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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40006312

France recalls ambassadors to U.S., Australia over submarine row

“At the request of the President of the Republic, I decided to immediately recall to Paris for consultations our two ambassadors in the United States and Australia. This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional seriousness of the announcements made on Sept. 15 by Australia and the United States,” said French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian.

France has decided to recall its ambassadors to the United States and Australia for consultations after Canberra scrapped a deal to acquire French-designed submarines and decided instead to invest in U.S. nuclear-powered submarines.

“At the request of the President of the Republic, I decided to immediately recall to Paris for consultations our two ambassadors in the United States and Australia. This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional seriousness of the announcements made on Sept. 15 by Australia and the United States,” said French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian in a statement on Friday.

It is the first time in the history of France that such a decision was taken vis-a-vis these two countries, according to French media.

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Earlier in the day, Secretary of State for European Affairs Clement Beaune said France cannot trust Australia in its ongoing trade talks with the European Union (EU) after the new security partnership called “AUKUS” (Australia-UK-U.S.) was unveiled by the three countries on Wednesday.

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C.(Xinhua/Liu Jie)

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A first initiative under the trilateral partnership will be the delivery of a nuclear-powered submarine fleet to Australia by the U.S. and the UK, while back in 2016 Australia signed a contract with France for the purchase of 12 conventional diesel-electric submarines.

Le Drian on Thursday called the trilateral move a “stab in the back.” “We had established a relationship of trust with Australia. This trust has been betrayed,” he said.

“The American behavior worries me; this unilateral and brutal decision is very similar to what Mr. (Donald) Trump was doing,” he added.

Amid international worries about the proliferation of nuclear material and technology via the deal, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said in a press release that it will “engage with them (Australia, the U.S., and the UK) on this matter in line with its statutory mandate, and in accordance with their respective safeguards agreements with the Agency.”

China has also voiced opposition against the trilateral move, describing it as a “sheer act of nuclear proliferation.”

Wang Qun, Chinese envoy to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna, has said that “by openly providing assistance to Australia,” a non-nuclear weapon state, in its acquisition and building of the nuclear-powered submarine, it will “apparently give rise to proliferation of nuclear materials and technologies.” 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (L) talks with U.S. President Joe Biden after their meeting in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, Britain, on June 10, 2021. (Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)

Published : September 18, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40006311

Booster shot debated as U.S. struggles against COVID-19 with vaccination plan

New coronavirus cases and COVID-19 hospitalizations across the United States have started to show signs of decline, although they remain far higher than they were earlier in the summer, and the number of new deaths is still increasing.

Abooster shot for COVID-19 vaccination was debated in the United States on Friday, while the pandemic keeps charging forward, though some states are faring better than previous weeks, like California.

According to The New York Times (NYT), the seven-day average of confirmed cases of the pandemic stood at 150,366 nationwide on Thursday, with its 14-day change striking a 9-percent fall. COVID-19-related deaths were 1,969 on Thursday, with the 14-day change realizing a 29-percent rise.

MIXED DEVELOPMENTS

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New coronavirus cases and COVID-19 hospitalizations across the United States have started to show signs of decline, although they remain far higher than they were earlier in the summer, and the number of new deaths is still increasing, reported NYT on Friday.

As the Delta variant has ripped through unvaccinated communities, reports of new deaths have reached an average of more than 1,900 a day, up nearly 30 percent in the past two weeks. Approximately one in every 500 Americans has died from the disease, said the report.

Customers wearing mask are seen at a shopping mall in San Mateo, California, the United States, Aug. 4, 2021. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

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The pace of vaccinations remained relatively sluggish, with 64 percent of eligible people in the United States fully vaccinated, according to federal data. Health officials said that most of the patients who are being hospitalized and dying are not vaccinated, while areas with higher rates of vaccination have generally fared better, added the report.

Good news was that earlier this week, California dropped from “high” to “substantial” virus spread, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It later bounced back up, but total new cases per 100,000 residents were still lower than any other state.

“An aggressive push for vaccines, coupled with masks mandates at the local level and a public largely willing to go along with them, appear to have helped flatten the state’s curve,” The Washington Post (WP) on Friday quoted experts as saying.

“California, as compared to many other states in the nation, took rapid steps to recognize the extent of the problem and to apply more COVID-19 control measures,” Robert Kim-Farley, an infectious disease expert at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, told WP. “I think if California had not taken these steps to curb transmission, we could have ended up with much higher levels.”

The Golden State’s change in CDC designation, a barometer of how well states are doing in combating the virus, was celebrated by public health officials, who suggested it was a signal that California could be close to a turning point. However, “the fight against Delta is far from over in California, which still faces a host of challenges in containing cases,” said the report.

Photo taken on Aug. 23, 2021 shows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Silver Spring, Maryland, the United States. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

BOOSTER DEBATE

The U.S. government’s push to introduce widespread COVID-19 vaccine boosters faced a test as a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel met on Friday to weigh evidence on the extra shots, a topic that has divided federal health officials.

The outside panel of about 20 scientific advisers reviewed information about the Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE vaccine’s declining protection against COVID-19 over time and on how people tolerated additional doses.

Pfizer has asked regulators to clear booster shots for people 16 years and older, and the FDA, which this week said all the shots cleared for use in the country remain effective without boosters.

While U.S. health officials, some other countries and vaccine makers have said boosters are needed, many scientists, including some inside the FDA and the CDC, disagree.

The FDA panel then voted to recommend COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for Americans 65 and older and those at high risk of severe illness, but rejecting a broader use of booster shots.

“Anything short of a full-throated endorsement could complicate the (U.S. President Joe) Biden administration’s plan to begin distributing extra shots next week to bolster immunity among the vaccinated and counter highly transmissible variants of the virus such as Delta,” reported The Wall Street Journal on Friday. 

People wait in line to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a mobile vaccine clinic in the Brooklyn borough of New York, United States, Aug. 23, 2021. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

Published : September 18, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40006309

Covid-related deaths down in Asean countries

Southeast Asia on Friday reported the least number of Covid-related deaths in a week, although new cases were marginally higher, collated data showed.

Asean countries saw 72,071 new cases, higher than Thursday’s 71,269, and 1,345 deaths, down from 1,460 the previous day.

The number of Covid-19 cases crossed 11.33 million and deaths rose to 249,711.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, 69, on Friday received a Covid-19 booster shot after having been inoculated previously with two doses of Pfizer since January. He urged other elderly people to come forward to get a shot amid a new wave of infections across the country. The government had earlier announced that all citizens aged over 60 years as well as those who have underlying health problems will get a booster shot to protect against Covid-19.

Meanwhile, Indonesia reported 3,835 new cases and 219 deaths on Friday, bringing cumulative cases in the country to 4,185,144 with 140,138 deaths. Authorities announced that from Thursday, residents in Jakarta who have yet to receive any vaccine will be eligible for a Pfizer or Moderna jabs by walking into a vaccination centre, adding that children aged over 12 and pregnant women will get a Pfizer shot while those over 18 years will get a Moderna shot instead.

Published : September 18, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40006308

Giant panda cubs receive public visitors in China zoo

Twin panda brothers born in a zoo in southwest Chinas Chongqing Municipality started to receive public visitors on Friday.

Afemale panda named “Mangzai” gave birth to them on June 10. “Giant pandas often only choose the stronger one of the twins to feed,” said Yin Yanqiang, technical director taking care of the animals at Chongqing Zoo.

“To ensure the survival of the two, we carried out artificially assisted feeding, with one brought up by the panda mom and the other artificially raised in the nursery box. We exchanged their places regularly to allow both of them to enjoy the breast milk in time,” Yin said.

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The brothers are growing well with concerted efforts. The older cub now weighs 6,060 grams and the younger one 5,680 grams, said Yin, adding that the twins have different personalities. “The older brother is more active and alert, while the younger cub gentler and quieter.”

The nursery receives visits in two timeslots from Friday, 10:00-11:00 a.m. and 2:30-3:30 p.m., and the public is invited to give names for the cubs. 

Published : September 18, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40006304

Cuba sees over 8,000 new COVID-19 cases in one day

Meanwhile, the Cuban government is accelerating its vaccination drive against COVID-19, with over 39 percent of the total population of 11.2 million people immunized so far with one of the three-dose vaccines produced by Cuba: Abdala, Soberana-02 and Soberana Plus.

Cuba on Friday said it registered 8,291 new cases of COVID-19 infection in 24 hours, pushing the total number of cases detected to date here to 784,416.

The Ministry of Public Health also reported 75 more deaths from the disease in the same period, raising the pandemic death toll to 6,676.

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Of the total number of new cases confirmed in the past 24 hours, 8,260 were the result of community transmission, the ministry’s director of hygiene and epidemiology, Francisco Duran, said in presenting his daily pandemic update.

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The province of Pinar del Rio remains the epicenter of the pandemic on the island, with 1,629 new cases and an incidence rate of 3,425 per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest in the country.

Meanwhile, the Cuban government is accelerating its vaccination drive against COVID-19, with over 39 percent of the total population of 11.2 million people immunized so far with one of the three-dose vaccines produced by Cuba: Abdala, Soberana-02 and Soberana Plus. 

Published : September 18, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40006301

U.S. military admits drone strike in Kabul killed 10 civilians

The U.S. military admitted on Friday that a U.S. drone strike in late August in Kabul of Afghanistan killed as many as 10 civilians, including 7 children.

— Commander of U.S. Central Command Kenneth McKenzie admitted the deadly strike was “a tragic mistake.”

— “We apologize, and we will endeavor to learn from this horrible mistake,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said.

“Having thoroughly reviewed the findings of the investigation and the supporting analysis by interagency partners, I am now convinced that as many as 10 civilians, including up to seven children, were tragically killed in that strike,” Kenneth McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters during a Pentagon press briefing.

“We now assess that it is unlikely that the vehicle and those who died were associated with ISIS-K, or were a direct threat to U.S. forces,” he added.

The general admitted the deadly strike was “a tragic mistake.” “As the combatant commander, I am fully responsible for this strike and this tragic outcome.”

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The U.S. Central Command said on Aug. 29 that it launched a drone strike on a vehicle in Kabul, which it claimed had eliminated an “imminent” threat, posed by ISIS-K, an Afghanistan-based offshoot of the Islamic State, to the Hamid Karzai International Airport, where evacuations of U.S. service members and personnel were underway.

Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, had called it a “righteous strike” with procedures correctly followed.

Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2021 shows a damaged vehicle at the site of the U.S. airstrike in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

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Media reports later emerged that the U.S. military might have hit a wrong target in the strike with civilian casualties.

Separate investigations by The New York Times and The Washington Post identified the vehicle driver as Zemarai Ahmadi, a 43-year-old electrical engineer working for Nutrition and Education International, a U.S. aid group based in Pasadena, California.

“We now know that there was no connection between Mr. Ahmadi and ISIS-Khorasan,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement on Friday. “His activities on that day were completely harmless and not at all related to the imminent threat we believed we faced, and that Mr. Ahmadi was just as innocent a victim as were the others tragically killed.”

“We apologize, and we will endeavor to learn from this horrible mistake,” he added.

The Pentagon chief also noted he had asked a further review of the investigation just completed by U.S. Central Command to determine whether “accountability measures” need to be taken and strike authorities and procedures to be changed in the future.

The Central Command announced on Aug. 30 that it had completed the pullout of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, ending 20 years of U.S. military presence in the country, after botched evacuations that drew fierce criticism from both home and abroad.

The United States announced its “War on Terror” and invaded Afghanistan in 2001, soon after al-Qaida terrorists hijacked passenger planes and carried out suicide attacks against the United States, killing almost 3,000 people on its soil.

Over the years, Washington has expanded warfare into several other countries, relying heavily on drone strikes for targeted killings. U.S. drone attacks and airstrikes have killed at least 22,000 civilians over the past two decades, according to watchdog Airwars.

People stand at the site of the U.S. airstrike in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Sept. 2, 2021.

Published : September 18, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40006261

Malaysia pushes domestic tourism as Asean reports over 71,000 cases

New Covid-19 cases and related deaths in Southeast Asia were slightly higher on Thursday compared to the previous day, collated data showed.

Asean reported 71,263 new cases and 1,460 deaths on Thursday, higher than Wednesday’s 69,057 and 1,440 respectively.

The number of Covid-19 cases in the region crossed 11.26 million and the death toll to 248,366.

Laos reported 154 new cases on Thursday, bringing cumulative cases in the country to 18,059 with 16 deaths. The government announced the extension of a countrywide lockdown until September 30, as the infection rate is still climbing. People have been advised to strictly adhere to disease control measures when attending funerals, and to refrain from large public gatherings to curb the spread of the delta variant of the virus.

Meanwhile Malaysia announced the reopening of Langkawi, a cluster of 99 islands in the Straits of Malacca from September 16 to fully vaccinated travellers as part of a domestic tourism bubble, with strict protocols in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Authorities said if the “Langkawi sandbox” programme proved to be successful, similar schemes would be implemented in other areas to revive the country’s tourism.

Malaysia had the second highest number of cases in Asean on Thursday at 18,815 and the most deaths at 422.

Published : September 17, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40006263

InPics: 3 dead, 60 injured in 6.0-magnitude Sichuan earthquake

Three people were confirmed dead and 60 others were sent to hospital after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake jolted Luxian County of Luzhou City, southwest Chinas Sichuan Province.

Among those hospitalized, three were seriously injured, according to the city’s emergency management bureau.

China Earthquake Administration has dispatched a work team to guide on-site disaster relief work. A total of 890 commanders and fighters from nearby fire-fighting and rescue brigades have been mobilized, while another 4,600 rescue workers are on standby.

More than 6,900 affected residents have been relocated, and over 10,000 people have been shifted to temporary shelters as of early Thursday morning, according to the local government.

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According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the earthquake occurred at 4:33 a.m. The epicenter was monitored at 29.2 degrees north latitude and 105.34 degrees east longitude. The quake struck at a depth of 10 km.

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Photo taken with a mobile phone on Sept. 16, 2021 shows debris on a street after earthquake in Luxian County, southwest China

Photo taken with a mobile phone on Sept. 16, 2021 shows debris on a street after earthquake in Luxian County, southwest China’s Sichuan Province. (Xinhua)

Photo taken with a mobile phone shows rescuers removing debris on a street in Fuji Town of Luxian County, southwest China

Photo taken with a mobile phone shows rescuers removing debris on a street in Fuji Town of Luxian County, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Sept. 16, 2021. (Xinhua)

An armed police medic treats an injured woman at a relocation site in Fuji Township, Luxian County, southwest China

An armed police medic treats an injured woman at a relocation site in Fuji Township, Luxian County, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, on Sept. 16, 2021. (Xinhua/Yang Jin)

An emergency lane is established to ensure quick passage of disaster relief vehicles at an expressway toll station in Luzhou City of southwest China

An emergency lane is established to ensure quick passage of disaster relief vehicles at an expressway toll station in Luzhou City of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Sept. 16, 2021. (Xinhua)

Evacuated people are seen at a temporary relocation site after an earthquake in Jiaming Township of Luxian County, southwest China

Evacuated people are seen at a temporary relocation site after an earthquake in Jiaming Township of Luxian County, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Sept. 16, 2021. (Photo by Liu Xueyi/Xinhua)

Rescuers transfer an elderly man to a safe location after an earthquake in Luxian County, southwest China

Rescuers transfer an elderly man to a safe location after an earthquake in Luxian County, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, on Sept. 16, 2021. (Photo by Liu Xueyi/Xinhua)

Evacuated people rest at a temporary relocation site after an earthquake in Jiaming Township of Luxian County, southwest China

Evacuated people rest at a temporary relocation site after an earthquake in Jiaming Township of Luxian County, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Sept. 16, 2021. (Photo by Liu Xueyi/Xinhua)

Evacuated people rest and dine at a temporary relocation site after an earthquake in Jiaming Township of Luxian County, southwest China

Evacuated people rest and dine at a temporary relocation site after an earthquake in Jiaming Township of Luxian County, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Sept. 16, 2021. (Photo by Liu Xueyi/Xinhua)

Evacuated people arrive at a temporary relocation site after an earthquake in Jiaming Township of Luxian County, southwest China

Evacuated people arrive at a temporary relocation site after an earthquake in Jiaming Township of Luxian County, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Sept. 16, 2021. (Photo by Liu Xueyi/Xinhua)

Rescuers prepare to set up tents in Fuji Town of Luxian County, southwest China

Rescuers prepare to set up tents in Fuji Town of Luxian County, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Sept. 16, 2021.  

Published : September 17, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40006260

Astronauts to return home after Chinas longest space mission

The Shenzhou-12 spaceship completed circumnavigation and radial rendezvous tests at 1:38 p.m. (Beijing Time) Thursday, and the three astronauts will start their way home.

The tests successfully verified the radial rendezvous technology, laying an important technical foundation for the following manned missions, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The spaceship will return as planned. The three astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo will begin their journey home, after living and working in the space station core module Tianhe for 90 days, the longest stay in space by Chinese astronauts, the CMSA said.

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Shenzhou-12 separated from Tianhe at 8:56 a.m. Thursday.

The three Chinese astronauts were sent into space onboard the Shenzhou-12 spaceship and entered Tianhe on June 17. The crew carried out extravehicular activities twice over the past 90 days. 

Published : September 17, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40006259

U.S., UK aid to Australias acquisition of nuclear submarines “sheer act of nuclear proliferation”: Chinese envoy

“This contradicts the purpose, objective and core obligation of the NPT to the detriment of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime with the NPT at its core and on-going international efforts on this front,” Wang stated.

AChinese diplomat on Thursday expressed China’s “grave concern” at the pronounced assistance by the United States and the United Kingdom to Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines.

Addressing the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors meeting here, Wang Qun, Chinese envoy to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna, described the trilateral move as “sheer act of nuclear proliferation”.

The U.S. and the UK, both nuclear weapon states, and are state parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) which prevents proliferation of nuclear weapons and technologies, the core obligation for its state parties, Wang stated.

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He stressed that such assistance “will apparently give rise to proliferation of nuclear materials and technologies by openly providing assistance to Australia”, a non-nuclear weapon state, in its acquisition and building of the nuclear-powered submarine.

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States.

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“This contradicts the purpose, objective and core obligation of the NPT to the detriment of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime with the NPT at its core and on-going international efforts on this front,” Wang stated.

“While firmly safeguarding the validity of the international non-proliferation regime, China wishes to register its grave concern at the development,” Wang said.

“In the meantime, we believe that, it is the responsibility of IAEA, as an international organization mandated to implement NPT non-proliferation regime, to openly express its solemn position at the trilateral act by the U.S., the UK and Australia, which contradict their obligations under the NPT,” Wang stated.

Wang also stressed that, such an act of nuclear proliferation “will give rise to serious negative implications on the on-going international efforts to address the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula as well as the Iranian nuclear issue”.

“Given the ongoing review and discussions of the Korean Peninsula and Iranian nuclear issues at the IAEA Board of Governors and the General Conference, it is essential that all members of the Board and international organizations including IAEA, make solemn position on the trilateral collaboration among the U.S., UK and Australia in helping Australia develop nuclear-powered submarine, in promotion of the full and effective implementation of international non-proliferation obligations under the NPT by all countries,” he stated.

Exporting highly sensitive nuclear submarine technology to Australia has shown that the U.S. and the UK have “once again adopted a double standard on nuclear export”, and “have taken nuclear export as a means of their geo-political game”, Wang pointed out.

Wang said that, in the meantime, it is “utterly irresponsible” for Australia, as a non-nuclear state and state party to the NPT and South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, to import nuclear submarine technology with strategic militarily value.

“The international community, including neighboring countries, has every reason to question Australia’s sincerity in implementation of nuclear non-proliferation commitment under the relevant treaties,” he said.

The trilateral collaboration by the U.S., the UK and Australia “will seriously impair the regional peace and stability, escalate arms race, to the detriment of international peace and security,” Wang added.

Wang said that China will closely follow its development and reserve the right to make further responses. In the meantime, China will call on the international community to “work together to check such a dangerous act”.

In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, governments of the U.S., the UK and Australia announced the creation of a new trilateral security partnership called “AUKUS,” which will help “significantly deepen cooperation on a range of security and defense capabilities”.

The first initiative under AUKUS will be the delivery of a nuclear-powered submarine fleet for Australia, and the three countries will spend as many as 18 months discussing how this capability will be delivered, according to the statement.

A lantern is seen on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, on March 23, 2021.

Published : September 17, 2021