It’s holiday season in Thailand, when international tourists who pay top prices join local residents for countdowns, fireworks and a blur of partying. Central World, a mall in downtown Bangkok famous for its annual mega countdown, displays the tallest Christmas tree in Southeast Asia and gigantic gift boxes. Icon Siam, a rival luxury mall on the Chao Praya River, plans to light up Bangkok’s sky with a ribbon of fireworks just shy of a mile long. But the weekend A migrant worker receives belongings over barbed wire in front of a closed shrimp market, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Samut Sakhon province, in Thailand, Dec. 20, 2020.”I’ll spend the next seven days to assess the situation and then we will decide about public New Year celebrations,” Thai prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters Monday. “I urge you all not to panic. I hope the situation will get better in seven days.” The latest outbreak erupted just as the Thai tourism industry was seeing glimmers of relief after months without the foreign tourists who pump millions of dollars into the Thai economy. While Thailand has largely contained the coronavirus — hovering near 5,300 infections and 60 deaths since January, according to FILE – A tourist wearing a protective mask sits on a social distancing seat as she waits for her flight at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International airport amid the spread of the coronavirus disease, in Thailand, June 3, 2020.By the end of this year, Thailand’s tourism authority estimates only 8 million visitors will have visited, a fifth of the 41.8 million expected before the coronavirus outbreak. That number would have included Michael Agard, who has celebrated New Year’s with his American and Swedish relatives in southern Thailand for the past 15 years. “I’d certainly like to get a vaccine before I go anywhere,” said Agard, 42, an IT specialist from New York City, who got stuck in Fukuoka, Japan — his regular stopover on the haul back to New York — in February and has been working from there since. “I’m worried a bit about taking a risk of flying in a long-haul flight.” Many hotels have been closed for months. Those that are reopening are struggling to fill rooms by attracting Thais, who in a typical year account for a third of the total market. “It’s a huge challenge for the company,” said Marion Walsh-Hédouin, the vice president of public relations and communications at Minor Hotels, an international hospitality group based in Bangkok. “We went through a very painful process of closing the hotels, of sadly losing many, many good team members across corporate offices and hotels. And we went through quite stringent right-sizing of the company.” Minor Hotels operates more than 530 hotels in 55 countries. In the first nine months of this year, the company reported a 63% decline in revenue from Thailand’s hotels and spas compared to the same period last year. Its profit has swung to a loss of 1.9 billion baht, or $63.8 million. Slow border reopening In October, the Thai government eased its border restrictions to allow entry to foreigners from low-risk countries. Authorities began issuing a special tourist visa that required long-term stays, in part to accommodate the required quarantine period. The program is falling short of expectations, with only 825 people and six luxury yachts from 29 countries taking advantage of the special visa, prompting the government this month to open the long-term stay option to all tourists regardless of their countries’ COVID-19 situation. It also introduced a new measure that allows citizens from 56 countries, including the United States, to enter without a visa if they are willing to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine. FILE – A closed tourist service counter is seen at the arrivals hall of Suvarnabhumi Airport during the coronavirus pandemic, in Bangkok, Thailand, Oct. 12, 2020.The quarantine is discouraging Colin Anderson, a 52-year-old Briton who for the last 25 years has traveled to Thailand in December from his home in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, to visit his brothers who live in Bangkok. “I was pretty much prepared to pay money and do the 14-day quarantine, but eventually I realized it’s 14 days in a room, eating takeaway food,” said Anderson, who works in IT for an insurance company. ”In the end, I decided it’s just too much. I think if I was going for three to four months, I would definitely do it, but not for five or six weeks of vacation.” The quarantine also deterred Anderson’s friend, Krijn Tol, who teaches English at a Rotterdam high school in The Netherlands. “You have to stay in quarantine in a hotel, and it’s a lot of money. It can add up to about $2,000, and that doesn’t sound very inviting,” said Tol, 65, who has an annual three-week winter break. “I think most people don’t want to go through that process of coming here. It’s quite stringent,” Walsh-Hedouin told VOA. Hotel operators and associations have been pleading with the government to shorten the quarantine, relax border controls, and explore alternatives for safe entry, such as having “travel bubbles” with select countries that would permit entry without quarantine. Thai officials said they are taking those suggestions seriously. This month, the government added a golf quarantine program, where golfers from overseas can stay in a resort and play rounds in a controlled quarantine environment, but it has yet to take other steps. “We understand and feel the pain of the tourism operators, but we also have to listen to general populations who may have a different take on this issue,” deputy government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek told VOA. “It’s our job to communicate and build understanding with all parties, but rest assured that we are constantly reviewing options that will help us contain the virus and support the economy,” she said. Officials said the quarantine period gives the public confidence. Cutting it short may be scientifically sufficient but psychologically fraught. Until recently, most cases in Thailand arrived with overseas visitors. In July, FILE – Local tourists visit the Grand Palace as it reopens after months of being closed, as the Thai government eases isolation measures amid the spread of the coronavirus disease in Bangkok, Thailand, June 7, 2020.lvaThe Continent, a 154-room boutique hotel, reopened in October after six months. Although hotels are getting a boost from the government’s campaigns, a room with the discounted price of just more than 2,000 baht ($70) a night is a hard sell. The average Thai family earns $866 a month and spends $690, or 80%, on household expenditures, according to Thailand’s National Statistical Office. “Some 40 to 70 rooms a day and up to 80 to 90 rooms on a weekend are supported by Thai residents at 30 to 40% of what the rates used to be,” Pirodon, the hotel’s general manager, told VOA. The Continent Hotel charges between 4,200 baht ($140) and 7,000 baht ($233) a night for its rooms. In 2019, the average room rates for Bangkok’s five-star hotels and four-star hotels were about 9,000 baht ($300) and 4,500 baht ($150) a night respectively, according to a market survey by Edmund Tie, a Singapore-based real estate consulting firm. “You’re having to offer a rate, whether you are a four-star or a five-star hotel, in a 1,000 baht to 2,000 baht range ($33 to $66)” because that’s what the domestic market can pay, according to Pirodon. Until accurate, rapid testing and vaccines allow people to travel safely again, Pirodon said he is bracing for a slow recovery ahead. “It’s going to be a big struggle,” he said.
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Month: December 2020
Outgoing US Attorney General Deepens Distance With Trump
Outgoing Attorney General William Barr was once so closely aligned with President Donald Trump that critics labeled him “Trump’s personal lawyer.”But as Barr prepares to step down Wednesday, he again appears to distance himself from Trump and the president’s baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud in the November 3 election won by Democrat Joe Biden.In what was likely his last press conference as attorney general, Barr reiterated Monday that he had seen no evidence of widespread fraud that could have tipped the election and no reason to appoint special counsels to investigate voter fraud and the business dealings of President-elect Biden’s son, Hunter.Barr broke with Trump on other issues: the call by Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to seize voting machines for evidence of wrongdoing, and Trump’s assertion that it was China and not Russia that was behind the recent hacking of scores of U.S. government agencies and private corporations.FILE – Attorney General William Barr, left, and President Donald Trump in the Rose Garden of the White House, July 11, 2019, in Washington.Barr’s rejection of special counsel appointments stood in sharp contrast to his advocacy of Trump during his 22 months as attorney general. Throughout the Mueller investigation, Trump’s impeachment trial earlier this year, and the George Floyd protests, the 70-year-old attorney general, who holds an expansive view of executive power, championed Trump’s interests and authority.After the election, the two men reportedly had a falling out after Barr refused to lend the Justice Department’s imprimatur to Trump’s unfounded claims of voter fraud in key battleground states that were critical to Biden’s victory.But Barr, who first served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993, said he did not regret returning to his old job, saying he knew he was “signing up for a difficult assignment” during a rough period.Barr made the comments Monday after announcing charges against a new suspect in the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 bombing. Here are the key highlights of the press conference:No widespread voter fraudThe attorney general said that while he was “sure there was fraud in this election,” as in most elections, he stood by earlier comments that he had found no evidence of widespread fraud that could alter the outcome of the election. In a December 1 interview with The Associated Press, Barr said that federal prosecutors and FBI agents investigating complaints about voter fraud had “not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.”The comments undercut Trump’s unsubstantiated claim that widespread voter fraud in several closely contested states had cost him the presidency, drawing criticism from the Trump campaign. Trump reportedly fumed over the interview and last week announced that Barr would be leaving the Justice Department on December 23 to spend more time with his family.“I was commenting on the extent to which we’d looked at suggestions or allegations of system or broad-based fraud that would affect the outcome of the election,” Barr told reporters, referring to the interview. “I stand by that statement.”No need for a voter fraud special counselBarr dismissed calls by the president and his allies that the Justice Department appoint a special prosecutor to investigate voter fraud. The New York Times reported Saturday that Trump discussed naming lawyer Sidney Powell as a special counsel to investigate voter fraud. Powell was recently dismissed by the Trump campaign after making baseless claims about an international conspiracy to rig the U.S. election, but she has brought several election fraud lawsuits on her own.Asked about the widely criticized idea, Barr said, “If I thought a special counsel at this stage was the right tool and was appropriate, I’d name one, but haven’t. And I’m not going to.”No basis to seize voting machinesIn recent days, Trump allies such as Giuliani have reportedly discussed asking the Department of Homeland Security to seize voting machines as part of an effort to overturn the election results. Critics have denounced the idea, and Barr said it was groundless.“I see no basis now for seizing machines by the federal government, a wholesale seizure of machines by the federal government,” Barr said, in response to a question.No need for a Hunter Biden special counselBarr similarly shot down Republican calls for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden for tax evasion and other alleged crimes. The U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware is investigating the younger Biden’s taxes. Asked if he was concerned that the investigation would be scuttled by the incoming Biden administration, Barr said the probe was being handled “responsibly and professionally.”“And to this point, I have not seen a reason to appoint a special counsel, and I have no plan to do so before I leave,” Barr said.In an interview with Reuters last week, incoming Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen declined to say whether he would appoint special counsels. Rosen said he would continue “to do things on the merits and to do things on the basis of the law and the facts.Durham investigation continuesBarr may be dissociating himself from Trump in the final days of his presidency, but he is leaving behind a criminal probe that Democrats say only serves Trump’s interests: an ongoing “investigation of investigators” involved in examining suspected ties between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia.Barr ordered the investigation into the Russia probe last year. In October, he quietly appointed the lead investigator, U.S. Attorney John Durham, as special counsel, giving him the authority to continue his investigation after Biden takes office.Barr said he made the appointment to assure Durham and his team that “they would be able to finish their work.”“They’re making good progress now, and I expect they’ll be able to finish their work,” Barr said, declining to say whether Durham had concluded that the investigation was unjustified.Democrats say the Durham investigation is designed to delegitimize the Mueller investigation, which uncovered numerous contacts between Trump associates and Russians but no evidence of a criminal conspiracy.
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Brexit Talks Flirt With Failure as Latest Deadline Blown
EU and British trade talks inched onward under renewed pressure Monday as transport chaos triggered by the emergence of a more contagious variant of the coronavirus in Britain overshadowed efforts to reach a Brexit deal. Only 10 days are left until January 1, when Britain will leave the EU single market and customs union. Hopes of securing a new arrangement suffered a blow as another deadline passed. EU and British negotiators remained in Brussels, with talks still blocked over the right of European crews to continue fishing in Britain’s waters, as well as concerns over fair trade rules. Without a deal, Britain’s links to the European Union end at midnight December 31 (11 p.m. in London) with a new tariff barrier that will sharpen the big shock of unraveling a half-century of EU membership. A man walks past EU flags flapping in the wind in front of the European Union headquarters in Brussels, Dec. 21, 2020.A Sunday deadline set by the European Parliament expired without an agreement being found, leaving no time for lawmakers to ratify an eventual deal before January 1. “Political games from Westminster have wasted too much time,” said Manfred Weber, German member of the European Parliament who leads the conservative group in parliament, warning that members would take their time and not rubber stamp a text. But Weber also said parliament “will remain constructive partners” and that “alternative procedures are possible,” though what they were was not yet agreed. As long as a deal is found in the next hours or days, European sources said this could involve a provisional implementation of a pact with lawmakers having their say in January. “Broadly speaking, the EU side is of the view that the only deadline that now matters is December 31,” said Mujtaba Rahman of the Eurasia Group, a consultancy. Whatever the case, the EU has finalized interim plans to manage road and air transport for six months and fishing for a year in the event of a no deal, but these would also require an agreement from Britain to reciprocate. “We remain very far from an accord,” warned a European diplomat, who said that some on the EU-side were weighing whether it was time to walk away. “Negotiating through exhaustion is not very healthy,” the diplomat added. Brexit ‘tragedy’ The talks in Brussels continued as Britain was effectively cut off from the world, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a highly contagious mutation of the coronavirus was spreading in Britain. The emergency left holiday travelers stranded and blocked goods crossing the Channel, presaging the potential effects of a failure to secure a last-minute trade deal. A closed road and the logo of the Port of Dover is seen at the port as EU countries impose a travel ban from the UK following the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Dover, Britain, Dec. 21, 2020.France’s snap decision to halt trade across the Channel forced Britain to bring forward “Operation Stack,” the contingency plan drawn up to deal with anticipated freight delays in the port city of Dover in the event of a no-deal Brexit. “It’s a tragedy what’s happening in Britain, and this Brexit is a tragedy, we see it more and more every day,” France’s EU commissioner Thierry Breton told BFM Business. If Britain “had chosen to remain in the European Union … today we could have helped them,” Breton said. Brexit supporters accused France of exploiting the crisis to try to force trade concessions. Restriction of freight movements “appears political,” tweeted the anti-EU Bruges Group think tank. ‘Very greedy’ With just days before negotiators should head home for Christmas, assuming the borders reopen, Johnson insisted that Britain’s position has not budged. “It’s vital that everybody understands that the U.K. has got to be able to control its own laws, completely, and also that we have got to be able to control our own fisheries,” Johnson told a news conference. Britain intends to assume control over its waters January 1 but is ready to allow continued access to EU fishing fleets for a transitional period under new terms. Britain’s chief negotiator David Frost leaves the UK ambassadors residence in Brussels, Dec. 21, 2020.British negotiator David Frost wants Britain to take back more than half the fish currently assigned under the EU quota system, under a three-year agreement. The European side insists Britain accept getting back only a quarter of the fish quota, and that the transition period should last six years. Hubert Carre, head of France’s top commercial fishing lobby, said this was already too much. “We’re wondering whether a no deal is better than a bad deal,” he told BFM, accusing the British of being “very greedy.”
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Britain Blockaded: Dozens of Countries Impose Travel Ban Over Coronavirus Mutation
Over 40 countries have imposed travel bans on people arriving from Britain, after the government announced last week it had detected a new, more contagious strain of the coronavirus. As Henry Ridgwell reports from London, the restrictions have caused major disruption as Britain struggles to contain its latest outbreak.Camera: Henry Ridgwell
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Biden Receives COVID-19 Vaccination
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden received a COVID-19 vaccination on live television Monday to convince Americans that the inoculation is safe. “I’m ready,” Biden told a nurse at a hospital in Newark, Delaware, before being injected Monday with a vaccine developed by drugmakers Pfizer and BioNTech. “I’m doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared when it’s available to take the vaccine. There’s nothing to worry about,” he said. His wife, Jill Biden, was administered a dose of the vaccine hours earlier at the same hospital, which is near the couple’s Delaware home. Other U.S. leaders received their vaccinations last week, including Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. U.S. President Donald Trump, who was hospitalized with the coronavirus in October, has not said when he intends to get the vaccination. Monday also brought the arrival of a vaccine produced by Moderna to sites across the country. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave the Moderna vaccine emergency use authorization Friday. The development significantly boosts U.S. vaccination efforts, with the Moderna vaccine joining the Pfizer-BioNTech one that was approved earlier this month. The priority for the mass vaccination campaign is front-line health workers and those in nursing homes, addressing some of the most vulnerable populations before expanding to others. A federal advisory board said Sunday the next group should be people older than age 75, as well as those working in essential fields such as firefighters, teachers and grocery store employees. The United States has seen a surge in infections during the past two months, and in the past week has added an average of more than 215,000 new cases each day. The U.S. leads the world with more than 318,000 COVID-19 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the global outbreak.
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Statue of Confederate Leader Removed from US Capitol
A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that represented the U.S. state of Virginia in the U.S. Capitol was removed early Monday.In a statement Sunday, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said he had requested the removal over the summer after a commission decided that a man who fought to uphold slavery was not a fitting symbol for a diverse and modern state. The statue was removed in the pre-dawn hours on Monday.Since 1909, Lee’s statue had stood with President George Washington’s as Virginia’s representatives in the National Statuary Hall, where every U.S. state is represented by two statues. The state commission recommended replacing the Lee statue with a likeness of Virginia native Barbara Johns.As a 16-year-old in 1951, Johns protested poor conditions at her all-Black high school in the town of Farmville. Her court case became part of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that struck down racial segregation in public schools nationwide.In his statement, Northam said he “looks forward to seeing a trailblazing young woman of color represent Virginia in the U.S. Capitol.”House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, of Calif., speaks during her weekly briefing, Dec. 4, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington.From her Twitter account Monday, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi echoed those sentiments, saying about the Lee statue, “There is no room for celebrating the bigotry of the Confederacy in the Capitol or any other place in our country.”The Virginia General Assembly will vote during its session that begins January 13 on whether to authorize the statue of Johns, who died in 1991 at age 56. Northam included $500,000 for the effort in his proposed budget.Confederate statues on public grounds like the U.S. Capitol and elsewhere have been offensive to African Americans for many years. But they became a national flashpoint in 2020, as Black Lives Matter protests erupted in the United States and internationally following the death in May of George Floyd, a Black man who died while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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Rights Groups Sound Alarm Over Safety of Eritrean Refugees in Ethiopia
Humanitarian organizations are sounding the alarm on the safety of Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia’s Tigray region as reports of attacks and forced deportations emerge. Approximately 96,000 Eritrean refugees lived in four camps in Tigray prior to the conflict which erupted in November. Many fled the violence to Sudan or to other parts of the country including the capital Addis Ababa. According to Refugees International, an independent advocacy group, Eritreans are being rounded up and returned to war-torn Tigray or are being deported to their homeland. “There’s a lot of concern that Eritreans are being forced back to places where they would be in danger,” said Sarah Miller, a senior fellow with Refugees International. “Whether that’s inside Ethiopia, including an active conflict zone in Tigray, or even back into Eritrea where they’ve fled, and that would be a huge violation of international law.” Miller told VOA the reports are coming in from refugees, family members and NGOs that are active in Ethiopia. Stijn Vercruysse, a reporter with Belgium’s VRT NWS, spoke to Eritrean refugees on the road to Shiraro after fleeing Shimelba Refugee Camp in Ethiopia’s Tigray region.Vercruysse told VOA that refugees said some people in the camps were being forcibly returned to Eritrea. Vercruysse said one refugee said he witnessed armed men forcing people into vehicles. Chris Melzer, UNHCR’s emergency response team in Ethiopia, told VOA via email that his organization has not yet been granted access to return to the four refugee camps in Tigray but food distribution has resumed at two of the camps. He too is concerned about alleged violence against refugees. “We are aware of many stories about killings and abductions from the camps,” he said. “If confirmed, these actions would constitute a major violation of international law. But we are not in the position that we can confirm these reports now.” The issue has garnered the attention of U.S. officials. In a joint statement, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) demanded that all parties in the conflict protect civilians as is required under international law and allow those fleeing violence to do so. “We are deeply concerned by reports of Eritrean refugees in Tigray being killed, abducted and forcibly returned to Eritrea by Eritrean forces, as well as disturbing reports that some trying to reach safer areas are being prevented from leaving,” the senators said in a statement. Recent reports suggest that Eritrean soldiers have been involved in the Tigray region conflict. Five diplomats pointed to evidence of soldiers on the ground citing satellite images, intercepted communications and anecdotal reports from Tigray region, according to Reuters.
“We are aware of credible reports of Eritrean military involvement in Tigray and view this as a grave development,” a State Department spokesperson told VOA. “We urge that any such troops be withdrawn immediately. We are also aware of reports of human rights violations and abuses in the region. All parties must respect human rights and international humanitarian law. “We and other international partners continue to urge an independent investigation of the reports and accountability for those found responsible,” the spokesman said. “We continue to urge all parties to restore peace, protect civilians — including refugees — and allow unhindered humanitarian access in Tigray.” But the Eritrean minister of information, Yemane Gebremeskel, said the United Nations is responsible for the difficulties of Eritrean refugees in the Tigray region. “For almost two decades now, the UNHCR abused its institutional mandate and networks to become the principal conduit for a malicious policy of ‘strategic depopulation’ against Eritrea,” Yemane tweeted earlier this month. “The UNHCR seems bent on ramping up its irresponsible acts to indulge in incessant smear campaigns.” For almost two decades now, the UNHCR abused its institutional mandate & networks to become the principal conduit for a malicious policy of “strategic depopulation” against Eritrea. The UNHCR seems bent on ramping up its irresponsible acts to indulge in incessant smear campaigns
— Yemane G. Meskel (@hawelti) December 2, 2020Redwan Hussien, a spokesman for the Ethiopian government’s task force in Tigray, said that no one is allowed to have unfettered access to the region without the government’s permission after a U.N. team was fired on by federal forces. “They were told in some areas they were not supposed to move,” he told reporters during a press conference in early December. “But they indulged themselves in a kind of adventurous expedition.” Ethiopia Says Forces Fired on UN Team in Embattled Tigray RegionEthiopian official says UN staffers were detained and releasedRefugee International’s Miller said the conditions in refugee camps in Tigray have become dire and there are shortages of necessities. “The U.N. has been reporting very low, low supply of food, medical supplies, fuel, all of the concerns that we’ve had,” she said. “There’s very little resources that refugees would have to survive which is why we’re seeing so many starting to leave the camps.” Miller said those fleeing on foot should be allowed to do so safely. “There is a right to flee for your life no matter where you are and the concern is that they are being pushed back, forced back into those camps into an active conflict zone or as I said back into Eritrea which would be worrisome,” she said. Cindy Saine contributed to this report.
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Britain Holds Urgent Talks With France to Lift Coronavirus Blockade
Britain became more isolated Monday as additional countries imposed bans on British commercial airline flights, automobile journeys and cross-Channel trains and freight because of rising international alarm over a more infectious coronavirus strain that has flared in London and southern England.Countries imposing travel bans include France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Belgium, Austria, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, India and Canada. In all, more than 40 countries have instituted bans on arrivals at their airports from Britain.U.S. politicians were also pushing to halt all flights from Britain to America. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged federal officials to ban or at least set stringent travel restrictions on Britons. He warned that the new, more easily transmitted strain could spread to New York from the half-a-dozen flights a day that land at JFK airport from Britain.On Sunday, France took the unprecedented step of completely shutting its borders to Britain, initially for 48 hours. That has prevented British freight drivers from accessing mainland Europe and deterred European cargo-handlers from dispatching goods to Britain, disrupting supply chains and raising the prospects of food and drug shortages in Britain over the Christmas holiday season.Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a virtual news conference about increased travel restrictions amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, at 10 Downing Street, in London, December 21, 2020.In a press conference on Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Britons to remain calm, saying most supplies are coming in and out of the country as normal. “I have just spoken to (French) President (Emmanuel) Macron, and we both understand each other’s problems and want to resolve the problems,” Johnson said, adding that he understood the anxieties of Britain’s neighbors but said there was little risk of a spread via truck drivers. But one of Britain’s major supermarket chains warned the blockade could trigger shortages of fresh fruit and vegetables later this week. In a statement, Sainsbury’s said it expected shortfalls in fresh produce such as lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli and citrus fruit, “all of which are imported from the continent at this time of year.” The French haulage ban caused chaos in the southern English County of Kent, where Britain’s busiest port, Dover, is located and where trucks were backed up on roads miles from the coast. About 6,000 trucks were scheduled to cross the English Channel to northern France on Monday. All haulers were ordered by the government to stay away from Kent. Thousands of trucks already bound for the southrn coast were being redirected to an unused airport. Security guard the entrance to the ferry terminal in Dover, England, Dec. 21, 2020, after the Port of Dover was closed and access to the Eurotunnel terminal suspended following the French government’s announcement banning travel from Britain.Ministers downplayed the risk of food shortages. Transport Minister Grant Shapps said Britons would not notice supermarket shortages “for the most part.” But British ministers held urgent talks with their French counterparts to see if the ban could be lifted. There were some signs that the French might rethink the blockade. French Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari held out the prospect of the ban being reversed once Paris and the European Union agreed to a new “health protocol” to allow traffic to resume between Britain and France. “In the coming hours, at European level, we will be putting in place a solid health protocol so that flows from the United Kingdom can resume. Our priority: protect our nationals and fellow citizens,” Djebbari tweeted. But French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said the major aim of the discussions around a protocol is to ensure that 2,000 French truckers stranded in Britain “could come over the border as soon as possible.” Officials from EU member states were briefed Monday by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control on the new coronavirus variant. They agreed the priority was to keep EU borders open and to ensure the repatriation of citizens and legal EU residents wishing to return from Britain, according to European diplomats. Freight-carrying trucks were still being allowed to travel Monday from Britain to Dutch and Belgian ports, and the French have been allowing unaccompanied freight in containers to be maneuvered back and forth. A member of the British Transport Police speaks with travelers at Waterloo Station in London, Dec. 20, 2020.An additional 33,364 Britons tested positive for the coronavirus Monday, following a record-breaking 35,928 new infections on Sunday. The new figures bring Britain’s total confirmed cases to 2,073,511, and its death tally to 67,616 — just 2,384 short of the country’s total civilian death toll in World War II. Johnson chaired a meeting of the British government’s Cobra emergencies committee Monday. On Saturday, he announced strict pandemic restrictions on London and much of southern and eastern England. Downing Street played down the need to expand restrictions to the north of the country. Ministers hope the actions they have taken, which virtually cancel Christmas “as planned,” according to Johnson, for nearly 20 million Britons and prevents households from mixing in the newly locked-down areas, will be enough to curb the spread of the new strain. Britain’s chief scientific officer, Patrick Vallance, said it has become clear that the new variant is more easily transmitted but said there is no evidence it is any more lethal than other coronavirus strains. He also emphasized there is nothing to suggest that newly developed vaccines would not be effective against this new mutation. But government advisers and independent experts have cautioned that more work is necessary to ensure that is the case. The new variant of the coronavirus is concerning, said Danny Altmann, a professor at Imperial College London, but he believes widespread inoculation will control it in the end. Writing in The Times newspaper, Altmann said, “As a professor of immunology who has spent the past 10 months working on detailed mapping of immunity to Sars-CoV-2, I feel we need to do careful experiments, but I am calm and retain total faith in these stupendous vaccines.” The new strain was confirmed December 13 in the county of Kent in southern England. Initial analysis by government scientists suggested it is “growing faster than the existing variants.” The variant was initially found in a patient in September. Genome sequencing, which took nearly a month, indicated it was a new strain, but government scientists were not too worried, as mutations come and go. But as infections continued to surge in November and December, scientists realized they were dealing with a more infectious version of the virus. The new variant includes up to 23 changes, including with the spike protein, which the virus uses to enter human cells that allow it to replicate. There have been many mutations in the virus since it emerged last year in Wuhan, China, with 4,000 mutations in the protein alone. Virologists say most mutations are insignificant and part of the expected evolution of the virus.
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Turkey Poised for Reset in Relations With Israel
Relations between Israel and Turkey could be on the verge of a breakthrough, with a Turkish presidential adviser confirming bilateral talks and that full diplomatic relations could be restored by March. Relations between the once close allies all but collapsed with Turkey withdrawing its ambassador in 2017, amid escalating tensions.FILE – Mesut Casin, a foreign relations adviser to the Turkish presidency. (Dorian Jones/VOA)”If Israel comes one step, Turkey maybe can come two steps,” the Turkish presidential adviser on foreign affairs, Mesut Casin, said in reference to ongoing talks with Israel.”If we see a green light, Turkey will open the embassy again and return our ambassador. Maybe in March, we can restore full diplomatic relations again. Why not.””Establishing peace and security is very important to Israel and Turkey. After Mavi Marmara, we don’t want another accident with Israel,” added Casin.FILE – Demonstrators march with a giant Palestinian flag May 31, 2018 at Istiklal avenue in Istanbul, to mark the 8th anniversary of a deadly raid on Turkish-registered Mavi Marmara.The Mavi Marmara was the largest of six vessels in a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians back in 2010. Pro-Palestinian activists seeking to break Israel’s economic blockade of the Gaza Strip were on board when Israeli forces stormed the vessel, killing nine Turkish nationals.Since then, Turkish-Israeli relations have never fully recovered despite intense mediating efforts by the United States to rebuild ties between its two key regional allies.U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and Israeli security forces’ crackdown on Palestinian protests saw Turkey and Israel withdrawing their ambassadors.Casin acknowledged the election of Joe Biden to the U.S. presidency as a boost to efforts to repair ties. “There are new perspectives with Biden; a lot of things will change,” he said.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan enjoyed a close relationship with Trump, but a Biden presidency is predicted to be more challenging for Ankara.FILE – Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks after a cabinet meeting, in Ankara, Turkey, Dec. 14, 2020.”Turkish-American relations are expected to enter a tough period, at least in the short run, considering the Biden administration’s sensitivity toward issues of democracy and human rights,” said Selin Nasi, an analyst on Turkish-Israeli affairs.”Given the anti-Turkish opinion prevalent in the U.S. Congress, Turkey might be hoping that Israel can neutralize the opposition and help Turkey win Washington’s ear again,” she added.Turkey and Israel did find recent common ground in the recent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, the disputed mainly ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan. Israeli and Turkish drones and reported intelligence support from the two countries proved pivotal in Azerbaijan’s victory over Armenian forces backed by Iran.”It is harder to read Israel’s motivation [in improving ties with Turkey], Nasi told VOA. “Though, it is true that Turkey and Israel have convergent interests in the Middle East, particularly in terms of rolling back Iran’s power and influence.””At a time when Israel is normalizing her relations with several Muslim countries, adding Turkey to the list will improve her conciliatory image in the international arena,” she added.Much to gain for TurkeyTurkish presidential adviser Casin argues Israel has a lot to gain from normalization. “Turkey bought a lot of weapons from Israel. We can arrange this again,” he said, “Turkey’s and Israel’s defense industries can go ahead together.””Secondly, energy resources, They [Israel] discover oil and gas. OK, Israel is 8 million people. Where can they sell this oil and gas? The biggest market is Turkey, and Turkey will be via a pipeline, the corridor to the European Union market.”A significant repercussion from Israeli and Turkish tensions is Israel allying itself with Turkey’s regional rivals, Egypt and Greece. The three countries are developing cooperation based on energy and defense, a move that observers say is a reaction to Turkey’s increasingly robust stance in the region.Egypt, Greece are important ties for IsraelAnalysts suggest Israel will likely be careful not to jeopardize its recent deepening ties with Egypt and Greece.A potentially more significant stumbling block to Israeli-Turkish rapprochement is Ankara’s backing of the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.”From Israel’s point of view, Turkey should stop agitating about the status of Jerusalem, and drop support for whom they consider as terrorists,” said analyst Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners.” Turkey has to cut its ties with Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood.”Erdogan, who likes to present himself as a defender of global Muslim rights, remains in the forefront of opposing Israel’s diplomatic efforts to secure Jerusalem’s international recognition as its capital. At the same time, Ankara’s support of the Muslim Brotherhood is a central plank of Turkish diplomacy in the region.Turkey ready to make concessionsInternational relations professor Huseyin Bagci of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University suggests Ankara is ready to make concessions. “Ankara will lessen their support,” Bagci said. “Turkey has promised not to support so openly the Muslim Brotherhood. When Ibrahim Kalin [Erdogan’s spokesman] visited Brussels, he probably made promises on similar lines. This is why there is a higher expectation Turkey is making reforms, not to support the Muslim Brotherhood.”But ultimately, any improvement in ties will need to overcome the animosity between Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “There is the bad blood between the two leaders, Erdogan and Netanyahu,” said Bagci.Both leaders routinely exchange insults, which observers say plays well with their electoral bases. With Israel likely set for new elections, analysts say it is unlikely there will be an announcement of any breakthrough before the expected poll outcome.
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US Issues Visa Restrictions on Chinese Officials Suspected of Rights Abuses
The U.S. State Department has issued additional visa restrictions on Chinese officials suspected of human rights abuses. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Monday that the visa restrictions affect Chinese officials who the United States believes are responsible for or complicit in “repressing religious and spiritual practitioners, members of ethnic minority groups, dissidents, human rights defenders, journalists” and others.
“China’s authoritarian rulers impose draconian restrictions on the Chinese people’s freedoms of expression, religion or belief, association, and the right to peaceful assembly. The United States has been clear that perpetrators of human rights abuses like these are not welcome in our country,” he said. Pompeo said family members of the targeted individuals could also face visa restrictions. The move comes in the final month of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. It also comes at a time when U.S.-China relations have grown tenser over a range of issues, including China’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, a new national security law in Hong Kong, and tensions in the South China Sea. On Friday, the United States added dozens of Chinese companies to a trade blacklist over alleged human rights abuses and ties to China’s military. In response, China called on Washington to stop its “arbitrary suppression” of Chinese companies. Earlier this month, the U.S. State Department tightened travel visa restrictions on Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members, allowing only one-month single-entry visas where 10-year multiple-entry visas were previously allowed. U.S. officials said the measure was needed to “protect our nation from the CCP’s malign influence.” The Chinese Foreign Ministry called the restrictions “an escalation of political suppression by some extreme anti-Chinese forces in the U.S.” The State Department currently advises Americans to “reconsider travel” to China, because of the arbitrary enforcement of local laws. This month the department updated the guidance to also advise Americans to reconsider traveling to Hong Kong, because of the new national security law. The department warns Americans that they could be subject to exit bans and arbitrary detentions by China’s government without due process of law.
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British Airways to Limit Travel to New York Over Mutant Virus Concern
British Airways announced Monday it will only allow travelers who test negative for the coronavirus to fly to New York City. The move was in response to calls from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio to ban air travel from Britain over a new coronavirus strain.Cuomo made the announcement and called for Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic Airways to “voluntarily agree” to do the same.”If they do not agree voluntarily, then New York State will pursue other options,” Cuomo said.The calls to limit travel from Britain come after researchers said they discovered a mutation of the virus that is more contagious. This led British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to issue strict lockdowns.Canada, India, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland are among countries that have taken measures to limit or ban travel to and from Britain.
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European Markets Plummet on New Coronavirus Pandemic Fears
European markets were slumping Monday as panic sparked by the discovery in Britain of a new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 overshadowed a final agreement in Washington of a new financial relief package. The FTSE index in London was down 2.2% at midday. In Paris, the benchmark CAC-40 index dropped 2.7%, and the DAX index in Frankfurt plunged 2.9%. Asian markets were mostly lower earlier Monday. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei index closed down 0.1%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index dropped 0.7%, while Mumbai’s Sensex plunged 3%. In Australia, the S&P/ASX index lost more than five-and-a-half points, but was unchanged percentage-wise (-0.08%). In contrast, Shanghai’s Composite gained 0.7%, South Korea’s KOSPI index earned 0.2%, and the TSEC in Taiwan soared 0.9%. In commodities trading, gold was selling at $1,883.70 per ounce, down 0.2%. U.S. crude oil was selling at $47.33 per barrel, down 3.6%, while Brent crude was down 3.8%, selling at $50.24 per barrel. Many nations in Europe and elsewhere around the globe imposed travel bans of various time periods on flights from Britain as the new coronavirus strain spread across southern Britain. All three major U.S. indices continued to trend downward in futures trading before the ringing of the opening bell on Wall Street.
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Pre-Election Violence in CAR Sends Hundreds Fleeing to Cameroon
GAROUA BOULAY, CAMEROON — Cameroon says hundreds of Central African Republic (CAR) civilians have fled across the border in the past few days to escape election-related violence. Bangui is holding elections later this month and those fleeing into Cameroon say sporadic clashes are already breaking out.
Local residents say Garoua Boulay’s public square in the past four days has seeing an unusual influx of civilians from neighboring CAR.
Gregoire Mvongo, the governor of Cameroon’s East region which includes Garoua Boulay, says about a thousand people have crossed over into Cameroon since Friday to escape violence in the lead-up to the December 27 poll.
Mvongo said the situation in the CAR is very troubling. He said he traveled to Garoua Boulay Sunday and ordered the military to porous border areas to limit the spill-over into Cameroon from the new wave of fighting.
Among those who fled the CAR is 32-year-old agricultural engineer Jean Paul Nambobona. He says he trekked with his wife and two children through the bush before finding transport to Garua Boulay. He said on the road they saw many people struggling to leave the CAR. He added that he wanted former president Francois Bozize to remember that the CAR has gone through very difficult moments and its civilians want a return to peace.
On Saturday, the CAR government accused Bozize of organizing a rebel alliance to attack the capital, Bangui, a week before the election.
Bangui said U.N. peacekeepers dispersed armed rebels loyal to Bozize who were occupying areas near the capital.
Bozize, whose candidacy for the presidential election was rejected, denied he organized any rebel attack. His opposition coalition on Sunday demanded the election be postponed due to the violence, but the government insisted the vote will go ahead.
Speaking on Radio RCA, self-declared youth leader Rigobert Ngaissio said that young people should not listen to rebels who call for taking up arms against the state.
He said he is calling on all Central Africans, especially the youth, to be vigilant and patriotic because the threats to stability are real and serious. Ngaissio said it is imperative for everyone to contribute to stability in the Central African Republic.
A government spokesman on Monday confirmed reports that Russia and Rwanda had each sent several hundred troops to the country.
Rwanda on Sunday said its troops were dispatched in response to rebels supported by Bozize targeting its peacekeeping forces.
Russia has been supplying the Central African Republic with arms and security contractors.
CAR descended into violence in 2013 when Bozize was ousted by the Séléka, a rebel coalition from the Muslim minority, which accused him of breaking peace deals.
But Bozize maintains a large following, especially in the army and among the country’s largest ethnic group, the Gbaya.
The December 27 election is seen as an important step in bringing stability to the CAR.
In the past seven years of fighting, close to a million Central Africans have fled to neighboring Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria.
Some information for this report came from AFP.
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Fresh Kidnapping of 80 Students in Nigeria Shows Worsening Insecurities
Nigeria security on Sunday rescued 80 more students kidnapped by gunmen in northwest Katsina state. The kidnapping and rescue came just days after gunmen released more than 300 schoolboys from a week in captivity and underscores serious concerns about security in the region.The Islamiyya school students, mostly girls were ambushed in the Dandume local government area of Northwestern Katsina state Saturday during a school procession to celebrate the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed.The military said it rescued all the students including four others held by the bandits on Sunday and recovered 12 cows. But the attack comes in the wake of the brazen recent kidnapping and release of more than 300 students in the state, which drew global condemnation.FILE – School bags and supplies belonging to pupils at the Government Science School are seen on the floor where gunmen abducted students, in Kankara, in northwestern Katsina state, Nigeria, Dec. 15, 2020.Eze Onyekpere, founder of nonprofit Center for Social Justice says attacks are a sign of growing insecurity in Nigeria.”It is clear from what is happening the security architecture has actually collapsed and by the international ratings I think Nigeria is the third most dangerous place to live on planet Earth. We have a situation where kidnappings, banditry and terrorism activities are the order of the day,” he said. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari continues to assure citizens of his promise to end insecurity. Last Friday, he met with hundreds of schoolboys recently freed by bandits and encouraged them to see beyond what they had been through. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari looks on after security forces rescued schoolboys at the Government house in Katsina, Nigeria, Dec. 18, 2020.But while many praise his Cabinet for the quick rescue and release of the abductees, security experts and owner of Online Security Magazine, The Global Sentinel, Senator Iroegbu says the government needs to change tactics. “We are having a false sense of security when you have military deployed, that’s why anytime there is unrest you easily deploy military, you’re killing our security, you are removing the attention that should paid to strengthen those our internal security of operators. Military is supposed to play a supportive role when it comes to internal security,” he said.This month, Nigerian lawmakers urged President Buhari to dismiss security chiefs over the insecurity in the country. Onyekpere agrees and says the president has been slow to act. “It reached a situation where it is clear for everyone to see that the leadership of the security agencies are not up to speed, they don’t have the qualities, the competence and the capacity to tackle this level of insurgency. A government that cannot protect lives and properties is not a government,” he said.The Nigerian military in 2016 declared it had significantly degraded the militant group Boko Haram, predominantly operating in the northeast. But experts say the group is growing its network and expanding its collaborations with bandit groups in the Northwest.
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Virginia Teacher Takes Remote Classes to a Treehouse Level
With the COVID pandemic having pushed education online, a teacher in the U.S. state of Virginia needed a private place from which to conduct her remote classes. Lesia Bakalets went to see how Nellie Williams turned a small space on the grounds of her Fairfax home into an unusual office, in this story narrated by Anna Rice.
Camera: Artyom Kokhan
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China Announces Plans to Allow International Access to Giant Radio Telescope
China has announced it will allow access by international scientists to its massive radio telescope — the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, or FAST, in southwestern Guizhou province. It is now the largest and only instrument of its kind in the world following the recent collapse of a Puerto Rico-based observatory.Ahead of the announcement, Chinese officials last week allowed international journalists access to the instrument, built in a natural basin between mountains in a remote area of Guizhou. Work on the FAST began in 2011 and it started full operations in January this year, at a cost of about $170 billion. The telescope specializes in capturing the radio signals emitted by celestial bodies, in particular pulsars — rapidly rotating dead stars. The work it does is even more crucial since the December 1 collapse of the U.S.-owned Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. That radio telescope — second in size to FAST — was destroyed when its suspended 900-ton receiver platform came loose and plunged 140 meters onto the radio dish below. FAST’s chief inspector of operations, Wang Qiming, told the French news agency, AFP, a team had visited Arecibo and drew a lot of inspiration from that structure. But Chinese officials say FAST is two- to three times more sensitive than the Arecibo instrument and has five to ten times the surveying speed. Plus, it can rotate, allowing access to a wider area of the sky.Officials say they hope to open access to the telescope and its unique capabilities in 2021. Scientists using the Arecibo Observatory won a 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work proving the existence of gravitational waves by monitoring a binary pulsar. China hopes to attract similar scientific talent to the FAST telescope.
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Iran Nuclear Deal Parties Ready to Address Potential US Return
The remaining signatories of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal Monday expressed “their readiness to positively address” the potential return of the United States to the agreement.
President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the deal in 2018, arguing it unfairly favored Iran.
But President-elect Joe Biden, who was part of the U.S. administration that signed the deal, has said he would seek to rejoin it if Iran returns to compliance with its commitments.
Ministers from Britain, China, France, Germany, Iran and the European Union said in their statement after a virtual meeting that they deeply regret the U.S. withdrawal and stressed that in their view the agreement “remains fully in force.”
Iran has breached several of its promises since the U.S. withdrawal and reimposition of sanctions, saying it was not getting the economic relief it was due in exchange for limiting its nuclear activity. Iran has said the moves, including enriching uranium to higher levels and holding larger stockpiles, are reversible.
The ministerial statement Monday said the parties discussed the need to address challenges to implementation of the agreement, “including on nuclear non-proliferation and sanctions lifting commitments.”
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Asian Markets Mostly Lower at Start of Holiday Week
Asian markets were mostly lower Monday as panic sparked by the discovery in Britain of a new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 overshadowed a final agreement in Washington for a new financial relief package. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei index closed down 0.1%. Australia’s S&P/ASX index lost over five-and-a-half points, but was unchanged percentagewise. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index dropped 0.7%. In late afternoon trading, Mumbai’s Sensex has plunged 3%. In contrast, Shanghai’s Composite gained 0.7%, South Korea’s KOSPI index earned 0.2%, and the TSEC in Taiwan soared 0.9%. In commodities trading, gold is selling at $1,899.80 per ounce, up 0.5%. U.S. crude oil is selling at $47.04 per barrel, down 4.2%, and Brent crude is down 4.1%, selling at $50.07 per barrel. Many nations in Europe and elsewhere around the globe have imposed travel bans of various time periods on all flights from Britain as the new coronavirus strain spread across southern Britain. All three major U.S. indices are trending downward in futures trading.
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Australia on High Alert as Sydney COVID-19 Cluster Grows
Tougher controls have been put in place as Australia fights to contain a growing COVID-19 cluster in Sydney. Travel from the nation’s biggest city is being restricted as authorities race to find he source of 83 recently diagnosed infections, up from 68 on Sunday.
About 250,000 residents in Sydney’s northern beaches district have been ordered to stay-at-home until at least Wednesday after a cluster of new COVID-19 infections was discovered. The source of the cluster is not yet known, but officials believe it is likely to have come from a traveler returning from the United States, possibly a member of a flight crew. All Australian states and territories are imposing border controls to keep out travelers from designated coronavirus ‘hotspots’ in Sydney. There have been mass cancellations of flights from Sydney to Melbourne, which was one of the world’s busiest air routes before the pandemic. Other restrictions have been imposed across Australia’s biggest city. Singing and chanting at indoor venues is not allowed. Mask wearing is strongly recommended but not yet mandatory. A decision on whether to extend or relax the disease control measures will be made by the state government Wednesday. New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian says a record number of people in Sydney have come forward for COVID-19 testing.
“To have more than 38,000 people come forward in a 24-hour period gives us enormous confidence that the number of cases that have been identified is a realistic position, given the number of people that have come forward to get tested,” she said. “However, this is an on-going and evolving situation, and we know how contagious the virus is. I appreciate how frustrating it is, and I would love to be able to tell everybody today what Christmas might look like in New South Wales or the Northern Beaches, and I appreciate the community has been extremely patient. But I also appreciate…, I think the community understands our position. We want to make sure we keep people healthy.” An inquiry into a botched hotel quarantine program criticized the Victorian state government for failing to do “proper analysis” of the plan. It found that security breaches triggered a deadly second wave of infections that killed more than 800 people, which is the vast majority of Australia’s coronavirus fatalities. FILE – People enjoy the sunshine, as Victoria state begins easing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions, at Elwood beach in Melbourne, Australia, Sept. 14, 2020.Private security guards were put in charge of Victoria’s quarantine hotels without adequate training in infection control. The inquiry blamed “systemic governmental failings” for the “disaster” that followed. In May and June, COVID-19 spread from returned travelers to hotel staff and then, with devastating consequences, into the community. Hundreds of people died, and the city of Melbourne was ordered into Australia’s toughest and longest coronavirus lockdown. The cluster of cases in Sydney is a blow to Australia’s record of mostly containing the virus. It has detected 28,170 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began. 908 people have died, according to Australia’s department of health.
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Kenyan Doctors Go on Strike Protesting Inadequate Benefits, PPE
Kenyan doctors working in government hospitals began a countrywide strike on Monday over inadequate insurance benefits and lack of protective equipment while treating COVID-19 patients, their union said.The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union said on Twitter late on Sunday that there had been no resolution of grievances raised over the last eight months.”The Kenya government has neglected the Welfare, Safety & Health of health care workers,” the union said. “No provision of medical insurance, Workman injury benefits & Compensation & lack of adequate quality PPEs.””This greatly hampers the fight against #COVID19 in a country with an acute shortage of doctors,” it added.Kenya reported 349 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, with 6 fatalities, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 94,500 and the number of deaths to 1,639, the health ministry said.The virus has been spreading to rural areas where the public health system is creaking and limited intensive care units (ICU) are full, which has led to patients being turned away, medics told Reuters this month.Nearly three quarters of Kenya’s ICU beds are in the two largest cities, Nairobi and Mombasa.In August, doctors in most public hospitals in the capital Nairobi went on strike for a week to protest against delays in salary payments and lack of protective equipment when treating patients who may have COVID-19.Doctors working in hospitals run by regional county governments have also been staging strikes off and on since March over similar grievances.At least 14 doctors have died of the virus since the first coronavirus case in Kenya was confirmed in March, according to the doctors union. The strike had been due to start on Dec. 7 but was postponed for two weeks to give more time for talks with the government.
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Vietnam, UK See Positives in Free Trade Deal
A free trade agreement reached this month would help Vietnam revamp its massive manufacturing sector after the coronavirus pandemic and solidify the global outreach of its deal partner, the United Kingdom, after its looming departure from the European Union, experts believe.The two countries finished negotiations December 11 on a two-way free trade deal that would eliminate nearly all customs duties.The agreement, which still requires formal signatures to take effect, would keep Vietnam on track to sign multiple free trade deals around the world, to help domestic manufacturers avoid import tariffs, analysts say. Vietnam could ultimately save $151 million in tariffs on goods shipped to the U.K., the British Embassy in Hanoi forecasts.Vietnam joined the 11-nation Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership two years ago. And as part of a Southeast Asian negotiating bloc last month, it entered the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership deal, which has China as the heavyweight. Vietnam and the European Union also finalized a free trade pact earlier this year.“They’re totally embracing globalization and free trade,” said Jack Nguyen, a partner at the business advisory firm Mazars in Ho Chi Minh City.“They want to get more high-end, high-tech investments into Vietnam. They want to get their products out to the market. They want to attract manufacturers to set up in Vietnam to export to other countries. So any agreement that will lower tariffs, lower trade barriers, they’ll want to sign,” Nguyen said.Vietnam-U.K. trade tripled from 2010 to 2019, when it reached about $7.6 billion.Tariff savings would help to ease the Southeast Asian country out of a slump in global demand that is hobbling manufactured exports. Vietnam reports relatively few cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, but anti-pandemic shutdowns in much of the West have curtailed orders for classic made-in-Vietnam exports, such as garments, shoes, electronics and automotive gear.About half of all businesses in Vietnam have downsized because of COVID-19, according to a survey by the Private Economic Development Research Board, as cited by domestic news website VnExpress International in September. Manufacturing accounts for about a quarter of the country’s GDP.Both free trade agreement signatories are “keen to close this deal as soon as possible” to boost post-COVID-19 economic recoveries, Vu Minh Khuong, an associate professor at National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, wrote in an online publication recently.Vietnam will get more access to the U.K.’s “distinctive strengths” of R&D and management consulting services, Vu wrote in a November commentary for the East Asia Forum.But the two countries lack a trade relationship that’s wide enough to lift Vietnam out of the post-pandemic slump next year, said Ralf Matthaes, founder of the Infocus Mekong Research consultancy in Ho Chi Minh City.“The U.K. and Vietnam do not have strong ties,” Matthaes said. Zooming in on Vietnam’s exports, he said, “How many people are buying new mobile phones right now or new TVs? It’s very limited.”The free trade deal, considered easy to complete because it borrows from contents of the Vietnam-EU pact, comes just as the U.K. expects to finish its Brexit implementation period next week.Tariff savings to the United Kingdom would come to just $36 million, less than Vietnam’s gains, the British Embassy predicts. But the agreement shows that the U.K. government can form its own trade relations after leaving the European Union following the Brexit referendum that British voters approved in 2016.“It’s the U.K. scrambling to stay in place, is the phrase I use,” said Frederick Burke, Ho Chi Minh City-based partner with the law firm Baker McKenzie.“For the U.K., if they can get enough of these trade agreements, they can almost keep up with when they were part of the EU, but it won’t have the same advantages, because it’s just a bilateral trade agreement, it’s not a full EU trade agreement,” Burke said.
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German Verdict Due in Deadly Anti-Semitic Rampage
A German court is to hand down its verdict Monday on a deadly far-right attack in Halle last year that nearly became the country’s worst anti-Semitic atrocity since World War II.A bolted door at the eastern city’s synagogue with 52 worshippers inside marking Yad Vashem, the holiest day of the Jewish year, was the only thing that prevented a heavily armed assailant from carrying out a planned bloodbath, prosecutors say.After failing to storm the temple on October 9, 2019, the attacker shot dead a female passer-by and a man at a kebab shop instead.During his five-month trial, far-right defendant Stephan Balliet, 28, has denied the Holocaust in open court — a crime in Germany — and expressed no remorse to those targeted, many of whom are co-plaintiffs in the case.”The attack on the synagogue in Halle was one of the most repulsive anti-Semitic acts since World War II,” prosecutor Kai Lohse told the court in the nearby eastern city of Magdeburg as the trial wrapped up.The prosecution has demanded life in prison for Balliet. His defense team has asked presiding judge Ursula Mertens only for a “fair sentence.”Lohse said Balliet had acted on the basis of a “racist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic ideology” to carry out an attack against not only those he killed but “Jewish life in Germany as a whole.”The events that unfolded were like a “nightmare,” he added.”At the end of this nightmare, the perpetrator murdered two people and injured and traumatized numerous others.”During the trial, Balliet insisted that “attacking the synagogue was not a mistake, they are my enemies.”Dressed in military garb, he filmed the attack and broadcast it on the internet, prefacing it with a manifesto espousing his misogynist, neo-fascist ideology.The attack bore some of the hallmarks of two carried out and similarly live-streamed some months earlier in Christchurch, New Zealand, by Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 people. Balliet cited Tarrant as an inspiration.He has been charged with two counts of murder and multiple counts of attempted murder in a case that has deeply rattled the country and fueled fears about rising right-wing extremism and anti-Jewish violence, 75 years after the end of the Nazi era.Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Jeremy Issacharoff, called the attack “a very, very alarming moment in German history.””If that guy would have been able to get into a synagogue… it would have had a tremendous impact on German identity after the war and the fight against anti-Semitism,” he told AFP in an interview. “I hope and trust that the German court will do the right thing and make the right decision. Anti-Semitism is indeed a phenomenon that attacks the very democratic essence of Germany and I think that is the thing that is so important to protect.”The government’s point man against anti-Semitism, Felix Klein, called the trial “a good opportunity to bring about debate in society about anti-Semitism.”Crimes targeting Jews and their belief have risen steadily in Germany in recent years, with 2,032 offenses recorded in 2019, up 13% on the previous year.Meanwhile a string of far-right terrorist attacks have shocked Germany, including the assassination of pro-refugee politician Walter Luebcke at his home in June 2019 and the murder in the western city of Hanau of nine people of migrant origin in February.Baillet “described the fatal shots fired at his two victims in Halle without emotion” and appeared disappointed that he had failed in his attempt to enter the synagogue, psychiatrist Norbert Leygraf said of the defendant in an evaluation.He said Balliet suffered from symptoms of schizophrenia, paranoia and autism preventing him from having “empathy with others” while feeling “superior to others.”
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Top Hong Kong Court Upholds Emergency Protest Mask Ban
The Hong Kong government’s decision to use a colonial-era emergency law to ban face masks at protests last year was both proportionate and legal, the city’s top court ruled Monday.The ruling is a blow for democracy supporters who had been hoping the Court of Final Appeal would side with a lower court and overturn the order.It also confirms that Hong Kong’s chief executive — a pro-Beijing appointee — has the power to enact any law in a time of public emergency without needing the approval of the city’s partially elected legislature.Hong Kong was convulsed by seven straight months of huge and often violent pro-democracy protests last year.They were eventually quashed by mass arrests, a coronavirus ban on public gatherings and Beijing imposing a new national security law on the city in June.Face masks became ubiquitous as a way to reduce the risk of identification and prosecution for those taking part in peaceful marches or violent clashes with police.In October last year, Chief Executive Carrie Lam banned anyone covering their face at public rallies using the Emergency Regulation Ordinance, a British colonial law from 1922.Opposition lawmakers challenged both the use of that emergency law and the ban on wearing masks at permitted rallies.They argued the move breached Hong Kong’s “Basic Law” — the city’s mini-constitution.A lower court had agreed with those bringing the challenge and expressed concerns about the emergency law and the proportionality of the face mask ban.But on Monday, a panel of top judges unanimously backed the government.”The ambit of the power to make subsidiary legislation under the ERO in a situation of emergency or in circumstances of public danger, although wide and flexible, was not unconstitutional,” the judges ruled.Banning face masks at both illegal and legal rallies was proportionate because it was aimed at “the prevention and deterrence of violence before a peaceful public gathering had deteriorated into violence.”The ruling comes at a time when Hong Kong’s government has made the wearing of face masks in public compulsory for much of the year to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
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Ex-Tuskegee Airman Alfred Thomas Farrar Dies at Age 99
LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA — Alfred Thomas Farrar, a former Tuskegee Airman, died Thursday in Virginia only days before a ceremony planned to honor his service in the program that famously trained Black military pilots during World War II. He was 99.
Farrar’s son, Roy, told The Associated Press on Sunday that his father died at his Lynchburg home. Alfred Farrar would have turned 100 years old on Dec. 26.
After graduating from high school, Farrar left his Lynchburg hometown for Tuskegee, Alabama, to begin his aviation training in 1941.
“It was the next best thing to do,” Farrar had told The News & Advance in a story that ran last week.
Farrar learned to be a pilot during his time in U.S. Army Air Corps program but didn’t fly any combat missions overseas, according to his son.
Roy Farrar said he was proud of his father’s service but doesn’t remember him having much to say about his time as a Tuskegee Airman.
“It was just something that he did at the time, that was needed at the time,” Roy Farrar said.
After his discharge in 1943, Alfred Farrar studied to be an aerospace engineer and worked as an engineer with the Federal Aviation Administration for four decades.
WFXR-TV reports that the Lynchburg Area Veterans Council plans to honor Farrar and his service during the council’s “troop rally” on Christmas Day.
“In spite of tremendous discrimination, these young American men and women served their nation with distinction and opened the door of opportunity for many other Americans,” the council said in a statement.
Roy Farrar said several planes are expected to fly over a separate memorial ceremony for his father on his birthday this week.
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