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SC ready for localized bar exams; reforms on coverage eyed

The Supreme Court (SC) is ready to hold bar examinations in local communities and to digitalize the submission of requirements, said Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen.

In his presentation during the signing of a contract with Saint Louis University (SLU) in Baguio City on Thursday to make it one of the testing centers for the 2020/2021 bar examinations, Mr. Leonen said the SC is “ready to conduct localized Bar Examinations, with students bringing their own devices into their own classrooms,” according to the SC’s news release on Friday.

“No longer will a Bar applicant have to go to Manila, (to) line up at the Office of the Bar Confidant,” he added, stating that the high court will launch an online portal on July 15 where bar examination applicants can submit the necessary requirements and choose their preferred testing venue.

Mr. Leonen said the SC may have a total of 25 testing sites throughout the country as the high court is currently negotiating with several large schools to accommodate more bar examinees.

As of Thursday, 16 local testing centers have agreed to become testing sites for the bar examinations, Mr. Leonen said.

Aside from SLU Baguio, the other 15 who have signed the agreement are Ateneo de Manila University, Manila Adventist College, Saint Louis College – La Union, Saint Mary’s University, Cagayan State University, De La Salle Lipa, University of Nueva Caceres, University of Saint La Salle – Bacolod, Central Philippine University, University of Cebu – Banilad, Mindanao State University – Iligan, Mindanao State University – General Santos City, Ateneo de Davao University, Xavier University – Cagayan de Oro, and Ateneo de Zamboanga University.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo said that the high court will look into revising the coverage of the bar examinations under Rule 138 of the Rules of Court, as the rules have not been looked into since they were promulgated in 1964.

He said that the coverage of the examination must be in sync with the courses currently offered by law schools.

“I would like the Court to continue looking at the course offerings of law schools along with the Revised Model Curriculum prepared by the Legal Education Board,” Mr. Gesmundo said.

“Law courses have become varied; a lot of changes have happened in the field of law. And yet, we have not looked into these specific provisions of the Rules of Court,” he added.

The 2020/2021 bar examinations are scheduled to be held on Nov. 7, 14, 21, and 28 of this year. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago

PNP chief nixes PHL’s least safe country rank

The crime statistics of the Philippine National Police (PNP) do not support an international business magazine’s ranking of the Philippines as the least safe country in the world, said PNP chief Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar.  

In a video released by the PNP on Friday, Mr. Eleazar said in Filipino that “the PNP’s crime rate statistics do not match the said rating.” He said that “the crime rate in the country decreased by 63% nationwide in the five years of the current administration, compared to the five years of the past administration.”  

However, Mr. Eleazar also mentioned that peace and order are only some of the bases of the magazine’s rating as natural disasters and the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the countries were among the bases for the rating.  

“Nevertheless, we will take this latest ranking as a challenge to do more in terms of further improving the peace and order and security in our country,” Mr. Eleazar said.  

On July 6, the New York-based Global Finance Magazine released a list of the “World’s Safest Countries,” ranking 134 countries based on their 2020 statistics on economic stability, healthcare issues, threats of war, natural disasters, and personal security.  

The Philippines ranked 134th or last in the list, which was also its ranking in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world.  

The magazine cited the Philippines as among countries with “serious civil conflict” and of having “risks from natural disaster.”  

It added that the Philippines “reported relatively low death tolls from COVID-19, yet performed poorly in terms of safety overall.”  

The top five countries on the list are Iceland, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Singapore, and Finland in that order.  

Iceland was given a safety index score of 3.97, while the Philippines’ was 14.89.  

The Philippines was joined by Bosnia and Herzegovina (130th), Nigeria (131st), Guatemala (132nd), and Colombia (133rd) at the bottom of the list. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago 

Philippine rights commission urged to withhold clearance for Parlade’s retirement

Human rights group Karapatan has asked the Commission on Human Right to withhold clearances for the retirement of Lieutenant General Antonio G. Parlade, Jr., seen here receiving his 3rd star in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Feb. 27, 2020, as he is currently facing criminal and administrative complaints for red-tagging human rights activists while working with the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict . -- AFP Public Affairs Office

Human rights group Karapatan asked the Philippines’ human rights commission to withhold clearances for the retirement of Lieutenant General Antonio G. Parlade, Jr., saying the former anti-communist task force’s spokesman is currently facing criminal and administrative complaints for red-tagging human rights activists.

In a letter sent to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chairperson José Luis Martín Gascon on Friday, Kaparatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay noted that Mr. Parlade “is facing criminal and administrative complaints at the Office of the Ombudsman” for violating provisions of Republic Act No. 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity, and the Ombudsman Act of 1989.

The complaints were filed by Ms. Palabay on Dec. 4 last year. The 40-page complaint also implicated other government officials, including National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Deputy Executive Director Mocha J. Uson, and former undersecretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office and Presidential Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Marie T. Badoy.

The complaint cites various instances when the respondents allegedly committed “acts that malign, vilify and baselessly red-tag Karapatan’s officers and members.”

The complaint said the respondents’ red-tagging of Ms. Palabay, the group itself, and its members and officers violate the principle of distinction under international and domestic humanitarian law.

Other civic leaders allegedly tagged as communists by Mr. Parlade and other government officials also filed similar petitions last year.

“The CHR should take note of these complaints which implicate Parlade in war crimes and human rights violations, and they should withhold clearances for his retirement,” Ms. Palabay said.

“Allowing Parlade to walk away scot-free amid the pending cases against him and allegations on his hand in various atrocities and human rights violations would be tantamount to impunity,” she said. “We cannot let him get away with targeting activists and human rights defenders and endangering our lives and safety.”

Mr. Parlade, who resigned from the government’s anti-communist task force ahead of his retirement, has been controversial for tagging civic leaders and media personalities critical of the government as communist fronts.

The Senate earlier recommended the immediate relief of Mr. Parlade from his duty as spokesman of the task force, citing a provision in the 1987 Constitution barring an active military officer from holding a civilian position in the government. — Kyle Aristophere Atienza

Angara wants gov’t help Filipino students pursuing education abroad

PHILIPPINE STAR

Senator Juan Edgardo M. Angara on Friday said he is set to file a bill that would provide assistance to Filipino students who want to pursue a college education overseas.

In a press release, Mr. Angara said he wants to expand the scope of Senate Bill 961 or the proposed Pensionado Act, which he filed in 2019, “to cover high school graduates.”

The senator noted that the high cost of education abroad prevents Filipinos from pursuing higher education in prestigious universities overseas.

“Once they have earned their degrees, these scholars can bring back home what they have learned and use these for our benefit in a form of knowledge transfer,” Mr. Angara said.

The proposal mandates the Philippine government to extend support to outstanding college graduates “who are employed and wish to pursue advanced studies overseas.”

Under the measure, a so-called Pensionado Program would be established under the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), which shall gather all fellowships, scholarships, and training grants sponsored or extended by foreign governments and agencies and local organizations “intended for advanced studies in international centers of advanced learning, scholarship and research.”

The measure also creates a national secretariat which will “assist in the negotiations with the sponsors of fellowships, scholarships and grants, and provide continuing assistance to the scholars.”

“The bill provides for the selection of 24 fellows annually — three from each priority discipline/industry field of the eight vital disciplines or areas of specialization identified by the CHEd, in consultation with the National Economic and Development Authority as frontiers or new areas essential for pushing the economic and social development thrusts of the country,” Mr. Angara said.

Under the bill, grantees will receive assistance in the form of three years leave with pay, including allowances and other benefits; round-trip airfare and other expenses required for foreign travel; a clothing allowance; a monthly stipend; books/instructional materials/research allowance; and health, travel and insurance fees.

“The cost can be shared by the foreign government, institution or organization and the national government. We shouldn’t see this as an additional expense but rather an investment on our youth,” Mr. Angara said.

The bill also seeks to create a national network of specialized institutes for advanced studies, which would “provide returned scholars an office, laboratory, library and conference facilities for their continuing activities.” — Kyle Aristophere Atienza

PHL stocks drop further on concerns over COVID-19 variants

Philippine Stock Exchange index

PHILIPPINE SHARES continued to decline on Friday as concerns on new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) variants clouded sentiment.  

The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) shed 90.07 points or 1.3% to close at 6,834.92 on Friday, while the all shares index went down by 40.12 points or 0.93% to 4,234.54.   

“The market closed lower as investors remain cautious over the new coronavirus strains…,” Darren Blaine T. Pangan, trader at Timson Securities, Inc., said in a Viber message.  

“Philippine shares continued to fall as fresh COVID-19 cases are being logged in some countries. Indeed, the sentiment spill over to the equity market this morning, extending some of the [Asia-Pacific] bourses’ downtrend,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan said in a separate Viber message.  

The Department of Health (DoH) on Monday said 256 more people had been infected with more contagious variants of the coronavirus, though most of them have either died or recovered. 

Two more Filipinos have been infected with the Delta variant of the coronavirus that has triggered a fresh surge in cases in India, bringing the total to 19, the DoH said. 

The agency said 132 more people have been infected with the Alpha variant of the coronavirus, which was first detected in the United Kingdom, bringing the total to 1,217. Of these, 125 were local cases, one was a returning migrant Filipino, and six were still being verified. 

Fifteen of the patients have died and 117 have recovered, it added.  

The agency also reported 119 new cases of the Beta coronavirus variant that was first detected in South Africa, bringing the total to 1,386. Three patients were being treated, 104 have recovered and 12 died, it said. 

Three more people have been infected with the Theta coronavirus variant that was first detected in the Philippines, the DoH said. 

All sectoral indices closed in the red on Friday. Holding firms dropped by 107.04 points or 1.54% to 6,840.68; mining and oil shaved off 140.33 points or 1.42% to 9,696.16; services went down by 20.34 points or 1.25% to 1,595.13; property lost 41 points or 1.22% to end at 3,294.23; financials declined by 17.57 points or 1.17% to 1,477.78; and industrials shed 42.59 points or 0.44% to 9,592.99.   

Value turnover surged to P8.42 billion with 1.77 billion shares switching hands on Friday from the P5.04 billion with 1.36 billion issues on Thursday.  

Decliners outnumbered advancers, 153 versus 59, while 43 names closed unchanged. 

Net foreign selling increased to P1.13 billion on Friday from P838.94 million on Thursday.  

“The market’s support may be pegged at 6,800, while 7,080 remains the nearest resistance area,” Timson Securities’ Mr. Pangan said. — K.C.G. Valmonte 

Podcast Network Asia courts brands through ‘podvertising’

PIXABAY

“Podvertising” (short for podcast advertising) is the next step in pushing podcasts into the mainstream, according to Podcast Network Asia (PNA). The podcast-focused media company recently partnered with AdSpark, a digital marketing campaigns company under Globe’s 917Ventures, to give brands access to podcast production services.  

Podvertising allows brands to tap various demographics through different shows. The global podcasting market size is expected to reach $41.8 billion by 2026, rising at a market growth of 24.6% compound annual growth rate during the forecast period, according to Research and Markets, a market research store.  

Under the partnership, brands can opt for ad placements such as themed episodes, three-minute segments, episode guestings, brand shoutouts, and 30-second pre-roll and baked-in advertisements in PNA’s network of podcasts. Advertisers can likewise develop placements based on user insights through Podmetrics, PNA’s free integrated performance measurement platform. 

“Our grand vision of turning the Filipino podcasting community into a thriving industry becomes one step closer to reality with this partnership between PNA and AdSpark. We believe that podcasts are a powerful medium that don’t just allow listener understanding and retention, but also great ad ROI [return on investment] conversions,” said PNA Chief Executive Officer Ron S. Baetiong in a press statement.  

PNA is home to more than 130 shows with around 15 million listens, including: Boiling Waters, Punchline with Alex Calleja, Walwal Sesh, The KoolPals, The Eve’s Drop, Tambalan Podcast, and Chink Positive. 

The most popular podcast topics revolve around love and relationships, adulting and motivational shows, and comedy, said Bianca I. Cammayo, AdSpark’s marketing communications manager, in an e-mail interview with BusinessWorld. “When it comes to generational listening, it is very varied with younger listeners listening to a mix of relationship and comedy shows, and older ones listening to business shows with a mix of comedy as well.” 

According to Ms. Cammayo, foreign shows that top local charts are Our Daily Bread Podcast, The Mindset Mentor, and TED Talks Daily. 

SPONSORSHIP EFFECTIVENESS 

Sixty-six percent of those surveyed in the Asia-Pacific region claim to spend an average of 60 minutes a day listening to podcasts, according to consumer insight company GWI. The Philippines, which is the sixth fastest-growing country by podcast listening, has a listenership of 31 million. The majority come from the 23–34 age range, Ms. Cammayo added.  

Podcasts owe their popularity, in part, to screen fatigue, with millennials and Gen Zs reporting “too much visual stimulation.” The medium also benefited from the ubiquity of smartphones, which are drivers of podcast engagement.  

Podcasts, too, are better at retaining audience attention. “An average length of a podcast is around 1 hour, and 40–60% of people finish until the end of the podcast. Listeners get to enjoy the ads also because of how the podcasters execute the ads,” said Ms. Cammayo. “It’s not a typical ad where they stop the conversation just to play an audio ad. It’s really embedded in the conversation.” 

Listeners find ad experiences positive, a December 2017 Nielsen report that studied sponsorship effectiveness found: 74% reported that the sponsors fit well with the content of the show; nearly 7 out of 10 of respondents exposed to podcast advertising also agreed the podcast ad they experienced increased their awareness of new products and services.  

“The content, and not the brand, should be the star of the show,” said Sharon Taylor, managing director at podcasting hosting platform Omny Studio, in a June 2021 Campaign Asia article. “The biggest mistake in branded content is building one large, multi-episode ad instead of actual content. There is nothing wrong with selling goods and services, but a branded podcast is not going to be successful if that’s all the show is about.” — Patricia B. Mirasol 

Huawei to invest $150 million in developing APAC’s digital talent

Shenzhen-based multinational company Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., plans to invest $150 million in digital talent development over the next five years through its Seeds for the Future Program 2.0. Announced Thursday, the program will benefit 3 million people in the Asia-Pacific region, including the Philippines. 

“We need more and more professional engineers and experts to take part in solar and other kinds of renewable [energy production],” said Bruce Li, managing director of Huawei Asia-Pacific Enterprise Digital Power Business, at the company’s technology and sustainability forum on Thursday. 

The event also saw the virtual reveal of Huawei’s Digital Power Innovation and Experience Center in Shenzhen, where Mahesh Krishnarao Choudhary, senior expert at Huawei Digital Power, explained the greener information and communications technology (ICT) systems Huawei is developing for solar-powered homes, cars, and data centers. 

Mr. Li zeroed in on the brainpower it will take to develop this kind of zero-carbon, sustainable society: “We need to continually promote education and research [for] sustainable housing development [in order to] provide high quality production.” 

Jay Chen, vice-president of Huawei Asia Pacific, also laid out Huawei’s plan to cultivate over 40,000 ICT talents over the next five years through multiple programs, including Seeds for the Future. The Philippines, which has been the site of rainforest conservation programs and artificial intelligence (AI) for healthcare solutions which Huawei has supported in the past, will be part of the ICT talent cultivation plan as well.  

“During the digital transformation in the Asia-Pacific countries, we found one of the big challenges is we have a shortage of the ICT talent,” he said, “We want to put more resources, more investments through these programs, online during the pandemic, and offline.” 

The Seeds for the Future program, which began in Thailand in 2008, has benefited more than 5,000 students across the region. The second iteration widens its reach. 

“Digital skills and literacy are not just the foundation for the digital economy; they are also a basic human right defined by the United Nations,” said Liang Hua, Huawei’s chairman, at the forum, citing a 2020 report by the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) that shows about 2.2 billion people aged 25 years or younger lack access to the internet at home. 

Hand-in-hand with providing digital skills access for many people is ensuring that they will contribute to the future of green development, said Mr. Hua. Huawei will leverage its expertise in power electronics, energy storage, 5G, cloud, and AI to provide solutions for various industries. 

As of December 2020, Huawei’s digital power products and solutions have generated 325 billion kWh of electricity from renewable sources, and saved a total of 10 billion kWh of electricity, according to Mr. Hua. These efforts have resulted in a reduction of 160 million tons in CO2 emissions.  

Added Mr. Chen: “We aim to leave no one behind [in] achieving the eco-friendly developments in the Asia-Pacific region.” — Brontë H. Lacsamana 

HR departments lag in use of digital documents, says study

UNSPLASH

Human resources (HR) teams are falling behind when it comes to digitizing documents and using e-signatures, according to a July 2021 Asia Pacific (APAC) study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Adobe, a software company that provides PDF (portable document format) solutions, among other things. 

“The recruitment and onboarding processes are highly digitized… but when it comes to daily tasks, digitization drops off,” said Sam Higgins, principal analyst of Forrester, in a July 8 webinar discussing the results of the study. Aside from impeding employee experience, paper-based document processes also impede business agility.  

As of 2021, 12% of APAC companies have fully digitized their document processes, up from 2% in 2020. 

According to the Forrester study, 64% of APAC sales professionals face inefficiencies from having to manually add information to documents that already exist in their systems, with 58% having to regularly rework these documents due to errors from manually transferring data. 

Organizations should adopt a “journey mindset” when digitizing document processes, said Mr. Higgins, referring to digitization throughout business systems instead of focusing on individual points of interaction. 

The study found that organizations that adopt this mindset and integrate digital document capabilities have a sales contract signing periods of up to 2.4 times faster. One in four also reported an increase in customer satisfaction from using digital document solutions. 

The study also found that digitization accelerated the realization of work-from-anywhere, with 51% of APAC organizations finding that digitizing documents improved collaboration in a hybrid working environment. Thirty-two percent also said it increased the employee engagement rate. 

“Automation frees people up [and] bumps up employee engagement, said Mr. Higgins. 

In the Philippines, the use of digital technologies is constrained by the country’s low high-speed broadband penetration. A September 2020 report by the World Bank noted that nearly 60% of households do not have access to the Internet, and are thus unable to reap the benefits of digitization.  

NO PRINTING NEEDED 

MTR Corporate Limited, Hong Kong’s mass transit railway operator since 1979, adopted a digital document solution this February. For recruitment purposes, its HR department uses Adobe Document Cloud (Adobe DC), which integrates PDF technology (Adobe Acrobat) and a signature solution (Adobe e-Sign). 

Among the solution’s key benefits, said Dr. Ted Suen, MTR’s chief information officer, are the management of multiple candidates through online appointments, and signed approvals that are returned within hours. The solution was also aligned with green initiatives as no printing is involved.  

“A lesson we learned is that you have to work with your legal adviser on what types of documents can be used for e-signatures,” added Dr. Suen. “You also have to enable a flexible recruitment process in applicable scenarios [that call for] a mix of e-signed and signed documents.”  

MTR also plans to digitize its tendering process, as well as the acceptance process of construction work. 

 To start the digital document process, Mr. Higgins suggested looking in high volume areas first. “Recruitment, HR, or sales, these are what people tackle first,” he said. “Anywhere you can improve customer and employee experience.” 

Forrester conducted an online survey in May 2021 with 600 APAC business decision-makers in human resources, sales, and legal departments with responsibility for digital document processing at their organization. — Patricia B. Mirasol 

Pfizer to seek US authorization for COVID booster shot as Delta variant spreads

Image via US Secretary of Defense/CC BY 2.0/Wikimedia Commons

Pfizer Inc. plans to ask US regulators to authorize a booster dose of its coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine within the next month, the drugmaker’s top scientist said on Thursday, based on evidence of greater risk of reinfection six months after inoculation and the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. 

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said, however, in a joint statement that Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster COVID-19 shot at this time. 

Some scientists have also questioned the need for booster shots. 

Pfizer’s chief scientific officer, Mikael Dolsten, said the recently reported dip in the vaccine’s effectiveness in Israel was mostly due to infections in people who had been vaccinated in January or February. The country’s health ministry said vaccine effectiveness in preventing both infection and symptomatic disease fell to 64% in June. 

“The Pfizer vaccine is highly active against the Delta variant,” Mr. Dolsten said in an interview. But after six months, he said, “there likely is the risk of reinfection as antibodies, as predicted, wane.” 

Pfizer did not release the full set of Israeli data on Thursday, but said it would be published soon. 

“It’s a small data set, but I think the trend is accurate: Six months out, given that Delta is the most contagious variant we have seen, it can cause infections and mild disease,” Mr. Dolsten said. 

 The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in their joint statement, said: “We are prepared for booster doses if and when the science demonstrates that they are needed.” 

Pfizer’s own data from the United States showed an erosion of the vaccine’s efficacy to the mid-80s after six months, Mr. Dolsten said, against the variants circulating there in the spring. 

He stressed that data from Israel and Britain suggests that even with waning antibody levels, the vaccine remains around 95% effective against severe disease. 

The vaccine, developed with German partner BioNTech SE , showed 95% efficacy in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in a clinical trial the companies ran last year. 

Mr. Dolsten said early data from the company’s own studies shows that a third booster dose generates antibody levels that are five-to-10-fold higher than after the second dose, suggesting that a third dose will offer promising protection. 

He said multiple countries in Europe and elsewhere have already approached Pfizer to discuss booster doses, and some may begin administering them before a potential U.S. authorization. 

Mr. Dolsten said he believes booster shots are particularly important in older age groups. 

Dr. Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California, said basing the decision on waning antibody protection ignores the role of important other parts of the immune response, including memory B cells, which can make antibodies on demand when challenged by the virus. 

“You need better studies to be able to assert that. It isn’t just neutralizing antibodies,” Dr. Topol said. 

Pfizer has previously said people will likely need a booster dose, though some scientists have questioned when, or whether, boosters will be needed. 

Pfizer plans to launch soon a placebo-controlled efficacy trial of the booster with 10,000 participants. The study will run throughout the fall, Mr. Dolsten said, meaning it will not be completed ahead of the company’s filing with the FDA. 

Dr. William Schaffner, a vaccine expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said even if Pfizer succeeds in getting its booster authorized by the FDA, that would be only the first step. The booster would still need to be reviewed and recommended by advisers to the CDC. 

“It’s not automatic by any means,” he said. Dr. Schaffner said realistically, most of the public health bandwidth in the United States is still focused on encouraging Americans to get their first and second doses of the vaccine. 

Because boosters would drive increasing demand for vaccines while much of the world is still unvaccinated, Mr. Dolsten said Pfizer is looking at ways to boost production. 

It is already targeting production of 3 billion doses this year and 4 billion doses next year. Mr. Dolsten declined to give a forecast of exactly how many more doses the company could add, but said, “We can step up billion after billion in ’22.” 

Mr. Dolsten also said Pfizer and BioNTech are designing a new version of the vaccine targeting the Delta variant, but said the companies do not believe that the current version will need to be replaced in order to combat the variant. 

Pfizer expects the COVID-19 vaccine to be a major revenue contributor for years and has forecast sales of $26 billion from the shot in 2021. Global spending on COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots could total $157 billion through 2025, according to U.S. health data firm IQVIA Holdings. — Michael Erman and Julie Steenhuysen/Reuters 

Militia commanders rush to aid Afghan forces against Taliban

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — SOHAIB GHYASI-UNSPLASH

KABUL — A prominent anti-Taliban commander with private militia will help Afghan forces in their fight against Taliban insurgents to claw back control over parts of western Afghanistan including a border crossing with Iran, local officials said on Friday. 

A key district in Herat province, home to tens of thousands of minority Shi’ite Hazaras was captured by fighters of the hardline Sunni Muslim insurgent group on Thursday as part of their strategy to oust Afghan forces and hold sway over critical border towns and trade routes. 

A former minister Mohammad Ismail Khan and a survivor of a Taliban attack in 2009 was a key member of the Northern Alliance whose militia helped US forces in toppling the Taliban in 2001. 

Known as the Lion of Herat, Ismail Khan a veteran Tajik commander is scheduled to hold a gathering to prepare his forces to fight against the Taliban and defend his power base in Herat, an official said, adding that several erstwhile anti-Taliban commanders were supporting the over-stretched Afghan forces to defend borders in the West and the North. 

Taliban and Afghan government officials were not immediately available to share details about the intense clashes in Herat. 

Political members of the Taliban visiting Moscow assured Russian officials of their commitment to allow foreign embassies and aid groups to operate in Afghanistan even after the final exit of foreign forces. 

“All borders now in IEA (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) control will remain open and functional. We assure all, we are not going to target diplomats, embassies and consulates, NGOs and their staff,” said Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban in a tweet. 

US President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., has strongly defended his decision to pull military forces out of Afghanistan despite large parts of country being overrun by the Taliban saying the Afghan people must decide their own future and that he would not consign another generation of Americans to the 20-year war. 

Mr. Biden set a target date of Aug. 31 for the final withdrawal of US forces, minus about 650 troops to provide security for the US embassy in Kabul. 

A long-time sceptic of the US and NATO military presence in Afghanistan, Mr. Biden said the United States had long ago achieved its original rationale for invading the country in 2001: to root out al-Qaeda militants and prevent another attack on the United States like the one launched on Sept.11, 2001. The mastermind of that attack, Osama bin Laden, was killed by a US military team in neighboring Pakistan in 2011. — Reuters 

UK scraps quarantine for fully vaccinated Britons in boost for airlines

REUTERS

LONDON — Fully vaccinated Britons returning from medium-risk amber list countries will no longer have to quarantine when they arrive home from July 19, transport secretary Grant Shapps said on Thursday. 

The rule change will be a huge boost to airlines and the travel industry which have been brought to their knees by 15 months of restrictions. In Britain, 65% of adults have been fully vaccinated, opening up travel for millions. 

“I can confirm today that from the 19th of July, UK residents who are fully vaccinated through the UK vaccine rollout will no longer have to self-isolate when they return to England,” Mr. Shapps said. 

The need to quarantine on return had prevented a travel recovery. Under previous rules, those returning to Britain from its top destinations, Spain, France, the United States, and Italy, all had to self-isolate for up to 10 days. 

Shares in British Airways-owner IAG and easyJet both traded up 2% immediately after the news, which will also be welcomed by Southern European countries eager for UK tourist revenues. 

EasyJet said holiday bookings to amber countries surged 440% after the government announcement compared to the previous week. 

“We have been delighted with the customer response to the removal of Amber list quarantine for the fully vaccinated, so Europe has now turned Green for the double jabbed,” easyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said in a statement. “This means that millions will finally be able to reunite with family and loved ones abroad or take that long-awaited trip this summer.” 

The rule change only applies to amber list countries. For countries on the UK’s high-risk red list, fully-vaccinated Britons will still be required to self-isolate in a hotel. 

TIGHTENING RULES 

While Britain opens up, worries over the spread of the Delta variant from the UK could still derail a travel recovery. Italy, Portugal, and Spain have all recently tightened entry requirements for Britons, with Italy requiring five days of quarantine. 

Mr. Shapps said that Britons returning from amber list destinations would still have to take a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) test before they arrive home and then a second test on or before day two. Children under the age of 18 will not have to self-isolate but will need to take tests. 

Bookings for the crucial peak late July and August holiday season, when the industry makes most of its profit, are expected to soar following the rule change. 

Airlines and holiday companies like TUI and Jet2 have repeatedly called for an end to quarantine but it will however remain in place for non-Britons for now, said Mr. Shapps, disappointing the industry. 

“We’re working to extend our approach to vaccinated passengers from important markets and holiday destinations, later this summer, such as the United States and the EU,” he said. 

He said he would provide an update in due course. 

British Airways (BA) said that while it was pleased with Mr. Shapps’s announcement, it wanted to see progress on scrapping quarantine for non-Britons. 

“The government needs to quickly extend this to all vaccinated travelers, agree a reciprocal deal with the US, add more countries to the ‘green’ list, and reduce the need for unnecessary, expensive tests,” BA chief executive Sean Doyle said. — Sarah Young/Reuters 

Ex-Colombian military, Haitian Americans suspected in killing of Haiti president

                                     Haitian President Jovenel Moise

PORT-AU-PRINCE — A heavily armed commando unit that assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moise this week comprised 26 Colombians and two Haitian Americans, authorities said on Thursday, as the hunt went on for the masterminds of the brazen killing. 

Mr. Moise, 53, was fatally shot early on Wednesday at his home by what officials said was a group of foreign, trained killers, pitching the poorest country in the Americas deeper into turmoil amid political divisions, hunger and widespread gang violence. 

Colombian Defense Minister Diego Molano said initial findings indicated that Colombians suspected of taking part in the assassination were retired members of his country’s armed forces, and pledged to support the investigations in Haiti. 

Police tracked the suspected assassins on Wednesday to a house near the scene of the crime in Petionville, a northern, hillside suburb of the capital, Port-au-Prince. 

A firefight lasted late into the night and authorities detained a number of suspects on Thursday. 

Police Chief Leon Charles paraded 17 men before journalists at a news conference late on Thursday, showing a number of Colombian passports, plus assault rifles, machetes, walkie-talkies and materials including bolt cutters and hammers. 

“Foreigners came to our country to kill the president,” Mr. Charles said, noting there were 26 Colombians and two Haitian Americans. 

He revealed that 15 of the Colombians were captured, as were the Haitian Americans. Three of the assailants were killed and eight were still on the run, Charles said. 

Jorge Luis Vargas, director of Colombia’s national police, said he had received information requests from Haiti on six suspects, two of whom had apparently been killed in an exchange with Haitian police. The other four were under arrest. 

The foreign ministry in Taiwan, which maintains formal diplomatic ties with Haiti, said 11 of the suspects were captured at its embassy after they broke in. 

Haiti’s minister of elections and interparty relations, Mathias Pierre, identified the Haitian-American suspects as James Solages, 35, and Joseph Vincent, 55. 

A State Department spokesman could not confirm if any US citizens were among those detained, but US authorities were in contact with Haitian officials, including investigators, to discuss how the United States could assist. 

Officials in the mostly French- and Creole-speaking Caribbean nation said on Wednesday the assassins appeared to have spoken in English and Spanish. 

“It was a full, well-equipped commando (raid), with more than six cars and a lot of equipment,” Mr. Pierre said. 

Officials have not yet given a motive for the killing. Since taking office in 2017, Mr. Moise had faced mass protests against his rule — first over corruption allegations and his management of the economy, then over his increasing grip on power. 

An angry crowd gathered on Thursday morning to watch the police operation unfold, with some setting fire to the suspects’ cars and to the house where they had hunkered down. Bullet casings were strewn in the street. 

“Burn them!” shouted some of the hundreds of people outside the police station where the suspects were being held. 

POWER VACUUM 

Mr. Charles said the public had helped police find the suspects, but he implored residents of the sprawling seafront city of 1 million people not to take justice into their own hands. 

A 15-day state of emergency was declared on Wednesday to help authorities apprehend the killers. 

Still, interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph said on Thursday it was time for the economy to reopen and that he had given instructions for the airport to restart operations. 

Mr. Moise’s death has generated confusion about who is the legitimate leader of the country of 11 million people, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. 

Haiti has struggled to achieve stability since the fall of the Duvalier family dictatorship in 1986, grappling with a series of coups and foreign interventions. 

A UN peacekeeping mission — meant to restore order after a rebellion toppled then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004 — ended in 2019 with the country still in disarray. 

“I can picture a scenario under which there are issues regarding to whom the armed forces and national police are loyal, in the case there are rival claims to being placeholder president of the country,” said Ryan Berg, an analyst with the Center for Strategic & International Studies. 

Haiti’s 1987 constitution stipulates the head of the Supreme Court should take over. But amendments that are not unanimously recognized state that it be the prime minister, or, in the last year of a president’s mandate — the case with Mr. Moise — that parliament should elect a president. 

The head of the Supreme Court died last month due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) amid a surge in infections in one of the few countries yet to start a vaccination campaign. 

There is no sitting parliament as legislative elections scheduled for late 2019 were postponed amid political unrest. 

Mr. Moise just this week appointed a new prime minister, Ariel Henry, to take over from Mr. Joseph, although he had yet to be sworn in when the president was killed. 

Mr. Joseph appeared on Wednesday to take charge of the situation, running the government response to the assassination, appealing to Washington for support and declaring a state of emergency. 

Mr. Henry — considered more favorably by the opposition — told Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste that he did not consider Mr. Joseph the legitimate prime minister and he should revert to the role of foreign minister. 

“I think we need to speak. Claude was supposed to stay in the government I was going to have,” Mr. Henry was quoted as saying. — Andre Paultre and Robenson Sanon/Reuters 

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