Day: August 25, 2021

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Invest In Health Equity For Sustainable Recovery – APEC Ministers

KUALA LUMPUR— The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies are united in their call to close health gaps and ensure that everyone in the region has access to safe and affordable healthcare.

 

These are the key factors towards achieving sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and bringing back prosperity to the people.

 

“The pandemic has been with us for 20 months, and the world is still adjusting to the uncertainty it brings and the constant way the virus changes.

 

“One thing that is certain, however, is that good health and economic prosperity are interdependent,” said New Zealand’s Health Minister, Andrew Little.

 

He said this at the 11th APEC High-Level Meeting on Health and the Economy on Tuesday against the backdrop of a resurgence in COVID-19 infections globally due to the highly transmissible Delta variant, which highlighted the disparity in health systems’ capacity and vaccination coverage.

 

In a statement, Little underlined the importance of close cooperation and coordinated response in confronting the unprecedented and long-lasting health and economic crisis caused by the pandemic, urging members to step up collaborations in ensuring health equity.

 

“We can see that the COVID-19 toll has not been borne equally worldwide — either between countries or within countries. The poorest have been hardest hit.

 

“We must work together, both within APEC and more widely, to put equity at the heart of all efforts to combat COVID-19,” he said.

 

Vaccination coverage across APEC is noticeably diverse, ranging from 148 doses per 100 residents to a low of only one dose per 100 residents.

 

As a result, the rate of fully vaccinated individuals across economies varies greatly, from as low as 0.2 per cent to as high as 72 per cent of the population as of mid-August.

 

Little said international trade forums are critical to safeguard the equitable supply of vaccines and related COVID-19 therapeutic products, and reflected on the advancements made in this area.

 

“This year, we are taking action to strengthen international supply chains for COVID-19 vaccines and related goods, to ensure their swift and efficient distribution.

 

“It is vital for us to strengthen our collective efforts and that we help facilitate increased manufacturing and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and related products,” he added.

 

The high-level meeting also focused on the impact of COVID-19 on women and vulnerable groups.

 

APEC is an inter-governmental forum comprising 21 member economies, including Malaysia, which aims to create greater prosperity for the people of the region by promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth and by accelerating regional economic integration.

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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Colombian President kicks off South Korean tour in search for paths to economic recovery

SEOUL — Colombia’s President Ivan Duque has landed in Seoul to start his South Korean investment-seeking tour to try to reactivate the South American country’s economy after setbacks from the coronavirus pandemic.

 

“We are going to have meetings with the large Korean business conglomerates to invest in Colombia, to develop new technologies,” Duque told reporters.

 

Duque landed in Seoul Monday with an entourage consisting of six members of his cabinet and several dignitaries from Colombia’s business circles. He is to meet his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in at the Blue House presidential residence to sign bilateral agreements.

 

“We hope to have a very good conversation with President Moon and we are going to sign a memorandum of understanding in such important areas as health, industrial development and trade,” Duque announced.

 

Colombia’s Commerce Ministry sources have indicated that the country hoped to expand its exports beyond primary products such as coffee and bananas onto processed foods, audiovisual and video game industry items, in addition to textiles and footwear.

 

The country’s fiscal deficit in 2020 was 7.8% of gross domestic product (GDP). With the economic reopening, there was a growth of 17.6% of GDP in the second quarter of 2021, compared to the same period of the previous year.

 

Duque met on Tuesday with senior executives of the Lotte Group, a conglomerate with investments in the food, hospitality and media sectors. On Wednesday he will have a working lunch with executives from Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Group and LG Group.

 

In addition, the state visit seeks to open doors for Colombia to participate in research on vaccines against COVID-19 and other diseases. This will be a central axis in Duque’s visit to the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), as well as in the meeting with the president and CEO of the pharmaceutical company SK Bioscience, Ahn Jae-yong, which produces doses of AstraZeneca.

 

Colombia’s ties with South Korea are deemed to be close, since the South American country committed some 5,200 troops in the Korean War in the early 1950s. Duque is also expected to sign a memorandum of understanding to repatriate some of the bodies of the soldiers killed in the conflict. Duque is also expected to visit the War Museum, where there will be a photographic exhibition on Colombia staged by the Korean Ministry of Veterans and Patriots.

 

Duque’s visit was organized at the invitation of South Korea’s president to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the bilateral strategic partnership between the two countries and the 70th anniversary of Colombia’s participation in the 1950-53 Korean War.

 

The two leaders plan to brainstorm ways to achieve economic recovery in the post-coronavirus era based on their iconic growth policies. They are also expected to forge comprehensive partnerships in key areas such as the digital transition, green infrastructure, and the biological and agricultural industries.

 

Moon also plans to convey Seoul’s willingness to support Colombian Korean War veterans and their families, as well as contribute to the modernization of the South American nation’s Army. Following the summit, the two leaders plan to adopt a joint statement on their discussions.

 

Duque’s schedule includes visits to the Seoul National Cemetery and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), scheduled for Wednesday. The Colombian president will leave the country on Thursday, after making stops at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the heavily fortified inter-Korean border, and the Korean War Memorial in Seoul.

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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Malaysia’s Daily COVID-19 Tally Remains Above 20,000 Mark, 22,642 Cases Wednesday

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s daily tally of COVID-19 cases remained above the 20,000-mark as 22,642 new cases were reported over the past 24 hours, Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said.

 

In the latest data shared on Facebook and Twitter, Dr Noor Hisham said the number brings the cumulative total of COVID-19 infections in the country to 1,616,244.

 

He said Selangor state still recorded the highest daily new cases at 6,325, followed by Sabah (3,224), Kedah (2,279), Johor (1,832), Sarawak (1,667), Penang (1,427), Kelantan (1,424), Perak (1,390) and Kuala Lumpur (1,128).

 

Other states recorded below 1,000 cases, namely Terengganu with 744 cases, Pahang (522), Melaka 342, Negeri Sembilan (269), Perlis (44), Putrajaya (21) and Labuan (four).

 

Malaysia’s daily COVID-19 tally climbed back above the 20,000-mark after recording 20,837 cases on Tuesday from 17,672 cases on Monday.

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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Taliban take over some UN premises, curb movement: UN report

UNITED NATIONS— Taliban fighters have taken over some UN compounds in Afghanistan, searching and ransacking offices and in one case demanding the guards provide meals for a commander and his men, according to an internal UN report.

 

“We have also been advised by the Taliban to remain in our compound ‘for our safety’ which equates to ‘ask permission before thinking about leaving’,” the Department for Safety and Security (UNDSS) wrote in the Aug 21 risk assessment report.

 

It said the Taliban has been inconsistent in dealing with United Nations staff and that some Afghan personnel had been prevented from entering some UN premises.

 

The Taliban did not immediately respond for comment on the UN security report. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a news conference on Tuesday that the militant group wished for good diplomatic relations with other countries and wanted foreign embassies to remain open.

 

The United Nations had around 300 international staff and 3,000 Afghan staff when the Taliban seized power on Aug 15. The world body has started moving about 100 of them to Kazakhstan to continue working.

 

Liam McDowall, spokesman for the UN political mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), declined to comment.

 

He said UN premises have not been occupied by the Taliban, but acknowledged that some UN buildings – where no staff were present – “have been broken in to and looted, with security personnel subjected to unacceptable intimidation, but no harm”.

 

The UNDSS report said that the UN’s Afghan staff were often reporting house searches by the Taliban and “they are terrified and left alone in dealing with this new reality”.

 

McDowall said that “no UN staff member has reported a single house search, detention or other serious incident involving the Taliban,” but the UN remains “mindful” of staff fears and that “the security situation may further deteriorate”.

 

He said “extensive security arrangements” were in place.

 

The Taliban spokesman on Tuesday denied reports that the group were conducting house searches to find targets for reprisals, saying: “We have forgotten everything in the past.”

 

The UNDSS report rated the present security risk as “very high” that any UN security convoy will be deliberately “targeted by gunfire” and UN staff will be killed or injured. It rated the risk as “very high” that Taliban will enter a UN compound and kill, injure or abduct UN personnel.

 

The UNDSS states that now the Taliban is the ad-hoc Afghan authority it is “the governing element responsible for the security of our personnel and premises”.

 

“However, at present, there is no coherent command and control with which we can liaise to discuss security requirements or problems. Neither is there a competent force that can or will provide security response in the event of a problem,” the UNDSS warned.

 

It did note that “in some instances, staff have been politely treated and our facilities and compounds respected and secured” by the Taliban.

 

The speed with which the Taliban retook the country, as foreign forces withdrew after a 20-year war, has led to chaotic scenes at the airport as diplomats and Afghans try to leave.

 

McDowall said the United Nations is trying its best despite “very real limitations right now on what can be done regarding access to Kabul Airport.”

 

“The UN in Afghanistan is an entirely civilian, and unarmed, entity,” he said, adding that the United Nations was in contact with certain member states to urge them to provide visas or support the temporary relocation of Afghan staff.

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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As thousands flee Afghanistan, some refugees in Pakistan want to go back saying “peace has return”

CHAMAN (Pakistan)— From trucks stuffed with carpets, bedding, clothes and even goats, around 200 Afghan refugees look beyond the horizon toward Spin Boldak in their country’s south, waiting to return home from Pakistan.

 

Dreading another period of harsh rule after the Taliban’s rapid takeover following the US troop withdrawal, thousands have been desperately trying to flee Afghanistan, with chaotic images emerging from the Kabul airport.

 

But some families want to repatriate to their homeland, saying the Taliban will bring stability to the war-torn nation.

 

“We emigrated from Afghanistan during bombing and hardships, when Muslims were in trouble, now, praise be to Allah, the situation is normal, so we are returning to Afghanistan,” Molavi Shaib said while waiting at the border.

 

Divided by a 10-foot-deep trench filled with barbed wire, the mountainous boundary separating Spin Boldak from Chaman in Pakistan’s southwest sees thousands crossing the trade route every day.

 

As scores try to escape Taliban rule, Pakistan has ramped up security at the border, making the process more stringent.

 

“People want to return but they are not allowed to cross, we request the Pakistani government to allow us to cross the border because there’s no war, and peace has been established,” Muhammad Nabi said.

 

“We have our household with women and kids waiting – we want them to cross the border.”

 

Pakistan has housed over two million Afghan refugees since the first wave of war broke out in Afghanistan over 40 years ago, with numbers fluctuating based on the conflict’s intensity, but the country has said it is not in a position to take in any more.

 

Displaced Afghans have long complained about feeling unwelcome with little access to employment and citizenship rights.

 

Many have become pawns in a diplomatic blame-game between the countries, which have accused each other of aiding militant groups.

 

Islamabad has long been seen as protecting the Taliban and could be one of the few governments with close ties to the new regime in Kabul.

 

With dust blowing over their belongings and children squeezed in between the furniture, dozens of trucks are parked in Chaman’s barren fields, as returnees complete document checks and wait for their crossing to be approved.

 

On the back of one truck, a teenage boy holds a baby, surrounded by a hodgepodge of household goods including a bucket, a bed and a bicycle. Another boy sits next to him on a yellow cushion while a white goat can be seen milling about between them.

 

The returnees say they will have better lives in Afghanistan.

 

“I am returning to Ghazni, now peace has been established and we are happy that we are returning back to our home. It’s much better to go back and settle there,” Wali Ur Rahman said.

 

His words are a jarring contrast to the images from Kabul airport where people have clung to the exterior of planes and at least one person has fallen to their death off a departing jet.

 

Many of those trying to get out of Afghanistan fear reprisals from the Taliban after working for foreign governments that fought the militants during the 20-year war.

 

But Nabi said he was confident the end of the conflict would bring a brighter future.

 

“We migrated here to Pakistan because of the ongoing war in Afghanistan, now peace has been established,” he said.

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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Malaysia’s Stock Exchange Remains At Two-Month High

KUALA LUMPUR— Malaysia’s stock exchange, Bursa Malaysia, held on at a two-month high on Wednesday amid strong investor appetite, in sync with the regional bourses’ performance and rally in the oil market.

 

At 5 pm, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) climbed 16.43 points to the day’s high of 1,569.80 from Tuesday’s close of 1,553.37.

 

The market bellwether opened 1.21 points higher at 1,554.58, which was also its lowest level today.

 

Market breadth was fairly mixed with 532 decliners and 509 gainers, while 468 counters were unchanged, 742 untraded and nine others suspended.

 

Turnover was unchanged at 4.55 billion shares, but the value slid to RM2.89 billion (US$1=RM4.205) from RM3.15 billion on Tuesday.

 

Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd economist Adam Mohamed Rahim said political stability was seen to be strengthening, with the next anticipated matter being the new line-up of cabinet ministers.

 

“Among the constituents of the FBM KLCI, Press Metal led gainers with a 4.8 per cent advance followed by Tenaga Nasional (TNB), which gained 3.1 per cent during the day, while the Bursa Malaysia Industrial Products and Services Index recorded the largest gain of 1.7 per cent among sectoral indexes,” he said.

 

Overseas, investors lauded positive United States (US) vaccination news, whereby the US Food and Drug Administration on Monday issued full approval for the Pfizer/BioNTech two-dose vaccine.

 

Other countries such as China have also been exhibiting encouraging prospects in terms of the handling of COVID-19 with no cases of locally transmitted infections in the latest data.

 

In addition, Brent crude oil prices stayed above US$70 a barrel, boosting selected energy counters.

 

Among the heavyweights, Press Metal surged 24 sen to RM5.24, TNB jumped 31 sen to RM10.28, Petronas Chemicals was 21 sen stronger at RM8.15, Maxis added 12 sen to RM4.65, and Axiata gained nine sen to RM4.04.

 

Meanwhile, Maybank increased one sen to RM8.33 and Public Bank dropped one sen to RM4.10.

 

Among the actives, Kanger International and Sapura Energy were flat at six sen and 12 sen respectively, MMAG went down one sen to 10.5 sen, Focus Dynamics increased half-a-sen to five sen, and Avillion lost two sen to 13.5 sen.

 

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index improved 84.11 points to 11,449.46, the FBMT 100 Index was 87.41 points higher at 11,158.59, the FBM Emas Shariah Index gained 130.56 points to 12,551.90, the FBM 70 rose 2.24 points to 14,933.64 and the FBM ACE lost 38.37 points to 7,289.12.

 

Sector-wise, the Plantation Index increased 48.17 points to 6,663.01, the Financial Services Index added 45.54 points to 15,381.95 and the Industrial Products and Services Index edged up 3.22 points to 194.59.

 

Main Market volume slightly increased to 2.66 billion shares worth RM2.53 billion from Tuesday’s 2.65 billion shares worth RM2.74 billion.

 

Warrants turnover eased to 394.23 million units valued at RM51.05 million compared to 406.88 million units worth RM56.40 million on Tuesday.

 

Volume on the ACE Market inched up to 1.50 billion shares worth RM316.58 million versus 1.48 billion shares worth RM352.91 million previously.

 

Consumer products and services accounted for 593.81 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (780.62 million), construction (85.64 million), technology (288.36 million), SPAC (nil), financial services (92.07 million), property (146.47 million), plantation (57.21 million), REITs (8.66 million), closed/fund (58,000), energy (457.95 million), healthcare (45.56 million), telecommunications and media (42.02 million), transportation and logistics (39.08 million), and utilities (20.57 million).

 

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK