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Protesters took over the street in Australia on Vaccine jab - 

Several thousand people took to Australia's streets on Saturday (Nov 20) protesting COVID-19 vaccination mandates, while smaller crowds gathered to support the measures that have elevated the country to be one of the most inoculated in the world.

Nearly 85 per cent of Australians aged 16 and above have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus as of Nov 19.

While nationwide vaccinations are voluntary, states and territories have mandated vaccinations for many occupations and barred the unvaccinated from activities such as dining out and concerts.

Chanting "Freedom, freedom" and carrying "End Segregation Now" signs, several thousand anti-vaccination protesters marched through Melbourne's downtown, Australia's second-most populous city that was hit the hardest by the pandemic.

Protesters gathered also in Sydney, Brisbane and other cities, with no immediate reports of unruly behaviour.

A banner in Sydney read, "My life is not a gift from the government, it is a gift from God," according to The Age newspaper.

The anti-vaccination rallies have continued for weeks in Australia, becoming occasionally violent and attracting lose groups of regular citizens, as well as far-right and conspiracy theory supporters.

The anti-vaccination movement, however, remains small, with polls showing nationwide opposition in the single digits.

A counter-rally of several hundred took place in Melbourne, organised by the Campaign Against Racism & Fascism group under the slogan of "Don't scab, get the jab".

The chief of the Australia Open tournament, the year's first Grand Slam tennis tournament and one of Australia's biggest sporting events, said on Saturday, that all players will have to be vaccinated to compete in January in Melbourne.

On Saturday, there were 1,166 new COVID-19 infections in the state of Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital.

Five more people died. The most populous state of New South Wales, where nearly 92 per cent of people are fully vaccinated, reported 182 new cases.

Despite the Delta outbreaks that led to months of lockdown in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia has had only about 760 confirmed cases and 7.5 deaths per 100,000 people, according to data from the World Health Organisation, far lower than many other developed nations.

The United Kingdom, for example, has had more than 14,000 confirmed cases and 211 deaths per 100,000 people.

Neighbouring New Zealand, which is also learning to live with the coronavirus through high vaccination rates, reported 172 new cases.

As of Friday, 83 per cent of the Pacific nation's population have been fully vaccinated//CNA

File photo of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. (Photo: Reuters/Eloisa Lopez) - 

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has suspended a probe at Manila's request into suspected rights abuses during Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's crackdown on drugs.

ICC judges approved a probe in September into the campaign in which thousands of suspected drug peddlers have died. Activists say many have been executed by law enforcement agencies with the tacit backing of the president.

Philippine authorities say the killings were in self-defence and that the ICC has no right to meddle.

Court documents released by the ICC and confirmed by Philippine officials on Saturday (Nov 20) showed that Manila filed the deferral request on Nov 10, citing the country's own investigations into drug war killings.

"The prosecution has temporarily suspended its investigative activities while it assesses the scope and effect of the deferral request," ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan wrote, adding that it would seek additional information from the Philippines.

Governments can ask the ICC to defer a case if they are implementing their own investigations and prosecutions for the same acts.

Duterte, 76, pulled the Philippines out of the ICC in 2018 and has said the international court has no jurisdiction to indict him.

The ICC maintains it has jurisdiction to investigate crimes committed while Manila was a member and up until 2019.

The Manila request for the deferral follows repeated statements by the Duterte government that it would not cooperate with the ICC.

"We welcome the judiciousness of the new ICC prosecutor who has deemed it fit to give the matter a fresh look, and we trust that the matter will be resolved in favour of the exoneration of our government and the recognition of the vibrancy of our justice system," Karlo Nograles, acting spokesperson for Duterte, said in a statement on Saturday. 

A Philippine lawyers group called on the ICC not to remove the glimmer of hope for families of drug-war victims.

"We ask the ICC not to allow itself to be swayed by the claims now being made by the Duterte administration," the National Union of People's Lawyers, which represents some victims' families, said in a statement.

The Philippine justice system is "extremely slow and unavailing to the majority of poor and unrepresented victims", it said.

Human Rights Watch said the government's claim that existing domestic mechanisms afford citizens justice was absurd.

"Let's hope the ICC sees through the ruse that it is," Brad Adam, its Asia director, said in a statement.

The ICC decision is a boost for Duterte, who this week launched a run for the Senate in elections next year. He is barred by the constitution from seeking re-election as president.

"It will of course provide some relief in the raucous elections," political analyst Ramon Casiple, vice president of consulting and research firm Novo Trends PH, told Reuters.

"However, it may not enable (him) to do more after the elections, particularly if the incoming government chooses to cooperate with the ICC process."

In its nearly two-decade existence, the ICC has convicted five men for war crimes and crimes against humanity, all African militia leaders from Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and Uganda//CNA

The interval for COVID-19 booster jabs will be standardised to be administered five months after the completion of two doses of vaccine. (Photo: Jalelah Abu Baker) - 

Eligible individuals will be able to receive their COVID-19 booster jabs five months after completing their second dose, instead of six months. 

"It is evident that waning of antibodies can clearly occur by around six months after the second dose and occur earlier for older groups," the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Saturday (Nov 20). 

The expert committee on COVID-19 vaccination therefore recommends that the interval for booster jabs be standardised to five months for all eligible age groups. 

"This would be an appropriate interval to pre-empt waning of antibodies for all," said MOH.

The change will take effect on Nov 24.

Currently, the Health Ministry is administering booster shots six months after the second dose for people aged 30 to 59, and five months for those aged 60 and above. 

There is an emerging view among the global clinical and scientific communities that COVID-19 vaccination against the Delta variant is “really a three-dose vaccine, like (for) Hepatitis B”, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung at a COVID-19 multi-ministry task force press conference on Saturday.

From now until the end of December, the Government hopes to administer about 1.5 million booster shots, Mr Ong said.

This will raise Singapore's booster vaccination coverage from 21 per cent to 50 per cent, he added.

"This means by year-end, half of our population will be freshly boosted with high levels of antibodies," he told reporters.

In its press release, MOH said booster vaccination “significantly increases” protection against infection and severe disease, as well as prevents waning of vaccine protection.

“We encourage everyone eligible for the booster vaccination to receive it when it is offered to them, so as to achieve high levels of protection,” it added.

Those who are eligible for booster shots but have not received their SMS invitations may walk into any Moderna vaccination centre to receive the jab, without needing to book an appointment//CNA

A general view of the skyline of the Qatari capital, Doha, on Feb 28, 2020. (File photo: AFP/Giuseppe Cacace) - 

Exactly one year before it hosts the football World Cup, Doha is crisscrossed with trenches and snarled with traffic as officials race to install a vital feature - adequate drainage.

Rainstorms are rare but paralysing in the Qatari capital, often causing flooding that leads to gridlock. With 1.2 million fans expected next year, such disruption is to be avoided at all costs.

For taxi driver Mohamed, squeezing past construction sites in the downtown West Bay business district, the roadworks are a headache that he and his passengers could do without.

"They weren't thinking 20 years ago when they did this (drainage system)," he said. "Customers don't like waiting."

Cruising down the corniche, an arcing highway with West Bay views, is usually a Doha highlight, but now, with excavations and gaggles of workmen, the city's main artery is strangled.

Journey times have multiplied and in the evening rush hour, cars sit in a giant traffic jam. Frustrations have bubbled over into rare criticism of officials on social media.

"Doha has become a building site, we're driving in the middle of roadworks. And this is going to go on right up to the World Cup" next November and December, said a young Qatari.

Annual rainfall is only about 75mm in the city, but scenes of flooding are not unknown, with cars semi-submerged, tunnels blocked and residents enjoying impromptu watersports.

"Many of Doha's roads were built without proper drainage, so whenever it rained it flooded," said a source briefed on the construction efforts. "They are now rushing to install drainage, even on roads that were finished."

World Cup chiefs have boasted that because of Qatar's compact size, the longest journey between any two of the eight tournament stadiums in and around Doha would take less than 45 minutes.

But gridlock would affect journey times, especially with the heavy influx of visitors - some on hospitality packages that cost thousands of dollars for a single group game.

Qatar has earmarked 3.9 billion riyals (US$1.07 billion) in the 2021 budget for drainage and estuaries, compared to 3.2 billion riyals for highways.

"Development of drainage stations, water treatment plants, pumping and rainwater drainage networks in several regions to prevent flooding due to rain" are a priority in 2021, the Public Budget Statement said.

Qatar has spent billions of dollars on a new metro system that has so far been used mainly by migrant workers from South Asia and the Philippines, with wealthier expatriates and Qataris sticking to large SUVs and luxury cars.

Ashghal, the body in charge of public works, gave assurances that the main routes will be ready to link "the eight stadiums with a rapid road network that avoids any traffic jams for their users".

"These routes are also linked to metro and bus stations as well as commercial centres for World Cup fans," said Salem Al-Shawy, deputy director of roadworks at Ashghal.

"We understand that drivers are suffering ... but we want to make sure that this project will finish on time before the FIFA (World Cup)," he added.

In the meantime, Uber driver Mohammed, who comes from Bangladesh and has been living in Qatar for 15 years, is doing his best to keep his passengers happy.

"Now, I warn them in advance and I ask them if they know a shortcut, to avoid any unhappiness," he said//CNA