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September
New nursery for coastal trees launched at Pulau Ubin as part of efforts to enhance habitats
Written by nuke
The new coastal arboretum at Pulau Ubin will house around 500 trees from more than 70 native coastal species. (Photo: Facebook/NParks) -
A new nursery for planting and growing coastal trees was launched at Pulau Ubin on Saturday (Sep 11) as part of efforts to rejuvenate the island's coasts.
The coastal arboretum will showcase about 500 trees from around 70 native species. They include the critically endangered Sea Tristania and Damak-damak Tahun, which was presumed extinct in Singapore until it was rediscovered at Coney Island in 2014.
The plants in the arboretum will later be reintroduced to the coasts of Pulau Ubin as part of ongoing habitat enhancement efforts.
"It will supplement other habitat enhancement projects on mainland Singapore as well," said the National Parks Board (NParks). "This includes the reintroduction of coastal native plants at parks such as Coney Island Park."
Located at Ubin Living Lab, a 5.3ha facility for field studies, the new arboretum will serve as a valuable reference resource for students and researchers studying Pulau Ubin’s biodiversity, said NParks.
“NParks will work with various school or interest groups to implement environmental education programmes as well,” it added.
“These activities will encourage greater community involvement in conserving the island’s rustic charm, while nurturing a deeper appreciation and understanding of its rich biodiversity.”
NParks also said two new insects were discovered in the mangroves of Pulau Ubin in 2018 and 2019.
One of them is a new species of Sepsid fly, whose larvae are scavengers that live in dung.
The insect – which was previously thought to be another fly due to its physical resemblance – was determined to be not only a new species, but a genus or category new to science, said NParks.
The other insect, the Long-Legged Fly, is predatory and feeds on other smaller insects such as sandflies and midges.
“It shows that after all these years, we are still finding new wildlife on the island, underscoring the importance of biodiversity conservation,” said Minister for National Development Desmond Lee at the launch event.
NParks added that these findings will enable it to update Pulau Ubin’s biodiversity baseline data and its species inventory. This will contribute towards “developing better management strategies for the island and planning for future research, habitat enhancement and species recovery projects”.
The agency also announced it will reforest nine sites across Pulau Ubin this year.
They include Balai Quarry South, Bukit Surau, Chek Jawa Wetlands, Jalan Jelutong, Kekek Quarry and Ketam Mountain Bike Park.
These sites were previously used for granite mining, aquaculture, agriculture and settlements, and have since been abandoned.
Many of the sites are also covered with non-native invasive plant species and do not support a high diversity of wildlife, said NParks//CNA
September
French rescue 126 migrants attempting Channel crossing
Written by nuke
File photo of smugglers walk back after embarking migrants on boat on the beach of Gravelines, near Dunkirk, northern France on Sep 22, 2020. (Photo: AFP) -
French maritime officials rescued 126 migrants attempting to cross the Channel to Britain as tensions escalated over record arrivals on England's southern coast.
At least 14,100 people have now crossed the Channel to the UK on small boats this year, according to Britain's domestic Press Association news agency - around 6,000 more than for the whole of 2020.
A record 828 people crossed over from France on a single day in late August, as traffickers took advantage of favourable late-summer weather.
French maritime authorities said Saturday (Sep 11) that a first vessel transporting 43 people, including six women and two babies, was intercepted by a patrol boat after encountering problems.
Forty migrants were rescued in another operation.
Another 43 were picked up from the Channel waters after sending out a distress signal.
France has a policy of not intercepting or turning back migrant boats unless they ask for help, and instead escorts them to British waters.
That has stoked anger in Brexit-supporting sections of the British media and the government in London, who accuse France of shirking its responsibilities.
Illegal Channel crossings have ballooned since the end of 2018 despite repeated warnings by French authorities of the perilous journey, fraught with heavy maritime traffic, icy waters and strong currents.
Since 2018, French authorities have confirmed 11 deaths and three people are missing//CNA
September
The coronavirus pandemic shuttered cinemas across the world -
Disney announced Friday (Sep 10) that all of its films slated for release by the end of the year will be exclusively screened in cinemas first, bringing relief to theaters anxious to reconnect with audiences after the coronavirus pandemic devastated their industry.
The animated film Encanto will be released on the big screen on Nov 24 and will not appear on Disney's on-demand video platform until Dec 24, the company said in a statement.
Other planned projects, including The Last Duel by Ridley Scott, Eternals by Marvel Studios and West Side Story by Steven Spielberg, will be screened in theaters for at least 45 days before they are released elsewhere.
The decision was eagerly awaited by traditional cinemas after the entertainment giant recently chose to release a series of big productions such as Black Widow, Jungle Cruise and Cruella on its Disney+ platform, diverting part of their revenue.
Black Widow actor Scarlett Johansson has sued Disney, accusing the company of breach of contract and costing her millions of dollars in box office revenue after it released the film on its video platform.
Two years ago, Disney was producing content for both theaters and television channels, but it now has direct access to its audience via streaming, a trend accelerated by the pandemic.
In mid-August, Disney boss Bob Chapek said he favoured "flexibility" and the ability to "follow the consumer wherever he goes".
During a presentation of the company's financial results, he said "when theaters reopened, there was immense reluctance from the public to return".
Warner Bros studios has also been heavily criticised for its decision to release all of its new movies for the rest of the year on its HBO Max platform//CNA
September
New Zealand COVID-19 cases rise, denting optimism over outbreak
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: A normally busy road is deserted during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Auckland, New Zealand, August 26, 2021. REUTERS/Fiona Goodall -
New Zealand said on Saturday (Sep 11) it detected 23 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, denting optimism that the country was on course to eradicate the virus once more.
The new infections, all in the epicentre of Auckland, were up from the 11 cases detected a day earlier.
"This does serve as a strong reminder of the importance of following the COVID-19 alert level rules wherever you are, and to get tested if you have any symptoms or have been at a location of interest at the specified times," New Zealand's Ministry for Health said in an emailed statement.
About 1.7 million people living in Auckland remain in a strict level 4 lockdown, while curbs were eased in the rest of the country earlier this week.
The government will decide on Monday whether the lockdown in Auckland would be eased or extended//CNA
September
Australia's Queensland state warns of possible COVID-19 lockdown
Written by nuke
A man walks past signage at a COVID-19 vaccination hub at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in Brisbane on Aug 17, 2021. (Photo: AFP/Patrick Hamilton) -
Australia's third most populous state said on Saturday (Sep 11) it may order a snap lockdown after a cluster of COVID-19 cases, as the country posted a record one-day rise in daily infections.
Queensland state, home to more than 5 million people, said it had detected five new infections in the past 24 hours after a family tested positive for COVID-19. The next few days would be critical to see if a lockdown was warranted, authorities said.
"If we start seeing any seeding, then we may have to take very quick, fast action. But at the moment, it’s contained to the family," said state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
The family lives in Brisbane, the state's capital. It was not clear whether a lockdown would be limited to some parts of the state like previous orders.
New South Wales, home to Sydney and Australia's most-populous state, is under lockdown as are the cities of Melbourne and Canberra. A lockdown for Queensland would be another blow to Australia's A$2 trillion (US$1.5 trillion) economy, which could slip into a second recession in as many years.
Australia on Saturday posted 2,077 infections, surpassing the previous day's record of 1,903. New South Wales, which has been under strict stay-at-home orders for nearly three months, said it detected 1,599 new infections.
Authorities warned people on Saturday to continue social distancing, but hot weather across Sydney saw scores of people head to the beach.
New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard said police would be out checking whether people were within 5km of their homes, as permitted under emergency rules.
Police and military personnel have for weeks been patrolling the streets of Sydney, issuing fines to those contravening health orders, such as wearing masks.
One person fined was former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who confirmed on Saturday he had been ordered to pay A$500 after being pictured not wearing a mask.
"I believe that I was well within the law, reasonably interpreted. But I'm not going to challenge the fine because I don't want to waste the police's time any further," Abbott told reporters in Sydney.
"I never thought that dobbing and snitching was part of the Australian character and I think that the sooner we can leave this health police-state mindset behind us, the better for everyone."
In neighbouring Victoria, authorities reported 450 new locally acquired cases, the biggest one-day rise in locally acquired cases in more than a year.
Australia has now recorded nearly 73,000 COVID-19 cases and a death toll of 1,084//CNA
September
People hold candles as they attend a 9/11 commemoration religious ceremony at the Greek Orthodox St Nicholas National Shrine adjacent to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City on Sep 10, 2021. (Photo: AFP/Roberto Schmidt) -
America marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11 on Saturday (Sep 11) with solemn ceremonies given added poignancy by the recent chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and return to power of the Taliban.
Heart-wrenching commemorations will unfold at each of the three sites where 19 Al-Qaeda hijackers - mostly from Saudi Arabia - crashed packed airliners, striking the cultural, financial and political hearts of the United States and changing the world forever.
The memorials come with US troops finally gone from Afghanistan, but national discord - and for President Joe Biden, political peril - are overshadowing any sense of closure.
In a video posted on the eve of the anniversary, Biden urged Americans to show unity, "our greatest strength".
"To me, that's the central lesson of September 11th. It's that at our most vulnerable, in the push and pull of all that makes us human, in the battle for the soul of America, unity is our greatest strength," Biden said in a six-minute message from the White House.
At New York's Ground Zero, where two pools of water now stand where the Twin Towers used to, relatives will read out the names of the nearly 3,000 people killed, in a four-hour-long service starting at 8.30am (8.30pm, Singapore time).
Six moments of silence will be observed, corresponding with the times the two World Trade Center towers were struck, and fell, and the moments the Pentagon was attacked and Flight 93 crashed.
At Ground Zero, about 2,753 people, from all over the world, were killed in the initial explosions, jumped to their deaths, or simply vanished in the inferno of the collapsing towers.
At the Pentagon, an airliner tore a fiery hole in the side of the superpower's military nerve center, killing 184 people in the plane and on the ground.
And in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the third wave of hijackers crashed into a field after passengers fought back, sending United 93 down before reaching its intended target - likely the US Capitol building in Washington.
Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will stop at each of these places on Saturday to "honour and memorialise the lives lost", the White House said.
In his video address on Friday night, Biden urged Americans to come together as they reflect on the tragedy.
"Unity doesn't mean we have to believe the same thing, but we must have a fundamental respect and faith in each other and in this nation," Biden said.
The president had planned for this to be a pivotal day in his nearly eight-month-old presidency.
However, instead of presiding over a moment of unity, Biden will traverse a country angry about the messy Kabul evacuation, which included 13 US soldiers killed by a suicide bomber, and stung by the broader realisation of failure and defeat.
For the relatives of victims, the anniversary, as always, is about keeping the memory of their loved ones alive.
"It's like Pearl Harbour," said Frank Siller, whose firefighter brother Stephen died at the World Trade Center.
"People who weren't alive don't have the same feeling about it as those who were alive. But America has never forgotten about Pearl Harbour and America will never forget about 9/11."//CNA
September
Unaccompanied Afghan evacuee children in Qatar limbo
Written by nuke
An undated handout picture released by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), shows an unaccompanied Afghan boy evacuated from Kabul playing football in Doha, Qatar. (Photo: AFP/QF) -
The daily life of unaccompanied Afghan refugee children in Qatar is punctuated by recurring questions, "where are we going?" and "can I have some chips".
About 200 uprooted young Afghans arrived in Doha aboard flights from Kabul in recent weeks and are being hosted at a reception centre, where they grapple with the trauma of their ordeals.
They are now being cared for by Qatar Charity, a humanitarian organisation that has sought to protect them from prying eyes and keep them out of the reaches of people traffickers.
Officials are picking a path for the future of the children who have adopted new routines, playing football, exercising and enjoying arts and crafts.
"It's very hard to imagine the trauma that they've been through," said an aid worker based in the Middle East who declined to be named.
"All of them are in a state of shock and trauma, similar to what we've seen in places like Iraq or Syria with kids who have lived in (Islamic State group) areas."
The Taliban's shock takeover rekindled fears among Afghanistan's people of a return to the hardline rule between 1996 and 2001 which was marked by public executions, floggings and amputations for misdemeanours.
Many fled, including the youngsters, some of whom cannot recall the circumstances of their abrupt departure from their homeland, while others give contradictory accounts of how they came to be in Qatar.
According to the UN children's agency UNICEF, around 300 unaccompanied children were evacuated from Afghanistan to Qatar, Germany and other countries after Aug 14.
Questions are swirling about how they came to be at Kabul's airport and then embark on planes bound for Qatar, and drastically different lives, but answers are in short supply.
The US Embassy in Doha did not comment on the specifics of the children's case.
A French police officer who was present at the Kabul airport gates described seeing a woman "desperately throw her baby into the barbed wire towards the French special forces who recovered and handed the child to American medics".
"The baby was treated and evacuated to Doha. He was really tiny. His mother just disappeared into the crowd," he added.
The officer witnessed other dramatic scenes.
"One man arrived at the gate with three young children who he passed off as his own. They were orphans, he probably used them to get the gate open, but they were also evacuated.
"Stories like that highlight the chaos. They'll be part of the history of this fiasco."
Qatar Charity and other agencies are now taking care of the group who are mostly aged between eight and 17 years old, with the youngest housed at a separate facility.
In Doha, children were settled at accommodations, to which AFP was not granted access, and grouped by age or family group if they arrived together.
As far as possible they were also grouped according to the friendships and bonds forged during their respective journeys.
"They can get attached to other children very quickly. They feel things stronger than anyone," Fatima-Zahra Bakkari, a Moroccan in charge of international cooperation for Qatar Charity.
She singled out two children aged 12 and 13 who had become inseparable in just over a week.
When the older child learnt that they were soon to move on, he offered to move out of the younger child's bedroom so they could prepare for possibly never seeing one another again.
"We all cry a lot," Bakkari said about the aid workers. "We laugh a lot too," she added recounting the occasional child waking up to "steal" a packet of crisps.
Despite their homely surroundings, the youngsters still face uncertainty.
"We tell them the time will come, we don't know when but it will come," for them to move on, said Bakkari.
Children separated from their parents are "among the most vulnerable children in the world", according to Henrietta Fore, head of UNICEF.
"It is vital that they are quickly identified and kept safe during family tracing and reunification processes."
Qatar has provided shelter, physical and psychological care, food and emotional attention.
"Then comes the delicate part," said the humanitarian official who requested anonymity.
"The-best case scenario is we manage to find first-degree relatives, a grandmother, an aunt, an uncle. But in many cases we might not be able to do that."
Qatar Charity has set up a hotline for the children to call their relatives, but for those with no one to call their carers will need to ensure they are looked after in the long-term.
"Then eventually the child can integrate in a safe community so they are equipped with the things they need to become a normal adult," the aid worker added//CNA
September
US FDA says robust safety data needed before COVID-19 vaccine approval for kids
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: Signage is seen outside of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) headquarters in White Oak, Maryland, U.S., August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly -
US Food and Drug Administration said on Friday (Sep 10) clinical trials testing COVID-19 vaccines for children are expected to include a monitoring period of at least two months after half the participants get the shots to ensure safety.
The comments come as vaccine makers race to submit clinical data seeking regulatory approval for the use of their vaccines in children below 12, as schools around the country begin to reopen for in-person learning.
German drugmaker and Pfizer's partner, BioNTech SE, earlier on Friday said it was set to request approval across the globe to use its COVID-19 vaccine in children as young as five over the next few weeks.
"Children are not small adults – and issues that may be addressed in pediatric vaccine trials can include whether there is a need for different doses or different strength formulations of vaccines already used for adults," FDA acting commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a joint statement with the director of Centre for Biologics Evaluation and Research//CNA
September
Canada's Trudeau, trailing in polls, defends early election call
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: Canada's Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference after the last of three two-hour debates ahead of the September 20 election, at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada September 9, 2021. REUTERS/Blair Gable -
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, facing potential defeat in a snap Sep 20 election, defended on Friday (Sep 10) his decision to go to the polls early and said his main rival would undermine the country's fight against COVID-19.
Trudeau, who heads a minority Liberal government that depends on the opposition to pass legislation, called the election in the hope that Canadians would reward his handling of the coronavirus pandemic with a clear majority of the seats in the House of Commons.
But polls show voters are unhappy that Trudeau, 49, who has held power for six years, called the vote during a fourth wave of the pandemic. Conservative leader Erin O'Toole, 48, holds a slight lead over the Liberal leader, surveys show.
Asked whether he regretted the election call, Trudeau told reporters in Hamilton, Ontario: "Absolutely not ... What we see is a very clear contrast between all the different parties on how we need to move forward as a country."
Attacked daily by rivals for taking Canadians to the polls this month, Trudeau has struggled to turn the campaign toward policy issues, and he is running out of time.
On Friday, a day after an inconclusive leaders' debate, Trudeau blasted O'Toole for arguing that COVID-19 vaccinations are a personal choice and should not be mandated.
Unlike the Conservative leader, Trudeau requires his fellow Liberal candidates be inoculated against the virus and last month his center-left government introduced vaccine mandates for domestic travel.
"He's better and quicker to stand up for the rights of those who choose not to get vaccinated than he is for your wife and your kids' rights to be safe from COVID-19," Trudeau said as children played behind him on an indoor soccer field.
O'Toole also was campaigning in Ontario, which has the most parliamentary seats of all Canada's 10 provinces.
"Last night in the debate, I reminded Canadians that nobody asked for this election," O'Toole said in Mississauga. "Justin Trudeau forced an election in the middle of a pandemic. Once again he put himself ahead of others."
The final stretch of the campaign kicked off after Statistics Canada reported that the national unemployment rate fell to 7.1 per cent in August, its lowest point since the onset of the pandemic.
"We have now recovered 95 per cent of the jobs lost during the COVID recession," Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said, speaking alongside Trudeau.
"Prices are rising. Our debt is rising, and our economy is shrinking," O'Toole said, referring to an unexpected economic contraction in the second quarter. (See brief profiles of all candidates:)
A rolling Nanos Research poll of 1,200 voters on Thursday showed the Conservatives with 33.3 per cent support and the Liberals at 31.3 per cent. The left-leaning New Democrats had 19.2 per cent//CNA
September
COVID-19 vaccines hold strong against Delta, protection waning in older adults
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: Vials with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine labels are seen in this illustration picture taken March 19, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration -
Three US studies suggest COVID-19 vaccines offer strong protection against hospitalization and death, even in the face of the highly transmissible Delta variant, but vaccine protection appears to be waning among older populations, especially among those 75 and older.
US data on hospitalisation from nine states during the period when the Delta variant was dominant also suggests that the Moderna vaccine was more effective at preventing hospitalisations among individuals of all ages than vaccines from BioNTech-Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson.
In that study of more than 32,000 visits to urgent care centers, emergency rooms and hospitals, Moderna's vaccine was 95 per cent effective at preventing hospitalisation compared with 80 per cent for Pfizer and 60 per cent for J&J.
Overall, the findings, released on Friday in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's weekly report on death and disease show that vaccines continue to offer strong protection from COVID-19//CNA