Xi: China will provide 2 billion vaccine doses globally in 2021
BEIJING – China will provide 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to the world throughout this year and offer US$100 million to COVAX, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday in a written message to the first meeting of the international forum on COVID-19 vaccine cooperation.
The US$100 million to COVAX will mainly go to the distribution of vaccines to developing countries, he said, adding that China would do its best to help developing countries cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
China is committed to building a global community of health for all and has provided vaccines to the world, especially developing countries. The country actively carried out joint production, which illustrates the concept of vaccines as global public goods, Xi stressed.
“I hope this forum will promote the accessibility and fair distribution of vaccines around the world, strengthen solidarity and cooperation in developing countries, and make new contributions for an early victory against the pandemic,” he said.
At the Global Health Summit this May, Xi announced five measures to support global solidarity against COVID-19. These include the proposal of setting up an international forum on vaccine cooperation for vaccine-developing and producing countries, companies, and other stakeholders to explore ways of promoting fair and equitable distribution of vaccines worldwide.
“We are willing to work with the international community to promote international vaccine cooperation and build a community with a shared future for humanity,” he said.
A day after Juan Soto tweaked his knee, the Nationals give their star a rest
ATLANTA – Out of caution, and because they arent in the thick of a pennant race, the Washington Nationals decided to sit Juan Soto on Friday, giving his right knee more time to heal.
Soto, 22, the reigning NL batting champion and an all-star last month, hurt his knee while running the bases in a loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday. That happened in the ninth inning, with Soto limping home to score the game’s final run. On Friday, then, ahead of a series opener with the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, Soto did agility drills and jogged in the afternoon.
He said he felt “fine” afterward, grinning a bit. Manager Dave Martinez later noted that Soto still “felt it a bit,” leading the Nationals to rest him and start veteran Gerardo Parra in right field. Soto was available to pinch hit, according to Martinez, though the manager hinted that he’d likely get the full night off.
“He took his secondary lead [Thursday] and kind of tweaked his right knee,” Martinez said Friday. “I don’t think there’s a major concern, but we want to make sure he’s OK.”
If the pain worsens and Soto is forced to go on the 10-day injured list, the team has added outfielder Lane Thomas to its taxi squad. Thomas, 25, is with the team in Atlanta, called in from the Class AAA Rochester Red Wings after being acquired last week in a deadline trade that sent starter Jon Lester to the St. Louis Cardinals. He is comfortable at all three outfield positions, but struggled at the plate in a short stint with the Cardinals earlier this season, posting a slash line of .104/.259/.125 in 58 plate appearances.
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In a small sample with the Red Wings, he singled and doubled in his first game, smacked a leadoff homer in his second and a walk-off single in his third. On one hand, Soto is impossible to replace, by Thomas or anyone else. Soto led the majors in on-base-plus-slugging percentage in July (1.176) and is one of the league’s most feared hitters. But on the other, the Nationals have decided to build for the future, making it unnecessary to play him if there is even a minuscule risk to his long-term health.
They entered the weekend on a four-game losing streak, trailing the New York Mets by 7½ games in the NL East.
Negotiators strike deal on spending Virginias $4.3 billion in federal coronavirus aid
RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia Senate and House budget negotiators quickly struck a deal on Friday on how to spend $4.3 billion in federal coronavirus relief funding, rebuffing a last-minute plea from Gov. RalphNorthams administration that they stick strictly to the governors original plan for the money.
But Northam, a Democrat, indicated he supports the new plan, which the General Assembly will vote on when lawmakers convene again Monday.
The plan deviates from Northam’s by providing a one-time $3,000 bonus to sheriff’s deputies, boosting Medicaid rates for workers who serve people with disabilities, and requiring DMV offices to reopen to walk-in services that were halted during the pandemic. But their compromise would also allow college athletes to make money off their name, image and likeness – a provision in Northam’s original proposal that the Senate version hadstripped out.
The conference report appeared to have buy-in from Northam, despite the tweaks to the original appropriations bill.
“The governor is grateful to the legislature for their hard work and collaborative partnership,” Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky said in a written statement. “This bill makes critical investments in small businesses, public health infrastructure, first responders and law enforcement, universal broadband, and college affordability. It will move our Commonwealth forward, and we look forward to seeing it passed.”
The General Assembly convened a planned two-week special session on Aug. 2 with the expectation that both chambers would pass the plan that Northam had hashed out ahead of time with leaders of the two Democratically controlled chambers.
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That plan included$800 million in American Rescue Plan Act fundsto restore the unemployment trust fund, $700 million for rural broadband projects and $250 million for school ventilation systems. It also set aside $800 million for future needs.
The House passed that versionwithout amendments, but a few Democrats teamed up with Republicans in the closely divided Senate to force several changes, including one to provide $5,000 bonuses for three years to sheriff’s deputies and jail personnel, and another to boost pay for Medicaid disability providers.
The upper chamber had also stripped language from the bill related to the ability of college athletes to earn money for the use of their name, image and likeness. And it included language to require Department of Motor Vehicle offices to resume walk-in services, which have been suspended during the pandemic.
The House and Senate appointed budget conferees Thursday, and late that night, they got an email from Finance Secretary Joseph Flores, urging them to revert to the original bill, according to a copy of the emailobtained by The Washington Post.
Northam is “looking forward to a quick resolution to the few outstanding items to ensure these resources are put to work for Virginians as soon as possible,” Flores wrote. “As such, he is asking for a bill with no amendments – fiscal or policy – reflecting the agreement we negotiated and hammered out prior to the beginning of this special session.”
A bipartisan team from both chambers began meeting Friday and came to an agreement within a few hours, loweringthe bonus for sheriff’s deputies to $3,000 and limitingit to a single year instead of three. It restored the college athletics provision, and gave the DMV 60 days to start walk-in service, rather than the 30 the Senate had called for.
Philippine influencers call for probe into U.S. Fort Detrick biolab
“To this day, Fort Detrick remains too dangerous a mystery to be ignored by WHO experts,” said an online petition launched by Philippine influencers.
Philippine influencers have launched an online petition, urging the international community to seriously look into the role of the Fort Detrick laboratory in the United States in the global spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Herman Laurel, a columnist for social news website Sovereign P.H., said the World Health Organization (WHO) should probe the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Fort Detrick, Maryland.
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“This biological laboratory suffered a laboratory incident in July 2019, causing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to shut down the facility in August 2019 due to ‘serious safety violations,'” Laurel said.
He said the facility was ordered closed after it disposed of “dangerous materials believed to have caused strange ‘vaping sickness’ and the ‘strange flu’ in the U.S. at that time.”
Laurel added there are plenty of serious and credible reports raised by experts of different countries pointing to the COVID-19 incidences in their territories much earlier than the end of 2019.
“The logical direction is to widen the search net as much as possible to get to the bottom of where the so-called patient zero originated,” said the petition, adding that “To this day, Fort Detrick remains too dangerous a mystery to be ignored by WHO experts.”
The online campaign, which has amassed hundreds of signatures so far, also calls on “certain countries” to stop politicizing COVID-19.
“We, therefore, affix our marks to this appeal, hopeful that in joining millions around the globe seeking a common ground to allow science, not politics and not racism, to rule,” said the petition.
Former Philippine diplomat to Washington and book author Adolfo Paglinawan said that politicizing the virus “leads to an information war.”
Paglinawan warned the “info-demics are moving at a get-go to preempt the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth,” adding that there is “no vaccine for a virus called racism.”
Covid deaths in Indonesia cross 100,000 as Asean reports rise in cases
Southeast Asia saw an increase in new Covid-19 cases, while deaths were down marginally on Thursday, collated data showed.
Asean reported 97,679 new cases, higher than Wednesday’s 95,870, with 2,965 deaths, down from the previous day’s 2,977.
The number of Covid-19 cases crossed 7.75 million and deaths climbed to 161,748.
Indonesia became the second country in Asia and 12th in the world to cross 100,000 deaths. Although the number of new infections is lower than the United States, the lower vaccination rate and lack of equipment among public health staff has caused a higher mortality rate. About one-third of the Indonesia’s Covid-19 deaths were reported in July, which was when the delta variant of the virus was spotted in the country. Most of the victims died while waiting to be treated due to inadequate hospital beds.
Malaysia reported 20,596 new cases and 164 deaths on Thursday, bringing cumulative cases in the country to 1,203,706 patients with 10,019 deaths. It was the first time that new infections crossed the 20,000 mark. Numbers have exceeded 10,000 patients per day since mid-July.
Public health experts predicted that the new infections would reach the peak point in mid-September before decreasing to around 1,000 a day in October due to the strict lockdown measures.
COVID-19 cases among U.S. children, teens increased 84 pct in week: media
During the week from July 22-29, COVID-19 cases jumped 84 percent among U.S. children and teens, CNN reported in an article released on Wednesday.
Comparing with 39,000 cases that were found within the same age group in the week prior, almost 72,000 of new infections of COVID-19 are logged last week, CNN reported, citing data from a new study released by the American Academy of Pediatrics on Tuesday.
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According to the CNN report, the study comes as schools have just started or will soon start, with some requiring no masks or social distancing.
The country also recorded another 86 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 130,086.
Britain has reported another 30,215 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 5,982,581, according to official figures released Thursday.
The country also recorded another 86 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 130,086. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.
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Latest data from Public Health England (PHE) showed that most coronavirus-related intensive care admissions are among 55- to 64-year-olds, despite hospitalizations being highest among those aged 85 and over.
According to the data, hospital admissions related to COVID-19 are highest in North East England.
The data also showed around 66,900 hospital admissions have been prevented in those aged 65 and over as a direct result of the vaccine rollout.
Most COVID-19 restrictions in England have been lifted last month as part of the final step of the British government’s roadmap out of the lockdown.
More than 88 percent of adults in Britain have received the first COVID-19 vaccine jab and more than 73 percent have received two doses, according to the latest figures.
Passengers walk at St. Pancras International Station in London, Britain, July 29, 2021.
Passengers walk at St. Pancras International Station in London, Britain, July 29, 2021.
The United States, India and Brazil remain the top three in confirmed cases, having reported 35,125,227 cases, 31,812,114 cases and 19,985,817 cases respectively.
The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide has surpassed 200 million, according to the latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Globally, as of 18:08 CEST (1608 GMT) on Thursday, there have been 200,174,883 confirmed cases, including 4,255,892 deaths, reported to WHO, it said.
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The United States, India and Brazil remain the top three in confirmed cases, having reported 35,125,227 cases, 31,812,114 cases and 19,985,817 cases respectively.
Following the top three are Russia with 6,379,904 cases, France with 6,068,252 cases, the UK with 5,952,760 cases, Turkey with 5,822,487 cases, Argentina with 4,961,880 cases, Colombia with 4,807,979 cases and Spain with 4,545,184 cases.
The United States, Brazil and India have also recorded the highest death tolls, with 609,613 deaths, 558,432 deaths, and 426,290 deaths respectively.
According to the WHO data, Americas remains the most impacted region by COVID-19, with a total of 77,904,346 confirmed cases and 2,020,001 deaths, followed by Europe where 60,771,066 cases and 1,226,634 deaths have been reported.
A man wearing a mask walks past a boutique at the Champs Elysees Avenue in Paris, France, May 12, 2021.
A man wearing a mask walks past a boutique at the Champs Elysees Avenue in Paris, France, May 12, 2021.
A man wearing a mask rides an electric scooter near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, the United States, Aug. 4, 2021.
A man wearing a mask rides an electric scooter near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, the United States, Aug. 4, 2021.
Britain eases quarantine rules, opening up travel with France
Fully vaccinated visitors arriving in England from France will no longer have to isolate for 10 days, a loosening of restrictions that puts them in the same category as travelers from most other European countries.
The U.K. also eased rules for arrivals from India, Bahrain, and travel hubs the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Those countries will move from the U.K.’s highest-risk “red” list to its medium-risk “amber” list, meaning arrivals will no longer need to quarantine in a government-approved hotel.
Six other European nations, including Germany, were added to the lowest-risk “green” list, meaning all visitors can avoid quarantine whether or not they are fully vaccinated. All changes will come into effect from 4 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 8.
Spain and all its islands — key summer holiday destinations for British tourists — will remain on the amber list, but travelers are advised to get take a lab-processed PCR test before departing to the U.K.
The rule changes will be a boon for airlines and tourism companies that have been hit hard by the pandemic and objected loudly to U.K. travel curbs. The British government was under growing pressure from French ministers, as well as industry bodies, to overturn its decision last month to put France in a newly created “amber-plus” category.
“We welcome more low-risk countries being added to the green list but urge the government to go further,” British Airways Chief Executive Officer Sean Doyle said in a statement. “We’re lagging behind Europe, with our more stringent testing requirements and a red list significantly broader than our European peers.”
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After Spain, France was the second most-visited country by Britons before the pandemic, with low-cost carriers including EasyJet Plc offering dozens of flights per week. The surprise amber-plus restriction in July came just as school holidays began in the U.K.
While airline travel has rapidly rebounded in Europe, the U.K.’s evolving restrictions deterred many in Britain from booking overseas trips. Seat capacity in the U.K. this week was 42% of 2019 levels, compared with 68% for the wider European region, according to data from OAG.
Large network airlines in particular have been clamoring for restrictions to be dropped on long-distance routes in order to generate vital cash. Classifying India and the UAE as medium-risk will offer some relief to carriers including IAG SA-owned British Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd., Emirates and Qatar Airways.
But the U.S., a key long-haul market, remains only partially open. Americans are allowed to holiday in Europe, but Britons and people from most other European countries still can’t go to the U.S.
President Joe Biden is preparing to require foreign arrivals to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, Reuters reported, as part of a plan to eventually move away from country bans.
“It seems that a path is opening,” French Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said on France Info radio Thursday.
The U.K. Department for Transport said Wednesday that the declining proportion of French Covid cases from the beta variant, which may be more vaccine-resistant, meant it would now be moved back to the amber list.
The U.K. decision “puts an end to an incomprehensible situation,” France’s Djebbari said.
Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Latvia, Romania and Norway were added to the lowest-risk list, allowing quarantine-free travel. People returning to England from a green or amber country must take a Covid-19 test before departure and book a test for day two after arrival.
Initially, the changes will apply only to England, although other regions of the U.K. are expected to follow the same regime.
Karen Dee, chief executive of the Airport Operators Association, said more work was needed.
“We remain a long way off a full and meaningful restart of international travel and the government must recognize this and provide the support that will protect our world class aviation industry and the thousands of jobs that remain at risk,” Dee said in a statement.
Under rules introduced Aug. 2, all fully vaccinated travelers from the U.S. and European Union can avoid isolation on arrival into the U.K. France was not initially included in this due to concerns over the beta variant.
Visitors from other amber-list countries, as well as those who are not fully vaccinated, need to self-isolate for 10 days. That period can be shortened if they pay for an extra test on day five.
“In this new world we’re living with coronavirus, and as we have done domestically with the unlocking, learning to live with it with international travel as well,” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told BBC radio. “Double vaccination and full vaccination is going to be a feature for ever more, and probably all countries will require full vaccination in order for you to enter.”
Georgia, Mexico, and the French islands of La Reunion and Mayotte were added to the U.K.’s red list from Aug. 8, the government said, because of the risk from variants or high prevalence of the coronavirus. Only people with U.K. residency rights can enter from red-list nations, and everyone must quarantine for 10 days in a hotel.
The cost of staying in a government-approved quarantine hotel for travelers from “red” countries will rise to $3,174 (£2,285) for a single adult from Aug. 12, up from $2,072 (£1,750), the government said.
Published : August 06, 2021
By : Syndication Washington Post, Bloomberg · Emily Ashton, Siddharth Philip
“ORIGIN” Joins Forces With “TOKYU LAND ASIA” in “One Phayathai” Mixed-Use Project
“Origin Property” announced its business expansion through a joint venture with “Tokyu Land Asia” to develop “One Phayathai”, a mixed-use project with 3.6-billion-baht REIT value that gathers offices, retails and hotels in one building.
As part of moving to the NEXT LEVEL, “Origin Property” announced its business expansion through a joint venture with “Tokyu Land Asia” to develop “One Phayathai”, a mixed-use project with 3.6-billion-baht REIT value that gathers offices, retails and hotels in one building. This project also becomes the first IHG Dual Branded Hotel in Thailand as it brings Hotel Indigo and Holiday Inn Express to be in one place. Its prime location can easily reach two international airports. It expects to serve demands from both Thai and foreigners by the end of 2023 when the COVID-19 pandemic falls off.
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Mr.Peerapong Jaroon-ek,Chief Executive Officer of Origin Property Public Company Limited (ORI), says that following its ‘ORIGIN NEXT LEVEL’ vision, the company’s subsidiary, One Origin Company Limited, has announced a new business expansion through a 51:49 joint venture with Tokyu Land Asia Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of the umbrella of Tokyu Land Corporation, one of the leading property developers in Japan, to develop One Phayathai, a mixed-use project with REIT value over 3.6 billion baht. The companies aim to expand their recurring income business in Thailand.
“Tokyu Land Asia is our significant partner due to its strengths in capitals, know-how technology and fruitful experiences in property development across Japan and Southeast Asia. Importantly, it has shared the same vision with us to create the best ecosystem for our residents. This collaboration will enable both companies to share knowledge related to sustainable development and environmentally-friendly design, which will be another big step to create the NEXT LEVEL of the quality of life for our customers,” says Peerapong.
Tokyu Land Asia is a property development and investment arm of Tokyu Land Corporation, which has recorded over 67 years of experience in property business in Japan. Tokyu Land Corporation is a subsidiary under Tokyu Fudosan Holdings Corporation, a Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed firm. As one of Nikkei 225 companies list, Tokyu Fudosan Holdings Corporation reported a total asset of 2.652 trillion yen or approximately 790 billion baht in the latest financial report. This latest joint venture has reflected its confidence in Origin Property and Thailand’s investment climate.
Mr. Masaoki Kanematsu, Managing Director of Tokyu Land Asia Pte Ltd, as of the execution of the joint venture, says that the joint venture in One Phayathai is its first-ever investment in Thailand after it has searched for the right partner in Thailand for years. The company is pleased to have Origin Property as its partner as it is well-known for its reliability and has a good reputation in the industry. This joint venture will also initiate the knowledge sharing between both companies and further explore more potential collaboration opportunities in other areas, for example, logistics, renewable energy and other prospective businesses in Thailand.
One Phayathai is a mixed-use project which has a 31-floor building next to a luxury condominium, Park Origin Phayathai, in the center of Bangkok. This project is developed under the “ONE STEP JOURNEY” concept, gathering all lifestyles at one place. This is the first project in Thailand that will have two world-class hotel brands within the same building. One is boutique brand Hotel Indigo with 210 rooms and the other is trusted essential brand Holiday Inn Express with 202 rooms. Under the IHG Hotels & Resorts family of brands, the hotels will offer differentiated hotel experiences for both leisure and business travelers.
In addition, the building offers a commercial space of 2,200 square meters for shops and offices. The space utilization covers 26,880 square meters. The project’s location is 200 meters from the Phayathai interchange station of BTS Green Line and Airport Link to Suvarnabhumi International Airport and Don Mueang International Airport. It is scheduled to start the construction in Q3/2021 and expected to complete it by Q4/2023. By then, the COVID-19 situation is expected to be under control.
One Phayathai pays attention to a design that must be friendly to both the environment and local communities nearby. Therefore, it will provide a green area in front and make a vertical green façade to reduce the heat from outside the building. The fenestrations will be large enough to let natural light come inside the building in order to avoid unnecessary heat and save energy consumption. It also considers an automatic car parking system to reduce the pollution emission in car parking lots on the ground. Additionally, it will use only energy-saving, environmentally-friendly and low albedo construction materials for the sake of communities around the project.
Passengers walk at St. Pancras International Station in London, Britain, July 29, 2021.
A man wearing a mask walks past a boutique at the Champs Elysees Avenue in Paris, France, May 12, 2021.
A man wearing a mask rides an electric scooter near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, the United States, Aug. 4, 2021.
Mr.Peerapong Jaroon-ek,Chief Executive Officer of Origin Property Public Company Limited (ORI), says that following its ‘ORIGIN NEXT LEVEL’ vision, the company’s subsidiary, One Origin Company Limited, has announced a new business expansion through a 51:49 joint venture with Tokyu Land Asia Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of the umbrella of Tokyu Land Corporation, one of the leading property developers in Japan, to develop One Phayathai, a mixed-use project with REIT value over 3.6 billion baht. The companies aim to expand their recurring income business in Thailand.
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