VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mar. 9 - Australian health minister Greg Hunt is expected to make a full recovery after being admitted to hospital with a suspected infection two days after taking a COVID-19 vaccine, his office said on Tuesday.

The previous day, Hunt said on Twitter that he had been inoculated at the weekend with AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 vaccine, one of two being distributed in the country.

Hunt, 55, will stay overnight for observation and is receiving antibiotics and fluid, his office said, without describing his symptoms or saying when he was admitted to hospital.

“The minister is expected to make a full recovery,” it said in a statement. “His condition is not considered to be related to the vaccine.”

Hunt becomes the third member of Australia’s federal cabinet to receive treatment for his health, following Attorney-General Christian Porter and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds. (Reuters)

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)

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)

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)