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Senin, 29 Juni 2020

China says it will restrict visas for some Americans over Hong Kong row - CNA

BEIJING: China warned on Monday (Jun 29) that it would impose visa restrictions on US citizens who had "behaved egregiously" over Hong Kong, ahead of expected approval from Beijing lawmakers for a controversial national security law in the city.

China is moving forward on a security law that would enforce punishment for subversion and other offences in Hong Kong, which was rocked by massive and sometimes-violent protests last year.

READ: Hong Kongers march in silent protest against national security laws

On Friday, US President Donald Trump's administration said it was restricting US visas for a number of unspecified Chinese officials for infringing on the autonomy of the financial hub.

Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Monday that the US "scheme ... to obstruct the passage of the Hong Kong national security law will never prevail".

"To target the US's above wrongful actions, China has decided to impose visa restrictions against American individuals who have behaved egregiously on matters concerning Hong Kong," Zhao said.

APPROVAL IMMINENT

China's top lawmaking committee is expected to adopt the law during sessions that end on Tuesday.

The legislation was approved by Beijing's parliament little more than six weeks after it was unveiled, sending shockwaves through semi-autonomous Hong Kong and beyond.

While outlawing acts of subversion, secession, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces, the legislation will allow China's security agencies to set up shop publicly in the city for the first time.

The United States, Britain, the European Union and the United Nations rights watchdog all voiced fears the law could be used to stifle criticism of Beijing, which uses similar laws on the mainland to crush dissent.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would curb visas for unspecified current and former officials of the Chinese Communist Party "who were responsible for eviscerating Hong Kong's freedoms".

The officials targeted were "responsible for, or complicit in, undermining Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy", which Beijing promised before regaining control of the territory in 1997 from Britain, Pompeo said.

Last week, the US Senate unanimously approved a Bill that would impose mandatory economic sanctions in the United States against Chinese officials and Hong Kong police identified as hurting the city's autonomous status.

Zhao warned on Monday that the US "should not review, advance or implement relevant negative Bills concerning Hong Kong, even less impose so-called sanctions on China, otherwise China will firmly take strong countermeasures".

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2020-06-29 08:20:59Z
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Minggu, 28 Juni 2020

CanSino's COVID-19 vaccine candidate approved for military use in China - CNA

BEIJING: China's military has received the green light to use a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by its research unit and CanSino Biologics after clinical trials proved it was safe and somewhat efficient, the company said on Monday (Jun 29).

The Ad5-nCoV is one of the eight vaccine candidates being developed by Chinese companies and researchers approved to be moved into human trials for the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus. The shot also won approval for human testing in Canada.

China's Central Military Commission approved the use of the vaccine by the military on Jun 25 for a period of one year, CanSino said in a filing. The vaccine candidate was developed jointly by CanSino and the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology in the Academy of Military Medical Sciences.

"The Ad5-nCoV is currently limited to military use only and its use cannot be expanded to a broader vaccination range without the approval of the Logistics Support Department," CanSino said, referring to the Central Military Commission department where the military use of the vaccine was approved.

The Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials showed the vaccine candidate has potential to prevent diseases caused by the coronavirus, which has killed half a million people globally, but its commercial success cannot be guaranteed, the company said.

No vaccine has yet been approved for commercial use against the illness caused by the new coronavirus, but over a dozen vaccines from more than 100 candidates globally are being tested in humans.

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

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2020-06-29 04:53:30Z
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Global coronavirus deaths top half a million - CNA

SYDNEY: The death toll from COVID-19 reached half a million people on Sunday (Jun 28), according to a Reuters tally, a grim milestone for the global pandemic that seems to be resurgent in some countries even as other regions are still grappling with the first wave.

The respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus has been particularly dangerous for the elderly, although other adults and children are also among the 500,000 fatalities and more than 10 million reported cases.

While the overall rate of death has flattened in recent weeks, health experts have expressed concerns about record numbers of new cases in countries like the United States, India and Brazil, as well as new outbreaks in parts of Asia.

READ: China puts half a million people in lockdown as Beijing fights new COVID-19 cluster

More than 4,700 people are dying every 24 hours from coronavirus-linked illness, according to Reuters calculations based on an average from Jun 1 to 27.

That equates to 196 people an hour, or one person every 18 seconds.

About one-quarter of all the deaths so far have been in the United States, the Reuters data shows. The recent surge in cases have been most pronounced in a handful of southern and western states that reopened earlier and more aggressively.

The first recorded death from the new virus was on Jan 9, a 61-year-old man from the Chinese city of Wuhan who was a regular shopper at a wet market that has been identified as the source of the outbreak.

In just five months, the COVID-19 death toll is now equal to the number of people who die annually from malaria, one of the most deadly infectious diseases.

The death rate averages out to 78,000 a month, compared with 64,000 AIDS-related deaths and 36,000 malaria deaths, according to 2018 figures from the World Health Organization.

CHANGING BURIAL RITES

The high number of deaths has led to changes to traditional and religious burial rites around the world, with morgues and funeral businesses overwhelmed and loved ones often barred from bidding farewell in person.

READ: ‘I can barely take a break’: Gravediggers in Jakarta race against time as deaths linked to COVID-19 rise

In Israel, the custom of washing the bodies of Muslim deceased is not permitted, and instead of being shrouded in cloth, they must be wrapped in a plastic body bag. The Jewish tradition of Shiva where people go to the home of mourning relatives for seven days has also been disrupted.

In Italy, Catholics have been buried without funerals or a blessing from a priest. In New York, city crematories were working overtime, burning bodies into the night as officials scouted for temporary interment sites.

In Iraq, former militiamen have dropped their guns to instead dig graves for coronavirus victims at a specially created cemetery. They have learned how to conduct Christian, as well as Muslim, burials.

ELDERLY AT RISK

Public health experts are looking at how demographics affect the death rates in different regions. Some European countries with older populations have reported higher fatality rates, for instance.

An April report by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control looked at over 300,000 cases in 20 countries and found that about 46 per cent of all fatalities were over the age of 80.

In Indonesia, hundreds of children are believed to have died, a development health officials have attributed to malnutrition, anaemia and inadequate child health facilities.

Health experts caution that the official data likely does not tell the full story, with many believing that both cases and deaths have likely been under-reported in some countries.

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

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2020-06-28 22:52:18Z
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Coronavirus: Indonesia's President Joko Widodo blasts 'business as usual' attitude, warns of Cabinet reshuffle - The Straits Times

JAKARTA - Indonesian President Joko Widodo has threatened to reshuffle the Cabinet as he expressed frustration over the “lack of a sense of crisis” in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said the government ministers were working in a business as usual mode in tackling the crisis.

In a video of a Cabinet meeting released by the presidential palace on Sunday (June 28), Mr Joko said he was very disappointed with the slow disbursement of urgently needed funds such as aid for the poor, stimulus for businesses to preempt layoffs, money to buy medical equipment and special allowances for medical doctors and nurses.

Mr Joko, popularly known as Jokowi at home, was especially angered by a report which said that the health ministry has spent only 1.5 per cent of the 75 trillion rupiah (S$7.3 billion) allocated to it as emergency funds to deal with the pandemic.

The presidential palace did not explain why the June 18 video was released only on Sunday. Its public relations office regularly publishes highlights of Mr Joko’s meetings with his ministers and normally releases his opening remarks ahead of the meetings.

“I am keeping open measures, politically as well as government policy-wise. I would take extraordinary measures for the sake of the 267 million Indonesians. I may disband government agencies (that have been shown to be ineffective), do a Cabinet reshuffle. I have considered various measures,” Mr Joko said.

He was addressing the ministers from a podium.

More than 15 of the 34 Cabinet ministers appointed by Mr Joko come from various political parties in a coalition supporting him. The rest of the Cabinet is made up of technocrats as well as successful entrepreneurs and businessmen.

Mr Joko, who won re-election in 2019, is constitutionally barred from a third term in office.

“Immediately spend your budget as soon as possible as it would fuel consumer spending. If you face any obstacle, make new policies to expedite the process,” Mr Joko told his Cabinet.

He said that funds from the economic stimulus package should quickly go to businesses, stressing that it would be useless if the government helped only after they had gone bust.

“It is very dangerous if we have no sense of crisis.

“Micro, small, medium, large enterprises, banking and everything that is related to the economy need to be assisted. Manufacturing, labour intensive industries especially need to be prioritised so there won’t be lay-offs. Don’t wait until there are big lay-offs,” said Mr Joko.

Finance Ministry figures in May show the government has committed to spending 641.15 trillion rupiah (S$61.77 billion) to mitigate the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, including on businesses.

Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, has reported a total of 54,010 infections, the highest in South-east Asia, as of Sunday. The total number of fatalities was 2,754.

Indonesia's President Widodo threatens to reshuffle Cabinet over COVID-19 response - CNA

JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo has told his Cabinet he is ready to reshuffle ministers or even disband government agencies that he feels have not done enough to fight the coronavirus outbreak, according to his office.

Widodo made the remarks in a Cabinet meeting on Jun 18, the video of which was released by his office on Sunday (Jun 28).

"I see that many of us are working as though things are normal. That's what's irritating me. Don't you have feelings? This is a crisis," Widodo said in the video.

"I will take any extraordinary measures for our 267 million people, for the nation. It can be disbanding agencies, can be a reshuffle, I have thought of everything," he said, adding that he may also issue more emergency rules if needed.

The president also complained to his ministers of slow government spending in the face of a dire global economic outlook.

New COVID-19 cases in Indonesia continued to rise even as the country eased movement restrictions and allowed some re-openings of businesses this month.

On Saturday the country reported its biggest daily rise in infections with 1,385 new cases, and reported another 1,198 on Sunday, taking the total to 54,010 so far. It has recorded 2,754 deaths, the highest in East Asia outside China.

READ: Indonesia reports biggest daily rise in coronavirus infections with 1,385 cases

READ: Social taboos hinder Indonesia's fight against COVID-19

Widodo's government has pledged to spend nearly US$50 billion on public health, social protection and relief measures.

Southeast Asia's largest economy may fall into a recession this year due to the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, government officials say, sending millions into poverty.

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2020-06-28 13:44:29Z
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China puts half a million people in lockdown as Beijing fights new COVID-19 cluster - CNA

BEIJING: China imposed a strict lockdown on nearly half a million people in Hebei province to contain a fresh COVID-19 cluster on Sunday (Jun 28), as authorities warned the outbreak was still "severe and complicated".

After China largely brought the coronavirus under control, hundreds have been infected in Beijing and cases have emerged in neighbouring Hebei province in recent weeks.

Health officials said Sunday that Anxin county - about 150km from Beijing - will be "fully enclosed and controlled", the same strict measures imposed at the height of the pandemic in the city of Wuhan earlier this year.

Only one person from each family will be allowed to go out once a day to purchase necessities such as food and medicine, the county's epidemic prevention task force said in a statement.

The move comes after another 14 cases of the virus were reported in the past 24 hours in Beijing, taking the total to 311 since mid-June and spurring the testing of millions of residents.

READ: China reports 17 new COVID-19 cases, including 14 in Beijing

READ: Chinese firm says COVID-19 vaccine candidate shows promise in human test

The outbreak was first detected in Beijing's sprawling Xinfadi wholesale food market, which supplies much of the city's fresh produce, sparking concerns over the safety of the food supply chain.

Nearly a third of the cases so far have been linked to one beef and mutton section in the market, where workers are being made to quarantine for a month, city officials said Sunday.

Businesses in Anxin county had supplied freshwater fish to the Xinfadi market, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Some 12 cases of the novel coronavirus were found in the county - including 11 linked to Xinfadi, the state-run Global Times reported.

The new cases in Beijing have prompted fears of a resurgence of the virus in China.

The capital has mass-tested wholesale market workers, restaurant workers, residents of medium and high-risk neighbourhoods and delivery couriers over the past two weeks.

At a press conference on Sunday, officials said 8.3 million samples have been collected so far, of which 7.7 million have already been tested.

Testing has now expanded to include all employees of the city's beauty parlours and hair salons, the Global Times said.

Beijing city official Xu Hejian told reporters Sunday that "the epidemic situation in the capital is severe and complicated", warning that the city needed to continue tracing the spread of the virus.

City officials have urged people not to leave Beijing, closed schools again and locked down dozens of residential compounds to stamp out the virus.

But Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiology expert at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters last week the new outbreak had been "brought under control", and officials lifted a weeks-long lockdown imposed on seven Beijing communities on Friday.

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2020-06-28 10:09:59Z
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China sent martial artists to India border before deadly clash: State media - The Straits Times

BEIJING (AFP) - China reinforced its troops near the Indian border with mountain climbers and martial arts fighters shortly before a deadly clash this month, state media reported.

Tensions are common between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in the mountainous border terrain, but this month's fighting was their deadliest encounter in over 50 years.

Five new militia divisions including former members of a Mount Everest Olympic torch relay team and fighters from a mixed martial arts club presented themselves for inspection in Lhasa on June 15, official military newspaper China National Defence News reported.

State broadcaster CCTV showed footage of hundreds of new troops lining up in the Tibetan capital.

Tibet commander Wang Haijiang said the Enbo Fight Club recruits would "greatly raise the organisation and mobilisation strength" of troops and their "rapid response and support ability", China National Defence News reported, although he did not explicitly confirm their deployment was linked to ongoing border tensions.

Chinese and Indian troops clashed later that day in the most violent confrontation between the two powers in decades, in the Ladakh region 1,300km away.

India says 20 of its own soldiers were killed in brutal hand-to-hand combat that day, while China suffered an unknown number of casualties.

Both sides have blamed each other for the battle, which was fought with rocks and batons without any shots fired.

India said on Thursday that it had reinforced troops in the contested Himalayan border region, saying it was matching a similar build-up by China.

Chinese state media have in recent weeks highlighted military activity including high-altitude anti-aircraft drills in the Tibet region bordering India.

The new troops were recruited with the aim of "strengthening the border and stabilising Tibet", China National Defence News said.

India claims Chinese troops ambushed Indian soldiers and forced them down a ridge where they had gone to remove a Chinese "encroachment".

A bilateral accord prevents the use of guns, but the fighting was still fierce, with rudimentary weapons.

China has in turn accused Indian soldiers of twice crossing the Line of Actual Control, the unofficial boundary, provoking its troops.

The two countries fought a war over the border in 1962. There is an understanding between the neighbours that their troops in the disputed and inhospitable region will not use firearms.

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2020-06-28 04:16:45Z
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Senin, 29 Juni 2020

Minggu, 28 Juni 2020

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