Asian Insider Oct 3: Hong Kong to ban use of masks in public assemblies

Hi,

In today's bulletin: Hong Kong bans use of masks in public assemblies, Jokowi shares his aspirations, Kim Jong Un's new missile raises alarm, Singapore's mega port, Duterte's fashion faux pas and more

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Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has called for a special meeting on Friday of the Executive Council, to seek approval to proceed with a ban on use of face masks at public gatherings.

The use of the emergency ordinance to allow for this will make it the first time in more than half a century that the island has resorted to this measure.

The move follows violent demonstrations earlier this week that saw a protester being shot at in an episode that shook the city on Oct 1, as China celebrated the 70th year of its founding. Find out more in our reports here:

There are still a few days before Indonesian President Joko Widodo begins his second term in office but he's started sharing his views on some changes he plans to bring about.

These include sweeping changes to labour rules by the end of the year, opening up more sectors to foreign investment and major reforms in other sectors. He is also demanding that ministers work harder and faster to accelerate growth. Read our reports here:

Did North Korea launch a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) on Wednesday? If it did, it could mean Pyongyang's progressed a bit more on its ability to deliver nuclear weapons, some observers worry.

North Korea's state news agency KCNA said earlier today that the missile was a Pukgukson-3 test-fired at a high angle in the waters off Wonsan designed to contain external threat and bolster self-defence, but gave no other details.

And this has led to several questions. How far could it reach? What if it had been launched from a submarine? And how far has the country's SLBM programme progressed? We've pulled together some reports on this issue here:

As China regaled in its celebration of 70 years under communist rule, President Xi Jinping declared that no power can shake the status of his nation, and no force can stop the progress of the Chinese people.

In this episode, The Straits Times' Washington bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh leads the conversation with China bureau chief Tan Dawn Wei, China correspondent Danson Cheong, and associate editor Vikram Khanna, debating and dissecting the challenges that lie ahead for China as they embark on the path of the "great rejuvenation".

Catch it all in the 6th episode of Asian Insider. This is a series by The Straits Times every Friday. Together with our stable of 30 correspondents based around the world, we give you an Asian perspective on the global talking points of the week.

Singapore moved closer to its aspiration to build the world's largest fully automated terminal here, by 2040, as it held a ground-breaking ceremony for the Tuas port here today.

When fully completed, the mega port will boast features such as automated wharf and yard functions, and full-electric automated guided vehicles.

The project is being developed in four phases, at a cost of well over S$20 billion. Here's more:

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been attracting attention lately - for not dressing up for formal meetings with political leaders.

In August, he showed up at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping without a tie. And now, both Russians and Filipinos have been criticising him for meeting Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in a somewhat crumpled white shirt, a loose tie, that seemed pre-knotted, and a suit that was possibly taken off a mall rack, says our Philippines Correspondent Raul Dancel. Read his report:

Typhoon Mitag sweeps parts of S. Korea: Six people were killed and several others went missing when Typhoon Mitag lashed South Korea with heavy rains and strong winds. Mitag, the 18th typhoon this year, hit southern parts of the country on Wednesday night, prompting flood warnings and triggering landslides in affected areas.

Britain's Brexit proposal rebuffed in Brussels: The European Union has said that Britain's proposals for a Brexit deal is no more than a starting point to more talks. The bloc's executive European Commission - which is leading Brexit talks for the remaining 27 EU member states - is due to quiz British negotiators on their proposals on Friday.

Malaysia to send back waste containers: Kuala Lumpur plans to send back 89 containers of waste material to the countries of origin, Malaysia's Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin has said. The countries were not named. Since May this year, 11 containers loaded with waste material have been sent back to Australia, Bangladesh, Spain and Saudi Arabia.

Yale-NUS suspends student: A Yale-NUS student who was charged in court on Tuesday with taking upskirt videos of women and filming them showering on campus has been suspended by the liberal arts college, since March, soon after the College was notified about the incident. This was confirmed today morning.

That's it for today. We'll be back tomorrow. Thanks for reading.

Shefali