New Covid-19 cases in Singapore fall for fifth day in a row, with 11 in ICU - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - The total number of daily Covid-19 cases here has fallen for the fifth day in a row.

On Tuesday night (Aug 10), the Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 53 local cases, and one imported case.

The last time there were fewer than 53 community cases was on July 15, when there were 42 such cases.

Fifteen of the cases on Tuesday night were unlinked.

The last time there were fewer than 15 unlinked cases was on July 21, with seven such cases.

One new case was added to the cluster at the NKF Dialysis Centre, which now has a total of four cases.

There are also currently 11 patients in critical condition in the intensive care unit, up from 10 the day before.

MOH also announced a total of 32 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation.

Six of these 43 cases are fully vaccinated. Altogether, there are 35 seniors above 60 years old who have fallen very ill, said MOH.

Of this group, 29 are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.

As at Aug 9, 8,145,237 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered under the national vaccination programme, covering 4,373,550 individuals.

Of these, 3,897,650 people have completed the full vaccination regimen, said MOH.

In addition, 131,186 doses of other vaccines recognised in the World Health Organisation's Emergency Use Listing have been administered as of Aug 9, covering 80,459 individuals.

In total, 72 per cent of people here have received two doses of the vaccines, and 81 per cent have received at least one dose.

Overall, the number of new cases in the community has decreased from 799 cases in the week before last to 481 cases in the past week.

The number of unlinked cases in the community has also decreased from 238 cases in the week before last to 138 cases in the past week.

A total of 508 cases are currently in hospital.

Read the full MOH press release here.

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2021-08-10 14:55:08Z
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Johor sultan disappointed at politicians jostling for power when people are reeling from COVID-19 - CNA

In his address to the nation on Monday in conjunction with the Islamic new year, Malaysia's king Al Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah urged Malaysians to comply with measures set out in the country's four-phase National Recovery Plan, Malaysia's blueprint to exit from the pandemic.

Sultan Abdullah also called on Malaysians to rise together to strengthen unity, maintain health and adhere to the COVID-19 measures for the sake of the country.

Last Sunday, Mr Muhyiddin announced privileges extended to fully vaccinated individuals, included allowing long-distance married couples to cross district or state borders to meet up, while fully vaccinated parents are also allowed to travel within the country to meet their children who are under 18 years old.

Fully vaccinated Malaysians and permanent residents returning from overseas will be able to serve their quarantine at home. 

The government has also lifted certain COVID-19 curbs for states and federal territories that have already transitioned into the second and third phase of the National Recovery Plan (NPR).

Dine-in, cross-district travel and domestic tourism activities, for instance, would be allowed for fully vaccinated people. Residents in these areas would also be able to enjoy a wider range of non-contact and individual sports and recreational activities, including fishing, equestrian sports, hiking, archery and golf. 

Currently, Perlis, Sarawak and the federal territory of Labuan have transitioned into the NPR's third phase. 

Six other states, including Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak, Penang and Sabah, are in the second phase, while the rest are still in phase one.

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2021-08-10 11:25:59Z
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Hong Kong teachers' union to disband due to 'drastic' political situation - CNA

The union grabbed headlines at the end of July when China's state-run media outlets Xinhua news agency and the People's Daily condemned it as a "poisonous tumour" that must be eliminated.

Hours later, Hong Kong's Education Bureau said it would no longer recognise the opposition-leaning union, which was set up nearly 50 years ago and has around 95,000 members. It employs 200 full-time staff.

The bureau said the union's remarks in recent years were not in line with the education profession, rendering it no different than a political group, and accused it of encouraging students and teachers to take part in "unlawful activities".

Students were on the frontlines of sometimes violent anti-government protests that roiled Hong Kong in 2019, with teachers among some of the thousands arrested.

Hong Kong's security legislation requires the Chinese-ruled city to "promote national security education in schools and universities and through social organisations, the media, the Internet".

The union, which also provides medical and welfare services to members, said it had always promoted the development of the education sector, protected teachers' rights and had not incited students to join demonstrations.

Authorities have denied any erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong - which returned to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula aimed at preserving its freedoms and role as a financial hub - but say China's national security is a red line.

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2021-08-10 09:45:58Z
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Cambodia dam destroyed livelihoods of tens of thousands: Human Rights Watch - CNA

PHNOM PENH: A massive China-financed dam in Cambodia has "washed away the livelihoods" of tens of thousands of villagers while falling short of promised energy production, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday (Aug 10).

The 400-megawatt Lower Sesan 2 dam in the kingdom's north-east has sparked controversy since long before its December 2018 launch.

Fisheries experts had warned that damming the confluence of the Sesan and Srepok rivers - two major tributaries of the resource-rich Mekong River - would threaten fish stocks crucial to millions living along the Mekong's flood plains.

Tens of thousands of villagers living upstream and downstream have suffered steep losses to their incomes, HRW said in Tuesday's report, citing interviews conducted over two years with some 60 people from various communities.

"The Lower Sesan 2 dam washed away the livelihoods of indigenous and ethnic minority communities who previously lived communally and mostly self-sufficiently from fishing, forest-gathering and agriculture," John Sifton, Human Rights Watch's Asia advocacy director and the report's author, said on Tuesday.

"Cambodian authorities need to urgently revisit this project's compensation, resettlement, and livelihood-restoration methods."

"There's no doubt at all that (the dam) contributed significantly to the larger problems the Mekong is facing right now," said Mekong energy and water expert Brian Eyler, while adding that more research was needed on the exact losses.

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2021-08-10 05:33:35Z
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Malaysians in Singapore welcome Covid-19 home quarantine rule for those who are fully vaccinated - The Straits Times

JOHOR BARU (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Fully vaccinated Malaysians in Singapore are elated by the news that starting Tuesday (Aug 10), they can quarantine at home when they return from the Republic instead of spending two weeks at a hotel.

While describing the move as timely, some are hoping for Singapore to reciprocate by reducing its two-week compulsory quarantine period.

Technician Iskandar Mat Jusoh, 37, who has received both vaccination shots, said the announcement by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin would benefit many Malaysians who were hoping to return home from Singapore.

"This will not just save money, but will also allow people to have a longer reunion with their families," he said.

Mr Iskandar, who last met his wife and 10-year-old son in person last year, said he would have to fork out more than $2,000 for quarantine charges when he returned to Singapore.

Ms Nurbayzura Basaruddin, who works as a fast-food outlet manager in Singapore, will not be returning any time soon due to the quarantine cost in Singapore.

Ms Nurbayzuara, 34, said: "I really miss my husband and four young children as I have not been back home since the lockdown started in March last year. I have already gotten both my vaccination shots and may only come back next year. I hope that the Singapore government can also consider some leeway for those who are fully vaccinated."

Project manager Danny Tay, 43, said the latest home quarantine announcement was something many were looking forward to, especially those who had not seen their families since the border closure in March last year.

"This will also help ease the financial burden of those who have lost their jobs in Singapore and want to return home," he said, adding that he would wait a while longer for the cases in Malaysia to dip before returning home.

Mr M. Suresh, 33, who is a permanent resident in Singapore where he works in the food and beverage industry, hoped that his 14-day quarantine period would be shortened.

''I returned on Aug 6 and am serving a 14-day quarantine stay in Johor Baru. This is indeed good news and I hope to spend more time with my son, daughter and wife," he said.

Mr Suresh, who is fully inoculated, said he planned to move his family to Singapore as he missed watching his children grow up.

"I hope that Singapore will also help relax the quarantine period for those fully vaccinated," he added.

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2021-08-10 01:52:21Z
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US warned Brazil that Huawei would leave it 'high and dry' on 5G - CNA

WASHINGTON: US national security adviser Jake Sullivan raised concerns about Huawei equipment in Brazil's 5G telecoms network during his visit to the country last week, a White House official said on Monday (Aug 9), but Brazil made no promises about whether it would use products from the Chinese company.

US officials also pressed Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro on his efforts to call Brazilian election integrity into question and said the United States had confidence in Brazil's ability to carry out free elections, the National Security Council's senior director for the Western Hemisphere, Juan Gonzalez, told reporters on a conference call.

Gonzalez denied reports that the United States had offered support for a NATO partnership with Brazil in exchange for cooperation over 5G equipment made by China's Huawei Technologies, saying the two issues were not related and there was no "quid pro quo".

"We do support Brazil's aspirations as a NATO global partner as a way to deepen security cooperation over time between Brazil and the NATO countries," Gonzalez said.

"We continue to have concerns about Huawei's potential role in Brazil's telecom infrastructure," Gonzales said, adding that Huawei was facing "major challenges" to its semiconductor supply chain that would leave international customers "high and dry."

Brazil "made no commitments to us" regarding Huawei, he said, adding that US officials had urged both Brazil and Argentina to build native industries.

The United States has opposed Brazil's use of Huawei on security grounds, though Brazilian telecom companies have already built networks largely with Chinese components.

Huawei was put on a US export blacklist in 2019 and barred from accessing critical technology of US origin, affecting its ability to design its own chips and source components from outside vendors.

The far-right Bolsonaro had followed former President Donald Trump in opposing Huawei over claims that it shares confidential data with China's ruling Communist Party and government. But with China being Brazil's largest trade partner, he has faced resistance from industry and within his own government.

Gonzalez said US officials had been "very direct" in expressing confidence in Brazilian institutions being able to carry out a free and fair election next year with proper safeguards against fraud.

"We stressed the importance of not undermining confidence in that process, especially since there were no signs of fraud in ... prior elections," he said.

Bolsonaro has railed for weeks against the electronic voting machines used in Brazil and pushed for the adoption of printed receipts that can be counted if any election result is disputed.

Critics fear that he, like Trump, is sowing doubts in case he loses next year's election.

Trump and Bolsonaro were close allies and political kindred spirits. Gonzalez said Trump did not come up during the meetings.

With his popularity falling amid the world's second-highest COVID-19 death toll, opinion polls show Bolsonaro trails former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, though neither has officially announced their candidacy.

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2021-08-09 19:21:32Z
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'We are not the virus': Two-tier COVID-19 Delta lockdowns divide Sydney - CNA

"It's like a shock for them as they believed they arrived in a free country and they say, 'we face same what we face in our (home) country'," she said.

"Some of them told me, 'we are not the virus'."

New South Wales Police declined a request for comment, although it has said publicly the 300 defence force personnel helping with "compliance checks" are trained in community engagement and unarmed.

Tim Soutphommasane, a former federal race discrimination commissioner, called western Sydney "the heartland of multicultural Australia".

"If we don't get this right, we will undermine the social fabric of this city for years to come," he said in an email.

BUSINESS BUST

The tougher lockdowns have also dealt an economic blow the federal government - facing its weakest polling in years and with elections due by early 2022 - has said may contribute to a second recession in two years.

The west, where three-quarters of residents in some suburbs are overseas-born, contributes about 7 per cent to the A$1.6 trillion (US$1.2 trillion) national economy, with major logistics and manufacturing hubs there, according to Business Western Sydney (BWS), an industry association.

Before the lockdowns, three-quarters of the area's 1 million workers left their neighbourhoods daily to go to jobs.

"These workers have gone from earning a wage to, for many of them, lining up for welfare for the first time in their lives," said BWS Executive Director David Borger.

The state government has said it would let the 80,000 construction workers from the west return to job sites once fully vaccinated, but with supply shortages and changing advice about vaccines for people under 40, less than a sixth of young Australians have had both shots, government figures show.

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2021-08-10 01:05:03Z
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