Most early deaths caused by Covid-19 happened in developing economies. The global scale of the pandemic made clear where most vaccines are distributed and who bears the disproportionate health burden due to not having access to them. Low-income economies, clearly, had less access to vaccines. Vaccine manufacturers have been heavily criticised by advocates for prioritising profit over making access to vaccines equitable by retaining high-profit margins, holding on to intellectual property rights and production rights, and prioritising ‘those who can pay most’. Criticism of ‘pandemic profit’ is particularly directed at manufacturers who use mRNA technology, a relatively new and promising…
Author: Asia News Network
Commerce minister Jurin Laksanawisit was upbeat about Thailand’s export growth, saying the 19.5 per cent year-on-year surge in March was the highest in 30 years. Jurin, who also doubles as a deputy prime minister, told the press on April 26 that exports last month alone were worth $28.86 million, or about 922.313 million baht. This marked a 19.5 per cent growth compared to March last year and was the biggest expansion since 1991. At the end of the first quarter, Thailand’s export value stood at $73.6 million, or 2.4 billion baht, which was 14.9 per cent higher compared to the…
Sentiment on the Malaysian stock market has been weighed down by a couple of factors, including the fear of a recession. The ringgit has weakened quite a bit while the Russia-Ukraine conflict is expected to pose a drag on Malaysia’s nascent export-led recovery. Cautiousness over future economic outlook is building as the prices of commodities and metals linked to manufacturing have eased from their peaks. Malaysia is an exporter of oil, crude palm oil (CPO) and electrical and electronics (E&E) components, which has been a great beneficiary to the trade balance as countries emerge from the pandemic. While the hit…
Ten new ports have been added to the list of Vietnamese seaports, bringing the total number nationwide to 296. The Ministry of Transport has just issued Decision No 552/QD-BGTVT announcing the list of ports belonging to Vietnamese seaports. The newly-added ports are Nosco port in Quang Ninh seaport; Long Son general port belonging to Nghi Son seaport; Hai Ha-Quang Tri petroleum port; Pacific Petro international petroleum port in Tien Giang province; Tan Cang Giao Long port in Ben Tre province; Duyen Hai 2 thermal power plant port in Tra Vinh province. In addition, two ports of Vung Tau seaport have…
Top hotels in Jakarta and Bali are recovering from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the travel restrictions imposed in response, an industry study shows. Property consultancy Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL) reported on April 20 that the luxury accommodation sector in the two Indonesian localities had entered a cycle of rising “revenue per available room [RevPAR]” in the first quarter of 2022 amid relaxed Covid-19 rules. According to a virtual press briefing by JLL, RevPAR relative to 2019 increased steadily from July to December 2021, before a slight decrease occurred in early 2022 as infections with the Omicron variant…
The Vietnamese industrial real estate market continues to record positive signals, attracting a large amount of foreign capital. The main leverage of foreign capital inflows in the first quarter of this year came from the industrial real estate segment. VSIP Bac Ninh Co Ltd increased capital by nearly $941 million for the investment project to build urban infrastructure and VSIP Bac Ninh services, which helped the total registered capital of foreign investment in real estate to leap. With this capital increase, Singapore continues to maintain its leading position in foreign investment flows into Vietnam in the first quarter, with a…
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) has recorded a sharp increase in dengue fever cases among children with a high rate of severity, due to a delay in hospital admissions and improper or late treatment at home, doctors have warned. Initial symptoms of dengue fever are quite similar to some viral infections, especially the onset of the disease can sometimes be the same as that of Covid-19. Many parents have mistaken the symptoms of the disease for Covid-19, leaving their children untreated or treated improperly. Hospitals in Vietnam’s most populous city have reported an increasing number of children with dengue fever,…
The Indonesian government has said it will comply with the Constitutional Court’s upcoming decision on a petition for judicial review filed by the Papuan People’s Assembly (MRP) last year that challenge several provisions in the 2021 Papua Special Autonomy Law. The statement came after President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s meeting on Monday with representatives from the Papuan People’s Assembly (MRP) that extensively discussed the 2021 law, which amended a previous law on special autonomy in Papua. The 2021 amendment includes a provision that allows the House of Representatives and the government to create new provinces, municipalities and regencies in the country’s…
The Mohan border checkpoint in China has issued Thai durian exporters an ultimatum to resolve their Covid-19 problem in five days, starting Monday, or they will be banned. Sanchai Puranachaikiri, president of the Thai Fresh Fruit Traders and Exporters Association, said in an interview with news outlet Thansettakij that Chinese officials had issued a warning letter to Thai durian exporters. The letter said that the Mohan border checkpoint officials had found Covid-19 disease in imported durians several times during random testing. It also reported the latest results from durian consignments on Saturday. A total of 82 Thai durian trucks arrived…
Real estate has been traditionally known as a strong inflation hedge because it protects an investment from losing its value due to decline in purchasing power. Increases in prices of goods and services in the Philippines have enabled real estate prices to keep pace with inflation and maintain its value over time, as property prices increase as a result of higher construction cost and other expenses. If we look at the residential real estate price index from 2016 to 2021, we will find that property prices have been rising by an average of 4.2 per cent every year, faster than…