World health officials race to stem deadly flu

The Associated Press , Mexico City Tue, 04/28/2009 1:30 PM World World health officials, racing to extinguish a new flu strain that is jumping borders, raised a global alert level to an unprecedented level as the outbreak claimed more lives in Mexico. The U.S. prepared for the worst even as President Barack Obama tried to reassure Americans."At this time, containment is not a feasible option," said Keiji Fukuda, assistant director-general of the World Health Organization, which raised the alert level to Phase 4. With the swine flu having already spread to at least four other countries, authorities around the globe are like firefighters battling a blaze without knowing how far it extends.At the White House, a swine flu update was added to Obama's daily intelligence briefing. Reacting to the first domestic emergency of his presidency, Obama said the outbreak is "not a cause for alarm," even as the U.S. stepped up checks of people entering the country and warned U.S. citizens to avoid nonessential travel to Mexico."We are proceeding as if we are preparatory to a full pandemic," said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.The European Union health commissioner suggested that Europeans avoid nonessential travel both to Mexico and parts of the United States. Russia, Hong Kong and Taiwan said they would quarantine visitors showing symptoms of the virus.Mexico, where the number of deaths believed caused by swine flu rose on Monday by one-third to 152, is the suspected ground zero of the outbreak. But Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova late Monday said no one knows where the outbreak began, and implied it may have started in the U.S."I think it is very risky to say, or want to say, what the point of origin or dissemination of it is, given that there had already been cases reported in southern California and Texas," Cordova told a press conference.It's still not clear when the first case occurred, making it impossible thus far to determine where the breakout started.Dr. Nancy Cox of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said she believes the earliest onset of swine flu in the United States happened on March 28. Cordova said a sample taken from a 4-year-old boy in Mexico's Veracruz state in early April tested positive for swine flu. However it is not known when the boy, who later recovered, became infected.The World Health Organization raised the alert level to Phase 4, meaning there is sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus causing outbreaks in at least one country. Monday was the first time it was raised above Phase 3.Putting an alert at Phases 4 or 5 signals that the virus is becoming increasingly adept at spreading among humans. Phase 6 is for a full-blown pandemic, characterized by outbreaks in at least two regions of the world.Fifty cases - none fatal and most of them mild - were confirmed in the United States. Worldwide there were 79 confirmed cases, including six in Canada, one in Spain and two in Scotland. Thirteen are suspected in New Zealand, and one is suspected in both France and Israel.Symptoms include a fever of more than 100, coughing, joint aches, severe headache and, in some cases, vomiting and diarrhea.Amid the alarm, there was a spot of good news. The number of new cases reported by Mexico's largest government hospitals has been declining the past three days, Cordova said, from 141 on Saturday, to 119 on Sunday and 110 Monday.In a bid to prevent mass contagion, Mexico canceled school nationwide until May 6, and the Mexico City government is considering a complete shutdown, including all public transportation. The Cinco de Mayo parade celebrating Mexico's defeat of a French army on May 5, 1862 and Mexico City's traditional May 1 parade were canceled. More than 100 museums nationwide were closed.At the Mexico City's international airport, families grimly waited for flights out of the capital or country, determined to keep their masks on until they touched ground somewhere else.Three games involving Mexico City soccer clubs were played with no spectators over the weekend. Decio de Maria, secretary general of the Mexican soccer federation, said plans for future matches would be announced on Wednesday."The idea is to look for the fewest number of games that have to be played behind closed doors," he said. "If it's necessary, we'll play all the matches behind closed doors. We don't foresee canceling any games."Many residents of Mexico City wore blue surgical masks, though the CDC said most masks offer little protection. The epidemic in Mexico has been deadly, with many victims in their 30s and 40s - not the very old or young who typically succumb to the flu. So far, no deaths from the new virus have been reported outside Mexico.It could take 4-6 moths before the first batch of vaccines are available, WHO officials said. Some antiflu drugs do work once someone is sick.Napolitano, the U.S. Homeland Security chief, said Washington is dispatching people and equipment to affected areas and stepping up information-sharing at all levels of government and ith other nations.Richard Besser, the CDC's acting director, said his agency is aggressively looking for evidence of the disease spreading and probing for ways to control and prevent it.Flu deaths are nothing new in the United States. The CDC estimates that about 36,000 people died of flu-related cases each year, on average, during the 1990s in the United States. But the new flu strain is a combination of pig, bird and human viruses that humans may have no natural immunity to.Besser said that so far the virus in the United States seems less severe than in Mexico. Only one person has been hospitalize in the U.S."I wouldn't be overly reassured by that," Besser told reporters at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, sounding a cautionary note.The best way to keep the disease from spreading, Besser said, is by taking everyday precautions such as frequent handwashing, covering up coughs and sneezes, and staying away from work or school if not feeling well.Governments in Asia - with memories of previous flu outbreaks - were especially cautious. Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines dusted off thermal scanners used in the 2003 SARS crisis and were checking for signs of fever among passengers from North America. South Korea, India and Indonesia also announced screening.In Malaysia, health workers in face masks took the temperatures of passengers as they arrived on a flight from Los Angeles.China said anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms within two weeks of arrival had to report to authorities.WHO spokesman Peter Cordingley singled out air travel as an easy way the virus could spread, noting that the WHO estimates that up to 500,000 people are on planes at any time.European and U.S. markets bounced back from early losses as pharmaceutical stocks were lifted by expectations that health authorities will increase stockpiles of anti-viral drugs. Stocks of airlines, hotels and other travel-related companies posted sharper losses.

No travel warning issued on swine flu: Govt

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Tue, 04/28/2009 4:03 PM National Health Minister Siti Fadilla Supari said Tuesday that the government would not issue any travel warning to prevent Indonesian from going to countries where swine flu has been detected.Siti said the government only remind the people to check their health before going to those countries.“Those who want to go to Mexico better take care themselves,” she said during a press conference at the Health Ministry building in Jakarta.The pandemic has killed over 100 people in Mexico and the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed 40 cases in the US, six in Canada and one in Spain. Possible cases are being checked as far afield as Israel and New Zealand.The World Health Organization raised the alert level to Phase 4, meaning there is sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus causing outbreaks in at least one country. Monday was the first time it was raised above Phase 3.Putting an alert at Phases 4 or 5 signals that the virus is becoming increasingly adept at spreading among humans. Phase 6 is for a full-blown pandemic, characterized by outbreaks in at least two regions of the world.Siti said the government has prepare Oseltamivir, which was already used for bird flu. The minister said the government still have three million doses of Oseltamivir and would add more if needed.

Thailand extends state of emergency in capital

Tini Tran , The Associated Press , Bangkok Sun, 04/19/2009 6:19 PM World Authorities on Sunday extended a state of emergency in Thailand's capital, saying efforts to restore security were still incomplete after anti-government rioting last week and a brazen attack on a protest leader.Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva met with security agencies to discuss the potential for more protests, riots or attacks in Bangkok, government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said.Officials decided to retain the state of emergency because the situation is still "problematic, but as soon as things have calmed down, it will be lifted immediately," Panitan said."More and more, things are back to normal but there are still elements of concern," he said.In his weekly television address Sunday, Abhisit sought to ease tensions and defended his government's actions in deploying troops to quell the violent protests that had paralyzed the capital. Two people were killed and more than 130 injured during the unrest, which pitted angry protesters against soldiers and residents."What the government did was to restore peace for the benefit of all Thais. More importantly, it was to allow the government to continue working," Abhisit said."What I'd like to reiterate is that nobody has won and nobody has lost from the past events," he said.The anti-government protesters, known as "red shirts," want former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to return to power. Thaksin, who fled overseas to avoid a corruption conviction, was ousted by a 2006 military coup.Police said six or seven men may have been involved in the pre-dawn attack Friday on Sondhi Limthongkul, an outspoken media tycoon and Thaksin opponent.Police spokesman Maj. Gen. Suporn Pansua said investigators were studying a surveillance video taken from an intersection near the attack in an attempt to identify the assailants.Video from the street surveillance camera showed two pickup trucks were following Sondhi's vehicle shortly before the shooting, he said.The assailants opened fire at Sondhi's car with M-16 and AK-47 rifles, riddling the windshield with bullet holes and shattering the windows on one side. Sondhi was slightly injured, while his driver was seriously wounded and an aide in the car also was hurt.Sondhi, a founder of the People's Alliance for Democracy, helped organize and lead rival "yellow-shirt" protesters who helped force Thaksin's ouster in 2006 and then drive his allies from power last year.Sondhi's supporters come mainly from the middle class and educated elite of Thai society, and include royalists, academics and retired military. Thaksin's backers are mainly from the rural poor who like his social welfare programs.Last year's "yellow-shirt" demonstrations, which paralyzed the government for months and occupied the capital's airports for a week, ended after court rulings removed two Thaksin-allied governments, paving the way for Abhisit's rise in December.That prompted the protests by the "red-shirts," who say Abhisit has no popular mandate to rule. Their demonstrations drew up to 100,000 people in Bangkok two weeks ago and forced the cancellation of a regional summit.The protest leaders called off the demonstrations last Tuesday after facing a major military crackdown

Obama declares US not at war with Islam

Tom Raum , The Associated Press , Ankara Mon, 04/06/2009 6:45 PM World Barack Obama, making his first visit to a Muslim nation as U.S. president, declared Monday the United States "is not and will never be at war with Islam."Calling for a greater partnership with the Islamic world in an address to the Turkish parliament, Obama called the country an important U.S. ally in many areas, including the fight against terrorism. He devoted much of his speech to urging a greater bond between Americans and Muslims, portraying terrorist groups such as al Qaida as extremists who did not represent the vast majority of Muslims."Let me say this as clearly as I can," Obama said. "The United States is not and never will be at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical ... in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject."The U.S. president is trying to mend fences with a Muslim world that felt it had been blamed by America for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.For instance, at a news conference earlier with Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, he dealt gingerly with the issue of alleged genocide committed by Turks against Armenians during World War I, urging Turks and Armenians to continue a process "that works through the past in a way that is honest, open and constructive."Al Jazeera and Al Arabiyia, two of the biggest Arabic satellite channels, carried Obama's speech live."America's relationship with the Muslim world cannot and will not be based on opposition to al Qaida," he said. "We seek broad engagement based upon mutual interests and mutual respect.""We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over so many centuries to shape the world for the better, including my own country," Obama said.The president spoke for about 25 minutes from a small white-marble-and-teak rostrum in the well of a vast, airy chamber packed with Turkish lawmakers who filled the sea of orange leather chairs.Except for a couple instances of polite applause, the room was almost completely silent throughout his speech. There was a more hearty ovation toward the end when Obama said the U.S. supports the Turkish government's battle against PKK, which both consider a terrorist group, and again when he declared that America was not at war with Islam.Obama also heard applause in response to his statement that the U.S. supports Turkey becoming a member of the European Union.Earlier, Obama said he stood by his 2008 assertion that Ottoman Turks had carried out widespread killings of Armenians early in the 20th century, but he stopped short of repeating the word "genocide."Gul said many Turkish Muslims were killed during the same period. Historians, not politicians, Gul said, should decide how to label the events of those times.In his 2008 campaign, Obama said "the Armenian genocide is not an allegation," but rather "a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence."Now that he is president, the genocide question may not be Obama's best issue for taking a tough stand that antagonizes a key ally. It is important in U.S. communities with large numbers of Armenian-Americans, but it has a low profile elsewhere.In his speech to the parliament Monday, Obama said the United States strongly supports the full normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia.Obama's visit is being closely watched by an Islamic world that harbored deep distrust of his predecessor, George W. Bush.In talks with Gul and Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Obama hoped to sell his strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He hoped to find welcoming ears given the new U.S. focus on melding troop increases with civilian efforts to better the lives of people in both countries.Obama recognized past tensions in the U.S.-Turkey relationship, but said things were on the right track now because both countries share common interests and are diverse nations. "We don't consider ourselves Christian, Jewish, Muslim. We consider ourselves a nation bound by a set of ideals and values," Obama said of the United States. "Turkey has similar principals."Obama's trip to Turkey, his final scheduled country visit, ties together themes of earlier stops. He attended the Group of 20 economic summit in London, celebrated NATO's 60th anniversary in Strasbourg, France, and on Saturday visited the Czech Republic, which included a summit of European Union leaders in Prague.Turkey is a member of both the G-20 and NATO and is trying to get into the EU with the help of the U.S.Turkey has the largest army in NATO after the United States. It and tiny Albania, recently admitted, are the only predominantly Muslim members of NATO.In 2003, Turkey opposed the war in Iraq, and U.S. forces were not allowed to go through Turkey to attack Iraq. Now, however, since Obama is withdrawing troops, Turkey has become more cooperative. It is going to be a key country after the U.S. withdrawal in maintaining stability, although it has long had problems with Kurdish militants in north Iraq.Turkey maintains a small military force in Afghanistan, part of the NATO contingent working with U.S. troops to beat back the resurgent Taliban and deny al-Qaida a safe haven along the largely lawless territory that straddles Afghanistan's border with Pakistan. Turkey's participation carries enormous symbolic importance to the Muslim world because of its presence in the fight against Islamic extremism. Albania, one of the poorest nations in Europe, has a small contingent in Afghanistan.Turkey has diplomatic leverage with both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Legitimacy of election results comes into question

Dicky Christanto , THE JAKARTA POST , JAKARTA Mon, 04/13/2009 9:21 AM Headlines
The brouhaha surrounding the voter lists and the numerous election violations have sparked protests from losing political parties and civil society groups that could undermine the legitimacy of the polls.Politicians, activists and scholars have pointed their fingers at the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the government, with some even taking legal action against them.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) and the People’s Conscience Party (Hanura), which had agreed to form a coalition in parliament and for the upcoming presidential election, have said they would file a lawsuit against the KPU and the government for omitting many eligible voters from the official voter lists.
Activists from the National Amendment Council estimated the figure of eligible but unregistered voters could reach millions, and called on the KPU to organize another round of voting for these voters.
“At least another election should be organized for those eligible voters who were not registered. This is the responsibility of the KPU and the government,” Chalid Muhammad told a press conference Sunday.
He urged these "disenfranchised" voters to take legal action if another election was not forthcoming.
Effendy Ghazali, who also attended Sunday’s press briefing, estimated the number of eligible but unregistered voters could top 10 million people, assuming 20 voters were left out from each of 528,217 polling stations across the country.
The KPU added 23.3 million more eligible voters to its 2009 voter lists for a total of 171.3 million, compared to 140 million in the 2004 elections.
These new additions, however, left many perplexed, as most of them were simply “ghost” voters or redundant names.
“We found names of infants or names of people who had already passed away,” Effendy said.Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) member Bambang Eka Cahya disagreed and slammed the group as biased. He suggested the activists come up with real data, and not make assumptions.
“Don’t just assume things that you don’t know for sure. I agree there were so many mistakes in this election, but to just make assumptions is just not fair,” he said.
Bawaslu, meanwhile, reported on Sunday that cases of ballot mix-ups, where ballots destined for certain regions went to other regions, made up most of the poll irregularities.
“About 159 cases of ballot mix-ups were registered as of 7 p.m. on Saturday; this is the most rampant form of [election] irregularity,” said Bawaslu member Wahidah Suaib.
The National Amendment Council suggested the government replace KPU members for failing to organize the legislative elections well.
“We don’t want to jeopardize the upcoming presidential election by risking incompetent people organizing the election,” Chalid said.
Hadar Gumay from the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro), however, disagreed, saying that replacing KPU members was just too risky.
“It would be better for us to wait until the whole election process is over. It is too risky to replace them now, even though I agree these people are incompetent,” he said.

US space tourist blasts off to space station

New frontier tourists: Russian cosmonaut and crew commander Gennady Padalka, left, and American astronaut Michael Barratt, right, crew members of the 19th mission to the International Space Station, ISS, are seen prior the launch of Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian leased Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Thursday. (AP/Mikhail Metzel)

David Nowak , The Associated Press , Baikonur Fri, 03/27/2009 4:18 PM Travel

A Russian capsule carrying U.S. billionaire space tourist Charles Simonyi sailed into orbit Thursday after blasting off in a roar of fire for the international space station.The Soyuz rocket, with a Russian-American crew, lifted off on schedule from the Baikonur cosmodrome facility into overcast skies over northern Kazakhstan's barren steppe.Simonyi, a 60-year-old software designer who paid $35 million for his second trip on the Soyuz, joined Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka and American astronaut Michael Barratt in the cramped capsule, where they will sit for nearly two days before hooking up Saturday with the station, orbiting some 220 miles (350 kilometers) above the Earth.

Minutes after blast-off, TV cameras from inside the Soyuz showed Padalka and Barratt waving for the camera and giving the thumbs-up OK sign.At viewing stands about a mile (kilometer) away, scores of officials, reporters and relatives watched the launch, including Simonyi's 28-year-old Swedish socialite wife Lisa Persdotter, who wept and clutched at the coat of her mother."I'm very, very happy. It was very, very smooth," she said afterward. "But I'm very emotional," she added.Minutes before liftoff, Persdotter said she had recently quit her work to plan their lives together, which she said would not include any form of space travel after Simonyi returns. "I am so nervous," she said.Barratt's wife, Michelle, watched smiling as the rocket rose into the clouds: "We feel great, it was a great launch." she said afterward.

Also watching was Paul Allen, a co-founder of software giant Microsoft Corp., where Simonyi worked for many years."It's fantastic to see a launch, but when it's one of your friends, it's just something so special.," he said.Asked if he would be interested in going to space sometime, Allen said he would consider it; not on the Russian capsules or U.S. shuttles, but on one of his own crafts. In 2004, Allen used his Microsoft fortunes to bankroll SpaceShipOne, which in 2004 became the first private, manned craft to reach space.Richard Garriot, an American former space tourist, praised the Russian space program for its reliability."It's so amazing about how they do this over here. On time, every time, perfectly," he said.While Barratt and Padalka will join the current station's permanent crew, Simonyi will return to Earth 13 days later — a trip that will make him the first two-time space tourist and, for the foreseeable future, the last.The space station's permanent crew is expanding from three to six, leading Russian officials to rule out space tourism from Baikonur for now.

Against G20 bioenergy

The Jakarta Post Thu, 04/02/2009 1:53 PM National

A number of environmental activists rally at the British Embassy in Central Jakarta, protesting the G20 summit that will pledge to increase areas for plantations for bioenergy. JP/R. Berto Wedhatama

Thousands of protesters, police for NATO summit

David Rising and Scott Sayare , The Associated Press , Baden, Germany Thu, 04/02/2009 9:41 PM World Tens of thousands of demonstrators descended on two southwest German towns and the French city of Strasbourg Thursday to protest a cross-border NATO summit marking the alliance's 60th anniversary.
Twenty-eight world leaders will attend the two-day summit that begins Friday, including President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
In a bid to prevent violence, France has temporarily reinstated border controls with its immediate neighbors for the meeting.
In Strasbourg, protesters gathered on park benches in the city's famed Old Town, in the "orange zone" where the public is allowed but where security is high.
Small squads of riot police marched through as protesters wrapped in rainbow peace flags distributed fliers and chatted with passers-by.
Gregorio Yong, a Colombian activist, said NATO was "a synonym of war."
German authorities estimate that up to 25,000 protesters will take part in several demonstrations in the German cities of Baden-Baden and Kehl, while France's interior minister has suggested 30,000 to 40,000 could show up in Strasbourg, where a camp has been set up to house demonstrators.
German and French police have said 2,000 to 3,000 members of the violence-prone "black block" - so-called for the black clothes and hoods they wear - are expected.
Some 15,000 German police - including 31 riot squads - and 9,000 French police will be on hand.
Protest organizers have called for peaceful demonstrations to highlight their complaints, including anti-war, anti-globalization, anti-capitalist and disarmament platforms.
The German chapter of the left-wing Attac group, which is calling for the withdrawal of all NATO troops from Afghanistan and an end to the military alliance, climate protection and a "just world economy," was organizing conferences, camps, demonstrations and blockades.
"The world leaders will be confronted with our protest and our call for a peaceful world," said Attac spokeswoman Gudrun Reiss. "We're calling for massive participation."
The Berlin Anti-fascist Left group said it was sending at least 10 busloads of demonstrators.
"It must be made clear to people that there is no peaceful political alternative to the dissolution of NATO," the group said.
After an evening protest Thursday in Baden-Baden, the main demonstration begins Friday at noon in Kehl. The activists plan to march across the Rhine river into Strasbourg, with another protest planned for Saturday.