Tag: coronavirus

Pentagon warns China is exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to wage ‘economic warfare’ on the US
19Jun By Grace TsoiNo Comments

Pentagon warns China is exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to wage ‘economic warfare’ on the US

Defense officials in the U.S are growing increasingly concerned that China is using the coronavirus outbreak to gain stakes in strategically important businesses as the pandemic leaves struggling companies urgently in need of capital.But even as the Defense Department works to improve supply security, procurement experts warn that the Pentagon may not have the visibility required to help protect smaller companies down the chain. They say the job is only getting harder as the pandemic has broadened the definition of national security interests to include medical supplies. And they point to at least one Chinese-owned company that asked to bid on a Pentagon contract."We have to be very, very careful about the focused efforts some of our adversaries have to really undergo sort of economic warf...
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Decoding the real reasons behind Chinese aggression in South Asia
19Jun By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Decoding the real reasons behind Chinese aggression in South Asia

The Chinese diplomacy and military strategy are largely subservient to its idea of “Century of Humiliation”- the period between 1839 and 1939, when China lost a huge territory to Western colonial powers, Russia and Japan. Although, in the last three decades it has seen unprecedented growth and development, the insecurities in the Chinese assertions are more than evident.The ‘Xi Jingping era’ saw towering Chinese territorial and economic aspirations. The ambitious Belt Road Initiative (BRI), believed to be China’s attempt to assert its strategic footprints across the world, has also revealed the true nature of Chinese hegemonistic goals. The BRI is considered to be Xi’s personal indulgence in taking China and his leadership to the status of a global power never thought of before. This, howe
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As Xi Jinping takes on an offensive mode, let’s pray for China
19Jun By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

As Xi Jinping takes on an offensive mode, let’s pray for China

What a difference a year makes! A year ago, on June 4, Xi Jinping – the boss of China and the unelected master of the country’s fate – was confident enough to brush off the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square atrocity, and was gearing up to push back against a rampaging US President who seemed to have the roughest of touches on the delicate issues of diplomacy.Today, after a complete year, Xi is besieged due to the outright lies and cover-up of the novel coronavirus since late 2019.As in any country, it is the domestic situation that tends to be a catalyst for foreign overtures, and so is the case with China.Millions of Chinese today believe even less the lies coming out from the leadership of the Communist Party of China. They know that their leaders kept mum when hundreds of thousan
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Pakistan: Number of jobless people to reach 6.65m in 2020-21
18Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Pakistan: Number of jobless people to reach 6.65m in 2020-21

Marred by economic instability and coronavirus outbreak, the number of unemployed people in Pakistan has been estimated to reach 6.65 million during the fiscal year 2020-21, compared to 5.80m of the outgoing financial year.According to the Labour Force Survey 2017-18, unemployment rate for the next year (2020-21) has been estimated at 9.56 per cent.Pakistan has the 9th largest labour force in the world which is increasing every year. During next year, the number of employed persons will increase to 69.2 million in 2020-21 from 62.1 million in 2019-20.The country is currently experiencing the phenomenon of unemployed educated people, particularly jobless graduates.The unemployment rate among degree-holders is almost three times higher than the other overall unemployed people. The reason beh...
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[South East Asia] Malaysia to deport undocumented migrants from next week
17Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments

[South East Asia] Malaysia to deport undocumented migrants from next week

As Coronavirus continues to spread unabated, the Malaysian government has decided to deport undocumented immigrants in the country to their respective countries starting next week.Senior Minister (Security) Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the sending back process will start with Indonesian citizens on June 6.“All Indonesian illegal immigrants will undergo Covid-19 testing via the Rapid Test Kit Antigen (RTK Antigen) method first in the presence of officials from the Indonesian embassy before being sent back.“The first phase, which starts on June 6, will involve 2,189 Indonesians, who are currently being detained at immigration depots in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak, as well as 672 at depots in Sabah,” Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri said on Saturday.“From the total number of Indonesians involved, the
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[South East Asia] Indonesia rolls out public shaming for coronavirus violators
17Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments

[South East Asia] Indonesia rolls out public shaming for coronavirus violators

For anyone who is found flouting social distancing norms, the Indonesian officials are forcing them to recite Koran verses, stay in "haunted" houses and submit to public shaming on social media as the country battles to contain surging coronavirus infections.The Southeast Asian archipelago began deploying around 340,000 troops across two dozen cities to oversee enforcement of measures aimed at halting transmission of the disease, such as wearing face masks in public.But provincial leaders are strengthening these efforts with their own zealous campaigns to fight the virus.Police in western Bengkulu province have assembled a 40-person squad to find lockdown scofflaws and force them to wear placards with promises to wear masks and keep their distance from others in future.Pictures of the perp...
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[South East Asia] COVID-19 outbreak: Malaysia tightens border control to guard against import of cases
17Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments

[South East Asia] COVID-19 outbreak: Malaysia tightens border control to guard against import of cases

After nabbing 300 migrants in this month alone, Malaysia is now beefing up its border monitoring to prevent foreigners from entering via illegal routes and potentially importing COVID-19 infections, Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Thursday.“The government takes seriously the entrance of illegal immigrants into the country and we feel the fear, especially at this time (of the COVID-19 pandemic).“So we have started 'Ops Benteng' where the maritime agency, the military as well as the police are working together in monitoring the borders, especially illegal routes that can be used by immigrants to enter illegally,” he said.Ismail Sabri, who is also defence minister, also raised his concern over possible re-entry of foreign workers who have earlier left Malaysia for Hari Raya Aidilf
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[South East Asia] Schools won’t open until coronavirus vaccine is available: Duterte
17Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments

[South East Asia] Schools won’t open until coronavirus vaccine is available: Duterte

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said that he will not allow students to go back to school until a coronavirus vaccine is available, even as some countries resume in-person classes.In a speech aired late on Monday, Duterte said the risk was too great, even if it held students back academically."Unless I am sure they are really safe it's useless to be talking about opening of classes. For me, vaccine first. If the vaccine is already there, then it's okay. If no one graduates, then so be it," he said.Children were due to return to school at the end of August after classes for more than 25 million primary and secondary students were shut down in March as the contagion took off in the Philippines.Though researchers worldwide have launched an unprecedented effort to quickly develop a va...
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​[South East Asia] Indonesia deploys military to enforce social distancing before reopening
17Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments

​[South East Asia] Indonesia deploys military to enforce social distancing before reopening

Indonesia on Tuesday deployed thousands of army and police personnel across the country to enforce social distancing rules after a record surge in infections in the past week cast doubt about plans to reopen Southeast Asia’s largest economy.The Indonesian military and police will be activated to enforce social distancing measures under a "new normal" scenario, President Joko Widodo said on Tuesday.Widodo made the comments after visiting a pharmacy and a food court at a partially closed mall in Bekasi city, on the outskirts of Jakarta.“We want the military and the police to be at every crowd to further discipline the public, so they follow the protocol that we have agreed to in the large-scale social restrictions,” Widodo said, referring to a partial lockdown currently enforced in Bekasi an
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[South East Asia] Philippine President wants stuck workers to reach home in a week
17Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments

[South East Asia] Philippine President wants stuck workers to reach home in a week

As thousands of Filipino workers grew frustrated of being stuck in a ship cabin, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte took speedy action and gave his government a week to process about 24,000 repatriated Filipino workers stuck for weeks on cruise ships or in coronavirus quarantine, so they can finally go home.Thousands are aboard cruise vessels off Manila Bay or stuck in hotels and crowded health facilities, some growing frustrated having tested negative for the coronavirus and completed the mandated 14-day quarantine.Overseas Filipino Workers, or OFWs, are breadwinners and a key support base of Duterte. Their more than US$30 billion of annual remittances is a key driver of the Philippine economy, sustaining millions of family members."The president said they can use all government resourc...
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