807 new Covid-19 cases in S'pore; new clusters at two nursing homes - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - Two more nursing homes joined the list of new clusters, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Wednesday (Sept 15).

The clusters at Orange Valley Nursing Home in Simei and Jamiyah Nursing Home both have 13 cases each.

All 13 cases at Orange Valley are residents, while at the Jamiyah home in West Coast Drive, the cases include 10 residents and three staff.

All in, there were 770 new cases in the community on Wednesday - a new high in over a year.

There were also 34 cases among dormitory residents and three imported ones, bringing the total tally in Singapore to 807 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday.

This is more than double last Wednesday's total of 349 cases.

The total number of infections in Singapore now stands at 73,938, with 58 deaths.

Of the local cases on Wednesday, 238 are seniors above 60 years old.

There was one new case added to the cluster at All Saints Home in Jurong East, taking its total to 12 cases.

Ren Ci Nursing Home also had three new cases, with the cluster now totalling 32.

All in-person visits to residential care homes have been suspended for a month since Monday, after MOH detected 42 cases across 18 aged care facilities and providers.

The ministry had said last Sunday that the stoppage of visitations will continue to Oct 11 in order to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in aged care facilities, and to buy time to encourage more unvaccinated seniors to get their shots.

This window of time is also being used to roll out the vaccine booster programme for residents of aged care facilities, which will see these seniors get their third Covid-19 vaccine shot. 

On Wednesday, 11 more cases were added to the Chinatown Complex cluster, bringing the total there to 197 cases. The complex has been closed to the public since Sunday (Sept 12).

There are currently 822 Covid-19 patients in the hospital, up from 809 the day before.

There were also 76 cases in need of oxygen supplementation and nine in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Of those who have fallen very ill, 66 are seniors above 60.

The clusters linked to staff at five bus interchanges in Toa Payoh, Tampines, Boon Lay, Bishan and Clementi had 16 new cases.

The total number of cases at these interchanges is 657.

Read the full MOH press release here.

Related Stories: 

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiaGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vc2luZ2Fwb3JlL25ldy1jbHVzdGVycy1hdC10d28tbnVyc2luZy1ob21lcy04MDctbmV3LWNvdmlkLTE5LWNhc2VzLWluLXNwb3Jl0gEA?oc=5

2021-09-15 15:33:35Z
52781882164147

Californians vote to keep Democratic governor in recall election: US media projections - CNA

LOS ANGELES: Californians voted overwhelmingly to keep their Democratic governor on Tuesday (Sep 14), roundly rejecting a Republican attempt to unseat him in a special recall vote spurred by mask mandates and COVID-19 lockdowns.

Gavin Newsom handily survived an effective confidence vote that could have seen him replaced by a Republican with only minority support in one of the most liberal parts of the United States.

With more than 60 per cent of the votes tallied, NBC, CNN and Fox News said that Newsom was set to prevail, with two-thirds voting against the effort.

"'No' is not the only thing that was expressed tonight," Newsom said in Sacramento moments after the race was called.

"I want to focus on what we said 'yes' to, as a state. We said yes to science, we said yes to vaccines. We said yes to ending this pandemic."

Newsom acted quickly as the pandemic took hold of California, ordering people to stay home and shuttering schools, in moves praised by scientists.

But entrepreneurs blamed him for suffocating their businesses with his rules, and parents chafed at keeping their children home.

The vote had been eagerly watched by politicians across the deeply divided country as a possible indicator of how incumbents who listened to doctors - instead of angry constituents - would fare at the ballot box.

Newsom's main opponent was Larry Elder, 69, a right-wing talk radio star who has spoken proudly of his support for former president Donald Trump.

Before polls even closed, Elder took a page out of Trump's 2020 election playbook, launching a website alleging voter fraud and demanding that state officials "investigate and ameliorate the twisted results" of the election.

But at what Elder had previously billed as a "victory party", he urged his supporters to be "gracious in defeat".

"We may have lost the battle, but we are going to win the war," he told an audience sprinkled with red "Make America Great Again" hats.

The ballot was a two-part referendum, with the first asking if 53-year-old Newsom should stay in office.

The second, which would only have come into play if a majority wanted him out, asked which of 46 candidates should take his place.

Traditional politicians vied with a YouTube star, a "Billboard Queen" and Caitlyn Jenner for the spoils.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiaWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vd29ybGQvY2FsaWZvcm5pYS1yZWNhbGwtZWxlY3Rpb24tZ2F2aW4tbmV3c29tLWRlbW9jcmF0aWMtZ292ZXJub3ItMjE3OTE5NtIBAA?oc=5

2021-09-15 05:38:00Z
52781864314987

No specific terrorist threat to Singapore despite Japanese advisory: ISD - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - The Internal Security Department (ISD) said on Tuesday (Sept 14) it has seen no specific nor credible intelligence of imminent terrorist threat to Singapore.

This is despite an advisory recently issued by the Japanese Foreign Ministry to its citizens in South-east Asia, including Singapore, warning of a possible terror attack in crowded places.

In response to media queries, the ISD said that it has reached out to its Japanese counterparts.

"They also have no specific intelligence," it said.

But the department urged members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly call the ISD counter-terrorism hotline on 1800-2626-473, or report via the SGSecure app, when they come across suspicious persons or activities.

An advisory on the website of Japan's Foreign Ministry that was issued on Sunday said that there was "information of a growing possibility" that a suicide bomber may target places where many people gather, such as places of worship, including in Singapore.

It said Japanese residents should continue to strengthen their vigilance against terrorism and take measures such as monitoring the latest information and following the instructions of the local authorities.

Should they visit a place that is "easily targeted by terrorism", such as tourist, religious, "Western-related", or government facilities, they should pay attention to their surroundings, added the advisory.

Similar advisories were sent to Japanese citizens in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar.

Security agencies in other Asean countries have also responded to the warning.

Malaysian news outlets reported on Tuesday that Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said there was no basis to the advisory issued by the Japanese Embassy.

The Philippine national police and armed forces said they have not received any report of possible terror attacks linked to Tokyo's warning, according to other reports.

A Thailand foreign ministry spokesman said the Japanese Foreign Ministry did not reveal the source of the information that led it to issue the alert, nor reveal which exact locations in the region the alert referred to, reported the Bangkok Post.

Japanese citizens are advised to "stop unnecessary and non-urgent travel" to Singapore, according the Japanese Foreign Ministry on its website.

They are also advised to refrain from travelling to other parts of South-east Asia, such as Malaysia and Thailand, for any purpose.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vc2luZ2Fwb3JlL25vLXNwZWNpZmljLXRlcnJvcmlzdC10aHJlYXQtdG8tc2luZ2Fwb3JlLWRlc3BpdGUtamFwYW5lc2UtYWR2aXNvcnktaXNk0gEA?oc=5

2021-09-15 04:06:34Z
CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vc2luZ2Fwb3JlL25vLXNwZWNpZmljLXRlcnJvcmlzdC10aHJlYXQtdG8tc2luZ2Fwb3JlLWRlc3BpdGUtamFwYW5lc2UtYWR2aXNvcnktaXNk0gEA

Dubious of Trump's sanity, US general secretly called China, claims new book - CNA

WASHINGTON: The top US general was so worried in early January that Donald Trump was out of control that he took secret action to prevent the outgoing president from sparking a war with China, according to a new book.

Joint Chiefs Chair General Mark Milley ordered aides to not act immediately on any move by Trump to use US nuclear forces, and he called a Chinese general to reassure Beijing, presidential chronicler Bob Woodward and co-author Robert Costa wrote in their soon-to-be-released book.

The Washington Post - Woodward's and Costa's employer - and CNN on Tuesday (Sep 14) reported excerpts from the book "Peril," depicting Milley as organizing the Pentagon and intelligence community to resist any move by Trump to ratchet up tensions with China after he lost the November 2020 presidential election.

Milley called Chinese counterpart General Li Zuocheng twice, on Oct 30 just before Trump's election defeat, and on Jan 8, two days after Trump supporters attacked the US Capitol, to reassure him that the Republican president's anti-China rhetoric could not translate into military action.

"General Li, I want to assure you that the American government is stable and everything is going to be okay," Milley told Li in the October call, Woodward and Costa write.

"We are not going to attack or conduct any kinetic operations against you," Milley said.

NUCLEAR STRIKE WORRIES

Two months later, Milley used the secret back-channel with Li again after the US Capitol riot, amid concerns both in Beijing and Washington that Trump was unstable.

"We are 100 per cent steady. Everything's fine. But democracy can be sloppy sometimes," Milley told Li, according to the book.

To reassure the Chinese, Milley went so far as to have the Pentagon's Indo-Pacific Command postpone military exercises that Beijing might have viewed as a possible threat.

Separately, Milley told his top staff that if Trump sought to exercise his power to order a nuclear strike, that they had to inform him first.

And Milley discussed with other top officials, including CIA director Gina Haspel and National Security Agency head Paul Nakasone, the need to be vigilant amid concerns Trump could act irrationally.

"Some might contend that Milley had overstepped his authority and taken extraordinary power for himself," the authors wrote.

But he believed he was acting correctly "to ensure there was no historic rupture in the international order, no accidental war with China or others, and no use of nuclear weapons," they said.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the book's claims.

Milley and others, including Haspel, were worried that Trump would undertake an attack on China or Iran out of frustration or to find a way to hold onto the presidency.

"This is a highly dangerous situation. We are going to lash out for his ego?" said the CIA chief, according to the book.

'HE'S CRAZY'

Milley's second Li call came after the top lawmaker in Congress, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, phoned Milley about Trump's state of mind and his rejection - held to this day - of President Joe Biden's election victory.

Two days earlier, goaded on by Trump, hundreds of supporters violently stormed Congress, forcing lawmakers to cancel a session meant to certify Biden's victory and causing lawmakers of both parties to flee.

Woodward and Costa obtained a transcript of the Pelosi call.

"What precautions are available to prevent an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or from accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike?" Pelosi asked.

"If they couldn't even stop him from an assault on the Capitol, who even knows what else he may do?" she said.

"He's crazy. You know he's crazy ... and what he did yesterday is further evidence of his craziness."

The system had "a lot of checks" to forestall extreme behavior by the president, Milley responded.

Nevertheless, he said, "I agree with you on everything."

Republican lawmakers quickly used the reports to attack Milley, with senior Senator Marco Rubio calling for Biden to fire the general.

Rubio, a defender of Trump, alleged Milley "worked to actively undermine the sitting Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces and contemplated a treasonous leak of classified information to the Chinese Communist Party."

"These actions by General Milley demonstrate a clear lack of sound judgement, and I urge you to dismiss him immediately," he said in a letter to Biden.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMidGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vd29ybGQvZHViaW91cy10cnVtcHMtc2FuaXR5LXVzLWdlbmVyYWwtc2VjcmV0bHktY2FsbGVkLWNoaW5hLWNsYWltcy1uZXctYm9vay0yMTc4MDU20gEA?oc=5

2021-09-14 21:55:00Z
52781880166467

Hundreds of sports allowed, Taliban promise - if you're a man - CNA

KABUL: From swimming to soccer, running to horse riding, Afghanistan's new sports chief said on Tuesday (Sep 14) that the Taliban will allow 400 sports - but declined to confirm if women can play a single one.

"Please don't ask more questions about women," Bashir Ahmad Rustamzai told AFP, from an armchair where Afghanistan's Olympic Committee president had sat until he fled the country last month.

Rustamzai, a heavily-built former kung fu and wrestling champion with a bushy black and white beard, was appointed by the hardline Islamist group to be Afghanistan's director general for sports and physical education.

Once the wrestling federation chief when the Taliban were last in power, Rustamzai then worked with the Western-backed government, before falling out with them because of "their widespread corruption," he said.

'WE WILL NOT BAN ANY SPORT'

Dressed in a black turban typical of the Taliban, Rustamzai repeatedly ducked questions on the issue of women's sports.

During the extremists' brutal and oppressive regime from 1996 to 2001, women were completely banned from playing any sport while men's sport was tightly controlled. Women were also largely banned from education and work.

Sports stadiums were regularly used for public executions.

"We will not ban any sport, unless it does not comply with sharia law ... there are 400 type of sports allowed," Rustamzai said.

Shortly after, he watched a demonstration by young Afghan men, some zooming around on roller blades, and waving the white Taliban flag.

Rustamzai said that abiding by Islamic law meant little change in practice compared to other countries.

"It doesn't change much," he said, noting it would require, for example, football players or Muay Thai boxers to wear "shorts a little longer, which fall below the knee".

Pushed on women's participation, he said he was still awaiting decrees from the top Taliban leadership.

"We can imagine the same thing as in universities: allowing women to play sports, but separately from men," one of his advisors said.

But Rustamzai would not confirm that directly.

New rules on universities allow for women to continue studying as long as they are strictly segregated from men, and adhere to a dress code of an abaya robe and niqab face veil. The curriculum will also be controlled.

SEGREGATED SPORT

For now, the indications look bleak for women.

Last week, the deputy head of the Taliban's cultural commission, Ahmadullah Wasiq, said that it was "not necessary" for women to play sport.

"In cricket, they might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered," Wasiq told Australian broadcaster SBS. "Islam does not allow women to be seen like this."

But the Taliban are already under pressure, especially for cricket, where international regulations state that nations must also have an active women's team to take part in Test matches.

Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) chairman Azizullah Fazli later told SBS Radio Pashto he was still hopeful women will be able to play.

"Very soon, we will give you good news on how we will proceed," he said.

But Rustamzai distanced himself from the future of women's sport.

"The opinions of our elders (senior Taliban) are important," he said. "If they ask us to authorise women, we will - otherwise, we will not. We await their announcement."

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiYmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vc3BvcnQvaHVuZHJlZHMtc3BvcnRzLWFsbG93ZWQtdGFsaWJhbi1wcm9taXNlLWlmLXlvdXJlLW1hbi0yMTc4MDY20gEA?oc=5

2021-09-14 18:30:37Z
52781880436687

Singapore hopes for constructive US-China relationship amid inevitable competition: Dr Balakrishnan - CNA

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiK2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9dHAtbWljT0JnbkXSAQA?oc=5

2021-09-14 13:14:25Z
52781880109674

Indian study finds big drop in Covid-19 antibodies within four months of vaccination - The Straits Times

BHUBANESWAR, INDIA (REUTERS) - A study of 614 fully vaccinated health workers in India found a"significant" drop in their Covid-19-fighting antibodies within four months of the first shot.

The findings could help the Indian government decide whether to provide booster doses as some Western countries have done.

Waning antibodies do not necessarily mean that immunised people lose their ability to counter the disease, as the body's memory cells may still kick in to offer substantial protection, said the director of a state-run institute that did the study.

"After six months, we should be able to tell you more clearly whether and when a booster would be needed," Dr Sanghamitra Pati of the Regional Medical Research Centre, based in the eastern city of Bhubaneswar, told Reuters on Tuesday (Sept 14).

"And we would urge similar studies in different areas for pan-India data."

British researchers said last month that protection offered by two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and the AstraZeneca vaccines begins to fade within six months.

The Indian study, published in the Research Square pre-print platform but yet to be peer-reviewed, is one of the first such done in the country involving its main two vaccines - Covishield, a licensed version of the AstraZeneca shot, and domestically developed Covaxin.

Health officials say though they are studying the evolving science on booster doses, the priority is to fully immunise India's 944 million adults.

More than 60 per cent of them have received at least one dose and 19 per cent the required two doses.

Covid-19 cases and deaths in India have come down sharply since a peak of more than 400,000 infections in early May.

India has reported 33.29 million cases in total and 443,213 deaths.

Related Stories: 

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMigQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5zdHJhaXRzdGltZXMuY29tL2FzaWEvc291dGgtYXNpYS9pbmRpYW4tc3R1ZHktZmluZHMtYmlnLWRyb3AtaW4tY292aWQtMTktYW50aWJvZGllcy13aXRoaW4tZm91ci1tb250aHMtb2YtdmFjY2luYXRpb27SAQA?oc=5

2021-09-14 10:27:50Z
52781880395299