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Opposition leader Martin Fayulu, addresses a crowd of his supporters during a demonstration over the independence electoral commission, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, October 16, 2021. REUTERS/Justin Makangara - 

Police in Democratic Republic of Congo used tear gas to break up clashes between supporters of the president and an opposition leader on Saturday (Oct 16), as lawmakers selected a new head of the electoral commission.

The National Assembly chose Denis Kadima, an election expert with decades of experience, to lead the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), a body that political analysts and diplomats criticised for its role in the disputed 2018 vote where Felix Tshisekedi emerged as president.

Tshisekedi is expected to seek a second term when Congolese voters return to the polls in 2023, with CENI likely to play a pivotal role again.

"His (Kadima's) electoral expertise is not disputed," said Tresor Kibangula, of the Congo Research Group at New York University. "However, the fact that his candidacy was pushed behind the scenes by people close to President Felix Tshisekedi quickly raised suspicions about his independence."

Opposition leader Martin Fayulu and Tshisekedi formed an electoral pact in the run-up to the 2018 election, but Tshisekedi eventually split off to form another political group before the vote.

Amid widespread accusations of fraud, the CENI declared Tshisekedi the winner, while Fayulu, who said he had won a landslide victory, came second.

On Saturday, around 10,000 Fayulu supporters marched through the streets of Kinshasa in protest over several issues including the accusation the process to select the leadership of the CENI was being influenced by politicians.

Police fired tear gas to break up clashes in the Limite neighbourhood between Fayulu's followers and those of Tshisekedi, who hurled petrol bombs at the protesters, according to Reuters witnesses.

Standing on the back of a truck, Fayulu told a large crowd of supporters that Congo needed an independent and transparent CENI, and a CENI president who would publish "the real results".

Albert Malukisa, a political science professor at the Catholic University of Congo, said Tshisekedi had already managed to gain control of the constitutional court.

"With the CENI, he can be confident of winning the next elections," he said.

Religious groups, who are mandated by the constitution to nominate the leadership of the CENI by consensus, have been at loggerheads for months and failed to reach agreement.

Leaders of the Catholic and Protestant churches say they have been pressured and threatened//CNA

FILE PHOTO: Debris are seen in the port area after a blast in Beirut, Lebanon, August 10, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay - 

Lebanese Justice Minister Henry Khoury said on Saturday (Oct 16) he stood by the judge investigating last year's fatal Beirut port explosion and that the judge had the right to summon whoever he wants in the case, Al Jadeed television reported.

Two days after violence in which seven people were killed as crowds gathered to protest against Judge Tarek Bitar, Khoury said he had not been asked to suggest appointing a new judge to handle the investigation.

"I stand by the ... investigator," Khoury was quoted as saying.

Judicial sources said earlier on Saturday that Lebanon's higher judicial council would meet Bitar on Tuesday to hear his views on how the investigation is proceeding.

The minister added said he did not have the authority to replace Bitar and that he faced no pressure to do so.

The investigation into the Aug 4, 2020 explosion, which killed more than 200 people and devastated swathes of Beirut, has made little headway following a smear campaign against Bitar and pushback from powerful Lebanese factions, with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah saying Bitar was biased and politicized.

Seven Shi'ite Muslims were killed by gunfire that began as people were assembling on Thursday for a protest called by the Shi'ite group Hezbollah against Bitar. The clashes stirred memories of Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war.

The violence, which erupted at a boundary between Christian and Shi'ite Muslim neighbourhoods, has added to concerns for the stability of a country that is awash with weapons and grappling an economic meltdown//CNA

FILE PHOTO: Medical specialists transport a patient outside a hospital for people infected with COVID-19 in Moscow, Russia, Oct 13, 2021. (Reuters/Tatyana Makeyeva) - 

Russia reported a record 1,002 deaths from coronavirus on Saturday (Oct 16), the first time the daily number has passed the 1,000-mark since the start of the pandemic.

New COVID-19 cases, confirmed in the past 24 hours, were at 33,208, setting a record for the fifth consecutive day, the Russian coronavirus task force said.

Russian authorities blame a slow vaccination campaign for the sharp rise of infections and deaths, which forced the health ministry this week to ask retired vaccinated medics to return to hospitals.

Russia estimates that 45 per cent of its population may have an immunity to the novel coronavirus after receiving a vaccine or recovering from the illness, data published by the coronavirus task force on Saturday showed. In Moscow the figure is 61 per cent and is at 64 per cent in the region surrounding the capital.

Russia was quick to develop and launch its Sputnik V vaccine when the coronavirus pandemic struck last year, but take-up has been slow, with many Russians citing distrust of the authorities and fear of new medical products.

Only about 48 million out of 144 million Russians are fully vaccinated, according to the latest data from the coronavirus task force, with 51 million having received one shot.

The latest coronavirus deaths brought the total official national death toll to 222,315, with a total of 7,958,384 cases.

The Rosstat statistic service, which keeps a separate count of coronavirus deaths, said this month that around 418,000 deaths were recorded between April 2020 and August 2021.

The excess mortality in Russia, which some epidemiologists say is the best way to measure the impact of a pandemic, reached 575,000 extra deaths in the same period in comparison with the average mortality rate in 2015 to 2019//CNA

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, reviews the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit on October 14, 2021. (ANTARA FOTO/Ahmad Subaidi/hp/uyu) - 

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, has called for acceleration of vaccinations in the Mandalika Special Economic Zone (SEZ), West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), ahead of the World Super Bike (WSBK) event.

The WSBK will take place from November 19-21 this year.

"The event is expected to attract more local and international tourists as well as foreign exchange to Indonesia. Thus, it can revive the economy of the people of Lombok," he said in an official statement received here on Saturday.

He then urged the NTB Regional Police chief and Commander of the 162 Wirabhakti Provincial Military Command to ensure 70 percent of residents in the area get the first vaccine does and 50 percent receive the second dose ahead of the event.

As of October 15, 2021, vaccination coverage in NTB province has reached 47.11 percent for the first dose and 16.13 percent for the second dose, the minister noted.

Meanwhile, 66.04 percent of residents in Central Lombok district, which is hosting the 2021 Mandalika WSBK, have received the first dose, while only 13.70 percent of them have been fully vaccinated, he added.

Hence, the central government has continued to provide assistance by accelerating vaccine distribution in all cities and districts of NTB province so that the vaccination target is reached, Hartarto said.

In addition, the regional government is also encouraging the acceleration of vaccination coverage reporting in the Health Care and Social Security Agency’s (BPJS’) Primary Care (P-CARE) app for data integration, he said.

The Central Lombok district government has formed 143 vaccination team comprising one doctor, four paramedics, two registration officers each and deployed them in 139 villages across the district, he added.

In addition, the local government has determined sub-district and village-based vaccination targets mobilized by each sub-district head, village head, as well as other related officials, he said.

As of October 14, 2021, NTB province has recorded 27,559 COVID-19 cases, with recovery rate reaching 95.92 percent, he noted.

By accelerating vaccinations, the government is hoping to build herd immunity so that the implementation of the 2021 Mandalika WSBK does not create any new COVID-19 cluster, the minister said.

"Vaccination acceleration in Central Lombok district is the main key for making the international event successful. The event is expected to have an economic multiplier effect on the community," Hartanto added//ANT