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April
Data shows India's Ahmedabad may have massively undercounted COVID deaths
Written by Nur Yasmin
When COVID-19 infections peaked in India in April and May last year, the western city of Ahmedabad officially recorded at least three times as many total deaths in those two months than in the same period in the previous two years, government data showed.
The data, provided by Ahmedabad's local administration to a public-information activist and shared with Reuters on Thursday, does not give the cause of those deaths, but it appears to bolster claims of many health experts that India heavily undercounted COVID-19 fatalities. read more
The numbers show the city of 8 million reported 30,427 deaths in April and May of 2021, compared with an average of 8,337 in the previous two years for that period. Gujarat's health ministry data shows fewer than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths occurred in those two months last year.
Ahmedabad is the largest city in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat, which has recorded 10,942 COVID-19 fatalities since the start of the pandemic, though it has approved at least 87,000 compensation claims linked to COVID-19 deaths. read more
"I have been given the data after a prolonged legal battle," said the activist, Pankaj Bhatt. "This itself shows that the authorities were trying to hide something and did not want to reveal the real picture or the scale of the tragedy."
One Gujarat health official, speaking on condition of anonymity, denied any attempts to suppress the actual COVID-19 toll. The state's health secretary, Manoj Aggarwal, declined to comment.
Many Indians died at home, in parking lots and on the way to the hospital when a dramatic rise in cases from around March last year led to massive shortages of medical oxygen, ambulance and hospital beds in cities like Ahmedabad and New Delhi. read more
India has so far reported 43 million infections - second only to the United States - and around 521,000 deaths. Only the United States, Russia and Brazil have reported more deaths.
Some public health experts, however, have estimated India's death toll at more than 3 million. The federal government has repeatedly appealed to state authorities to update their data as warranted, while rejecting claims of massive under-counting as "ill-informed and speculative". (Reuters)
April
Iran is opening new centrifuge-parts workshop at Natanz -IAEA report
Written by Nur Yasmin
Iran is starting to operate a new workshop at Natanz that will make parts for uranium-enriching centrifuges with machines moved there from its now-closed Karaj facility, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said in a report on Thursday seen by Reuters.
The new workshop raises questions about Iran's plans for the manufacturing of advanced centrifuges - machines that produce enriched uranium much faster than the first-generation machines it was restricted to using for that purpose by its 2015 deal with major powers. read more
It is now enriching with hundreds of advanced centrifuges, some of them enriching to a purity of up to 60%, close to the 90% that is weapons-grade. That is far above the 3.67% cap imposed by the deal and the 20% it had achieved before the deal.
In its confidential report to member states the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had finished installing surveillance cameras at the location on April 12 and had then removed the seals from the machines. The agency did not say where at Natanz that location was.
The workshop's precise location is of particular interest to Western powers and Iran's arch foe Israel because Karaj was struck by what Tehran says was a sabotage attack by Israel. Tehran has since been seeking to ensure greater security for such sites. read more
The sprawling Natanz site includes a commercial-scale enrichment plant that is underground, which could offer some protection from any potential airstrikes.
"On 13 April 2022, Iran informed the Agency that the machines would start operating at the new workshop the same day," the report said, without saying whether it had verified that the machines had started operating, suggesting it had not had access to the location since then.
Under an agreement with Iran struck more than a year ago, the IAEA does not have access to the data collected by cameras and other monitoring equipment from some locations, such as centrifuge-parts workshops. read more
Before moving the Karaj parts to Natanz, Iran had also told the IAEA it was moving the Karaj workshop's activities to another site at Isfahan, and the IAEA has set up cameras there. If Isfahan went into operation, that would be a big increase in Iran's capacity to produce advanced centrifuge parts. (Reuters)
April
Israeli forces kill two Palestinians in West Bank clashes: health officials
Written by Nur Yasmin
Israeli forces killed two Palestinians on Thursday in raids in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, during what the Israeli army described as "counterterrorism activities".
The latest incident in a spate of violence over the past two weeks took place before dawn in two towns in the Jenin area, where residents said Israeli forces carried out arrests.
An Israeli army spokesperson said soldiers "responded with live ammunition" after "dozens of Palestinians violently attacked the soldiers, shot at the forces, and hurled IEDs (improvised explosive devices) at them, endangering their safety".
Four more Palestinians were wounded, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. No Israeli casualties were reported.
The Israeli military stepped up its raids in the West Bank following attacks by two Palestinians from the territory and three members of Israel's Arab minority that have killed 14 people in Israel since late March.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said there will be no restrictions on security forces battling what he has described as "a new wave of terrorism".
At least 25 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since January.
On Wednesday, Israeli soldiers shot dead three Palestinians in the West Bank, among them a teenager and an anti-settlement lawyer, prompting protest strikes in the cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem on Thursday.
Senior Palestinian Authority official Hussein Al-Sheikh said on Twitter the international community had "lost its credibility as a result of its silence" in the face of what he described as daily Palestinian bloodshed by Israeli "occupation forces".
Armed Palestinian groups threatened to retaliate.
“There is no way to deter the occupation and block its crimes except through comprehensive resistance and confrontation,” Gaza's Islamic Jihad said in a statement. The group's leaders hinted that Israeli military action in the West Bank could draw rocket attacks from Gaza.
Tensions are high in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan coincides with Passover this year.
Last year saw nightly clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police during the fasting month. Threats of Palestinian displacement in East Jerusalem and police raids at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, helped ignite an 11-day Israel-Gaza war that killed more than 250 Palestinians in Gaza and 13 people in Israel.
Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem - territories where Palestinians seek statehood - in the 1967 Middle East war. The last round of peace talks collapsed in 2014. (Reuters)
April
Worldwide COVID cases surpass 500 mln as Omicron variant BA.2 surges
Written by Nur Yasmin
Global COVID-19 cases surpassed 500 million on Thursday, according to a Reuters tally, as the highly contagious BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron surges in many countries in Europe and Asia.
The rise of BA.2 has been blamed for recent surges in China as well as record infections in Europe. It has been called the "stealth variant" because it is slightly harder to track than others. read more
South Korea leads the world in the daily average number of new cases, reporting more than 182,000 new infections a day and accounting for one in every four infections globally, according to a Reuters analysis.
New cases are rising in 20 out of more than 240 countries and territories tracked, including Taiwan, Thailand and Bhutan.
Shanghai is fighting China's worst COVID-19 outbreak since the virus first emerged in Wuhan in late 2019, with almost 25,000 new local cases reported, although the city's quarantine policy is criticized for separating children from parents and putting asymptomatic cases among those with symptoms. read more
"Shanghai's epidemic prevention and control is at the most difficult and most critical stage," Wu Qianyu, an official with the municipal health commission, told a briefing. read more
EUROPE, U.S. STILL AFFECTED
Some European countries are now seeing a slower uptick in new cases, or even a decline, but the region is still reporting over 1 million cases about every two days, according to the Reuters tally.
In Germany, the seven-day average of new infections has fallen and is now at 59% of its previous peak in late March. New cases are also falling in the United Kingdom and Italy, while they are holding steady in France.
Overall, COVID-19 cases in the United States have dropped sharply after hitting record levels in January, but the resurgence of cases in parts of Asia and Europe has raised concerns that another wave could follow in the United States.
The U.S. national public health agency said on Monday the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron was estimated to account for nearly three of every four coronavirus variants in the country. read more
The BA.2 variant now makes up about 86% of all sequenced cases globally, according to the World Health Organization. It is known to be more transmissible than the BA.1 and BA.1.1 Omicron sub-variants. Evidence so far, though, suggests BA.2 is no more likely to cause severe disease.
Scientists continue to emphasize vaccines are critical for avoiding the devastation the virus can cause.
Roughly 64.8% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, although only 14.8% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose, according to figures from Our World in Data.
While cases have flared in Europe and Asia recently, the United States still has the highest total COVID infections since the start of the pandemic with 80.41 million, followed by India with 43.04 million and Brazil with 30.14 million.
Since 2020, about 37% of the world’s COVID cases have been in Europe, 21% in Asia and 17% in North America.
About 6.5 million people have lost their lives to COVID since the pandemic began. The United States has reported the highest number of deaths, followed by Russia, Brazil and India.
Russia overtook Brazil to have the world's second-highest death toll from COVID-19, data from Russia's state statistics service and Reuters calculations showed on Thursday. (Reuters)
April
Russia says fire on the Moskva missile cruiser is contained
Written by Nur Yasmin
Russia's defence ministry said on Thursday that sailors had contained a fire on board the Moskva missile cruiser, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, and that measures were being taken to tow it back to port.
The ministry, which said the blaze broke out after ammunition blew up on board, said the cruiser's main weaponry had not been damaged and that its crew had been evacuated onto other ships in the Black Sea.
"The source of the blaze on the Moskva cruiser has been contained," the ministry said in a statement, adding that the vessel remained afloat. "The explosions of ammunition have stopped."
It said it was still trying to establish the cause of the incident.
The defence ministry had said earlier on Thursday that the Soviet-era ship had been badly damaged by the fire, the latest setback for Russia which has suffered a series of blows since it sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what it called a "special military operation."
Maksym Marchenko, the Ukrainian governor of the region around the Black Sea port of Odesa, said the Moskva had been hit by two Ukrainian-made Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles.
Reuters was unable to verify either side's statements.
Russia's navy has launched cruise missiles into Ukraine from the Black Sea to support its military activities in the south of the country, where it is battling to seize control of the port of Mariupol. (Reuters)
April
Pfizer/BioNTech say booster dose increases protection against Omicron in kids aged 5-11
Written by Nur Yasmin
A third dose of Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and BioNTech's (22UAy.DE) COVID vaccine produced significant protection against the Omicron variant in healthy children aged between 5 and 11 years in a trial, the companies said on Thursday.
Blood serum analysis of a few pediatric participants who received a booster dose in the study showed a 36-fold increase in Omicron neutralizing antibodies, the drugmakers said.
Neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 wild-type strain rose six-fold following the booster shot.
The mid-to-late stage study was testing the safety and immunogenicity of a 10 microgram booster dose in 140 healthy children aged 5 through 11 years.
Pfizer and its German partner said the data reinforces potential function of a third dose of the vaccine in maintaining high levels of protection against the virus in this age group.
The companies plan to apply for Emergency Use Authorization of a booster dose in the 5-11 age group in coming days, with additional submissions to global regulatory agencies including the European Medicines Agency to follow.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration authorized a third dose of the vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 and those aged 5 through 11 years who are immunocompromised. read more
The agency at the time said it will weigh boosters for 5 to 11 year olds after more children receive two doses.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), about 8 million children aged between 5 and 11 in the United States are fully vaccinated. (Reuters)
April
Pakistan's new government facing severe economic challenges, aide says
Written by Nur Yasmin
Pakistan's new government is facing the daunting task of managing a stuttering economy with huge deficits, an aide to new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday.
Sharif, 70, the younger brother of former premier Nawaz Sharif, was elected as prime minister on Monday followed a week-long constitutional crisis after parliament ousted Imran Khan in a no-confidence vote.
"Imran Khan has left a critical mess," Miftah Ismail, who is likely to be Sharif's finance minister, told a news conference in Islamabad, adding the suspended talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would be resumed as a priority.
"We will restart talks with the IMF," he said.
Ismail repeated Sharif's concerns raised in his maiden speech in parliament at what he described as record deficits his government will inherit from Khan, who was accused by the opposition of mismanaging the economy.
Sharif set up a National Economic Advisory Council in his first meeting on Tuesday.
The IMF has suspended talks ahead of the seventh review of a $6 billion rescue programme agreed in July 2019.
Pakistan's current account deficit is projected at around 4% of GDP for the 2022 fiscal year (FY), the country's central bank said last week, while foreign reserves dropped to $11.3 billion as at April 1, compared with $16.2 billion less than a month earlier.
The central bank last week hiked key interest rates by 250 basis points to 12.25% in an emergency decision, the biggest hike in decades, citing deterioration in the outlook for inflation and an increase in risks to external stability, heightened by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as local political uncertainty.
The bank also revised average inflation forecasts upwards to slightly above 11% in FY22, which ends in June. (Reuters)
April
S.Korea's Yoon picks veteran lawmakers as foreign, unification ministers
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korea's incoming President Yoon Suk-yeol picked close adviser Park Jin to be foreign minister among a slew of cabinet nominations on Wednesday, as he readies to face challenges from North Korea's long-range missile and nuclear activities.
Neighbouring Pyongyang looks set to resume testing nuclear weapons for the first time since 2017, after last month's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). read more
The eight minsterial nominations by Yoon, who will take office on May 10, cover education, unification, justice, and environment.
Park, 65, is expected to use his extensive foreign policy experience to help normalize diplomatic efforts that "remain deadlocked," Yoon told a news conference.
"He has the best expertise and experience in the foreign affairs and security fields."
The four-term lawmaker recently led a team of Yoon's advisers who visited the United States for talks on ways to frame a response to threats from the North as it steps up weapons tests. read more
Park missed the nomination event, however, after having tested positive for COVID-19 on his return from the U.S.
In a statement, Park cited North Korea's provocations, U.S.-China rivalry and the global supply chain crisis among "a host of challenges" for the Yoon administration.
"I feel heavy responsibility to be nominated as foreign minister at a time when the geopolitical situation is changing rapidly," he added in the statement issued to reporters.
Yoon nominated as his unification minister Kwon Young-se, 63, a former chairman of the parliament intelligence panel, who will also handle relations between the neighbours.
Kwon, a prosecutor-turned-politician and four-term lawmaker, was ambassador to China from 2013 to 2015.
Cabinet nominees besides the prime minister are subject to parliamentary confirmation hearings but do not require approval. (Reuters)
April
Thousands displaced after typhoon Megi hits Philippines
Written by Nur Yasmin
Philippine authorities on Wednesday struggled to distribute aid to tens of thousands of displaced people sheltering in evacuation centres after typhoon Megi triggered landslides in coastal provinces that left 56 dead and dozens missing.
More than 42,000 people were displaced and 200 injured when Megi made landfall at the weekend, the first tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year. The storm has now dissipated, the state weather bureau said.
Search and rescue efforts were focused in Baybay city, a mountainous area prone to landslides in the eastern Philippines, which has seen the majority of casualties so far, data from police and disaster agencies showed. Images on social media showed bodies, including those of children, being pulled from under thick mud during rescue operations.
Meanwhile, survivors were still being evacuated from flooded areas, coastguard spokesperson, Commodore Armand Balilo, told a public briefing on Wednesday.
"Water systems here have been bogged down so our problem is drinking water," Norberto Oja, a health officer in Baybay, told DZRH radio station. The city has also sought help from nearby areas to boost its healthcare capacity, he added.
Baybay Mayor Jose Carlos Cari told DZMM radio station, "There's aid like food and medicines but the problem is management in evacuation centres."
A foundation of broadcasting firm ABS-CBN said it was waiting for floods to subside before distributing 7,500 food packs.
Port operations in several provinces had resumed but scattered rain showers were expected over the eastern coasts facing the Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
Mark Timbal, spokesperson of the national disaster agency, told DZRH radio station rescuers had to be cautious because it was still raining in some areas and the risk of landslides was still high.
"The landslides reached far beyond the hazard area, up to relatively safer areas of the community," he said.
The Philippines sees an average of 20 tropical storms annually. In December, category 5 typhoon Rai ravaged central provinces, leaving 405 dead and nearly 1,400 injured. (Reuters)
April
Israeli soldiers fatally shoot Palestinian in W.Bank, Palestinian ministry says
Written by Nur Yasmin
Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, as troops mounted more sweeps in the territory after deadly Arab attacks in Israel.
The ministry said Mohammed Assaf, 34, was a lawyer who worked for a department of the Palestine Liberation Organisation that documents and lobbies against Israeli settlement activity on land Palestinians seek for a state.
Assaf was killed by Israeli military gunfire in Nablus, on a main street near Joseph's Tomb, the ministry said, referring to a Jewish shrine where Israel carried out repair work on Wednesday. Israel said it was vandalised by Palestinians.
An official from the PLO anti-settlement unit said Assaf had been driving his nephews to a nearby school and had stopped on the side of the road to watch events unfold when clashes erupted at the tomb.
A military statement on West Bank operations on Wednesday said an "armed suspect" was hit near Nablus. It was unclear whether it was referring to Assaf.
Israeli troops had secured the area around the tomb while the repair work was under way. The military said hundreds of Palestinians threw stones and petrol bombs at the soldiers, who responded with live fire and riot dispersal measures.
Israeli forces detained 15 "terror suspects" in and around Nablus and the city of Qalqilya in Wednesday's operations, the military said.
Palestinian health officials said seven people were wounded with live bullets in the Nablus clashes, and that two of them were in critical condition.
The Israeli military stepped up its raids in the West Bank following attacks by two Palestinians from the territory and three members of Israel's Arab minority which have killed 14 people in Israel since late March.
More than 20 Palestinians, many of them gunmen, have been killed by Israeli forces since January.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday it held Israel "fully responsible for the repercussions" from the military's actions.
Israel has accused the Palestinian Authority of not doing enough to rein in militants and of encouraging violence against Israelis by paying stipends to families of Palestinians in Israeli jails, some of them convicted of deadly attacks.
The current bloodshed has coincided with the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when Israeli-Palestinian violence has erupted in the past, and last May spiralled into an 11-day war between Gaza militants and Israel. (Reuters)