Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Malaysia has registered the world’s first affordable – and effective – new drug for hepatitis C, offering the hope of accessible treatment to millions of people around the world at risk from a disease that has few early symptoms, is hard to diagnose and is often seen as a “silent killer”.
The drug, ravidasvir, was approved for use with an existing drug, sofosbuvir, in June, five years after the Malaysian government, partnered with the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), a collaborative, non-profit drug research organisation to develop the drug.
“We decided to work with middle-income countries to try to develop an effective treatment,” said Jean-Michel Piedagnel, director of DNDi Southeast Asia. “We started the clinical trial in Malaysia and Thailand saying we are also going to put on the market an affordable treatment.”
Jayadeva Ranade
President, Centre for China Analysis and Strategy
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) concluded its centenary celebrations with a grand event and speech by CCP general secretary Xi Jinping on July 1. It provided the CCP and Xi Jinping an opportunity to share their assessment of the journey thus far and give a broad sense of direction for the future. In his speech Xi Jinping mentioned the Belt and Road Initiative and the ‘community of shared destiny’ his personal projects hinting that he would continue in office beyond the party congress next year.
The celebrations confirmed also that the CCP leadership is sensitive to the military’s morale. Contrary to its announcement in March, a carefully vetted crowd watched a military parade and flypast by the latest generation J-20 ‘stealth’ fighter aircraft and ZL-10 transport helicopters over Tiananmen Square. The party was honoured with a 100-gun salute.
Reuters
China’s rejuvenation is finally within grasp and any attempt to bully the nation will be met with a steely response, President Xi Jinping said on Thursday (July 1) in a spirited speech marking the Communist Party’s centenary.
For the first time, the ruling party celebrated its anniversary in central Beijing’s Tiananmen Square – a location reserved for the most important national events.
Flanked by other party leaders both past and present, Xi, the most powerful leader in decades, stepped up to the rostrum at the Gate of Heavenly Peace to address the nation.
In an hour-long speech, Xi hailed the achievements China has made under the communist leadership.
Over 15,000 Falun Gong Practitioners Persecuted by Chinese Regime in 2020: Report
The persecution of Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has continued amid the pandemic.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual practice composed of meditative exercises and teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. The practice grew to between 70 million and 100 million adherents by 1999, according to China’s official estimates at the time.
The communist regime, fearing that the growing movement would threaten its rule, launched a systematic elimination campaign against adherents of the practice in July 1999.
Millions of Falun Gong practitioners have since been detained, with hundreds of thousands tortured during incarceration, according to the Falun Dafa Information Center. The center also estimated that thousands have died as a result of persecution.