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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404420

Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai, Martin Lee found guilty over 2019 protest

InternationalApr 02. 2021

By Syndication Washington Post, Bloomberg · Kari Lindberg, Chloe Lo

Hong Kong’s “father of democracy” Martin Lee and media mogul Jimmy Lai were among a group of opposition activists found guilty for attending an unauthorized protest in 2019, in the latest blow to the city’s beleaguered opposition.

Lee, 82, who helped lead the pro-democracy camp during the former British colony’s transition to Chinese rule, was convicted Thursday in a court in the West Kowloon area along with fellow activists Albert Ho, Leung “Long Hair” Kwok-hung, Lee Cheuk-yan, Cyd Ho and Margaret Ng. The court set sentencing for April 16.

“We are very disappointed with the verdict because what we have done is only exercising our constitutional rights,” Lee Cheuk-yan said outside the courtroom. “But it’s a badge of honor for us that we are convicted for walking together with the people of Hong Kong for democracy and freedom.”

Martin Lee declined to comment on the verdict. Diplomats from the European Union, Germany, Sweden, Canada, Australia and New Zealand attended the hearing.

The court case is the latest in a series of major setbacks in recent weeks for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp. The group on trial comprised veteran activists who have for years supported causes such as human rights and women’s rights, and organized vigils commemorating the 1989 crackdown on student demonstrators in Tiananmen Square.

The decision comes shortly after top Chinese lawmakers approved a sweeping plan that effectively ends open elections in Hong Kong. The city’s government separately charged some 47 prominent opposition figures with “conspiracy to commit subversion” under a national security law imposed last year that carries sentences as long as life in prison.

Martin Lee was among 15 prominent democracy activists accused last year of participating in a historic — but unauthorized — march on Aug. 18, 2019. The mostly peaceful demonstration was one of the biggest held during months of unrest over proposed extradition legislation, with an estimated 1.7 million people attending.

The case is part of a push to disband Hong Kong’s democratic institutions and clamp down on the opposition’s moderate wing, according to Michael Davis, a professor of law and international affairs at O.P. Jindal Global University in India and a former law professor at the University of Hong Kong.

“The government has chosen 15 people very carefully out of the 1.7 million protesters, and all are moderate democratic activists and politicians,” Davis said. “It’s very hard to separate this trial from the current effort to prevent participation in the political process.”

Hong Kong police have swept up many of the city’s established opposition leaders among the more than 10,000 activists arrested since the protests erupted in June 2019. Some, such as Jimmy Lai, face multiple prosecutions, including charges under the national security law.

Two former opposition lawmakers, Au Nok-hin and Leung Yiu-chung, had previously pleaded guilty to charges related to the August 2019 protest. Six other people are expected to go on trial over the demonstration later this year.

Martin Lee, a London-trained lawyer, has stoked Beijing’s ire for more than three decades, dating back to his support for the Tiananmen Square protests and subsequent defeat of the pro-establishment camp in Hong Kong’s first direct legislative elections. He sat on the committee that drafted Hong Kong’s post-handover charter, founded the Democratic Party and served as a lawmaker until his retirement in 2008.

Chinese authorities have accused him of being a “traitor” for testifying before the U.S. Congress, and in August 2019 labeled him as part of a “New Gang of Four” in a publication under the Communist Party’s top legal body. The piece also named Lai and Ho, a former Democratic Party leader and chief executive candidate, as members of the “gang” — a reference to a Communist Party faction jailed for attempting to seize power after Mao Zedong’s death in 1976.

Nonetheless, Martin Lee had avoided arrest until last year. In an op-ed published in the Washington Post last year, he described his arrest as “part of a large plan” to snuff out dissent in Hong Kong.

“But once Hong Kong’s human rights and rule of law are rolled back, the fatal virus of authoritarian rule will be here to stay,” he said.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404418

The Suez Canal ship is free, but the shipping industry’s ‘humanitarian crisis’ isn’t over

InternationalApr 02. 2021

By The Washington Post · Antonia Noori Farzan

For nearly a week, the world was fixated on the spectacle of a mammoth cargo carrier blocking the Suez Canal, causing billions of dollars of damage to the global economy with every passing day.

It was a surreal experience for advocates who have spent the past year trying to draw attention to the hundreds of thousands of mariners who are stranded on container ships because of the pandemic, creating what has been described as a “humanitarian crisis at sea.” While more than 90% of goods used worldwide are transported by ship, few consumers stop to think about the lengthy ocean voyage involved, or the plight of seafarers who go months or years without seeing their families to make that possible.

The crisis in the canal forced the world’s attention on ships that despite their massive size are often all but invisible, suddenly making plain the extent to which global trade relies on vessels such as the Ever Given and their crews, who predominantly come from developing nations.

“Hero is a strong word, but they really have kept society moving for the past 13 months,” said Stephen Cotton, the general secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation, which represents seafarers worldwide.

For many of the seafarers who found themselves stuck in the Suez Canal last week, the delays were a new source of stress that added to what has already been a difficult year. When countries closed their borders to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in March 2020, hundreds of thousands of workers at sea were left stranded, unable to return home or set foot on shore when their ships arrived in port. Under international labor standards, crews are required to rotate off ships every 11 months to avoid burnout, but many long ago hit that milestone and still have no idea when they might be able to disembark.

“Seafarers must not be forgotten as soon as this incident is over,” the United Kingdom-based International Chamber of Shipping said in a Monday statement after the Ever Given was freed.

About 200,000 mariners worldwide are either unable to leave their ships or travel to ports to relieve crew members who have exceeded their contracts, according to the organization.

That has added new strain to what was already a taxing job: Seafarers must work long shifts, often staying up overnight to keep watch, while bunking in cramped quarters and having little to no contact with the outside world. In September, the Consumer Goods Forum pleaded with the United Nations for help, warning that well-intentioned travel restrictions had “inadvertently created a modern form of forced labour.”

Advocates for mariners have warned that crew fatigue is a safety issue, and that seafarers’ mental health is suffering. The International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network found that the number of reported suicides among seafarers roughly doubled over the past year; it said the true extent of the problem may be vastly understated.

“When someone goes overboard, there is always a question mark: Was it suicide or was it an accident?” executive director Robert Harris told Lloyd’s List last month. “I’ve been told by at least two shipping companies that sometimes it is suspected as suicide, but it is reported as ‘missing at sea’ because the family wouldn’t get a payout from the protection and indemnity club.”

It is not clear whether crew exhaustion was a factor in the grounding of the Ever Given. The International Transport Workers’ Federation has determined that the 25 crew members – all Indian nationals – were not yet over-contract, and that all had been onboard for less than six months.

Still, the organization has called for an investigation that will examine whether larger systemic issues in the industry, such as crew fatigue, played a role. “We always worry that it’s very easy to blame seafarer error,” Cotton told The Washington Post. Rather than single out a culprit, “we want to understand what happened so we can make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Abdulgani Serang, the general secretary for National Union of Seafarers of India, wrote on social media Saturday that he had been in touch with the crew, who he described as “fine but stressed out.”

The shipping industry uses the term “sea blindness” to describe the general public’s lack of awareness about the critical role seafarers and ocean networks play in global commerce. While the United Nations has designated ship crews as essential workers and urged other governments to do the same, that designation has led to little change, and many mariners still have no idea when they might be able to take a break or return home, more than a year into the pandemic.

Meanwhile, as coronavirus vaccines become available worldwide, people working at sea do not have ready access to vaccination clinics or medical facilities. More than half the shipping industry’s workforce comes from developing nations, where vaccines are in short supply, Guy Platten, the secretary general for the United Kingdom-based International Chamber of Shipping, told The Washington Post on Friday.

Such logistical challenges will continue to be an issue long after the traffic jam in the Suez Canal is unsnarled. Hopefully, Platten said, one takeaway of the Ever Given saga is that consumers will be more aware of the lengthy and arduous voyage that products take to get to their door, and “think about the seafarers who deliver those goods that we all take for granted.”

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404416

‘Chargers everywhere’: Biden maps $174 billion path for EV boom

InternationalApr 02. 2021A Tesla Inc. vehicle charges at a charging station in San Mateo, Calif., on Sept. 22, 2020. MUST CREDIT: Bloomberg photo by David Paul Morris

By Syndication Washington Post, Bloomberg · Keith Laing, Ari Natter

The U.S. auto industry sees President Joe Biden’s infrastructure package as accelerating a global shift toward electric vehicles, thanks to the $174 billion proposed for charging stations, planned consumer rebates for American-made EVs and a pledge to electrify the government’s fleet.

The proposal, which requires congressional approval, is likely to be targeted by progressives as too little in scope and by Republicans as unfairly using taxpayer funds to help the alternative energy sector while harming others, such as the oil industry. Market researchers, oil-energy advocates and other critics warn that it may not be enough to make a dent in the sale of gas guzzlers in the U.S. any time soon.

“The numbers tell the current story,” Michelle Krebs, executive analyst at Cox Automotive, which conducts market research for auto dealers. EVs made up only 2% of new car sales in 2020, while SUVs and pickup trucks comprised about 70%. “However, we know there is interest in EVs. Our consumer survey on upcoming EV pickup trucks showed interest, especially among young buyers.”

Biden’s plan directs $174 billion to electric vehicles, including sale rebates and tax credits for consumers to buy American-made cars, in addition to industry incentives. The centerpiece of the plan made public Wednesday is to help build a national network of half a million charging stations through grants to state and local governments and the private sector.

“Efforts that incentivize wider-scale EV adoption, build out the necessary infrastructure, and facilitate consumer awareness are essential components to EV market expansion,” said John Bozzella, president and chief executive officer of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade association that represents major automakers such as Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co., Stellantis NV, Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp.

Installing charging stations nationwide is something industry and environmental groups regard as essential to increase the adoption of electric vehicles by consumers worried about getting stranded on a long road trip in an electric car.

“Seeing chargers everywhere will make consumers feel comfortable purchasing electric vehicles,” Katherine Garcia, deputy director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All program, said in an interview.

The 500,000 charging stations is “of critical importance,” said Genevieve Cullen, president of the Electric Drive Transportation Association, which represents companies that stand to benefit from the move such as GM, the utility CenterPoint Energy Inc., and the electric vehicle charging network EVgo Services LLC. “It’s the right start.”

The plan to wean American motorists off gas-powered automobiles is part of a broader $2.25 trillion infrastructure blueprint that also calls for sweeping spending to achieve the White House’s climate goals — such as net-zero emissions in the U.S. by 2050. It also comes in stark contrast to former President Donald Trump, who rolled-back fuel economy requirements put in place by his predecessor and called for an end to a key EV consumer tax credit seen as helping to launch the industry.

“The combination of a Biden administration and a blue Senate sets the stage for a green tidal wave in the U.S. to kick off, with electric vehicles the centerpiece,” said Dan Ives, a senior equity research analyst at Wedbush Securities wrote in a research note Wednesday. “For the EV sector, the Street has been awaiting this day since Biden was elected.”

Shares of EV makers may get a fresh lease on life from Biden’s plan. EV stocks had rallied hard last year, partly in anticipation of more favorable industry policies after the election, but the intense investor enthusiasm had started showing signs of strain this year, as sentiment toward risky, high-multiple stocks soured amid a rise in Treasury yields.

EV stocks gained in trading Thursday. Tesla Inc. rose more than 3% while smaller companies that typically take their trading cues from Tesla rose, too, with Workhorse Group Inc., Lordstown Motors Corp., Nikola Corp., Nio Inc., XPeng Inc. and Fisker Inc. all higher.

Some critics of Biden’s plan questioned whether the scope will even come close to what is needed to shift consumers from gas-powered vehicles.

The 500,000 charging stations “wouldn’t even amount to 50% of what is needed in California alone,” said Tom Pyle, a former Trump adviser and the president of the American Energy Alliance, a free-market advocacy group. “The notion it would be built in the U.S. with union paying jobs is also a fantasy when you consider the entire supply chain is based in China.”

“It’s a pipe dream built on a foundation of lies,” Pyle said.

Biden also called for the electrification of the federal government’s entire fleet of more than 600,000 vehicles — including the U.S. Postal Service, which recently earned scorn of environmentalists and Democratic lawmakers for selecting the military and emergency truck maker Oshkosh Corp. for part of a $6 billion contract for more than 100,000 mail-delivery vans over Workhorse Group.

“It forces the U.S. Postal Service in the game,” said Scott Sklar, director of sustainable energy at George Washington University’s Environment & Energy Management Institute. “The U.S. government is a huge customer so that could propel the U.S. EV industry into a world leadership position vis-a-vis China.”

Congress in the coming months is expected to put its own flourishes on the final package — which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she wants to see completed by July 4.

Among likely candidates for inclusion is a $454 billion plan to remove gas-power vehicles on the road by 2040, a measure championed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, as well as the expansion of an existing $7,500 consumer tax credit for the purchase of electric vehicles.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Rep. Dan Kildee, both Michigan Democrats, are working with the White House and Democratic leadership on a plan to do away with an existing 200,000-vehicle per manufacturer cap on the tax credit. Among possible tweaks to the credit are making it refundable and targeting it better toward middle and lower-income motorists.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404415

U.S. jobless claims rise as labor market recovery remains choppy

InternationalApr 02. 2021

By Syndication Washington Post, Bloomberg · Reade Pickert

Applications for U.S. state unemployment insurance unexpectedly rose last week but remained near the lowest levels of the pandemic as the labor market meanders toward full recovery.

Initial jobless claims in regular state programs increased to 719,000 in the week ended March 27, up 61,000 from the prior week, Labor Department data showed Thursday. Economists in a Bloomberg survey estimated 675,000 claims. The prior week’s figure was revised down to 658,000, which is below the Great Recession’s peak.

The unexpected increase in claims underscores the choppy nature of the labor market recovery and indicates it will take time to recoup the millions of the jobs lost because of the pandemic. However, vaccinations are increasing and business restrictions are easing, suggesting employment will accelerate in the coming months.

Virginia, Kentucky and Georgia led states with the biggest increases in unadjusted claims from the prior week. The data have been volatile during the pandemic amid backlogs, fraud and new programs.

The figures come a day before the monthly employment report. The median forecast of economists in a Bloomberg survey calls for a 650,000 gain in payrolls in March, the most in five months, and some economists are expecting an increase of 1 million.

Historical revisions to initial and continuing claims for 2016-2020 were also released Thursday. The pandemic peak was revised down to 6.149 million initial jobless claims in regular state programs from 6.867 million.

Continuing claims — an approximation of the number of people filing for ongoing state benefits — fell to 3.79 million in the week ended March 20. To some extent, the decline in that figure reflects an improvement in the labor market, but millions of Americans have also exhausted those benefits and moved to federal programs

Continued weeks claimed for the federal pandemic program that extends the duration of unemployment benefits, known as Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, fell to 5.52 million in the week ended March 13. This program was extended into September in the $1.9 trillion relief package passed last month

Applications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance — which was also recently extended by Congress and provides benefits to those not traditionally eligible — totaled 237,025 last week

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Russia unveils world’s first coronavirus vaccine for dogs, cats and other animals

InternationalApr 01. 2021

By The Washington Post · Miriam Berger

Russia has registered the world’s first coronavirus vaccine for dogs, cats, minks, foxes and other animals, the country’s agriculture safety watchdog said Wednesday.

Called Carnivak-Cov, the vaccine was developed by scientists at the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, also known as Rosselkhoznadzor, Russia’s Tass News Agency said.

While many scientists say the virus causing covid-19 initially jumped from bats to humans, perhaps through another intermediary, infections have since been reported worldwide in animals, from zoos to mink farms.

It remains unclear how easily the virus can move between animals and humans. But after repeated outbreaks among minks at farms in Denmark and elsewhere in Europe, millions of the furry animals were killed precautionarily to cut any further transmission. Scientists have been particularly worried about mutated variants of the virus developing in minks and other animals going on to infect humans.

Russia has already approved three coronavirus vaccines for use in humans on an emergency basis. Rosselkhoznadzor deputy head Konstantin Savenkov said Wednesday that this would be the world’s first authorized for widespread animal inoculations.

The vaccine could be mass produced as soon as April, although the agency did not say when it would be on the market.

“Carnivak-Cov, a sorbate inactivated vaccine against the coronavirus infection . . . is the world’s first and only product for preventing covid-19 in animals,” Savenkov told Tass News.

Two U.S. companies, New Jersey-based veterinary pharmaceutical company Zoetis and the North Dakota-based Medgene Labs, have also been developing coronavirus vaccines for use among minks and other animals.

Scientists in Russia launched clinical trials in October and tested the vaccine on dogs, cats, foxes, including Arctic foxes, and minks, among other animals. Mass production of the vaccine could begin in April, according to Savenkov.

“The outcome of the research gives us grounds to conclude that the vaccine is safe and has strong immunogenic effect,” Savenkov said.

The vaccine is expected to produce antibody resistance that lasts at least six months.

Savenkov told Tass News that “domestic animal-breeding enterprises and commercial firms from Greece, Poland and Austria” are planning to purchase the vaccine, while companies from the United States, Canada and Singapore, among others, have expressed interest in it.

Russia’s coronavirus vaccine for humans have so far not been approved for use in the United States or Europe.

Earlier this year Zoetis’s vaccine was administered on a trial-basis to nine infected apes at a San Diego zoo. They have since recovered.