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June
Exclusive: Some 350,000 people in Ethiopia’s Tigray in famine, U.N. document shows
Written by Nur Yasmin
An unpublished analysis by United Nations agencies and aid groups estimates some 350,000 people in Ethiopia’s conflict-torn Tigray region are in famine conditions, according to an internal U.N. document seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
The Ethiopian government disputes the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, according to the notes of a meeting on the situation in Tigray of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) - made up of the heads of at least 18 U.N. and non-U.N. organizations.
"On the risk of famine, it was noted that the unpublished IPC analysis figures were being disputed by the Ethiopian government, notably the estimated 350,000 people across Tigray believed to be in IPC 5 famine conditions," the June 7 document read.
It also said the analysis, which diplomats said could be released publicly as soon as Thursday, had found that millions more across Tigray required "urgent food and agriculture/livelihoods support to avert further slides towards famine."
U.N. aid chief Mark Lowcock chairs the committee, which includes the U.N. children's agency UNICEF, the World Food Programme, the High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Health Organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross
A senior Ethiopian diplomat in New York, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the government disputed the analysis, questioning the survey methods and accusing the IPC of a lack of transparency and not enough consultation with relevant authorities.
The Ethiopian government's emergency task force on Tigray, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office and the Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
'ALARMING LEVELS'
Ethiopia's Embassy in London said in a statement on Saturday that the government "takes its responsibility to end the current suffering of the people of Tigray very seriously and has so far made concerted efforts to comprehensively respond to the humanitarian needs on the ground, in coordination with local and international partners."
Famine has been declared twice in the past decade - in Somalia in 2011 and in South Sudan in 2017, according to the IPC. U.N. agencies, aid groups, governments and other relevant parties use the IPC to work together to determine the severity of food insecurity.
Fighting in Tigray broke out in November between government troops and the region's former ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front. Troops from neighboring Eritrea have also entered the conflict in support of Ethiopia's government.
The violence in Tigray has killed thousands of people and forced more than 2 million from their homes in the mountainous region of more than 5 million.
The United Nations said on Wednesday there had been reported incidents of denial of the movement of aid and the interrogation, assault and detention of humanitarian workers at military checkpoints, along with looting and confiscation of humanitarian assets and supplies by the parties to the conflict.
"Levels of food insecurity and malnutrition are at alarming levels," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding there had been reports of starvation among displaced people, while there was a severe need for food in northwest Tigray after the burning or looting of harvests. He did not attribute blame.
Another U.N. spokesperson declined to comment specifically on the internal IASC notes. (Reuters)
June
China, U.S. commerce chiefs to cooperate on handling differences, Beijing says
Written by Nur Yasmin
Top U.S. and Chinese commerce officials spoke by telephone and agreed to promote healthy trade and cooperate over differences, China’s commmerce ministry said on Thursday, the latest high-level exchange as the countries spar over disagreements.
Both sides recognise the importance of business exchanges and will keep lines of communication open, the Chinese statement said after Commerce Minister Wang Wentao spoke with U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
"They agreed to promote the healthy development of trade and investment and cooperate in a pragmatic way to handle their differences," the Chinese ministry said.
Earlier this month, Chinese Vice Premier Liu spoke with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and late last month he held a similarly “candid” exchange of views with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai.
The world’s two biggest economies are at loggerheads on a variety of fronts, with the U.S. Senate this week approving a sweeping package of legislation intended to boost the country’s ability to compete with Chinese technology, drawing strong criticism from Beijing.
On Wednesday, however, President Joe Biden withdrew a series of Trump-era executive orders that sought to ban new downloads of the popular Chinese-owned WeChat and TikTok, and ordered a Commerce Department review of security concerns posed by those apps and others.
In a Thursday editorial, official China Daily saying in an editorial that the U.S. technology legislation is “really deployment for Cold War.” (Reuters)
June
Two Australian states on COVID-19 alert after infected woman’s interstate travel
Written by Nur Yasmin
Two Australian states are on COVID-19 alert after an infected woman and her husband traveled from Victoria, the epicentre of country’s latest outbreak, through the states of New South Wales and into Queensland, visiting dozens of sites enroute.
Authorities in New South Wales and Queensland are rushing to trace close contacts and locate virus hotspots. The couple may face criminal charges for breaching COVID-19 border restrictions.
The 44-year-old woman tested positive for COVID-19 once in Queensland, authorities said late on Wednesday, and her husband has since tested positive.
Queensland state Health Minister Yvette D'Ath told reporters in Brisbane on Thursday that the couple's tests suggested they were likely at the end of their infectious period.
"This means the risk is lower than we were expecting yesterday, which is really positive news," D'Ath said. No other cases were reported from the state.
Australia has largely contained all prior outbreaks through snap lockdowns, regional border controls and swift contact tracing, with just over 30,200 cases and 910 deaths since the pandemic began. It has reported zero cases most days this year.
Queensland authorities said they were investigating if the couple, who drove from Melbourne, had a travel exemption to enter the state, despite their home state of Victoria being under a hard lockdown.
Queensland has issued alerts for parts of Sunshine Coast, a popular tourist spot, and two regional areas.
NSW authorities said the pair traveled mostly through regional towns over five days last week.
"The message broadly to our regional communities is be on high alert, this is a real and present danger to us, having people who are positive, travelling through our state stopping at multiple venues puts our state at risk," NSW state Health Minister Brad Hazzard said.
NSW, the country's most populous state, has not reported any locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in more than a month, while Queensland last reported cases in late March.
MELBOURNE LOCKDOWN
On Thursday, Victoria reported four new locally acquired cases, versus one case a day earlier, taking the total infections in the latest outbreak to 90.
The new cases, all from the same household, come as Melbourne prepares to come out of a two-week lockdown on Thursday night, although some curbs on travel and gatherings remain.
Melbourne's five million residents must stay within 25 kms (15 miles) of their homes, a move that could inflict more pain on businesses in rural areas as officials seek to limit community transmission during an upcoming long weekend.
Though Thursday's cases are not linked to any other clusters in the latest outbreak, the lifting of lockdown in Melbourne will proceed due to low-risk levels, Victoria state Acting Premier James Merlino said during a televised media conference.
Separately, New Zealand authorities have moved three Melbourne residents into managed isolation after they boarded their flight from Sydney to beat a travel ban imposed in response to the Victoria outbreak, New Zealand media reported.
New Zealand began quarantine-free travel for Australian travellers in April, a pandemic milestone, but paused the so-called “travel bubble” with Victoria late last month. (Reuters)
June
Malaysia, Taiwan say deliveries of Thai-made AstraZeneca vaccines delayed
Written by Nur Yasmin
Malaysia and Taiwan are expecting deliveries of AstraZeneca (AZN.L) COVID-19 vaccines manufactured in Thailand to be delayed, officials said this week, the latest countries to report a holdup with orders from the Thai plant.
The delay comes amid concerns over AstraZeneca's distribution plans in Southeast Asia, which depends on 200 million doses made by Siam Bioscience, a company owned by Thailand's king that is making vaccines for the first time. read more
Any questions about Siam Bioscience meeting production targets are sensitive because King Maha Vajiralongkorn is its sole owner. Insulting Thailand's monarchy is a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
AstraZeneca handed more than 1.8 million locally produced doses to Thai authorities last week, but said deliveries to other Southeast Asian countries would only begin in July.
The first delivery to the Philippines, which was promised 17 million doses, was reduced and postponed by several weeks, a Philippine presidential adviser told Reuters last week.
Siam Bioscience and AstraZeneca did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.
Taiwan's Health Minister Chen Shih-chung told lawmakers on Tuesday that orders from AstraZeneca would be delayed by a month due to production problems at the firm's Thai plant.
Taiwan has ordered 10 million shots directly from the company but has so far only received slightly more than 100,000 doses.
Malaysia, which is due to receive 610,000 doses from Thailand this month and 1.6 million more later this year, is also expecting delays, Science Minister Khairy Jamaluddin told reporters on Wednesday.
Khairy did not specify how long the deliveries would be delayed or how many shipments would be affected. (Reuters)
June
China defends cultural links with Japan amid online nationalist fury
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Chinese foreign ministry defended the value of cultural exchanges with Japan on Wednesday after Chinese intellectuals came under heavy attack from nationalists online for attending events sponsored by the Japanese government over many years.
The ministry's mild tone contrasted with the hardline "wolf warrior diplomacy" it has often favoured on international issues, especially those concerning Japan, whose brutal wartime occupation of China is a touchstone for Chinese nationalists.
Some prominent Chinese scholars and writers came under fire last week after nationalistic netizens noticed their names among a list of 144 Chinese intellectuals who had been sponsored by the Japan Foundation to visit Japan from 2008 to 2016.
Two netizens, operating under the pseudonyms Diguaxiong Laoliu and Guyan Muchan, who each have more than six million followers on their Twitter-like Weibo accounts, accused the intellectuals of currying favour with Japan for financial gain.
They joined an online "name and shame" campaign to brand the intellectuals as traitors.
Asked about the controversy at a regular press conference on Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said government-supported people-to-people interaction had contributed positively to relations between China and Japan.
"We hope to achieve more understanding, trust and deeper friendship through continual healthy and stable interaction among Chinese and Japanese people," said Wang.
Wang's comment comes a week after President Xi Jinping told senior Communist Party officials that they should improve the way they communicate with the rest of the world.
"We must focus on setting the tone right, be open and confident but also modest and humble, and strive to create a credible, lovable and respectable image of China," Xi said, according to Xinhua news agency.
Some Chinese diplomats and commentators have taken up hardline positions on social media in recent years, appealing to nationalist passions among their online followers.
But this has contributed to friction with Western and Asian countries, encouraging them to reevaluate ties with an increasingly assertive China, the world's second biggest economy.
Relations with China will be on the agenda of the Group of Seven leading industrial democracies when they meet this week for a summit in Britain. The G7 groups the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada. (Reuters)
June
Philippine president spars with Pacquiao over South China Sea
Written by Nur Yasmin
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has stoked a feud with boxer Manny Pacquiao by criticising his "shallow" foreign policy knowledge, after the senator and eight-division champion said he found the leader's stand on the South China Sea was "lacking".
In a late night interview with SMNI news channel on Tuesday, Duterte said Pacquiao, a senator and close ally, should "study first" before weighing in.
Pacquiao stood his ground and hit back on Wednesday, when he said the country should pursue dialogue over disputes, but "stand strong in protecting our sovereign rights".
"I am a Filipino voicing out what needs to be said in defence of what has been adjudicated as rightfully ours," Pacquiao said, referring to a 2016 international arbitral ruling won by the Philippines in a case against China.
Though Duterte is hugely popular at home, he has been widely criticised for refusing to confront China over the conduct of its military, coastguard and fishing fleet, which he has repeatedly said would be pointless.
The Philippine defence and diplomatic establishment has spoken out strongly of late over the constant presence of hundreds of Chinese vessels in the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone, which they say are manned by militias. China has denied that.
Duterte has said the Philippines owes China a "huge debt" of gratitude for its support in other areas, remarks that did not sit well with Pacquiao.
Pacquiao, 42, had last month said he found Duterte's stance to be "lacking" and "disheartening".
The comments were a surprise, as Pacquiao has long been among Duterte's strongest backers, including over his bloody war on drugs and bid to re-introduce the death penalty.
"I respect the president's opinion but humbly disagree with his assessment of my understanding of foreign policy," said Pacquiao, who is rumoured to be considering running for the presidency next year. (Reuters)
June
Austria made 81 arrests as part of global sting against organised crime
Written by Nur Yasmin
Austria made 81 of the more than 800 arrests that were part of a global sting against organised crime, the Austrian government said on Wednesday.
The operation by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Australian and European police ensnared suspects in Australia, Asia, Europe, South America and the Middle East involved in the narcotics trade, officials said on Tuesday. read more
Those arrested in Austrian provinces ranging from Tyrol in the Alpine west to Vienna belonged to various groups and are suspected of offences ranging from drug trafficking to murder.
"The aim of this operation was to deal a massive blow to organised crime and it succeeded," Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer told a news conference, adding that the gangs were involved in "worldwide drug trafficking, arms trafficking and above all commit brutal acts of violence".
About 35 weapons, 707 kg of drugs and 646,000 euros ($787,000) in cash were seized in 67 raids.
"At issue here is particularly international trafficking of cocaine, heroin and marijuana in very, very large amounts," Nina Busseka, a spokeswoman for the Vienna prosecutors' office, told the news conference.
As part of the operation in which gangs were sold encrypted phones that law enforcement officials could monitor, Austrian police seized 30 kg of cocaine, 26 kg of heroin, 261 kg of cannabis resin and 390 kg of marijuana, Director General for Public Security Franz Ruf said.
One of those arrested is a leader of a crime syndicate who is wanted for three murders in Serbia and was in hiding in Greece and Turkey before spending a matter of days in Vienna, Ruf said. A Serbian wanted for international drug trafficking who is also a murder suspect in Serbia was also arrested. (Reuters)
June
Customs at forefront in enabling COVID-19 vaccination roll-out: APEC
Written by Nur Yasmin
Customs officials from APEC member economies joined forces to support the region's recovery efforts by developing a set of best practice guidelines to support the roll out of COVID-19 vaccines in the APEC region.
The Best Practice Guidelines for APEC Customs Administrations were endorsed by the APEC Sub‑Committee on Customs Procedures (SCCP), according to a release issued by the APEC Secretariat and received here on Wednesday.
The guidelines were developed following the 2020 APEC Leaders’ Meeting during which APEC Leaders stressed on the significance of ensuring easy access to COVID-19 vaccines deemed vital to safeguarding public health and well-being.
"Customs is one of the critical players in the global supply chain process. As the key gatekeepers protecting our borders, we need to ensure that essential goods, such as vaccines, can flow through easily without any hold-ups," Rebecca Jonassen, chairing the sub-committee, stated.
"Member economies may encounter numerous challenges in the supply chain, including counterfeit and illegal movement of vaccines," according to Jonassen, who is also with the New Zealand Customs Service, the agency that put forth the initiative.
Hence, the sub-committee chair acknowledged that the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and related goods, such as test kits, syringes, and dry ice, across borders while supporting the rules-based trading system is a relevant and real-time challenge.
The guidelines encompass a set of operational and practical measures to ensure the region’s supply chains are equipped to facilitate the flow of COVID-19 vaccines and related goods.
Examples of best practice comprise establishing a 24-hour contact point to help with questions and responses to delays, ensuring that the vaccine supply chain is uninterrupted while in transit, and fast-tracking border clearance for hazardous substances.
"Member economies are coming together with an urgent need to defeat the pandemic," Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat Rebecca Sta Maria stated.
"These guidelines will complement the wider ongoing vaccine supply chain commitment and assist economies to consider all available measures to manage the complex and sensitive nature of the vaccine supply chain," she affirmed.
Wherever possible, the guidelines recommend that customs administrations in the region should simplify procedures, utilize online forms, and digitalize documents to ensure timely movement and clearance of the vaccines.
Another recommendation is to conduct regular border testing, including surface swab testing and testing of border officials involved in the clearance process, to ensure the safe transfer of vaccines and related goods and to protect officials and others involved in their distribution.
"By implementing these measures, APEC economies will benefit from simpler border processes and help COVID-19 vaccines to reach where they are needed more quickly and efficiently," Jonassen stated.
"The guidelines will also build supply chain resilience and connectivity, securing against any future supply chain disruptions," she affirmed. (Antaranews)
June
China, ASEAN agree to avoid provocations in South China Sea
Written by Nur Yasmin
Foreign ministers of Southeast Asia and China agreed during a meeting to exercise restraint in the South China Sea and avoid actions that could escalate tensions, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said on Tuesday.
The ASEAN statement referred to a meeting on Monday in China of the ministers, and comes after separate diplomatic protests in recent weeks made by Malaysia and the Philippines over the conduct of China's military and fishing fleet. (Reuters)
June
U.S. CDC eases travel recommendations on 61 countries, including Japan
Written by Nur Yasmin
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has eased its travel recommendations for 61 countries, including Japan from its highest "Level 4" rating that had discouraged all travel to recommending travel for fully vaccinated individuals, the agency confirmed Tuesday.
The new ratings, which were not previously reported and posted on a CDC website Monday, lower 61 countries to "Level 3," including France, South Africa, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Spain and Italy. A U.S. State Department official said it was in the process of revising its travel advisory to reflect the CDC changes.
The CDC said the change comes after its revised its criteria for travel health notices. The CDC said it has also revised its rating for the United States to "Level 3" from "Level 4."
On May 24, the State Department had urged against travel to Japan, citing a new wave of coronavirus cases before the Tokyo Olympics are set to begin July 23.
The CDC said the new criteria for a Level 4 "avoid all travel" recommendation has changed from 100 cases per 100,000 to 500 cases per 100,000. The CDC added that many countries have lower ratings "because of the criteria changes or because their outbreaks are better controlled." The CDC added it expects more countries to get lower ratings.
Other countries being lowered to "Level 3" include Honduras, Indonesia, Jordan, Libya, Panama, Poland, Denmark and Malaysia.
Many of the countries that now have lower ratings remain on the U.S. government's list of countries subject to severe travel restrictions -- and most have been subject to the restrictions since early 2020.
The United States bars nearly all non-U.S. citizens who have been in China, the United Kingdom, Ireland, India, South Africa, Brazil, Iran and the 26 Schengen nations in Europe without border controls within the previous 14 days. (Reuters)