World

Japan extends travel restrictions and tightens quarantine measures
16Feb By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

Japan extends travel restrictions and tightens quarantine measures

With the latest extension of the state of emergency, foreign travelers looking to enter Japan will have to wait at least another month, as a total ban on new entries will remain in place through March 7. Following Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s announcement Tuesday of the extension of the emergency, which now covers 10 prefectures including Tokyo and Osaka, the government also revised quarantine rules for citizens and residents returning from countries that have reported new coronavirus variants believed to be more transmissible than the original strains of SARS-CoV-2. With the most recent changes, set to take effect on Friday, people returning to Japan from Ireland, Israel and parts of Brazil will be covered by stricter quarantine measures. Under the current policy that bans new arriva...
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Facebook to limit Myanmar military-controlled pages for spreading misinformation
15Feb mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Facebook to limit Myanmar military-controlled pages for spreading misinformation

Treating the situation in Myanmar as an emergency, Facebook on Friday said that it has decided to reduce pages controlled by the Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) on grounds of spreading misinformation.Facebook said that it will remove misinformation claiming that there was widespread fraud or foreign interference in the 2020 elections.“We are closely monitoring the rapidly evolving situation in Myanmar, and are in close communication with governments, institutions and non-governmental organisations that care deeply about Myanmar’s future,” said Facebook.On February 12, Facebook released a detailed statement regarding the actions undertaken to protect free speech in Myanmar and limit pages and accounts controlled by the military.For Myanmar citizens, Facebook is the main source of news and a pla...
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EU urges China to reverse ban on BBC, says it violates Chinese constitution, human rights
15Feb mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

EU urges China to reverse ban on BBC, says it violates Chinese constitution, human rights

The European Union (EU) has urged China that it should reverse its ban on BBC World News as it violated both the Chinese constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.In a statement issued on Friday, the EU said that it has repeatedly spoken out on cases of intimidation and surveillance of journalists and media workers in China.The EU condemned China’s move to ban BBC in the country, which was imposed in response to the UK regulators revoking the broadcasting license for China Global Television Network (CGTN), stating that it restricted “freedom of expression and access to information inside its borders”.The EU said that according to Article 35 of the PRC Constitution citizens shall enjoy the freedom of speech and of the press and that according to Article 19 of the Universal ...
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Brexit adds to airline COVID-19 woes in UK
14Feb By Desk TeamNo Comments
USA, World

Brexit adds to airline COVID-19 woes in UK

LONDON: Already grounded by the coronavirus pandemic, airlines operating in the UK are facing post-Brexit obstacles to flying across the European Union, and their shareholders are paying the price. The trade agreement reached ahead of Britain's recent formal divorce from the EU allows flights between the two to continue as before. But for airlines with fewer than 50 per cent EU-based shareholders, flights within the European Union require a new agreement by the end of 2021. "To continue being able to access these intra-European traffic rights, airlines need to demonstrate they are majority-owned and controlled by European persons," noted Bernstein analyst Daniel Roeska. No-frills airlines, such as Ryanair and EasyJet, are notably affected, with their business model based heavily on...
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Ford boosts investment plan for EVs and self driving vehicles, reports loss
14Feb By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, World

Ford boosts investment plan for EVs and self driving vehicles, reports loss

DETROIT: Ford Motor Co on Thursday more than doubled the amount of money it plans to invest on electric and autonomous vehicles, to US$29 billion, even as it posted a fourth-quarter net loss of US$2.8 billion. The No. 2 U.S. automaker also said the global semiconductor chip shortage could lead to a 10per cent to 20per cent loss in first-quarter production, resulting in a potential hit to operating earnings of US$1 billion to US$2.5 billion. But its shares gained 1.5per cent in after-hours trading as the fourth-quarter operating results and 2021 profit forecast were above Wall Street's expectations. "If EVs continue to quickly gain favor, especially with commercial customers, we want to be clear that we will not cede ground to anyone," Chief Financial Officer John Lawler told reporter...
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China refused to hand over important COVID-19 data to WHO officials
13Feb mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

China refused to hand over important COVID-19 data to WHO officials

Independent investigators for the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday claimed that Chinese scientists refused to share raw data that might bring the world closer to understanding the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.The investigators who recently returned from a fact-finding trip to Wuhan said disagreements over patient records and other issues were so tense that they sometimes erupted into shouts among the typically mild-mannered scientists on both sides.The scientists also said China’s continued resistance to revealing information about the early days of the coronavirus outbreak makes it difficult for them to uncover important clues that could help stop future outbreaks of such dangerous diseases.“If you are data-focused, and if you are a professional, then obtaining data is lik...
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China, Russia pull out from UNHRC resolution on Myanmar
13Feb mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

China, Russia pull out from UNHRC resolution on Myanmar

China and Russia on Friday pulled out from a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution which calls for the release of Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint along with other detained persons following the military coup on February 1.China, Russia and others pulled out and their envoys said they are “disassociating” from the resolution. Myanmar’s ambassador called the document unacceptable.Earlier, UN Special Rapporteur Thomas Andrews had condemned the arbitrary detention of government officials and human rights leaders in Myanmar.He also cited “growing reports and photographic evidence” that security forces have used live ammunition against protesters.The UNHRC resolution stressed the need to refrain from violence and fully respect human rights, fund...
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Turning COVID-19 corner, Volkswagen’s profit falls less than feared
12Feb By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, Market, World

Turning COVID-19 corner, Volkswagen’s profit falls less than feared

FRANKFURT: Volkswagen reported on Friday (Jan 22) that its 2020 profit almost halved due to the impact of the pandemic, but a rebound in premium car sales in China and stronger deliveries in the fourth quarter helped keep the world's largest carmaker in the black. The group said full-year operating profit, excluding costs related to its diesel emissions scandal, came in at €10 billion (US$12.2 billion), compared with 19.3 billion in 2019. Analysts had expected a full-year 2020 operating profit of €4.8 billion, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. Net cash flow at its automotive division was around €6 billion and car deliveries picked up towards the end of the year, the German group said in a statement. "The deliveries to customers of the Volkswagen Group continued to recover strongly...
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Commentary: Implications of ‘long COVID’ mean faster vaccination programmes needed now
12Feb By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, World

Commentary: Implications of ‘long COVID’ mean faster vaccination programmes needed now

We need to spend whatever it takes on wartime-style mobilisation to make, distribute and inject vaccines, says the Financial Times’ Simon Kuper. LONDON: When I listen to scientists talk about where we might be a year from now, two main scenarios emerge. The first one is good: COVID-19 keeps circulating but loses its sting. Most people in rich countries, and the most vulnerable in developing countries, get vaccinated in 2021. The vaccines prevent disease caused by all strains. COVID-19 weakens. Once it finds potential victims protected either by vaccination or past infection, it becomes at worst a nasty cold. “The most likely thing is that it will mutate into a more benevolent form. That may solve the problem,” says Anthony Costello, a former director at the World Health Organizatio...
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The big short: GameStop effect puts global bets worth billions at risk
12Feb By Desk TeamNo Comments
Market, World

The big short: GameStop effect puts global bets worth billions at risk

LONDON: Global bets worth billions of dollars could be at risk as amateur share traders challenge the bearish positions of influential funds, inflating stock valuations and leaving the professionals looking at potentially hefty losses. Gone are the days when bruised retail investors fled after prominent hedge funds bet against a stock - the GameStop effect is rippling across US markets and spreading to Europe. Shares of the 20 small-cap Russell 2000 index companies with the biggest bearish bets against them have risen 60 per cent on average so far this year, easily outperforming the rest of the market, a Reuters analysis of Refinitiv data shows. Similarly, the best performers in Britain this week have been companies such as Pearson and Cineworld, in which investors also have sizeabl...
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