01-02-2021 The Asian Independent

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
NEWS
01-02-2021 to 15-02-2021
Canada suspends flights to the Caribbean, Mexico
Ottawa : Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau announced new measures
against curbing the spread of
Covid-19, including the suspension of
flights from the country to the
Caribbean and Mexico until April.
"With the challenges we currently
face with Covid-19, both here at home
and abroad, we all agree that now is
just not the time to be flying," Xinhua
news agency quoted Trudeau as saying
at a press conference here on
Friday.
"By putting in place these tough
measures now, we can look forward to
a better time," he added.
The Prime Minister said the country
main airlines, including flag carrier
Air Canada, WestJet, Sunwing and
Air Transat, will cancel their services
to all Caribbean destinations and
Mexico, starting from Sunday until
April 30.
Trudeau also outlined a new
mandatory Covid-19 testing requirement
at Canadian airports for inbound
travellers. They are obliged to quarantine
for three days at a designated
hotel on their own expense, which he
said is "expected to be more than
C$2,000". "Those with negative test
results will then be able to quarantine
at home under significantly increased
surveillance and enforcement,"
Trudeau said. "Those with positive
tests will be immediately required to
Russian frigate conducts drills after
US destroyers enter Black Sea
Moscow : Russian frigate Admiral Makarov conducted air
defence and combat drills in the Black Sea after two US warships
entered the territorial waters, the Defence Ministry said.
On Friday, the frigate's air defence crew practiced detecting air
targets and using electronic warfare equipment, Xinhua news
agency quoted the Ministry as saying in a statement.
The sailors stepped up preparedness by getting weapons ready
and working out response during a sea battle with a simulated
enemy. The servicemen also carried out damage control exercises.
Next, the frigate will conduct joint drills with coastal missile
troops of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Russian naval forces are
now tracking US destroyer Porter, which entered the Black Sea on
Thursday. Another US destroyer, Donald Cook, sailed into the
Black Sea on January 23.
quarantine in designated government
facilities to make sure they're not carrying
variants of potential concern."
Trudeau also stressed that nonessential
travellers will have to show a
negative test at land borders too.
"We will also, in the coming weeks,
be requiring non-essential travellers to
show a negative test before entry at the
land border with the US, and we are
working to stand up additional testing
requirements for land travel."
The new measures are designed to
discourage Canadians from taking
non-essential trips outside of the country
as many Canadians reportedly
have been escaping the chilly winter
with vacations to sunny destinations in
the Caribbean and Mexico.
Canada has had a ban on nonessential
travel into the country by
anyone who isn't a citizen or permanent
resident since last March.
More than 6.3 million people who
have reportedly entered Canada since
last March were not required to quarantine.
The Trudeau government
began beefing up anti-Covid-19 measures
earlier this month, requiring proof
of a negative test, taken within 72
hours of departure time, before anyone
is allowed to board a flight to Canada.
So far, Canada has reported a
cumulative total of 769,408 coronavirus
cases, with 19,775 deaths and
694,201 recoveries.
Mexican economy faces worst
setback since the 1930s
Mexico City : Mexico's
economy contracted 8.3 per
cent in 2020 year-on-year,
marking its worst setback since
the 1930s largely due to the
coronavirus pandemic and the
related lockdowns, according
to preliminary estimates published
by the National Institute
of Statistics and Geography
(INEGI).
In the fourth quarter of 2020,
Mexico's gross domestic product
(GDP) fell 4.5 per cent
year-on-year, a more moderate
contraction than the 18.7 per
cent decline in the second quarter
of last year and the 8.6 per
cent decline in the third quarter,
when the pandemic impacted
productive activities, according
to the INEGI report published
on Friday.
In 2019, Mexico's GDP fell
0.1 per cent, accumulating two
Putin signs bill to extend
nuke treaty with US
Moscow : Russian President
Vladimir Putin on Friday
signed a bill into law ratifying a
five-year extension of the New
Strategic Arms Reduction
Treaty (New START) with the
US, one of the last major arms
reduction treaties signed since
the end of the Cold War. The
validity period of the New
START will be extended by
five years to February 5, 2026,
Xinhua news agency quoted
the Kremlin as saying in a
statement issued on Friday.
On Tuesday, Moscow and
Washington exchanged notes
on extending the key arms control
pact.
Presidents Vladimir Putin of
Russia and Joe Biden of the US
welcomed the move in a telephone
call. The same day, Putin
submitted a bill on the extension
in the State Duma (the
lower house of parliament).
On Wednesday, the Russian
Parliament approved it.
The extension of the treaty
meets Russia's national interests,
makes it possible to preserve
the transparency and predictability
of Moscow-
Washington strategic relations,
helps to maintain strategic stability
in the world, positively
affects the international situation,
and contributes to the
nuclear disarmament process,
the Kremlin said.
In response to the development,
a US State Department
representative told Russia's
TASS News Agency said:
"There are still steps that
should be finalized. But we are
optimistic that the extension,
which obviously meets our
national security interests, will
be finalized before expiration
on February 5."
In 2010, Russia and the US
signed the New START, which
stipulates limits to the numbers
of deployed nuclear warheads
and strategic delivery systems
by both.
The last remaining nuclear
arms control treaty in force
between the two nuclear superpowers
was about to expire on
February 5 before they agreed
to preserve it.
The administration of former
President Donald Trump
tried to conclude a shorter
extension of the treaty last year
after rounds of negotiation with
Russia, but the two sides failed
to finalise a formal agreement.
years of contraction, reports
Xinhua news agency.
Mexican industrial activity
in 2020 plummeted by 10 per
cent annually, while the services
sector saw a 7.7 per cent
drop. The two sectors contribute
the most to the GDP.
The agricultural sector,
which makes a minimal contribution
to GDP, grew by 2 per
cent last year, according to
INEGI's preliminary estimate.
Seasonally adjusted figures
5
show Mexico's GDP dropped
8.5 per cent in 2020, but
expanded 3.1 per cent in the
fourth quarter of last year compared
to the previous quarter.
Productive activity practically
came to a standstill in the
first half of 2020, after the first
Covid-19 case was detected in
February.
Mexico relies heavily on the
economy in the US, its northern
neighbour and main trading
partner, whose economy contracted
3.5 per cent in 2020, the
biggest annual decline since
1946.
With 155,145 Covid-19
fatalities, Mexico currently
accounts for the third highest
death toll in the world after the
US and Brazil.
The country has registered a
total of 1,825,519 confirmed
cases.
Taiwan bans eating on
public transportation
Taipei : Passengers aboard trains, buses and ships across
Taiwan will be banned from eating and drinking from February 1
amid a resurgence of Covid-19, the Transport Department said.
Eating and drinking will also be prohibited on planes, except on
international and cross-Strait flights, Xinhua news agency quoted
the Department as saying in a statement issued on Friday.
Airports, railway stations, harbours, highway service areas and
tourist sites will double the frequency of disinfection from
February 8 to 16, the prime season for homecoming during the
Spring Festival, the statement said.
Gathering events at railway station halls will be suspended during
this period. The total number of Covid-19 cases in Taiwan has
risen to 899, with four new imported cases from the Philippines
and South Africa, according to the local epidemic monitoring
agency. Till now, seven people have died due to the disease, while
there were 813 recoveries and 79 hospitalisations.