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May
Japan’s economy slumps back into decline as COVID-19 hits spending
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan’s economy shrank more than expected in the first quarter as a slow vaccine rollout and new COVID-19 infections hit spending on items such as dining out and clothes, raising concerns the country will lag others emerging from the pandemic.
Capital expenditure also fell unexpectedly and export growth slowed sharply, a sign the world's third-largest economy is struggling for drivers to pull it out of the doldrums.
The dismal reading and extended state of emergency curbs have heightened the risk Japan may shrink again in the current quarter and slide back to recession, defined as two straight quarters of recession, some analysts say.
"Global chip shortages caused a marked slowdown in exports, putting a drag on capital spending as well," said Yoshimasa Maruyama, chief market economist at SMBC Nikko Securities.
"Consumption will probably remain stagnant, raising risks of an economic contraction in the current quarter."
The economy shrank an annualised 5.1% in the first quarter, more than the forecast 4.6% contraction and following an 11.6% jump in the previous quarter, government data showed on Tuesday.
The decline was mainly due to a 1.4% drop in private consumption as state of emergency curbs to combat the pandemic hit spending for clothing and dining out.
But the bigger-than-expected contraction also reflected a surprise 1.4% drop in capital expenditure, which confounded market expectations for a 1.1% increase as companies scaled back spending on equipment for machinery and cars.
While exports grew 2.3% thanks to a rebound in global demand for cars and electronics, the pace of increase slowed sharply from the previous quarter's 11.7% gain, a worrying sign for an economy still reeling from weak domestic demand.
Domestic demand knocked 1.1% point off gross domestic product (GDP), while net exports shaved off 0.2 point, the data showed.
"That domestic demand is weak shows the adverse effects from the coronavirus haven't been shaken off at all," said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at Norinchukin Research Institute.
Despite massive monetary and fiscal stimulus, Japan's economy slumped a record 4.6% in the fiscal year that ended in March, the data showed.
"There will undoubtedly be fiscal money poured on this problem to soften the blow, though after so much already, it is difficult to see this having more than a fairly marginal effect," analysts at ING wrote in a research note, adding they expect the economy to shrink again in the current quarter.
"And the Bank of Japan seems to be out of fresh policy stimulus ideas currently, so we don't anticipate anything new from them apart from extending existing measures."
Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura blamed the weak GDP reading mainly on the curbs to combat the pandemic, adding the economy still had “potential” to recover.
“It’s true service spending will likely remain under pressure in April-June. But exports and output will benefit from a recovery in overseas growth,” he told reporters.
Japan's economy expanded for two straight quarters after its worst postwar slump in April-June last year due to the initial hit from the pandemic.
The export-driven recovery came to a standstill as consumption took a hit from a spike in new virus strains that forced the government to re-impose curbs just 10 weeks before the Tokyo Olympic Games. (Reuters)
May
Myanmar activists say more than 800 killed by security forces since coup
Written by Nur Yasmin
More than 800 people have been killed by Myanmar’s security forces since a wave of protests broke out across the country after the military seized power in a coup in February, an activist group said.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army ousted Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government and detained her and officials of her National League for Democracy party.
The military has responded to protests by pro-democracy supporters in cities and towns with lethal force, while there has been an upsurge in fighting between the army and ethnic rebels in border areas and newly formed militia forces.
As of Monday, 802 people had been killed in the junta's crackdown on its opponents, according to the activist group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
"This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher," the group said in its daily briefing.
It detailed six additional fatalities including in towns in Chin state and in districts of the main cities of Mandalay and Yangon.
Reuters could not independently verify the casualties and a military spokesman did not answer a phone call seeking comment.
The junta has previously disputed the number of civilians that have died and said dozens of members of the security forces had also been killed during the protests.
The activist group said 4,120 people were currently being detained, including 20 who had been sentenced to death.
RESIDENTS FLEE
Some of the most intense fighting since the Feb. 1 coup has emerged in recent days in Mindat, about 100 km (60 miles) from the Indian border in Chin state as the army battles local militias.
Thousands of residents in the hill town in northwest Myanmar were hiding in jungles, villages and valleys on Monday after fleeing an assault by the military, witnesses said.
Martial law was declared in Mindat last week before the army launched its assault, using artillery and helicopters against a newly formed Chinland Defence Force. The militia, armed mainly with hunting rifles, said it had pulled back to spare civilians from being caught in the crossfire.
Several residents reached by Reuters said food was in short supply and estimated as many as 5,000 to 8,000 people had fled the town. Roads were blocked and the presence of troops in the streets was preventing their return.
"Almost everyone left the city," said a volunteer fighter who said she was in a jungle. "Most of them are in hiding."
The United States and Britain have called on the army to avoid civilian casualties and a shadow National Unity Government formed by loyalists of Suu Kyi appealed for international help.
A U.N. General Assembly vote on Tuesday on a draft resolution calling "for an immediate suspension of the direct and indirect supply, sale or transfer of all weapons and munitions" to Myanmar has been postponed, diplomats said.
It was not immediately known when a vote would be rescheduled. Some diplomats said it had been delayed in a bid to win more support.
The draft resolution calls on the Myanmar military to end a state of emergency, stop all violence against peaceful protesters and respect the will of the people as expressed in the results of November's election. (Reuters)
May
Australian PM spurns industry pleas to reopen border before 2022
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday said it was still not safe to allow residents fully-vaccinated for COVID-19 to travel overseas, as industries hit hard by the pandemic press for a faster reopening of international borders.
"I understand that everyone is keen to get back to a time that we once knew. But the reality is we are living this year in a pandemic that is worse than last year," Morrison told reporters.
Morrison said any plans to relax border rules for vaccinated travellers could be implemented "only when it is safe to do so".
Australia plans to reopen borders to the rest of the world from the middle of 2022 even as the federal budget unveiled last week hopes to fully vaccinate its near 26 million population by the end of this year.
Airlines, tourism operators and universities - reeling from the impact of border bans - have been urging the federal government to fast track the opening of borders.
"We can't keep (COVID-19) out forever ... It will make us sick but won't put us into hospital. Some people may die but it will be way smaller than the flu," Virgin Australia boss Jayne Hrdlicka was quoted as saying in Australian media on Tuesday.
Morrison described Hrdlicka's comments as "somewhat insensitive".
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) called for a cautious approach to reopening, saying the country needs to beef up hotel quarantine and set up dedicated quarantine facilities to handle travellers from countries with high infection rates.
"Our health system, particularly our public hospitals, are operating beyond capacity and appear ill-equipped to deal with any surge in demand resulting from any community spread of COVID-19," AMA President Omar Khorshid said.
Australia last weekend lifted a ban on Australians returning from India. On Tuesday, an Australian solar company said one of its Sydney-based staff, a 47-year-old man who had gone to India, had contracted the coronavirus there and died.
Authorities in New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, said at least 80% of its adult population has to be fully vaccinated before considering quarantine-free entry.
Australia closed its international borders in March 2020, mostly to non-citizens and permanent residents, helping keep its COVID-19 numbers relatively low at just under 30,000 cases and 910 deaths.
Though the national immunisation drive missed its initial dosage targets, officials have ramped up the vaccination programme administering 1 million doses in the last 17 days.
So far, more than 3.1 million total vaccine shots have been administered, far short of the 4 million pledged by March-end. (Reuters)
May
Tokyo doctors call for cancellation of Olympic Games due to COVID-19
Written by Nur Yasmin
A top medical organisation has thrown its weight behind calls to cancel the Tokyo Olympics saying hospitals are already overwhelmed as the country battles a spike in coronavirus infections less than three months from the start of the Games.
The Tokyo Medical Practitioners Association representing about 6,000 primary care doctors said hospitals in the Games host city "have their hands full and have almost no spare capacity" amid a surge in infections.
"We strongly request that the authorities convince the IOC (International Olympic Committee) that holding the Olympics is difficult and obtain its decision to cancel the Games," the association said in a May 14 open letter to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga which was posted to its website on Monday.
A jump in infections has stoked alarm amid a shortage of medical staff and hospital beds in some areas of the Japanese capital, promoting the government to extend a third state of emergency in Tokyo and several other prefectures until May 31.
Doctors would soon face the added difficulty of dealing with heat exhaustion patients during the summer months and if the Olympics contributed to a rise in deaths "Japan will bear the maximum responsibility", it added.
Other health experts and medical groups have voiced their concerns about the Olympics, while an online petition calling for the Games to be cancelled was signed by hundreds of thousands of people.
Overall, Japan has avoided an explosive spread of the virus experienced by other nations, but the government has come under sharp criticism for its sluggish vaccination roll-out.
Only about 3.5% of its population of about 126 million has been vaccinated, according to a Reuters tracker.
Underscoring the challenges with the vaccinations, booking systems for mass inoculation sites being launched in Tokyo and Osaka - which started accepting bookings on Monday - were marred by technical glitches.
Still, Suga says Japan can host "a safe and secure Olympics" while following appropriate COVID-19 containment measures.
Preparations for the July 23-Aug. 8 Games are progressing under tight COVID-19 protocols, such as an athletics test event featuring 420 athletes in early May.
But multiple pre-Olympic training camps, including one for the United States' track and field team have been cancelled, and athletes have voiced concerns about the Games taking place in the midst of a global pandemic. read more
Canadian equastrian athlete and gold medalist Eric Lamaze announced on Monday that he had pulled out of being an Olympic candidate, citing personal health concerns. He has been treated for a brain tumor over the past three years.
"My health is something that I take very seriously, and I've decided that Tokyo is not the best venue for me," Lamaze said in the statement.
"The Olympics are a celebration of the athletes and I don't think we're going to have a true celebration in Tokyo," he added. "It's not the time to celebrate."
The Games have already been postponed once due to the pandemic.
With cases surging across much of Asia, the World Economic Forum on Monday cancelled its annual meeting of the global elite due to be held in Singapore in August. read more
Under the state of emergency in parts of Japan, bars, restaurants, karaoke parlours and other places serving alcohol will remain closed, although large commercial facilities can re-open under shorter hours. Hard-hit Tokyo and Osaka will continue to keep these larger facilities closed.
The number of COVID-19 cases nationwide dropped to 3,680 on Monday, the lowest level since April 26, according to public broadcaster NHK, but the number of heavy infections hit a record high of 1,235, the health ministry said on Tuesday. (Reuters)
May
Taiwan mobilises diplomats to seek out COVID-19 shots
Written by Nur Yasmin
Taiwan is mobilising its diplomatic corps to secure a speedier delivery of COVID-19 vaccines - a quest that has become more urgent since a sudden rise in domestic cases on an island that has vaccinated less than 1% of its population.
Taiwan has reported more than 700 new domestic infections during the past week, leading to new curbs in the capital, Taipei, and shocking a population that had become accustomed to life carrying on almost normally with the pandemic well under control. read more
Taiwan, a major semiconductor manufacturing hub, has only received about 300,000 shots so far for its more than 23 million people, all AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L) vaccines, and those are rapidly running out.
In comments published on Tuesday by Taiwan's official Central News Agency, Taipei's top official in Washington said she was in talks with the United States for a share of the COVID-19 vaccine doses President Joe Biden plans to send abroad.
"We are in negotiations and striving for it," said Hsiao Bi-khim, the de facto Taiwanese ambassador to the United States.
She said that although vaccine purchases were the remit of Taiwan's health ministry, her office's role was to talk to the United States about speeding up those requests.
Biden said the United States would send at least 20 million more vaccine doses abroad by the end of June. read more
A source briefed on the situation told Reuters the U.S. government had already been helping Taiwan coordinate with manufacturers to speed up deliveries.
The United States, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic relations with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, but is its most important international backer.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, speaking on Tuesday, said they hoped to provide domestically-developed vaccines before the end of July, and that more imported ones were on the way.
"Vaccines that we purchased through various channels will gradually arrive from overseas. Everyone, please don't be worried," she said.
Taiwan has ordered 20 million doses, mostly from AstraZeneca but also from Moderna Inc (MRNA.O), though global shortages have curtailed supplies.
Taiwan has said it also expected to get more than 1 million AstraZeneca shots via the COVAX vaccine-sharing programme for lower-income countries.
A second source familiar with the matter said Taiwan's diplomats in Germany had been involved in talks with BioNTech SE (22UAy.DE).
Taiwan complained in February the firm had pulled out of a deal to sell it 5 million doses at the last minute, possibly because of Chinese pressure. BioNTech later said it did plan to provide COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan.
BioNTech declined to comment on the status of the talks.
Taiwan Foreign Ministry Spokeswomen Joanne Ou also declined to comment on details of getting vaccines.
"We are making great efforts and trying through all means to get the qualified vaccines for our people and residents," she said. (Reuters)
May
More COVID-19 vaccines coming to Taiwan as cases spike
Written by Nur Yasmin
Much-needed COVID-19 vaccines should be coming to Taiwan soon, the GAVI Vaccine Alliance said on Monday, as the chip-producing island's limited supplies run short during a spike in cases that has left the government scrambling for supplies.
A surge of coronavirus infections in Taiwan, one of the world's COVID-19 mitigation success stories, has led to its stock of 300,000 doses rapidly running out, with only about 1% of its 23 million people vaccinated.
Taiwan has been a model of how to control the pandemic but over the past week has reported more than 700 domestic cases, out of a total of 2,017 infections recorded in all, triggering panic buying at supermarkets as the government tightened curbs.
The GAVI Vaccine Alliance, which with the World Health Organization is jointly running the COVAX scheme to provide doses to countries that may have difficulties obtaining them, said more AstraZeneca vaccines were coming to Taiwan.
COVAX expects Taiwan should receive allocated doses by the end of June at the latest, the alliance said in a statement to Reuters.
"The target remains to have 76 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from AZ delivered between February and June to supply up to 80 countries and we expect next tranches of deliveries of vaccines to Taiwan soon," it said.
Taiwan has ordered 20 million vaccine doses, mostly from AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L) but also from Moderna Inc (MRNA.O), though global shortages have curtailed supplies.
Taiwan has said it expects to get more than 1 million AstraZeneca shots via COVAX.
Graphic: COVID-19 Global vaccination tracker: https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/vaccination-rollout-and-access/
Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus: open https://tmsnrt.rs/2FThSv7 in an external browser.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Monday he will send at least 20 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to other countries by the end of June, marking the first time the United States is sharing vaccines authorized for domestic use. read more
Biden announced he will send doses of the Pfizer Inc PFE.N/BioNTech SE , Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) vaccines, on top of 60 million AstraZeneca doses he had already planned to give to other countries.
The White House has not said which countries will receive the shots and the U.S. State Department did not respond when asked what specific assistance was being offered to Taiwan, which counts Washington as its most important security ally.
Taiwan only has AstraZeneca vaccines and last week health authorities stopped giving shots to people who are not on priority lists that include the elderly and medical staff.
AstraZeneca said that through the COVAX facility it was committed to broad and equitable access to the vaccine, including to supply Taiwan.
Moderna did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Taiwan Health Minister Chen Shih-chung told reporters there was "no new progress" to report on the arrival of more vaccines but that lots more would gradually be coming. He gave no details.
CHIP MAKER
The opposition Kuomintang party has called for the world to ensure that the island, a major semiconductor maker, gets priority help.
"Taiwan's pandemic is related to the stability of the global electronic product supply chain," party chairman Johnny Chiang said on Sunday.
A further concern for the government has been China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory and has a deep antipathy towards its democratically elected leaders.
China has been shipping its domestically developed vaccines around the world and has offered them to Taiwan via COVAX, but Taiwanese law does not permit the use of Chinese vaccines.
A security official watching Chinese activity in Taiwan told Reuters the Taipei government believed Beijing was engaged in "cognitive warfare" to "create chaos" and undermine public trust in how the pandemic is being handled.
"They are trying to highlight the efficacy of the Chinese vaccines and how the government is blindly pinning its hopes on vaccines from the United States and home-made vaccines."
China's Taiwan Affairs Office told Reuters "most" Taiwanese hoped they could access Chinese vaccines, and called on Taiwan to remove "political obstacles." (Reuters)
May
U.S. imposes fresh sanctions on Myanmar -Treasury website
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States on Monday imposed fresh sanctions on Myanmar, targeting the governing State Administrative Council and 16 people, including officials, according to the U.S. Treasury Department's website, in the latest in a series of punitive actions following the country's military coup.
The Southeast Asian country has been in crisis since the February coup when the military seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government, with almost daily protests and a crackdown by the junta in which hundreds of people have been killed. (Reuters)
May
Singapore warns children susceptible to virus variants, shuts schools
Written by Nur Yasmin
Singapore warned on Sunday that the new coronavirus variants, such as the one first detected in India, were affecting more children, as the city-state prepares to shut most schools from this week and draws up plans to vaccinate youngsters.
All primary, secondary and junior colleges will shift to full home-based learning from Wednesday until the end of the school term on May 28.
"Some of these (virus) mutations are much more virulent, and they seem to attack the younger children," said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing.
None of the children who have contracted the virus are seriously ill and a few have mild symptoms, he added.
On Sunday, Singapore confirmed 38 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the highest daily number since mid-September, with 17 currently unlinked. The cases included four children linked to a cluster at a tuition centre.
The B1617 strain appeared to affect children more, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, citing the ministry's director of medical services Kenneth Mak. It was not clear how many children had contracted the strain.
Singapore has reported more than 61,000 virus cases, with the bulk linked to outbreaks last year in foreign worker dormitories, and 31 deaths. Sunday's new cases were the highest number of local infections outside of the dormitories in a year.
"The sharp rise in the number of community cases today requires us to significantly reduce our movements and interactions in the coming days," Chan added.
The Asian trade and financial hub of 5.7 million people had until recently been reporting almost zero or single-digit daily infections locally for months.
Though Singapore's daily cases are still only a fraction of the numbers being reported among its Southeast Asian neighbours, infections have been increasing in recent weeks. From Sunday, the government implemented its strictest curbs on gatherings and public activities since a lockdown last year. read more
But the speed of Singapore's inoculation programme is being limited by the pace of vaccine supply arrivals. Experts are studying whether to give one dose of the vaccine and extend the interval between shots, said Ong.
Over a fifth of the country's population has completed the two-dose vaccination regimen with vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech (PFE.N), (22UAy.DE) and Moderna (MRNA.O). Authorities will invite people under 45 years of age to receive shots from the second half of May.
Chan said the government is also working on plans to vaccinate children below 16 years after regulatory approval, which was being sought by Pfizer. (Reuters)
May
Australian Open staying in Melbourne in 2022, says Tiley
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said he was prepared to "climb Mount Everest" again to keep the Grand Slam at Melbourne Park next year after a report said it might have to be moved.
State broadcaster ABC reported on Monday a government forecast that Australia's borders would be closed until mid-2022 could force the relocation of the tournament to Dubai or Doha as players would not be prepared to undergo quarantine again.
Tiley, who oversaw the strict 14-day quarantine of players and officials to get this year's Australian Open played against huge odds, said there were no plans to relocate the 2022 tournament.
"We're going to be here in Melbourne, we are going to make it work, it's going to be in January," the Tennis Australia chief executive told local media on Monday.
"We're going to find a way to get the players here who are currently travelling the world in a bubble.
"We are the only country where quarantine is required. We've got a find a way to manage that and we will."
Australia has been relatively successful in containing COVID-19 and the government sees strict restrictions on those who are able to enter the country as a key part of their strategy.
Tiley said he had learned a lot about how to plan a tournament during a pandemic earlier this year, when the Australian Open was successfully completed in front of reduced, and sometimes no, spectators.
"The two enemies, mass gatherings and international travel, COVID doesn't allow those two things to happen, and those are the pillars of our success," the South African added.
"Being able to get around that was a challenge. There's lots of speculation about 2022, and it's the same journey we are going to go on. It's going to be a ride.
"We felt like we climbed Mount Everest, and unfortunately now we've found ourselves back at base camp. But the one positive thing is that we at least have a path because we have done it once." (Reuters)
May
More COVID-19 vaccines coming to Taiwan as cases spike
Written by Nur Yasmin
Much needed COVID-19 vaccines should be coming to Taiwan soon, the GAVI Vaccine Alliance said on Monday, as the chip-producing island's limited supplies run short during a spike in cases that has left the government scrambling for supplies.
A surge of coronavirus infections in Taiwan, one of the world's COVID-19 mitigation success stories, has led to its stock of 300,000 doses rapidly running out, with only about 1% of its 23 million people vaccinated.
Taiwan has been a model of how to control the pandemic since it began but over the past week it has reported more than 700 domestic cases, out of a total of 2,017 infections recorded in all, triggering panic-buying at supermarkets as the government tightened curbs in the capital, Taipei.
The GAVI Vaccine Alliance, which with the World Health Organization is jointly running the COVAX scheme to provide doses to countries which may have difficulties obtaining them, said more AstraZeneca (AZN.L) vaccines were coming to Taiwan.
COVAX expects Taiwan should receive allocated doses by the end of June at the latest, the alliance said in a statement to Reuters.
"The target remains to have 76 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from AZ delivered between February and June to supply up to 80 countries and we expect next tranches of deliveries of vaccines to Taiwan soon," it said.
Taiwan has ordered 20 million vaccine doses, mostly from AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L) but also from Moderna Inc (MRNA.O), though global shortages have curtailed supplies.
Taiwan has said it expects to get more than 1 million AstraZeneca shots via COVAX.
Health authorities last week stopped giving shots to people who are not on priority lists that include the elderly and medical staff. Taiwan only has AstraZeneca vaccines.
AstraZeneca said that through the COVAX facility it was committed to broad and equitable access to the vaccine, including to supply Taiwan.
Moderna did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Health Minister Chen Shih-chung told reporters on Monday that there was "no new progress" to report on the arrival of more vaccines but lots more would gradually be coming. He gave no details.
CHIP MAKER
Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang party has called for the world to ensure that the island, a major semiconductor maker, gets priority help.
"Taiwan's pandemic is related to the stability of the global electronic product supply chain," party chairman Johnny Chiang said on Sunday.
A further concern for the government has been China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory and has a deep antipathy towards its democratically elected leaders.
China has been shipping supplies of its domestically developed vaccines around the world and has offered them to Taiwan via the COVAX global sharing scheme.
Taiwan law does not permit the use of Chinese vaccines.
A security official looking into Chinese activity on the island told Reuters the security services had been told to focus on what the government believes is "cognitive warfare" by China to "create chaos" and undermine public trust in the government's handling of the pandemic.
"They are trying to highlight the efficacy of the Chinese vaccines and how the government is blindly pinning its hopes on vaccines from the United States and home-made vaccines, leaving the lives of citizens in the lurch."
China's Taiwan Affairs Office told Reuters "most" Taiwanese hoped they could access Chinese vaccines, and called on Taiwan to remove "political obstacles". (Reuters)