Biden, Pentagon Set Sights on New China Strategy 

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is signaling it is prepared to confront — and when necessary, militarily counter — a rising China, as Beijing continues to challenge Washington for primacy on the global stage.Biden used his first visit to the Pentagon as commander in chief Wednesday to announce the formation of a new Defense Department China Task Force, charged with reexamining the U.S. approach in areas from strategy and force posture to technology and intelligence.“The task force will work quickly, drawing on civilian and military experts across the department to provide within the next few months recommendations to [Defense] Secretary [Lloyd] Austin on key priorities and decision points so that we can chart a strong path forward on China-related matters,” Biden told reporters.’Whole-of-government’ approach“It will require a whole-of-government effort, bipartisan cooperation in Congress, and strong alliances and partnerships,” the president added. “That’s how we’ll meet the China challenge and assure the American people win the competition of the future.”Biden’s critics have repeatedly seized on China as an area of weakness for the recently elected president, loudly harping on what they describe as his inability to stand up to Beijing during the recent U.S. presidential campaign.“China would own our country if Joe Biden got elected,” former President Donald Trump told his supporters last August.At another election rally in North Carolina in September, Trump warned, “Joe Biden is weak and will always cave to China.””It’s very simple to remember: If Biden wins, China wins,” says FILE – Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is saluted by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley as he arrives at the Pentagon, Jan. 22, 2021, in Washington.“China is ascending,” he told lawmakers, calling Beijing “the most concerning competitor that we’re facing.””They are working across the spectrum to compete with us,” he added. “We have to make sure that we begin to check their aggression.”The Pentagon on Wednesday said the new China Task Force would work at a “sprint,” aiming to produce a series of recommendations to guide Washington’s policies toward Beijing within months.Value of ‘Chinese model’Biden administration officials have previously warned that the need to confront China extends beyond the military and economic spheres, emphasizing that Washington must work equally hard to compete with China’s sales pitch to the rest of the world.“China is essentially making the case that the Chinese model is better than the American model,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said during a virtual forum last month.“They’re pointing to dysfunction and division in the United States and saying, ‘Take a look at that. Their system doesn’t work. Ours does,’ ” he said.U.S. officials have also consistently raised concerns about China’s industrial espionage, its theft of biomedical information and the potential manipulation of technology, like 5G cellular networks.There have also been ongoing tensions over Beijing’s initial handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which Chinese officials have repeatedly tried to blame on others. US Pushes Back Against Coronavirus DisinformationTop US adversaries appear to be coming together, using social media and other cyber means to amplify disinformation regarding the coronavirus, administration officials sayAsked Wednesday after his remarks at the Pentagon if China’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis and its alleged refusal to share critical information was deserving of punishment, Biden was noncommittal.”I’m interested in getting all the facts,” he said.   

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Head of UN Mission in Mali Condemns Attack on Peacekeepers’ Base 

The head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali on Wednesday condemned attacks on his force that left at least 20 members injured.A U.N. statement said an unknown group opened fire on a temporary base near Kerena village in central Mali. Mahamat Saleh Annadif, head of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), called it a “cowardly attack on peacekeepers.”Many of the peacekeepers injured were from a Togolese contingent, Agence France-Presse reported.The statement said that despite the injuries, the soldiers were able to repel the attackers. Since its establishment in 2013, MINUSMA’s 13,000-strong army has had about 230 members killed while on duty.The unit’s objective is to “help reduce violence against populations, restore calm in areas where community tensions are reported and reduce the threat of improvised explosive devices,” Annadif said.Thousands of civilians in Mali have either died or fled their homes because of the jihadist insurgency. It began in the north but has shifted to central Mali, where there has been a spike in attacks on soldiers and ethnic killings have become common.Last month, four U.N. peacekeepers were killed when a convoy struck a roadside bomb before coming under fire in the same region. Five other personnel were wounded in that attack.Annadif said MINUSMA, described as one of the U.N.’s most dangerous peacekeeping missions, has been “conducting numerous security operations in this part of Mali for several months now.” He said “these operations disturb the enemies of peace,” and those serving “remain committed to stand by the Malians, for the Malians.” 

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Europe Battles Multiple Crises Amid Vaccine Shortage, Russia Dispute

The European Union Commission’s president defended the bloc’s coronavirus vaccination strategy Wednesday amid growing criticism of delays in procurement and delivery. As Henry Ridgwell reports from London, the bloc is facing crises on multiple fronts.
Camera: Henry Ridgwell   
 

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Russia Fines RFE/RL for ‘Foreign Agent’ Law Violation

The Russian government has levied a fine against the U.S. government-sponsored media outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty for violating the country’s “foreign agent” law. The $150,000 fine was assessed by Roskomnadzor, Russia’s media regulatory body.  Russia first designated RFE/RL, a sister organization of the Voice of America (VOA), a foreign agent in 2017, a step some say made its work in Russia more difficult. According to the Reuters news agency, Russia has fined the outlet several times in recent weeks. The foreign agent law gives a wide berth for the Russian government to erect bureaucratic hurdles to any nongovernmental group that receives foreign funding, Reuters reported. RFE/RL says it plans to appeal the latest fine. “We have court hearings about three times a week, and we get fined at each one,” Andrei Shary, head of RFE/RL’s Russian Service, said in an interview with the RIA news agency. “The company considers this to be unfair. Every court decision will be appealed.”
“The Kremlin’s latest move is clearly intended to limit USAGM’s ability to operate and report independently and objectively within Russia. It is unacceptable,” USAGM acting CEO Kelu Chao told VOA.  FILE – Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, attends a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 23, 2019.Congressman Michael McCaul expressed support for RFE/RL. “We’re seeing the Putin regime cracking down on free speech and on the ability of Radio Free Europe and Voice of America to operate out there in Moscow,” he told VOA’s Russian Service. “I think you’re going to see a very strong movement by the United States Congress, but I would urge that the [U.S.] president talk directly to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin about this with condemnation about the ability to have free speech in his own country and to get the truth out. And that’s what Voice of America and Radio Free Europe do,” he added.VOA Russian Service’s Danila Galperovich contributed to this report.
 

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Impeachment Prosecutor: Trump Was ‘Inciter in Chief’

Prosecutors at former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial began to lay out their case against him on Wednesday, saying he was “no innocent bystander” to the violence that erupted at the U.S. Capitol last month as lawmakers certified Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the November election.Congressman Jamie Raskin, the lead impeachment manager, and other Democratic lawmakers said Trump laid the groundwork for the storming of the Capitol over a period of weeks leading up to the election with dozens of unfounded claims that the only way he could lose was if the election was rigged against him.Raskin contended that Trump, by urging hundreds of his supporters to “fight like hell” in confronting lawmakers at the Capitol on January 6, ignited the mayhem that left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer.“He incited this attack,” Raskin told the 100-member Senate that will decide whether Trump should be convicted of a single article of impeachment brought by the House of Representatives. It accuses him of “incitement of insurrection.”WATCH TRIAL LIVE“He clearly surrendered his role as commander in chief and became the inciter in chief,” Raskin argued. He contended that Trump, now out of office after his four-year term ended and Biden was inaugurated January 20, “was singularly responsible” in exhorting his supporters to try to upend Biden’s victory.Hundreds of his supporters – perhaps about 800, according to law enforcement authorities – rampaged through the Capitol, breaking windows, bashing doors, ransacking some congressional offices and scuffling with police. Dozens of the rioters, many of whom bragged on social media about storming into the two chambers of Congress, have been charged with criminal offenses as the investigation of the chaos continues.The House impeachment managers showed dozens of Twitter comments and video clips in which Trump claimed election fraud and urged his supporters to show up in Washington January 6 as Congress met to certify the 306-232 Electoral College vote favoring Biden.“Will be wild!” Trump tweeted.After nearly four hours of mayhem, lawmakers certified the Biden victory in the middle of the night early on January 7, making Trump the fifth U.S. president in the country’s history to be defeated after a single term in office.FILE – Supporters of then-President Donald Trump riot in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021, before storming the building.Now, Raskin said, in 2021 the usually routine certification of U.S. presidential election results will be remembered as “a day that will live in disgrace.”Congressman Joe Neguse, another House impeachment manager, said that in rallying supporters before the storming of the Capitol complex, Trump “wanted to stop the transfer of power even though he had lost the election.”“This attack was provoked by the president,” Neguse said. “It was predictable and foreseeable. He had the power to stop it and he didn’t.”Delegate Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands, another House impeachment manager, said the rioters “were doing the duty of their president. He knew of the violence they were capable of.”  Congresswoman Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania contended that Trump was “desperate to retain power by any means possible.” She said Trump told the protesters “exactly what he wanted them to do.”  Dean quoted from Trump’s speech to his supporters at a rally near the White House where he told them, “We will never give up. We will never concede.”  The House impeachment managers have up to 16 hours over Wednesday and Thursday to make their case before Trump’s lawyers get an equal amount of time.Trump’s lawyers say that he bears no responsibility for the attack on the Capitol, a worldwide symbol of American democracy.Instead, they say that Trump’s rhetoric amounted to normal political discourse and was protected by the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech.FILE – With the White House in the background, former President Donald Trump, seen on a giant screen, speaks to his supporters during a rally in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021, ahead of many in the crowd storming the U.S. Capitol.The Senate voted 56-44 on Tuesday to move ahead with the trial, rejecting Trump’s claim that it was unconstitutional to try him on impeachment charges since he has already left office. Raskin said Tuesday that not holding the trial would create a “dangerous” new “January exception” during which future U.S. presidents could act with impunity in their final weeks in office.“It’s an invitation to the president to take his best shot at anything he may want to do on his way out the door,” Raskin said.The Democrats showed the Senate a dramatic video montage establishing a timeline of the chaotic events on January 6.   Trump lawyer Bruce Castor Jr. rejected the notion of a “January exception” in which future presidents would be immune as “nonsense.”  He said that if Trump committed any offenses, “arrest him,” now that he is a private citizen and no longer immune from prosecution.Castor quoted the Constitution saying that conviction on impeachment charges “shall not extend further than removal from office,” an impossibility since Trump’s term has already ended.   The 56-44 vote to proceed with the trial, in which six Republicans joined all 50 Democrats, showed that Trump remains likely to be acquitted. A two-thirds majority is needed to convict Trump, meaning 17 Republicans would have to vote with the Democrats.Whatever the outcome, Trump is the only U.S. president to be impeached twice.Trump declined Democrats’ offer to testify in his defense and is not expected to attend the trial. The high-profile proceeding, broadcast across the country, could last a week or longer. 

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US Coast Guard Rescues 3 Cubans From Deserted Island

U.S. Coast Guard officials said Wednesday a coast guard helicopter crew rescued two men and a woman from a deserted island where they had apparently been stranded for more than a month.In a statement, the Coast Guard said the three people — later identified as Cuban nationals — were initially spotted Monday by a Coast Guard helicopter as it flew over an uninhabited Bahamian island between the U.S. city of Key West, Florida, and Cuba, while on a routine patrol.The helicopter crew said the stranded trio was seen waving. The crew dropped food, water, and a radio to establish communication.The statement says the Coast Guard dispatched a second helicopter Tuesday to retrieve them. They told officials their boat had capsized in rough waters and they were able to swim to the island. Local media reported they said they had survived on coconuts, conchs and rats.On Twitter, Coast Guard officials said a U.S. Border Patrol agent took custody of the three Cuban nationals Wednesday and turned them over to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Local news reports say they were taken to the U.S. for a medical checkup.
 

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US Imposes Sanctions on Myanmar Military Leaders for Coup

The United States is imposing consequences on the leaders of the coup in Myanmar, President Joe Biden said Wednesday, reiterating that the military must relinquish power it seized “and demonstrate respect for the role of the people” as “expressed in their November 8 election.”The U.S. government, Biden said, “is taking steps to prevent the generals from improperly having access to the $1 billion in Burmese government funds.” He has also approved an executive order “enabling us to immediately sanction the military leaders that directed the coup, their business interest, as well as close family members.”A first round of targets will be identified this week, the president explained in remarks about the situation in Myanmar, also known as Burma.“We’re also going to impose strong export controls for freezing U.S. assets that benefit the Burmese government, while maintaining our support for health care, civil society groups and other areas that benefit the people of Burma directly,” Biden said.Gregory Poling, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said of the announcement, “We haven’t seen the actual list of targets, but I think it’s the right approach.”Anti-Coup Protests in Myanmar Continue Despite Increasing Crackdown One female protester gravely injured by a gunshot; security forces raid headquarters of ousted leader Aung San Suu KyiThe Myanmar government’s February 1 overthrow of the country’s democratically elected government has prompted widespread street demonstrations there against the takeover for five consecutive days.“As protests grow, violence against those asserting their democratic rights is unacceptable, and we’re going to keep calling it out,” the U.S. president said in several minutes of remarks in the White House auditorium. “The people of Burma are making their voices heard.”Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez welcomed the actions Biden announced.“As I’ve said before, there must be real consequences if Aung San Suu Kyi and the rest of Burma’s elected leaders are not immediately freed and allowed to resume their rightful place at the head of a civilian government,” Menendez said in a statement.The United States is ready to impose additional measures if the situation worsens, Biden indicated.After Biden finished speaking, State Department spokesman Ned Price amplified the president’s warning of further potential action.“Importantly, as protests grow, Burma’s military leaders need to know that violence against those who peacefully assert their democratic rights will not be tolerated,” Price told reporters. “The United States will take note of those who stand with the people of Burma, at this moment of crisis.”Calls to corporationsThe United Nations and other organizations have expressed concern about the use of force against protesters. Major global rights groups have renewed calls for international corporations to break ties with military-linked enterprises and have urged governments to impose targeted sanctions on the generals and their business interests.“Additional possible sanctions on the military family members could actually bite more than the generals themselves, because it’s not as if the generals have a lot of international assets, but they do have a lot of kids who have been given crony contracts over the years who run businesses,” Poling told VOA.The CSIS analyst brushed off concern that tighter sanctions from the West could drive Myanmar’s military leaders closer to China, which is already the largest investor in the country’s economy.U.S. sanctions “are not going to make them get over their distrust of China and suddenly flock to Beijing,” Poling said. “The military has no love for Beijing, and the generals are going to do what they think is right for themselves and their perceived mission for Burma.”Military leaders have placed democratic leader Suu Kyi and other officials of the civilian government and the National League for Democracy party (NLD), as well as activists, under arrest. Curfews have been enacted and gatherings restricted.The coup reversed a nearly decadelong move toward democracy after five decades of military rule.  The military claims the November election won by Suu Kyi’s NLD was fraudulent.Nike Ching at the State Department  contributed to this report. 

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Analysts: Ambitious Biden Team Ready for Setbacks in Gulf

For Saudi Arabia, last week’s announcement that the United States will cease support for the Saudi-led military offensive in Yemen against Iranian-tied Houthi rebels didn’t come as a surprise. Saudi leaders were prepared for it.  During the campaign for the White House, President Joe Biden’s team had criticized the Trump administration for handing Saudi Arabia “a blank check” in Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country, where more than 100,000 people are estimated to have been killed in six years of conflict.  Riyadh was careful in its response to the Biden administration’s announcement, welcoming instead Washington’s emphasis on working with allies generally in the region. And the Saudis also didn’t protest when the Biden administration revoked the designation of the Houthis as terrorists, a move urged by relief organizations to help with aid distribution to civilians. FILE – President Joe Biden delivers remarks to State Department staff, in Washington, Feb. 4, 2021.Democrats faulted Trump for siding with authoritarian leaders abroad in the name of stability. Last week, Biden emphasized in a speech at the State Department that U.S. policy will refocus once again on human rights, diplomacy and democracy. Saudi Arabia isn’t the only Gulf country trying to adjust to the Biden administration and to understand where Washington will now head in its strategy in the Gulf. Gulf leaders want to avoid an early clash with the new administration, say analysts, but are anxious. In Yemen, there was a response — and not the kind Biden aides had hoped for. The Houthis renewed an offensive to seize the oil-rich city of Marib, and they launched more cross-border drone attacks against Saudi Arabia. This image provided by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Media reportedly shows the damaged hull of an Airbus aircraft at Abha International Airport. A civilian plane was engulfed in flames February 10 after Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a drone strike.Other critics see the curtailment of support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen as part of the Biden’s administration’s plan to revive the multinational 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which was abandoned by Trump. But Biden aides say they have sought to reassure Saudi Arabia, other Arab Gulf states and Israel that they still see Iran as a malign force in the region, and that the shift toward a more diplomatic approach to Iran — including in Yemen — shouldn’t heighten their concerns over security.   They want to adopt a more holistic strategy in the Gulf, if possible, one that offers incentives, both to Iran and Saudi Arabia. Trying to end the war in Yemen is the first step. Writing last year before his appointment as Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan noted in an article he co-authored in Foreign Affairs magazine that the U.S. should aim to try to reduce rivalry between arch rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, the source for proxy wars in the region including in Yemen, and to persuade them to share the neighborhood.   The U.S. should also push, Sullivan wrote, “for the establishment of a structured regional dialogue — with support from other members of the United Nations Security Council — that explores ways to reduce tensions, create pathways to de-escalation, and manage mistrust.”   That was the policy aim of Barack Obama’s administration in the Gulf, too. Biden’s foreign policy advisers say the effort to try again is worth it, although they say they are ready for plenty of setbacks.
 

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China Probe Becomes Second in Two Days to Reach Mars

Chinese state media reported Wednesday a spacecraft known as Tianwen-1 has successfully entered orbit around Mars, the first step in an ambitious mission that includes landing a rover on the surface of the planet. In a statement, China’s National Space Administration said the spacecraft conducted a 15-minute burn of its thrusters, slowing it down enough to be pulled into Mars’ gravity, making it the country’s first artificial satellite orbiting the planet. The space agency says that in May or June, the Tianwen-1 will attempt to land a capsule carrying a 240-kilogram rover onto the surface of Mars, in a massive plain in the northern hemisphere known as Utopia Planitia. If all goes as planned, the rover will conduct a 90-day mission studying soil, looking for indications of water, and searching for signs of ancient life. The Chinese probe arrived after one from the United Arab Emirates swung into orbit around the red planet to study its atmosphere and weather, and just more than a week before a spacecraft from the U.S. space agency, NASA, carrying its own rover — and a small helicopter — is scheduled to arrive.   The missions were planned for this time to take advantage of a unique alignment of Earth and Mars. The two newest probes join six other active orbiting spacecraft above Mars launched by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and India. 
 

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Lithuania Refuses Russia’s Demand to Arrest Navalny Ally

Lithuania has rejected orders issued Wednesday from a Moscow court calling for the arrest of Leonid Volkov, an exiled ally of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. The court orders, sent via Interpol, charge Volkov with encouraging minors to participate in unauthorized rallies, which potentially carries jail term of up to three years in Russia.“Using international tools for politically motivated prosecution is a wrong practice,” said Lithuanian interior minister Agne Bilotaite, referring to Interpol, the government-funded international police network that coordinates cross-border police operations across 194 member states.Putin, Kremlin Critic Navalny Set Battle Plans for Next Phase in Struggle for MasteryRussian opposition leaders expect Kremlin crackdown to intensify but are preparing for a long-haul stand-off with Putin The Volkov warrant “raises serious doubts about Russia‘s membership in these organizations,” Bilotaite added.The Russian court, which said Volkov will be held in Russia for two months if and when he is extradited, said the warrant was issued under the Commonwealth of Independent States, an organization of former Soviet republics to which Lithuania does not belong.The arrest warrant comes after the rise of demonstrations demanding the release of Russian opposition leader Navalny, who has been jailed since January 17.In a separate development on Wednesday, Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, who was recently detained for taking part in unsanctioned rallies in support of her jailed husband, left Russia for Germany according to a source quoted by Interfax.Volkov, a strategist who manages Navalny’s regional headquarters, fled Russia in 2019 when authorities opened a criminal probe of suspected money laundering by Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation. Navalny’s group has repeatedly called that criminal probe, among the latest of many, politically motivated.From his base in Lithuania, Volkov has been organizing protests demanding the release of Navalny, with the most recent one being planned for this Sunday.

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Preliminary Report Issued on Deadly Crash of Indonesian Jetliner

A preliminary report into last month’s deadly crash of an Indonesian jetliner reveals a malfunctioning cockpit throttle caused one of the engines to lose power before the plane plunged into the Java Sea.   
Sriwijaya Air Flight SJ182 disappeared from radar just four minutes after taking off from Jakarta on January 9 en route to Pontianak, the capital of the West Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo, carrying 62 passengers and crew, including 10 children.
According to the report issued Wednesday by Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee in Jakarta, the left engine throttle on the Boeing 737-500 jetliner moved backward while the right lever remained in its original position while the plane was in autopilot, causing it to go into a sharp roll.   
 
When the plane reached an altitude of 3.3 kilometers (10,900 feet), it began a nosedive when the autopilot disengaged.  
 
Lead investigator Nurcayho Utomo told reporters pilots on previous flights had reported problems with the automatic throttle system on the 26-year-old jet before the January crash.   
 
The information compiled in the report was taken from the plane’s flight data recorder.  Divers are still searching for the cockpit voice recorder, which could give investigators  insight on the pilots’ actions in the moments before the crash.  

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Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers Celebrating with Boat Parade

The Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers are celebrating their victory Wednesday with a boat parade amid continued concern over the coronavirus pandemic.
The parade will be held on the Hillsborough River near downtown Tampa. Mayor Jane Castor is again emphasizing that people attending the parade must wear masks outdoors and observe social distancing rules.
After Tampa Bay’s 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s title game, throngs of people gathered in the city’s entertainment districts. Many were seen maskless despite the ordinances requiring them.
Brian Ford, chief operating officer of the Buccaneers, said in video announcement that fans should heed the rules as they celebrate the team’s victory.
“It’s essential we do it the right way,” Ford said. “We want to do our part to ensure it’s done in a safe and responsible manner.”
The boat parade is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

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Ugandan Government Restores Social Media Sites, Except Facebook

Ugandan authorities restored access to the internet Wednesday, a month after blocking it ahead of the January 14 elections. The government said the disruption was needed for security, while critics say it was intended to cut off communication among opponents of President Yoweri Museveni. “Internet and social media services have been fully restored,” Ugandan Minister for Information and Communications Technology Peter Ogwang tweeted Wednesday, adding, “We apologize for the inconveniences caused, but it was for the security of our country.” A tweet by Peter Ogwang, Ugandan Minister for Information and Communications Technology, announces the restoration to access to social media websites. (Screenshot from Twitter)Government spokesman Ofwono Opondo said the shutdown was a method of war against elements that were a threat to the credibility of the elections. Since those threats have been greatly neutralized, he said, the government has restored access to social media websites, with the exception of Facebook. “We have released elements of social media — Twitter, Instagram, Whatsapp — because we think to a less extent, those are not as lethal as Facebook,” Opondo said. “So, we shall examine going forward, their posture on these other social media platforms that have been released. And that will inform how soon Facebook is restored.” Before the January 14 elections, Museveni ordered the blocking of Facebook following reports that the company had shut down 220 accounts linked to the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology. Facebook said the accounts were fakes or duplicates being used to make posts by Museveni and his son, Lieutenant General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, appear more popular than they were.  Some posts from the accounts also targeted the opposition National Unity Platform Party and its presidential candidate, Bobi Wine.  National Unity Platform Party spokesperson Joel Senyonyi says Facebook was right to shut down the accounts. “Government continues to have a grip on social media because they want to control free speech,” he said. “Because they know that Ugandans pretty much have social media as the avenue for their free expression. And that’s why Facebook did carry out its investigations, because there was a lot of propaganda churned out by those government-run social media accounts.” A message from service providers to consumers after the Ugandan government restored access to social media websites. (Screenshot)Michael Niyitegeka, an information technology expert, says the shutdown of Facebook is hurting many Ugandans’ livelihoods because they rely on the social media site for marketing.  “Because they don’t have the resources to go to radio, they don’t have the resources to go on TV. So, their business largely depends on the Facebook market,” he said. Dorothy Mukasa, chief executive officer of Unwanted Witness, a digital rights organization, is calling for lawmakers to establish rules on internet access.  “What we should be doing as Ugandans is to continue to put the government to account,” she said. “You know, why did they shut down the internet? And also, ask institutions like parliament or judiciary to put in place guidelines. Because this is bound to happen over and over. Can we have guidelines in place or even a law that really stipulates, when should the internet be disrupted?”In the meantime, Ugandans continue to use virtual private networks to access Facebook without paying a social media tax introduced by the government in July 2018. 
 

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Kenyan Women Dominate Top Manufacturing Jobs

A survey by the Kenya Association of Manufacturers shows that women are dominating the East African country’s top mechanized jobs, although men still own most businesses and have better paying jobs. Victoria Amunga reports from Nairobi on one businesswoman who started her own natural foods packaging company. Camera: Amos  Wangwa 

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Myanmar Coup Piles Pressure on Military’s Business Empire

The overthrow of Myanmar’s democratically elected government by the military last week is drawing international attention to the armed forces’ vast but murky business empire as pressure builds on foreign companies to break ties with it.The military declared — and took charge of — a one-year state of emergency on Feb. 1, hours after rounding up the top leaders of the ruling National League for Democracy, including the country’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The generals claim, without evidence, that a 2020 general election that gave the NLD a second landslide win was rigged.International rebuke of the coup was swift and by the end of the first week Japanese beverage giant Kirin announced it was pulling out of a joint venture with a military-owned firm behind the country’s most popular brew, Myanmar Beer. On Tuesday, RMH Singapore said it would be giving up its shares in Myanmar’s Virginia Tobacco Company, another joint venture co-owned by the military.G-7 Condemns Myanmar Coup Foreign ministers add to calls for military to release detained political leaders Cutting tiesCalls for foreign companies to pull out of any tie-ups with army-run firms took off in the wake of the military’s widely reported campaign of arson, rape and murder against the country’s ethnic minority Rohingya in late 2017. While some companies took heed, many held on.Last week’s coup will convince more of the holdouts to follow suit to save their reputations, said George McLeod, managing partner at Access Asia, which advises firms doing business in the region on risk and brand protection.“Absolutely it will …quicken a process that was already underway before the coup had started, I would say, after the Rohingya crisis,” McLeod said.“The Rohingya crisis started the process and the coup will cause many mainstream Western companies to eventually cut ties,” he said, referring broadly to companies in both Western countries and their Asian allies.Since the coup, Amnesty International, Global Witness and other rights groups have renewed and stepped up their calls for foreign firms to break ties they have with military-linked enterprises. They are also urging governments to impose targeted sanctions on the generals and their business interests.The White House says targeted sanctions are being considered.Much of the Myanmar military’s business interests are held together by a pair of bulky conglomerates, the Myanmar Economic Corporation and the Myanmar Economic Holdings Public Company Limited.  Their operations run the gamut from mining and manufacturing to banking, real estate, tourism, transport and telecommunications.Reports by the United Nations and Amnesty International in recent years have shed some light on the foreign companies tied up with the conglomerates and their subsidiaries. Japanese and South Korean firms dominate the known joint ventures. Others from China, India, Europe and Southeast Asia also have or recently had contracts, leases and other deals.A Feb. 4 list drawing mostly on public corporate records published by Justice for Myanmar, a local pressure group, shows many of the same arrangements.SanctionsKirin’s pullout was significant given Japan’s large corporate footprint in Myanmar and likely portends similar moves by more companies from both Japan and next-door South Korea, said Christopher Sidoti, an international human rights lawyer from Australia who co-authored the U.N. report.Anti-Coup Protests in Myanmar Continue Wednesday Despite Increasing Use of Force One female protester gravely injured by with gunshot wound to head; security forces raid headquarters of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi He said Singapore’s unusually tough public rebuke of the coup could signal that companies there will face pressure to sever any ties with Myanmar’s military as well.Multinational corporations from other countries typically less sensitive to reputational risk may also start to come under pressure from the other countries they also do business in, Sidoti added, taking India’s Adani Group as an example.“Companies like Adani are not just Indian companies but transnationals, and Adani for example has major interests in Australia. So I think we will see increased pressure on Indian companies coming from other places where they are economically active, not necessarily coming from India itself,” he said.Sanctions put on army-linked companies by the United States and others would add more pressure still, said Peter Kucik, a former sanctions adviser at the U.S. Treasury Department.U.S. sanctions placed strictly on those companies would bar U.S. firms and nationals from dealing with them. But they will also make anyone else still doing business with those companies toxic to U.S. firms and nationals, said Kucik, now with Ferrari & Associates, a U.S. firm specializing in sanctions risk.“U.S. businesses are reticent to have relationships with companies that have relationships with sanctioned entities just because they are concerned where that might lead and they don’t want to have connections that they might have to quickly unwind, and they don’t want the reputational concern,” he said.So while U.S. firms and nationals may have few interests in Myanmar themselves, the ripple effect of U.S. sanctions could convince foreign firms that do to ditch their Myanmar military partners to preserve their interests in and access to the much larger U.S. market.This will hurtFor all the obscurity of the Myanmar military’s finances, and how much its two conglomerates contribute, experts believe an exodus of foreign business partners will bite.“I think it would cause an enormous amount of financial hurt,” said Sidoti. “You just have to look at the way the arms of this octopus spread through the Myanmar economy, what they own, the key roles that they play in a number of sectors.”He said Myanmar Brewing, the military’s joint venture with Kirin, was earning MEHL tens of millions of dollars a year alone.McLeod said Chinese firms may be ready and willing to fill the breach but added that Myanmar’s long-running mistrust of its giant neighbor means the feeling is not wholly mutual.“There’s a real aversion there to the PRC [People’s Republic of China] on a political level and on a business level, so it means something for these Western companies to break ties with these Myanmar military conglomerates,” he said. “It’s not just a moot point where they turn around and happily engage with Chinese companies. It is an issue and it does hurt them.”

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EU Chief Acknowledges Mistakes in Vaccine Rollout

European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen Wednesday acknowledged Europe was late approving and rolling out COVID-19 vaccines, saying they were overconfident vaccines could be delivered on time.
Speaking to the European Parliament, Von der Leyen, however, defended the decision to have the commission – the European Union’s executive branch – oversee vaccine orders and for all 27 EU members to roll out vaccines at the same time, saying had the bloc’s biggest states acted unilaterally, “it would have been the end of our community.”
She also defended not cutting corners on safety when it came to approval of vaccines and waiting for an additional three or four weeks for approval from the EU drug regulator, the European Medicines Agency. But Von der Leyen also said there were lessons to be learned from the process.
Von der Leyen said while they were focused primarily on the quick development of a vaccine, the EU underestimated the difficulties in producing high volumes quickly. She said, “In some ways, science overtook industry.”
She said they now fully understand the difficulties of mass production and have invested billions in improving capacity. She urged member states to plan their rollouts accordingly.
The European Commission chief also expressed regret about an initial plan to restrict exports to British-ruled Northern Ireland, which would have set up a hard border between it and EU member Republic of Ireland, reigniting tensions in that region.
She said, “Mistakes were made in the process leading up to the decision and I deeply regret that. But in the end, we got it right. And I can reassure you that my commission will do its utmost to protect the peace of Northern Ireland.

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South Korea Grants Emergency Use of Controversial AstraZeneca Vaccine  

South Korea has approved the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University for all adults, despite concerns over the lack of data on its effectiveness among the elderly.  The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety granted emergency use for the two-dose vaccine Wednesday, but only on the condition that the British-Swedish drugmaker provide the results of its current late-stage clinical trials on adults 18 years of age and older.  The ministry has also issued a precautionary warning about inoculating South Koreans older than 65 years of age.  Inoculations of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the first to be approved for use in South Korea, will begin on February 26.  Limits on use of AstraZeneca vaccineSeveral European countries, including Germany and France, have limited use of the  AstraZeneca vaccine to people between 18 and 64 years old because of insufficient data on elderly recipients.   Further doubts about the AstraZeneca vaccine arose Sunday when South Africa suspended its vaccination campaign after a new study revealed that the vaccine was less effective against a variant of the virus found in the country.   FILE – Blood is drawn from a clinical trials patient for the AstraZeneca test vaccine at the a hospital facility outside Johannesburg, South Africa, Nov. 30, 2020.The study, conducted by the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and not yet peer reviewed, concluded that the British vaccine offered only “limited protection against moderate forms of the disease caused by the South African variant, in young adults.”   South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced Wednesday that it will begin inoculating its front-line health care workers with U.S.-based pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine as part of a limited study.  The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has not been formally approved for use by any country, but the company says results of a late-stage clinical trial shows it is 85% effective in preventing serious illness, even against the South African variant. Therapeutic drug approved  
Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use for a new COVID-19 therapeutic drug developed by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly.  The drug, which combines the monoclonal antibody drug etesevimab with the already-approved bamlanivimab, will be used for coronavirus patients who are at high risk of being hospitalized with a severe form of the disease.   Monoclonal antibodies are lab-engineered versions of highly targeted human antibodies chosen for their specific ability to neutralize viruses.   

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Australia, New Zealand Urge Calm as Peak Pacific Body Splinters  

New Zealand is urging disaffected Micronesian members of the Pacific Islands Forum not to quit the organization.  A bitter leadership dispute has split the region’s main political and economic body.   
      
Speaking in the New Zealand capital, Wellington, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the decision by Micronesian nations to leave the regional forum was regrettable.  Australia, too, has urged the parties to settle differences.     Founded in 1971, it has 18 members, including Papua New Guinea, French Polynesia, Samoa, New Zealand and Australia. Experts believe that Palau, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati and Nauru feel overlooked by larger Melanesian members like Papua New Guinea and Fiji, which are culturally and geographically different.     There is bitter disagreement about who should lead the Pacific Islands Forum.    Micronesian states from the North Pacific have insisted an agreement to appoint their preferred candidate as the forum’s new secretary-general has been broken.    FILE – A woman washes clothes as children play near the water on the island of SavaiÕi, Samoa, July 16, 2019.Australia and New Zealand are concerned about regional instability.  There is also  concern that disunity could encourage China to increase its influence over island nations.  The archipelago of Kiribati recently swapped its formal diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to mainland China.   Jonathan Pryke is the director of the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute, an independent Sydney-based policy and research organization.   He says Chinese state media has tried to blame Canberra and Wellington for the forum’s problems. “I do not think China will greatly benefit from this departure, but I am sure they will try to use any schisms that they see in the region to try and form wedges between Pacific nations and their traditional partners, like Australia and New Zealand,” he said.  “We have already seen commentary from the Global Times blaming Australia and New Zealand for the fallout of the forum in the last week.”   The dispute comes as the Pacific faces some of its greatest challenges, including COVID-19, which has devastated the tourism industry, and threats posed by climate change.    Much of the Pacific has remained free of the coronavirus, but its impact on global travel has inflicted huge economic damage on island nations that have been so reliant on tourism.   The Pacific Islands Forum strives to create a region of peace, harmony and prosperity, but the loss of almost a third of its membership will strike a damaging blow to this unique institution that seeks to bring together some of the world’s most remote communities.      

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Ghana Parliament Suspended Following COVID-19 Outbreak

Ghana’s parliament is halting most business for three weeks following a COVID-19 outbreak among lawmakers and staffers.  Speaker Alban Bagbin told parliament Tuesday 17 of the 275 legislators and 151 of 500 staff members contracted the coronavirus. The speaker also urged other lawmakers and parliament staffers to get tested for COVID-19 if they have yet to do so. Bagbin said the decision to suspend activities was made after speaking with parliament’s leadership.  He said parliament’s appointments committee would continue meeting with nominees for ministry posts in the administration of President Nana Akufo-Addo, who was reelected in December. Ghana has confirmed more than 72,300 COVID-19 infections and 472 deaths, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University Covid Resource Center. 

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Myanmar’s Military Cracks Down on Protesters

Myanmar’s police cracked down on people protesting the country’s military coup in the capital of Naypyitaw Tuesday by firing warning shots, rubber bullets and water cannon. At least two demonstrators are reported seriously injured, with what are believed to be gunshot wounds, VOA’s senior diplomatic correspondent Cindy Saine reports.Produced by: Jesse Oni 

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US Senate Weighs Trump Role in January 6 Capitol Siege

The historic second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump started in the U.S. Senate Tuesday. Senators will have to decide if Trump incited the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol a month ago by urging his supporters to confront lawmakers as they were certifying that Democrat Joe Biden had defeated Trump in the 2020 election. VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson has more.Camera: Mike Burke   

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United Way Worldwide CEO Gallagher Resigns Amid Turmoil

Brian A. Gallagher, who has led United Way Worldwide, the world’s largest privately funded nonprofit since 2009, abruptly announced his resignation Tuesday amid claims that the charity mishandled internal allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination. Gallagher’s resignation, announced in a farewell note, takes effect March 1. The group’s board of directors plans to announce an interim CEO before he leaves. In November, after complaints filed by three former female employees with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and published reports in HuffPost, United Way Worldwide hired a law firm to investigate the claims and the way the nonprofit’s leadership handled them. Last week, the firm, Proskauer Rose, concluded that management’s handling of the complaints was appropriate and that the dismissals were “based on legitimate, non-discriminatory, and non-retaliatory reasons.” Gallagher said in his farewell note that the report’s release made him decide to move up his planned exit. “We were actively working toward a transition for me sometime later in 2021 at the conclusion of a CEO search process,” Gallagher wrote to his colleagues. “But, I and the board think it’s best for United Way if I step down as CEO sooner. It was important to me that I stay through this period so my colleagues and I could be cleared of any wrongdoing. That’s done; and now it feels like the right time.” Lisa Bowman, who was executive vice president and chief marketing officer at United Way Worldwide until she said she was fired by Gallagher as retaliation for reporting sexual harassment by another executive, said the investigation was “not fair, balanced or thorough” because the investigators did not talk with any of the women involved. “I was pleased to hear that United Way has decided to do the right thing and make a change in leadership,” Bowman told the Associated Press. “This was a necessary step — but only the first step — toward creating a safe, equitable workplace where women are treated with respect and allowed to reach their full potential.” Bowman’s complaint with the EEOC is still pending. “I hope that United Way will take this opportunity to listen and learn, so that it can continue and improve upon its important work to support communities around the world,” she said. United Way Worldwide oversees charity work in 1,800 communities in more than 40 countries. Gallagher, who began his career at United Way in 1981, worked at five local United Ways before becoming president and CEO of United Way of America in 2002. He took over the helm of United Way Worldwide in 2009. “We are grateful for Brian’s four decades of leadership and service in the name of the United Way mission,” Dr. Juliette Tuakli, chairwoman of United Way Worldwide’s board of trustees, wrote in a statement. “Brian has always said that a great United Way leader is one who puts community interests first, their organization next, and their own interests last. Brian embodied that standard.” United Way Worldwide officials had declined in recent weeks to comment on rumblings of local United Ways withholding their dues payments because of the allegations of misconduct. But Gallagher acknowledged that his exit comes at a tough time for United Way Worldwide, which recently instituted some layoffs at its Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters and temporary salary reductions for senior staff. “It’s been a very difficult year,” Gallagher wrote to his colleagues. “The global pandemic, the resulting economic fallout, and stark inequities in our communities have led to great suffering for so many. The response of United Ways all over the world, and at United Way Worldwide, has been inspirational. We got back to our roots by helping those in most need through any means necessary, and we did it together; a lesson we should pull forward.” 

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North Korea Uses Cybercrime to Fund Nuclear, Missile Programs, Says Leaked Report

A United Nations report says North Korea has used cyberattacks to steal hundreds of millions of dollars to fund its nuclear program and ballistic missile capabilities. Henry Ridgwell has more.
Camera: Henry Ridgwell 
 

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China Records Fewer Births in 2020 Than 2019

China saw nearly one-third fewer registered births in 2020 than the previous year, according to data released Monday.The numbers are an indication that relaxation of China’s “one-child policy,” previously aimed at curbing overpopulation, has not yet taken root.In 2016, China relaxed decades of policy to allow families to have up to two children, as the country began facing an aging population and shrinking workforce.But data released Monday by the Public Security Ministry showed that 10.04 million births were recorded in 2020 — down from 14.65 million in 2019.Monday’s data marks a fourth consecutive year that birth numbers declined. Since reversing the one-child policy, which was enacted in the 1970s, China has yet to see a baby boom.Various studies conducted in the United States indicate a “baby bust” could take place in the U.S. in the coming year, as well.A study by the Brookings Institution estimated in December that the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic recession could result in as many as 500,000 fewer births in the U.S. European countries have also recorded a decline in births in the year since the pandemic began.Last Friday, Italy released data suggested that birthrates had dropped as much as 21.6% since it first enacted lockdowns roughly nine months ago. 

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