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Rabu, 30 September 2020

Trump backpedals over racist group row, Biden blasts him as 'embarrassment' - CNA

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump scrambled on Wednesday (Sep 30) to quell an uproar over his failure to explicitly denounce white supremacist groups during his debate debacle with Joe Biden, who branded his election rival a "national embarrassment".

The bitter adversaries returned to the campaign trail one day after their off-the-rails showdown in Cleveland made headlines less for the substance than for its unrestrained chaos.

The toxic shout fest – with Trump constantly interrupting and Biden launching personal attacks – even prompted the overseeing Commission on Presidential Debates to announce it would be imposing new measures to help moderators "maintain order" at the upcoming two debates.

READ: Debate planners vow less chaos at next Trump-Biden face-off

After the debate, Biden launched a whistlestop train tour on Wednesday through battleground states Ohio and Pennsylvania where he hammered away at Trump.

"The president of the United States conducted himself the way he did – I think it was a national embarrassment," Biden said in Alliance, Ohio.

He fiercely attacked Trump's failure to clearly denounce white supremacist groups or the far-right Proud Boys, instead giving a shout-out to the male-only militia group by saying they should "stand back and stand by", and that the real problem is "far-left" extremists.

"My message to the Proud Boys and every other white supremacist group is: Cease and desist," Biden said. "This is not who we are as Americans."

Trump, in an apparent attempt to tamp down outrage over his comments, called on the group to "stand down".

"I don't know who Proud Boys are but whoever they are they have to stand down," Trump told reporters. "Stand down, let law enforcement do their work."

READ: Trump asked the Proud Boys to 'stand by'. Who are they?

TRUMP MUST "CORRECT" COMMENTS

Trump's backpedalling came after multiple Republicans distanced themselves from the president's debate remark, with Senator Tim Scott, the only black Republican in the US Senate, saying Trump "needs to correct" his comments.

Several other Republicans reportedly offered similar reaction, including powerful Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Biden, who leads in election polling, knocked Trump for failing to speak directly to the US public about their plight during the COVID-19 crisis, which has killed more than 206,000 Americans.

And during a train stop in Pittsburgh he assailed the president for "planting seeds of doubt" about US election integrity by saying mail-in voting will be riddled with "fraud like you've never seen".

But Biden gnawed at the white supremacy issue throughout the day. At a stop in Greensburg, Pennsylvania – where hundreds of people gathered in what was one of Biden's biggest crowds since the pandemic hit – he pointed to how the Proud Boys were already treating Trump's words as a boost to their cause.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden met voters during a campaign stop in Alliance, Ohio the morning after a bruising debate with President Donald Trump in Cleveland just five weeks before the US election on November 3, 2020 AFP/ROBERTO SCHMIDT

"They got a new emblem now, literally, it says 'Stand down and stand by', implying that if he loses the election something may have to be done," Biden, 77, said.

"I promise you, that won't happen," he added. "Nobody is going to get in the way of our democratic process going forward."

Biden was also pushing his blue-collar roots, as he accepted the endorsement from the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, with 550,000 members.

"Donald Trump sees things from Park Avenue. I see them from where I grew up in Scranton," Biden said.

"MELTDOWN"

Snap polls on the debate performances of the presidential candidates leaned towards Biden, who withstood a barrage of barbs from the 74-year-old Trump while delivering some of his own.

The Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said Trump's debate behaviour demonstrated why she had recommended that Biden not debate him at all.

"You saw a political nervous breakdown, a meltdown," Pelosi said on MSNBC.

Trump "has never respected the dignity of his office and he demonstrated that last night".

READ: Trump and Biden go on the attack in fiery, chaotic first presidential debate

READ: 'Nobody won': Conservatives in Biden hometown left cold by Trump debate

The Cleveland debate was scheduled to be the first of three before the election but the acrimonious debacle led to calls by some commentators for the two others to be cancelled.

In an interview with CNN, Biden's running mate Senator Kamala Harris suggested it was unlikely that the Democratic nominee would bow out of the next debates.

"Joe Biden's never going to refuse to talk to the American people," Harris said.

The next debate is scheduled for Oct 15 in Miami.

Trump meanwhile flew to Duluth, Minnesota, a Midwestern state narrowly won by Hillary Clinton in 2016, for an outdoor rally with his faithful.

Ally Eid, 29, among several supporters standing in an early Wednesday drizzle in Duluth awaiting the president, said she was not offended at Trump's brash debate outbursts.

"He speaks his mind and gets his points across and that's why so many people support him," Eid told AFP.

"He stands up for what everyone wants to say but they won't say it on national television."

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2020-10-01 03:35:07Z
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Hong Kong leader hails 'return to peace', anniversary protests banned - CNA

HONG KONG: Hong Kong's leader on Thursday (Oct 1) hailed her city's "return to peace" after China imposed a security law that helped quash last year's huge democracy movement, as thousands of police were on standby to stamp out any fresh protests during National Day celebrations.

The People's Republic of China celebrates its founding on Oct 1 with a holiday and carefully choreographed festivities.

But in Hong Kong, it has become a day of grievance for those worried about Beijing's intensifying crackdown against its opponents.

Protest has been effectively outlawed for most of this year and Beijing also imposed a strict national security law on the business hub in June.

READ: Hong Kong bans China National Day protest

On Thursday morning, helicopters flying the Chinese and Hong Kong flags buzzed the harbour as Chief Executive Carrie Lam and senior Chinese officials attended a ceremony in an exhibition centre ringed by police and security barriers.

"Over the past few months, an indisputable fact in front of everyone is that our society has returned to peace," Lam said in her speech.

"Our country's national security has been protected in Hong Kong and our citizens can again exercise their rights and liberties in accordance with laws," she added.

Last year, the 70th anniversary brought fierce clashes between protesters and police during seven straight months of demonstrations that swept Hong Kong.

Authorities denied permission for a protest march this year, citing security concerns and an anti-coronavirus ban on more than four people gathering in public.

Citing the pandemic, authorities also suspended September local elections for a year - one of the few occasions when Hong Kongers get to cast a vote.

READ: Democratic Hong Kong lawmakers stage brief protest in legislature against China arrests

A police source told AFP that 6,000 police officers had been drafted in to stop any protests - double the contingency usually placed on reserve for days when the force expects demonstrations to occur.

"END ONE-PARTY RULE"

Close to the exhibition centre where the ceremony was taking place, four members of the opposition League of Social Democrats shouted slogans such as "End one-party rule", surrounded by some 40 police officers.

Officers were seen searching cars at a major tunnel under Hong Kong harbour on Thursday morning and maintained a high presence throughout the city.

This week, police said they had arrested five people on suspicion of inciting others to protest and commit violent acts.

The rally application was made by the Civil Human Rights Front - a coalition that organised record-breaking marches last year.

The group is calling for the release of 12 Hong Kongers in Chinese custody who were caught last month trying to flee protest-linked prosecutions.

READ: Families fear for Hong Kong fugitives in China custody

Those 12 were trying to escape to Taiwan by boat but were intercepted by the Chinese coastguard and have since disappeared into China's opaque judicial system.

For most of this year, protest has been all but impossible in Hong Kong.

On the rare occasions when demonstrations do bubble up, riot police and plain-clothes officers move quickly - on one day last month nearly 300 people were arrested.

Over the last 16 months, more than 10,000 have been detained during protests and the courts are crammed with trials. Many prominent protest leaders are being prosecuted.

"Even if they try to arrest us, prosecute us and lock us up in prison, there is no reason for us to surrender," the city's most high-profile activist, Joshua Wong, told reporters on Wednesday.

NEW SECURITY LAW

The crackdown has been aided by the national security law that China imposed on the city in June.

The broadly worded legislation criminalised expressing certain opinions, deepened the political chill seeping into the city and allowed China's security apparatus to operate openly in Hong Kong for the first time.

READ: Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong arrested for 2019 'unlawful assembly'

Among the Chinese officials taking the stage at Thursday's ceremony was Zheng Yanxiong, the head of a newly created national security office in the city.

The security law has led to sanctions by the United States and condemnation by many other Western nations.

But Beijing and Hong Kong authorities say it is needed to restore stability.

"The national security law will absolutely stop rabble-rousers in Hong Kong from having their capricious way," the Liaison Office, which represents China's government in Hong Kong, said this week.

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2020-10-01 03:18:14Z
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Singapore leaders congratulate People's Republic of China on 71st anniversary of founding - CNA

SINGAPORE: President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday (Oct 1) congratulated their Chinese counterparts on the 71st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

In her letter to President Xi Jinping, Madam Halimah said that “China has made immense progress over the past seven decades, particularly after the launch of its reform and opening up policy in 1978”.

She said that China, the world’s second-largest economy, is the top trading partner for many countries, including Singapore, and that it was one of the first countries to control the COVID-19 pandemic and revive its economy.

“Singapore-China relations have grown in tandem with China’s development,” Mdm Halimah said, adding that this year represents the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and China.

“In the short span of thirty years, our bilateral ties have strengthened significantly and broken new ground in diverse areas. Amidst the pandemic, our countries have deepened bilateral cooperation and our peoples have supported each other.

“As we step into a post-COVID-19 world, I am certain that our two countries will continue to work closely together for the mutual benefit of our peoples. I wish the People’s Republic of China continued peace, stability and prosperity,” Mdm Halimah said, adding that she looks forward to her forthcoming state visit to China.

Writing to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Mr Lee praised China’s “remarkable” growth over the past decades.

“Having lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, China expects to completely alleviate poverty by the end of this year. This achievement bears testament to the tenacity of the Chinese people,” he wrote.

“Even in an increasingly uncertain global environment, I am confident that China will continue to grow and contribute to the stability and prosperity of our region and the world.”

The cooperation between Singapore and China is “substantial and ambitious” and ranges from building industrial parks, the developing of sustainable eco-cities and enhancing connectivity between the two countries, Mr Lee said.

Mr Lee also said that Singapore and China are working on new areas of cooperation in public health management and vaccine research and development.

He added that Singapore looks forward to the conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, “which will be a timely affirmation of our joint commitment to upholding a rules-based multilateral trading system”.

“I wish the People’s Republic of China continued peace, stability, and prosperity.”

Mdm Halimah's and Mr Lee’s letters are reproduced in full below:

Congratulatory message from President Halimah Yacob to President Xi Jinping

Oct 1, 2020

His Excellency Xi Jinping
President
People’s Republic of China

Your Excellency,

On behalf of the people of the Republic of Singapore, I warmly congratulate you on the 71st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

China has made immense progress over the past seven decades, particularly after the launch of its reform and opening up policy in 1978. Today, China is the world’s second largest economy, and top trading partner for many countries including Singapore. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, China has been one of the first countries to control the outbreak and revive its economy.

Singapore-China relations have grown in tandem with China’s development. This year is the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. In the short span of thirty years, our bilateral ties have strengthened significantly and broken new ground in diverse areas. Amidst the pandemic, our countries have deepened bilateral cooperation and our peoples have supported each other. As we step into a post-COVID-19 world, I am certain that our two countries will continue to work closely together for the mutual benefit of our peoples.

I wish the People’s Republic of China continued peace, stability and prosperity. I also wish you good health and success. My husband and I look forward to meeting you and Madam Peng Liyuan again in Beijing during our forthcoming State Visit to China.

Yours sincerely,

HALIMAH YACOB

Congratulatory Message from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to Premier Li Keqiang

Oct 1, 2020

Dear Premier Li,

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Singapore, I warmly congratulate you on the auspicious occasion of the 71st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

China’s growth over the past decades has been remarkable. Having lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, China expects to completely alleviate poverty by the end of this year. This achievement bears testament to the tenacity of the Chinese people. Even in an increasingly uncertain global environment, I am confident that China will continue to grow and contribute to the stability and prosperity of our region and the world.

Singapore-China relations have also steadily strengthened over the years. Our cooperation is substantial and ambitious, ranging from building industrial parks to the development of sustainable eco-cities, to enhancing Singapore-China connectivity and beyond. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our leaders have remained in close contact. We are also working on new areas of cooperation in public health management and vaccine research and development.

Singapore and China continue to work closely in multilateral fora too. The Special ASEAN Plus Three Summit was convened in April 2020, soon after the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in March. Next year, we look forward to celebrating the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-China relations. We also look forward to the conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership later this year, which will be a timely affirmation of our joint commitment to upholding a rules-based multilateral trading system.

I wish the People’s Republic of China continued peace, stability, and prosperity. Please also accept my best wishes for your good health and success.

Yours sincerely,

LEE HSIEN LOONG

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2020-09-30 22:14:29Z
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China formally approves arrest of Hong Kong 'speedboat fugitives' - CNA

BEIJING: Chinese authorities formally approved the arrests on Wednesday (Sep 30) of 12 Hong Kong activists caught last month while allegedly trying to flee the city for Taiwan.

The group was snared some 70km southeast of the city on Aug 23 while trying to escape by boat, authorities said at the time, adding that they were handed to police in Shenzhen, the mainland metropolis bordering Hong Kong.

They had since disappeared into China's opaque judicial system, with lawyers struggling to access them and family members expressing fear over their fate.

READ: Families fear for Hong Kong fugitives in China custody

READ: Families of captured Hong Kong activists demand their return from Chinese detention

On Wednesday the People's Procuratorate of Yantian District in Shenzhen said it had approved the arrests.

Two of the detainees, referred to as Deng and Qiao respectively, were arrested on suspicion of helping the others escape Hong Kong.

These names were likely to refer to the Chinese surnames of detainees Tang Kai-yin and Quinn Moon.

The other 10 - including suspects surnamed Li and Huang - were arrested for making illegal border crossings.

The case remained under investigation, the statement said.

READ: Carrie Lam says Hong Kong cannot demand rights protection for 12 arrested by China

READ: China calls Hong Kong people arrested at sea 'separatists'

Some of those aboard the boat were facing prosecution in Hong Kong for activities linked to last year's huge and often violent pro-democracy protests.

Lu Siwei, one of the mainland lawyers working on the case, told AFP the period of detention for investigation could last up to seven months.

"Review of (the) detention's legality can be applied for any time," Lu added, but said that "for now it remains most important to seek a meeting with the 12 in custody".

At least 14 mainland lawyers hired by the detainees' families have been pressured by authorities to drop their clients, according to activists.

None of the lawyers have managed to see their clients in custody, while senior officials in Hong Kong said the 12 were assigned lawyers by mainland Chinese authorities.

READ: Taiwan holding five Hong Kongers picked up at sea: Sources

READ: Taiwan to ease travel curbs for Hong Kong people for 'humanitarian' reasons

Hong Kong has its own internationally respected common law legal system where detainees are promptly produced after their arrest and tried in open court, but the judicial system on the mainland is notoriously opaque and controlled by the Communist Party, such that conviction is all but guaranteed.

In June, Beijing imposed a new security law on Hong Kong, announcing it would have jurisdiction for some crimes and that mainland security agents could openly operate in the city.

The prospect of Hong Kongers getting entangled in China's judicial system was the spark that lit seven months of protests last year.

The movement began in response to a plan to allow extraditions to the mainland, and soon morphed into wider calls for democracy and greater police accountability.

As Beijing has cracked down on Hong Kong's democracy movement, democratic Taiwan has emerged as a sanctuary, quietly turning a blind eye to residents turning up without proper visas or paperwork.

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2020-09-30 14:25:39Z
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Trump-Biden presidential debate descends into chaos | THE BIG STORY - The Straits Times

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2020-09-30 10:10:44Z
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'Nobody won': Conservatives in Biden hometown left cold by Trump debate - CNA

OLD FORGE: A "Policemen for Trump" hat on his head, Tom Kenney leaves the small room where a dozen or so supporters of the US president are watching the candidates' debate in the swing state of Pennsylvania.

"I got sick of listening to Biden," he says.

Inside the building, Fox News' coverage of the widely-anticipated first debate between Donald Trump and his presidential challenger Joe Biden plays loudly to locals of Old Forge - a borough of working class Scranton, where Biden grew up.

Their colours are stuck to the mast - a life-sized cardboard cutout of Trump with two thumbs up welcomes those gathering to watch and Trump posters and anti-abortion slogans are stuck up liberally on the walls.

READ: Trump deflects debate question about whether he condemns white supremacists

The group listens in silence as the two candidates rip into each other with gusto, then erupts with laughter when the president refers to his opponent personably, but with some depreciation, simply as "Joe".

"I think Trump is doing very well, I think Joe Biden is having a difficult time making an argument, making his case," says Doug Miller, 30, wearing a red "Keep America Great" hat.

Locals in Old Forge, Pennsylvania, watch the first debate between president Donald Trump and his challenger Joe Biden. (Photo: AFP/Angela Weiss)

Outside, Jackie Smith - who says she is a fervent supporter of the president - is smoking a cigarette in the rain.

"Trump has done a lot for us in the 4 years that he's been in office," she says.

WATCH: Donald Trump, Joe Biden go head-to-head in first presidential election debate

Pennsylvania, like Ohio - where the debate was held - is a rust belt state that's seen large job losses in recent decades as heavy industry has declined. Trump won them both in 2016, but they are in play for Democrats in November.

Trump tried hard to denigrate Biden's mental acuity leading up to the debate and with the Democrat putting in a stronger performance that many expected, frustrations are starting to simmer in Old Forge.

A life-sized Trump cardboard cutout welcomes those gathering to watch. (Photo: AFP/Angela Weiss)

Back on TV, the candidates wrangle over the Supreme Court, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change - topics chosen by debate moderator Chris Wallace, who allots time to each candidate and doesn't hesitate to take Trump to task for interrupting his opponent.

But his efforts aren't much appreciated.

READ: Trump and Biden go on the attack in fiery, chaotic first presidential debate

"I feel for most of the evening (Trump) was not only debating sleepy Joe Biden, he was having to debate Chris Wallace, who I think is a total fool," Miller says.

Wallace works for Fox News - a channel that skews conservative - but he has a reputation of going after anyone he comes across, regardless of their politics.

TRUMP EARRINGS

The bitterly fought debate finished, opinions are divided on how their candidate performed.

"The winner was Donald Trump. I mean, he was competing against Chris Wallace and Joe Biden," says 20-year-old student Lorenzo Febbo. "Joe Biden tended to respond like how he normally does, with interrupting."

A Trump supporter models her earrings dedicated to the US president. (Photo: AFP/Angela Weiss)

But for Nicholas Haas, also in his twenties, neither candidate came out on top: "Nobody really won because I didn't learn anything from either side."

Resplendent in a dress the colors of the American flag, a Trump brooch and blue Trump earrings, Lynette Villano, 74, recognised Biden's performance was better than expected.

"He rested up for a couple days, so I guess, he was ok."

Warm praise from the conservatives of Old Forge.

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2020-09-30 09:18:49Z
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23 new Covid-19 cases in Singapore, including 3 in the community and 4 imported - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - There were 23 new coronavirus cases confirmed as at Wednesday noon (Sept 30), taking Singapore's total to 57,765.

They included three community cases, all of whom are work pass holders, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).

There were also four imported cases who had been placed on stay-home notices upon arrival in Singapore.

More details will be announced on Wednesday night.

Ngee Ann City in Orchard Road, Orchis Food Court in Changi Airport Terminal 1 and Alexandra Village Food Centre are among the new places visited by Covid-19 patients while they were infectious.

Between Sept 15 and 25, the Orchis Food Court was visited at six different time slots, while the Alexandra Village Food Centre was visited at four separate time slots.

Popular venues IMM, Bugis Junction and Bugis+ were also listed as new locations visited by patients.

A total of 27 new coronavirus cases were confirmed on Tuesday.

There was one community case who is a Malaysian work permit holder.

There were also nine imported cases, comprising one Singaporean, five permanent residents, one work pass holder, one work permit holder and one dependant's pass holder.

The Singaporean and the work permit holder returned to Singapore from Indonesia, while the rest of the imported cases were returning from India.

All the imported cases arrived in Singapore between Sept 16 and 18, and were placed on stay-home notices on arrival in the country.

Migrant workers living in dormitories made up the remaining 17 of the 27 new coronavirus patients announced on Tuesday.

Eight had been identified earlier as contacts of previous cases, and had been quarantined to prevent further transmission.

The remaining nine cases were detected through surveillance testing.

The number of new daily cases in the community has remained stable at an average of fewer than one case a day in the past two weeks.

The number of unlinked cases in the community has also remained stable at an average of fewer than one case a day in the same period.

With 73 cases discharged on Tuesday, 57,451 patients have fully recovered from the disease.

A total of 32 patients remained in hospital, with none in intensive care, while 217 were recuperating in community facilities.

Singapore has had 27 deaths from Covid-19 complications, while 15 who tested positive have died of other causes.

Globally, the virus outbreak, which began in December last year, has infected around 34 million people. More than one million people have died.

Selasa, 29 September 2020

WATCH LIVE: Donald Trump, Joe Biden go head-to-head in first presidential election debate - CNA

Republican President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden face off in the first of their three scheduled presidential election debates on Wednesday (Sep 30) morning Singapore time.

With more than a million Americans already casting early ballots and time running out to change minds or influence the small sliver of undecided voters, the stakes are enormous as the two White House candidates take the stage five weeks before the Nov 3 election.

[embedded content]

There was no handshake as the two men took the stage and while this was due to COVID-19 restrictions, the absence of the traditional greeting symbolised the bitterness engulfing the country in the final countdown to Nov 3.

From the opening exchanges over healthcare, where Trump accused Biden of being a "socialist", the tension was palpable, interrupting each other repeatedly, leading Biden to lash out at one point: "Will you shut up, man!"

Biden branded Trump a liar; Trump fired back hard at Biden, telling him: "There's nothing smart about you, Joe. Forty-seven years, you've done nothing."

Biden said: "The fact is that everything he is saying so far is simply a lie. I'm not here to call out his lies. Everybody knows he's a liar."

Organisers said there were about 80 people in the audience, including the candidates’ family members, their guests, campaign staff, hosts, health and security officials and journalists.

READ: Trump, Biden spar ahead of real debate fight

Before they had even met on the stage in Cleveland for the first of three 90-minute live television showdowns, Biden made public his tax returns to capitalise on reports that the billionaire Trump avoided paying almost any federal income taxes for years.

And Trump, facing the threat of being made a one-term president, pushed a conspiracy theory suggesting his challenger needs performance enhancing drugs and might wear an earpiece to get answers during the debate.

Biden, with an impressive lead both in national and swing state polls, was looking to zoom in on public dissatisfaction with Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 200,000 Americans.

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2020-09-30 01:30:00Z
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Trump, Biden spar ahead of real debate fight - CNA

CLEVELAND: Frontrunner Joe Biden and an increasingly struggling Donald Trump traded jabs on Tuesday (Sep 29) hours ahead of a first presidential debate that promised to be as nasty and unpredictable a clash as American voters have ever seen.

Before they'd even met on the stage in Cleveland for the first of three 90-minute live television showdowns, Biden made public his tax returns to capitalise on revelations that the billionaire Trump avoided paying almost any federal income taxes for years.

Trump's reported mastery of loopholes to pay just US$750 in federal tax during the first year of his presidency has given Biden an opening to paint the Republican as a phoney when he says he represents America's working classes.

By contrast, Biden's returns show that he and his wife Jill paid a hefty US$299,346 in federal income taxes for 2019.

READ: Trump's tax revelations spark outrage among some, but supporters defend president

While Biden tees up what is likely to be a central weapon in the debate, Trump's team leaned in on its lurid narrative that the Democratic challenger is senile and needs help to get through the debate.

Trump has repeatedly demanded that Biden take a test for performance enhancing drugs.

And on Tuesday, his campaign, echoed by Trump-friendly Fox News, launched into new conspiracy theory territory by loudly demanding that Biden be checked for a secret earpiece - presumably to give him answers in the debate.

Cleveland is hosting the first of three presidential debates. (Photo: AFP/Saul Loeb)

"Joe Biden's handlers several days ago agreed to a pre-debate inspection for electronic earpieces but today abruptly reversed themselves and declined," Tim Murtaugh, Trump 2020 communications director, said in a statement.

Biden's deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield called this "absurd" and shot back with her own bit of rumour mongering, claiming that Trump's team had tried unsuccessfully to ensure that the debate moderator, Fox News' Chris Wallace, would never mention the number of US deaths from COVID-19.

"See how easy that was to try to throw up a distraction?" she was quoted as saying by Politico.

COVID AND TAXES

As Trump landed in Cleveland ahead of the debate, a senior official on Air Force One told reporters that "he's ready to go."

The official said Trump was bringing former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani - now a controversial lawyer for the president - and mixed martial arts fighter Colby Covington as guests.

The pre-game trash talk gave a flavor of what the two camps are trying to achieve.

Trump, behind in national and swing state polls, is considered a master at deflection and stirring outrage.

Biden arrived in Cleveland on a new campaign plane decorated with his name and that of running mate Kamala Harris.

Democratic US presidential nominee Joe Biden arrives at Burke Lakefront Airport on Sep 29, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP)

He wants to keep the debate firmly fixed on Trump's biggest liabilities - the more than 200,000 coronavirus deaths and the tax avoidance uproar.

READ: Disney to lay off 28,000 due to COVID, New York City imposes mask fines

COVID-19 restrictions will give the debate a streamlined look with a smaller audience. Naturally, there won't be the once standard - even if forced - show of goodwill in shaking hands.

What Americans will get, however, is a chance finally to see Trump, 74, and Biden, 77, side by side.

And Trump, who fancies his skills as a verbal pugilist, is expected to hit hard and low.

SUPREME COURT SILVER BULLET?

The president arguably has little to lose: his hardcore support is already baked in and Americans are by now almost incapable of feeling shocked by his convention-wrecking insults and well documented torrent of exaggerations or outright lies.

But he also goes to Cleveland with what he hopes will be a silver bullet - his nomination of conservative Judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace the late liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court.

If Barrett is quickly confirmed, as the Republican-led Senate expects, Trump will have tilted the highest court firmly to the right for years to come.

READ: Trump Supreme Court pick Barrett huddles with senators, aiming for swift confirmation

Democrats are crying foul over the rushed timing but Trump expects the power play to energise conservatives.

The president is also sure to go heavy on previous claims that Biden's son Hunter was involved in corruption in Ukraine. Last year Trump was impeached for using the power of his office to try to pressure the Ukrainian government into publicly backing that theory.

But should Trump attack Hunter or Biden's other children, including son Beau who died of cancer in 2015, "it will backfire," said Biden spokesman Andrew Bates.

Biden, as frontrunner, wants to stay steady, but he has a reputation for losing his cool when challenged in public. Many Americans are keen to see whether the would-be president can stand the heat of a Trump firestorm.

But Biden will also go after Trump in a personal way, painting him as a spoiled playboy who only poses as a friend of the white working class that helped him get elected in 2016.

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2020-09-29 23:45:04Z
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Biden discloses tax returns before debate, prods Trump to release his - CNA

CLEVELAND: Hours before his first debate with President Donald Trump, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday (Sep 29) released his 2019 tax returns and his campaign called on Trump, who has come under fire for not releasing his returns, to do the same.

Biden, due to share the stage with Trump on Tuesday evening in Cleveland, took the step two days after the New York Times reported Trump paid just US$750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017 - and none in 10 of the previous 15 years - following years of reporting steep losses from business enterprises.

Trump had long sought to keep his personal financial records secret.

Biden's taxes showed that he and his wife Jill paid more than US$346,000 in federal taxes and other payments for 2019 on an income of nearly US$985,000 before seeking a refund of nearly US$47,000 they said they had overpaid the government.

"This is a historic level of transparency meant to give the American people faith once again that their leaders will look out for them and not their own bottom lines," Biden's deputy campaign manager, Kate Bedingfield, said on a call with reporters.

"Mr. President, release your tax returns or shut up," Bedingfield added.

READ: Trump's tax revelations spark outrage among some, but supporters defend president

The 90-minute debate, with a limited and socially distanced in-person audience because of the coronavirus pandemic, will begin at 9pm at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, with Chris Wallace of Fox News serving as the moderator. It is the first of three scheduled debates.

Trump arrived in Cleveland aboard Air Force One ahead of the debate. Biden was flying in from Delaware.

The Biden tax returns gambit ahead of the debate shows that the former vice president is seeking political advantage on an issue that could resonate with voters - a wealthy real estate developer-turned-politician who has, according to the New York Times report, often avoided paying federal income taxes.

Democrats have sought to portray Trump as a tax dodger. Trump's persistent refusal to release his taxes has been a departure from standard practice for presidential candidates.

READ: What Trump's taxes are reported to show

Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh issued a statement responding to Biden's disclosure, accusing him of being dishonest in public statements about his own past earnings, but did not address whether Trump would release his returns.

The Times also reported that Trump was currently embroiled in a decade-long Internal Revenue Service audit over a US$72.9 million tax refund he claimed after declaring large losses. If the IRS rules against him, he could have to pay over US$100 million, according to the newspaper.

BIDEN INCOME

Biden's 2019 return showed most of his income came from a company he has said handles payments from his speaking and writing engagements and from a University of Pennsylvania teaching post from which he took an unpaid leave of absence after launching his candidacy.

The 2019 tax returns for Biden's running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, also were released.

Harris and her husband, lawyer Doug Emhoff, reported paying about US$1.2 million in total federal taxes on US$3.3 million of income for the year, according to the tax returns released on Tuesday. Vice President Mike Pence released a decade of returns before the 2016 election but no tax information since then.

READ: After New York Times revelations, Trump says he paid millions in taxes

The combustible Trump and more low-key Biden will debate an array of urgent political challenges, including a pandemic that has killed more than 200,000 people in the United States and thrown millions out of work, a brewing battle over Trump's nomination of conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, and continued protests for racial justice.

Biden, 77, has held a consistent lead over Trump, 74, in national opinion polls, although surveys in the battleground states that will decide the election show a closer contest.

The debate will be divided into six segments: the records of Trump and Biden, the Supreme Court, the pandemic, the economy, election integrity and "race and violence" in US cities.

A senior Trump campaign official told reporters aboard Air Force One that the president "knows exactly what he wants to communicate" and hopes to get into his differences with Biden on trade, "endless wars," the issue of America's "haves and the have nots" and Biden's long career in elected office.

Biden is certain to press his criticism of Trump's response to the pandemic, and highlight Trump's efforts to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, the law known as Obamacare that has helped millions of Americans obtain health insurance.

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2020-09-29 21:34:42Z
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Thailand to slowly restart tourism with flight from China - CNA

BANGKOK: Thailand will receive its first foreign vacationers when a flight from China arrives next week, marking the gradual restart of a vital tourism sector battered by coronavirus travel curbs, a senior official said on Tuesday (Sep 29).

The first flight will have about 120 tourists from Guangzhou, flying directly to the resort island of Phuket, Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn told Reuters.

READ: 'A step in the right direction': Thailand's tourism operators welcome special visa for foreigners

Thailand has kept coronavirus infections low with just 3,559 cases and 59 deaths, but its economy has taken a hit from a ban on foreign visitors since April and is expected to contract 8.5 per cent this year.

Government spokeswoman Traisulee Traisoranakul expects 1,200 tourists in the first month, generating about 1 billion baht (US$31.55 million) in revenue and 12.4 billion baht over one year, drawing in 14,400 tourists.

Nationalities permitted to enter will be from countries deemed low risk by the government, which will keep tabs on them.

"We are not opening the country, we are limiting the number of entries and will manage with wrist bands, apps to follow them," Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha told reporters.

The government predicts just 6.7 million foreign visitors this year after a record 39.8 million in 2019, whose spending made up about 11.4 per cent of GDP, or 1.93 trillion baht.

READ: Staycations and weekend getaways - Can domestic travel spark a revival of Southeast Asia’s tourism industry?

Thailand in January was the first country outside of China to detect the coronavirus, in a visitor from Wuhan.

"Tourists will be on a long stay visa, starting Oct 8 and will stay in alternative state quarantine for 14 days," Yuthasak said.

Visitors need health insurance and a negative coronavirus test 72 hours before travelling and will be tested twice in quarantine.

"Thailand's protection system can prevent a second wave," government spokeswoman Traisulee said.

"We have prevented local transmission for 100 days before," she said, adding that had made Thailand attractive for visitors wanting to avoid infections.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

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2020-09-29 08:18:52Z
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China teacher handed death sentence for poisoning children in revenge attack - CNA

BEIJING: A kindergarten teacher in China has been sentenced to death for poisoning dozens of children in an act of revenge against a colleague that left one toddler dead.

A court in the central Chinese province of Henan said Wang Yun put sodium nitrite into porridge being prepared for her colleague's students, sickening 25.

READ: China daycare teacher jailed for pricking toddlers with needles

The attack took place in March 2019 and left one boy severely ill for months before he died in January this year, according to news reports.

The Jiaozuo City Intermediate People's Court on Monday (Sep 28) said Wang knew sodium nitrite was harmful but went ahead "with no regard for the consequences", leaving many innocent children in hospital.

News reports last year said the children began vomiting and fainting after eating their breakfast.

Kindergarten students in China are aged between three and six.

The death sentence was handed to Wang this week for the offence of using dangerous substances.

Sodium nitrite is used for curing meats but can be toxic when ingested in high amounts.

Wang concealed her reasons for the poisoning after carrying out the crime and her "motives were despicable", the court said.

Her "criminal methods and circumstances were exceedingly bad, with especially severe circumstances, and she should be severely punished in accordance with the law," the sentencing statement said.

The court added that Wang and the manager of the kindergarten must compensate the children's families.

It was not the first time Wang used sodium nitrite to poison someone, authorities said. In 2017 she put it in her husband's mug, causing him minor injuries.

In March last year, 36 primary school students in southwest China's Sichuan province were hospitalised after eating "mouldy food".

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2020-09-29 07:47:51Z
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Why the true Covid death toll may be way over 1 million - The Straits Times

WASHINGTON (BLOOMBERG) - The world officially recorded 1 million deaths from Covid-19 in one of the most sobering milestones of the pandemic, but the real tally might be almost double that.

Actual fatalities from the worst outbreak in a century may be closer to 1.8 million - a toll that could grow to as high as 3 million by the end of the year, according to Dr Alan Lopez, a laureate professor and director of the University of Melbourne's global burden of disease group.

The coronavirus's rapid spread and ability to transmit in people who show no signs of the disease have enabled it to outrun measures to accurately quantify cases through widespread diagnostic testing.

"One million deaths has meaning by itself, but the question is whether it's true," Prof Lopez said in an interview before the tally was reached. "It's fair to say that the 1 million deaths, as shocking as it sounds, is probably an underestimate - a significant underestimate."

Even in countries with sophisticated health systems, mortality is difficult to accurately gauge. Tens of thousands of probable Covid-19 deaths in the US weren't captured by official statistics between March and May, a study in July found, frustrating efforts to track and mitigate the pandemic's progression.

The dearth of accurate data undermines the ability of governments to implement timely strategies and policies to protect public health and promote economic recovery.

If the mortality from Covid-19 reaches 3 million as Prof Lopez predicted, it would rank the disease among the world's worst killers. An undercount in deaths could also give some people a false sense of security, and may allow governments to downplay the virus and overlook the pandemic's burden.

NO SYSTEM

India has confirmed more than 6 million Covid-19 cases, but accounts for only about 95,000 of the 1 million reported deaths worldwide, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.

The country, which has the highest number of infections after the US, lacks a reliable national vital statistics registration system to track deaths in real time.

Meanwhile, in Indiana in the US researchers found that although nursing home residents weren't routinely tested for the virus, they represented 55 per cent of the state's Covid-19 deaths.

"Yes, cases are reported daily everywhere, but as soon as you get to the next tier down, like how many were admitted to hospitals, there have just been huge gaps in the data," said Dr Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Medical data, including duration of illness and symptoms, help to ascribe a probable cause of death, he said.

Patients with heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other chronic conditions are at greater risk of dying from Covid-19. Some governments, including Russia, are attributing the cause of deaths in some of these patients to the pre-existing condition, raising questions about the veracity of official mortality data.

WHO GUIDELINES

In July, Russia recorded 5,922 fatalities due to Covid-19. At least 4,157 other deaths were linked to the coronavirus, but not included in the tally because of how the nation defines such deaths. Overall, it recorded 29,925 more deaths in July than in the same month of 2019.

The WHO laid out guidance for classifying coronavirus deaths in June, advising countries to count fatalities if patients had symptoms of the disease regardless of whether they were a confirmed case, and unless there was a clear alternative cause.

A Covid-19 fatality should be counted as such even if pre-existing conditions exacerbated the disease, said the organisation. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released similar guidelines.

Still, it may take health workers certifying deaths time to adopt the methodology, the University of Melbourne's Prof Lopez said. His research has received funding by Bloomberg Philanthropies, set up by Mr Michael Bloomberg, founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News' parent Bloomberg LP.

"Doctors often are learning as they go along, so they're not certifying all the deaths that are due to Covid as Covid deaths," Prof Lopez said.

JAPAN DROP

Although the pandemic has altered mortality patterns worldwide, not all of the changes are a direct result of the pandemic, he said. Physical distancing measures may have reduced road fatalities and deaths caused by influenza. In Japan, which has been scrutinised for its lack of widespread testing and relatively lax containment efforts, deaths fell by 3.5 per cent in May from a year earlier even as Covid-19 cases peaked.

"The pandemic actually works in contradictory ways to affect mortality," Prof Lopez said.

Likewise, the economic cost of the pandemic - which may top US$35.3 trillion (S$48.42 trillion) through 2025 - will be driven more by changes in people's spending patterns than number of deaths and government-mandated "lockdown" measures, according to Prof Warwick McKibbin, an economics expert at the Australian National University and a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

"We estimate this outbreak is going to cost tens of trillions to the world economy," Prof McKibbin said in an interview. "The change in economic outcomes is caused by individuals changing their behaviour, not because the government mandated a shutdown."

Worldwide, the growth in the number of daily deaths has eased since spiking in March and April, helped by improved medical care and ways to treat the disease. But as resurgences flare in Europe and North America ahead of winter and the flu season, Covid-19 fatalities may rise sharply again.

It took nine days for cases in the UK to double to 3,050 in mid September, compared with the previous doubling time of five weeks, the BMJ journal said last week.

Covid-19 patients between ages 75 to 84 are 220 times more likely to die from the disease than 18-to-29-year-olds, according to the CDC. Seniors over 85 years have a 630 times higher risk of dying. The older age of fatal Covid-19 cases has made some people think "they're old people, they're going to die anyway," said Dr Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

"I have a really hard time with that," Dr Osterholm said in an interview. "That's an unfortunate and very sad way to come to understand this pandemic. Many of those people who died are very important loved ones to so many of us that it's hard to just dismiss it as it's just a number."

Some of Hong Kong's poor finally feel at home in 290 sq ft modules - CNA

HONG KONG: When Lau Kai Fai, his wife and teenage son moved into a new Hong Kong flat last month, he thought the 290 sq ft of space in his "module home" felt like "winning the lottery".

Among the first Hong Kong residents to move into such prefabricated dwellings, built as a transition for people awaiting public housing, Lau's family more than tripled the space they had squeezed into. Now they sit together for meals, rather than eating in turns.

While tiny by the standards of many cities in rich countries, the new home represents a big step up – even if temporary – for Lau, 70, in one of the most crowded urban areas in the world.

Lau Kai Fai, 70, sits inside his new home in a four-story building made from pre-fabricated parts w — Lau Kai Fai, 70, sits inside his new home with his wife at Shek Kip Mei, in Hong Kong, Sep 14, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS/Tyrone Siu)

"It feels like a home," Lau said. "The previous flat was only a place to sleep."

Lau is the beneficiary of Hong Kong's latest initiative to ease a housing shortage, where more than 200,000 people living in subdivided flats are waiting an average of 5.5 years to get public housing.

Transitional homes are built on idle land leased by the government or private developers for only a few years, although the prefab modules can be moved and reused.

The 2018 plan only scratches the surface of the needs of one of the world's most unequal cities: More than 1 million of the 7.5 million people in Hong Kong live in poverty. As of June, 800 transitional homes had been built of 15,000 planned over the next three years.

READ: Too many Hong Kong residents want affordable housing but there are too few flats

But for the Lau family, the flat in a four-storey building in one of the oldest and poorest districts in central Kowloon is luxury.

HOMEWORK AT DESK, NOT BED

Their previous flat, one of many in Hong Kong dubbed "coffin homes", had cost around HK$5,000 (US$650) a month in rent. Now the family pays HK$3,000 – 25 per cent of the income of the retired Lau's wife, Tian Jiayu, the family breadwinner who works in a supermarket.

They finally have a place where their son does his homework at a desk rather than in bed.

Government's newly-built four-story "module homes" building made from pre-fabricated — A newly-built four-storey "module homes" building made from pre-fabricated parts is seen at Shek Kip Mei, in Hong Kong, Sep 14, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS/Tyrone Siu)

The door to the white, container-shaped dwelling opens onto a bunk bed. A wardrobe separates the bed from the living room, where a rotating chair doubles for computer work and dining. Twelve steps from the entrance, at the end of the flat, stands the mini-kitchen with a refrigerator, stoves and washer.

The move expanded the family's floor space from 80 sq ft to 290 sq ft. They now live in two-thirds the median area of a home in crowded Hong Kong, at 430 sq ft – itself half the size of the average London home.

In Tokyo, another packed Asian capital, the average home is 710 sq ft, although some 1.4 million people live in spaces of 210 sq ft or less, according to government figures.

Tian is happiest about the upgrade to mini-kitchen from gas stove.

Lau Kai Fai, 70, clean his new home in a four-story building made from pre-fabricated parts with hi — Lau Kai Fai, 70, cleans his new home with his wife at Shek Kip Mei, in Hong Kong, Sep 14, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS/Tyrone Siu)

The land for Nan Cheong 2020, the city's first module home project, was leased by developer Henderson Land for HK$1 a month. The project was built by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service.

It was built from container-like blocks for only 40 per cent of the cost of building a public rental home, said Anthony Wong, business director of the nonprofit.

READ: Out of reach? The unaffordability of housing fuelling the Hong Kong protests

Lack of land and money are challenges to building more transitional homes. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) say the government is not doing enough. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam is under pressure for housing solutions, including shoring up the transitional housing scheme.

"The problem is the government is acting like a middle man rather than taking the responsibility to develop it. They are relying on NGOs and developers to do that," said Sze Lai Shan, community organiser at the Society for Community Organisation.

A spokesman for the Transport and Housing Bureau told Reuters the government launched a HK$5 billion funding scheme in June to support transitional housing projects by NGOs, which can come in many different arrangements and different ideas.

Hong Kong subdivided home apartment — A view inside a walk-up flat that has been subdivided into six cubicles in the New Territories of Hong Kong. (File photo: AFP/Anthony Wallace)

“We hope to ... allow different community groups to use their creativity as much as possible to provide diversified transitional housing projects,” he said by email, adding the government is facilitating short- and long-term "policies to increase housing supply, in order to address housing problem(s) faced by low-income families".

Lau's Nan Cheong 2020 lifeline is two years.

"We hope we'll get a public flat by then, if not there’s nothing we can do," he said. "We’ll have to find a subdivided flat again."

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2020-09-29 02:03:33Z
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Rabu, 30 September 2020

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NO SYSTEM

WHO GUIDELINES

JAPAN DROP

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