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February
Russian Ambassador Reiterates Russia Stance On US President Donald Trump’s “Deal Of The Century”
Written by Ani HasanahSpeaking at a press briefing on Wednesday (12 February 2020), Ambassador of the Republic of Russia to the Republic of Indonesia Mrs Lyudmila Vorobeiva reiterated Russia’s stance on US President Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century”. She said Russia has always believed that the only way to stop this war between Iraq and Palestine and bring peace to the two countries is through a ‘two state solution'.
“Our position is very clear, there needs to be a settlement, which is overdue for a conflict that has been lasting for decades. But of course, the problem is that the sides of the conflict should be happy with it. How can you settle a conflict if one of the sides denies, is not willing to accept? It is not a matter of US, they say that it should be this way, but you know if the Palestinians do not accept it, it will not work. It will not stop; it will not stop the war; it will not stop people from being killed,” Ambassador Vorobeiva said.
She said this “Deal of the Century” will not work if the Palestinians were negative about it. When asked about the role Russia plays in the Middle East, Ambassador Vorobeiva said Russia already plays a big role in trying to achieve peace in the Middle East, but she believes the solutions to this issue lies in the agreement between the two countries. She also briefly touched upon Russia’s role in the ongoing war in Syria saying Russia is the only country that has been asked by the legitimate government of Syria to help them fight terrorism. (VOI/ SAYEE SHREE L.R/VOI)
February
First Case Of Coronavirus Linked To Bali After Reports Chinese Tourist Returned Positive Test
Written by Ani HasanahThe West Australian Government says there is no reason for Australian tourists to avoid travelling to Bali, despite reports of the first case of coronavirus being linked to the popular holiday island. WA Health Minister Roger Cook said Indonesian authorities were aware of a Chinese national who travelled through Bali who may have tested positive for coronavirus. He said health officials were closely monitoring the situation.
"Now obviously we need to monitor carefully the spread of this disease outside China," Mr Cook said.
"This is a new situation because obviously Bali represents the playground for a lot of West Australians."
It was unclear whether the person potentially contracted the virus in China and then travelled to Indonesia, or whether they may have been exposed to the virus in Indonesia. The Chinese national is understood to have returned to Shanghai, where the positive diagnosis was made. Mr Cook said people should not cancel travel to Bali as a result of the development. "We are not saying that people have to curtail their trips to Bali," he said. "At the moment DFAT [the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade] has the same travel advisory for Bali, so people shouldn't be alarmed.
"We are simply providing this information in the interests of transparency to make sure that we continue to provide people with the most up-to-date information as possible." Prime Minister Scott Morrison today confirmed a travel ban from China to Australia would be extended for another week. Mr Cook said Border Force officers would continue to meet all flights arriving into Perth Airport and nurses would continue to be stationed at the Airport around the clock to manage people who may require testing. WA health officials had tested about 10 people per day for the virus over the past week. In total, 81 people have so far been tested in WA and all had returned a negative result. Communicable Disease Control director Paul Armstrong said there were no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Bali.
"Officially, Indonesia doesn't have any cases at all," Dr Armstrong said.
"Neighbouring countries of Indonesia of course have got several cases each but nothing alarming, nothing that would really elevate the risk of people travelling there." Dr Armstrong said Australia had offered support to Indonesia for increased testing if required. (ABC)
February
Singapore Confirms Three New Cases of Coronavirus, Bringing Total Number of Cases to 50
Written by Ani HasanahDirector of medical services at the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Singapore, Kenneth Mak, at a media conference in Singapore on Wednesday (Feb 12), confirmed three new cases of the COVID-19. Channel News Asia has reported with the three new cases, the number of cases in Singapore has touched 50. The Director revealed two of the new cases are employees of the Grace Assembly of God church and the third person works at the DBS bank in the Marina Bay Financial Centre. The three patients have no recent travel history to mainland China.
In response to this incident, the church announced on its Facebook page that services and activities will be suspended for the next two weeks. DBS has taken precautionary measures and has asked all its employees at the Marina Bay Financial Centre to work from home. CNA reported that the bank is conducting contact tracing with all employees and any others the infected person may have come into contact with. Director Mak said the Government has identified several links to certain clusters through epidemiological and contact tracing processes.
“Several of the cases are linked to the Life Church and Missions at Singapore and this was previously announced as well. There are also nine confirmed cases that were linked to the cluster associated with Yong Thai Hang and this is associated with the tour group that had come from China. Three confirmed cases are linked to a private business meeting held at the Grand Hyatt Singapore. Two other confirmed cases are linked to a work site at Selita Aerospace Heights. Two new cases both of which are linked to Greece Assembly of God Church. We have noticed that several clusters are associated with places where people might aggregate together for activities. And this includes the church. And we would want to remind all, particularly members of the congregation or for these churches to continue to monitor themselves and make sure that they remain in good health. And if they find that they are unwell particularly with respiratory symptoms, we would encourage them then to see a doctor as soon as possible, to wear a mask on the way to see a doctor. And also, while they are not well, not to travel and carry on their normal activities," Director MAk said.
The Director said the virus transfers through droplets or contamination of surfaces. He stressed that there was no established evidence of the transfer of the virus through air and advised people to wash their hands frequently with soap and water and also be mindful of the things they commonly touch.
CNA reported the number of patients who have recovered from the COVID-19 rose to 15 on Wednesday, with six more people being discharged. South Korea and Israel have told their citizens to defer travel to Singapore, while Indonesia and Taiwan have recommended precautions to be taken when visiting the country. (CNA/VOI/SAYEE SHREE L.R/AHM)
February
Singapore Tourism Sector Drastically Decline to 30 Percent Caused by the Novel Coronavirus
Written by Ani Hasanah
Singapore recorded the growth of tourist arrivals and expenditure for four consecutive years from 2016 to 2019. The number of tourist arrivals last year was 3.3 percent higher than the previous year. Tourists spending also grew 0.5 percent to be more than US$ 27 billion. However Chief Executive of the Singapore Tourism Board Keith Tan said on Tuesday (Feb12) that the outbreak of new Coronavirus could stop this growing conditions. Keith Tan also said, Singapore tourism sector might go down 25 to 30 percent this year. According to him, the longer the travel ban is applied, the decline will certainly greater.
"We see now a lot of 18 to 20 thousand visitors per day and most of them are Chinese tourists. So the longer the situation persist the longer the travel restriction on place the fall will be greater. They'll be element of confidence building, they'll be element of encouraging Singaporean to come out to enjoy, they'll be element to amplify our marketing efforts," said Keith Tan.
Chinese tourists make up the largest part from the number of tourist arrivals in Singapore, reaches around 20 percent. Therefore the Singapore government hopes the Coronavirus outbreak in China will immediately stop and not be a heavy blow to the Singapore tourism sector in particular and the world in general. Meanwhile, hotel industry is currently implementing low season prices while preparing a number of recovery efforts. (VOI/NK/Edt.N)
February
British Airways Smashes Record For Quickest Subsonic Flight From New York To London
Written by Ani HasanahA British Airways (BA) flight has broken the record for the fastest-ever subsonic flight between New York and London, reaching a top speed of more than 800mph (1,287km/h).
The Boeing 747 aircraft flew overnight from Saturday to Sunday and reached its destination in four hours and 56 minutes, as Storm Ciara sped towards the United Kingdom.
"The flight was riding a much stronger than usual jet stream, with winds over 200 mph propelling the aircraft," says senior CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.
"The supercharged jet stream is also responsible for powering Storm Ciara, which has brought damaging wind gusts and massive waves to the UK, Ireland and other parts of Northern Europe this weekend.
"The jet stream is a fast moving 'river of air' high in the atmosphere, around the height that commercial airliners fly. The jet stream is responsible for carrying weather systems around the planet."
The plane landed at Heathrow airport at 4:43 a.m., almost two hours earlier than scheduled. Its top speed during the flight was 825mph (1,327km/h), according to Flightradar24, an online flight-tracking service.
The flight-tracking platform estimates that the average time it takes a plane to fly between London and New York is six hours and 13 minutes.
Flightradar24 announced the news of the record-breaking flight on its Twitter account, writing: "If we're not mistaken, BA now retakes the fastest subsonic NY-London crossing from Norwegian."
The service added that the British Airways flight was one minute faster than a Virgin Airbus A350 flight, which touched down at Heathrow moments later. It beat another Virgin plane which landed half an hour later by three minutes.
All three flights comfortably beat the previous record of five hours and 13 minutes, held by Norwegian since January 2018.
Although the BA plane was clocked apparently going faster than the speed of sound -- 767 mph -- it would not have breached the sonic barrier because it was being pushed by the air around it. Even when traveling at more than 800mph, the 747 was traveling much slower than the speed of sound relative to the air around it.
A spokesperson for BA said: "We always prioritise safety over speed records, but our highly trained pilots made the most of the conditions to get customers back to London well ahead of time."
Storm Ciara made landfall in the United Kingdom over the weekend and caused severe travel disruptions elsewhere. Two of Europe's busiest airports -- one in Frankfurt, Germany, the other in Amsterdam, Netherlands -- each grounded more than 100 flights due to the storm.
A company spokesperson told CNN that BA, like all other airlines operating flights into and out of the UK, was being affected by Storm Ciara -- and had canceled some of its flights and merged others. (CNN)
February
Working From Home, Temperature Checks And Quarantines: How China's Companies Are Trying To Get Back To Business
Written by Ani HasanahChina is slowly getting back to work on Monday after the deadly coronavirus outbreak forced many parts of the country to extend the Lunar New Year holiday by more than a week. But it's still far from business as usual in the world's second-largest economy.
Officials have issued varied guidance on what companies should be doing as the public holiday comes to an end for much of China and millions return to their place of work. Many districts are asking companies to check the temperature of workers who come to the office. Other instructions are more specific, including one from a district in Shenzhen that asks businesses with lots of migrant workers to set up quarantine areas for employees returning from "infected zones." That's created a patchwork approach to working during the public health crisis.
The coronavirus has killed more than 900 people and infected at least 40,000, mostly in mainland China. The majority of the cases are in the central Chinese province of Hubei, where life remains mostly at a standstill.
Elsewhere in China, though, some big companies are trying to return to work — albeit with serious precautions. Others remain shut down.
Huawei, the country's top smartphone maker, on Monday reopened its Shenzhen headquarters where it employs about 40,000 people, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person said its decision was in line with local guidelines that authorized businesses to reopen.
But Huawei employees returned to a dramatically different environment than the one they left in January. When they clock in each morning, workers must now provide details about their body temperature and whereabouts for the last two weeks, the person said. There will also be temperature checks at office buildings and parking lots, while face masks and hand sanitizers are being dispensed all over campus.
Tencent (TCEHY), which is also based in Shenzhen, said its staff in mainland China were working from home on Monday, and will continue to do so for at least the next two weeks. The company's office in Hong Kong, where there are at least 38 confirmed cases, is tentatively set to reopen next week.
"The health and safety of our employees is of the utmost importance to us," a company spokesperson told CNN Business. "Accordingly, Tencent will continue to monitor the situation closely and will revise these arrangements as necessary."
Many others took a similar approach. Microsoft's (MSFT) team in mainland China will stay home for at least another week while its Hong Kong office continues to operate as usual, a spokesperson said.
Chinese ride-hailing provider Didi and Audi's China team are also extending their remote working practices through Friday. And e-commerce giant Alibaba (BABA) has asked employees to work from home for another week, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Drone-maker DJI is asking employees to work from home until further notice, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Other companies are allowing their workers to return to the office, but under strict conditions.
Baidu (BIDU), China's top search engine provider, said that it was "gradually" reopening its offices on Monday. But employees who come in "must meet quarantine conditions, and they can only return to work in the campus after approval," the company said in an internal memo seen by CNN Business.
Dane Anderson, vice president and regional manager of Asia Pacific at Forrester Research, said the confusion among companies about how to manage the outbreak was predictable, given a lack of preparation.
"Most organizations focus their business continuity plans on losses, such as the loss of facilities, technology or people, but not on impact-based scenarios such as the current novel coronavirus," he told CNN Business. "Unfortunately, most organizations will be learning on the go, which will lead to more confusion along the way."
Automakers have also been wrestling with when to allow employees to work again.
Toyota (TM), for example, had been weighing whether to reopen its China plants Monday, but recently extended those closures another week. Volkswagen (VLKAF), which said last week that it expected to resume some vehicle production Monday, did not respond to a request for comment.
General Motors (GM) said Monday it would resume production in China from February 15, staggering the restart over a two-week period based on factors such as employee safety, supply chain readiness and product inventory needs.
The Chinese government may soon provide some more clarity for businesses. China's State Council said Monday that it plans to hold a press conference Tuesday to discuss how China is helping companies resume production. (CNN)
February
Russian Oligarch Alisher Usmanov Donates $8.8 Million Olympic Manifesto To Museum
Written by Ani HasanahRussian oligarch Alisher Usmanov has donated the original 1892 manuscript of the manifesto of the Olympics to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The original 14-page copy of Pierre de Coubertin's speech, in which the French aristocrat first outlined his vision of the modern Olympic Games, was bought at a New York auction for $8,806,500 in December last year, according to Sothebys.
A former stakeholder in Arsenal who has an estimated net worth of $12.6 billion, Usmanov is the president of the International Fencing Federation.
"Pierre de Coubertin had a vision of a world united by athletic pursuits and not divided by confrontations and wars. I believe that the Olympic Museum is the most appropriate place to keep this priceless manuscript," said Usmanov on Monday.
It is the first time the manifesto has been displayed to the public, months before the 2020 Games get underway in Tokyo.
Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) two years after giving the speech in Paris, and in 1896 the first modern Games was staged in Athens, Greece.
In the speech, Coubertin envisions a world united by sporting competition, where athletics would do more to bring about peace than "telegraph, railways, the telephone, the passionate research in science, congresses and exhibitions" have.
The manuscript exceeded its estimated sale price by nearly $8 million and, according to Sotheby's, set the auction record for sporting memorabilia.
"Today we are witnessing history," said IOC president Thomas Bach.
"At one level, we are witness to this historic document, the manuscript of the speech that laid out the philosophical foundations of the Olympic Movement.
"On another level, we are witnessing a historic moment, with this manuscript returning to its Olympic home, the place where it belongs."
De Coubertin also gave the Olympics its current motto of citius, altius, fortius -- faster, higher stronger -- a phrase he borrowed from his friend Henri Didon.
Usmanov's USM company is also Everton's current training ground sponsor and last month agreed a $39 million (£30 million) deal for the naming rights of the Premier League club's new stadium. (CNN)
February
US Charges 4 Members Of Chinese Military With Equifax Hack
Written by Ani HasanahA federal grand jury has charged four members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army with hacking Equifax and stealing personal data and trade secrets in one of the largest hacks on record.
Attorney General William Barr said Monday that the scale of the theft in 2017 was "staggering" and the suspects obtained information for nearly 150 million Americans. The attorney general said the hack was one of the largest on record and was a "deliberate and sweeping intrusion into the private information of the American people."
Speaking at a news conference in Washington, Barr noted that it's unusual for the US to charge members of another country's military or intelligence service outside the US, but said the hack "not only caused significant financial damage to Equifax, but invaded the privacy of many millions of Americans, and imposed substantial costs and burdens on them as they have had to take measures to protect against identity theft."
"This data has economic value and these thefts can feed China's development of artificial intelligence tools as well as the creation of intelligence targeting packages," Barr said.
Equifax first disclosed the hack, the largest in US history, in September 2017, three months after the company discovered the breach. The hack exposed sensitive information, including names, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers and addresses.
Hackers leveraged a security flaw in a tool designed to build web applications to steal customer data. Equifax admitted it was aware of the security flaw a full two months before the company says hackers first accessed its data.
The data breach prompted the resignation of CEO Richard Smith and investigations by federal regulators, multiple states attorneys general and the company faces a number of civil lawsuits.
Bill Evanina, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, told reporters Monday that the Equifax hack reflects the type of "consistent, persistent and unacceptable" activity from China that has been observed over the last year -- posing a significant counterintelligence threat to the US.
Foreign adversaries -- and China in particular -- continue to target the US private sector to steal personal data and trade secrets in a way that reflects the broader need to for a "systemic change" in the way American companies and the public view those threats, Evanina said, adding that attacks like the one on Equifax must be viewed as a counterintelligence issue rather than just a cyber threat.
"Equifax has all of your data and Americans should care about that," Evanina said.
That data is being used by foreign intelligence services for many purposes, including to enhance their country's artificial intelligence capabilities -- a goal that requires a much information as possible, he warned.
A major concern, according to Evanina, is China's targeting of Americans, particularly government officials who do not possess a security clearance, by using data of this nature to identify potential vulnerabilities and using that information as leverage for their own purposes.
"Today we saw yet another indictment of the Chinese military for targeting the US private sector, highlighting their long-term effort to undermine US economic competitiveness and our strategic position globally," said Jamil N. Jaffer, senior vice president for strategy, partnerships & corporate development at IronNet Cybersecurity.
"This intentional data theft is part of a larger Chinese effort to go after US companies, and it is therefore critical that American and allied companies work with one another -- and across industries -- to collectively defend themselves against this committed threat actor," said Jaffer, who also previously served as the chief counsel and senior adviser to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and currently serves as founder and executive director of the National Security Institute at GMU Law School. (CNN)
February
Sydney's Heaviest Rain In 30 Years Put Out Bush Fires That Have Been Burning For Months
Written by Ani HasanahHeavy rainfall in Australia's New South Wales has forced the evacuation of several towns and the closure of more than 50 schools, but also extinguished some of the persistent bush fires that have devastated the state.
The country's Bureau of Meteorology said the region has seen more than 200 millimeters (7.9 inches) of rainfall in the past 24 hours. In Sydney, preliminary information from the bureau showed that 391.6 millimeters (15.4 inches) of rain fell over the past four days -- the city's heaviest rainfall since 1990.
Scores of schools were temporarily closed by the Department of Education in New South Wales on Monday because of heavy flooding. The Bureau of Meteorology also issued a number of warnings for heavy rains, wind and further flooding on Monday.
New South Wales Rural Fire Service tweeted Monday, however, that the rains have helped to extinguish over 30 fires since Friday, describing it as the "most positive news we've had in some time." Some of these blazes have been burning for months.
According to New South Wales Rural Fire Service media officer James Morris, the torrential rain helped put out the Currowan fire on Saturday. That particular fire burned 499,621 hectares of land over 74 days.
Morris said the ongoing rain was expected to put out the five remaining uncontrolled fires in the state. (CNN)
February
Native Burial Sites Blown Up for US Border Wall
Written by Ani HasanahNative American burial sites in Arizona have been blown up by construction crews building the US-Mexico border wall, according to lawmakers and tribal leaders. Authorities confirmed that "controlled blasting" has begun in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, a Unesco recognised natural reserve.
Raul Grijalva, a Democrat congressman, called the destruction "sacrilegious". The government failed to consult the Tohono O'odham Nation, he said. Environmental groups also warn of the damage being done to the local underground aquifer, as well as to migrating wildlife in the remote desert region about 115 miles (185km) west of Tucson.
Officials say the aim of the project is to construct a 30ft-tall (9m) steel barrier that runs for 43 miles on the national park land. The United Nations designated Organ Pipe as an International Biosphere Reserve in 1976, calling it "a pristine example of an intact Sonoran Desert ecosystem". Mr Grijalva, the chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, represents a district that encompasses the area, which shares 400 miles of border with Mexico.
He toured the burial sites at the Organ Pipe, known as Monument Hill, last month, and was told that O'odham people buried warriors from the rival Apache tribe there. "What we saw on Monument Hill was opposing tribes who were respectfully laid to rest - that is the one being blasted with dynamite," Mr Grijalva said. In interviews with US media, he called the Trump administration's conduct "sacrilegious" and said the environmental monitor that the government assigned to the project would do nothing to mitigate the cultural damage.
One area contained artefacts dating back 10,000 years. Tribal chairman Ned Norris Jr told the Arizona Republic that even though the land is now controlled by the US government, "we have inhabited this area since time immemorial." "They're our ancestors. They're our remnants of who we are as a people, throughout this whole area. And it's our obligation, it's our duty to do what is necessary to protect that."
An internal report from the National Park Service obtained by the Washington Post says the border wall Mr Trump promised during his 2015 campaign would destroy up to 22 archeological sites within Organ Pipe alone. Crews are reported to have also destroyed ancient saguaro cacti, which Mr Grijalva said the O'odham people see "as the embodiment of their ancestors".
"So to see them turned into mulch - it's deeply upsetting."
The Trump administration has been able to build sections of the US-Mexico border wall on public land due to the 2005 REAL ID Act, which gives the federal government the right to waive laws that conflict with US national security policy. In their bid to build the wall, the White House has waived dozens of laws - including ones that protected Native American graves, endangered species, and the environment. Mr Grijalva said he will work towards repealing the 2005 act and will convene a congressional hearing in the coming weeks in an effort to do so. (BBC)
