Indonesia announced in mid-December that it
will offer free
COVID-19 vaccination to its citizens once the country starts
its immunization program.
“I can say that the COVID-19 vaccine for the public is free. Once again, it’s free, there’s no charge at all,” said President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo recently.
Earlier this month, Indonesia received 1.2
million doses of a coronavirus vaccine from China’s Sinovac Biotech
Ltd and the country is scheduled to receive another 1.8 million doses of the
Chinese vaccine in January. Jokowi has instructed his finance minister to
reallocate spending from other budgets to support the free vaccine program.
Myanmar soldiers sentenced to 20 years over rape in Rakhine: A push towards accountability?
aseantoday.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from aseantoday.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
ICC finds the Philippines likely committed rights abuses in war on drugs, Manila rejects court
aseantoday.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from aseantoday.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Philippines, a long-time US ally in
Southeast Asia, has announced plans to review its earlier decision to scrap a
major military pact with the United States, suspending the cancellation of the
pact for an additional six months.
The VFA between the Philippines and the
United States has defined the countries’ military partnership for two decades.
In
an attempt to diversify its defense ties, Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte
has pushed to expand the Philippines’ military cooperation with other major
military powers, particularly China and Russia a move which is likely to antagonize
the US.
However,
the recent move to put off the cancellation of the VFA shows that Duterte may
Can the Improved Pakistan-Afghanistan Relationship Save the Afghan Peace Process? Tuesday, 15 December 2020
December 16, 2020, the CACI Analyst
The visit of Abdullah Abdullah, head of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, to Pakistan in late September was considered a major shift in Kabul’s approach towards Islamabad. This was Abdullah’s first visit to Pakistan in his new role as the Afghan government’s top negotiator in the intra-Afghan peace talks. When serving in the previous administration as the Chief Executive Officer of the Unity Government, Abdullah declined several invitations to visit Pakistan. During the visit, Pakistan promised to push the Taliban to reduce violence and to support an “Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process” – which Abdullah has demanded for years. The ongoing push from both sides is intended to build trust and could prove to be a game changer for the Afghan peace process.