by KS
UNITED STATES: Winter Storm Blankets Region
If you live in the Northeast, you might have dug out from as much as three feet – not inches, but feet – of snow.
On Jan. 31, a system that the Weather Channel dubbed as Winter Storm Orlena wreaked havoc in several states. In New Jersey, places in Sussex and Morris counties recorded up to and over 30 inches of snow, while Newark recorded between 18-20 inches. Transportation was ground to a halt, and several cities and towns, including the state itself, declared a state of emergency.
The storm led to over 300 flights being cancelled from Newark Liberty, JFK, and LaGuardia alone, not to mention those from smaller airports. Additionally, while power outages in New Jersey were low, over 14,000 were left in the dark throughout Massachusetts. Despite some luck in that area, NJ was not so fortunate on the roads, as over 800 accidents were reported, with over 1,500 motorists, who were advised to stay home, needing help.
Residents in the affected are not ready to breathe a sigh of relief just yet, as another storm system is expected for Sunday. Also adding to their grief was a prediction from noted groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, who predicted six more weeks of winter (if you actually believe a groundhog can forecast the weather).
ASIA: Myanmar Under Military Coup
The fears that some in the United States had after the storming of its Capitol have somewhat come true halfway across the world.
On Jan. 31 the United Nations Secretary-General strongly condemned the detention of Myanmar’s top political leaders and government officials, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, by the country’s military.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Secretary-General António Guterres also voiced “grave concern” regarding the declaration of the transfer of all legislative, executive and judicial powers to the military.
“These developments represent a serious blow to democratic reforms in Myanmar”, the statement said.
Volkan Bozkir, President of the UN General Assembly, also voiced concerns over the situation in Myanmar.
“Attempts to undermine democracy and rule of law are unacceptable”, he said in a Tweet, calling for the “immediate release” of detained political leaders.
The detentions and the seizure of power took place hours before the opening session of Myanmar’s new Parliament. They followed days of escalating tensions between the government and the military in the aftermath of last November’s general elections.
Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy (NLD) claimed an overwhelming victory in the polls, securing over 80 percent of the seats, according to media reports. However, the military and some political parties disputed the results, alleging that the polls were marred by irregularities.
November’s polls were only the second democratic elections in Myanmar since the end of nearly five decades of military rule. The first elections, in 2015, were also won by NLD.
In the statement, the UN chief called on Myanmar’s military leadership to “respect the will of the people and adhere to democratic norms,” and to resolve any differences through peaceful dialogue.
“The November 8, 2020 general elections provide a strong mandate to the NLD, reflecting the clear will of the people of Myanmar to continue on the hard-won path of democratic reform”, the statement noted.
“All leaders must act in the greater interest of Myanmar’s democratic reform, engaging in meaningful dialogue, refraining from violence and fully respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms,” it said.
The Secretary-General also reaffirmed the “unwavering support of the United Nations to the people of Myanmar in their pursuit of democracy, peace, human rights and the rule of law,” the statement added.
According to media reports, the detentions started in the early hours of Monday (local time), with political leaders held in Yangon and other cities across Myanmar, and soldiers said to be out on the streets and at prominent landmarks.
Mobile phones, telephones and internet are also reported to have been cut in capital Nay Pyi Taw and the commercial hub of Yangon.
The military also imposed a state of emergency for a year, it announced on a military-run television station. According to media reports, other national and international television channels, and radio are offline.
EUROPE: COVID-19 Travel Update
On Feb. 2, the Council adopted a recommendation amending the recommendation on the temporary restriction on non-essential travel into the EU and the possible lifting of such restriction.
Under the new rules, the following epidemiological criteria should be taken into account to determine the countries for which the restriction on non-essential travel should be lifted:
· not more than 25 new COVID-19 cases per 100 000 inhabitants over the last 14 days
· a stable or decreasing trend of new cases over this period in comparison to the previous 14 days
· more than 300 tests per 100 000 inhabitants in the previous 7 days, if the data is available to ECDC
· not more than 4% positive tests among all COVID-19 tests carried out in the previous 7 days, if the data is available to ECDC
· the nature of the virus present in a country, in particular whether variants of concern of the virus have been detected
In addition, the overall response to COVID-19 may be taken into account, in particular available information on aspects such as surveillance, contact tracing, containment, treatment and reporting as well as the reliability of available information and data sources and, if needed, the total average score across all dimensions for International Health Regulations (IHR).
Reciprocity should continue to be taken into account on a case-by-case basis.
Where the epidemiological situation worsens quickly and, in particular, where a high incidence of variants of concern of the virus is detected, travel restrictions for non-essential travel may be rapidly reintroduced. In the same circumstances, member states may also limit temporarily the categories of essential travelers. Travel justified by compelling reasons should still remain possible.
Member states should require persons travelling for any essential or non-essential reason, with the exception of transport and frontier workers, to have a negative PCR test taken at the earliest 72 hours before departure.
In addition, they may require self-isolation, quarantine and contact tracing for a period of up to 14 days, as well as further COVID-19 testing as needed during the same period. Quarantine and additional testing upon or after arrival should be imposed in particular to those travelers arriving from a third country where a variant of concern of the virus has been detected.
As regards essential travel, member states may decide, in a coordinated way, to waive some of the above measures in those cases where they would impede the very purpose of the travel. For transport personnel, seafarers and frontier workers, member states should not require more than a negative rapid antigen test on arrival. For transport personnel coming from a country where a high incidence of variants of concern is detected, member states may require a negative rapid antigen tests before departure.
AFRICA: Somalian Attack Condemned
The United Nations envoy for Somalia has strongly condemned the Jan. 31 terrorist attack on a hotel near the international airport in capital Mogadishu that left at least five people dead and dozens more wounded.
According to media reports, the Al-Shabaab terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack on Hotel Afrik, which began with a car bomb, followed by an hours-long gun battle with security forces. Four attackers were also killed.
In a statement, James Swan, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia and head of the UN Assistance Mission in the country (UNSOM), denounced the “senseless attack.”
“We are appalled by this reprehensible and senseless attack on a venue frequented by innocent civilians, and condemn it in the strongest terms,” he said.
Several civilians, said to have been trapped in the hotel, were rescued by security forces.
In the statement, the UN in Somalia expressed its condolences to the families of the victims, and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
