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August
Qatar says doing utmost to help safe passage of diplomats out of Afghanistan
Written by Nur Yasmin
Qatar said on Monday it was doing its utmost to help evacuate diplomats and foreign staff in international organisations seeking to leave Afghanistan.
Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, whose country has been playing a key role in trying to reach a political settlement in Afghanistan, told a news conference in the Jordanian capital that Doha was also seeking a peaceful transition after the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
"There is international concern about the fast pace of developments and Qatar is doing its utmost to bring a peaceful transition, especially after the vacuum that happened," Al-Thani said.
Qatar, which has good ties with the Taliban, was also working to ensure there would be a complete ceasefire across the country and that stability prevailed, he added. (Reuters)
August
EU calls crisis meeting on Tuesday to discuss Afghanistan
Written by Nur Yasmin
European Union foreign ministers will hold a crisis meeting on Tuesday to discuss the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday.
"Following latest developments in Afghanistan, and after intense contacts with partners in the past days and hours, I decided to convene an extraordinary VTC of EU foreign ministers tomorrow afternoon for a first assessment," Borrell said on Twitter.
"Afghanistan stands at a crossroad. Security and wellbeing of its citizens, as well as international security are at play," he added. (Reuters)
August
Taiwan rejects COVID vaccine candidate, president to get domestic shot
Written by Nur Yasmin
Taiwan has rejected an application for the emergency use of UBI Pharma's (6562.TWO) COVID-19 vaccine candidate, the government said on Monday, though the president said she would get a separate domestic shot in a show of support for the scheme.
Although Taiwan has ordered millions of Moderna (MRNA.O) and AstraZeneca (AZN.L) shots, developing a local vaccine has been a major goal and it is due next week to start administering its first domestic vaccine, made by Medigen Vaccine Biologics (6547.TWO).
The health ministry, explaining the rejection of the request for emergency use authorisation (EUA), said the antibodies triggered by UBI's candidate did not match up with those of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
However, the ministry said, UBI planned Phase III trials in India.
Health Minister Chen Shih-chung expressed regret that the EUA had not been granted. "We still have to follow certain standards," he told reporters.
UBI, whose share price closed 30% down on Monday following the rejection, said in a statement to the stock market it saw a limited financial hit from the decision and that it would re-evaluate the "benefit assessment" of the phase three clinical trial. It did not elaborate.
In June, the company had said it would seek an EUA in Taiwan and that Phase II tests showed no major adverse effects for its candidate, which, it said, generated a good immune response.
The government has drawn criticism from opposition parties after President Tsai Ing-wen initially pledged to start administering domestically developed vaccines in July, before results of second clinical trials were released.
Later, Tsai said Taiwan would strictly scrutinise the process according to global scientific norms and put safety first.
Writing on her Facebook page, Tsai said she would be getting her first shot of Medigen's vaccine next Monday.
About 40% of Taiwan's 23.5 million people have received at least one dose of the two required by the vaccine regimen.
Unlike some other parts of Asia, Taiwan faces no huge pressure to accelerate its vaccination drive, as it is recording only a handful of domestic infections a day. (Reuters)
August
Afghanistan's aviation authority said on Monday that national airspace had been released to the military following the Taliban's takeover and advised transit planes to keep away, hastening major airlines' switch to other routes.
For now, as the militants embed themselves elsewhere, U.S. forces have taken over air traffic control at Kabul airport, where five died on Monday in chaotic scenes with reports of firing in the air and a stampede. read more
United Airlines (UAL.O), British Airways and Virgin Atlantic [RIC:RIC:VA.UL] had already stopped using Afghanistan airspace on Sunday as U.S.-led forces departed and Western nations scrambled to evacuate citizens. read more
On Monday, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines (SIAL.SI), Taiwan's China Airlines (2610.TW), Air France KLM (AIRF.PA) and Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) followed suit.
In Air France's case, six routes are affected: Bangkok, Delhi, Singapore, Mumbai, Madras and Ho Chi Minh.
Lufthansa said flight times to India and some other destinations will be extended by up to one hour, in a move that will add to fuel costs.
In a notice to airmen on its website, the Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority (ACAA) said any transit through Kabul airspace - which covers all Afghanistan - would be uncontrolled.
"Kabul airspace has been released to the military. Advise transit aircraft to reroute," the notice said, without specifying precisely which military given the collapse of local security forces in the face of the Taliban offensive.
"Any transit through Kabul airspace will be uncontrolled. Surrounding FIRs (air traffic control regions) have been advised."
Some flights turned around right after the announcement. Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed an Air India flight from Chicago to Delhi changed course and exited Afghanistan's airspace shortly after entering, while a Terra Avia flight from Baku to Delhi did the same.
The Air India flight later diverted to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates for more fuel, FlightRadar24 said. Air India did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
DEADLY PRECEDENTS
Airlines and governments have paid more attention to the risks of flying over airspace in volatile zones in recent years after two deadly incidents involving surface-to-air missiles.
A Malaysia Airlines plane was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people on board, and a Ukraine International Airlines jet was downed by Iran's military in 2020, killing all 176 passengers and crew.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in July imposed new flight restrictions over Afghanistan for U.S. airlines and operators.
It said flights operating below 26,000 feet were prohibited in the Kabul Flight Information Region, which largely covers Afghanistan, unless operating in and out of Hamid Karzai International Airport, citing the risk "posed by extremist/militant activity."
That did not apply to U.S. military operations.
Other countries, including Canada, Britain, Germany and France, had also advised airlines to maintain an altitude of at least 25,000 feet over Afghanistan, according to website Safe Airspace.
Commercial flights have also been affected: Emirates suspended flights to Kabul and Turkish Airlines cancelled scheduled flights to and from Afghanistan.
The ACAA said the civilian side of Kabul airport was closed until further notice. (Reuters)
August
Taliban report no clashes in Afghanistan day after they capture Kabul
Written by Nur Yasmin
Taliban officials said on Monday they had received no reports of any clashes from across the country a day after the militants seized the capital, Kabul, and the U.S.-backed government collapsed.
"The situation is peaceful, as per our reports," one of the senior members of the Taliban said. They declined to be identified. (Reuters)
August
Merkel says Germany must focus on its Afghan 'rescue mission'
Written by Nur Yasmin
Germany's immediate focus must be on evacuating up to 10,000 people from Afghanistan for whom its has responsibility, Chancellor Angela Merkel told party colleagues, warning the fallout from the conflict will last for a very long time.
The remarks, made at a closed-door meeting of her Christian Democrat party on Monday and relayed by meeting participants, reflect growing concern about bloodshed in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized the capital and proclaimed peace. read more
"We are witnessing difficult times," Merkel said. "Now we must focus on the rescue mission."
Merkel said Germany may need to evacuate as many as 10,000 people from Afghanistan, including 2,500 Afghan support staff as well as human rights activists, lawyers and others whom the government sees as being at risk if they remained in the country.
She also said that Germany should cooperate with countries bordering Afghanistan to support those fleeing from the country now, adding: "This topic will keep us busy for a very long time."
Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said at the meeting that Germany had deployed special forces and paratroopers to help with the evacuation, adding it was "an extremely dangerous operation" for German troops.
"As long as it remains possible, the German army will get as many people as possible out of Afghanistan and maintain the air bridge," she said, adding this depended on the willingness of the United States to keep the airport open.
No evacuation flights are leaving Kabul airport at the moment because desperate people trying to flee the country are blocking the tarmac, a spokesperson for the German foreign ministry said at a regular government news conference on Monday.
Forty staff from the German embassy were flown to Doha overnight, the spokesperson said, adding a small team of fewer than 10 staff would remain at Kabul airport to coordinate evacuations. (Reuters)
August
Japan's Suga pledges not to wage war again as ministers visit controversial shrine
Written by nuke
Japan's Suga pledges not to wage war again as ministers visit controversial shrine -
Japan will never wage war again, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pledged on Sunday (Aug 15), as he commemorated the end of World War II while members of his cabinet visited a shrine seen by critics as a symbol of the country's past militarism.
Nearly eight decades since the end of the war, the conflict remains a source of tension between Japan and its neighbours, particularly China and North and South Korea, with the Yasukuni shrine in central Tokyo a focal point for the strain.
"Since the end of the war, Japan has consistently walked the path of a country that values peace," Suga said in a speech at a memorial ceremony in Tokyo. "We must never again repeat the devastation of war. We will continue to remain committed to this conviction."
His comments were little changed from those of his predecessor, Shinzo Abe, at last year's ceremony. Emperor Naruhito again expressed "deep remorse" for Japan's wartime past, something Suga did not mention.
Earlier on Sunday, members of Suga's cabinet, as well as Abe, visited Yasukuni, gestures likely to anger China and both Koreas. Suga did not visit but sent a ritual offering through his secretary, the Sankei newspaper said.
A representative for Yasukuni declined to comment on whether the prime minister had sent an offering. No one was immediately available for comment at Suga's office outside regular working hours.
Yasukuni honours Japan's war dead, including 14 World War II leaders convicted as "Class A" war criminals, making it a flashpoint for tension. Koreans still chafe over Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945, while the Chinese continue to resent Japan's invasion and brutal occupation of parts of China from 1931 to 1945.
Many Japanese pay respects to relatives at the shrine and conservatives say leaders should be able to commemorate the war dead. China and the two Koreas, however, have voiced objection given that war criminals are included among those honoured at Yasukuni.
The shrine saw a constant stream of visitors from early morning, including families with children and people in military uniform, in the face of persistent rain and a recent spike in novel coronavirus cases in Tokyo.
Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Education Minister Koichi Hagiuda both paid their respects. Their visits came after Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi went to the shrine on Friday.
"Like any other year, I sincerely offered my heartfelt condolences to those who sacrificed their lives in the previous war and renewed my pledge for everlasting peace," Hagiuda told reporters.
When asked about the opposition from South Korea and China to visits by ministers, he said it was natural to pay respects to those who sacrificed themselves for their country, adding he hoped for understanding from Japan's neighbours.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said his government remained open to dialogue with Japan to step up cooperation while seeking to resolve historical rows that have frayed bilateral ties.
In a sign of the shrine's symbolic potency, China's Association of Performing Arts called for a boycott of a Chinese actor after photos of him taken at Yasukuni in 2018 and 2019 circulated online and sparked outrage.
Abe visited Yasukuni as prime minister in 2013, leading to anger from Beijing and Seoul and an expression of "disappointment" from the United States. He did not go again as prime minister, sending ritual offerings instead.
After visiting on Sunday, the former prime minister, who is still a member of parliament, told reporters he paid his respect to the souls of the war dead//CNA
August
South Korea, US to begin joint military drills despite North Korea rebuke
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: The South Korean and American flags fly next to each other at Yongin, South Korea, on Aug 23, 2016. (Courtesy Ken Scar/US Army/Handout via Reuters) -
South Korea and the United States will begin their annual joint military drills on Monday (Aug 16), the South's military said on Sunday, amid North Korea's warnings of a diplomatic and security crisis.
South Korea and the United States regularly stage military exercises, mainly in the spring and summer, but North Korea has for decades reacted angrily, calling them a rehearsal for war.
The exercises will continue for nine days, mostly consisting of defensive, computer-simulated command post training with minimum personnel but no live field training, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
"The alliance made the decision after comprehensively considering the COVID-19 situation, joint defence posture and ways to support diplomatic efforts to denuclearise and foster lasting peace on the Korean peninsula," the JCS said in a statement.
A day after the allies kicked off preliminary training last week, North Korea did not answer routine calls on an inter-Korean hotlines, which were only reactivated on Jul 28 after the North severed them a year ago amid strained ties.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accused the South of "perfidious behaviour" for going ahead with the exercises. Another senior official said on Wednesday that Seoul and Washington are risking a "serious security crisis" by choosing to escalate tensions, instead of improving relations.
The United States keeps about 28,500 soldiers in South Korea - a legacy of the 1950 to 1953 Korean War, which ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula in a technical state of war.
Joint military drills were scaled back in recent years to facilitate talks aimed at persuading Pyongyang to dismantle its nuclear and missile programmes in return for US sanctions relief.
The negotiations fell apart in 2019, and the administration of South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been hoping that the reopening of hotlines would help resume the denuclearisation talks.
The JCS said the exercises are partly designed to expedite progress on Seoul's efforts to take over wartime control of the combined troops from the United States.
Moon has made it a key policy goal and boosted defence spending to help drum up US support, but the COVID-19 pandemic hampered full-scale training and effectively ended his hopes to complete that transfer within his term due to end in March//CNA
August
Singapore’s first giant panda cub has been born to Jia Jia and Kai Kai
Written by nuke
Jia Jia with her new baby. (Photo: Wildlife Reserves Singapore) -
The very first born-in-Singapore panda cub has arrived. River Safari’s beloved panda pair, Kai Kai and Jia Jia, are finally parents, Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) announced on Sunday (Aug 15).
The cub was born on Aug 14 and weighs in at an estimated 200g.
Its gender is yet to be determined, but you can bet there’ll be a gender reveal party happening soon.
The nation has been cheering Jia Jia and Kai Kai on in their seasonal mating attempts since they first arrived in Singapore in 2012, but giant pandas are notoriously uninterested in non-bamboo-related pursuits.
This April, when 13-year-old Kai Kai and 12-year-old Jia Jia displayed signs of being in heat, they officially entered their seventh breeding season, said Dr Cheng Wen-Haur, WRS' Deputy CEO and Chief Life Sciences Officer.
WRS worked with the China Conservation and Research Centre for Giant Panda (CCRCGP) to carry out the breeding plan for 2021, emphasising natural mating with assisted reproductive technology as back up if required, he explained.
The pandas had shown improvements in their mating techniques the year before, but as the window of opportunity was drawing to a close, CCRCGP experts advised Singapore vets to perform artificial insemination.
The procedure was carried out by the in-house veterinary team at WRS' Wildlife Healthcare and Research Centre, using frozen semen collected from Kai Kai before the mating season.
Then, in July, ultrasound scans revealed signs of pregnancy in Jia Jia, Dr Cheng shared. The gestation period in giant pandas is between 95 to 160 days.
“Female giant pandas display pseudopregnancy, exhibiting all the hormonal and behavioural signs of pregnancy even when they are not expecting. The only sure way of confirming a pregnancy is visualisation of a foetus near to term," he said.
"This happened for us (on Aug 10) when our vet picked up, on ultrasound, not only a clear outline of a foetus but one with a strong heartbeat."
Naturally, the back-of-house team at River Safari’s Giant Panda Forest has been full of excitement – not to mention probably itching to spill the secret of Jia Jia's "breakthrough pregnancy".
“Jia Jia’s first pregnancy and birth of a cub is a significant milestone for us in the care of this threatened species in Singapore,” Dr Cheng said.
“This is the result of good animal care, assisted reproductive science and sheer perseverance on the part of our staff coupled with valuable advice from the China panda experts. The work continues now with supporting the first-time mother to raise her newborn cub.”//CNA
August
Australia's New South Wales reports 415 new COVID-19 cases, near record high
Written by nuke
A sign at Central Station notes the implementation of new public health regulations in Sydney, Australia, Jun 23, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Loren Elliott) -
New South Wales reported 415 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 on Sunday (Aug 15), down from the previous day's record 466, as Australia's most populous state entered a snap lockdown to control the spread of the Delta variant in regional towns.
Concerned about growing infections in rural areas as recent sewage tests detected the virus in several regional towns, officials on Saturday tightened restrictions and ordered a snap seven-day lockdown across the state.
"Western New South Wales remains a concern, especially in relation to our vulnerable indigenous communities," state Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.
On Sunday, officials said four more people had died, taking the number of deaths in the latest outbreak in the state to 46. Of the new positive cases, at least 66 are people who spent time in the community while infectious, Berejiklian said//CNA