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June
UK PM Johnson likely to delay England's final stage of COVID-19 reopening: Report
UK PM Johnson likely to delay England's final stage of COVID-19 reopening -
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to delay lifting the remaining COVID-19 restrictions in England as data shows a further rise in cases of the rapidly spreading Delta variant, British media reported.
Johnson is due to announce on Monday (Jun 14) whether the planned lifting of restrictions, which would see an end to limits on social contact, can go ahead on Jun 21.
A four-week delay would push back the easing of restrictions to Jul 19.
The government has always said decisions at each stage of unlocking depend on the data, and earlier this week the prime minister warned about the recent rise in cases.
Devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland make most public health decisions in their jurisdictions.
The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Britain on Friday reported 8,125 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily total since February, adding that the reproduction "R" number and daily growth rates were also higher in the latest estimates, suggesting the pandemic was growing exponentially.
Johnson has said that an increase in cases was always expected after the most recent stage of lockdown easing in May, but the key to whether all coronavirus restrictions can be scrapped will be the extent to which Britain's vaccine rollout has broken the link between cases and deaths.
Britain's total COVID-19 death toll is over 127,000 but the number of daily deaths have fallen following a third national lockdown and a rapid vaccine rollout. More than three-quarters of adults have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine//CNA
June
G7 to counter China's belt and road with infrastructure project: Senior US official
G7 leaders sit around a table during their summit at the Carbis Bay Hotel in Carbis Bay, St. Ives, Cornwall, England, Friday, June 11, 2021. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool via AP) -
The Group of Seven rich nations will announce on Saturday (Jun 12) a new global infrastructure plan as a response to China's belt and road initiative, a senior official in US President Joe Biden's administration said.
The G7 is trying to find a coherent response to the growing assertiveness of President Xi Jinping after China's spectacular economic and military rise over the past 40 years.
"This is not just about confronting or taking on China," the official said. "But until now we haven't offered a positive alternative that reflects our values, our standards and our way of doing business."
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure scheme launched in 2013 by President Xi Jinping involving development and investment initiatives that would stretch from Asia to Europe and beyond.
More than 100 countries have signed agreements with China to cooperate in BRI projects like railways, ports, highways and other infrastructure.
Critics say Xi's plan to create a modern version of the ancient Silk Road trade route to link China with Asia, Europe and beyond is a vehicle for the expansion of Communist China. Beijing says such doubts betray the "imperial hangover" of many Western powers that humiliated China for centuries.
Leaders of the G7 - the United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, Italy, France and Japan - want to use their gathering in the seaside resort of Carbis Bay to show the world that the richest democracies can offer an alternative to China's growing clout.
There were no specifics on how the global infrastructure scheme would be funded. The plan would involve raising hundreds of billions in public and private money to help close a US$40 trillion infrastructure gap in needy countries by 2035, the official said
The aim was to work with Congress to supplement existing development financing "with the hope that together with G7 partners, the private sector and other stakeholders will soon be collectively catalysing hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure investment for low- and middle-income countries that need it"//CNA
June
Weightlifter is ready to lift a barbel at the gym (ANTARA/Shutterstock) -
Five Indonesian weightlifters have qualified for the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo scheduled from July 23 to August 8.
According to the Tokyo 2020 ranking list issued by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) on its official website on Saturday, the five Indonesian weightlifters are Windy Cantika Aisah in the 49-kilogram (kg) category, Eko Yuli Irawan in the 61-kg category, Deni in the 67-kg category, Rahmat Erwin Abdullah in the 73-kg category, and Nurul Akmal in the 87 plus-kg category.
Aisah, Irawan, Deni, and Akmal qualified for the Summer Olympic Games since they rank among the world's top eight, thereby serving as a safe threshold to Tokyo.
Meanwhile, Abdullah, currently ranked 11th, is entitled to a quota through continental allotment.
"The process is extremely exciting, especially for Rahmat Erwin Abdullah, because in the pre-qualification stage in April 2019, he had still tried to feature among the top 13 weightlifters in the world," Chief of the Development and Achievement Section of the Indonesian Weightlifting Association (PABISI) Hadi Wihardja noted in a press statement released on Saturday.
"However, it was not until June 6, 2021, that the IWF had continued to adjust the points of each weightlifter, and Rahmat can eventually represent Asia, along with China, Japan, and South Korea in the Tokyo Olympic," he remarked//ANT
June
Webinars on climate by the Directorate of Innovation and Science Techno, University of Indonesia. (ANTARA/Foto: Humas UI) -
Chairman of the Research Center for Climate Change, University of Indonesia (UI), Prof. Jatna Supriatna, stressed on collaboration among the government, private sector, and universities, as institutions with research capabilities to address climate change.
"Indonesia needs an investment of around US$250 billion to prevent climate disasters, according to the 2018 Biennial Update Report (BUR)," Supriatna noted in his statement here on Saturday.
Hence, collaboration between the government and private sector as well as universities is deemed crucial since the handling of climate change requires not only financial investment but also research investment.
Supriatna remarked that the green climate fund for emission reduction projects amid the issue of deforestation and forest degradation is currently in the form of a result-based payment, amounting to US$300 million in 2020.
The researcher views the funding as being significant after Indonesia succeeded in overcoming deforestation, so several donors from abroad were keen to offer assistance.
"Indonesia has been very successful in tackling deforestation. In 2015, our deforestation rate was very high due to forest fires as the impact of the El Nino phenomenon," he stated.
However, in 2016, the deforestation rate had decreased significantly, so donors were interested in offering financial assistance. Among the donors, Norway, which became the biggest in this issue, perceives Indonesia as being highly committed to overcoming climate problems.
Meanwhile, the Directorate of Innovation and Science Techno, UI, earlier held an online webinar via Zoom and live on YouTube, titled “Climate Change Challenge: Preparing for Indonesia's Green and Sustainable Future” on Friday//ANT