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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40006587

The Biden administration is taking steps to mitigate the impacts of a potential government shutdown on U.S. pandemic response, economic recovery, or other priorities, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

The Joe Biden administration is preparing for a possible government shutdown in the event that current funding runs out on Sept. 30, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday.

“It’s consistent with longstanding practice across many administrations for OMB to simply remind agency senior staff of the need to review and update orderly shutdown plans,” Psaki said at a press briefing, referring to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

“This is not formal guidance being given, it’s just a reminder, we’re seven days out, and we need to be prepared, of course, in any event of any contingency. So we see this as a routine step and one just to be prepared in any event of what could happen,” she said.

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Psaki noted that the Biden administration is taking steps to mitigate the impacts of a potential government shutdown on U.S. pandemic response, economic recovery, or other priorities.

“The fact is shutdowns are incredibly costly, disruptive, and damaging. Direct public health efforts can generally proceed during a shutdown because they’re exempt, and that is certainly our intention,” she said.
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Psaki’s comments came after the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday night passed a bill that would prevent a federal government shutdown and suspend the debt limit on government borrowing into December 2022.

The bill now heads to the Senate, where the Senate Republicans have vowed to block it. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell signaled on Monday that Republicans would help pass a short-term government funding bill only if Democrats separate it from a plan to suspend the debt limit.

“Depending on what happens there, we will keep government open by September 30th, which is our date, and continue the conversation about the debt ceiling,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday at a press conference, adding Congress will find a way to avert a government shutdown next week.

Published : September 24, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40006586

As the Gaza Strip witnesses an increase in the number of cases of COVID-19 infections, the Health Ministry there is seeking to raise the percentage of vaccination in the hope of achieving herd immunity.

The Palestinian coastal enclave has been witnessing for weeks a significant increase in the number of cases of COVID-19 infections, Gaza-based medical officials said.

There are more than 255 critical cases of the Delta strain across the Gaza Strip, and the majority of those cases are young people and pregnant women, according to officials.

Rana al-Namrouti, a 39-year-old pregnant woman, is one of those patients in a critical condition and she was transferred to the intensive care unit in the European Gaza Hospital for weeks after her health condition deteriorated.

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The mother of four told Xinhua that her infection with the new strain of the virus caused severe complications that put her in a coma that lasted 25 days.

Connected to a ventilator, she can hardly talk, but she explained that her severe infection caused two clots in the lungs and feet, in addition to stomach bleeding. She recalled what happened to her was “in a state of death and came back to life.”

A medical worker prepares a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination campaign in Gaza City, on Sept. 23, 2021.(Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

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Yousef al-Akkad, director of the European Gaza Hospital, told Xinhua that “the weakness of the Gazan health system caused by the 14-year Israeli blockade is a major dilemma in facing the spread of the new strain and the increasing number of injuries in hospitals.”

“Inside the hospital, there are 109 cases of coronavirus out of the designated 150 that we can receive,” he said, adding that “the existing cases are classified as critical and dangerous and in need of support for various artificial respirators.”

A medical worker works at a testing lab for COVID-19 at Al-Rimal Clinic in Gaza City, on Sept. 23, 2021. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

He noted that the hospital has started preparing the fourth section in light of the high epidemiological trend in the sector, expressing his hope that the coming days will witness a flattening of the curve and then a return to decline and refraction.

Despite his optimism, the population’s preventative measures are still absent in the Strip. Yet, the Hamas-run government in Gaza said they will not resort to closure unless necessary or unless the health system collapses, according to Salama Maarouf, the government’s spokesman.

Maarouf said that medical and technical indicators say that the peak of the current wave is from the middle to the end of September. So by the end of this month, the number of infected, including critical cases, is expected to decrease.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry in Gaza is seeking to raise the percentage of people vaccinated to 70 percent, in the hope of achieving herd immunity.

Ashraf al-Qedra, a spokesman of the ministry, told Xinhua that the percentage of those vaccinated increased from 10 to 35 percent after authorities organized a vaccination campaign with financial rewards.

The vaccinations were taken in sports clubs, local institutions, and universities. It also allocated 40 field medical teams to visit population facilities to facilitate access to them.

Earlier on Thursday, the Health Ministry reported 1,534 new cases infected with the new virus, raising the total number to 160,733 cases. In addition, eight fatalities were recorded, increasing the total number of deaths in Gaza to 1,319.

A Palestinian man receives a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination campaign in Gaza City, on Sept. 23, 2021. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

Published : September 24, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40006585

“We will continue to work with the U.S. side, as long as there are opportunities for cooperation. However, the cooperation between the two countries must be conducted in the principle of mutual respect,” said Chinese Ambassador Qin Gang.

China is sincere in starting a dialogue with the United States to deescalate bilateral tensions on the basis of mutual respect, Chinese Ambassador Qin Gang said here on Wednesday.

“We will continue to work with the U.S. side, as long as there are opportunities for cooperation. However, the cooperation between the two countries must be conducted in the principle of mutual respect,” said Qin in respond to questions after delivering a speech at a virtual conversation jointly held by the Carter Center and the George H.W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations.

“And the United States should not expect China’s cooperation in areas where only the U.S. has demand and interests, while neglecting or even undermining China’s interests at the same time, in particular on these core issues concerning China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.

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“To be frank, what I worry about is that the United States uses competition to define China-U.S. relations, while competition on the U.S. side often takes the form of confrontation, especially on major issues concerning China’s core interests,” he said.
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“If this does not change, it will undermine China’s efforts to promote our mutual trust and cooperation. There is not any example in the history of international relations where the political relationship between two countries is in competition or even confrontation, but other spheres remain safe and sound,” he said.

Containers of China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited are seen at the Port of Long Beach in Los Angeles County, the United States, Feb. 27, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

“A very important thing between China and the United States is mutual respect. China is open and inclusive. We welcome and readily accept various suggestions or criticisms, as long as they are objective, truthful, well-intentioned and constructive, and we will make improvements according to them,” said the ambassador, adding that “a very important job of mine is to communicate and listen.”

“However, we do not accept baseless slander and disinformation. We do not accept condescending lecturing. And we do not accept words or deeds that undermine China’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. Citizens must abide by the law. Likewise, countries must abide by the basic norms governing international relations. U.S. law prohibits secession and racial hatred, but why do some Americans want to treat China in this way?” said Qin.

Published : September 24, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40006583

Apple may have to redesign its iPhones to use USB-C charging ports under draft rules from the European Union aimed at cutting waste and simplifying life for consumers owning multiple devices.

The European Commission said Thursday it wants a single type of charging port to be used for all smartphones and tablets as well as equipment such as cameras, some headphones, portable speakers and handheld video consoles.

“With more and more devices, more and more chargers are sold that are not interchangeable or not necessary,” said Thierry Breton, the EU’s industry chief, in an emailed statement. “We are putting an end to that.”

Apple opposes a standard connector, saying it risks hurting innovation that can bring more energy efficient products to the market. The draft legislation adds to intense pressure from the EU in recent years with antitrust probes into its app store and payment system adding to a legal row over a massive back-tax order.

Apple is “concerned that strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it,” according to an emailed statement. The Cupertino, California-based company said it “deeply cares about the customer experience” and shares the commission’s “commitment to protecting the environment.”

The iPhone maker started removing adapters from packaging last year to reduce waste. While the company uses USB-C for some devices, it has its own Lightning cable and magnetic chargers for iPhones and some accessories.

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Breton told reporters in Brussels that Apple wasn’t “necessarily worried” about the draft rules. He said he’s in regular contact with Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook who has never mentioned the issue.

“It’s not aimed at Apple or anyone else,” he said at a press conference. “We are thinking about the 15 to 20 years to come. Apple already uses USB-C in other devices” and “I don’t think it’s going to cause anyone any problems.”

People spend around 2.4 billion euros ($2.8 billion) annually on standalone chargers not supplied with devices, the EU said. It forecasts a 250 million euro saving every year as consumers avoid buying new chargers. People tend to own as many as three chargers each and find incompatible chargers annoying, it said.

The rules would see all chargers offer the same speed of charging. Phone makers could still be able to sell phones with a charger as long as they also offer models without. They can also sell devices with a cable in the box and without the electric plug. Devices could potentially have multiple ports so long as one was USB-C.

The EU throws away some 11,000 tonnes of chargers every year, some unused, according to the commission. It expects the proposal to reduce that by almost 1,000 tonnes.

The rules could come into force two years after they are agreed by EU lawmakers and governments who can make changes to the draft text.

The EU proposal doesn’t touch on wireless charging. Regulators said they decided not to include earbuds, smartwatches and fitness trackers due to their smaller size.

Published : September 24, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40006578

Moderna chief executive says that the pandemic could be over in a year and that a boost in production will mean enough vaccines for “everyone on this earth” by then.

Producing enough booster shots should be possible, too, to some extent, and even babies will be able to get vaccines, Stéphane Bancel told a Swiss newspaper in an interview published Thursday. Asked whether that could spell “a return to normal” next year, he replied: “As of today, in a year, I assume.”

With the vaccine industry as a whole expanding production, “enough doses should be available by the middle of next year so that everyone on this earth can be vaccinated,” the French billionaire said.

Whether his predictions come true is likely to depend on narrowing the immunity gap between rich countries, which bid high in the contest to buy vaccines, and poorer countries, which rely on trickling donations.

“It is an obscenity” that some governments have hoarded, and sometimes wasted, shots while people elsewhere still wait for their first doses, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres told leaders in New York on Wednesday.

Nearly 80% of people in the world’s wealthier nations already have received first doses. But, in part because of supply problems and biotech firms such as Moderna’s selling most early doses to rich countries, the level of first-dose vaccination falls to 20% in poorer parts of the world.

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President Joe Biden, who like other leaders has faced calls to do more, announced Wednesday that the United States would buy 500 million more doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to donate to other countries.

Vaccination rates remain in single digits across most of Africa, whereas the United States and Britain are looking to begin offering their populations booster shots – a step that has become another symbol of pandemic inequality.

The Moderna boss says he expects that boosters will be needed every one to three years. “We will end up in a situation similar to that of the flu,” he said. “You can either get vaccinated and have a good winter. Or you don’t do it and risk getting sick and possibly even ending up in hospital.”

The co-creator of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine also predicts that the covid-19 will end up being an experience closer to the common cold. British scientist Sarah Gilbert told a webinar that the virus probably would not mutate into an even deadlier version that can skirt vaccines.

“We normally see that viruses become less virulent as they circulate more easily,” she said, playing down fears that have sprung from the spread of highly contagious variants.

Other officials have not expressed that level of optimism. England’s chief medical officer warned on Wednesday that unvaccinated children would end up with covid-19 at some point as the virus continues circulating.

“They will get it sooner or later because this is incredibly infectious,” Chris Whitty said. He told lawmakers that vaccines would cut the risk of infection by at least half.

“We’re not going to see a situation where it just sort of stops at a certain point,” he said.

Published : September 24, 2021