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August
Senior WHO official says agency only has supplies in Afghanistan for one week
Written by Nur Yasmin
The World Health Organization (WHO) only has enough supplies in Afghanistan to last for one week, a senior regional official said on Tuesday.
The U.N. agency was also concerned that the current upheaval could lead to a spike in COVID-19 infections, Ahmed Al-Mandhari told a press briefing. (Reuters)
August
Philippines' Duterte raises rivals' suspicions by seeking vice presidency in 2022
Written by Nur Yasmin
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has agreed to be the ruling party's vice presidential candidate in next year's elections, the PDP-Laban party said on Tuesday, prompting accusations by opponents that it was a ploy to maintain his grip on power.
The announcement came ahead of the party's national convention on Sept. 8, where it is also expected to endorse Duterte's aide and incumbent senator Christopher "Bong" Go to be its presidential candidate in the 2022 polls.
Duterte was heeding "the clamour of the people," Karlo Nograles, executive vice president of the PDP-Laban party, said in a statement.
Under the constitution a president can only serve one term, and the announcement had been widely anticipated as Duterte, had already hinted he could seek the number two job, a move seen by political observers and critics as a backdoor to the presidency. read more
They believe he could be making a play for retaining power by taking over as president under a scenario in which Go wins and then resigns, enabling Duterte to shield himself from possible legal actions when he leaves office. read more
"This is really part of the scheme of the Duterte clique to extend not only influence but control of government," said opposition congressman Carlos Zarate.
Duterte-backer Nograles said the move would "guarantee continuity of the administration's programmes during the past five years," including his war on drugs, which an International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor wants investigated. read more
Duterte's legal counsel Salvador Panelo has described as "unfounded and illogical" claims that he would control the office of the president should he clinch the vice presidency.
Opinion polls show Duterte remains hugely popular, despite his bloody anti-drugs campaign and criticism of the pandemic response, but analysts say his popularity would not necessarily rub off on Go.
In the Philippines, the president is elected separately from the vice president.
Duterte has previously said he wanted Go to be his successor. His endorsement in 2019 helped Go to become a senator, a post he carries out alongside his duties as Duterte's personal aide.
"In choosing his successor, President Duterte is grappling with an unstated urgent concern: who can be best trusted to protect and insulate him from almost certain criminal suits once he is out of power," think tank, the Center for People Empowerment Governance, said.
Go has been the 76-year-old president's closest aide since the late 1990s, when Duterte was a congressman representing his hometown Davao City.
Previously, Go has insisted he is not interested in the presidency.
"Vaccines first, before politics," Go, who chairs the senate committee on health, told Reuters.
Duterte's daughter, Davao City mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, has outshone Go in opinion polls, but she and her father have played down the prospect of her running.
Political analyst Victor Manhit said until candidacies were officially filed, starting in October, everything is speculation, with opinion polls showing other vice presidential candidates including a Manila mayor just behind Duterte. (Reuters)
August
Pakistan gets $2.75 bln in COVID-19 support funds from IMF
Written by Nur Yasmin
Pakistan on Tuesday received $2.75 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under a Special Drawing Rights (SDR) programme to support low-income countries hit by the coronavirus, its central bank said.
The funds, part of a $650 billion global programme, will shore up Pakistan's foreign reserves, under pressure from a rise in the current account deficit and falling remittances from workers based abroad.
Pakistan entered a $6 billion IMF program in 2019, a sixth review of which has been pending since March.
Pakistan has reported more than 1.1 million coronavirus cases and more than 25,000 pandemic-related deaths. (Reuters)
August
Hong Kong proposes film censorship law to 'safeguard national security'
Written by Nur Yasmin
Hong Kong said on Tuesday new film censorship legislation will be introduced to "safeguard national security", in another sign of shrinking freedoms in the former British colony.
China introduced a sweeping national security law in June last year to crack down on what it deems subversion, secessionism, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, following months of sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.
The new "film censorship" amendment bill will help enhance the regulatory framework, the government said in a statement, with a view to "ensuring more effective fulfilment of the duty to safeguard national security".
"The main reference is the national security law ... for instances, acts or activities which might endorse, support, glorify, encourage and incite such activities that might endanger national security," Edward Yau, Hong Kong's commerce secretary, told reporters.
Hong Kong's number two official, the chief secretary, will also be empowered to revoke a film's licence if found to be "contrary to the interests of national security".
Those who violate the law could sentenced to three years imprisonment and fined HK$1 million ($128,400).
The bill will be put to the city's Legislative Council next Wednesday.
Hong Kong introduced new film censorship guidelines in June to ban films perceived as promoting or glorifying acts which may endanger national security. read more
Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the promise its wide-ranging freedoms, including freedom of expression, would remain intact. Beijing and Hong Kong authorities have repeatedly denied curbing human rights and freedoms.
The move comes after recent cancellations of a number of screenings of protest-related films and documentaries at cinemas and art centres.
A documentary called "Taiwan Equals Love" on Taiwan's gay marriage debate was pulled in June, after the Film Censorship Authority refused to approve its full screening. China considers self-ruled Taiwan a breakaway province.
The Cannes Film Festival screened a new documentary titled "Revolution of Our Times", which chronicles the 2019 protests, by filmmaker Kiwi Chow as a surprise addition in July, read more
Chow said he doesn't plan to screen it in Hong Kong given previous censorship guidelines announced in June. (Reuters)
August
Pandemic threatens Asia-Pacific's progress on global development goals, says ADB
Written by Nur Yasmin
The coronavirus pandemic may have pushed as many as 80 million people in developing Asia into extreme poverty last year, threatening to derail progress on global goals to tackle poverty and hunger by 2030, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Tuesday.
Developing Asia's extreme poverty rate - or the proportion of its people living on less than $1.90 a day - would have fallen to 2.6% in 2020 from 5.2% in 2017 without COVID-19, but the crisis likely pushed last year's projected rate higher by about 2 percentage points, ADB simulations showed.
The figure could even be higher considering the inequalities in areas like health, education and work disruptions that have deepened as the COVID-19 crisis disrupted mobility and stalled economic activity, the ADB said in a flagship report on the region.
"As the socioeconomic impacts of responses to the virus continue to unfold, people already struggling to make ends meet are at risk of tipping over into a life of poverty," the Manila-based lender said.
Among reporting economies in Asia and the Pacific, which refers to the 46 developing and three developed ADB member economies, only about one in four posted economic growth last year, it said.
As unemployment rates increased the region also lost about 8% of work hours, affecting poorer households and workers in the informal sector.
The economic damage brought about by the pandemic had further intensified the challenge of meeting global development goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015.
U.N. members unanimously passed 17 Sustainable Development Goals, known as SDGs, in 2015, creating a blueprint of ambitious tasks from ending hunger and gender inequality to expanding access to education and health care.
The goals had a deadline of 2030.
"Asia and the Pacific has made impressive strides, but COVID-19 has revealed social and economic fault lines that may weaken the region's sustainable and inclusive development," ADB Chief Economist Yasuyuki Sawada said in a separate statement. (Reuters)
August
U.S. VP Harris meets company execs in Singapore to discuss supply shortages
Written by Nur Yasmin
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris met company executives in Singapore on Tuesday to discuss supply shortages of essential items that have plagued the Biden administration and contributed to inflation.
The United States faced serious challenges in obtaining medical equipment during the COVID-19 epidemic and now faces severe bottlenecks in a number of areas, including semiconductor chips, stalling production of cars and other goods.
The White House has repeatedly sought to increase domestic production of such items but has struggled to alleviate the supply crunch.
"Ultimately we need to think of it in the context of a national priority around security... a large part of the emphasis for me and then the discussion was about what it means in terms of the needs of families but also the needs of workers," Harris said.
She joined a roundtable with executives from companies including BlackRock Inc (BLK.N), GlobalFoundries Inc, 3M Co (MMM.N), United Parcel Service (UPS.N), Procter & Gamble (PG.N) and Temasek Holdings Pte, Singapore's state-owned investment company.
It was unclear what specific commitments or partnerships Harris was able to strike with the companies on Tuesday. On Monday, she announced an initiative that includes starting a U.S.-Singapore dialogue on building supply chains.
Bain & Co's U.S. head of technology, Anne Hoecker, said Southeast Asia plays a key role in "securing a semiconductor and overall electronics supply chain has become a national priority". Hoecker expects the chip shortage to last through 2022.
U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the review of critical supply chains in February, requiring executive agencies to report back within 100 days on risks to U.S. access to critical goods like those used in pharmaceuticals as well as rare earth minerals, for which the United States is dependent on overseas sources.
In June, the White House offered little in the way of new measures to immediately ease chip supply shortages. (Reuters)
August
Thailand to receive 61 mln doses of AstraZeneca vaccine this year
Written by Nur Yasmin
Thailand will receive 61 million doses of the AstraZeneca (AZN.L) COVID-19 vaccine this year, a government spokesperson said on Monday, as the Southeast Asian country rushes to vaccinate its population amid a surge in coronavirus infections.
Thailand is AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing hub for the region, but has been slow to obtain enough shots to inoculate its population. About 9% of Thailand's 66 million people have been fully vaccinated.
"This is good news, it will help create herd immunity faster. This will take pressure off the health care system, help people return to their normal lives and speed up economic recovery," government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri said in a statement.
Last month, health officials said that AstraZeneca had asked to delay deliveries of its order of 61 million doses to May 2022. read more
The news that the doses would arrive sooner than expected followed a meeting between Thailand's Prime Minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, and AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot, Anucha Burapachaisri said.
The delivery would bring Thailand's total vaccine supply for 2021 to over 120 million doses, of which 61 million from AstraZeneca and a combination of 30 million doses of China's Sinovac and 30 million from Pfizer-BioNTech (PFE.N)(22UAy.DE).
Thailand will buy an additional 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine next year, Anucha added.
Thailand has reported 1,066,786 coronavirus infections and 9,562 deaths since the pandemic began. Over 97% of those cases and deaths have been detected since April this year.
In addition to buying more AstraZeneca vaccines, Thailand also has plans to 50 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in 2022, according to the health ministry. (Reuters)
August
Afghan evacuation on 'war footing' as G7 meets on Taliban deadline
Written by Nur Yasmin
Western forces at Kabul airport worked flat out on Tuesday to get people out of Afghanistan before an Aug. 31 deadline, as U.S. President Joe Biden faced growing pressure to negotiate more time for the airlift of thousands of stranded people.
Widespread chaos punctuated by sporadic violence has gripped Kabul's airport, with Western troops and Afghan security guards driving back crowds desperate to flee following the Taliban's take over of the Afghan capital on Aug. 15.
Countries that have evacuated some 50,000 people over the past 10 days are trying to meet the deadline agreed earlier with the Taliban for the withdrawal of foreign forces, a NATO diplomat told Reuters.
"Every foreign force member is working at a war-footing pace to meet the deadline," said the official, who declined to be identified.
Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries - Britain, Canada, France Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States - will meet virtually later on Tuesday to discuss the crisis.
Biden, who has said U.S. troops might stay beyond the deadline, has warned the evacuation was going to be "hard and painful" and much could still go wrong.
Democratic U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, told reporters after a briefing on Afghanistan by intelligence officials that he did not believe the evacuation could be completed in the eight days remaining.
"I think it's possible but I think it's very unlikely given the number of Americans who still need to be evacuated," Schiff said.
A Taliban official said on Monday an extension would not be granted, though he said foreign forces had not sought one. Washington said negotiations were continuing.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said ahead of the G7 meeting: "I will ask our friends and allies to stand by the Afghan people and step up support for refugees and humanitarian aid."
"The Taliban will be judged by their deeds and not their words," he said on Twitter.
Britain's defence minister, Ben Wallace, told Sky News he was doubtful there would be an extension "not only because of what the Taliban has said but also if you look at the public statements of President Biden, I think it is unlikely".
'DOES IT STILL HURT? YES'
Many Afghans fear reprisals and a return to a harsh version of Islamic law that the Taliban enforced while in power from 1996 to 2001, in particular the repression of women and freedom of speech.
The top U.N. human rights official, Michelle Bachelet, said she had received credible reports of serious violations committed by the Taliban, including summary executions of civilians and restrictions on women and on protests against their rule.
Nevertheless, thousands of Afghans have returned to their homes in the provinces after learning that the situation there was "relatively calm", said the NATO diplomat, while cautioning that scant intelligence and security reports were coming in from remote districts.
Australia evacuated more than 50 female Afghan Paralympians, athletes and their dependents after securing visas for them, the Australian Broadcasting Corp reported on Tuesday. read more
The G7 leaders could discuss taking a united stand on the question of whether to recognise a Taliban government, or alternatively renew sanctions to pressure the Islamist militant movement to comply with pledges to respect women's rights and international relations.
"The G7 leaders will agree to coordinate on if, or when to recognise the Taliban," said one European diplomat. "And they will commit to continue to work closely together."
Leaders of the Taliban, who have sought to show a more moderate face since capturing Kabul, have begun talks on forming a government, that have included discussions with some old enemies from past governments, including a former president, Hamid Karzai.
The Pajhwok news agency reported that Taliban officials had been appointed to various posts including a governor of Kabul, acting interior and finance ministers and intelligence chief. A Taliban spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
Recognition of a Taliban government by other countries would have important consequences, like allowing the Taliban access to foreign aid that previous Afghan governments have depended upon.
Biden will face pressure from other leaders to extend the Aug. 31 deadline for evacuations. France has said more time was needed, and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday the G7 needed to consider whether to remain beyond that date.
Biden has faced widespread criticism over the withdrawal, which was initiated by his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, under a deal struck with the Taliban, and his opinion poll ratings have slipped.
For its part, the powerful U.S. military has been grappling with the collapse of U.S.-backed Afghan forces after 20 years of training. "Was it worth it? Yes. Does it still hurt? Yes," General David Berger, the commandant of the Marine Corps, wrote in a memo to Marines. (Reuters)
August
Taiwan's president leads way in first domestic COVID-19 vaccine
Written by Nur Yasmin
President Tsai Ing-wen got vaccinated with Taiwan's first domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, giving her personal stamp of approval as the island begins rolling out the shot whose approval critics say has been rushed.
The health ministry last month approved the emergency use of Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp's (6547.TWO) COVID-19 vaccine, part of a broader plan for inoculation self-sufficiency as delays in vaccine deliveries from global drug companies have affected Taiwan and many other countries.
Tsai, who had held off using vaccines from Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) or AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L), the current mainstay of Taiwan's vaccination programme, received her Medigen shot at a hospital in central Taipei, demonstrating her confidence in the safety of the vaccine.
Tsai chatted to medical workers as they prepared her shot, the whole process being broadcast live on her Facebook page, and gave a short response of "no" to a shouted question from reporters about whether she was nervous.
"It doesn't hurt, I'm in good spirits, and I'm going to continue working for the day," she later wrote on Facebook.
The government says the initial experience of the pandemic last year, when basic supplies such as face masks were in short supply, made it realise they had to be able to rely on themselves for critical materials.
Medigen, whose Chinese name literally means "high-end", rejects claims its vaccine is either unsafe or that it has been sent to market with undue haste, saying it is effective and well tested.
"We have done so many experiments, everyone has seen how safe our vaccine is," Medigen's Chief Executive Officer Charles Chen told Reuters.
CONCERNS
The recombinant protein vaccine has been developed in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health in the United States, and the government has ordered an initial 5 million doses. It says nobody will be forced to get it.
The vaccine has yet to finish clinical trials and no efficacy data is available, but the government says studies so far have shown that antibodies created by the shot have been "no worse than" those created by AstraZeneca's vaccine.
Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang, or KMT, has mounted a fierce campaign against the shot, saying that while it supports domestic vaccines, Medigen's approval has been rushed.
"There is no need for the lives and health of the Taiwanese people to serve as white rats in a laboratory," Ho Chih-yung, deputy head of the KMT's international department, told Reuters.
Around 40% of Taiwan's 23.5 million people have received at least one shot of either of the two-dose AstraZeneca or Moderna vaccines, though fewer than 5% are fully vaccinated.
However, unlike some other parts of Asia, Taiwan faces no huge pressure to accelerate its vaccination drive, with domestic infections well under control. It has reported 15,932 infections since the pandemic began, including 828 deaths.
Taiwan has received more than 10 million vaccine doses to date, and in July ordered a further 36 million doses of Moderna's. read more
People who spoke to Reuters in Taipei after getting the Medigen shot said they had no particular concerns about it.
"I think my body is pretty good because I do dragon boat racing, so I can be a lab rat," said bank worker Wu Meng-ru, 30. (Reuters)
August
Japan asks Tokyo hospitals to accept more COVID-19 patients
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Japanese government and the Tokyo Metropolitan government appealed on Monday to hospitals in the capital to accept more COVID-19 patients as increasing infections has made it increasingly difficult to get access to care.
Fewer than one in 10 coronavirus patients is hospitalised in Tokyo, fuelling public frustration with the government's COVID-19 response and undermining voter support for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. read more
"The Delta variant's strong infectiousness just isn't comparable to previous ones," said Health Minister Norihisa Tamura, as he stood with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike.
"We would like to have further support from the medical community to secure hospital beds for coronavirus patients."
This was the first time the national government had issued such a request based on the infectious diseases control law, Tamura said.
With infections showing no sign of slowing down, the government is considering expanding areas covered by state of emergency measures, the Kyodo news agency said. Emergency measures are now in force in 13 prefectures, including Tokyo.
While infection numbers in Japan have been setting daily records, the number of deaths per day has stayed at less than a quarter of the record 216 fatalities seen on May 18, as more people are vaccinated.
On Sunday, Japan reported 22,302 COVID-19 cases and 24 deaths, according to public broadcaster NHK. (Reuters)