Wellington, Nov 2:New Zealand’s new Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson will be the country’s first openly gay man to hold the role and is among a team of top lawmakers announced Monday that is remarkable for its diversity.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced her new Cabinet lineup after her liberal Labour Party won reelection in a landslide victory last month. Ardern has assigned a number of indigenous Maori lawmakers to top positions, including Nanaia Mahuta, who will take on the role of foreign minister, and Kelvin Davis, who will be minister for children.
Robertson, who will also continue his previous job as finance minister, has long been a close friend and political ally of Ardern. He said he has tried to be a minister for all New Zealanders, but also thinks it’s important for younger members of the LGBT community to see people they identify with take on top roles.
“I still get a lot of emails and messages from young gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people who look towards us to provide that kind of role-modeling,” Robertson said. “So, I’ll keep doing my job the way that I’ve been doing it, but I’m very proud to have the role.”
Robertson replaces Winston Peters as deputy prime minister after Peters and his New Zealand First party failed to get reelected. Kelvin Davis was expected to take on the role but said he turned it down to focus on his other responsibilities.
Ardern said all the positions were assigned on merit.
“I think one of the amazing things about New Zealand is that we are often in a space now where all of these questions (about diversity) often become secondary,” she said. “The representation is there. And that is not the first consideration.”
In the Oct. 17 election, the Labour Party won an outright majority in Parliament, the first time any party has achieved that since New Zealand implemented a proportional voting system 24 years ago.
The Labour Party nevertheless signed a “cooperation agreement” with the Green Party on Sunday, which says the two parties will work together on climate, environment and child-wellbeing issues. Two Green Party lawmakers have been given ministerial roles outside of the Cabinet.
Ardern demoted some ministers considered to have underperformed during her first term, including Phil Twyford, who lost his transport portfolio. He will remain a lower-ranked minister outside of Cabinet. (AGENCIES)

Bangkok, Nov 2: Starbucks said Monday it plans to open an outlet in Laos as it expands its network of more than 10,000 stores in Asian countries.
The company said it plans to open the shop in the Laotian capital Vientiane by next summer.
The outlet will be operated by Coffee Concepts (Laos) Ltd., a part of Hong Kong-based Maxim’s Caterers Ltd. Starbuck said in a statement that it intends to use its global scale to have a positive impact and career opportunities in the impoverished, landlocked country bordered by Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and China.
“We are pleased to introduce the Starbucks brand into Laos, which further builds on our 20 year relationship with Starbucks to grow the coffee industry across Asia,” said Michael Wu, Chairman and Managing Director, Maxim’s Caterers Limited.
Many Laotians drink powdered coffee drinks that include milk and sugar, as is true across much of Asia, but the country of 7.2 million is a coffee exporter and has its own artisanal coffee roasters and shops.
Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, Laos was drawing growing numbers of foreign tourists, with more than 4 million visiting in 2018. Local incomes have been rising, but still average around $300 a month.
The company said in a statement that it intends to take a “locally relevant approach” for its customers, both tourists and Laotions. “We will take a thoughtful approach to driving sustainable growth in Laos and look forward to contributing to the country’s vibrant coffee culture,” Starbucks said.
Starbucks said it was monitoring the coronavirus situation but is still aiming at an opening in summer 2021.
Laos, a landlocked country bordered by Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and China, has so far reported only 24 COVID-19 infections, according to a tally kept by the Johns Hopkins University. Such records are thought to understate the actual number of cases due to testing issues and large numbers of asymptomatic coronavirus cases. But pandemic precautions are severely limiting travel in the region.
“We will work closely with local health authorities, as we do in all markets, making decisions with the health of our partners and customers top of mind,” Starbucks said. (AGENCIES)

Dubai, Nov 2: Pleased with his team’s efforts in a crunch situation, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan said they couldn’t have done anything more in a must-win game against Rajasthan Royals.
KKR finished their league campaign with a 60-run win over the Royals on Sunday to get into the top four with 14 points. However a negative Net Run-Rate (-0.214) might be an impediment towards qualification.
KKR outgunned the Royals after posting a challenging 191 for seven.
“Yes, I was aware of the numbers (about net run rate) but you need to first get yourself into a winning position. I don’t think we could have done anything more today. So whatever happens from here is up to the Gods,” Morgan said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
KKR’s entry into the play-offs will now depend on the result of the matches between Delhi Capitals (-0.159) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (-0.145) as well as the one where Sunrisers Hyderabad (+0.555) take on defending champions Mumbai Indians, who have already qualified.
In case, SRH wins, KKR’s chances of qualification will hinge on a real poor defeat for either DC or RCB in their particular game.
Morgan smashed a 35-ball unbeaten 68 in his team’s huge total, which the skipper said was a par-score.
“I thought it was around a par score. Every batsman who came back in and said that it was a beautiful wicket with the dew in. We lost wickets between 10th and 15th overs, and to finish like we did was really good,” said Morgan.
Royals skipper Steve Smith said losing wickets in a heap upfront harmed their cause.
“It was around a 180 wicket. There was a bit of dew. Losing four (wickets) in the Powerplay, it was always going to be tough from there,” said the Australian. “(Pat) Cummins bowled nice lengths, made us play some good shots. We got off to a flier, but then we lost wickets in a clump. Unfortunate way to end. We started off really well, won the last two before this one. In the middle we lost our way.”
Smith was not happy with the his top order batsmen.
“Our batters, the top four or five didn’t take responsibility perhaps. Couple of real positives. Jofra has been exceptional pretty much every game. Tewatia obviously has pulled a few out of the hat throughout the tournament. He has bowled exceptionally well throughout the tournament.” (AGENCIES)
^^^

HOUSTON, Nov 2: The novel coronavirus is accumulating genetic mutations, one of which may have made it more contagious, according to a study involving more than 5,000 COVID-19 patients in the US.
The research, published in the journal mBIO, however, did not find that these mutations have made the virus deadlier or changed clinical outcomes.
The researchers noted that the mutation, called D614G, is located in the spike protein that pries open our cells for viral entry.
“The virus is mutating due to a combination of neutral drift — which just means random genetic changes that don’t help or hurt the virus — and pressure from our immune systems,” said Ilya Finkelstein, associate professor at The University of Texas at Austin, US.
The researchers noted that during the initial wave of the pandemic, 71 per cent of the novel coronaviruses identified in patients in Houston had this mutation.
When the second wave of the outbreak hit Houston during the summer, this variant had leaped to 99.9 per cent prevalence, they said.
This mirrors a trend observed around the world, according to the researchers.
The reason why strains containing this mutation outcompete those that didn’t have it may be that natural selection would favour strains of the virus that transmit more easily, the researchers said.
However, some scientists have suggested another explanation, called “founder’s effects.”
In that scenario, the D614G mutation might have been more common in the first viruses to arrive in Europe and North America, essentially giving them a head start on other strains, according to the researchers.
The spike protein is also continuing to accumulate additional mutations of unknown significance, they said.
The team also showed in lab experiments that at least one such mutation allows spike to evade a neutralising antibody that humans naturally produce to fight SARS-CoV-2 infections.
The researchers said this may allow that variant of the virus to more easily slip past our immune systems.
Although it is not clear yet whether that translates into it also being more easily transmitted between individuals, they said.
The scientists noted a total of 285 mutations across thousands of infections, although most don’t appear to have a significant effect on how severe the disease is. (AGENCIES)

Sao Paulo, Nov 2: Small groups of protesters gathered in Brazil’s two biggest cities on Sunday to demonstrate against any mandate for the taking of a coronavirus vaccine, supporting a rejection campaign encouraged by President Jair Bolsonaro.
People assembled in downtown Sao Paulo calling for the removal of Sao Paulo state Governor Joao Doria, who has said state residents will be required to take a vaccine, likely the one being developed by Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac and the local Butantan Institute.
“Doria will fall!” the protestors chanted. “Out with Doria!”
The CoronaVac, as it is being called, has been a prime target for skepticism from Bolsonaro and others, with the president saying Brazilians will not be guinea pigs to the Chinese. The issue has become a talking point in mayoral and city council campaigns for elections later this month, and as most health professionals support vaccination, social media campaigns have raised questions about possible perils of vaccines.
Demonstrators supporting Bolsonaro on the question also protested on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.
A PoderData poll said this week the percentage of Brazilians who say they would take a coronavirus vaccine dropped to 63 in October from 85 four months earlier. The percentage rejecting the idea of taking a vaccine rose to 22 from eight in July.
The Getulio Vargas Foundation think tank said an analysis of two million Twitter postings found that 24 per cent of profiles identified as pro-Bolsonaro and they accounted for 56 per cent of mentions against the vaccine. On the other side, 47 per cent of profiles identified as pro-vaccine and represented 32 per cent of the postings.
In October, Doria said vaccination would be mandatory in his state, and Bolsonaro’s health minister, Eduardo Pazuello, announced that the country had agreed to purchase CoronaVac doses produced locally.
The president quickly responded that he would not allow the import of vaccines from China. Though the health regulator later gave permission for Butantan to import six million doses, on Thursday the president said on his weekly live programme that he would not buy the vaccine and that the governor should “find someone else to buy your vaccine”.
On Friday, Vice President Hamilton Mourao told the magazine Veja that “of course” the country will buy the Butantan-Sinovac vaccine. Bolsonaro immediately responded that he is the one with the power and he will not spend on any vaccine that is not approved by the Brazilian health regulator.
Brazil has reported more than 5.5 million confirmed cases of coronavirus infections, and about 160,000 people have died from COVID-19, the disease that can be caused by the virus. While the spread of the virus has begun slowing, public health experts warn people not to let their guard down.
Health professionals are also speaking out in an effort to shore up support for vaccines.
“Vaccination en masse with high coverage would be the only mechanism we have to control the epidemic, at least in the medium-term,” Jesem Orellana, an epidemiology researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, a scientific research institution, said in a written response to questions. “We have failed over the past eight months with non-pharmacological measures.”
Dr Paulo A Lotufo, a University of Sao Paulo epidemiologist, said national immunisation programmes have been well-received by the Brazilian public, which has seen the positive impact of vaccinations, including against meningitis and polio.
“The population will take the vaccine,” Lotufo predicted in a Skype interview. “More than 90 per cent of the population will vaccinate.” (AGENCIES)