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March
India-Pakistan detente continues with water-sharing talks
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. India and Pakistan are to hold the first meeting in three years on Tuesday of a commission on water rights from the Indus River in a further sign of rapprochement in relations frozen since 2019 during disputes over Kashmir.
The Permanent Indus Commission, set up in 1960, will meet for two days in New Delhi, according to two Indian officials involved with water issues and Pakistan’s foreign ministry.
Pakistan will raise objections to the technical designs of India’s planned Pakal Dul and Lower Kalnai hydroelectric plants, Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said.
The Indus River, one of the world’s largest, and its tributaries feed 80 percent of Pakistan’s irrigated agriculture.
The talks are the latest in both nations’ tentative efforts to re-engage after a 2019 suicide bomb in Indian Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based guerrillas and India’s move later that year to strip Kashmir’s constitutional autonomy.
UAE INVOLVED?
Both nations are now focussed on coping with unprecedented economic downturns due to COVID-19.
Bloomberg news agency and Foreign Policy magazine have reported that the United Arab Emirates, with whom both India and Pakistan have close ties, may have played a role in secret efforts to achieve a detente.
Last month, India and Pakistan announced a rare agreement to stop firing on the bitterly-contested Kashmir border, which Bloomberg said was also the result of UAE-brokered talks.
There was no immediate comment from India, Pakistan or the UAE to the Bloomberg report out on Monday.
At the water-sharing talks, both sides are expected to try and narrow differences over the hydro-projects, Indian officials said.
One of the Indian officials, who asked to remain unidentified, said the Pakal Dul and Lower Kalnai projects along with a couple of others - which Pakistan is concerned would hurt the flow of water downstream - were in line with the provisions of the treaty.
“We will discuss to allay those objections, we believe in an amicable resolution,” the official said. (Reuters)
March
Factbox: Countries resume use of AstraZeneca vaccine, while some lose confidence
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. AstraZeneca said on Monday an independent panel found no higher risks of blood clots from its COVID-19 vaccine in a large U.S. trial, including rare ones in the brain. The shot was 79% effective overall, and 80% effective in the elderly.
Many countries are resuming use of the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker’s vaccine after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) said the benefits outweighed the risks following investigations into reports of blood clots.
The fresh data comes after a poll on Sunday showed that European trust in the vaccine has plunged after at least 17 countries had suspended or delayed use after reports of hospitalisations with clotting issues and bleeding, while Asia is accelerating inoculations.
U.N. agency WHO, which has urged inoculations continue, said on Friday that more than 20 million doses of the vaccine had been given to Europeans, with over 27 million doses of Covishield, the vaccine by AstraZeneca partner Serum Institute, administered in India.
** Below is a list of countries and regions to resume or start using the vaccine after the investigations, in alphabetical order:
AUSTRALIA:
The pharmaceutical regulator approved on Sunday the local manufacturing of the vaccine by CSL.
BULGARIA:
Resumed inoculations from March 19.
CYPRUS:
Cyprus, which suspended the vaccine on March 15, restarted administering it on March 19.
FRANCE:
Medical regulator approved the resumed use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine on March 19, but said it should only be given to people aged 55 and older.
GERMANY:
Resumed administering the AstraZeneca vaccine from March 19.
INDONESIA:
Began using the vaccine on Monday after suspending it last week. But the Food and Drug agency has warned against its use on people with blood clotting disorders.
IRELAND:
Plans to resume rollout of the vaccine in the coming days for all those aged 18 and over, a committee said on March 19, after suspending it on March 14.
ITALY:
Resumed using the vaccine on March 19, and Italians who decline to be inoculated with it will be given an alternative later on.
LATVIA:
Also said it would restart administering the shots.
LITHUANIA:
Restarted administering the vaccine on March 19.
THE NETHERLANDS:
The health minister said on March 18 that the country would resume using the vaccine this week.
SOUTH KOREA:
President Moon Jae-in, 68, plans to get the shot on Tuesday after the government said it could be used on older people.
SPAIN:
Will resume administering AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine from Wednesday.
TAIWAN:
Premier Su Tseng-chang got the vaccine on Monday as the island began its immunisation campaign.
THAILAND:
Began use on March 15, with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha becoming the first to be inoculated, after Thailand delayed rollout the week before.
** Below is a list of countries and regions where suspensions continue for now, in alphabetical order:
AUSTRIA:
Suspended use of one batch of the vaccine on March 7 after the death of one person and the illness of another.
CAMEROON:
Suspended administration of the vaccine it was scheduled to receive on March 20 as part of the global vaccines sharing scheme COVAX, the health ministry said.
DENMARK:
Will keep its two-week suspension of the COVID-19 vaccine and decide on its future use this week. Denmark on Saturday reported two cases of serious illness, including one death.
FINLAND:
Suspended use of the vaccine while it investigates two possible cases of blood clots, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare said on March 19.
GEORGIA:
Has limited the use of the vaccine after a nurse died of anaphylactic shock, news agency TASS reported on March 19.
ICELAND:
Suspended vaccine use on March 11.
NORWAY:
Health authorities said on March 17 it was too soon to say if the vaccine causes blood clots after halting rollout on March 11.
ROMANIA:
Temporarily stopped vaccinating people with one batch of vaccine on March 11.
SWEDEN:
Needs “a few days” to decide whether to restart using the vaccine, it said on March 19 and will likely make a decision this week. (Reuters)
March
Pakistan to start private imports of CanSino COVID-19 vaccine for sale
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. A private company in Pakistan will begin receiving shipments of China’s CanSino Biologics COVID-19 vaccine this week for commercial sale, an official at the company’s local partner told Reuters on Monday.
Pakistan, one of the first countries in the world to allow private imports of COVID-19 vaccines, has already received a batch of the Russian Sputnik vaccine.
“We expect the first 10,000 doses to come on March 25, and 100,000 next month and 200,000 the month after,” said Hassan Abbas, an official of AJ Pharma, CanSino’s local partner, which will be importing the vaccine.
“The issues with pricing have been worked out with the government and now we are waiting for a notification.”
The vaccine’s commercial name will be “Convidecia”, Abbas said, adding that five hospitals that ran its clinical trials will provide its doses for sale.
Pakistan is in the process of vaccinating frontline healthcare workers and citizens over the age of 60 free of charge using Sinopharm doses donated by China.
The commercial administration of vaccines is yet to begin as the government settles pricing issues, after reversing its decision to allow uncapped prices.
The government has approved a mechanism to fix open market prices for the vaccines, according to a health ministry summary seen by Reuters.
The summary proposed a price of 8,449 rupees ($54.30) per pack of two injections of the Russian vaccine and 4,225 ($27.15) per injection for the Chinese Convidecia.
The prices have been capped on the basis of the approved mechanism, it said.
However, the minister in charge of COVID operations, Asad Umar, told a local TV channel that according to the mechanism, the trade price for an imported vaccine will add 40% mark up in the landed cost, with another 15% for retailers or hospitals.
CanSino Biologics and Pakistan’s Health Minister Faisal Sultan did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Pakistan is experiencing a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections, reporting on Saturday the highest number of positive cases in a day since July. (Reuters)
March
Philippines says 220 Chinese boats have encroached in South China Sea
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. The Philippines urged China on Sunday to recall more than 200 Chinese boats it said had been spotted at a reef in the South China Sea, saying the presence of the vessels violated its maritime rights as it claims ownership of the area.
Authorities said the Philippines coast guard had reported that about 220 vessels, believed to be manned by Chinese maritime militia personnel, were seen moored at the Whitsun Reef, which Manila calls the Julian Felipe Reef, on March 7.
"We call on the Chinese to stop this incursion and immediately recall these boats violating our maritime rights and encroaching into our sovereign territory," Defence Minister Delfin Lorenzana said.
The Philippine military had conducted air and maritime patrols in the South China Sea to further validate the report, spokesman Marine Major General Edgard Arevalo said, but did not say when.
The military had submitted its findings to other government agencies, and they would be used as basis for taking "appropriate actions not limited to filing diplomatic protests", he said in a statement, without elaborating.
"The (Armed Forces of the Philippines) will not renege from our commitment to protect and defend our maritime interest within the bounds of the law," Arevalo said.
Chinese boats have fished near the reef for a long time, and recently, some have been sheltering in the area due to sea conditions, said China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Monday.
"I think this is very normal, and hope all sides can view this rationally," she said at a daily news conference.
Foreign minister Teodoro Locsin, asked whether he would file a diplomatic protest over the boats, told a journalist on Twitter: "Only if the generals tell me. In my watch, foreign policy is the fist in the iron glove of the armed forces."
The vessels are fishing boats believed to be manned by Chinese military-trained personnel, according to Philippines security officials.
The vessels' presence in the area raises concern about overfishing and the destruction of the marine environment, as well as risks to safe navigation, a Philippine cross-government task force said late on Saturday.
An international tribunal invalidated China's claim to 90% of the South China Sea in 2016, but Beijing does not recognise the ruling. China has built islands in the disputed waters in recent years, putting air strips on some of them.
Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei all claim parts of the sea.
In January, the Philippines protested at a new Chinese law allowing its coast guard to fire on foreign vessels, describing it as a "threat of war".
The United States has repeatedly denounced what it called China's attempts to bully neighbours with competing interests, while Beijing has criticised Washington for what it calls interference in its internal affairs.
The Whitsun Reef is within Manila's exclusive economic zone, the task force said, describing the site as "a large boomerang-shaped shallow coral reef at the northeast of Pagkakaisa Banks and Reefs".
The task force vowed to continue "to peacefully and proactively pursue its initiatives on environmental protection, food security and freedom of navigation" in the South China Sea. (Reuters)
March
European trust in AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine plunges, poll shows
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Confidence in the safety of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine has taken a big hit in Spain, Germany, France and Italy as reports of rare blood clots have been linked to it and many countries briefly stopped using it, poll data showed on Monday.
The polling firm YouGov said it had already found in late February that Europeans were more hesitant about the AstraZeneca vaccine than about those from Pfizer Inc/BioNTech and Moderna Inc, and that the clot concerns had further damaged public perceptions of the AstraZeneca shot’s safety.
At least 13 European countries in the past two weeks stopped administering the AstraZeneca shot, co-developed with scientists at Oxford University, after reports of a small number of blood disorders.
Many resumed its use on Friday after the European Medicines Agency regulator said in a preliminary safety review on Thursday that the vaccine was safe and effective and not linked with a rise in the overall risk of blood clots.
EMA did not rule out a possible link, however, with rare cases of blood clots in the brain known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST).
YouGov’s poll - which covered about 8,000 people in seven European countries between March 12 and 18 - found that in France, Germany, Spain and Italy, people were now more likely to see the AstraZeneca vaccine as unsafe than as safe.
Some 55% of Germans say it is unsafe, while less than a third think it is safe, the poll showed. In France, where AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine was already unpopular, 61% of people polled say they now see it as unsafe.
In Italy and Spain, most people previously felt the AstraZeneca vaccine was safe - at 54% and 59% respectively - but those rates have fallen to 36% and 38% respectively, in the latest poll.
The survey showed that only in Britain, where the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has been used in a national rollout since January, have the blood clot concerns had little to no impact on public confidence. The majority of people polled in the UK - 77% - still say the shot is safe. Their trust in it is on a par with Pfizer’s 79% perceived safety rating.
YouGov also said there appeared to be no spillover concerns across the seven European countries polled for the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, both of which were seen as being as safe as in a poll three weeks ago. (Reuters)
March
New Zealand expected to announce details of travel arrangement with Australia
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. New Zealand is set to announce on Monday whether it will open quarantine-free travel to Australians, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern indicated that such an arrangement may only be with some Australian states.
Ardern told state broadcaster TVNZ in an interview that initial country-to-country negotiations had turned to state-by-state discussions as the process was taking too long.
“We’ve said: ‘Look, let’s just move state-by-state’ because it’s actually just taking a bit too much work, a bit too difficult,” Ardern said.
“Let’s just operate as Australia has been operating with us. That’s helping to speed things up.”
Australia’s border has been mostly open to neighbouring New Zealanders since last October, with a few short suspensions when there were small coronavirus outbreaks in Auckland. But New Zealand has delayed returning the favour amid more frequent bursts of COVID-19 clusters across Australia.
Ardern did not give any details on when such a travel arrangement was expected, but local media have reported it may be operational by the end of April. The prime minister is expected to announce her decision in a post-Cabinet news conference later on Monday.
Pressure has been mounting on Ardern’s government to allow Australians entry as the country’s tourism sector struggles without international visitors. The opposition National Party is calling for quarantine-free travel with Australia to start immediately.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said earlier this month that a two-way travel arrangement was in New Zealand’s hands. (Reuters)
March
Danish Red Cross launches volcano catastrophe bond
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. The Danish Red Cross has launched a catastrophe bond for volcano-related disasters with the support of several financial firms, the groups said on Monday, adding it was the first of its kind.
The $3 million bond will enable the disaster relief agency to get aid quickly to those suffering following the eruption of 10 named volcanoes, in Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Indonesia and Mexico.
Catastrophe bonds offer investors high yields, but do not pay out if a named catastrophe occurs. They typically cover areas prone to hurricanes and typhoons.
The Danish Red Cross worked with insurance group Howden, with risk modelling by Mitiga Solutions and blockchain technology from Replexus, the organisations said in a statement.
Initial investors include Plenum Investments, Schroder Investment Management and Solidum Partners. (Reuters)
March
Australia to evacuate thousands as Sydney faces worst floods in 60 years
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Australian authorities are planning to evacuate thousands more people on Monday from flood-affected suburbs in Sydney’s west, which is set for its worst flooding in 60 years with another day of drenching rain expected.
Unrelenting rains over the past three days swelled rivers in Australia’s most populous state of New South Wales (NSW), causing widespread damage and triggering calls for mass evacuations.
“Flooding is likely to be higher than any floods since Nov 1961,” NSW emergency services said in a tweet late Sunday. Authorities expect the wild weather to continue until Wednesday.
The fast-moving flood waters detached houses, swept away vehicles and farm animals, and submerged roads, bridges, houses and farms, television and social media footage showed.
Nearly 2,000 people have already been evacuated from low lying areas, NSW emergency services said.
Large parts of the country’s east coast will get hit by more heavy rains from Monday due to the combination of a tropical low over northern Western Australia and a coastal trough off NSW, the weather bureau said.
“These two moisture feeds are merging and will create a multi-state rain and storm band from Monday,” the Bureau of Meteorology said in a statement.
A severe flood warning has been issued for large parts of NSW as well as neighbouring Queensland.
“These are very, very serious and very severe storms and floods, and it’s a very complex weather system too ... so this is a very testing time,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told radio station 2GB on Monday.
Sydney on Sunday recorded the wettest day of the year with almost 111 mm (4.4 inches) of rain, while some regions in NSW’s north coast received nearly 900 mm of rain in the last six days, more than three times the March average, government data showed. (Reuters)
March
Myanmar protesters voice defiance as death toll nears 250
Written by nuke
Protesters participate in a mock drowning as a signal to the world that they, as their country, need to be saved, in Nyaung-U, Myanmar March 19, 2021. Picture taken March 19, 2021. Handout/via REUTERS
Opponents of Myanmar's military rule, many in small towns across the country, staged candle-lit protests on Saturday night (Mar 20) and into Sunday in defiance of crackdowns by the security forces and the killing of nearly 250 people since the Feb 1 coup.
The violent suppression has drawn the condemnation of Western governments and increasingly the unprecedented criticism of some of Myanmar's Asian neighbours.
The violence has also forced people determined to resist a return to military rule after a decade of tentative steps towards democracy to think up new ways to make their point.
Nearly 20 protests were held overnight across the country, from the main city of Yangon to small communities in Kachin State in the north and the southernmost town of Kawthaung, according to a tally of social media posts.
Hundreds of protesters in the second city of Mandalay, including many medical staff in white coats, marched before sunrise in a "Dawn protest".
Protesters in some places were joined by Buddhist monks holding candles. Some people used candles to make the shape of the three-fingered protest salute.In Yangon, which has seen the worst of the violence since the coup, security forces moved quickly to break up a gathering.
"Now they're cracking down on our night protest. Stun grenades being fired constantly," one Facebook user wrote. Eight people were detained, a resident of the neighbourhood said.
At least four people were killed in separate incidents earlier on Saturday, taking the death toll since the coup to 247, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group.Western countries have repeatedly condemned the coup and the violence. Asian neighbours, who have for years avoided criticising each other, have also begun speaking out//CNA
March
Britain to launch bullying hotline for athletes at Tokyo Games
Written by nuke
Britain to launch bullying hotline for athletes at Tokyo Games
British athletes competing at this year's Tokyo Olympics will be able to report concerns of physical or psychological abuse through an independent hotline service, British Olympic Association chief executive Andy Anson said.
This move comes after 17 former gymnasts in the United Kingdom last month launched a group-claim lawsuit against the national governing body British Gymnastics alleging a range of abusive behaviour.
The group, which includes three Olympians, served a "Letter of Claim" on the body, alleging physical and psychological abuse from coaches.
"One of the things we are ensuring for when we get to Tokyo is that every athlete knows who they can contact if they have got any issues in that environment," Anson told the Mail on Sunday https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-9384691/British-athletes-receive-access-bullying-hotline-Tokyo-Olympics.html newspaper.
"This would not be their line manager but someone outside the line. It can't be someone in our line management structure."
Last year, Britain's Olympic medal-winning gymnast Amy Tinkler and others also spoke out about their experiences with British Gymnastics, accusing coaches of bullying and "body shaming".
"There has got to be an independent hotline you can call without fear of any recrimination and that is really important," Anson added.
"We can have all the policies and procedures in the world but if they are not enforceable or if the athletes don't feel like we are on their side, then they are not right."//CNA