The World Health Organization urges African countries to be on guard and to remain vigilant in their fight against a resurgence of COVID-19 transmission across the continent.
To date, African countries are reporting more than 4.5 million cases of COVID, including 120,000 deaths. WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti says the latest figures indicate this deadly virus has continued to plateau on the continent.
While welcoming a seemingly good news, she warns the pandemic is trending upwards in 13 countries.
“We cannot be lulled into a false sense of security as the continent’s case count appears relatively stable. The devastating surge of cases and deaths in India, and increases in other regions of the world, are clear signs of the risk of resurgence in African countries. The toxic mix driving this upsurge is present here in Africa,” she said.
Moeti said countries are letting down their guard and weakening their adherence to preventive measures. She said super-spreader events such as mass gatherings and population movements are increasing. Moeti pointed to a WHO analysis of 46 African countries that found almost half are facing a considerable risk of a surge.
She said Africa must learn from the tragic situation unfolding in India and take precautions. Moeti added that mass religious gatherings, large election campaign events, and the circulation of new variants of COVID have triggered the explosive growth in cases and deaths throughout that country.
“There probably has been a dropping off, of the observation by the population of the masking, physical distancing, and hand-washing measures. I think the lesson that we can learn in Africa — one, is to anticipate that such a wave is possible in different countries and to really look at what are some of the driving factors,” she said.
Moeti cited the importance of avoiding mass gatherings and maintaining proven public health measures, including masking, social distancing, testing, and tracing of contacts.
Africa has obtained most of its COVID vaccines from India through the COVAX vaccine-sharing program. This supply has dried up since India imposed an export ban on vaccines. The COVAX vaccine distribution plan’s goal is to deliver millions of vaccine doses to low-income countries, including in Africa.
Moeti said it is understandable that India wants to use these vaccines to immunize its own population. However, she said she is very concerned about delays in obtaining these life-saving vaccines. She said Africa will have to find alternative supplies if it is to have any chance of stopping the coronavirus from spreading.
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Month: May 2021
Myanmar Anti-Junta Protests Continue 3 Months Into Coup
Anti-junta demonstrators in Myanmar took to the streets again Saturday three months after a coup spelled the end of the country’s transition to democracy.
Explosions were reported by local media throughout the country’s largest city of Yangon as protesters marched for democracy in defiance of the military government, which seized power on February 1.
No casualties were reported nor were there any immediate claims of responsibility.
Demonstrators also rallied in Myanmar’s second-largest city of Mandalay and the southern town of Dawei, according to local media reports.
Protesters are demanding the return of the civilian government that led 10 years of democratic reforms under the watch of Aung San Suu Kyi.
In a campaign to quell the protests, the government has killed at least 759 anti-coup demonstrators and bystanders since the takeover, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which tracks casualties and arrests.
When the military removed Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy government, it detained her and President Win Myint and imposed martial law across Myanmar.
Suu Kyi led Myanmar since its first open democratic election in 2015, but Myanmar’s military contested last November’s election results, claiming widespread electoral fraud, largely without evidence.
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UN Condemns Deadly Force by Chadian Security Against Protesters
The U.N. human rights office condemns the deadly use of force by Chad’s security forces against peaceful protesters demanding a return to civilian rule.
Nationwide demonstrations throughout the past week have been met with a fierce response by Chad’s defense and security forces, who reportedly killed six people on Tuesday and wounded several others.
The U.N. human rights office expresses grave concern at what it calls excessive, disproportionate use of force, including the use of live ammunition against protesters.
In addition, U.N. human rights spokeswoman Marta Hurtado says 700 people reportedly have been arrested. She says those actions are in violation of international law, which obligates countries to protect and respect human rights, including the right of freedom of peaceful assembly.
“The decree imposing a blanket ban on demonstrations without prior authorization may undermine the exercise of the right to peaceful assembly. We also note that the Transitional Military Council itself declared on 20 April that it would abide by Chad’s international treaty obligations,” Hurtado said.
Chad’s president, Idriss Deby, was killed by rebels April 20. Chad’s military appointed a transitional military council headed by Deby’s son, Mahamat Idriss Deby, until new elections were to be held in 18 months.
Hurtado said that decree has elicited an outcry of protest from Chad’s political opposition, triggering mass demonstrations against continued military rule.
“The people on the street are demanding that the country comes back to the constitutional order and civilian rule.…They want the authorities to hear their demand,” Hurtado said.The U.N. human rights office is calling on state authorities to conduct impartial, effective and transparent investigations into human rights violations that may have occurred, including the use of excessive force against protesters.
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US Formally Begins Afghanistan Troop Pullout
The U.S. and NATO formally began withdrawing their last troops from Afghanistan Saturday, according to White House and military officials, bringing America’s longest war closer to an end.
U.S. President Joe Biden set May 1 as the official date on which the remaining troops would begin pulling out, although the military has been flying equipment out of the country in recent weeks.
There are between 2,500-3,500 U.S. troops and about 7,000 NATO troops remaining in Afghanistan, the last of whom will leave by the end of the summer.
Afghan security forces are on high alert for possible attacks on the troops by an emboldened Taliban as they complete the withdrawal, ushering in a new era of uncertainty in the country.
The U.S. and NATO allies entered the South Asian country on October 7, 2001, to find al-Qaida perpetrators of the September 11, 2001, terrorists attack on the U.S. who being were protected by Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders.
Two months later, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his fighters were on the run. He was located and killed in 2011 by U.S. Navy SEALS in neighboring Pakistan.
More than 47,240 Afghan civilians have been killed in the 20-year war, according to the Costs of War project at Brown University. Between 66,000 to 69,000 Afghan troops have been killed.
Some 2,442 U.S. troops have been killed, according to the U.S. Defense Department, along with an estimated 3,800 U.S. private security contractors.
More than 1,140 troops from NATO countries have been killed.
The U.S. is estimated to have spent more than $2 trillion in Afghanistan during the course of the war, according to the Costs of War project.
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Prosecutors Seek Higher Sentence for Chauvin in Floyd Death
Prosecutors are asking a judge to give Derek Chauvin a more severe penalty than state guidelines call for when he is sentenced in June for George Floyd’s death, arguing in court documents filed Friday that Floyd was particularly vulnerable, and that Chauvin abused his authority as a police officer.Defense attorney Eric Nelson is opposing a tougher sentence, saying the state has failed to prove that those aggravating factors, among others, existed when Chauvin arrested Floyd on May 25, 2020. Chauvin, who is white, was convicted last week of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes as the Black man said he couldn’t breathe and went motionless.Even though he was found guilty of three counts, under Minnesota statutes he’ll only be sentenced on the most serious one — second-degree murder. While that count carries a maximum sentence of 40 years, experts say he won’t get that much. Prosecutors did not specify how much time they would seek for Chauvin. Under Minnesota sentencing guidelines, the presumptive sentence for second-degree unintentional murder for someone with no criminal record like Chauvin would be 12 1/2 years. Judges can sentence someone to as little as 10 years and eight months or as much as 15 years and still be within the advisory guideline range. To go above that, Judge Peter Cahill would have to find that there were “aggravating factors,” and even if those are found, legal experts have said Chauvin would likely not face more than 30 years. In legal briefs filed Friday, prosecutors said Chauvin should be sentenced above the guideline range because Floyd was particularly vulnerable with his hands cuffed behind his back as he was face-down on the ground, and that he was intoxicated. They noted that Chauvin held his position even after Floyd became unresponsive and officers knew he had no pulse. Prosecutors also said Chauvin treated Floyd with particular cruelty during the lengthy restraint, saying Chauvin inflicted gratuitous pain and caused psychological distress to Floyd and to bystanders. “Defendant continued to maintain his position atop Mr. Floyd even as Mr. Floyd cried out that he was in pain, even as Mr. Floyd exclaimed 27 times that he could not breathe, and even as Mr. Floyd said that Defendant’s actions were killing him,” prosecutors wrote. They added that he stayed in position as Floyd cried out for his mother, stopped speaking and lost consciousness. “Defendant thus did not just inflict physical pain. He caused Mr. Floyd psychological distress during the final moments of his life, leaving Mr. Floyd helpless as he squeezed the last vestiges of life out of Mr. Floyd’s body,” prosecutors wrote. They also said that Chauvin abused his position of authority as a police officer, committed his crime as part of a group of three or more people, and that he pinned Floyd down in the presence of children — including a 9-year-old girl who testified at trial that watching the restraint made her “sad and kind of mad.”Nelson disagreed, writing that “Mr. Chauvin entered into the officers’ encounter with Mr. Floyd with legal authority to assist in effecting the lawful arrest of an actively-resisting criminal suspect. Mr. Chauvin was authorized, under Minnesota law, to use reasonable force to do so.” Nelson said Floyd was not particularly vulnerable, saying he was a large man who was struggling with officers. He wrote that courts have typically found particular vulnerability if the victims are young, or perhaps sleeping, when a crime occurs. Nelson also said Floyd was not treated with particular cruelty, saying that there is no evidence that the assault perpetrated by Chauvin involved gratuitous pain that’s not usually associated with second-degree murder.“The assault of Mr. Floyd occurred in the course of a very short time, involved no threats or taunting, such as putting a gun to his head and pulling the trigger … and ended when EMS finally responded to officers’ calls,” Nelson wrote. He also said the state hasn’t proven that any of the other officers actively participated in the crime for which Chauvin was convicted. Those officers are scheduled to face trial on aiding and abetting charges in August. He also wrote that the presence of children in this case is different from cases in which children might be witnessing a crime in a home and unable to leave. And, he said, the state failed to prove that Chauvin’s role as a police officer was an aggravating factor, saying that Floyd’s struggle with officers showed that Chauvin’s authority was irrelevant to Floyd. Cahill has said he will review the attorneys’ written arguments before determining whether aggravating factors exist that would warrant a tougher sentence. No matter what sentence Chauvin gets, in Minnesota it’s presumed that a defendant with good behavior will serve two-thirds of the penalty in prison and the rest on supervised release, commonly known as parole.
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Diplomats From 5 Nations Resume Iran Nuclear Talks in Vienna
High-ranking diplomats from China, Germany, France, Russia and Britain resumed talks Saturday focused on bringing the United States back into their landmark nuclear deal with Iran.The U.S. will not have a representative at the table when the diplomats meet in Vienna because former President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled the country out of the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in 2018. Trump also restored and augmented sanctions to try to force Iran into renegotiating the pact with more concessions.U.S. President Joe Biden wants to rejoin the deal, however, and a U.S. delegation in Vienna is taking part in indirect talks with Iran, with diplomats from the other world powers acting as go-betweens.The Biden administration is considering a rollback of some of the most stringent Trump-era sanctions in a bid to get Iran to come back into compliance with the terms of the nuclear agreement, according to information from current and former U.S. officials and others familiar with the matter earlier this week.Ahead of the main talks, Russia’s top representative Mikhail Ulyanov said JCPOA members met on the side with officials from the U.S. delegation but that the Iranian delegation was not ready to meet with U.S. diplomats.“JCPOA participants held today informal consultations with the U.S. delegation at the Vienna talks on full restoration of the nuclear deal,” Ulyanov tweeted. “Without Iran who is still not ready to meet with U.S. diplomats.”The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, promised Iran economic incentives in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. The reimposition of U.S. sanctions has left the Islamic Republic’s economy reeling. Tehran has responded by steadily increasing its violations of the restrictions of the deal, such as increasing the purity of uranium it enriches and its stockpiles, in a thus-far unsuccessful effort to pressure the other countries to provide relief.The ultimate goal of the deal is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb, something it insists it doesn’t want to do. Iran now has enough enriched uranium to make a bomb, but nowhere near the amount it had before the nuclear deal was signed.The Vienna talks began in early April and have included several rounds of high-level discussions. Expert groups also have been working on proposals on how to resolve the issues around American sanctions and Iranian compliance, as well as the “possible sequencing” of the U.S. return.Outside the talks in Vienna, other challenges remain.An attack suspected to have been carried out by Israel recently struck Iran’s Natanz nuclear site, causing an unknown amount of damage. Tehran retaliated by beginning to enrich a small amount of uranium up to 60% purity, its highest level ever.
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Australians Caught Breaching India COVID Travel Ban Could Face Jail
Australians stuck in India could face up to five years in jail if they breach a COVID-19 travel ban to return home starting early next week. Australia has stopped all direct flights from India in a bid to cut coronavirus cases in its hotel quarantine system.
This is thought to be the first time Australians have been banned from traveling to their own country with the threat of civil penalties and up to five years in prison against people who attempt to make it home despite regulations. Health Minister Greg Hunt said the restriction will take effect Monday.
Starting then, Australian nationals and permanent residents will not be allowed in if they have visited India in the past two weeks.
To enforce the restriction, the government is taking the travel ban a bit further. Any of Australia’s citizens caught breaching the ban could face a fine of up to $50,000. They could also face prison under changes made to Australia’s biosecurity laws.
In the capital, Canberra, the government said the drastic measures were necessary because of what it has described as the “unmanageable” number of citizens arriving in Australia with COVID-19.
The federal government defended the decision, saying that it is about public safety. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says Australia’s political leaders have decided that a cautious approach is needed.
“When [the] national cabinet met, they received the most up-to-date briefing from our chief medical officers and their advice is that we need to put in place these secure measures with respect to people coming from India to Australia. So, they are temporary, they will be reviewed on the 15th of May, but they are designed, based on the medical advice, to keep Australians safe,” Frydenberg said.
An estimated 9,000 Australians are stranded in India, critics say, and the Australian government is abandoning them as the pandemic reaches beyond what observers have called a “catastrophe.”
Direct flights between the two nations have been suspended by authorities in Canberra. It has emerged, however, that some passengers — including high-profile cases such as cricketers leaving the Indian Premier League early — have managed to circumvent the ban and reach Australia via Qatar, according to news reports. That loophole will now close beginning Monday.
Australia shut its borders to foreign nationals more than a year ago as part of a strict coronavirus strategy.
Australian citizens and permanent residents, apart from those who have been in India in the past two weeks, are allowed to return, but they face two weeks in mandatory hotel quarantine when they arrive. Quotas apply, though, and thousands of people have been unable to get home.
Australia has managed to contain community transmission of the coronavirus. All reported cases — 21 in total — in the past day were detected in hotel quarantine.
Australia has recorded 29,801 COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began. Nine hundred ten people have died, according to official government figures.
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Hong Kong University Cuts Off Student Union Over Political Participation
Authorities at a second Hong Kong university have cut ties with the student union, saying that it had become a “platform for political propaganda” following its involvement in recent protest movements.“The Hong Kong University Students’ Union (HKUSU) has become increasingly politicized in recent years, utilizing the University campus as a platform for its political propaganda,” the University of Hong Kong said in a statement on Friday.“It has repeatedly made inflammatory and potentially unlawful public statements and unfounded allegations against the University,” it said.“The university strongly condemns HKUSU’s radical acts and remarks,” the statement said.It said the university would stop collecting membership fees on behalf of HKUSU and would “enforce its management rights” over the facilities currently used by the union.“The University may also take further actions, if necessary,” it said, citing the need to protect “national security.”A draconian national security law imposed on Hong Kong by the ruling Chinese Communist Party from July 1, 2020, has targeted dozens of pro-democracy politicians and activists for “subversion” after they organized a primary election in a bid to win more seats in the city’s legislature.The law bans words and deeds deemed subversive or secessionist, or any activities linked to overseas groups, as “collusion with foreign powers,” including public criticism of the Hong Kong government and the Chinese Communist Party.Students oppose appointmentsThe HKU announcement comes after the union strongly opposed the appointment of two mainland Chinese scholars as vice presidents, saying that they would help to assert Chinese Communist Party control over the city’s oldest university.Max Shen, who has previously been listed as a member of a Chinese Communist Party committee at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, and his former Tsinghua colleague Gong Peng started their jobs as vice presidents of research and academic development respectively from January 2021.The severing of ties with the union comes after an article in the Chinese Communist Party’s official newspaper, the People’s Daily, denounced HKUSU for smearing the government’s attempts to win public support for the national security law.It called for “strong medicine to remove the malignant tumor in the ivory tower.”Labour Party chairman and former HKUSU president Steven Kwok said the university’s action against the union appeared to have been triggered by the People’s Daily article.“I think their actions were instigated by [authorities in] mainland China,” Kwok told Radio Free Asia. “It’s all part of the current political situation and carrying out Beijing’s wishes.”The Chinese University of Hong Kong severed ties with its student union Syzygia on Feb. 26, banning the union from using university facilities or staff and accusing it of failing to clarify “potentially unlawful statements and false allegations.”‘Getting rid of anything risky’Current affairs commentator Johnny Lau said universities have been tripping over themselves to demonstrate loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party since the national security law took effect.“They are minimizing their risk by getting rid of anything risky,” Lau said. “This is an active form of adaptation to the politicization process being instigated by mainland China.”He said the recent moves by the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong show the ever-widening damage to freedom of speech and academic freedom in Hong Kong.“The university management are the ones damaging HKU’s rankings and reputation, not the students,” Lau said, referring to the University of Hong Kong.Former student activist Joshua Wong — currently serving a prison sentence on public order charges linked to the 2019 protest movement — pleaded guilty in a Hong Kong court on Friday to “taking part in an illegal assembly” in connection with a vigil commemorating the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre in Victoria Park last year.Wong, together with pro-democracy district councilors Lester Shum, Tiffany Yuen, and Jannelle Leung, pleaded guilty to the charges, with sentencing expected on May 6.Wong, Shum, and Yuen also face “subversion” charges under the national security law after they took part in the democratic primary for the canceled Legislative Council election in 2020. All three were returned to custody following the hearing.
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Kentucky Derby Set for Saturday Amid Controversies
Before the horses leave the gates at this year’s Kentucky Derby on Saturday, there will be another highly anticipated ceremony — at least highly anticipated by its five participants.The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky will naturalize five new U.S. citizens from Cuba, Germany, Japan, Portugal, and the United Kingdom in a judicial naturalization ceremony at the Kentucky Derby.Later, Saturday marks the 147th running of the horses at America’s iconic Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, also known as “the most exciting two minutes in sports.”This year also marks the return of spectators to the event, after last year’s competition was pushed back until September without any spectators, moves made necessary by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.The contagion still looms large over this year’s event, however, with crowd size reduced from 150,000 fans to 50,000 who can more easily practice social distancing with the reduced numbers.Essential Quality is the favored horse this year in the 19-horse race. Twenty horses usually run down the track, but King Fury was withdrawn because of a fever.Essential Quality is owned by Dubai ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. Human rights activists have questioned whether his horses should be allowed to run because of the controversy surrounding the disappearance of one of his daughters Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum, several years ago.Louisville, the Kentucky city where the race is held, has not escaped the racial protests that have been held across the country. Police entered the apartment of Breonna Taylor and her boyfriend in March 2020. The couple thought they were being burglarized. Taylor’s boyfriend fired off a shot and the police fired off more than 20 shots. Taylor was killed. Protesters have called for the race to be canceled.A persistent controversy of the race is the use of the song My Old Kentucky Home, Kentucky’s state song. The song is about slave plantation life and the original lyrics contain a racist slur.It is normally a sing-along song as the horses are taken to the track. Last year, however, it was performed as an instrumental piece, without any singing. It is not clear what form it will take this year.
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UN: 125 Europe-bound Children Intercepted off Libyan Coast
A total of 125 Europe-bound children were among those intercepted at sea this week by Libyan authorities off the Mediterranean coast, the United Nations child welfare agency said Friday, adding that most were brought to detention centers.The children, fleeing war and poverty across the perilous maritime route to Europe, included 114 unaccompanied minors, UNICEF added in a statement.”The majority of those rescued are sent to overcrowded detention centers in Libya under extremely difficult conditions and with no or limited access to water and health services. Nearly 1,100 children are in these centers,” read the statement.UNICEF urged the Libyan authorities to release all children and to put an end to immigration detention.In the years since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, war-torn Libya has emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing Africa and the Middle East.”The Central Mediterranean continues to be one of the deadliest and most dangerous migration routes in the world,” UNICEF said, adding that at least 350 people, including children and women, have drowned or gone missing in the Mediterranean since January.Last week, 130 Europe-bound migrants went missing in the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast, in the deadliest shipwreck since the beginning of the year.
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‘Plus-size’ Boy Band in China Seeks to Inspire Fans
Gathered in a practice room, five generously proportioned young men in baggy black sweaters are patting their bellies and waggling their arms. Bearded with double chins, they shout “Hoo-Ha!” in time to upbeat African drums.The choreography is for the new song Good Belly, by Produce Pandas. DING, Cass, Husky, Otter and Mr. 17 weigh an average of 100 kilograms and proudly call themselves “the first plus-sized boy band in China.”That is a radical departure from the industry standard seen in South Korean super groups such as BTS, whose lanky young members are sometimes referred to in China as “little fresh meat.”Yet, it seems to be working for Produce Pandas, who rose to fame after making it about halfway through Youth with You, an idol talent competition hosted by iQiyi, one of the largest video platforms in China.On the show, mentors and audience voters pick nine finalists, either individuals or group members, to come together to form a new band.“The five of us may not have the standard look and shape of a boy band but we hope to use the term ‘plus-sized band’ to break the aesthetic stereotypes,” Cass said in an interview.The five, two of whom formerly sang in bars, are also unusual for their relatively advanced ages in an industry that worships youth and stamina. Most of their fellow contestants on Youth with You began South Korean-style training while in their teens.While Produce Pandas excited audiences and sparked discussion about how a pop idol should look, some taunting also appeared online.Users of China’s Weibo microblog seized on the Chinese word for panda, a homonym of which appears in the Chinese name for the Japanese horror movie Ring, suggesting that watching them dance was similarly frightening.Mr. 17, the band’s main dancer, was the oldest contestant in the competition at age 31. He had been discovered on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, where he posted clips of himself dancing in pajamas or while holding a bowl of rice.Otter, a member of the Chinese music group Produce Pandas, sings during rehearsals in Beijing, April 15, 2021.He nicknamed himself “17” after his favorite age. The former petroleum company worker said he does not feel old, but admits that after rehearsals, “I felt my energy was emptied.”The five were solicited from more than 300 hopefuls by Beijing-based DMDF Entertainment, which wanted to build a band that would be rotund and approachable as well as inspiring.Husky, who worked in information technology, thought he would fit in perfectly because he has been chubby since primary school and has failed repeatedly to lose weight.“I often work out one day then take a rest for the next three days, so the result is clear that I gained some weight instead,” he said. The point is “stay in shape (and) not to lose weight, but to lose fat.”Echoing Husky, Cass said the upside to being on such a team is that they do not need to abstain when it comes to food.“We don’t mind eating like a horse. I feel sorry for the ‘little fresh meat’ bands whose members must follow a diet to stay slim. I feel great whenever they look on enviously as we dig in!”Team leader DING quit plus-sized modeling when he heard about auditioning for an “XXL” boy band, saying, “I feel this is probably the closest I can get to being on a magazine cover.”The five are now working on a new album, with songs including Pursue Your Dreams.“Saddle up on the horse and pursue your dreams. Don’t idle your time away,” the lyrics go.Vocalist Otter, who has idolized the South Korean boy band Super Junior since he was 7, never thought he could be in a band that lives and performs together, and more importantly, encourages ordinary folk.“I hope people will feel encouraged when watching our performance,” he said. They can think, “If Produce Pandas can make a breakthrough and perform on a bigger stage, then why can’t I?”
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UN Security Council Calls for ASEAN Myanmar Plan to be Enacted
The U.N. Security Council called Friday for an immediate end to violence in Myanmar as stated in an ASEAN plan, giving unanimous approval to a statement watered down to satisfy China and Russia.The plan, which also calls for the naming of an envoy from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to address the crisis triggered by the Feb. 1 military coup, should be applied “without delay,” the council statement says.It was approved after a closed-door meeting of the council and forced Western countries to make concessions to China — Myanmar’s main backer — and Russia to win passage.At their request the council eliminated clauses that said it “once again strongly condemned violence against peaceful protestors” and “reiterated their call on the military to exercise utmost restraint.”A diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity explained the changes saying “what we must avoid is losing council unity to the point of making it irrelevant.”Since the coup in Myanmar, the council has approved four statements on the crisis including this latest one of Friday. All of them were toned down under pressure from China.Friday’s session was convened by Vietnam to present the conclusions of a recent ASEAN summit in Indonesia.The statement that was ultimately passed calls for the U.N. Special Envoy to Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, who is currently touring the region, to be able to visit Myanmar “as soon as possible.”Schraner Burgener gave a report on her long meeting with Myanmar junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing, held on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting last weekend.Diplomats said the envoy, who is currently based in Bangkok, once again had her request for a visit to Myanmar denied.During the meeting, Brunei, which currently holds the presidency of ASEAN, floated the idea of a joint visit to Myanmar by the U.N. envoy and her future ASEAN counterpart.”We estimate around 20,000 internal displacements and almost 10,000 fleeing to neighboring countries since February. The regional implications require urgent action,” Schraner Burgener told the council, according to the text of her speech, which was seen by AFP.”The common aspiration for democracy has united the people of Myanmar across religious, ethnic and communal divides like never before. Such strong unity has created unexpected difficulties for the military in consolidating power and stabilizing the coup,” she added.Nearly 760 civilians have been killed by police and soldiers in the past three months, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).The junta puts the death toll at 258 dead by April 15, calling the demonstrators “rioters” who engaged in “acts of terrorism.”
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Police Find More Than 90 People Inside Houston Home; Smuggling Suspected
Police responding to reports of a kidnapping said Friday that they had found more than 90 people crammed into a two-story suburban Houston home that they suspected was being used in a human smuggling operation.The 90 victims, all but about five of them men, were removed from the house and given food and water, said Daryn Edwards, assistant chief of the Houston Police Department.”They basically [were] in there in their basic clothing and all, all huddled together. So that’s what we saw when we got in,” he said. No children were found among them.Several of the people showed symptoms of COVID-19 infection, including fever and an inability to taste or smell, Edwards said. The victims told police they had not eaten recently.The victims were issued personal protective gear and put into white buses. It was not immediately clear where they were being taken.U.S. Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were seen at the house, along with local police and firefighters.Edwards said no arrests had been made in the case as of Friday afternoon. He declined to offer further details, saying the investigation was continuing.
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Next Major War Will Be ‘Very Different,’ US Defense Secretary Says
The United States needs to prepare for a potential future conflict bearing little resemblance to “the old wars” that have long consumed the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Friday in his first significant policy speech.Austin called for harnessing technological advances and better integrating military operations globally to “understand faster, decide faster and act faster.””The way we fight the next major war is going to look very different from the way we fought the last ones,” Austin said during a trip to the Hawaii-based U.S. Pacific Command.Austin did not explicitly mention rivals like China or Russia. But his remarks came as the United States starts an unconditional withdrawal from Afghanistan, on orders from President Joe Biden, aimed at ending America’s longest war and resetting Pentagon priorities.Austin acknowledged that he has spent “most of the past two decades executing the last of the old wars.”Critics say withdrawing from Afghanistan will not end the Asian country’s internal conflict or extinguish the threat of terrorism.Austin’s remarks did not appear to prescribe specific actions or predict any specific conflict. He instead appeared to outline broad, somewhat vague goals to drive the Pentagon under the Biden administration.”We can’t predict the future,” Austin said. “So what we need is the right mix of technology, operational concepts and capabilities — all woven together in a networked way that is so credible, so flexible and so formidable that it will give any adversary pause.”Preventing a conflict would mean creating “advantages for us and dilemmas for them,” he said.U.S. responses could be indirect, he said, outlining a scenario in which cyberwarfare could be used “to respond to a maritime security incident hundreds of miles away.”
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