Whistleblower Doctor Jiang Yanyong Who Exposed China’s Sars Cover-up Dies

 Jiang Yanyong, a former military surgeon who blew the whistle on Chinese authorities’ cover-up of the 2003 Sars epidemic, has died aged 91.

He died of pneumonia on Saturday in Beijing, family friends and Chinese-language media in Hong Kong reported.
Dr Jiang was praised for saving lives after writing a letter in the early stage of the Sars crisis which revealed officials were playing down the threat.

But he endured house arrest at one point for his unwavering outspokenness.
Sars infected more than 8,000 people worldwide in 2003. Of these, 774 died, according to World Health Organization (WHO) figures.

Dr Jiang had been working in a Beijing hospital in April 2003, when he was alarmed to hear the Chinese health minister telling the public there were only a handful of cases of a new deadly respiratory disease.
The senior doctor said he knew more than 100 people had Sars – severe acute respiratory syndrome – in military hospital wards alone.

He sent a letter exposing the lies in the official narrative to Chinese state broadcasters, who ignored it. But the letter was then leaked to foreign media who published his account in full.
His revelations forced the Chinese government to admit it had provided false information, and spurred the WHO into action.

Strict containment measures were imposed overnight, which helped slow the spread of the virus.
His actions also led to the sacking of China’s health minister and Beijing’s mayor at the time.
“I felt I had to reveal what was happening, not just to save China, but to save the world,” he said about his actions.

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Source: BBC

 

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Assad welcomes new Russian bases in Syria after Putin meeting

 The Syrian leader made the comments during a visit to Moscow, adding that Russia’s presence should become permanent.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said that he would welcome any Russian proposals to set up new military bases and boost troop numbers in the Middle Eastern country, suggesting Moscow’s military presence there should become permanent.

When Russia intervened in the war in Syria in 2015, four years after protests began in the country, it helped tip the balance in al-Assad’s favour, ensuring the Syrian leader’s survival despite Western demands that he be toppled.

Al-Assad, who met President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Wednesday, has supported Moscow’s war in Ukraine and told Russia’s state news agency RIA that Damascus recognises the territories claimed by the Kremlin in Ukraine.

Syria, al-Assad said, would welcome any Russian proposals to set up new military bases and boost Russian troop numbers – and said they need not be temporary.

“We think that expanding the Russian presence in Syria is a good thing,” al-Assad told RIA in an interview published on Thursday. “Russia’s military presence in any country should not be based on anything temporary.”

“We believe that if Russia has the desire to expand bases or increase their number, it is a technical or logistical issue.”

Al-Assad’s years as president have been defined by the conflict that began in 2011 with peaceful protests before spiralling into a multi-sided conflict that has fractured the country and drawn in foreign friends and enemies.

He has retaken territory from the opposition with the help of Russia and Iran, but all three have been accused by human rights groups of war crimes.

Alongside the Hmeimim airbase, from which Russia launches air attacks in support of al-Assad, Moscow also controls the Tartus naval facility in Syria, its only naval foothold in the Mediterranean, in use since the days of the Soviet Union.

Russia’s defence ministry said in January that Russia and Syria had restored the al-Jarrah military air base in Syria’s north to be jointly used. The small base east of Aleppo was recaptured from ISIL (ISIS) fighters in 2017.

In Moscow, al-Assad thanked Putin for the help Russia had given to Syria after last month’s devastating earthquake.

Syria stood beside Russia on the issue of Ukraine, al-Assad said.

“Because this is my first visit since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, I would like to repeat the Syrian position in support of this special operation,” al-Assad told Putin, according to a Kremlin transcript.

Syria recognises the territories of Ukraine which Russia has seized as Russian, al-Assad said.

“I say that these are Russian territories, and even if the war had not happened, these are historically Russian territories,” he told RIA.

Russia has claimed about a fifth of Ukraine and says the lands are now part of Russia. Ukraine says it will fight until every last Russian soldier is ejected from Ukraine. The West says the annexation of Ukrainian territory is illegal.

Al-Assad said Russia and Syria planned to sign an agreement on economic cooperation in the coming weeks.

SOURCE: REUTERS

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Anas Loses Court Case; Kennedy Agyapong Vindicated

 An Accra High Court has dismissed ace investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas’s GHC25 million defamatory suit against the MP for Assin Central in the Central Region, Kennedy Agyapong.

Anas, in 2018, dragged the lawmaker to court for allegedly defaming him. In his application, Anas prayed to the court to award aggravated damages of GHC25 million to compensate for the defamatory material published against him by the MP.

In a lengthy ruling delivered today Wednesday 15 March 2023, Justice Eric Baah held that the plaintiff [Anas Aremeyaw Anas] failed to prove that Ken Agyapong defamed him by airing the documentary – “Who watches the watchman” – but rather, the documentary exposed shady deals that Anas and his associates were involved in.

The court further held that Agyapong provided sufficient evidence to prove that the plaintiff used the findings of his work to solicit money from persons implicated in the evidence gathered by him.

The evidence, according to the court, also proved that those who were able to pay the sums of money demanded by Anas and his associates, got exempted from videos that were shown to the public.

The court concluded that what Anas is engaged in is not investigative journalism but rather investigative terrorism and that Agyapong was justified to call Anas “a blackmailer, corrupt, an extortionist, and evil”.

“I find the claims by the plaintiff [Anas Aremeyaw Anas) meritless and they are hereby dismissed” Justice Baah ruled.

According to Anas, Agyapong on 29 May 2018, during a live programme in Twi on Adom TV, categorically stated that he [Anas] was a blackmailer, corrupt, an extortionist, and evil.
According to the statement of claim filed by the lawyers of Anas, the defendant, similarly, Mr. Agyapong published defamatory words on 31 May 2018, on Oman FM, a private radio station owned by the defendant [Kennedy Agyapong].

The statement of claim also stated that the defendant published more defamatory materials against the plaintiff via other platforms to the extent of releasing pictures purported to be those of the investigative journalist in his bid to blow the latter’s cover.

Anas indicated in his statement of claim that his reputation, especially as a lawyer and as a globally acclaimed investigative journalist, has been egregiously damaged.
“Furthermore, Anas indicate that following the publication, he was inundated with numerous calls from business associates, journalists around the world, social relations, friends, outright strangers, and he has had to answer very mortifying questions,” the statement of claim said.

According to Anas Aremeyaw Anas, Mr. Agyapong published the words complained of knowing them to be false and reckless.
Lawyers of Kennedy Agyapong after the ruling asked the court to award cost of 1 million Ghana cedis against the plaintiff [Anas Aremeyaw Anas].
Lawyer for the Anas Aremeyaw Anas when he stood on his feet offered to pay Ghc 20,000.00 as cost.

Justice Eric Baah indicated that since the award of cost in such civil cases is at the discretion of the court, he will award cost of GHc 50,000.00 against the plaintiff [Anas Aremeyaw Anas].

Source: Asaaseradio

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Where in the world can you have the longest retirement?

 As people in France protest over pension reforms, Al Jazeera examines the age of retirement and life expectancy in different countries.

A bill to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 is being met with protests across France. The proposed reform was accelerated by the country’s senate on Saturday and comes as France faces a demographic challenge.

The number of active workers able to support the public pension system is shrinking with more people retiring.

The chart below shows the differences between the average retirement age for men and women and their respective life expectancies in several countries.

Life expectancy, compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO), measures the average number of years that a newborn could expect to live given sex and age-specific death rates at the time of his/her birth.

Retirement age, collected from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2020, measures the mandatory and voluntary age at which a person who entered the labour force at age 22 will work up until.

In South Africa, men spend on average only two years in retirement.

In Eastern European countries such as Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Romania, Latvia and Russia – as well as in Argentina, Mexico, and South Africa – men spend on average less than 10 years in retirement.

Iceland, Israel and Norway have the oldest retirement ages at 67. However, life expectancy is also about 81 – meaning on average men in these countries spend 14 years in retirement.

Women in general have a longer life expectancy than men – and therefore better prospects of a longer retirement.

In South Africa, women spend less than 10 years in retirement, with an average life expectancy of 68 and a retirement age of 60. This is followed by Mexico and India, where women spend about 14 years in retirement.

In Saudi Arabia, women on average spend 26 years in retirement with the average age of retirement being 47 years old.

However, individual real-life experiences vary greatly from the averages taken above, given different factors such as wealth, geography and the prevalence of diseases.

As life expectancy rises, some countries want to increase the retirement age in the future. This includes the United Kingdom, where the government has signalled that it hopes to keep the proportion of adult life spent in retirement constant with the average over the last 10 years.

In many countries, you can retire before the age set by government pensions, and some nations have a flexible retirement age – meaning pensions can be taken out within a certain range. This includes Canada, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the United States, according to the Finnish Centre for Pensions.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

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Bahrain: King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa reiterates commitment to democracy

 Manama - The King of Bahrain Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa on Tuesday reiterated his commitment to democracy, tolerance and diversity.

In a short welcoming message for the representatives of parliaments attending the 146th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), being held from March 11 to 15, the king said he considers the above mentioned aspects as elements that allow the Kingdom of Bahrain to present itself to the world as a modern country with solidarity with the noble causes of humanity.

 

Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa congratulated Angola for being chosen to host the next IPU Assembly and wished the best for the success of the event, which will be the largest parliamentary forum in the world.

 

At the ceremony held at the royal palace, Angola was represented by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira and the Second Vice Speaker, Arleth Chimbinda.

 

During the ceremony, the King received and greeted all the heads of the invited delegations.

 

During four days of work, the Angolan delegation carried out an intense day of parliamentary diplomacy, meeting with foreign counterparts with whom it discussed issues related to cooperation between Angola and the respective countries, as well as among parliaments.

 

Carolina Cerqueira took advantage of the meetings with several parliamentarians and others to promote the country's image, highlight the government’s achievements towards the social well-being of Angolans and the political transformations that have resulted in a younger parliament, balanced in terms of gender and where peaceful and partisan coexistence is a reality.

 

Carolina Cerqueira also emphasized the need to create parliamentary friendship groups with some countries to promote exchanges of experience in a more active way.

 

Angola received members of all the delegations present, with a daily flow of more than 300 delegates eager to learn about the country, the next spot for the IUP meeting, in October this year.

 

During the 146th General Assembly of the IPU, Angola gathered experiences of the coordination of the meeting in Bahrain, during a meeting between the National Assembly Speaker, Carolina Cerqueira, and the President of the Organizing Committee, Jamal Fakhro.

 

The Angolan delegation took the opportunity to gather detailed information about the organisation of the event, learning from Bahrain's experience for the success of the event Luanda intends to hold.

 

During the IPU general assembly, parliamentarians discussed the organisation's strategies on climate change, accountability at all levels, as well as the transformation of speeches into actions to fight climate change.

 

The agenda encompassed the strengthening of climate legislation to reduce carbon emissions and support for a clean energy transition.

 

The Inter-Parliamentary Union is made up of 178 national parliaments and 12 regional assemblies. It is currently the main parliamentary interlocutor for the United Nations.

João Lourenço wants to increase cooperation with Japan

 Kyoto - The Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, Wednesday advocated the increase of cooperation with Japan in the economic, cultural and tourism fields, within the framework of reciprocal advantages.

In a statement after a meeting with the governor of Kyoto, Takatoshi Nishiwaki, the Angolan president noted the modernism and economic development of Japan, a country considered to be the world's third biggest economy.

 

In the brief speech in Kyoto, a millenary city and of strong cultural traces, the Head of State stressed that the strength of a people resides in its history and culture, having added that “the Japanese are a strong people because, throughout the centuries, they have been able to keep their traditions alive”.

  

In Kyoto, where the Angolan President ended his four-day official visit to the Land of the Rising Sun, besides visiting the Imperial Palace, he participated in a Japanese people ritual, which consists in drinking a local tea, accompanied by the First Lady, Ana Dias Lourenço.

Governor defends partnership

 

After a meeting with the Angolan Head of State, the Governor of Kyoto, Takatoshi Nishiwaki, defended the need for a strategic partnership with Angola and noted the country's potential in the mining, agricultural, fishing and tourism sectors, adding that cooperation links with the African country had become increasingly close since the creation of an Angolan honorary consulate in Kyoto in 2021.

Kyoto, the former capital of Japan, is a city on the island of Honshu, famous for its many classical Buddhist temples, gardens, imperial palaces, Shinto shrines and traditional wooden houses. It is also known for its formal traditions, such as the kaiseki dinner, with several specific dishes and it is located about 470 kilometres off Tokyo City.

  

According to President João Lourenço's schedule, he is expected to leave the city of Kyoto this Wednesday, returning to Luanda with a stopover in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Japan: Angolan Health sector gains vaccines conservation vehicle

 Nagoya -The Japanese multinational Toyota Tsusho Corporation has donated an off-road Toyota vehicle, equipped with a vaccine refrigeration system to facilitate the transportation of vaccines to the Angolan population residing in areas of difficult access.

The vehicle was delivered on the basis of the memo signed between Angola’s Health Ministry and the Toyota Tsusho Toyota, in a ceremony witnessed by the President of Angola, João Lourenço, to whom the key of the vehicle was handed over.

 

According to the Health minister, Silvia Lutucuta, the vehicle - which is capable of storing a large capacity of vaccines at temperatures of two to eight degrees - is already certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international bodies linked to the production and conservation of vaccines.

 

The minister, who is part of the presidential delegation in Japan, said more resources of this kind are expected to be acquired in the near future and made available to the country's provinces.

 

Support from Japan

Bilateral cooperation began in 1988 as Emergency Aid, through UNICEF.

 

 After the end of the war in Angola in 2002, Japan began to provide assistance in the demining and social reintegration of ex-soldiers and refugees.