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August
Malaysia eases COVID-19 restrictions, more economic sectors allowed to reopen
Written by nuke
Security personnel check the temperatures of people entering a market, while enforcing social distancing, in Penang, Malaysia on May 29, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Goh Chai Hin) -
More businesses in Malaysia will be permitted to resume operations from Monday (Aug 16) as the country moves to ease COVID-19 restrictions in the economic sector.
The loosened curbs follow "early positive signs" that the national immunisation programme was bearing fruit, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a statement released on his Facebook page on Sunday morning.
He noted that the admission rate of COVID-19 patients to hospitals across all age groups has begun to decline in the Klang Valley and in several other areas.
Mr Muhyiddin said data showed a decrease in the number of cases requiring hospital support in areas where more than 40 per cent of the adult population was fully vaccinated.
He also said the situation at hospital emergency departments in the Klang Valley has "improved", with the number of patients in the emergency wards reducing from 909 in Jul 31 to 239 patients as of Aug 13.
Given these improvements and taking into account the risk assessment data, Mr Muhyiddin said the government has decided to allow more businesses to ease restrictions in the economic sector from Monday. For areas under phase 1 of Malaysia's national recovery plan, Mr Muhyiddin announced that 11 types of economic activities will be allowed to resume operations.
The affected areas are Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor.
The permitted activities are car washes, electronic stores, stores selling home goods and kitchen equipment, furniture stores, stores selling sporting equipment, car accessories stores, car distribution and sales centres, wet markets and farmers' markets, clothing and fashion stores, jewellery stores as well as barbers and hair salons.
However, Mr Muhyiddin stressed that for clothing and fashion stores, jewellery outlets as well as barbers and hair salons, vendors must adhere to additional measures such as wearing gloves and not permitting the use of fitting rooms.
Owners of companies listed in these 11 business categories must also ensure that customers who enter the premises show a COVID-19 digital vaccination certificate to prove that they are fully vaccinated.
For the states of Kelantan, Pahang, Terengganu, Sabah, Perak and Penang, which are under phase 2, the government has also agreed to allow economic activities to resume operations from Monday.
These activities are "in addition to the 11 economic activities allowed to resume in phase 1", he said.
The economic activities comprise shops selling photography goods and providing photography services, second-hand stores, florists and nurseries, handicraft and souvenir shops, antique shops and toy stores.
Stores selling "creative content" and "creative industry equipment" as well as outlets selling outdoor goods, cosmetics and perfumes, carpets, and tobacco products, including vape and electronic cigarettes, have also been given the green light to resume operations.
Owners of these premises must also ensure that customers show proof that they have been fully vaccinated.Mr Muhyiddin added that the government will also allow activities to resume in the manufacturing, construction, mining and quarrying sectors from Monday across areas in Phases 1, 2 and 3. He emphasised that the operating capacities will be dependent on the complete vaccination rate of the workers in these facilities.
In his statement, Mr Muhyiddin stressed that each ministry, agency and business must be fully responsible in ensuring that the activities are conducted in accordance with the rules and guidelines that have been set to avoid harm.
"The government will not hesitate to withdraw the facilities provided in the event of non-compliance with the guidelines and standard operating procedures that have been set," he added.
Malaysia reported 20,670 new COVID-19 cases and 260 deaths from the disease on Saturday.
A total of 31.1 per cent of the country’s population, or 10,144,199 people, had received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Friday, said Health Minister Adham Baba//CNA
August
Earthquake kills hundreds in Haiti, worsening Caribbean nation's plight
Written by nuke
People gather outside the Petit Pas Hotel, destroyed by the earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, on Aug 14, 2021. (Photo: AP/Joseph Odelyn) -
At least 304 people died and hundreds were injured or missing after a major earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday (Aug 14), authorities said, reducing churches, hotels and homes to rubble in the latest tragedy to hit the impoverished Caribbean nation.
The 7.2-magnitude quake, which was followed by a series of aftershocks, struck 8km from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes, about 150km west of the capital Port-au-Prince, at a depth of 10km, the United States Geological Survey said.
That made the temblor which was felt as far away as Cuba and Jamaica potentially bigger and shallower than the magnitude 7 earthquake 11 years ago that killed tens of thousands on the island.
This one - which occurred about 8.30am local time - hit farther away from the capital, however. In Port-au-Prince, it was strongly felt but did not appear to have caused major damage, according to Reuters witnesses.
Still, Haiti's Civil Protection service said the preliminary death toll stood at 304, with at least 1,800 injured and more people unaccounted for. Preliminary rescue operations by emergency teams and ordinary citizens had enabled many people to already be recovered from the debris.
At least 949 homes, seven churches, two hotels and three schools had been destroyed, it said. A further 723 homes, one prison, three health centres and seven schools had been damaged although there was no major damage to port, airport or telecoms infrastructure.
The area shuddered again late on Saturday when a 5.8 magnitude aftershock hit, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. It was not immediately clear what impact it caused.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who flew over the region to survey the damage, declared a month-long state of emergency.
The nearest big town was Les Cayes, where many buildings collapsed or suffered major damage, according to authorities.
"I saw bodies being pulled out of the rubble, injured and perhaps dead people," said Les Cayes resident Jean Marie Simon, 38, who was at the market when the earthquake struck and ran home to see if his family was safe. "I heard cries of pain everywhere I passed through."
His wife and two-year-old child had been bathing and rushed out to the street, naked, just before the front of the house crumbled. Simon gave his wife his shirt and they took refuge in the courtyard of a church with other locals. His mother's house had also collapsed.
"There are a lot of aftershocks and every time there's one, people run and shout," he said. "My legs are still trembling."
Videos posted to social media showed citizens pulling others from debris and crowds of people waiting for medical attention at overwhelmed hospitals.
USGS said a significant amount of the population was at risk of landslides, with road obstructions likely. Haiti's Civil Protection service said a landslide had blocked the highway between Les Cayes and the town of Jeremie.
Likely to complicate relief efforts is the fact Haiti is now in the probable track of Tropical Storm Grace, which could bring heavy rains and winds early next week.
Also, access by road to the southern region, where the quake struck, has been restricted by gang control of key areas although Henry said police would accompany any convoys going to the south.
The earthquake comes just over a month after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, who had been ruling by decree, which deepened the country's political turmoil//ANT
August
Torrential rains lash Japan, three feared dead after landslide
Written by nuke
Firefighters search for missing people following heavy rain in an area in the Obama neighborhood of Unzen, Nagasaki prefecture, southern Japan, Aug 15, 2021. (Photo: AP/Nagasaki Kenou Wide Area Fire Department) -
Torrential rains lashed much of Japan on Sunday (Aug 15), submerging roads and buildings in the western part of the country, while three people were feared dead after a landslide in central Nagano prefecture.
Large parts of Japan, particularly the southernmost main island of Kyushu, have seen record levels of rainfall, causing rivers to overflow and triggering landslides.
As of Sunday morning the rain had stopped in much of Kyushu, even as Tokyo and other parts of the country were pounded by the downpour.
In Takeo, a city in Saga prefecture in Kyushu, entire roads were submerged as rescue workers in wetsuits dragged inflatable boats and surveyed the damage. Local residents carried broomsticks and buckets and waded knee-deep in water.
About 113 patients at a local hospital and 69 nursing home residents at the same site were safely evacuated to the higher floors after flooding, public broadcaster NHK said. Footage from NHK showed the hospital building and surrounding area flooded with water, which reached the top of the tyres of cars parked in the hospital parking lot.
Three people, including a boy under 10, were without vital signs after a landslide hit a house in Okaya city, in central Nagano, NHK said//CNA
August
HPB to award S$30 vouchers to those who refer seniors for COVID-19 vaccination
Written by nuke
File photo. The Health Promotion Board is awarding S$30 e-vouchers to people who refer unvaccinated seniors aged 60 years and above for COVID-19 vaccinations. (Photo: TODAY/Ili Nadhirah Mansor) -
Those who refer unvaccinated seniors aged 60 and above for COVID-19 vaccinations will receive a S$30 e-voucher as a token of appreciation under a new programme by the Health Promotion Board (HPB).
The Let’s Get Our Seniors Vaccinated programme was launched on Friday (Aug 13) and will run until Nov 30, HPB said on the HealthHub website.
To participate in the programme, referrers must pre-register online at least one to two days before the date of the elderly person's vaccination, according to HPB's terms and conditions. A confirmation SMS will be sent to referrers within one or two days.
Referrers must then accompany the senior for their jabs at vaccination centres where HPB staff are stationed.
“It is important that seniors get vaccinated against COVID-19 as they are the most vulnerable group and are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill, if infected. Taking the COVID-19 vaccine helps seniors to protect themselves and their loved ones,” HPB said.
“Some seniors are hesitant about vaccination because they may not be familiar with the importance and benefits of vaccination or have concerns about receiving vaccination. Let’s encourage our seniors to be vaccinated and provide the support they need.”
Singaporeans, permanent residents, employment pass holders and work permit holders aged 17 and above based are eligible to participate as referrers.
The referred senior must not have received any doses of COVID-19 vaccines prior to the date of pre-registration for the programme.
Seniors who have recovered from COVID-19 can also be referred under the programme. They only require a single dose of a vaccine, administered at least three months after the date of their diagnosis.
Participants will receive one e-voucher for every elderly person they refer for vaccination, up to a maximum of 10 seniors. Each senior can only be registered by one referrer.
The e-vouchers will be credited in the referrer’s Healthy 365 account once HPB verifies that the senior is fully vaccinated. An individual is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after they receive the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty or Moderna vaccine.
Referrers must download HPB’s Healthy 365 app and create a profile in order to receive their e-vouchers.
The e-vouchers, which are valid for 90 days, can be used at a variety of participating merchants, including supermarkets, food and beverage outlets, pharmacies and sporting goods stores.
As of Thursday, 84 per cent of people aged 60 and above have completed their full vaccination regimen, while 89 per cent have received at least one dose.
More than 115,000 people in this age group remain unvaccinated, the Ministry of Health said on Friday//CNA
August
Russia releases worst COVID-19 death numbers to date
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: A medical specialist wearing protective gear transports a person on a stretcher at a hospital for patients infected with COVID-19, on the outskirts of Moscow, on Jul 2, 2021. (Photo: REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva) -
Russia's daily COVID-19 deaths hit a new record of 819 on Saturday, a day after Moscow's health department reported the highest number of monthly deaths in the city since the start of the pandemic.
Russia's daily coronavirus deaths are on the rise after infections peaked in July. Authorities blame the infectious Delta variant and a slow vaccination rate.
Moscow said late on Friday that the mortality rate in the city in July was 70 per cent higher than before the pandemic in 2019 and 60 per cent higher than in the same month last year.
A total of 17,237 deaths in Moscow in July is the highest monthly death toll since the pandemic began. Most of the excess deaths were caused by the coronavirus outbreak, the Moscow health department said.
"The dynamics is linked to the sharp rise of infections due to the spread of a new strain of the coronavirus in June as well as abnormally hot weather in the city in recent months," said the department, adding that high temperatures made COVID-19 patients feel even worse.
Russia's official total coronavirus death toll stands at 169,683. Rosstat, the government statistics agency, keeps a separate count from the pandemic task force and says it recorded around 315,000 deaths related to COVID-19 between last April and June this year.
Russia reported around 463,000 excess deaths from April 2020 to June this year, according to Reuters calculations based on the latest Rosstat data. Some epidemiologists say excess deaths are the best way to measure the real death toll from COVID-19.Russia reported 22,144 new coronavirus infections on Saturday. Daily cases have so far declined in August after the July peak//CNA
August
Taliban take key city close to Kabul as US troops arrive to assist evacuations
Written by nuke
US troops are being sent to evacuate embassy staff from Kabul as the Taliban press a lightning offensive that has seen much of the country fall from government hands. (Photo: AFP) -
The Taliban pushed closer to Kabul on Saturday (Aug 14), capturing a key city near Afghanistan's capital as American troops flew in to help evacuate embassy personnel and other civilians.
Continuing a rapid advance, the insurgents took Pul-e-Alam, around 70km from Kabul and the capital of Logar province, a local provincial council member said.
The Taliban did not face much resistance, he told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The gain of the city, a key staging post for a potential assault on Kabul, comes a day after the insurgents took the country's second- and third-biggest cities.
The Pentagon has said two battalions of Marines and one infantry battalion will arrive in Kabul by Sunday evening, involving about 3,000 troops.
"They have arrived, their arrival will continue 'til tomorrow," the US official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
An infantry brigade combat team will also move out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Kuwait to act as a quick reaction force for security in Kabul if needed, the Pentagon has said.Britain and several other Western nations are also sending troops as resistance from Afghan government forces crumbles and fears grow that an assault on Kabul could be just days away.
An Afghan government official confirmed on Friday that Kandahar, the economic hub of the south, was under Taliban control as US-led international forces complete their withdrawal after 20 years of war.
Herat in the west, near the border with Iran, also fell to the hardline Islamist group.
Kandahar's loss was a heavy blow to the government. It is the heartland of the Taliban - ethnic Pashtun fighters who emerged in 1994 amid the chaos of civil war - and is close to the town of Spin Boldak, one of the two main entry points into Pakistan and a major source of tax revenues.
A US defence official said before the fall of Pul-e-Alam that there was concern that the Taliban - ousted from power in 2001 after the Sep 11 attacks on the United States - could make a move on Kabul within days.
"Kabul is not right now in an imminent threat environment, but clearly ... if you just look at what the Taliban has been doing, you can see that they are trying to isolate Kabul," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
Some embassies have begun to burn sensitive material ahead of evacuating, diplomats said.
The US embassy in the Afghan capital informed staff that burn bins and an incinerator were available to destroy material including papers and electronic devices to "reduce the amount of sensitive material on the property", according to an advisory seen by Reuters.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that "Afghanistan is spinning out of control" and urged all parties to do more to protect civilians.
"This is the moment to halt the offensive. This is the moment to start serious negotiation.
This is the moment to avoid a prolonged civil war, or the isolation of Afghanistan," Guterres told reporters in New York.
Afghan First Vice President Amrullah Saleh said after a security meeting chaired by President Ashraf Ghani that he was proud of the armed forces and the government would do all it could to strengthen resistance to the Taliban//CNA
August
Taliban take over radio station after capturing Afghan city
Written by nuke
Taliban fighters stand guard inside the city of Ghazni, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug 13, 2021. (Photo: AP/Gulabuddin Amiri) -
The Taliban seized a radio station in Kandahar and took to the airwaves on Saturday (Aug 14) after capturing much of southern Afghanistan in a rapid offensive that has raised fears of a full takeover less than three weeks before the US is set to withdraw its last troops.
The Taliban have captured much of northern, western and southern Afghanistan in recent weeks, leaving the Western-backed government in control of a smattering of provinces in the center and east, as well as the capital, Kabul, and the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
The withdrawal of foreign forces and the swift retreat of Afghanistan's own troops - despite hundreds of billions of dollars in US aid over the years - has raised fears the Taliban could return to power or the country could be plunged into civil war.
The first Marines from a contingent of 3,000 arrived on Friday to help partially evacuate the US Embassy. The rest are set to arrive by Sunday, and their deployment has raised questions about whether the administration will meet its Aug 31 withdrawal deadline.
The Taliban released a video in which an unnamed insurgent announced the takeover of the city's main radio station, which has been renamed the Voice of Sharia, or Islamic law. He said all employees were present and would broadcast news, political analysis and recitations of the Quran, the Islamic holy book. It appears the station will no longer play music.
It was not clear if the Taliban had purged the previous employees or allowed them to return to work. Most residents of Kandahar sport the traditional dress favoured by the Taliban. The man in the video congratulated the people of Kandahar on the Taliban's victory.
The Taliban have operated mobile radio stations over the years, but have not operated a station inside a major city since they ruled the country from 1996-2001. At that time, they also ran a station called Voice of Sharia out of Kandahar, the birthplace of the militant group. Music was banned.
The US invaded shortly after the 9/11 attacks, which al-Qaida planned and carried out while being sheltered by Taliban. After rapidly ousting the Taliban, the US shifted toward nation-building, hoping to create a modern Afghan state after decades of war and unrest.
Earlier this year, President Joe Biden announced a timeline for the withdrawal of all US troops by the end of August, pledging to end America's longest war. His predecessor, President Donald Trump, had reached an agreement with the Taliban to pave the way for a US pullout.
Biden's announcement set the latest offensive in motion. The Taliban, who have long controlled large parts of the Afghan countryside, moved quickly to seize provincial capitals, border crossings and other key infrastructure.
Tens of thousands of Afghans have fled their homes, with many fearing a return to the Taliban's oppressive rule. The group had previously governed Afghanistan under a harsh version of Islamic law in which women were largely confined to the home//CNA
August
One dead, two missing as torrential rains slam Japan; risk alerts broadened
Written by nuke
Firefighters conducting rescue work at the site of a mudslide caused by heavy rain in Unzen, Nagasaki Prefecture. (Photo: AFP/Nagasaki Kenou Fire Department handout) -
One woman was dead and two people were missing on Saturday (Aug 14) after torrential rains touched off a landslide and engulfed at least two houses in western Japan, with rivers overflowing their banks as rain continued to pound the area.
A wide swath of western Japan, particularly the southernmost main island of Kyushu, saw record levels of rainfall, with as much as 956 mm falling in one area in the three days to noon on Saturday.Japan broadened its highest level 5 risk alerts to cover more than 1.5 million people, NHK public broadcaster said, while the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) warned of more rain to come over the next few days.
"People must take steps to secure their safety," a JMA official told a news conference.
"There has been almost no movement of the rain front over Japan, and it's being fed by warm, humid air, which is making it more active."
Rivers broke their banks in several cities, including Kurume in Fukuoka, and were dangerously close to the tops in others. The Kamo River running through the ancient capital of Kyoto was high but not flooded as of noon Saturday.
Landslides hit several parts of Nagasaki prefecture, with one sweeping away at least two houses and killing Fumiyo Mori, 59. Her husband and daughter were missing, and military personnel joined rescuers looking for them, NHK said.
Shinkansen bullet train service was halted along much of the line running from Tokyo to Kyushu.
Heavy rains have moved into the central part of the largest main island of Honshu. The JMA has warned that the front is likely to remain over the nation for about a week//CNA
August
Philippine health ministry says no corruption in US$1.3 billion COVID-19 pandemic funds
Written by nuke
Residents queue to receive cash assistance from the government following the imposition of two-week lockdown to prevent the spread of the Delta variant in Manila, Philippines on Aug 11, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Lisa Marie David) -
The Philippine health minister, facing questions over more than US$1 billion in COVID-19 spending, denied on Saturday (Aug 14) that any money was "stolen", as his department vowed to account for every peso.
The country is battling one of Asia's worst coronavirus outbreaks, and the spread of the virulent Delta variant is overwhelming hospitals and healthcare workers.
"You will be assured that no money went into corruption. None was stolen. I am sure of that," Health Secretary Francisco Duque told DZMM radio on Saturday.
The state auditor has flagged "deficiencies" involving 67.3 billion pesos (US$1.33 billion), casting doubts on the regularity of related transactions in the country's pandemic response.
The health ministry said it will submit its explanation, including required documents, to the state auditor next week, ahead of a Sep 27 deadline.
With more than 1.71 million infections and 29,838 deaths, the Philippines has the second-highest COVID-19 cases and fatalities in Southeast Asia, next to Indonesia.
The Manila capital region, an urban sprawl of 16 cities that is home to more than 13 million people, remains under a strict lockdown to contain the spread of the Delta variant.
Only around 11 per cent of the country's 110 million people are fully immunised. Nearly a quarter of the country's 1,291 hospitals are at the critical risk level - with occupancy rates at or above 85 per cent - government data showed.
Small hospitals near the capital region are getting overwhelmed by surging cases.
A 50-bed public hospital in Binan city south of the capital is trying to treat 100 to 200 patients, most of them in corridors and tents separated by curtains in the parking lot, Dr. Melbril Alonte, its medical director, told DZMM radio
"The sad truth is patients continue to increase and there are no signs of it easing," Alonte said, adding that the facility's nurses and doctors are already getting sick from exhaustion//CNA
August
Sydney lockdown fines raised as Australia faces 'worst' COVID-19 situation
Written by nuke
Healthcare workers administer coronavirus disease (COVID-19) tests at a drive-through testing centre on the first day of a seven-day lockdown, as the state of Victoria looks to curb the spread of an outbreak in Melbourne, Australia, May 28, 2021. REUTERS/Sandra Sanders -
Australia will increase fines to people breaching lockdown rules in the state of New South Wales as it battles a record jump in local COVID-19 infections and Sydney, the state capital, heads into its eighth week of lockdown, officials said on Saturday (Aug 14).
Locally transmitted infections jumped by 466 over the previous 24 hours in the country's most populous state, where police will fine people up to A$5,000 (US$3,700) "on the spot" for breaching stay-at-home orders or for lying to contract-tracing officials, said state Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
"We have to accept that this is the worst situation New South Wales has been in since day one. And it's also regrettably, because of that, the worst situation Australia's been in," Berejiklian said.
As the situation escalates, it is becoming increasingly unlikely Sydney will end its nine-week lockdown on Aug 28 as originally planned.
Authorities had been talking about easing some restrictions if enough people are vaccinated and case numbers fall.
"I wish things were getting better, but this is the nature of the Delta variant," Berejiklian told a news conference.
"We will get through this, but September and October are going to be very difficult."
Hundreds more defence personnel will be deployed next week to Sydney to help enforce the city's lockdown as the outbreak spreads beyond Australia's largest city. Several towns in the state are also in lockdown due to people breaching the Sydney lockdown and spreading the virus.
A new A$3,000 fine will also apply to people entering regional areas of the state without an official permit. The permit will only be granted for certain reasons including authorised work, property inspections or urgent work repairs on a second home.
"The fines are some of the biggest fines that I've ever seen and we will be issuing them as of today," said New South Wales police commissioner Mick Fuller.
"Those people that have been getting around the orders, taking family vacations to other premises - that is over."
Fuller said he had asked for the increased powers after seeing high levels of movement in the community and having "difficulties getting compliance from some members of the community".
Some breaches of public health orders in the state previously carried a A$1,000 fine.
The new cases eclipse the previous daily high of 390 set on Friday, with daily infections topping 300 for the past five days. Four deaths were recorded on Saturday, taking the state's total in the latest outbreak to 42.
"This is literally a war, and we've known we've been in a war for some time, but never to this extent," Berejiklian added.
In neighbouring Victoria, where state capital Melbourne is in its second week of an extended lockdown, authorities reported 21 locally acquired cases, up from 15 a day earlier.
Despite the recent outbreaks, Australia still has far lower COVID-19 numbers than many other countries in the developed world, with just over 38,600 cases and 952 deaths//CNA