eleven new deaths were registered.
State Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said genomic sequencing has uncovered a new Delta strain in eight new cases and more tests will be conducted to trace the source.
"There is no indication that this new strain presents any differences regarding transmission, vaccine effectiveness or severity," she said.
Victoria state logged a record 1,838 new cases on Friday, the highest number of any state in the country since the pandemic began, exceeding the previous high of 1,763 set three days earlier. There were five new deaths.
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews - one of the most vocal proponents of tough restrictions to rein in outbreaks - was fined A$400 ($300) on Friday for breaching the state's mask mandate after media photographed him walking mask-free from his car to two news conferences this week.
"Whilst this was an oversight, oversights matter. Everyone needs to follow the rules and I am sorry it occurred," the Australian newspaper quoted Andrews saying.
Australia is fighting a third wave of infections fuelled by the Delta variant. In addition to Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra have also had lockdowns imposed, forcing the closure of thousands of businesses.
The country's cumulative COVID-19 numbers are, however, still far lower than many comparable countries, with some 122,500 cases and 1,405 deaths.
Neighbouring New Zealand, which had stayed largely virus-free for most of the pandemic until a Delta outbreak in mid-August, reported 44 new local cases, up from 29 on Thursday.
October
Call Taiwan a country, French senator says, angering China
Written by Nur Yasmin
Taiwan should be called a country, a senior French senator said on Friday during a visit to Taipei, doubling down on earlier comments that have angered Beijing, which views the island as one of its provinces, not a country.
Taiwan's name is a tricky issue.
Formally called the Republic of China, it is not recognised by most of the world, which has diplomatic ties with Beijing. Its de facto embassies generally use the name "Taipei" to describe the island, to ensure host nations do not upset China.
Meeting President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday, former French defence minister Alain Richard said Taiwan's representative office in Paris was doing "a very good job in representing your country".
In Beijing, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said to call Taiwan a country was a "flagrant violation of the universal consensus of the international community, including France".
The spokesman, Zhao Lijian, added: "People like Richard either lack the most basic respect and understanding of international relations norms, or they kidnap state-to-state relations based on personal selfishness.
"China strongly condemns and firmly opposes this."
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Richard, who heads the French Senate's Taiwan Friendship Group, acknowledged that what to call Taiwan's representative offices was a tricky issue.
"It's a fine diplomatic issue, but what is striking to me is that the name of this island and this country is Taiwan," he said, speaking in English.
"So there is no big point in trying to, you know, prevent this country to use its name."
He added in French that the word "country", in French, means first of all a geographical space, not a political one.
The remarks come at a time of growing international concern over rising tension between Taiwan and China after almost 150 Chinese aircraft flew into the former's air defence zone over a four-day period since last Friday.
Taiwan has lived under the threat of invasion by China since the defeated Republic of China government fled to the island in 1949 after losing a civil war with the Communists. No peace treaty or armistice has ever been signed.
France has official relations only with Beijing, not Taipei, but maintains a relatively large de facto embassy on the island staffed with diplomats.
Richard, who was French defence minister from 1997 to 2002 under President Jacques Chirac, has visited Taiwan twice before.
He is being accompanied by three other French senators on his visit, despite strong warnings against it this year by China's embassy in Paris after the trip was first mooted.
October
Sydney to exit COVID-19 lockdown next week after vaccination rate hits 70%
Written by Nur Yasmin
COVID-19 restrictions will be eased further in Sydney from Monday, authorities said, as Australia's largest city looks set to exit a nearly four-month lockdown after hitting its 70% full vaccination target.
Fully vaccinated people in New South Wales (NSW) state will be able to leave their homes for any reason including visiting pubs, retail stores, cinemas and gyms, which will reopen under strict social distancing rules.
The number of vaccinated visitors allowed to gather in a home will double to 10, while the limit on vaccinated people at weddings and funerals will be raised to 100. Nightclubs can partially reopen to vaccinated people once inoculations reach 80%, earlier than previously planned, and masks will not be mandatory in offices.
The state will use a vaccination-passport system to ensure those who have not been fully inoculated remain under strict stay-home orders until Dec. 1.
"Vaccination is the key to our freedom and the sacrifices and the effort of people right across NSW have ensured that we can open up as quickly and safely as possible," state Premier Dominic Perrottet told reporters in Sydney on Thursday.
Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's largest cities, and the capital Canberra have been in lockdown for several weeks to quell a Delta outbreak which has pushed Australia's A$2 trillion ($1.5 trillion) economy on the brink of a second recession in as many years.
Authorities in those cities have ditched attempts to eliminate the virus and are now aiming to gradually lift restrictions as vaccination rates in the adult population push through 70%, 80% and 90%.
Australia had stayed largely virus-free for most of this year until a third wave of infections fuelled by the fast-moving Delta spread across its southeast.
Still, its coronavirus numbers are relatively low, with some 120,000 cases and 1,381 deaths. Daily infections in New South Wales fell to the lowest in more than seven weeks at 587 on Thursday, while cases in Victoria rose to 1,638, its second-highest daily rise in infections.
States with very few cases say they will keep their borders closed to NSW and Victoria even after full vaccination levels reach 80%, amid concerns that a precipitous reopening will overwhelm their health systems.