Virus team visits China lab as poorer nations get vaccine boost

Security personnel are seen as members of the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus, arrive at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, in China's central Hubei province on February 3, 2021. Photo: AFP

By AFP

International experts on Wednesday inspected a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan that some US officials had suggested was the source of the coronavirus, as plans were firmed up to distribute vaccines to poorer nations.

The World Health Organization-backed Covax scheme said it would roll out tens of millions of doses to lower income countries in the next few months, with India the biggest beneficiary, getting 97.2 million of the initial doses.

And there was more positive news on vaccines, seen as a vital tool to overcoming a pandemic that has killed more than 2.2 million since it emerged in China in late 2019.

On Wednesday, drug firm GlaxoSmithKline said it was teaming up with German biotech firm CureVac to develop a new vaccine and Russia said it was looking to ramp up production of its Sputnik V jab.

The Lancet medical journal reviewed Russian data from its tests and found Sputnik V to be 91.6 percent effective.

Britain, meanwhile, said farewell to centenarian Captain Tom Moore, the World War II veteran who won hearts by raising millions for health charities during last year's first UK lockdown, before dying of the virus this week.

"He gave us a real lift, encouraged people to chat to each other and gave us something to talk about," his neighbour Lucy Handley told AFP.

-'Frank, open discussion' -

China has been widely criticised for seeking to cover up the emergence of the virus and for blocking WHO efforts to investigate its origins.

A WHO team finally started work on its investigation in recent days after months of delays, with the experts visiting the Wuhan Institute of Virology on Wednesday.

Former US president Donald Trump and officials in his administration last year promoted a theory -- providing no evidence -- that the virus had somehow leaked from the lab.

Peter Daszak, one of the experts, tweeted that the team had an "extremely important meeting today with staff" and a "frank, open discussion".

Nevertheless, top WHO officials have played down the chances of finding definitive answers on the trip.

- Silence for Moore -

The positive data from Russia's vaccine has prompted European countries including Spain and Germany to say they would be open to using it, should it be approved by the European Union.

The Sputnik V jab has already been rolled out in several countries and EU member Hungary has agreed to buy millions of doses -- despite it not being approved for use in the bloc.

But in Britain, a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson dodged questions on Sputnik V, despite having been quick to hail the success of rival jabs.

His attention was focused on paying tribute to Captain Moore, who died on Tuesday months after he earned affection and admiration for his fundraising exploits.

Parliament held a minute's silence Wednesday for Moore, who raised nearly £33 million ($45 million, 37 million euros) for UK health service charities by completing 100 lengths of his garden before his 100th birthday last April.

- 'Quasi-ineffective' -

EU countries are embroiled in a bitter row with drug firm AstraZeneca over its jab -- firstly over its reduced availability, and now over its efficacy in older people.

Although Europe's regulator has recommended the jab for adults of all ages last week, countries including Belgium, France, Germany and Italy have advised against administering it to older people.

France's President Emmanuel Macron said last week the jab was "quasi-ineffective" for older people, though when challenged he admitted he had no evidence for the claim.

Health experts told AFP that such claims could increase vaccine scepticism and harm public health.

"This can only be negative on the vaccine takeup in France, in Germany and others," said Kent Woods, a former chief of both the UK and EU medicines regulators.

The French government has drawn sharp criticism over an inoculation drive that has started slowly.

France has so far failed in its efforts to develop its own vaccine, and is now gearing up its factories to produce other drugs.

The disruption brought by the pandemic to sport and the economy continued with preparations for the Australian Open tennis tournament once again in tatters as up to 600 players and officials were told to isolate and get tested after a hotel worker contracted the virus.

A travel industry group, meanwhile, said global air passenger traffic had plunged by 66 percent in 2020.

But there was better news for a niche sector of the global economy -- sex toys, with some manufacturers saying they had had a bumper year and customers telling AFP the lockdown had encouraged them to try new things.

"I knew it was the right time," a 29-year-old singleton in Paris told AFP, saying she overcame her "psychological barrier" during the first lockdown last March.

"We were entering a crazy period during which I was going to be cut off from all social contact and my love life."

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Rumours and fake news spread about Kyat notes

Kyat notes with machines. Photo: EPA

By Mizzima

Myanmar's State Administration Council announced on Wednesday that citizens can continue the use of 5,000 and 10,000 kyat notes trustfully, Xinhua reported.

The council said that rumours and fake news were spread in social media about the demonetization of 5,000 and 10,000 kyat notes published by the state officially.

Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Myanmar on Wednesday announced that citizens can continue the use of the notes trustfully and banking services without worries as the directive has been given to the banks to operate banking services as usual. The Central Bank of Myanmar placed emphasis on stabilizing the monetary system regarding the rumours.

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Myanmar-listed shares fall sharply

 

(File) A man takes a photograph of an electronic board showing the FMI (First Myanmar Investment) index at Yangon Stock Exchange, Yangon. Photo: Lynn Bo Bo/EPA

By Mizzima

Myanmar-listed shares fell sharply as soon as the country's main bourse resumed trading on Wednesday, following a two-day suspension, reflecting investor doubts about the country's economic prospects, Nikkei Asia reported.

According to the Nikkei Asia report, Investors are concerned that the U.S. and Europe will reimpose economic sanctions on Myanmar, sapping foreign direct investment and slowing growth.

Myanpix, the Yangon Stock Exchange's benchmark index, fell 26.47, or 6%, to 417.25 from its previous close on Jan. 29. That was first time since April 2020 the index has fallen below 420. Wednesday's fall was the largest in percentage terms since March 2017.

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Facebook says services in Myanmar being restricted

Myanmar people gather for refreshement at a teashop in Yangon many hangout to chat and browse facebook with their mobile phone. Photo: Sai Aung Main/AFP

By AFP

Facebook on Thursday said some of its services were being restricted in Myanmar.

"We are aware that access to Facebook is currently disrupted for some people," a company spokesperson told AFP.

"We urge authorities to restore connectivity so that people in Myanmar can communicate with their families and friends and access important information."

Configure

The social media platform is wildly popular in Myanmar and the primary method for communication. It is also frequently used by government ministries to issue statements.

NetBlocks, which monitors internet outages around the world, said service providers in Myanmar were blocking or restricting access to Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The latter two are also owned by Facebook.

"Facebook products are now restricted on multiple internet providers in #Myanmar as operators comply with an apparent blocking order," the group wrote on Twitter.

State-owned internet provider MPT had taken the most widespread action to block access, it added.

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World's longest internet shutdown ends in parts of Myanmar

Rakhine people travel by motorcycle in Sittwe, Rakhine State, Western Myanmar, 02 February 2021. Photo: Nyunt Win/EPA

By AFP

The world's longest internet shutdown -- affecting more than a million people for 19 months in one of Myanmar's ethnic conflict zones -- has come to an end, according to a mobile operator based in the region.

The internet in parts of Myanmar's troubled northern states of Rakhine and Chin was suspended in June 2019 following "emergency" orders issued by the telecoms department under Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government.

Following Monday's military coup, mobile operator Telenor Group confirmed it had reinstated full services in eight townships in Rakhine and Chin states on Wednesday.

"Telenor Group and Telenor Myanmar have been advocating for the restoration of services and emphasised that freedom of expression through access to telecoms services should be maintained for humanitarian purposes," the company said in a statement.

On Wednesday, affected residents celebrated being reconnected to the wider world.

Khin Maung from Mrauk-U township in northern Rakhine said the internet connection was back, but slow.

"Now we got the internet back. So we know about the coup as well," said Shouban in Maungdaw, who like many from the Rohingya ethnic group goes by one name.

Human Rights Watch said the internet restrictions had curtailed awareness about coronavirus health risks and information about hygiene measures last year.

The conflict in Rakhine state between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army has left hundreds dead or injured.

Fighting spilled over into neighbouring Chin state, forcing thousands of ethnic Chin, who are predominantly Christian, out of their villages and into temporary camps.

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Myanmar's Suu Kyi charged with breaking 'import/export law': party spokesman

(File) Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi gives a speech on the Myanmar government's efforts with regard to national reconciliation and peace in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, 19 September 2017. Photo: EPA

AFP

A Myanmar court has charged ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi with breaching an import and export law, a spokesperson from her National League for Democracy (NLD) said Wednesday.

"We have got reliable information that Dakhinathiri court has given a 14-day remand from February 1 to February 15 against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under the charge of violating the import/export law," Kyi Toe, NLD press officer, wrote on his official Facebook page.

He also said President Win Myint, who was also detained by the military in Monday's coup, has been charged under the National Disaster Management law.

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Indonesia detains British woman on terror suspect list

File photo of Indonesian police personnel standing guard. (Photo: AFP)

AFP

Indonesia has detained a British woman named on a list of global terror suspects and plans to deport her for visa violations, authorities told AFP Tuesday.

Tazneen Miriam Sailar -- a Manchester-born convert to Islam married to an Indonesian jihadist who was killed in Syria -- is not charged with terror offences.

But she and her late husband are on an Indonesian police list of suspected extremists that includes several foreigners notorious in the West.

Sailar, 47, and her 10-year-old Indonesia-born son, were being held in Jakarta after being picked up last year without documents allowing her to remain in the Southeast Asian nation, her lawyer Farid Ghozali said.

"She was put (in detention) while awaiting her return, which will be facilitated by the British embassy," Indonesian immigration directorate spokesman Ahmad Nursaleh told AFP.

The embassy declined to comment, and it was unclear when she might be deported.

The police docket does not specify why Sailar was named with some 400 other terror suspects -- including her husband -- on the Indonesian list.

He was killed in Syria in 2015.

The couple's 2010 marriage was officiated by radical Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, the spiritual head of extremist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), according to sources familiar with the case.

JI members were behind the 2002 Bali bombings which killed more than 200 people -- including nearly 90 Australian holidaymakers -- at two packed bars on the Indonesian island.

Sailar operated a charity named after her late husband, which sent aid to women and children in conflict-wracked Syria, sources said.

She arrived in Muslim-majority Indonesia in 2005 as a medical volunteer for a Christian humanitarian foundation that assisted victims of natural disasters, lawyer Ghozali and a source said.

Jakarta-based security analyst Sidney Jones said Sailar's appearance on the list could restrict her ability to travel and work.

"If you're on this list, it will loom over your head," Jones said.

"For this woman, I don't know what will happen to her if she goes back to the UK."

Several alleged members of the Taliban and IS appear on the Indonesian police list, as well as radical British Islamist Anjem Choudary and Sally-Anne Jones, a recruiter reportedly killed in a US drone strike in Syria.

Maxime Hauchard, a French convert linked to a gruesome IS beheading, and countryman Peter Cherif, a close associate of the siblings who killed staff at Charlie Hebdo magazine in 2015, are also on it.

Sailar was born in Manchester on February 20, 1973, and holds a British passport, according to the list, which also said she goes by at least two aliases.

Indonesian investigators questioned Sailar but no charges were filed, her lawyer said.

"So we're now focused on immigration matters," he said, adding that Sailar wants to remain in Indonesia.

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Myanmar aerobics instructor dances through military coup

CAPTURE: This woman from Myanmar was recording her aerobics class. Unbeknownst to her, she records the military Junta arriving to the parliament for a coup d'etat in the background

AFP

Pumping her arms to an electronic ditty, aerobics instructor Khing Hnin Wai appeared oblivious as a convoy of armoured vehicles drove by -- accidentally capturing Myanmar's military coup-in-progress in a surreal video that has now gone viral.

The PE teacher in Naypyidaw, Myanmar's capital, posted footage of her workout to Facebook on Monday morning, gyrating and waving her arms to the tune of a dance track.

Unbeknownst to her, history was in the making right behind her as armoured vehicles and black SUVs swept by on the Royal Lotus Roundabout near the country's parliament.

The post soon went viral with more than 630,000 views on Facebook thanks to the bizarre juxtaposition of a power grab taking place against a pulsating earworm.

Soon the video was being scalped and spread across social media platforms -- one tweet containing the video had been viewed more than 11.7 million times 24 hours after it was posted.

Some photoshopped her dance into other recent historic moments -- such as the siege of the US Capitol last month -- or added their own favourite dance tracks to the original video.

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First ministerial meeting held

Mizzima

Myanmar held the first meeting among newly appointed ministers after a recent major cabinet reshuffle by the military in capital city of Nay Pyi Taw on Tuesday morning, according to a release from the Military True News Information Team Xinhua reported.

The Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, acting President U Myint Swe and nine newly appointed union ministers were present at the meeting held at the Presidential Palace, the release said.

Min Aung Hlaing unveiled plans to include reopening religious buildings and pagodas, resuming domestic travel and hotel businesses as well as industries in line with COVID-19 rules and regulations, and revitalizing the country's economy.

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Ethnic armed groups condemn Myanmar military's coup

Karen National Union (KNU) guerillas. Photo: EPA

AFP

Myanmar's ethnic armed groups condemned the military Tuesday for ousting Aung San Suu Kyi's government and signalled a halt to the country's long-running peace process, citing a lack of trust in the army.

Myriad armed rebel groups control an estimated one-third of Myanmar's territory, some fighting for decades against the state for more autonomy.

When the military seized power on Monday following a coup, the army announced a ceasefire with the ethnic armed groups to extend until the end of February.

The army said it would continue to discuss the peace process with some insurgent groups in the border regions, the details of which Suu Kyi's government had spent years negotiating.

But the military's overture for talks was met with scepticism by some rebel groups.

"How can we discuss with them when they staged a coup? This is not the norms of democracy," said Major Kharm Sarm, a spokesperson for the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) in Myanmar's north.

He said it would be impossible to hold a political dialogue without a democratically elected government.

"Among the political parties and the ethnic armed groups, we have lost trust in them."

The Karen National Union (KNU), an ethnic armed organisation in the southwestern Karen state, said Tuesday in a statement it was "worried and concerned for Myanmar's future".

The army's actions "show no seriousness over solving the political crisis", it said.

"It will badly harm the future of the country, which already has many challenges," said the KNU, urging a peaceful solution and calling for Suu Kyi's release.

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310 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases reported

A man drives a bicycle near the shelters of a shutdown COVID-19 test center near Sule Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, 02 February 2021. Photo: Lynn Bo Bo/EPA

Mizzima

The number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar has increased to 140,664 as of Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports Xinhua reported.

A total of 310 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in the country on Tuesday.

The death toll of COVID-19 reached 3,146 with eight newly reported on Tuesday in the country, the ministry said.

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UN Security Council searches for unity on Myanmar

(File) UN Security Council Meeting. Photo: EPA

AFP

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Myanmar Tuesday but was unable to agree on a statement about the country's military coup, with diplomats saying negotiations will continue.

"China and Russia have asked for more time," one diplomat told AFP following the behind-closed-doors videoconference meeting in New York that lasted just over two hours.

"A statement is still under discussion," confirmed another diplomat, also on condition of anonymity.

According to a draft of the text seen by AFP, the United Nations Security Council would call for a return to civilian power following Monday's bloodless coup in which democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other top politicians were detained.

The text, drafted by Britain, would also call for Myanmar's military to "immediately release those unlawfully detained."

It would also demand that the one-year state of emergency be repealed and "for all sides to adhere to democratic norms." The draft does not mention sanctions.

To be adopted, it requires the support of China, Myanmar's main supporter at the UN and a veto power as a permanent member of the Security Council.

During the Rohingya crisis in 2017, China thwarted any initiative at the council to meet on Myanmar or issue joint statements.

Beijing insisted the brutal military crackdown of the Muslim minority was an internal issue.

Swiss diplomat Christine Schraner Burgener, the United Nations' envoy to Myanmar, briefed the 15-member council on the latest developments at Tuesday's meeting.

"She urged Council members to collectively send a clear signal in support of democracy in Myanmar," according to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Britain, which holds the rotating council presidency for the month of February, had long planned to hold a meeting on Myanmar this week, but brought it forward given the circumstances.

China had demanded the discussion to take place in private, diplomats told AFP.

Its foreign ministry had on Monday called for all sides in Myanmar to "resolve differences."

- 'Targeted sanctions' -

Britain's ambassador to the UN, Barbara Woodward, told reporters after the meeting that she hoped the Council will "be able to speak with one voice."

"Discussions will continue among Council colleagues on next steps," she added.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch released statements calling on the council to take a firm stand.

"Had the Security Council acted decisively and strongly from day one, we might not be in a situation where the lives and liberty of people across Myanmar are now at even greater risk," said Amnesty's Sherine Tadros.

She called on the council to impose "targeted financial sanctions" on Myanmar's military leaders and a "comprehensive global arms embargo" on the country.

Louis Charbonneau, UN director for Human Rights Watch, also demanded "targeted sanctions" on the coup leaders.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won November elections in a landslide, but the military now claims those polls were tainted by fraud.

The last Security Council meeting on Myanmar was in September and was also behind closed doors.

Its last joint declaration on the country was adopted in 2018.

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NLD calls for release of Suu Kyi, other leaders

Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. Photo: EPA

AFP

Myanmar's National League for Democracy party called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other detained leaders on Tuesday, describing the declaration of a state of emergency a day earlier as a "stain" on the military's history.

Suu Kyi, Myanmar's de facto leader, was detained by the military in the early hours of Monday along with President Win Myint.

The army installed an ex-general as president and handed "legislative, judicial and executive powers" to army chief Min Aung Hlaing -- effectively returning the country to direct military rule after a 10-year experiment with democracy.

There has been no official news on Suu Kyi's whereabouts since the takeover although party sources have told AFP they believe she is currently under "house arrest" in the capital Naypyidaw.

On Tuesday, her party called for the release of all those detained since the coup.

"Release all detainees including the president (Win Myint) and the State Counsellor (Suu Kyi)," the party said in a document posted on its official Facebook page.

It also demanded the military "recognise the confirmed result of the 2020 general election".

"We see this as a stain on the history of the State and the Tatmadaw," it said, referring to the military by its Burmese name.

The NLD swept the November polls with a landslide with voters delivering a drubbing to military-linked parties.

Since then the military have alleged vote irregularities and demanded an investigation into voter lists.

The military justified Monday's coup on the grounds of the "failure of the free and fair electoral process".

It imposed a one-year state of emergency, after which it said it will hold elections before returning the country back to a civilian government.

It remains unclear how many NLD members and MPs are detained, but mobile communications have been severed with many party members since Monday.

Party sources say some 25 NLD MPs are currently confined to their resident dorms in Naypyidaw.

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Myanmar state of emergency tests Biden democracy push but with few options

US President Joe Biden. Photo: EPA

AFP

Myanmar's state of emergency marks an early test case of President Joe Biden's determination to advocate democracy but, unlike a decade ago when the United States nurtured a transition there, he has limited options.

The rise of democracy in Myanmar had initially been hailed as a key achievement of former president Barack Obama, under whom Biden served as number two, representing an opening of a long-closed nation that had been in rival China's orbit.

But Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's civilian leader who was detained with others Monday, had been rapidly losing Western support as the Nobel laureate stayed reticent -- some argue so as not to antagonize the military -- about the Rohingya.

Biden in a forceful statement Monday warned of a return of sanctions and steadfastly backed the principle of democracy -- in line with his campaign promises as he vowed to turn the page from his predecessor Donald Trump, who praised autocrats and unsuccessfully tried to overturn his own election defeat.

"The United States will stand up for democracy wherever it is under attack," Biden said, demanding that the military in the nation also known as Burma "immediately relinquish the power they have seized."

- Less US leverage -

Derek Mitchell, the first US ambassador to Myanmar after the opening, said the United States no longer enjoyed the same leverage.

Mitchell, now president of the National Democratic Institute, urged coordination with US allies and said that the world needed to respect the overwhelming victory of Suu Kyi's National League of Democracy in last year's elections.

The West "may have considered her this global icon of democracy and that lustre is off. But if you care about democracy in the world, then you must respect the democratic choice and she is clearly that."

"It's not about the person; it's about the process," he said.

In a growing rarity in Washington, Myanmar policy has wide bipartisan consensus with Mitch McConnell, the top Senate Republican, long a vocal supporter of Suu Kyi.

Suzanne DiMaggio, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the Biden administration should resist immediately imposing sanctions -- a nearly daily tool of the United States under Trump -- and try diplomacy.

"Myanmar is an unexpected early test for the Biden administration, which has emphasized human rights and democracy as cornerstones of US foreign policy," she said.

"Quickly dispatching a senior envoy to Naypyidaw carrying rare bipartisan congressional backing would be an appropriate next step," she said, referring to Myanmar's 15-year-old capital.

© AFP

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