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March
Digitization of APEC business travel card offers plethora of benefits
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 4 - Officials from APEC member economies finalized their work toward modernizing and increasing the security and efficiency of business travel through the unveiling of the virtual or digital APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC).
The virtual ABTC showcased a digital version of the APEC Business Travel Card on a mobile application, thereby facilitating cardholders to present their virtual card to enter an APEC economy, according to a written statement issued by the APEC Business Mobility Group and received here on Thursday.
"Our objective is to make traveling under the APEC Business Travel Card scheme more secure, efficient, convenient, and user-friendly, particularly as APEC members are looking for safe and effective measures to open up borders and resume international travel," Kimberlee Stamatis, convenor of the APEC Business Mobility Group, overseeing the scheme, stated.
The Virtual ABTC encompasses security features, such as user verification, the use of holographic watermarks, and disabling of screenshots within the mobile application to ensure authenticity of the cardholder.
It also offers real-time connectivity to the internet, providing speedy updates of pre-clearance information required for entry into APEC economies.
"Each APEC economy will determine its own timeline to transition to the virtual ABTC for its cardholders. Cardholders from transitional members will not have access to the digital service for now. However, the existing processes will remain unchanged," Stamatis stated.
Stamatis, concurrently the director at Australia’s Department of Home Affairs, noted that Australia will be the first economy to transition to the digital service for all Australian cardholders from March 2021.
"We really look forward to seeing other economies transition as soon as possible thereafter," she affirmed.
In order to support member economies’ transition to the new digital service, the process for issuing Virtual ABTCs has been streamlined to align with existing operations with as little alteration as necessary.
Some 19 APEC economies are fully participating members of the ABTC scheme: Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Chile; China, Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; South Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; the Philippines; the Russian Federation; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; and Vietnam.
Meanwhile, Canada and the United States are transitional members.
The APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) scheme facilitates short-term business travel within the APEC economies by streamlining the entry process at ports of entry within the region. Approved applicants are issued a card that functions as the entry authority to fully participating economies.
The scheme lowers travel costs between APEC economies by 38 percent for cardholders and businesses pay 27 percent less in application fees and 52 percent less in immigration processing. (Antaranews)
March
Malaysia police investigating spouse of ex-central bank boss over 1MDB funds
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 4 - Malaysian police said on Wednesday it was investigating the husband of the country’s former central bank head for allegedly receiving funds linked to 1MDB, a state fund at the centre of a massive corruption scandal.
Malaysian and U.S authorities have said around $4.5 billion was stolen from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), in a globe-spanning scandal that has implicated the country’s former prime minister, U.S. investment firm Goldman Sachs, and others.
Tawfiq Ayman, the husband of former Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, is facing a money laundering investigation over the alleged transfer of 1MDB-linked funds into a bank account he owns in Singapore, Malaysian police said on Wednesday.
“Given that the case investigation involves evidence in Malaysia and other countries, the Royal Malaysian Police is taking further action by seeking mutual legal assistance... to obtain statements from abroad,” commercial crime investigations director Zainuddin Yaacob said in a statement.
A representative for Zeti and Tawfiq did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
When asked about the police probe, BNM referred to a statement that it disclosed all information received from foreign financial intelligence units to the relevant domestic law enforcement agencies.
Malaysian financial daily The Edge reported on Saturday that BNM had been alerted in 2015 and 2016 during Zeti’s tenure as governor about suspicious transactions involving a company owned by Tawfiq and the couple’s son.
The funds came from accounts linked to fugitive financier Jho Low, The Edge reported, citing official documents it had sighted. Reuters has not independently verified the report.
Low, who has consistently denied wrongdoing, is wanted in the United States and Malaysia over his alleged central role in the 1MDB theft.
Malaysia said on Wednesday audit firm Deloitte will pay the government $80 million to resolve claims related to its auditing of 1MDB’s accounts between 2011 and 2014. (Reuters)
March
Bangladesh moves more Rohingya Muslims to remote island despite concerns
Written by Nur YasminMar. 4 - Bangladesh is moving nearly 4,000 more Rohingya Muslim refugees to a remote Bay of Bengal island, officials said on Wednesday, despite complaints from rights groups concerned about the site’s vulnerability to storms and flooding.
Dhaka has relocated more than 10,000 people to Bhasan Char island since early December from border camps where more than a million refugees live in ramshackle huts perched on razed hillsides.
“Today 2,254 Rohingya people arrived and tomorrow we are expecting 1,700 plus,” Navy official Rashed Sattar said from the island.
Bangladesh says the relocation is voluntary, but some refugees from the first group that went there in early December spoke of being coerced.
The government has dismissed safety concerns over the island, citing the building of flood defences as well as housing for 100,000 people, hospitals and cyclone centres.
It also says overcrowding in refugee camps fuels crime, while some Rohingya said frequent violence in the camps had driven them to relocate.
Once they arrive on Bhasan Char, the Rohingya, a minority group who fled violence in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, are not allowed to leave the island, which is several hours’ journey from the southern port of Chittagong.
Bangladesh has also drawn criticism for a reluctance to consult with the United Nations refugee agency and other aid bodies over the transfers.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says the agency has not been allowed to evaluate the safety and sustainability of life on the island.
“The process of relocating the Rohingya will continue... they are going there voluntarily for a better life,” Mohammad Shamsud Douza, the deputy Bangladesh government official in charge of refugees, said by phone from Cox’s Bazaar in southeastern Bangladesh.
“Our main priority is repatriating them to their homeland,” he said.
Bangladesh has called on Myanmar to move forward the stalled process of voluntarily repatriating Rohingya refugees, as international pressure mounts on the military leaders following a coup that reduces the refugees’ hopes of returning home.
“How long will we stay here under tarpaulins?,” said a 39-year-old refugee who moved on Wednesday with his family. “The little hope we had of returning to our homeland was shattered after the coup.” (Reuters)
March
ICC prosecutor to probe war crimes in Palestinian Territories, angering Israel
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 4 - The International Criminal Court prosecutor said on Wednesday her office will formally investigate war crimes in the Palestinian Territories, a move welcomed by the Palestinian Authority and denounced by Israel.
The decision follows a ruling by the court on Feb. 5 that it has jurisdiction in the case, prompting swift rejections by Washington and Jerusalem.
“The decision to open an investigation followed a painstaking preliminary examination undertaken by my office that lasted close to five years,” Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in a statement.
Promising a “principled, non-partisan, approach”, she said: “In the end, our central concern must be for the victims of crimes, both Palestinian and Israeli, arising from the long cycle of violence and insecurity that has caused deep suffering and despair on all sides.”
Bensouda, who will be replaced by British prosecutor Karim Khan on June 16, said in December 2019 that war crimes had been or were being committed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. She named both the Israel Defense Forces and armed Palestinian groups such as Hamas as possible perpetrators.
The next step will be to determine whether Israel or Palestinian authorities have investigations themselves and to assess those efforts.
“LONG-AWAITED STEP”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the court’s decision was “undiluted antisemitism and the height of hypocrisy.”
He accused the court of turning “a blind eye” to Iran, Syria and other countries that he said were committing “real” war crimes.
“Without any jurisdiction, it decided that our brave soldiers, who take every precaution to avoid civilian casualties against the worst terrorists in the world who deliberately target civilians, it’s our soldiers who are war criminals,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said the decision was “morally bankrupt and legally flawed”.
The Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry welcomed the prosecutor’s investigation as “a long-awaited step that serves Palestine’s tireless pursuit of justice and accountability, which are indispensable pillars of the peace the Palestinian people seek and deserve”
It urged all states to “refrain from politicizing these independent proceedings.”
George Giacaman, a Palestinian political analyst and professor at Birzeit University in the occupied West Bank, said the ICC decision showed the Palestinian leadership’s strategy of appealing to global institutions had had some success.
While cautioning that the probe could take years, Giacaman said: “At best, one can say that in the future, the Israelis will be more careful with hitting Palestinian civilians. Perhaps the ICC will prove to be a deterrent.”
The Islamist militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza and is regarded as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States and European Union, defended its own actions in the conflict.
“We welcome the ICC decision to investigate Israeli occupation war crimes against our people. It is a step forward on the path of achieving justice,” said Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza.
Rights groups said the decision offered victims hope of justice. Balkees Jarrah, associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch, said ICC member countries should be ready to protect the court’s work from any political pressure.The ICC is a court of last resort established to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide when a country is unable or unwilling to do so.
The prosecutor’s office was targeted by sanctions under former U.S. President Donald Trump in response to its investigation in Afghanistan, which is examining the role of U.S. forces.
The pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, urged President Joe Biden to maintain the sanctions on ICC officials pursuing what it called “illegitimate, politically motivated investigations into the U.S. and Israel.” (Reuters)
March
'When will it end?': How a changing virus is reshaping scientists’ views on COVID-19
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 4 - Chris Murray, a University of Washington disease expert whose projections on COVID-19 infections and deaths are closely followed worldwide, is changing his assumptions about the course of the pandemic.
Murray had until recently been hopeful that the discovery of several effective vaccines could help countries achieve herd immunity, or nearly eliminate transmission through a combination of inoculation and previous infection. But in the last month, data from a vaccine trial in South Africa showed not only that a rapidly-spreading coronavirus variant could dampen the effect of the vaccine, it could also evade natural immunity in people who had been previously infected.
“I couldn’t sleep” after seeing the data, Murray, director of the Seattle-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, told Reuters. “When will it end?” he asked himself, referring to the pandemic. He is currently updating his model to account for variants’ ability to escape natural immunity and expects to provide new projections as early as this week.
A new consensus is emerging among scientists, according to Reuters interviews with 18 specialists who closely track the pandemic or are working to curb its impact. Many described how the breakthrough late last year of two vaccines with around 95% efficacy against COVID-19 had initially sparked hope that the virus could be largely contained, similar to the way measles has been.
But, they say, data in recent weeks on new variants from South Africa and Brazil has undercut that optimism. They now believe that SARS-CoV-2 will not only remain with us as an endemic virus, continuing to circulate in communities, but will likely cause a significant burden of illness and death for years to come.
As a result, the scientists said, people could expect to continue to take measures such as routine mask-wearing and avoiding crowded places during COVID-19 surges, especially for people at high risk.
Even after vaccination, “I still would want to wear a mask if there was a variant out there,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor to U.S. President Joe Biden, said in an interview. “All you need is one little flick of a variant (sparking) another surge, and there goes your prediction” about when life gets back to normal.
Some scientists, including Murray, acknowledge that the outlook could improve. The new vaccines, which have been developed at record speed, still appear to prevent hospitalizations and death even when new variants are the cause of infection. Many vaccine developers are working on booster shots and new inoculations that could preserve a high level of efficacy against the variants. And, scientists say there is still much to be learned about the immune system’s ability to combat the virus.
Already, COVID-19 infection rates have declined in many countries since the start of 2021, with some dramatic reductions in severe illness and hospitalizations among the first groups of people to be vaccinated. (Reuters)
March
Rio Tinto chairman becomes latest high-profile departure after caves blast
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 3 - Rio Tinto, the world’s biggest iron ore miner, said on Wednesday its chairman would step down next year to take responsibility for the destruction of ancient rock shelters, the latest in a string of high-profile departures over the blasts.
Simon Thompson will step down after next year’s annual general meetings, while non-executive director Michael L’Estrange, who led the review into the company’s handling of the incident, will retire in May.
“I am ultimately accountable for the failings that led to this tragic event,” Thompson said in a statement.
Last year’s destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters in Western Australia for an iron ore mine sparked a massive public and investor uproar.
It remains to be seen, however, whether the latest departures will allow the company to draw a line in the sand over the saga, with some investors suggesting that more heads may have to roll.
“Other Rio Tinto directors who enabled the unhappy regime of the past few years, or who have made excuses for it, are encouraged to reflect on whether their continuing presence on the board is truly in the interest of the company and its shareholders,” said James Fitzgerald, a lawyer with activist investor the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility.
In addition to Thompson and L’Estrange, former CEO Jean-Sébastien Jacques is due to leave the company at the end of this month. He has been replaced by Jakob Stausholm who was chief financial officer.
Two senior executives, who were in charge of the iron ore division and corporate relations, the unit responsible for dealing with Indigenous communities, also left last year.
Rio invited further outrage last month when it revealed that Jacques and the two senior executives had all finished 2020 with substantial payouts. Jacques received total remuneration of 13.3 million pounds ($18.6 million) under Australian accounting rules, up from 7.1 million pounds a year earlier.
Thompson and L’Estrange had faced pressure to leave after what was seen as the board’s mishandling of an investigation into the destruction that found no single person accountable.
Thompson came under more pressure last month after elders of the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people accused him of breaking a personal promise that Ian Vella, who had been leading reconciliation efforts, would not change jobs until ties had been repaired.
Independent directors Sam Laidlaw and Simon McKeon will lead the search for the new chairperson, Rio said.
National Native Title Council Chief Executive Jamie Lowe welcomed the latest departures at Rio and said there was a dire need for a senior leadership position within the company to be held by an Indigenous person.
He also said it was paramount that there also be significant law reform in Western Australia, which had approved the blasts.
“Without this, it doesn’t matter how many leadership changes we see within the mining sector. To adequately manage and protect our cultural heritage, the buck stops with government,” he said.
Rio Tinto, the world’s biggest iron ore miner, said on Wednesday its chairman would step down next year to take responsibility for the destruction of ancient rock shelters, the latest in a string of high-profile departures over the blasts. (Reuters)
March
South Korea probes deaths of two who received AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 3 - South Korean authorities said on Wednesday they are investigating the deaths of two people, both with pre-existing conditions, who died within days of receiving AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine.
A 63-year-old nursing home patient with cerebrovascular disease, developed symptoms including high fever, after being given the vaccine four days ago, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) Director Jeong Eun-kyeong told a briefing.
The man was moved to a larger hospital on Tuesday, but died after showing symptoms of blood poisoning and pneumonia, Yonhap news agency reported.
Another nursing home patient in his 50s with a cardiac disorder and diabetes died on Wednesday after suffering multiple heart attacks, having received the vaccine a day earlier, the agency said.
KDCA said it is investigating the cause of the deaths, but did not confirm any causal relationship to the vaccine. The agency earlier said it will provide compensation of over 430 million won ($383,466) for deaths from the COVID-19 vaccine.
“KDCA is conducting epidemiological surveys with relevant local authorities... to confirm any link with inoculation,” said Jeong.
An AstraZeneca spokeswoman in Seoul said the company had no comment.
Jeong noted that there were no cases of fatalities from receiving COVID-19 vaccines developed by AstraZeneca or Pfizer/BioNTech. However, did urge people to take the shot when they are feeling in good health.
The KDCA said that out of the people who had received the coronavirus vaccines, 207 had adverse reactions, including three cases of severe allergic reactions, known as anaphylaxis.
South Korea began vaccinating its population last week. By Tuesday midnight, 85,904 people had received the first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and 1,524 had been given Pfizer shots, KDCA said in a statement.
South Korea reported 444 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, up from 344 on Monday, raising the country’s tally to 90,816 infections, with 1,612 deaths. (Reuters)
March
Modi's ministers choose 'Made in India' vaccine over AstraZeneca
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 3 - Government ministers and officials were following Prime Minister Narendra Modi lead by opting on Tuesday for an Indian-made COVID-19 vaccine approved without late-stage efficacy data, instead of the AstraZeneca one.
India’s health, foreign and law ministers, and state governors, all flocked to Twitter to express support for the much-criticised Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN vaccine, after it was administered to Modi on Monday.
“Made-in-India vaccines are 100% safe,” Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said after being inoculated with COVAXIN.
Many state officials and doctors have refused to take COVAXIN before its effectiveness could be proved. Bharat Biotech says it has completed the late-stage trial and results will be out this month.
The company said the endorsement by Modi and other ministers would set an example for other Indians and reduce “vaccine hesitancy”. It is seeking to sell COVAXIN to countries including Brazil and the Philippines.
COVAXIN and the AstraZeneca vaccines were approved by India's regulator in January. The government has distributed to states a total of 50 million doses of the vaccines but only 12% of the 12 million people immunised so far have taken COVAXIN, according to government data dashboard.cowin.gov.in. (Reuters)
March
Sea launches investment arm, expects e-commerce sales to double in 2021
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 3 - Southeast Asian e-commerce and entertainment group Sea said on Tuesday it would launch an unit to manage its investments, as well as its own artificial intelligence labs.
Called Sea Capital, the investment arm is the result of the acquisition of a Hong Kong-licensed global investment management firm and will launch with an initial $1 billion in capital.
It also announced it would build its own artificial intelligence labs to help develop the region’s digital economy, which is expected to exceed $300 billion by 2025, according to a report by Google, Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings and business consultants Bain & Co.
The Singapore-headquartered firm announced on Tuesday its income under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) had reached US$1.6 billion for the last quarter of 2020 and US$4.4 billion for the full year, a 101% year-on-year increase.
Its net loss widened to $523.6 million from $283.8 million.
Sea has seen meteoric growth on the stock markets during the coronavirus pandemic as shoppers turned to the internet, with its market cap now at $126 billion.
Its e-commerce arm, Shopee, is the most popular shopping online platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan. It is also active in Brazil and launched this week in Mexico.
Shopee reported $842.2 million in e-commerce revenues for the last three months of 2020. The firm said it foresees e-commerce sales doubling in 2021, revenues reaching between US$4.5 billion to US$4.7 billion.
The company also expects 38% growth for its entertainment arm, Garena, due to the continued success of its game, Free Fire, which was the most downloaded mobile game globally for 2020, according to App Annie.
Sea expects 2021 bookings for digital entertainment to be between $4.3 billion and $4.5 billion.
The Tencent-backed group, which has acquired banking licences in Indonesia and Singapore, is also increasing its fintech presence.
Sea said its mobile wallet total payment volume exceeded $2.9 billion for the fourth quarter and $7.8 billion for the full year of 2020. (Reuters)
March
IS claims responsibility for attack on media workers in eastern Afghanistan: SITE intelligence group
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 3 - The Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack that killed three female media workers in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday evening.
The militant group, which has a presence in Afghanistan, said its fighters had targeted the three female employees of a television station in the eastern city of Jalalabad, according to SITE Intelligence group.
Three women who worked for Enikas TV aged between 18 and 20 had died and a fourth was critically injured after being shot on their way home from work, Afghan officials had said. (Reuters)