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October
Congo protests turn violent as lawmakers select electoral commission chief
Written by nuke
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
October
Lebanese justice minister stands by port blast judge
Written by nuke
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
October
Russia's daily COVID-19 death toll at record high as vaccination programme stalls
Written by nuke
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
October
Singapore supports move to invite 'non-political representative' from Myanmar to attend ASEAN summits
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: Flags are seen outside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) secretariat building, ahead of the ASEAN leaders' meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, Apr 23, 2021. (Reuters/Willy Kurniawan) -
Singapore supports the decision reached by the foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to invite a non-political representative from Myanmar to a series of ASEAN summits at the end of October, said Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Saturday (Oct 16).
The decision made at the Emergency ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Friday effectively sidelines the leader of Myanmar's military junta, Min Aung Hlaing.
According to Reuters, Friday's meeting was called to address the failure of Myanmar's junta to adhere to a peace roadmap it had agreed to with ASEAN in April, aimed at tackling the fallout from the coup led by Min Aung Hlaing.
On Saturday, in comments made in response to media queries, an MFA spokesperson said: "This was a difficult but necessary decision to uphold ASEAN’s credibility given the unsatisfactory and highly limited progress in the implementation of the ASEAN Leaders’ Five-Point Consensus."
Brunei will host the 38th and 39th ASEAN summits and related summits from Oct 26 to Oct 28.
Brunei's Minister of Foreign Affairs Erywan Yusof was picked by his ASEAN counterparts in August as the bloc's special envoy to Myanmar. There have been calls for him to meet ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, something the Myanmar junta has already said no to.
The MFA spokesperson said that Singapore "commends" the efforts by Mr Erywan and reiterates its "full support" for the special envoy's mission and Brunei's ASEAN chairmanship.
"Singapore urges the Myanmar military authorities to cooperate with the Special Envoy to swiftly and fully implement the Five-Point Consensus," the MFA spokesperson said.
In a statement on Friday, Brunei said no consensus had reached for a political representative to attend the meetings in Bandar Seri Begawan.
"As there had been insufficient progress ... as well as concerns over Myanmar’s commitment, in particular on establishing constructive dialogue among all concerned parties, some ASEAN Member States recommended that ASEAN give space to Myanmar to restore its internal affairs and return to normalcy," Brunei said.
The statement did not mention Min Aung Hlaing or name the non-political figure to be invited in his stead.
Brunei added that some ASEAN member states had received requests from Myanmar's National Unity Government, formed by opponents of the junta, to attend the summit//CNA
October
New S$4 million grant to help pre-schools adopt digital solutions in the next 3 years
Written by nuke
A parent is given hand sanitiser by a staff member at a pre-school in Singapore. (File photo: Matthew Mohan) -
A S$4 million grant was launched on Saturday (Oct 16) to help pre-schools reduce the cost of adopting pre-approved digital solutions over the next three years.
The digital solutions include e-payment and e-enrolment systems, the use of data analytics to analyse and automate operations, as well as virtual training for pre-school educators.
These are covered under a three-stage industry digital plan, which lists the solutions pre-schools can adopt at each stage of growth, said the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) in a media release.
“ECDA and IMDA have pre-approved solutions that will assist pre-schools in their operations at different stages of digital readiness,” said the agency.
“These solutions are supported by certified vendors and have been curated to facilitate simple and quick adoption by pre-schools,” it added.
“Apart from pre-school management, operators and educators can look forward to new solutions for e-enrolment and data analytics for centre operations from early November. More pre-approved solutions will be added progressively.”
Announcing the Early Childhood Digitalisation Grant, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli said: “Under the IDP (industry digital plan), your pre-schools can find IT solutions that we have approved. These can help them reduce the time spent on routine tasks and even help them to update your parents more easily.
“Pre-schools can also look out for new solutions to help them e-enrol children and use data analytics to make our pre-schools run better.”
Operators can now submit their grant applications through the Business Grants Portal.
ECDA will also expand the development support - learning support programme to more pre-schools. The programme enables children who require low levels of early intervention support to access such services at their pre-schools.
The aim is for every pre-school to appoint one of its staff as an inclusion coordinator from the second half of 2023. They will partner early childhood educators to identify children with “potential developmental needs” for early assessment, said ECDA.
They will also connect educators and parents with “relevant early intervention resources and services”.
Pre-schools can look forward to training for their inclusion coordinators from the end of this year, said Mr Masagos.
“Besides improving professional training and quality of pre-schools to benefit all children, we are making our pre-schools more inclusive and stepping up support for children with developmental needs,” said Mr Masagos.
The programme will cover 60 per cent of pre-schoolers aged five to six by 2025, and 80 per cent of them in the long term, said ECDA in its media release.
MSF will also pilot a new Inclusive Support Programme at selected pre-schools for children that need medium levels of early intervention support, and will release more details later, said Mr Masagos.
For children from low-income families, yearly top-ups to child development accounts will be introduced as part of the Growing Together with KidSTART initiative.
Each KidSTART child will receive S$100 for each year of regular attendance until they reach six-years-old, said an ECDA spokesperson in response to media queries.
Children will also be eligible for an additional one-time top-up when they enroll in pre-school, they said.
The one-time top-up will be more - S$200 - if they enroll between ages three and four, compared to S$100 for those who enroll at above age four, the spokesperson noted.
The Government recently also announced a S$200 top-up in the Child Development Accounts (CDA) of all Singaporean children aged six and below, said Mr Masagos.
“This will benefit all families by helping to offset the costs of raising a child. But we will go further. We will provide more support for families and children who enrol and participate regularly in pre-school and KidSTART activities through yearly CDA top-ups.”
This is to encourage families towards early enrolment and regular attendance, said ECDA.
A larger top-up amount would be given to families who enroll their children in pre-school earlier, between ages three and four, it added.
The Growing Together with KidSTART initiative was launched in 2019 to raise community support for children from low-income families. It has garnered S$4 million in cash donations and sponsorships from businesses and individuals, said ECDA.
“We also want to enable every child to have the best chance to flourish in life. Regardless of their family background or resources,” said Mr Masagos.
“I am hopeful that with these new moves, we can better support children with diverse needs in our pre-schools, so that every child can shine and achieve their fullest potential.”//CNA
October
Chinese astronauts arrive at space station for longest mission
Written by nuke
The Long March-2F Y13 rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-13 spacecraft and three astronauts in China's second crewed mission to build its own space station, launches at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center near Jiuquan, Gansu province, China October 16, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins -
Three astronauts successfully docked with China's new space station on Saturday (Oct 16), state media said, on what is set to be Beijing's longest crewed mission to date and the latest landmark in its drive to become a major space power.
The three blasted off shortly after midnight local time (12am Singapore time) from the Jiuquan launch centre in northwestern China's Gobi desert, state-run news agency Xinhua said, with the team expected to spend six months at the Tiangong space station.
After the launch, the China Manned Space Agency declared it a success and said the crew members "were in good shape", according to Xinhua.
The Shenzhou-13 vessel carrying the three then docked hours later with the radial port of the space station, Xinhua said in a brief dispatch on Saturday morning.
The mission - twice as long as its 90-day predecessor - will set up equipment and test technology for future construction on the Tiangong station.
Shenzhou-13, which means "Divine Vessel" in Chinese, is the second of four crewed missions needed to complete the space station by the end of 2022.
Mission commander Zhai Zhigang, 55, a former fighter pilot who performed the country's first spacewalk in 2008, said the team would undertake "more complex" spacewalks than during previous missions.
The astronaut team includes military pilot Wang Yaping, 41, who is the first woman to visit the space station after becoming China's second woman in space in 2013.
The other team member is People's Liberation Army pilot Ye Guangfu, 41.
A previous record-breaking space crew - making the first mission to Tiangong - returned to Earth in September after three months on the space station.
China's heavily promoted space programme has already seen the nation land a rover on Mars and send probes to the moon.
Tiangong, meaning "heavenly palace", is expected to operate for at least 10 years.
Its core module entered orbit earlier this year and the completed station will be similar to the Soviet Mir station that orbited Earth from the 1980s until 2001.
The long mission is set to "expand China's technological boundary" and verify the space station system's capacity for a longer duration of human occupation, Chen Lan, an independent space analyst at GoTaikonauts, told AFP.
"I don't think it is very challenging, as China's technologies (are) quite mature, though anything in space is always challenging," Chen said.
Saturday's blast-off came shortly after China launched its first solar exploration satellite into space, equipped with a telescope to observe changes in the Sun.
The Chinese space agency is planning a total of 11 missions to Tiangong through to the end of next year, including at least two more crewed launches that will deliver two lab modules to expand the 70-tonne station.
China's space ambitions have been fuelled in part by a US ban on its astronauts on the International Space Station, a collaboration among the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan.
The ISS is due for retirement after 2024, although NASA has said it could potentially remain functional beyond 2028.
Chinese space authorities have said they are open to foreign collaboration on the space station, although the scope of that cooperation is as yet unclear.
The country has come a long way since launching its first satellite in 1970.
It put the first Chinese "taikonaut" in space in 2003 and landed the Chang'e-4 robot on the far side of the Moon in 2019 - a historic first.
China in May became the second nation to land and operate a rover on Mars.
Astronauts on the Tiangong space station will have separate living spaces, exercise equipment and a communication centre for emails and video calls with ground control//CNA
October
US will accept mixed doses of COVID-19 vaccines from international travelers
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: Travelers wearing protective face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) reclaim their luggage at the airport in Denver, Colorado, U.S., November 24, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File Photo -
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said late on Friday (Oct 15) that it will accept mixed-dose coronavirus vaccines from international travelers, a boost to travelers from Canada and other places.
The CDC said last week that it would accept any vaccine authorised for use by US regulators or the World Health Organization.
"While CDC has not recommended mixing types of vaccine in a primary series, we recognise that this is increasingly common in other countries so should be accepted for the interpretation of vaccine records," a CDC spokeswoman said.
The White House said Friday the new vaccine requirements for foreign nationals traveling to the United States will begin Nov 8 for visitors crossing at land borders as well as international air travelers.
Representative Brian Higgins, a New York Democrat representing a district along the Canadian border, had on Friday asked the CDC if it would accept the mixed vaccine doses noting "nearly four million Canadians, equivalent to 10 per cent of their fully vaccinated population, have received mixed doses of the available mRNA COVID-19 vaccines – this includes the AstraZeneca vaccine."
The CDC said the vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use, as well as those authorised by the WHO, will be accepted for entry into the United States, including the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The CDC said "individuals who have any combination of two doses of an FDA approved/authorised or WHO emergency use listed COVID-19 two-dose series are considered fully vaccinated."
The CDC plans to answer other questions and release a contact tracing order for international air visitors by Oct 25//CNA
October
Soldiers in Haiti guard the Public Prosecutor's office as Martine Moise is interviewed as a witness by the judge investigating the assassination of her husband, president Jovenel Moise -
The United Nations Security Council extended the UN mission in Haiti by nine months on Friday (Oct 15) after an 11th-hour compromise was struck between western powers and China.
The council passed a resolution extending the mandate by less than the one-year that the United States had sought but more than the six months Beijing wanted.
The proposal was passed unanimously by 15 votes to zero.
The vote came shortly after 6:00pm (2200 GMT), just hours before the political mission was due to expire, extending it to Jul 15, 2022.
Haiti is currently in the grip of a deep political, economic, social and security crisis.
It has not had a sitting parliament for more than a year and a half amid disputes, with the country put under one-man rule by president Jovenel Moise, who was assassinated in July.
Beijing had signaled it would veto a US draft extending the mandate by a year.
China had drafted its own text proposing a six-month extension before Friday's latest iteration was agreed.
In the end, they agreed on nine months with a provision that the Secretary General would conduct an assessment after six months.
"BINUH" was established in October 2019 following the end of 15 years of UN peacekeeping operations and has been a frequent source of contention between Washington and Beijing.
Its mandate includes strengthening political stability and good governance.
China has frequently said that there should be no external solutions to Haiti's problems but UN diplomats say it wants to punish Haiti for its recognition of Taiwan.
Earlier this month, the UN Security Council accepted that Haiti's elections will be delayed until the second half of 2022.
The United States, the most influential foreign player in Haiti, had earlier pushed for elections to go ahead this year to restore democratic legitimacy amid a power vacuum.
Haiti's troubles, including a devastating earthquake, have led tens of thousands to flee, with images of horseback US border guards roughly rounding up Haitians generating outrage in the United States//CNA
October
Obama to attend COP26 climate summit, meet with youth activists
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President Barack Obama looks on during a drive-in campaign rally on behalf of Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden in Miami, Florida, U.S., November 2, 2020. REUTERS/Marco Bello -
Former US President Barack Obama will travel to Glasgow, Scotland in November to attend the COP26 climate summit where he will meet with youth activists and address the threat of climate change, his spokesperson said on Friday (Oct 15).
"He will lay out the important progress made in the five years since the Paris Agreement took effect, highlight the leadership of young people around the globe, and urge more robust action going forward by all of us - governments, the private sector, philanthropy, and civil society," said Hannah Hankins, spokesperson for the 44th US president.
News of Obama's presence in Glasgow comes as President Joe Biden aims to drum up momentum ahead of the Oct 31 to Nov 12 summit. Biden confirmed on Thursday that he will attend the opening of the summit after participating in the Group of 20 leaders summit in Rome.
The White House said it will bring 13 high-level officials and cabinet members to the gathering on Thursday, demonstrating its "all of government" approach to tackling climate change.
Since rejoining the Paris climate agreement when Biden took office in January, the administration set a goal to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 52 per cent over this decade.
But the president is at risk to arriving in Glasgow without much progress to show. A lot rides on whether the US Congress will pass key infrastructure and budget bills that would set clean power and transportation goals and unleash trillions in spending.
US Congress members from Biden's Democratic party have been negotiating about the bills, with some opposed to the price tag and climate measures. Biden needs solid Democratic support because the measures are opposed by Republican lawmakers.
Energy Innovation, a California based research group, said these bills, if combined with state policies and executive action, could set the United States on a path to achieve its 2030 target.
Obama, during his first term as president in 2009, traveled to Copenhagen where he helped directly intervened in climate summit negotiations with other world leaders that resulted in a an agreement that for the first time called emission pledges by all major economies, not just industrialized nations//CNA
October
Italy imposes mandatory COVID-19 health pass for work amid protests
Written by nuke
Port workers gather outside the entrance of the major port of Trieste to protest against the implementation of the COVID-19 health pass, the Green Pass, in the workplace, in Trieste, Italy, October 15, 2021. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic -
Italy made COVID-19 health passes mandatory for all workers from Friday (Oct 15) in a test case for Europe, with the measure being applied mostly peacefully across the country despite scattered protests.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi's cabinet approved the rule - one of the world's strictest anti-COVID measures - in September, making it obligatory from Oct. 15 for all workers either to show proof of vaccination, a negative test or recent recovery from infection.
Under the rule, effective until year-end, workers without the so-called Green Pass will be suspended without pay and face a fine of up to 1,500 euros (US$1,730) if they try to work on regardless.
The largest demonstrations were at the major northeastern port of Trieste, where labour groups had threatened to block operations and around 6,000 protesters, some chanting and carrying flares, gathered outside the gates.
"The Green Pass is a bad thing, it is discrimination under the law. Nothing more. It's not a health regulation, it's just a political move to create division among people...," said Fabio Bocin, a 59-year old port worker in Trieste.
Around 40per cent of Trieste's port workers are not vaccinated, said Stefano Puzzer, a local trade union official, a far higher proportion than in the general Italian population.
Vaccine hostility is also higher in the city than in most of Italy, with an "anti-vax" party taking 4.5per cent of the vote at mayoral elections this month.
Regional governor Massimiliano Fedriga told SkyTG24: "The port (of Trieste) is functioning. Obviously there will be some difficulties and fewer people at work, but it's functioning."
In Genoa, Italy's other main port, around 100 protesters blocked access to trucks, a Reuters witness said.
In Rome, police in riot gear stood by during a small rally where people shouted "No Green Pass". Small protests also took place in Turin and Bologna.
In some towns pharmacies opened earlier than usual for people to get their swab.
Outside the Rinascente department store in central Rome small lines of sales assistants and shoppers formed as employees' health certificates were checked by security staff.
"I think it's a fair measure towards all those Italians who have tried to get out of this pandemic by getting vaccinated... I don't see where the problem is," said Rome resident Fabio Bonanno.
Most Italians support the mandatory Green Pass, opinion polls show, but protests turned violent in Rome last Saturday when demonstrators stormed the offices of the country's largest trade union.
Some 15 per cent of private and 8 per cent of public sector workers have no Green Pass, an internal government document seen by Reuters estimates.
The government hoped making the Green Pass mandatory would convince unvaccinated Italians to change their minds, but with over 80 per cent over the age of 12 already fully inoculated and infection rates low, that surge has not materialised.
The rightist League and Brothers of Italy parties and some unions say that, to address the risk of staff shortages, the validity of COVID tests should be extended from 48 to 72 hours, and they should be made free for unvaccinated workers.
But the government has so far resisted those calls. The centre-left Democratic Party, which is part of Draghi's ruling coalition, says that making swabs free would be the equivalent of an amnesty for tax dodgers.
However, some firms are offering free swabs to their staff. Motorcycle maker Ducati for example, said it would give free COVID tests to all employees until Nov 15//CNA