Malaysian PM pushes Asean travel bubble with China as Covid cases surge
Southeast Asia witnessed a rise in new Covid-19 infections and a decline in deaths on Saturday, collated data showed.
Asean countries reported 83,523 infections and 1,323 deaths on Saturday compared to 75,832 and 1,390 respectively on Friday.
Malaysia‘s new Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, has proposed Asean to create guidelines on forming a travel bubble with China in order to stimulate the economy amid the Covid-19 crisis.
If the guidelines become a reality, it would help the tourism industry recover and enable people to connect with each other, he said.
Singapore‘s government will kick off its project to administer a third Covid-19 jab, using Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, to boost immunity for the elderly aged over 60 years from September 14.
The country’s health minister said the elderly who had already received the second jab at least six months ago could receive the third jab, adding that 900,000 seniors were curently eligible.
Curtis Samuel placed on injured reserve, will be eligible to return after three games
The Washington Football Team will have to start its season without one of its newest (and highest-paid) offseason acquisitions. Curtis Samuel was placed on injured reserve Friday because of a lingering groin injury, forcing the veteran wide receiver to miss at least the first three games of the season.
It’s unclear when Samuel first suffered the injury, but he has dealt with it since at least early June, forcing him to miss minicamp and later training camp and the preseason. He also spent 10 days on the covid-19/reserve list early in training camp, which Coach Ron Rivera said set him back in his recovery.
Samuel returned to practice for the first time Monday and participated on a limited basis in pads. But at the team’s subsequent practice Wednesday, Samuel ran only a few individual drills before walking over toward the sideline in apparent discomfort. He was formally listed as a nonparticipant on the team’s practice report both Wednesday and Thursday.
“We’re just trying to take a little bit of pressure off of him in terms of his rehab program,” Rivera told reporters Friday. “Having been put on the covid list at one time I think set him back in terms of his opportunity to rehab and get himself ready to go for the year. So we want to create this opportunity and take advantage of it and really let him focus on getting healthy before he has to start worrying about playing.”
Rivera indicated that Samuel’s time on IR is expected to be short term. Per the NFL’s modified IR rules, Samuel has to miss three games before he is eligible to return to practice, which would be Sept. 27 for Washington, following its Week 3 game at Buffalo. If Samuel is designated for return, the team would have 21 days to decide to activate him or leave him on IR for the remainder of the season.
The soonest Samuel could suit up for a game is Week 4 against the Falcons in Atlanta.
When asked about the possibility of surgery for Samuel, Rivera became irritated and said it’s “not an option.”
“Don’t even bring that up,” he told reporters. ” . . . I don’t want to start any rumors, any crap, okay? This has got nothing to do with any of that, guys. It’s just about giving a guy an opportunity to get a chance to rehab the way he needed to because, unfortunately, when we had to put him on [the] covid [list], he missed basically two weeks. We’re trying to catch up on those lost two weeks. We pushed him a little bit last week, he’s not ready, so we figured this is the best thing to do. . . .
“Do not even mention that, please. That is not an option as far as we’re concerned right now. It’s not even on the table. . . . Do not start something that’s not there.”
Washington signed Samuel to a three-year, $34.5 million contract in March with the expectation that he would become a focal point of an offense that last year lagged in most major statistical categories. Per Sportradar, Washington tied for 29th in the league with 94 total explosive plays (at least 12 yards rushing or 16 yards passing).
“I think it was one of the things that we were missing, was the opportunity to have three or four guys on the field that could potentially go the distance,” Rivera said Monday. “You know, we may have had two guys at a time, but now we have a potential to put three or four guys out on the field that have the ability to go the distance every time they touch it. So this is pretty exciting as far as what we can be on offense. . . . The things that we did, we did in mind with that express intent, and that was to get faster, to put more playmakers that have the chance to go vertical.”
With sub-4.4-second speed and experience in Washington’s offensive system (he was coached by Rivera and coordinator Scott Turner with Carolina), Samuel was a natural fit to pair with Terry McLaurin atop the wide receiver depth chart. But Samuel wasn’t the only addition at the position, and now players such as third-round draft pick Dyami Brown, veteran free agent Adam Humphries and fourth-year player Cam Sims will be called upon to step up as Samuel continues to rehab.
“We have enough guys that can do what Curtis does, and we feel good about those guys, and that’s why we don’t feel any pressure as far as doing what we’re doing,” Rivera added Friday.
Brown and Sims, in particular, presumably will be relied upon more in Samuel’s absence to start the season. But the future of Washington’s offense remains unknown while Samuel remains sidelined.
“It’s just one of those things,” Rivera said, “that at some point, we just say: ‘You know what? Let’s just let you heal up.’ And let’s let you go out and now focus in on getting better and getting ready to play as opposed to having to worry about: ‘Oh, man, I got to feel better. I got to feel better so I can play.’ “
Tina Charles returns to form, gives Mystics playoff hopes a boost with win over Dream
WASHINGTON – The Washington Mystics had grown accustomed to turning to Tina Charles to carry them in the first half of the season. With the team missing multiple starters, Charles shouldered the load, leading the WNBA in scoring.
Then came a hip injury and a four-game absence. Friday night, in an 82-74 win over the Atlanta Dream at Entertainment & Sports Arena, Charles returned to form, scoring 26 points to go with 16 rebounds and putting the Mystics into a tie with the New York Liberty for the league’s eighth and final playoff spot with three games remaining.
Charles’s work over the second and third quarters put the Mystics (11-18) in control. She scored 11 points during a 14-2 second-quarter run to give Washington a 38-29 lead. After Atlanta (7-22) cut the margin to 40-34 at halftime, she opened the third quarter with six straight points and eight during a 12-2 run that gave the Mystics a 52-36 lead, effectively putting away the Dream.
“I thought I played very poor,” Charles said. “I have high standards for myself and how I come out and play and trying to be efficient the older I get. I just missed some shots that I should have made that could’ve made the game more easier for us. Gave Atlanta a little bit of life.
“Having teammates like Shavonte Zellous, who knows me and knows to get into me, definitely encouraged me to just keep going out there and keep playing my game and to be more aggressive.”
Charles also had a career milestone as she passed Rebekkah Brunson to become the No. 2 rebounder in WNBA history behind Sylvia Fowles. She received a standing ovation when the accomplishment was announced. Charles waved and pointed to her former U-Conn. teammate Kalana Greene, whom Charles called her best friend.
“It means everything,” Charles said. “Especially Rebekkah Brunson, it’s very unfortunate she was left off that Top 25 [players in WNBA history]. Rebekkah Brunson is one of the dominant players. Coming out of the Big East and knowing what she represented there. She was someone I looked up to.
“She set the tone for rebounding. So, to go past Rebekkah Brunson, it’s more so about her and how she set the tone to me.”
Theresa Plaisance scored 14 points off the bench for the Mystics and Natasha Cloud added 13 points, six assists and four steals. Every Washington player that stepped on the floor scored during the game.
Courtney Williams paced the Dream with 23 points, Monique Billings chipped in 14 point and 10 rebounds and Tiffany Hayes finished with 13 points.
The Mystics have struggled mightily on the defensive end of the floor recently and the 74 points were the fewest Washington has allowed since a 78-68 win over the Sparks on Aug. 24.
“I thought we did a really, really good job defensively,” Coach Mike Thibault said. “Even [Williams] she had to work to get them. She had to shoot it over a hand in their face. . . . Billings got most of hers early and not a lot late.”
Thibault singled out the defense of guards Natasha Cloud and Leilani Mitchell.
“Obviously, [Cloud] did her usual getting up into Tiffany Hayes. And I thought our other guards, particularly Leilani at the start, made Aari McDonald work.”
The season-long trend of playing shorthanded continued for the Mystics as they were without Elena Delle Donne (back), Myisha Hines-Allen (non-covid illness) and Ariel Atkins (personal reasons). Delle Donne is now dealing with a nerve issue after getting banged up in her second game back from a pair of back surgeries that kept her out the better part of two years.
Hines-Allen remains out with an illness that doctors have yet be able to diagnose. Thibault said she’s doing better, but is extremely fatigued and not ready to return to the court.
All three are expected to miss Sunday’s game at Chicago.
Things weren’t much better for the Dream as they were without Odyssey Sims (personal reasons), Cyrstal Bradford (foot), Tianna Hawkins (foot) and Cheyenne Parker (pregnancy).
“Tonight was big for us,” Cloud said. “We needed this. We needed the momentum. We needed the confidence. We needed this game. We are very aware of where we are in the standings. We’re very aware that we’re fighting for our lives to get in the playoffs. I’m really proud of this group with the resiliency of being able to bounce back from a really bad loss in Seattle.
“Through all the injuries, through all the adversity, to come out tonight and get a good feeling win was huge for us.”
Josh Bell homers in return to Pittsburgh, but Nats bullpen blows another lead
PITTSBURGH – For the first five years of his career in the majors, Josh Bell came to PNC Park and strolled through the corridors on the field level until arriving at the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse, where he had become a beloved teammate as well as a fan favorite.
On Friday, Bell headed in the opposite direction, to the visitor’s clubhouse with his Washington Nationals’ teammates for the opener in the three-game series. The journey was just a little bit awkward.
“It’s my first time walking through this tunnel,” Bell, who joined the Nationals this past offseason, said while standing in front of the visitor’s dugout roughly 90 minutes prior to first pitch. “First time being in that clubhouse.”
Bell was far more comfortable at the plate, sparking the Nationals (58-83) to a two-run lead with a homer in the sixth. The bullpen, however, doomed Washington again in a 4-3 loss after Ke’Bryan Hayes singled to drive in the decisive run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, wasting a strong start from Josh Rogers.
Well before the collapse that unfolded when relievers Patrick Murphy and Alberto Baldonado failed to record the final three outs, Bell had blasted a solo shot off Pirates reliever Sam Howard on an 0-1 fastball that sailed over the wall in left center. It was the switch hitter’s 26th homer, matching his second-most in a season.
In 2019, Bell set his personal mark for homers with 37 while playing 143 games with the Pirates. He also had career highs of 116 RBIs, 94 runs and 146 hits with a .277 batting average, on the way to being named an all-star for the first and only time in his career.
Friday’s blast was the ninth homer of the season for Bell while batting right-handed, and extended a run of hitting safely in 16 of 18 games. Over that time Bell is hitting .313 (21-for-67) with six homers, four doubles, 15 RBIs and eight runs. He also walked twice, bumping his total to 13 in that span.
The first baseman has hit safely in 21 of 24 games and entered Friday hitting .294 over his last 23 games with an on-base percentage of .400 and a slugging percentage of .565.
Bell exchanged pleasantries with a handful of former teammates, and appreciative Pirates supporters greeted him with two ovations, the first during pregame player introductions.
Then they rose from their seats when Bell walked to the plate for the first time to face Pittsburgh opening pitcher Steven Brault, who worked two innings during which time the Nationals took a 2-0 lead.
“It was cool,” Bell said. “You really don’t know what to expect going into it, but I was happy to get somewhat of a good turnout here, cool little video tribute that they put together for me. It was definitely icing on the cake to hit a homer as well.”
Catcher Riley Adams, all 6-foot-4, 246 pounds of him, drove in the Nationals’ first run in the second inning with his first career triple after third baseman Carter Kieboom drew a leadoff walk. Adams scored when center fielder Lane Thomas connected on a sharp liner to left.
Pittsburgh got one back in the third off Rogers, who permitted a leadoff double to Cole Tucker. The Pirates shortstop scored two batters later on Hayes’s sacrifice fly to center. Rogers also gave up a leadoff solo homer in the seventh to Anthony Alford.
The 26-year-old left-hander making his second start with the Nationals and just the fifth of his career recorded two outs in the seventh before departing on the heels of a single from pinch hitter Wilmer Difo, formerly of the Nationals for the previous six seasons.
Rogers exited with Washington leading 3-2 after giving up eight hits with one walk and a one strikeout over 6 2/3 innings in the longest outing of his career, which began in 2018 with the Baltimore Orioles.
“I thought he came out of the game throwing fastballs and just challenging guys,” said Nationals bench coach Tim Bogar, who managed while Dave Martinez served a one-game suspension for his involvement in Wednesday’s incident in which reliever Sean Nolin hit Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman. “He did a really good job of getting after people with that.”
Andres Machado pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief following Rogers, who averted what had the makings of a productive inning for the Pirates in the sixth when they started with consecutive singles. But Rogers induced three straight fly outs to escape damage.
Murphy and Baldonado could not muster the same. With closer Kyle Finnegan getting a second straight night off, Murphy got the first crack at closing, but Alford led off the bottom of the ninth with a single and Ben Gamel followed with a walk.
Two wild pitches later, Pittsburgh (51-90) had runners on second and third with one out, and Murphy gave way to Baldonado. Pinch-hitter Colin Morgan’s hard-hit groundout off Baldonado allowed Alford to score the tying run before Hayes ended it.
“I mean, that’s baseball,” Rogers said. “It is what it is. Obviously everybody in that locker room was fighting hard and wants to get the win. Hopefully we’ll come back tomorrow and compete.”
Total lockdown an option as Covid cases spike in Singapore
Southeast Asia reported 75,832 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, lower than Thursday’s 80,238. There were 1,390 fatalities, almost on par with the previous day’s 1,388.
The number of Covid-19 cases in the region crossed 10.83 million and the death toll rose to 240,284.
Singapore reported 573 new cases and one death on Friday, bringing cumulative cases in the country to 70,612 with 58 deaths. The government said the infection rate been climbing again due to the spread of the delta variant of the virus, which may hinder the country’s plan of “living with Covid-19”. It added that more intense testing and social distancing measures will be employed, while total lockdown measures will remain a possibility if the situation escalates.
Meanwhile Vietnam plans to reopen the beach-fringed island of Phu Quoc to foreign tourists from next month, as the country looks at ways to revive an economy suffering from extended lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic. Fully vaccinated tourists with a negative coronavirus test will be eligible to visit Phu Quoc either on chartered or commercial flights. Foreign arrivals to Vietnam slumped from 18 million in 2019, when tourism revenue was $31 billion or nearly 12 per cent of gross domestic product, to 3.8 million visitors last year.
U.S. Fed officials prepare for tapering asset purchases in November: media
While Fed officials are unlikely to announce a plan for tapering asset purchases at their meeting on Sept. 21-22, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell could use that gathering to signal they are likely to start the process at their following session on Nov. 2-3, according to The Wall Street Journal.
U.S. Federal Reserve officials will seek to forge agreement at their coming meeting later this month to begin tapering the central bank’s asset purchases in November, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
While Fed officials are unlikely to announce a plan for tapering asset purchases at their meeting on Sept. 21-22, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell could use that gathering to signal they are likely to start the process at their following session on Nov. 2-3, according to the Journal.
Under the plans taking shape, Fed officials could reduce those purchases at a pace that allows them to conclude asset buying by the middle of next year, the report said.
The Fed has pledged to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at the record-low level of near zero, while continuing its asset purchase program at least at the current pace of 120 billion U.S. dollars per month until “substantial further progress” has been made on employment and inflation.
Many Fed officials have said in recent interviews and public statements that the central bank could begin reducing asset purchases this year.
“Assuming the economy continues to improve as I anticipate, it could be appropriate to start reducing the pace of asset purchases this year,” Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams said Wednesday at a virtual event.
“I will be carefully assessing the incoming data on the labor market and what it means for the economic outlook, as well as assessing risks such as the effects of the Delta variant,” he said.
Food, job insecurity primary concern in Afghanistan: WFP
“It is now a race against time to deliver lifesaving assistance to the Afghan people before roads are cut off by snow,” said a UN official.
Food and job insecurity is now the primary cause of concern for families in Afghanistan, Anthea Webb, deputy regional director for the World Food Program (WFP), told a UN press briefing on Friday.
With winter setting in and the economy on the verge of collapsing, their worries are also growing, she said via a conference call.
Quoting from the latest survey of the WFP, she said that 93 percent of households in Afghanistan have no sufficient access to food now.
The randomized phone survey, carried out from Aug. 21 to Sept. 5 in all provinces in the country, revealed that three in four Afghan families have been reducing portions or borrowing food.
Photo taken on Sept. 8, 2021 shows a view of a street in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan.
“They are buying cheaper food, foregoing more nutritious options such as meat, dairy products and vegetables. Parents are skipping meals entirely to allow their children to eat,” Webb said.
She added that food insecurity in Afghanistan had already been widespread before Aug. 15, with 81 percent of households reporting insufficient food consumption, with one in three Afghans signaling acute food insecurity.
“It is now a race against time to deliver lifesaving assistance to the Afghan people before roads are cut off by snow,” the UN official said.
She told reporters that the main reason the situation had gotten so much worse over the past month was that many Afghans did not have access to the money they needed to buy enough food.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has announced that he will travel to Geneva on Sept. 13 to convene a high-level humanitarian meeting to address the growing needs in Afghanistan.
People walk on the street in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 31, 2021.
U.S. COVID-19 vaccination strategy draws mixed reactions
The Biden administrations far-reaching announcement mandating coronavirus vaccines or rigorous testing for larger businesses prompted a mix of critical and supportive responses from companies, employers and corporate advocacy groups.
Various reactions have risen over the sweeping new vaccine requirements announced by U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday together with a new action plan to curb the surging COVID-19 cases driven by the highly contagious Delta variant.
Biden outlined a broad plan to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country as cases plateau at high numbers, pressuring private employers to immunize their workforce as well as mandating the shots for federal workers, contractors and employees of health-care facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid funding.
With the plan, the White House is particularly compelling businesses with more than 100 employees to require their workers be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus or subjected to weekly testing. Companies that ignore the policy could face penalties of up to 14,000 U.S. dollars for each violation. Also, companies would be required to give workers paid time off to get the vaccine.
The employer mandates, which the White House estimates could reach as many as 80 million people, or two-thirds of U.S. workers, would be the most extensive government intervention into private companies and employer practices since the pandemic began.
Patrons dine at a restaurant in Navy Yard neighborhood in Washington D.C., the United States on Aug. 31, 2021.
FOR ECONOMY President Biden’s aggressive move to expand the number of vaccinated Americans and halt the spread of the Delta variant is not only an effort to save lives, but an attempt to counter the continuing and evolving threat that the virus poses to the economy, reported The New York Times on Thursday.
Delta’s rise has been fueled in part by the inability of Biden and his administration to persuade millions of vaccine-refusing Americans to inoculate themselves against the virus. That has created another problem: a drag on the economic recovery, according to the report.
Real-time gauges of restaurant visits, airline travel and other services show consumers pulled back on some face-to-face spending in recent weeks. In August, the president and his team also blamed Delta for slowing job growth.
“The virus threatens the recovery even though consumers and business owners are not retrenching the way they did when the coronavirus began to spread in the United States in the spring of 2020,” added NYT.
Photo taken on July 20, 2018 shows a passenger plane of U.S. Delta Air Line at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, the United States.
COMPANIES DIFFER The Biden administration’s far-reaching announcement mandating coronavirus vaccines or rigorous testing for larger businesses prompted a mix of critical and supportive responses from companies, employers and corporate advocacy groups, reported The Washington Post (WP) on Friday.
While some companies, such as McDonald’s, Delta Air Lines and Tyson Foods, have already moved to mandate vaccinations or regular testing in their U.S. workforces and offices, the new federal rules threaten to escalate tensions in office workplaces, where some workers have already been arguing about masks and testing rules.
Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the Chamber of Commerce, which represents thousands of businesses affected by the measure, said that “the chamber will carefully review the details of the executive orders and associated regulations.”
On Thursday, Business Roundtable President Joshua Bolten said the group, which represents chief executives from some of the largest U.S. companies, “welcomes the Biden administration’s continued vigilance in the fight against COVID-19,” adding that “America’s business leaders know how critical vaccination and testing are,” which is why many are encouraging customers and employees to get vaccinated and providing paid time off.
REPUBLICANS ENRAGED Republican leaders in the United States are blasting President Biden’s new coronavirus vaccine mandates for businesses and federal workers, decrying them as unconstitutional infringements on personal liberties and promising to sue, reported WP on Friday.
Republican governors from Texas to Missouri and Georgia threatened to fight back. Texas Governor Greg Abbott called the mandates “an assault on private businesses” and said the state is “already working to halt this power grab.”
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon said he asked his state’s attorney general “to stand prepared to take all actions to oppose this administration’s unconstitutional overreach of executive power.”
South Dakota Governor Kristi L. Noem said “see you in court,” and Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said the group “will sue the administration to protect Americans and their liberties.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks at a press briefing in Santa Fe, Texas, the United States, May 18, 2018.
Laos launches herbal cure for Covid-19 as new cases in Asean surge
Southeast Asia saw a sharp decrease in Covid-19 related deaths though the number of new cases rose on Thursday, collated data showed.
Asean reported 80,238 new cases, higher than Wednesday’s 70,045, but deaths were lower at 1,388 from Wednesday’s 1,920.
The number of Covid-19 cases in the region crossed 10.76 million, while the death toll climbed to 238,896.
Cambodia reported 589 new cases and 20 deaths on Thursday, bringing cumulative cases in the country to 97,524 with 2,007 deaths.
The Phnom Penh administration office announced the extension of disease control measures in the city for another 14 days, until September 23, to curb the spread of Covid-19. These measures include a ban on public gathering of more than 15 people and sales of alcoholic beverages.
Meanwhile, Laos’ Institute of Traditional Medicine announced that it has researched the process of producing herbal medications in capsule form, which are now being used to treat patients infected with Covid-19.
Medical personnel in Laos are already treating some 450 Covid-19 patients using herbal medicines in capsules in the provinces of Champasak and Savannakhet. The capsules that contain green chiretta (Fah Talai Jone), fish mint and finger root have proved to be effective in the treatment of respiratory diseases, particularly Covid-19.
China to donate 100 mln more doses of COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries by year end: Xi
China will donate 100 million more doses of COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries within this year on top of a donation of 100 million U.S. dollars to COVAX, said Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.
Xi made the announcement in Beijing while addressing the 13th BRICS summit via video link.
China will strive to provide a total of 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the world by the end of this year, said Xi, noting that China, to date, has provided more than 1 billion doses of finished and bulk vaccines to over 100 countries and international organizations.
Malaysian PM pushes Asean travel bubble with China as Covid cases surge
Photo taken on Sept. 8, 2021 shows a view of a street in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan.
People walk on the street in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 31, 2021.
Patrons dine at a restaurant in Navy Yard neighborhood in Washington D.C., the United States on Aug. 31, 2021.
Photo taken on July 20, 2018 shows a passenger plane of U.S. Delta Air Line at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, the United States.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks at a press briefing in Santa Fe, Texas, the United States, May 18, 2018.
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