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March
Singapore 'bubble' business hotel welcomes first guests
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 9 - Singapore has launched a travel “bubble” business hotel that allows executives to do face-to-face meetings without a risk of exposure to the coronavirus, in one of the world’s first such facilities.
The hotel has meeting rooms outfitted with airtight glass panels to reduce the risk of transmission and even has a special compartment with an ultraviolet light to sanitise documents so they can be shared between participants.
Some of its first guests have come from France, Germany, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.
“Given that we have operations in Singapore, I need to be able to travel to conduct face-to-face meetings with the team based in Singapore, as well as process some paperwork,” said Olivier Leroux, who was among the first guests when he checked in on Monday after his flight from France.
The hotel differs from quarantine hotels in the city-state, where guests are isolated for two weeks and must pass COVID-19 tests before being cleared to leave and join the local community.
Visitors to the bubble hotel are not permitted to enter Singapore and must leave via the airport.
Singapore is expected to host the World Economic Forum in August this year, and the bubble hotel has been floated as way to facilitate business meetings during the event.
Room rate starts at S$384 ($284.70) per night, which is includes meals, two-way airport transfer and COVID-19 tests required during the course of the stay.
Due to strictly enforced curbs and quarantine measures, regional business hub Singapore has kept a tight lid on its coronavirus infections, despite clusters emerging last year in migrant workers’ dormitories. (Reuters)
March
Malaysia court allows rights groups to challenge Myanmar deportations
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 9 - A Malaysian court on Tuesday granted international human rights groups permission to challenge the recent deportation of Myanmar nationals, a major step in a country where the law bars immigration decisions from being questioned in court.
The Malaysian government last month deported 1,086 people it claimed were illegal immigrants on three Myanmar navy ships. It did so just hours after an interim court order banning the group’s removal, pending a legal bid by Amnesty International and Asylum Access to halt the plan amid fears there were asylum seekers and children among the group..
The ruling by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Tuesday paves the way for a full hearing on the deportations and extends a stay barring the removal of another 114 Myanmar nationals until the end of the judicial review.
The progression of the legal case is unlikely to bring back those who have already been deported, but could allow similar challenges against future removals, New Sin Yew, a lawyer for the groups, told Reuters.
“It’s a very important decision because it recognises the function of non-government organisations like Asylum Access and Amnesty International and their standing in bringing judicial review to hold the authorities accountable,” New said, as he detailed the court’s decision.
The immigration department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the court ruling.
The European Union and the United States have expressed concern the deportations went ahead despite the interim court order, while several Malaysian lawmakers have said the move could amount to contempt of court.
Asylum Access Malaysia director Hui Ying Tham said the human rights groups had not yet decided whether to seek action against the government for contempt of court, but have asked authorities for more details on those deported.
“We are actually trying to get more information ... as the deportation happened quite suddenly under very opaque circumstances,” she told a virtual news conference.
Malaysia’s immigration department has said the returned group did not include Rohingya refugees or asylum seekers, but concerns have persisted as the U.N. refugee agency has been denied access to detainees for more than a year to verify their status.
The rights groups in their court filing said three U.N.-registered people and 17 minors with at least one parent in Malaysia were on the deportee list.
It was unclear if those individuals were sent back, though other refugee groups have said at least nine asylum-seekers and two unaccompanied children were among those already deported.
Malaysia is home to more than 154,000 asylum-seekers from Myanmar, where the military seized power last month. (Reuters)
March
U.N. envoy in Doha to push on Afghan peace process: sources
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 9 - The United Nation’s envoy for Afghanistan is due to arrive in Qatar on Tuesday to meet with Afghan government and Taliban representatives this week in a fresh push on the fractious Afghan peace process, two sources familiar with the talks said.
The visit comes as the United States is seeking to shake-up the stalled Qatari-hosted talks between the warring sides, including proposals for an interim government.
U.N. Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Deborah Lyons was also expected to with meet U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Qatari officials during the visit, the sources said.
These are crucial meetings as the outcome will decide the fate of year-long talks in Doha whether they should be continued or put under a moratorium, one of the sources said.
With peace negotiations in the Qatari capital making little progress and violence in Afghanistan escalating, the United States is trying to build consensus around alternative options with all Afghan sides and key regional players.
Khalilzad has visited Afghanistan, Pakistan and Qatar over the past week.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration signed a troop withdrawal deal with the Taliban in February 2020 under which all international forces were expected to leave the country by May 1.
However, violence has risen and NATO officials say some conditions of the deal, including the Taliban cutting ties with international militant groups, have not been met, which the Taliban disputes.
The U.S. government said on Sunday that all options remain on the table for its remaining 2,500 troops in Afghanistan and that it had made no decisions about its military commitment after May 1.
The State Department comments came after reports emerged that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had made a new urgent push for a U.N.-led peace effort, warning the U.S. military was considering exiting Afghanistan by May 1. (Reuters)
March
U.N. rights boss calls on Myanmar to let trapped protesters go
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 9 - The United Nations human rights office voiced deep concern on Monday at the fate of 200 peaceful protesters trapped by Myanmar’s security forces in Yangon and called for them to be allowed to leave in safety without reprisals.
Three people were killed in Myanmar on Monday at demonstrations against last month’s military coup, and hundreds of protesters in the main city Yangon pleaded for help after they were cornered by security forces after dark.
The office of Michelle Bachelet wrote on Twitter: “#Myanmar: We are deeply concerned about the fate of some 200 peaceful protestors – incl. women – who have been cordoned by security forces in Yangon, and may be at risk of arrest or ill-treatment. We urge the police to immediately allow them to leave safely and without reprisals.” (Reuters)
March
Two-thirds of tropical rainforest destroyed or degraded globally, NGO says
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 9 - Humans have degraded or destroyed roughly two-thirds of the world’s original tropical rainforest cover, new data reveals – raising alarm that a key natural buffer against climate change is quickly vanishing.
The forest loss is also a major contributor of climate-warming emissions, with the dense tropical forest vegetation representing the largest living reservoir of carbon.
Logging and land conversion, mainly for agriculture, have wiped out 34% of the world’s original old-growth tropical rainforests, and degraded another 30%, leaving them more vulnerable to fire and future destruction, according to an analysis by the non-profit Rainforest Foundation Norway.
More than half of the destruction since 2002 has been in South America’s Amazon and bordering rainforests.
As more rainforest is destroyed, there is more potential for climate change, which in turn makes it more difficult for remaining forests to survive, said the report’s author Anders Krogh, a tropical forest researcher.
“It’s a terrifying cycle,” Krogh said. The total lost between just 2002 and 2019 was larger than the area of France, he found.
The rate of loss in 2019 roughly matched the annual level of destruction over the last 20 years, with a football field’s worth of forest vanishing every 6 seconds, according to another recent report by the World Resources Institute.
The Brazilian Amazon has been under intense pressure in recent decades, as an agricultural boom has driven farmers and land speculators to torch plots of land for soybeans, beef and other crops. That trend has worsened since 2019, when right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro took office and began weakening environmental enforcement.
But the Amazon also represents the best hope for preserving what rainforest remains. The Amazon and its neighbors – the Orinoco and the Andean rainforest – account for 73.5% of tropical forests still intact, according to Krogh.
The new report “reinforces that Brazil must take care of the forest,” said Ane Alencar, a geographer with the Amazon Environmental Research Institute who was not involved in the work. “Brazil has the biggest chunk of tropical forest in the world and is also losing the most.”
Southeast Asian islands, mostly belonging to Indonesia, collectively rank second in terms of forest destruction since 2002, with much of those forests cleared for palm oil plantations.
Central Africa ranks third, with most of the destruction centered around the Congo River basin, due to traditional and commercial farming as well as logging.
Forests that were defined in the report as degraded had either been partially destroyed, or destroyed and since replaced by secondary forest growth, Rainforest Foundation Norway said.
That report’s definition for intact forest may be overly strict, cautioned Tasso Azevedo, coordinator of the Brazilian deforestation mapping initiative MapBiomas. The analysis only counts untouched regions of at least 500 square km (193 square miles) as intact, leaving out smaller areas that may add to the world’s virgin forest cover, he said.
Krogh explained that this definition was chosen because smaller tracts are at risk of the “edge effect,” where trees die faster and biodiversity is harder to maintain near the edge of the forest. A forest spanning 500 square km can fully sustain its ecosystem, he said. (Reuters)
March
China says hopes U.S. will remove 'unreasonable' curbs on cooperation
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 9 - China urged the United States on Sunday to remove “unreasonable” curbs on cooperation as soon as possible and work together on issues like climate change, while accusing Washington of bringing chaos in the name of spreading democracy.
Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden singled out a “growing rivalry with China” as a key challenge facing the United States, with his top diplomat describing the country as “the biggest geopolitical test” of this century.
Speaking at his annual news conference, the Chinese government’s top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, struck a tough line even as he outlined where the world’s two biggest economies could work together.
Questioned about U.S.-China frictions over Taiwan, Xinjiang and the disputed South China Sea, Wang said Beijing “will never accept baseless accusations and smears”.
The United States had used democracy and human rights as a basis for arbitrarily interfering with other countries’ affairs, he said. “The U.S. should realise this as soon as possible, otherwise the world will continue to experience instability.”
The White House brushed aside the criticisms over Taiwan and said Washington would continue to support Taipei.
Wang said differences between Beijing and Washington must be managed carefully, the two sides must advocate healthy competition not zero-sum finger-pointing, and that areas like climate change and fighting the pandemic were where they could cooperate.
“It is hoped that the United States and China will meet each other halfway and lift the various unreasonable restrictions placed on Sino-U.S. cooperation to date as soon as possible, and not create new obstacles artificially.”
The United States and China are at odds over influence in the Indo-Pacific region, Beijing’s economic practices, Hong Kong, Taiwan and human rights in China’s Xinjiang region.
The Biden administration has indicated it will broadly continue the tough approach to China taken by former President Donald Trump, but do so in coordination with allies.
Wang warned there was no room for compromise on Chinese-claimed Taiwan and the new U.S. government should drop the previous administration’s “dangerous acts of playing with fire”.
Biden’s team called the U.S. commitment to democratic Taiwan “rock solid” and on Monday White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told a regular news briefing Washington would “continue to assist Taiwan in maintaining a sufficient self-defence capability.”
“Our position on Taiwan remains clear. We will stand with friends and allies to advance our shared prosperity, security and values in the Indo-Pacific region,” she said when asked about Wang’s remarks.
Under Trump, the United States imposed sanctions against China and its officials over Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Beijing’s economic policies, which have not been lifted by Biden.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said he agrees with his predecessor Mike Pompeo’s determination that genocide against Muslims is under way in Xinjiang.
Activists and U.N. experts say 1 million Muslim Uighurs are held in Chinese camps. China denies abuses and says its camps provide vocational training and are needed to fight extremism.
Wang said some Western politicians chose to believe lies about Xinjiang, and took a dig at Western countries’ records.
“When it comes to ‘genocide’, most people think of North American Indians in the 16th century, African slaves in the 19th century, Jews in the 20th century, and the Australian aborigines who are still fighting today,” he said.
“The so-called ‘genocide’ in Xinjiang is ridiculously absurd. It is a rumour with ulterior motives and a complete lie.” (Reuters)
March
East Timor imposes first coronavirus lockdown over outbreak fears
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 8 - The tiny Southeast Asian nation of East Timor will put its capital city on a coronavirus lockdown for the first time, its government said on Monday, amid fears it could be facing its first local outbreak.
A “sanitary fence and mandatory confinement” will be imposed in Dili for seven days from midnight Monday with residents asked to stay home unless necessary to leave, the country’s council of ministers said in statement.
It said the measure was because of a “high probability of community transmission”, but did not elaborate.
“It is forbidden to travel, by land, sea or air, out of this municipality, except in duly justified cases for reasons of safety, public health, humanitarian or other that are necessary for the accomplishment of the public interest,” it said.
A former Portuguese colony with a population of 1.2 million, East Timor has detected just 122 cases of the coronavirus, most of which were imported.
But its porous border with Indonesia, which has recorded close to 1.38 million COVID-19 cases and more than 37,000 deaths, has raised concern the virus could spread and wreak havoc on East Timor’s poorly equipped healthcare system.
All social, cultural, sporting or religious events that involve gatherings are also temporarily banned during the lockdown, which could be extended on March 15, it said.
The council of ministers also approved a national vaccination plan, with 33,000 doses expected to arrive in the country at the end of March. (Reuters)
March
South Korea finds no link found between deaths and coronavirus vaccine
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 8 - South Korea said on Monday it had found no link between the coronavirus vaccine and several recent deaths, as it ordered nearly 100,000 foreign workers to be tested after clusters emerged in dormitories.
Health officials had been investigating the deaths of eight people with underlying conditions who had adverse reactions after receiving AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, but said they found no evidence that the shots played a role.
“We’ve tentatively concluded that it was difficult to establish any link between their adverse reaction after being vaccinated, and their deaths,” Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) Director Jeong Eun-kyeong told a briefing.
South Korea began vaccinating residents and workers at nursing homes and other at-risk individuals at the end of February, with 316,865 people having received their first shots as of Sunday.
South Koreans aged 65 or older were not being given AstraZeneca’s vaccine after health regulators concluded that more data was needed to confirm its efficacy among that age group.
But on Monday, Jeong said an expert panel had now recommended that the shot be given to older people, and that the KDCA would soon make a final decision.
COMMUNAL HOUSING
Several outbreaks in manufacturing and other industrial workplaces prompted authorities to begin inspecting 12,000 work sites with international workers, while multiple local governments ordered foreign workers to be tested in coming days.
“Their work environment and communal housing raise the danger of infection but it is difficult to find patients early because of their limited access to medical resources and testing, and the issue of illegal stay,” Jeong said.
Gyeonggi Province ordered about 85,000 foreign workers to get tested in the next two weeks, Vice Governor for Administrative Affairs Lee Yong-chul told a briefing.
At least 151 foreign residents in the Gyeonggi city of Dongducheon have recently tested positive, though what caused the outbreak is still unclear.
In Namyangju, another city in Gyeonggi, at least 124 foreigners had tested positive after an outbreak at a plastic manufacturing plant.
In another central province, the industrial cities of Eumseong and Jincheon also ordered about 4,500 and 5,000 foreign residents respectively to be tested after group infections emerged from a glass factory and a food processing company.
Working conditions for migrant workers in South Korea received new scrutiny after a woman from Cambodia was found dead living in a greenhouse in freezing winter temperatures late last year.
The deaths of hundreds of mainly undocumented Thai migrant workers in South Korea prompted the United Nations last year to call for an inquiry into the fate of migrants.
The number of Thai worker deaths hit a record annual high in 2020 - 122 as of mid-December - according to a report by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. (Reuters)
March
New Zealand to buy enough Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for entire population
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 8 - New Zealand will buy additional COVID-19 vaccines, developed by Pfizer Inc and Germany’s BioNTech, which will be enough to vaccinate the whole country, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.
The government has signed an agreement to buy an extra 8.5 million doses, enough to vaccinate over 4 million people, Ardern said, adding the vaccines were expected to reach the country in the second half of the year.
“This brings our total Pfizer order to 10 million doses or enough for 5 million people to get the two shots needed to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19,” Ardern said in a statement.
The government’s original agreement with Pfizer was for 1.5 million doses, enough to vaccinate 750,000 people.
Ardern said the decision to make Pfizer the country’s primary vaccine provider was taken after it was shown to be about 95% effective at preventing symptomatic infection.
New Zealand started its national rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine last month and expects to inoculate its entire population by the end of the year.
With just over 2,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 26 deaths, New Zealand largely contained the pandemic compared with other developed countries, helped by speedy tracking systems, border closures and snap lockdowns.
Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest city, emerged on Sunday from a strict week long lockdown imposed after a community cluster of the more contagious British coronavirus variant.
It reported no new cases on Monday. (Reuters)
March
New Zealand's Auckland emerges from lockdown, Australia starts AstraZeneca vaccinations
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 8 - Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest city, emerged on Sunday from a strict weeklong lockdown imposed after a community cluster of the more contagious British coronavirus variant.
There were no new local COVID-19 cases recorded on Sunday, health officials said, marking a full week of no community transmissions across the country.
Footage on TVNZ, New Zealand’s state-owned television network, showed people lining up at coffee shops on Sunday morning with many saying they were feeling relieved.
Auckland, a city of nearly two million, will continue to have limits on public gathering and masks are obligatory on public transport. Restrictions might be further eased on Friday.
Neighbouring Australia also had no local COVID-19 cases on Sunday, making it the 37th day of no infections this year. There have been no related deaths in 2021.
Swift public health measures combined with aggressive contact tracing, border closures and compulsory quarantine for travellers have been credited with making New Zealand and Australia highly successful in keeping the pandemic from spreading.
Both countries saw their economies recovering speedily in the second part of 2020. Australia’s economy expanded at a much faster-than-expected pace in the final quarter of last year and all signs were that 2021 has started on a firm footing too.
Coronavirus inoculation began in both countries, with the vaccination rollout in Australia becoming slightly complicated after Italy blocked a shipment of the AstraZeneca’s vaccine.
Australia’s Health Minister Greg Hunt, among the first receive the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on Sunday after an earlier shipment, said the rollout is on track.
Inoculation with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine started in February, but most Australians will be vaccinated with the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.
The weekly number of administered doses is expected to reach 1 million by the end of March when CSL Ltd begins to locally produce 50 million of the AstraZeneca doses.
The government is spending more than AUD6 billion ($4.6 billion) to support the vaccine rollout with contracts for over 150 million doses of various COVID-19 vaccines. (Reuters)