International News of the Week: 2020/10/17

 ASIA

-Coronavirus

Total Cases: Cross 12.3 million

Total Deaths: At least 220K

-China  [Source: news.au]

     China rolls out digital yuan in Shenzai and is the first step in the introduction of the digital yuan. The government distributed 200 yuan each to 50,000 residents in a lottery in the largest test so far of the new currency. Peking University Digital Finance Research Centre senior researcher Xu Yuan  thinks history will look back on the introduction of the digital yuan as the defining feature of 2020 alongside the novel coronavirus.

     Local media reports the new digital currency works in a similar way to existing digital wallets like Alipay and WeChat Pay ( or like Apple Pay or Google Pay ). Unlike those two platforms the digital yuan is issued and controlled by China's central bank, and can also work without access to the internet.

     There are however, concerns that it could make it easier for the government to track the spending of its citizens, including being able to see how much they're spending it on. "In theory, after using the central bank's digital currency, there is no transaction behaviour that cannot be seen by the regulatory authorities, and the cash flow is completely traceable", Mr. Xu said. "This means that all currency issuance and payment transactions will be online in real time."

-Turkey  [Source: HurriyetDailyNews]

     Turkey security units have increased inspections and raids on ethyl alcohol producers and sellers after 44 people died of bootleg alcohol in seven provinces and dozens of others hospitalized over the past two weeks.

👉In the Western province of Izmir where the first deaths were reported, the number of people who died rose to 18, putting the province at the top of the list.

👉A person died from consuming bootleg alcohol in Istanbul, bringing the death toll to seven in metropolis. Hakki Oguzhan Suhinoghu, 36, died after drinking home made liquor made with methyl alcohol. Three people who brought methyl alcohol from the same source, made and drank illegal are also being treated at a hospital. Two of them are intubated.

👉Around seven in Central Antolian province of Kirikkale,

👉Six in the southern province of Mersin,

👉Two in the southwestern province of Mugla,

👉Two in the western province of Aydin,

👉One in the Black Sea province of Trabzon have died due to counterfeit alcohol.

     Illegally produced liquor is often laced with methanol, which causes permanent blindness, metabolic disturbances and even deaths. Police has been raiding all suspected markets, warehouses and houses since the first news of death. Provincial police teams have conducted an operation in the Avcilar district of Istanbul in connection with a recent poisoning. They have seized six tons of illicit alcohol and some material used in making.

     A Turkish official has vowed to intensify efforts to combat the production and scale of bootleg alcohol. "There will be more inspections", said Yavuz Selim Kosger, the governor of Izmir province. "A lot of bootleg alcohol and related material have been seized. Security forces raid places where they believe such activities are carried out." Kosger has urged the public not to buy alcohol from illegal or unauthorized dealers.    

NORTH AMERICA

-Coronavirus

Total Cases: Cross 9.9 million

Total Deaths: At least 332K

-USA  [Source: NzHerald]

     Earth sheltered to a record hot September last month with United States Climate Officials saying there's nearly a two-to-one chance that 2020 will end up as the globe's hottest year on record. Boosted by human-caused climate change, global temperatures averaged 15.97C last month, edging out 2015 and 2016 for the hottest September in 141 years of record keeping, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Thursday.

     This record was driven by high heat in Eurpe, Northern Asia, Russia and much of the Southern hemisphere, said NOAA climatologist Ahira Sanchez-Lugo. California and Oregon had their hottest temperature on record.

SOUTH AMERICA

-Coronavirus

Total Cases: Cross 8.9 million

Total Deaths: At least 277K

-Argentina  [Source: BrazilNewsNet]

     Football in Argentina will restart this month, officials said on Wednesday. "Football is coming back", Argentinian Football Association president Claudio Tapia said. "We have respected the health norms and now we have opportunity to say football can be played again". Tapia said all matches would be played behind closed doors and under strict sanitary protocols.

     The first division, known as the Argentinian Superliga, will begin on October 30 with the second division starting a week later. The third and fourth tiers, as well as the national women's league, are slated to return on November 23.

(Note: Professional sport in Argentina was halted in mid-March just days after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization)

EUROPE

-Coronavirus

Total Cases: Cross 6.7 million

Total Deaths: At least 237K

-Russia  [Source: DW]

    Across the country, there have been record numbers of coronavirus deaths and nearly everyday sees a new daily record number of cases- with over 15,000 new infections reported on Friday alone. But this week, those numbers didn't stop people from flooding into bars and clubs in the capital. At 'Beavers and Ducks', a cozy bars and restaurant in Moscow's center, guests sipped on cocktails, as staff served food in masks and gloves. "You can't run from fate. If we are supposed to get infected, we will", one woman told insisting she most likely already has antibodies. "I agree with people who think that probably by now half the country has already had the coronavirus, at least in a light form, including me. I am not afraid of anything." Her friend adds: "Everyone will get it in the end."

     Russia currently has the fourth highest overall number of coronavirus infections worldwide, behind the US, India and Brazil. Russian authorities insist neither a full lockdown nor quarantine measures are necessary. Russia's minister for industry and trade said the authorities plan to keep retail, restaurants and bars open 'for now' after significant looses in the first wave of pandemic.

     This time around, Russia's authorities seem to be placing their faith in the personal responsibility of individuals instead of imposing strict lockdowns. "Yes, the number of infections is growing but the system is working", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this week. "We just need to increase people's individual public awareness, so that they take more effective measures to minimize the risk of infection."

AFRICA

-Coronavirus

Total Cases: 1.6 million

Total Deaths: At least 39K

-Malawi  [Source: allafrica]

     A widely held misconception that HIV-positive people are at high risk of catching the coronavirus is fueling discrimination and making it harder for them to access the medical care they need, health activists in the Southern African country said. Malawian student Kondwani has fought against the stigma of being HIV-positive for most of his life, but COVID-19 has reignited old prejudices and given rise to a new term of abuse -'corona carrier'. Kondwani, 24, said it was also spreading anxiety among the 1.1 million people who live with HIV in Malawi- which has one of the world's highest HIV rates, according to UK-based charity Avert.

     The evidence for any link between HIV and COVID-19 is still evolving, said Peter Godfrey -Faussett, senior scientific advisor for UNAIDS. "While being HIV-positive does appear to slightly increase the risk for catching COVID-19 or for developing stranger symptoms, the risk is still much much lower than for other conditions such as advanced age, obesity or diabetes", he said.

     However, many HIV- positive Malawians are now so scared of becoming infected with COVID-19 they are staying at home- skipping appointments to pick up medications.

OCEANIA

-Coronavirus

Total Cases: Cross 33K

Total Deaths: At least 952

-Australia  [Source: BBC]

     One-way travel bubble opens up between Australia and New Zealand. None of the passengers on the flight from Auckland to Sydney will be required to quarantine in Australia. However, they will have to pay for their own quarantine in a hotel when they return to New Zealand.

     At the moment the bubble is one-sided, with Australians not allowed to enter New Zealand. Australia and New Zealand are among the first countries in the Asia-Pacific region to loosen restrictions on international travel since COVID-19 travel bans came into effect earlier this year.

(Note: New Zealand has recorded 1,880 cases and 25 deaths from COVID-19, while Australia has seen over 27,000 infections and 904 deaths.)