Treaties on human rights

Sri Lanka on Friday buried two Muslims who died of Covid-19, formally ending its policy of forced cremations that had sparked international outrage over the violation of Islamic funeral rites. Protesters hold placards during a demonstration against the Sri Lankan government's now scrapped policy of forced cremations for Muslims ISHARA S. KODIKARA AFP/File Community leader Ali Zahir Moulana said a 55-year-old man and a 66-year-old woman were the first to be buried in coastal Oddamavadi, 300 kilometres (187 miles) east of Colombo. "Thank God," Moulana told AFP. "Finally, we have got burial rights." The Sri Lankan government banned burials of Covid-19 victims in April, despite expert assurances they would not spread the virus, implementing a policy of forced cremations. Faced with mounting criticism, the government then planned to bury virus victims on a remote islet in the country's north, but that move drew opposition Wednesday from both locals and the Muslims. Locals objected to their tiny islet being used as a graveyard for the pandemic and the Muslims said they wanted their loved ones buried on the mainland. Sri Lanka's Muslims, who make up 10 percent of its 21 million people, challenged the policy of forced cremations, pointing out that the practice is forbidden under Islamic law. More than half of the country's 489 virus deaths have been Muslims, often because they were reluctant to seek medical help, fearing they would be cremated if they were identified as Covid patients. The policy was revoked last week after a visit from Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who urged Colombo to respect Muslims' religious funeral rites, but implementation was carried out only on Friday. A top police official confirmed that the burials began at Oddamavadi in the island's east and said at least another 27 bodies of Muslims held at hospital morgues will be buried shortly. Ahead of Khan's visit to Colombo, the 57-member …

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Many elderly people join 2nd stage of Nano Covax vaccine trials A total of 367 volunteers, including 30 aged over 60, have been injected with Nano Covax, Vietnam’s first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine candidate, in the second phase of its human trials, according to the Military Medical University. The second stage has been conducted by the university and the Ho Chi Minh City-based Pasteur Institute since February 26. It has been carried out at the university in Hanoi and the medical centre of Ben Luc district in the southern province of Long An, with the participation of 560 volunteers aged from 12-75, including 80 aged over 60. They will receive two doses of either the vaccine or the placebo AIPO4, with an interval of 28 days. Each volunteer will be monitored for 12 months after the first dose. Volunteers receiving shots on the morning of February 26 will receive the second doses in late March. Lieutenant-General Do Quyet, Director of the Military Medical University, said since the trial sees the participation of volunteers with underlying health conditions, competent authorities have been prepared for all scenarios and ensure safety for all volunteers. Results of the trial will be announced in May 2021 before preparing for the third-stage trial during which only one single shot of the vaccine will be administered to 10,000-15,000 people from both domestic and foreign pandemic-hit regions, Quyet added. Developed by the Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC and the Hanoi-based Military Medical University, Nano Covax is Vietnam’s first COVID-19 vaccine to reach the human trial stage. The first-stage trial of the Nano Covax vaccine showed that it is likely to be effective against the B117 variant from the UK. Vietnam is one of 40 countries and territories in the world to have begun human trials of a COVID-19 vaccine, after successfully producing coronavirus test kits early in the pandemic./. National university processes complaint of lecturers in …

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According to at least one recent survey, very few people are actually concerned that their jobs are under threat from further automation. Photo: Shutterstock As businesses and governments in Vietnam scramble to recover from the pandemic, digital transformation is more crucial than ever. The world of work and employment markets have been going through a profound shift to virtual, from remote working, webinars, online advertising, and entertainment to e-payments. Adrien Bizouard, country manager of Robert Walters Vietnam, said that industries that have taken the lead in digital transformation include financial services and insurance companies, largely driven by the penetration of fintech companies. Fast-moving and standard consumer goods are the next sectors where companies will implement e-commerce platforms or introduce omnichannel transformation, using both online and offline channels. An example would be Decathlon, a sports company which first opened online retail in Vietnam and only later opened a physical store. This shows how interesting the retail ecosystem can be – going from online to offline, even though it is usually the other way around. “We do not see any impact on the traditional jobs (offline jobs), however, we see more digital jobs being created. They need to co-exist and collaborate. We see opportunities for offline people to do more online projects allowing them to grow their skills. Vietnam remains transitional – people are still making purchases offline even as they move online,” Bizouard said. In addition, the new generation is a group that is very engaged and has a big appetite for digitalisation. They are keen on exploring and interested to join startup companies to work on exciting and challenging projects. Overall, this new change is creating more jobs and opportunities, according to Bizouard. Digital competence is increasingly shaping tomorrow’s world of work. A Digital Readiness Survey 2020 by payroll, staffing, and …

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