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March
U.N. rights office gets mandate to document Sri Lanka war crimes
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. U.N. human rights boss Michelle Bachelet was given a mandate on Tuesday to collect and preserve information and evidence of war crimes committed during Sri Lanka’s long civil war that ended in 2009.
The Human Rights Council adopted a resolution, brought by Britain on behalf of a core group of countries, strengthening her office’s capacity to investigate with a view to future prosecutions. The vote was 22 countries in favour, with 11 against, including China and Pakistan, and 14 abstentions including India. (Reuters)
March
Name of vaccine Russia's Vladimir Putin to take will be a secret, says Kremlin
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. The Kremlin said on Tuesday it had deliberately decided it would not reveal the name of the Russian-made vaccine which President Vladimir Putin is due to take later on Tuesday.
“We are deliberately not saying which shot the president will get, noting that all three Russian (-made) vaccines are absolutely reliable and effective,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
He said Putin, who announced his intention to get vaccinated a day earlier, would probably be vaccinated in the evening and would receive one of the three Russian-made shots.
Peskov said Putin had already done a lot to promote Russian-made vaccines, the most famous of which is Sputnik V. Moscow has also given emergency approval to two other domestic vaccines, EpiVacCorona and CoviVac.
Peskov said that Putin did not like the idea of being vaccinated on camera. (Reuters)
March
Pfizer to develop new vaccines on its own using mRNA technology - WSJ
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Pfizer Inc plans to tap the mRNA technology to make new vaccines for other viruses following the success of its COVID-19 shot, which was developed jointly with German partner BioNTech SE, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
The drugmaker said it was ready to pursue mRNA on its own following its experience in the past year working on the COVID-19 vaccine, the WSJ reported, citing an interview with Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla.
It did not, however, disclose any details about the viruses it was targeting.
Pfizer and BioNTech did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines, authorized for emergency use in the United States, use mRNA technology.
The success of the technology is prompting drug developers to consider its use in other areas of medicine beyond vaccines, attracting billions of dollars in investment. (Reuters)
March
U.S. blacklists Myanmar police chief, army units over deadly crackdown
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. The U.S. Treasury Department said on Monday it was imposing sanctions on two members of Myanmar’s ruling junta, including the chief of police, and two military units linked to the deadly repression of protests again the army’s coup, as Washington warned of more action.
President Joe Biden’s administration has already blacklisted top junta members and some military-owned companies, but the military has refused to change course and increasingly used violence against anti-coup demonstrators, killing more than 250 people so far.
“Today’s actions send a strong signal that we will follow through on our pledges to continue to take action against coup leaders and those who perpetrate violence,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
The U.S. action came on the heels of the European Union imposing its own sanctions on Monday on 11 individuals linked to the Feb. 1 coup in Myanmar.
The U.S. Treasury’s action targeted Than Hlaing, a military officer who was appointed to lead the police force after the coup, and Lieutenant General Aung Soe, a special operations commander overseeing the crackdown.
The move essentially freezes any U.S. assets of those blacklisted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.
The Treasury also blacklisted the army’s 77th Light Infantry Division and 33rd Light Infantry Division, which have been deployed to suppress anti-coup demonstrations in the largest city, Yangon, and second city of Mandalay.
“Video footage shows security forces riding pickup trucks while apparently indiscriminately firing live ammunition in multiple directions, including into people’s homes,” the Treasury said of the crackdowns.
The 33rd was one of two of the army’s elite light infantry units already under U.S. human rights sanctions for their roles in the military’s 2017 assault on Rohingya Muslims, which were first detailed in a Reuters special report. (Reuters)
March
Several dead, thousands of homes burn as fire sweeps Rohingya camp: witnesses
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. A huge fire swept through a Rohingya refugee camp in southern Bangladesh on Monday, destroying thousands of homes and killing several people, officials and witnesses said, in the worst blaze to hit the settlement in recent years.
Video and photographs showed a blaze ripping through the Balukhali camp in Cox’s Bazar. Black smoke billowed over burning shanties and tents as people scrambled to recover their possessions.
“Fire services, rescue and response teams and volunteers are at the scene to try to control the fire and prevent it spreading further,” said Louise Donovan, spokesperson for U.N. refugee agency UNHCR in Cox’s Bazar.
Mohammed Shamsud Douza, the deputy Bangladesh government official in charge of refugees, said authorities were trying to control the blaze.
Rohingya refugees in the camps said many homes were burned down and several people had died, but neither the authorities nor the UNHCR could confirm the number of deaths. The cause of the blaze has not been established.
More than a million Rohingya live in the camps in southern Bangladesh, the vast majority having fled Myanmar in 2017 from a military-led crackdown that U.N. investigators said was executed with “genocidal intent”, charges Myanmar denies.
Zaifur Hussein, a 50-year-old refugee who escaped the fire but lost his home and was sheltering with friends, said he believed dozens may have been killed and that fencing around the camps made it difficult to flee.
“When we were in Myanmar we faced lots of problems... they destroyed everything,” he said. “Now it has happened again.”
Snigdha Chakraborty, the Bangladesh director for Catholic Relief Services, said she was worried about the lack of medical facilities in the area.
“Medical facilities are basic and burns require sophisticated treatment, plus hospital beds are already partly taken up with COVID-19 patients,” she said. “Most likely there will be fatalities because the fire is so large.”
A Rohingya leader in Cox’s Bazar, a sliver of land bordering Myanmar in southeastern Bangladesh, said he saw several dead bodies.
“Thousand of huts were totally burned down,” Mohammed Nowkhim told Reuters.
Another large blaze tore through the camp in January, destroying homes but causing no casualties.
The risk of fire in the densely populated camps is high, and Monday’s blaze was the largest yet, said Onno Van Manen, Country Director of Save the Children in Bangladesh.
“It is another devastating blow to the Rohingya refugees who live here. Just a couple of days ago we lost one of our health facilities in another fire,” he said.
The UNHCR said humanitarian partners had mobilised hundreds of volunteers from nearby camps for the support operation, as well as fire safety vehicles and equipment. (Reuters)
March
U.S., Canada, UK call on China to end 'repression' in Xinjiang
Written by Nur YasminJakarta. The United States, Canada and Great Britain denounced China on Monday for what they described as Beijing’s “repressive practices” against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.
“We stand united and call for justice for those suffering in Xinjiang,” the three countries foreign ministers said in a joint statement. (Reuters)
March
India to launch supercharged push for global electric vehicle players
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. India plans to offer fresh incentives to companies making electric vehicles (EVs) as part of a broad auto sector scheme it expects to attract $14 billion of investment over five years, according to industry sources and a document seen by Reuters.
The country’s efforts to promote EVs to reduce its oil dependence and cut pollution have been stymied so far by a lack of investment and weak demand, as well as the patchwork nature of existing incentives that vary from state to state.
The new automotive sector scheme, however, has been under discussion since mid-2020 to provide a more focused approach, industry sources close to the matter told Reuters. The plans envisage $8 billion of incentives for carmakers and suppliers over a five-year period to drive large investment in the sector.
Final details of the scheme are expected within a month, but companies will be able to apply for incentives from April 1, the sources said.
Companies will receive 4-7% government cashbacks on the eligible sale and export value of vehicles and components, but for EVs and their components there is an additional 2% as a “growth incentive” to promote electric mobility, according to the draft policy document seen by Reuters.
Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc is already gearing up to enter India while rivals including Ford, Volkswagen and India’s Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra also have plans to invest billions of dollars in EVs to meet stricter global emissions regulations.
Automotive component manufacturers in India must be ready to pivot their product offerings to cater for the shift towards EVs, the document said.
MADE IN INDIA
The automotive incentive scheme is part of India’s broader $27 billion programme to attract manufacturers from the likes of China and Vietnam to capture a bigger share of the global supply chain and exports.
But for new companies entering India, as well as existing automakers, challenges abound.
Steep interest rates and power tariffs, as well as poor infrastructure and high logistics costs, make it costlier for companies to operate in India compared with rivals such as Thailand or Vietnam.
“The (new) scheme proposes financial incentives to help overcome these disabilities and make India more competitive,” the draft policy document said, referring to inefficiencies that it said can lead to 5-8% higher costs for manufacturers in India.
The government expects the scheme to bring additional investment of $14 billion, create 5.8 million new jobs and rake in more than $4 billion in total tax revenue over five years.
To benefit from the scheme automakers must meet conditions including minimum global revenue of $1.4 billion. For auto parts makers it is $69 million. The companies must grow by at least 8% each year to qualify for the incentives, which are also linked to the distance between the factory and point of sale.
The document added that existing programmes focus on a large number of companies that lack scale and “are constrained in their ability to invest and undertake the risk required for rapid growth”.
“A change in strategy is needed to focus on promoting firms that have the scale, competitive ability and management capabilities to be automotive champions,” it said. (Reuters)
March
Saudi Arabia proposes ceasefire in Yemen, Houthis sceptical
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Saudi Arabia presented a new peace initiative on Monday to end the war in Yemen, including a nationwide ceasefire and the reopening of air and sea links, but its Houthi enemies said the offer did not appear to go far enough to lift a blockade.
The initiative, announced by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, would include the reopening of Sanaa airport, and would allow fuel and food imports through Hodeidah port, both of which are controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthis.
Political negotiations between the Saudi-backed government and the Houthis would be restarted, said the prince, adding that it would take effect as soon as the Yemeni sides agreed to it.
The offer was welcomed by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government in a statement from the foreign ministry based in the southern port of Aden.
But the Houthis said the initiative provided “nothing new”, as it still fell short of their demand for a complete lifting of the blockade on Sanaa airport and Hodeidah port.
“We expected that Saudi Arabia would announce an end to the blockade of ports and airports and an initiative to allow in 14 ships that are held by the coalition,” the group’s chief negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam told Reuters.
“Opening the airports and seaports is a humanitarian right and should not be used as a pressure tool,” he said.
Saudi Arabia has been under increasing pressure to put an end to the six-year Yemen conflict since new U.S. President Joe Biden signalled Washington would no longer support Riyadh’s intervention. The conflict, widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabi and Iran, has been stalemated for years while millions of people are on the verge of starvation.
Abdulsalam said the Houthis would continue to talk with the Saudis as well as the United States and mediator Oman to try to reach a peace agreement.
The Houthis have demanded the lifting of an air and sea blockade, which they blame for what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The Saudi-led coalition has said the port and airport must be restricted to prevent weapons from reaching the Houthis who control the capital and most populous areas.
Monday’s Saudi peace proposal announcement did not specify which routes would be permitted for aircraft flying to Sanaa, or whether food or fuel imports through Hodeidah port would be subject to additional pre-authorisations.
The United Nations has already set up a mechanism in Djibouti to inspect ships before they dock at Hodeidah port, but Saudi-led coalition warships hold up most vessels despite U.N. clearance.
Prince Faisal said tax revenues from the port would go to a joint bank account in Hodeidah’s branch of Yemen’s central bank. That was agreed by both Yemeni sides in Stockholm in 2018, although the Saudi-led coalition had not yet fully endorsed it. (Reuters)
March
India-Pakistan detente continues with water-sharing talks
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. India and Pakistan are to hold the first meeting in three years on Tuesday of a commission on water rights from the Indus River in a further sign of rapprochement in relations frozen since 2019 during disputes over Kashmir.
The Permanent Indus Commission, set up in 1960, will meet for two days in New Delhi, according to two Indian officials involved with water issues and Pakistan’s foreign ministry.
Pakistan will raise objections to the technical designs of India’s planned Pakal Dul and Lower Kalnai hydroelectric plants, Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said.
The Indus River, one of the world’s largest, and its tributaries feed 80 percent of Pakistan’s irrigated agriculture.
The talks are the latest in both nations’ tentative efforts to re-engage after a 2019 suicide bomb in Indian Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based guerrillas and India’s move later that year to strip Kashmir’s constitutional autonomy.
UAE INVOLVED?
Both nations are now focussed on coping with unprecedented economic downturns due to COVID-19.
Bloomberg news agency and Foreign Policy magazine have reported that the United Arab Emirates, with whom both India and Pakistan have close ties, may have played a role in secret efforts to achieve a detente.
Last month, India and Pakistan announced a rare agreement to stop firing on the bitterly-contested Kashmir border, which Bloomberg said was also the result of UAE-brokered talks.
There was no immediate comment from India, Pakistan or the UAE to the Bloomberg report out on Monday.
At the water-sharing talks, both sides are expected to try and narrow differences over the hydro-projects, Indian officials said.
One of the Indian officials, who asked to remain unidentified, said the Pakal Dul and Lower Kalnai projects along with a couple of others - which Pakistan is concerned would hurt the flow of water downstream - were in line with the provisions of the treaty.
“We will discuss to allay those objections, we believe in an amicable resolution,” the official said. (Reuters)
March
Factbox: Countries resume use of AstraZeneca vaccine, while some lose confidence
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. AstraZeneca said on Monday an independent panel found no higher risks of blood clots from its COVID-19 vaccine in a large U.S. trial, including rare ones in the brain. The shot was 79% effective overall, and 80% effective in the elderly.
Many countries are resuming use of the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker’s vaccine after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) said the benefits outweighed the risks following investigations into reports of blood clots.
The fresh data comes after a poll on Sunday showed that European trust in the vaccine has plunged after at least 17 countries had suspended or delayed use after reports of hospitalisations with clotting issues and bleeding, while Asia is accelerating inoculations.
U.N. agency WHO, which has urged inoculations continue, said on Friday that more than 20 million doses of the vaccine had been given to Europeans, with over 27 million doses of Covishield, the vaccine by AstraZeneca partner Serum Institute, administered in India.
** Below is a list of countries and regions to resume or start using the vaccine after the investigations, in alphabetical order:
AUSTRALIA:
The pharmaceutical regulator approved on Sunday the local manufacturing of the vaccine by CSL.
BULGARIA:
Resumed inoculations from March 19.
CYPRUS:
Cyprus, which suspended the vaccine on March 15, restarted administering it on March 19.
FRANCE:
Medical regulator approved the resumed use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine on March 19, but said it should only be given to people aged 55 and older.
GERMANY:
Resumed administering the AstraZeneca vaccine from March 19.
INDONESIA:
Began using the vaccine on Monday after suspending it last week. But the Food and Drug agency has warned against its use on people with blood clotting disorders.
IRELAND:
Plans to resume rollout of the vaccine in the coming days for all those aged 18 and over, a committee said on March 19, after suspending it on March 14.
ITALY:
Resumed using the vaccine on March 19, and Italians who decline to be inoculated with it will be given an alternative later on.
LATVIA:
Also said it would restart administering the shots.
LITHUANIA:
Restarted administering the vaccine on March 19.
THE NETHERLANDS:
The health minister said on March 18 that the country would resume using the vaccine this week.
SOUTH KOREA:
President Moon Jae-in, 68, plans to get the shot on Tuesday after the government said it could be used on older people.
SPAIN:
Will resume administering AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine from Wednesday.
TAIWAN:
Premier Su Tseng-chang got the vaccine on Monday as the island began its immunisation campaign.
THAILAND:
Began use on March 15, with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha becoming the first to be inoculated, after Thailand delayed rollout the week before.
** Below is a list of countries and regions where suspensions continue for now, in alphabetical order:
AUSTRIA:
Suspended use of one batch of the vaccine on March 7 after the death of one person and the illness of another.
CAMEROON:
Suspended administration of the vaccine it was scheduled to receive on March 20 as part of the global vaccines sharing scheme COVAX, the health ministry said.
DENMARK:
Will keep its two-week suspension of the COVID-19 vaccine and decide on its future use this week. Denmark on Saturday reported two cases of serious illness, including one death.
FINLAND:
Suspended use of the vaccine while it investigates two possible cases of blood clots, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare said on March 19.
GEORGIA:
Has limited the use of the vaccine after a nurse died of anaphylactic shock, news agency TASS reported on March 19.
ICELAND:
Suspended vaccine use on March 11.
NORWAY:
Health authorities said on March 17 it was too soon to say if the vaccine causes blood clots after halting rollout on March 11.
ROMANIA:
Temporarily stopped vaccinating people with one batch of vaccine on March 11.
SWEDEN:
Needs “a few days” to decide whether to restart using the vaccine, it said on March 19 and will likely make a decision this week. (Reuters)