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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/international-news/40019104

The travel and tourism industry contributed to almost 11 per cent to the total employment in the region by providing around 162 million jobs in 2019. This number dipped during the height of the pandemic, accounting for just 131 million jobs in 2020 and 138.7 million jobs in 2021.

“The havoc wreaked by Covid-19 in the past two years is certainly unprecedented and has viciously impacted the lives of everyone,” said Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports. “This is especially true with the global tourism industry, which has been severely affected by the pandemic.”

“However, through the last couple of years, our relevant agencies have worked hard and are still, until today, working tirelessly to achieve a swift and healthy recovery as we believe that the lowest point of the economic crisis from the pandemic is now behind us,” Minister Phipat said in his opening remarks at the 11th Apec Tourism Ministerial Meeting held in Bangkok.

“It’s time for us to get back on track and move towards more positive territory,” he added.

Backed by an initial rebound in tourism and travel, Thailand expects to welcome 10 million international tourists this year, thus boosting its economy, as the sector contributes to around 20 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP).

Minister Phiphat further explained that those making the effort of reopening and reviving the tourism and travel industry need to take into consideration its impact on the local destination and communities.

“Our utmost priority is to transform the tourism sector so that it gives back more than it takes, this is the core of our meeting today, as well as our deliverables,” Minister Phiphat said. 

Ministers are considering a series of policy recommendations to ensure that the benefits of tourism are distributed fairly among local communities, which will elevate their wellbeing and quality of life. 

These include policies to facilitate tourism journeys that are sustainable and inclusive from end to end, and respectful of local and traditional knowledge; gender-responsive policies to ensure women’s full and equal participation in the tourism sector; and the adoption of technology to help manage all aspects of tourism, such as streamlining visa mechanisms.

“Key to our work this year has been to ensure the safe resumption of travel,” said Rebecca Sta Maria, Executive Director of the Apec Secretariat. 

“Even as the pandemic eases into endemic status, the work undertaken by Apec will serve as an important guide for preparedness,” Sta Maria explained. “The exchange of information, work towards the interoperability of vaccine certificates and initiatives and proposals to facilitate the movement of people across borders in the Asia-Pacific region will stay with us.”

“If there’s one thing we have all learnt from the pandemic, it is that tourism is key to the economic growth of our region. So facilitating the safe resumption of cross-border travel will continue to feature post-pandemic,” she concluded.

Published : August 19, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/international-news/40019098

Finance Minister Miftah Ismail announced on Thursday that the government was lifting the ban on the import of non-essential and luxury items.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he said that if the government had a limited amount of dollars and its foremost priority was to provide basic necessities to the country’s population, then its choice was very simple.

“Do we buy cars or grain with those dollars? Do we buy mobile phones or pulses? Do we buy oil and ghee or home appliances? Our choice becomes very simple.”

Therefore, the government had imposed a ban on the import of non-essential items, the minister said. “However, because it is a requirement of the international community that a ban is not imposed, we are removing it on all items.”

But at the same time, the government would be imposing heavy regulatory duties (RDs) on these items, he said, adding that as a result these items would not be imported as “finished goods”.

“We will try to impose thrice the existing RDs … the maximum amount of permissible RDs,” Ismail said. In some sectors, he said, the government’s RDs would be between 400-600 per cent because the country did not have foreign exchange to spend on items such as Mercedes cars.

“With my limited resources, I will prioritise flour, wheat, cotton and edible oil instead of iPhones and cars. We will remove the bans but impose prohibitive duties in the form of RDs, customs duties and sales tax so their import does not rise.”

In response to a question, the finance minister said the duties would be increased on completely built up (CBU) cars and appliances, imported meat and salmon and other luxury items. The government’s purpose was not to encourage the import of such items but to comply with the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) conditions and other international agreements while limiting imports, he elaborated.

“The truth is that even though we had the ban for the last three months, you could still find salmon and sushi in restaurants in Karachi and Islamabad. We will regularise that and impose duties.”

He stressed that the ban was being removed because of the IMF and there was no other reason. “But with the kind of RDs we will impose, I believe imports will remain reduced. If you want to maximise revenue, you impose 50pc RDs. But if you impose 500pc RDs, it means you do not want imports to happen at all.”

He emphasised that there would be no restrictions on industrialists who were importing machinery to manufacture items for export, or on the import of spare parts in small quantities. However, there would be restrictions on industrialists who wanted to import machinery to manufacture items to be sold in the domestic market, he said.

“For automakers, mobile phone manufactures and home appliance manufacturers, the plan of action is that we will allow them to import half of what they used to. Give me time till September to get my head above the water.”

Taxes on traders
Secondly, the finance minister said the government had complied with the IMF’s condition that it would not give non-funded subsidies.

The government had aimed to collect Rs42 billion through retail taxes but it would not be able to meet that target, Ismail conceded. “Our revised target is Rs27bn and we will be able to achieve this.”

He said the government would pass an ordinance to remove the fixed tax on small traders. However, the variable taxes — 5pc sales tax and 7.5pc income tax — would remain on every trader for the next three months, he said.

After the three months, the variable taxes would remain the same for traders using between one to 50 units of electricity while they would be increased for those whose units were above 50, he added.

“To meet the gap, we are imposing a further tax of Rs36bn on the tobacco industry. The current tax of Rs1,850 per 1,000 cigarettes on tier 2 packs will be increased to Rs2,050 and Rs5,900 per 1,000 cigarettes on tier-1 packs will be raised to Rs6,500. The Rs10 per kg cess tax on tobacco is being increased to Rs380 per kg.”

The minister said the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) used to impose taxes on subsidised electricity as well in the past, which had now been removed while sales tax on it would be removed through the upcoming ordinance.

“For example, we used to provide electricity to a small consumer for Rs9 per unit while Ogra (Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority) would fix the price at Rs22. So, the FBR would demand sales tax at the price of Rs22 per unit, but we said the tax will not be imposed on the subsidised amount,” he explained, adding that the government would introduce similar measures for gas.

He added that he would address the sales tax imposed on agricultural machinery as well. “It is a very minor thing and will have little fiscal impact.”

He said the country’s exports this year so far were 7-8pc more compared to last year while imports were 18-19pc lower and the trade deficit was around 30pc lower. The money received in the banking system was $600 million higher than last year, he added.

“The pressure on the rupee has ended because of this. It goes up and down sometimes; a breather is needed and profit-taking happens. I expect the [dollar’s] downward trend will continue. We will continue to live within our means.”

Funding from friendly countries
In response to a question, Ismail said the IMF wanted the country to ensure funds amounting to $6bn, for which the country needed to secure $4bn in funding from other countries.

He noted that the United Arab Emirates had already announced it would invest $1bn in Pakistan. “Reports about the other $3bn have been received but since those countries have not announced it … when they announce it, we will announce it too. But the IMF has announced its meeting which means they have received confirmation from those countries.”

While responding to another question, the minister said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would visit Qatar soon and any agreements would be announced then.

Published : August 19, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/international-news/40019093

North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said on Friday South Korea’s President should “shut his mouth” after he reiterated that his country was willing to provide economic aid in return for nuclear disarmament.

Her comments mark the first time a senior North Korean official has commented directly on what South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has called an “audacious” plan — first proposed in May and which he talked about again on Wednesday (August 17) at a news conference to mark his first 100 days in office.

“It would have been more favourable for his image to shut his mouth, rather than talking nonsense as he had nothing better to say,” Kim Yo Jong said in a statement released by state news agency KCNA, calling Yoon “really simple and still childish” to think that he could trade economic cooperation for the North’s honour and nuclear weapons.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry expressed regret over Kim’s statement and called it a “rude expression and distortion of our idea”, adding the North’s attitude could exacerbate international isolation and worsen their economic situation.

Published : August 19, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/international-news/40019085

A brutal summer has caused havoc for many in rural Spain, but one unexpected side-effect of the country’s worst drought in decades has delighted archaeologists – the emergence of a prehistoric stone circle in a dam whose waterline has receded.

Officially known as the Dolmen of Guadalperal but dubbed the Spanish Stonehenge, the circle of dozens of megalithic stones is believed to date back to 5000 BC.

It currently sits fully exposed in one corner of the Valdecanas reservoir, in the central province of Caceres, where authorities say the water level has dropped to 28% of capacity.

“It’s a surprise, it’s a rare opportunity to be able to access it,” said archaeologist Enrique Cedillo from Madrid’s Complutense University, one of the experts racing to study the circle before it gets submerged again.

It was discovered by German archaeologist Hugo Obermaier in 1926, but the area was flooded in 1963 in a rural development project under Francisco Franco’s dictatorship.

Since then it has only become fully visible four times.

Dolmens are vertically arranged stones usually supporting a flat boulder. Although there are many scattered across Western Europe, little is known about who erected them. Human remains found in or near many have led to an often-cited theory that they are tombs.

Local historical and tourism associations have advocated moving the Guadalperal stones to a museum or elsewhere on dry land.

Their presence is also good news for Ruben Argentas, who owns a small boat tours business. “The dolmen emerges and the dolmen tourism begins,” he told Reuters after a busy day spent shuttling tourists to the site and back.

But there is no silver lining for local farmers.

“There hasn’t been enough rain since the spring… There is no water for the livestock and we have to transport it in,” said Jose Manuel Comendador.

Climate change has left the Iberian peninsula at its driest in 1,200 years, and winter rains are expected to diminish further, a study published by the Nature Geoscience journal showed.

Published : August 19, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/international-news/40019084

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s voter support grew by three percentage points from last month, while approval for his rival, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, remained flat ahead of the country’s October elections, a survey by pollster Datafolha showed on Thursday.

In the latest poll, Lula received 47 per cent of voter support against Bolsonaro’s 32 per cent, compared with 47 per cent and 29 per cent respectively in July.

In a potential second-round runoff between the two candidates, the poll added, Lula would return to the office with 54 per cent of the votes against Bolsonaro’s 37 per cent.

Lula, a leftist candidate and a former Brazilian president, has seen his advantage shrink each month from the 29 points lead he had in December, the poll said.

In Rio de Janeiro, Ricardo Ismael, a local, said he didn’t trust the poll’s results as he believes Bolsonaro will finally be reelected in the runoff.

Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and his leftist front-running challenger Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva formally launched their campaigns on Tuesday (August 16) for Brazil’s most polarized elections in decades in October.

The race pits a nationalist-populist with an agenda backed by Christian conservatives against a former union leader and two-term president of the country (2003-2010) who was jailed for corruption until his convictions were annulled.

Published : August 19, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/international-news/40019080

Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Thursday said she was upset that videos of her dancing at private parties were published online as they were meant to be seen only by friends.

Marin, 36, spoke after a two-minute video of her singing and dancing with well-known local influencers and artists spread on social media and in Finnish media on Wednesday.

The clips were originally posted to a private Instagram account. Marin, who became the world’s youngest serving government leader in December 2019, said she knew she was being filmed but never thought the videos would become publicly available.

“These videos are private and filmed in a private space. I resent that these became known to the public,” Marin told reporters. She said she did not know who leaked them.

Many Finns have voiced support for the young leader for combining a private life with her high-profile career. But newspaper Helsingin Sanomat said the episode raised questions about her judgement.

“Marin may have acted in good faith, but this gullible she should not be,” the paper wrote in an editorial.

“The prime minister can, in a sensitive situation, put the weapons of information warfare in the hands of those who would like to hurt Finland,” the newspaper said.

Marin said the video was a compilation of clips from two separate occasions a few weeks ago. She said people at the events consumed alcohol but no one took drugs to her knowledge.

“We just partied, also in a boisterous way. I danced and sang,” Marin said, denying a claim that the videos had been a publicity stunt less than a year until the next general election.

Marin in January told Reuters she and her fellow young female ministers have been targeted with extensive hate speech for their gender and appearance while in office.

Published : August 19, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/international-news/40019078

New Zealand police said on Thursday they were investigating the suspected murder of two children whose remains were found in suitcases bought at an online auction for an unclaimed locker last week.

Police launched a homicide inquiry in Auckland last week after the remains were found by a family going through the contents of a storage locker they had purchased unseen, and are not connected to the deaths.

Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua told reporters the two children were of primary school age and had been dead for some time. The suitcases had also been in storage for some time, he added, without providing details.

Details on how the children had died or whether there were any suspects were not immediately available or provided by police.

Published : August 19, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/international-news/40019041

Nepali mother of two, Parwati Sunar, puts on a uniform of a light blue blouse, dark skirt and a striped tie one morning, before stepping out of home with her schoolmates, her two sons.

Sunar has decided to re-enrol in an education system she fled at the age of 15, when she eloped with a man to India, before giving up a job there as a housemaid to return to Nepal and her studies, aged 27.

“I got married at a young age, and after that, I went to India with my husband. Everyone used to talk in English over there. I found it very difficult because of not know English. It inspired me to learn,” said Sunar, explaining the desire to catch up on the lessons she missed.

Just about 57% of women are literate in the country of 29 million, and Sunar said she hoped to finish the 12th grade and become “literate enough” to be able to keep household accounts.

“I realised the importance of education,” she said from her school in Punarbas, on the southwestern edge of the Himalayan nation, adding that she hopes one of her sons will become a doctor one day.

One of Sunar’s classmates, 14-year-old Bijay B.K., said it was fun to be in the same class with her.

“I help didi in studies and she helps me too,” he said, using the Nepali term for an elder sister. “She scolds me when I don’t do my homework.”

As a seventh-grade student, Sunar was below average, but a keen learner, said Bharat Basnet, the principal of the village school.

After classes, Sunar and her sons take a 20-minute walk to their home, a tin-roofed two-room structure of bare bricks shared with their mother-in-law, before engaging in various activities.

On some days, Sunar does chores like feeding their goats, cooking, and cleaning.

On other days, she cycles to computer classes at a nearby institute with her 11-year-old son Resham, or spends time completing homework.

Occasionally, time is spent catching up with Sunar’s husband Yam through video calls, who has remained in the southern Indian city of Chennai as a labourer in order to support his family.

The family belong to the Dalit community, formerly known as untouchables, on the lowest rungs of the Hindu caste system, but Sunar said they had faced no ill-treatment over this.

Sunar’s efforts could inspire more village women thirsty to learn beyond their domestic horizons to return to school in Nepal, where they still face discrimination and child marriage is widespread, even though illegal.

Published : August 18, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/international-news/40019039

One of two cosmonauts working outside the International Space Station on Wednesday safely returned to the laboratory’s airlock after an electrical issue on his spacesuit forced Moscow’s ground control to end the routine spacewalk early, US and Russian officials said.

Oleg Artemyev was nearly three hours into a six-hour spacewalk when voltage levels in his spacesuit’s battery began to drop, prompting flight controllers in Moscow to order the cosmonaut’s immediate return to the space station’s airlock.

“Oleg, drop everything and go back,” a flight controller urged Artemyev from mission control in Moscow, as heard on a live feed of space-to-ground audio. “Drop everything and start going back right away… Go back and connect to station power.”

Artemyev returned to the airlock and connected his suit to the space station’s power.

Russian flight controllers opted to terminate the spacewalk early once Denis Matveev, the other cosmonaut performing the spacewalk, positioned the robotic arm they had been upgrading back into its proper position.

Artemyev “was never in any danger,” NASA spokesman Rob Navias said.

The space station, a football field-sized research laboratory in low-Earth orbit, has housed international crews of astronauts for more than two decades, with Russia, the United States, Japan, Canada and the European Space Agency counted as the laboratory’s primary users.

Published : August 18, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/international-news/40019038

Myanmar’s military leadership on Wednesday lashed out at the Asean grouping of Southeast Asian countries for excluding its generals from regional gatherings, accusing it of caving to “external pressure.”

Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have heaped condemnation on Myanmar’s junta, which they say has failed to make concrete progress on a peace plan agreed with the 10-nation bloc last year, including engaging with opponents and a cessation of hostilities.

Myanmar’s military seized power from an elected government in a coup last year and has since then crushed dissent with lethal force. Most recently, the junta has been criticized for executing political activists and imprisoning Aung San Suu Kyi, the symbol of Myanmar’s opposition and democracy movement.

Asean has barred Myanmar’s generals from attending regional meetings, and some members said last month it would be forced to rethink the way forward unless the junta demonstrates progress on the peace plan.

The junta has declined offers to send non-political representatives instead to Asean meetings.

“If a seat representing a country is vacant, then it should not be labelled an Asean summit,” junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said at a routine news conference on Wednesday, adding that Myanmar was working on implementing the peace plan.

“What they want is for us to meet and talk with the terrorists,” he said, using the junta’s label for pro-democracy movements that have taken up arms against the military.

He said Asean was violating its own policy of non-interference in a country’s sovereign affairs while facing “external pressure,” but did not elaborate.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cambodia, which is currently chairing Asean, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Several western countries including the United States and Britain have imposed sanctions on Myanmar’s junta over the coup.

Meanwhile, a senior UN official met with the Myanmar junta leader on Wednesday on a rare visit while asking to meet with Suu Kyi and call for political prisoners’ release, said a United Nations statement.

Noeleen Heyzer, the UN secretary-general’s special envoy to Myanmar stated in the media advisory that she expressed her concern about the situation in the country to Junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing during her visit, parts of which were shown on military-controlled media.

Referring to the recent execution of four pro-democracy activists, the United Nations said Heyzer had directly urged the junta to impose a moratorium on all future executions.

Published : August 18, 2022

By : Reuters