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A novel coronavirus variant known as XE, which is believed to be more contagious than previous variants, has been detected in Japan for the first time, the health ministry said Monday.
XE was detected in a woman in her 30s who had been in the United States. She tested positive at a Japan airport on March 26.
According to the World Health Organization, the XE variant is a recombinant of the omicron subvariants prevalent in Japan: BA.1 and BA.2. It was first detected in the United Kingdom on Jan. 19 this year, with about 600 confirmed cases of XE as of March 29.
XE appears to have arisen after genetic recombination of the virus in a person who was infected with both omicron subvariants at the same time.
The new variant is said to be 10% more infectious than BA.2. Vaccine efficacy and the detailed nature of XE is not yet known, so further confirmation is needed, the WHO said.
“We don’t know the relation of the new variant to more serious symptoms,” Takaji Wakita, director general of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and chair of a health ministry advisory panel, said April 6. “We need to keep conducting genomic analysis at quarantine.”
In Europe, more than 80 cases have been detected of the XD variant dubbed “deltacron” — a recombinant of the delta variant and the omicron BA.1 subvariant. The exact nature of XD is also unknown.
While deltacron has not been detected in Japan, Tetsuya Mizutani, a professor of virology at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology said, “Japan should have a surveillance system in place to contain the spread from overseas quickly.”
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today spoke of India’s contributions to war-torn Ukraine in terms of medicines and relief material, and said India hopes that the “ongoing talks between Russia and Ukraine will pave the way for peace”.
“We have also placed importance on the safety of the civilian population in Ukraine and the uninterrupted supply of humanitarian aid to them… Recently, the news of killings of innocent civilians in Bucha city was very worrying. We immediately condemned it and demanded a fair investigation,” PM Modi said during a virtual meeting with US President Joe Biden.
“When I came to Washington in September last year, you said that India-US partnership can contribute to the solution of many global problems. I completely agree with you. As the world’s two largest and oldest democracies, we are natural partners,” he added.
The virtual meet coincides with the maiden India-US 2+2 dialogue under the Biden administration.
Ahead of a virtual meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, United States President Joe Biden on Monday said that he is looking forward to further deepening ties between governments and people of the two countries.
“This morning, I’m meeting virtually with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India. I look forward to further deepening ties between our governments, economies, and people,” Biden said in a tweet. PM Modi and Biden would discuss a range of issues including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate crisis, global economy and Indo-Pacific.
“President Biden and Prime Minister Modi will discuss cooperation on a range of issues including ending the COVID-19 pandemic, countering the climate crisis, strengthening the global economy, and upholding a free, open, rules-based international order to bolster security, democracy, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had said on Sunday.
Both the leaders will also advance ongoing conversations about the development of an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and delivering high-quality infrastructure.
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BEIJING – NATO should immediately stop spreading disinformation and provocative remarks targeting China, and abandon the confrontational approach of drawing ideological lines, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday, adding that China has lodged solemn representations with NATO for many times.
Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the statement at a regular news briefing in response to NATO secretary general’s groundless accusations and smearing against China.
Zhao said that, for some time now, in disregard of facts, the head of NATO has been making false remarks on China’s foreign policy, hyping up the so-called “China threat” theory and has recently engaged in coercion against China.
“China is strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to this, and has lodged solemn representations with NATO for many times,” he said.
As the world’s largest military alliance and a product of the Cold War, NATO has long adhered to its old-fashioned security concept, engaged in camp confrontation in the old Cold War way, and has become a tool for individual countries to seek hegemony, Zhao said.
NATO claims to be a “defensive organization,” but it is, in fact, constantly creating confrontations and disturbances, said the spokesperson, adding that the organization demands that other countries abide by the basic norms of international relations, yet wages war and indiscriminate bombing against sovereign states, killing and displacing innocent civilians.
NATO is clearly a military organization in the North Atlantic, but in recent years it has been throwing its weight around and stirring up conflicts in the Asia-Pacific region, Zhao noted.
“NATO continues to break through geographical and territorial boundaries and advocates a new Cold War of bloc confrontation. The international community should be on high alert and firmly oppose this,” he added.
Zhao emphasized that China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of the international order, and will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development. China’s development means opportunities for the world, instead of a threat to anyone, he said.
NATO has disrupted Europe. It should stop trying to destabilize Asia and the whole world, Zhao said.
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The transition committee for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday that it would amend laws to use international age instead of “Korean age” to reduce social and economic costs associated with allowing more than one way to count age.
Under the Korean age system, Koreans are 1 year old at birth, and they get a year older on New Year’s Day regardless of their birth date. The system is widely used, though official records usually follow the international norm that starts at zero and counts the number of years since birth.
Support for transitioning to the international system grew louder in January this year, when health authorities used the two systems interchangeably to set the age bracket for the vaccine pass mandate and vaccine eligibility. Some were unable to get their shots, but were still required to show proof of vaccination.
“If we stick to the international age system, we will no longer see the social and economic costs associated with all the confusion and inconvenience arising from the age gap,” said Rep. Lee Yong-ho of Yoon’s People Power Party, who oversees political, legal and public services at the transition committee.
Lee said the committee would amend the Civil Code and a law dealing with how the government should run public services in order to make the international age the leading standard in everyday life.
Laws that also need revision to reflect the latest change will be taken care of later, Lee added, saying his team will look into other rules that rely on a compromise of the two systems as well. They involve conscripting men for military duty or defining juveniles to afford them protections against abuse.
The two laws count the number of years since birth as per the international norm, but do not take into account the individual’s actual date of birth. In other words, babies born in January and December are the same age despite the difference in months in which they were born.
The compromise has rendered a more efficient way for the government to handle services involving large populations.
“There is a reason for the kind of compromise in such laws and we will consult with experts before we think about changing them too,” Lee said, stressing however that embracing the international age system has clear upside in most cases.
Lee referred to a recent Supreme Court decision in a wage dispute complaint where the top court ruled that workers should consider their international age when the company officially communicates to them its plan involving setting extra wages.
“There would be much less confusion if we could have the same idea of what it means to be how old we actually are,” Lee said, noting that the change his team is seeking to take effect would come as early as next year.
And amending the existing laws to see the change is much easier than asking the National Assembly to approve new legislation endorsing the change, Lee said, referring to 2021 and 2019, when two separate lawmakers, respectively, proposed legislation to back the international age system.
The two bills were not signed into law.
“I don’t expect any kind of pushback from the National Assembly this time,” Lee said, noting the parliament, where President Moon Jae-in’s ruling Democratic Party of Korea holds majority control, would not oppose Yoon’s move because the lawmaker who tried the legislation in 2021 was from Moon’s party.
Seven out of 10 Koreans supported the change, according to pollster HanKook Research, which surveyed 1,000 South Korean adults in December last year.
By Choi Si-young
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Mian Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the 23rd prime minister of Pakistan on Monday, receiving 174 votes in the 342-strong National Assembly after the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, which is the largest party in the lower house with 155 seats, boycotted the session and also decided to resign from the assembly.
Born in Lahore in 1950, Shehbaz is the younger brother of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and thrice-elected prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
He has served three times as Punjab’s chief minister. Shehbaz previously held the post from 1997-1999, before former military ruler Pervez Musharraf exiled the Sharif brothers to Saudi Arabia, and then again from 2008-2013 and then from 2013-2018. Most recently, he was the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly during the PTI’s tenure.
Considered a workaholic, Shehbaz liked to call himself Khadim-i-Aala (chief servant) rather than chief minister.
Shehbaz is the second son of Mian Mohammad Sharif. He is an influential businessman and jointly owns the Ittefaq Group of Companies. He was also elected president of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industries in 1985.
Shehbaz was first elected as an MPA to the Punjab Assembly in 1988. In 1990, he chose to run for a National Assembly seat, returning as an MNA. However, in 1993, he again stood for a provincial assembly seat and became leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly. His term ended in 1996 when the assemblies were dissolved.
After his win in the 1997 election, Shehbaz earned the opportunity to serve the largest province of the country for the first time and remained its chief minister until Musharraf’s military coup in 1999.
Following his return from nearly a decade-long exile, Shehbaz became chief minister of Punjab for the second time after the PML-N won the majority number of seats in the province in the 2008 election.
In 2008, Shehbaz won three Punjab Assembly seats (PP-159, PP-161 and PP-247) and one National Assembly seat (NA-129), however, he opted to retain PP-159.
The Metro Bus projects in Punjab are frequently touted as his biggest achievements.
His son, Hamza Shehbaz Sharif, serves as an MPA and is a candidate for Punjab’s next chief minister. He served as the opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly during the PTI’s tenure.
In 2018, Shehbaz contested election on multiple NA seats but won NA-132 (Lahore) only. He also won two Punjab Assembly seats (PP-164 and PP-165).
Eventually, he retained the NA-132 seat and was nominated by the PML-N and other opposition parties as their nominee for the prime minister but lost the contest to Imran Khan, who bagged 176 votes compared to Shehbaz’s 96.
Key stances:
Shehbaz is considered a strong and determined individual as well as a competent administrator. He attained visible success in developmental work in Punjab, with the Metro Bus projects in Punjab frequently touted as one of his biggest achievements.
A three-time chief minister and an influential businessman who owns part of the Ittefaq Group of Companies, he takes pride in the construction and development work that he has done in various administrations and is also very proud of Lahore’s development.
Despite his brother’s troubles in the recent and distant past, which also led to the elder Sharif having to go into exile, Shehbaz has remained loyal to Nawaz. “I believe Nawaz Sharif is the only Pakistani politician and leader that can be called Jinnah’s political heir. We are lucky to have been blessed with a Quaid [leader] like Nawaz Sharif,” he told a convention of the PML-N’s General Council, shortly after he was elected as the party’s president unopposed in March 2018.
Despite his loyalty to Nawaz whose troubles have been credited to ‘a hostile establishment’, Shehbaz appears soft when it comes to civil-military relations compared to the more hardline stance taken by his brother. “The civilian and military authorities must work together to counter the challenges facing Pakistan,” he told journalists in 2018.
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SUITA, Osaka (Jiji Press) — Major electronics group Panasonic Holdings Corp. is set to fully open Suita Sustainable Smart Town in the city of Suita, Osaka Prefecture, on April 29.
All of the electricity consumed in Suita SST will be effectively produced using renewable energy sources, the first such feature in Japan, according to the company. Members of the media were allowed to view the smart town on Friday.
Suita SST was developed jointly with firms including Kansai Electric Power Co.
“The important thing is for Suita SST to continue developing to help boost the value of the area,” Panasonic Holdings Group CEO Yuki Kusumi told a press conference on Friday.
The smart town, constructed on a 2.3-hectare site, has a total of 362 housing units, including those for families, elderly people and people needing home-care services, to allow residents of many generations to live a comfortable life, the company said. It also has a group home for people with dementia and child care facilities, and offers a bicycle-sharing service. Residents have already started to live in the town.
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Since 2016, a total of 3,690 Party members (including 440 women) have been disciplined over incidences of corruption and other forms of misconduct, according to an official report unveiled last week.
Of these, 2,019 people were expelled from the Party, 150 officials were demoted, and 742 members were banned from taking part in Party meetings and activities.
In addition, 753 other Party members and nine Party cadres were given warnings instructing them not to repeat their transgressions, according to the report, which was presented at a nationwide state inspection meeting held in Oudomxay province on April 8-9.
The meeting was attended by Standing Member of the Party Central Committee Secretariat and Vice President of Laos, Dr Bounthong Chitmany, and senior leaders from the provinces of Oudomxay, Luang Prabang, Xayaboury, Luang Namtha and Bokeo.
The report was published after the State Inspection Authority, in cooperation with provincial authorities, inspected infrastructure development projects, mining and timber processing businesses, and land use and management. Investigations into more than 4,180 targets since 2016 revealed that more than 8.97 trillion kip (including 8.37 trillion kip, US$50.22 million and 36.89 million baht) had been lost to corruption.
Of this amount, authorities have so far retrieved only 1.82 trillion kip (including 1,782 billion kip, US$3.55 million and 11.16 million baht) and have pledged to recover the rest of the money embezzled by corrupt officials. In addition, inspectors scrutinised 2,000 out of 5,542 state investment projects and found that 1,119 people, including 127 state officials and 246 business executives, had been involved in the misappropriation of funds.
In recent years, prosecutions have been made in 842 cases of corruption, which involved at least 360 government officials and 364 staff at state enterprises. The United Nations describes corruption as a serious crime that can undermine social and economic development in all societies. No country, region or community is immune.
Vice President Dr Bounthong Chitmany called on the State Inspection Authority and other sectors concerned to enhance their role and take more responsibility in exposing corruption and corrupt officials.
Inspectors were instructed to specify target areas for inspection and to carry out early investigations to ensure that the nation is protected against huge losses from corruption.
“Our Party considers corruption to be a major threat to the existence and development of our new regime. Not only that, it creates social injustice and affects the trust of people in the government,” Dr Bounthong said.
The Vice President said future inspections should focus on finance, planning and project approvals, to plug loopholes that could result in financial leaks.
Inspectors must carry out in-depth investigations as the government seeks to fulfil two national agendas, which aim to address economic and financial difficulties and combat drug trafficking, to help the country overcome these growing challenges.
By Somsack Pongkhao
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Specific arrangements for the planned relaxation of social-distancing restrictions and the resumption of school classes will be announced next week, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Sunday.
The Hong Kong government decided in mid-March that face-to-face classes would resume after the Easter holidays, and the social distancing curbs that have been in place since early January would be eased in three stages after April 21.
Lam said that although the Omicron virus is still highly infectious, the number of new cases has dropped substantially in the past few weeks and most patients only have mild symptoms.
The government has also improved its ability to cope with the virus. Taking into account the public’s need to return to normal life and for the economy to recover, she said it’s no longer necessary to maintain strict restrictions.
When classes resume, schools will not require students to show their vaccination records before entering the campus as about 200,000 students aged 3 to 11 have yet to receive their first jab.
The city’s voluntary three-day COVID self-tests from April 8 to 10 ended on Sunday. Lam urged more residents to do the tests, saying they will help to identify more asymptomatic patients. The online reporting platform for self-tests logged about 300 new cases on April 9. Among the reported cases, the proportion of asymptomatic patients rose to 70 percent from about 30 percent previously, Lam said.
She said the overall results of the mass exercise would be known by April 12 at the latest as residents who carry out the tests on Sunday night will have to wait for 24 hours for the results.
Based on the outcome of the self-tests, the government will review the need to proceed with the planned compulsory universal tests later, Lam said.
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