coronavirus Archives - Page 6 of 9

South-east Asian nations warn of ‘alarming’ South China Sea incidents amid COVID-19 pandemic

26Jun

By Yusara AskariNo Comments

South-east Asian nations warn of ‘alarming’ South China Sea incidents amid COVID-19 pandemic

At an ASEAN meeting on Friday, Vietnam and the Philippines warned of growing insecurity in Southeast Asia amid concerns that China was stepping up its activity in the disputed South China Sea during the coronavirus pandemic.Both Hanoi and Manila lodged protests with China in April after Beijing unilaterally declared the creation of new administrative districts on islands in the troubled waterways to which Vietnam and the Philippines also have competing claims."Even as our region struggles to contain Covid-19, alarming incidents in the South China Sea occurred," Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told an online meeting of Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) leaders."We call on parties to refrain from escalating tensions and abide by responsibilities under international law," h...

Malaysia can’t take any more Rohingya refugees: PM Muhyiddin

26Jun

By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Malaysia can’t take any more Rohingya refugees: PM Muhyiddin

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Friday said that his country can no longer take in Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar, saying that Malaysia is already struggling on an economical front due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.For persecuted Rohingya seeking a better life after fleeing a military-led crackdown in Myanmar and refugee camps in Bangladesh, Muslim-majority Malaysia is a favored destination.But Malaysia, which does not recognize refugee status, has recently turned away boats and detained hundreds of Rohingya, amid rising anger towards foreigners accused of spreading the coronavirus and taking up scarce state funds."We can no longer take more as our resources and capacity are already stretched, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic," Muhyiddin said in teleconference wi...

Beijing officials declare COVID-19 outbreak ‘under control’

26Jun

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

Beijing officials declare COVID-19 outbreak ‘under control’

Officials in Chinese capital Beijing on Wednesday said the new coronavirus outbreak that has infected 256 people in Beijing since early June is now "under control".Authorities have raced to contain the outbreak linked to the largest wholesale food market in Beijing after the first case was announced on June 11, leading to a partial lockdown of the city."The Beijing epidemic directly linked to Xinfadi (market) is basically under control, but at the same time we have discovered household and workplace cluster infections and cases of community transmission," said Beijing municipal government spokesman Xu Hejian at a briefing."The prevention and control situation remains complicated, we cannot lower our guard in the slightest," he said.Officials found that 253 out of 256 Beijing cases were lin...

26Jun

By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Stranded Rohingya pulled to shore by sympathetic Indonesians

Nearly 100 Rohingya asylum seekers stranded off the coast of Indonesia were pulled to shore on Thursday by locals angered at the refusal of authorities to give them shelter over coronavirus fears.Around 94 people from the persecuted Myanmar minority - including 30 children - were reportedly plucked from a wooden boat by fishermen this week before being intercepted by maritime officials from Sumatra island who pulled them closer to shore.But due to the fear of coronavirus, officials in Lhokseumawe city on Sumatra's northern coast refused to allow the group to land.Angry locals took matters into their own hands by jumping into boats which they used to pull the asylum seekers to shore."It's purely for humanitarian reasons," said fisherman Aples Kuari. "We were sad seeing kids and pregnant wom...

Coronavirus cases in China were 37 times higher than reported in January: US Think Tank

24Jun

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

Coronavirus cases in China were 37 times higher than reported in January: US Think Tank

A US-based think tank has said coronavirus cases in China were likely 37 times higher than that reported by the country's government in January 2020.“From December 31, 2019, to January 22, 2020, China reported a daily average of 172 cases of COVID-19 among its residents. This number of confirmed cases was equivalent to just one per 8.2 million residents in the country per day,” the think tank RAND on its website said.Since the outbreak of a novel coronavirus, several governmental and non-governmental agencies around the world have accused China of opacity regarding the virus and for hiding information.RAND has published a report after examining the role of commercial air travel in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. It has said that there is strong evidence to prove that Chin

China’s PLA instigated most violent clash between India-China since 1962 just to grab territory: McConnell

23Jun

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

China’s PLA instigated most violent clash between India-China since 1962 just to grab territory: McConnell

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) initiated one of the most violent clashes with India, since the two countries went to war in1962, just for the sake of grabbing land territory, said a top American Senator.As many as 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives on Monday in the face-off with Chinese troops who attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation in eastern Ladakh. The Indian intercepts have revealed that the Chinese side suffered 43 casualties including dead and seriously injured in the violent clash.Mitch McConnell, US Senate Majority Leader during a foreign policy speech on the floor of the House on Thursday said: "On land, for the sake of grabbing territory, the PLA appears to have instigated the most violent clash between China and India since those nat...

China creating multiple fronts to take advantage of world busy combating COVID-19: US official

22Jun

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

China creating multiple fronts to take advantage of world busy combating COVID-19: US official

China opening multiple fronts like the one on India border maybe because of Beijing’s assessment that the world is distracted due to COVID-19 pandemic and it may advantage of it, a US diplomat said on Thursday.Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, David Stilwell, made this remark at a press conference during a conference call after the Hawaii meeting between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi to exchange views on bilateral relations.Talking about the recent India-China stand-off at Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh area, he said, "...one explanation for creating multiple fronts like this is an assessment in Beijing that the world is distracted and is focused entirely on survival, right, recovering from the corona pandemic, which the

Gilgit-Baltistan Agriculture Minister among 118 new COVID-19 deaths in Pakistan

21Jun

By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Gilgit-Baltistan Agriculture Minister among 118 new COVID-19 deaths in Pakistan

Minister for Agriculture in Gilgit-Baltistan Janbaz Khan has become the latest political figure in Pakistan to succumb to the deadly coronavirus disease.Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, Janbaz Khan had been on a ventilator for four days, a doctor at Gilgit's city hospital - where the 64-year-old minister was admitted - was quoted as saying."He had a heart related disease, besides diabetes,” said the doctor. The minister is survived by two wives, five sons and four daughters.A total of 118 new COVID-19 deaths have been reported in Pakistan in the last 24 hours.As many as 5,358 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the tally of COVID-19 cases in the country to 162,973.So far five lawmakers, including two provincial ministers, have died in Pakistan due to the

Pained by academic loss, J&K teachers start community classes for poor students in remote areas

20Jun

By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Pained by academic loss, J&K teachers start community classes for poor students in remote areas

Ever since the Coronavirus struck India, all institutions and schools were closed shut. While other states managed to continue educating students online, Jammu and Kashmir with 2G internet networks faced a hard time to educate its children.But in Katainwali village of Baramulla district of Srinagar, some government school teachers have taken it upon themselves to continue schooling through COVID community classes - a unique initiative by local teachers to impart education to the poor students in far-flung areas.At exactly 10 am children in Katainwali village put their school bags on their shoulders and walk to a nearby grassland where a group of government school teachers welcomes them as they sit down to scribble the notes.“We were pained to see the plight of the children, who were missin

China shoots itself in the foot in the Himalayas

20Jun

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

China shoots itself in the foot in the Himalayas

In China, quoting a supposedly independent scholar in a media outlet is a well-worn tactic used by top leaders to get their views across without stating them publicly.So when the official mouthpiece Global Times wrote in a June 17 commentary that India would “pay a heavy price” and “face military pressure on two or even three fronts” if it retaliated for China’s killing of at least 20 Indian soldiers in a Western Himalayan border altercation, the newspaper was speaking Beijing’s mind.The newspaper also wrote somewhat cryptically that “Pakistan is a reliable strategic partner of China and Nepal also has close ties with China, and both of them are key partners under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative”, an insinuation that certain of India’s neighbors could be drawn into a conflict a