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In today's bulletin: Deadly typhoon Haishen batters South Korea after lashing Japan leaving millions affected; India is now Asia's top hotspot for coronavirus infections; reports of abductions in border areas increase tensions between New Delhi and Beijing; Singapore invites applications for organisers to resume MICE conferences with up to 250 people; Covid-19 knocks several of Asia's nightlife outlets, and more.
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TYPHOON HAISHEN BATTERS S. KOREA AFTER LASHING JAPAN
Powerful typhoon Haishen battered South Korea on Monday leaving half a million people without power after lashing southern Japan with record winds and heavy rains, forcing millions of people to move away from the path of the storm.
Weather forecasters said the typhoon would make landfall again in Chongjin, North Hamgyong province in North Korea, at around midnight.
Haishen follows Mayak, one of the region's strongest typhoons in years, that left a trail of destruction in the Korean peninsula and Japan last week. In reports over the weekend, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was seen inspecting the damage.
Meanwhile, Japan's coastguard said today it couldn't resume the search-and-rescue mission for 40 missing crew from a capsized cattle ship in the East China Sea.
Delve deeper:
Power cuts, evacuation as typhoon hits south Japan
INDIA NOW HAS ASIA'S HIGHEST NUMBER OF CORONAVIRUS CASES
India has surpassed Brazil to become the world's second-largest hotspot of coronavirus infections after the United States, raising fresh concern among observers over the nation's ability to contain the spread.
The number of cases crossed the 4 million mark over the weekend. Worryingly, the country took just 13 days to go from three million to four million cases, our India Correspondent Debarshi Dasgupta reports. Experts have said it is difficult to prevent further spread as the chain of transmission is not clear.
Elsewhere, in Tokyo, officials commenced planning for the postponed Olympics but reports said plans were afoot to reduce the number of spectators as well as the size of ceremonies.
In New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern resumed campaigning for the delayed general election while in Myanmar, the National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi withdrew from an event where she was to begin her election campaign, after being advised to do so by the Ministry of Health.
Singapore and South Korea, meanwhile, reported their lowest number of infections. The Republic reported 22 new Covid-19 cases today, the lowest daily figure in more than 5 months while South Korea reported 119 new cases by midnight on Sunday, far lower than its peak of more than 400 cases per day.
Read more on Covid-19:
China unveils Covid-19 vaccines for first time at trade fair
Philippines widens search for Covid-19 vaccine with Australia talks
INDIA ALERTS CHINA ABOUT ABDUCTION OF FIVE CIVILIANS IN BORDER AREA
Yet another incident along the disputed border between India and China was the clearest signal yet that the rift between the two countries following a border clash in June, is far from resolved.
The Indian military alerted China of allegations that five men had been abducted by the People's Liberation Army from an area near the disputed border. The five missing civilians are from the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which is also claimed by China that calls it South Tibet, and the Indian Army said it told the PLA about them on Saturday.
The incident comes amid talks between India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of an international meeting in Moscow.
Read more:
China, India must calm border tensions
China rails against India's fresh ban on 118 Chinese apps
SINGAPORE TO ALLOW BIGGER MICE EVENTS
Conferences and exhibitions could return to Singapore soon with the government announcing today that it is inviting applications from organisers from Oct 1 to host such events. A maximum of 250 participants will be allowed initially.
This follows a successful trial in August for an event involving 50 delegates. Another pilot event is scheduled next month - the Singapore International Energy Week conference will take place at Marina Bay Sands from Oct 26 to 30.
The Republic has been a leading MICE hub before the pandemic raged across the region knocking scheduled events one after the other. A travel insurance product for inbound travellers to cover critical Covid-19 related expenses is also in the works.
Also read:
Singapore looks to widen range of visitors
No big shifts in Singapore's tourism plans for longer term
PANDEMIC KNOCKS NIGHTLIFE HUBS ACROSS ASIA
Nightlife hubs across the region have been hit badly with the pandemic still spreading across the region, leaving clubs and karaoke rooms closed and strict regulations in place to ensure social distancing in restaurants & bars that have been allowed to stay open in some economies. In Beijing, however, the nightlife industry is slowly coming back to life. Our correspondents report.
IN OTHER NEWS
WHAT'S BLOCKING JAPAN'S ENTRY INTO THE 'FIVE EYES' CLUB? Defence and security specialists in the United States and a few other key Western countries are bracing themselves for the continued drumbeat of what is by now a familiar Tokyo refrain: appeals that Japan should be allowed to join the so-called Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which brings together the spooks of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Britain and the United States. So, why shouldn't the Japanese be allowed to join it? Global Affairs Correspondent Jonathan Eyal shares his insight in this article. (premium content)
THAILAND HUNTS FOR NEW FINANCE MINISTER: After its finance minister's surprise exit, Thailand is looking for a new chief to steer its economy through the coronavirus crisis, with the outgoing central bank boss being linked to the job and a deputy minister throwing his hat into the ring. Banker Predee Daochai quit as finance minister last week, as the government struggles to pull South-east Asia's second-biggest economy out of an outbreak-induced slump.
HONG KONG'S 'SPEEDBOAT FUGITIVES': The controversy over the disappearance of about a group of 12 Hong Kongers who tried to flee the city by speedboat last month but were intercepted some 70km away by mainland authorities deepened as lawyers representing the fugitives said they had been denied access to meet their clients. The prospect of Hong Kongers getting entangled in China's judicial system was the spark that lit seven months of pro-democracy protests last year.
That's it for today. Thanks for reading. We'll be back with you tomorrow.
Shefali
