Virus robs Bangkok’s 3 world badminton tournaments of audience
Dec 25. 2020
By THE NATION
All three Badminton World Federation (BWF) tournaments in Bangkok next month will take place without an audience over Covid-19 concerns, organisers said on Thursday.
Back-to-back Thailand Opens (Super 1000 level) due on January 12-17 and January 19-24, each with $1 million up for grabs, and the US$1.5-million World Tour Finals on January 27-31 will be locked down to prevent virus transmission. Thailand is on high alert after a second wave of Covid-19 hit the country last week.
“Due to the current situation, the organisers of the three BWF tournaments in Bangkok have decided they will proceed without spectators,” said Badminton Association of Thailand president Patama Leeswadtrakul.
International players must be tested 72 hours before leaving for Thailand and carry “Fit to Fly” documentation. On landing in Thailand, they will undergo a Covid-19 test, then remain confined to their rooms until the test results are known. Only once a negative test has been confirmed will the athletes be permitted to start training. Practice facilities will be offered to one nationality at a time and disinfected between each session.
Competitors and their support staff will have to stay in their bio-secure “bubbles” for 14 days after arriving in Thailand.
During the tournament players will receive shuttlecocks directly from a machine, as per the Danish Open in October.
Khan believes he has the right game plan to beat Dae
Dec 25. 2020
By THE NATION
Top lightweight talent Amir Khan of Singapore is heading into his next matchup looking to put another solid win in the books. After stopping Rahul Raju last October, the 26-year-old Circle veteran is back in action, and wants to put on another epic performance.
Khan faces South Korea’s “Crazy Dog” Dae Sung Park at ONE: COLLISION COURSE II, a previously recorded event from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore scheduled for broadcast this Friday, 25 December.
Riding a wave of confidence from his last outing, Khan is excited to get back in the Circle to showcase his skills once again.
“I hadn’t gotten a KO in a while. It’s definitely a good feeling to get that killer instinct back. I knew I had it deep down within, I just had to get it back. Sometimes you know you have it, but you have to show it to yourself,” Khan said of the win over Raju, before sharing his thoughts on Park.
“It’s a good matchup. Me and my coach accepted the fight right away and created a game plan. He (Park) a very well-rounded fighter. He has his strong points. He’s southpaw, so we’ve got to be careful of his left side attacks.”
Park is a ONE Warrior Series graduate under the legendary Rich Franklin. The South Korean is riding a four-bout win streak. He’s won 9 of his last 10 fights.
Khan, considered one of the best lightweights in the promotion, has studied Park’s particular style, and has come up with a solid game plan with his coach at Evolve MMA, Siyar Bahadurzada. The Singaporean star is confident he can pull off another spectacular victory to move himself further up the ranks.
“[Park] overuses his energy in the first round, so we’re going to capitalize on that. We know we have to go through a storm in the first round because he comes in hot, and once we go through it, then we can take him out,” said Khan.
“He’s going to come out strong in the first round and then get a bit tired, a bit lethargic. But I’m not going to go for the kill. I’m just going to have fun, pick my shots, pick him apart, and stay loose. I’m going to keep on the offense, and I believe the knockout will come, but I will not look for it.”
ONE: COLLISION COURSE II is ONE Championship’s final broadcast of the year. The previously recorded show features a main event classic between #2 ranked Muay Thai featherweight Jamal Yusupov and #4 ranked Samy Sana. It’s expected to be one of the most exciting Muay Thai clashes in recent memory.
Khan, who aims to move up the lightweight ladder, realizes how important this fight is against Park. The 26-year-old Singaporean even believes a victory here could position him for a handful of significant matches in 2021.
“Park has three wins in ONE Championship. He’s a good name. So if I get another good win, another dominant finish, that will set me up for going against one of the top contenders in 2021,” Khan concluded.
“Then after, maybe I can eventually fight for a belt. But one fight at a time. I’m just going to get through Park first, focus on him, and the rest will come later. I’m giving my full attention to Park because he’s equally as dangerous, and I don’t want to underestimate him.”
Men and women battle for Bt17m in Thailand’s first mixed golf tour
Dec 24. 2020
By THE NATION
For the first time in Thai golfing history, men will battle against women in a professional tour with millions in prize money at stake.
Trust Golf founder Dr. Prin Singhanart
The Thailand Mixed tour kicks off in Pattaya in January, the first leg of a five-tournament circuit offering total prize money of over Bt17 million.
Hosted by golf training centre Trust Golf, the mixed tournament will be competed in the regulation professional format: a 156-field (78 men and 78 women) playing 36 holes in the first two rounds with half of field moving to the weekend rounds.
However, to create a competitive scenario between the two genders, tee-off positions for female players will be set closer to the pin.
According to Trust Golf founder Prin Singhanart, women are capable of competing against the men as there was no significant difference between the level of male and female players.
“We held a test competition and found that their results are not so different,” said Prin. “Currently, the standard of women’s golf is quite high. By favouring them with the tee-off positions, they should be able to put the men to the test,” she added.
Also open to international players, the tour kicks off at the Chee Chan Golf Resort in Pattaya from January 28-31, with the second leg at the Alpine Golf Resort in Chiang Mai on March 18-21. The third stop is at the Blue Canyon in Phuket on May 20-23 while the fourth is due from July 8-11 with the venue yet to be confirmed.
Each will offer total prize money of Bt3 million. The biggest purse of Bt5 million will be up for grabs in the final tournament on December 9-12 (venue to be confirmed).
Eight-time European Tour winner Thongchai Jaidee agrees that women have the potential to challenge the men on the fairways.
“This type of tournament brings Thai golf to a new dimension. Our Thai female golfers are on a higher level these days. It’s a great opportunity for the women to test their potential,” Thongchai said.
Two-time Asian Tour winner Prom Meesawat said the women would inevitably be at a disadvantage, but added the tournament would serve as a springboard for female golfers eyeing the global stage.
“Succeeding at the international level means playing the tough and long courses out there. It’s important that our female players undergo challenges that will prepare them for the higher stage,” said Prom.
Sana wants to establish his dominance against Yusupov
Dec 24. 2020
By THE NATION
French-Algerian striker Samy “AK47” Sana wants a shot at the ONE World Title. If he gets his way, the 32-year-old from Paris, France, promises he will capitalize on the opportunity. He plans to show why he deserves to be considered among the top fighters in his division with a fiery performance in his next bout.
Sana, the #4 ranked Muay Thai featherweight in ONE Super Series, is set to take on #2 ranked Jamal “Kherow” Yusupov of Russia in what is expected to be a dramatic showcase of action inside the ONE Circle.
The two go head-to-head in the main event of ONE: COLLISION COURSE II, a previously recorded event from the Singapore Indoor Stadium scheduled for broadcast this Friday, 25 December.
“In my next bout, I’ll prove that I am a top contender who is tough to beat, and I want to show that I am the real champion of my weight class. This is a really important bout that I’m taking extremely seriously, especially [if there is a chance to compete] for the ONE Championship belt,” Sana told ONE Championship.
Against Yusupov, Sana faces a three-time Russian Kickboxing Champion, hardened on the rough and tumble streets of Dagestan. He is a winner of six Russian national championships in both kickboxing and Muay Thai, as well as a European kickboxing title.
In November of 2019, Yusupov burst onto the ONE Super Series scene with a shock second round finish of legendary Yodsanklai Fairtex, a man Sana also defeated recently.
Surprisingly, Sana wasn’t all too impressed with Yusupov’s performance, and wants to prove to fans why he’s the better fighter.
“He beat Yodsanklai after I’d beaten him. I think Yodsanklai was still in mental shock after my bout, so it was easier for him, but I’ll show that I’m the boss. There is not a lot of footage of him available, but I’m analyzing his Yodsanklai bout. He seems to be a good striker, but I’m also really powerful. He has a good boxing technique and he comes from K-1, so I’ll only have to care about his fists,” said Sana.
“He has to fear everything because I’m strong, tall, and powerful. I’m a pure nak muay, so it’ll be tough for him. We are going to put on a good fight. As with every fight, I’ll need to give my best at 200 percent to finish the opponent and to show I’m the best.”
ONE: COLLISION COURSE II is ONE Championship’s final broadcast of the year. Aside from the main event between Sana and Yusupov, the card also features a host of other compelling martial arts contests.
Sana knows how important this bout is to establish his footing in the Muay Thai rankings. After a failed bid in kickboxing, losing to the great Giorgio Petrosyan in the final round of the ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix, Sana has rededicated himself to training, and vows to capture ONE gold, one way or another.
“Of course, I’ve been disappointed by my loss because I’m not used to losing. Losing is very tough for me. But Giorgio and I are in the same rankings, so there will definitely be a time to take my revenge,” Sana concluded.
“It is definitely my goal to get the ONE Championship belt. I’ll do anything, and I’ll get to it in Muay Thai, kickboxing, and maybe in the higher weight class.”
The automakers that have won big or lost ground going into 2021
Dec 25. 2020Hyundai cars are displayed at the company’s Motorstudio showroom in Goyang, South Korea, on Oct. 22, 2020. MUST CREDIT: Bloomberg photo by SeongJoon Cho
By Syndication Washington Post, Bloomberg · Hannah Elliott
If you asked automakers in April or May about the outlook for the rest of 2020, answers would have been grim.
Plants around the world were shut down, production stalled, workers were furloughed, sales plummeted, and billions of dollars were lost. Early estimates from IHS Markit had year-end U.S. sales barely cresting 12 million new vehicles.
By December, many automakers had bounced back-and then some. IHS now predicts 14.5 million new-vehicle units will be sold in the U.S. this year, down roughly 3 million units from 2019. Cox Automotive puts the number at 14.4 million, down 15.3% year-over-year.
“It’s still a pretty big drop,” says Stephanie Brinley, an automotive analyst for IHS Markit, “but better than we thought was going to happen in March when we shut the country down.”
Americans, it turns out, still want to buy new cars. They’re also buying homes, classic cars, and, in general, a lot of fancy things.
Credit the federal stimulus, says Brinley, plus improved online sales and configurators and pent-up consumers with time on their hands and a yearning to get out: “People who were already interested in buying a new car went and did it anyway, despite the covid situation.”
Some automakers have responded better to the shifting markets than others. The pandemic has enabled them to stop producing cars that didn’t make money, rein in incentives, trim budgets for efficiency, and become more disciplined regarding supply and demand. Some could even come out of the pandemic stronger, says Kevin Tynan, the senior automotive analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence.
“Our headline sales number may not be 17 [million], but it’s a lot healthier than when it was 17.5 million, and 30% of that was from unprofitable cars,” Tynan says. “We have spent decades trying to get to this.”
Final reports will come in early January, but from this nearly year-end vantage point, it’s easy to see which automakers and brands in the U.S. came out looking stronger, given the circumstances-and which did not.
To compile this list, we considered all different aspects of what makes a car manufacturer and specific brands healthy: sales rates, market share, the depth and variety of portfolio offerings, a brand’s position within its holding company, the quality and performance of its products, and additional analysis from Bloomberg Intelligence, IHS Markit, and Cox Automotive.
WINNERS
Hyundai
Hyundai Hyundai Motor Co. has been one of the biggest gainers of U.S. market share in 2020, according to a Dec. 14 report by Cox Automotive analyst Vanessa Ton.
Hyundai succeeded by reaching younger, more affluent customers who had higher credit scores, Ton says. Nearly 45% of Hyundai buyers have $100,000-plus household incomes, compared with 33% in 2015; and 30% are aged 18-44, compared with 24% in 2015.
“Hyundai has been strengthening its affordability and fuel efficiency imageries for years, while putting a history of mediocre quality in the rearview mirror,” Ton wrote in her year-end analysis. “In times of economic uncertainty, the value proposition is essential.”
Tesla
The best-performing automotive stocks this year have been electric start-ups such as Nio, Li Auto, and for a time, Nikola. But they all still pale against the 17-year-old incumbent, Tesla Inc., whose shares have soared by as much as 700% in 2020, minting millionaires out of its most loyal fans. On Dec. 21, the company was added to the S&P 500 Index. (It was such a big addition that S&P Dow Jones Indices debated whether Tesla should be added all at once or in two separate pieces.)
With a value that reached as high as $649 billion-that’s more than the collective value of the world’s seven largest carmakers at the start of 2020, by the way-Tesla is the most valuable car company in the world.
Tesla has said it expects to deliver a half-million of its sufficiently-executed-to-achieve-cult status cars and SUVs this year. (Some 180,000 cars of those cars need to come in the final quarter to hit that figure.) Much of that demand is driven by China, where it sells more EVs than anywhere else. Still to come: That Blade Runner-esque Cybertruck we’ve been hearing about for more than a year.
General Motors and Ford
General Motors Co. is the nation’s largest legacy automaker. It had a $4 billion third-quarter profit and has used 2020 to set itself up for a bold future, announcing plans to produce 30 electric vehicle models by 2025, starting with the gold standards for Detroit car lovers: Cadillac and Hummer. All told, GM has already started on spending what it says will be a total of $27 billion in an effort to remake 40% of its lineup.
Ford Motor Co., meanwhile, reported a healthy $2.4 billion in net income in the third quarter of this year. It has already shown signs of a potential upswing in earnings growth, thanks to its “global redesign” initiative (which streamlines overseas operations and eliminates poorly performing products) and an upcoming lineup of model debuts and announcements that includes an electric pickup (due in 2022), a modern Bronco and Bronco SUV, and Mustang Mach-E electric SUV.
It helps both Ford and GM that full-size pickup trucks in particular represent a $125 billion industry, according to research compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence’s Tynan, with compact pickup trucks representing an additional $22.4 billion: “Trucks are going to be near 80% of [the U.S. automotive segment] by the end of this year. It’s going to be 90% in the future.”
The pickup segment will be the key to recovery for automakers and dealerships in 2021, Tynan continues. No other group can generate profit as quickly. “The automakers that are falling behind are the ones that don’t get that.”
While Tesla may be out “conquering hamlets, fighting these little battles with EVs, and the [compact car] Model 3,” he says, “Ford and GM are rolling out the big artillery to the battlegrounds of pickup trucks-they’re ready for those EVs.”
Porsche
Porsche AG unveiled a whopping 17 new model iterations this year, including the next-generation Porsche 911 and additional versions of its electric Taycan sedan. That number rises to 33 new models if you include such mid-cycle refreshes as 16 Panamera variants on top of other new Panamera models like the Panamera 4S E-Hybrid in sedan, Executive, and Sport Turismo variants, and the Panamera Turbo S.
It’s a very confusing rundown-but very effective. Aside from having its Porsche 911 Turbo S named the best new car of the year, Porsche generated revenue of €19.4 billion ($23.7 billion) and a 10.4% return on sales in the first nine months of 2020, a feat that Porsche executives are rightly calling a success. To wit: More than 25,400 911s were delivered-a 1% increase over 2019.
Rivian
Although it has yet to make and sell cars, Michigan-based Rivian positioned itself perfectly in 2020 to capitalize on the coming wave of electric pickups. It received $6 billion in infusions from the likes of Amazon and Ford itself since 2019. By July, Rivian had nearly doubled the $2.85 billion it raised in all of 2019 with a $2.5 billion round of investment led by T. Rowe Price Associates Inc.
Whether this translates into success when the Rivian R1T truck arrives in summer 2021, one thing is certain: Tesla is on the offense. In July it sued Rivian for allegedly poaching employees and stealing trade secrets; soon after, former Tesla employee Nick Kalayjian joined Rivian to oversee engineering and product.
LOST GROUND
Nissan
In May, Nissan reported its first fiscal year loss in a decade and its biggest loss in the past 20 years; by Nov. 12, Nissan had started to flatten out its decline but still expects to see an operating loss of $3.2 billion for the fiscal year to March, likely to be the largest blow to any major automaker.
Chalk it up to the company’s being in the early stages of a massive cost-cutting and turnaround plan.
And a lack of exciting product: Even the line-topping Nissan GTR fared poorly in its most recent Bloomberg review. Despite the fact there are rumored talks of a possible Nissan electric truck, so far it can’t compete in the essential truck space: U.S. sales of the Nissan Titan full-size pickup were down 24%, to 19,403, for the first three quarters of this year, compared with more than 589,000 deliveries of the winning Ford F-series pickup, which fell just 11% over the same period.
“They’re in every segment, but they’re not the model in any segment-there’s always some other thing that’s always a little bit better,” Bloomberg Intelligence’s Tynan says. “There’s an identity crisis of what exactly is Nissan and why would I buy them. I don’t know the answer to that any more. I think they have a lot of stuff that is just ‘also ran.'”
Charlie Chesbrough, the senior economist and senior director of Industry Insights for Cox Automotive, has a similar outlook.
“Nissan, besides ongoing management issues, is being plagued by old products and big drops in fleet sales,” he said via email, noting that the situation should improve in 2021. “New Rogue, Frontier, Pathfinder are scheduled to rollout in coming months, so more consumer interest should follow. Fleet activity should pickup in 2021, so this may help Nissan’s overall sales numbers as well.”
A representative from Nissan said that the brand is “fully committed” to Nissan Next, the plan launched in 2020 to build a more sustainable business.
“New models launched this year such as the all-new Sentra and Rogue demonstrate our focus on giving customers what they want, with safety, technology, design and value that exceeds their expectations,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “You will see this continued shift in Nissan showrooms in 2021 with five additional new models, along with a continued emphasis on putting the customer first in everything we do.”
Maserati and Alfa Romeo
While parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV has popular pickups such the Ram to help it tap the lucrative truck market, its overlooked, under-loved Alfa Romeo and Maserati brands don’t have anything to pull up to that tailgate party. In fact, brands that have fallen behind in transitioning to the next era of the industry (autonomous driving and electric mobility on an accessible level) have lagged in the stock market, and FCA-owned Maserati and Alfa Romeo fall into that category.
Despite public comments by FCA about its commitment to those brands, Tynan expects they could be soon packaged and sold. “I don’t know that they necessarily want them, I don’t know where they necessarily fit in the [FCA] portfolio.” Maserati, he continues, “is not the brand-just not it, either performance-wise or luxury-wise, in its segment.” Alfa presents a similar story: “It’s good for what it is … but what is it?”
Chesbrough said much the same: “The [FCA] portfolio is old and too small for the current market where trucks are in favor and gasoline prices are low. Fiat sales are down significantly in 2020, and their days’ supply continues to grow.”
Maria Conti, chief communications officer at Maserati, responded that Maserati is moving past the dark days of 2020, poised for 2021. She points to its first electrified model, a refreshed lineup, and expanded V8 Trofeo range, as well as a “foundation for a new era” with a new product offensive pegged to the “100% made-in-Modena” MC20 Supercar announced in September. “Our future is bright.”
Alfa Romeo reps also “respectfully disagree” with their place on this list, pointing to new connected infotainment systems with standard 8.8-inch touch screens in all 2020 models. “Last quarter our sales were up by 17%,” said Bob Broderdorf, the director of Alfa Romeo Sales for FCA North America, in an emailed statement. He added that from January to October 2020, sales of Alfa Romeo were down 6% while the relevant premium segment decreased by 16%. “This clearly indicates that we are capturing net market share and we have been increasing our market share each month of this year.”
On Dec 14., the company announced the Alfa Romeo 4C Tributo edition, which pays homage to the legendary 33 Stradale and is a nod to all the passionate Alfa Romeo fans in the U.S. Next year, Broderdorf said, the company will start production in Italy of the all-new Alfa Romeo Tonale, the brand’s first-ever plug-in hybrid. Time will tell if it helps.
Jaguar Land Rover
Once a bastion of stylish saloons, powerful roadsters, and iconic off-roaders, Tata Motors-owned Jaguar has suffered in 2020, though its troubles have long been gestating following over-investment in manufacturing capacity, especially for now-unpopular sedans. It has fallen far from making memorable vehicles in favor of chasing market trends. Meanwhile, demand for Land Rover’s diesel vehicles has stalled, sales in China have plummeted, and Brexit will make everything worse.
Its new electric products like the Jaguar I-Pace are, so far, forgettable. And as great as the F-Type was when it debuted, it needs a refresh. “Jag is just … I don’t think anybody cares,” Tynan says. “It is a brand with heritage that totally got away from the heritage, which was cars-sedans and saloons-and now it’s nondescript, strangely named, crossover, weird stuff.” The problem isn’t that Jaguar has added SUVs to its lineup, it’s that it hasn’t done a very good job of it.
Land Rover suffers from a non-diverse portfolio that will hurt it in years to come, even with the 2020 advent of the new Defender. “With such a limited product portfolio on the Land Rover side, what else can they do to grow?” asks Tynan. “You can have your Hamptons market share, but what other white space do you have anymore to add new products?”
Not a lot, it seems. Especially when much of the U.S. market is going to pickups.
Representatives at Jaguar Land Rover, for their part, remain optimistic, noting that 2021 will bring “an exciting new range” including significant refreshes of the Jaguar F-Pace and E-Pace, Range Rover Velar, and Land Rover Discovery, with electrified options extended to 12 of the 13 models in their product lineup.
“In the quarter ended Sept. 30, the company saw sales increase over 50% from the prior quarter, and generated a profit with strong cash flow of £463 million ($620.8 million),” spokesman Jeffrey Jablansky said in an email. “We have said we expect the recovery in sales, revenue, and profitability to continue in the second half of our financial year ended March 31, 2021.”
SSC Automotive
In October, the Richland, Wash.-based supercar maker wowed the world with its reports of a new world record for speed. But subsequent video analysis revealed inconsistencies with details surrounding SSC’s record run.
Now the race is on, with Texas-based Hennessey announcing it will run its new Venom F5 for a high-speed test at NASA Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida in 2021.
SSC founder Jerrod Shelby has said he intends to redo his run-but stands to lose millions of dollars in early orders on the SSC Tuatara in the meantime. And while SSC waits to correct the errors in reporting and plans another attempt, Hennessey may just swoop in and claim the record for itself. Talk about tension. SSC did not respond to a request for comment before this story was published.
Schneider Electric launches new interface for edge network management
Dec 23. 2020
By The Nation
Schneider Electric has released a public API (application programming interface) for its cloud-based software EcoStruxure IT Expert.
The first public API for EcoStruxure IT Expert allows IT solution providers and end users to integrate a critical infrastructure monitoring platform into any preferred management system.
With the introduction of EcoStruxure IT Expert API, Schneider Electric is simplifying the management process for a distributed IT infrastructure.
“We are working with our partners and customers in new and different ways so they can gain the right visibility and insights on their IT infrastructure, while we create a more open ecosystem,” said Kevin Brown, senior vice president of Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure.
With the addition of public API, IT solution providers can easily integrate the EcoStruxure platform into their preferred systems. By adding remote monitoring of power and critical infrastructure into their portfolio, solution providers can help drive differentiation and bring more value to customers grappling with the complexities of edge network management.
Indonesia to send back hazardous materials to Australia, NZ, UK, US
Dec 26. 2020Batam Customs Office officers oversee the transfer of one of seven containers containing toxic and hazardous waste (B3 waste) to the Capricorn 97.210 Barge, on July 29, 2019 at the Batu Ampar Container Port, Batam, Riau Islands. (JP/Fadli)
By Dian Septiari The Jakarta Post/ANN
Indonesia is set to send 79 containers of hazardous materials back to Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States beginning in January, the government recently revealed.
The Foreign Ministry summoned the envoys of the four countries to notify them about the plan on Wednesday, according to the ministry’s statement published on Thursday.
The ministry’s director general of American and European affairs, Ngurah Swajaya, said the measure was in accordance with international law, namely the Basel Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.
The treaty was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous materials between nations, specifically to prevent the transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries. “In accordance with the Basel Convention […], cross-country imports containing toxic waste are not allowed.
The Indonesian government must return it to the origin country,” he told the ambassadors.
Ngurah said the containers had been verified by various government agencies including the Environment and Forestry Ministry, Trade Ministry, Industry Ministry, Finance Ministry and the National Police.
“The 79 containers to be re-exported are part of the total 107 containers that had been confiscated by the Indonesian government because they contained hazardous waste, while the remaining 28 containers will be re-examined,” he added.
The containers were confiscated in 2019, during which Indonesia, together with other Southeast Asian nations faced a sharp increase in shipments of plastic waste from developed countries to developing nations following China’s decision to ban imports of 24 types of waste materials.
Nonhazardous waste, mostly consisting of clean scrap paper, was intended to be used by paper-recycling companies in Indonesia. However, most of the cargo was found to be contaminated by hazardous waste such as old diapers and plastics, which the businesses reject and ends up in landfills.
SIA cabin crew to wear N95 masks, protective overalls on flights from London amid concerns over new Covid-19 strain
Dec 26. 2020SIA said that it already has a series of precautions to protect its crew and reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission. PHOTO: ST FILE
By Toh Ting Wei The Straits Times/ANN
SINGAPORE – All Singapore Airlines (SIA) cabin crew members working on flights from London will now have to wear N95 masks and protective overalls amid growing concerns about the new strain of the Covid-19 virus in the city.
They will also have to take Covid-19 swab tests after their return. They will not be allowed to resume work on other flights until they get a negative result, in line with the usual practice when flying to areas with higher risks of Covid-19 infections.
SIA is currently operating two direct flights daily from London’s Heathrow Airport on most days. The flights are about 13 hours long.
The additional requirements for protective equipment for flights from London kicked in on Wednesday (Dec 23), SIA said in response to queries on Thursday. Prior to this, cabin crew had already been wearing goggles, gloves and surgical masks for all flights.
Reports about a new strain of the coronavirus that is 70 per cent more infectious surfaced last week.
On Tuesday, Singapore joined more than 40 other countries in tightening restrictions on travellers arriving from the United Kingdom. The Ministry of Health had said that all long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with travel history to Britain within the last 14 days will not be allowed to enter or transit through Singapore.
Returning Singaporeans and permanent residents will have to be tested on arrival, and again towards the end of their 14-day stay-home notice period at dedicated facilities.
SIA also said on Thursday that it already has a series of precautions to protect its crew and reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission.
For long-haul flights where the crew will have to stay over in the destination country, SIA has been chartering a dedicated bus for crew to be transported to and from the hotels, which are located away from city centres.
“All crew are required to stay in their hotel rooms during the layover period, and they need to wear devices that track their location to ensure that they comply with this regulation,” said SIA.
The crew members must also take their temperature regularly and closely monitor their health throughout their duty period.
To protect crew and other passengers on flights, if anyone – passenger or crew member – were to report feeling unwell, the person would be moved to a dedicated quarantine area within the plane, SIA added.
The unwell person would be attended to by a cabin crew dressed in full personal protective gear, and would be checked by medical authorities upon the plane’s landing.
Dec 26. 2020Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks at a press conference at the Diet Building on Thursday. (The Yomiuri Shimbun)
By The Japan News/ANN
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe apologized Thursday after his state-paid first secretary was given a summary indictment regarding irregularities on political fund reports over dinners held prior to cherry blossom-viewing parties.
“Even though [the irregularities] occurred without my knowledge, I am keenly aware of my moral responsibility,” Abe said at a press conference at the Diet building on Thursday. “I deeply regret it and offer my sincerest apologies to the people.”
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office’s special investigation squad filed the summary indictment against the secretary, Hiroyuki Haikawa, on the same day over a suspected violation of the Political Funds Control Law. Abe, a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was not indicted due to insufficient evidence.
In a Diet session during his time as prime minister, Abe repeatedly denied the fact that his political support group covered some of the expenses of the dinner events. However, at the press conference on Thursday, he admitted that the group had paid a portion of the expenses and that it later revised its political fund reports.
Regarding his past remarks in the Diet, Abe also apologized for the discrepancy in some of his answers given at the time.
“This has undermined the public’s trust in politics. I would like to express my deepest apologies to the people and to all Diet members of the ruling and opposition parties,” Abe said.
When asked about whether he intends to resign from politics, Abe denied the possibility, saying: “I am well aware that I have an extremely heavy political responsibility. I want to fulfill my duties by returning to my original political goals and doing my best.”
On Friday, Abe explained the matter and fielded questions from ruling and opposition party members at sessions of the committees on rules and administration of both Diet chambers. He corrected past remarks made in the Diet and offered his apologies.
According to the House of Representatives’ Research Bureau, Abe made remarks, such as “My office isn’t involved in this matter,” “There are no receipts” and “[My support group] did not make up for the shortfall [when costs exceeded what dinner guests had paid],” 118 times from November 2019 to March 2020 when answering questions posed by lawmakers in the Diet.
■ Payments made ‘out of pocket’
At the press conference Thursday, Abe explained that the shortfall for the expenses of the dinner events was covered by his own money allotted for his personal expenses that he had entrusted to his office.
“As a number of invoices for expenses, including food and transportation, come to my office every day, I have the office handle the payments,” Abe said. “The payments were made from money withdrawn from my personal account that I had entrusted to the office.”
S. Korea’s virus cases hit all-time high despite tougher distancing rules
Dec 26. 2020People wait in a long line around a large Christmas tree to get tested for COVID-19 at a screening center in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, on Christmas Eve on Thursday. (Yonhap)
By THE NATION
South Korea’s daily new coronavirus cases hit a new record high on Friday, despite the most stringent social distancing rules to contain the winter wave of the virus.
South Korea reported 1,241 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,216 local infections, raising the total caseload to 54,770, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The tally marked a hike from 985 on Thursday, according the public health agency.
The hike is mainly blamed on 288 new cases at Dongbu Detention Center in eastern Seoul in one of the largest cluster infections in South Korea.
The second mass outbreak at the detention center raised the total number of infections linked to the facility nationwide to 514, the justice ministry said.
South Korea has banned gatherings of five or more people across the country in the most stringent social distancing rules meant to contain the spread of the virus.
Yoon Tae-ho, a senior official at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, asked people to cancel gatherings and stay at home, saying tougher social distancing rules and antivirus measures could reduce the number of infections in the new year.
The government warned that violators of the social distancing rules will face a fine of up to 3 million won ($2,700).
The government also shut down ski resorts and popular venues for watching the sunrise on New Year’s Day to slow the spread of the virus during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday season.
On Friday, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun called on health authorities and local governments to respond “strictly” to violations of social distancing rules, noting some restaurants and bars entertained guests after 9 p.m. after locking their doors and switching off signs.
“The vast majority of the nation is faithfully adhering to the government’s antivirus measures despite the inconvenience and pain they entail, but if a few cheat for their own gains, it is difficult to expect results from participating in the antivirus measures,” Chung said during a government COVID-19 pandemic response meeting.
South Korea has been applying Level 2.5 social distancing rules, the second highest of the five-tier system, in the greater Seoul area, home to half of its 51.6 million population, and Level 2 rules in the rest of the country.
Health authorities have said they are aiming to contain the current wave of the pandemic without raising virus curbs to Level 3 on concerns over the impact on the economy.
The authorities plan to decide Sunday on whether to raise the country’s social distancing guidelines to the highest Level 3, Yoon said.
Of the newly identified local infections, 550 cases were reported in Seoul and 257 cases in Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital. Incheon, west of Seoul, reported 55 more cases.
Other municipalities reported new infections, with South Chungcheong Province adding 79 cases and North Gyeongsang Province reporting 67 new cases.
South Korea reported 17 additional deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 773. The fatality rate was 1.41 percent.
The number of seriously or critically ill COVID-19 patients reached 311, compared with 291 from the previous day.
The public health agency said the total number of people released from quarantine after making full recoveries stood at 38,048, up 623 from the previous day.
Meanwhile, South Korea reported 25 imported cases, increasing the total to 5,425.
Of the newly imported cases, 15 were South Koreans and 10 were foreigners. They came from the United States, the Philippines, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Poland, Finland, Democratic Republic of Congo and Niger.
Hyundai cars are displayed at the company’s Motorstudio showroom in Goyang, South Korea, on Oct. 22, 2020. MUST CREDIT: Bloomberg photo by SeongJoon Cho
Batam Customs Office officers oversee the transfer of one of seven containers containing toxic and hazardous waste (B3 waste) to the Capricorn 97.210 Barge, on July 29, 2019 at the Batu Ampar Container Port, Batam, Riau Islands. (JP/Fadli)
SIA said that it already has a series of precautions to protect its crew and reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission. PHOTO: ST FILE
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks at a press conference at the Diet Building on Thursday. (The Yomiuri Shimbun)
People wait in a long line around a large Christmas tree to get tested for COVID-19 at a screening center in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, on Christmas Eve on Thursday. (Yonhap)
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