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February
UK PM announces 100 day target to create new vaccines
Written by nuke
The G7 virtual meeting 2021 - independent.co.uk
The UK Prime Minister is setting out his ambition to cut the time to develop new vaccines by two-thirds to 100 days, as he chairs the first G7 leaders’ meeting of the UK’s presidency.
The development of a coronavirus vaccine in approximately 300 days was a huge and unprecedented global achievement. By reducing the time to develop new vaccines for emerging diseases even further, we may be able to prevent the catastrophic health, economic and social repercussions seen in this crisis. The 100 day ambition was proposed by CEPI earlier this year.
The UK Prime Minister has also confirmed today that the UK will share the majority of any future surplus coronavirus vaccines from our supply with the COVAX procurement pool to support developing countries, in addition to the UK’s £548 million funding for the scheme. He will be encouraging G7 leaders to increase their funding for COVAX in support of equitable access to vaccines.
“Perhaps more than ever, the hopes of the world rest on the shoulders of scientists and over the last year, like countless times before, they have risen to the challenge" Speaking ahead on Friday meeting, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
“The development of viable coronavirus vaccines offers the tantalising prospect of a return to normality, but we must not rest on our laurels. As leaders of the G7 we must say today never again. By harnessing our collective ingenuity, we can ensure we have the vaccines, treatments and tests to be battle-ready for future health threats, as we beat Covid-19 and build back better together" Prime Minister added.
Meanwhile, on a press statement received by Voice of Indonesia in accordence to this matter, UK's Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste, Owen Jenkins said that the UK decision to donate the majority of any future vaccine surplus to developing countries through COVAX is big, great news. Indonesia is one of the 92 countries eligible for vaccines under COVAX, so is likely to be one of the countries that benefits from this generosity.
"This comes on top of the UK’s huge donation to GAVI - £548 million – one of the largest donors, and 1/5th of the total funds raised. Now, as the first country to commit to sharing the majority of our surplus vaccines through COVAX, this news show how the UK is a force for good in the world – demonstrating how we should tackle this pandemic with a spirit of togetherness and through our shared multilateral institutions" the Ambassador added.
"Difficult times lead to innovation. The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines has been amazing – and one of the most impressive features of the global pandemic response. Now we have the chance to cement these gains for the future – working globally on every part of vaccine development – through research, trial and production – to benefit everyone. Hopefully these efforts mean we will be more ready than ever before for a future pandemic" The Ambassador also said.
Delivering on the objectives in the Prime Minister’s Five Point Plan to Prevent Future Pandemics – first set out at the UN last year - will be a key focus of the UK’s G7 presidency this year.
The UK Prime Minister will also call on G7 leaders to support a treaty on pandemic preparedness through the WHO.
The meeting will be the first hosted by the UK PM as part of the UK’s G7 Presidency this year and the first gathering of G7 leaders since April 2020.
At the meeting leaders are expected to confirm their support for the UK’s G7 health priorities and discuss wider efforts to address global challenges and secure a sustainable, green economic recovery from coronavirus, as well as a number of foreign policy issues//NK-VOI
February
Djokovic defends Australian Open dynasty against Medvedev rampage
Written by nuke
Djokovic defends Australian Open dynasty against Medvedev rampage - NBC Sport
A very different Australian Open comes to a familiar end on Sunday as Novak Djokovic looks to thwart another challenge to his Melbourne Park dynasty from the latest Grand Slam aspirant in Daniil Medvedev.
The tournament has charted a rocky path through the COVID-19 pandemic and a snap five-day lockdown due to a local outbreak robbed it of much of its vitality.
Much like the tournament, world number one and defending champion Djokovic has been forced into crisis management at times during his campaign.
Pilloried in the leadup for petitioning organisers to ease strict quarantine protocols for players, the Serb struggled with an abdominal strain sustained in the third round.His ability to manage the injury was key in bringing him within one match of a record-extending ninth Australian Open crown but he said he was fighting fit after beating Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev in the semi-finals.
Victory over fourth seed Medvedev would mean an 18th Grand Slam title for Djokovic, pulling him within two of the record 20 shared by "Big Three" rivals Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.
While the 33-year-old Djokovic has never lost a final at Melbourne Park, his reign has rarely looked so vulnerable.
He suffered a huge scare against Dominic Thiem in the five-set decider last year, and Medvedev is possibly the player he would least like to face.
Not for nothing did Djokovic brand him “the man to beat”.
The rangy Russian has been a machine since November, clinching the Paris Masters, the ATP Finals and the team-based ATP Cup in a 20-match winning streak that has included 12 straight victories over top-10 opponents.
Djokovic was among Medvedev’s victims at the ATP Finals but when the Serb strolls onto his favourite centre court on Sunday, the form-book is unlikely to figure.
With the exception of Thiem's U.S. Open win last year where Djokovic was disqualified for hitting a tennis ball into a line judge, the "Big Three" have won all the Slams since 2017.
"There has been a lot of talk about the new generations coming and taking over from the three of us but realistically that isn’t happening still," Djokovic told Eurosport.
Contesting his second Grand Slam final but first in Australia, Medvedev is hungry for success after being edged by Nadal in a classic five-set decider at the 2019 U.S. Open.
Djokovic might see something of himself in the confident 25-year-old, who boasts similarly elite court coverage, defence and shot-making.
Medvedev has added mental strength to his arsenal, which proved invaluable in his semi-final against Stefanos Tsitsipas as he closed out a tense third set after briefly wobbling in the face of a hostile crowd.
He has also shown willingness to indulge in a bit of niggle, saying the pressure is all on Djokovic as he chases the 20-slam record//CNA
February
Myanmar's minorities protest in show of unity against coup
Written by nuke
Demonstrators protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, February 19, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer
Members of Myanmar ethnic groups protested on Saturday (Feb 20) in a show of opposition to the coup that ousted the government of Aung San Suu Kyi, despite some misgivings about her commitment to their aspirations for autonomy, community representatives said.
Protests against the Feb 1 coup that overthrew the elected government of the veteran democracy campaigner have taken place across the diverse country, even though the military has promised to hold a new election and hand power to the winner.
The demonstrators are demanding the restoration of the elected government, the release of Suu Kyi and others and the scrapping of a 2008 constitution, drawn up under military supervision, that gives the army a decisive role in politics.
Ke Jung, a youth leader from the Naga minority and an organiser of the Saturday protest by the minorities in the main city of Yangon, said the protesters were also demanding a federal system.
"We can't form a federal country under dictatorship. We can't accept the junta," he told Reuters.
The protests have been more peaceful than the bloodily suppressed demonstrations during nearly 50 years of direct military rule up to 2011.
In addition to the protests, a civil disobedience campaign has paralysed much government business.
Myanmar has experienced insurgencies by ethnic minority factions since shortly after its independence from Britain in 1948 and the army has long held itself to be the only institution capable of preserving national unity.
Aung San Suu Kyi, 75, like the top generals, is a member of the majority Burman community. Her government promoted a peace process with insurgent groups but she came in for a storm of international criticism over the plight of the Muslim Rohingya minority after more than 700,000 fled a deadly 2017 crackdown//CNA
February
Thailand's Prime Minister survives no-confidence vote
Written by nuke
Thailand's Prime Minister survives no-confidence vote - Khaosod English
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha survived a no-confidence vote on Saturday (Feb 20) in parliament amid allegations that his government mismanaged the economy, bungled the provision of COVID-19 vaccines, abused human rights and fostered corruption. Nine other ministers also survived the vote.
It marked the second no-confidence test Prayut’s government has faced since taking office in July 2019, following a contested election after Prayut seized power in a 2014 coup as the army chief. In February last year, Prayut and five Cabinet ministers easily defeated a no-confidence vote in the lower house.
In the latest motion, his government was also criticised for misusing its power to promote police officials and for establishing a cyber unit to attack government critics on social media, among other complaints.
But a more serious allegation was that Prayut has deepened divisions in society by using the monarchy as a shield against criticism of his government.
A student-led protest movement has campaigned since last year for Prayut and his government to step down. They want the constitution to be amended to make it more democratic, and for the monarchy to be reformed to make it more accountable.
“The biggest fault of Prayut is that he does not understand the principles of the constitutional monarchy,” said Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the opposition Move Forward Party.
“He used the monarchy to protect himself whenever he was criticised or opposed. This is an evil action, making him no longer qualified to be prime minister,” he said.
His accusation refers to the enforcement of Article 112 in the criminal code, also known as the lese majeste law. Prayut said in June last year that King Maha Vajiralongkorn had expressed his wish for the government not to use the law against defaming the monarchy to prosecute protesters.
The legislation allows anyone to file a complaint with the police, with convictions carrying jail terms of up to 15 years per offense. According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, at least 59 people including several minors were summoned under the law between November and February//CNA
February
Pandemic to widen skill gaps as workplaces change, McKinsey says
Written by Nur Yasmin
Feb. 19 - Tens of millions of workers in developed economies will have to retrain for secure careers in post-COVID labour markets reshaped by the pandemic and the remote working revolution, a report by consultancy McKinsey said on Thursday.
The analysis by MGI, McKinsey’s economics research arm, concluded the pandemic’s biggest impacts will be concentrated in four work areas: leisure and travel venues; on-site customer interaction such as in retail and hospitality; computer-based office work; and production and warehousing.
Its scenarios suggested more than 100 million workers in the countries covered by the study - Britain, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Spain and the United States - may need to switch occupations by 2030, up to 25% more than expected pre-pandemic.
“These workers will face even greater gaps in skill requirements,” it warned, noting that job growth may concentrate more in high-wage jobs as middle- and low-wage jobs decline.
“Workers without a college degree, women, ethnic minorities, and young people may be most affected,” it added .
Other types of work - such as medical care and personal care - may see less change because there is little alternative to the high level of proximity they require.
Overall, the study found that remote work and virtual meetings are likely to continue - less extensively than at the pandemic’s peak but still with considerable knock-on effects for real estate, business travel and urban centers.
While leisure travel and tourism are seen rebounding, McKinsey estimated some 20% of business travel may not return after the pandemic as companies and workers acknowledged a lot of earlier travel for face-to-face meetings was superfluous.
“This would have a significant knock-on effect on employment in commercial aerospace and airports, hospitality, and food service,” it noted. (Reuters)
February
Japan, U.S., India, Australia call for return of democracy in Myanmar
Written by Nur Yasmin
Feb. 19 - Foreign ministers of the so-called Quad grouping of countries seen as a forum to stand up to China in Asia agreed that democracy must be restored quickly in Myanmar and to strongly oppose attempts to upset the status quo by force, Japan’s foreign minister said on Thursday.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts from India, Japan and Australia met virtually for the first time under the Biden administration and discussed Myanmar, COVID-19, climate, and Indo-Pacific territorial and navigation issues, the State Department said in a statement.
“We’ve all agreed on the need to swiftly restore the democratic system (in Myanmar),” and to strongly oppose all unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters.
“I stressed that, with challenges to existing international order continuing in various fields, the role we, the countries that share basic values and are deeply committed to fortifying free and open international order based on the rule of law, play is only getting bigger,” Motegi said.
The State Department said Blinken and his counterparts discussed counterterrorism, countering disinformation, maritime security and “the urgent need to restore the democratically elected government in Burma.”
They also addressed the “the priority of strengthening democratic resilience in the broader region,” it said.
The State Department said the four reiterated a commitment for the Quad to meet at least annually at ministerial levels and regularly at senior and working levels “to strengthen cooperation on advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including support for freedom of navigation and territorial integrity.”
Myanmar’s military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a Feb. 1 coup. The United States has responded with sanctions and urged other countries to follow suit.
President Joe Biden has said working closely with allies will be key to his strategy toward China, in which he has said the United States will aim to “out-compete” Beijing.
Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed in a telephone call last week to strengthen Indo-Pacific security through the Quad.
The United States and other Quad members are concerned about China’s extensive maritime claims in Asia, including in the South China Sea, where Beijing has established military outposts in disputed waters. In the East China Sea, China claims a group of uninhabited islets administered by Japan, a dispute that has plagued bilateral relations for years. (Reuters)
February
Hong Kong approves China's Sinovac vaccine, rollout from Feb 26
Written by Nur Yasmin
Feb. 18 - Hong Kong has formally approved China’s Sinovac vaccine for emergency use with the rollout starting on Feb. 26, the city’s health secretary said on Thursday, paving the way for residents in the global financial hub to be vaccinated for COVID-19.
Sophia Chan said the vaccine met the “safety, efficacy and quality requirements specified in Hong Kong emergency situations” and that the benefits outweighed the risks.
Patrick Nip, secretary for civil service, said the government expected to receive a million doses of Sinovac vaccines on Friday afternoon with vaccinations expected to start on Feb. 26.
Chan, who was speaking at a news briefing together with Nip, addressed what she called “doubts” about vaccine safety and said all vaccines authorised by the government have been assessed to be safe by experts.
“The vaccines give us hope of returning to normal lives.”
A Hong Kong government advisory panel on COVID-19 vaccines said on Tuesday it recommended Sinovac vaccine for emergency use.
The recommendation came after the government exempted Sinovac from publishing results of its third phase clinical trials in medical journals due to the “urgency” for vaccination.
The BioNTech vaccine – the first vaccine approved by Hong Kong’s Health department - was required to have results published in a medical journal before being examined by the advisory panel on COVID-19 vaccines.
Nip said the BioNTech vaccine would arrive in Hong Kong before the end of February.
Residents will be able to get vaccinated at 29 centres across the city with five offering Sinovac and 24 offering BioNtech vaccines. Priority will be given to health workers, over 60s and those working in cross-border transportation. (Reuters)
February
India to test travellers from Brazil, South Africa, UK after detecting new virus strains
Written by Nur Yasmin
Feb. 18 - India will make COVID-19 molecular tests mandatory for people arriving directly or indirectly from the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil in a bid to contain the spread of more infectious virus variants found in those countries.
India, which has reported the highest number of overall COVID-19 cases after the United States, detected the South African variant in four people last month and the Brazilian one in one person this month.
The government has said the South African and Brazilian strains can more easily infect a person’s lungs than the UK mutation. India has so far reported 187 cases of infection with the UK variant.
The government late on Wednesday said airlines would be required from next week to segregate inbound travellers from those countries. India does not have direct flights with Brazil and South Africa, and most people travelling from these countries generally transit through Middle Eastern airports.
“All the travellers arriving from/transiting through flights originating in United Kingdom, Europe or the Middle East shall be mandatorily subjected to self-paid confirmatory molecular tests on arrival,” India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a statement.
All flyers will also have to carry a recent COVID-negative report before boarding any flight to India, except in extraordinary circumstances like death in a family.
India’s coronavirus infections rose by of 12,881 in the past 24 hours to about 11 million, while deaths increased by 101 to more than 156,000. It was the highest daily increase in cases in a week. The states of Kerala and Maharashtra have seen a recent uptick in cases possibly due to further reopening of economic and other activities.
A government serological survey released this month said nearly 300 million of India’s 1.35 billion people may already have been infected by the virus.
The country has also administered 9.2 million vaccine doses since starting its campaign on Jan. 16.
A survey conducted by New Delhi-based online platform LocalCircles, released on Thursday, found that half of its 8,211 respondents were willing to get inoculated, compared with a vaccine hesitancy of 69% in the first week of January. (Reuters)
February
Feb. 17 - Japan launched its COVID-19 inoculation drive on Wednesday by administering Pfizer Inc’s vaccine shots to Tokyo hospital workers, TV footage showed, as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga aims to defy the odds and hold the Tokyo Olympics this summer.
After vaccinating the initial group of 40,000 medical workers, Japan plans to move to the remaining 3.7 million medical personnel who come into contact with COVID-19 patients, and then to the 36 million people aged 65 or above. (Reuters)
February
France says will keep supporting struggle for democracy in Myanmar
Written by Nur Yasmin
Feb. 16 - France will keep supporting the people of Myanmar in their struggle for democracy, a spokeswoman for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.
The deployment of armoured vehicles in several cities and increasing use of violence was of serious concern, the spokeswoman added.
“Together with its European and international partners, France will continue to support the people of Myanmar in their struggle for democracy and the rule of law,” spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said in a statement.
Protesters in Myanmar kept up demands for the release of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and an end to military rule on Monday despite the deployment of armoured vehicles and more soldiers on the streets. (Reuters)