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International News (6891)
03
October
October
Japan government to compile big extra budget after polls, says LDP heavyweight
Written by nuke Published in International News
Japan's Economics Minister Akira Amari speaks during a news conference in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan 28, 2016. (File photo: Reuters/Yuya Shino) -
Japan will compile a considerably large supplementary budget immediately after the upcoming general election to ease pandemic pain and back long-term growth in areas such as green, digital and infrastructure, a ruling party heavyweight said on Sunday (Oct 3).
"What must be tackled at first is vaccinations. This is the strongest of coronavirus measures," Akira Amari, newly appointed secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), told public broadcaster NHK's political debate programme.
Japan should bring the vaccination rate from around 60 per cent at present to as much as 70 per cent to 80 per cent, levels seen as easing anxiety among the public, Amari said.
"We have responded with various measures by tapping emergency budget reserves. Now the reserves are drying up, we will compile a considerably large extra budget immediately after election."
Given dire public finances, Japan's next prime minister, Fumio Kishida, may have little choice but to sell more government bonds to fund a pandemic-relief package that he said would be worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
Kishida, a former foreign minister, won the LDP's leadership race on Wednesday and is almost certain to take over Yoshihide Suga as premier on Monday by virtue of the party's majority in the powerful lower house.
Kishida is widely expected to be officially voted in as prime minister when parliament is convened on Monday and will announce a cabinet reshuffle later in the day.
Amari, a former economy minister seen as a key ally of Japan's longest-serving premier Shinzo Abe, was appointed secretary-general on Friday//CNA
03
October
October
Algeria recalls ambassador to France as tensions rise
Written by nuke Published in International News
An Algerian flag flutters on the facade of the embassy in Paris in July 2021. (File photo: AFP) -
Algeria on Saturday (Oct 2) rejected "inadmissible interference" in its affairs, hours after recalling its ambassador from Paris following comments by French President Emmanuel Macron reported in French and Algerian media.
The statement, from the Algerian presidency, said it had withdrawn its ambassador following media reports of the French leader's comments, which had not been denied.
The French daily Le Monde reported that Macron had made critical remarks about the former French colony during a meeting on Thursday with descendants of figures from the war of independence.
Macron reportedly said the country was ruled by a "political-military system" and described Algeria as having an "official history" which had been "totally re-written", the paper reported.
He said this history was "not based on truths" but "on a discourse of hatred towards France", according to Le Monde - though he made clear that he was not referring to Algerian society as a whole but to the ruling elite.
The statement from the Algerian presidency said: "Following remarks that have not been denied, which several French sources have attributed by name to (Macron), Algeria expresses its categorical rejection of the inadmissible interference in its internal affairs."
Macron also spoke out on current Algerian politics. His counterpart Abdelmajid Tebboune was "trapped in a system which is very tough", the French president was quoted as saying.
"You can see that the Algerian system is tired, it has been weakened by the Hirak," he added, referring to the pro-democracy movement which forced Tebboune's predecessor Abdelaziz Bouteflika from power in 2019 after two decades at the helm.
It is the second time that Algeria has recalled an ambassador from France.
Algiers also recalled its ambassador in May 2020 after French media broadcast a documentary about the Hirak.
Saturday's move comes amid tension over a French decision to sharply reduce the number of visas it grants to citizens of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
France said the decision, which it announced on Tuesday, had been made necessary by the former colonies' failure to do enough to allow illegal migrants to return.
The Algerian foreign ministry summoned French ambassador Francois Gouyette on Wednesday and handed him a "formal protest" note concerning the visa ruling.
It called the visa reduction an "unfortunate act" that caused "confusion and ambiguity as to its motivation and its scope".
Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita has described the French move as "unjustified".
Tunisian President Kais Saied expressed disappointment with the decision in a telephone call with Macron on Saturday, his office said, adding that the French leader had said it could be revised.
French government spokesman Gabriel Attal told Europe 1 radio on Tuesday that the visa reduction decision was "unprecedented".
Paris made that choice, he said, because Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia "are refusing to take back nationals who we do not want or cannot keep in France".
The radio said Macron took the decision a month ago after failed diplomatic efforts with the three North African countries//CNA
03
October
October
Facing crises, UK PM Johnson says he will take "bold decisions"
Written by nuke Published in International News
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives at the annual Conservative party conference in Manchester, Britain, October 2, 2021. REUTERS/Toby Melville -
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will promise on Sunday (Oct 3) to take "big, bold decisions" to transform post-COVID Britain, hoping to set the tone of the governing Conservative Party's conference already buffeted by fuel, gas and Christmas food crises.
Johnson had wanted to use the conference this week to turn the page on more than 18 months of COVID-19 and to refocus on his 2019 election pledges to tackle regional inequality, crime and social care.
Instead, the prime minister finds himself on the back foot more than nine months since Britain completed its exit from the European Union - a departure he said would hand the country the freedom to better shape its economy.
He is now faced with an outcry by those unable to fill up their cars with petrol, by retailers who fear there may be shortages of Christmas fare and by gas companies struggling with a spike in wholesale prices.
In a statement released on the eve of the conference in the city of Manchester, Johnson did not refer to the ongoing crises and instead talked up what he called his government's "track record of delivering on the people's priorities".
"We didn't go through COVID to go back to how things were before - to the status quo ante. Build Back Better means we want things to change and improve as we recover," he said.
"That means taking the big, bold decisions on the priorities people care about – like on social care, on supporting jobs, on climate change, tackling crime and levelling up."
He repeated his mantra that the government did all it could to prop up businesses during the pandemic, to protect jobs and had successfully rolled out a mass vaccination programme.
But for many critics, this often repeated statement underscores a refusal to acknowledge missteps in the early days of the pandemic when the government seemed reluctant to lockdown the economy to stop the spread of the virus.
At the conference, the withdrawal of a top-up to a state benefit for low-income households and the end of a COVID jobs support scheme might also attract criticism from some lawmakers, particularly those from regions in northern and central England which have traditionally supported the opposition Labour Party//CNA
03
October
October
Brazilians demonstrate against Bolsonaro, demanding impeachment
Written by nuke Published in International News
Demonstrators protest against far-right President Jair Bolsonaro's administration at Paulista avenue in Sao Paulo, Brazil, October 2, 2021. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli -
Brazilian demonstrators gathered in several state capitals on Saturday (Oct 2) to protest against the federal government and call for the impeachment of President Jair Bolsonaro.
Presidential hopeful Ciro Gomes took part in the protest in Rio de Janeiro and was also expected at the demonstration in São Paulo, according to local media.
Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whom polls show ahead of Bolsonaro in a simulated 2022 matchup, did not attend the protests.
In addition to criticizing right-wing Bolsonaro and his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrators also protested inflation and high fuel prices.
In Rio de Janeiro, the protest brought together hundreds of people, with the support of trade unions and left-wing parties. One group brought a huge inflatable gas canister bearing the inscription: "Is it expensive? It's Bolsonaro's fault."
Saturday's demonstrations were a response to a rally of Bolsonaro supporters on Sep 7. Protesters also gathered in the central region's capital of São Paulo and in northern state capitals such as Recife and Belém.
The protests against the president brought together center-left parties, trade unions and social movements, marking an attempt by the opposition to show unity.
According to the organisers, the demonstrations took place in more than 200 cities across the country//CNA
03
October
October
US administers nearly 394.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines
Written by nuke Published in International News
FILE PHOTO: A nurses fills up syringes for patients as they receive their coronavirus disease (COVID-19) booster vaccination during a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination clinic in Southfield, Michigan, U.S., September 29, 2021. REUTERS/Emily Elconin -
The United States had administered 394,690,283 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Saturday (Oct 2) and distributed 478,362,045 doses, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Those figures are up from the 393,756,866 vaccine doses that the CDC said had gone into arms by Friday out of 477,069,555 doses delivered.
The agency said 214,870,696 people had received at least one dose while 185,143,698 people had been fully vaccinated as of 6:00am ET on Saturday.
The CDC tally includes two-dose vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, as well as Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine.
About 4.74 million people have received an additional dose of either Pfizer or Moderna's vaccine since Aug 13, when the US authorised a third dose of the vaccines for people with compromised immune systems who are likely to have weaker protection from the two-dose regimens//CNA
03
October
October
Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong issued COVID-19 health risk warning, minimising interactions until Oct 4
Written by nuke Published in International News
Mr Gan Kim Yong attends a COVID-19 multi-ministry task force press conference via video conference with (from left) Professor Kenneth Mak, Mr Lawrence Wong, Mr Ong Ye Kung and Dr Tan See Leng on Oct 2, 2021. (Photo: MCI) -
Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong has been issued a health risk warning (HRW) after being in contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19.
Mr Gan was not physically present at the multi-ministry task force press conference on Saturday (Oct 2), joining instead via video conference.
“Minister Gan was issued a health risk warning following close contact with a positive COVID-19 case and is minimising social interactions until his HRW ends on Oct 4,” the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said.
Health risk warnings are issued to those who have been identified as close contacts of COVID-19 cases, based on data from TraceTogether and SafeEntry.
People who have been in close proximity with a COVID-19 case for an extended period of time will also receive a health risk warning.
They must comply with the testing and isolation requirements by law, including taking a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within 48 hours of the SMS notification.
They must also self-isolate until they receive a negative test result but should continue to minimise social interactions as much as possible for the entire period.
On the third, fifth and seventh day from the last exposure, they should perform a self-test with an antigen rapid test (ART). A second PCR test should also be done on the eighth day from the last exposure.
The health risk warning period ends on the 10th day from the last exposure//CNA
03
October
October
Russia sees no hurdles for WHO approval of Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine
Written by nuke Published in International News
FILE PHOTO: An employee holds a vial containing Sputnik vaccine at a factory of Hankook Korus Pharm, in Chuncheon, South Korea September 10, 2021. Picture taken September 10, 2021. REUTERS/Heo Ran -
All the barriers to register Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine with the World Health Organization (WHO) have been cleared and only some paperwork remains to be completed, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Saturday (Oct 2).
The Sputnik V shot, widely used in Russia and approved for use in over 70 countries, is undergoing a review by the WHO and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Their approval could open up new markets for the shot, especially in Europe.
Murashko has met WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva.
"Russia's position on promotion and registration of the Sputnik V vaccine was heard, we have removed all the questions for today," Murashko was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.
He said that the company which is dealing with Sputnik V registration at WHO only "has to sign a few documents, submit a few additional papers".
The WHO could not be immediately reached for comment.
The WHO said in July its review of how Russia produces the Sputnik V vaccine had found some issues with the filling of vials at one plant. The manufacturer said it had since addressed all of the WHO's concerns//CNA
02
October
October
Big nations must stretch further to limit climate change: US envoy Kerry
Written by nuke Published in International News
John Kerry, the United States special presidential envoy for climate, arrives for a news conference during the pre-COP26 climate meeting in Milan on Oct 2, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Guglielmo Mangiapane) -
The world's major economies must "stretch to do more" at next month's United Nations climate talks to show that they are serious about wanting to tackle global warming, United States climate envoy John Kerry said on Saturday (Oct 2).
The COP26 conference in Glasgow aims to secure more ambitious climate action from the nearly 200 countries that signed the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global warming to well below 2.0 degrees Celsius - and to 1.5 degrees Celsius preferably - above pre-industrial levels.
"We now have about 55 per cent of global (gross domestic product) committed to undertake tracks that will hold the temperature to 1.5 degrees. There are other countries now sharpening their pencils," Kerry said during a pre-COP26 meeting in Milan, Italy.
"Well below 2.0 degrees Celsius means well below ... the common sense meaning of that is not 1.9, 1.8 or 1.7 (degrees)," he added.
New energy and funding pledges from the US and China have raised negotiators' hopes, but many Group of Twenty (G20) countries - including major polluters such as China and India - have yet to announce updates of their short-term climate action plans.
Youth climate activists including Sweden's Greta Thunberg, who was in Milan this week, have demanded that policymakers match words with action and stump up billions of dollars to wean the world off fossil fuels.
They have also called for a transparent climate finance system and more grants to help the people most exposed to the impact of climate change.
Wealthy nations that pledged a decade ago to mobilise US$100 billion a year to help vulnerable countries adapt and transition to cleaner energy are still short of their 2020 goal.
Kerry said that he expected donors to fulfil the US$100 billion pledge, but added that a post-2025 finance plan "with an emphasis not just on billions, but on trillions" would be required.
"(The) private sector is needed for this ... We'll be announcing one specific agenda item in conjunction with the World Economic Forum," he said, without giving further details.
European Union climate commissioner Frans Timmermans echoed Kerry's call for radical and swift action.
"We're fighting for the survival of humanity," he told reporters.
Asked about coal mining, Timmermans said that the industry would gradually disappear even without specific climate action because it would eventually become economically unviable.
"I'd be highly surprised if there is still a significant coal mining industry after 2040," he said.
China and India, the world's top two coal producers, still rely on coal-fired power stations for a big share of their electricity supply.
"We're in a very constructive dialogue with India and China ... there is a wish by both countries to be part of the success," Timmermans added//CNA
02
October
October
Philippine President Duterte says he is retiring from politics
Written by nuke Published in International News
FILE PHOTO: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte attends the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit in Singapore, November 15, 2018. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo -
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Saturday (Oct 2) he was retiring from politics, a surprise move that fuelled speculation he was clearing the way for his daughter to run to succeed him.
"Today, I announce my retirement from politics," Duterte said, accompanying loyalist Senator Christopher "Bong" Go from their ruling PDP-Laban party as he registered to run for vice president.
Duterte had been expected to run for vice president. He is not eligible to run again for the top job as the constitution sets a single-six-year term limit for the president.
Political observers had long suspected Duterte could spring a surprise, such as a presidential run by his daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, next year.
Duterte-Carpio, who replaced her father as mayor of Davao, said last month she was not running for higher office next year because she and her father had agreed only one of them would run for national office in 2022.
The older Duterte's decision not to join the race next year would clear her way.
"This allows Sara Duterte to run," said Antonio La Vina, professor of law and politics at the Ateneo de Manila University.
But La Vina said he could not rule out the possibility the firebrand leader could have a change of heart and be Go's substitute.
Candidates have until Friday to register, but withdrawals and substitutions are allowed until Nov 15, leaving scope for last-minute changes of heart, like the 11th-hour entry of Duterte for the 2016 election, which he won by a huge margin//CNA
02
October
October
New Zealand reports 27 COVID-19 cases amid anti-lockdown protests
Written by nuke Published in International News
A medical worker administers a COVID-19 test at a testing clinic during a lockdown in Auckland, New Zealand, Aug 26, 2021. (File photo: REUTERS/Fiona Goodall) -
New Zealand officials reported 27 new cases of the highly infectious Delta coronavirus variant in Auckland on Saturday (Oct 2), as protestors took to the streets to rally against an almost two-month lockdown in the country's biggest city.
Auckland's 1.7 million residents are expecting a government decision on Monday about whether it will remain sealed off from the rest of New Zealand.
Daily case numbers have fluctuated between eight and 45 in recent days, with the total from the outbreak in the city standing at 1,295 cases.
The Health Ministry said the fluctuation was expected "at this state in the outbreak".
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern enforced what was meant to be a "short and sharp" nationwide lockdown in mid-August in response to the Auckland outbreak.
But while the rest of the country has largely returned to normal life, the North Island city has remained in lockdown for about seven weeks.
Around 1,000 people rallied in the city, organised by Destiny Church, a Pentecostal fundamentalist Christian movement, demanding "freedom from lockdown", New Zealand media reported. There were no immediate reports of violence or arrests.
Rallies were scheduled to also take place in the capital Wellington and Christchurch.
While New Zealand was among just a handful of countries to bring COVID-19 cases down to zero last year and largely stayed virus-free until the latest outbreak in August, difficulties in quashing the Delta variant have put Ardern's elimination strategy in question.
Amid mounting pressure, Ardern has said her strategy was never to have zero cases, but to aggressively stamp out the virus.
She said strict lockdowns can end if 90 per cent of the eligible population is fully vaccinated, contrasting with the current 46 per cent//CNA