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April
Malaysia says AstraZeneca vaccine safe, will be used for over 60s
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Malaysian health authorities on Monday said the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca (AZN.L) is safe for use, three days after the Southeast Asian nation received its first batch of the shots bought through the global COVAX facility.
Some countries have limited or halted its use over possible links to blood clotting. AstraZeneca says regulatory reviews in Britain and Europe have noted its vaccine offers a high level of protection and that its benefits far outweigh any risks
"I confirm the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca is safe, and it will be administered to those aged 60 years and older," Health Minister Adham Baba said in a televised news conference.
Malaysia received its first shipment of nearly 270,000 doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine on Friday. read more
Ministry officials said the vaccine was found to be "suitable for use" for those aged 60 and older, and were looking into the available data before approving it for use for other age groups.
Malaysia secured a total of 12.8 million doses from AstraZeneca, half of which will come via the COVAX facility. It was slated to receive the first 600,000 doses in June. (Reuters)
April
Hong Kong-Singapore air travel bubble to start on May 26 - Bloomberg News
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Hong Kong and Singapore will announce a May 26 start to their long-delayed air travel bubble between the two cities, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The announcement could come as soon as Monday, the report said.
Under the agreement, people will be allowed to travel quarantine-free between the financial hubs.
The report did not specify how many flights would take place under the agreement, but cited one person as saying the number will be increased by June 26 if there are no further outbreaks in either city.
Singapore's transport ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The travel bubble was delayed after a spike in coronavirus cases in Hong Kong late last year. (Reuters)
April
Myanmar activists deride ASEAN-junta consensus, vow to continue protests
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Myanmar's pro-democracy activists sharply criticised an agreement between the country's junta chief and Southeast Asian leaders to end a violent post-coup crisis and vowed on Sunday to continue protesting.
Some scattered protests took place in Myanmar's big cities on Sunday, a day after the meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in Indonesia reached a consensus to end the turmoil in Myanmar, but gave no timeline.
"Whether it is ASEAN or the U.N., they will only speak from outside saying 'don’t fight but negotiate and solve the issues'. But that doesn’t reflect Myanmar’s ground situation," said Khin Sandar from a protest group called the General Strikes Collaboration Committee.
"We will continue the protests," she told Reuters by phone.
According to a statement from ASEAN chair Brunei, a consensus was reached in Indonesia's capital Jakarta on five points - ending violence, constructive dialogue among all parties, a special ASEAN envoy, acceptance of aid and a visit by the envoy to Myanmar.
The five-point consensus did not mention political prisoners, although the statement said the meeting heard calls for their release.
A draft statement circulating the day before the summit included the release of political prisoners as a consensus point, said three sources familiar with the document. But in the final statement, the language on political prisoners was unexpectedly watered down, they added. read more
As Saturday's statement was issued in Jakarta, at least three soldiers were killed and several injured in an armed clash with a local militia in the town of Mindat in western Myanmar, the Chin state Human Rights Organisation said.
The militia, armed with hunting rifles, attacked the troops after several protesters were arrested, it said.
ASEAN leaders had wanted a commitment from Min Aung Hlaing to restrain his security forces, which the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) says have killed 748 people since a civil disobedience movement erupted to challenge his Feb. 1 coup against the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
AAPP, a Myanmar activist group, says over 3,300 are in detention.
"We realized that whatever the outcome from the ASEAN meeting, it will not reflect what people want," said Wai Aung a protest organiser in Yangon. "We will keep up protests and strikes till the military regime completely fails."
'SLAP ON THE FACE'
Several people took to social media to criticise the deal.
"ASEAN's statement is a slap on the face of the people who have been abused, killed and terrorised by the military," said a Facebook user called Mawchi Tun. "We do not need your help with that mindset and approach."
Aaron Htwe, another Facebook user, wrote: "Who will pay the price for the over 700 innocent lives?"
Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said it was unfortunate that only the junta chief represented Myanmar at the meeting.
"Not only were the representatives of the Myanmar people not invited to the Jakarta meeting but they also got left out of the consensus that ASEAN is now patting itself on the back for reaching," he said in a statement.
"The lack of a clear timeline for action, and ASEAN's well known weakness in implementing the decisions and plans that it issues, are real concerns that no one should overlook."
The ASEAN gathering was the first coordinated international effort to ease the crisis in Myanmar, an impoverished country that neighbours China, India and Thailand and has been in turmoil since the coup. Besides the protests, deaths and arrests, a nationwide strike has crippled economic activity.
Myanmar's parallel National Unity Government (NUG), comprised of pro-democracy figures, remnants of Suu Kyi's ousted administration and representatives of armed ethnic groups, said it welcomed the consensus reached but added the junta had to be held to its promises.
"We look forward to firm action by ASEAN to follow up its decisions and to restore our democracy," said Dr. Sasa, spokesman for the NUG.
Besides the junta chief, the leaders of Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and Brunei were at the meeting, along with the foreign ministers of Laos, Thailand and the Philippines. The NUG was not invited but spoke privately to some of the participating countries before the meeting. (Reuters)
April
ASEAN changed Myanmar statement on release of political detainees - sources
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. A draft statement circulating the day before a Southeast Asian leaders' summit on the Myanmar crisis included the release of political prisoners as one of its "consensus" points, said three sources familiar with the document.
But in the final statement at the end of Saturday's meeting, the language on freeing political prisoners had been unexpectedly watered down and did not contain a firm call for their release, two of the sources said.
The absence of a strong position on this issue caused dismay among human rights activists and opponents of the coup, fuelling criticism by them that the meeting had achieved little in the way of reining in the country's military leaders. read more
Activist monitors say 3,389 people have been detained in a crackdown on dissent by the military since the Feb. 1 coup, and nearly 750 people have been killed.
The "five-point consensus" in the chairman's statement at the end of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting did not refer to freeing political detainees. However, the statement separately mentioned that the summit "heard calls" for their release. The summit was attended by Myanmar's junta leader Min Aung Hlaing.
Among those held by the military are Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party was declared the winner of elections prior to the coup, as well as Myanmar's democratically-elected president and other lawmakers.
There was confusion after the summit as some leaders and diplomats made comments suggesting consensus had been reached on calling for release of political prisoners.
"Malaysia pushed for an end to the violence in Myanmar, the release of political detainees, and for an ASEAN Envoy to meet with all parties involved," said Malaysia's foreign minister Hishammuddin Hussein on social media on Sunday. "The Leaders reached consensus on these."
An official in Hishammuddin's ministry referred Reuters to the line in the chair's statement that there were calls for the freeing of detainees.
Two sources who saw the draft of the consensus points, and requested anonymity, told Reuters they were surprised the language had been changed, but did not say how or when it was altered. Reuters has not seen the draft.
There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the foreign ministry of Brunei, which chaired the ASEAN summit.
Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch said political prisoners would need to be "involved in any negotiated solution to the crisis".
The five consensus points, however, include an undertaking for "all parties" in Myanmar to be involved in dialogue.
The other points of consensus were an end to violence, a special ASEAN envoy, humanitarian assistance and a visit by a delegation to Myanmar to "meet all parties concerned".
At the summit, leaders and their representatives gave speeches on the situation in Myanmar, with coup leader Ming Aung Hlaing presenting his views last, said Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsieh Loong.
"He said he heard us, he would take the points in which he considered helpful," Lee said. (Reuters)
April
Australia defence minister says conflict with China over Taiwan 'should not be discounted'
Written by nuke
The Australian embassy in Beijing. (File photo: AP) -
Conflict with China over Taiwan "should not be discounted", but Australia will work with its allies in the region to try and maintain peace, Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton said on Sunday (Apr 25).
"I don't think it (conflict) should be discounted," Dutton said in a television interview on the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) when asked whether the prospects of a conflict over Taiwan are growing.
He added that China has been increasingly clear about its reunification ambitions with Taiwan.
"People need to be realistic about the activity," Dutton said. "There is militarisation of bases across the region. Obviously, there is a significant amount of activity and there is an animosity between Taiwan and China."He added that while there is a high level of preparedness for the Australian defence force to meet any threats in the region against the country's allies, Canberra will work to try to maintain peace.
"We want to make sure we continue to be a good neighbour in the region, that we work with our partners and with our allies and nobody wants to see conflict between China and Taiwan or anywhere else," Dutton said.
Australia's diplomatic relations with China, its largest trading partner, have worsened since Canberra called for an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus which was first reported in the Chinese city Wuhan, prompting trade reprisals from Beijing//CNA
April
Japan to open large COVID-19 vaccination centres in Tokyo, Osaka
Written by nuke
A medical worker fills a syringe with a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease vaccine as Japan launches its inoculation campaign, at Tokyo Medical Center in Tokyo, Japan on Feb 17, 2021. (Behrouz Mehri/Pool via Reuters) -
The Japanese government is planning to open large vaccination centers in Tokyo and Osaka in the coming weeks to administer shots in a bid to speed up its inoculation drive, local media reported on Sunday (Apr 25).
Japan only started vaccinating its sizable elderly population this month and health experts say it may take till the winter (December to February) or longer for most of the general populace to get access to the shots.
The Nikkei newspaper said on Sunday the government will open a vaccination site in central Tokyo as early as May that will be able to vaccinate about 10,000 people a day. The site will be open to anyone living and working in Tokyo, the paper said.
Medically trained staff from Japan's Self-Defense Forces will also assist with vaccinations in such centres, the Nikkei said.
The Japanese government has come under sharp criticism for its sluggish vaccination rollout, which has been handled mostly by municipal authorities. Japan has vaccinated about 1 per cent of its population, according to a Reuters tracker.
Japan has avoided an explosive spread of the pandemic experienced by many countries. There have been about 550,000 cases and 9,761 deaths, significantly lower numbers than inother large economies.
But the latest rise in infections has stoked alarm, with a surge in a mutant variant and a critical shortage of medical staff and hospital beds in some areas.
Japan's third state of emergency in Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures began on Sunday, which will cover nearly a quarter of the population and attempt to combat a surge in coronavirus cases three months before the Tokyo Olympics is set to open//CNA
April
Philippine coast guard holds drills in disputed South China Sea
Written by nuke
File photo of a Philippine coast guard ship sailing past a Chinese coast guard ship near Scarborough shoal in the South China Sea in May 2019. (File photo: AFP/TED ALJIBE) -
The Philippine coast guard is conducting drills in the South China Sea which an official said on Sunday (Apr 25) were part of efforts to secure "our maritime jurisdiction" over the disputed waters.
The exercises near the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island and China-controlled Scarborough Shoal come amid heightened tensions over the resource-rich sea.
Most of the boats have since dispersed around the contested archipelago.
China - which claims almost the entirety of the sea - has refused repeated demands by the Philippines to call back the ships, which Manila says are maritime militia vessels and Beijing says are fishing boats.
In response, the Philippines has deployed more patrol vessels, including coast guard and navy ships, to intensify surveillance and prevent illegal fishing.
The coast guard drills began last week.
"We are supporting the whole-of-nation approach in securing our maritime jurisdiction," coast guard spokesman Commodore Armando Balilo said.
The exercises involve training in navigation, small boat operations, maintenance and logistical operations.
They are being held near Thitu Island and Scarborough Shoal, as well as the Batanes islands in the north, and the southern and eastern parts of the country.
Scarborough - one of the region's richest fishing grounds - has long been a flashpoint between Manila and Beijing.
China seized it from the Philippines in 2012 following a tense standoff.
The drills began as Philippine armed forces held joint exercises with US soldiers that ended on Friday.
Beijing has ignored a 2016 international tribunal decision that declared its historical claim over most of the South China Sea to be without basis.
But once-frosty relations between Manila and Beijing have warmed under President Rodrigo Duterte, who set aside the ruling in exchange for promises of trade and investment.
The Philippine foreign and defence secretaries, however, have been engaged in a war of words with Beijing.
The foreign affairs department has been filing daily protests over the Chinese vessels and, in a rare move, recently summoned Beijing's envoy to express its "utmost displeasure" over the issue//CNA
April
Thousands gather in Australia and NZ to honour ANZAC forces
Written by nuke
People watch from behind fences at the Anzac Day dawn service at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne on April 25, 2021 as the state government limits numbers of people able to attend. (Photo: AFP/William West) -
Thousands of Australians and New Zealanders attended Anzac Day dawn services Sunday (Apr 25) to honour their armed forces, a year after marking the solemn occasion from the isolation of their driveways.
Both countries largely returned to in-person services after the cancellation of marches and ceremonies in 2020 due to coronavirus restrictions led many to observe the annual memorial day at home.
Anzac Day marks the 1915 landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli, in what is now Turkey, during World War I to face the German-backed Ottoman forces.
While most nations commemorate military victories, New Zealand and Australia focus on the ill-fated, eight-month campaign that cost the young nations more than 11,000 lives.
At a gathering at the War Memorial Museum in Auckland early Sunday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern highlighted the sacrifices of women in war.
The commemorations now extend to every conflict the countries have joined in the ensuing decades, including wars in Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said this year a "chapter in our history is coming to a close" after the announcement last week the country would withdraw its remaining troops from Afghanistan in line with the US timetable to leave by September.
Speaking at an official memorial in Canberra, Morrison said Australia's longest war had come at "great cost" to the nation.
"Forty-one Australian lives lost in Afghanistan, whom we especially remember and honour this morning," he said.
"More than 39,000 Australians have served on operations in support of Australia's mission in Afghanistan, many carrying the wounds and scars of war, seen and unseen."
The two nations' success in containing the spread of COVID-19 allowed many public remembrance services and parades to go ahead, though with limited crowds in Australia and ceremonies cancelled in the locked-down city of Perth//CNA
April
India COVID-19 cases set new global record, US readies help
Written by nuke
A person walks past funeral fires of those who died from COVID-19 at a crematorium in New Delhi, India Apr 24, 2021. (Photo:Reuters/Adnan Abidi) -
India on Sunday (Apr 25) set a new global record of the most number of coronavirus infections in a day, as the United States said it was racing to send help to the country.
India's number of cases surged by 349,691 in the past 24 hours, the fourth straight day of record peaks, and hospitals in Delhi and across the country are turning away patients after running out of medical oxygen and beds.
Our hearts go out to the Indian people in the midst of the horrific COVID-19 outbreak. We are working closely with our partners in the Indian government, and we will rapidly deploy additional support to the people of India and India's health care heroes," US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Twitter.
The United States has faced criticism in India for its export controls on raw materials for vaccines put in place via the defense production act and an associated export embargo in February.
The Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s biggest vaccine maker, this month urged US President Joe Biden to lift the embargo on US exports of raw materials that is hurting its production of AstraZeneca shots.Others such as US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi urged the Biden administration to release unused vaccines to India. "When people in India and elsewhere desperately need help, we can't let vaccines sit in a warehouse, we need to get them where they'll save lives," he said.
India's total tally of infections stands at 16.96 million and deaths 192,311 after 2,767 more died overnight, health ministry data showed.
In the last month alone, daily cases have gone up eight times and deaths by ten times. Health experts say the death count is probably far higher.
The surge is expected to peak in mid-May with the daily count of infections reaching half a million, the Indian Express said citing an internal government assessment.
V K Paul, a COVID-task force leader, made the presentation during a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state chief ministers and said that the health infrastructure in heavily populated states is not adequate enough to cope, according to the newspaper.
Paul did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Experts said India became complacent in the winter, when new cases were running at about 10,000 a day and seemed to be under control. Authorities lifted restrictions, allowing for the resumption of big gatherings//CNA
April
'Breakthrough’ therapy for the most common type of leukaemia among children approved in Singapore
Written by nuke
White blood cells are removed, genetically modified to attack cancer cells and put back into patients, in a treatment that was recently approved in Singapore. (Photo: Novartis) -
A type of cell therapy forcancer has been approved for use in Singapore, providing another treatment option for patients with certain types of advanced blood cancers which are not in remission despite having gone through other forms of treatment.
Such patients include children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia - the most common type of paediatric blood cancer in Singapore - if they fulfil certain criteria.
The new treatment works by removing disease-fighting cells called T cells from patients, genetically engineering them to attack cancer and putting the cells back into them.
Developed by Swiss pharmaceutical firm Novartis, the therapy is called CAR-T, or chimeric antigen receptor T-cell. It is marketed commercially as Kymriah.
It was approved under Singapore's new cell, tissue and gene therapy products (CTGTP) regulatory framework which came into effect on Mar 1.
Singapore is the first country in Southeast Asia to offer the treatment.
Explaining how the therapy works, Professor William Hwang, medical director of the National Cancer Centre Singapore said: “Imagine cancer cells as criminals and T cells as policemen. If there are strong, persistent and covert criminals in the city that the policemen cannot get rid of, the CAR-T process is like taking the policemen out, giving them training to recognise all the criminals and returning them to the city to root out the enemies.”
Prof Hwang described it as a "breakthrough".
“It is a major advancement in the emergence of immune-based treatment strategies and is a significant step forward in offering patients life-saving, individualised cancer treatment for blood cancers and disorders,” he said.
The treatment is, however, expensive and there are potentially serious side effects. The therapy is approved for children and young adults with advanced blood cancers, in particular, patients aged two to 25 withB-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) that is resistant and where a relapse has occurred subsequently or post-transplant//CNA