Month: January 2021

Categories
-Top News USA

‘New strains may drive up US Covid death toll’

A resurgence of the virus could also occur in the spring in California and Florida, according to the forecast….reports Asian Lite News

An influential Covid-19 model has predicted a possible “spring spike” in coronavirus deaths in the United States if emerging variants rapidly spread and people let down their guard against the virus.

In its latest forecast, the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) estimates the B.1.351 variant first detected in South Africa and identified in the United States this week could drive the country’s Covid-19 death toll up to 654,000 by May 1 in a worst-case scenario if mobility returns to pre-pandemic levels, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

A resurgence of the virus could also occur in the spring in California and Florida, according to the forecast.

Keeping mobility low and maintaining social distancing could reduce that number by approximately 30,000, said the forecast.

“What we’re seeing is sobering, and will require us to continue taking this pandemic very seriously,” said Christopher Murray, director of IHME.

“Getting vaccines out quickly is essential, and masks are still one of the best tools we have to keep transmission low and avoid the worst possible outcome. People will need to continue taking precautions even once they are vaccinated, because of the potential for more contagious variants to spread,” he said.

“We have not been seeing governments taking action to apply cautionary measures as quickly as expected, and have incorporated that information into the modelling,” said Murray. “Without measures to control the spread of the disease, mobility remains higher and transmission is more likely.”

IHME’s forecasts predict only 38 per cent of people in the United States will be immune by May 1.

In a worst-case scenario, there is also the possibility of a third wave next winter, according to the forecast.

The vaccine rollout in the United States has drawn great public attention since it started on December 14 last year. Health experts and officials have blamed states for slow vaccine rollout.


In face of growing frustration over vaccine shortages, US President Joe Biden announced earlier this week a roughly 16 per cent boost in vaccine deliveries to states over the next three weeks.

The country expects to provide enough doses to vaccinate 300 million Americans by the end of the summer or early fall, according to Biden.

About 27.88 million doses have been administered as of January 29, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Also read:Putin signs extension of Russia-US nuke treaty

Categories
Asia News COVID-19

Rouhani sounds alert of new Covid wave

People wearing masks walk in downtown Tehran, Iran

He said that Iran has taken the primary steps to develop and produce the Covid-19 vaccine and the country’s experts are confident that the project will be finalized in March so that Iran will begin mass vaccination with the domestically-produced vaccine…reports Asian Lite News

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reiterated the necessity for people to abide by health protocols, or the country would face another wave of COVID-19 within the next two months, official news agency IRNA reported.

Rouhani made the remarks during a meeting of the national anti-Covid-19 headquarters on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said that Iran has taken the primary steps to develop and produce the Covid-19 vaccine and the country’s experts are confident that the project will be finalized in March so that Iran will begin mass vaccination with the domestically-produced vaccine.

Meanwhile, Kianoush Jahanpour, spokesman for Food and Drug Administration of Iran, on Saturday tweeted the approval of emergency use of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccines in Iran.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. (Photo by Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua/IANS)

Iranian health authorities raised the country’s overall count of Covid-19 infections to 1,411,731 on Saturday, after 6,317 new cases were registered in the past 24 hours, IRNA reported.

The spokeswoman for Iran’s Ministry of Health and Medical Education Sima Sadat Lari said at her daily briefing that 506 of the newly infected had to be hospitalized.

She said 82 new deaths from the coronavirus were registered, raising the death toll to 57,889 in the country. And 1,202,893 cases have so far recovered or been released from hospitals.

The mortality due to the virus and the number of the hospitalized declined in the past week, but the level of compliance with health protocols is also downwards, Sadat Lari warned.

Iran announced its first cases of Covid-19 on February 19, 2020.

Also read:Western weapons main cause for Gulf instability: Iran

Also read:Israel threats are psychological warfare: Iran

Categories
EU News

Hungary greenlights China’s Sinopharm vaccine

Besides the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines acquired through the European Union, Hungary has also approved Russia’s Sputnik V and the British AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines….reports Asian Lite News

Hungary authorized the use of China’s Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine, Hungarian Chief Medical Officer Cecilia Muller said.

“Today the National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition gave its approval for the Sinopharm vaccine,” Muller told a briefing, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

Besides the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines acquired through the European Union, Hungary has also approved Russia’s Sputnik V and the British AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in some countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 236 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide — 63 of them in clinical trials — in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain and the United States, according to information released by the World Health Organization on Tuesday.

Also read:Putin signs extension of Russia-US nuke treaty

Categories
-Top News Arab News

Egypt to re-nominate Aboul-Gheit as Arab League Secretary General

President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi sent messages to Arab leaders to express Egypt’s intention to re-nominate Aboul-Gheit as the AL chief for another five years…reports Asian Lite News

Egypt will re-nominate Ahmed Aboul-Gheit as Secretary General of the Arab League (AL) for a second term, Egyptian Presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said.

President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi sent messages to Arab leaders to express Egypt’s intention to re-nominate Aboul-Gheit as the AL chief for another five years, Rady said in a statement on Saturday.

He added that Cairo is looking forward to the leaders’ support for this nomination, reports Xinhua news agency.

The spokesman explained that the re-nomination comes within the framework of the great interest that Egypt attaches to the work of the AL which serves Arab peoples.

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 25, 2019 (Xinhua) — Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi attends a luncheon hosted by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for the Heads of Delegation to the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 24, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Muzi/IANS)

This characterized the role of Aboul-Gheit during his first term of wise management for the joint Arab action, Rady added.

The first term of the 78-year-old Secretary General will end this June.

He had earlier served as Egypt’s Foreign Minister from July 2004 to March 2011.

The AL was formed in Cairo in March 1945 initially with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.

Yemen joined as a member in May 1945.

Presently, the regional organisation has 22 members, but Syria’s participation has been suspended since November 2011.

Also read:Israel to close land borders with Egypt, Jordan

Categories
Asia News

Myanmar extends Int’l flight ban

The Ministry on Saturday announced the extension of the restriction imposed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic which was due to end on Sunday…reports Asian Lite News

Myanmar’s Ministry of Transport and Communications has further extended the suspension of international commercial flights until the end of February.

The Ministry on Saturday announced the extension of the restriction imposed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic which was due to end on Sunday, reports Xinhua news agency.

Under the management of the national-level Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment of Covid-19, the anti-coronavirus measure will continue as confirmed cases remain increasing in most of the countries and regions around the world, and the new coronavirus variant found in Britain has spread to other countries including those in Asia, the announcement said.

Official data released on Saturday showed that Myanmar recorded 349 new confirmed Covid-19 cases and 10 more deaths in the past 24 hours.

The country’s overall infection tally currently stood at 139,864 with 3,125 fatalities.

Also read:Japan likely to extend state of emergency

Categories
UK News

‘Some curbs to remain in UK until pandemic ends’

Wenham said even once the whole British population had been vaccinated, the UK would still have to face threats posed by resistant coronavirus variants being brought in from outside….reports Asian Lite News

Some restrictions will have to remain in place in the UK until the Covid-19 pandemic is over globally, a British health expert has warned.

“We’re still going to be living in some form of restrictions, travel restrictions, border controls, even when we’re vaccinated, until it’s over round the world,” Xinhua news agency quoted Clare Wenham, assistant professor of global health policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science, as saying to Sky News on Saturday.

Wenham said even once the whole British population had been vaccinated, the UK would still have to face threats posed by resistant coronavirus variants being brought in from outside.

“This pandemic isn’t going to be over until it’s over globally,” Wenham was quoted by Sky News as saying.

The UK is stepping up its efforts to speed up the vaccine rollout to bring the pandemic under control.

More than 7.8 million people in the country have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest official figures.

It aims to deliver a first dose to 15 million of the most vulnerable by mid-February and to offer all adults their first dose by autumn.

“There’s a real imperative to make sure that everybody round the world has at least minimum levels of vaccines at the same time,” Wenham told Sky News.

“If we want to return to global systems of trade and travel we need to make sure that the vulnerable globally are vaccinated,” she added.

England is currently under the third national lockdown since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country.

Similar restriction measures are also in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

As of Sunday morning, the overall number of coronavirus cases in the UK has increased to 3,806,993, the fourth highest infection tally in the world.

The country’s death toll currently stands at 105,777, the fifth highest in the world.


Also read:UK car manufacturing industry feel slump

Categories
-Top News Arab News

Houthi-launched projectile lands near Saudi hospital

It was the latest in a series of missile and drone attacks that targeted areas in Saudi Arabia, mainly its border cities…reports Asian Lite News

The Saudi Civil Defence has announced that a projectile launched by the Houthi militia in Yemen landed near a hospital in the border city of Jazan.

Mohammed AL Ghamidi, spokesman of the Saudi Civil Defence, said that no injury or damage was reported due to the projectile fired on Saturday, reports Xinhua news agency.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition also announced the interception of a bomb-laden drone in Yemen flying toward the kingdom.

It was the latest in a series of missile and drone attacks that targeted areas in Saudi Arabia, mainly its border cities.

Most of the attacks were foiled before reaching the targets.

In March, the coalition will complete its sixth year of war in Yemen against Houthi militia in support of the government of the Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of Hadi out of Sanaa.

Due to the war, Yemen is facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

Currently, more than 24 million people, some 80 per cent of the population, in need of humanitarian assistance, including over 12 million children, according to the UN.

The World Food Programme has said that 20 million people in Yemen are suffering from hunger and malnutrition.

While two-thirds of all Yemenis are hungry, nearly half do not know when they will eat next, it added.

Also read:Saudi to reopen Qatar embassy

Categories
USA

Jayapal calls for larger relief package for immigrants

Jayapal further said that she pushing Biden to cancel student loan debt, a move she said the President is trying to determine whether he has the power to make…reports Asian Lite News

Pramila Jayapal, the first Indian-American woman to serve in the US House of Representatives, has sought a larger Covid-19 relief package with full access to immigrants and path to citizenship for essential workers, the media reported.

Addressing an event last week, Jayapal, the Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said that President Joe Biden has done “really well” on progressive priorities, but his proposed $1.9 trillion relief package should be between $3 and $4 trillion to meet Americans’ needs, The American Bazaar reported on Saturday.

Biden’s $1.9 trillion ‘American Rescue Plan’ package includes over $400 billion to combat the pandemic directly such as more funding for testing and vaccine distribution; roughly $1 trillion in direct relief to households; and over $400 billion for hard-hit small businesses and communities.

US President Joe Biden

Despite enthusiasm from the Democrats, the nearly $2 trillion price tag has drawn backlash from some Republican senators, who have aimed to hold down the overall cost of the economic relief, especially after the $900 billion bill approved in December 2020.

“This is not a normal time. We’re trying to act like it’s normal,” The American Bazaar quoted Jayapal was as saying at the event.

“I have only limited tolerance for a Republican Party that wrings its hands and talks about unity and moving forward. We had an insurrection where their leader of their party incited that insurrection and many of them continue to support him.

“We feel very good about where he’s (Biden) started. He’s gone a far way from when he started his campaign to where he is as President.

“I do think he understands the crises and the fact that this is a history-making time and a legacy-making time for him, and frankly for our country,” the Indian-American Congresswoman added.

Jayapal further said that she pushing Biden to cancel student loan debt, a move she said the President is trying to determine whether he has the power to make.

Also read:Trump impeachment: Lead attorney leaves defence team

Categories
-Top News Asia News

Putin, Aliyev hold talks on Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire control

Photo taken on Sept. 29, 2020 shows a man walking by a house damaged during clashes in the Tartar district bordering the Nagorno-Karabakh region. (Photo by Tofik Babayev/Xinhua)

Putin and Aliyev expressed hope that the centre’s efforts will contribute to the further stabilisation of the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh…reports Asian Lite News

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev discussed the ongoing efforts to secure the ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh region recently freed from armed conflict, the Kremlin said.

During a phone call on Saturday, the Presidents welcomed the launch of the joint Russian-Turkish centre “for monitoring the ceasefire and any military activities in the conflict zone”, Xinhua news agency quoted he Kremlin as saying in a statement.

Putin and Aliyev expressed hope that the centre’s efforts will contribute to the further stabilisation of the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh and the proper observance of the agreement reached by the two Presidents and the Prime Minister of Armenia in November 2020.

“The two leaders also discussed some issues of Russian-Azerbaijani bilateral cooperation,” the Kremlin statement added.

  • Russian President Vladmir Putin

The joint Turkish-Russian observation centre began operations on Saturday.

According to Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar, one general from Ankara and 38 military personnel will work at the centre as part of efforts to “monitor and inspect” the ceasefire.

In November 2020, the Turkish Parliament had approved a motion for the deployment of troops in Nagorno-Karabakh for one year as part of an accord between Ankara and Moscow.

Aliyev had announced earlier that the Joint Turkish-Russian Centre will be in Aghdam, a district in Nagorno-Karabakh that was handed over to the Azerbaijani military on November 20, 2020 as a condition of the truce.

On November 10, 2020, Armenia and Azerbaijan ended a 44-day conflict in the region claimed the two countries after a ceasefire was reached under the mediation of Russia.

  • A man shows a house damaged during the new round of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Fuzuli district of Azerbaijan, Sept. 30, 2020. (Photo by Tofik Babayev/Xinhua/IANS)

Three earlier ceasefires — two brokered by Russia (October 10, 17, 2020) and one by the US (October 26, 2020) — collapsed after Armenia and Azerbaijan traded accusations and attacks.

A new round of armed conflict broke out on September 27, 2020, along the contact line of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but mostly governed by the Republic of Artsakh, a de facto independent state with an Armenian ethnic majority.

Armenia and Azerbaijan went to war over the region in 1988-94, eventually declaring a ceasefire.

However, a settlement was never reached.

Also read:Putin signs extension of Russia-US nuke treaty

Categories
Afghanistan Asia News

Taliban shadow governor captured

The arrested Taliban leader was also a military chief for several Afghan central provinces, according to the agency…reports Asian Lite News

A Taliban militant group’s acting provincial governor for Kabul province has been arrested, the Afghan National Directorate for Security (NDS), the country’s national intelligence agency, confirmed on Sunday.

“Taliban’s acting provincial shadow governor Mohammad alias Hajji Lala has been arrested by NDS Special Forces,” Xinhua news agency quoted the NDS as saying in an announcement.

The arrested Taliban leader was also a military chief for several Afghan central provinces, according to the agency.

Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, a purported Taliban spokesman, rejected the report as a baseless claim.

Taliban militants, who ruled the country before being ousted in late 2001, renewed armed insurgency, killing government troops as well as civilians.

Their so-called leadership council has appointed governors as well as judges for nearly all 34 Afghan provinces.

Also read:8,500 Afghan civilians killed, wounded in 2020