There are 108.5 million global COVID-19 infections, Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported early Sunday. The U.S. has the most cases at 27.5 million, followed by India with 10.9 million and Brazil with 9.8 million.The Telegraph newspaper reports British scientists are developing a universal vaccine that would combat all the variants of the coronavirus and could be available within a year.The British newspaper says scientists at the University of Nottingham are working on a vaccine that would target the core of virus instead of the spike protein that current vaccines focus on.Targeting the core alleviates the need to frequently adjust existing vaccines as the virus mutates.The Telegraph said proteins found in the core of the virus are far less likely to mutate, meaning the vaccine would protect against all current variants and would theoretically have greater longevity.A 58-year-old man in France is reported to be the first person infected for a second time with the highly contagious South African variant of the coronavirus.The man’s reinfection is “rare albeit probably underestimated,” according to the authors of an article in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal.New Zealand’s largest city in going into a three-day lockdown, the country’s first in six months. The shuttering of Auckland comes after the discovery of three family members – a father, mother and daughter – with COVID.The rest of the country will be on heightened restrictions.New Zealand is known for having have stamped out the local transmission of the coronavirus, but it regularly detects the virus in travelers to New Zealand who are then placed in quarantine.The mother in the New Zealand family with COVID works at a catering company that does laundry for airlines. Authorities are investigating whether there is a link to an infected passenger.Not all U.S. states are happy about President Joe Biden’s plan to establish 100 COVID vaccine inoculation sites around the country by the end of the month, according to an Associated Press report.The wire service reports that some states have learned that the sites do not come with additional vaccines but would pull vaccines from the state’s existing allocation.A spokesperson for Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee said, “Up until now, we’ve been under the impression that these sites do not come with their own supply of vaccine — which is the principal thing we need more of, rather than more ways to distribute what we already have.”Adding to the confusion, AP reported that some states have been told by federal officials that the new sites would come with their own supply of vaccines.
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Month: February 2021
COVID-19 Funerals Cause Flower Shortage in LA Ahead of Valentine’s Day
What’s Valentine’s Day without flowers? This year, as Angelina Bagdasaryan reports, some California residents might just find out, in this story narrated by Anna Rice.
Camera: Vazgen Varzhabetian
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Valentine’s Day: A Celebration for All
Valentine’s Day is usually associated with romance but if you don’t have a significant other there are still plenty of reasons to celebrate. More with VOA Correspondent Mariama Diallo.
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Myanmar Army Tightens Laws on Overnight Guests as Police Hunt Protesters
Myanmar’s army reinstated a law requiring people to report overnight visitors to their homes, as police hunt supporters of protests that have rocked the country since a military coup on Feb. 1.The amendment to the Ward or Village Tract Administration Law, announced late on Saturday on a military-run Facebook page, is the latest in a raft of legislative changes introduced by the army.The former civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained alongside her cabinet, had repealed the requirement, a relic of decades of army rule.Under the amendment, residents face a fine or imprisonment if they do not report guests to local authorities.Myanmar’s junta also suspended laws Saturday constraining security forces from detaining suspects or searching private property without court approval and ordered the arrest of well-known backers of mass protests against this month’s coup.The coup has prompted the biggest street protests in more than a decade and has been denounced by Western countries, with the United States announcing some sanctions on the ruling generals and other countries also considering measures.As anti-coup protests sprang up again in the biggest city, Yangon; the capital, Naypyitaw, and elsewhere on Saturday, the army said arrest warrants had been issued for seven high-profile critics of military rule over their comments on social media.People should inform the police if they spot any of those named and will be punished if they shelter them, the army’s True News information team said in a statement.The Assistance Association for Former Political Prisoners, a Myanmar monitoring group, said at least 384 people have been detained across the country since the coup, mostly in night raids.Residents in major cities have formed patrol groups to defend themselves against the police and common criminals.
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White House Aide Resigns after Threatening Reporter
White House deputy press secretary TJ Ducklo has resigned, the day after he was suspended for issuing a sexist and profane threat to a journalist seeking to cover his relationship with another reporter.Ducklo had been put on a weeklong suspension without pay on Friday after a report surfaced in Vanity Fair magazine outlining his sexist threats against a female Politico journalist to try to suppress a story about his relationship, telling her “I will destroy you.” The journalist had been seeking to report on his relationship with a political reporter at Axios who had previously covered the Biden campaign and transition.In a statement Saturday, Ducklo said he was “devastated to have embarrassed and disappointed my White House colleagues and President Biden.”“No words can express my regret, my embarrassment and my disgust for my behavior,” he said. “I used language that no woman should ever have to hear from anyone, especially in a situation where she was just trying to do her job. It was language that was abhorrent, disrespectful and unacceptable.”Before Politico broke the story Tuesday, People magazine published a glowing profile of the couple. It was the first time either one had publicly acknowledged that they were dating.It’s the first departure from the new administration, less than a month into President Joe Biden’s tenure, and it comes as the White House was facing criticism for not living up to standards set by Biden himself in their decision to retain Ducklo.During a virtual swearing-in for staff on Inauguration Day, Biden said that “if you ever work with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I will fire you on the spot.”“No ifs, ands or buts,” Biden added.White House press secretary Jen Psaki faced a flurry of questions about the controversy Friday, with reporters highlighting Biden’s comments and questioning the decision to merely suspend Ducklo for a week.Confronted with those comments from the president, Psaki said Friday that Ducklo’s conduct “doesn’t meet our standards, it doesn’t meet the president’s standard, and it was important that we took a step to make that clear.” She pointed to apologies made by top members of the White House communications team and Ducklo himself to the Politico reporter as ample moves reflecting the seriousness of the situation.On Saturday, Psaki said in a statement that Ducklo’s decision came with the support of White House chief of staff Ron Klain and added that “we are committed to striving every day to meet the standard set by the President in treating others with dignity and respect, with civility and with a value for others through our words and our actions.”
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More Than 50 Million Doses of COVID-19 Vaccines Administered in US, CDC says
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had administered more than 50 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Saturday morning and delivered about 69.9 million doses.The tally of vaccine doses is for both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, vaccines as of 6:00 a.m. ET Saturday, the agency said.According to the tally posted on Friday, the agency had administered 48.4 million doses of the vaccines, and delivered about 69 million doses.The agency said about 37.1 million people had received one or more doses while more than 13 million people have got the second dose as of Saturday.About 5.7 million vaccine doses have been administered in long-term care facilities, the agency said.
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Pandemic Tops Agenda as UK Hosts G-7 Leaders’ Meet Next Week
Britain said Saturday it will use the first leaders’ meeting of its G-7 presidency next week to seek more global cooperation on coronavirus vaccine distribution and post-pandemic recovery plans.Prime Minister Boris Johnson will host G-7 heads of state for a virtual meeting Friday, their first gathering since April 2020 and U.S. President Joe Biden’s first major multilateral engagement since taking office last month.They are meeting at a seaside retreat in Cornwall in southwestern England on June 11-13, after last year’s gathering in the United States was shelved because of the pandemic.Johnson is eager to boost Britain’s post-Brexit profile and his own international standing, after criticism of his tactics during the country’s fraught divorce from the European Union and his support for ex-U.S. President Donald Trump.He has vowed to focus his G-7 presidency on better coordinating the international response to the pandemic, as well as climate change ahead of Britain hosting a U.N. conference on climate change, COP26, in November.”The solutions to the challenges we face… lie in the discussions we have with our friends and partners around the world,” Johnson said in a statement released late Saturday.He added “quantum leaps in science” had helped produce the COVID-19 vaccines needed to end the pandemic, and that world governments now had a responsibility to work together to distribute them.”I hope 2021 will be remembered as the year humanity worked together like never before to defeat a common foe,” Johnson said.Friday’s virtual gathering will see him host the leaders of the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, as well as the presidents of the European Council and the EU Commission.Later in February, he will also chair a virtual meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the link between climate change and conflict — the first time a U.K. leader has chaired such a session since 1992.The discussions at the meeting will inform crucial action ahead of the U.K.-hosted COP26 Summit to be held November 1-12 in the Scottish city of Glasgow, his Downing Street office said.
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Guinea Sees First Ebola Deaths Since 2016
Four people have died of Ebola in Guinea in the first resurgence of the disease in five years, the country’s health minister said Saturday.Remy Lamah told AFP that officials were “really concerned” about the deaths, the first since a 2013-16 epidemic — which began in Guinea — left 11,300 dead across the region.One of the latest victims in Guinea was a nurse who fell ill in late January and was buried on February 1, National Health Security Agency head Sakoba Keita told local media.”Among those who took part in the burial, eight people showed symptoms: diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding,” he said. Three died and four were in a hospital, he added.The four deaths from Ebola hemorrhagic fever occurred in the southeast region of Nzerekore, he said.Keita also told local media that one patient had “escaped” but had been found and hospitalized in the capital, Conakry. He confirmed the comments to AFP without giving further detail.The World Health Organization has eyed each new outbreak since 2016 with great concern, treating the most recent one in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as an international health emergency.’Testing underway’Early Sunday, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted that the U.N. health agency had been informed of two suspected cases of the deadly disease in Guinea.”Confirmatory testing underway,” the tweet said, adding that WHO’s regional and country offices were “supporting readiness and response efforts.”The DRC has faced several outbreaks of the illness, with the WHO on Thursday confirming a resurgence three months after authorities declared the end of the country’s latest outbreak.The country had declared the six-month epidemic over in November. It was the country’s 11th Ebola outbreak, claiming 55 lives out of 130 cases.The widespread use of vaccinations, which were administered to more than 40,000 people, helped curb the disease.The 2013-16 outbreak sped up the development of a vaccine against Ebola, with a global emergency stockpile of 500,000 doses planned to respond quickly to future outbreaks, the vaccine alliance Gavi said in January.
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South Africa to Reopen 20 Land Border Crossings Next Week
South Africa will reopen 20 land border crossings to allow normal travel, lifting restrictions implemented last month to control rising coronavirus infections, the Home Affairs Ministry said Saturday.The ministry said land border points, including those with Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Botswana, would reopen after being closed on January 11.”The active and orderly management of people through our borders is an important part of the country’s overall risk-adjusted approach to control the spread of COVID-19,” said Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi.Motsoaledi will visit the crossing at Lebombo Border Post, one of the four busiest land ports, on the Mozambique border on Monday to monitor the processing of travelers.South Africa has recorded the highest number of coronavirus infections and deaths on the African continent, with more than 1.49 million cases and over 47,000 deaths as of late Saturday, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center in the U.S.It has been hit hard by a second wave of infections linked to a new variant called 501Y.V2, which was identified in South Africa late last year.
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Government Urges Zimbabweans to Accept COVID-19 Vaccine
Zimbabwe’s government is urging citizens to take part in a free, voluntary COVID-19 vaccination program starting “immediately,” now that the country has received 200,000 doses donated by China. But some citizens remain skeptical.Zimbabwe College of Public Health Physicians welcomed the government’s three-phase inoculation program, which starts with frontline workers at high risk of infection – such as doctors and nurses – and will be followed by those with chronic diseases, the elderly and the prison population. The second phase is for those at medium risk, and the third phase covers everyone else willing to be vaccinated.Dr. Nyika Mahachi of the physicians college said he hoped there wouldn’t be any deviation from the program.Efficacy questionsSome health experts have questioned the efficacy of the Sinopharm product. Mahachi said nevertheless that “while we are in an emergency situation, while even the efficacy [of the Sinopharm and Sputnik V vaccines] is not known,” it was important “for us to be at least vaccinating the population. The other concern around these two vaccines is obviously their effectiveness against the South African-originating variant. We are expecting that the country benefits from the COVAX facility as well as the African Union facility so that we also have other known vaccines that have clear data.”On television Friday night, Zimbabwe’s deputy health minister, Dr. John Mangwiro, said that to reduce COVID-19 infections and deaths – which as of Saturday were at 35,045 and 1,393, respectively, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center in the U.S. — the government was introducing the voluntary, free-of-charge COVID-19 vaccinations.“The Sinopharm vaccine, which has proven to be effective in clinical trials and has efficacy rate ranging from 76% and 86%, has already been used by other countries in controlling COVID-19,” he said. “The government is in advanced negotiations to acquire the Sputnik V vaccine from Russia, which is also effective against COVID-19.”In addition, the country is also pursuing global and regional facilities to secure more vaccines to cover all eligible people. May I conclude by encouraging all eligible people in the country to take up the vaccine when their turn comes.”Some have doubtsIt might be a long while before some Zimbabweans comply. One of the reluctant ones is Mufaro Mutsigiri, 53.“We prefer to live the way we were living because, if I am vaccinated, does that stop the spread?” Mutsigiri asked. “Or will people die? Answers aren’t said out!”Some of the reasons are not scientific, though, as in the case of Dillion Machingura.”The thing is, there have been rumors about people who have been taking the vaccine … so I am not sure if it is safe to take it or not,” Machingura said.But others are eagerly waiting for it, such as Edwin Nyambuya. “I will take that vaccine,” he said. “I think it’s effective. The disease COVID-19 started in China. It has been used there and it’s proving to work. So, I believe it works.”Zimbabwe’s government says it plans to immunize 60% of its estimated population of 14 million in the hope of achieving herd immunity.
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Elections Key to Resolving Haiti’s Political ‘Paralysis,’ US Ambassador Tells VOA
Elections are essential to ending Haiti’s longtime “political paralysis,” U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Michele Sison told VOA in an exclusive interview Friday. “What troubles us is governance by decree, governance by presidential decree that has been going on in Haiti for a period that is not normal and is ongoing,” Sison said. US Ambassador to Haiti, Michele Sison.The ambassador told VOA that U.S. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken “said clearly that democracy and human rights have a central place in American foreign policy.” Sison expressed concern about recent political events in Haiti, including an alleged coup and assassination attempt against President Jovenel Moise on February 7. Twenty-three people were arrested in connection with the plot, including Supreme Court Justice Yvickel Dabresil. Haiti Civilian Court Orders Release of Supreme Court Justice Accused in Coup Plot Yvickel Dabresil was one of 23 people arrested Sunday and accused of plotting to overthrow President Jovenel Moise The justice was released from detention on Thursday (Feb. 11) after national outcry and international expressions of concern. Twenty others remain in detention. When does Moise’s term end?
The Biden administration has been criticized for supporting Moise’s claim his term should end in 2022. The Haitian opposition argues his term expired on February 7, 2021. “The superior council of the judiciary branch, who in principle has the last word on all political and judicial conflicts – has ruled that Jovenel Moise’s term ended on February 7,” lawyer Andre Michel, the representative of the Democratic and Popular sector of opposition groups told VOA. Sison said the United States and its allies agree on the 2022 end date. “The Haitian people elected President Jovenel Moise in November 2016. President Moise was sworn in on February 7, 2017 for a five-year term that will end on February 7, 2022. That is the same analysis that the OAS made – the Organization of American States,” the ambassador told VOA. U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks, and Congressman Andy Levin, also a member of the committee, however, have agreed with the opposition that Moise’s term ended on February 7. They say a provisional government should be formed by members of the opposition to organize legislative and presidential elections as soon as possible. “Feb 7th marks the end of Pres Moise’s term in Haiti. The country is in worse shape than when he began w/ rampant poverty, corruption & gang violence in which the govt is complicit. The US should join in calling for an inclusive transition that represents the Haitian people,” Leahy tweeted. Feb 7th marks the end of Pres Moise’s term in Haiti. The country is in worse shape than when he began w/ rampant poverty, corruption & gang violence in which the govt is complicit. The US should join in calling for an inclusive transition that represents the Haitian people. https://t.co/SiFCQb3Pag— Sen. Patrick Leahy (@SenatorLeahy) February 6, 2021 “With no evidence to support his claims of a conspiracy against his life, Moïse is demonstrating what my colleagues and I have said: there is zero chance of real elections, real democracy or real accountability while he remains in power,” Levy tweeted. With no evidence to support his claims of a conspiracy against his life, Moïse is demonstrating what my colleagues and I have said: there is zero chance of real elections, real democracy or real accountability while he remains in power. https://t.co/3AzphfSPaN— Rep. Andy Levin (@RepAndyLevin) February 7, 2021
“Today I co-led a letter to @SecBlinken with @RepYvetteClarke to condemn President Moïse’s undemocratic actions in Haiti, urging for a Haitian-led democratic transition of power,” Meeks tweeted. Today I co-led a letter to @SecBlinken with @RepYvetteClarke to condemn President Moïse’s undemocratic actions in Haiti, urging for a Haitian-led democratic transition of power. The full text of the letter: https://t.co/CDGgmpM45Lpic.twitter.com/pkuriOY5TS— Rep. Gregory Meeks (@RepGregoryMeeks) February 6, 2021 What everyone agrees on
All political actors seem to agree on the need for elections but not on the specifics. Moise insists that a referendum must first be held in April to approve a new constitution before holding presidential and legislative elections in September. The opposition has said it will not participate in any election organized by Moise’s Provisional Electoral Council. It objects to the very creation of the council, which was hand-picked by Moise, with no opposition or civil society involvement. Sison says all political actors should set their differences aside and focus on what’s best for the people of Haiti. “Political and economic stability is only going to come when Haiti’s leaders set aside their differences. When they set aside their differences in order to serve the Haitian people. And set aside their differences also to support Haiti’s democratic institutions,” she told VOA. “So, we share the Haitian people’s concern about insecurity and the health and education sectors and food insecurity. We share their concerns about gang violence,” she added. US backs ‘inclusive solution’
Sison said the administration is supports an “inclusive solution.” “People have got to talk to each other. And they’ve got to find peaceful means to resolve their differences,” she told VOA. “Political polarization has affected governance. It has affected the lives of the Haitian people,” she added. Moise has also stressed the need for unity and the setting aside of differences to resolve the political impasse. “The battle I’m waging is not for myself, it’s for you,” Moise said in a national address hours after announcing the coup attempt. “I’m not here to lie to you today, I’m here to tell you the truth. … My brothers and sisters in the opposition, don’t let pride, revenge, selfishness keep you from working with me,” he said. Moise’s government recently signed an agreement with the United Nations to help Haiti finance the organization of elections. “A sum of 20 million American dollars has been deposited in a ‘basket fund’ by the Haitian government to organize the referendum and general elections. I congratulate the government for its efforts to allow the people to renew their political personnel,” Moise tweeted in French. Un montant de 20 millions de dollars américains vient d’être déposé dans le « basket fund » par l’Etat haitien en vue de l’organisation du référendum et des élections. Je félicite le Gouvernement pour ses efforts visant à permettre au pays de renouveler son personnel politique.— Président Jovenel Moïse (@moisejovenel) February 9, 2021Asked if the United States was also prepared to contribute financial assistance to the Moise government for organizing elections, Sison said “legislative elections must be held as soon as technically feasible so the parliament’s rightful role can be restored.” “Free and fair presidential elections must also be held so that a newly elected president can succeed President Moise at the end of his term,” she said. Sison added “we ARE committed to the people of Haiti. The people of Haiti are our neighbors. We want to see a more secure and prosperous future for Haiti and for the region. It is a region that we all share.”Jean Robert Philippe contributed to this report.
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Myanmar Army Suspends Laws Limiting Forces, Hunts Protest Backers
Myanmar’s junta on Saturday suspended laws constraining security forces from detaining suspects or searching private property without court approval and ordered the arrest of well-known backers of mass protests against this month’s coup.A series of announcements came on the eighth day of country-wide demonstrations against the Feb. 1 takeover and detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, which halted an unsteady transition to democracy that began in 2011.Myanmar Military Targets Sector Professionals as Demonstrations ContinueDaytime demonstrations continue but night arrests now a worry for protestersThe announcements bore echoes of the near half-century of military rule before reforms began, when the Southeast Asian country was one of the world’s most repressive and isolated states.An order signed by military ruler General Min Aung Hlaing suspended three sections of laws “protecting the privacy and security of the citizens,” which had been introduced during the gradual liberalization.Those sections include the requirement for a court order to detain prisoners beyond 24 hours and constraints on security forces’ ability to enter private property to search it or make arrests. The suspensions also free up spying on communications.The statement gave no specific end date.The coup has prompted the biggest street protests in more than a decade and has been denounced by Western countries, with the United States announcing some sanctions on the ruling generals and other countries also considering measures.Human Rights Advocates Seek Action Against Military Coup in Myanmar ‘We need more than a statement on a piece of paper’ UN official saysAs anti-coup protests sprang up again in the biggest city Yangon, the capital Naypyitaw and elsewhere on Saturday, the army said arrest warrants had been issued for seven high profile critics of military rule over their comments on social media.People should inform the police if they spot any of those named and will be punished if they shelter them, the army’s True News information team said in a statement.It said cases had been filed under a law which provides up to two years jail for comments that could cause alarm or “threaten tranquility.”On the wanted list is Min Ko Naing, 58, who was imprisoned for most of the time between 1988 and 2012, and who has been prominent in encouraging protests and a civil disobedience movement followed by a swathe of government workers.Reuters was not immediately able to reach him for comment.Coup opponentsOthers with warrants against them included “Jimmy” Kyaw Min Yu, also a veteran of the 1988 student uprising, and singer “Lin Lin” Htwe Lin Ko.”I am so proud to have a warrant issued along with Min Ko Naing. Catch me if you can,” said Ei Pencilo, to her more than 1.6 million followers on Facebook.Like several others named, she worked with Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), which won a landslide in a November election the army alleged to be tainted with fraud – an accusation dismissed by the electoral commission.Protests in support of Suu Kyi and the election sprang up across Myanmar again on Saturday in spite of a junta call for people to avoid mass gatherings due to the coronavirus epidemic.The junta also appealed to civil servants who have been following the civil disobedience campaign to return to work, with a threat of possible disciplinary action against those who do not.The United Nations human rights office said on Friday more than 350 people have been arrested in Myanmar since the coup.Journalist Shwe Yee Win, who had reported on opposition to the coup in the western town of Pathein, was taken away by police and soldiers on Thursday and has not been heard from since, her TimeAyeyar news website and her mother said.”I am really worried,” said Thein Thein, now looking after her daughter’s one-year-old child.The government did not respond to requests for comment.The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners voiced concern about a wave of overnight arrests.”Family members are left with no knowledge of the charges, location, or condition of their loved ones. These are not isolated incidents, and nighttime raids are targeting dissenting voices,” it said in a statement.Suu Kyi, for decades the standard bearer of the fight for democracy in Myanmar, faces charges of illegally importing and using six walkie-talkie radios.NLD press officer Kyi Toe said on Facebook that she was healthy under house arrest in the capital Naypyitaw.The coup and detentions have prompted anger from Western countries and the 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on Friday calling on Myanmar to release detainees and refrain from using violence against protesters.The United States this week began imposing sanctions on the ruling generals and some businesses linked to them.
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Strong Quake Hits Off Japan Coast, Injuring Dozens and Triggering Blackouts
A strong earthquake hit off the coast of eastern Japan on Saturday, injuring dozens of people and triggering widespread power outages, but there appeared to be no major damage and no tsunami warning was issued.The earthquake had a 7.3 magnitude and its epicenter was off the coast of Fukushima prefecture at a depth of 60 km (36 miles), the Japan Meteorological Agency said. It shook buildings for some time after it hit, shortly after 11:00 p.m. (1400 GMT).Houses and offices in the capital Tokyo, hundreds of kilometers away, also swayed and shook. No tsunami warning had been issued, the meteorological agency said.At least two dozen people were injured, according to reports from the Kyodo news agency.A Reuters cameraman on location in Fukushima said his 10th floor hotel room shook for some time. One man at the hotel was taken to hospital after falling and hitting his head on a door, the cameraman said.Although injured, the man was still able to walk, the cameraman said.Television footage also showed broken glass from shop fronts.Some 950,000 households were initially without power, government spokesman Katsunobu Kato told a briefing carried on public broadcaster NHK. The blackouts appeared to be concentrated in northeast Japan, including Fukushima and neighboring prefectures.There were no irregularities at the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants, or at the Kahiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, owner Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said.The utility also said there was no change in the radiation levels around its plants.Kato said there were no irregularities at the Onagawa nuclear facility.The quake hit off of Fukushima just weeks before the 10th anniversary of a quake on March 11, 2011 that devastated northeast Japan and triggered a massive tsunami leading to the world’s worst nuclear crisis in a quarter of a century – one centered at the Daiichi facility.Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active areas. Japan accounts for about 20% of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
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US Senate Honors Police Officer Who Protected Lawmakers in Riot
After hours of heated arguments in former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, lawmakers found a rare moment of consensus when the U.S. Senate voted on Friday to award the highest honor Congress can bestow to one of the police officers who responded to the January 6 Capitol siege.By unanimous consent, the Senate passed a measure to give the Congressional Gold Medal to officer Eugene Goodman of the U.S. Capitol Police force.Goodman steered rioters away from lawmakers as a pro-Trump mob rampaged through the Capitol while Congress gathered to formally certify President Joe Biden’s election victory. In video shown during the trial, Goodman was seen directing Senator Mitt Romney out of harm’s way.”Here in this trial, we saw new video, powerful video, showing calmness under pressure, his courage in the line of duty, his foresight in the midst of chaos, and his willingness to make himself a target of the mob’s rage so that others might reach safety,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said on the Senate floor.Who Were the US Capitol Rioters? Nearly five weeks after attack, researchers at University of Chicago have concluded that most rioters were not members of far-right groups but rather ‘normal’ Trump supporters Schumer pointed out Goodman, who stood in the back of the chamber. Lawmakers burst into a standing ovation for him. Goodman briefly placed his hand on his heart. Schumer said all the law enforcement officers who responded to the Capitol attack should be honored and recognized as well, spurring a second standing ovation. Goodman joined the second round of applause.Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell also praised Goodman, saying: “If not for the quick thinking and bravery of Officer Eugene Goodman in particular, the people in this chamber may not have escaped that day unharmed.”U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced a bill on Thursday that would award the Congressional Gold Medal to members of the Capitol Police force and to Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department, whose officers were also called to the scene to secure the Capitol complex.Trump, the first U.S. president to face two impeachment trials and the first to have such as trial after leaving office, has been accused of inciting an insurrection for an incendiary speech he made to supporters shortly before the siege.
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WHO Team Member: China Has Not Handed Over Vital Info on COVID-19 Outbreak
A member of the World Health Organization team that recently visited China to investigate the origins of the coronavirus told Reuters that China has not handed over data on 174 cases of the virus identified in the early phase of the outbreak in the city of Wuhan. Dominic Dwyer, an Australian infectious diseases expert, said the team was given a summary but not the raw data known as “line listings,” which includes questions asked of the patients, their responses, and the analysis of the responses. WHO Finds No Evidence of COVID-19 Outbreaks in Wuhan Before December 2019Leader of 10-member team that traveled to China dismisses theory that novel coronavirus leaked from Chinese laboratory Dyer said the team “persisted” in asking for the line listings. He said he could only “speculate” about why the team did not get what it asked for, but noted that, “The WHO people certainly felt that they had received much more data than they had ever received in the previous year.” Oxford/AstraZeneca has announced that it will test its coronavirus vaccine on 300 children between the ages of 6 and 17. The Oxford shot is one of three that has been approved for use on adults in Britain but has been shown to be not as effective on some variants of the coronavirus. The chief investigator of the children’s trial, Andrew Pollard, who is a professor of pediatric infection and immunity, said, “While most children are relatively unaffected by coronavirus and are unlikely to become unwell with the infection, it is important to establish the safety and immune response to the vaccine in children and young people as some children may benefit from vaccination.”Children should play this summer to help them cope with the upheaval the COVID-19 pandemic has brought, according to a group of British child development specialists. PlayFirstUK, in a letter to Britain’s education secretary, said, “This spring and summer should not be filled with extra lessons. …Social connection and play offer myriad learning opportunities and are positively associated with children’s academic attainment and literacy.”PlayFirst’s recommendation follows a recent British controversy after two young children who built a snowman in a park were ordered home by police officers, who told them to go home and play in their own garden. A prime minister’s spokesperson has since said it is fine for children to play outside. All Theories Still Open Regarding COVID-19 Origins, WHO Chief Says Comments by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus follow international mission to China Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged educators Friday to reopen schools and provided a science-based plan for the reopening of schools. Dr. Rebecca Same, an assistant professor in pediatric infectious disease at Washington University in St. Louis, told The New York Times, “I completely understand teachers’ and other school employees’ fear about returning to school, but there are now many well-conducted scientific studies showing that it is safe for schools to reopen with appropriate precautions, even without vaccination.” New Zealand has recorded a recent death from the coronavirus and two more infections were recorded Saturday. New Zealand reports that it has 45 COVID-19 infections and 25 people have died from the virus. The number of COVID-19 infections around the world continues to climb, with more than 108 million global infections since the start of the outbreak, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The U.S. continues to have the most infections, with more than 27 million, followed by India with nearly 11 million cases and Brazil with more than 9 million, according to Hopkins.
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At least One Dead, Several Wounded in Suicide Bomb Attack in Mogadishu
A suicide car bombing killed at least one civilian and wounded at least seven in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu early Saturday morning. The explosion near a security checkpoint also caused damagedat least a dozen vehicles, authorities and witnesses said.A police spokesman said the driver disobeyed orders to stop and soldiers fired at the car as it forced its way past the first of two checkpoints.There was no immediate claim of responsibility.The scene of the blast is near the parliament building and presidential palace.The explosion came as Somali politicians argue over how to hold a national election, which was previously scheduled for February 8th. Some of them say that President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has overstayed his mandate.High-profile areas of Mogadishu have often been targets of attacks by the local al-Qaida -linked al-Shabab terrorist group, which has engaged in a long and violent insurgency aiming to topple the internationally recognized Somali government.Al-Shabab has most recently threatened to attack polling stations during the national election.
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Italy’s Draghi Takes Office, Faces Daunting Challenges
The Italian president swore in the former chief of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, as prime minister on Saturday at the head of a unity government called on to confront the coronavirus crisis and economic slump.All but one of Italy’s major parties have rallied to his side and his cabinet includes lawmakers from across the political spectrum, as well as technocrats in key posts, including the finance ministry and a new green transition portfolio.Much now rests on Draghi’s shoulders.He is tasked with plotting Italy’s recovery from the pandemic and must immediately set to work on plans for how to spend more than 200 billion euros ($240 billion) in European Union funds aimed at rebuilding the recession-bound economy.If he prevails, Draghi will likely bolster the entire eurozone, which has long fretted over Italy’s perennial problems. Success would also prove to Italy’s skeptical northern allies that by offering funds to the poorer south, they will fortify the entire bloc.But he faces enormous challenges. Italy is mired in its worst downturn since World War Two, hundreds of people are still dying of COVID-19 each day, the vaccination campaign is going slowly and he only has limited time to sort things out.Italy is due to return to the polls in two years time, but it is far from certain that Draghi will be able to survive that long at the head of a coalition that includes parties with radically opposing views on issues such as immigration, justice, infrastructure development and welfare.Highlighting Italy’s political instability, Draghi’s government is the 67th to take office since 1946 and the seventh in the last decade alone.CABINET MIXPresident Sergio Mattarella asked him to take over after the previous coalition collapsed amid party infighting. Draghi has spent the past 10 days drawing up his plans and unveiled his 23-strong cabinet on Friday, which included eight women.Eight of the ministries went to technocrats, with the rest split amongst the six main parties that back the government — four for the 5-Star Movement, the largest group in parliament, three each for the Democratic Party, the League and Forza Italia and one apiece for Italia Viva and LEU.As finance minister, Draghi called on an old colleague, Daniele Franco, the deputy governor of the Bank of Italy, while the sensitive job of justice minister was handed to the former head of the constitutional court, Marta Cartabia.He also looked outside the political sphere for two new roles — technological innovation, which was entrusted to the former head of telecoms firm Vodafone, Vittorio Colao, and ecological transition, given to physicist Roberto Cingolani.These twin positions play into demands by the European Union that a sizeable chunk of its recovery fund should be used to promote the digitalisation of the continent and to shift away from a dependence on fossil fuels.Draghi, a reserved figure who has no profile on social media platforms, will unveil his program in the upper house of parliament on Wednesday and the lower house on Thursday.Confidence votes will be held in both chambers and with just the far-right Brothers of Italy outside the cabinet, he looks likely to win the biggest majority in Italian history.However, some members of the 5-Star Movement, which was created in 2009 as an anti-system, anti-euro protest group, have said they might vote against Draghi, threatening a party schism.
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EU Calls on China to Reverse Ban on BBC World News Channel
The European Union on Saturday called on China to reverse its ban on the BBC World News television channel imposed in apparent retaliation for Britain’s pulling of the license of state-owned Chinese broadcaster CGTN.The EU said in a statement that Beijing’s move further restricted “freedom of expression and access to information inside its borders,” and violated both the Chinese constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The statement also said that Hong Kong’s announcement that its public broadcaster would also stop carrying BBC broadcasts added to the “erosion of the rights and freedoms that is ongoing” in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory since the imposition last year of a sweeping new national security law.”The EU remains strongly committed to safeguarding media freedom and pluralism, as well as protecting the right to freedom of expression online and offline, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information without interference of any kind,” the statement said.BBC Banned from Broadcasting in China Country’s broadcast regulator says network has ‘undermined China’s national interests and ethnic solidarity.’ While Britain is no longer in the EU, it remains a member of the Council of Europe, which oversees a 1989 agreement linking broadcasting licenses. Britain, the U.S. and foreign correspondents based in China have also expressed dismay over the BBC ban.China’s move Thursday was largely symbolic, because BBC World was shown only on cable TV systems in hotels and apartment compounds for foreigners and some other businesses. However, it comes against the backdrop of growing conflict between Beijing and Western governments over a slew of issues ranging from human rights to trade and the COVID-19 pandemic in which Chinese criticisms over foreign media coverage have played a prominent role.China’s National Radio and Television Administration said BBC World News coverage of the country violated requirements that news reporting be true and impartial, reflecting complaints over BBC reports about the government’s initial response to the virus outbreak in China. Other complaints were over allegations of forced labor and sexual abuse in the northwestern Chinese region of Xinjiang, home to Uighurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups. The EU statement specifically linked the ban to BBC reporting on those topics.It wasn’t clear whether BBC reporters in China would be affected. Last year, Beijing expelled foreign reporters for The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times amid disputes with the Trump administration and complaints over media criticism of the ruling Communist Party.Britain’s communications watchdog, Ofcom, revoked the license for CGTN, China’s English-language satellite news channel, on Feb. 4, citing links to the Communist Party, among other reasons.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Ofcom acted on “political grounds based on ideological bias.”Losing its British license was a major blow for CGTN, which is part of a global effort by the party to promote its views and challenge Western media narratives about China, into which it has poured enormous resources. CGTN has a European operations hub in London.
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Senate Back in Session Saturday as Impeachment Court
The U.S. Senate is back in session Saturday morning as a court of impeachment for former President Donald Trump.Neither the House managers nor lawyers for Trump have announced any plans to call witnesses, which means the two sides will likely make their final arguments Saturday. A final vote in the case would soon follow.On Friday, Trump’s lawyers wrapped up their defense of the former U.S. leader, denying he helped incite a deadly mob attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Trump’s lawyers described the trial as a politically inspired and illegal “witch hunt.”“Like every other politically motivated witch hunt the left has engaged in over the past four years, this impeachment is completely divorced from the facts, the evidence and the interests of the American people,” said Trump attorney Michael van der Veen.Trump’s lawyers presented their case in three hours Friday, choosing not to use the full 16 hours allocated.Trump’s attorneys told senators that the former president had every right to dispute his election loss to President Joe Biden and that Trump’s 70-minute speech just minutes before the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol did not amount to inciting the violence.When Trump urged thousands of supporters on the Ellipse to “fight like hell,” the defense said it was no different from Democrats’ using similar rhetoric that could spark violence.Trump’s lawyers played a lengthy video montage featuring prominent Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, using the word “fight” without any context.Also featured in the video were many of the Democratic lawmakers who are the impeachment managers prosecuting the former president.After the defense’s presentation Friday, the senators held a question-and-answer session, taking turns submitting written questions to both the lawyers for Trump and the Democratic lawmakers prosecuting the former president.One of the first questions came from Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who have both been critical of Trump’s actions, asking exactly when Trump learned of the breach of the Capitol and what specific actions he took.Van der Veen did not directly answer the question but blamed Democrats for not investigating the matter.Lead impeachment manager Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland said later in the session that the details being sought are “in sole possession of the president” and noted that Trump was invited to participate in the trial but declined.Friday’s question-and-answer session and defense presentation followed a powerful two-day presentation by House Democrats linking Trump’s rhetoric at a rally on Jan. 6 to the actions of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol shortly afterward in an attempt to block certification of the 2020 presidential election results.Impeachment prosecutors contended Thursday there is “clear and overwhelming” evidence that Trump incited insurrection by sending a mob of his supporters to the Capitol last month to confront lawmakers as they were certifying that he had lost the November election to Democrat Joe Biden.In wrapping up his presentation, Raskin told the 100 members of the Senate acting as jurors they should use “common sense on what happened here.”Raskin argued that Trump urged hundreds of his supporters to march to the Capitol on Jan. 6 and then, when they stormed the building, smashed windows, ransacked offices and scuffled with police, “did nothing for at least two hours” to end the mayhem that left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer.However, there has been no immediate indication that Republican supporters of Trump in the Senate are turning en masse against him. Trump remains on track to be acquitted.
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Mekong River at ‘Worrying’ Low Level Amid Calls for More Chinese Dam Data
Water levels in the Mekong River have fallen to a “worrying level” in part due to outflow restrictions from Chinese hydropower dams upstream, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) said Friday, calling on Beijing to share all its water data.The vital waterway has turned blue along the Thai-Laos border, from its usual murky brown color — signaling shallow water and low levels of nutrition-rich sediment — partially from outflow restrictions from the Jinghong dam in China’s Yunnan province, the inter-governmental MRC said.Friday’s statement said low rainfall and dams on the Lower Mekong and tributaries also contributed to the drop in levels.“There have been sudden rises and falls in water levels immediately downstream of Jinghong and further down to Vientiane,” said Winai Wongpimool, director of the MRC Secretariat’s Technical Support Division.Such fluctuations affect fish migration, agriculture and transportation that nearly 70 million people rely on for their livelihoods and food security.“To help the Lower Mekong countries manage risks more effectively, we call on China and the Lower Mekong countries themselves to share their water release plans with us,” Winai said.The MRC said normal conditions may be restored if large volumes of water are released from Chinese dams’ reservoirs.China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs disputed the MRC’s findings, adding that there are many causes of downstream drought.China last year pledged to share data from it dams with MRC member countries Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.In January, Beijing notified neighbors that its dams were filling reservoirs until Jan. 25.Outflow levels at Jinghong Dam were 785 cubic meters per second in early-January before rising to 1,400 cubic meters per second in mid-January, the MRC said.However, levels dropped again in February and were 800 cubic meters per second as of Thursday, the MRC said. The statement did not mention any recent notification from Beijing.China said the dam’s outflow has been consistently more than 1,000 cubic meters per second since the end of January, a level it says is nearly twice the natural flow of the river. It called on the MRC “to avoid causing public misunderstanding.”
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Anger Over Arrests in Myanmar at Anti-coup Protests
Opponents of Myanmar’s military coup sustained mass protests for an eighth straight day on Saturday as continuing arrests of junta critics added to anger over the detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.Thousands assembled in the business hub, Yangon, while protesters took to the streets of the capital Naypyitaw, the second city Mandalay and other towns a day after the biggest protests so far in the Southeast Asian country.”Stop kidnapping at night,” was among the signs held up by protesters in Yangon in response to arrest raids in recent days.The United Nations human rights office said on Friday more than 350 people, including officials, activists and monks, have been arrested in Myanmar since the Feb. 1 coup, including some who face criminal charges on “dubious grounds.”Anger in Myanmar has been fueled by videos showing more arrests of government critics — including a doctor who was part of the civil disobedience movement. Some arrests have taken place during the hours of darkness.Internet memes captioned “Our nights aren’t safe anymore” and “Myanmar military is kidnapping people at night” have circulated widely on social media.The government did not respond to requests for comment on the arrests.The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a watchdog group for political prisoners, voiced concern.”Family members are left with no knowledge of the charges, location, or condition of their loved ones. These are not isolated incidents, and nighttime raids are targeting dissenting voices. It is happening across the country,” it said in a statement.The army said it had seized power because of alleged fraud in a November election that Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party had won in a landslide. The army’s complaints were dismissed by Myanmar’s electoral commission.Transition haltedThe coup halted a tentative transition to democracy that began in 2011 after nearly half a century of isolation and stagnation under military juntas.Suu Kyi, for decades the standard bearer of the fight for democracy in Myanmar, faces charges of illegally importing and using six walkie-talkie radios found in a search of her house.The 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on Friday calling on Myanmar to release Suu Kyi and other officials from detention and refrain from using violence on protesters.Thomas Andrews, the U.N. rights investigator for Myanmar, told a special session of the rights council in Geneva that the U.N. Security Council should consider imposing sanctions and arms embargoes.The U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Geneva told the council the United States stands “with the people of Myanmar in calling for the immediate restoration of the country’s democratic institutions.”Myint Thu, Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, told the session that Myanmar did not want “to stall the nascent democratic transition in the country,” and would continue international cooperation.The United States this week began imposing sanctions on the ruling generals and some businesses linked to them.Airline staff, health workers, engineers and schoolteachers were among groups that joined the protest marches on Saturday, and which have rallied to a civil disobedience campaign that has shut down a swath of government business.”We are preschool teachers, Every child our future, We don’t want dictatorship,” read one banner.The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said thousands of people had joined pro-military demonstrations in parts of Myanmar on Friday. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the report.The junta remitted the sentences of more than 23,000 prisoners on Friday, in observance of Union Day, saying the move was consistent with “establishing a new democratic state with peace, development and discipline” and would “please the public.” On Feb. 12, 1947 the country, then known as Burma, became a unified nation.
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Senator Graham’s Call with State Official Part of Election Probe, Report Says
A prosecutor from the southern U.S. state of Georgia plans to examine a phone call between U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Georgia’s secretary of state as part of a criminal investigation into whether former President Donald Trump or his allies broke state law in trying to influence the results of the election, The Washington Post reported Friday.Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will look into the call Graham made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger 10 days after the Nov. 3 election, the Post reported, citing an unnamed person familiar with the probe.Graham, a Republican and a close Trump ally, asked Raffensperger whether he had the power to toss out all mail ballots in certain counties, Raffensperger has told the Post.Raffensperger said Graham appeared to be asking him to improperly find a way to set aside legally cast ballots, according to the newspaper.A spokesperson for Graham, Kevin Bishop, called the accusation “ridiculous.” He said Graham was asking Raffensperger how the signature verification process worked and said the senator never asked him to disqualify a ballot by anyone.Bishop said Graham has not been notified of any probe of the call.The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office and Raffensperger’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters.Willis is investigating Trump after a Jan. 2 phone call he made pressuring Raffensperger to overturn the state’s election results based on unfounded voter fraud claims.In the call with Raffensperger, which was recorded, Trump says: “All I want to do is this: I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,” referring to the narrow margin of President Joe Biden’s victory in the state, one of a handful of swing states that cost Trump the White House.
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China Investment Deal Seen as Test of EU Cohesion
An investment deal agreed to in principle between the European Union and China at the end of last year is facing criticism both in and outside the EU. Analysts point to the expected approval of the deal as evidence of Beijing’s uncanny ability to assess the power game within the EU.“If you look at China’s policy, as far as we can tell, over the last decade, toward Europe, they’re very much about dividing Europe into different sections — Central and Eastern Europe [as one bloc], Germany and France and Britain when Britain was still part of the EU [as another bloc], very much focused on appealing to these countries’ national economic self-interest. You know, it’s worked,” said Didi Kirsten Tatlow in a phone interview. Tatlow is a senior fellow in the Asia Program at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin.Tatlow cited China’s handling of its relationship with Germany as a case in point.FILE PHOTO: China’s President Xi Jinping meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, May 24, 2018.“They’ve been focusing on Germany for a long time,” she said. “I don’t think China has bottomless pockets, I think it’s very, very good at playing its cards.”Beijing, she said, not only “opened its doors to car and all kind of other German manufacturers,” it has also given Berlin unusual political access. “Let’s remember Germany is the country in Europe that has had these so-called ‘cabinet meetings’ with China for years now,” adding that participation in the meetings as seen as a “high-level honor” by some.In addition to successfully cultivating ties with major powers such as Germany and France, Tatlow said, Beijing has used all the tools at its disposal, including market access, to lure other countries into its orbit. As an example, she cited China’s decision to ink a deal with Slovakia on meat exports shortly before a Beijing-hosted summit with 17 Central and Eastern European countries this week.Even so, uneasiness about getting too close to Beijing has been fermenting among EU member states, Tatlow and others say. Whether that will lead one of the 27 member states to veto the investment agreement with Beijing is still uncertain.”In theory, it only takes one country to veto the deal,” said Jakub Janda, director of the European Values Center for Security Policy, based in Prague.But, he said in a phone interview, the small and medium-sized EU countries may be reluctant to use that power because they need support from Germany and France on other core interests, such as EU agricultural subsidies for Poland, or German backing of the Baltic states in their relationship with Russia.Janda regrets that the EU, under Germany’s leadership, failed to use the negotiations on the investment deal to advance its democratic values and support for human rights, especially since Beijing’s strong desire for a deal gave the EU leverage.The EU insists there are other mechanisms in place to discuss human rights, but Janda believes Beijing will take political concerns seriously only if they are linked to trade — an area that matters to it.“If you only raise the human rights issue through the EU-China human rights dialogue channel, and you tell China what you’re doing in [Xinjiang] is genocide of the Uighur people, the response you’ll get is, ‘No, we’re not.’ And that’s that.”Speaking to an international audience gathered at the Atlantic Council, a think tank in Washington, Charles Michel, president of the EU Council, defended the investment deal.FILE – European Council President Charles Michel is seen on a screen as he speaks with EU leaders during an EU Summit video conference, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at the European Council building in Brussels, Nov. 19, 2020.“The relationship with China is an important question in Europe,” he said, suggesting that through dialogue, the EU could help pressure the Chinese government on human rights. He also credited the investment deal with bringing down certain barriers for EU companies doing business in China, including requirements on joint ventures.Still, the EU leadership’s support for the investment deal has come under fire in civil society. The proposed pact “further entrenches Europe’s existing strategic dependency on China and runs counter to Europe’s core values,” says a widely circulated open letter signed by academics, human rights activists and former politicians.Citing the Chinese leadership’s “insistence on the centrality of the Chinese Communist Party in all parts of China’s economic and social life,” the signatories wrote that “the agreement and the hopes attached to it are products of a bygone era” when there were more legitimate hopes for Chinese liberalization from within.
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Poet Amanda Gorman Inspires Young People to Write and Express Themselves
As 17-year-old Darius Jackson watched TV, listening in rapt attention to 22-year-old Amanda Gorman recite her poem The Hill We Climb at the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden last month, he was struck by the “powerful words” of the young Black woman.It was a “defining moment in history,” said Jackson, who is a high school senior at Central Visual and Performing Arts School in St. Louis, Missouri.With her reading on Jan. 21, televised nationally and across the globe, Gorman has singlehandedly lit a firestorm of interest in an art form that spans millennia, now drawing a new generation of enthusiasts.Jackson told VOA he saw some similarities in her poem to Martin Luther King Jr.’s stirring I Have a Dream speech in 1963 that called for an end to racism.One of two books by Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman that are set to be released in September. “There’s been tension and racial divide in America,” Jackson explained, “and in this poem I feel she was trying to put a Band-Aid on the wound we’ve been going through” to try to bring the country together.His English teacher, Maggie Schuh, said the inspirational poems Gorman recited at the inauguration and more recently at the Super Bowl of American football resonate with her students.Gorman, who became the first National Youth Poet Laureate in 2017, is inspiring children to reach out to poetry, which is “alive and well,” she said, and includes more than just reading “stuffy old dead white guys’ poems.”Today’s poetry, which includes slam, spoken word and hip-hop lyrics, gives them more freedom to express themselves, she said.According to Tyra Jenkins, an English teacher at Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, Gorman’s poetry, which focuses on issues such as civil rights, feminism, unity and social justice, is making her students think about “expressing their political voices.”Jenkins also said Gorman’s smooth delivery gives them more confidence that they, too, can be good public speakers.But there was a time when Gorman wasn’t so confident.FILE – A teenage Amanda Gorman at a WriteGirl poetry workshop in 2015. (Courtesy WriteGirl)The poet grew up in Los Angeles and turned to writing when she was young to cope with a speech impediment. When she was 14, she joined WriteGirl, an afterschool program that mentors teenage girls in underserved communities to give them a voice through creative writing.Karen Taylor, founder and executive director of WriteGirl, recalls that when Gorman first came “she was shy and terrified of the microphone.” But always eager to learn, once she got over her fear of the microphone, she was “unstoppable.”“Gorman comes from a vibrant slam poetry tradition. She has a lot of energy and there’s a freshness to her delivery” that I think resonates with young people today, explained Kiki Petrosino, a poetry professor at the University of Virginia.“And now she’s considered a shining star,” said Taylor of Gorman, who recently graduated from Harvard University with a degree in sociology.Gorman has also “captivated the imagination of young people because she is the voice of democracy, freedom, and a future of what’s possible,” said Laura Brief, chief executive officer of 826 National, a youth writing network for elementary and high school students in some under-resourced communities across the country. Gorman is on the group’s board and is mentoring some of the students in its workshops, she said.Beyance James, a senior at Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, calls Gorman “an inspiration who uses her words to touch everyone, especially in such difficult times.”James said the last lines of The Hill We Climb are special to her because they are a reminder for her and other young people to make a difference, even when times are tough:“For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
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