Cinmpring kici

Senin, 31 Mei 2021

No foreign interference, says China, as Australia, New Zealand unite over human rights - The Straits Times

BEIJING - China said on Monday (May 31) it was firmly opposed to foreign interference after Australia and New Zealand, presenting a united front, expressed concerns over China's actions in Hong Kong and the north-western Xinjiang region.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin made the comment at a regular press briefing in Beijing in response to a question about the meeting between the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand.

It was the first time they had met in person since the pandemic began 15 months ago.

China was the main topic at the post-meeting conference in Queenstown on Monday by Mr Scott Morrison and Ms Jacinda Ardern, who highlighted developments in Hong Kong and Xinjiang as issues of concern, as well as the South China Sea, where China has continued to assert its dominance.

"The prime ministers expressed serious concern over developments in the South China Sea, including the continued militarisation of disputed features and an intensification of destabilising activities at sea," said a joint statement released after the meeting.

Asked about the stance of New Zealand, whose ties with China have strengthened, Ms Ardern said her country and Australia had "broadly been positioned in exactly the same place" over human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

In April, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta drew some criticism from Western nations when she said New Zealand was uncomfortable expanding its invocation of the Five Eyes alliance with Australia, Canada, the UK and the US beyond intelligence matters into wider policy statements.

Australia and New Zealand have starkly different bilateral ties with Beijing: Relations between China and Australia have reached their lowest point in years, with disagreements on an array of issues, including trade and diplomacy. Wellington has enjoyed relatively warmer ties, but has faced accusations across the Tasman Sea as being soft and having sold out to China.

Meanwhile, the Chinese authorities conducted a separate press briefing on Monday, focusing on human rights developments in the past five years.

China has aggressively hit back at criticism, insisting that it has a different definition of human rights from the West. Beijing considers poverty alleviation and improving its citizens' standards of living as rights to economic development.

"A happy life for the people is the greatest human right," said Mr Li Xiaojun of the State Council Information Office's Human Rights Bureau.

"The implementation of the action plan has brought the protection of the economic, social and cultural rights of the Chinese people to a new level," he told the media in Beijing.

China has achieved poverty reduction goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development a decade ahead of schedule, Mr Li said, adding that the Chinese people "enjoy extensive and true democracy and freedom".

Officials also pointed to China's participation in the United Nations Human Rights Council.

"China advocates human rights dialogue and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect, opposes the politicisation of human rights and double standards, and opposes human rights interference in internal affairs," said the foreign ministry's special representative for human rights, Ms Li Xiaomei.

Beijing has come under widespread criticism from foreign governments and rights groups over its treatment of the ethnic Uighur population in Xinjiang.

Over one million are believed to have been detained in camps, which China insists are vocational training facilities to help the Muslim Uighur population escape poverty.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMif2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vYXNpYS9lYXN0LWFzaWEvbm8tZm9yZWlnbi1pbnRlcmZlcmVuY2Utc2F5cy1jaGluYS1hcy1hdXN0cmFsaWEtbmV3LXplYWxhbmQtdW5pdGUtb3Zlci1odW1hbi1yaWdodHPSAQA?oc=5

2021-05-31 15:07:02Z
52781625192896

PM Muhyiddin unveils RM40 billion economic stimulus package as Malaysia is set to enter total lockdown - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin unveiled a new economic stimulus package worth RM40 billion (US$9.7 billion) on Monday (May 31), in an attempt to mitigate the impacts of an impending total lockdown.

Speaking during a televised national address, Mr Muhyiddin said the package – named Strategic Programme to Empower the People and Economy (Pemerkasa) Plus – will aim to increase the capacity of public hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients, to support continuity of businesses and to help the people.

He said that RM450 million will be used to increase the capacity of beds in intensive care units and equipment for COVID-19 treatment, while RM550 million will be allocated to cover the expenses related to increased operating and management costs in dealing with the health crisis.

On extending help to Malaysians directly, he said RM2.1 billion will be distributed to lower-income households earning less than RM5,000 per month.

"This is mainly to ensure the well-being and survival of the vulnerable, as well as to ensure that workers who depend on daily wages can continue to be assisted. They are expected to be among the most affected following the enforcement of the lockdown," said Mr Muhyiddin.

FILE PHOTO: APEC Economic Leaders Meeting 2020, in Kuala Lumpur — FILE PHOTO: Malaysia?s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin arrives for virtual APEC Economic Leaders Meeting 2020, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia November 20, 2020. REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng

In addition, he said that an optional loan moratorium would be offered to the bottom 40 per cent group and people who have lost their jobs, as well as micro-entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which are not able to operate during the MCO.

He also announced a RM500 one-off special cash aid for 17,000 tour guides, 40,000 taxi drivers, 11,000 school bus drivers, 4,000 express bus drivers as well as 62,000 e-hailing drivers.

The financial aid, totaling RM68 million, would be transferred to registered recipients in July.

However, Mr Muhyiddin acknowledged that the government has limited finances to spare at the moment.

"I would like to be frank, the government has limited fiscal power to spend at this time. However for the sake of the people's welfare, the government will strive to find a balance between lives and livelihood ... to enable people to survive for the duration of this MCO (movement control order)," said Mr Muhyiddin.

In concluding his speech, Mr Muhyiddin added that ministers and deputy ministers will not be drawing salaries from June to August, as a show of support for the country's fight against COVID-19.

"The salaries will be channelled to the country's disaster trust account to fund COVID-19 related expenses," he said.

Prior to Monday's announcement, Putrajaya had rolled out six stimulus packages worth a total of RM340 billion.

READ: Malaysia to enter 'total lockdown' from Jun 1 to Jun 14 as daily number of COVID-19 cases hits new record

READ: Measures in place to ensure no food supply chain disruption during total lockdown, says Malaysian minister

Malaysia is grappling to curb the recent rise in COVID-19 cases. The country enters a two-week lockdown from Tuesday, during which malls will be shut while only 17 essential service sectors will be allowed to operate. These sectors include healthcare, telecommunications and media, food and beverage, utilities as well as banking.

FILE PHOTO: People receive AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia May 5, 2021. REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng

On Saturday, Malaysia reported 9,020 new COVID-19 cases, its highest daily toll since the start of the pandemic. It was the fifth straight day of record new infections.

On Monday, there were 6,425 new cases. There are now more than 570,000 cases nationwide. A total of 2,796 people have died from COVID-19 in Malaysia.

In a May 23 interview, Mr Muhyiddin said that while a full lockdown would guarantee people’s safety, there is a risk that the economy could collapse .

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vbmV3cy9hc2lhL21hbGF5c2lhLWNvdmlkMTktdG90YWwtbG9ja2Rvd24tcHJpaGF0aW4tbXVoeWlkZGluLXlhc3Npbi0xNDkyMDQyNtIBAA?oc=5

2021-05-31 14:06:58Z
52781635224359

PM Muhyiddin unveils RM40 billion economic stimulus package as Malaysia is set to enter total lockdown - CNA

This is mainly to ensure the well-being and survival of the vulnerable, as well as ensure workers who depend on daily wages can continue to be assisted. They are expected to be among the most affected following the enforcement of the lockdown.

However, he acknowledged that the government has limited finances to spare at the present moment.

In his speech, Mr Muhyiddin added that ministers and deputy ministers will not be drawing salaries from June to September this year.

Prior to Monday's announcement, Putrajaya had rolled out six stimulus packages worth a total of RM340 billion.

READ: Malaysia to enter 'total lockdown' from Jun 1 to Jun 14 as daily number of COVID-19 cases hits new record

READ: Measures in place to ensure no food supply chain disruption during total lockdown, says Malaysian minister

On Saturday, Malaysia reported 9,020 new COVID-19 cases, its highest daily toll since the start of the pandemic. It was the fifth straight day of record new infections.

On Monday, there were 6,425 new cases. There are now more than 570,000 cases nationwide. A total of 2,796 people have died from COVID-19 in Malaysia.

In a May 23 interview, Mr Muhyiddin said that while a full lockdown would guarantee people’s safety, there is a risk that the economy could collapse .

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

Adblock test (Why?)

Three-child policy: China lifts cap on births in major policy shift - The Straits Times

BEIJING (REUTERS) - Married Chinese couples may have up to three children, China announced on Monday (May 31), in a major shift from the existing limit of two after recent data showed a dramatic decline in births in the world’s most populous country.

Beijing scrapped its decades-old one-child policy in 2016, replacing it with a two-child limit to try and stave off risks to its economy from a rapidly aging population. But that failed to result in a sustained surge in births given the high cost of raising children in Chinese cities, a challenge that persists to this day.

The policy change will come with “supportive measures, which will be conducive to improving our country’s population structure, fulfilling the country’s strategy of actively coping with an ageing population”, the official Xinhua news agency said following a politburo meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping.

Among those measures, China will lower educational costs for families, step up tax and housing support, guarantee the legal interests of working women and clamp down on “sky-high” dowries, it said, without giving specifics. It would also look to educate young people “on marriage and love”.

China had a fertility rate of just 1.3 children per woman in 2020, recent data showed, on par with ageing societies like Japan and Italy and far short of the roughly 2.1 needed for replacement level.

“People are held back not by the two-children limit, but by the incredibly high costs of raising children in today’s China.

Housing, extracurricular activities, food, trips, and everything else add up quickly,” Yifei Li, a sociologist at NYU Shanghai, told Reuters.

“Raising the limit itself is unlikely to tilt anyone’s calculus in a meaningful way, in my view.” In a poll on Xinhua’s Weibo account asking #AreYouReady for the three-child policy, about 29,000 of 31,000 respondents said they would “never think of it” while the remainder chose among the options: “I’m ready and very eager to do so”, “it’s on my agenda”, or “I’m hesitating and there’s lot to consider”.

The poll was later removed.

“I am willing to have three children if you give me 5 million yuan (S$1 million),” one user posted.

Share prices in birth- and fertility-related companies surged.

‘Too late now'

Early this month, a once-in-a-decade census showed that the population grew at its slowest rate during the last decade since the 1950s, to 1.41 billion, fueling concerns that China would grow old before it gets wealthy as well as criticism that it had waited too long to address declining births.

“This is without a doubt a step in the right direction, but still it’s a bit timid,” Shuang Ding, chief economist at Standard Chartered in Hong Kong, told Reuters.

“A fully liberalised birth policy should have been implemented at least five years ago, but it’s too late now, although its better late than never,” he said.

China’s politburo also said on Monday that it would phase in delays in retirement ages, but did not provide any details.

Fines of 130,000 yuan ($26,986) were being imposed on people for having a third child as of late last year, according to a government notice in the city of Weihai.

Fearing a population explosion, in 1979 China implemented its one-child policy, which succeeded in curbing population growth but also led to coerced sterilisations and sex-selective abortions that exacerbated a gender imbalance as many parents preferred male children.

A study published earlier this year by academics from Hangzhou University found that the two-child policy encouraged wealthier couples who already had a child and were “less sensitive to child-rearing costs”, while driving up the costs of child care and education and discouraging first-time parents.

“I’m super happy,” said Su Meizhen, a human resources manager in Beijing, who is pregnant with her third child.

“We won’t have to pay the fine and we’ll be able to get a hukou,” she said, referring to the urban residence permit that enables families to receive benefits including sending their children to local public schools.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vYXNpYS9lYXN0LWFzaWEvY2hpbmEtc2F5cy1lYWNoLWNvdXBsZS1jYW4taGF2ZS10aHJlZS1jaGlsZHJlbi1pbi1jaGFuZ2Utb2YtcG9saWN50gEA?oc=5

2021-05-31 10:24:28Z
52781634479788

Pregnant women can register for Covid-19 jabs from June 4; cancer patients on active treatment can also be vaccinated - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - Pregnant women and cancer patients on active treatment are among the sub-groups of individuals that can also be vaccinated, said the multi-ministry task force (MTF) in an update on Monday (May 31).

It noted that more people have been vaccinated both globally and locally, providing more evidence on the efficacy and safety of vaccine use.

This is especially in relation to specific sub-groups where clinical trial data had not been as substantive.

The task force said: "The Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination has been monitoring the evidence and developments around the world closely and has revised the guidance for... specific sub-groups of individuals."

Pregnant women will be able to register and book a vaccination appointment from Friday if they are part of the population group eligible for vaccination.

But MTF added that they should discuss the risks and benefits with their doctors to make an informed decision on the vaccination.

"There is currently no evidence to suggest that the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna Covid-19 vaccines may cause harm to pregnant women or their babies," MTF said.

"However, the committee recognises that the amount of data collected on this population segment is still much smaller compared to data on the general population."

It added that it is also safe for women who are breastfeeding to be vaccinated and they do not have to suspend breastfeeding to receive the vaccine.

Meanwhile, cancer patients on active treatment can also be vaccinated, MTF said. But they should do so in a hospital setting, after assessment by their treating specialists on their suitability.

Active treatment includes chemotherapy, immunotherapy or radiation therapy that individuals have undergone in the past three months or plan to undergo in the next two months.

Under the current guidelines, cancer patients on hormonal therapy can continue to be vaccinated at any available vaccination site.

MTF said: "Cancer patients on active cancer treatment remain a vulnerable population that is at an increased risk of complications from Covid-19.

"There is currently no evidence of any safety signals or increased rates of adverse events from mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccines for this group."

The task force is also finalising guidelines on vaccination for cancer patients on treatment, including those who consult private specialists.

Additionally, those with severe cutaneous adverse reactions, which are rare drug-induced disorders, can also receive the vaccine.

Such reactions include the Stevens-Johnson Syndrome - a rare, serious disorder of the skin and mucous membranes; toxic epidermal necrolysis - a rare and serious skin condition; drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms - a type of drug allergy; and drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome.

These people may go to the vaccination centres, if they are part of the population group that is eligible.

MTF said the committee is also reviewing the safety data on people with a history of anaphylaxis, which is a severe allergic reaction that can kill unless treated promptly, to allow more to be safely vaccinated. The review aims to be completed in the next two weeks and will set out guidelines.

"We will continue to review the data on other types of vaccines and explore bringing in safe and efficacious vaccines that are suitable for individuals not recommended to receive the mRNA-based vaccines," MTF said.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMigQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5zdHJhaXRzdGltZXMuY29tL3NpbmdhcG9yZS9oZWFsdGgvcHJlZ25hbnQtd29tZW4tY2FuLXJlZ2lzdGVyLWZvci1jb3ZpZC0xOS1qYWJzLWZyb20tanVuZS00LWNhbmNlci1wYXRpZW50cy1vbi1hY3RpdmXSAQA?oc=5

2021-05-31 08:54:58Z
52781634093013

Three-child policy: China lifts cap on births per family - CNA

BEIJING: China said on Monday (May 31) that married couples may have up to three children, a major policy shift from the existing limit of two after recent data showed a dramatic decline in births in the world's most populous country.

Beijing scrapped its decades-old one-child policy in 2016, replacing it with a two-child limit that failed to result in a sustained surge in births given the high cost of raising children in Chinese cities - a challenge that remains.

"To further optimise the birth policy, (China) will implement a one-married-couple-can-have-three-children policy," the official Xinhua news agency said in a report following a politburo meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping.

The policy change will come with "supportive measures, which will be conducive to improving our country's population structure, fulfilling the country's strategy of actively coping with an ageing population and maintaining the advantage, endowment of human resources", Xinhua said.

It did not specify the support measures.

"People are held back not by the two-children limit, but by the incredibly high costs of raising children in today's China. Housing, extracurricular activities, food, trips, and everything else add up quickly," Yifei Li, a sociologist at NYU Shanghai, told Reuters.

"Raising the limit itself is unlikely to tilt anyone’s calculus in a meaningful way, in my view," he said.

In a poll on Xinhua's Weibo account asking #AreYouReady for the three-child policy, about 29,000 of 31,000 respondents said they would “never think of it” while the remainder chose among the options: "I'm ready and very eager to do so", "it's on my agenda", or “I'm hesitating and there's lot to consider”.

The poll was later removed.

"I am willing to have three children if you give me 5 million yuan (US$785,650)," one user posted.

Shares in birth- and fertility-related companies surged.

SLOWING GROWTH

Early this month, China's once-in-a-decade census showed that the population grew at its slowest rate during the last decade since the 1950s, to 1.41 billion. Data also showed a fertility rate of just 1.3 children per woman for 2020 alone, on a par with ageing societies like Japan and Italy.

China's politburo also said it would phase in delays in retirement ages, but did not provide any details.

Fines of 130,000 yuan (US$20,440) were being imposed on people for having a third child as of late last year.

"I'm super happy," said Su Meizhen, a human resources manager in Beijing, who is pregnant with her third child.

"We won't have to pay the fine and we'll be able to get a hukou," she said, referring to the urban residence permit that enables families to receive benefits including sending their children to local public schools.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZ2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vbmV3cy9hc2lhL2NoaW5hLXRocmVlLWNoaWxkLXBvbGljeS1wb3B1bGF0aW9uLWZlcnRpbGl0eS1hZ2VpbmctMTQ5MTk4MjTSAQA?oc=5

2021-05-31 09:22:30Z
52781634479788

Minggu, 30 Mei 2021

US tyre maker Goodyear faces allegations of labour abuse in Malaysia, documents show - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: American tyre manufacturer Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is facing accusations of unpaid wages, unlawful overtime and threats to foreign workers at its Malaysian factory, according to court documents and complaints filed by workers.

In interviews with Reuters, six current and former foreign workers, and officials with Malaysia's labour department, say that Goodyear made wrongful salary deductions, required excessive hours and denied workers full access to their passports.

The department confirmed that it had fined Goodyear in 2020 for overworking and underpaying foreign employees. One former worker said that the company illegally kept his passport, showing Reuters an acknowledgement letter he signed in January 2020 upon getting it back eight years after he started working at Goodyear.

The allegations initially surfaced when 185 foreign workers filed three complaints against Goodyear Malaysia in the country's industrial court, two in 2019 and one in 2020, over non-compliance with a collective labour agreement.

The workers alleged that the company was not giving them shift allowances, annual bonuses and pay increases even though these benefits were available to the local staff, who are represented by a labour union.

The court ruled in favour of the foreign workers in two of the cases last year, saying that they were entitled to the same rights as Malaysian employees, according to copies of the judgement published on the court's website. Goodyear was ordered to pay back wages and comply with the collective agreement, according to the judgement and the workers' lawyer.

About 150 worker payslips, which the lawyer said were submitted to the court as evidence of unpaid wages and reviewed by Reuters, showed some migrants working as many as 229 hours a month in overtime, exceeding the Malaysian limit of 104 hours.

The foreign workers are claiming about RM5 million (US$1.21 million) in unpaid wages, said their lawyer, Chandra Segaran Rajandran. The workers are from Nepal, Myanmar and India.

"They are put in a situation where they are being denied their full rights as what is provided for (by law)," he said, adding that it amounted to "discrimination".

Goodyear, one of the world's largest tyre makers, has challenged both verdicts at the high court. The appeal decision is expected on Jul 26.

The verdict for the third case, over the same issues, is due in the coming weeks.

READ: US seizes shipment from Malaysia's Top Glove over forced labour concerns

READ: US Customs seizes Malaysia's Top Glove shipment following forced labour finding

Goodyear declined to comment on any of the allegations, citing the court process.

According to the court ruling last year, Goodyear Malaysia argued that foreign workers are not entitled to the benefits of the collective agreement because they are not union members.

According to the ruling, a union representative testified that foreign workers are eligible to join and are entitled to the benefits in the collective agreement even if they are not members. The court agreed that the foreign workers' job scope entitled them to those benefits.

Goodyear told Reuters that it has strong policies and practices relating to and protecting human rights.

"We take seriously any allegations of improper behaviour relating to our associates, operations and supply chain," a representative said in an email.

The union - the National Union of Employees in Companies Manufacturing Rubber Products - did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment on the workers' complaints.

Goodyear's Malaysia operation is jointly owned by the country's largest fund manager, Permodalan Nasional Berhad, which directed queries to Goodyear.

FINES AND VIOLATIONS

Workers said that they faced intimidation from Goodyear after they filed the lawsuits. Goodyear declined to comment.

"The company had different rules for different sets of workers," said Sharan Kumar Rai, who filed one of the lawsuits and worked at Goodyear in Malaysia from 2012 until last year.

The foreign workers filed the first two lawsuits in July 2019. Soon afterwards, Goodyear asked some to sign letters, without their lawyer’s knowledge, that they would withdraw from the legal action, according to their lawyer, police complaints filed in October 2019 and a copy of the letter seen by Reuters.

Reporting a complaint to police does not always result in criminal charges but can trigger an investigation.

Industrial court chairman Anna Ng Fui Choo said in her ruling that the letter "was an act of unfair labour practice".

Malaysia's labour department told Reuters that it had investigated and charged Goodyear in 2020 over nine violations of labour laws, unrelated to the lawsuits, regarding excessive hours and wrongful salary deductions. It fined Goodyear RM41,500 (US$10,050), it said.

Malaysia has in recent years faced accusations from its own Ministry of Human Resources and authorities in the United States of labour abuse at its factories, which rely on millions of migrant workers to manufacture everything from palm oil to medical gloves and iPhone components.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMidWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vbmV3cy9idXNpbmVzcy9nb29keWVhci1tYWxheXNpYS11cy10eXJlLW1ha2VyLWZhY2VzLWFsbGVnYXRpb25zLWxhYm91ci1hYnVzZS0xNDkxODI4MtIBAA?oc=5

2021-05-31 00:33:22Z
CBMidWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vbmV3cy9idXNpbmVzcy9nb29keWVhci1tYWxheXNpYS11cy10eXJlLW1ha2VyLWZhY2VzLWFsbGVnYXRpb25zLWxhYm91ci1hYnVzZS0xNDkxODI4MtIBAA