K-pop act GFriend bids farewell to fans after 6 years
Gfriend, known for its powerful performances and formerly school girl concept, bid farewell to fans after its longtime agency announced the termination of its contract.
Source Music, which had represented the six-piece group since its debut in 2015, on Tuesday announced their contract will end Saturday.
While the label, which was acquired by K-pop powerhouse Hybe in 2019, did not officially use the term “disbandment,” it said in a statement that the group has agreed to walk “separate paths” following in-depth consideration.
On Wednesday, the group’s six members — Sowon, Yerin, Eunha, Yuju, SinB and Umji — posted handwritten notes on the fan community Weverse in a move acknowledging the termination.
“Gfriend has officially neared an end, but this doesn’t mean the end of us. Don’t be too sad Buddy,” Sowon, the leader of the group, said, referring to the act’s fan base called Buddy.
Yuju thanked fans for their unwavering support and promised to show growth going forward.
“Thank you for protecting me so that I won’t break, and I’ll make sure to strive forward so that this end will not only end in sadness,” she said.
The members suggested they will continue to remain in the entertainment industry. SinB wrote that the group will “pay back (their gratitude) with individual activities” and Eunha pledged she “will try to sing wherever I am.”
Considering that the group had remained active on social media until recently and showed no sign of ending the contract, Tuesday’s announcement came as an abrupt surprise for fans.
The group, which released its third full album “Walpurgis Night” in November, had also voiced ambition for musical growth and thanked Hybe for its support in a news conference.
Tens of thousands of fans left comments on Sowon’s message on Weverse saying, “Let’s all meet again.”
GFriend, whose Korean group name translates to “girlfriend,” debuted in 2015 with the EP “Season of Glass.” It has since released hit tracks like “Me Gustas Tu,” “Rough” and “Navillera.”
GFriend, now in its seventh year, is not the only K-pop act to part ways before its seven-year anniversary.
South Korea’s fair trade watchdog advises that management agencies sign exclusive contracts of seven years with its celebrities, which has led to the coining of the industry term “seven-year jinx.”
A number of K-pop acts have disbanded after failing to renew contracts with their agencies and after group members signed individual contracts with new agencies.
In January, boy band GOT7 and their former agency JYP Entertainment announced the group’s disbandment. Members of the multinational act, which officially debuted in 2014, signed contracts with other agencies following the departure. (Yonhap)
[Malaysia] Hospitals nationwide running out of ICU beds, says Health DG
PETALING JAYA: Government hospitals are running out of beds at designated Covid-19 intensive care units (ICU) nationwide, says Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
The health director-general said ICUs were at 89% capacity in the Klang Valley and 74% nationwide as of Tuesday (May 18).
He said in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kedah, Sarawak, and Negri Sembilan ICU capacity had exceeded 80%.
“Covid-19 hospitals have increased the number of ICU beds allocated for Covid-19 patients through the repurposing of ordinary wards,” he said.
However, this came at the expense of non-Covid-19 patients from receiving proper care,” he said in a statement on Wednesday (May 19).
Dr Noor Hisham said the dramatic increase has put tremendous pressure on the national healthcare system and it is the shared responsibility of all to break the chain of Covid-19 infection.
“Now more than ever, the rakyat are important frontliners and must continue staying at home if there are no urgent matters outside.
“We have no choice; kita mesti jaga kita (we must take care of ourselves)!”
On Wednesday, Malaysia recorded an all-time high of 6,075 Covid-19 cases recorded in a single day since the pandemic began.
The country is under the third MCO, where movement is restricted and sectors such as sports, education and social are closed.
The economic sector, however, remains open.
Recently, the Health Ministry said it was mulling stricter SOPs or even a full-scale MCO.
Philippines protests as China reimposes annual fishing ban ‘without basis’
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has filed a diplomatic protest against China’s fishing ban in the South China Sea, saying the prohibition encroaches into parts of the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and puts Filipino fishermen at risk of attack from the Chinese Coast Guard.
Fishermen and conservation groups on Wednesday also denounced the May 1-Aug. 16 ban which covers waters north of the 12th parallel and two of the 12 fishing management areas (FMAs) of the Philippines—designated as zones 5 and 6 by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
These zones include waters surrounding the provinces of Antique, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Cavite, and Batangas.
The annual Chinese fishing ban roughly covers waters west of Palawan’s Busuanga Island all the way north past Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, also called Bajo de Masinloc.
The Chinese regulation’s encroachment on Philippine territory “is a violation of Philippine sovereignty and sovereign rights,” Ivy Banzon Abalos, spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), told reporters on Tuesday, a day after Manila lodged its protest with Beijing.
“And with the new Chinese Coast Guard law, it effectively grants the Chinese Coast Guard freedom and authority to use force within what it considers its maritime jurisdiction,” Abalos said. “This can curtail and put at risk the legitimate rights of Filipino fishermen to fish in Philippine territorial waters and EEZ.”
Under that law, the Chinese Coast Guard is allowed to “take all necessary measures, including the use of weapons when national sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction are being illegally infringed upon by foreign organizations or individuals at sea.”
‘Verbal threat of war’
The DFA earlier protested against the law, which Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said was “a verbal threat of war to any country that defies” it.
The DFA said China’s unilateral ban did not exempt areas with the Philippines’ EEZ and did not limit it to Chinese vessels.
Citing Paragraph 716 of the July 2016 arbitral award on the South China Sea, it said the prohibition breached Article 56 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) “with respect to the Philippines’ sovereign rights over the living resources of its EEZ.”
The award refers to the ruling of the arbitral tribunal that invalidated China’s sweeping claims to the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
The award also affirmed the traditional and legitimate fishing rights of Filipino fishermen.
“China’s annual fishing moratorium extends far beyond China’s legitimate maritime entitlements under Unclos and is without basis under international law. China cannot legally impose nor legally enforce such a moratorium in the West Philippine Sea,” the DFA said in a statement on Tuesday.
It also strongly urged China “to desist from any action and activity that infringes on Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction, in contravention of international law.”
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea has told Filipino fishermen to ignore the Chinese ban and continue fishing in Philippine waters.
Undefined coverage
In an online video conference with representatives of the international marine conservation group Oceana, resident Geographic Information System expert Jessie Floren said the ban was controversial in that it did not define the longitudinal areas covered.
The FMAs designated by BFAR are protected by science-based measures and are delineated based on a number of factors, including the fish stocks available, the structure of fisheries and the distribution of their resources, among others.
According to Asis Perez, convener of Tugon Kabuhayan and former BFAR chief, FMA 5 and 6 are critical to maintaining the fish supply of the provinces around those areas and also of Metro Manila.
About 70 percent of Palawan’s catch of “galunggong,” or round scad, goes to the metropolis while Mindoro supplies tuna. Waters off Zambales and Ilocos also yield tuna, galunggong and other pelagic species, he said.
Heighten patrols
The fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Wednesday said China had “no right and moral ascendancy to impose a fishing ban under the pretext of conservation as they are the ones plundering marine resources through reclamation and annexation activities.”
“There is actually an indefinite and undeclared fishing ban in nearly the entire South China Sea, courtesy of the continued presence of Chinese vessels that create intimidation among Filipino fishers,” it added.
Zambales fishermen have reportedly abandoned their usual fishing grounds after being harassed by the Chinese Coast Guard.
Both Pamalakaya and Oceana called on President Rodrigo Duterte to assert the country’s rights and to heighten maritime patrols in the West Philippine Sea.
Oceana Philippines legal and policy director Liza Osorio said that while the Philippines’ resources were dwarfed by China’s marine arsenal, the government should use diplomatic channels to assert its sovereign rights in its EEZ.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros supported the DFA’s pronouncement against China’s fishing ban, as the 2016 arbitral award affirmed the legitimate fishing rights of Filipinos in their territorial waters.
“This is only one of the many reasons why our 2016 victory is certainly not a mere piece of paper, as some of our officials claim,” she said in a statement, referring to such statement from Duterte himself.
She called on the Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, BFAR and the Filipino fisherfolk to continue patrolling and venturing out to sea.
“I hope that we in the Philippines, we who have the legal right in the WPS, can unanimously agree to take ownership of a territory that is rightfully ours,” she said.
The French Government granted EUR 1.5 million to the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to monitor rainfall and river flow in order to better understand flow changes and the corresponding impacts on development projects.
New funding will continue to improve and expand its network for better river monitoring and management of water infrastructure along the mainstream and Mekong’s key tributaries.
The funding granted on May 17 is also a follow-up to two other grants of EUR 4 million from France for the first two phases of the hydro-meteorological network project.
During the first phase (2007–2012), the MRC established a network of 49 hydro-meteorological stations along the Mekong and its tributaries to collect near-real time data of water level and rainfall every 15 minutes for flood forecasting and depth monitoring.
During the second phase (2016–2022), the MRC has expanded the network with 11 additional stations along the mainstream and improved the understanding of river dynamics and the application of data for other areas of water resources management.
The funding, made available through the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), will span four years from 2021 to 2025. It aims to increase the ability of the MRC and its Member to monitor rainfall and river flow in order to better understand flow changes and the corresponding impacts of development projects and climate change on the riverine communities and the environment, especially water quality, sediment, and fisheries.
MRC Secretariat CEO, Dr An Pich Hatda said, “the Mekong River is the lifeblood of millions of people who depend on the river for their livelihoods. But as development accelerates and climate change intensifies, insufficient data and information on water infrastructure in the basin and the way this infrastructure is operated have made it difficult to forecast impacts”.
He went on to say, “We hope to strengthen the current river monitoring system, making it more efficient, reliable and capable of collecting and transmitting real-time rainfall, water levels, and other environmental data to aid responsible development and management of the river”. The MRC Secretariat stressed.
“The funding should allow the MRC to advance the knowledge of the hydrological profile of the Mekong River and its main tributaries and thus create an integrated monitoring system for better management of the river,” said Ms Julie Gabet-Ouahioune, AFD Country Director for the Lao PDR, as she inked the new grant agreement that was also co-signed by Madame Florence Jeanblanc-Risler, Ambassador of France to the Lao PDR.
Since 2006, France has granted over EUR 10 million (about US$ 12 million) to support river monitoring, flood and drought management, climate change, and environmental management.
[Myanmar] Basic food prices increase up to 15 percent
Prices of some basic foodstuffs have increased by 10 percent to 15 percent, according to local foodstuff entrepreneurs and fish and meat wholesalers.
The major foodstuffs seeing a sharp increase in price are rice, cooking oil, meat, vegetables and medicines.
Increasing prices have started since February 1, and they are showing no signs of decreasing again, said sellers and buyers alike.
“When I went to the market to buy cooking oil as a reserve, I learnt that a 1.8-liter bottle of vegetable oil has increased from Ks3,500 to Ks4,500. The price remains so now,” said a resident in South Dagon Township, Yangon Region.
Normal rice prices remain stable but the price of Pawhsan Taungpyan rice with better quality has increased from over Ks40,000 to around Ks50,000 per bag containing 24 pyis. Meanwhile, the price of Pyapon Pawhsanhmway has increased to Ks40,500 or K48,000. Prices of quality rice have increased by 10 percent to 15 percent.
“Prices are different at different shops. Prices of all quality rice are increasing,” said Cho Cho Thin, a rice dealer in Thingangyun Township.
The price of a 1.8-litre bottle of Mazin brand vegetable oil has increased from Ks3,500 to Ks4,500 or 4,600. In the meantime, the price of one container of groundnut oil (10 viss) has increased from Ks60,000 to Ks65,000 or Ks70,000, according to oil dealers.
The price of farm chicken has increased from Ks5,000 to around Ks6,000 per viss and that of traditional Bamar chicken from Ks7,000 to Ks10,000. Pork price has increased to Ks12,000 per viss up from Ks8,500.
Vegetable prices have also increased double while some consumer goods prices such as drugs are seeing an increase as well.
Published : May 19, 2021
By : Nyein Nyein Thu and Theingi Win Tun/Eleven Media/ANN
[Nepal] Highly contagious double mutant Indian variant responsible for current surge of Covid-19 cases
A WHO collaborating centre in India confirmed that all samples of the infected people belong to B.1.617, known as double mutant variant, which is highly infectious and possibly more lethal.
The highly infectious, and possibly more lethal, sub-lineages of double mutant variants of the coronavirus, known as B.1.617.2, and B.1.617.1 have been found to be responsible for the current surge in the new cases throughout the country.
The Ministry of Health and Population, confirmed the presence of B.1.617.2, and B.1.617.1 in the swab samples of infected people.
The ministry had collected 35 swab samples randomly from across the country and sent for whole genome sequencing to the World Health Organisation collaborating centre for genome sequencing CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, India.
“Of the 35 swab samples on which whole genome sequencing tests were performed, B.1.617.2 (sub lineage of B.1.617 )has been confirmed in the 34 samples, which is 97 percent,” a press statement of the Health Ministry said. “B.1.617.1 (sub-lineage) has been found in one swab sample.”
The World Health Organisation had classified the B.1.617 variant of ‘global concern’ on May 10. The variant has already spread in more than 30 countries, according to the UN health agency.
With the detection of the two new sub lineages of the B.1.617, three new variants of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Nepal.
Earlier in January, a fast spreading UK variant, known as B.1.1.7 was confirmed in three people returned from the United Kingdom.
Some independent researchers, who had carried out whole-genome sequencing in Nepal, last week told the Post that the highly infectious, and possibly more lethal, sub-lineage of double mutant variant of the coronavirus, known as B.1.617.2, could be the reason for the fast spread of the disease.
“Of the 12 swab samples of the infected people collected randomly from Lalitpur, B.1.617.2 was found in swab samples of nine people,” Dibesh Karmacharya, executive director at the Center for Molecular Dynamics-Nepal, had told the Post last week. “This B.1.617.2 appears to be spreading more quickly than two other identified subtypes of the Indian variant.”
Experts for some time have been raising concerns if the Indian double mutant was responsible for the fast spread of the virus in Nepal, which shares a long porous border with India.
The World Health Organisation’s chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan, in an interview with the AFP new agency, had said that the B.1.617.2 variant may be dodging vaccine protections.
“The epidemiological features that we see in India today do indicate that it’s an extremely rapidly spreading variant,” the AFP quoted Swaminathan as saying.
She further said it has some mutations which increase transmission, and which also potentially could make [it] resistant to antibodies that are generated by vaccination or by natural infection.
[South Korea] Major tour agencies cut 15% of workforce over COVID-19 fallout
South Koreas six major travel agencies cut some 15 percent of their workforce over the past year as travel demand has taken a massive hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Wednesday.
At the end of March, six listed travel firms had a total of 4,268 employees, down 15.4 percent from a year ago, according to the data by the Financial Supervisory Service.
Industry leader HanaTour shed 13 percent of its workforce, and Mode Tour cut 10.7 percent, the data showed.
In the first quarter of this year, the average salary of a HanaTour employee stood at 4 million won ($3,543), compared with 9 million won a year ago, according to the data.
However, their stock prices have rallied over expectations that travel demand will soon recover as vaccinations gain speed around the world.
At the end of March, shares of HanaTour jumped 82.7 percent on year, while shares of Mode Tour soared 123.9 percent on year.
Local tour operators have been hit hard by the global spread of COVID-19, which has resulted in a tumble in travel demand following lockdowns in the United States and major European countries. More than 140 countries have imposed entry bans on South Koreans.
With overseas travel almost impossible, the government has joined hands with travel agencies to boost domestic tourism in a bid to help them tide over the crisis.
Travel agencies, in turn, are struggling to overcome the coronavirus fallout with furloughs and other cost-cutting measures. (Yonhap)
Xi, Putin to launch nuclear energy projects as recovery efforts intensify
President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will take part in an online ceremony on Wednesday to launch construction of nuclear energy projects, as the two countries intensify cooperation amid the global economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that Xi and Putin will use the event to conduct their first online exchanges this year, which are important to guiding high-level development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.
Nuclear energy cooperation has been a priority for the partnership.
In June 2018, China National Nuclear Corp and Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation agreed to jointly build the No 7 and No 8 power units at the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, and the No 3 and No 4 power units at the Xudabu Nuclear Plant in Huludao, Liaoning province.
Xi and Putin witnessed the signing of the 20 billion yuan ($3.1 billion) deal, which is the biggest cooperation project on nuclear energy between the two nations.
The construction of the joint projects comes as the two countries celebrate the 20th anniversary of their signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between China and Russia.
It also takes place as China is taking steps toward achieving peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. China has vowed to improve its industrial structure and energy mix. While promoting clean and efficient use of coal, it is also developing new energy sources and has taken steps toward developing nuclear energy while ensuring its safe use.
Construction of the four power units demonstrates the major achievements of China-Russia cooperation in the fields of high-end manufacturing and scientific and technological innovation. It will also help the two countries upgrade pragmatic cooperation in other fields, Zhao said.
Stressing nuclear energy is clean and highly efficient, Zhao said using it will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions while demonstrating China’s resolve to achieve its carbon emissions targets, which a responsible major country should pursue.
Besides their close communication and coordination in international affairs, economic cooperation between China and Russia has also gained momentum in recent years. Trade volume between the two countries reached $107.8 billion last year despite the pandemic, the third consecutive year the figure exceeded $100 billion.
At nearly $48,000 apiece, Thailand’s Nonthaburi province near Bangkok produces the world’s most-expensive durians. We find out what makes it so special.
[Vietnam] Aviation authority proposes removal ceiling rates of airfares
HÀ NỘI — The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has proposed the removal of the cap for airfares on domestic flight routes operated by at least three carriers.
It made the request in a draft report reviewing the implementation of the 2006 Law on Civil Aviation of Vietnam and the revised edition in 2014. It said the domestic transportation market has become very competitive with more and more airlines.
The CAAV has proposed on routes with three or more airlines operating together, airlines can decide their own domestic ticket prices and list them according to regulations.
At present, the ceiling rates of domestic airfares are decided based on distance in accordance with State regulations.
The basic economy fares are applicable from August 2015 for five groups of air routes, stand between VNĐ1.6 million and VNĐ3.75 million (US$70-$163), depending on distance and excluding additional costs.
Ceiling prices will limit airlines from improving flight service quality. This will affect the airlines ‘ability to compete on quality of service’, an important factor in sustainable development, CAAV, stated in a report submitted to the Ministry of Transport.
Experts said the removal of the caps will help airlines become more flexible in adjusting ticket prices during peak times and maximise revenue.
National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines proposed in 2019 that Việt Nam abolish the domestic price ceiling. Currently, Việt Nam is one of the few countries in the world that still imposes a ceiling on airfares. The CAAV has also repeatedly proposed to remove the ceiling price when amending and supplementing the Civil Aviation Law, but it has not been approved.
Vietnam Airlines also proposed to impose a domestic floor price of about VNĐ560,000 to VNĐ1.4 million to help airlines overcome the pandemic difficulties. However, the Ministry of Transport has not taken this into account. Some believe by removing the floor price will offer clients opportunities to get cheap airfares.
Local carriers served 11.7 million passengers in the first four months of 2021, up 9.5 per cent year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office.
Việt Nam is now home to six domestic airlines of national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, Vasco, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways and Vietravel Airlines. — VNS
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