Global Developments and Analysis: Weekly Monitor, 31 January 2022 - 06 February 2022

Economic

US-China tech war: Top Chinese university pulls report that concluded China would suffer more from tech decoupling with US

A think-tank at China’s prestigious Peking University has pulled a report that concluded China would likely suffer more in a tech decoupling from the US. The 7,600-character report was published on the official WeChat account of the school’s Institute of International and Strategic Studies on Jan 30 and was subsequently shared by Chinese media outlets and analysts. A key finding from the analysis was that both the US and China would suffer from a tech decoupling, but China’s losses would likely be bigger than those of the US. The South China Morning Post reported the findings of the study on Jan 31. Lianhe Zaobao, a Chinese language newspaper in Singapore, and Taiwan’s Central News Agency, also covered the report, which was penned by a research team at the institute headed by Wang Jisi, a renowned Chinese scholar in US-China relations. The report was “deleted by the author”, according to a message seen on WeChat when trying to access the content on Feb 04. The institute, which did not provide a reason for removing the report, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Feb 04, which was a holiday in China for the Lunar New Year. The report compared the development of China and the US in areas such as information technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and aerospace technology. Click here to read... [2]

U.S.-China tensions threaten great financial decoupling

Growing tensions between China and the U.S. are deepening the rift between the two rivals' financial systems, a trend that could cut into the productivity of the global economy. In the U.S., there have been moves to exclude Chinese stocks from large public pension programs. China has tightened regulations to prevent its companies from easily listing in the U.S. and elsewhere. These mark sharp reversals from the decades long internationalization of finance. "The Communist Party of China is not a vehicle that we want to be entangled with," said Ron DeSantis, governor of the southern U.S. state of Florida, in a news release announcing a "a survey of all of the investments of the Florida Retirement System to determine how many assets the state has in Chinese companies." The FRS is included in the roughly $250 billion in assets under management by Florida's State Board of Administration. Hard-liners against China have long argued for a retreat from investing in the country, arguing that pension money would be diverted to businesses with military ties. DeSantis is a leading player in the opposition Republican Party. With a Navy background and a law degree from Harvard University, he is often mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2024. Click here to read... [3]

China’s fully cashless society a step closer after two private banks end services for banknotes and coins

Two small private Chinese banks announced last month that they would no longer provide services involving banknotes or coins, in the latest sign that the country is accelerating its march towards a totally cashless society. Zhongguancun Bank, which serves customers in the capital of Beijing, said it would suspend cash services, including over-the-counter deposits and withdrawals as well as cash services on ATM machines, starting from April. Its decision comes after a similar move by another regional bank, NewUp Bank of Liaoning, in the northeastern province of Liaoning, which will stop cash services from March. The latest announcements show how Chinese banks are pivoting towards digital banking. As well as the proliferation of digital payment apps such as Tencent Holdings’ WeChat Pay and Alibaba Group Holding’s Alipay, Beijing has been conducting a nationwide pilot scheme for the country’s digital fiat money, also known as the e-yuan, with more than 261 million people having downloaded the wallet app for the digital yuan. During the Lunar New Year holiday, many Chinese businesses have been expanding their capability to accommodate digital yuan. Click here to read... [4]

EU deploys new strategy in standards battle with China

The European Commission has unveiled a new standardization strategy that underscores the growing geopolitical significance of the rules that govern all sorts of products and technologies, particularly amid the West's tensions with China. The framework released this week comes against a backdrop of European companies complaining that they have been increasingly disadvantaged by China's growing clout in standard-setting processes for strategic sectors. Standards for the most complex devices to the simplest tools and parts are set and imposed to ensure products are reliable, safe and work anywhere. But the new blueprint will expand the scope of the European Union's standardization system from a focus on product safety to shaping the technologies of the future. Priorities include technologies related to green and digital transitions -- such as the recycling of critical raw materials and developments in clean hydrogen, low-carbon cement, semiconductors and data collection -- as well as COVID-19 vaccines and medicines. The EC will also fund standardization projects in neighboring countries and Africa and will pursue more coordination between EU member states and "like-minded" partners -- a term often used to differentiate fellow democracies from autocracies, in particular China. Pressure on the EC to come up with a strategy like this has been building in recent years, as China increases its presence in global bodies that set standards. Click here to read... [5]

Japan to require four times more foreign workers, study says

Japan will need 6.74 million foreign workers in 2040, four times more than it has today, a study by the country's aid agency shows. The study, released on Feb 03 by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, also demonstrates that the country will have trouble attracting so many foreign workers as the Southeast Asian nations that many workers now hail from are expected to have to deal with aging and declining populations of their own. The study assumes Japan will make aggressive investments in labor-saving technologies. Without such investments, the need for foreign labor would be even greater -- 21 million workers in 2040 -- the study shows. The study estimates that Japan will fall short by 420,000 foreign workers in 2040. Foreign workers are expected to filter into prefectures like Aichi that have large manufacturing bases as well as into cities like Tokyo that have established foreign communities. In the capital, the share of foreign workers among the working-age population is expected to reach 18%. Experts say the projections are the most comprehensive ever produced by a Japanese government agency; the report is expected to serve as a reference point for future discussions on foreign worker policy. Click here to read... [6]

Asia faces billions in stranded assets if gas becomes energy pariah

As the world starts to turn its back on coal, governments and companies in Asia have been plowing money into gas as a practical and cleaner alternative. But critics are increasingly taking aim at that commodity's green credentials as well, sparking worries that billions of dollars in investment will end up in so-called stranded assets. In December, two institutions issued reports highlighting their case against gas in Asia. One of them was the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization, which said "62% of LNG [liquefied natural gas] import terminal capacity and 61% of gas-fired power capacity is unlikely to be built due to unfavorable fundamental project and country-level factors" in the emerging Asia countries it studied. The other was from U.S.-based NGO Global Energy Monitor, which said switching to gas would threaten Asia's economic and climate objectives. The report said there are $358 billion of planned gas projects in the region -- power plants, ports and pipelines -- with many risking becoming stranded assets as "cheaper renewables and clean energy policies increasingly undercut" fossil fuel power generation. Many have argued that gas, which emits only around half the carbon dioxide produced by coal per unit of power, needs to be considered as a bridge to renewable energy.

Click here to read... [7]

Russia shifting energy flows from West to East

A potential large-scale conflict in Ukraine, or even just the persistent threat of one, could result in significant shifts in global energy trade flows. While Russia is strengthening economic and energy ties with China, Europe is simultaneously seeking to reduce its strong dependence on Russian natural gas and oil imports. Russia already sends gas to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline, which was opened in 2019. The two allies are close to agreeing on a second pipeline – the Power of Siberia 2 – that will deliver fuel to China by passing through Mongolia. On February 4, Russian gas giant Gazprom confirmed a contract with the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) for the sale and purchase of natural gas along the Far East route. On the same day, Russian oil giant Rosneft signed a US$80 billion deal with CNPC to supply 100 million tons of oil to China through Kazakhstan over 10 years during President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing. The latter deal is an amendment to a 2013 deal where Rosneft agreed to deliver 325 million tons of oil to CNPC over a 25-year period through Kazakhstan. Since 2005, Rosneft has delivered 425 million tons of oil to China, according to Russian state media. Russian energy flows are moving eastward, although the geographically largest country in the world still serves as a major energy exporter to the western European Union. Click here to read... [8]

Thailand to hold travel bubble talks with China, Malaysia in bid to reboot tourism industry

Thailand plans to hold travel bubble talks with China and Malaysia this month, days after resuming a quarantine-free visa programme to boost tourist arrivals seen as key to sustaining a nascent economic recovery. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s government will soon discuss with China’s Minister for Culture and Tourism details of a possible bilateral travel deal, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, a government spokesman, said in a statement on Feb 07. Thai officials are also preparing to hold talks with neighbouring Malaysia later this month for a similar agreement, he said. Thailand is chasing bilateral deals to spark a broader recovery in its pandemic-battered tourism industry after the waiver of quarantine for vaccinated visitors and the so-called tourism sandbox experiments in recent months failed to draw a large number of holidaymakers. The return of Chinese and Malaysian tourists, the largest groups of visitors to the Thailand before the pandemic, is seen by the industry as key to a sustainable rebound. Chinese and Malaysian tourists accounted for more than one-third of the 40 million visitors to Thailand in 2019, contributing more than US$20 billion in tourism revenue, according to official data. Click here to read... [9]

China acting ‘more brazen’ than ever before – FBI chief

The threatening stance from China towards the West is “more brazen, more damaging” than ever before, Wray said, in a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in California on Jan 31, labelling the Chinese Communist Party the “global adversary” of the US. The FBI chief outlined a wide range of accusations against Beijing, from technology theft and hacking, to kidnapping of foreign citizens and blackmail. “When we tally up what we see in our investigations, over 2,000 of which are focused on the Chinese government trying to steal our information or technology, there’s just no country that presents a broader threat to our ideas, innovation, and economic security than China,” Wray said. The Chinese government steals staggering volumes of information and causes deep, job-destroying damage across a wide range of industries, so much so that we’re constantly opening new cases to counter their intelligence operations, about every 12 hours. “Just using cyber means, Chinese government hackers have stolen more of our personal and corporate data than all other countries combined,” Wray said. Noting that the agency continues to adapt to countering Beijing, he said “I believe that, in the course of doing so, we’re showing why the Chinese government needs to change course, for all of our sakes.” Click here to read... [10]

Strategic

Leaked US & NATO replies to Russia: Here’s what you need to know

In December, Russia requested that the US and NATO produce definitive written responses to its proposals on assurances addressing security concerns. The letters were sent to Moscow last week. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters at the time that the correspondence should stay confidential. However, the two letters were allegedly leaked in full to Spanish newspaper El Pais and published on Feb 02. What did the US and NATO propose? The West has apparently offered general transparency and confidence-building steps. These include utilizing existing military communication channels, setting up a civilian hotline for emergencies, and the reopening of the respective missions in Moscow and Brussels. NATO specifically writes about exchanging information about military drills with Russia, and measures like earlier notices of snap exercises and sending more observers to monitor them. This could reduce some day-to-day tension and dangerous incidents along East European borders, as both sides have frequently accused each other of provocative manoeuvres in the air and at sea. A particularly grim altercation occurred in the Black Sea last year, when Russia said it had to fire warning shots to ward off a British warship from its waters near Crimea. The main point of contention seems to be the concept of the ‘indivisibility of security’ in Europe. Click here to read... [11]

French, German leaders to visit Russia, Ukraine amid tension

The French president and the German chancellor will head to Moscow and Kyiv in the coming weeks, adding to diplomatic efforts to try to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from launching an invasion of Ukraine and find a way out of the growing tensions. France's Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to visit Moscow on Feb 07 and Kyiv on Feb 08, while Germany's Olaf Scholz will travel to Kyiv on Feb. 14 and Moscow on Feb. 15. The high-level visits come as China has backed Russia's demand that NATO be precluded from expanding to Ukraine, and after the U.S. accused the Kremlin on Feb 03 of an elaborate plot to fabricate an attack by Ukrainian forces that Russia could use as a pretext to take military action. The U.S. has not provided detailed information backing up the claims, which Moscow has vehemently denied. While France is a major player in NATO and is moving troops to Romania as part of the alliance’s preparation for possible Russian action, Macron has also been actively pushing for dialogue with Putin and has spoken to him several times in recent weeks. Macron is following a French tradition of striking a separate path from the United States in geopolitics, as well as trying to make his own mark on this crisis and defend Europe’s interests. Click here to read... [12]

U.S., U.K. and Canada slap new sanctions on Myanmar, 1 year on

The U.S. on Jan 31 imposed new sanctions against individuals and entities associated with Myanmar's rulers in coordination with Britain and Canada, ahead of the one-year anniversary of the military takeover that ousted the country's democratically elected government. "One year ago, the Burmese military denied the will of the people of Burma, overthrew the democratically elected government, and seized power in a coup d'etat," President Joe Biden said in a statement, using the former name of Myanmar. "Since then, the regime has perpetrated countless brutal actions and committed unspeakable violence against civilians, including children," he said, noting that more than 1,500 people have been killed. "As long as the regime continues to deny the people of Burma their democratic voice, we will continue to impose further costs on the military and its supporters," he said. U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control is designating seven individuals and two entities connected to the military under an executive order issued last year shortly after the takeover. Washington's order blocks access to all property and interests of the individuals and entities being sanctioned, and prohibits all transactions with Americans or those within the U.S. The Treasury Department said the U.K. and Canada also were sanctioning two Myanmar government officials. Click here to read... [13]

Asean maintains hardline Myanmar stance to force junta into peace plan, despite Cambodia’s soft tactics

In the Asean bloc’s internal debate on whether engagement or a hardline stance with Myanmar’s junta will force coup-maker Min Aung Hlaing to abide by a peace plan for the strife-torn country, the cabal of countries favouring the latter strategy appears to have the upper hand – for now. Hun Sen, the strongman leader of Cambodia, stirred consternation among these countries with his signals since December that he believed engagement would work better. His efforts have included a January 7-8 visit to Myanmar that was unsanctioned by Asean. Subsequently, Cambodia was forced to indefinitely postpone a previously scheduled January 18-19 foreign ministers’ meeting after several governments said they would not attend – citing schedule clashes. Diplomatic sources later confirmed that the postponement was a “face-saving” measure, as several ministers had hinted that they would not attend as a form of boycotting Hun Sen’s overtures. Hun Sen’s subsequent climbdown was cemented with his foreign ministry’s announcement on Feb 03 that the Myanmar junta’s top diplomat, Wunna Maung Lwin, would not be invited to the postponed talks – now expected to be held from February 16 to 17. The junta was instead asked to send a “non-political representative” to the foreign ministers’ retreat. Click here to read... [14]

Japan adopts Xinjiang resolution but sidesteps criticism of China

The lower house of Japan's parliament on Feb 01 adopted a resolution expressing concern over Uyghur and Hong Kong human rights, just days before China opens the Beijing Winter Olympics. The statement, however, stopped short of directly criticizing China and did not even mention the country by name. The phrase "human rights violations" in an early draft was also changed to "human rights situation" -- striking a far more cautious tone than similar resolutions from the U.S. and Europe. "In recent years, the international community has expressed concern over the serious human rights situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Tibet, Southern Mongolia, Hong Kong and other areas, including violations of religious freedom and forced imprisonment," lawmakers said. "Since human rights have universal value and are a legitimate concern of the international community, human rights issues should not be confined to the internal affairs of a single country." The resolution is aimed at clarifying Japan's position to China before the Olympics kick off on Feb 04. Some in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party were dissatisfied with the revised wording. It was far more restrained than a resolution from the French parliament, for example, which deemed the treatment of Uyghurs "genocide." Click here to read... [15]

Xi declares Beijing Winter Olympics open, shrugging off boycott

The Beijing Winter Olympics officially began on Feb 04, marking an international milestone for China in the shadow of COVID-19 and a U.S.-led diplomatic boycott. The ceremony was held at the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium in the capital, with Chinese President Xi Jinping declaring the Games open. Due to the government's strict pandemic controls, only limited invited spectators were in attendance, with the rest of the country and world left to watch the spectacle on TV. Choreographed performances backed by bright holography depicted Chinese culture, winter sports and the Olympics' hope for peace. In one display, skaters danced across blue and white waves to the tune of John Lennon's "Imagine." The guest list included Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had much-anticipated talks with Xi earlier the same day, along with Pakistan's Imran Khan and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who survived a recent internal revolt, was also due to attend. China appeared keen to show it is anything but isolated despite the U.S. and a handful of Western allies -- Australia, Canada and the U.K. -- refusing to send representatives over Beijing's alleged human rights abuses. Click here to read... [16]

China, Russia coordinated positions on Ukraine, Beijing says

China and Russia coordinated their positions on Ukraine during a meeting between both countries' foreign ministers in Beijing on Feb 03, according to a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry. Ukraine says Russia has positioned 115,000 troops near its borders, stoking fears of a looming attack. Moscow denies any such plan but international concern that Russia might be gearing up for war is running high. Russia has asked NATO to bar Ukraine from joining and to pull out of eastern Europe. The United States and its allies have warned that an invasion would trigger tough sanctions and have rejected Russia's demands about NATO. China expressed "understanding and support" for Russia's position on security regarding Russia's relationship with the United States and NATO, the statement said, after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Both sides coordinated their positions on regional issues of common concern, such as Ukraine, Afghanistan and the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the statement said. Two photos released by the Chinese foreign ministry showed both men doing elbow bumps while masked. Before Lavrov, Beijing has not received foreign political guests for almost two years as it tries to keep the country's capital free of COVID-19. Click here to read... [17]

China and Russia call on US to abandon Asia-Pacific, Europe missile plans

China and Russia called on the United States to stop missile deployment plans in the Asia-Pacific and Europe, after a highly anticipated summit cemented a Chinese-Russian stand against Western pressure. In a joint statement after the summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Feb 04, the two countries said their friendship and cooperation had “no limits” and their relations were “superior to the political and military alliances of the Cold War era”. The two countries said the US’ accelerated development of intermediate- and shorter-range ground-based missiles and desire to deploy them in the Asia-Pacific and Europe would increase “tension and distrust [and] increase risks to international and regional security”. “The two sides will continue to maintain contacts and strengthen coordination on this issue,” the statement said, adding they were concerned about US plans to deploy an anti-ballistic missile defence system around the world. The US has been reconsidering its missile plans since leaving the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, or INF, in 2019, citing concerns of violation of the agreement by Russia. It was also concerned that China was not party to the agreement and so able to develop missiles banned in the treaty. Click here to read... [18]

Australia to host ‘Quad’ meeting of foreign ministers

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to Australia in February to meet counterparts from Japan, India and Australia to discuss Indo-Pacific coordination, the Australian government said on Jan 31. The two-day meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) foreign ministers comes amid the Biden administration’s concerns about China, even as tensions with Russia over Ukraine rachet up in Europe. China has previously denounced the Quad as a Cold War construct and a clique “targeting other countries.” Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne did not specify a date for the meeting but said in a statement she looked forward to welcoming the Quad foreign ministers to Australia in coming weeks. “We are a vital network of liberal democracies cooperating to give our region strategic choices, with a focus on practical steps to build the resilience and sovereignty of all states,” Payne said. Japanese media had previously reported the Quad meeting could be held virtually because of pandemic restrictions surrounding international travel. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in a tweet on January 27 he has tested positive for COVID-19. Click here to read... [19]

Russia comments on possibility of sending troops to Latin America

Russian soldiers could be sent to Nicaragua under laws already in place in the Central American nation, Moscow’s ambassador in Managua has argued amid a new standoff with Washington over the prospect of the Kremlin stepping up its military presence in the region. Speaking to RIA Novosti on Feb 04, Alexander Khokholikov, who also serves as the envoy to Honduras and El Salvador, commented on the possibility of hosting overseas forces within Nicaragua's borders. “The government passes a law annually on the foreign military presence in Nicaraguan territory,” he explained. “It provides for the possibility of the transit and presence of servicemen, as well as military equipment from a number of countries, including Russia and, incidentally, the US, for the exchange of experience in the field of military cooperation, joint exercises, and activities in the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime.” According to the diplomat, military cooperation between Moscow and Managua “is not directed against third countries,” despite a worsening row with the US over the potential deployments. His remarks come after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed last month to strengthen partnerships with the leaders of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua in a range of spheres, including stepping up military cooperation. Click here to read... [20]

China backs Argentina over Falklands, angering Britain

In a statement on Feb 06, China said it would support Argentina in its claims over the Falklands Islands – also known as Islas Malvinas – a self-governing British overseas territory in the southern Atlantic. The remote archipelago is a subject of an almost 200-year sovereignty dispute. Beijing said that it hoped negotiations over the islands would resume soon in accordance with relevant UN resolutions to resolve the dispute peacefully. China’s announcement, which was part of a joint statement on deepening relations between Beijing and Buenos Aires, has angered Britain. “We completely reject any questions over sovereignty of the Falklands. The Falklands are part of the British family and we will defend their right to self-determination. China must respect the Falklands’ sovereignty,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a tweet on Feb 06. Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez met China’s President Xi Jinping on the fringes of the winter Olympics over the weekend. It is understood that Fernandez pledged to support China’s claims over Taiwan, which Beijing says is an inseparable part of the Chinese state. Taiwan maintains its independence and is de-facto ruled by its own government. Buenos Aires links its claim to an inheritance from the Spanish crown when it gained independence in 1816. Britain says it had settled the islands before Argentina even existed. Click here to read... [21]

Iran nuclear deal: ‘Final stage’ of Vienna talks to resume

The political delegations of Iran and the world powers party to its 2015 nuclear deal are due to return to Vienna for what could be the final stretch of intensive efforts to restore the landmark accord. The eighth round of the talks, which was paused for more than a week to allow delegations to head back to their capitals for political consultations, will resume on Feb 08 in the Austrian capital, multiple sides have confirmed. The Iranian government still refuses to talk directly with the United States, which unilaterally abandoned the deal in 2018 and reimposed harsh sanctions on Iran. This means European officials will have to continue their shuttle diplomacy between the two. Iranian officials said on Feb 07 that the onus falls on the Western parties to fulfil Iran’s expectations of sanctions relief. In a joint conference in Tehran alongside his Finnish counterpart, Pekka Haavisto, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said a swift agreement in Vienna depended on the conduct and political will of the US and the so-called E3 – France, Germany and the United KingdomClick here to read... [22]

Qatar and UAE leaders meet for first time since Gulf crisis ended

Qatar’s emir met the de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the Beijing Winter Olympics in the first such interaction between the two Gulf leaders since a dispute between Doha and four Arab countries came to an end last year. Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of a lunch hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Feb 05, Qatar’s state news agency reported on Sunday. The leaders of Uzbekistan, Ecuador and Tajikistan were also present at the gathering at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The UAE has yet to restore diplomatic ties with Doha since Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt agreed in January 2021 to end a four-year dispute that had led them to cut diplomatic and economic relations with Qatar in mid-2017. However, a senior UAE official held talks with Qatar’s leader in Doha last year – the first such visit in four years – after the bitter dispute ended. National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a brother of the UAE’s de facto ruler, met Sheikh Tamim in August. Click here to read... [23]

Syrian opposition groups make new bid to unite against al-Assad

Syrian opposition figures launched a new bid to revive their decade-old campaign against President Bashar al-Assad at talks in Qatar, where a senior leader said they had to “correct” past mistakes. The political groups, now mainly based abroad, have seen their influence wane in recent years as Iran and Russia steadfastly supported the Syrian president after he instigated a deadly crackdown on protesters in 2011 that quickly descended into a war. Riad Hijab, who defected to the opposition when he was al-Assad’s prime minister in 2012, told the opening of the two-day meeting on Feb 05 that events in Syria were “grim”. He said the meeting must “assess our progress and correct the errors we have made along the difficult path to achieving a unified, free, democratic state”. The opposition figure did not say what mistakes had been made, but his entourage said opposition parties failed to communicate with Syrian citizens and make themselves relevant to their daily struggles. Hijab said it was “imperative” for the opposition to “implement effective plans” to counter al-Assad’s government and “to expose the false concept that Assad can abandon Iranian dominance”. A list of recommendations aiming to “unify” the opposition would be released at the end of the talks, a statement said. Click here to read... [24]

ISIS Leader Qurayshi Kept Low Profile Until Daring Prison Raid

In his 26 months as head of Islamic State, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi kept a low profile, never issuing the kind of proclamations or video clips that were a signature of his predecessor Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and other terrorist group leaders. Qurayshi, who died early Feb 03 during a raid in northwest Syria by U.S. special forces, had grounds for tight operational security. He had spent roughly four years in a U.S. prison in Iraq, and dozens of his colleagues had been killed in U.S. strikes, Western security officials said. He became Islamic State’s leader after Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest rather than be captured by U.S. forces in October 2019. After years of living under the radar with almost no public communication, Qurayshi appeared to have broken cover in recent weeks, amid an attack to free Islamic State prisoners from an eastern Syrian prison which largely failed last week, Western security officials said. Western counterterrorism agents received intelligence that he was “personally involved in the prison incident,” one of the security officials said. Click here to read... [25]

Ottawa under ‘siege’ amid nationwide ‘insurrection’ – authorities

Ottawa Police Services Board held an emergency meeting on Feb 05 afternoon but failed to devise a clear plan of action regarding truck drivers and their supporters, who have been protesting against the country’s Covid-19 mandates for over a week. “We are on day eight of this occupation. Our city is under siege. What we’re seeing is bigger than just a City of Ottawa problem. This is a nationwide insurrection. This is madness. We need a concrete plan to put an end to this,” said the chair of the board, Ottawa City Council member Diane Deans, at the beginning of the nearly two-hour-long virtual discussion. Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly agreed with her portrayal of the situation, saying that local law enforcement was “never intended to deal with a city under siege,” and decried the lack of resources – and legal authority – to disperse the protest. As of Feb 05 afternoon, police estimated at least “500 heavy vehicles associated with the demonstration to be in the red zone,” as thousands of people joined the protest at Parliament Hill and elsewhere across Ottawa for a second weekend. Smaller groups of counter-protesters were also reported in the streets, even as a major rival event was called off last minute. Click here to read... [26]

Coup Bid Thwarted in Guinea-Bissau After Gunfire Heard in Capital

Heavy gunfire raged at the main government complex in Guinea-Bissau, fanning fears that the West African nation was on the brink of becoming the latest country in the region to see a coup before soldiers thwarted the attempted power grab, its leader said. The state television broadcaster Feb 01 reported that a group it described as invaders had damaged the government palace and were holding officials inside before President Umaro Sissoco Embaló posted a picture of himself sitting with the country’s flag in the background. In a video later uploaded to social media, Mr. Embaló said an unspecified number of security personnel had been killed warding off the gunmen in a battle lasting over five hours, and called it “a failed attack against democracy.” He said the attack was connected to moves he had taken to combat drug trafficking and corruption. The 15-member West African bloc Economic Community of West African States criticized the assault, describing it as an attempted coup. “ECOWAS condemns this coup attempt and holds the military responsible for the bodily integrity of [Mr. Embaló] and the members of his government,” the group said in a tweet. The United Nations also flagged its concern, saying that Secretary-General António Guterres “asks for an immediate end to the fighting and for full respect of the country’s democratic institutions.” Click here to read... [27]

Baloch rebels fire a lethal warning to China

While Prime Minister Imran Khan sought to assure China that its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) investments are safe and sound for expansion in Pakistan, ethnic Baloch rebels sent the opposite message by ramping up attacks in areas where Chinese projects have been targeted as a proxy of the Pakistani state. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), an Afghan-based militant group seeking self-determination for the Baloch people and separation of Balochistan province from Pakistan, is opposed to Chinese investment including at the port of Gwadar, which it sees as in league with the Pakistan army in colonizing and exploiting the region’s rich mineral and energy resources. In the biggest Baloch insurgent attack in recent years, the BLA claims to have killed over 100 Pakistan soldiers and officers in two separate attacks on Frontier Corps bases in Balochistan’s Panjgur and Noshki districts that started on February 2, symbolically coinciding with Khan’s trip to Beijing to meet top Chinese officials including President Xi Jinping. In a February 5 statement, the BLA announced the completion of what it referred to as “Operation Ganjal”, which reportedly saw 16 militants attack army bases in Nushki and Panjgur. Click here to read... [28]

Medical

When to have the booster shot if you have recently had COVID

Rates of the Omicron variant remain high. However, it has been shown that boosters do offer a good degree of protection against Omicron. So, many who have had a recent infection are wondering how long they should wait before getting the booster. According to the UK’s National Health Service, people should wait 28 days after testing positive for COVID-19 before getting their booster shots. This is to ensure that the symptoms of the infection are not confused with any potential side effects from the vaccines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US suggests waiting until you have fully recovered from any symptoms and your isolation period has ended after getting COVID-19 before booking a booster shot. Evidence shows that getting a vaccine after you recover from a COVID-19 infection provides added protection to your immune system. So, it is certainly worth getting the booster shot even though you may have recovered from COVID-19 recently. Click here to read... [29]

Is the Omicron subvariant BA.2 more transmissable?

Since its emergence in late 2021, Omicron (or BA.1) has quickly become the dominant variant of the COVID-19 virus. The mutations it harboured meant it was more transmissible than the Delta variant, so was able to spread rapidly through populations around the world. It has been found to confer a milder illness than Delta – though milder should not be mistaken for mild. Scientists are now tracking a subgroup of the Omicron variant, known as BA.2, which was first identified in India and South Africa in late December 2021. Since then, it has been found in the US and Europe. The subvariant is thought to have 20 additional mutations on its spike protein compared with BA.1, though scientists are not quite sure what this will mean for the course of the pandemic. So far, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether BA.2 causes more severe illness than BA.1. The reason why some people refer to BA.2 as the “stealth” variant is because they claim it is not as easy to detect on PCR and lateral flow tests. This is in fact not true; it can be detected on both types of tests. Click here to read... [30]

Paralyzed mice move in world-first experiment

In a world first, Israeli scientists had enabled 12 paralyzed mice to move again after implanting new cord tissue from human cells into the animals. They hope to start clinical trials on humans within three years, according to a report issued on Feb 07. The team published their research in the journal Advanced Science. The experiment took place at Tel Aviv University. “If this works in humans, and we believe that it will, it can offer all paralyzed people hope that they may walk again,” Professor Tal Dvir and his research team at the Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology told The Times of Israel. Dvir said that discussions concerning clinical trials have commenced with the US Food and Drug Administration. He noted that while the mice had received spinal implants created from the cells of three humans, if the technology is used on people, a unique spine would be grown using cells from the patient’s own body. Dvir said this would reduce the chance of the body rejecting the implants. In the case of many transplants from human to human, the body’s immune system has to be suppressed to lower the risk of rejection. Millions of people around the world have been paralyzed due to spinal injury and, to date, there remains no effective way of treating their condition. Click here to read... [31]