Live Streaming
Program Highlight
Company Profile
International News (6893)
December
IMF chief warns Omicron COVID-19 variant could slow global growth
Written by nuke
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the fund might have to trim its forecasts for global growth due to the Omicron variant (Photo: AFP/File/Daniel LEAL) -
The new Omicron variant of COVID-19 could slow the global economic recovery, just as the Delta strain did, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said Friday (Dec 3).
"A new variant that may spread very rapidly can dent confidence and in that sense, we are likely to see some downgrades of our October projections for global growth," she said at a Reuters event.
In its most recent World Economic Outlook, the fund projected global growth of 5.9 per cent this year and 4.9 per cent in 2022, but the United States and other major economies suffered sharp downward revisions after the spread of the Delta variant "caused some friction", Georgieva said.
"Even before the arrival of this new variant, we were concerned that the recovery, while it continues, is losing somewhat momentum," the IMF chief said, noting that policymakers are now dealing with new issues like inflation.
The IMF's most-recent forecasts raised concerns that global supply chain issues and uneven distribution of vaccines were slowing the rebound and causing some countries to be left behind.
A surge in demand in many advanced economies coupled with shortages of key components like semiconductors has fueled a wave of prices increases.
Less than two months ago, Georgieva expressed confidence that inflation would not become a "runaway train" but on Friday she said the US Federal Reserve will have to increase interest rates in 2022, rather than in 2023, as the IMF previously predicted.
The Fed, which cut the benchmark lending rate to zero in the early days of the pandemic, already has started to pull back on its stimulus measures and has signalled it will speed up that process, which would put it in a position to lift rates off zero by mid-year.
"We do believe that the path to policy rate increases may be walked faster," Georgieva said.
Omicron has spread rapidly to at least 40 countries since it was first reported in South Africa last week, officials said, and many governments have tightened travel rules to try to keep it out.
Much remains unknown about Omicron. Researchers said it could have picked up genetic material from another virus, perhaps one that causes the common cold, which would allow it to more easily evade human immune system defences//CNA
December
Cash-for-recycling programme among initiatives under PAP’s new green plan for towns
Written by nuke
A resident using the new paper recycling machine at Block 68 Geylang Bahru. (Photo: Vanessa Lim) -
Residents in towns managed by the People’s Action Party (PAP) will be encouraged to adopt a zero waste lifestyle, through a cash-for-recycling programme and more paper recycling machines set up in their estate, the party announced on Saturday (Dec 4).
Under its Action for Green Towns (AGT) initiative, the party has set a target of deploying at least 78 paper recycling machines across its 15 towns by the end of the month, in partnership with SGRecycle.
Residents will first have to scan a QR code on the machine to register, before depositing their items. They will get 6 cents per 1kg of paper or cardboard recycled. This will be stored in their digital wallets before being credited to their bank accounts.
When the COVID-19 situation improves, outreach programmes will be conducted to raise awareness of these machines among residents, PAP added in its press release.
All PAP town councils have also pledged to reduce paper use. For instance, by implementing electronic payments to contractors instead of issuing cheques when possible.
These were among a slew of initiatives announced by the party on Saturday, months after it first unveiled its Action for Green Towns initiative.
Launched in May, the initiative aims to galvanise various stakeholders to work towards making every PAP-managed town "zero waste, energy efficient and greener" by 2025.
As part of the initiative, all of the PAP’s 15 town councils has a Member of Parliament (MP) as a "sustainability champion".
These 15 individuals, together with Young PAP representatives, form the Action for Green Towns task force led by chairperson of Jalan Besar Town Council Dr Wan Rizal.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Dr Wan Rizal said in coming up with the plans, the taskforce took stock of what each town was doing in terms of sustainability.
“We came out with a report card, and this report clearly shows what they’ve done over the years and how much impact it made,” said Dr Wan Rizal.
He added that the report card covered three categories including zero waste, energy efficiency, as well as green town.
“(At) a very fundamental level, we are all doing our part, but can we go further to reduce carbon footprint? I think that is the direction that we want to go. But as I mentioned, we want to take small steps as possible to get more people on board,” he added.
More than 3,000 lifts across PAP towns will be replaced by 2025 with more reliable and “electricity-saving” models when they reach their recommended lifespan, said the party.
To further improve energy efficiency, all PAP town councils will introduce electricity saving specifications in the lift replacement programmes.
“New lift models save electricity with features such as energy regeneration systems, LED displays, LED lights with sensors, better ventilation,” said the party in a press release.
Currently, almost all the common area lights in PAP-managed estates have been changed to energy-saving LED lights.
“This has helped us save 1,413 million kWh of energy, equivalent to powering 313,665 four-room HDB homes for a year, and reduce over 586,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions,” said Coordinating Chair of PAP Town Councils Lim Biow Chuan, adding that it has also provided more reliable lighting for residents.
To further reduce energy usage, the party said it intends to progressively incorporate smart sensors across its towns when the LED lights are due to be replaced.
“The lights with smart sensors will provide more reliable light as they can be remotely monitored,” said PAP. It added that this measure is expected to reduce up to 62 million kWh of energy usage by 2025, equivalent to the energy used by 14,452 four-room HDB homes in a year.
By 2023, all of the party’s town councils will implement equipment to convert fallen leaves and branches into mulch, in order to reduce waste and carbon footprint from transporting excess plant material.
More greenery will also be incorporated when PAP town councils redesign and refresh public spaces in order to allow residents to enjoy more nature and cooler temperatures//CNA
December
Blinken warns Chinese leaders over Taiwan as global crises mount
Written by nuke
A person holds flags of Taiwan and the United States on Jan 14, 2017. (File photo: Reuters/Stephen Lam) -
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Reuters Next conference on Friday (Dec 3) that Chinese leaders should think carefully about their actions toward Taiwan, warning of "terrible consequences" if China precipitates a crisis across the Taiwan Strait.
In an interview, Blinken addressed multiple foreign policy challenges facing the administration of President Joe Biden, including faltering efforts to repair the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Russia's military buildup near Ukraine, and the spiraling conflict in Ethiopia.
Most acute may be China's increasingly aggressive posture toward Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory. Taiwan's defense minister has said tensions with China are at their worst in more than 40 years adding that China will be capable of mounting a "full-scale" invasion by 2025.
Asked if China was going to invade Taiwan, Blinken said “that would be a potentially disastrous decision", repeating Washington's position that it is "resolutely committed" to making sure Taiwan has the means to defend itself.
China had been trying to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait in recent years by engaging in provocative military maneuvers and trying to isolate Taiwan from the rest of world, Blinken said.
“I hope that China’s leaders think very carefully about this and about not precipitating a crisis that would have I think terrible consequences for lots of people and one that’s in no one’s interest, starting with China," Blinken said.
China remains Biden's number one foreign policy priority, but his administration has also been buffeted by crises elsewhere.
Blinken said the United States had sanctions it could use for parties perpetuating Ethiopia's conflict.
On Iran, Blinken said Washington ended indirect talks in Vienna this week because Tehran did not seem serious about a return to compliance with the nuclear deal.
"If the path to a return to compliance with the agreement turns out to be a dead-end, we will pursue other options," he said.
Blinken returned on Thursday from Europe, where he met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and delivered a warning over Russia's military buildup near Ukraine.
Biden is expected to speak to President Vladimir Putin in the near future, and will tell the Russian leader that Washington is determined to stand up against any "reckless or aggressive" actions, Blinken said. The United States wants a more predictable relationship with Russia, he said.
“There are areas where we have overlapping interests and we should be able to work together if we can have some stability and predictability in the relationship. Russia’s actions and the threat of further aggression against Ukraine moves in exactly the opposite direction," Blinken said//CNA
December
South Korea reports record-high COVID-19 cases, deaths
Written by nuke
A girl waits while her father undergoes a COVID-19 test in central Seoul, South Korea, Dec 1, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Kim Hong-ji) -
South Korea reported a record daily 5,352 new COVID-19 infections and 70 deaths, while a nationwide total of nine cases of the Omicron variant have been confirmed, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said on Saturday (Dec 4).
The government on Friday announced that people visiting restaurants, cinemas and other public spaces will have to show vaccine passes. It is also reducing the limit on private gatherings to six people in the greater Seoul area, from 10 currently, and to eight from 12 for those residing outside of the capital, starting next Monday.
The hospitalisation rate was rising rapidly led by severe cases of COVID-19, with the number of serious and critical patients at 752 as of Friday, KDCA said.
South Korea has also confirmed three additional Omicron cases, bringing the total to nine after a fully vaccinated couple tested positive for the variant after travelling from Nigeria last week.
To fend off the new variant, authorities on Friday announced a 10-day mandatory quarantine requirement for all inbound travellers for two weeks, halting exemptions given earlier to fully vaccinated people.
South Korea has been battling the worst wave of infections since July, when the daily cases stood below 2,000 until the government switched to "living with COVID-19". The cases hit 5,000s for the first time this week, putting a strain on the healthcare system.
The country, which has fully inoculated 91.7 per cent of its adult population, has so far reported a total of 467,907 COVID-19 infections, with 3,809 deaths since the start of the pandemic//CNA
December
FILE PHOTO: Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman speaks at the State Department in Washington, DC, U.S. August 18, 2021. Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo -
The approach of the United States and Europe toward China is "increasingly convergent," US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said on Friday (Dec 3), following meetings with the chief of the European Union's diplomatic service.
US President Joe Biden has stressed as a hallmark of his foreign policy the importance of working closely with allies in pushing back against what his administration sees as China's increasingly assertive behavior worldwide.
The EU and United States on Thursday expressed concern over China's actions in the South and East China Seas and the Taiwan Strait, which they said had a "direct impact" on their respective security and prosperity.
Sherman, speaking at a briefing hosted by the Brookings Institution with Stefano Sannino, the Secretary General of the European External Action Service, said Washington was committed to standing "shoulder to shoulder" with European partners to engage China with "collective strength."
"We see our approach and the EU's approach to the PRC as complementary and increasingly convergent and aligned," she said, referring to the People's Republic of China.
Sannino, speaking after two days of talks with Sherman in Washington, said the EU recognized China's importance, but was not shying away when Beijing actions were not according to the rules. He called recent Chinese moves against EU member Lithuania "extremely worrying" and "not acceptable."
"When I see the way ... the Biden-Harris administration are defining their relations with China, when I see how they are defining their interests in the Indo-Pacific region, I think we are going really in the same direction," Sannino said.
Sannino said Europe was working to create an environment in the Indo-Pacific conducive to cooperation, but where the cost of confrontation was "extremely high," including by enhancing its security presence.
He said the EU wanted to strengthen its economic and cultural ties with democratic Taiwan, an exporter of key components for European industry which Beijing claims as its own.
China downgraded diplomatic ties with Lithuania after the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania opened on Nov 18.
Since then, Lithuanian officials have said China has imposed a customs block on Lithuanian exports, and is pressuring companies in third countries to not do business with the small Baltic state.
While both Sherman and Sannino stressed shared concerns and approaches, EU-US relations are still recovering from the shock of a deal by the United States and former EU member Britain to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, which torpedoed a major French contract with Canberra.
Sannino said it was not just a commercial issue, but one of trust.
"We cannot say that this is not left scars, but all scars case can be healed," he said. "So it depends a little bit on the effort that is being done, on the medicine that you apply."
He said Australia was an important and like-minded regional partner.
"So I hope that this can be done and it can go back to a more normal situation. And I hope that this can happen sooner rather than later."//CNA
December
Iran nuclear talks break, Europe dismayed by Tehran demands
Written by nuke
Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Enrique Mora and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani wait for the start of a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria November 29, 2021. EU Delegation in Vienna/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY -
Indirect US-Iranian talks on saving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal broke off until next week as European officials voiced dismay on Friday (Dec 3) at the demands of Iran's new, hardline administration.
The seventh round of talks in Vienna is the first with delegates sent by Iran's anti-Western President Ebrahim Raisi on how to resuscitate the agreement under which Iran limited its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions.
Raisi's election in June caused a five-month hiatus in the talks, heightening suspicions among US and European officials that Iran is playing for time while advancing its nuclear program.
Diplomats said the Iranian delegation had proposed sweeping changes to a text that was painstakingly negotiated in previous rounds and that European officials had said was 70 to 80 per cent finished.
"Over five months ago, Iran interrupted negotiations. Since then, Iran has fast-forwarded its nuclear program. This week, it has back-tracked on diplomatic progress made," senior officials from France, Britain and Germany said in a statement, adding that Iran was demanding "major changes" to the text.
It is "unclear how these new gaps can be closed in a realistic time frame", they added.
The three European powers expressed "disappointment and concern" at Iran's demands, some of which they said were incompatible with the deal's terms or went beyond them.
The 2015 agreement imposed strict limits on Iran's uranium enrichment activities, extending the time it would need to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear bomb, if it chose to, to at least a year from around two to three months. Most experts say that period is now shorter than before the deal.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, saying it only wants to master nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
In exchange for the nuclear restrictions, the deal lifted US, European Union and UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
After more than two years of Iranian adherence to the core curbs, however, then-President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the deal in 2018, calling it too soft on Tehran, and reimposed painful US economic sanctions on Tehran.
Tehran retaliated from 2019 by breaching many of the deal's limits on enrichment and other restrictions, and advancing well beyond them. With the deal's nuclear benefits now badly eroded, some Western officials say there is little time left before the foundation of the deal is damaged beyond repair.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he thought it likely the current round of talks would not succeed and appeared to look beyond them, hinting at involving more nations, such as Gulf Arab states, in a wider discussion if the Vienna talks fail.
"I think it's very difficult to find an agreement if the Gulf countries, Israel, all those whose security is directly affected, don't take part," he told reporters in Dubai.
Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani's uncompromising stance is that since Washington left the deal, it should make the first move by lifting all sanctions imposed on Tehran since then, even those unrelated to Tehran's nuclear activities.
Bagheri Kani told Reuters on Monday the United States and its Western allies also should offer guarantees to Iran that no new sanctions would be imposed on it in future.
However, he left the door ajar for more talks by saying European nations could propose their own drafts for discussion, Iranian state media reported.
Western negotiators take a return to the original deal as their base line, meaning if Iran wants sanctions relief beyond it, Tehran should accept more nuclear restrictions.
This week's talks ended with a meeting of the remaining parties to the deal: Iran, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. Officials said the talks, in which others shuttle between US and Iranian diplomats because Iran refuses to meet directly with US officials, will resume mid-week//CNA
December
Ireland places limits on bars, home visits over Omicron fears
Written by nuke
Shoppers in the city centre wear face masks, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Dublin, Ireland, November 30, 2021. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne -
The Irish government on Friday (Dec 3) announced strict new limits on the hospitality sector and home visits to try to push down COVID-19 infection rates after officials said the new Omicron variant was likely to add to pressure on the health service.
Ireland has been reporting COVID-19 case numbers near record highs since early November, even though 91per cent of eligible people over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated.
The death rate has been far lower than during earlier waves and case numbers have stabilised. But health officials are concerned that even if Omicron does not evade vaccines, it could significantly increase already high infection numbers.
"If Omicron takes hold and if it is more transmissible, the potential for a very serious crisis is obvious," Prime Minister Micheal Martin said in a televised address, saying that he had received "very stark" advice from health officials.
"The risk associated with proceeding into the Christmas period without some restrictions ... is just too high," Martin said.
Under the measures that will be in place from Tuesday until Jan. 9, indoor events will have to operate at 50per cent capacity, a measure promoters say will make concerts unprofitable.
Bars and restaurants, which have been subject to various levels of restrictions since the start of the pandemic, must not accept bookings for more than six people and must only offer table service, the government said.
People should only welcome visitors from a maximum of three other households to their home, it said.
Nightclubs, which opened for the first time in over 18 months in October, will have to close under the new rules.
"It is utterly devastating," said Angela Dorgan, Chair of the National Campaign for the Arts lobby group, which has said restrictions during the pandemic have been unfair to the arts and nightlife.
Martin said the government would ensure that the entertainment sector had the necessary financial support//CNA
December
Czechs to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for over 60s: Report
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: People wait after receiving a shot of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a mass vaccination center located inside a gym in Prague, Czech Republic, March 18, 2021. REUTERS/David W Cerny -
The Czech Health Ministry is preparing a decree making COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for people over 60, as well as workers in critical sectors such as medical staff, police, soldiers and firefighters, news website www.idnes.cz reported on Friday (Dec 3).
The government has been considering compulsory vaccinations due to lagging inoculation numbers compared with west European nations. The country of 10.7 million has been one of the world's worst-hit in recent weeks by a surge in infections.
Some other European countries have begun moving towards compulsory vaccinations, including the Czech Republic's neighbour Austria, which has mandated shots for all citizens.
"It is clear that Europe is turning toward compulsory vaccination against COVID-19. Czechia should take the same path," the website quoted Vojtech as saying.
It said the decree should be published next week, with the vaccine mandate effective from March.
But whether it remains in place long enough to take effect could be in doubt, as the government is due to be replaced by a centre-right coalition later this month following an election in October. The new coalition has been against compulsory vaccination for age groups, and lukewarm on mandatory vaccination for professions.
Just 59.6 per cent of Czechs are vaccinated, compared to an EU average of 66.3 per cent, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
Inoculation numbers rose in the past weeks as the government banned access for those not vaccinated to restaurants and other services from November. There have however been public protests against vaccination and epidemiological measures.
An opinion poll by the STEM agency released on Friday showed 19 per cent of the population remained opposed to getting the shots.
It said the public was split 43 per cent to 43 per cent on supporting or rejecting compulsory vaccination.
The Czech Republic has reported 33,450 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic, one of the worst rates per capita globally//CNA
December
Europe surpasses 75 million COVID-19 cases amid spread of Omicron
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: A medical specialist holds the hand of a patient suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the intensive care unit (ICU) of Toxicology and Sepsis clinic of the Riga East Clinical University Hospital in Riga, Latvia. REUTERS/Janis Laizans -
Europe crossed 75 million coronavirus cases on Friday (Dec 3), according to a Reuters tally, as the region braces for the new Omicron variant at a time when hospitals in some countries are already strained by the current surge.
More than 15 countries in Europe have reported confirmed cases of the new variant that has rattled financial markets. The European Union's public health agency said on Thursday that the Omicron variant could be responsible for more than half of all COVID-19 infections in Europe within a few months.
Even before the discovery of Omicron, Europe was pandemic's epicentre with 66 out of every 100 new infections each day coming from European countries, according to a Reuters analysis.
Eastern Europe has 33 per cent of the total reported cases and about 53 per cent of the total reported deaths in Europe. It makes up 39 per cent of the region's population.
The United Kingdom has so far reported the highest total number of coronavirus cases in the region followed by Russia, France and Germany.
The Reuters data shows the pace of the pandemic has picked up speed in the second half of 2021. Europe has reported highest daily average of 359,000 new cases in second half as compared with highest daily cases of about 241,000 a day in the first half of the year.
It took 136 days for the European region to go from 50 million cases to 75 million, compared with 194 days it took to get from 25 to 50 million while the first 25 million cases were reported in 350 days.
To deal with that surge, several European governments reimposed limits on activity, ranging from Austria's full lockdown to a partial lockdown in the Netherlands and restrictions on the unvaccinated in parts of Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Vaccine hesitancy is a global phenomenon, but experts say central Europeans may be particularly sceptical, decades after the collapse of Communist rule eroded public trust in state institutions.
In Latvia, one of the least vaccinated countries in the EU, bodies at the morgue ended up stacked on top of each other, unclaimed for days, as relatives fight queues at cemeteries to bury them. Hospitals in the Czech Republic, where only 62per cent of the population has gotten at least one dose, are strained by the number of COVID patients.
Germany's air force has transferred COVID patients from full hospitals to others within the country using "flying intensive care units."
In Ukraine, where only 30 per cent have gotten at least a first dose, the average number of COVID deaths a day recently set records//CNA
December
Vaccine makers could make Omicron-specific booster, says Fauci
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: A woman wearing a protective face mask, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, walks by pedestrians along 34th street outside Pennsylvania Station in New York City, U.S., November 22, 2021. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton -
COVID-19 vaccine makers have contingency plans to deal with the Omicron variant that include a combination vaccine against the original version and the variant as well as a variant-specific booster dose, a top US health official said on Friday (Dec 3).
The US government is working with Moderna, Pfizer, and J&J on multiple contingency plans, infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci told reporters at a White House briefing.
"One is to rev up the production of the vaccines that they already have. The next is to make, for example, a bivalent, where you have the vaccine against both the ancestral strain and the new variant, and the other is to make a variant-specific boost," said Fauci.
"They are now assuming they may have to do that and are being prepared for that," he added.
Data from a National Institutes of Health study strongly suggest that existing boosters provide cross protection against a number of variants, including Omicron, Fauci said.
"Although we haven't proven it yet, there's every reason to believe that if you get vaccinated and boosted that you would have at least some degree of cross protection, very likely against severe disease, even against the Omicron variant."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with local authorities to investigate suspect cases of the Omicron variant in states other than those where cases have already been reported, Director Rochelle Walensky said at the briefing.
There have been cases of Omicron detected in about 40 countries, she said, but the Delta variant remains the dominant strain in the United States.
"I know that the news is focused on Omicron. But we should remember that 99.9 per cent of cases in the country right now are from the Delta variant. Delta continues to drive cases across the country, especially in those who are unvaccinated," she said//CNA