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September
Qatar's foreign minister says working with Turkey to reopen Kabul airport
Written by Nur Yasmin
Qatar Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said on Thursday the Gulf state was talking with the Taliban and working with Turkey for potential technical support to restart operations in Kabul airport.
Sheikh Mohammed was speaking at a joint press conference with Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in Doha. (Reuters)
September
Thailand cites positive results from Sinovac-AstraZeneca vaccine formula
Written by Nur Yasmin
Thailand's health ministry said on Thursday that its COVID-19 vaccine regimen of China's Sinovac (SVA.O) followed by British-developed AstraZeneca (AZN.L) was safe and successfully boosted immunity among its first 1.5 million recipients.
Thailand in July became the first country in the world to mix a Chinese vaccine and a Western-developed vaccine as cases and deaths in the country surged and the government struggled with vaccine supplies.
"The cross formula has been injected to over 1.5 million people and it is safe. Please don't say things that would create concern," senior health official Supakit Sirilak told a news conference.
He said Thailand, which has been manufacturing the AstraZeneca vaccine, would no longer be giving two doses of Sinovac's CoronaVac.
Just 13% of Thailand's population of over 66 million has been fully vaccinated.
The majority of its 1.2 million infections and 12,103 coronavirus deaths came after April this year, brought on by the highly transmissible Alpha and Delta variants.
The health ministry said the Sinovac-AstraZeneca combination boosted immunity to the same levels as two AstraZeneca shots and meant vaccinations could be completed faster due to the shorter dose gap.
The formula will be used for most of Thailand's vaccinations, Public Health Permanent Secretary Kiatiphum Wongrajit said.
Booster doses will be given to 3 million people who received two Sinovac shots, using a different type of vaccine, likely from this month, health minister Anutin Charnvirakul has said.
Sinovac's inactivated virus vaccine has caused concern in some countries about its resistance to the Delta variant.
Earlier this week during a censure debate on the coronavirus crisis, Anutin told lawmakers not to criticise Sinovac, to protect the Thai public and avoid harming ties with China.
"Tarnishing of the Sinovac vaccine by many (house) members may create panic, confusion and concern for the public," he said. (Reuters)
September
In South Korea, Afghan evacuees find hope in their new 'special merit' status
Written by Nur Yasmin
After many sleepless nights, a 41-year-old Afghan medical doctor successfully left Kabul with his family before the Taliban seized power last month and is set to begin a new life in South Korea.
The Afghan doctor is one of 390 evacuees who arrived in Seoul last week where the government said it was amending immigration laws to grant long-term residency to those who provided special service to South Korea. read more
Most of them are the families of people who had worked with the South Korean embassy, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and a hospital, among others.
"I'd like to continue my profession and I'd like to work as a medical doctor here," he told Reuters via Zoom during a two-week quarantine at a state-run facility.
"Of course, if getting a certificate is needed, I'll try to get the Korean certificate," he said, requesting to speak anonymously due to security reasons.
Immigration is a contentious issue in South Korea, a country where many pride themselves on ethnic homogeneity. But according to a Realmeter poll this week, about 70 percent of South Koreans support the plan to grant the Afghans special status.
Another Afghan evacuee told Reuters he appreciated the fact that the government had given them the status of "persons of special merit" rather than refugees.
"They don't call us refugees, they call us a special contributor and we are so proud of that name. We are so happy with that name," he said. "We came here and we want to live for a long time in peace," he added.
Dr. Sohn Moon-jun, former head of Korea Hospital in Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, said that the government has made efforts to help the arrivals get accepted but there was much to be done on South Korea's refugee policy.
"The refugee policy is almost absent in our country. In other countries, they have been accepting way more refugees. It is time to begin a discussion to establish policies on it," said Dr. Sohn.
Only 55 out of the 6,684 people who sought refugee status in South Korea in 2020 received it. In 2019, South Korea accepted 79 out of the 15,452 people who applied for refugee status in the country. (Reuters)
September
Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and South Africa launch cenbank digital currency scheme
Written by Nur Yasmin
Central banks in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and South Africa will conduct a cross border payments trial using different central bank digital currencies (CBDC) to assess if this allows transactions to be settled more cheaply and easily, the banks said on Thursday.
Many governments and central banks around the world are exploring the use of CBDCs, which are digital forms of existing currencies. Some, like China, are trialing retail-focused CBDCs designed to replicate cash in circulation, while others are considering using so-called wholesale CBDCs to improve the internal workings of their financial systems.
Most projects are still in the early stages and are domestically focused, but developing global rules and frameworks for how CBDCs can be used internationally is complicated technically, and potentially politically. read more
This latest project aims to develop prototype shared platforms for cross-border transactions using multiple CBDCs, said the statement from the Reserve Bank of Australia, Bank Negara Malaysia, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the South African Reserve Bank, and the Bank of International Settlement's Innovation Hub, which is leading the scheme.
These platforms would enable financial institutions to transact directly with each other in CBDCs, which could eliminate the need for intermediaries and reduce the time and cost of transactions.
The initiative, which will also explore different technical, governance and operating designs, should publish its results in early 2022, the statement said.
“The multi-CBDC shared platform ... has the potential to leapfrog the legacy payment arrangements and serve as a foundation for a more efficient international settlement platform," Assistant Governor Fraziali Ismail, Bank Negara Malaysia said in the statement.
A separate BIS-led project exploring using CBDCs for cross border payments is also underway involving central banks from China, Hong Kong, Thailand and the UAE. (Reuters)
September
South Korean health workers drop strike plans after agreement
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korean frontline health workers on Thursday dropped plans to strike after they reached an agreement with the government on their demand for increased staffing and better work conditions during last-ditch negotiations overnight.
The Korean Health and Medical Worker's Union had warned some of its 80,000 members, including nurses, medical engineers, and pharmacists who say they are exhausted from battling waves of COVID-19 outbreaks, would begin striking from Thursday if their demands were not met. read more
Upon the union's request, the government agreed to establish at least four public infectious disease hospitals by 2024, draft a detailed nurse deployment guidelines per severity of COVID-19 patients by October, and expand funding to subsidise those treating contagious diseases to go into effect in January 2022.
It has also agreed to establish a recommended nurse to patient ratio. The United States has a recommended ratio of 1:5 and Japan has 1:7 while South Korea has none.
The union had argued its workers are often working double or triple shifts and need better pay and working hours.
The government and the union have previously met for talks 12 times since May, including a 14-hour marathon session on Monday, but had not been able to find common ground.
South Korea has fully inoculated 31.7% of its 52 million people, and 57.4% with at least one dose. The government wants 70% of its citizens to have had at least one shot by September.
South Korea reported 1,961 new COVID-19 cases for Wednesday, raising the tally to 255,401, with 2,303 deaths. The country has been keeping its mortality rate and critical infections relatively low at 0.9% and 371 cases, respectively. (Reuters)
September
EU must create rapid reaction force, top officials say
Written by Nur Yasmin
Two senior European Union officials urged the bloc's governments on Thursday to set up a rapidly deployable military force to intervene around the world, saying the crisis in Afghanistan would provide the catalyst to end years of inaction.
The EU's top diplomat and its military chief said the bloc needed to react to conflicts beyond its borders and that the creation of a "first entry force" of 5,000 troops was the way forward, reducing dependence on the United States.
"The situation in Afghanistan, the Middle East and the Sahel show that now is the time to act, starting with the creation of a European rapid reaction force, able to show the will of the Union to act as a global strategic partner," said Gen. Claudio Graziano, chairman of the EU military committee.
"When if not now?" he told reporters as EU defence ministers gathered for a meeting in Slovenia to discuss the fallout of the chaotic withdrawal of Western troops from Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country on Aug. 15.
The EU's efforts to create such a force have been paralysed for more than a decade, despite the creation in 2007 of a system of EU battlegroups of 1,500 troops that have never been used due to disputes over funding and reluctance to deploy.
"Sometimes there are events that catalyze history, that create a breakthrough, and I think that Afghanistan is one of these cases," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in Slovenia, saying a rapid reaction force must be part of that.
Borrell said that the EU needed to establish units that were "more operational" than the battlegroups. "The need for more, stronger European defence is more evident that ever," he told reporters. He said he hoped for a plan in October or November.
A long-proposed EU rapid reaction force is seen as more likely now that Britain has exited the bloc. Britain, one of Europe's main military powers alongside France, had been sceptical of collective defence policy.
EU diplomats say they want a final deal on design and funding by March, when France takes over its six-month presidency in January.
Slovenia's Defence Minister Matej Tonin said a rapid reaction force could comprise 5,000 to 20,000 troops and should not depend on a unanimous decision by the 27 nations of the bloc to be deployed.
"If we are talking about the European battlegroups, the problem is that, because of the consensus, they are almost never activated," Matej, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, told reporters. "Maybe the solution is that we invent a mechanism where the classic majority will be enough and those who are willing will be able to go (ahead)."
Lithuania's Defence Minister Artis Pabriks said all plans would come to nothing if there was a lack of political will to deploy troops, singling out Germany, which has a large military but an historical reluctance to use it in combat. (Reuters)
September
Warnings as Southeast Asia's biggest economies ease COVID-19 curbs
Written by Nur Yasmin
As Indonesia and Thailand start to ease COVID-19 curbs after seeing case numbers fall, health experts say cases of new infections could rise again with vaccination rates still low.
After containing the coronavirus better than much of the world last year, Southeast Asia has turned into a global epicentre in recent months with the arrival of the virulent Delta variant.
Although case numbers are still rising fast in most of the region, Indonesia and Thailand, which have its largest economies, have started to lift curbs on dine-in restaurants and shopping malls to ease the economic pain of their lockdowns.
Indonesia reported 10,534 new cases on Tuesday, five times fewer than its peak in mid-July, while Thailand reported 14,802 new cases on Wednesday, down 37% from its mid-August peak.
However, experts said relaxations carried dangers with a low level of vaccination and a shortage of testing, with rates of positive tests often above the 5% recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
"We are definitely concerned around the reopening without meeting all the criteria proposed by the WHO," Abhishek Rimal, Asia Pacific Emergency Health Coordinator at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told Reuters.
"Now with the Delta variant, which is highly transmissible, and the low vaccination rate, we could very well see a surge of COVID-19 in days to come."
Indonesia has recently had a positive test rate of 12% and Thailand 34%.
"Surveillance is not that great, we still need to be careful," said Tri Yunis Miko Wahyono, a University of Indonesia epidemiologist.
Indonesia has recorded more than 4 million coronavirus cases in total and more than 133,000 deaths from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Thailand has reported 11,841 deaths and 1.2 million cases.
The two countries both have first vaccination rates at around 30% with Indonesia having fully vaccinated 17% and Thailand 11%. Their capitals, Jakarta and Bangkok, have much higher levels of vaccination.
In Jakarta and some areas on the populous Java island, restaurants inside shopping malls could have a 50% dine-in capacity, and shopping malls could stay open until 9 p.m., while factories are permitted to operate at 100% capacity.
Bangkok and 28 other provinces listed as having the most severe outbreaks can similarly reopen dine-in restaurants at a capacity between 50%-75%, with opening hours capped at 8 p.m., the same as shopping malls.
"The situation is getting better because many people are getting vaccinated and they are being more cautious," said restaurant customer Orrapin Peenanee, queuing in Bangkok.
The economic benefits of easing lockdowns were understandable, said Dale Fisher, a senior infectious disease expert at the National University Hospital in Singapore, but he stressed that they also must vaccinate their citizens faster.
"As you ease off the lockdowns, how much sort of punishment can you take before you have to bring a lockdown back in and be and be stronger? The answer's in the vaccine," he said. (Reuters)
September
GLOBAL ECONOMY Factories hit by pandemic-related supply disruptions
Written by Nur Yasmin
Global factory activity lost momentum in August as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic-disrupted supply chains, raising concerns faltering manufacturing would add to economic woes caused by slumping consumption, surveys showed on Wednesday.
Many firms reported logistical troubles, product shortages and a labour crunch which have made it a sellers' market of the goods factories need, driving up prices.
While factory activity remained strong in the euro zone, IHS Markit's final manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell to 61.4 in August from July's 62.8, below an initial 61.5 "flash" estimate.
"Despite the strong PMI figures, we think that lingering supply-side issues and related producer price pressures might take longer to resolve than previously expected, increasing the downside risk to our forecast," said Mateusz Urban at Oxford Economics.
In Britain, where factories also faced disruptions, manufacturing output grew in August at the weakest rate for six months. The United States likely suffered a similar slowdown, data is expected to show later on Wednesday.
Canada's economy unexpectedly shrank last quarter and in July, official data showed on Tuesday - hurt by decreases in manufacturing, construction and retail trade - and Australia reported slower growth in the second quarter on Wednesday. read more
CHINA BRAKES
Meanwhile, Southeast Asia - a low-cost manufacturing hub for many global companies - was hit particularly hard with factory activity shrinking in Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia because of virus outbreaks and output suspensions.
And in a worrying sign for the global economy, China's factory activity slipped into contraction in August for the first time in nearly 1-1/2 years as COVID-19 curbs, supply bottlenecks and high raw material prices weighed on output. read more
China's Caixin/Markit Manufacturing PMI fell to 49.2 in August, from 50.3 in July, breaching the 50-mark separating growth from contraction.
The result was well below market expectations, underscoring the fragile nature of China's recovery that had helped the global economy emerge from pandemic-induced doldrums.
The private survey followed an official PMI on Tuesday, which showed the index falling in August but staying above the 50 mark. read more
"The elephant in the room for the long North Asia, short ASEAN view is China. This morning, the Caixin Manufacturing PMI followed yesterday's official number South, falling under 50," said Jeffrey Halley at OANDA.
"That rounds out a grim week for China's PMIs as COVID-19 lockdowns and the same supply chain challenges the rest of the world is experiencing erode economic performance."
Export power-houses Japan, South Korea and Taiwan also saw manufacturing activity expand at a slower pace in August, a sign chip shortages and factory shutdowns in the region could delay a sustained recovery from the pandemic-induced slump.
The surveys highlight the pandemic's broadening damage in Southeast Asia, where soaring infections and subsequent lockdown measures have hurt both the service and manufacturing sectors. read more
Delta variant outbreaks in the region have caused supply chain headaches for the world's largest manufacturers, many of which rely on auto parts and semiconductors made in low-cost bases such as Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.
"If the strict lockdown measures continue, Southeast Asia may find it hard to remain a global production hub," said Makoto Saito, an economist at NLI Research Institute.
Japan's PMI eased and new export orders posted their first contraction since January. South Korea's index fell to 51.2. read more
In Vietnam and Malaysia, activity was hurt by lockdown measures and rising infections that forced some factories to suspend operations. Vietnam saw factory activity shrink while Malaysia's PMI stood at 43.4 in August.
Once seen as a driver of global growth, Asia's emerging economies are lagging advanced economies in recovering from the pandemic's pain as delays in vaccine rollouts and a spike in Delta variant cases hurt consumption and factory production.
Growth in India's factory sector activity slowed as persistent pandemic-related weakness weighed on demand and output, forcing firms to cut jobs again following a brief recovery in July. (Reuters)
September
Pakistan frets over security threats from neighbouring Afghanistan
Written by Nur Yasmin
There is growing concern among Pakistani officials about security in neighbouring Afghanistan, as the Taliban tries to form a government and stabilise the country following the departure of U.S. and other foreign forces.
Islamabad is particularly worried about militant fighters from a separate, Pakistani Taliban group crossing from Afghanistan and launching lethal attacks on its territory. Thousands of Pakistanis have been killed in jihadist violence in the last two decades.
Underlining the security threat within Afghanistan, in the last few days a suicide bombing claimed by an Afghan offshoot of Islamic State outside Kabul airport killed more than 100 people, including 13 U.S. troops.
A rocket attack on the airport followed, and on Sunday militant gunfire from across the border in Afghanistan killed two Pakistani soldiers.
"The next two to three months are critical," a senior Pakistani official said, adding that Islamabad feared a rise in militant attacks along the Afghan-Pakistan border, as the Taliban tried to fill a vacuum left by the collapse of Afghan forces and the Western-backed administration.
"We (the international community) have to assist the Taliban in reorganising their army in order for them to control their territory," the source added, referring to the threat posed by resurgent rival militant groups including Islamic State.
U.S. officials have repeatedly accused Pakistan of supporting the Afghan Taliban, which fought in a civil war in the mid-1990s before seizing power in 1996.
Islamabad, one of the few capitals to recognise the Taliban government that was toppled in 2001, denies the charge.
Pakistan's government has said that its influence over the movement has waned, particularly since the Taliban grew in confidence once Washington announced the date for the complete withdrawal of U.S. and other foreign troops.
The official, who has direct knowledge of the country's security decisions, said Pakistan planned to send security and intelligence officials, possibly even the head of the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, to Kabul to help the Taliban reorganise the Afghan military.
An Afghan Taliban spokesperson did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment on security relations with Pakistan.
PAKISTAN EXPECTS TALIBAN COOPERATION
Though recognition of a new Taliban government was not immediately on the table, the official said, the world should not abandon Afghanistan.
"Whether we recognise the Taliban government or not, stability in Afghanistan is very important."
The official warned that Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), a loosely-affiliated offshoot of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, was actively looking to launch attacks and recruit new fighters.
Left unhindered, it would almost certainly grow from relatively small numbers currently.
The United States recently launched two drone strikes targeting ISIS-K militants, including one in Kabul and one near the eastern border with Pakistan.
The strikes followed a pledge by President Joe Biden that the United States would hunt down the militants behind the recent suicide bombing.
The Taliban criticised the strikes as a "clear attack on Afghan territory".
Pakistan, whose armed forces also possess unmanned drones as well as conventional aircraft, will avoid intervening directly in Afghanistan if at all possible, said the official.
The Afghan Taliban have reassured their neighbour that they will not allow their territory to be used by anyone planning attacks on Pakistan or any other country.
But Islamabad expected the Afghan Taliban to hand over militants planning attacks against Pakistan, the official added, or at least force them from their mutual border, where Pakistani troops have been on high alert in recent weeks. (Reuters)
September
New Zealanders venture out as COVID-19 curbs eased in most regions
Written by Nur Yasmin
New Zealanders on Wednesday visited beaches and queued for takeaway food as tough lockdown measures enforced to beat an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus were eased for most of the country.
About 1.7 million people in the largest city Auckland still remain in strict level 4 lockdown for another two weeks, but restrictions for the remainder of the country were loosened. read more
Surfers and kayakers were seen heading to the beaches in droves, local media reports said, while other outdoor recreation facilities like golf courses were busy again.
People started lining up from early morning as takeaway food outlets reopened after being shut for two weeks, while construction activity resumed and large hardware stores opened for click and collect purchases.
However, schools and offices remained shut nationwide and businesses can only provide contactless services.
Except for a small number of cases in February, New Zealand was largely coronavirus-free until the outbreak of the Delta variant prompted Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to order a snap nationwide lockdown on Aug. 17.
The country reported 75 new cases of COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, up from 49 a day earlier. Of those, 74 were in Auckland and one was a household contact in Wellington. The total cases from the current outbreak rose to 687, nearly all in Auckland.
"The latest bounce in numbers is not unexpected," the Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said at a news conference, adding it was still below the peak daily number.
Ardern's lockdowns, along with closing the international border from March 2020, have been credited with reining in COVID-19 allowing the country to live largely without restrictions.
However, the government now faces questions over a delayed vaccine rollout, as well as rising costs in a country heavily reliant on an immigrant workforce.
Just over a quarter of the population has been fully vaccinated so far, the slowest pace among the wealthy nations of the OECD grouping. (Reuters)