Committee formed to look into reopening of Malaysian Parliament: PM Muhyiddin - The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia has formed a committee comprising government and opposition lawmakers to look into key issues before Parliament can reconvene, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said on Sunday (June 20), as he faces pressure from the country's Malay rulers to reopen Parliament as soon as possible.

He said one issue that needs checking is whether the sitting would involve all 220 Members of Parliament being present in the Lower House, or whether it could be "a hybrid" of physical and virtual presence, Bernama news agency quoted him as saying.

"I will need to closely look into this," Tan Sri Muhyiddin said, when asked by reporters about the Parliament sitting, after visiting a vaccination centre.

"I understand (the matter) very well and I was advised not only by the Minister of Law but by the Attorney-General that my actions and those of the government must be in line with what is stipulated in the Constitution."

The government needs to find out whether provisions in Parliament's Standing Orders allow for a hybrid session, Mr Muhyiddin said.

Another issue is whether seating arrangements would need to be adjusted to comply with health protocols. There are usually 222 MPs in Malaysia's federal Parliament, but two lawmakers have died and the coronavirus pandemic has led to the suspension of by-elections.

All the MPs have been fully vaccinated, leading to criticism that Mr Muhyiddin is delaying Parliament's reopening as he does not have enough MPs to support his fragile 15-month-old Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.

Said former premier Najib Razak on Facebook on Sunday: "There is no need for a study. I can provide the solution.

"Step one: send a notice to the Speaker to convene Parliament. Step two: sitting is in session. The end."

Parliament last sat in December last year to pass this year's budget, with the Muhyiddin administration using the national state of emergency, imposed on Jan 11, to suspend Parliament and the 13 state assemblies.

"I understand my responsibilities as prime minister but I have to act fairly to ensure there are no arising issues or problems later on... This is something I hope the people can understand and wait for," Mr Muhyiddin said, as quoted by Bernama.

Malaysia's King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, after chairing a special meeting of the Malay rulers last Wednesday, urged the government to reconvene Parliament "as soon as possible".

In a separate statement last Wednesday, the other Malay rulers said there was no reason to extend the expiry of the state of emergency on Aug 1.

The emergency was supposed to allow the government to focus on containing the pandemic and its harsh economic fallout.

But daily Covid-19 cases have climbed from 2,232 on Jan 11, when the emergency was imposed, to 5,293 on Sunday, with rising tallies for deaths, those in intensive care wards and unemployment.

Malaysia is pushing to accelerate its vaccination drive, with over 11 per cent of the population inoculated at least once against the disease.

But the country is grappling with shortages of vaccine supplies amid a global rush for them.

Opposition chief Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday said the PN government's biggest failure is its inability to quickly import vaccine supplies.

"The biggest failure of the government is the provision of adequate vaccine supplies," Datuk Seri Anwar said in his party's annual congress which was held online.

Related Stories: 

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMidmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vYXNpYS9zZS1hc2lhL2NvbW1pdHRlZS1mb3JtZWQtdG8tbG9vay1pbnRvLXJlb3BlbmluZy1vZi1tYWxheXNpYW4tcGFybGlhbWVudC1wbS1tdWh5aWRkaW7SAQA?oc=5

2021-06-20 14:22:28Z
52781679932363

Adviser to jailed Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai says Apple Daily to shut within days - The Straits Times

HONG KONG (REUTERS) - Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily will be forced to shut "in a matter of days" after  the authorities froze the company's assets under a new national security law, an adviser to jailed tycoon Jimmy Lai told Reuters on Monday (June 21).

Mr Mark Simon, speaking by phone from the United States, said Next Digital, publisher of the popular Hong Kong newspaper, will hold a board meeting on Monday to discuss how to move forward. 

"We thought we’d be able to make it to the end of the month," Mr Simon said. "It’s just getting harder and harder. It’s essentially a matter of days."

His comments signal that the closure is imminent even after Apple Daily said on Sunday the freezing of its assets had left the newspaper with cash for "a few weeks" for normal operations.

The news comes two days after chief editor Ryan Law, 47, and chief executive Cheung Kim-hung, 59, were denied bail after being charged with collusion with a foreign country. 

Three other executives were also arrested last Thursday when 500 police officers raided the newspaper’s offices in a case that has drawn condemnation from Western nations, global rights groups and the chief UN spokesman for human rights. 

The three have been released on bail. 

Mr Simon told Reuters it had become impossible to conduct banking operations. 

"Vendors tried to put money into our accounts and were rejected. We can’t bank. Some vendors tried to do that as a favour. We just wanted to find out and it was rejected," he said. 

The newspaper has come under increasing pressure since owner and staunch Beijing critic Jimmy Lai, who is now in jail, was arrested under the national security law last August and has since had some of his assets frozen. 

Three companies related to Apple Daily are also being prosecuted for collusion with a foreign country and the authorities have frozen HK$18 million (S$3.12 million) of their assets. 

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMifWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vYXNpYS9lYXN0LWFzaWEvYWR2aXNlci10by1qYWlsZWQtaG9uZy1rb25nLXR5Y29vbi1qaW1teS1sYWktc2F5cy1hcHBsZS1kYWlseS10by1zaHV0LXdpdGhpbi1kYXlz0gEA?oc=5

2021-06-21 00:17:47Z
52781678443879

Asian Americans dealing with daily trauma of racial abuse - and learning to find their voices - The Straits Times

NEW YORK - In the dense generic underground echo of conversation and grating metal screech of trains in a Manhattan subway station, the voice was distinct, coming at her from behind.

"Hey, China girl," the man said, following the Korean-American woman for several metres as she ignored him and kept walking.

Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article.

Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month

• Latest headlines and exclusive stories
• In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content
• Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months*

*Terms and conditions apply.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMifGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vd29ybGQvdW5pdGVkLXN0YXRlcy9hc2lhbi1hbWVyaWNhbnMtZGVhbGluZy13aXRoLWRhaWx5LXRyYXVtYS1hbmQtbGVhcm5pbmctdG8tZmluZC10aGVpci12b2ljZXPSAQA?oc=5

2021-06-20 11:54:29Z
CAIiEK7kDFoFYZh0_z7qT_LjhpYqGQgEKhAIACoHCAow_7X3CjCh49YCMKWWpwU

Hong Kong seeking closer integration with mainland China: Chief Executive Lam - CNA

SHANGHAI: Hong Kong's strategy to strengthen the city's global financial hub status is through greater integration with mainland China, now that Beijing has helped restore "stability" in the city, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Sunday (Jun 20).

Contributing to China's financial reform and opening will inject fresh vigour into Hong Kong's economy, Lam told a financial forum in Beijing.

Worries have been growing among many non-Chinese investors in Hong Kong over what they see as vanishing rights and freedoms in the city after Beijing's imposition of a sweeping national security law in response to mass 2019 protests.

READ: Taiwanese staff to leave Hong Kong office in 'one China' row

The former British colony's high degree of autonomy from Beijing, including an independent judiciary, form the bedrock on which it has flourished as a global hub. 

While many investors still see access to the vast China markets as an important draw, others have been reconsidering their presence in Hong Kong.

Lam said Hong Kong can play key roles in promoting China's financial development, including facilitating yuan internationalisation, helping finance mainland companies, and providing an offshore safe haven for Chinese money.

"Hong Kong has never been absent from the country's reform and opening, providing capital, technology and talents," Lam said.

The city "will serve China's needs while injecting fresh vigour into Hong Kong's economy".

Hong Kong will embrace opportunities created by China's plan to integrate Hong Kong, Macau and part of Guangdong in a development zone, Lam said.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiaWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vbmV3cy9hc2lhL2hvbmcta29uZy1tYWlubGFuZC1jaGluYS1jYXJyaWUtbGFtLWNsb3Nlci1pbnRlZ3JhdGlvbi0xNTA1NDI2NNIBAA?oc=5

2021-06-20 11:08:50Z
52781680040986

Philippines signs deal for 40 million Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine doses: Report - CNA

MANILA: The Philippine government has signed a supply agreement for 40 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, the head of the government's COVID-19 vaccine procurement said on Sunday (Jun 20).

Deliveries of the vaccine, among several brands of coronavirus shots allowed for emergency use in the Philippines, will begin "after eight weeks starting August", Carlito Galvez said in a statement.

The deal comes as a delay in vaccine deliveries had earlier this month forced some cities in the capital region to close vaccination sites, complicating Manila's efforts to ramp up its immunisation drive in an Asian country with one of the biggest numbers of infections and deaths.

With the latest deal, the Philippines has now secured the delivery of 113 million doses from five vaccine manufacturers namely, Sinovac with 26 million doses, Sputnik V with 10 million doses, 20 million doses from Moderna, 17 million doses from AstraZeneca, and now 40 million doses from Pfizer, Galvez said.

He described the Pfizer-BioNTech agreement as "the biggest and most decisive deal we had for 2021".

"(It) will significantly boost our national immunisation programme and will enable us to realise our goal of achieving herd immunity by year-end," Galvez said.

"This is another positive development that will give a happy and better Christmas for all Filipinos."

READ: Philippine minister aims to deploy more nurses, healthcare workers overseas

READ: Underpaid and overworked, Philippine nurses would rather walk away than work at home

The Philippines has so far inoculated more than 8 million people, but not all have received their second dose. The aim is to inoculate 50 million to 70 million people to achieve herd immunity.

With vaccine demand easing up for many big and rich countries after they acquired more than enough doses for their populations, Galvez said this has allowed Pfizer to commit the delivery. 

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

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiamh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vbmV3cy9hc2lhL3BoaWxpcHBpbmVzLTQwLW1pbGxpb24tcGZpemVyLWJpb250ZWNoLWNvdmlkLTE5LXZhY2NpbmUtMTUwNTM3MDDSAQA?oc=5

2021-06-20 06:58:38Z
52781680011171

Covid-19 counting enters new era as threat shifts from cases to hospitalisations - The Straits Times

LONDON (BLOOMBERG) - After more than a year of obsessively tracking Covid-19 case numbers, epidemiologists are starting to shift focus to other measures as the next stage of the pandemic emerges.

With rich countries vaccinating growing proportions of their vulnerable populations, the link between infection numbers and deaths appears to be diminishing. Now, the focus is on learning to live with the virus - and on data that matters most to avoid fresh lockdowns.

"It's possible we'll get to a stage of only monitoring hospitalisations," said Dr Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Enter, which has built one of the most comprehensive platforms to track the virus and its impact.

Before vaccination campaigns took off in the UK, US and Europe, a spike in cases almost invariably translated into a surge in hospitalisations and deaths over the course of several weeks.

The strain on health systems left leaders little choice but to place curbs on public life, disrupting economies, and forced people with other medical conditions to delay important procedures.

Now scientists and government officials are keen to see whether the widening scope of vaccinations will finally break that cycle. Events in Britain are providing the most compelling test case to date.

About 46 per cent of the UK population is fully vaccinated, according to Bloomberg's Vaccine Tracker, helping reduce daily deaths to the lowest level since last summer.

Yet cases of the delta variant, a more transmissible strain first identified in India, almost doubled in the past week, Public Health England said on Friday (June 18). Hospitalisations also ticked higher, though most of the patients haven't been fully vaccinated.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson last Monday postponed the end of lockdown measures by four weeks to allow more adults to receive a second vaccine dose, which data show significantly increases protection against the new strain.

But even if the virus spreads further among children and non-vaccinated young adults, the true test of the immunisation campaign will be whether hospitalisations and deaths stay low.

If they do, Covid-19 would begin to look less like an unmanageable pandemic, and more like a seasonal disease such as influenza. For policy-makers, that's the goal.

"We are aiming to live with this virus like we do with flu," Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Parliament last week.

Scientists say comparing the prevalence of Covid to the flu, which kills about 650,000 people globally each year, will become an important yardstick come next fall and winter.

Covid-19 has killed more than 3.8 million people since the start of 2020, but vaccinated countries should eventually be able to treat its periodic resurgences in the same way as they do the flu - and make policy decisions accordingly.

"Comparing to seasonal influenza impact is an appropriate one when talking about things like closing schools," said Dr Nuzzo. "What do we do with influenza? Would we do this in a normal flu season?"

Vaccines and variants

In a sign of pandemic optimism - or fatigue - around two dozen US states have reduced how often they release Covid-19 data. Florida now reports just once per week.

In much of the world, however, health officials aren't taking their eyes off case numbers yet.

China and Taiwan reduced new infections to almost zero, but a lack of vaccines means that even small outbreaks must be treated as big threats.

In Taiwan, after a year of relative calm and daily cases in single digits, daily infections rose as high as 723 during May. The government shut entertainment venues and restricted indoor gatherings to five people to curb the spread.

"When we look at Taiwan, which is the best of the best, it underscores the vulnerability of these countries," said Dr Nuzzo. "They are not going to be able to relax until they're able to vaccinate more widely."

With a population of 24 million, Taiwan has administered just over one million vaccine doses.

Mainland China, which has experienced severe lockdowns, is coping with high levels of vaccine hesitancy and has given almost a billion doses, enough to fully vaccinate about a third of its people.

Hospitalisation risk

Even among vaccinated populations, case numbers remain important. The more the virus circulates, the higher the chance it could mutate into strains that are more lethal or resistant to existing vaccines.

People infected with the delta variant are more than twice as likely to end up hospitalised than those with the alpha strain, according to research by scientists in Scotland published in The Lancet.

Though the variant is effectively controlled by vaccines, the threat to health-care systems from even a small jump in cases could keep increasing if the virus mutates into more potent forms.

Getting to zero cases isn't realistic anytime soon, even in highly-vaccinated countries.

Most societies have come to accept the reality of mutation with other viruses, like the flu, and incorporate the new strains into vaccines when they crop up. That's likely to be the case with Covid-19.

"We have to live with the fact there will be new variants," said Dr Marc Baguelin, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London. "It's something that's always happening in the background."

Related Stories: 

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMic2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vd29ybGQvY292aWQtMTktY291bnRpbmctZW50ZXJzLW5ldy1lcmEtYXMtdGhyZWF0LXNoaWZ0cy1mcm9tLWNhc2VzLXRvLWhvc3BpdGFsaXNhdGlvbnPSAQA?oc=5

2021-06-20 06:02:20Z
CAIiED8Kz-8y8DsL7qoDbRHzWIIqGQgEKhAIACoHCAow_7X3CjCh49YCMKWWpwU

'Forces for good will prevail': Taiwan welcomes massive US vaccine aid - CNA

TAIPEI: Taiwan reacted with an outpouring of thanks to the United States for shipping 2.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to the major semiconductor-producing island, more than doubling its arsenal as it deals with a rise in domestic infections.

Washington, competing with Beijing to deepen geopolitical clout through "vaccine diplomacy", initially had promised to donate 750,000 doses but increased that number as President Joe Biden's administration advances its pledge to send 80 million US-made shots around the world.

"What a sight! What a gesture!" Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu tweeted late on Saturday (Jun 19), linking to pictures of the vaccines being loaded onto a China Airlines Boeing 777 freighter at Memphis airport.

"The Taiwan-US relationship is rock solid, & we'll keep cooperating closely in combating COVID19. Forces for good will prevail!"

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen tweeted she was touched by the US move.

"Thank you to the U.S. for this moving gesture of friendship. These vaccines will go a long way toward keeping Taiwan safe & healthy."

READ: Pushing against China, US lawmakers plan pro-Taiwan Bill

READ: Low probability of China trying to seize Taiwan in near term: Top US general

The United States, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but is its most important international backer, to China's anger.

The 2.5 million Moderna doses, due to arrive at Taiwan's main international airport late Sunday afternoon, will more than double the number of vaccines that have already arrived on the island, including 1.24 million AstraZeneca shots donated by Japan earlier this month.

China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as an integral part of its territory, has offered Chinese-made vaccines, but the government in Taipei has repeatedly expressed concerns about their safety and efficacy.

Taiwan has accused China of blocking at least one foreign vaccine deal with the island. Beijing denies that.

Despite the pandemic, China has continued to pressure Taiwan militarily.

Last week, 28 Chinese air force aircraft, including fighters and nuclear-capable bombers, entered Taiwan's air defence identification zone, the largest reported incursion to date.

Taiwan is trying to speed up the arrival of the millions of vaccines it has on order as it deals with a rise in domestic cases, although infections remain comparatively low. Only around 6 per cent of Taiwan's 23.5 million people have received at least one of the two-shot coronavirus vaccine regimen.

Tsai has come under pressure domestically to get vaccines faster.

On Friday the government said it would allow Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing to negotiate on Taipei's behalf for vaccines.

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

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiaGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vbmV3cy9hc2lhL2NvdmlkLTE5LXVzLXNlbmRzLTItNS1taWxsaW9uLXZhY2NpbmUtZG9zZXMtdG8tdGFpd2FuLTE1MDQ5NjM40gEA?oc=5

2021-06-20 01:30:00Z
52781676986891