16-10-2021 The Asian Independent

26 16-10-2021 to 31-10-2021 WORLD
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
UK suggests 'intensive talks' with EU on Northern Ireland
London : The UK has called for
"intensive talks" with the European
Union (EU) on the Northern Ireland
Protocol after both sides offered their
own proposals to amend it.
In its proposal package published
earlier Wednesday, the EU proposed a
type of "express lane" to facilitate the
movement of goods from Great Britain
to Northern Ireland, including cutting
customs formalities and simplified certification
and an 80 per cent reduction
of the checks for more retail goods for
the Northern Ireland's consumers,
reports Xinhua news agency.
"The EU have now published their
proposals in response to those in our
Command Paper. We are studying the
detail and will of course look at them
seriously and constructively," a British
government spokesperson said in a
statement late Wednesday.
"The next step should be intensive
talks on both our sets of proposals, rapidly
conducted, to determine whether
there is common ground to find a solution,"
the spokesperson said.
The EU proposals came in response
to a new legal text put forward by the
UK's Brexit Minister David Frost on
Tuesday. Frost said the protocol is the
biggest source of mistrust between the
UK and the EU and demands "significant
change". Northern Ireland is at the
centre of the post-Brexit trade dispute
between Britain and the EU. As part of
the Brexit deal, the Protocol stipulates
that Northern Ireland remains in the EU
single market and customs union to
avoid a hard border between
the region and the Republic of
Ireland. However, this leads to
a new "regulatory" border
between Britain and Northern
Ireland. For months, the UK
has complained the rigid operation
of the protocol, part of
the Brexit deal, is unacceptable
because it has severely
disrupted trade, affected consumers
and contributed to
political instability.
UK GDP grew 0.4% in Aug as
Covid curbs continue to ease
London : The UK's gross
domestic product (GDP) is estimated
to have grown by 0.4 per
cent monthly in August as
Covid-19 restrictions continued
to ease across the country, the
Office for National Statistics
(ONS) said. However, the economy
is still 0.8 per cent below
the pre-pandemic level in
February 2020, Xinhua news
agency quoted the ONS as saying
on Wednesday. In August,
the services and production sector
grew by 0.3 per cent and 0.8
per cent month-on-month,
respectively, whereas output in
the construction sector fell by
0.2 per cent, the ONS said.
Notably, output in consumer-facing
services increased by 1.2 per
cent in August, with most of the
growth in the services coming
from "a 5.9 per cent increase in
food and beverage service activities,
and a 47.9 per cent increase
in travel agency, tour operator
and other related reservation
services (growing from historically
low levels)", said the ONS.
"The recovery in hospitality and
culture/recreation activity in the
UK is essentially complete,
according to August GDP -- a
striking reconvergence with consumer
goods trade over summer,"
said James Smith, a developed
markets economist at
financial services firm ING.
Julian Jessop, a British independent
economist, said:
"Economic activity just about on
track to return to its pre-COVID
level this Autumn, which would
be much sooner than most had
expected at the start of the year."
"The 0.4 per cent month-onmonth
rise in GDP in August
confirms that the rapid gains in
output, which in just 16 months
lifted GDP from being 25.1 per
cent below its February 2020
pre-pandemic peak to 0.8 per
cent below, are now behind us,"
said Paul Dales, an economist at
the Capital Economics UK, an
economic research consultancy
based in London. Meanwhile,
Dales said he believes goods and
staff shortages, including energy
crisis, may stall the country's
economic growth and interest
rates hike. "And shortages,
including the petrol/energy crisis,
may prevent GDP from rising
much in the coming months. This
weaker activity outlook may prevent
the Bank of England from
hiking interest rates this year."
Punjab opposes giving
more powers to BSF
Chandigarh : Slamming the
Centre for amending Section 139
of the BSF Act to give the border
and guarding force wider jurisdiction
and terming it tantamount
to an attack on federalism,
Punjab Deputy Chief
Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa
on Wednesday asked Union
Home Minister Amit Shah to
withdraw the decision.
Opposition Shiromani Akali
Dal (SAD) described the decision
as Central rule in the state
through the back door. In a statement,
Randhawa, who also holds
the Home portfolio, said "this
illogical decision was absolutely
against the spirit of the raising
the border guarding forces,
which were required to focus on
the international border and act
as the first line of defence".
He said policing in the hinterland
is not the role of a border
guarding force, rather it would
weaken the capacity of the
Border Security Force (BSF) in
discharging its primary duty of
guarding the international border.
He said that he would personally
call on Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and the Union
Home Minister to resolve this
issue. Meanwhile, the SAD
described the move to hand over
almost half of the state to the
BSF as "the imposition of the
President's rule through the back
door in nearly half of Punjab".
"This virtually turns the state
into a de facto Union territory.
This devious attempt to place the
state directly under the Central
rule must and will be opposed,"
senior Akali leader and former
minister Daljit Singh Cheema
said in a statement. He said this
was at the same time, "a frontal
assault on the federal principle
through highly questionable misuse
of constitutional provisions".
Cheema said it was shocking
the BSF has been given sweeping
powers divesting the state police
of even the normal policing
duties. "As per the Constitution,
only the state government can call
out the Central forces to aid and
assist the state administration. The
Centre cannot thrust these forces
on the state without a formal
request from the state government,"
he said. The Akali leader
also called upon Chief Minister
Charanjit Channi to come clean
on the state government's stand on
the sensitive issue.
DCGI panel clears COVAXIN for
emergency use in kids as young as 2
Previously, the Drug Controller General of India had approved Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D for emergency use in people aged 12 and above
New Delhi : The subject expert committee
of the national drug regulator on
Tuesday cleared Covaxin Covid shot for
emergency use in children aged two to
18 years giving India the first approved
vaccine for use in kids as small as two.
Previously, the Drug Controller
General of India had approved Zydus
Cadila’s ZyCoV-D for emergency use in
people aged 12 and above.
The clearance to Covaxin for children
between two to 18 comes at a time
when schools are reopening with challenges
in respect of protection of children
from disease mounting. Although
there is no clear evidence of children
being more vulnerable to a potential
third wave of the virus, countries have
been expanding vaccination drives to
cover children.
India’s apex national body that lays
down guidance for inoculations – the
National Technical Advisory Group on
Immunisation – is currently working to
give guidance for Covid vaccination in
children.
The NTAGI is already engaged on
which segments among children should
be prioritised for vaccination. The guidance
for ZyCoV-D use among 12 to 18
year olds is also being deliberated upon.
The NTAGI will now take a combined
call on vaccination for children,
with Covaxin also approved today for
emergency use in children. The World
Health Organisation, however, has
given no guidance on Covid vaccine use
among children, with larger evidence
suggesting a natural immunity among
children to viruses. Countries are taking
individual calls on the matter with the
US and UK having taken the lead in
inoculating children against Covid. The
approval of child vaccines by the DCGI
means these can be used provided the
expert vaccination panel that guides
Indian policy on Covid inoculation lays
down the conditions for use. For
instance, when the adult Covid vaccine
drive was launched in January this year,
it was prioritised for elderly and comorbid
populations before being further
expanded. A similar policy could be followed
for children to start with considering
the production would be limited.
It also remains to be seen how Covid
shots for children will be rolled out. The
adult vaccine drive is being managed by
the government, with the Centre procuring
75 per cent produce from manufacturers
for free distribution further to
states. Covaxin is a collaboration
between ICMR and Bharat Biotech.