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(Xinhua)13:42, August 21, 2020
HONG KONG, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) — An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 jolted 220 km SSE of Katabu, Indonesia at 04:09:52 GMT on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The epicenter, with a depth of 627.33 km, was initially determined to be at 6.6704 degrees south latitude and 123.4927 degrees east longitude.
(Xinhua)14:48, August 21, 2020
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) — Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden formally accepted the Democratic presidential nomination in a speech Thursday night that capped off the four-day virtual Democratic National Convention. The following is a profile of Biden.
Born on Nov. 20, 1942 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Biden was from an Irish Catholic family of four siblings. At the age of 10, he moved to New Castle, Delaware with his family, where his father worked as a car salesman.
Biden received his highest education at the Syracuse University College of Law, and was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1969 after graduation.
He started his career in the public sector after being elected to the New Castle county council in 1970. Just two years later, he was elected to the U.S. Senate representing Delaware shortly before he turned 30, making him the fifth-youngest U.S. Senator in the countrys history.
While in the Senate between 1973 and 2009, Biden, the longest-serving U.S. senator in Delawares history, served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and later as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
His first presidential campaign in 1987 was short-lived as he was accused of plagiarizing a speech of a British politician. He considered joining the game again four years later, but found it impossible for him to raise enough campaign fund.
In the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, Biden was one of the earliest dropouts from the campaign when he saw a poor supporting rate in the first caucuses in Iowa.
After leaving the primary battleground, Biden was picked by Barack Obama, who ended up winning the presidential nomination, as running mate and ultimately won the vice presidency. He won a second term together with Obama in 2012 and wrapped up an eight-year span in the nations second highest office in 2017.
Biden launched his 2020 presidential campaign — his third — in April 2019, yet his road toward nomination was a long and rocky one, a journey that saw him lose the first three states to hold primaries and caucuses before winning the much-needed state of South Carolina thanks to support from African-American voters.
Even after candidates in the once crowded Democratic field dropped out one by one, Bidens race with his longest-lasting rival, independent senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont who caucused with the Democrats, remained tight.
A progressive who described himself as a democratic socialist, Sanders, in a bid to further influence the party platform and rules, decided to continue amassing the delegates — a gauge for determining the nomination — as he announced the suspension of his campaign on April 8. Less than a week later, Biden earned endorsement from Sanders.
Already the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee since Sanders quitted, Biden crossed the threshold necessary for the nomination in June. He was officially designated as Democratic nominee for president on Tuesday.
Biden suffered but eventually overcame stutter during childhood, lost his first wife and infant daughter in a 1972 car incident that also seriously injured his two sons, one of whom — Beau Biden — died in 2015 of brain cancer aged 46. He married his second wife Jill Biden in 1977.
(Xinhua)14:50, August 21, 2020
CANBERRA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) — The premier of South Australia (SA) has urged the nations COVID-safe states to open their borders and reunite families.
Premier of SA Steven Marshall said it was wrong that states with no community transmission of COVID-19 such as Western Australia (WA) and Tasmania were keeping their borders closed to SA, describing the closures as an impediment to economic growth and detrimental to mental health.
We have opened up to Queensland, the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Tasmania, said Marshall, according to the report form News Corp Australia on Friday.
We are disappointed that Western Australians and Tasmanians can come into South Australia but, to date, we have not been able to go into their states. Many South Australians are dislocated from their families due to those states border restrictions. It would be great to see those borders lifted for SA.
Many people could live with it for weeks or months but now some states are saying theyre not going to be open to South Australians until December and that is a body blow for many South Australians and I really feel for them at this time.
South Australia has had 462 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, which is fewer than every state except Tasmania which has had 230.
Its borders remain closed to Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) — both of which have ongoing community transmission of the virus — and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) because of the territory sitting within NSW.
Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham has repeatedly called for travel between states and territories to restart. He recently urged states and territories to consider adopting a similar approach in SA where there has been a willingness to open up to other states who have had similar success in suppressing the spread of COVID-19.
(Xinhua)08:30, August 07, 2020
Six COVID-19 vaccine candidates, including three from China, have entered phase-3 trials, a senior World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Thursday.
The three Chinese candidates are from Sinovac, Wuhan Institute of Biological Products/Sinopharm and Beijing Institute of Biological Products/Sinopharm, said Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, at a virtual briefing.
The other three are made by the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca, Moderna/NIAID and BioNTech/Fosun Pharma/Pfizer, he added.
The vaccines will be put into the general population for the first time in phase 3, after previous trials have focused on safety, immunogenicity and immune response in a small number of humans, said the WHO official. The phase-3 trial will test whether the vaccines can protect large numbers of people over a prolonged period of time.
However, phase-3 doesnt mean nearly there, he said, as there is no guarantee that any of these six will give us the answer.
In total, 165 vaccine candidates have started some forms of trials, and 26 of them in clinical trials, according to WHO records.
By ZhongSheng (Peoples Daily)08:18, August 12, 2020
Alex Azar, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, arrived in Taiwan on August 9 and began a 3-day-long visit. Such a move of the U.S. is a serious breach of its commitments pledged on the Taiwan question.
China is consistently and firmly opposed to the official interactions between the U.S. and Taiwan, and has lodged stern representations with the U.S. side.
It is only recently that the U.S. has announced that it would withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) and refused to do its part for global public health.
However, it now sends officials to Taiwan to discuss cooperation in combating the COVID-19 epidemic, which is merely another clumsy trick of the U.S. trying to politicize the pandemic.
The Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations, and the one-China principle is the political foundation of the bilateral relationship.
In December 1978, the U.S. government accepted the three principles proposed by the Chinese government for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, namely, the U.S. should sever “diplomatic relations” and abrogate the “mutual defense treaty” with the Taiwan authorities and withdraw U.S. military forces from Taiwan.
On this basis, the U.S. reached an agreement with China on properly handing Taiwan-related issues.
“The United States of America recognizes the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China. Within this context, the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan,” as stated clearly in the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations issued by both countries on December 16, 1978.
On January 1, 1979, China and the U.S. formally established diplomatic relations. Normalization of China-U.S. relations was thus achieved.
China has repeatedly urged the U.S. to handle Taiwan-related issues prudently, stop any official exchanges and contact with Taiwan, and refrain from sending any wrong signal to separatist elements advocating “Taiwan independence”, so as not to disturb and damage the overall picture of China-U.S. relations.
It seems that the U.S. has recently launched repeated provocations against China on the Taiwan question and engaged in placing obstacles to China-U.S. relations.
In March, the U.S. signed into law the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019, a bill expressing Washington’s support for Taiwan in strengthening its relationships with countries around the world.
Amid the international cooperation in combating the epidemic, the U.S., however, has tried to play the Taiwan card to malign China.
It has also continuously strengthened its military ties with Taiwan, promoted arms sales to Taiwan and hyped U.S.-Taiwan joint military training.
Playing the Taiwan card is actually a risky act of some American politicians to achieve their own political interests. It does not conform to the fundamental interests of the Chinese and American people and will undermine China-U.S. relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inseparable part of the Chinese territory—the one-China principle is a common consensus of the international community.
The Taiwan question concerns China’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and core interests.
The Chinese government and people are firm in their determination to safeguard China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, to oppose any foreign meddling in China’s internal affairs and to realize the reunification of the two sides across the Taiwan Strait.
China urges the U.S. side to abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of three China-U.S. joint communiqués, stop official interactions and contact of all kinds as well as the upgrading of substantive relations with the island, and handle Taiwan-related issues in a prudent and proper manner.
It will take resolute and powerful countermeasures against the unrighteous actions of the U.S. Any attempt that denies and challenges the “one-China principle” is doomed to fail.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)
(Xinhua)08:47, August 12, 2020
NEW YORK, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) — Respect science and hard work are two core values conveyed by Chinese education. These values, together with the effective guidance of the government, enabled the Chinese people to win the war against the epidemic, according to an article published Monday on The New Yorker.
The article titled How China Controlled the Coronavirus is written by Peter Hessler, who was teaching and learning in Chengdu, the capital of Chinas Sichuan Province, during the pandemic.
It was true that the strict Chinese shutdown, in combination with border closings and contact tracing, had eliminated the spread of the virus in most communities in China, according to the article.
Hessler noted that some public health experts affirmed the participation of the neighborhood committees in epidemic prevention and contact tracing. The Chinese lockdown was more intense than almost anywhere else in the world. Neighborhood committees, the most grassroots level of Communist Party organization, enforced the rules.
There is not such neighborhood committee structure in the United States, and public health services might have served this purpose if the American system had been properly funded, according to the article.
Hessler also wrote about various epidemic prevention measures after the school reopening. The university introduced the fever tents, the delivery robots, and the facial-recognition scanners. The school scheduled regular hand-washing breaks, and every afternoon an announcement sounded over the intercom: Temperature-taking time has arrived!
According to the article, the current American failure doesnt narrowly reflect national character or values but, rather, a collapse of system: a crisis of leadership and institutional structures.
(Xinhua)08:37, August 14, 2020
The European Commission announced on Thursday it concluded exploratory talks with Johnson Johnson to purchase a potential vaccine against COVID-19.
Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said in a news release that the talks are indented to result in an Advance Purchase Agreement, which could enable all European Union (EU) member states to purchase the vaccine, as well as to donate to lower and middle-income countries or re-direct to countries in the European Economic Area (EEA).
The press release said that the contractual framework would facilitate an initial purchase of 200 million doses on behalf of all EU member states, and could further purchase an additional 200 million vaccine doses.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said our citizens lives and our economy need a safe and effective vaccine. She said the talks with the American pharmaceutical corporation have brought the union closer to this target.
In late July, the EU announced it had concluded exploratory talks with French pharmaceutical company Sanofi aiming for a deal that could secure 300 million doses of the companys COVID-19 vaccine for Europeans once it is developed and proven to be safe and effective against the coronavirus.
(Xinhua)08:39, August 14, 2020
Palestine on Thursday slammed the peace agreement reached between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel under U.S. sponsorship.
The Palestinian presidency described the agreement as disgraceful, considering it a blow to the Arab Peace Initiative and the decisions of the Arab and Islamic summits, and an aggression against the Palestinian people.
The presidency recalled its ambassador to Abu Dhabi over the move.
In a televised statement following an urgent leadership meeting chaired by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the presidency said it rejected linking the suspension of the Israeli annexation plan to any normalization of relations between Israel with the UAE or any other nation.
The presidency statement warned the rest of the Arab countries against bowing to U.S. pressure and following in the footsteps of the UAE, saying it provides free normalization with the Israeli occupation at the expense of Palestinian rights.
The Palestinian leadership rejects what the United Arab Emirates has done and considers it a betrayal of Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinian cause. This deal is a de facto recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, said Abbass spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh.
Member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee Hanan Ashrawi said the UAE has come forward with its secret dealings/normalization with Israel.
Israel got rewarded for not declaring openly what it has been doing to Palestine illegally and persistently since the beginning of the occupation, Hanan Ashrawi wrote on Twitter.
Please dont do us a favor. We are nobodys fig leaf! she wrote.
Meanwhile, Hazem Qassem, spokesperson for the Islamic Hamas movement in Gaza Strip said that his movement condemns the agreement because it encourages the occupation to continue its denial of the rights of our Palestinian people.
What happened today between the Emirates and Israel is precisely the weakening of the ability of resistance and confrontation, he said.
Islamic Jihad Movement in Gaza said in a press statement that the deal is considered surrender and submission, but it would not change the facts of the conflict, but rather allow the occupation to persist.
Palestinian presidents Fatah party urged Arab states to take punitive measures against the Emirati step.
Normalization with Israel encourages and rewards the occupation, said Fatah party Central Committee Member Jamal Muhaisen in a press statement.
Other Palestinian factions, including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, The Palestinian Peoples Party, the Palestinian Struggle Front issued condemnation statements.
Relations between Palestine and the UAE have been strained in recent years, but tensions between the two sides peaked after a UAE plane landed at Israeli Ben Gurion airport carrying medical supplies for Palestinians, which the Palestinian government rejected.
Israel and the UAE have reached an agreement, brokered by the U.S., to work towards a full normalization of relations.
Under the agreement, Israel said it has agreed to suspend the annexation of Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank, while it focuses on expanding ties with other Arab countries.
(Xinhua)08:49, August 14, 2020
In an open letter on Thursday to the government, Canadas doctors and pharmacists called for addressing shortages for critical drugs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canadas Critical Drugs Coalition said in the letter that the countrys drug shortage has been greatly exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We simply cannot afford to jeopardize the lives and wellbeing of our patients due to an inadequate supply of critical drugs, the letter read.
Now there are shortages of essential and critical care medications such as propofol, ketamine, succinylcholine, fentanyl, midazolam and more. These drugs are essential in the treatment of COVID-19 patients under critical conditions.
The letter said that health-care professionals have also seen shortages in antibiotic drugs, including Penicillin G.
It also pointed out that 24 out of 32 drugs on Health Canadas Tier 3 shortage list are essential for treating COVID-19.
As frontline pharmacists and physicians, we have seen and heard of serious shortages of essential, critical medications. These drugs are often used simultaneously in ORs, ERs and palliative care wards, as well as ICUs, the letter read.
The coalition called for immediate action by governments at all levels, saying Canada will perpetually face drug shortages unless concrete action is taken.
Many of the critical care drugs should be part of the National Strategic Emergency Stockpile. However, it is clear that Canada simply did not have enough stockpiles to meet the demand during the COVID-19 pandemic and that there has been under allocation and underspending for the emergency stockpile, said the letter.
The coalition also called for greater transparency and communication from governments to the health sector and the public on the supply of critical medicines to ensure drug supply issues are addressed before they pose any serious risks to sick patients.
We encourage our government to give this urgent issue attention and efforts now, so that Canadians can have the confidence that their healthcare system will be there when they most need it, it added in the letter.
(Xinhua)08:51, August 14, 2020
A senior expert of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that it is currently in conversation with Russia to get additional information about the COVID-19 vaccine that Russia will start production soon.
Dr. Bruce Aylward, senior adviser to WHOs director-general, told a press conference that WHO does not have sufficient information at this point to make a judgment on the Russian vaccine.
He told reporters that with the coordination of WHO, there are altogether nine vaccine candidates that are going through Phase 2 or 3 trials, but the Russian vaccine is not one of them.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday that the country has registered the worlds first registered vaccine against the novel coronavirus.
Later on Wednesday, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said that the country will start the production of the vaccine within two weeks. Murashko also said that doubts about the effectiveness of the vaccine are unfounded.