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March
Scuffles and arrests as anti-lockdown protesters march through London
Written by nuke
Scuffles and arrests as anti-lockdown protesters march through London
Scuffles broke out as anti-lockdown protesters marched through central London on Saturday (Mar 20), defying police warnings for them to stay away due to coronavirus restrictions.
Police said they made 33 arrests, most for COVID-19 regulation breaches, after up to 10,000 people gathered holding banners with slogans such as "Stop Destroying Our Kids' Lives" and "Fake Pandemic". Crowded close to one another, protesters also set off flares.
Under England's coronavirus rules it is unlawful for groups to gather for the purpose of protest, but opposition to such measures has grown this week, not specifically related to anti-lockdown demonstrations.
Police were criticised for using heavy-handed tactics to break up an outdoor vigil for 33-year-old Sarah Everard on Mar 13. A police officer has been charged with her kidnap and murder.
More than 60 British lawmakers wrote to interior minister Priti Patel on Friday calling for protests to be allowed during lockdown and saying that attending a demonstration should not be a criminal offence.
"We call on you to expressly exempt protests from restrictions on gatherings," lawmakers, including Conservative Member of Parliament Steve Baker and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said in the letter, which was organised by campaign groups Liberty and Big Brother Watch.
There were three consecutive nights of protest in London earlier this week, fuelled by the police reaction to the vigil for Everard, and anger over government plans to tighten the law on demonstrations.
The interior ministry, known as the Home Office, said when asked about the letter that the COVID-19 stay-at-home order remains in place until Mar 29, and once it ends protests can resume subject to agreeing to respect social distancing.
"While we are still in a pandemic we continue to urge people to avoid mass gatherings, in line with wider coronavirus restrictions," a spokeswoman said.
Police said people breaching COVID-19 regulations could face fines or arrest//CNA
March
Parts of France enter COVID-19 lockdown amid confusion and frustration
Written by nuke
People take pictures at the Trocadero square near the Eiffel tower in Paris amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in France, March 2, 2021. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Nearly a third of French people entered a month-long lockdown on Saturday (Mar 20) with many expressing fatigue and confusion over the latest set of restrictions aimed at containing the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus.
The government announced the new measures on Thursday after a jump in COVID-19 cases in Paris and parts of northern France.The new restrictions are less severe than those in place during the lockdowns of spring and November 2020, raising concerns that they may not be effective.
"It's exhausting, tiring, it's long. I hope it's going to end quite quickly, although I have questions on how efficient the measures are," Kasia Gluc, 57, a graphic editor said on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris.
The interior ministry said in the night between Friday and Saturday that people could leave home as often as they wanted within 30km, provided they fill in a declaration.
Later on Saturday, Castex's office said the rules had been simplified and that no paperwork was needed during the day within a 10km perimeter, only a proof of address.
"We have to have a permission slip but compared to previous lockdowns we're still a lot more free to go out. So are we locked down? Yes and no," Antonin Le Marechal, 21, said.
Good weather permitting, many Parisians went to the banks of the Seine river for a walk, a bike tour, or to gather with family and friends.
"As you can see, everyone is eating, taking off their masks," said 20-year-old student Rachel Chea. "It doesn't change anything for me."
The measures raised frustration among so-called non-essential shop owners forced to close down.
Stores allowed to stay open include those selling food, books, flowers and chocolate as well as hairdressers and shoemakers, but not clothes, furniture and beauty shops, according to a list released on Friday evening.
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, who said a total of 90,000 shops would need to close down, defended the list of stores that could remain open, notably those selling chocolate and flowers just two weeks ahead of Easter.
"I do not at all say that this is ideal, but each time it is done with a simple logic: Guarantee the health of the French people while preserving economic activity and shops as much as possible," he told France Inter radio.
The government, which has avoided using the word lockdown to describe the latest restrictions, argues the measures are needed to relieve pressure on intensive care units which are close to overflowing.A large number of Parisians had left the city before the restrictions came into force at midnight//CNA
March
Volcano erupts near Iceland's capital - BBC
A volcano erupted near Iceland’s capital Reykjavik on Friday, shooting lava high into the night sky after thousands of small earthquakes in recent weeks.
The eruption occurred near Fagradalsfjall, a mountain on the Reykjanes Peninsula, around 30 km (19 miles) southwest of the capital.
Some four hours after the initial eruption at 2045 GMT - the first on the peninsula since the 12th century - lava covered about one square kilometer or nearly 200 football fields.
“I can see the glowing red sky from my window,” said Rannveig Gudmundsdottir, resident in the town of Grindavik, only 8 km (5 miles) from the eruption.
“Everyone here is getting into their cars to drive up there,” she said.More than 40,000 earthquakes have occurred on the peninsula in the past four weeks, a huge jump from the 1,000-3,000 earthquakes registered each year since 2014.
The eruption posed no immediate danger to people in Grindavik or to critical infrastructure, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO), which classified the eruption as small.
A fissure 500 to 750 meters (547 to 820 yards) long opened at the eruption site, spewing lava fountains up to 100 meters (110 yards) high, Bjarki Friis of the meteorological office said.
Residents in the town of Thorlakshofn, east of the eruption site, were told to stay indoors to avoid exposure to volcanic gases, Iceland’s Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management said. The wind was blowing from the west.
Unlike the eruption in 2010 of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which halted approximately 900,000 flights and forced hundreds of Icelanders from their homes, this eruption is not expected to spew much ash or smoke into the atmosphere.
Located between the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plates, among the largest on the planet, Iceland is a seismic and volcanic hot spot as the two plates move in opposite directions.
The source of the eruption is a large body of molten rock, known as magma, which has pushed its way to the surface over the past weeks, instigating the earthquakes.
The number of quakes had slowed down in recent days, however, leading geologists to say that an eruption would be less likely.
Reykjavik’s international Keflavik airport was not closed following the eruption, but each airline had to decide if it wanted to fly or not, IMO said.
Arrivals and departures on the airport’s website showed no disruptions//Reuters
March
Myanmar garment workers urge global brands to denounce coup
Written by nuke
Myanmar garment workers urge global brands to denounce coup - yahoo
As international sanctions were dropped in the mid-2010s when Myanmar began shifting toward democracy after decades of military rule and started to set some labor standards, Western brands looking to diversify their sourcing were attracted to the country's cheap labor.
Broad sanctions now would cripple that burgeoning clothing industry, which has been growing rapidly in recent years before the coronavirus pandemic cut orders and eliminated jobs.
Comprehensive sanctions could wreck the livelihoods of more than 600,000 garment workers, but some union leaders say they would rather see massive layoffs than endure military oppression.
The garment industry plays a key role in Myanmar’s economy, particularly the export sector. Roughly a third of Myanmar's total merchandising exports come from textiles and apparel, worth US$4.59 billion in 2018. That's up from 9 per cent, or US$900 million, in 2012 as international sanctions were dropped, according to the latest data from the European Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar.
Myanmar’s apparel exports mostly go to the European Union, Japan and South Korea because of favourable trade agreements. The US accounts for 5.5 per cent of Myanmar's exports, with clothing, footwear and luggage representing the bulk of that, according to garment trade expert Sheng Lu.
But Myanmar still accounts for a tiny share — less than 0.1 per cent — in US and European Union fashion companies’ total sourcing networks. And there are plenty of other alternatives for brands.
Despite this, many are taking a wait-and-see stance when it comes to any long-term decisions. Experts note it’s not easy to shift products to a different country, nor is it easy to return to Myanmar once companies leave.
Furthermore, some argue Western companies play a role in reducing poverty by giving workers in Myanmar opportunities to earn an income while also helping to improve labor standards there.
Factory working conditions were already poor before the February coup, but the labor unions had made some inroads and gave workers hope. And while the National League for Democracy, the party that was ousted in the takeover, wasn’t proactively protecting unions, it didn’t persecute or crack down on them, says Andrew Tillett-Saks, a labour organiser in Southeast Asia who previously was based in Myanmar.
Nearly 70 per cent of the garment factories in Myanmar are owned by foreigners, according to the European Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar, and a good chunk of them are Chinese-owned. International brands using the factories don’t directly hire the workers, often depending on a web of contractors and sub-contractors to produce goods for them.
But companies have “an enormous amount of influence in the industry", Tillett-Saks said. “They hold all the power over the supplier."//CNA
March
Mass evacuations as rains cause record flooding in Australia
Written by nuke
Mass evacuations as rains cause record flooding in Australia - DW
Mass evacuations were ordered in low-lying areas along Australia's east coast Saturday (Mar 20) as torrential rains caused potentially "life-threatening" floods across a region already soaked by an unusually wet summer, officials said.
Police said hundreds of people had flocked to evacuation centres in areas north of Sydney in New South Wales state, and they expected many more to seek shelter as the rains move south down the coast.
The Bureau of Meteorology reported flooding levels surpassing record 2013 floods along the Hastings River outside Port Macquarie, about 400km north of Sydney.
Towns in the area have already seen record rainfall of more than 300mm since Friday morning, the bureau said.It warned the heavy rains were forecast to continue through Saturday "potentially leading to life-threatening flash flooding".
"It's not just the total rainfall amount, it's also how quickly and intensely that rainfall has actually fallen," Agata Imielska, a senior climatologist with the Bureau of Meteorology, said at a televised briefing.
"So today (we) are just really urging the community out there that this is the day to exercise that powerful protective action of staying home and staying safe."
Television footage showed flooded roads across the state, people kayaking through the streets, water engulfing houses up to the windows and rivers overflooding. Video posted on social media and broadcast on local TV showed an entire house being swept away in floodwaters in the state's centre.
The flood and extreme weather warnings stretched from Port Macquarie to areas 500km south of Sydney, where residents were urged to stay indoors due to the flash flooding risk.
Emergency services reported receiving more than 500 calls for help and carried out some 180 flood rescues overnight in the north of the affected area//CNA
March
Turkey's Erdogan quits European treaty on violence against women
Written by nuke
Turkey's Erdogan quits European treaty on violence against women - Reuters
President Tayyip Erdogan pulled Turkey out of an international accord designed to protect women, the country's official gazette said on Saturday (Mar 20), despite calls from campaigners who see the pact as key to combating rising domestic violence.
The Council of Europe accord, forged in Istanbul, pledged to prevent, prosecute and eliminate domestic violence and promote equality. Turkey, which signed the accord in 2011, saw a rise in femicides last year.
No reason was provided for the withdrawal, but officials in Erdogan's ruling AK Party had said last year the government was considering pulling out amid a row over how to curb growing violence against women.
"The guarantee of women's rights are the current regulations in our bylaws, primarily our Constitution. Our judicial system is dynamic and strong enough to implement new regulations as needed," Family, Labour and Social Policies Minister Zehra Zumrut said on Twitter, without providing a reason for the move.
Many conservatives in Turkey say the pact undermines family structures, encouraging violence. They are also hostile to the principle of gender equality in the Istanbul Convention and see it as promoting homosexuality, given its principle of non-discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.Critics of the withdrawal from the pact have said it would put Turkey further out of step with the values of the European Union, which it remains a candidate to join. They argue the deal, and legislation approved in its wake, need to be implemented more stringently.
Turkey is not the first country to move towards ditching the accord. Poland's highest court scrutinized the pact after a cabinet member said Warsaw should quit the treaty which the nationalist government considers too liberal.
Erdogan has condemned violence against women, including saying this month that his government would work to eradicate violence against women. But critics say his government has not done enough to prevent femicides and domestic violence.
Turkey does not keep official statistics on femicide. World Health Organization data has shown 38 per cent of women in Turkey are subject to violence from a partner in their lifetime, compared to about 25 per cent in Europe.
Ankara has taken measures such as tagging individuals known to resort to violence and creating a smartphone app for women to alert police, which has been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times.
Erdogan's decision comes after he unveiled judicial reforms this month that he said would improve rights and freedoms, and help meet EU standards. Turkey has been a candidate to join the bloc since 2005, but access talks have been halted over policy differences and Ankara's record on human rights//CNA
March
UK PM Johnson gets his first dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
Written by nuke
UK PM Johnson gets his first dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine - CNBC
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson received his first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Friday and urged the public to do the same, saying "he did not feel a thing."
Johnson, 56, received his vaccine at the same hospital where almost a year ago he was put in an intensive care unit and given oxygen via a tube in his nose after he contracted the virus and fell seriously ill. He later said he was so sick that plans were drawn up on how to announce his death.
"I literally did not feel a thing. It was very good, very quick," Johnson said after receiving the jab at St Thomas' Hospital in London.
"I cannot recommend it too highly, everybody when you do get your notification to go for a jab, please go and get it, it is the best thing for you, best thing for your family and for everyone else."
Pictures of the occasion showed the prime minister wearing a black mask, a shirt and tie with his sleeve rolled up while a nurse gives him the vaccine.
Britain is on the verge of having given a first COVID-19 shot to half of all adults, making it one of the fastest countries in the world to roll out a vaccine programme.
Johnson received his vaccine as European countries on Friday resumed using the AstraZeneca jab after regulators said the benefits of the shot outweighed any risks following recent reports of blood clots.
Countries including Germany and France reversed their decision to temporarily pause its use after reports of about 30 cases of rare brain blood clots sent scientists and governments scrambling to determine any link.The Astra vaccine, developed by scientists at the University of Oxford, has also been at the centre of tensions between Britain and the European Union, after Brussels expressed anger over the lack of deliveries of the shot coming from Britain//CNA
March
The sports tourism resort Haikou gathers Chinese sailing and windsurfing athletes to receive intensive training
Written by nuke
Windsurfing athletes in training at the Haikou National Sailing and Windsurfing Base. ANTARA/AsiaNet
Recently, more than 300 athletes from the China's national and provincial sailing and windsurfing teams from Shanghai, Zhejiang, Sichuan and other regions assembled in Haikou, Hainan Province, a city surrounded by the warmest cities in China, to start their first training in the new year. They are making active preparations for the Tokyo Olympics and the 14th National Games of China.
Being the only free trade port in China, Hainan also boats a strong sports industry base, a pleasing climate, an advantageous geographic location and convenient transportation. It has broad prospects for water sports and sports tourism. The National Sailing and Windsurfing Base on the Haikou Xixiu Beach is where the national sailing and windsurfing team carries out winter training.
It is also the largest sailing base in Asia. Since 1983, Haikou has become a winter training base for China's national sailing and windsurfing team, attracting sailing and windsurfing teams across the country for winter training here every year.
Three Olympic champions and several world champions were once trained here.At the end of 2018, the public pier project of the National Sailing and Windsurfing Base was completed.
Open to both professional athletes and tourists for sailing, windsurfing, cruise ships, yachts and other leisure services, it is also received by local residents, as well as Chinese and foreign tourists, greatly enriching Haikou's water tourism services//ANT
March
APEC lays basis for sustainable fiscal management to drive recovery
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 19 - Finance and central bank deputies from 21 APEC member economies are laying the groundwork for sustainable fiscal management to boost recovery.
This measure was taken after the extraordinary rollout of policy levers to aid in mitigating the wide-ranging impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the people and businesses in the region, according to the APEC Finance and Central Bank Deputies Meeting in a written statement received here on Friday.
"As member economies have worked to respond to the economic, social, and health impacts of the pandemic, finance ministries around the region have been at the heart of the government’s decision-making," Caralee McLiesh, the chair of APEC’s Finance and Central Bank Deputies’ Meeting 2021, stated.
McLiesh noted that APEC’s commitment to multilateral cooperation and consensus-building make it the ideal platform for finance ministries to share their experiences and take a cue from each other.
At the two-day virtual meeting on Wednesday and Thursday, policymakers discussed the costs and benefits of the stimulus measures put in place by finance ministries and central banks. They also identified the role they can play in encouraging a strong recovery, as well as handling longer-term systemic challenges.
In her opening remarks, McLiesh -- concurrently the secretary and chief executive to New Zealand’s Treasury -- drew attention to the significance of reinforcing supportive macroeconomic and structural policies as well as reassessing the future of fiscal policy and budget systems to drive an inclusive and sustainable recovery.
The pandemic has compelled APEC member economies to change their budgets to respond to the crisis and act promptly to get money where it was direly required.
A reduction in economic activity and the unprecedented fiscal support has also led to a sharp spike in public debt in several economies.
McLiesh pointed to the comprehensive discussion on the significance of policies to support women, youth, the elderly, rural areas, vulnerable groups, and small- and medium-sized businesses through the recovery.
McLiesh drew attention to the criticality of policies for member economies that revitalize consumer demand, revive business confidence and investment, and create and retain jobs.
"The fiscal pressures resulting from the response to COVID-19 and other long-term challenges make effective structural reforms all the more important," she expounded.
"Structural policies are central to addressing the underlying causes of inequality and minimizing long-term damage to human capital," she stated.
Furthermore, policies in support of green growth and the digital economy are also deemed crucial to drive recovery and sustainability.
The discussion arrived at the two-day finance and central banks deputies’ meeting will be brought forward to the APEC Senior Finance Officials’ Meeting scheduled for June this year. Their recommendations will be offered to APEC finance ministers at their meeting later in October this year. (Antaranews)
March
Indonesia to resume use of AstraZeneca vaccine after reviewing blood clot concerns
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 19 - Indonesia’s Food and Drug agency (BPOM) said on Friday it has approved the usage of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine after reviewing reports the vaccine had caused blood clots among some recipients in Europe.
In a statement, the agency said that even though vaccination could lead to “adverse events” following immunisation, “the risk of death from COVID-19 is much higher.”
“The benefits of giving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the risks,” the agency said.
BPOM did caution against the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for people with a low blood platelet count, known as thrombocytopenia, and blood clotting disorders.
Indonesia had previously delayed administering the AstraZeneca vaccine following the blood clot reports, saying it was awaiting the results of a review by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The European Medicines Agency said this week there were no indication the events were caused by the vaccination, a view echoed by the WHO. AstraZeneca also said its review had shown no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.
Indonesia has been grappling with one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Asia – with 1,437,283 cases and 38,915 deaths.
The Southeast Asian nation kicked off its vaccine programme this January, after receiving its first shipment of the CoronaVac vaccine produced by China’s Sinovac Biotech.
Indonesia received 1.1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine via the COVAX vaccine-alliance scheme this month and is set to receive some 10 million more in the next two months. (Reuters)