Hi,
In today's bulletin:
WHO declares coronavirus a pandemic; Hong Kong denies human rights abuses; Fukushima looks to green energy; a banned Thai opposition figure faces fresh charges; science may be financing Myanmar's army; and more.
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WHO DECLARES CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT FACES PARALYSIS
Our Philippines correspondent Raul Dancel reports that the civil service in the country is facing paralysis, with top officials going on self-quarantine and key government offices shutting their doors as more cases of the coronavirus surface and unease over an undetected community spread continues to percolate.
As the WHO declared the coronavirus a pandemic in a last-ditch effort to push the world to take the coronavirus more seriously, world leaders are struggling to form a common response. The traditional stewardship by the US in global crises has been lacking, as Donald Trump played down the threat for weeks.
Under mounting pressure to show strong leadership, and facing dire economic woes in an election year, Trump's surprise dramatic travel suspension announcement because of the "foreign virus" left diplomats confused and global markets reeling.
Hasty clarifications rolled-out in the ensuing hours, and, after much hand-wringing, it turned out the suspension mimicks the restrictions he placed on China in January - they are limited to non-US citizens and will not affect imports. Experts are uncertain if the restrictions will slow the advance of the disease though, as community spread in the US is already well advanced.
Hours earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that up to 70 per cent of the population could become infected, and the UK rolled out a huge US$40 billion (S$56 billion) rescue package.
As China announced that it had passed the peak of the pandemic, a Chinese expert predicted the global epidemic would be over by June if countries mobilise to fight it. However, some experts in Singapore think the pandemic may be with us until the end of this year.
Read more:
The coronavirus is now a pandemic - what does this mean for us?
How coronavirus is spreading across the world
Coronavirus '10 times deadlier than seasonal flu': US top infectious disease expert Fauci
HONG KONG PUSHES BACK AGAINST US REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
Hong Kong is pushing back on a US State Department report issued on Wednesday that accuses the Chinese-ruled city of human rights abuses during months of protests.
The report listed examples of police brutality against protesters, interference with the right of peaceful assembly, restrictions on political participation and attacks on the media.
Largely silenced by the coronavirus, the unrest in Hong Kong developed into calls for greater democracy, fuelled by worries about the erosion of rights guaranteed under a "one country, two systems" formula imposed when the city returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
The US supported the protesters late last year, signing into law legislation that threatens sanctions against the former British colony for human rights abuses.
Whether or not the US would risk souring ties with Beijing by acting against Hong Kong is debatable.
Also read:
Hong Kong starts standing down riot police as protests fade
Hong Kong businesses have no safety net in fight for survival
HK judge warns of 'full force storm' over protest-hit city
NINE YEARS SINCE NUCLEAR DISASTER, FUKUSHIMA LOOKS TO GREEN ENERGY
Fukushima is staking its future on renewable energy, taking the lead in a country that is not just squarely wedded to coal-fired power, but also reluctant to give up nuclear energy.
This despite the anniversary on Wednesday of the devastating triple tragedy nine years ago. Many municipalities in the hardest-hit coastal areas of north-east Japan remain ghost towns, despite exclusion orders being gradually lifted, as former residents do not return.
One of the world's biggest renewable-based hydrogen power facilities was opened in Fukushima last Saturday, in the town of Namie that is home to just 1,100 people, or 5 per cent of the pre-disaster population.
See also:
At Fukushima plant, a million-tonne headache: Radioactive water.
Timeline of a nuclear disaster
BANNED THAI OPPOSITION FIGURE FACES NEW CRIMINAL CHARGES
Thailand's Election Commission on Wednesday said it would file criminal charges of breaching electoral law against Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of the now-defunct Future Forward Party, in the latest action against the former anti-junta politician.
The complaint comes less than month after the Constitutional Court dissolved the Future Forward Party and banned 16 of its top officials, including its leader, from politics for 10 years over what the court ruled was an illegal loan from its founder.
Thanathorn, a charismatic billionaire who founded the party, already faces two criminal charges, one for computer crimes over a speech he posted on Facebook criticising the junta and another for sedition for allegedly aiding anti-junta protesters in 2015.
Don't miss:
New Thai group to replace dissolved Future Forward Party and new leader confident of future
Thailand holds first censure debate in seven years
IN OTHER NEWS
SCIENTISTS' RESEARCH MAY BE FINANCING MYANMAR'S ARMY: Fossils preserved in amber are giving paleontologists exceptional glimpses into the age of the dinosaurs. But much of the fossil-rich amber is mined in Myanmar and may be a source of funding for the country's army.
US DECRIES 'FABRICATED CONSPIRACY THEORIES IN CAMBODIA TREASON TRIAL: The United States ambassador to Cambodia said on Thursday that he is troubled by "fabricated conspiracy theories" at the treason trial of opposition party leader Kem Sokha, who is accused of plotting to overthrow long-time leader Hun Sen. Kem Sokha was arrested in 2017 and his party was banned as the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen cracked down on opposition.
FEMALE INDIAN AMPUTEE GETS HANDS FROM MALE DONOR - DOCTORS PUZZLED AS HANDS CHANGE SIZE AND COLOUR: When amputee Shreya Siddanagowder was offered new hands, the Indian student didn't hesitate - even though they were big, dark and hairy, and once belonged to a man. Now though, not only have her new hands become more slender, they have also changed colour to match her skin tone, mystifying the doctors who carried out the rare 13-hour transplant.
That's it for today, thanks for reading and see you tomorrow.
Tom
