SINGAPORE - The two youngest Singaporeans to die from the Covid-19 virus were reported on Thursday (Oct 14) by the Ministry of Health (MOH).
A 23-year-old and a 34-year-old were among the 15 fatalities reported.
This is the highest number of deaths recorded in a day.
The 23-year-old had been partially vaccinated against the virus and the 34-year-old was unvaccinated.
Both had multiple underlying medical conditions, said MOH.
Before this, the youngest local to have died of Covid-19 was a 50-year-old unvaccinated man last month.
The remaining 13 fatalities reported on Thursday were aged between 60 and 89 years old.
Eight had been unvaccinated against Covid-19 and five were vaccinated. All had underlying conditions.
This brings the number of Covid-19 deaths reported in the first two weeks of October to 112 - more than half the current death toll here of 207.
Thursday is the 25th day in a row that deaths were reported.
There were 2,932 new Covid-19 infections reported in total, MOH said, comprising 2,412 new cases in the community, 517 in migrant worker dormitories and three imported cases.
The local cases included 436 people above 60 years old.
Eight new cases were added to MWS Christalite Methodist Home, bringing the size of the cluster to 104. Of these, 14 were staff while 90 were residents. New cases have been placed on health risk warning, said MOH.
Three cases each were added to clusters at MY World Preschool @ Hougang Dewcourt and Acacia Home.
St Andrew’s Nursing Home in Taman Jurong saw one new case, bringing its total to 11.
The total number of cases in Singapore now stands at 138,327.
As at Thursday, there were 16,723 patients in home recovery, 2,823 in community care facilities, 438 in Covid-19 treatment facilities and 1,511 in hospitals.
So far, 506,552 individuals have received their booster shots and another 110,000 have booked their appointments.
KONGSBERG: Norway said on Thursday (Oct 14) a bow-and-arrow attack that killed five people appears to have been an "act of terror" with the suspect, a Danish Muslim convert previously known over fears he had been radicalised.
Four women and a man were killed, and three other people wounded during the rampage on Wednesday in the south-eastern town of Kongsberg in Norway's deadliest attack in a decade.
"The events in Kongsberg currently appear to be an act of terror, but the investigation ... will determine in closer detail what the acts were motivated by," Norway's intelligence service PST said in a statement.
Police official Ole Bredrup Saeverud told reporters the man was believed to be a Muslim convert, adding: "There were fears linked to radicalisation previously."
Saeverud said the 37-year-old suspect, identified by police as Espen Andersen Brathen, had confessed during questioning.
Those who were killed during the attack were all aged between 50 and 70.
Reports that linked him to radicalisation pre-date this year, Saeverud said, and police followed up at the time. "We haven't had any reports about him in 2021, but earlier," he said.
"We're relatively sure that he acted alone."
PST also confirmed that the suspect was known to them but declined Thursday to release further details about him.
Norwegian media reported that Brathen was subject to two prior court rulings, including a restraining order against two close family members after threatening to kill one of them and a conviction for burglary and purchasing narcotics in 2012.
THREAT LEVEL UNCHANGED
Website Nettavisen published a video he allegedly posted to social media in 2017, in which he issued a "warning", while declaring his Muslim faith.
The PST security service said Wednesday's attack had not raised the general threat level in the country, describing it as "moderate".
"Our evaluation is that what happened in Kongsberg (on) Wednesday, October 13 does not change the national threat assessment," PST said.
It was the deadliest attack since far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in 2011.
Since then, Norway has seen one other far-right attack, carried out by a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi who opened fire into a mosque.
Kongsberg, a picturesque town of 25,000 people with wooden facades and the foliage changing colour for the autumn, was largely quiet on Thursday.
Knut Olav Ouff, 54, told AFP he was about to light a cigarette on the doorstep when he found himself in the middle of the tragedy.
"I saw a friend of mine cowering behind a car and then suddenly heard a 'thung'," he said. "I could hear the tingling of the arrow hitting the streets. And after that I could see a man drawing a kid out of a car and running towards my house."
Streets were almost empty on Thursday with only a light police presence.
A few police officers stood outside a store where part of the attack took place. A glass door there was chipped by a shot.
HONG KONG - While it is of lesser importance that Hong Kong reopens to the rest of the world, being able to travel without quarantine between the city and the mainland is a priority for writer Sandra Han.
The 27-year-old, who works in Hong Kong, has not returned home to Jiangsu for more than 1½ years since the end of January last year.
"I hope we can clear Customs with the mainland as soon as possible because objectively speaking, the overall risk of the epidemic in the mainland is low, so reopening borders with Hong Kong will not bring additional risks to the territory," said Ms Han.
"Already, I missed the wedding of my best friend and another of my cousin whom I grew up with," said Ms Han, who added that her parents and grandparents are getting on in years and she wants to visit them as soon as she can.
"The epidemic is still serious in the United States and European countries, so the Hong Kong government must first ensure that the reopening of borders will not bring additional risks to the city," she said.
Hong Konger Eva Choi, 35, is not too concerned with borders staying shut.
"Travel is leisure and not a must. I don't want to take risks just because I want to play. Even if the Hong Kong government scraps the 21-day quarantine, I will stay tuned first and see how things go."
Ask Singaporean businessman Gary Lim, 47, who has lived in Hong Kong for almost two decades and he will tell you that the locals are not too bothered by the closures.
"It depends on which industry you're in. If you're not in finance, it doesn't make much of a difference. Local businesses like retail are more concerned about borders with the mainland reopening so tourists can come over," he said.
These are popular views in Hong Kong, where low or no cases are appreciated, although comparisons have been rife of late between the city's zero-Covid-19 approach and strategies of countries like Singapore that treat the virus as endemic.
Businesses and expatriates in Hong Kong have lobbied for months for on-arrival rules to be eased, particularly the mandatory quarantine in a designated hotel for up to 21 days.
Not only have the European Chamber of Commerce and the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) come under the spotlight in recent days for criticising the tight border controls, which allow only select non-residents to enter Hong Kong, but local business leaders have also weighed in on calling for the resumption of travel between Hong Kong and the mainland.
A main gripe, besides not being able to travel freely for work, is that expats cannot fly home to see their family and friends - something they can still do with relative ease in places such as the US and European countries.
Companies also face the problem of expats unwilling to relocate to Hong Kong because of the strict quarantine rules.
Ms Choi, despite working in the banking industry, does not think Hong Kong's status as an international financial centre will be deeply affected by the shutting of its borders.
Most banks in the city already have plans to cut business travel in the future and to replace these with online conferences as the pressure to cut costs grows, she pointed out.
For Ms Han, closed borders are not unique to Hong Kong, so she believes it is not a factor that will dent Hong Kong's reputation as a global financial hub.
In an opinion piece published by The Standard on Tuesday (Oct 12), writer Mary Ma made the point that was previously raised by Chief Executive Carrie Lam - that foreign companies come to Hong Kong to access the mainland.
"Without an open border with the mainland, would they have come to Hong Kong?" the writer wondered.
She noted that companies are under rising pressure due to Covid-19 travel restrictions and have become restless in Hong Kong, but they will have to "bear with the situation for a while".
And this situation is something that not just expats have to endure, but also everyone who lives and works in Hong Kong.
Most banks in the city already have plans to cut business travel in the future and to replace these with online conferences. PHOTO: REUTERS
"The pleas of both AmCham and the European Chamber of Commerce indirectly confirm these companies cannot go elsewhere if they want to do business with China - otherwise, they might have already left," wrote Ms Ma.
Indeed, government data released on Oct 7 showed that the number of overseas and mainland companies in Hong Kong rose 10 per cent from over 8,200 in 2017 to about 9,000 in 2021.
In terms of source country, the mainland tops with 2,080 companies, followed by Japan at roughly 1,388, the US at 1,267, Britain at 667 and Singapore at 449.
Now that Hong Kong is more closely integrated with the mainland through plans like the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Cooperation Zone and Greater Bay Area, there is only more impetus to follow Beijing's lead in the Covid-19 strategy.
The view that Hong Kong will now just follow the directives of the mainland is common in the city, where at least 1.5 million people have moved from the mainland to Hong Kong since the territory returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
But ask people who have had to go through 21 days of quarantine in a hotel room, deal with last-minute extensions of quarantine hotel bookings and frantic changing of air tickets as Hong Kong officials flip-flop on rules, the sentiment is quite the opposite.
Formed in March 2020, the HK Quarantine support group on Facebook has been a gold mine for residents who travel overseas during the pandemic and must navigate the city's list of ever-changing rules when they return.
Besides memes and jokes about their experiences, there are also many outbursts and frustrated posts demanding answers from the authorities, who monitor the 55,000-strong group.
One post in particular garnered 1,200 reactions and nearly 500 comments as at Wednesday night, as it talked about the helplessness of being stuck in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong-born writer who has lived in the city for 36 years said he finally decided to call it quits and leave for London for good. "The thing is, if there was any semblance of hope - on X date we will open up - then the atmosphere here would be buzzing. But the feeling is there is no hope or end in sight."
In a Bloomberg Television interview on Monday, Mrs Lam, who follows China's Covid-19 zero approach that tolerates no local infections, said even a single death would be a "major concern".
On Tuesday, Mrs Lam said she hoped experts from Hong Kong and the mainland will meet again soon to iron out details on resuming cross-border travel, but no timeline was given.
In a clear sign that borders will stay shut, the leader said Hong Kong has "to remain status quo for a while".
This is in part due to the vaccination rate in the city. After all, only 64 per cent of the eligible population, or those aged 12 and above, have had two doses of a vaccine so far. About 68 per cent have had one shot.
Only 64 per cent of the eligible population, or those aged 12 and above, have had two doses of a vaccine so far. PHOTO: AFP
As Dr Leung Chi Chiu of the Hong Kong Medical Association puts it, Hong Kong is simply not in a position to reopen borders for now, given the low vaccination rate among the elderly.
Only a mere 15 per cent of those aged 80 and above have taken their first dose of a vaccine. In the 70 to 79 age group, it is 41 per cent and it is 60 per cent for those aged 60 to 69.
Dr Leung is of the view that until more than 90 per cent of seniors and the vulnerable are inoculated, there must be control on travel from high-risk areas to prevent the spread of the virus to the community.
Given the lay of the land, the views of some vocal critics of Hong Kong's border policy may have fallen on deaf ears.
But that is only because they are not the most important parts of the equation.
He laid out the details of the package, such as spending to promote domestic development and production of vaccines and COVID-19 drugs, as well as support for Taiwan chip giant TSMC's planned new factory construction in Japan.
Kishida has created a new ministry of economic security with China in mind, aiming to better protect sensitive technologies, prevent cybercrime, secure supplies of rare earth metals and help companies diversify their supply chains.
The government will also begin preparations to restart a popular subsidised travel scheme, aimed at hotels and travel agencies hit by the pandemic that was suspended late last year as coronavirus cases grew, he said.
The ruling party has also called for a sharp increase in defence spending to acquire the capability to destroy ballistic missiles, amid China's increasingly assertive posture over Taiwan.
Kishida said he wanted to start in-person diplomacy as soon as possible, starting with President Joe Biden of the United States, Japan's most important military ally.
The largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democrats (CDPJ), led by Yukio Edano, has highlighted social issues such as its support for same-sex marriage and for allowing couples to keep different surnames.
The LDP remains socially conservative and, while progress has been made on LGBTQ rights in society, Kishida has said he is not in favour of same-sex marriage.
The biggest challenge for the Constitutional Democrats is their low support ratings. A recent poll by the Asahi Shimbun daily found only 13 per cent were planning to vote for them, far behind the LDP's 47 per cent; most other polls record support in the single digits.
Canvassing in many districts is already underway but formally the campaign will kick off on Oct 19, followed by the vote on Oct 31.
TAIPEI: Taiwan will not start a war with China but will defend itself "full on", Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said on Thursday (Oct 14), amid a spike in tensions across the Taiwan Strait that has raised concern internationally. Taiwan, a major semiconductor producer, has repeatedly said it will defend itself if attacked, but that it will not "advance rashly" and wants to maintain the status quo with China.
"What is clearest is that the Republic of China absolutely will not start or set off a war, but if there are movements we will meet the enemy full on," Chiu told a parliament committee meeting, using Taiwan's official name.
Military tensions with China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, are at their worst in more than 40 years, Chiu said last week, adding that China will be capable of mounting a "full-scale" invasion by 2025.
He was speaking after China mounted four consecutive days of mass air force incursions into Taiwan's air defence identification zone that began on Oct 1, part of a pattern of what Taipei views as stepped-up military harassment by Beijing.
No shots have been fired and China's aircraft have stayed well away from Taiwan's airspace, concentrating their activity in the southwestern corner of Taiwan's air defence zone.
The ministry, in a report to parliament ahead of Chiu's appearance before lawmakers, warned China of strong countermeasures if its forces got too close to the island.
Chiu agreed with an assessment from a lawmaker that China's abilities were constrained by a limited mid-air refuelling capacity, meaning it has only H-6 bombers and Y-8 anti-submarine and reconnaissance aircraft that have flown into the Bashi Channel that separates Taiwan from the Philippines.
Chinese fighters have kept much closer to China's coast, according to maps of their activity drawn up by Chiu's ministry.
"Their aims are on the one hand to pressure Taiwan, and on the other to say to everyone else we have the ability to scare away and obstruct foreign military forces from getting involved," he said.
China on Wednesday called its military activities a "just" move to protect peace and stability, and again blamed Taiwan's "collusion" with foreign forces - a veiled reference to the United States - for sowing the tension.
China's Washington embassy on Wednesday said it had complained to the US government about a meeting between Taiwan's de facto ambassador to the country and senior US diplomats, and of the visit of Taiwan's army commander, Hsu Yen-pu, to the United States.
"The US should not fantasise (about) seeking China's support and cooperation while wantonly challenging China's red line on the Taiwan question," it said.
Speaking earlier in the week, Chiu said Hsu was not in the United States on a secret trip but as part of regular annual exchanges, according to Taiwan's official Central News Agency.
Hit South Korean show Squid Game has officially become Netflix's biggest original series launch, the streaming service said on Wednesday (Oct 13).
The nine-part thriller, in which cash-strapped contestants play childhood games with deadly consequences in a bid to win 45.6 billion won (US$38 million), has become a worldwide sensation for Netflix since its launch less than a month ago.
The dystopian drama has inspired countless memes, Halloween costumes of the ubiquitous green tracksuits worn by contestants and real world recreations of the various games. It has also sparked a debate within South Korea about toxic competitive societies and prompted new interest in the country's culture and language around the world.
"Squid Game has officially reached 111 million fans – making it our biggest series launch ever!" Netflix posted on Twitter.
The series reached that total in just 27 days, since its release on Sep 17, easily outpacing UK costume drama Bridgerton, which was streamed by 82 million accounts in its first 28 days.
Netflix gives limited information on viewing figures for its platform and cuts the data it does provide in various ways. The 28-day debut figures it released for Bridgerton and other shows included any account that watched an episode for at least two minutes.
Netflix co-CEO and Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos told a tech conference in California last month said the streaming service was surprised by how popular Squid Game has become.
"We did not see that coming, in terms of its global popularity," he said.
The series was so popular that South Korean Internet service provider SK Broadband sued Netflix to pay for costs from increased network traffic and maintenance work because of the surge in viewers.
And a South Korean woman was in talks with the US firm about compensation after she was deluged with thousands of prank calls and text messages when her phone number was inadvertently highlighted as a key plot point in the series.
Netflix has said it would spend more than US$500 million on content produced in South Korea this year.
