“Catch it, Bin it, Kill it”, this is the catch line of the British government’s public health campaign which was launched after Britain confirmed five swine flu cases by Wednesday.
Individuals have been advised to wash hands regularly, use tissues when coughing and sneezing, and dispose of them properly to prevent the spread of the virus, which is believed to have killed nearly 180 people.
The positive test of a girl in Britain has caused serious worries amongst the British public over the threat of the disease. Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation has raised the alert level to Phase 5, warning that a pandemic is likely to happen soon.
With a huge stockpile of anti-virals, Britain is confident to combat the spread of swine flu, saying that it has been well prepared for a flu pandemic for five years, and is ordering more Tamiflu, Relenza and facemasks.
Three new cases were reported on Thursday in Britain. On the same day, the first two people testing positive in the country were released from hospital in Scotland.
For the full story by Dongying Wang and Rob Welham, published by Xinhua News Agency in April 2009, please click here . Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.
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The spread of swine flu has taken its toll on human health and economic performance, adding to the complexity of the global economic downturn.
The first death outside Mexico has been confirmed in the U.S., signalling that other affected countries might soon see deaths caused by the virus.
The WHO has raised the alert level to phase four, indicating that the virus is transmitted from human to human, and community-level outbreaks are possible.
Except in Mexico, panic among the public is not yet seen. But it has shaken the global stock market, which has responded the quickest on the fear of potential pandemic of the virus as warned by the WHO.
However, swine flu has incurred not only bad news for travel and tourism sectors, it also brings business for pharmaceuticals, especially those producing antiviral medicine.
For the full story by Dongying Wang and Rob Welham, published by Xinhua News Agency in April 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.
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Britain became the second European country hit by swine flu after two cases were confirmed late Monday in Scotland. It followed an earlier announcement that the virus had already been identified in Spain. By Tuesday evening, eight countries had confirmed the arrival of the virus.
There are about 40 people still under observation in the UK, and the government said it was well prepared after planning for such a pandemic for several years.
Five years' preparation
Addressing the House of Commons early Monday, the British Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson, said that “the UK has been preparing for a flu pandemic for five years.”
“The World Health Organisation has recognised that the UK and France are the two best prepared countries in the world,” he said.
Britain has a stockpile of enough anti-virals to treat more than 33 million people, half the population of the country, said Johnson.
“All National Health Service (NHS) organisations have pandemic flu plans in place and the Department of Health is now working closely with the NHS to ensure that these plans can be put into action ,so that anti-virals can be made available to the public very rapidly should we reach that stage,” he said.
Over the weekend, the Government has been putting in place precautionary measures to implement the plans we have been developing in the case of more widespread infections in the UK, added Johnson.
The health chief said he would be convening a meeting of the Civil Contingencies Committee immediately following the statement.
Britain has enhanced its port health checks so that passengers arriving in the UK with symptoms of illness are identified and assessed, he said.
Information was also being made available to passengers arriving at ports and urgent advice has been offered to doctors, the health secretary said.
“Although we are aware that facemasks are being given out to the public in Mexico, the available scientific evidence does not support the general wearing of facemasks by those who are not ill whilst going about their normal activities,” he said.
“We are, however, urgently looking into how we can increase our stockpiles of facemasks for healthcare workers who are treating sick patients. We have also established infection control guidance to support staff when treating or caring for people who have symptoms,” he added.
“Should the virus start spreading widely in the UK, we propose to use our antiviral stockpile for treatment of symptomatic patients, ” he said.
He said that experts were currently examining whether vaccination with the regular, seasonal flu vaccine could in any way boost immunity to the H1N1 strain, and said Britain was considering how best to use the limited stocks that are currently available within the country.
While the development of a vaccine can only start once the new virus has been identified, the UK has agreements with manufacturers to be able to get a vaccine when it becomes available, according to the National Health Service (NHS).
The NHS explains why vaccination cannot prevent the start of a pandemic. “The government is unable to vaccinate the population against the spread of pandemic flu because a vaccine cannot be made in advance of the virus being identified,” it says.
“As the virus will be a new strain, a vaccine must be developed specifically to match this,” it adds, “It is unlikely to be available during the early stages of the pandemic and will take months to produce, and considerably longer to produce in sufficient quantities to treat the entire population.”
To combat pandemic flu, the NHS has advised people to wash their hands regularly with soap and water, always carry tissues, use tissues to cover mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, and dispose of them properly. This suggestion was briefly promoted as “catch it, bin it and kill it.”
Flu scare hits markets
In line with advice from the WHO, there are currently no travel restrictions in Britain on those who are planning to visit affected areas. However, EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou suggested people avoid travelling to Mexico and the U.S.
Fears that the virus scare will hit the global economy, especially the travel and leisure sectors, has already sent global stock markets down.
On Monday, the travel sector was particularly hard hit. British Airways saw its stocks fall by some 7.75 percent while British travel agent Thomas Cook sank 4.4 percent.
Meanwhile, there was some good news on the markets with pharmaceutical giants Roche, Glaxosmithkline and AstraZenica all climbing significantly.
In particular, the British company Glaxosmithkline soared over 6 percent on Monday. Both Roche and Glaxosmithkline produce anti-virals which are considered to be effective in fighting the H1N1 virus.
Copyright Dongying Wang
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The British GDP dropped during the first quarter of this year, by 1.9 percent, deeper than previously thought. This has prompted call for more powerful governmental measures to boost existing efforts to rescue the falling economy.
The gloomy figure also makes some analysts believe their prediction that Britain will see a 4.5 percent of GDP decline this year, much less optimistic than the 2009 budget forecast, may reflect the real situation in the UK more accurately.
The borrowing announced in the budget is also said to be less than the actual figure. Chancellor Alistair Darling’s borrowing forecast is based on his “over optimistic” prediction that Britain will only see a 3.5 percent fall in GDP this year.
However, the time ahead this year is not all doom and gloom in Britain. The Confederation of British Industry has said the general business sentiment is falling less sharply and the economic decline will moderate in the months to come.
For the full story by Dongying Wang and Rob Welham, published by Xinhua News Agency in April 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.
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Wind farm in Cornwall in SW EnglandBritain has charted its green development plans, with priority given to clean coal technology CCS, marine renewables, nuclear energy, and green vehicles.
Extra green spending has been pledged in the 2009 budget, bringing in a total of additional 15 billion dollars in low-carbon and energy investment over the coming few years in the country.
Carbon capture and storage technology was given a big push to go ahead and four demonstration projects will be delivered. The decarbonising technology is expected to be applied commercially in a few years, to make the burning of fossil fuels much less polluting.
Britain’s green spending scheme came as the country faces an exacting and pressing task to ensure its energy security and at the same time meet its climate change goals.
For the full story by Dongying Wang, published by Xinhua News Agency in April 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.
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Ennor (unwell-resting)
To save its battered car industry, Britain has decided to introduce a car scrappage scheme in May for 10 months, a plan has won favour with motoring organizations.
The effect of the incentive in increasing car sales has been manifested by similar success stories in other European countries.
However, motorists and even car makers in Britain are less confident in the economic benefit the scheme may bring.
Promoted as a green stimulus, the plan was also questioned by both green campaign groups and politicians for its potential to cut emissions.
For the full story by Dongying Wang and Rob Welham, published by Xinhua News Agency in April 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.
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A colossal amount of borrowing and unrealistic GDP growth prediction have put the 2009 Budget under fire, from opposition parties, business groups as well as the public.
Chancellor Alistair Darling announced the “the toughest” budget in parliament Wednesday, to steer the course of British recovery from recession.
Instead of gaining a strong support, the budget has drawn strong criticism, from borrowing to taxation, and from car scrappage incentive to emissions-cutting targets. Some even called it as merely “rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic”.
Labour has thus been seen as “out of ideas and running out of steam” to pull Britain out of the economic crisis, and an earlier election was also called for. Some commentator said it is a political budget rather than an economic one.
For the full story by Dongying Wang and Rob Welham, published by Xinhua News Agency in April 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.
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Just two days ahead of Wednesday’s announcement of the 2009 budget, Britain’s largest business organization CBI has revealed its latest economic forecast, saying the country will only see a “slow and weak” GDP rise by Spring 2010.
The Confederation of British Industry also sent a message that the worst of the recession may be over, as the first three months of this year has seen the country plunge much deeper in the recession than expected.
Following the worst of the quarterly falls in GDP this year, the recession in Britain is predicted to moderate in the second half of 2009.
However, the country is seeing the falls in both the CPI and RPI inflationary levels, with the latter even falling into negative territory, the first deflation in 50 years. The falling indices are believed to be detrimental to the country’s economic rescue endeavours.
So now it is time to see what are the details in Chancellor Alistair Darling’s budget, which will chart Britain’s recovery course, and even decide on the fate of the country’s economy.
For the full story by Dongying Wang, published by Xinhua News Agency in April 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.
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G-Wiz, the only electric car available in Britain so far British has announced an initiative to encourage the use of electric cars, as the central part of its strategy to promote ultra low-carbon transport over the next five years.
This came as the country faces twin pressures in salvaging its car industry, a key player in the national economy, and fulfilling its goals in carbon dioxide emissions cuts.
But the initiative has already come under fire from green groups and opposition parties who say it is not viable, both economically and ecologically. Seemingly well-founded, the plan may bring many troubles before Britons could see such vehicles in car showrooms.
For the full story by Dongying Wang and Rob Welham, published by Xinhua News Agency in April 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment. Photo by Henry.Lambert
Traffic jams on the M25, EnglandSet to achieve swingeing cuts in CO2 emissions, Britain is putting the importance of consumer education on a par with technological innovations, to push forward toward a low-carbon society.
Young and new drivers are the main targets of the country’s endeavours to promote eco-driving. It is believed that it will take up to 40 years to change the way people drive in Britain, with many still very heavy on the gas.
A strong awareness to the environment, and no harsh acceleration and brake are among the advice given to people as to how to drive economically, as a key part of efforts to green country’s road transport.
On the technological front, Britain is proud of its achievements in reducing both car fuel consumption and exhaust. However, the country still faces challenges to further improve its car efficiency, to rise up to the pan-European new car emissions standard within six years.
To achieve the goal, the government has been urged to boost the car market and introduce a UK scrappage scheme to incentivise people to dump their old vehicles.
It is noteworthy to see if the low-carbon remedy could bring in a new life for Britain’s car industry, which has been pounded hard during the recession.
For the full story by Dongying Wang, published by Xinhua News Agency in April 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.
Britain is set to turn the recession into an opportunity to green its domestic transport, which emits 1/4 of the country’s total CO2 emissions, as part of the country’s endeavours to hit its burning ambition in emissions cuts.
Its battered motor industry has faced compound challenges resulting from falling market demand and a lack of credit, required for technological innovation for more efficient car production.
The industry has been seeking government support to stimulate the economy, relieve the credit crunch and restore consumer confidence.
However, less achievement has been seen, to rescue the key economic contributor from knock-on effects of the recession.
The European Investment Bank’s approval of funding for British car makers has brought hope for the industry, though the investment has reportedly incurred embarrassment for the British government.
To show determination to save the failing industry, the British industrial and business circles have set off a low-carbon revolution with a roadmap expected to turn the industry around with green transformation.
For the full story by Dongying Wang, published by Xinhua News Agency in April 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.
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U.S. President Barack Obama has expressed his confidence in the capacity of the G20 London Summit to rescue the world economy. Meanwhile, he declined to reveal what compromises he had made during talks with other leaders in producing the joint statement on Thursday.
He told hundreds of journalists at the London Excel Centre that the summit was "very productive" and “historic”, given the scope and magnitude of the economic crisis which is engulfing the whole world.
Responding to a question as to what sacrifices he had made to achieve the summit results, Obama said he preferred not to reveal them.
The G20 leaders, whose countries produce 90 percent of the world’s GDP, agreed during the one-day summit to spend over 1 trillion dollars to bail out the world economy, a figure that is expected to soar to 5 trillion dollars by the end of 2010.
The stock markets have responded positively to the G20 results, though many financial experts said the positive market reaction was not due to the outcome of the summit. Even so, some said that it is hard to judge whether the upturn is a bubble or a sustained phenomenon.
The London G20 may have been up to some people’s expectations, but questions still remain as to how some of the initiatives might be implemented.
The summit has produced a blueprint for global economic recovery, but all leaders are surely aware that there is a long way to go to achieve the goals, nationally and internationally.
During their British tour, Obama and his wife Michelle displayed their great charisma. He comes across as being confident and has become arguably the world’s most popular politician, something that would make his countrymen extremely proud.
This admiration was reflected during his press conference, especially from the American journalist whom Obama gave the chance to ask the last question.
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As leaders of the G20 members states fly into London for Thursday’s summit, skepticism is growing about what it will achieve.
There is a widespread belief that the meeting will fail to find common ground in its bid to rescue the world economy. However, the G20 summit is expected to give a boost to green development.
Differing interests may lead to G20 failure
Because there are too many vested interests, the G20 will produce a fairly watered down result which won’t actually achieve very much, said British Member of Parliament Geoffrey Clifton-Brown during an interview.
“It’s a huge tragedy for the world when there are such big issues at stake. I hope I’m wrong, I hope I’m pessimistic. But we’ll have to wait and see,” said Clifton-Brown, who is Shadow Minister for Trade and International Development.
“The G20 has the capacity to fix the world economy. However, I rather fear, given the huge difference [between attending countries], that we’ll see a rather weak communiqué coming out of this,” he said after speaking at an international conference on corporate responsibility in London.
“The West has different interests from China, it has different interests from Russia,” he explains, adding that few people were considering the whole world, “they’re just considering their own interests rather than the wider world.”
The most positive outcome of the London summit would be a communiqué that obliged all the G20 countries to complete the Doha round and get an agreement on the WTO talks, Clifton-Brown said, adding that it would be beneficial for both the G20 and third world countries.
“It's through trade, through free trade, that advance countries of the G20 and those countries of the third world will benefit,” he said.
“Increased protectionism by America caused the slump in the 1930s that took decades to recover from; we must not go down that route,” he insisted.
Clifton-Brown’s opinions were echoed by Aneel Karnani, professor at the Michigan Ross School of Business, who also spoke at the London conference.
"I don't think there's going to be much achieved in the G20. They're not going to get much agreement. They have the capability but it's not going to happen. Because the interests of the countries are different," Karnani said during an interview.
"There are some things that they'll probably all agree on, such as rejecting protectionism, and that we should have free markets,” he said, “that's probably going to happen with or without the G20.”
But he said other more controversial mechanisms, needed to generate growth, may well be rejected.
Green economy
To put the world economic recovery onto a low-carbon path is high on the agenda of the G20. However, the vision has met with a mixed response.
Takejiro Sueyoshi, special adviser to UNEP FI (The United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative), said that he believed the recession was a good opportunity to develop green economies, something he insisted was within the interest of all countries.
During his speech Sueyoshi urged banks to invest at least one percent of their loan portfolios every year into green businesses.
He also called for the creation of regulatory authorities to supervise how banks deal with public money, as part of efforts to ensure the green transformation.
However, for some, the development of a green economy is regarded as being a luxury rather than a remedy for the recession.
A low carbon economy is difficult for countries, like the U.S., the UK and China, which consume increasing amounts of energy, said MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, adding that “what we have to find is an effective way of reducing those emissions.”
Touching upon the price of green development, Professor Aneel Karnani said, “This is not a good opportunity right now [to develop green initiatives] because it uses more resources, and during an economic downturn I think we're less willing to invest in these technologies.”
“In the long term we should have green development; but it comes at a price, it doesn't come for free," Karnani said, adding that, “especially in the current climate of an economic downturn, the investment in green is going to go down.”
Sustainability believed to be a solution
The two-day conference, organized by think tank Chatham House and index company FTSE, probed issues about how to manage the transition to a world where future resource constraints are reflected in prices and business behaviour.
Attending the meeting were governmental officials, NGO representatives, university professors, and financial experts from Europe, the U.S., Asia and Africa. They explored how to adopt sustainability into business ethics.
The Standard Chartered Bank has been less affected by the global downturn, which is partly explained by their approach to sustainable development.
"When it comes to the financial crisis, we are living through extraordinary times, we've seen the collapse of many financial institutions, we've seen the bail out in the UK and US of many banks, what it shows is that their business models are not sustainable," Standard Chartered Head of Sustainability, Debbie Whitaker said during an interview.
“So when it comes to Standard Chartered it’s about banking in a responsible way,” she said, adding that as a result of their sustainability policies, Standard Chartered has “weathered this storm better than most.”
The bank, which has been in business since the 1850s, has less exposure to the sub-prime markets which affected many other financial institutions.
Whitaker says that their experience as well as their conservative business model helped in preventing them from becoming a victim of the financial collapse seen in other banks.
Around 90 percent of Standard Chartered's revenue comes from Asia and the Middle East, regions which have been more insulated from the economic downturn, Whitaker says, adding that “although those regions are not completely insulated, their growth patterns are strong.”
Whitaker says that the global recession may distract many from solving environmental and social issues which she says “have the potential of creating greater long term instability, political instability and social instability than the current crisis if they are not addressed today.”
Coypyright Dongying Wang
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