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☆ ASEAN chair Indonesia to intensify talks on code for South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Willy KurniawanJAKARTA, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Indonesia plans to intensify talks with China and other Southeast Asian countries to finalise a code of conduct (COC) for the disputed South China Sea, its foreign minister said on Saturday, amid escalating tensions in the strategic waterway. Indonesia is preparing to host a round of negotiations on the COC this year, the first taking place in March, the foreign minister said. China claims jurisdiction over almost the entire South China Sea based on its U-shaped "nine-dash line", a boundary found to have no legal basis by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague in 2016. ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have overlapping claims with China in the strategic waterway. Separately, ASEAN members wrapped up talks having only reiterated support for the bloc's five-point peace plan on Myanmar which includes the cessation of conflict in the conflict-torn nation and the start of dialogue.

☆ Exclusive: WHO investigating links between cough syrup deaths, considers advice for parents
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The deaths of children from acute kidney injury began in July 2022 in Gambia, followed by cases in Indonesia and Uzbekistan. The WHO has said the deaths are linked to over-the-counter cough syrups the children took for common illnesses and which contained a known toxin, either diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol. The WHO, working with Indonesia’s drugs regulator, also issued an alert in October about cough syrups made by four Indonesian manufacturers and sold domestically. The manufacturers are: PT Yarindo Farmatama, PT Universal Pharmaceutical, PT Konimex, PT AFI Farma. PT Universal Pharmaceutical Industries’ lawyer, Hermansyah Hutagalung, said it had pulled from the market all cough syrups deemed dangerous.

☆ WHO urges 'immediate action' after cough syrup deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Anushree FadnavisLONDON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization has called for "immediate and concerted action" to protect children from contaminated medicines after a spate of child deaths linked to cough syrups last year. The medicines, over-the-counter cough syrups, had high levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. It called for action across its 194 member states to prevent more deaths. It also issued a warning last year for cough syrups made by four Indonesian manufacturers, PT Yarindo Farmatama, PT Universal Pharmaceutical, PT Konimex and PT AFI Pharma, that were sold domestically. It also asked governments and regulators to assign resources to inspect manufacturers, increase market surveillance and take action where required.

☆ Australia court rejects Santos bid to resume Barossa gas drilling
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Sonali Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Australia's Federal Court rejected on Friday an appeal by Santos Ltd (STO.AX) to resume drilling on its $3.6 billion Barossa gas project off northern Australia, dealing another setback to the company's biggest project. Justice Debra Mortimer said the court ordered that the appeal be dismissed, following an expedited two-day hearing in November stemming from a challenge against the drilling approval brought by some traditional owners from the Tiwi Islands. The court backed a challenge led by Tiwi Islander Dennis Tipakalippa, a member of the Munupi clan, overturning approval by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) for drilling on Barossa. The Barossa gas field is 300 km (186 miles) north of Darwin, while the Tiwi Islands lie about 80 km north of Darwin. Tipakalippa said Santos had not properly consulted the traditional owners about the drilling and told the court that the Barossa project posed a risk to sacred sites and spiritual connection to Sea Country north of the Tiwi Islands.

☆ For East Timor president, ASEAN membership a lifelong dream
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Kate Lamb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

At the time, East Timor was ruled by Portugal, although it was clear that Lisbon would soon relinquish its colony. East Timor was later annexed by Indonesia and gained full independence only in 2002. At a summit in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh this week, ASEAN said East Timor would be granted observer status at high-level meetings of the bloc as it formulates a "roadmap for full membership". He served as the country's first foreign minister, prime minister from 2006 to 2007, and president from 2007 to 2012, during which time he survived an assassination attempt by rebel soldiers. East Timor celebrated 20 years of independence this year, but the country of 1.3 million people is heavily dependent on dwindling reserves of oil and gas.

☆ Southeast Asia's top digital economies expected to hit $200 billion in 2022, report shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

SINGAPORE — South East Asia's top digital economies grew faster than expected in 2022 and is set to reach $200 billion in total value of transactions made this year, according to a new report by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company. An earlier report in 2016 estimated the internet economy in the region's six major countries will close in on $200 billion in GMV by 2025. The six major economies covered in the report are: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. "After years of acceleration, digital adoption growth is normalising," said the report released Thursday. Southeast Asia continues to see growth in the number of internet users — with 20 million new users added in 2022, raising the total number of users to 460 million.

☆ Australia pledges millions for police deployments in Solomon Islands
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Australia will set aside A$46 million ($29 million) to fund police deployments in Solomon Islands in next week's budget, part of an increase in spending in the Pacific intended to shore up its standing in the region as China seeks greater influence. China's increasing presence in the Pacific, including entering a security pact with Solomon Islands in April, has raised concerns for the United States and ally Australia, who have for decades seen the region as largely their sphere of influence. The move comes a day after Australia and Fiji signed an agreement to allow the operation of militaries in each other's country. Australia also wants to strike a security treaty with Papua New Guinea that will see their respective defence personnel working alongside each other more often. On Friday, that figure was boosted to A$900 million, which includes the A$46 million for Solomon Islands police.

☆ Opinion | Abortion Is Legal in Ethiopia. But Half of These Clinics Won’t Provide Them.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Anu Kumar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

When Congress passed the Helms Amendment, only six of those countries allowed abortion in circumstances beyond saving a woman’s life. And every year, more than 16,000 of the women and girls who have received these unsafe abortions die from more serious complications. President Biden also has the power to mitigate some of the harms of the Helms Amendment. His administration could also ensure that clinics in countries where abortion is legal understand that U.S. rules allow them to offer abortion information and counseling. The Helms Amendment is an act of international interference and overreach, and it has to end.

☆ As Russia raises nuclear specter in Ukraine, China looks the other way
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

It was “the most prudent, or most low-key statement in years” issued by Xi on their strategic relationship, Shi said. Under Xi, China has forged ever closer ties with Russia. Six days later, in a desperate escalation of the devastating war, Putin announced a “partial mobilization” of Russian citizens in a televised speech, and even raised the specter of using nuclear weapons. Both leaders share a deep suspicion and hostility toward the United States, which they believe is bent on holding China and Russia down. The main factor driving the strategic alignment between Russia and China is the perception of threats from the United States, said Hart with CSIS.

☆ The world's 5 best special-operations forces besides those of the US
▼ + stars: | 2020-09-01 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

SOF units offer a low-cost, high-reward option, and their small footprint makes them more politically acceptable for policymakers when the public is wary of large military commitments. The US military boasts some of the best SOF units in the world, such as the Army's Delta Force and the Navy's SEAL Teams. One of their most famous operations was in 1980, when an SAS unit stormed the besieged Iranian embassy in London and freed several hostages. Philippine ArmyA quiet but deadly Filipino SOF unit that has seen lots of combat in recent years. Israeli Defense ForcesA number of other SOF units have distinguished themselves but didn't make the list.

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