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November
Brazil health regulator calls for Africa travel restrictions, Bolsonaro dismissive
Written by nuke
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. (Photo: AFP) -
Brazilian health regulator Anvisa recommended on Friday (Nov 26) that travel be restricted from some African countries due to the detection of a new COVID-19 variant, but President Jair Bolsonaro appeared to dismiss such measures.
Anvisa said its recommendation, which would need government approval to be implemented, was to immediately suspend flights from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
The EU and Britain are already tightening border controls as researchers look into whether the new mutation is vaccine-resistant.
Bolsonaro has been widely criticized by public health experts for his management of the pandemic, railing against lockdowns, often refusing to wear a mask in public and choosing not to get vaccinated. Brazil has the world's second-highest death toll from the virus, behind only the United States.
Before the Anvisa statement on Friday, Bolsonaro told supporters it made little sense to close borders.
"What madness is this?," Bolsonaro told supporters when asked if travel would be restricted. "The virus doesn't come in if you close the airport. It is already here."
The news of the variant hammered travel stocks in Brazil, with shares in airlines Gol and Azul plunging about 10 per cent, while travel operator CVC posted an 8per cent fall and planemaker Embraer was down 7 per cent.
In its technical note, Anvisa said that foreigners who have been to at least one of the six African countries cited in the prior 14 days should not be allowed to land in Brazil, while Brazilians arriving from those nations should be required to quarantine.
The health agency said "the new variant appears to have a higher transmissibility."//CNA
November
WHO nears consensus on future international pact to prevent pandemics - diplomats
Written by Nur Yasmin
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is inching closer to a consensus to negotiate an international agreement to prevent future pandemics, although Washington is so far reluctant to make the pact legally binding, Western diplomats say.
Health ministers from WHO's 194 member states open a three-day special assembly on Monday to try to clinch a deal with the aim of strengthening the agency's ability to address pandemics, after its handling of COVID-19 was criticised.
The United States has laid down a "red line" that it does not yet want to commit to a legally-binding treaty, but backs the idea of an agreement, and is supported by Brazil and India, diplomats say.
The European Union is pushing hard for a treaty that sets firm obligations, with backing from 70 countries, a European diplomat said.
"We are negotiating, there is a kind of growing consensus on the text but there are still discussions going on," he said. "Whatever we do, we need a continued commitment at the highest political level in the future and set up a system which allows for engagement and preparedness at the highest level in a much better structured way."
China has engaged in the talks and has not opposed a treaty, the European diplomat said.
More than 5.4 million people have died since the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged in central China in December 2019. The WHO says that China has still not shared some of its early data that might help pinpoint the origin of the virus.
A global agreement is expected to cover issues including sharing of data and genome sequences of emerging viruses, but so far talks have not focused on its content.
Another Western diplomat said: "It looks highly likely that we will be agreeing to a new inter-governmental negotiating body...The outstanding point is the precise legal nature of it and under which article of WHO's Constitution it would fall."
"The Americans have been very constructive, they have gone to lengths during the negotiations to say they are not against a treaty. But at this stage they want to keep open the precise legal nature of the agreement that we reach."
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Gheybreyesus has endorsed the proposed treaty.
"Surely countries can agree on the need for a binding pact on the threat of pandemics," Tedros told reporters on Wednesday. "I’m encouraged that there is now a broad consensus for the need for such an instrument." (Reuters)
November
Italy, France deepen strategic ties as Merkel's exit tests Europe
Written by Nur Yasmin
Italy and France signed a treaty on Friday to strengthen bilateral ties and reinforce their coordination within Europe, at a time when EU diplomacy is being tested by the departure of Germany's Angela Merkel.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and French President Emmanuel Macron put their names to the new pact in Rome's Quirinale Palace. Afterwards, a formation of planes trailing smoke in the colours of the two nations, sped through a stormy sky.
"The treaty ... marks an historic moment in relations between our two countries. France and Italy are further consolidating our diplomatic, commercial, political and cultural ties," Draghi told reporters.
The signing ceremony comes shortly after a new coalition pact was agreed in Germany, ending 16 years of rule by Merkel, who was the undisputed leader of Europe and forged especially close ties with successive French leaders.
The new Berlin administration is expected to be more inward looking, especially at the start of its mandate, and both Paris and Rome are keen to deepen relations in a period clouded by economic uncertainty, the pandemic, a more assertive Russia, a rising China and a more disengaged United States.
Macron said the Quiranale Treaty, named for the Roman residence of the Italian president, did not challenge French relations with Germany, but was complementary and aimed at boosting all of Europe.
"The objective we are following ... is to have a stronger and more sovereign Europe ... A Europe that knows how to protect its borders and defend itself," Macron said.
RENAISSANCE
The treaty was originally envisaged in 2017, but negotiations ground to a halt in 2018 when a populist government took office in Rome and clashed repeatedly with Macron over immigration.
There has been a renaissance this year following the appointment of Draghi to lead an Italian unity government, and the two men have met repeatedly in recent months, working closely on areas that were previous flashpoints, such as efforts to end years of conflict in Libya.
The Quirinale Treaty, loosely modelled on a 1963 Franco-German pact, will lead to Paris and Rome seeking common ground ahead of EU summits, just as France already coordinates key European policy moves with Germany.
Draghi said the two nations would launch "new forms of cooperation" in energy, technology, research and innovation. He added that at least once every quarter, an Italian minister would attend a French cabinet meeting, and vice versa.
France and Italy also committed to facilitating "reciprocal investment" and defining "common strategies in international markets".
French companies have invested heavily in Italy in recent years, but Italian politicians have accused Paris of being less forthcoming when Italian businesses seek cross-border deals.
Earlier this year, state-owned shipmaker Fincantieri's bid to take over its French peer Chantiers de l’Atlantique collapsed, thwarted by EU competition issues.
Italian officials suspected Paris actively sought to undermine the deal behind the scenes. (Reuters)
November
Australia investigates new COVID-19 variant found in South Africa
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australia on Friday said it was investigating the newly identified COVID-19 variant spreading in South Africa and warned it may close its borders to travellers from the African nation if risks from the new strain rise.
South African scientists are concerned the new variant could evade the body's immune response and make it more transmissible as it has a "very unusual constellation" of mutations.
Australia Health Minister Greg Hunt said he would swiftly respond if the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies it as a major new variant.
"As we have always been, we are flexible. And if the medical advice is that we need to change that, we won't hesitate," Hunt told reporters in Sydney. "That is what we have done as a country, whether it has been closing borders, whether it has been ensuring there is quarantine."
Alarmed by the variant, Britain temporarily banned flights from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Eswatini from Friday, and asked returning British travellers from those destinations to quarantine. read more
UK health officials said the new strain could make vaccines less effective as it has a spike protein that was different from the one in the original coronavirus that vaccines are based on.
The WHO said it would take "a few weeks" to understand the impact of the new variant.
Australia early this month eased its international border restrictions for the first time during the pandemic allowing fully vaccinated residents to return to the country without quarantine after higher vaccination levels.
Australia had largely stamped out infections for most of this year until an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant in late June spread rapidly across its east. About 205,000 cases and 1,985 deaths have been recorded so far, lower than many other countries in the developed world. (Reuters)
November
Philippines to reopen to some foreign tourists from next week
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Philippines will reopen its borders to tourists from some countries on a trial basis from Dec. 1, its government said on Friday, as part of efforts to rebuild an economy hit hard by the pandemic.
Foreigners vaccinated against COVID-19 from countries designated low risk by the Philippines will be allowed entry over an initial 15-day period, Karlo Nograles, acting presidential spokesperson, told a regular news conference.
"This is something we are doing step by step," Nograles said, adding that the two-week window could be extended.
The Philippines, popular for its white sand beaches and rich marine life, shut its doors to foreign tourists at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020.
Its tourism arrivals from top markets Japan, South Korea and China slumped 83% drop to 1.4 million last year.
In Southeast Asia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia have reopened borders to foreign tourists. (Reuters)
November
Australia says China's 'alarming' actions at odds with peaceful rhetoric
Written by Nur Yasmin
China's "alarming" actions do not match its rhetoric about promoting peace and prosperity in the region, Australia's defence minister said on Friday after a Chinese navy ship was tracked sailing through the country's exclusive economic zone.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton listed China's militarisation of the South China Sea, recent aggression towards Taiwan and the introduction of a national security law in Hong Kong as examples of China's actions being at odds with its rhetoric.
"We're all familiar with the frequent claims of the Chinese government that it is committed to peace, cooperation and development," Dutton said in a speech in Canberra.
"And yet we bear witness to a significant disconnect between the words and the actions. We've watched very closely as the Chinese government has engaged in increasingly alarming activities."
The Chinese embassy in Canberra said Dutton had distorted China’s foreign policy, misled the Australian people and was "fanning conflict and division between peoples and nations".
"It is inconceivable that China-Australia relationship will take on a good momentum... if the Australian government bases its national strategy on such visionless analysis and outdated mentality," it said in a statement.
Relations between Australia and its biggest export market reached a low in 2020 when Canberra backed a United Nations inquiry into the origins of COVID-19, which was first recorded in China.
China responded by cutting off ministerial contacts and imposing hefty tariffs on Australian exports of wine, barley, beef, coal and seafood, effectively nullifying a 2015 free trade agreement. Australia and its ally the United States branded the move "economic coercion".
The latest exchange of barbs came as Australia confirmed it had monitored a Chinese intelligence ship sailing in August inside Australia's exclusive economic zone but not in Australian territorial waters.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the ship - the second of its type monitored off the Australian coast in as many months - was travelling legally.
"But don't think for a second that we weren't keeping our eye on them, as they were seeking to keep an eye on us," Morrison told reporters in Adelaide.
"What it demonstrates is now no one can be complacent about the situation in the Indo-Pacific."
In September, a new security pact between Australia, the United States and Britain, dubbed AUKUS, was widely viewed as an attempt to shore up regional military muscle in the face of China's growing presence. China called AUKUS a danger to world peace. (Reuters)
November
COVID-19: Japan tightens border controls for arrivals from six countries
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan will tighten border controls for people arriving from six African nations from midnight (1500 GMT on Friday) after a new and possibly vaccine-resistant coronavirus variant was detected in South Africa.
Those arriving from South Africa, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Lesotho will be required to undergo a 10-day quarantine period in government-determined accommodation, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters. (Reuters)
November
Taiwan is a 'force for good', senior U.S. lawmaker says on trip to Taipei
Written by Nur Yasmin
The leader of a U.S. Congressional delegation to Taiwan praised the island as a "force for good" in the world during a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday, and said under Tsai ties with the United States were more productive than in decades.
The five members of the U.S. House of Representatives arrived in Taiwan on Thursday night for a two-day trip, the second time in a month U.S. lawmakers have visited.
Speaking during a meeting with Tsai at her office, Mark Takano, chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and leader of the bipartisan delegation, said they were in the region to remind partners and allies that the shared responsibility to a free and secure Indo Pacific remained stronger than ever.
"Madame President, I want to commend and praise your leadership. Under your administration, the bonds between us are more positive and productive than they have been for decades," said Takano, whose group was previously in Japan and South Korea.
"Our commitment to Taiwan is rock solid and has remained steadfast as the ties between us have deepened. Taiwan is a democratic success story, a reliable partner and a force for good in the world," he added.
The United States, like most countries, has no official ties with Taiwan but is the democratically-ruled island's most important international backer and arms supplier, to Beijing's anger.
China has stepped up military and political pressure on Taiwan to accept its sovereignty claims. Tsai has vowed to maintain peace with China, but that she will defend Taiwan if attacked.
"In terms of the regional situation you are paying attention to, Taiwan will continue to step up cooperation with the United States in order to uphold our shared values of freedom and democracy and to ensure peace and stability in the region," she told the group.
China's military conducted a combat readiness patrol in the direction of the Taiwan Strait earlier this month, after its defence ministry condemned a visit to Taiwan by a U.S. congressional delegation it said had arrived on a military aircraft. (Reuters)
November
Thailand doubles 2021 visitor numbers after easing quarantine rules
Written by Nur Yasmin
Thailand has received more than 100,000 visitors after launching a scheme earlier this month that allowed vaccinated tourists to skip quarantine, an official said on Friday, nearly as high as the number of arrivals in the first ten months combined.
From next month, Thailand plans to deploy rapid antigen tests rather than PCR tests to shorten wait times for tourists, said coronavirus taskforce spokesman Taweesin Wisanuyothin, in a move hoped to further boost the vital sector.
But numbers still remain far below the norm - Thailand received 40 million arrivals in 2019 - and some businesses and returning tourists have complained about virus restrictions that remain in place.
For example, in tourist destinations like Bangkok, pubs, bars and nightclubs are closed and restaurants cannot sell alcoholic drinks after 9 p.m.
These venues have poor circulation and have been sites of previous clusters, Taweesin said.
Health officials are working with these business to implement measures including testing staff every three days that could allow them to reopen in the future, he said.
Thailand has reported a total of nearly 2.1 million infections and 20,645 COVID-related fatalities, the majority of them since April. (Reuters)
November
BOJ says 43 lenders qualified to tap its climate loan scheme
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Bank of Japan (BOJ) said on Friday 43 financial institutions qualified to receive loans under a new scheme aimed at promoting activities to combat climate change.
Japan's three megabanks were among those that qualified for the programme, the BOJ said in a statement.
The BOJ said it would conduct the first auction for the loans on Dec. 23.
In July, the BOJ laid out an outline of the climate scheme under which it will offer zero-interest loans that can be rolled over until 2030 to banks that boost green and sustainable loans. read more
Financial institutions are required to disclose targets and actual results on green investment and loans, as well as what steps they are taking to meet disclosure rules. read more
The BOJ's green plans come as other major central banks seek to use their institutional heft to tackle climate change. (Reuters)