The meeting  was held on the the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), It is a platform comprising ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners including India, officials said here.

In the meeting with US defence secretary Esper, Singh reaffirmed New Delhi’s vision for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region based on a rules-based order and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

China has been fast expanding military and economic influence in the Indo-Pacific region, triggering concern in various countries of the region and beyond.

Singh said there has been a growing convergence between India and the US on the Indo-Pacific, adding the 10-member grouping of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is central to New Delhi’s vision for the region.

“Had an excellent meeting with US Secretary of Defence, Dr. Mark T Esper in Bangkok today. We talked about ways to expand defence cooperation between India and the United States,” he tweeted.

Singh conveyed to his American counterpart that he was looking forward to have substantial discussions during the deliberations under the ‘two-plus-two’ foreign and defence ministerial dialogue between the two countries in Washington later next month, the defence ministry said in a statement.

The inaugural Indo-US ‘two-plus-two’ talks took place here in September last year.

Singh  expressed happiness on the growing Indo-US ties. He said the cooperation between the two sides has grown across a wide range of sectors, including defence and security, economy, energy, counter-terrorism and people-to-people relationship.

Singh and Esper also discussed a number of key issues concerning regional security and bilateral defence cooperation.

The ADMM-Plus is also likely to review the evolving security scenario in the region, particularly in the maritime domain.

The inaugural ADMM-Plus was convened in Hanoi in 2010.  Five areas of practical cooperation to pursue under the new mechanism, including maritime security, counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping operations  were agreed on by the  then Defence Ministers.

The Defence Minister also held a separate meeting with his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono with a focus on adding further momentum to bilateral defence cooperation.

Rajnath Singh holds talk with US Defence Secretary with focus on bilateral security cooperation

From 2016 to 2018, the proportion of Healthier Choice Symbol products in the market, across 100 food categories, increased by 7.4 percentage points, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Sunday (Nov 17) in an update on its efforts.

As of 2018, one in two stalls in hawker centres and coffee shops have at least one healthier option on their menu, as part of the Healthier Dining Programme.

People with diabetes are also getting greater support to help them manage their condition.

For instance, a beta set of reference materials for newly diagnosed patients to help them make changes to their lifestyle is available on HealthHub, an e-services portal and mobile app where Singaporeans can access their health records and other resources. A full set of materials will be available by the end of this year.

Programmes to address common complications associated with diabetes, such as eye problems, kidney failure and limb amputations, have also been rolled out.

They include the Singapore Integrated Diabetic Retinopathy Programme, which started in 2012. It is a centralised screening programme at all polyclinics to detect eye complications in patients with diabetes. The annual number of eye screenings performed as part of this programme has increased from about 14,000 in 2012 to 92,000 last year.

Senior Minister of State for Law and Health Edwin Tong shared a summary report of the efforts made in the war on diabetes launched in 2016.

Speaking at an event on Sunday to commemorate World Diabetes Day, Mr Tong said: “Diabetes is a serious health concern globally and in Singapore.” One in three Singaporeans is at risk of developing diabetes in their lifetime, he added.

He touched on three broad issues in tackling the disease – empowering patients, equipping healthcare professionals and the community well, and helping people maintain healthy lifestyle choices.

In the area of patient empowerment, Mr Tong cited a pilot programme by the National University Health System (NUHS) to motivate individuals to take control of their condition and make their own lifestyle changes.

But on top of that, healthcare professionals and volunteers “need access to more training and resources to improve their delivery of care”, he said.

To strengthen community support, Mr Tong noted that there are initiatives to better equip volunteers, such as through the Health Peers Programme by Changi General Hospital and NUHS, where layperson volunteers called Health Peers are trained by professionals to deal with people with diabetes.

The third area in the fight against diabetes is to create an environment that helps people to initiate and sustain positive lifestyle changes, such as ramping up healthier choice options, Mr Tong said.

He added: “While the government, the healthcare family and the community will continue to provide support and nudge Singaporeans towards healthier habits, one’s health is ultimately a personal responsibility and it requires the individual to initiate and sustain positive behaviours.”

According to the latest available National Population Health Survey, 8.6 per cent of Singapore residents had diabetes in 2017. MOH has said the latest statistics are not ready to be published.

The event on Sunday was organised by Diabetes Singapore and NUHS to raise public awareness of diabetes. There were public health screenings as well as a symposium for general practitioners.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/wider-range-of-healthier-food-choices-more-programmes-to-fight-diabetes-since-2016

Opposition parties are demanding that intensive debates over the issue be held at a budget committee meeting participated in by the prime minister, but the ruling coalition, led by Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party, has no plan to accept the demand.

The opposition side at the same time is increasingly cautious about the scenario of Abe dissolving for a snap election the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, at next year’s ordinary parliamentary session, which is slated to be convened in January, in an attempt to divert public attention from the matter.

The opposition camp is accusing Abe of using taxpayer money for his own interest, claiming that guests to the state-funded party included many of his supporters. Abe is also under fire because his personal office allegedly covered part of the costs for a dinner for his supporters held on the eve of the cherry blossom party, a practice that could be in violation of the Public Offices Election Law. In addition, the list of guests to the cherry blossom party was discarded.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Abe tried to defend himself over the scandal, saying, among other things, that the costs for the dinner were fully borne by the guests and that there was no legal violation.

But the opposition camp rejected the claims. “This is a big issue. Discarding the list of guests is a violation of the rules,” Yuichiro Tamaki, head of the opposition Democratic Party for the People, said in a street speech in the city of Tosa, Kochi Prefecture on Saturday.

“Opposition parties should discuss immediately how to cooperate in dealing with the scandal,” Jun Azumi, Diet affairs chief of the major opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, told reporters on Friday.

At a plenary meeting on Wednesday, the House of Councillors, is slated to start deliberations on a bill to ratify a recently signed Japan-U.S. trade agreement, with Abe seen attending the gathering. The opposition bloc is expected to question the prime minister about the scandal at the meeting.

The Cabinet Committee of the Lower House is also scheduled to meet on the same day.

By upgrading their joint investigation team to a “headquarters,” opposition parties plan to strengthen their probe of the problem and grill the Abe government for the rest of the ongoing extraordinary Diet session, which is set to end on Dec. 9.

But the ruling bloc keeps rejecting the opposition demand for Abe to speak about the scandal at the Diet. A senior LDP lawmaker in the upper house also sounded negative about holding intensive debates at a budget committee meeting, saying, “There is no time for such debates.”

Some ruling coalition lawmakers are seeking to extend the Diet session to pass bills, including one to amend the national referendum law for improving voter convenience in a possible referendum on revising the Constitution.

With opposition parties certain to press the ruling side harder to agree to hold intensive discussions, however, an LDP executive said, “We are not considering an extension of the Diet session.”

A senior CDPJ official said that the party is ready to continue shedding light on the cherry blossom party and dinner scandal at the upcoming regular Diet session.

But another senior official of the party said that Abe may dissolve the lower house at the early stage of the ordinary Diet session for a snap general election.

Abe dissolved the lower house in September 2017, at a time when he was facing favoritism scandals involving school operators Moritomo Gakuen and Kake Educational Institution.

https://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0006165982?fp=8cbad0e1833d25c1944f33e96fee1f9d

Moon has invited them to the two-day ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit to open Nov. 25 in the southern port city of Busan. It will be the biggest diplomatic event to take place in South Korea under the Moon administration.

Moon is scheduled to kick off the dayslong summit diplomacy on ASEAN with bilateral talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Seoul on Saturday. Lee is making an “official” visit to South Korea.

Next Sunday, Moon plans to meet with Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in the capital, who is to pay a state visit.

He will also greet Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Nov. 27 and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Bin Mohamad the following day, both of whom are due in Seoul for official visits.

Moon plans to meet bilaterally with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith in Busan on the sidelines of the South Korea-ASEAN group summit designed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the dialogue partnership between the two sides, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

Moon’s upcoming bilateral summits with the 10 ASEAN leaders are “expected to serve as a chance for mapping out a clearer blueprint for future cooperation” on the basis of their friendly ties that have been cemented for the past 2 1/2 years, Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung said at a press briefing.

She pointed out that Moon has already kept his promise to travel to all 10 ASEAN member nations during his presidency as part of the New Southern Policy.

She added that the summits will provide South Korea an opportunity for “wide-ranging, in-depth” discussions on ways to upgrade brisk partnerships by another notch in trade, investment, infrastructure, defense, arms development, agriculture, health care, development cooperation, culture and people-to-people exchanges.

Also on the agenda is the Korea peace process. Moon will seek the reaffirmation of Southeast Asian nations’ support for Seoul’s peace efforts and he’s looking forward to having consultations on promoting ties on peace and stability in the region and the international community as well, beyond the peninsula, Ko said.

She said the government views the group and separate summits with ASEAN members as a “precious opportunity” to bolster the foundation for a “prosperous, people-centered peace community” and deepen Seoul’s friendly, cooperative relations with them.

Meanwhile, the inaugural Mekong-Republic of Korea Summit is slated to take place in Busan on Nov. 27 involving five nations: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The Republic of Korea is South Korea’s official name, and ASEAN is the acronym of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. (Yonhap)

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191117000206

Esper and South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo announced the surprise decision during an impromptu joint press conference in Bangkok on the sidelines of a regional defense ministers’ meeting led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

“We have made this decision as an act of goodwill to contribute to an environment conducive to diplomacy and the advancement of peace,” Esper said after announcing that the allies decided to postpone the Combined Flying Training Event set for later this month.

“We encourage the DPRK to demonstrate the same goodwill as the considerate decision on conduct of training, exercise and testing,” he said, urging Pyongyang to “return to the negotiating table without precondition or hesitation.”

DPRK stands for North Korea’s official name, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The allies had planned to stage the joint air drills later this month, a scaled-back version of their original wintertime drills, codenamed Vigilant Ace, just as they did last year to support diplomacy with the North.

North Korea still angrily protested the upcoming drills, warning of “shocking punishment” that the US cannot cope with if the drills go ahead as planned.

“We have made this decision as an act of goodwill to contribute to an environment conducive to diplomacy and the advancement of peace,” Esper said, adding, “We encourage the DPRK to demonstrate the same goodwill as the considerate decision on conduct of training, exercise and testing.”

He then urged North Korea “to return to the negotiating table without precondition or hesitation.”

Noting that diplomacy is the best way to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the South Korean minister said that when to resume the postponed drills will be decided “through close coordination between the allies in accordance with how things are going down the road.”

Seoul and Washington have canceled several combined exercises since last year in an effort to avoid provoking North Korea with maneuvers the communist regime has long condemned as a rehearsal for an invasion.

Stressing that the alliance between Seoul and Washington remains “ironclad” and their combined military forces “stand ready to fight tonight,” the Pentagon chief pledged that the two sides “will continue to ensure our combined forces on the Korean Peninsula remain at a high state of readiness.”

“Our willingness to modify training to keep the door open to an agreement on the denuclearization of the DPRK should not be mistaken for a lack of commitment to advance and defend our shared goals, interests and values.” DPRK stands for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“I don’t see this as a concession. I see this as a good-faith effort by the United States and the Republic of Korea to enable peace and … to facilitate a political agreement, a deal, if you will, for the denuclearization of the peninsula,” Esper said, adding that his job is not only to foster diplomacy but also “to enable and empower it.”

Nuclear talks between the US and the North have been stalled since February’s summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un fell apart due to differences over the scope of Pyongyang’s denuclearization measures and Washington’s sanctions relief.

The two sides held working-level talks last month, but no progress was made.

The North has given the US until the end of the year to put forward a new proposal that could break the deadlock in their nuclear talks, saying that otherwise, it would be compelled to give up on negotiations and choose to take a “new way.”

Amid a lack of progress in the denuclearization talks, North Korea has carried out major weapons tests in succession this year, including new types of short-range ballistic missiles and a submarine-launched ballistic missile. (Yonhap)

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191117000138

The fierce anthem, co-written by Hwasa, talks about how being true to oneself and confident embody real “hipness,” or coolness. Firing back at naysayers of the group, the four singers coolly declare their independence with several references to real-life criticisms that had surrounded the group.

“A life that doesn’t care about what other people think — that’s real hipness. It derives from loving oneself. I hope people can take care of themselves and live with confidence,” said Hwasa during the group’s showcase for the new album in Seoul on Nov. 14.

Her bandmates also expressed satisfaction with their new single, with Moonbyul saying, “All of us liked its lyrics. We really enjoyed working on it.”

Solar also said, “I think confidence doesn’t come when one ‘tries to act like it,’ but when people naturally recognize one’s actions and words. All of us try to behave confidently and enjoy each moment.”

The members also shared that they wore headset microphones for the first time in their career because of the powerful dance moves for “Hip,” which were created by choreographer Lia Kim.

“‘Hip’ features the best performance ever. In fact, it was so challenging and hard that I almost cried during the practice. But we decided to fully dedicate ourselves to it by wearing headset mics for the first time,” said Solar.

The event also saw Hwasa talking about her decision to go braless publicly earlier this year at an airport, which had sparked controversy online.

“I think it just comes out naturally. Nothing was intended. That would be too pretentious. But my actions might have made some people feel uncomfortable, and it alarmed me. I also felt grateful for those who just accepted me,” she said.

Since its debut in 2014, the powerhouse group has propelled to prominence in the K-pop scene due to its wide musical range and vocal prowess. Known for its bright and funky sonic style, Mamamoo recently gained traction by featuring in the K-pop singing show “Queendom,” where six female acts performed and were pitted against one another.

“Reality in Black” also features the tracks “Destiny,” “Universe,” “Ten Nights,” “Hello Mama” and “High Tension.”

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191117000150

Cambodian opposition figure Sam Rainsy landed in Jakarta from a flight from Kuala Lumpur on Thursday morning after reportedly being barred from a similar flight a day prior.

Rainsy retweeted a post by Mu Sochua, vice president of the outlawed Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), who wrote that Rainsy had “safely landed in Jakarta this morning” and that he would meet with Indonesian lawmakers.

There was no immediate response from Indonesian officials about Rainsy’s arrival.

Malaysia Airlines said on Wednesday it had prevented Rainsy from boarding a flight Wednesday afternoon from Kuala Lumpur to the Indonesian capital on the instructions of Indonesian authorities, Reuters reported.

Rainsy, who lives in self-imposed exile in France, has been in Malaysia since the weekend after initially stating he planned to return home on Saturday to rally the opposition to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

However, Indonesian immigration spokesperson Sam Fernando has denied he was barred from entering the country on Wednesday, saying that “from immigration’s side, there has not been a request to deny his entry”, according to Reuters.

Rainsy later wrote on Twitter on Wednesday that he had missed his flight from Kuala Lumpur and would catch another one to Jakarta early Thursday. “Will arrive at Jakarta Soekarno Hatta International Airport at 10:10 a.m. by flight MH711,” Rainsy posted on Twitter.

The incident occurred in Sai Wan Ho as activists attempting to block a busy street were confronted by a traffic police officer, according to a live news feed. After the officer began grappling with one protester, he fired a live round into the abdomen of another protester approaching him. Two more rounds were subsequently fired at another protester.

A police representative confirmed that live rounds were fired and that two protesters were injured outside the Sai Wan Ho MTR station and taken to Eastern Hospital. A 21-year-old man was in critical condition, hospital officials said.

Seven universities across Hong Kong suspended classes as of Monday morning, citing “serious traffic disruptions” across the city.

The city has been gripped by five months of political unrest that began when Chief Executive Carrie Lam tried to push through an unpopular extradition bill that would have allowed criminal suspects in Hong Kong to face trial in mainland China.

A protester who fell from a parking garage during a police dispersal operation a week earlier died of his injuries on Friday, escalating tensions between police and the public that have been increasingly strained over the months of worsening violence.

On Oct. 1, China’s National Day, the first live round to hit a protester was fired by riot police pursued by protesters in the distant suburb of Tsuen Wan.

Public anger has grown as Hong Kong authorities, backed by Chinese officials, have deployed increasingly forceful tactics to try to quell the anti-government unrest. Lam has refused to authorize an independent inquiry of police actions, a key demand of protesters.

At the University of Hong Kong, police fired tear gas early Monday to disperse crowds. Several subway exits leading to the campus were vandalized and riot police shut down a main entrance to the campus.

Protesters built barricades around the campus using picnic tables and desks and poured liquid detergent on the floor.

Without an independent investigation of police actions, “the protests aren’t going to stop,” said Jackie, 22, a research scientist who was photographing her friends ahead of their planned graduation ceremony on Monday. She gave only one name out of fear of retribution.

In recent days, a panel of experts brought in by the Hong Kong government found that the city’s police watchdog was unfit to carry out an independent investigation of the police force.

Chinese officials, meanwhile, have backed Lam and called for tough measures to end the protests and safeguard national security.

Protesters are calling for full democracy in Hong Kong amid concerns that Beijing is tightening its grip and reneging on a promise to allow the financial hub a high degree of autonomy until 2047, half a century after its handover from British colonial rule.

(Shibani Mahtani in Washington and Casey Quackenbush in Hong Kong contributed to this report.)