Guinea boat tragedy: Death toll now 18, 20 still missing |
- Guinea boat tragedy: Death toll now 18, 20 still missing
- Brussels hotel offers Diane von Furstenberg package
- After slamming into Okinawa, Typhoon Vongfong weakens, downgraded to tropical storm
- Asia needs to step up in the world’s fight against Ebola — James Gibney, Michael Newman
- As expected, Morales wins for third time in Bolivia
- Thousands show support for Spain in march against Catalonia independence
| Guinea boat tragedy: Death toll now 18, 20 still missing Posted: 12 Oct 2014 05:57 PM PDT
The boat went down on Friday with 61 people aboard off the port of Benty, in the south of the country, after colliding in high seas with a mining ship. "Eighteen people were killed when a boat capsized near the Konta landing point straddling the small ports of Farmoriah and Benty," maritime prefect Lansana Toure said in a statement read out on television. A search is under way for other victims as "after three days and two nights there remains no hope of finding survivors," said local fisheries chief Ali Damba. The accident happened off Forecariah province, already badly hit by the deadly Ebola virus which has spread in Guinea and neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone. Prime Minister Mohamed Said Fofana visited the area on Saturday. Maritime accidents occur frequently off the 300km Guinean coast. In August 2012, one incident left 30 dead not far from the capital Conakry. — AFP  |
| Brussels hotel offers Diane von Furstenberg package Posted: 12 Oct 2014 05:55 PM PDT
Clients who spring for the Diane von Furstenberg Festive Break offer get to take home a signed copy of the designer's recent book The Woman I Wanted to Be, along with a classic black clutch created by DVF exclusively for the occasion. Last but not least, the offer includes a VIP shopping experience at the DVF boutique in Brussels, complete with an exclusive look at the stylist's latest collection. The tie-up between the designer and the hotel doesn't stop there: Diane von Furstenberg's creative team will also create the Hotel Amigo's Christmas decorations this winter. The holiday decor will be unveiled on December 1. Fashion addicts can take advantage of this exclusive offer for €1,500 per night (RM), including suite accommodations and a bottle of champagne. Those interested can book now for stays between December 1, 2014 and May 31, 2015. The hotel recommends booking at least 10 days prior to the start of the stay. More information and booking, click here. — AFP-Relaxnews |
| After slamming into Okinawa, Typhoon Vongfong weakens, downgraded to tropical storm Posted: 12 Oct 2014 05:52 PM PDT
Around 210,000 people from 90,000 homes were ordered to evacuate in Okinawa, 1,600km south of Tokyo, before it was hit by what wasJapan's strongest storm this year. Some of the injuries were caused by strong winds. Yesterday, wind-speeds weakened significantly on Saturday's peak of 234kph, which had made Vongfong into a "super typhoon". Airlines JAL and ANA cancelled more than 400 flights due to strong winds, while the bullet train was halted in Kyushu after the wind blew a PLASTIC SHEET onto the aerial wires of the line. Early yesterday, parts of Okinawa received more than six centimetres of rain within an hour while some parts of western areas of Japan's four main islands were forecast to receive total rainfall of over 50 centimetres, with the rain intensifying as the storm makes landfall on Monday in Kyushu. The storm is then expected to cut across the biggest of Japan's islands, Honshu, causing heavy rain in Tokyo, before exiting from the north coast, Japan's Meteorological Agency said. Vongfong, which means wasp in Cantonese, was following the path of Phanfone, a typhoon that slammed into Japan's main island on Monday, disrupting transport and prompting evacuation advisories for hundreds of thousands of people. Seven people were killed, including three US airmen swept out to sea and a man who died while surfing. — Reuters |
| Asia needs to step up in the world’s fight against Ebola — James Gibney, Michael Newman Posted: 12 Oct 2014 05:46 PM PDT OCTOBER 12 — US Secretary of State John Kerry clanged his tin cup on the lectern last week, making an "urgent plea" to the world to do more to fight Ebola. With more than 8,000 documented cases and 4,000 reported deaths in West Africa, the epidemic is outstripping international efforts to contain it — and Asian countries in particular have compelling reasons to respond. For starters, many of them have strong commercial ties to the region. China has signed deals for billions of dollars in iron ore and other commodities with countries such as Liberia and Sierra Leone. Japan is one of Sierra Leone's biggest export destinations, and India one of its biggest source of imports. Liberia's ship registry business makes South Korea its largest source of imports. And that's not to mention the huge numbers of Asians working in West Africa — more than 8,000 Filipinos, for instance. More broadly, the growth of trade-driven Asian economies depends on the free flow of goods and people. Epidemics and the security measures that accompany them are bad for business. The 2003 outbreak of sudden acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in China, for instance, led to about 8,500 cases in 30 countries, resulted in more than 800 deaths, and reduced economic growth and activity throughout the region. Asian countries also have some of the densest urban populations in the world, and some of the most uneven public health systems. In such places, the arrival of Ebola would be devastating. Together with the economic consequences, the risks of Ebola going unchecked are arguably greater for Asia than any other part of the world. But the argument goes beyond economics and self-interest, and for Asians, the moral case for more involvement may have special relevance. Asian immigrants were regularly (and shamefully) quarantined upon their arrival in the 19th and 20th centuries in the US, and came to know all too well what it was like to be stigmatised as vectors of disease. That fate should not befall anyone in the 21st century. Sadly, there is evidence that on some occasions, Asians have allowed fear to trump both science and historical memory. All of this makes the paltry response to date of some Asian nations so disappointing. Japan has contributed slightly more than US$40 million (RM130 million) — not a lot for one of the world's richest and most advanced societies — and sent four doctors via the World Health Organization. It is not even in the top 10 contributors to the United Nations' Ebola response campaign, which is US$300 million shy of its goal. South Korea, where the onset of Ebola panic prompted Korean Air to unnecessarily cancel direct flights to East Africa, has pledged US$5.6 million — about one-quarter the amount given by Sweden. To China's credit, it has sent 174 doctors and medical personnel and a mobile lab to Sierra Leone, and contributed US$37 million in assistance. Yet given its robust commercial ties to Africa, it can and should do more — send more doctors and technicians, build at least one more dedicated Ebola treatment facility, commit to providing logistics and care for its patients. With the US Congress meddling in the US military's relief operations in West Africa, quick Chinese assistance is even more essential. China and India also both have uniquely valuable expertise: China through its work in detecting and containing SARS, India with its street-by-street campaign to eradicate polio. Both also share an aspiration for greater global leadership. What better way to fulfil it than to apply more force and ingenuity to stopping the greatest threat facing global public health? — Bloomberg View * This is the personal opinion of the columnists. |
| As expected, Morales wins for third time in Bolivia Posted: 12 Oct 2014 05:42 PM PDT
A Mori exit poll released by Unitel television showed Morales, a prominent member of the bloc of socialist and anti-US leaders in Latin America, winning 61 per cent of the vote. His closest rival, Samuel Doria Medina, had 24 per cent. A quick count released by local TV channel ATB showed Morales with 60.5 per cent of the vote. Morales' folksy appeal and prudent spending of funds from a natural gas bonanza to finance welfare programs, roads and schools have earned the 54-year-old wide support in a country long dogged by coups and political instability. His winning margin in the exit poll was in line with opinion polls ahead of the vote, which also forecast the former coca grower's Movement Toward Socialism party would maintain its grip on Congress. If confirmed when official results come in, Morales will be in a strong position to keep pursuing his brand of "indigenous socialism", under which he has nationalized key industries such as oil and gas to finance welfare programs and build new roads and schools. "I voted for Morales," said Flavia Nunez, a 50-year-old office clerk, in central La Paz. "These other right-wing candidates would take us back in time. I don't want that." Morales' rivals struggled to match his charisma or offer the Andean country's 6 million voters a more compelling vision for the economy, often focusing on corruption and drugs. Doria Medina had hugged and kissed his way across the country in a bid to shake off his businessman image but failed to win broad support in a nation that has generally lapped up Morales' anti-capitalist, anti-US rhetoric. Morales campaign billboards ran the slogan "With Evo we're doing well". Voters agreed. A win means Morales, who became Bolivia's first indigenous leader in 2006, will remain in office until January 2020. He has delivered economic growth averaging above 5 per cent a year, also winning plaudits from Wall Street for running fiscal surpluses. Under Morales, the number of Bolivians living in extreme poverty has fallen to one in five from more than a third of the population of 10 million in 2006. Even so, Bolivia remains one of the poorest countries in the Americas. Morales' critics accuse him of using his power to control the courts and of violating the constitution which limits a president to two consecutive terms. Morales has said he will not run again at the next election in late 2019. An overwhelming win for Morales would underscore the divisions within the opposition and dampen the hopes held by some voters for change. "This government has had two terms and I don't like it when a small clique lingers on in power," economist Miguel Angel Perez, 53, who voted for Quiroga, said before the results were announced. — Reuters |
| Thousands show support for Spain in march against Catalonia independence Posted: 12 Oct 2014 05:36 PM PDT
Less than a month from a November 9 referendum date set by Catalonia's leaders for a vote on secession, some 40,000 people demonstrated in the Catalan capital, according to police. Waving Spanish and Catalan flags, the crowd chanted "Mas, resign!", a jab at Catalonia regional president Artur Mas, who called the referendum on independence in defiance of the Madrid government which says it is illegal. "I want the freedom to be both Spanish and Catalan at the same time," Javier Pardo, 23, told AFP. "They can't take that away from me." The rally, organised by the Catalan Civil Society group under the slogan of "Spain for All", is the latest in a series of rallies by advocates of both sides of the hotly contested issue. Spain's Constitutional Court has ordered the referendum suspended while it deliberates on its legality, a process that could take years. Mas and the regional Catalan government have said they will decide by Wednesday whether to push ahead with plans for the vote despite the court injunction. "What we want is an end to this division and to the conflict," rally organiser Ramon Bosch said at the Barcelona demo. For Bosch, making Catalonia a nation would in turn make its 7.5 million Catalonians "poorer and more insignificant". Catalan nationalists were fired up by last month's independence referendum in Scotland, which was authorised by the British government. Voters ended up rejecting independence. Proud of their distinct language and culture, residents in the northeastern region have long complained they get a raw deal from the government in Madrid, which decides how their taxes are spent. The region accounts for about a fifth of Spain's economy, but has been hit hard, like much of the country, by the recent years of recession. But an October 5 poll showed only 23 per cent of Catalans supported the idea of forging ahead with the referendum and 45 per cent wanted the regional authorities to comply with the stay ordered by the Constitutional Court. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy also reached out to Catalans on Spain's national day to stress the common "deep roots" that Catalans shared with other Spaniards. In a comment published in the Catalan language edition of El Pais newspaper, the conservative leader said his government was ready to build "bridges" in its negotiations with Catalans. — AFP |
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