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Senin, 07 Desember 2020

Singapore to host World Economic Forum Special Annual Meeting in May - CNA

ZURICH: The World Economic Forum (WEF) will convene its Special Annual Meeting in Singapore next year from May 13 to May 16.

The event will be the first global leadership event to address worldwide recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, said WEF in a press release on Monday (Dec 7).

"This in-person meeting will bring together leaders to focus on shaping solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges," it added.

The meeting is usually held in Davos, Switzerland every year. "The change in location reflects the Forum’s priority of safeguarding the health and safety of participants and the host community," said WEF.

"After careful consideration, and in light of the current situation with regards to COVID-19 cases, it was decided that Singapore was best placed to hold the meeting."

In a press release on Monday, Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said WEF's decision to hold the meeting in Singapore "reflects its confidence in our management of the COVID-19 pandemic thus far".

"The hosting of WEF’s Special Annual Meeting will have a positive impact on Singapore’s MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) sector and adjacent sectors such as hospitality," added MTI.

Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said: "As the world battles COVID-19, there is an even greater impetus for countries to cooperate, collaborate, and partner each other to address pressing global issues."

Mr Chan also expressed "confidence" in Singapore's ability to maintain public health and safety "while supporting the WEF’s mission to effect positive change through collaboration and engagement".

MTI said this would be the second time the WEF Special Annual Meeting will be held outside of Switzerland since its establishment in 1971, and the first time it will be held in Asia.

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

Founder and Executive Chairman of WEF Klaus Schwab said a global leadership summit is of "crucial importance to address how we can recover together".

He added that the Special Annual Meeting 2021 would be a place for leaders from business, government, and civil society to meet in first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Public-private cooperation is needed more than ever to rebuild trust and address the fault lines that emerged in 2020," he said.

WEF will also hold a virtual event from Jan 25, 2021 to Jan 29, 2021 during the usual "Davos week".

It will feature participation from heads of state and government, chief executive officers, civil society leaders, global media and youth leaders from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and North America.

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2020-12-07 16:09:30Z
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Indonesia expects halal certificate for experimental COVID-19 vaccine - CNA

JAKARTA: Indonesia's highest Muslim clerical body is expected to issue a halal certification for the experimental COVID-19 vaccine developed by China-based Sinovac Biotech, officials said on Monday (Dec 7).

The certification would be a significant step in immunisation efforts in the world’s most populous Muslim country, should the vaccine be approved for use.

“A study by the Indonesian Ulema Council Halal Product Guarantee Agency and Institute for the Assessment of Food, Drugs and Cosmetics has been completed and has been submitted to the council for the making of a fatwa and halal certification,” Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy said at a news conference.

More than 1 million doses of the experimental COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac arrived in Indonesia on Sunday evening. The government has no exact schedule for distributing the doses.

READ: Sinovac secures US$515 million funding to boost COVID-19 vaccine production

Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto said on Monday that the experimental vaccine needs to successfully complete phase 3 clinical trials before it can be distributed in Indonesia.

“The government will provide a vaccine that is proven safe and passes clinical trials under World Health Organization recommendations,” Putranto said.

Hermawan Saputra of the Indonesian Public Health Expert Association said the 1.2 million doses are only enough for an initial group of 600,000 people, since each person must receive two doses.

“It does not really have significant meaning. The government should guarantee that there will be enough to for distribution to the entire country,” Saputra said.

ADDITION Indonesia Vaccine — Workers unload a container containing experimental coronavirus vaccines made by Chinese company Sinovac from the cargo bay of a Garuda Indonesia plane at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, on Dec 6, 2020. (Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)

Saputra said that if the experimental vaccine passes the third phase clinical trials, immunisation programmes are expected to begin in the middle of next year.

The government has announced that it plans to use vaccines from several different producers in its effort to vaccinate the world’s fourth most populated country. So far, the Sinovac candidate vaccine is the only one to arrive in the country.

On Monday, the Health Ministry announced 5,754 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the confirmed total to 581,550, including 17,867 deaths, the highest in Southeast Asia.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

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2020-12-07 14:39:47Z
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Britain gets ready for roll-out of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine this week - CNA

LONDON: Britain is preparing to become the first country to roll out the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine this week, initially making the shot available at hospitals before distributing stocks to doctors' clinics, the government said on Sunday (Dec 6).

The first doses are set to be administered on Tuesday, with the National Health Service (NHS) giving top priority to vaccinating the over-80s, frontline healthcare workers and care home staff and residents.

Britain gave emergency use approval for the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech last week - jumping ahead in the global race to begin the most crucial mass inoculation programme in history.

In total, Britain has ordered 40 million doses - enough to vaccinate 20 million people in the country of 67 million.

About 800,000 doses are expected to be available within the first week.

READ: EU criticises 'hasty' UK approval of COVID-19 vaccine

READ: UK drugs regulator defends fast pace of Pfizer vaccine approval

Initial doses that have arrived from Belgium are being stored in secure locations across the country, where they will be quality checked, the health ministry said.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has onerous storage requirements. It needs to be kept at -70 degrees Celsius and only lasts five days in a regular fridge.

For that reason, the health ministry said the vaccine would first be administered in 50 hospitals. It said it would take a few hours to defrost each vaccine and prepare it for use.

NHS England has written to general practitioners, telling them to get ready to start giving vaccinations through local doctors' services from Dec 14.

Britain reported 17,272 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, raising the total number of infections since the start of the pandemic to over 1.723 million.

The country also recorded 231 deaths from the disease, down from 397 a day earlier, taking the total toll measured by the number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test to 61,245.

READ: UK medical chiefs eye major fall in COVID-19 deaths by early 2021

Rather than run clinics in individual surgeries, groups of local doctors will operate more than 1,000 vaccination centres across the country, the government said.

Boxes of the vaccine contain five packs of 975 doses, but special regulatory approval is needed to split them up. A senior medical official has said that while he was hopeful it would be possible to split the packs and deliver straight to care homes, it was not guaranteed.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, 94, and Prince Philip, 99, are in line to get the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine early due to their age. (Photo: AFP/Adrian DENNIS)

VACCINE FOR QUEEN

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine within weeks, reports late on Saturday said.

The monarch, 94, and her 99-year-old husband Prince Philip are in line to get the jab early due to their age and will not receive preferential treatment, the Mail on Sunday reported.

The newspaper said Britain's most senior royals would reveal they have been given the inoculation "to encourage more people to take up the vital jab", amid fears so-called anti-vaxxers could dent enthusiasm for it.

Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Britain is among the first nations to roll out vaccinations outside the context of a clinic trial, raising hopes that the tide could soon turn against a virus that has killed nearly 1.5 million people globally and hammered the world economy.

READ: Britain in 'final throw of the dice' as EU trade talks set to restart

Plans are reportedly being stepped up to ensure any complications arising from the end of the Brexit transition period on Dec 31 do not impact its roll-out.

The vaccine will be manufactured at Pfizer's plant in Puurs, Belgium. The Observer reported late on Saturday that ministers have drawn up contingency plans to fly millions of doses into Britain on military aircraft in the event of Brexit-related disruption at UK ports.

"We will do this if necessary," a health department spokesperson told the newspaper.

Talks to finalise a UK-EU free trade deal and avoid potential chaos in January are currently gridlocked, with just days left to seal an agreement.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

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

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2020-12-07 12:00:43Z
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Hong Kong police asked banks to freeze former lawmaker Ted Hui's accounts - CNA

HONG KONG: Hong Kong police said on Monday (Dec 7) they had asked banks to freeze Ted Hui's accounts because they suspected money-laundering by the former lawmaker, who fled to Britain after facing criminal charges related to anti-government protests last year.

Steve Li, senior superintendent of the police’s National Security Department, told a press briefing that authorities sought assistance from banks, which he declined to name, to freeze funds related to a crowdfunding operation tied to Hui.

"We found out that there were about HK$850,000 ... being pocketed by him (Hui) and through some of the accounts owned by him and his relatives," Li said, adding that the money frozen did not represent the total funds held by Hui and his family.

READ: Former Hong Kong lawmaker Ted Hui says his bank accounts frozen

Hui was one of several opposition lawmakers who quit the Legislative Council last month in protest at the dismissal of four colleagues in what they called another push by Beijing to suppress democracy in the city.

He said on Sunday that funds raised from a crowdfunding he initiated last year to fund a private prosecution against police had been deposited in a lawyer's account and had nothing to do with him or his family.

The veteran activist said his wife, parents and his own Hong Kong bank accounts had been frozen after he left to pursue his pro-democracy activities overseas.

Li said the order to freeze the accounts was unrelated to Hui fleeing Hong Kong or the charges which he faces relating to anti-government protests in 2019.

However, comments Hui had made on social media after leaving Hong Kong violated its National Security Law for collusion with foreign powers, Li said.

Hui has urged Hong Kong and international financial regulators to investigate his case.

The veteran activist told Reuters via social media on Sunday that bank accounts belonging to him, his wife and his parents at Bank of China Hong Kong, HSBC and Hang Seng Bank were frozen. He gave no further details.

"COMPLETE DISTRUST"

Later on Sunday, Hui said on his Facebook page that his wife and parents' bank accounts, together with part of his accounts had been unfrozen briefly and his family had moved funds swiftly from HSBC because they no longer trusted the global bank.

"Due to complete distrust of HSBC in Hong Kong, my family has immediately transferred their savings to some safe places," Hui said.

HSBC said it was disappointed to see the circumstances being "misrepresented", but did not elaborate, saying it was unable to comment on specific account activity.

"When banks are made aware of negative news in the market, they will enhance due diligence on the relevant accounts as part of their responsibility," a HSBC spokeswoman said in an email.

"We have to abide by the laws of the jurisdiction in which we operate," she said.

HSBC has found itself caught in the cross-hairs of protests in the former British colony, its biggest market, with its branches vandalised during some rallies.

Some protesters have accused HSBC of being complicit in action by the authorities against activists, accusations the bank has denied.

A Hang Seng Bank spokesman said it did not comment on the details of individual accounts. Bank of China did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

READ: Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong jailed for 13 and a half months for 2019 anti-government protest

Democracy activists say conditions have worsened in the former British colony after China imposed security legislation on the financial hub in June, making anything Beijing regards as subversion, secession, terrorism or colluding with foreign forces punishable by up to life in prison.

China, which promises Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy under its handover agreement with Britain in 1997, denies curbing rights and freedoms in the city.

Local media reported that at least five accounts worth hundreds of thousands of US dollars belonging to Hui and his family had been inaccessible since Saturday.

Hui contacted the banks and was told there were "remarks" placed on his accounts, but staff refused to provide further information, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported.

One of the pro-democracy activists arrested last month and charged with disturbing legislature proceedings, Hui arrived in Copenhagen last week on an invitation from Danish lawmakers.

Hong Kong's Security Bureau issued a statement on Friday that, while not naming Hui, said "running away by jumping bail and using various excuses such as so-called 'exile' to avoid one's responsibility is a shameful, hypocritical and cowardly act of recoil".

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2020-12-07 10:41:15Z
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Britain gets ready for roll-out of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine this week - CNA

Britain gave emergency use approval for the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech last week - jumping ahead in the global race to begin the most crucial mass inoculation programme in history.

In total, Britain has ordered 40 million doses - enough to vaccinate 20 million people in the country of 67 million.

About 800,000 doses are expected to be available within the first week.

READ: EU criticises 'hasty' UK approval of COVID-19 vaccine

READ: UK drugs regulator defends fast pace of Pfizer vaccine approval

Initial doses that have arrived from Belgium are being stored in secure locations across the country, where they will be quality checked, the health ministry said.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has onerous storage requirements. It needs to be kept at -70 degrees Celsius and only lasts five days in a regular fridge.

For that reason, the health ministry said the vaccine would first be administered in 50 hospitals. It said it would take a few hours to defrost each vaccine and prepare it for use.

NHS England has written to general practitioners, telling them to get ready to start giving vaccinations through local doctors' services from Dec 14.

Britain reported 17,272 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, raising the total number of infections since the start of the pandemic to over 1.723 million.

The country also recorded 231 deaths from the disease, down from 397 a day earlier, taking the total toll measured by the number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test to 61,245.

READ: UK medical chiefs eye major fall in COVID-19 deaths by early 2021

Rather than run clinics in individual surgeries, groups of local doctors will operate more than 1,000 vaccination centres across the country, the government said.

VACCINE FOR QUEEN

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine within weeks, reports late on Saturday said.

The monarch, 94, and her 99-year-old husband Prince Philip are in line to get the jab early due to their age and will not receive preferential treatment, the Mail on Sunday reported.

Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

READ: Britain in 'final throw of the dice' as EU trade talks set to restart

Plans are reportedly being stepped up to ensure any complications arising from the end of the Brexit transition period on Dec 31 do not impact its roll-out.

"We will do this if necessary," a health department spokesperson told the newspaper.

Talks to finalise a UK-EU free trade deal and avoid potential chaos in January are currently gridlocked, with just days left to seal an agreement.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

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

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South Korea to boost testing as COVID-19 surge threatens 'medical collapse' - CNA

SEOUL: South Korean President Moon Jae-in called on Monday (Dec 7) for expanded COVID-19 testing and more thorough tracing as the country struggled to control its latest and largest wave of infections.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 615 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight Sunday, capping a month of triple-digit daily increases that have led to 8,311 confirmed patients in quarantine, the most ever.

Moon ordered the government to mobilise every available resource to track infections, and to expand testing by deploying the military and more people from the public service, presidential Blue House spokesman Chung Man-ho told a briefing.

READ: South Korea tightens COVID-19 curbs in Seoul region

Moon added that testing sites should operate longer hours to allow people working to get tested at their convenience and more drive-through testing facilities should be set up, Chung said.

The positive rate for the latest batch of tests was about 4.2 per cent, compared to the year's average of 1.2 per cent, according to the KDCA.

Starting next week, testing centres will begin using a test kit designed to more easily gather samples from saliva, hopefully reducing some of the difficulty they had faced when trying to collect usable samples, KDCA deputy director Na Seong-woong told a briefing.

While questions remain over their accuracy, the centres will also start using antigen tests, which are supposed to detect specific proteins from the virus, as a stopgap, Na said.

Na predicted that daily cases would hover between 550 to 750 for this week, possibly spiking to as much as 900 per day the next week.

"This crisis is the most critical yet," he said, warning that the outbreak could lead to a "medical collapse" if the numbers aren't contained.

DEBATE OVER NEW MEASURES

On Sunday, authorities said they will impose heightened social distancing rules for the capital Seoul and surrounding areas that will last until at least the end of the month.

With this third wave, the government has faced increasing criticism as cases continue to rise despite measures such as mask mandates, curfews for restaurants and other businesses, and restricted public transportation.

Among the facilities ordered to completely close are the private academies or cram schools, called “hagwon”, used by students for extra study.

READ: Commentary - Is South Korea doing enough to tackle its new COVID-19 wave?

The Korea Association of Hagwons staged a rare public protest over the outright ban on hagwons opening in the greater Seoul area, saying it is discriminatory because other businesses including PC cafes and movie theatres frequented by students are still allowed to be open until 9pm.

South Korea avoided lockdowns but used an intensive system of tracing, testing and quarantining to tamp down two earlier waves of infection.

The ban has prompted concerns among many students and parents ahead of the final exam period, and would deepen inequality by boosting private tutoring that only well-off students can afford, it added.

In comments to a meeting of his senior ministers, Moon called the wave of infections the most serious yet and apologised for failing to blunt the surge and for the burden caused by the social distancing restrictions.

Monday's total was down slightly from Sunday, when the agency reported 631 new cases, the largest daily tally since a peak in February and early March.

In total, South Korea has reported 38,161 cases, with 549 deaths.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

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

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2020-12-07 07:41:15Z
52781225332051

Britain gets ready for roll-out of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine this week - CNA

Britain gave emergency use approval for the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech last week - jumping ahead in the global race to begin the most crucial mass inoculation programme in history.

In total, Britain has ordered 40 million doses - enough to vaccinate 20 million people in the country of 67 million.

About 800,000 doses are expected to be available within the first week.

READ: EU criticises 'hasty' UK approval of COVID-19 vaccine

READ: UK drugs regulator defends fast pace of Pfizer vaccine approval

Initial doses that have arrived from Belgium are being stored in secure locations across the country, where they will be quality checked, the health ministry said.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has onerous storage requirements. It needs to be kept at -70 degrees Celsius and only lasts five days in a regular fridge.

For that reason, the health ministry said the vaccine would first be administered in 50 hospitals. It said it would take a few hours to defrost each vaccine and prepare it for use.

NHS England has written to general practitioners, telling them to get ready to start giving vaccinations through local doctors' services from Dec 14.

Britain reported 17,272 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, raising the total number of infections since the start of the pandemic to over 1.723 million.

The country also recorded 231 deaths from the disease, down from 397 a day earlier, taking the total toll measured by the number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test to 61,245.

READ: UK medical chiefs eye major fall in COVID-19 deaths by early 2021

Rather than run clinics in individual surgeries, groups of local doctors will operate more than 1,000 vaccination centres across the country, the government said.

VACCINE FOR QUEEN

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine within weeks, reports late on Saturday said.

The monarch, 94, and her 99-year-old husband Prince Philip are in line to get the jab early due to their age and will not receive preferential treatment, the Mail on Sunday reported.

Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

READ: Britain in 'final throw of the dice' as EU trade talks set to restart

Plans are reportedly being stepped up to ensure any complications arising from the end of the Brexit transition period on Dec 31 do not impact its roll-out.

"We will do this if necessary," a health department spokesperson told the newspaper.

Talks to finalise a UK-EU free trade deal and avoid potential chaos in January are currently gridlocked, with just days left to seal an agreement.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

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

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