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Rabu, 07 Oktober 2020

As US reels, Pence and Harris square off in VP debate - CNA

SALT LAKE CITY: For once in a rollercoaster US election, Donald Trump and Joe Biden yield the spotlight on Wednesday (Oct 7) to Vice President Mike Pence and the Democrat seeking his job - Kamala Harris - as they debate for the first time.

With Trump infected with the coronavirus that has already killed more than 210,000 Americans, the Pence-Harris showdown has taken on an unusually pressing quality, given that the White House deputy is just a heartbeat away from the presidency.

The duel in Salt Lake City occurs as the nation lurches from one crisis to another.

Not only has the president tested positive; coronavirus has spread through his inner circle, infecting dozens of top advisors, administration staff, senior military officials and Republican lawmakers.

Racial and political tensions are simmering, prompting Biden to issue a clarion call for national unity and warn that "the forces of darkness" and division are "pulling us apart".

Trump - who is confined to the White House as he recovers from COVID-19 - continued his all-out verbal offensive, branding Biden "a wacko" in a stream of angry tweets fired off since he left hospital on Monday.

The president is confronted by dire polling numbers ahead of the Nov 3 election, which comes as the economy staggers from COVID-19 shutdowns that have left countless families and businesses struggling.

Trump also keeps warning that he may not accept the election result, arguing that mail-in ballots lead to fraud, while Senate Republicans are rushing to confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee even as some in their caucus are in quarantine.

The unique political storm is enough for Brookings Institution senior fellow John Hudak to call Utah's face-off "the most important vice presidential debate in American history".

'WAR' ON SAFETY SHIELDS?

As the president rages, the ultra-loyal Pence is under pressure to signal some stability and relay an administration plan for how to tackle the pandemic four weeks from election day.

"Vice President Mike Pence is ready. He is prepared to prosecute the case against the California radical extremist of Kamala Harris," Trump campaign advisor Mercedes Schlapp told FOX News, setting the tone for the debate.

"We know that Mike Pence will be able to also talk about the president's strong accomplishments on the economy and also on combating COVID," she said.

READ: US women organise watch parties for historic VP debate

There may be little appetite, though, for a repeat of the disastrous opening Trump-Biden debate, which was marred by their constant interruptions and personal insults.

Wednesday's event has strengthened health measures, with organisers agreeing to allow Harris to be separated from Pence by plexiglass.

Both participants have tested negative for coronavirus, and Pence reportedly opposes the use of a barrier.

"If the Trump administration's war on masks has now become a war on safety shields, that tells you everything you need to know about why their COVID response is a failure," Harris press secretary Sabrina Singh said.

"Masks save lives," Harris tweeted on Wednesday.

Still being treated for the coronavirus after three nights in hospital, Trump has scrambled to resume his reelection campaign.

The latest polls forecast victory for Biden, with CNN giving the Democrat a national advantage of 57 per cent to 41 per cent among likely voters.

READ: Biden says next US presidential debate should be called off if Trump still has COVID-19

White House doctors say he is recovering rapidly and Trump is doubling down on his controversial position that COVID-19 is taken too seriously, painting himself as a fighter who took on the virus and won.

After urging Americans to stop fearing COVID-19 and "don't let it dominate you", he attacked the media for not paying more attention to what he said were his many successes.

But Trump is in trouble on almost every front, and what used to be his strongest card - the economy - is not helping, with the shock caused by coronavirus yet to dissipate.

Trump is working overtime to persuade voters that he is back to full strength.

He and Biden are scheduled to square off again Oct 15, but Biden told reporters that "if he still has COVID, we shouldn't have a debate."

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2020-10-07 21:49:32Z
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Taiwan says it has spent almost US$900 million scrambling against China this year - CNA

TAIPEI: Taiwan has spent almost US$900 million this year on scrambling its air force against Chinese incursions, the island's defence minister said on Wednesday (Oct 7), describing the pressure they are facing as "great".

China, which claims democratic Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up its military activity near the island, responding to what China calls "collusion" between Taiwan and the United States.

China has been angered at increased US support for Taiwan, including visits by senior US government officials and ramped-up arms sales.

READ: Pompeo slams China's 'corruption, coercion' at Tokyo talks

In the past few weeks, Chinese fighter jets have crossed the mid line of the Taiwan Strait, which normally serves as an unofficial buffer zone, and flown multiple missions into Taiwan's southwestern air defence identification zone.

Speaking at parliament, Taiwan Defence Minister Yen De-fa said the air force had scrambled 2,972 times against Chinese aircraft this year at a cost of NT$25.5 billion (US$886.49 million).

"Recently the pressure has been great. To say otherwise would be deceiving people," Yen said, without giving a comparison figure for last year.

READ: Tsai defiant as Taiwan's anti-China jet flights double

He clarified that a figure of 4,132 air force missions this year, as provided in a ministry parliamentary briefing paper, included training and regular patrol missions.

Yen said that the armed forces would this month carry out their own drills off Taiwan's southwest coast, though they would not be live fire.

Taiwan's armed forces are well-trained and well-equipped but are dwarfed by those of China, and Taiwan's Defence Ministry has previously acknowledged the strain the repeated Chinese drills were placing on them.

Taiwan is in the process of revamping its fighter fleet.

The United States last year approved a US$8 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, a deal that would bring the island's total number of the aircraft to more than 200, the largest F-16 fleet in Asia.

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2020-10-07 07:53:15Z
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Malaysia PM Muhyiddin tests negative for COVID-19 while in quarantine: PM's office - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has tested negative for COVID-19, his office said on Wednesday (Oct 7), after a minister who attended a high-level meeting chaired by the premier on Saturday contracted the virus.

Muhyiddin, along with 13 ministers and deputy ministers, started home quarantine on Monday after it was discovered that religious affairs minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri had COVID-19.

READ: 'No total lockdown as yet', says PM Muhyiddin as COVID-19 cases continue to spike

"The prime minister is currently in good health. However, he will continue self-quarantine until the end of the 14-day period set by the ministry of health," the prime minister's office said in a statement.

On Tuesday, Muhyiddin said there would be no double standards when it comes to quarantine order.

"As the prime minister, I am not exempted from this SOP (standard operating procedure). This is the second time I am undergoing quarantine at home since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country. I must follow the rules.

"As will the seven ministers and six deputy ministers. All of them are not exempted from following the quarantine order. They must adhere to the rule and if they do not comply, action will be taken against them," he said.

READ: Malaysian PM Muhyiddin on 14-day home quarantine after religious affairs minister tests positive for COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic appeared to be under control in Malaysia between June and August, until cases started to rise again in September.

On Tuesday, Malaysia recorded another daily high in the number of new cases. The 691 reported brought the national total to 13,504.

Despite the spike in cases, Muhyiddin said the government has not considered enforcing a nationwide lockdown again.

"For now we are not thinking of a total lockdown because if it is carried out one more time, it can leave a large impact that we're afraid would crash the social and economic system in the country," he said.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

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2020-10-07 03:55:25Z
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Sorry 'daddy' has to use the cane now, Muhyiddin says, warning country can't afford another Covid-19 lockdown - TODAYonline

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2020-10-07 02:15:13Z
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Selasa, 06 Oktober 2020

Facebook, Twitter take action over Trump's misleading COVID-19 posts - CNA

NEW YORK: Facebook and Twitter took action on posts from US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Oct 6) for violating their rules against coronavirus misinformation by suggesting that COVID-19 was just like the flu.

Facebook took the post down but not before it was shared about 26,000 times, data from the company's metric tool CrowdTangle showed.

"We remove incorrect information about the severity of COVID-19," a company spokesman told Reuters.

The world's largest social media company, which exempts politicians from its third-party fact-checking program, has rarely taken action against posts from the Republican US president.

READ: Trump calls off COVID-19 relief talks with Democrats

Twitter disabled retweets on a similar tweet from Trump on Tuesday and added a warning label that said it broke its rules on "spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19" but that it might be in the public interest for it to remain accessible.

During the 2019-2020 influenza season, the flu was associated with 22,000 deaths in the United States, according to estimates from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since the first case of the novel coronavirus was recorded in the United States at the beginning of this year, more than 210,000 people in the country have died of the disease caused by the virus, the world's highest death toll.

On Monday, Trump told Americans "to get out there" and not fear COVID-19 as he returned to the White House after a three-night stay in a military hospital outside Washington where he was treated for COVID-19.

READ: COVID-19 vaccine may be ready by year-end: WHO's Tedros

"Silicon Valley and the mainstream media have consistently used their platforms to fearmonger and censor President Trump to serve their own agenda, even now during this critical moment in the fight against coronavirus," Trump campaign spokeswoman Courtney Parella said.

Twitter, which has been using labels to flag tweets with misinformation - including from the president - told Reuters it is currently trying to respond more quickly and more overtly.

Facebook removed a Trump post for coronavirus misinformation for the first time in August. The post included a video in which the president falsely claimed that children were "almost immune" to COVID-19.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

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2020-10-06 20:43:14Z
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COVID-19 vaccine may be ready by year-end: WHO's Tedros - CNA

GENEVA: A vaccine against COVID-19 may be ready by year-end, the head of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday (Oct 6).

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for solidarity and political commitment by all leaders to ensure equal distribution of vaccines when they become available.

"We will need vaccines and there is hope that by the end of this year we may have a vaccine. There is hope," Tedros said in final remarks to the WHO's Executive Board, without elaborating.

READ: China in talks with WHO over assessing its COVID-19 vaccines for global use

Nine experimental vaccines are in the pipeline of the WHO's COVAX global vaccine facility that aims to distribute 2 billion doses by the end of 2021.

The two-day board meeting, which examined the global response to the pandemic, heard calls from countries including Germany, Britain and Australia for reforms to strengthen the UN agency.

US President Donald Trump's administration has strongly criticised the WHO's role in the crisis, accusing it of being too close to China and not doing enough to question Beijing's actions late last year when the virus first emerged in Wuhan.

Tedros has dismissed the suggestions and said his agency has kept the world informed.

READ: Push to bring COVID-19 vaccines to the poor faces trouble

Three independent panels reviewing WHO performance including its 2005 International Health Regulations - which set guidelines on trade and travel restrictions imposed during health emergencies - gave updates on their work.

The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, led by former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, met for the first time last month.

"We hope to get the real lessons that we can implement and prevent the same thing from happening," Tedros said. "But I would like to assure you that WHO is ready to learn from this and change this organisation.

"During our transformation we promised this, we promised to keep change as a constant," he said, referring to his programme since taking the helm in 2017.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

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2020-10-06 18:22:30Z
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Defying critics, Trump says Americans are learning to live with COVID-19 - CNA

WASHINGTON: Defying critics, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Oct 6) said Americans were learning to live with COVID-19, a day after returning to the White House for further intensive treatment after being hospitalised with the coronavirus.

Trump, who returned late on Monday after nearly four days at Walter Reed Medical Center outside Washington, was due to receive a fifth transfusion of the antiviral drug remdesivir while being treated with the steroid dexamethasone, normally used only in the most severe cases.

The Republican president, who is running against Democrat Joe Biden in an election four weeks away, has repeatedly played down the disease, which has killed more than 1 million people worldwide. The United States has the world's highest death toll from the pandemic, with more than 209,000 deaths.

READ: 'Don't be afraid' – Trump urges Americans to 'get out there' after return from hospital

"Many people every year, sometimes over 100,000, and despite the Vaccine, die from the Flu. Are we going to close down our Country? No, we have learned to live with it, just like we are learning to live with Covid, in most populations far less lethal!!!" Trump tweeted on Tuesday.

About 22,000 people are estimated to die from influenza in the 2019 to 2020 season, according to US government statistics. Even before he contracted COVID-19, Trump acknowledged in taped conversations with a journalist that the disease was deadlier than the flu.

White House physician Dr Sean P Conley stressed that the Republican president, who is running for re-election against Democrat Joe Biden in the Nov 3 election, would have world-class medical care available around the clock.

"Don't let it dominate you. Don't be afraid of it," Trump said in a video after his return on Monday night.

"I'm better, and maybe I'm immune – I don't know," he added, flanked by American flags and with the Washington Monument in the background. "Get out there. Be careful."

He returned to the White House in a made-for-television spectacle, descending from his Marine One helicopter wearing a white surgical mask, only to remove it as he posed, saluting and waving, on the mansion's South Portico.

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READ: White House COVID-19 testing not enough to protect Trump

Trump has repeatedly flouted social-distancing guidelines meant to curb the virus' spread and ignored his own medical advisers. He mocked Biden at last Tuesday's presidential debate for wearing a mask when campaigning.

"I was aghast when he said COVID should not be feared," said William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

"This is a disease that is killing around a thousand people a day, has torpedoed the economy, put people out of work. This is a virus that should be both respected and feared."

Democrats also weighed in. "This is a tragic failure of leadership," Democratic Senator Chris Coons tweeted.

But Trump depicted himself as a man who vanquished the disease and emerged stronger.

"If the President bounces back onto the campaign trail, he will be an invincible hero, who not only survived every dirty trick the Democrats threw at him, but the Chinese virus as well," he wrote on Twitter.

A Twitter post by Biden showed images of himself donning a mask and Trump removing his. "Masks Matter. They save lives," the caption read.

White House spokesman Judd Deere said every precaution was being taken to protect the president and his family. Physical access to Trump would be limited and appropriate protective equipment would be worn by those near him.

Questions continue to swirl about the true state of Trump's health after a weekend in which his doctors offered contradictory or opaque assessments of his condition.

His oxygen saturation dipped enough to require supplemental oxygen on Friday and Saturday and he will receive his last intravenous dose of the antiviral drug, remdesivir, at the White House on Tuesday, his doctors said.

READ: Britain rations remdesivir as COVID-19 hospitalisations rise

U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the White House after being hospitalized at Walter Reed Medi — US President Donald Trump returns to the White House after being hospitalised at Walter Reed Medical Center for COVID-19. (Photo: Reuters)

SETBACK POSSIBLE

Many aides and confidants have been diagnosed with the disease since Trump's announcement last week that he had tested positive for it, intensifying scrutiny and criticism of the administration's handling of the pandemic.

Trump had no public events listed for Tuesday and it was unclear when he would be able to resume a full schedule.

"I'm sure he'll rest the next two days. And he'll get going as soon as they say it's okay to get going," Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani told Fox News on Tuesday, adding that Trump would still do light work like making phone calls.

"You never know with this disease, but it seems like he is making a very rapid recovery and a strong one. And certainly his spirit is back. He's raring to go," Giuliani said.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who also tested positive for COVID-19 after a Sep 26 White House visit, said on Twitter that Trump called him on Monday night and said he was "feeling great and working hard".

After recent opinion polls showed Trump slipping further behind Biden, early voting data indicated that nearly 4 million Americans have already cast ballots four weeks before election day, suggesting there may be a record turnout.

READ: Trump's case of COVID-19 may be severe, experts say

The severity of Trump's illness has been the subject of intense speculation, with some experts noting that, as an overweight, elderly man, he was in a high risk category.

#GaspingForAir began trending on Twitter after video showed Trump appearing to take several deep breaths while standing on the White House balcony.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN Trump looked good when he came out of the hospital, but noted that patients sometimes have a setback five days after they get sick.

"Sometimes when you're five days in you're going to have a reversal ... It's unlikely that it will happen, but they need to be heads-up (alert) for it," Fauci said.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the COVID-19 outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

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2020-10-06 14:03:45Z
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