The new figures from Lin Htet Aung, who abandoned his post at the 528th Light Infantry Battalion in eastern Shan State in April, indicate that soldiers are now defecting faster and in greater numbers than before.
The number of deserters has almost doubled in a little over two months. In early June, four months after the military seized power, around 800 soldiers had defected.
Among the defectors, about 1,000 hold ranks ranging from private to sergeant while hundreds more are majors, Lin Htet Aung told Myanmar Now.
Most have arrived in areas controlled by rebel groups but have yet to fully earn the trust of others involved in the movement against the junta, he said.
“We’re still in the process of monitoring and assessing them, so we can’t go on the offensive now,” he added, referring to plans for defected soldiers to wage war against the junta.
“But many are found to be enthusiastic about taking part in whatever role possible once we go on the offensive,” said the soldier, who graduated with the 54th batch of the Defence Services Academy (DSA).
Lin Htet Aung has been making introductions between defectors and the National Unity Government (NUG) while reaching out to soldiers within the army to encourage more defections.
Potential defectors contact Lin Htet Aung every day, he said, and are in constant danger of being discovered.
Pro-junta soldiers, he added, refer to would-be deserters as “watermelons” because they see them as green on the outside and red on the inside; a reference to the colours of the military and the National League for Democracy party.
“Many do not want to work for the military council anymore as more and more soldiers lose faith in their leaders,” Lin Htet Aung said.
Lin Htet Aung and another captain who has not defected told Myanmar Now that the military had recently restricted the movements of soldiers and their families. Senior officers claim this is a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19 but it is in fact meant to prevent defections, they said.
“If anyone who wanted to could desert right now, there would only be the commander-in-chief and the flagpole left in the barracks,” said the second captain.
Lin Htet Aung agreed that large numbers of soldiers want to leave. “If it was approved that anyone could resign, even a new soldier who just graduated from the DSA would leave,” he said.
In an interview with Myanmar Now earlier this month, NUG defence minister Yee Mon urged junta soldiers to defect.
“You don’t have much longer to decide whether you’re going to be on the people’s side or not,” he said. “So, join the people’s defence force if you can. If you can’t, stop taking orders from the military council. Stop oppressing the people.”
News (3)
Junta's election commission orders political parties to prepare for financial audits
The junta’s Union Election Commission (UEC) has announced plans to audit the financial records of Myanmar’s political parties, a move that has been met with fierce criticism.
The UEC, which officially annulled the results of last year’s election in July, has ordered parties to prepare their financial records for inspection, in what some suspect will be used as a pretext by the junta to disband certain parties.
The commission has not yet set a date for the audit.
Sai Leik, general secretary of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, questioned why the UEC would audit finances after officially annulling the election. “Asking for a list of election expenses for each candidate is a pointless act,” he said.
Tha Tun Hla, chairperson of the Arakan National Party (ANP), said that some would find the UEC's directive difficult to follow because of travel restrictions imposed amid surging Covid-19 cases.
“The political parties that prepared well have no problem,” he said. “But the parties that are not ready to prepare the documents will have to travel.”
He added, "The junta may intend to use the powers enshrined in the Political Parties Act, such as the right to dissolve political parties if they cannot submit their financial statements.”
Parties that fail to comply with certain sections of the Political Parties Registration Law can be suspended for 30 years or permanently dissolved.
Win Maung, the Mandalay Region chairperson of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), said his party had not yet been issued any instructions to prepare for an audit.
Ko Ko Gyi, chairperson of the People's Party, said he did not yet know what the junta’s intentions were.
“It is still unclear whether the military council has made it mandatory for political parties to deal with its UEC, or if it will really take concrete action regarding the financial matters of the parties,” he said.
Tun Myint, an ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmaker, said the party would not follow the UEC’s directive because the junta it serves is illegitimate.
"We do not recognise the UEC formed by the violent military council. There is no reason to react to their instructions,” said Tun Myint, who is also secretary of the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, which was formed in the wake of the coup by ousted MPs.
Thein Soe, who led the UEC during the rigged 2010 election that brought the USDP to power, was re-appointed as chairperson of the commission after February’s coup.
In May he announced plans to dissolve the NLD, citing unfounded claims by the military that the party had won its landslide victory in last year’s election through voter fraud.
The party’s detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi responded to the announcement via her lawyers by saying the NLD would continue to exist regardless of what the junta did.
The junta has vowed to hold fresh elections and allow the winner to take power, but few have taken this promise seriously, while many in the anti-coup movement say the NLD has already won a legitimate election and should be immediately returned to power.
News (4)
Trump threatened to launch strikes against Taliban if they failed to observe peace deal terms
Source : Daily Mail
Former President Trump on Tuesday claimed he threatened to launch strikes against the chief Taliban negotiator's home village if insurgents failed to observe the terms of a peace deal, as he blasted President Biden's handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.'It's not the concept of leaving,' he told Fox News anchor Sean Hannity.
'It's the way they withdrew. It was not even possible to believe.'
The former president has kept up a running commentary on the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan, condemning Biden's handling of the withdrawal and insisting he would have managed a safe, swift operation when the time was right.
Biden and his officials have in turn said their hands were tied by a deal struck with the Taliban by Trump.
But the former president said he made clear in negotiations there would be consequences if Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's political chief, failed to stick to the terms of their deal.
'We had a very strong conversation,' he said.
'I told them upfront, I said, 'Look, before we start, let me just tell you right now that if anything bad happens to Americans or anybody else, or if you ever come over to our land, we will hit you with a force that no country has ever been hit with before, a force so great that you won't even believe it, and your village, and we know where it is - and I named it - will be the first one.'
Baradar flew back to Afghanistan on Tuesday and is among the leading contenders to head the new government.
Trump's comments come after the Taliban - hours after they promised their rule would be 'moderate' - starting using whips and sharp objects to beat back Afghans crowded along the walls of Kabul airport.
News (5) to (8) / Reporters : Chris Pleasance, Chris Jewers, Daily Mail
News (5)
The Afghan resistance grows
Rebel fighters and protesters have bravely defied the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan - flying flags of resistance across the country in a show of defiance against the Islamists.
Troops loyal to vice president Amrullah Saleh today paraded the flag of the 'northern alliance' - an anti-Taliban league of warlords and politicians - through the Panjshir Valley, an area just 80 miles north of Kabul that the jihadists have never conquered.
News (6)
Fly Afghan national flag in defiance of Taliban's white emblem
Image : Bashir Ahmad Gwakh Twitter @bashirgwakh (Ref： news.tvbs.com.tw/world/1568031)
Meanwhile protesters marched through the cities of Jalalabad and Khost, which sit a similar distance from the Afghan capital, waving the national flag in defiance of the Taliban which replaced it with their own white emblem.
Images that appeared to have been taken in Khost showed students - abandoned by the Afghan army but unwilling to submit to the Taliban - removing the group's flag from the main square and replacing it with the national colours.
More video then appeared to show Taliban gunmen opening fire on crowds in both locations, though there were no immediate reports of casualties.
The Taliban has tried hard to present itself as the legitimate government of Afghanistan after security forces largely melted away as American and NATO troops withdrew, handing them back control of the country.
At a press conference on Tuesday, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid laid out their vision for the country - promising to guarantee women's rights and stop all reprisal attacks in remarks that raised eyebrows.
News (7)
Taliban destroyed Shiite militia leader statue
Meanwhile, the Taliban blew up the statue of a Shiite militia leader who fought against them during Afghanistan's civil war in the 1990s, according to photos circulating on Wednesday, sowing further doubt about their claims to have become more moderate.
The insurgents' every action in their sudden sweep to power is being watched closely. They insist they have changed and won't impose the same draconian restrictions they did when they last ruled Afghanistan, all but eliminating women's rights, carrying out public executions and banning television and music.
But despite the Taliban's assurances, many in Afghanistan have made desperate attempts to escape, while some who cannot appear to be taking a stand.
News (8)
A new civil war is brewing in Afghanistan
Multiple videos from the newly conquered country showed a growing resistance against the Taliban, in what could be the early makings of a civil war.
One video from the Panjshir Valley showed a convoy of vehicles parading the green and white flag of the 'northern alliance' - an anti-Taliban league of warlords and politicians who have previously fought against the militant Islamic group.
News (9)
Taliban violently break up protest as thousands try to flee Kabul
Reporter : Zachary Stieber, The Epoch Times PREMIUM
Taliban terrorists fired at a protest in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday as a stampede at a gate to the airport in Kabul left another 17 injured.
Dozens of people gathered in the eastern city of Jalalabad to raise the national flag a day before Afghanistan’s Independence Day, which commemorates the end of British rule in 1919. They lowered the Taliban flag—a white banner with an Islamic inscription—that the militants have raised in the areas they captured.
Video footage later showed the Taliban firing into the air and attacking people with batons to disperse the crowd. Babrak Amirzada, a reporter for a local news agency, said a TV cameraman from another agency and he were beaten by the Taliban as they tried to cover the unrest.
A local health official said at least one person was killed and six wounded. The official was not authorized to speak to media and so spoke on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, videos from the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul, a stronghold of the Northern Alliance militias that allied with the United States against the Taliban in 2001, appear to show potential opposition figures gathering there. It is in the only province that has not yet fallen to the Taliban.
Those figures include members of the deposed government—Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who asserted on Twitter that he is the country’s rightful president and Defense Minister Gen. Bismillah Mohammadi—as well as Ahmad Massoud, the son of the slain Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud. It is unclear if they intend to challenge the Taliban, who seized most of the country in a matter of days last week.
Afghan’s former president, Ashraf Ghani, fled the country on Sunday eventually to Dubai as Taliban terrorists entered the presidential palace in Kabul.
“Taliban have won the judgment of sword and guns and now they are responsible for protecting the countrymen’s honor, wealth, and self-esteem,” he said in a statement.
The White House said no officials have been in touch with Ghani. The U.S. government and military is focusing on quickly evacuating Americans and Afghans, with the Aug. 31 pullout date looming.
U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officials have blamed the rapid Taliban takeover on Afghan forces, saying the nationals lacked the will to fight for their country.
Another former Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, met with Taliban negotiators in Kabul on Wednesday, according to pictures from the Taliban.
In Afghanistan’s capital, people from across the world have tried to enter the U.S.-held airport to flee the country before America fully withdraws in a few weeks.
The Taliban has set up checkpoints around the facility, and has reportedly been using force, including whipping people, despite the U.S. threatening to respond with “overwhelming force” if the terror group interferes with evacuations.
Hundreds of people were outside the airport early Wednesday, with the Taliban letting barely any inside, and only after documents were shown to militants.
Many of the people outside did not appear to have passports, and each time the gate opened even an inch, dozens tried to push through. The Taliban fired occasional warning shots to disperse them.
Flights to America, France, and a slew of other countries have been departing from the Hamid Karzai International Airport, which is being protected by a force that includes U.S. troops and Afghan soldiers.
Australia’s first exit flight departed early Wednesday, carrying 26 people on board, including Australian citizens and Afghans with visas.
Like many flights leaving Kabul, it had empty seats, Australian officials said.
“The earliest evacuation flights in any evacuation tend not to have every seat filled because the process of getting any evacuation underway has a throughput issue. So, we believe that that is being resolved with each successive flight, and we will be putting 300 passengers on your average military cargo plane heading out of the country, one after another—hot onloading and hot offloading,” U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters in Washington.
The United States is hoping to evacuate as many as 9,000 people a day while the United Kingdom is aiming for 1,000 per day. They are among the countries willing to accept Afghans on special visas, primarily Afghans who helped allied forces over the past 20 years, and relatives of those Afghans.
The rush to evacuate includes nationals from various countries and Afghans who do not want to be stuck in their homeland when foreigners fully pull out. They are afraid of what the Taliban may do as the group plans to impose Sharia law—harsh rules based on an interpretation of Islam.
“The situation is very bad at the gate,” Lida Ahmadi, who applied for a special immigrant visa and ultimately got into the airport, told the Wall Street Journal. “I slept on the road last night. Now, after two nights and two days at the gate, we’ve finally got the chance to come in. I am so happy now.”
A NATO official told Reuters that 17 people were injured in a stampede at a gate to the airport as people tried gaining access.
About a dozen people were injured or killed at the airport on Monday, including two armed persons who were fatally shot by U.S. troops.
News (10)
UAE authorities confirm that Afghan President and his family have fled the country
Reporter : Chen Beichen / Editor: Lin Qing / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2021/08/18/a103193564.html
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC) issued a statement on Wednesday (August 18) stating that the UAE has welcomed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his family on humanitarian grounds. They entered Dubai.
On Sunday (15 August), Ghani, now 72, fled abroad before the Taliban occupied the capital Kabul, and later defended his fleeing behavior, saying that he did so to avoid "a river of blood". Event. According to CNBC, Ghani left on Sunday evening.
At that time, many media reported that Ghani fled to neighboring Tajikistan or Uzbekistan, but there was no official confirmation of his whereabouts. Recently, Kabul has been in chaos for several days, and a large number of residents have poured into the local airport to try to escape, causing the U.S. evacuation operation to be suspended for a while.
The White House, the Pentagon and the State Department have yet to comment on Ghani’s escape to the UAE.
After the US government and NATO announced that they would withdraw from Afghanistan at the end of August, the Taliban forces have made amazing progress in this country of 39 million people. The Taliban declared almost complete control of Afghanistan within 10 days after they seized the first provincial capital.
Although the Taliban promised to carry out a peaceful transfer in the country, the Afghans and most of the international community are worried that the Taliban era may push the country's human rights and women's status backwards.
News (11)
President of Afghanistan denied fleeing with money, engages in negotiations to return to the country
Image : Afghan President Ashraf Ghani made his first appearance after exile in a foreign country and made a conversation on Facebook. (AFP)
Taliban invaded the capital Kabul on 15 August and regained power. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled immediately and was taken in by the United Arab Emirates. Jani made his first appearance after exile in a foreign country. On the 18th, he denied that he took a large amount of cash with him when he ran away. He claimed that he was leaving to avoid bloodshed and was negotiating to return to Afghanistan.
According to comprehensive media reports, Ghani posted a video on Facebook on the 18th, stating that he left to avoid more bloodshed in Afghanistan. He has no intention of continuing to live in exile overseas and is currently "negotiating" to return to Afghanistan. He claimed to have left Afghanistan on the advice of officials and denied that he took a large amount of cash with him at the presidential palace.
He insisted that leaving Afghanistan is for the country, not for personal gain. If he stays in Afghanistan, there will be bloodshed in Kabul. "For now, I am in the United Arab Emirates to stop the bloodshed and chaos." The United Arab Emirates has previously confirmed that it has taken Jani "on humanitarian grounds."
Jani specifically added that he arrived in the United Arab Emirates "without hands", emphasizing that he was forced to leave Afghanistan, leaving with only a set of traditional clothing, a vest and a pair of sandals.
News (12)
"First-come, First-serve", U.S. Embassy says military cannot ensure safe passage to Kabul airport
Reporter : Jack Philipps, The Epoch Times PREMIUM
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul said Wednesday the federal government and military cannot ensure the safe passage to the Kabul airport after Taliban extremists took over the capital as video footage shows throngs of people trying to enter the facility.
“The United States government cannot ensure safe passage to the Hamid Karzai International Airport,” the U.S. Embassy wrote in a security alert issued on Wednesday, adding that “the security situation in Kabul continues to change quickly, including at the airport.”
Meanwhile, the embassy said that a large number of individuals have registered for flights out of Afghanistan, while “space on these flights is available on a first-come, first-serve basis.”
Some White House officials have estimated that as many as 10,000 Americans remain in Afghanistan. More than 80,000 Afghans, including those who worked with the U.S. government and could face Taliban reprisals, are awaiting approval to escape.
At the same time, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters that the U.S. military does not “have the capability to go out and extend operations in Kabul” to find trapped Americans.
“We’re going to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we’re going to get everyone that we can possibly evacuate evacuated. And I’ll do that as long as we possibly can until the clock runs out or we run out of capability,” he added, which drew condemnation from GOP lawmakers who said the U.S. military does indeed have the ability to continue the evacuation.
Austin continued, “We cannot afford to either not defend that airfield, or not have an airfield that’s secure where we have hundreds or thousands of civilians that can access the airfield at will and put our forces at risk.”
Such comments were sharply criticized by Republicans, including Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a retired Army ranger who served in Afghanistan.
“The Biden administration abandoned Americans in Afghanistan, forcing them to seek safety without support of our government. Entirely and unequivocally unacceptable,” he told Fox News Wednesday.
The security situation outside the Kabul airport appears dire, despite assurances made by Pentagon officials in recent days, according to State Department officials.
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, the second-highest-ranking U.S. diplomat, on Wednesday confirmed reports that the Taliban are preventing some Afghans from getting to the airport. Some videos uploaded online showed apparent Taliban members hitting people with sticks and whips who were trying to get into the facility.
“We have seen reports that the Taliban, contrary to their public statements and their commitments to our government, are blocking Afghans who wish to leave the country from reaching the airport,” Sherman told reporters, adding that “many, many” Americans are arriving at the airport.
“I will tell you this, in spite of the obstacles, many, many Afghans in all of the categories, are finding their way to the airport,” she said.
News (13)
Taliban controls airport passageway, evacuation work progresses slowly
Foreigners and Afghans working for foreign governments are evacuating from Kabul nervously, but this process seems to be very difficult. Taliban militants have controlled access to the airport and set up military checkpoints. Those who try to enter the airport have been threatened and attacked.The Biden administration announced on 17 August that military and civilian flights at the Karzai International Airport in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, have resumed. However, according to The Wall Street Journal, few people were able to enter the airport because the Taliban set up military checkpoints to keep people outside the airport.
The Afghans who tried to cross the checkpoint were whipped. Thousands of Afghans employed by Western embassies and NGOs were unable to board the evacuation flight. Some evacuation flights left almost empty and could accommodate more than 100 passengers. The German military plane A400M Airbus had only 7 passengers on board when it took off on Tuesday.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Taliban militants have set up checkpoints throughout the city to examine evidence of cooperation between city residents and Western countries.
On Tuesday, US Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby told CNN anchor John Berman that it is estimated that there are between 5,000 and 10,000 Americans trapped in the Kabul area. (For related videos, please click here.) There are about 3,000 Britons and dual nationals, Afghans, including family members of translators, waiting for British rescue. The British army is working to airlift the relevant Afghans to the country, but the evacuation process may need to continue until the end of August. A senior British military commander said that the timing of the airlift depends on whether the Taliban continues to cooperate.
The British Royal Navy’s deputy commander, Sir Ben Key, said that the British army had to approach the Taliban commanders regarding access to the airport, but their agreement could not be “taken for granted”.
On Monday, there were chaotic scenes at the airport in Kabul. The influx of people into the runway caused the flight to be grounded for several hours and several people were killed.
A senior person from a British logistics company involved in the rescue said that in the next few weeks, the United Nations World Food Program (UNWFP) flight may help some Afghans to evacuate, and commercial flights may not resume until September.
Lieutenant General Kee said that since the Taliban now control the streets and access to the airport, people who are successfully transported by air "rely largely on whether they can enter the airport."
"They now control all the entrances and exits around the airport," Kee said in a briefing on the situation in Afghanistan. So far, the Taliban have shown Taliban acquiescence and understanding, but this cannot be taken for granted, because they may change their minds at any time.
News (14)
Taliban promised not to retaliate, people questioned
After the Afghan Taliban occupied the capital Kabul, they held a press conference for the first time on Tuesday, promising to amnesty everyone and protect women's rights. However, the Afghan people questioned the Taliban’s commitment very much. There were still a large number of people gathered at the airport, preparing to flee, and the country’s prices soared rapidly.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid (translator) said, "We ensure the safety of all those who have worked with the United States and its allies."
The Taliban claimed on Tuesday that they would pardon everyone, would not retaliate against those who cooperated with the United States and its allies, and promised to establish peaceful relations with other countries and ensure women's rights.
The Taliban also promised to form an inclusive government, and soon announced a new government.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said, "We are contacting (Afghan government representative) Dr. Abdullah and others."
The Taliban also said that the second leader, Baradar, returned to Afghanistan from Qatar.Baradar was sanctioned by the United Nations, captured by the United States and allies in 2010, and released in 2018.
Last month, Baradar met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Tianjin.
On the other hand, the Vice President of Afghanistan, Amrullah Saleh, declared himself interim president on Tuesday, vowing not to bow to the Taliban.On Tuesday, Afghan women protested in Kabul because some women were asked to leave their jobs when the Taliban advanced military operations.
Pashtana Durrani, Afghan girls education activist: “As Afghan women, I don’t believe (the Taliban). They have no clear record of keeping their promises. People are currently worried that what the Taliban is telling on TV is not true and may change.”
As the Taliban have long restricted women's rights, the public believes that this promise is a spur to the point.
On Tuesday, after countries resumed their evacuation operations at Kabul Airport, a large number of Afghan people still gathered at the airport, hoping to flee as soon as possible.
Currently, prices in Afghanistan are skyrocketing. Flour rose to US$24 and cooking oil rose to US$16.
The Afghan currency plummeted to an all-time low on Tuesday.
News (15)
Leopard colours die hard! Taliban's barbaric reality after seizing control of Kabul
Reporter : Lee Brown, The New York Post
Image : A man carries a bloodied child, as a woman lays wounded on the street after Taliban fighters use guns fire, whips, sticks and sharp objects to maintain crowd control over thousands of Afghans who continue to wait outside the Kabul Airport. (Marcus Yam, Los Angeles Times/Shutterstock)
Distressing images show the barbaric reality in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized control of the country, with women and children covered in blood from random attacks by militant thugs — despite the Taliban’s promise of a more peaceful regime.
In one image taken by the Los Angeles Times, a woman is seen apparently unconscious on the ground near Kabul Airport with blood over her head and hands, while a young boy is carried with his hair completely soaked in blood.
The child was completely limp, with his eyes rolling back in his head, the paper’s photojournalist, Marcus Yam, recalled.
Another shows a seemingly limp woman being picked up by two men outside the airport that has been the scene of desperate — and often fatal — attempts to flee the troubled nation.
They were among at least a dozen people injured Tuesday as “amped-up Taliban fighters” corralled hundreds of unarmed Afghans who were trying to reach the airport to flee the new regime, Yam wrote.
This is despite the Taliban vowing “safe passage” for everyone trying to leave the country.
In reality, the brutal enforcers indiscriminately fired automatic weapons, both into the air and at times even toward the crowd of helpless Afghans, the photojournalist said.
They also used sticks, lengths of rubber hose, knotted rope and their rifle butts to beat the crowds, including some who were simply squatting on the ground trying to avoid the militants, Yam said.
Meanwhile, video footage shot elsewhere shows Taliban soldiers trawling streets in military vehicles with machines guns attached.
One militant was also captured whipping people as they cross a street.
As well as an increase in violence, the Taliban has also “continued to maintain its relationship with al-Qaeda, providing safe haven for the terrorist group in Afghanistan,” according to a Department of Defense report cited by Business Standard.
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, also said he is “most concerned by recent reports of escalating violence in the country.”
He noted allegations of “extrajudicial executions in the form of revenge killings of detainees and individuals who surrendered, persecution of women and girls, crimes against children and other crimes affecting the civilian population at large.”
Ref: https://nypost.com/2021/08/18/images-show-barbaric-reality-in-taliban-controlled-afghanistan/
News (16)
The situation in Afghanistan is chaotic, the United Nations moves some personnel to Kazakhstan
The United Nations (UN) will start to increase as many as 1 /3 International staff moved from Afghanistan to Kazakhstan but emphasized that the United Nations "promises to stay and will provide support to the Afghan people when they need it." The United Nations has approximately 300 international staff in Afghanistan, as well as 3,000 domestic staff.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said that about 100 international staff will be moved to Kazakhstan. Dujarik told reporters, "This is a temporary measure designed to allow the United Nations to continue to provide assistance to the Afghan people with minimal interference, while reducing the risk of United Nations personnel."
The Taliban, a militia organization, has promised to do so. They claimed they would rule Afghanistan peacefully, claiming that it would not retaliate against its former enemies and would respect women’s rights under the framework of Islamic law.
However, Caroline Van Buren, UNHCR representative in Afghanistan, pointed out that there are reports of violations of the human rights of local women. (Central News Agency)
News (17)
Toyota predicts that Afghanistan will change? Once stopped Land Cruiser orders to track down the identity of the person who booked the car
Reporter : Su Minghan / https://auto.ltn.com.tw/news/18384/3 / Image courtesy : Toyota
The armed organization Taliban captured Kabul, and the US financial news network "Quartz" subsequently published a report "Toyota seems to have expected that the Taliban will seize Kabul", which mentioned Toyota stopped sales of a new generation of Land Cruiser models.
Toyota once stopped taking orders for the new generation Land Cruiser, and thoroughly checked the identity of the person who ordered the car.
According to a report by "Quartz", it was discovered that Toyota had already taken preventive measures against terrorists. When the new car was launched in June, the brand had required the owners of the new generation Land Cruiser to sign a contract. If the car is resold within 12 months after delivery , The owner is prohibited from buying other models of the brand. One of the major reasons is the fear that Land Cruiser will fall into the hands of terrorists.
Because Toyota's SUVs and pickups are sturdy, durable, adaptable and easy to modify, they are deeply loved by the Taliban. After Toyota launched a new generation of Land Cruiser off-road cruisers, in addition to offering a contract prohibiting resale, it even temporarily suspended orders to check the identity of the person who ordered the car.
Regarding the orders of the new generation of Land Cruiser, Toyota stated that in the process of checking the orders, many repeated orders were found, and even many consumers who ordered cars were not held by individuals, so they could only suspend the order first to ensure the order. Only after the driver’s identity can the vehicle be delivered with confidence.
Toyota's recreational and pickup trucks are loved by terrorists.
In fact, the U.S. State Department asked Toyota to track down the Islamic State (IS) pipeline to purchase new cars in 2015. At that time, Toyota stated that although vehicles were prohibited from being sold to buyers for paramilitary or terrorist purposes, they were stolen or resold. It is very difficult to track down the vehicle, so it makes a surprise from the sales of new cars.
Commentary
Analysis: The CCP may secretly support the Taliban's seizure of power and gain six major benefits
Image : On 17 August 2021, Taliban militants stand guard at the gate outside the Ministry of Interior in Kabul. (Javed Tanveer/AFP via Getty Images)
The Taliban terrorist organization recently launched a lightning attack to occupy Afghanistan. The CCP government runs counter to free world countries and is openly the platform of the Taliban. According to expert analysis, the CCP is likely to secretly support the Taliban's seizure of power and gain six major benefits from it.
Wang Yi meets with the second in command of the Taliban
On 28 July, the Foreign Minister of the Communist Party of China Wang Yi met with the visiting Taliban second-in-command "Baradar" and his party in Tianjin.
According to a press release on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party of China, Wang Yi stated that the withdrawal of the United States and NATO troops from Afghanistan has given the Afghan people an important opportunity for development. Wang Yi also said that the Taliban is a pivotal military and political force in Afghanistan and is expected to play an important role.
Tang Hao, a veteran media person and host of "Crossroads of the World", said that a terrorist organization and a rebel organization was described by Wang Yi as "a pivotal military and political force." This move by the CCP is tantamount to public endorsement and support for the Taliban.
After the Taliban high-level officials met with Wang Yi, a week later, the Taliban terrorist organization began to launch lightning attacks in Afghanistan, besieging cities from the countryside, and conquered the whole country in just nine days.
On 15 August, the Taliban terrorist organization invaded Kabul for the first time in Afghanistan. The Afghan president fled in an emergency. The people fled in panic and the capital was in chaos. The Taliban announced that the war has ended and the Afghan regime has "changed."
The Chinese Communist Party’s official media immediately issued an article affirming the Taliban terrorist organization’s seizure of power. On the 17th, the Beijing-based CCP’s external propaganda website published a commentary titled "The same is the countryside surrounded the city, what is the gap between the Taliban and the CCP elected by Mao Zedong?"
The article stated that the Taliban began reading the "Selected Works of Mao Zedong" in the 1990s, "it seems that the Taliban is repeating the final battle of the Chinese Liberation War in Afghanistan."
Tang Hao analyzed that as soon as Wang Yi met with the Taliban's high-level leaders, the Taliban immediately sent troops to take down Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a neighboring country of the CCP. If the CCP did not know the Taliban's actions in advance and did not communicate in advance, would the CCP be so calm? Will the Taliban launch an attack so confidently?
In addition, the Chinese Communist Party media CCTV recently launched a propaganda film "Understanding the Taliban in 60 Seconds" in an attempt to "whitewash" the Taliban. As a result, it attracted criticism from Chinese netizens and condemned the party media for "no mention of terrorism?" Whitewashing the Taliban is the most inhuman act" and so on.
Later, it was reported that the CCP was preparing to take the lead in recognizing the Taliban as the legal regime in Afghanistan. Tang Hao believes that judging from various signs, the CCP is likely to have been behind the back and support the Taliban to seize power and the CCP can gain six major benefits from it.
1. Attracting international focus and shifting the pressure of accountability for the epidemic
The Biden administration's virus investigation report will be released at the end of August. Recently, WHO experts also publicly broke the news, accusing the CCP of pressured them to downplay the claims that the virus leaked from the Wuhan laboratory. All these have put tremendous pressure on the CCP. But now the international focus has turned to Afghanistan, allowing the CCP to temporarily get out of the issue of virus traceability.
2. The accountability object is transferred from the CCP to the United States, and the United States falls into passive
Afghanistan was defeated and defeated, and the international community will definitely blame the US for withdrawing its troops. In this way, the object of international accountability has been transferred from the CCP to the US, leaving the US in a passive state.
3. If the U.S. increases its troops in Afghanistan, it can disperse the strength of the U.S. anti-communist forces
If the pressure of public opinion forces the United States to increase its military strength and deal with the situation in Afghanistan, it can decentralize its military power and prevent the United States from concentrating its military power against the CCP.
4. If the U.S. forces insist on withdrawing, the CCP takes the opportunity to intimidate Taiwan
If the US insists on withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, then the CCP can use this to hype the Taiwan issue and launch a "war of intimidation and propaganda" against Taiwan. It creates Taiwan’s distrust of the United States, thereby splitting US-Taiwan relations and giving the CCP a better chance to push Taiwan.
5. Expanding the “Belt and Road” Initiative and deepening the CCP layout and influence in South Asia
Afghanistan is located along the CCP’s “One Belt, One Road” area. If the Taliban can take Afghanistan and separate Afghanistan from the scope of American influence, then the CCP will have the opportunity to further expand the “Belt and Road” project between Central Asia and South Asia, and deepen its involvement in South Asia. The layout and influence of the company.
6. Exporting terrorism to restrain the United States from exerting pressure on the CCP
The Taliban is a terrorist organization and used to provide shelter to bin Laden and al Qaeda. Therefore, after Afghanistan is re-controlled by the Taliban, it is likely to become a breeding ground for terrorism again, and it may again export terrorist attacks on Europe and the United States.
Once a terrorist attack similar to the "September 11 Incident" occurs again in the United States and once again fall into the pressure and quagmire of "anti-terrorism", it will be difficult for the United States to withdraw from the CCP. At that time, the attention and countermeasures of European and American countries towards the CCP will be greatly loosened, and the CCP will also have a chance to find a new opportunity to seek hegemony and expand again.
News (18)
Biden: Troops could stay in Afghanistan past 31 August to evacuate Americans, allies
Reporter : Samuel Chamberlain, The New York Post
American service members could stay in Afghanistan beyond the end of this month if they are needed to secure the evacuation of US citizens and NATO’s Afghan allies from the Taliban-controlled country, President Joe Biden said Wednesday.
“We’re gonna do everything in our power to get all Americans out, and our allies out,” Biden told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview.
“Does that mean troops will stay beyond Aug. 31, if necessary?” Stephanopoulos asked.
“Depends on where we are, and whether we can get — ramp these numbers up to five to seven thousand a day coming out,” Biden responded. “If that’s the case, then they’ll all be out [by Aug. 31].”
Biden confirmed with a nod to Stephanopoulos that between 10,000 and 15,000 Americans remain in Afghanistan following the Taliban reconquest of Kabul over the weekend.
The fall of the capital climaxed an offensive by the Islamic fundamentalist group that swept aside Afghan security forces and overran the country’s four largest cities in the space of 96 hours.
“Are you committed to making sure that the troops stay until every American who wants to be out, is out?” Stephanopoulos asked.
“Yes,” Biden said before repeating, “Yes.”
The president added that the administration estimates that between 50,000 and 65,000 Afghans who worked with Western forces are still in the country, a number that includes their families. US veterans of the Afghan War have warned that their onetime colleagues on the battlefield face brutal retaliation from the Taliban.
“Does the commitment hold for them as well?” Stephanopoulos inquired.
“The commitment holds to get everyone out that, in fact, we can get out and everyone who should come out,” the president said. ” And that’s the objective. That’s what we’re doing now. That’s the path we’re on. I think we’ll get there.”
“So Americans should understand that troops might have to be there beyond Aug. 31st?” Stephanopoulos asked.
“No,” Biden replied. “Americans should understand that we’re gonna try to get it done before Aug. 31st.”
“But if we don’t,” Stephanopoulos said, “the troops will stay –“
“If we don’t,” Biden interrupted, “We’ll determine at the time who’s left.”
“And?” Stephanopoulos asked.
“And if you’re American force — if there’s American citizens left, we’re gonna stay to get them all out,” Biden said.
On Tuesday, Taliban spokesman Sunil Shaheen told Sky News in the UK that all US forces should be withdrawn by the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the date enshrined in Biden’s original pullout announcement in April. Shaheen added that the Taliban was “committed not to attack” American forces and “we have not attacked.”
Pentagon officials have estimated that between 5,000 and 9,000 people could be evacuated each day from Hamid Karzai International Airport on the outskirts of Kabul, assuming operations are restored in full. However, Taliban restrictions and other obstacles have led to reports of near-empty planes taking off from the airport while hundreds of Afghans clamor to be let on board a flight.
“We’re really working hard to get as many people through as possible,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters at the Pentagon Wednesday. “And quite frankly, we’re not — it’s obvious we’re not close to where we want to be in terms of getting the numbers through.
“So we’re going to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And we’re going to get everyone that we can possibly evacuate evacuated. And I’ll do that as long as we possibly can until the clock runs out or we run out of capability.”
Austin added that US forces “don’t have the capability to go out and collect up large numbers of people” who may be stranded in Taliban territory. Meanwhile, the State Department has sent out security bulletins telling Americans inside Afghanistan to make their way to the airport, but warning that their safety is not guaranteed.
News (19)
Afghan "Plot" at Chinese Airport. Expert: It is difficult for Chinese to run
Image : There have been long queues at Chinese airports recently, and the price of air tickets has become "astronomical" of more than 100,000 RMB. The picture shows passengers waiting in line at Shanghai Pudong Airport on June 11, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)
The sky has changed suddenly in Afghanistan recently, and the local people fled to the United States by bursting into planes. In China, the same "story" is also being staged, with students going to the United States having a long queue at the Shanghai Airport, and their tickets soared to 100,000 yuan. According to expert analysis, people all want to escape from the terrorist regime, but as the political situation in China becomes more and more severe, I am afraid that it will be difficult for the Chinese to run away in the future.
The mainland media "China Business News" recently reported that there was a long queue in the departure hall of Shanghai Pudong Airport for one kilometer. Chinese students lined up at 9 am and did not get their boarding passes until 1 pm.
On the other hand, the fares of China-US routes have also soared. In July, for air tickets from Mainland China to the United States via Hong Kong, China, you can still buy tickets for 5,000 to 8,000 yuan (RMB, the same below) in economy class, and about 16,000 yuan in business class. In August, the economy class ticket has risen to 2 To 30,000 yuan, and business class is 70 to 100,000 yuan. (Video viewing: Shanghai Pudong Airport is now a kilometer long queue, and the fare for studying in the United States is 100,000)
Coincidentally, there has been a wave of people fleeing in Afghanistan recently. As the Taliban entered Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, the President of Afghanistan has already fled in haste. A large number of Afghan people subsequently flooded into the international airport, hoping to flee Afghanistan by plane. Some people even climbed to the bottom of the plane because they could not get on the plane. As a result, when the plane took off, it caused the tragedy of falling from the plane.
A netizen on Twitter compared the recent wave of departures from Hong Kong and the recent wave of escapes in Afghanistan with the wave of going abroad at Shanghai Pudong Airport, which sparked resonance among the mainland people. Mr. Lu, a businessman in exile, said, “This comparison is very interesting. There are similarities in form. In essence, everyone wants to escape the terrorist regime.”
However, as the CCP has tightened the handling of ordinary passports, it has become more difficult for Chinese people to go abroad. On 30 July, the CCP’s Immigration Administration announced that it would not leave the country for non-emergency and non-essential reasons. This decision basically closed the door for Chinese people to go abroad.
In this regard, Beijing current political commentator Hua Po told The Epoch Times on 17 August, "I am afraid that if this hole is tightened, they will not be able to run if they want."
Hua Po believes that the main reason for the rush of Chinese people out of the country is the severe domestic political situation in China. Some elites are dealt with. The vast majority of those who go to the United States are from the elites. The domestic political climate makes them tremble and panic. They all want to flee, a bit like what is happening in Afghanistan now. Therefore, as soon as he recovered, he hurried to the United States, even not hesitating to spend 100,000 RMB on air tickets.
A mainland businessman who is applying for a visa for his child to go abroad told The Epoch Times on the 17th that these people who have gone out may not come back again. "This is very similar to the immigration wave in Hong Kong. Now China is at the gate of a closed door. Once it is closed, it will be difficult to open it again in the future. The situation in China will become more and more severe in the future, and this batch of people will never come back."
The businessman said that even people who didn’t know much about China’s current harsh environment are aware of it. “Not only in terms of politics, it can be seen from the current economic situation. Beautiful, it will not get better. In the past few years, the economic situation was okay, and it can survive in China. Now the people have a mentality of being flat, which shows that they are desperate for life before they start to lie flat."
In fact, as early as 2019, a recording of a senior CCP official was circulated on the Internet. The official revealed that three forces within the CCP are fighting a life and death duel, and they can no longer care about the lives of the people. Coupled with the fact that the trade war has triggered the withdrawal of foreign capital and the collapse of Chinese capital, behind this is the unprecedented crisis of the CCP's governance.
The official also said that the wealth of the people is actually the government's debt. If the government wants to reduce its own debt, it can solve it by evaporating the stock market or by evaporating the property market. It is too late to consider the issue of wealth. The next step is to consider the issue of survival.
Although the source and credibility of the above recording cannot be obtained, the current situation in China disclosed in the content does correspond to the current situation in China. In July of this year, the CCP launched a comprehensive pilot project of "three-in-one" cooperation in agricultural production, supply and marketing, and credit in several provinces. The outside world is worried that this is a signal that the CCP has closed the country and re-implemented the "planned economy". The above recordings confirmed this in advance.
News (20)
Advantages in dispensing old drugs to fight against covid, 4 major "level-A drugs"
In order to combat SARS-CoV-2 (CCP virus, novel coronavirus, covi), a lot of resources have been invested in the development of vaccines. Therefore, looking for therapeutic drugs from old drugs has become a more resource-saving and fast approach. In the clinical trials of old drugs and new use, 4 "level-A drugs" came to the fore and achieved good therapeutic effects.
There are advantages to old drugs and new use. What is the difference between drugs and vaccines?
The continuous emergence of variants of covi has continuously compromised the protective effectiveness of vaccines developed with a lot of resources. At this time, it is more important to find effective drugs for the treatment of covid.
The new use of old drugs has become a trend, and the use of drugs that are already in clinical use has become a fast and safe choice.
A July article in the medical journal The Lancet pointed out that the urgency of the pandemic has made it difficult to develop new drugs in a timely manner, and it is more feasible to use existing drugs for treatment, especially if they have been approved for other diseases and have good safety.
The functions of many existing drugs are not yet fully understood. American virology expert Dr. Lin Xiaoxu said that even if it is developed for a certain disease, if it is combined with other drugs, it may have new effects.
When fighting covi, drugs and vaccines play different roles in the body, and drugs have their advantages.
Lin Xiaoxu likened that the role of the vaccine is to stimulate the immune system, like a "soldier who trains defense", but the effect of the stimulation is uncertain, and there is still room for the virus to wreak havoc in the body.
Antiviral drugs can make cells less susceptible to infection. Just like "reinforcing city walls," some drugs can even directly attack viruses.
4 old drugs stand out and effectively reduce mortality
The Castleman Disease Collaborative Network and the Center for Cytokine Storm Treatment & Laboratory in the United States launched a project called "CORONA" in 2020, and explored more than 400 old drugs' therapeutic effect on covi. The project included more than 300,000 hospitalized covid patients, and conducted a seven-month trial, from which four "level-A drugs" were identified:
i. Baricitinib
The oral medicine, originally intended for rheumatism, has been authorized for emergency use. Clinical trials have shown that Baritinib is effective for adults and adolescents who have been hospitalized. Patients who progress to the need for respirators have a higher recovery rate with this drug. However, it is not recommended for patients who have severe pneumonia or kidney disease to use this drug.
ii. Remdesivir
Remdesivir is a broad-spectrum antiviral drug. The disadvantage is that the action time against the virus is relatively short. One hour after injection, its activity is reduced by about half. Therefore, the current treatment plan mostly uses remdesivir as the basic component against the virus, combined with other drugs.
iii. Dexamethasone
Belongs to corticosteroids, which can reduce inflammation. The body of severely ill patients with new coronary disease will have excessive inflammation, and using it can help reduce mortality. The New England Journal of Medicine has a study that evaluated the mortality of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 within 28 days. The results found that the mortality rate of patients who used dexamethasone was 22.9%, and the mortality rate of patients who did not use dexamethasone was 25.7%.
Lin Xiaoxu pointed out that although the data is not very different, it is clinically critical to a person's life. As long as it can be reduced a little, the effect can still be affirmed.
iv. Tocilizumab
It belongs to immunosuppressive agents and is a medicine for treating rheumatoid arthritis. Clinical trials have shown that the mortality rate of critically ill patients is 33% according to general conventional treatment. If tocilizumab is used, the mortality rate will drop to 29% and the number of patients discharged from the hospital will increase.
In addition, the project also believes that there are 3 categories of promising drugs:
Immune enhancers: Many people cannot stimulate a strong enough immune response after being vaccinated. The use of such drugs will have a certain effect. For example, interferon-α, interferon-β, thymosin α-1, convalescent plasma or intravenous immunoglobulin.
Antiviral drugs: can inhibit viral replication, such as ribavirin, heparin, and remdesivir.
Immunosuppressive agents: Some people will have an excessive immune response after being infected with the virus. Immunosuppressants can avoid excessive inflammation and cytokine storms. For example, barectinib, ruxortinib, anakinra, dexamethasone and other corticosteroids.
News (21)
The number of covid cases in the day in Danang increased to 3 digits for the first time
Reporter : Thanh Ha/VOV-Central region
The health sector of Danang has taken samples for testing another 90,000 people. Thereby, 120 new positive cases were recorded.
On 17 August 2021, for the first time, Danang recorded a 3-digit increase in the number of new covid cases, including 91 isolated cases (concentrated isolation and home isolation), 20 cases in the blockade area and 9 cases not yet isolated. Thus, from 10 July to present, Danang has recorded 1,999 COVID-19 cases.
The chain of cases related to Hoa Cuong Wholesale Market is still the most contagious with 84 cases detected in a day. Thus, this chain of cases has spread to 280 cases, including small traders, market people and related cases.
Image : Thanh Khe District People's Committee has blocked the residential area of Tan Da street in Thac Gian ward.
Danang's health sector said that in the past time, thanks to good propaganda work, the city regularly recorded cases among cases of people with fever, cough, difficulty breathing coming to medical facilities to take samples for testing. From 18 June to now, the whole city has more than 8,000 cases of fever, cough, difficulty breathing, self-checking and testing, of which, 83 people were found positive for SARS-CoV-2.
On the second day of suspending all activities for 7 days, most of Danang people adhere to the rule "whoever is where is there". Limitations on 16 August in testing and vaccination work have been overcome. However, there are still some technicians who do not follow the new procedures and regulations of the Ministry of Health. Support requests from people in residential areas are supported in a timely manner.
Mr. Le Trung Chinh, Chairman of the City People's Committee, Danang said that the Son Tra district is still a hot spot for the disease. As of 17 August 2021, after more than half a month of medical isolation, Son Tra district still recorded 19 confirmed covid cases in a day.
"On the second day, basically, the people of the city also strictly complied with the regulations not to leave the house. Some shortcomings have been overcome, especially the testing process in residential areas. However, through reflection, although it has not been verified, there are also some places where some technicians do not follow the correct process," said Mr. Le Trung Chinh.
News (22)
More than 80,000 people aged 20-35 years old selected MVC-COV1901 in one hour! Young people are super enthusiastic
Reporter : Wu Liangyi
Image : The Central Epidemic Command Center announced on the 18th that for those who have registered for the sixth round of MVC COVID-19 Vaccine (MVC-COV1901), appointments for vaccination of age group 20 to 35 years old will be expanded from 4 pm onwards. 82,527 people completed the appointment within one hour. (Information photo, provided by the Food and Drug Administration)
The Central Epidemic Command Centre announced at noon today (18 August) that the sixth round of domestic MVC-COV1901 will be available to young people aged 20 to 35 for vaccination appointments. 82,527 people make an appointment within an hour, accounting for about 27.99% of the eligible population in this ethnic group.
The command centre announced at noon today that from 4 pm on 18 August to 12 pm on 20 August, it will increase the opening of "Intention to register before 12 pm on 13 August, and those aged 35 to 20 (inclusive), that is, August 2001. People born before the 23rd (inclusive)" make an appointment, and it is estimated that there are about 298,000 people.
The command centre announced the results of the appointment this evening. There were 294,798 registered people of this age group. Since 4 pm yesterday, 82,527 people have completed the appointment by 5 pm, accounting for 27.99% of the number of people eligible for appointment.
News (23)
Myanmar Junta targets local covi vaccine production this year
Source : The Irrawaddy
Myanmar’s military regime hopes to produce covi vaccines this year with help from its allies China and Russia.
“We are trying to make it happen within this year,” regime spokesperson Major-General Zaw Min Tun told The Irrawaddy.
It seems Myanmar will manufacture covi vaccines under license from China and Russia.
“From Russia, we will take Sputnik V. From China, we haven’t decided yet which one to take,” said the spokesperson. China’s Sinovac CoronaVac and Sinopharm are both now widely used in Myanmar’s national covi vaccination program.
He said the vaccines will be made at the government’s pharmaceutical factories in collaboration with local experts and their Chinese and Russian counterparts.
“They will visit us [to see if we have the required technical capabilities]. They will supply raw materials [for vaccine production],” he added.
Myanmar is still reeling from a third wave of COVID-19, with 6,000 deaths reported nationwide in July. Over 3,000 people a day have tested positive for coronavirus since early this month.
Military regime leader Min Aung Hlaing has vowed to inoculate half of Myanmar’s more than 54 million people by the end of the year.
However, he recently said his regime would be “broke” if it had to buy vaccines for more than 50 million people. So far, the Myanmar Junta has bought 4 million vaccine doses from China.
In contrast, the Daw Aung San Suu Kyi-led government that he ousted in the February 1 military coup pledged to the people that “the state would make sure to secure enough vaccine for everyone.”
“No one will be left behind,” Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said in December 2020.
True to her word, her then-ruling National League for Democracy government ordered 30 million Covishield vaccine doses from India and another 27 million from COVAX, a United Nations-backed initiative to vaccinate the world’s most vulnerable. However, only 2 million doses from India have been shipped so far, as India is battling its own COVID surge at home and exporting vaccine is no longer a priority. Following Min Aung Hlaing’s coup in February, the vaccine from COVAX never arrived.
The regime’s dream of making vaccines at home may have been sparked partly by Min Aung Hlaing’s lack of benevolence toward the people—given the potential cost of purchasing doses—as well as vaccine-making countries’ difficulties in meeting demand.
The coup leader said that during his trip to Russia in June he had reached some basic agreements with authorities there to make Sputnik V in Myanmar. Since his trip, he has frequently mentioned vaccine production at home.
While trying to embrace modernity, the Myanmar coup leader has gone traditional at the same time, encouraging traditional medicine practitioners in the country to produce herbal medicines that could fight against the coronavirus. During a meeting on managing the covid epidemic early this month, he proudly said the country’s Ministry of Health and the military’s medical research corps were embarking on research for traditional covid medicine.
For all his high ambitions, no one knows what the outcomes will be for either local production of COVID-19 vaccines or traditional medicines to treat the coronavirus. One thing is certain: six months after the coup, Min Aung Hlaing has proved himself to be a man of failed missions—from running the country to reviving the economy to responding to the covid outbreak. As for vaccine production at home and formulating herbal remedies for COVID-19? Let’s wait and see, as only time will tell.
News (24)
Aspirin could play important role in fighting breast cancer
Reporter : Hannah Sparks, The New York Post
A new study hopes to find that aspirin could help boost survival among breast cancer patients.
Doctors at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust hospital in Manchester, England, along with nonprofit research firm Breast Cancer Now, have based the new trial on evidence that the low-cost painkiller may facilitate the body’s immune response to tumors. That’s according to 118 previous studies related to 18 different cancers, which overall showed a 20% increase in survival among patients who were also taking aspirin during cancer treatment.
Immunotherapy helps the body’s immune system better use its own resources to attack cancer cells, usually in conjunction with chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. Aspirin, findings suggest, may make tumors more sensitive in conjunction with other treatments.
The results could mean that those with stage IV triple-negative breast cancer — a particularly difficult cancer to treat — have greater hope of a longer life.
Dr. Anne Armstrong, a consulting oncologist for Christie NHS Foundation Trust, told the Daily Mail, “Trialling the use of a drug like aspirin is exciting because it is so widely available and inexpensive to produce.
“We hope our trial will show that, when combined with immunotherapy, aspirin can enhance its effects and may ultimately provide a safe new way to treat breast cancer,” she added.
During the study, some patients who receive the immunotherapy drug avelumab will also take aspirin, prior to more invasive treatments, such as surgery or chemo. (A control group will not receive aspirin with their cancer drug regimen.)
Triple-negative breast cancer occurs in only 10% to 15% of all breast cancer patients, according to the American Cancer Society — affecting potentially tens of thousands of women (and even more so in black women).
The name refers to breast cancer patients who lack three hormonal receptors — estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR) and human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) — which are typically used to design targeted drug treatments that attack tumors in their weak spot.
Without these tailored therapies, patients of the rare triple-negative disease have few prospects to stop cancer’s spread.
“Aspirin could hold the key to increasing the effectiveness of immunotherapy when used at the same time,” said Armstrong.
News (25)
Israel study: Aspirin may help prevent COVID-19
Reporter : Jackie Salo, The New York Post / Image : Web Screenshot (Composite Picture / Getty Images, istockphoto)
Regularly taking aspirin may prevent people from being infected with SARS-CoV-2, according to a new study.
Researchers in Israel found those who took a low dose of the over-the-counter medicine on a regular basis were 29 percent less likely to become infected with the virus, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The study, which was published in the FEBS Journal of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies, looked at data from 10,000 Israelis who were tested for SARS-CoV-2 (novel coronavirus, covi) between 1 February and 30 June 2021.
Researchers compared patients who regularly take a low dose of aspirin to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases to those who don’t use the medication.
In addition to being less likely to contract the virus, aspirin may also help reduce the length of the illness.
Aspirin users who contracted the virus suffered shorter bouts, and were less likely to suffer long-haul symptoms.
Professor Eli Magen from the Barzilai Medical Center said this may be due to the medication’s anti-inflammatory properties.
She said more research is needed to look into the benefits of aspirin in fighting covid.
“This observation of the possible beneficial effect of low doses of aspirin on COVID-19 infection is preliminary but seems very promising,” she said.
News (26)
Nearly 15 million ballots unaccounted for in 2020 Election, Report says
Reporter : Matthew Vadum, The Epoch Times PREMIUM / Image : Vote-by-mail ballots are shown in U.S. Postal Service sorting trays at the King County Elections headquarters in Renton, Washington, on 5 August 2020. (Ted S. Warren/AP Photo)
In the November 2020 general election, whose chaotic results were vigorously disputed, almost 15 million mail-in ballots went unaccounted for, according to a good-government group that focuses on electoral integrity.The research brief by the Indianapolis-based Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) notes that as the nation dealt last year with the CCP virus that causes the disease COVID-19, various U.S. states “hastily pushed traditionally in-person voters to mail ballots while, at the same time, trying to learn how to even administer such a scenario.”
PILF describes itself as “the nation’s only public interest law firm dedicated wholly to election integrity,” existing “to assist states and others to aid the cause of election integrity and fight against lawlessness in American elections.”
Former Justice Department civil rights attorney J. Christian Adams, now president of PILF, said the results don’t bode well for mail-in voting.
“These figures detail how the 2020 push to mail voting needs to be a one-year experiment,” Adams said in a statement.
Bills pending in Congress such as H.R. 1, the proposed “For The People Act,” “risk inflating these numbers even further, pushing our election system toward error, disenfranchisement, and ultimately widespread doubt about election outcomes,” Adams said.
“Some of the counties with the least experience in administering mail voting rejected the most ballots nationwide. If continued, 2020-style chaos will become the norm.”
PILF says it had warned that lost ballots would be an even bigger problem in 2020 compared to previous years. In total, elections in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020 saw more than 43.1 million unaccounted for mail-in ballots.
Federal data compilations show that during the 2020 election, there were 14.7 million ballots whose whereabouts were deemed “unknown” by election officials, according to the brief.
To gather the data, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission asked local officials how many ballots were not returned as voted, were undeliverable, or were otherwise “unable to be tracked.”
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) inspector general most recently reported that only 13 percent of mail ballots in the 2018 general election used the official tracking system, which means there is a wide variety of things that can happen to a ballot in the “unknown” column.
“A ballot can be put in the wrong mailbox and land in an unfriendly neighbor’s trash. It can be thrown out with your unpaid bills. It can be left outside for the wind to carry the last mile (like seen in Nevada in 2020). Election officials simply do not know what happened. Unknown ballots are the greatest blind spot in the American electoral system,” the brief states.
In the 2020 election, there were 14.7 million “unknown” ballots, along with 1.1 million undeliverable ballots, and 560,814 rejected ballots.
PILF put these figures in perspective by noting that President Joe Biden carried Arizona by 10,457 votes, yet Maricopa County, the state’s largest county, reportedly sent ballots to 110,092 outdated or wrong addresses. The post-voting audit process in Maricopa is still in progress.
The scenario roughly repeated itself in Nevada, a state where Biden prevailed by 33,596 votes, even though Clark County “bounced” 93,279 ballots.
“The lesson is clear: increased reliance on mass mail voting must correlate with aggressive voter registration list maintenance,” the brief concludes.
The report notes that many counties across the country had large numbers of “unknown” ballots.
In California, Los Angeles County had 1,491,459 such ballots, followed by Orange County (482,940), Riverside County (454,911), San Diego County (317,614), San Bernardino County (274,937), Santa Clara County (251,840), and Sacramento County (241,367).
Clark County, Nevada, had 724,708 such ballots. Essex County, New Jersey, had 248,290 unknown ballots, and Maricopa County had 229,123 ballots in the unknown category.
News (27) to (28) / Reporter : Samuel Chamberlain, The New York Post / Image : Web Screenshot
News (27)
Kamala Harris keeps low profile in response to Afghan pullout chaos
While President Joe Biden and key members of his national security team have borne the brunt of criticism and outrage over the swift fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban — and the scenes of chaos and carnage as Americans and Afghans attempt to get out of the country — Vice President Kamala Harris has kept a conspicuously low profile. With horrific and tragic images emerging seemingly hourly from Afghanistan, Harris has not been seen in public since Thursday, when she cut short a meeting with CEOs to discuss the Biden administration’s child care proposals to attend an intelligence briefing as the Taliban began their final offensive. Since then, she has only appeared in still photos put out by the White House. Her only public statements have been on Twitter. She was not by Biden’s side, as she has been on other occasions, when he attempted to defend his decision to withdraw all US combat forces from Afghanistan in a White House address Monday. As the situation in Afghanistan deteriorated over the weekend, Harris took part in Saturday and Sunday video conferences with Biden’s national security team. Widely mocked images posted on the White House Twitter account show Harris joining the conference from the vice president’s official residence and occupying one of several boxes on a screen in front of Biden, who sat alone in a conference room at Camp David. Harris’ official account retweeted the image of the Saturday video conference. On Monday, after Biden delivered his much-panned statement justifying his decision to pull out US forces, Harris tweeted: “For two decades, our courageous service members put their lives on the line in Afghanistan. We will always be grateful—and proud. “Ending U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan is the right decision,” she added.
On Tuesday, Harris doubled down in another tweet that read, “We went to Afghanistan almost 20 years ago. Now, our mission is to get our people, our allies, and vulnerable Afghans to safety outside of the country.” On Wednesday morning, the White House tweeted out another image of a national security briefing. Harris sat to Biden’s right, wearing a mask and staring at a briefing book with an expression that could be read as pensive or pained.
The image was retweeted from Harris’ account.
News (28)
Harris expected to address tough questions on Afghanistan and CCP matters during her visits to Singapore and Vietnam
Harris is scheduled to end her public silence on Thursday with an address to the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists. The following day, she is scheduled to depart Washington for Singapore and Vietnam, her second overseas sojourn after a rocky trip to Mexico and Guatemala back in June. While in Southeast Asia, Harris is expected to face tough questions about the signals the Biden administration’s Afghanistan collapse sends to allies on the other side of the continent, who are worried about a saber-rattling China. Harris’ office did not respond to questions from The Post about whether she should have taken on a more public-facing role as the situation in Afghanistan unfolded, including whether she should have joined Biden for his Monday remarks.
Ref: https://nypost.com/2021/08/18/kamala-harris-keeps-low-profile-after-afghanistan-chaos/
News (29)
Zhang Wenhong's Weibo "Reporting Peace" quoted Xi idioms, showing obvious loyalty
Reporter : Xue Fei / Editor : Lansing / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2021/08/18/a103193700.html
Image : Zhang Wenhong, a Shanghai anti-epidemic expert who was recently accused of plagiarizing his papers for advocating the "coexistence theory with the virus," posted a Weibo "report of safety" today and "shows loyalty" to Xi Jinping. (Web screenshot)
Shanghai anti-epidemic expert Zhang Wenhong was attacked for advocating "coexistence with the virus", and was recently exposed to plagiarism in his papers. He posted a Weibo today to "Report Peace", and at the same time, he expressed loyalty to Xi Jinping and justified that China's epidemic defense strategy is most suitable for China. Some analysts believe that Zhang Wenhong's "knowing the current affairs" is the only way out for self-help.
Zhang Wenhong, Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University in Shanghai, had put CCP members in his department on the front line in the early stage of the epidemic in China, and said that he "cannot bully obedient people" and was praised by the public. He became an "Internet celebrity doctor" during the epidemic in China.
With the rapid spread of the epidemic caused by the mutant virus Delta in China, Zhang Wenhong said on Weibo late at night on 29 July, "The world must learn to coexist with this virus." He also said, "Whether we like it or not, the risks in the future are always there".
Zhang Wenhong's statement has sparked fierce controversy on the Internet and even in the official media. On 5 August, Gao Qiang, the former Minister of Health of the Communist Party of China, published an article on a column of "People's Daily", answering the question "Is it possible to coexist with the virus?" and renouncing the theory.
On 9 August, Global Times published an article by Peking University professor Zhang Yiwu, pointing to China's suggestion of "coexisting with the virus" and persuading China to relax its prevention and control of the epidemic. On the other hand, it called for the traceability of the virus to "framing" China. On the same day, the new media account "Jun Zhengping" directly under the Central Military Commission made a comment: "The way to get along with the virus is not a compromise but a struggle", directly denying the theory of "coexisting with the virus."
Zhang Wenhong’s supporters and critics also fought fiercely.
One wave after another occurred, followed by an incident of Zhang Wenhong's doctoral dissertation being suspected of academic fraud. The Graduate School of Fudan University announced that the school had received a report stating that Zhang Wenhong's doctoral thesis had some problems, and the school has initiated an investigation and verification. The news spread, and netizens talked a lot. Many people expressed concern about Zhang Wenhong's safety.
Zhang Wenhong has not spoken on Weibo since he posted the "Coexistence with Virus" post.
Until 18 August, Zhang Wenhong posted a long post on Weibo "Reporting Peace", reviewing his personal work in the last few days with more than a thousand words, showing that he has been very busy. He also claimed that he "not posting Weibo is the norm" and posting Weibo is "abnormal" because he has received too many concerns on WeChat.
However, Zhang Wenhong did not respond at all to the report of plagiarism of his doctoral dissertation. This Weibo received hundreds of thousands of likes and nearly 50,000 responses.
Zhang Wenhong also stated on Weibo that “China’s defense strategy is most suitable for China”, and specifically quoted Xi Jinping’s quotations as the concluding remarks, “Shoes don’t fit, you don’t know until you wear them”, showing loyalty to Xi Jinping.
Some Weibo netizens interpreted this, “Translate Professor Zhang Wenhong’s new Weibo: I’m fine, I’m very busy, and I don’t have time to talk to you. The party believes in me, I believe in the party, and you go away. ”
Some tweets said that Zhang Wenhong's "knowing the current affairs" is the only way out for self-help, not to be exact CCP intellectuals have a kind of fatalism under the CCP's prestige.
On the other hand, the Weibo account "Da Sheng Shuo" (real name: Zhao Shengye) that reported Zhang Wenhong's "paper plagiarism" is currently banned from Weibo on the grounds of "violating the community convention." The account has more than 3.72 million followers, and once published horrible remarks on "Using Nuclear Bombs to Destroy Mankind".
News (30)
New developments in the CCP espionage case in Taiwan, search the residences of two retired officers
The case of the "largest espionage case" in Taiwan's history as described by the Taiwan media has made new progress. The Taipei Prefectural Procuratorate interviewed two retired military officers involved in the case, and at the same time, the Bureau of Investigation of the Ministry of Justice searched the residences of the two military officers. According to Taiwan media, the entire case was investigated in accordance with the direction of "organizing suspicions for the development of the mainland" in the National Security Law. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has expressed respect for the investigation and investigation actions of prosecutors.
According to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, Taipei seizures reported that the Air Force’s retired Major General Qian Yaodong and retired Lieutenant Colonel Wei Xianyi were suspected of developing CCP organizations in the mainland in an attempt to recruit former Deputy Defense Minister Zhang Zheping. For this reason, the Taipei District Procuratorate interviewed Qian and Wei on August 18 to clarify whether the two were absorbed by a businessman surnamed Xie and organized for their development in Taiwan. According to the report, the entire case was investigated in accordance with the direction of the National Security Law Development Organization. The report also mentioned that while the Taipei Prefectural Procuratorate was interviewing Qian and Wei, it commanded the National Security Maintenance Work Station of the Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice to search the residences of the two retired officers.
Regarding the actions taken by the Taipei Prefectural Procuratorate, the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China responded that the National Army has strict control over military secrets, and the Ministry of National Defense respects the actions of the inspection and investigation office.
According to a report by Taiwan’s “Apple Daily” on the 18th, Taipei’s seizure was reported years ago. The Guangzhou Branch of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China sent personnel to Taiwan to develop the organization. Through Qian Yaodong and Wei Xianyi’s matchmaking, they successfully recruited a number of Taiwanese retired officers. Generals join their organization for development in Taiwan. According to the report, the Taipei Prefectural Procuratorate listed Taiwan’s former Deputy Minister of National Defense Zhang Zheping as a witness when investigating Qian Yaodong and Wei Xianyi, and the prosecution will further clarify whether Zhang himself is involved in the case.
According to the "Apple Daily" report, the investigator had previously traced the source of an espionage case and found that the Guangzhou Branch of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission had sent a businessman surnamed Xie from Hong Kong to Taiwan to secretly replace it in Taiwan since 2012. The CCP’s intelligence agencies recruited Taiwanese personnel and developed organizations. In 2016, a businessman surnamed Xie met Qian Yaodong and Wei Xianyi, and began to contact high-level active or retired Taiwanese generals. In addition to meals and gifts, they also arranged for them to meet with CCP officials in Guangdong Province, China.
Taiwanese media "Mirror Weekly" reported at the end of July this year that Zhang Zheping, the former deputy minister of Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, and several other active and retired military officers are under investigation by the Taiwan authorities for suspected contact with spies from China. Zhang Zheping is suspected of having contact with a Hong Kong representative from the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China. His wife was also invited by the representative to travel to Hong Kong.
Zhang Zheping himself issued a statement on this, stating that the report of "Mirror Weekly" is "chasing the wind and catching the shadows, piercing the association". He emphasized that after serving as a soldier for decades, he usually develops a good secrecy habit. In occasions such as gatherings with classmates, veterans, and friends, he also strictly observes confidentiality requirements and will not speak on military affairs without authorization. He also clarified that the family members travel to the mainland provinces at their own expense.
Reuters quoted sources as saying that Zhang Zheping is one of several people under investigation by the military and related security agencies, and they are suspected of being used by the Chinese Communist authorities in an "organizational infiltration" operation.
According to the data, Zhang Zheping served as the Deputy Military and Political Minister of the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan from July 2019 to 1 July 2021, and was the third-ranked figure in the military. After July this year, Zhang Zheping was transferred to the president of Taiwan National Defense University.
After the Taipei Prefectural Prosecutor’s Office officially launched an investigation into this “cooperative spy case,” Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense issued a statement stating that the CCP’s “intelligence department” has been trying to get in touch with Taiwan’s senior generals “through intermediaries”. Taiwan's state secrets have not been leaked. The Ministry of National Defense also emphasized that the Ministry has actively strengthened counterintelligence education for officers, soldiers and military dependents and encouraged prosecutions, believing that it "can effectively curb the infiltration of enemy spies into Taiwan and ensure national security."
News (31)
Chinese diagnosed spread virus everywhere in Japan, boasting "anti-Japanese", angering netizens
Image : On 2 August 2021, people wearing protective masks on the streets of Osaka, Japan. (Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)
The CCP’s decades of brainwashing education and hate propaganda have often led to abnormal behaviors that violate human nature. A few days ago, a Chinese in Japan spread the virus everywhere after showing off his diagnosis in the WeChat group, and claimed to be "a little anti-Japanese expert", which aroused the anger of local Chinese and Japanese.
On 16 August, a few screenshots of chats were circulated on the Internet, showing that a Chinese living in Tokyo, Japan, deliberately walked around after being diagnosed with covid, maliciously spread the virus, and showed off in a WeChat group.
These screenshots show that the person claimed to have given up on the virus, instead of driving, took the tram, and deliberately went to the supermarket. He also revealed that one day he got drunk and vomited for a while, and shook hands to say hello, "I don't know how many people have been infected." After showing off in one pass, he also called himself a "Little Anti-Japanese Expert".
These screenshots were circulated on social media, arousing the anger of Chinese in Japan, thinking that this person is no longer "anti-Japanese", but has reached the point of "anti-humanity".
Others said that the Chinese in Japan tried hard to gain the recognition of the Japanese, but "a mouse shit broke a pot of porridge." The good things the local Chinese did were instantly offset by these screenshots.
Subsequently, these screenshots continued to spread, and some Japanese local Twitter big V also reposted the screenshots and provided a Japanese translation, which immediately triggered a group of Japanese netizens to condemn. Japan is suffering from the CCP virus. It just announced an expanded emergency declaration on the 17th. At present, 13 prefectures and counties are in a state of emergency.
However, the anger of netizens did not seem to arouse the introspection of the parties concerned. A screenshot of the chat showed that a female netizen who criticized him was threatened by him and his friends.
Finally, under the pressure of public opinion, this person posted an apology for his "improper remarks" in the WeChat group. But he claimed that he was just "just kidding" and accused the person who took the screenshots of "framing me out of context" and "reversed black and white", "leading to the worsening of the situation".
In recent years, the Beijing authorities have used hype "patriotism" to rescue their ruling crisis, and the hatred against Europe, the United States, Japan and other countries has become more and more instigated.
Recently, the CCP has manipulated the Chinese public opinion circle, hyped up the Tokyo Olympics and various subsequent artist incidents, resulting in a high level of anti-Japanese sentiment on some Chinese social platforms. Weibo and Douban have been the hardest hit areas, full of verbal criticisms against Japan. Many people are proud of self-proclaimed "anti-Japanese heroes."
This kind of public opinion and propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party has created a strange phenomenon in the Japanese Chinese circle. Some people continue to criticize and abuse Japan, but refuse to return to their "beloved motherland", but do everything possible to stay in Japan.
News (32)
China's stringent epidemic preventive measures: Guard against the huge damage to the economy
Since the outbreak of the covid epidemic last year, China has been implementing strict lockdowns, border closures, large-scale screening, surveillance, etc., to achieve the goal of “zeroing out” the virus. However, from late July to the present, the highly contagious Delta variant (Covi72) has started from Nanjing Lukou Airport and spread to most of China.Although compared with other parts of the world, China has relatively few new cases. However, as a Chinese-style epidemic prevention model, in addition to compulsory virus testing, lockdowns and travel bans, the affected provinces and cities will also use compulsory means such as arrests.
However, the cost of this mode of control is very expensive. Take nucleic acid testing as an example. At present, Nanjing, which has a population of 9 million, has conducted four rounds of nucleic acid testing; and the Wuhan Municipal Government also announced on 3 August that it will conduct nucleic acid testing on the city's 11 million people. According to a BBC report, in May last year, it would cost Wuhan 2 billion RMB (approximately US$309 million) to complete a round of nucleic acid testing for all employees. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government implemented voluntary national testing from August to September last year, spending 530 million Hong Kong dollars, or about 68.15 million U.S. dollars, testing 1.78 million people, and identifying 42 patients.
Not only that, but strict epidemic prevention and control can also bring secondary hazards. For example, in early August, a pregnant woman who was about to give birth sent a distress message on Weibo because she was unable to return to the main city due to the lockdown measures in Yangzhou, Jiangsu. Moreover, once the city is closed, the hospital will be required to close, and many patients will not be treated in time.
Due to the high economic cost of this "viral clearing" epidemic prevention model, many international financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, Standard Chartered, and Citigroup, have recently issued early warnings of China’s economic growth expectations. They even lower the growth rate expectations. For example, JPMorgan Chase lowered China's third-quarter growth forecast from 4.3% to 2%, and lowered the full-year GDP growth from 9.1% to 8.9%; while Goldman Sachs lowered China's third-quarter growth forecast from 5.8% To 2.3%, lowering the full-year growth forecast from 8.6% to 8.3%.
At present, the related economic losses caused by the epidemic have begun to appear. For example, the outbreak in Guangdong at the end of May caused the closure of Yantian Port in Shenzhen, and the outbreak in July caused the closure of the terminal at Ningbo Zhoushan Port. Yantian Port is the fourth busiest container port in the world, and Ningbo Zhoushan Port is also the third largest container port in the world.
An analyst from the Economist Intelligence Unit pointed out in a research report a few days ago that the epidemic may cause China's manufacturing output and logistics to become strained, thereby disrupting the global supply chain.
Data show that China's exports in July grew by only 19% year-on-year, which was far lower than the 32% growth in June and lower than expected. The supply chain has also further pushed up production costs. Despite the government’s efforts to curb the rise in commodity prices, China’s July production price index rose by 9% year-on-year.
In addition, the industrial added value in July and the growth rate of fixed asset investment in the first seven months of this year, the growth rates of these two indicators were also lower than expected, lower than the growth rate in June.
The domestic consumption situation is even more disappointing. In July, China’s total retail sales of consumer goods slowed to 8.5% year-on-year, which was lower than the 12.1% increase in June. The unemployment rate in the national urban survey in July rose to 5.1% from 5.0% in June.
Originally, summer is the peak period for various activities, competitions and tourism, and residents' consumption expenditure will rise. But Beijing has announced that it will cancel all major exhibitions in Beijing during the rest of August, and Shanghai has also cancelled two important aviation exhibitions this month and next month. At the same time, 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China have issued travel warnings, and most areas of the country, even in areas where there are no new cases, have restricted recreational activities.
In this regard, Neil Shearing, chief economist at Capital Economics, believes that if the vaccine proves to be unable to prevent the spread of Delta virus, it will be difficult for Beijing to achieve the goal of “zeroing out” and long-term economic growth. The losses are heavy, and the slowdown in China's economic growth and the authorities' rapid changes in policies are damaging investor confidence, and it is expected that in the next two years, the rate of return on Chinese stocks will be lower than that of stocks in other major markets.
News (33)
Debate on epidemic prevention model Zhang Wenhong encounters Cultural Revolution-style attacks
At the same time, a big discussion about whether China wants to "zero out the virus" or "coexist with the virus" is also being vigorously launched on the Internet.On 29 July, China’s well-known epidemic prevention expert, Zhang Wenhong, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases of Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, posted on Weibo, “The world must learn to coexist with this virus.” Therefore, the way China chooses in the future must be both a guarantee and the world’s community with a shared future can realize intercommunication with the world and return to a normal life, while at the same time protecting citizens from the fear of the virus.
As a result, Zhang Wenhong's views attracted a siege from some pro-officials, and they were even criticized as "capitulationism". Later, the doctoral thesis was also turned out to be plagiarism.
In fact, there are many people who are similar to Zhang Wen. In February, the scientific journal Nature published an article in which it mentioned that more than 100 immunologists, virologists, and health experts around the world were asked whether the novel coronavirus could be eradicated. Nearly 90% of the interviewees said "no." They all believe that there is evidence that this virus may become endemic and continue to spread around the world.
However, many netizens expressed dislike for the Great Criticism of Zhang Wenhong's Cultural Revolution-style party conspiracy. On Weibo, "protect Zhang Wenhong" and "support Zhang Wenhong" became hot searches. Deutsche Welle's report said that Zhang Wenhong's experience also has a certain relationship with his status in the minds of the people. Some of Zhang Wenhong's speeches were talked about for "telling the truth, speaking with people" and "being grounded". The Shanghai epidemic prevention strategy he led is also characterized by pragmatic forward-looking, precise and humane features.
However, judging from the attitudes of the Communist Party Newspaper and Military Newspaper, the attitude of the highest level of the Communist Party of China towards the epidemic is very clear, that is, Chinese must resolutely eliminate the virus.
On 5 August, Gao Qiang, the former Minister of Health of the Communist Party of China, wrote in the "People's Daily" that "the virus should be wiped out in the vast ocean of People's War." He also criticized Zhang Wenhong's views without naming them. On 9 August, the new media account directly under the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China also made a comment, mentioning that the face of the virus is not a compromise but a struggle, directly denying the "theory of coexistence with the virus." It can be seen that the CCP’s ideology of fighting against heaven and earth is everywhere, and now it is about to "struggle" against the virus.
Not only that, according to media reports, in this wave of epidemics that began in Nanjing, more than 40 CCP officials have been held accountable for ineffective epidemic prevention.
News (34)
Why does Beijing stick to the "virus zero" policy?
So, why does the CCP strictly guard against the "virus reset"?
Let’s take a look at an article published by the political commentator Deng Yuwen on Deutsche Welle. This article says: Clearing or coexistence, although there have been disputes in other countries, it is more about weighing the possibility of its implementation in the country from a technical point of view and the total cost to society. However, in China, this kind of controversy has been raised to the institutional level, mostly out of consideration of political risks. On this point, Hu Xijin said very frankly on WeChat. He said that it is impossible for China to abandon the current anti-epidemic route for three reasons: First, the epidemic situation in the West and some developing countries is still very serious, and herd immunity is still not discussed. The above is "positive experience"; the second is that China's anti-epidemic route has brought the best overall economic performance; the third is the economic growth rate, which is the highest point of the long-term competition between the two routes of zeroing or coexistence.
It can be seen that the implicit meaning behind this is that the dispute between the two anti-epidemic routes is actually also a systemic competition between China and the West. Whoever does a good job of fighting the epidemic will be able to win in the long-term economic competition, and it is the institutional competition that supports economic competition. Therefore, Beijing wants to use this epidemic to prove that China's system and model are superior to those of the West and more suitable for China, so that it can gain more support from the Chinese people in the Sino-US confrontation.
In addition, the two different anti-epidemic routes are essentially how to deal with the issue of freedom. The idea of "coexisting with the virus" in the United States and Europe is to try to strike a balance between the will of the government and the freedom of the people, and strive to balance both, at the cost of more virus infections and deaths, but the government is never in pursuit of complete control. The epidemic completely deprived the people of their individual freedom, and in fact they could not do it, because they could not do it like the CCP, and let the government's absolute will override the society and even the people.
At the same time, this article also pointed out that the CCP could not learn the method of herd immunity in European and American countries to "coexist with the virus", because with China's current medical level, if the epidemic goes out of control, it is difficult to say whether it will become the second India. This will seriously damage the authority of the CCP government, and may even shake the CCP’s rule, because for an all-powerful autocratic government, since it enjoys unlimited power, it must bear unlimited responsibility. Therefore, insisting on virus clearing is determined by the internal logic of the CCP system.
The British "Financial Times" also put forward an interesting point in an article published on 9 August: Whether to implement the zero-clearing policy depends on the level of national serum antibodies, otherwise everything will be impossible to talk about. The article asked: "China is said to have injected more than 1.7 billion doses of vaccines. It has not been heard that the national serum antibody sampling monitoring has been carried out. Can China build a collective immune barrier today?"
News (35)
Loosening epidemic prevention has become a new global trend, but the source of the plague is thought-provoking
At present, with the increase in vaccination rates, countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States have gradually begun to open up. In particular, the United Kingdom has cancelled all measures including wearing masks after it was fully unblocked on 19 July. As of 2 August, travelers from the United States and some European countries who have been vaccinated with the approved vaccines in the United Kingdom and Europe will be exempted from entering the country. Even in India, the hardest hit by this wave of epidemics, those who have completed the vaccination travel to the UK do not need to be isolated again.Although after the emergence of Covi72, the number of infections in the UK remained high. However, the latest official data as of early August shows that although the number of new cases is increasing, the number of hospitalizations has been declining, and the number of deaths is far below the initial level of the epidemic. Based on statistical analysis of blood samples, the Bureau of Statistics in the UK estimates that 90-94% of British adults have a certain degree of immunity to the virus because they have been fully vaccinated or vaccinated, or have been previously infected. .
In this regard, ten days ago, Professor Chen Zhengming of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom explained in an interview with the BBC that the number of people suffering from severe illnesses and deaths after recent infections in the UK has undergone fundamental changes compared with the first and second waves. Most people are mildly and asymptomatic after infection, and the number of deaths is very small. Therefore, compared with the previous two waves of epidemics, Britain has now cut off the connection with death and severe illness. The reopening of society has given the people great confidence.
At present, with the exception of the United Kingdom, the global epidemic prevention measures are gradually turning to looser. Although the effectiveness of the epidemic prevention remains to be seen, at least people's lives are gradually becoming normal.
However, what this global plague, which has lasted for a year and eight months, caused 200 million infections and more than 4 million deaths worldwide, is still an unsolved mystery.
In this regard, an article in the "National" magazine mentioned, "Does this plague sweeping the world represent a catastrophic turning point? ... If so, it may be time to reconsider the relationship between mankind and nature. "
The article said that in ancient times, when disasters occurred suddenly, they were usually attributed to the collapse of a long-standing dynasty or the rise of a new ruler. Therefore, the survivors of these disasters often attribute their misfortune to the anger of the gods against the excessive plunder of mankind. The author said: "If SARS-CoV-2 is a warning from nature, it tells us that we have gone too far and must change our behaviour."
News (36) to (39) / Source : The Irrawaddy
News (36)
Myanmar Junta kills nearly 1000 civilians in under 200 days
Nearly 1,000 civilians have been killed by Myanmar regime forces in fewer than 200 days as the merciless junta continues its brutal crackdown to quell opposition to the Feb. 1 coup.
In the last month alone, at least 92 civilians were slaughtered by the regime including teenagers, student activists, protesters, National League for Democracy (NLD) members and their family members, bystanders, pedestrians and villagers, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an activist group that monitors arrests and fatalities at the hands of the junta’s forces.
News (37)
40 civilians killed by Junta in Sagaing Region
The past month’s figures include the junta’s massacres of 40 people in the Myanmar resistance stronghold of Kani Township in Sagaing Region during raids into villages in the township. The township has seen several massacres as the junta has scaled up military operations against the resistance.
Villagers who fled the operations said when they came back to the villages, they found nearly 40 bodies including that of a 14-year-old boy and 11 other men arrested by junta soldiers on 26 and 27 July.
The number of detainees tortured to death by the junta has also continued to rise with at least 10 others killed in detention over the past one and a half months.
News (38)
Detainee who cursed Min Aung Hlaing killed and cremated by Junta without family witness
Mg Aung Aung Lwin, 22, from Shwedaung in Pyay District, Bago Region, who was detained on the night of June 28, was killed while being detained. He was arrested after an alleged military collaborator, who recently moved near his home, told authorities that he had cursed coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
Regime forces told the family that Mg Aung Aung Lwin died of internal bleeding but his body was cremated without the family being allowed to see it.
In the same district, Ko Soe Min, 35, a father of two, was detained at his home in Pyay Township on June 29 after a collaborator alleged that he destroyed a public building. Only the body with torture marks and bruises, and with the chest having been stitched back together, was returned to the family.
The AAPP stated in its latest report that as of Monday, 998 people had been killed by the junta’s forces including some killed while being detained.
“This is the number verified by AAPP; the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher,” the AAPP said as it documented 27 civilians who were killed in previous days in Monday’s report.
The death toll for this month includes 60-year-old Pi Ngeih Tling, who was shot dead in the chest at home in an unprovoked shooting by junta soldiers in Falam, Chin State, and U Maung Htay, 55, who died in Myingyan Prison in Mandalay Region after being arrested for hosting youth protesters.
Others include Hlaing Wai Oo, 26, who was beaten to death in front of his mother in Minkin, Sagaing Region; Han Zaw Tun, who suffered from mental illness and was beaten to death when he passed by the administrator’s office in Hlaing Tharyar Township, and Wai Wai Myint (aka Apple) who jumped from the roof of a building rather than surrender to raiding soldiers in Yangon.
News (39)
Three NLD elected members and surgical lecturer died from covid, Myanmar Junta fails to contain covi inside prisons
NLD Central Executive Committee member and Daw Aung Suu Kyi’s long-time personal lawyer U Nyan Win, 45-year-old surgical lecturer Dr. Maung Maung Nyein Tun, who was also a lecturer at the Department of Surgery at Mandalay University of Medicine, and NLD elected lawmaker U Nyunt Shwe, who was also a chair of the NLD’s Bago Township office, also died after being infected with COVID-19 in prison this month.
Many believe that instead of containing SARS-CoV-2 (covi) inside prisons, the regime is using it as a weapon against opponents.
More than 7,300 people including elected leaders, NLD party members, election commissioners, doctors, protesters, journalists, writers, artists and civilians have been detained.
In spite of the killings and arrests, people across Myanmar continue to take to the streets to protest against military rule and demand a return to a democratically elected civilian government.
News (40)
Is it not far to reset? Local diagnosis +1, death +5
Reporter : Lin Huiqin / https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/3643586
Chen Shizhong, commander of the Central Epidemic Command Center, announced on 19 August 2021 a new local case of Wuhan pneumonia (covid, COVID-19), a new low since the local community infection occurred on 11 May 2021. It seems that there is only the last mile left to zero but there are another 5 inbound cases and 5 new deaths have been added after 4 consecutive days of zero death.
One new local case was added today (Case 16006). He is a 50-year-old male with no recent travel history at home and abroad. He went to see a doctor with his family on 18 August 2021. Because his family needs to be hospitalized, he was admitted to the patient on the same day. The diagnosis was confirmed today (Ct value 22.7); the case was an asymptomatic infection. The health unit has initiated hospital and community investigations and prevention, and related contacts are listed.
There were 5 new deaths, including 3 males and 2 females, aged in their 60s to 80s. The onset date ranged from 24 May to 13 June, and the diagnosis date ranged from 2 to 15 June and the day of death is between 13 and 17 August 2021.
The command centre pointed out that recently confirmed cases were released from quarantine. From 11 May to 17 August, a total of 14,681 confirmed cases were announced. 13,545 people have been released from quarantine, and 92.3% of the confirmed cases have been released from quarantine.
The command center explained that today the 5 new inbound cases comprise of 4 males and 1 female, aged in their 20s to 50s, from the United States (Case 16002), Lithuania (Case 16003), and Vietnam (Case 16004), the United Arab Emirates (Dubai) (Case 16005) and Iran (Case 16007) entered the country, and all had a negative test report within 3 days before the flight. The entry date was between 6 and 17 August.
According to the statistics of the command centre, a total of 15897 confirmed cases in China have been confirmed so far, including 1356 inbound cases, 14488 local cases, 36 cases on Dunmu fleet, 2 aircraft infections, 1 unknown and 14 cases under investigation; the other 110 cases were removed as a result. 826 patients died.
“This observation of the possible beneficial effect of low doses of aspirin on COVID-19 infection is preliminary but seems very promising,” she said.
“Aspirin could hold the key to increasing the effectiveness of immunotherapy when used at the same time,” said Armstrong.
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