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May
Coffee demand up but not yet percolating at pre-pandemic levels -report
Written by Nur Yasmin
Demand for coffee in non-producing countries showed a healthy recovery in the first quarter, although there are signs of possible slowdowns in demand in Russia and China for the coming quarters, analysts from Rabobank said in a report on Friday.
It said "coffee disappearance," a term indicating the amount of coffee nonproducing countries are actually consuming and not packing for re-export, rose 6.9% in the first quarter compared to the same period a year earlier. The European Union plus United Kingdom area saw a larger increase, at 9%, while the United States jumped 4.6% and Japan, 5.1%.
Rabobank said the numbers are still not great compared to pre-pandemic levels. The result in the first quarter was only 0.6% higher than two years ago (Q1 2020).
The analysts said Russia's war in Ukraine and Chinese Covid lockdowns could dent coffee demand in those countries. They also said high retail prices could hurt demand in Brazil, a top producing country which is also the second largest global coffee consumer after the United States.
Rabobank projects a 25% fall in Russian coffee demand, and a 50% fall in Ukraine's coffee use.
The bank sees the global coffee supply balance shifting from a deficit of 5.1 million 60-kg bags in 2021/22 (Oct-Sept) to a surplus of 1.7 million bags in 2022/23.
It kept its estimate for Brazilian 2022 production at 64.5 million bags, in the top end of market estimates.
Brazil's food supply agency Conab cut its crop view to only 53.4 million bags on Thursday.
Rabobank, however, cut its view for the Colombian crop to 11.8 million bags in 2021/22, but expects a recovery to 13.4 million bags in 2022/23. (Reuters)
May
Hindu women press for access to Indian mosque, in latest dispute
Written by Nur Yasmin
A court case started by five Hindu women in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's political constituency has become the latest battleground in India between the Hindu majority and minority Muslims over access to historically contested religious sites.
The women, backed by an influential hardline Hindu group linked to Modi's party, said they were determined to secure the legal right for Hindus to pray daily to the idol of a goddess and relics that they say are inside a prominent mosque in Varanasi.
Varanasi is one of Hinduism's holiest cities, and it is also where the Gyanvapi mosque is located - a common phenomenon across India after the Mughal conquest of the region during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Disputes between religious communities over such sites have flared up ever since independence in 1947, but they have become more common in recent years. Muslims make up around 13% of India's 1.35 billion people. read more
Hindu groups have submitted several cases to local courts over disputed sites in parts of India in the last few weeks. Some Muslims see this as part of an attempt to marginalise them with the tacit blessing of Modi's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BJP denies stoking religious tensions, and says it is a party that promotes progress for all Indians.
In Varanasi, an ancient city on the River Ganges that is dotted with thousands of temples, one of the Hindu petitioners is Manju Vyas, who runs a beauty salon.
She and four friends approached the court last year to declare the Gyanvapi mosque "an illegal structure built by Islamic rulers after demolishing parts of a temple in the 1600s".
A pre-existing legal order has allowed hundreds of Hindu women to symbolically worship the goddess Sringar Gauri once a year from the doorstep of the mosque.
But last year Vyas said some Muslim men insulted them as they stood near the mosque to pray, a charge the cleric of the mosque rejected.
"Everyone, even the Muslims in Varanasi, are aware that a temple stood before the mosque and now because of our case the court has ... video clips that show Hindu remnants lay scattered inside," said Vyas, 46.
'HISTORIC REVISIONISM'
The judge hearing the plea this month permitted a survey of the mosque to verify those claims. Reuters reviewed the report prepared by the survey team this week.
"Hindu religious idols, relics of God Shiva and symbols were found inside a water tank and the basement of the Gyanvapi mosque," according to the report.
Muslims attached to the Gyanvapi mosque said the court-appointed surveyors had mistaken a fountainhead in the water tank as a Hindu idol and motifs were flowers embedded in Persian design.
The Supreme Court has allowed the survey to stand as evidence and for proceedings to continue.
"We will legally liberate our goddess from the clutches of Islam," said Sohan Lal, husband of one of the five women petitioners and a senior member of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the World Hindu Council.
Three decades ago it was the VHP that succeeded in getting a temple built at the site of a disputed 16th century mosque in the town of Ayodhya after it was demolished by Hindu crowds who said it had been built where Hinduism's Lord Ram was born.
The incident in 1992 led to religious riots that killed nearly 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, across India and helped propel the BJP to prominence.
Top leaders of the BJP and some nationalist historians believe Muslim leaders, during their 200-year rule, destroyed prominent Hindu temples to build mosques or mausoleums as part of an expansionist strategy.
A senior BJP leader in New Delhi, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is in court, said the time was right to reclaim Hindu heritage and that the challenge was to do so without sparking religious violence.
"The era of historic revisionism has begun," he said.
Asaduddin Owaisi, the leader of a regional Muslim party and a federal lawmaker, said the aim of the Gyanvapi mosque controversy is to "create a landscape of hate and animosity in the country.
"The government is always digging up the past to divert everyone from relevant issues such as price rise, unemployment and weak infrastructure," he said.
Some Islamic scholars and secular Hindus want Modi, whose parliamentary constituency is Varanasi, to urge litigants to withdraw legal cases fought over the ownership of religious sites in Varanasi and elsewhere.
"Modi has to stand up and say 'let bygones be bygones', but that would hurt his loyal Hindu vote base," said Dhirendra Sharma, a political science professor in Varanasi.
Modi's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reuters)
May
Biden Secret Service agents sent home after drunk assault report in South Korea
Written by Nur Yasmin
Two U.S. Secret Service agents who were working on Joe Biden's trip to Asia are being sent home after one was accused of drunkenly assaulting a South Korean the day before the president arrived in Seoul, officials said.
A Yongsan district police official told Reuters that one of the agents was arrested in the early hours of Thursday after getting into a fight over a taxi.
A U.S. official disputed that the individual was detained or arrested, saying only that he was "investigated" by South Korean officials. The official said the other agent involved in the dispute was not investigated for wrongdoing.
"The Secret Service is aware of an off-duty incident involving two employees which may constitute potential policy violations," said Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the agency.
"The individuals will be immediately returned back to their post of duty and placed on administrative leave. There was no impact to the upcoming trip."
The incident occurred outside the Grand Hyatt hotel, where Biden was to stay as he starts his May 20-24 trip to South Korea and Japan. Biden arrived in Seoul on Friday evening. read more
The South Korean police official did not give the name or other information on the suspect.
The Secret Service is the U.S. agency that guards the president and the White House. Secret Service members have periodically been involved in the past in incidents over misbehaviour overseas.
In 2012, 11 Secret Service agents were sent home from Colombia for alleged "misconduct" involving disputes with prostitutes before a visit by then-President Barack Obama.
TV Chosun, a South Korean broadcaster that first reported the incident in Seoul, said the suspect was in his 30s and was arrested after a fellow guest at the hotel called police. (Reuters)
May
U.S. concerned about possible restrictions faced by U.N. rights chief in China
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States is "deeply concerned" about an upcoming visit to China by U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet based on its understanding of the restrictions she will be subjected to there, the State Department said on Friday.
Department spokesman Ned Price during a press briefing called for Bachelet to release a U.N. report on conditions in China's Xinjiang region, where the United States says China's government is committing genocide against Uyghur Muslims.
Bachelet's visit, initially planned for May, will be the first by a U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights since 2005, and includes a planned trip to Xinjiang where activists say some 1 million Uyghurs have been held in mass detention. (Reuters)
May
Tunisian president excludes parties from preparing new constitution
Written by Nur Yasmin
Tunisian President Kais Saied named a law professor to head an advisory committee to draft a new constitution for a "new republic", the presidency said on Friday, excluding political parties from restructuring the political system.
Saied has consolidated his one-man rule since seizing executive power last summer and dissolving the parliament to rule by decree in moves his foes call a coup.
He has since said he will replace the democratic 2014 constitution with a new constitution via a referendum on July 25 and have new parliamentary elections in December.
The committee headed by law professor Sadok Belaid consists of deans of Law and Political Sciences. It must submit its report on June 20 to the president, the official gazette said.
In parallel, another committee was established, comprising six national organizations, including the powerful UGTT Labour Union, to submit proposals for reforms. This committee also does not include any political party.
In the first reaction to the president's appointment of an advisory body to prepare a new constitution and propose economic and political reforms, the UGTT said it rejects the proposals.
Saied's opponents accuse him of trying to consolidate one man rule and his actions have been criticized abroad too. He rejects the accusations and says he is not a dictator and wants to change Tunisia after "a decade of ruin".
Western countries have urged a dialogue in which unions, political parties and civil society participate to return Tunisia to a democratic path to help it financially as the country suffers its worst financial crisis.
Saied's consolidation of power has accelerated this year - he replaced the top judicial body and threatened to restrict civil society groups, giving the 64-year-old almost total control.
This month Saied also appointed a new election commission, seizing control of one of the last independent bodies in the North African country and casting doubt on electoral integrity. (Reuters)
May
Record numbers of people displaced in their own countries in a 'world falling apart'
Written by Nur Yasmin
In a world beset by conflicts and natural disasters, the number of people who fled their homes and sought shelter within their own countries hit a record high of close to 60 million by the end of last year, according to new data.
Disasters, including weather events such as cyclones and floods in Asia as well as protracted conflicts in places like Syria, Afghanistan and Ethiopia were factors behind high levels of new displacements last year, according the report compiled by the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).
"The world is falling apart, too many countries are falling apart," said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council which set up the IDMC in 1998 to document displaced people whom he said would otherwise be "unseen".
"2021 was, as we documented here, a very bleak year and 2022 is proving to become even worse," he said, adding that the war in Ukraine would lead to a new record this year.
In total, 59.1 million people were living in displaced conditions at the end of last year compared with 55 million people in 2020, the annual report showed. The countries with the highest numbers of displaced people were Syria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia, Afghanistan and Yemen, it said.
The report does not count refugees - people fleeing to other countries - although there is often a correlation between internal and cross-border trends.
"It's a damning indictment of the world's lack of ability for conflict prevention and conflict resolution," Egeland told journalists this week.
He said he was "nervous" about the Ukraine crisis diverting aid funds from other locations, saying some countries were using their aid budgets to help Ukrainian refugees.
"That means that it will go down, the money we have for the rest of the world," he said. The Ukraine war is also increasing the cost of aid for the displaced because it has driven up food and fuel prices, he said.(Reuters)
May
South Korea says North's COVID outbreak spread after military parade -report
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korea's first confirmed COVID-19 outbreak spread after a massive military parade in Pyongyang in April, the South's Newsis news agency said on Wednesday, citing lawmakers briefed by the South's spy agency.
The outbreak has prompted the North to rethink its opposition to accepting and distributing vaccines, the Yonhap news agency said, citing the same lawmakers.(Reuters)
May
Japan says to double fiscal support for Ukraine to $600 mln
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan will double fiscal aid for Ukraine to $600 million in a coordinated move with the World Bank to back the country's near-term fiscal necessities damaged by Russia's invasion, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters on Thursday.
"Our country stands with Ukraine," Kishida said, adding Japan will emphasise its fundamental stance to provide strong support to Ukraine with other nations in next week's U.S.-Japan summit and broader Quad group meeting with Australia and India.
Japan, a member of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised nations, had previously announced $300 million in loans to Ukraine in April.
Japan has also joined other G7 countries and allies in sanctioning Russia for what Moscow calls a special military operation in Ukraine, by freezing assets as well as banning certain export and import items, including energy resources.(Reuters)
May
Taiwan says WHO ignoring requests for observer status at assembly
Written by Nur Yasmin
Taiwan expressed "dissatisfaction and regret" over the World Health Organization's failure to invite it to attend an upcoming annual assembly in Geneva, amid diplomatic pressure from China to isolate the island.
The WHO had ignored Taiwan's repeated requests to be allowed to attend the World Health Assembly (WHA), scheduled for May 22-28, as an observer, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Taiwan is excluded from most global groups due to Beijing's objections. China insists that Taiwan should not be treated as an independent country as it considers the island to be one of its own provinces.
Taiwan has complained that its exclusion from the WHO has hampered efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The WHO failed to stay neutral and professional, repeatedly ignoring the necessity and urgency for Taiwan's participation in the WHO and WHA," the ministry's statement said.
Earlier this week a WHO official said a decision over whether Taiwan would be granted observer status was likely by Monday, after the agency received a proposal from 13 member states supporting Taiwan's request to attend.
Taiwan will send a delegation to Geneva to lobby for observer status at the assembly, and to meet with counterparts from other countries on the sidelines of the forum.
Reuters could not immediately reach the WHO for a response to the ministry' statement.
China blocked Taiwan's participation after the election in 2016 of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who China views as a separatist - a charge she rejects. Taiwan had been allowed to attend the assembly from 2009 to 2016, during a period of warmer relations between Beijing and Taipei.
The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday that Taiwan should be allowed to attend the meeting, saying the democratically governed island's exclusion at China's behest was unwarranted and a concern for global health.
Taiwan rejects China's claim of sovereignty and says only its people can decide the island's future.(Reuters)
May
N.Korea boosts production of drugs, medical supplies to battle COVID
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korea is ramping up production of drugs and medical supplies including sterilisers and thermometers as it battles an unprecedented coronavirus outbreak, state media KCNA said on Thursday.
The isolated country, which has imposed a nationwide lockdown, is also increasing production of traditional Korean medicines used to reduce fever and pain, KCNA said, calling them "effective in prevention and cure of the malicious disease."
A sweeping COVID wave, which North Korea first confirmed last week, has fanned concerns over a lack of medical resources and vaccines, with the U.N. human rights agency warning of "devastating" consequences for its 25 million people.
The outbreak spread after Pyongyang held a massive military parade on April 25 and was expected to peak between late May and early June, South Korea's Newsis news agency said on Wednesday, citing lawmakers briefed by Seoul's spy agency.
KCNA had said only that a wave of fever of unidentified origin began in late April.
At least 262,270 more people reported fever symptoms, and one additional person died as of Wednesday evening, KCNA said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. It did not specify how many people had tested positive for the virus.
North Korea has so far reported 1,978,230 people with fever symptoms and 63 deaths, and imposed strict anti-virus measures.
Factories are churning out more injections, medicines, thermometers and other medical supplies in the capital Pyongyang and nearby regions "in a lightning way," while more isolation wards were installed and disinfection work intensified around the country, KCNA said.
"Thousands of tons of salt were urgently transported to Pyongyang City to produce antiseptic solution," KCNA said.
The reports came after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un criticised ineffective distribution of drugs and slammed officials for their "immature" responses to the epidemic.
Without a national vaccination campaign and COVID treatment, state media have encouraged patients to use painkillers and antibiotics as well as unverified home remedies, such as gargling salt water, or drinking lonicera japonica tea or willow leaf tea.
North Korea's state television recommended wearing two masks outdoors, a practice Kim followed on a weekend pharmacy visit, though not in TV images of a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party on Tuesday.
Dale Fisher, a professor of medicine at National University of Singapore, said the crisis might be underestimated because of the absence of testing and the more asymptomatic Omicron variant, and could cause greater social and economic fallout in an unvaccinated community.
"The best health systems in the world struggled in most countries, so I think it's likely that the true health impact is not being accurately described," Fisher said.
"An urgent vaccine rollout is imperative, and significant public health measures and social interventions should be introduced in the meantime to slow the spread," he added.
South Korea and the United States have respectively offered to help North Korea fight the virus, including sending aid, but have not received a response, Seoul's deputy national security advisor said on Wednesday.
However, three aircraft from North Korea's Air Koryo arrived in China and returned to Pyongyang on Monday carrying medical supplies, a diplomatic source said on condition of anonymity.(Reuters)