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May
UN Rights Chief Says Israeli Strikes On Gaza May Be War Crimes
Written by Nur YasminThe U.N. high commissioner for human rights said on Thursday that Israel's deadly strikes on Gaza might constitute war crimes and that Islamist group Hamas had violated international humanitarian law by firing rockets into Israel.
Michelle Bachelet said her office had verified the deaths of 270 Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, including 68 children, during violence this month. Most were killed in Hamas-controlled Gaza, where Israel fought militants for 11 days. The conflict ended with a ceasefire.
Hamas rockets killed 10 Israelis and residents.
She was addressing a special session of the U.N. Human Rights Council, held at the request of Muslim states who have asked for a U.N. commission of inquiry to investigate possible crimes and to establish command responsibility.
The resolution, presented by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Palestinian delegation to the U.N. Human Rights Council, was to be voted on later on Thursday.
The United States, Israel's closest ally, did not sign up to address the talks, where it has observer status, appearing to shun the ninth session held on Gaza since 2006.
"Regrettably, the self-professed global champions of human rights continue to shield the occupier from global accountability, and literally provide arms and ammunitions for its widely reported war crimes and crimes of apartheid against the Palestinian people," Pakistan's ambassador to the OIC, Khalil Hashmi, said, speaking on behalf of the Islamic group.
The conflict erupted after Hamas demanded Israeli forces leave the Al Aqsa mosque compound in East Jerusalem and later launched rockets towards Israel.
Bachelet said "indiscriminate" strikes from rockets launched by Hamas constituted "a clear violation of international humanitarian law".
She said Israel's strikes in Gaza, including shelling, missile strikes, and attacks from the sea, caused widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and fatalities.
"Despite Israel’s claims that many of these buildings were hosting armed groups or being used for military purposes, we have not seen evidence in this regard," Bachelet said.
"If found to be indiscriminate and disproportionate, such attacks might constitute war crimes," she added.
Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, said Hamas was a "jihadist, genocidal, terrorist organization" and accused the group of using Palestinian civilians as human shields to conceal its rockets.
"Each one of these rockets constitutes a war crime," she said, in reference to what Israeli officials have said were 4,400 rockets fired into Israel, most of which they said were intercepted by Israel's missile defense shield.
Hamas says it is struggling for Palestinian rights against Israeli oppression and denies using civilians as human shields. It says Israel's actions against Gaza are part of a strategy of collective punishment.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said: "Israel, the occupation and apartheid authority, continues its crimes, its policies and laws to consolidate a colonial and apartheid system." (Reuters)
May
France's Macron Says 'Apologize' Is Not The Right Word In Rwanda Genocide
Written by Nur Yasmin
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday "apologize" was not the right word to use when referring to France's role in Rwanda's genocide, after saying earlier he recognized his country's "responsibilities" in the 1994 tragedy.
"Apologies is not the appropriate term and I cannot grant forgiveness", Macron said during a joint press conference with his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame. (Reuters)
May
Thai Princess Allows New Vaccine Imports As Slow Rollout Prompts Anger
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Thai king's sister has approved coronavirus vaccine imports by an institution she sponsors, bypassing the government as it deals with surging infections and growing public anger over a slow and chaotic rollout.
The secretary-general of the Chulabhorn Royal Academy wrote on Facebook that the "alternative vaccines" would supplement the government campaign until it could meet the country's needs.
The government has long insisted it must handle all vaccine imports and next month starts its mass immunization drive, which relies heavily on AstraZeneca (AZN.L) vaccines manufactured locally by a company owned by the king.
The announcement in the official Royal Gazette took some in the military-backed government by surprise and comes as Thailand suffers its most severe COVID-19 outbreak yet, and growing unease about the vaccine plan.
So far, less than 1 million of Thailand's more than 66 million people have been fully vaccinated.
Authorities on Thursday reported 47 new coronavirus deaths, a record for a second successive day, bringing overall fatalities to 920, with 141,217 cases overall.
The decree was announced late on Tuesday and expanded the Chulabhorn Royal Academy's ability to respond to coronavirus. It was signed by Princess Chulabhorn, its chairwoman and the youngest sibling of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
"The Royal Academy will procure 'alternative vaccines' until vaccines that are produced in the country reach a capacity that can sufficiently protect against outbreaks," its secretary-general, Nithi Mahanonda, posted on Facebook.
It was not immediately clear how many vaccines the academy would import and when.
The government is expecting to have available 6 million AstraZeneca doses and 3 million doses of the Sinovac (SVA.O) vaccine next month, as it starts its main drive to inoculate 70% of its people by year-end.
Other private hospitals plan to buy 10 million doses of Moderna (MRNA.O) vaccines through a state-run company.
Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he was unaware of the royal order before it was published.
"I just saw the announcement last night," Anutin said when asked about it during a local television interview.
"But if it is a benefit to the country, we are ready."
The Chulabhorn Royal Academy, which includes a hospital and research institute, has organized a news conference for Friday about what it said was its importation of the vaccine of Sinopharm. Thailand is expected to approve the Chinese vaccine for emergency use this week.
Fuadi Pitsuwan, a scholar at the School of Public Policy at Chiang Mai University, said the royal procurement "risks subjecting the Chulabhorn Royal Academy to politicization and by extension, the princess herself."
"It's a move brought about by the incompetence of the government," he said. (Reuters)
May
Taiwan Sees 'Political Warfare' In Dispute With China Over Vaccines
Written by Nur Yasmin
Taiwan does not believe China is sincere in offering its much-needed COVID-19 vaccines and thinks it is working to prevent the island from getting shots for political reasons as infections surge, officials briefed on the matter told Reuters.
China and Taiwan have exchanged barbs as the world fights the virus, worsening ties already at a low ebb because of Taiwan's refusal to accept Chinese sovereignty and stepped-up U.S. support for Taipei.
The two have embarked on a bitter war of words about vaccines, much needed in Taiwan as the medical system comes under strain from new cases with only about 1% of the population of more than 23 million vaccinated.
Taiwan says China blocked it from getting vaccines produced by Germany's BioNTech (22UAy.DE), while China says it is happy to send a supply of that vaccine via its Chinese sales agent, Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd (600196.SS).
But Taiwan will not take the vaccines from Fosun, saying there is a lack of transparency and that China refuses to provide relevant information.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office, which has repeatedly said its vaccine offer is sincere and Taiwan should not put up political roadblocks, said in a statement to Reuters that Taiwan's allegation it was blocking a BioNTech deal was "nonsense".
A senior Taiwan official familiar with the situation told Reuters that China had not used an existing channel to discuss medical issues, which has been used to exchange information on COVID cases, to address the vaccine question.
Instead, he said, China was launching "political warfare" to "split and weaken" Taiwan, without a real intention to offer the vaccines.
"They are shouting words like they really mean it but they won't give it to you," he said.
"There are certain procedures in Taiwan to import vaccines, and if their intention is real, they know what to do."
The government had for months chosen not to publicize what it sees as Chinese intervention in the BioNTech case but had reached a point where it felt it had to, he added.
"Vaccines are not politics. But mainland China knows the best in the world how to politicize vaccines."
A security official looking into Chinese activity in Taiwan told Reuters that China was "making a lot of effort" to prevent Taiwan from getting vaccines.
"It's similar to dollar diplomacy. Just that now dollars are replaced by vaccines," he added, referring to accusations the two sides exchange over buying diplomatic support with loans and other inducements.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office repeated China's stance that Taiwan had gone against commercial principles in seeking to bypass Fosun.
"They clearly knew they were trying to keep going despite the task being impossible," it said.
'LIAR'
Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Centre said in a statement to Reuters that information about vaccines from Fosun in a state media report where the offer was made was "unclear" and there was no way to know if the shots complied with Taiwan's regulations.
Fosun has not responded to requests for comment.
Taiwan's government is also facing pressure at home from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party to accept the Fosun vaccines.
At a news conference on Thursday, senior KMT official Cheng Li-wun called President Tsai Ing-wen a "vaccine liar" and held up a sign saying people would die without vaccines.
Cheng questioned why the government had refused to purchase vaccines from Fosun, saying their shots were "100%" BioNTech vaccines.
"Everyone has purchased goods from a distributor before," she said, adding that Tsai was stuck on a "wall of ideology" and her rejection of China's offer was to save face.
Adding to Taiwan's anger, this week it failed again in its bid to attend the WHO's decision-making World Health Assembly as an observer, following objections from Beijing and its allies.
Meanwhile, China's almost daily incursions into the southwestern corner of Taiwan's air defense zone have continued.
On Tuesday, Hu Xijin, editor of China's influential Global Times newspaper, said that while there were humanitarian considerations on vaccines, Beijing still had a bottom line.
"Military aircraft surrounding Taiwan and other pressure will continue," he said. (Reuters)
May
U.N. Aid Chief Warns: Don't Cut Syria Cross-Border 'Lifeline'
Written by Nur Yasmin
United Nations aid chief Mark Lowcock appealed to the Security Council on Wednesday not to cut a cross-border aid "lifeline" to some 3 million Syrians in the country's north as veto-power Russia questioned the importance of the long-running operation.
"We want to see both more cross-line and more cross-border assistance. The cross-border operation – which is a lifeline for more than 3 million people – cannot be substituted," Lowcock told the council. "We look to this council to ensure that that lifeline is not severed."
The 15-member Security Council first authorized a cross-border aid operation into Syria in 2014 at four points. Last year, it reduced that access to one crossing point from Turkey due to opposition from Russia and China over renewing all four.
Another showdown is likely over the renewal of the mandate for the operation, which expires on July 10. A resolution to extend council approval needs nine votes in favor and no veto from any of the five permanent members Russia, China, the United States, France and Britain.
Several council members are pushing to increase the number of cross-border aid access points.
"If we don't, people will die. It is that simple," deputy U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Mills told the council on Wednesday. "One crossing point alone cannot meet the mass needs of the Syrian people."
Russia's deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy accused his Western counterparts of disregarding the importance of cross-line aid deliveries from Damascus and "making it obvious that they do not intend to take any steps that would create problems for the fighters holed up in Idlib.
"This hypocritical presentation of the issue is something that we cannot agree with. We are obviously going to have to take into consideration when taking a decision on extending the cross-border mechanism," he told the council.
In the past decade, the council has been divided over how to handle Syria, with Syrian ally Russia and China pitted against Western members. Russia has vetoed 16 resolutions related to Syria and was backed by China for many of those votes. (Reuters)
May
Total, Chevron suspend payments to Myanmar junta from gas project
Written by Nur Yasmin
French oil and gas group Total and U.S. energy company Chevron have suspended some payments from a gas joint venture that would have reached Myanmar's junta, earning praise from pro-democracy activists for taking an important first step.
International companies doing business in the country have come under pressure from rights groups and Myanmar's parallel civilian government to review their operations to stop payments flowing to a military government that seized power on Feb. 1.
Myanmar has been in chaos since the army overthrew the elected government and detained its leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and the junta has responded with brutal force to daily protests, marches and strikes nationwide in support of the ousted civilian administration.
In a statement, Total said "in light of the unstable context in Myanmar" after a joint proposal with Chevron shareholders at the meeting of the Moattama Gas Transportation Company voted to suspend all cash distributions.
Total is the biggest shareholder with 31.24%, while Chevron holds 28%. Thailand's PTTEP and Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise hold the remainder.
"Total condemns the violence and human rights abuses occurring in Myanmar and reaffirms that it will comply with any decision that may be taken by the relevant international and national authorities, including applicable sanctions issued by the EU or the U.S. authorities," the statement said.
Chevron in a statement said: "The humanitarian crisis in Myanmar requires a collective response to improve the welfare of the people of Myanmar."
The U.S. company also said: "Any actions should be carefully considered to ensure the people of Myanmar are not further disadvantaged by unintended and unpredictable consequences of well-intentioned decisions."
Justice for Myanmar, an activists group, welcomed the decision to suspend payments of dividends, which it said would curb one source of revenue to the junta.
"But we note that this is only a minor portion of the revenue that the junta is receiving from Total’s operations in Myanmar, which also includes the state’s share of gas revenues, royalties and corporate income taxes," Justice For Myanmar spokesperson Yadanar Maung said in a statement.
Located off Myanmar's southwest coast in the Gulf of Martaban, the Yadana fields produce gas for delivery to power plants in Thailand. They also supply Myanmar's domestic market, via an offshore pipeline built and operated by state energy firm Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise. Total said it was continuing to maintain the production of the Yadana gas field "so as not to disrupt the electricity supply that is vital to the local populations of Myanmar and Thailand." (Reuters)
May
Taliban warns nearby nations against hosting U.S. military after withdrawal
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Afghan Taliban on Wednesday warned nearby nations against allowing the United States to use their territory for operations in the country after they withdraw from Afghanistan.
As foreign forces withdraw troops by President Joe Biden's announced deadline of Sept. 11, experts and diplomats have speculated that Washington's future role in the region could include bases in nearby countries, especially Pakistan.
"If such a step is taken, then the responsibility for all the misfortunes and difficulties lies upon those who commit such mistakes," the insurgent group said in a statement, without specifying a country.
U.S. officials have privately said that they are exploring potential basing options in countries near Afghanistan, like Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, but have so far not come to an agreement with any of them. read more
In recent days, there has been a spate of talks between senior Pakistani and U.S. officials, including a meeting between Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and his Pakistani counterpart.
Pakistan shares a border with Afghanistan that runs along heavily contested areas of south and eastern Afghanistan where the Taliban have a large presence.
A spokesman for Pakistan's foreign office said on Monday that any speculation over U.S. use of bases in Pakistan "was baseless and irresponsible".
The U.S. embassy in Islamabad did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fighting between the Taliban and Afghan forces has escalated sharply in Afghanistan since Washington announced its decision, a slower timeframe than envisaged in a deal former U.S. President Donald Trump's administration signed with the insurgents that said troops would withdraw by May subject to security guarantees. read more
Many analysts have warned that the country could descend into civil war as efforts to secure a peace deal through talks in Doha have largely stalled.
Two Taliban sources said several members of the group's political office are currently in Pakistan's capital Islamabad for talks over the ongoing negotiations, including whether to take part in a conference due to take place in Turkey that they had previously boycotted.
Pakistan has been criticised in the past for ties to the Taliban, but in recent years has been praised by Washington for helping to bring the group to the negotiating table. (Reuters)
May
Australia's Victoria state to enter COVID-19 lockdown after 'highly-infectious' outbreak
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australia's second most populous state of Victoria will enter a one-week COVID-19 lockdown forcing its near seven million residents to remain home except for essential business as authorities struggle to contain a highly-infectious outbreak.
"We're dealing with a highly infectious strain of the virus, a variant of concern, which is running faster than we have ever recorded," Victoria state Acting Premier James Merlino told reporters in Melbourne.
"Unless something drastic happens, this will become increasingly uncontrollable."
Merlino said contact tracers have identified more than 10,000 primary and secondary contacts who would need to quarantine, test and self isolate, adding "that number will continue to grow and change".
The fresh cluster of infections in Melbourne detected early this week swelled to 26 on Thursday after 12 new cases overnight, while the number of virus-exposed sites rose above 150.
Victoria state Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said he "absolutely expects" more positive cases to emerge in the coming days as the variant, first detected in India, was likely to be more virulent than the original strains.
The current strain can take one day to infect another person compared with earlier strains which can take about five or six days, Merlino said.
Under the lockdown, from 11:59 pm local time (1359 GMT) on Thursday until June 3, people will only be allowed to leave their homes for essential work, healthcare, grocery shopping, exercise or to get a coronavirus vaccination.
Several infected contacts have visited crowded hot spots that included sports stadiums and one of the largest shopping centres in the country, raising concerns of a significant outbreak days ahead of the winter season.
Other states and territories have responded to the lockdown by placing tougher border rules for travellers from Victoria.
The states of Western Australia and Tasmania on Thursday closed their borders to Victorian residents following South Australia's move a day earlier. The Northern Territory and Queensland state will ask travellers to undergo a mandatory two-week hotel quarantine.
New South Wales, Australia's most populous state and which shares a border with Victoria, urged residents to defer non-urgent travel to Melbourne.
The lockdown comes just days after authorities reinstated coronavirus curbs for state capital Melbourne, limiting gathering sizes and making masks mandatory in restaurants, hotels and other indoor locations until June 4. read more
Officials have traced the latest cluster, the first in the state in more than three months, back to an overseas traveller infected with a variant first found in India, although the virus transmission path is still unclear.
The unnamed Victoria man tested negative after finishing his quarantine in neighbouring South Australia and flew to Melbourne this month but tested positive six days after he arrived.
Victoria endured one of the world's strictest and longest lockdowns last year to suppress a second wave of COVID-19 that killed more than 800 people in the state, amounting for 90% of Australia's total deaths since the pandemic began.
Swift contact tracing, snap lockdowns and strict social distancing rules have helped Australia keep its COVID-19 numbers relatively low, with just over 30,000 cases and 910 deaths. (Reuters)
May
New Zealand health systems hackers release patient details to the media
Written by Nur Yasmin
Hackers who targeted hospitals in New Zealand’s Waikato district have released what appears to be private patient information to media outlets, as health systems struggled to come back online more than a week after the attack.
A group claiming responsibility for the Waikato District Health Board cyberattack that took place last week released scores of official looking records and documents containing names, phone numbers, and addresses of patients and staff, Radio New Zealand and other local media reported.
The media outlets decided not to report the details and referred the email to the police.
The outage of the health systems in Waikato continues, disrupting the treatment of patients and the payroll process of staff members. The hospitals have now moved to manual processes to support a backlog of patients while the public was asked to look for alternative avenues for treatment for non-critical conditions.
Authorities would not comment on whether the cyber attackers had put forward any demands.
"We are aware that malicious actors can see what is being said in the media, and that this can influence their behaviour. On that basis, we can make no further comment on this," Waikato DHB Chief Executive Kevin Snee said in a statement.
The government has refused to pay any ransom to the hackers.
Waikato DHB cares for a population of more than 425,000 people.
The breach comes after Ireland’s health service operator was hit by a ransomware attack that was executed by international cyber criminals.
But it was not clear if the attack in New Zealand was by the same group.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said this week that the cyber criminals who hit the Irish health system used a malicious software dubbed “Conti”, had targeted at least 16 U.S. medical and first response networks in the past year.
New Zealand’s stock market was hit by a cyber attack last year and the central bank’s data systems were also breached in an attack on a file sharing service provided by California-based Accellion. (Reuters)
May
Chinese embassy in U.S. says politicising COVID-19 origins hampers investigations
Written by Nur Yasmin
Politicising the origins of COVID-19 would hamper further investigations and undermine global efforts to curb the pandemic, China’s U.S. embassy said after President Joe Biden ordered a review of intelligence about where the virus emerged.
The embassy in Washington said in a statement on its website on Wednesday evening "some political forces have been fixated on political manipulation and (the) blame game".
As the World Health Organization (WHO) prepares to begin a second phase of studies into the origins of COVID-19, China has been under pressure to give investigators more access amid allegations that SARS-CoV-2 leaked from a laboratory specialising in coronavirus research in the city of Wuhan.
China has repeatedly denied the lab was responsible, saying the United States and other countries were trying to distract from their own failures to contain the virus.
Biden said on Wednesday that U.S. intelligence agencies were divided about whether COVID-19 “emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory accident”.
Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health with the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, said China's lack of openness was a major factor behind the resurgence of the lab leak theory.
"There's nothing really new there to prove the hypothesis," he said. "In the investigation of the origins of the pandemic it is really important to have transparency in order to build trust in the investigation results."
"A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY"
The Chinese embassy said it supports "a comprehensive study of all early cases of COVID-19 found worldwide and a thorough investigation into some secretive bases and biological laboratories all over the world."
The Global Times tabloid, part of the ruling Communist Party's People's Daily newspaper group, said late on Wednesday that if the "lab leak theory" is to be further investigated, the United States should also allow investigators into its own facilities, including the lab at Fort Detrick.
"Very clearly they are trying to internationalise their way out of the jam they are in," said Jamie Metzl, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank, who has been campaigning for a new independent investigation.
A joint China-WHO study published in March said that it was highly improbable that SARS-CoV-2 leaked from the lab, adding that it most likely spread from bats to humans via an as yet unidentified intermediary species.
China has also continued to point to the possibility that COVID-19 originated in another country and entered via infected frozen food or through southeast Asian wildlife trade networks.
"The pandemic started in China," Metzl said. "Let's start with a full investigation there and expand as necessary. In short, this (statement from the embassy) is an outrageous insult to every person who has died from this terrible tragedy and their families."
Huang of CFR said further investigations into the origins of COVID-19 were at an "impasse".
“Ideally you want China to be more cooperative and more transparent,” Huang said. “But now the issue has become so politicised, with the stakes of the investigation so high.” (Reuters)