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February
New Zealand to push for tariff-free trade of COVID-19 essentials at APEC
Written by Nur Yasmin
Feb. 22 - New Zealand will use its platform as host of an Asia-Pacific trade group in coming months to seek a global approach to coronavirus vaccinations that would eliminate tariffs on goods needed to fight COVID-19.
Amid concerns that smaller nations may be left behind in vaccinating their populations, New Zealand - one of the most successful countries in curbing the pandemic - will make the proposals at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which it will host virtually this year.
“Our message is that to deal with a global pandemic like this we need more global participation,” said Vangelis Vitalis, New Zealand’s deputy secretary for trade and economy, who chairs the APEC2021 Senior Officials’ Meeting.
“Trade is not going to solve the crisis but trade can help,” he told Reuters in an interview.
New Zealand proposes making shipments between the 21 APEC members of medicines, medical and surgical equipment, hygiene products an other goods tariff-free and easing other restrictions on their movement across borders.
The proposal would have to agreed on in the next couple of weeks to get approved at the APEC trade ministers’ meeting in May, Vitalis said.
Some APEC nations committed last year to keeping COVID-19 supply chains open and removing trade restrictions on essential goods, especially medical supplies. But there has been no firm action since.
Only New Zealand and Singapore took this further, eliminating tariffs on more than 120 products they deemed essential.
“It’s worrying that only two small countries have done that,” Vitalis said. New Zealand wants a ministerial statement listing pandemic-essential products and services, he said.
It would also ease the movement of coronavirus vaccines through air and sea ports, which has been a growing concern amid smaller nations like New Zealand who fear larger economies will buy up and control medical supplies.
Despite efforts by the World Health Organization to ensure smaller nations get their share of vaccines, experts say richer nations have been hoarding vaccines and essential goods, leaving poorer and smaller nations at their mercy for these products.
New Zealand began vaccinating border workers on Saturday, but most of the country’s 5 million people are not expected to get inoculated until the second half of the year.
Vitalis said “vaccine nationalism,” which Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warned against last month, is in no one’s interest.
Mutation risks mean a need to avoid “parts of the global population not vaccinated,” he said.
Although vaccine tariffs are low, there are significant charges on equipment like syringes, needles and gloves, which may impede the inoculation process.
The consensus-based APEC has struggled to reach agreements in recent years amid then-President Donald Trump’s trade war with China. Joe Biden, who succeeded Trump last month, has promised a more multilateral approach but is not expected to rush into trade deals with Beijing. [L4N2KF3AC]
The trade-dependent host nation “would like to see APEC go broader on trade liberalisation, but we have to be realistic on what is achievable this year,” said Alan Bollard, the New Zealand-based former executive director of the APEC Secretariat in Singapore.
“COVID-19 is an immediate concern - addressing it is also a chance to ride over ongoing trade barriers,” said Bollard, a former head of New Zealand’s central bank. (Reuters)
February
Britain to offer all adults a COVID-19 vaccine by end of July
Written by nuke
Britain to offer all adults a COVID-19 vaccine by end of July - BBC
All adults in Britain will be offered a first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of July, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday (Feb 20) ahead of a planned announcement on the cautious reopening of the economy from lockdown.
Johnson will set out a roadmap to ease England's third national lockdown on Monday, having met a target to vaccinate 15 million Britons from higher-risk categories by mid-February.
Britain now aims to give a first dose to all over-50s by Apr 15, the government said, having previously indicated it wished them to receive the shot by May.
If all adults receive a dose by the end of July, it will be well ahead of a previous target that they would receive a vaccine by autumn.
After suffering the world's fifth-worst official COVID-19 death toll and a series of mishaps in its pandemic response, Johnson's government moved faster than much of the West to secure vaccine supplies, giving it a head start.
Johnson cautioned that there was a need to avoid complacency, adding that lockdown would only be lifted slowly.
"We will now aim to offer a jab to every adult by the end of July, helping us the most vulnerable sooner, and take further steps to ease some of the restrictions in place," Johnson said in a statement.
"But there should be no doubt - the route out of lockdown will be cautious and phased, as we all continue to protect ourselves and those around us."
So far, the United Kingdom has given a first dose of vaccine to 17.2 million people, more than a quarter of its 67 million population and behind only Israel and the United Arab Emirates in vaccines per head of population.
Two vaccines - one made by Pfizer and BioNTech, and another developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca - are being rolled out, and UK officials have advised that there can be a 12 week gap between doses//CNA
February
Australian PM Morrison gets COVID-19 vaccine as inoculation roll-out starts
Written by nuke
Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison receives a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the Castle Hill Medical Centre in Sydney on Feb 21, 2021 - Strait Times
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was injected on Sunday (Feb 21) with the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, as the nation started its inoculation program a day ahead of schedule.
Up to 4 million Australians are expected to receive a COVID-19 vaccine voluntarily by March, with Morrison and Paul Kelly, the country's chief medical officer, among a small group of Australians receiving the first inoculations.
"We're here making some very important points," Morrison said moments before cameras captured the first person being injected at a medical centre in Sydney. "That it is safe, that it's important, and we need to start with those who are most vulnerable and on the frontline."
Doses of the Pfizer inoculations, which need to be kept at temperatures well below freezing, were still being distributed to 16 vaccine hubs around Australia in preparation for the broader rollout of the vaccines on Monday.
A small number of older Australians at the Castle Hill Medical Centre in the western part of Sydney, aged-care staff, and frontline nurses and workers were among the group injected on Sunday, officials said.
The country is enjoying a second day without a single new COVID-19 transmission in the community, officials said. The vast majority of its population will be injected with the AstraZeneca vaccine by the end of October.
On Saturday, thousands of people attended anti-vaccine rallies in major Australian cities to protest what they incorrectly believed to be mandatory vaccinations.Australia has reported just under 29,000 COVID-19 cases and 909 deaths since March 2020. The country has ranked among the top 10 in a COVID-19 performance index//CNA
February
UN Security Council to meet on global warming impact on world peace
Written by nuke
UN Security council to meet on global warming impact on world peace - UN
The UN Security Council will hold a summit of world leaders on Tuesday (Feb 23) to debate climate change's implications for world peace, an issue on which its 15 members have divergent opinions.
The session, called by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and conducted by video-conference, comes just days after the United States under President Joe Biden formally rejoined the Paris climate change accord.
Johnson, whose country now holds the Security Council's rotating presidency, will address the forum, as will US climate czar John Kerry, French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the prime ministers of Ireland, Vietnam, Norway and other countries, diplomats say.
The meeting will serve as a test for US-China relations, one UN ambassador said on condition of anonymity, alluding to one of the few issues where the two big powers might agree. But this is not a given.
Traditionally, the ambassador said, "you know that the Russians and the Chinese will immediately say (climate change has) 'nothing to do' with the council's issues".
Today, however, "the Chinese are more liable to be slightly open to that discussion", which "leaves the Russians pretty much on their own".
Russia does not see climate change as a broad issue for the Security Council to address. Moscow prefers dealing with climate questions on a case-by-case basis, diplomats told AFP.
Tuesday's meeting "will be focused on the security aspects of climate change", a second ambassador said, also on condition of anonymity.
Some non-permanent members of the council including Kenya and Niger have clearly expressed their concerns about climate change's impact on national security.
Others do not want to "turn the Security Council into another organ which is looking just at the issues more broadly around finance, adaptation, mitigation and negotiations," the second ambassador said.
Last year, Germany, which then had a seat on the council, drafted a resolution calling for the creation of a special UN envoy post on climate-related security risks.
One goal of the job would be to improve UN efforts involving risk assessment and prevention.Today, with the new US approach, that draft resolution has a chance of being approved//CNA
February
UK PM announces 100 day target to create new vaccines
Written by nuke
The G7 virtual meeting 2021 - independent.co.uk
The UK Prime Minister is setting out his ambition to cut the time to develop new vaccines by two-thirds to 100 days, as he chairs the first G7 leaders’ meeting of the UK’s presidency.
The development of a coronavirus vaccine in approximately 300 days was a huge and unprecedented global achievement. By reducing the time to develop new vaccines for emerging diseases even further, we may be able to prevent the catastrophic health, economic and social repercussions seen in this crisis. The 100 day ambition was proposed by CEPI earlier this year.
The UK Prime Minister has also confirmed today that the UK will share the majority of any future surplus coronavirus vaccines from our supply with the COVAX procurement pool to support developing countries, in addition to the UK’s £548 million funding for the scheme. He will be encouraging G7 leaders to increase their funding for COVAX in support of equitable access to vaccines.
“Perhaps more than ever, the hopes of the world rest on the shoulders of scientists and over the last year, like countless times before, they have risen to the challenge" Speaking ahead on Friday meeting, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
“The development of viable coronavirus vaccines offers the tantalising prospect of a return to normality, but we must not rest on our laurels. As leaders of the G7 we must say today never again. By harnessing our collective ingenuity, we can ensure we have the vaccines, treatments and tests to be battle-ready for future health threats, as we beat Covid-19 and build back better together" Prime Minister added.
Meanwhile, on a press statement received by Voice of Indonesia in accordence to this matter, UK's Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste, Owen Jenkins said that the UK decision to donate the majority of any future vaccine surplus to developing countries through COVAX is big, great news. Indonesia is one of the 92 countries eligible for vaccines under COVAX, so is likely to be one of the countries that benefits from this generosity.
"This comes on top of the UK’s huge donation to GAVI - £548 million – one of the largest donors, and 1/5th of the total funds raised. Now, as the first country to commit to sharing the majority of our surplus vaccines through COVAX, this news show how the UK is a force for good in the world – demonstrating how we should tackle this pandemic with a spirit of togetherness and through our shared multilateral institutions" the Ambassador added.
"Difficult times lead to innovation. The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines has been amazing – and one of the most impressive features of the global pandemic response. Now we have the chance to cement these gains for the future – working globally on every part of vaccine development – through research, trial and production – to benefit everyone. Hopefully these efforts mean we will be more ready than ever before for a future pandemic" The Ambassador also said.
Delivering on the objectives in the Prime Minister’s Five Point Plan to Prevent Future Pandemics – first set out at the UN last year - will be a key focus of the UK’s G7 presidency this year.
The UK Prime Minister will also call on G7 leaders to support a treaty on pandemic preparedness through the WHO.
The meeting will be the first hosted by the UK PM as part of the UK’s G7 Presidency this year and the first gathering of G7 leaders since April 2020.
At the meeting leaders are expected to confirm their support for the UK’s G7 health priorities and discuss wider efforts to address global challenges and secure a sustainable, green economic recovery from coronavirus, as well as a number of foreign policy issues//NK-VOI
February
Djokovic defends Australian Open dynasty against Medvedev rampage
Written by nuke
Djokovic defends Australian Open dynasty against Medvedev rampage - NBC Sport
A very different Australian Open comes to a familiar end on Sunday as Novak Djokovic looks to thwart another challenge to his Melbourne Park dynasty from the latest Grand Slam aspirant in Daniil Medvedev.
The tournament has charted a rocky path through the COVID-19 pandemic and a snap five-day lockdown due to a local outbreak robbed it of much of its vitality.
Much like the tournament, world number one and defending champion Djokovic has been forced into crisis management at times during his campaign.
Pilloried in the leadup for petitioning organisers to ease strict quarantine protocols for players, the Serb struggled with an abdominal strain sustained in the third round.His ability to manage the injury was key in bringing him within one match of a record-extending ninth Australian Open crown but he said he was fighting fit after beating Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev in the semi-finals.
Victory over fourth seed Medvedev would mean an 18th Grand Slam title for Djokovic, pulling him within two of the record 20 shared by "Big Three" rivals Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.
While the 33-year-old Djokovic has never lost a final at Melbourne Park, his reign has rarely looked so vulnerable.
He suffered a huge scare against Dominic Thiem in the five-set decider last year, and Medvedev is possibly the player he would least like to face.
Not for nothing did Djokovic brand him “the man to beat”.
The rangy Russian has been a machine since November, clinching the Paris Masters, the ATP Finals and the team-based ATP Cup in a 20-match winning streak that has included 12 straight victories over top-10 opponents.
Djokovic was among Medvedev’s victims at the ATP Finals but when the Serb strolls onto his favourite centre court on Sunday, the form-book is unlikely to figure.
With the exception of Thiem's U.S. Open win last year where Djokovic was disqualified for hitting a tennis ball into a line judge, the "Big Three" have won all the Slams since 2017.
"There has been a lot of talk about the new generations coming and taking over from the three of us but realistically that isn’t happening still," Djokovic told Eurosport.
Contesting his second Grand Slam final but first in Australia, Medvedev is hungry for success after being edged by Nadal in a classic five-set decider at the 2019 U.S. Open.
Djokovic might see something of himself in the confident 25-year-old, who boasts similarly elite court coverage, defence and shot-making.
Medvedev has added mental strength to his arsenal, which proved invaluable in his semi-final against Stefanos Tsitsipas as he closed out a tense third set after briefly wobbling in the face of a hostile crowd.
He has also shown willingness to indulge in a bit of niggle, saying the pressure is all on Djokovic as he chases the 20-slam record//CNA
February
Myanmar's minorities protest in show of unity against coup
Written by nuke
Demonstrators protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, February 19, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer
Members of Myanmar ethnic groups protested on Saturday (Feb 20) in a show of opposition to the coup that ousted the government of Aung San Suu Kyi, despite some misgivings about her commitment to their aspirations for autonomy, community representatives said.
Protests against the Feb 1 coup that overthrew the elected government of the veteran democracy campaigner have taken place across the diverse country, even though the military has promised to hold a new election and hand power to the winner.
The demonstrators are demanding the restoration of the elected government, the release of Suu Kyi and others and the scrapping of a 2008 constitution, drawn up under military supervision, that gives the army a decisive role in politics.
Ke Jung, a youth leader from the Naga minority and an organiser of the Saturday protest by the minorities in the main city of Yangon, said the protesters were also demanding a federal system.
"We can't form a federal country under dictatorship. We can't accept the junta," he told Reuters.
The protests have been more peaceful than the bloodily suppressed demonstrations during nearly 50 years of direct military rule up to 2011.
In addition to the protests, a civil disobedience campaign has paralysed much government business.
Myanmar has experienced insurgencies by ethnic minority factions since shortly after its independence from Britain in 1948 and the army has long held itself to be the only institution capable of preserving national unity.
Aung San Suu Kyi, 75, like the top generals, is a member of the majority Burman community. Her government promoted a peace process with insurgent groups but she came in for a storm of international criticism over the plight of the Muslim Rohingya minority after more than 700,000 fled a deadly 2017 crackdown//CNA
February
Thailand's Prime Minister survives no-confidence vote
Written by nuke
Thailand's Prime Minister survives no-confidence vote - Khaosod English
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha survived a no-confidence vote on Saturday (Feb 20) in parliament amid allegations that his government mismanaged the economy, bungled the provision of COVID-19 vaccines, abused human rights and fostered corruption. Nine other ministers also survived the vote.
It marked the second no-confidence test Prayut’s government has faced since taking office in July 2019, following a contested election after Prayut seized power in a 2014 coup as the army chief. In February last year, Prayut and five Cabinet ministers easily defeated a no-confidence vote in the lower house.
In the latest motion, his government was also criticised for misusing its power to promote police officials and for establishing a cyber unit to attack government critics on social media, among other complaints.
But a more serious allegation was that Prayut has deepened divisions in society by using the monarchy as a shield against criticism of his government.
A student-led protest movement has campaigned since last year for Prayut and his government to step down. They want the constitution to be amended to make it more democratic, and for the monarchy to be reformed to make it more accountable.
“The biggest fault of Prayut is that he does not understand the principles of the constitutional monarchy,” said Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the opposition Move Forward Party.
“He used the monarchy to protect himself whenever he was criticised or opposed. This is an evil action, making him no longer qualified to be prime minister,” he said.
His accusation refers to the enforcement of Article 112 in the criminal code, also known as the lese majeste law. Prayut said in June last year that King Maha Vajiralongkorn had expressed his wish for the government not to use the law against defaming the monarchy to prosecute protesters.
The legislation allows anyone to file a complaint with the police, with convictions carrying jail terms of up to 15 years per offense. According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, at least 59 people including several minors were summoned under the law between November and February//CNA
February
Pandemic to widen skill gaps as workplaces change, McKinsey says
Written by Nur Yasmin
Feb. 19 - Tens of millions of workers in developed economies will have to retrain for secure careers in post-COVID labour markets reshaped by the pandemic and the remote working revolution, a report by consultancy McKinsey said on Thursday.
The analysis by MGI, McKinsey’s economics research arm, concluded the pandemic’s biggest impacts will be concentrated in four work areas: leisure and travel venues; on-site customer interaction such as in retail and hospitality; computer-based office work; and production and warehousing.
Its scenarios suggested more than 100 million workers in the countries covered by the study - Britain, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Spain and the United States - may need to switch occupations by 2030, up to 25% more than expected pre-pandemic.
“These workers will face even greater gaps in skill requirements,” it warned, noting that job growth may concentrate more in high-wage jobs as middle- and low-wage jobs decline.
“Workers without a college degree, women, ethnic minorities, and young people may be most affected,” it added .
Other types of work - such as medical care and personal care - may see less change because there is little alternative to the high level of proximity they require.
Overall, the study found that remote work and virtual meetings are likely to continue - less extensively than at the pandemic’s peak but still with considerable knock-on effects for real estate, business travel and urban centers.
While leisure travel and tourism are seen rebounding, McKinsey estimated some 20% of business travel may not return after the pandemic as companies and workers acknowledged a lot of earlier travel for face-to-face meetings was superfluous.
“This would have a significant knock-on effect on employment in commercial aerospace and airports, hospitality, and food service,” it noted. (Reuters)
February
Japan, U.S., India, Australia call for return of democracy in Myanmar
Written by Nur Yasmin
Feb. 19 - Foreign ministers of the so-called Quad grouping of countries seen as a forum to stand up to China in Asia agreed that democracy must be restored quickly in Myanmar and to strongly oppose attempts to upset the status quo by force, Japan’s foreign minister said on Thursday.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts from India, Japan and Australia met virtually for the first time under the Biden administration and discussed Myanmar, COVID-19, climate, and Indo-Pacific territorial and navigation issues, the State Department said in a statement.
“We’ve all agreed on the need to swiftly restore the democratic system (in Myanmar),” and to strongly oppose all unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters.
“I stressed that, with challenges to existing international order continuing in various fields, the role we, the countries that share basic values and are deeply committed to fortifying free and open international order based on the rule of law, play is only getting bigger,” Motegi said.
The State Department said Blinken and his counterparts discussed counterterrorism, countering disinformation, maritime security and “the urgent need to restore the democratically elected government in Burma.”
They also addressed the “the priority of strengthening democratic resilience in the broader region,” it said.
The State Department said the four reiterated a commitment for the Quad to meet at least annually at ministerial levels and regularly at senior and working levels “to strengthen cooperation on advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including support for freedom of navigation and territorial integrity.”
Myanmar’s military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a Feb. 1 coup. The United States has responded with sanctions and urged other countries to follow suit.
President Joe Biden has said working closely with allies will be key to his strategy toward China, in which he has said the United States will aim to “out-compete” Beijing.
Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed in a telephone call last week to strengthen Indo-Pacific security through the Quad.
The United States and other Quad members are concerned about China’s extensive maritime claims in Asia, including in the South China Sea, where Beijing has established military outposts in disputed waters. In the East China Sea, China claims a group of uninhabited islets administered by Japan, a dispute that has plagued bilateral relations for years. (Reuters)