World

MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday (Jul 30) approved the imposition of lockdown measures in the capital region, in a bid to contain the spread of the Delta coronavirus variant and to shield the country's medical system. The Manila capital region, a sprawl of 16 cities home to more than 13 million people, will be placed under the tightest quarantine curbs from Aug 6 to Aug 20, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a televised address. "While it is a painful decision, this is for the good of all." The lockdown, which is expected to cost the economy US$4 billion, will prevent people leaving their homes, except for essential shopping, while indoor and al fresco dining is banned. "Delta is all over Metro Manila already. This is proper intervention," Benjamin Abalos, ...

SINGAPORE: Lower-income households affected by the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to receive more financial support under The Courage Fund, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) said on Sunday (Aug 1). Singapore returned to tighter Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) measures last month amid a surge in locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, most of which are linked to the Jurong Fishery Port cluster, which has 1,027 infections as of Saturday. The Courage Fund was established in 2003 to provide relief to victims of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak, as well as healthcare workers and their dependants. The fund is also used to provide relief and support for those affected by COVID-19. Under the fund, lower-income house...

MELBOURNE: Rio Tinto is asking train drivers working in mineral-rich Western Australia to work more hours, following a move by rival BHP Group, as miners rush to ship millions of tonnes of iron ore amid soaring prices for the steel making material. The push comes among a worsening skills shortage in Australia's west that has been exacerbated by strict coronavirus restrictions, which unions say have raised mental health risks for workers and their families. Train driver Paul Bloxsom, who will leave Rio next month, said Western Australian border constraints to keep out COVID-19 that include a 14-day quarantine meant he had only seen his family in Queensland four times in 15 months. "That's a challenge in itself, the isolation and the loneliness and so on. There was a combination of things...

WASHINGTON: The United States said on Monday (Aug 2) that Myanmar's junta was playing for time with a two-year election timeframe as Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepared to encourage ASEAN to appoint an envoy. Blinken is participating virtually in a week of talks involving foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the latest bid by President Joe Biden's administration to engage a region at the frontlines of US competition with China. Ahead of the ASEAN talks, Myanmar's junta chief promised to hold elections and lift a state of emergency by August 2023, extending an initial timeline given when the military deposed elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb 1. The announcement is "a call for ASEAN to have to step up its effort because it's clear that the Burmese j...

The foreign ministers of Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Tuesday agreed on the importance of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, where China has conflicting territorial claims with some of the 10-member bloc. In an online meeting with his ASEAN counterparts, Toshimitsu Motegi stressed Japan's opposition to any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo of the Indo-Pacific by force, but did not single out China, according to the Foreign Ministry. "As we face the challenge posed by the coronavirus pandemic, it is important for us to maintain and strengthen principles of the rule of law and transparency in the Indo-Pacific region," Motegi said at the beginning of the talks. Motegi also reiterated Japan's support for ASEAN's bid to implement its...

TOKYO :Albert Batyrgaziev prevailed in a tactical battle to win the first Russian boxing gold of the Tokyo Olympics with victory by split decision over American Duke Ragan in the men's featherweight final on Thursday. Ragan went into the gold medal bout looking for a technical fight and started well, flicking out his jab at his opponent and looking to land big right hands, but he never found the target and Batyrgaziev grew in confidence. The Russian Olympic Committee fighter stalked forward, landing punches in pairs as Ragan failed to keep out of range, came off worst in the clinch and was wrestled to the floor several times. Ragan had no choice but to go for broke in the final round but Batyrgaziev stifled him again as he pushed home his advantage to take gold. "Before I came here I t...

LONDON: China's decision on Friday to give its economy a 1 trillion yuan (US$154 billion) shot in the arm has given investors a reminder that even the largest economies are likely to the need the occasional pick-me-up while the coronavirus pandemic lasts. In one of its trademark Friday night moves, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) cut its reserve requirement ratio (RRR) - the money banks have to park at the central bank for safety - by 50 basis points (bps). It is the first such step since April last year when COVID was rapidly spreading around the world. Just as significantly, it ends nine months of gradual policy tightening by authorities eager to prevent credit growth getting out of control. "We believe this marks a shift from countercyclical tightening to an easing bias," analysts ...

JAKARTA: Indonesia reported on Tuesday (Jul 13) a record increase of coronavirus infections, as authorities unveiled plans to order liquid oxygen and tens of thousands of concentrators from abroad to treat patients suffering from the coronavirus. The Southeast Asian nation is fighting a devastating new virus outbreak fueled by the highly contagious delta variant that has stretched parts of the health system to breaking point. The COVID-19 task force announced 47,899 new cases, the sixth daily record in the past 10 days and up about sevenfold from a month ago, with total infections now topping 2.6 million. It also reported 864 new deaths on Tuesday, taking total fatalities to over 68,000. With hospitals overflowing in parts of densely populated Java island, demand for medical oxygen h...

Despite tens of billions of dollars in rental relief being made available to tenants who are behind on their housing payments, the number of eviction filings is already ticking up in some states just days after the Covid-19 eviction moratorium lapsed, housing attorneys say. While over $46 billion in rental relief was allocated by the federal government, just $3 billion has made it out. Each state has its own program and process for disbursing the aid. However, tenants face an uphill battle when it comes to getting the relief, since they have to overcome multiple barriers, says Caitlin Cedfeldt, staff attorney at Legal Aid of Nebraska. Cedfeldt represents tenants in eviction cases and helps them access financial assistance. The most basic barrier, at least in Nebraska, is that many tenan...

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday held its benchmark interest rate near zero and said the economy continues to progress despite concerns over the pandemic spread. As expected, the Federal Open Market Committee concluded its two-day meeting by keeping interest rates in a target range between zero and 0.25%. Along with that, the committee said in a unanimously approved statement that the economy continues to "strengthen." Despite the optimism about the economy, Chairman Jerome Powell said the Fed is nowhere near considering a rate hike. "Our approach here has been to be as transparent as we can. We have not reached substantial further progress yet," he said. "We see ourselves having some ground to cover to get there." "Substantial further progress" on inflation and employment is the benchmark...