EU pledges more cash in Ukraine grain standoff, Bulgaria bans imports - CNA

SOFIA: Brussels on Wednesday (Apr 19) offered an extra €100 million of support for EU farmers to ease a standoff over Ukrainian grain after Bulgaria became the latest country to approve a temporary ban on food products from the war-hit nation.

In recent days, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia banned the import of grain and other food items from Ukraine after a slump in prices triggered protests from local farmers.

As Brussels scrambles to find a solution to appease the deadlock, the European Commission on Wednesday proposed an extra €100 million (US$110 million) of support for farmers.

That money would come on top of a €56-million package that was provided for farmers in Poland, Romania and Bulgaria last month.

The latest measures would be aimed at ensuring grain could enter Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria only for export.

"EXTREME MEASURE"

Bulgarian farming minister Yavor Gechev earlier on Wednesday said that the government had "passed a decision that temporarily bans... a range of products originating from Ukraine".

Sofia said it was "forced to adopt... today's extreme measure" after unilateral bans by other countries were announced, "seriously" increasing the risk for Bulgaria due to the potential diversion of goods.

The ban will enter into force from April 24 and last until the end of June, but will not apply to the transit of goods through Bulgarian territory.

Bulgaria hopes for a common EU decision in the coming weeks.

Its neighbour Romania also announced on Wednesday that it would take additional measures regarding Ukrainian grain imports, including sealing and monitoring the vehicles that transit through the country.

Bucharest has "asked the Ukrainian side to rapidly find solutions for restricting the export of grain and oilseeds to Romania, in order to protect farmers who are facing difficulties," a government statement said.

The Romanian and Ukrainian agricultural ministers are due to meet in Bucharest on Friday to further discuss the matter.

In May 2022, the European Union allowed Kyiv to export its grain stocks through the bloc after the closure of the Black Sea shipping lanes following Russia's invasion sparked a global food crisis.

Member states agreed to import certain products from Ukraine without quantitative restrictions, and without customs inspections.

"SERIOUS DISTURBANCES"

Hungary's government on Wednesday widened its temporary ban on the imports of Ukrainian agricultural products to include honey, wine, bread, sugar and a range of meat and vegetable products.

The full list of items to be banned was revealed in a government decree, after Budapest announced on Saturday a measure to halt the import of grain, oilseeds and several other products.

Budapest complained that a significant proportion of imported Ukrainian products do not leave the EU, and instead have been sold at dumping prices in the member states.

Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs on Wednesday denounced "the sudden influx of cheap products" that has created an "untenable situation" for European farmers.

"In the absence of the obligation to comply with the strict production rules required by EU law, Ukrainian products have a competitive advantage ... which causes serious disturbances in the internal market of the member states," the decree stated.

Hungary's decree, published overnight, said that its ban would also apply to flour, cooking oil, and wine imports.

The temporary ban will last from Wednesday until Jun 30. Yet, it will not apply to the transit of these products through Hungary, the decree specified.

Hungarian authorities will seal shipments of the affected products at the border and monitor them with the help of electronic devices and patrols, it added.

Carriers who break the rules may be fined up to the full value of the shipment.

Poland and Ukraine on Tuesday struck a deal to allow Ukrainian grain to transit through Poland after Warsaw banned imports.

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2023-04-19 18:41:37Z
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PM Lee outlines 3 geopolitical storms Singapore faces - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - While Singapore’s relations with its immediate neighbours Malaysia and Indonesia are stable and encouraging, the situation further afield has become troubling and even dangerous.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said this in Parliament on Wednesday as he outlined three major geopolitical tensions that make the current global situation graver than what Singapore has faced in a long time.

Singaporeans need to realise the gravity of the situation, he said. “We are facing not just one storm, but several.”

United States-China tensions

There is deep mutual suspicion and fundamental distrust between the two superpowers that will not improve anytime soon, said Mr Lee.

“Even if the two powers avoid a direct conflict... enduring enmity and bad relations between them will be very costly for both, and will mean big trouble for the rest of the world,” he added.

While Democrats and Republicans in the US disagree on almost everything, they are united on China. The prevailing view is that efforts to work out a cooperative relationship with China have failed, and that China’s growing strength and assertiveness is becoming a grave threat to US interests and values.

Therefore, their view is that the US must go for “extreme competition” with China over technology including semiconductor chips, quantum technology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and green technologies, he said.

Negative perceptions of China are prevalent among the US population too, said Mr Lee, citing the latest Pew survey that found that more than 80 per cent of adults in the US have an unfavourable view of China, while nearly 40 per cent would describe China as an enemy of the US rather than as a competitor or partner.

He said Chinese public perception of the US has deteriorated. China’s leaders have become convinced that the US is seeking to “contain, encircle and suppress” China, he said, quoting Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“(The Chinese) say the East is rising and the West is declining, and they think the time has come for China to take its rightful place in the world,” he said.

Mr Lee added that they consider issues such as Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet to be China’s domestic matters that affect its security and integrity, and see no room for discussion or compromise on these issues.

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2023-04-19 08:20:00Z
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Man hurt in collision between cycling groups, wife slams 'crazy cyclists' - Yahoo Singapore News

Police are investigating an accident between two cyclists on Sunday morning. (PHOTO: Facebook/Serlina Eng)

SINGAPORE — A male cyclist was hospitalised with a minor brain bleed, following an accident involving two cycling groups along Upper Thomson Road towards Sembawang on Sunday morning (16 April).

Andy Oh, 49, had apparently lost his balance and fell after a group of cyclists collided into him while trying to overtake his group.

His wife Serlina Eng wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday that the accident was due to "crazy cyclists" who "let their egos get the better of them, ignoring the safety of others".

The police told Yahoo Southeast Asia on Wednesday that they are currently investigating the accident between the two groups of cyclists.

"The accident was reported to the police on Sunday at about 6:40am, and the male cyclist who was involved in the accident was conveyed conscious to the hospital," they said.

Man falls and gets injured after being overtaken by a group of cyclists

Video footage from a camera attached to Oh's bicycle was shared in Eng's Facebook post, and showed the moment of the accident.

The footage revealed that a large group of cyclists had overtaken Oh's group, and some of them appeared to be riding too close to one another and to those in Oh's group. Oh lost his balance and crashed after a cyclist moved past him on his right.

The other cyclists in Oh's group stopped at a nearby bus stop to tend to his injuries, while the cyclists in the other group rode off despite screams and shouts from Oh's wife and his group's cyclists.

Eng expressed her disappointment, saying that those cyclists had no regard for the safety of others and failed to stop when they heard the crash, despite being able to hear it loud and clear.

She added that her husband had suspected hip and elbow fractures ruled out, and was being closely monitored for his brain bleed.

In her post, she mentioned that a cyclist from the second group eventually reached out to her.

Since January last year, cyclists are allowed to ride in groups of no larger than five bicycles in a single file, or 10 if cycling two abreast, according to the Transport Ministry.

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2023-04-19 06:37:00Z
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Beijing hospital fire death toll rises to 29, director detained - CNA

Social media users posted videos on Tuesday of people sitting on external air conditioning units, while others clinging to ropes jumped from the building.

The victims were 16 women and 13 men, Li said.

"We feel deep remorse and guilt," he told journalists.

"On behalf of the Fengtai district party committee and district government, I hereby express our deep condolences for the victims, and express our sincere respects to the victims' families, the injured and their relatives, and apologise to the people of the whole city."

39 HOSPITALISED

CCTV reported that out of the 29 dead, 26 were patients at the hospital, two were hospital staff and one was a patient's family member.

There were still 78 patients being treated at the hospital, who have been moved to the facility's west building, CCTV said.

State-run People's Daily reported that as of Wednesday morning 39 people were being treated in hospital with injuries, and another three had been discharged.

Top city officials visited the hospital shortly after the fire, with Beijing party secretary Yin Li vowing to "quickly identify the cause of the accident and hold the relevant responsible persons accountable", according to the Beijing Daily.

AFP journalists on Wednesday saw dozens of onlookers outside the entrance to the hospital, where a large number of police officers were stationed, discouraging people from taking photos.

Some of the hospital's windows appeared blackened and at least one was broken, with soot marks visible on parts of the facade.

Many family members have lost contact with patients, with the missing being mostly older people with mobility problems, the China Youth Daily said in a separate report on Wednesday.

A police officer on the scene on Wednesday told AFP the city "will probably make the appropriate arrangements" to take care of victims' relatives.

Beijing Changfeng Hospital is located in the capital's western urban area, about 25 minutes by car from Tiananmen Square.

Deadly fires are common in China due to weak safety standards and lax enforcement.

Ten people died in an apartment block blaze in northwestern Xinjiang in November, sparking protests against COVID-19 lockdowns blamed for hindering rescue efforts.

And 38 people were killed in a fire at a factory in central China, also in November, with authorities blaming workers for illegal welding.

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2023-04-19 02:49:00Z
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Man injured in accident when group of cyclists overtakes another group along Upper Thomson Road - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - Police are investigating an accident between two cyclists on Sunday morning that resulted in one of them being hospitalised with a minor brain bleed. 

In the early morning incident, Mr Andy Oh, 49, lost his balance and fell after cyclists from another group overtook his group along Upper Thomson Road towards Sembawang Road.

He was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

In a Facebook post on Sunday night, Mr Oh’s wife Serlina Eng said the accident was the result of “crazy cyclists deciding to let their egos get the better of them, ignoring the safety of others”.

In video footage from a camera attached to the back of Mr Oh’s bicycle and shared on social media, he is seen riding in a group with other cyclists, in two rows.

At 6.43am, according to the video’s time stamp, a larger group of cyclists races up to overtake the first group as it is reaching the traffic junction between Upper Thomson Road and Springleaf Road.

The cyclists in the second group are seen riding three or four abreast, close to one another and to those in the first group. Some of them appear to weave their way between cyclists in the two groups.

Mr Oh loses his balance and crashes soon after a cyclist moves past him on his right.

In the video, the other cyclists in his group stop at a bus stop and attend to him.

Ms Eng said that despite screams and shouts from her and the other cyclists in her group, the cyclists in the second larger group rode off.

She said: “There was no regard for the safety of others, or even stopping when they heard a crash. And trust me, cyclists can hear a crash a mile away – it’s the most dreaded sound.”

Ms Eng added that her husband had suspected hip and elbow fractures ruled out and was being monitored closely for his brain bleed.

She said in her post that a cyclist from the second group has reached out to her.

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2023-04-18 15:20:35Z
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South Korea's Jeju Island mulls entry fee for tourists amid environment, sustainability concerns: Report - CNA

South Korea's Jeju Island is considering imposing an entry fee for tourists in order to support environmental sustainability, The Korea Times reported on Tuesday (Apr 18).

The popular tourist destination has been mulling the measure after locals raised concerns about garbage and sewage increasing beyond the island's management capacity.

If submitted and passed at the assembly, each visitor will have to pay an average of 8,170 won (US$6.20) a day, said the report. 

The fees include 1,500 won per night for tourists, 5,000 won per day for those renting a car, 10,000 won for a minivan and 5 per cent of the cost of renting a bus.

The measure could send about 141 billion won to the government coffer after the first year, increasing to 154 billion won by the second year and 167 billion won the following year, said the report, citing the island's government. 

The Jeju Special Self-Governing Province previously tried to introduce such a fee in 2012 but was thwarted by objectors, according to The Korea Times.

The Jeju government had in August 2022 asked the Korea Environment Institute, a state-run research company, to study the feasibility of the entry fee. 

The research is set to be completed by August 2023 and the government plans to propose the Bill to the National Assembly within the year.

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2023-04-18 13:14:00Z
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Parliament Sitting 18 April 2023 - MCI Singapore

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2023-04-18 11:16:35Z
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