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Every weekend, Asia Pacific Daily will provide you with a run-down of the latest hot news.
This week, the following hot news you should know:
Top 1 | US officially rejoins controversial UN Human Rights Council
The United States is officially a member of the controversial United Nations Human Rights Council again, reversing former President Donald Trump's withdrawal three years ago.
The US was elected on Thursday in an uncontested ballot of member countries by the UN General Assembly. President Joe Biden had said he would return the US to the Geneva-based organization. Cameroon, Eritrea and the United Arab Emirates also joined the Human Rights Council on Thursday despite concerns over their own domestic records voiced by human rights organizations.
The US got 168 votes, a slight drop from what other countries received to get three-year terms. The UN Human Rights Council describes itself as "an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them."
Top 2 | Australia travel: Sydney to end Covid-19 quarantine for international travelers
Sydney will end its Covid-19 quarantine for fully vaccinated international travelers from November 1, New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Friday, October 15 foreshadowing the full return of overseas travel after more than 19 months.
Australia closed its international borders in March 2020 in response to the pandemic, allowing entry almost exclusively to citizens and permanent residents who are required to undergo a mandatory two-week hotel quarantine at their own expense.
The federal government's reopening plans unveiled in July proposed abolishing caps on returning vaccinated Australians and a gradual reopening of international travel with safe countries once full vaccination rates reach 80%.
Top 3 | Biden signs bill raising U.S. debt limit, averting default
U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday signed legislation temporarily raising the government's borrowing limit to $28.9 trillion, pushing off the deadline for debt default only until December.
Without the increase in the debt ceiling, the U.S. Treasury had estimated it would run out of money to pay the nation's bills on October 18.
The $480 billion increase in the borrowing limit signed by Biden is expected to be exhausted by December 3.
Following weeks of partisan fighting, the Senate approved the short-term fix last week and the House of Representatives passed it on Tuesday.
Top 4 | US investigating reported cases of 'Havana syndrome' in Colombia before Blinken visit
A "few" U.S. personnel at the embassy in Bogotá, Colombia, have reported symptoms consistent with "Havana syndrome," a source familiar with the cases confirmed to ABC News.
Colombia is now the latest country where American officials have reported incidents of the mysterious neurological affliction that has confounded the U.S. government for years now, but the reports are particularly notable because Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to Bogotá this month, the Colombian Foreign Ministry announced last week.
In a similar episode in August, Vice President Kamala Harris's trip to Vietnam was delayed for a few hours after an unconfirmed case of "Havana syndrome" was reported by a staffer at the U.S. mission there.
Top 5 | Afghan Immigration Fears Prompt Greece to Increase Number of Guards at Turkish Border
Fears over a spike in migrants from Afghanistan attempting to cross borders illegally prompted Greece to increase its number of border guards on the country's Turkish border, officials said Monday.
Following the Taliban's swift takeover of Afghanistan earlier this year, many people have attempted to flee the country, passing through the borders of neighboring countries to seek asylum in Europe. According to authorities, the crisis in Afghanistan was a factor in the latest increase in migration.
In order to step up border security, Greece is adding 250 officers to join the already 1,500-strong border force over several months. The increased forces are raising the number of guards from about 1,000 early last year.
Top 6 | Kevin McCarthy Claims Google 'Tries to Control Our Thoughts,' Conspires With Biden Admin
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy claimed on Sunday that Google "tries to control our thoughts," an issue he said was concerning.
During a TV appearance on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures, host Maria Bartiromo asked McCarthy to weigh in on the way Google operates. She suggested that the tech giant is conspiring with President Joe Biden's administration as the Department of Justice asked Google "to send them the people who search for certain phrases."
According to a report by Forbes, Google would carry out a "keyword warrant" in which the government would ask the company to provide all relevant Google accounts and IP addresses of those who searched certain phrases on the platform.
Top 7 | Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen West says he has Covid-19
Allen West, Republican candidate for governor of Texas, is being treated at Medical City Plano, he said Sunday on Twitter, a day after announcing he has pneumonia due to Covid-19.
The former Florida congressman said that he and his wife Angela "underwent monoclonal antibody infusion therapy" Saturday at a Dallas emergency room. While Angela was released, West was sent to Medical City Plano due to what he described as concerns over pneumonia related to Covid. He also said he is awaiting results of a chest X-ray from earlier Sunday morning.
West said he is now "even more dedicated to fighting against vaccine mandates." A post on his Facebook page Saturday had said Angela was vaccinated against the coronavirus, but he was not.
Top 8 | Blinken cautions Haitian migrants against 'profoundly dangerous' trek to U.S
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday warned Haitian migrants that they would not succeed in reaching the United States, while his Mexican counterpart lamented that many had been tricked into undergoing the long trek with false hopes.
The top U.S. diplomat visited Mexico to present a new joint security plan and mend ties with an ally increasingly relied upon by the Biden administration to act as a buffer and stem the flow of migrants heading to the United States.
Blinken said U.S. and Mexican officials are in "close contact" over a jump in Haitian migrants passing through Mexico, many having traveled from South America where they had initially settled. A border encampment in Del Rio, Texas in recent weeks grew at one point to 14,000 migrants, mostly from Haiti.
Top 9 | Trains stopped temporarily in Tokyo following magnitude 5.9 earthquake
Following the magnitude 5.9 earthquake that hit the metropolitan area of Tokyo, Japan on Thursday, members of the Tokyo Fire Department were working to fix broken water pipes, and expressways and trains shut down.
Some passengers were stranded temporarily as they waited for stopped trains to resume operations. The earthquake shook the Japanese capital and surrounding areas, knocking items off shelves.
Several injuries were reported in the Chiba prefecture.
Top 10 | U.S. says to hold first in-person talks with Taliban
The United States and the Taliban will hold their first in-person talks this weekend since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August, the State Department announced on Friday.
The U.S. delegation will meet with senior Taliban representatives in the Qatari capital Doha on Saturday and Sunday, a State Department spokesperson said.
The United States has remained in contact with the Taliban since the longtime foes seized Kabul in August as U.S. troops pulled out, but the meeting will be the first that is face to face.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)