Press freedom

PARIS (Reuters) - Police reinforcements arrived in the French Caribbean territory of Martinique on Tuesday to restore order after unrest that erupted over COVID-19 measures, in particular the mandatory vaccination of healthcare workers, a government minister said. Martinique, and before it the nearby island of Guadeloupe, has seen several days of protests against COVID-19 measures that spilled over into violence. Sebastien Lecornu, the minister for France's overseas territories, said 70 gendarmes had arrived earlier in the day, in addition to two squadrons that were deployed from metropolitan France unannounced, to help clear road blocks. "Social dialogue is not possible without a sound basis and that sound basis is the re-establishment of freedoms ... and our capacity to re-establish order," Lecornu told a press conference in Martinique after meeting its leaders and trade unions. Last week, Paris announced that it would be postponing a requirement that public sector ... » Learn More about France sends more police to Martinique to quell COVID unrest

MELAKA: Any decision to ground the use of Hawk 108 air fighter jets following the aircraft crash in Penang will be determined by the Armed Forces and Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) chiefs, says Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein. The Defence Minister said the decision must also be based on the outcome of the special investigative board. "It is not a decision that should be made by me. It must come from the Armed Forces and the Royal Malaysian Air Force. "I believe that the Armed Forces and Air Force chiefs can update me on the need to use the Hawk 108 jets," he told a press conference here Wednesday (Nov 17). He was accompanied by Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong. During the incident, an RMAF officer was killed and another injured when their aircraft crashed during a training exercise at Teluk Ayer Tawar base. The officer who was killed in the Tuesday (Nov 16) night crash was identified as Kapt Mohamad Affendi Bustamy. His co-pilot, who was injured, and is now ... » Learn More about Any decision to ground Hawk 108 fighter jets to be determined by Armed Forces, RMAF chiefs, says Hishammuddin

Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg While border measures are Singapore's first line of defence against the imported risk of Covid-19, the country "cannot rely solely" on such measures to stop the virus, or the new Omicron variant from entering, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said. Multiple layers of defence needed Speaking at a press conference held by the Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MMT) on Tuesday, Nov. 30, co-chair Wong said they know this from the experience they had "over the past two years of the pandemic". He said, "Take the example of the Delta variant. Even the countries with the strictest of border regimes like China and New Zealand have experienced the Delta variants in their countries, and so it will be for this new variant." He added that it's important "to recognise that border measures are really part of an overall system of defence". Wong further explained that strong border measures will help to buy time, but ... » Learn More about S’pore needs to build up other defences, not just border measures, to tackle Omicron variant: Lawrence Wong

Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg Japan has confirmed its first case of the Omicron Covid-19 variant, Kyodo News reported a government source as saying on Nov. 30. The infected person is a man in his 30s who tested positive upon arrival at Narita Airport on Nov. 28 from Namibia in Africa. Earlier on Nov. 29, Japan announced that they would be suspending all foreign visitors from entering the country in light of the spread of the Omicron variant. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the decision was made to "avoid the worst-case scenario", adding that "it is a temporary measure until information about the Omicron variant becomes clear". The Omicron variant has been classified as a " variant of concern " by Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases on Nov. 28, the highest level on the country's three-tiered alert system. No cases in Singapore yet As of Nov. 29, 2021, the variant has been detected in at ... » Learn More about Japan confirms 1st case of Omicron variant

Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg An episode of "The Simpsons" that features references to the Tiananmen massacre in China is missing from the Disney+ subscription service in the special administrative region of Hong Kong, The Guardian reported. Episode 12 of season 16, entitled "Goo Goo Gai Pan", featured the yellow chinless family travelling to China to adopt a baby. During their time there, the Simpsons visited Tiananmen Square, the site where a brutal crackdown on protestors took place on June 4, 1989. References to the Tiananmen massacre The scene in the cartoon showed plaque at Tiananmen Square that read, "On this site, in 1989, nothing happened". China's censorship of the Tiananmen incident is well known. Another scene in the episode also featured a character standing in front of a tank, an unsubtle reference to the highly recognisable "tank man". "Tank man" is considered an iconic figure of the ... » Learn More about ‘The Simpsons’ episode on Tiananmen massacre missing from Disney+ in Hong Kong

Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg Malaysia has become "an international laughing stock" for proposing to revive the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project, the country's opposition member Lim Guan Eng said. This was after they paid Singapore RM320 million (S$102.8 million) as compensation for terminating the project, he added. The secretary-general of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) said in a statement posted on his Twitter account on Nov. 30 that the "flip-flop" is "symbolic" of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional (BN) governments' "incompetence and indecisiveness", which has cost taxpayers' money "unnecessarily" for a "start-stop project". Ministers Responsible For Recommending The Payment Of RM320 Million In Compensation Cost To Terminate The KL-Singapore High Speed Rail(HSR) Project Should Resign. pic.twitter.com/hjHfEGdKKX — Lim Guan Eng (@guanenglim) November 30, 2021 Malaysia ... » Learn More about M’sia has become ‘international laughing stock’ for proposing to revive HSR: Lim Guan Eng

Defence lawyer M. Ravi said he had requested the hearing scheduled for Tuesday be delayed. The Court of Appeal has not informed him of a new date, the lawyer added. The court didn't immediately reply to a request for comment from The Associated Press. The hearing was originally scheduled for Nov 10, a day before Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam was to be executed by hanging for trying to smuggle less than 43g (1.5 ounces) of heroin into the country. The appeal was postponed after the defendant was diagnosed with Covid-19. Previous attempts to reduce the 33-year-old Malaysian national's sentence to life in prison or receive a presidential pardon have failed, despite pleas from the international community and rights groups. Death penalty opponents say Nagaenthran’s IQ of 69 was disclosed during an earlier lower court hearing. That level is internationally recognised as an intellectual disability. But the court has ruled that Nagaenthran knew what he was doing. The case has drawn ... » Learn More about Appeal postponed for disabled Malaysian on death row in Singapore

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Nov 30 (Borneo Bulletin/ANN): With the consent of Brunei king Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, the temporary suspension on cross-border activities has been extended to Dec 15, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has announced. This applies to entry of foreign nationals via land and sea ports, including transits through Brunei Darussalam, except for entry and transit travels approved by the government. The PMO said entry and transits through Brunei may only be considered for transit vehicles with permits issued by the government and that the travellers have endorsement from their local authorities for their travels, and will be subject to existing entry conditions and procedures. These travel must be for the following purposes: official government travel; students who are required to attend school; emergency services (such as ambulances, police and military) and vaccinated foreign-registered transport operators with permits issued by the government for import ... » Learn More about Brunei: Suspension of cross-border activities extended until Dec 15

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): The relaxation of social measures will be paused, and travellers entering Singapore will face stricter rules from 11.59pm on Thursday (Dec 2), as the country acts to buy time amid the spread of the new Omicron variant around the world. The Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Tuesday (Nov 30) that while no cases of Omicron - found in South Africa last week - have been detected locally, the pre-emptive measures are needed for Singapore to assess the implications of the new variant. They will also help to reduce the risk of importation of the virus. From 11.59pm on Thursday, air travellers arriving on the quarantine-free Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme will have to undergo supervised, self-administered antigen rapid tests at a Quick Test Centre on days three and seven of their arrival. Currently, these travellers have to take a Covid-19 swab test only prior to their departure for Singapore and after arrival here. Second, all air ... » Learn More about Singapore tightens border measures, halts further easing of social measures over Omicron variant fears

Abiy, a former lieutenant-colonel in the military, announced last week that he would head to the battlefield ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Tuesday urged Tigrayan rebels to surrender, claiming government forces were nearing victory just one week after he vowed to lead military operations at the front. His upbeat portrayal of the military's fortunes came as fighting reportedly raged on at least three fronts, one of which -- the town of Debre Sina -- is located less than 200 kilometres (120 miles) by road from the capital Addis Ababa. "The youth of Tigray is perishing like leaves. Knowing it is defeated, it is being led by one who does not have a clear vision or plan," Abiy, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, said in comments aired on state media. "It should surrender today to the Ethiopian National Defence Force, to the special forces, to the militias and to the people." Tuesday's footage was the latest in a series of clips showing Abiy, in uniform ... » Learn More about Ethiopia PM claims war gains, urges rebels to ‘surrender’