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March
Protests erupt in Jordan after COVID-19 hospital deaths scandal
Written by Nur Yasmin
Mar. 15 - Protests erupted across many of Jordan’s cities and provincial towns against the government’s coronavirus restrictions, a day after oxygen ran out at a state hospital leading to the deaths of at least six COVID-19 patients, witnesses said on Sunday.
Hundreds of people spilled into the streets in defiance of a night curfew in the northern city of Irbid and several other provincial cities including a neighbourhood in the capital and the city of Salt. Protesters also gathered further south in Karak city and the port city of Aqaba.
“Down with the government. We don’t fear coronavirus,” hundreds of youths chanted in Irbid where outrage at the hospital scandal combined with anger over tighter restrictions that include extending a night curfew to stem a major surge of infections driven by a more contagious variant of the virus.
Jordan’s economy has been particularly hard hit by the shutdowns aimed at containing the virus with unemployment surging to a record 24 % and poverty deepening. It witnessed its worst contraction in decades last year.
Demonstrators who blamed the government for worsening economic conditions also called for an end to draconian emergency laws enacted at the start of the pandemic last year used to limit civil and political rights.
Prime Minister Bisher al Khasawneh fired the health minister and said he bore full responsibility for the initial deaths of six coronavirus patients that exposed gross negligence in the state health system when medical staff failed to act after oxygen ran out for two hours.
King Abdullah visited the hospital in Salt, a city west of the Jordanian capital of Amman, in a move officials said was intended to defuse tensions. Anger with the authorities over worsening living standards, corruption has in the past triggered civil unrest in Jordan.
The authorities detained the hospital head and their aides Saturday evening with officials saying another three deaths could be linked to the rupture in oxygen supplies.
“I am here because of the catastrophe. We want to put on trial those responsible for this and then bring down the government,” said Ahmad Hiyari, a demonstrator near Salt hospital among hundreds of angry residents. (Reuters)
March
Pentagon chief sees Asia ties as deterrent against China
Written by nuke
Pentagon chief sees Asia ties as deterrent against China
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday (Mar 13) he was traveling to Asia to boost military cooperation with American allies and foster "credible deterrence" against China.
Austin kicked off via Hawaii, seat of the American military command for the Indo-Pacific region, his first foreign visits as Pentagon chief.
"It's also about enhancing capabilities," he added, recalling that while the United States was focused on the anti-jihadist struggle in the Middle East, China was modernising its army at high speed.
"That competitive edge that we've had has eroded," he said. "We still maintain that edge. We are going to increase that edge going forward.""Our goal is to make sure that we have the capabilities and the operational plans ... to be able to offer a credible deterrence to China or anybody else who would want to take on the US," he added.
Lloyd will be joined in Tokyo and Seoul by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
"One of the things that the secretary of state and I want to do is begin to strengthen those alliances," he said. "This will be more about listening and learning, getting their point of view."
This tour in Asia of the heads of diplomacy and defense of the United States follows an unprecedented summit of the "Quad", an informal alliance born in the 2000s to counterbalance a rising China.
The Alaska talks will be the first between the powers since Yang met Blinken's hawkish predecessor Mike Pompeo in June in Hawaii - a setting similarly far from the high-stakes glare of national capitals.
The Biden administration has generally backed the tougher approach to China initiated by former president Donald Trump, but has also insisted that it can be more effective by shoring up alliances and seeking narrow ways to cooperate on priorities such as climate change//CNA
March
British Airways calls for vaccinated people to travel without restrictions
Written by nuke
British Airways calls for vaccinated people to travel without restrictions
British Airways' new boss said vaccinated people should be allowed to travel without restriction and non-vaccinated people with a negative COVID-19 test, as he set out his ideas for a travel restart a month before the UK government finalises its plans.
Holidays will not be allowed until May 17 at the earliest, the government has said, but before that, on Apr 12, Britain will announce how and when non-essential travel into and out of the country can resume.
"I think people who've been vaccinated should be able to travel without restriction. Those who have not been vaccinated should be able to travel with a negative test result," he said.
Doyle said the roll-out of vaccines made him optimistic BA would be back flying this summer, but added the recovery depends on what is said on Apr 12.
He wants the government to give its backing to health apps that can be used to verify a person's negative COVID-19 test results and vaccination status.
Apps will be key to facilitating travel at scale, the industry has said. Airline staff checking paperwork takes 20 minutes per passenger and is not practical if large numbers of passengers return.
Britain has rapidly rolled out vaccinations and 44 per cent of the adult population, mostly people over 60, have now had their first shot.
The government has said any return to travel must be fair and not unduly disadvantage those who have not been vaccinated.
Doyle expects Britain to bring in a tiered framework with destinations put into categories depending on risk, and that will determine BA's summer schedule.
Budget rival Ryanair, Europe's biggest airline, has said it hopes to fly up to 70 per cent of 2019 passenger numbers this summer.
BA has struck a deal with a testing kit provider giving its passengers £33 (US$46) tests to take abroad.
Travel commentators expect most European airlines to focus on short-haul leisure routes this summer, and Doyle noted France, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus and Spain had all sounded positive about welcoming British holiday-makers.
But he said BA was also looking further afield.
"We're already looking at new destinations over the summer that we haven't flown to before, and that could be across both long haul and short haul," Doyle said//CNA
March
Netanyahu eyes COVID-19 vaccine victory as Israel heads for fourth vote
Written by nuke
Netanyahu eyes COVID-19 vaccine victory as Israel heads for fourth vote - AFP
Israel this month will hold its fourth election in under two years, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hoping goodwill from a world-beating COVID-19 vaccination campaign can finally secure him an elusive majority government.
When Israelis last went to the polls a year ago, they delivered a result that had become familiar: Neither the right-wing Netanyahu nor his centrist challenger Benny Gantz had enough support to form the necessary 61-seat parliamentary majority.
Just weeks after the last election, Israel entered the first of three coronavirus lockdowns.
In May, Netanyahu and Gantz formed a unity government, declaring that the unprecedented health and economic threats from the pandemic required political stability.
Their coalition, which had been set to last three years, collapsed in December when Netanyahu's refusal to approve a 2021 Budget forced new elections, to be held Mar 23.
Netanyahu, Gantz, other political leaders and voters have all expressed frustration with the seemingly endless cycle of campaigns that have mired the Jewish state in grinding political gridlock.
But Netanyahu, a wily political veteran with a long record of out-manoeuvring his rivals, is hoping he can sneak over the line this time thanks to the inoculation drive.
The 71-year-old, Israel's longest serving prime minister, has also clinched historic normalisation deals with four Arab states.
But despite Netanyahu's apparent successes, polls point to another indecisive result, with the leader lacking a clear path to form a government.
Israel secured a large vaccine stock from Pfizer because its highly digitised medical system enabled it to offer the company fast, precious data on the product's impact, in what medical experts have called the largest-ever human clinical trial//CNA
March
Singapore may reopen borders by year-end, says PM Lee
Written by nuke
Singapore may reopen borders by year-end, says PM Lee - CNA
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a TV interview he hoped Singapore would start reopening its borders by the end of the year as more countries ramp up vaccination drives against COVID-19 infections.
Singapore has largely banned leisure travel, but has put in place some business and official travel programmes. It is also discussing the mutual recognition of vaccine certificates with other nations.
As of Mar 8, the country has administered just over 611,000 doses of vaccines among a population of 5.7 million – a much slower pace compared to larger nations. But it has said it plans to vaccinate everyone by year-end.
Mr Lee said few local cases meant the country could take the time to persuade its population to take the vaccine. Some are hesitant due to the low risk of infection and concern about possible side effects from rapidly developed vaccines.Singapore has also received China's Sinovac Biotech vaccine ahead of approval. The Prime Minister said Singapore was evaluating the vaccine and will use it if it passes safety and effectiveness standards.
"If (the Sinovac vaccine) passes muster in terms of safety and effectiveness, we will use it. We will use vaccines from any source," he said.
"Vaccines do not carry a nationality. Is it good or is it no good? Does it work? If it does, then we will use it."
Singapore's economy recorded its worst recession in 2020 due to the pandemic, after being bruised the previous year by trade tensions between the United States and China//CNA
March
Biden boosts US COVID-19 vaccine stockpile as world waits
Written by nuke
United States President Joe Biden - bussiness insider
United States President Joe Biden has directed his administration to order another 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, growing a likely US surplus of doses later this year while much of the rest of the world struggles with deep shortages.
Even before Wednesday's (Mar 10) order, the US was to have enough approved vaccine delivered by mid-May to cover every adult, and enough for 400 million people in total by the end of July.
The new J&J doses, which would cover another 100 million people, are expected to be delivered in the latter half of the year.
White House aides said Biden’s first priority is ensuring that Americans are vaccinated before considering distributing doses elsewhere.
“We want to be oversupplied and overprepared,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday, saying Biden wanted contingencies in the event of any unforeseen issues with the existing production timeline.“We still don’t know which vaccine will be most effective on kids,” she added. “We still don’t know the impact of variants or the need for booster shots. And these doses can be used for booster shots as well as needed. Obviously that’s still being studied by the FDA, but again, we want to be over-prepared as I noted earlier.”
Biden's announcement comes as the White House has rebuffed requests from US allies, including Mexico, Canada and the European Union, for vaccine doses produced in the US, where months of production runs have produced vaccine solely for use in the country.
China has pledged roughly half a billion doses of its vaccines to more than 45 countries, according to a country-by-country tally by the Associated Press. Four of China’s many vaccine makers are claiming they will be able to produce at least 2.6 billion doses this year.
Russia has sent millions of doses of its Sputnik V vaccine to countries around the world, even as it vaccinates its own population. Analysts say a goal of this vaccine diplomacy is to bolster Russia’s image as a scientific, technological and benevolent power, especially as other countries encounter shortages of COVID-19 vaccines because richer nations are scooping up the Western-made versions.
Israel, which has vaccinated more than half of its population with Pfizer vaccines produced in Europe, has also attempted to use vaccine diplomacy to reward allies.
Biden did move to have the US contribute financially to the United Nations and World Health Organization-backed COVAX alliance, which will help share vaccines with more than 90 lower- and middle-income nations, but it has yet to commit to sharing any doses.
Biden's purchasing strategy has come under criticism from non-governmental organisations who have encouraged the White House to develop clear plans and thresholds for sharing vaccines with the world.
“The only way to defeat this virus for good is to defeat it everywhere - and that requires an immediate plan for sharing excess vaccine doses globally,” said Sarah Swinehart, senior director for communications at the ONE Campaign.
Asked about the surplus on Wednesday, Biden told reporters that “if we have a surplus, we’re going to share it with the rest of the world”.
"This is not something that can be stopped by a fence no matter how high you build a fence or a wall. So we’re not going to be ultimately safe until the world is safe,” acknowledged Biden. “So, we’re going to start off making sure Americans are taken care of first, but we’re then going to try to help the rest of the world."//CNA
March
UN urges foreign troops and mercenaries to leave Libya
Written by nuke
UN urges foreign troops and mercenaries to leave Libya - Daily Sabah
The United Nations Security Council on Friday (Mar 12) urged countries with troops and mercenaries in Libya to withdraw them “without delay” as demanded in the ceasefire agreement between the country’s warring parties.
A presidential statement approved by all 15 council members welcomed a key step following the October ceasefire - Wednesday's vote by the country’s House of Representatives endorsing the newly appointed interim government charged with leading the country to elections on Dec 24.
The UN’s most powerful body called on all Libyan parties to ensure a smooth handover to the interim government of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
Oil-rich Libya was plunged into chaos after a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi and split the country between a UN-supported government in Tripoli and rival authorities based in the country’s east, each side backed by an array of local militias as well as regional and foreign powers.
In April 2019, Khalifa Haftar and his forces, backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, launched an offensive to try and capture Tripoli.
His campaign collapsed after Turkey stepped up its military support of the UN-supported government with hundreds of troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries.
The October ceasefire agreement called for the withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries in three months and adherence to a UN arms embargo, provisions which have not been met.
In January, the United States called on Russia, Turkey and the UAE to immediately halt their military interventions. Russia’s UN Mission said at the time that it didn’t have any military personnel “on Libyan soil” but didn’t exclude the possibility of mercenaries.
Last year, UN experts said the Wagner Group, a private Russian security company, had provided between 800 and 1,200 mercenaries to Haftar. There are thousands of mercenaries in Libya also from Syria, Sudan and Chad, according to Security Council diplomats.
The presidential statement also calls for “full compliance with the arms embargo", which has been repeatedly violated according to the experts.
A UN advance team is in Libya as a first step to sending international monitors under a UN umbrella to observe the ceasefire. It is expected to return next week.
The Security Council underlined “the importance of a credible and effective Libyan-led ceasefire monitoring mechanism under UN auspices”. Council members said they look forward to receiving proposals from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres after the advance team returns on its “tasks and scale".
The council statement called on the interim government to make preparations for December’s presidential and parliamentary elections “including arrangements to ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation of women”.
It also called on the interim government to prioritise the implementation of the October ceasefire agreement, improve the delivery of services to the Libyan people, launch a comprehensive national reconciliation process and adhere to international humanitarian law including the protection of civilians.
Looking ahead, the council said plans are needed “for the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of armed groups, security sector reform and to establish an inclusive, civilian-led security architecture for Libya as a whole”.
A presidential statement is a step below a Security Council resolution and becomes part of its official record//CNA
March
Myanmar citizens stranded in US offered temporary refuge from coup crackdown
Written by nuke
Protesters with placards with the image of detained Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi hold a candlelight vigil and shout slogans during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon. (Photo: AFP/STR)
The US government said Friday (Mar 12) that Myanmar citizens stranded by the violence following the country's military coup would be able to remain inside the United States under "temporary protected status."
"Due to the military coup and security forces' brutal violence against civilians, the people of Burma (Myanmar) are suffering a complex and deteriorating humanitarian crisis in many parts of the country," said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas."After a thorough review of this dire situation, I have designated Burma for temporary protected status so that Burmese nationals and habitual residents may remain temporarily in the United States."The United States has granted TPS protection to nationals of a number of countries struck by political upheavals or natural disasters, making their return difficult.
The protection is usually set for a limited period, like 12 months, but can be extended if the hardships or threats remain.
DHS said the Feb 1 takeover by Myanmar's military has led to an economic crisis and shortages of humanitarian and medical aid.
In addition, it said the people protesting the coup face arbitrary detention, intimidation and lethal violence from the military."Such conditions prevent Burmese nationals and habitual residents from returning safely," the department said in a statement.
The initial TPS order will last 18 months. DHS did not say how many people would be covered by it.
Earlier this week the administration of President Joe Biden offered TPS for tens of thousands of Venezuelans who fled political repression and economic chaos in the once wealthy South American country//CNA
March
COVID-19 situation in Paris area extremely tense: French PM
Written by nuke
French Prime Minister Jean Castex - Nasdaq
The COVID-19 situation in the Paris region is extremely tense and authorities are ready to take new measures, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Friday (Mar 4), but he did not announce a tightening of curfew or new regional lockdowns.
Despite rising COVID-19 cases, the administration of President Emmanuel Macron has not to date declared a new national lockdown, opting instead to tighten measures locally in hard-hit towns like Nice and Dunkirk, but Paris has been spared so far.
"I call on everyone, and especially those who live in the capital, to be extremely careful, wear the mask and respect social distancing. The aim is to reduce the pressure on the hospital system," Castex said during a visit to a hospital.The number of people with COVID-19 in intensive care units on Friday exceeded 4,000 for the first time since Nov.26, with nearly 1,100 COVID-19 patients in ICUs in the Paris region alone.France confirmed 25,229 new infections on Friday, taking its total number of COVID-19 cases to above four million.
Friday's increase was lower than the 23,507 new cases reported last Friday, and took the total number of confirmed infections since the start of the pandemic to 4.01 million.
In Paris and the surrounding region, healthcare managers say the intensive care units are close to being overloaded.
Castex said that in the Ile-de-France region around Paris the vaccination campaign would be sped up this weekend, with the delivery of 25,000 extra doses.
France's vaccination programme has been hampered by logistical bottlenecks and problems with deliveries from vaccine manufacturers but Castex said the campaign was speeding up, with 320,326 shots administered on Friday, a new record.As of Friday, 7.04 million people - more than one tenth of the French population - had been vaccinated, official figures showed, including 2.22 million second injections//CNA
March
US and allies launch COVID-19 vaccine plan in Biden's first summit with Japan, India, Australia
Written by nuke
President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, from the State Dining Room of the White House on Mar 12, 2021, in Washington. (Photo: AP/Alex Brandon)
The United States, India, Japan and Australia on Friday (Mar 12) announced a joint drive to ramp up the COVID-19 vaccine supply in Asia, mounting a challenge to China in the first-ever summit of the four like-minded powers.
US President Joe Biden, who has vowed to reinvigorate alliances in the face of growing worries about China, met virtually with the three nations' prime ministers and told them that the so-called Quad format would become a "vital arena" for cooperation.
"We're renewing our commitment to ensure that our region is governed by international law, committed to upholding universal values and free from coercion," said Biden, who like the others made no explicit, but plenty of implicit, mentions of China."A free and open Indo-Pacific is essential," he said, a message reinforced by the other leaders as concerns mount about China's assertion of power around the region.
Pledging that the Quad should bring "practical solutions and concrete results," Biden said, "We're launching an ambitious new joint partnership that is going to boost vaccine manufacturing for the global benefit and strengthen vaccinations to benefit the entire Indo-Pacific."
US officials said the initiative would produce up to one billion vaccine doses by 2022 as the world seeks to turn the page on the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The plan would see pharmaceutical hub India manufacturing the single-dose vaccine from US-based Johnson & Johnson, backed by financial support from Japan, with Australia taking charge of shipments.
US officials said the focus would be Southeast Asia at a time when China, where the deadly virus was first detected in late 2019, works to transform its image into that of a global healer.China has shipped vaccines as far afield as the Dominican Republic and provided doses to international partners such as Pakistan and Zimbabwe//CNA