Myanmar's Suu Kyi Detained In Military Coup, 1-Year Emergency Declared

Myanmar’s military seized power on Monday in a coup against the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained along with other leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party in early morning raids.

The army said it had carried out the detentions in response to “election fraud”, handing power to military chief Min Aung Hlaing and imposing a state of emergency for one year, according to a statement on a military-owned television station. A military spokesman did not answer phone calls seeking further comment.

Phone lines to the capital Naypyitaw and the main commercial centre of Yangon were not reachable, and state TV went off air hours before parliament had been due to sit for the first time since the NLD’s landslide election win in November, viewed as a referendum on Suu Kyi’s fledgling democratic government.

Soldiers took up positions at city hall in Yangon and mobile internet data and phone services in the NLD stronghold were disrupted, residents said. Internet connectivity also had fallen dramatically, monitoring service NetBlocks said.

Suu Kyi, Myanmar President Win Myint and other NLD leaders had been “taken” in the early hours of the morning, NLD spokesman Myo Nyunt told Reuters by phone.

“I want to tell our people not to respond rashly and I want them to act according to the law,” he said, adding that he expected to be arrested himself. Reuters was subsequently unable to contact him.

The detentions came after days of escalating tension between the civilian government and the military that stirred fears of a coup in the aftermath of the election.

The White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the arrest of Suu Kyi.

“The United States opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of recent elections or impede Myanmar’s democratic transition, and will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed,” spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.

The Australian government said it was “deeply concerned at reports the Myanmar military is once again seeking to seize control of Myanmar” and called for the immediate release of the unlawfully detained leaders.

Japan said it was watching the situation and currently had no plans to repatriate Japanese nationals from Myanmar.

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Corona claims 26 more lives, lowest death toll in Pakistan in 74 days

The coronavirus claimed 26 more lives as another 1,615 people tested positive for the deadly disease during the past 24 hours across Pakistan.

According to the latest update released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 1,615 new infections surfaced after 34,785 samples were tested during this period.

The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country has soared to 546,428 with addition of the fresh cases while the countrywide death toll jumped to 11,683. There are a total of 33,493 active cases as 501,252 people have recuperated.

Since the first Covid-19 case was detected in the country almost a year back, Sindh has reported a total of 247,249 infections, Punjab 157,796, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 67,214, Balochistan 18,823, Islamabad 41,418, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 9,019, and Gilgit Baltistan 4,909.

Earlier, Federal Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar had said that Pakistan will likely get 17 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine by March.

Turning to social media via his official Twitter handle, the federal minister announced, “Good news on covid vaccine front.” He added that Pakistan received a response letter from Covax which i

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As PDM deadline for govt to quit passes, Bilawal says opposition 'must now force removal of puppets'

PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday called upon the joint opposition to "force the removal of puppets", after the January 31 deadline set by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) for Prime Minister Imran Khan to quit passed without any signs of the government retreating.

"The selected PM has failed to resign by the deadline set by PDM," Bilawal said in a series of tweets, adding that the opposition alliance had given "this illegitimate regime the opportunity to step aside respectfully and allow for a transition to democracy with free, fair and transparent elections".

He said the Pakistani people faced historic poverty, unemployment and inflation because the incumbent government had been "forced on them".

"The joint opposition must now force the removal of puppets," he wrote, emphasising that the PPP believed in relying on democratic tactics and that sustained joint efforts inside and outside the parliament would "ultimately succeed" in sending the government home.

Bilawal said the plan of staging a long-march against the government and moving a no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran will "hopefully be discussed" in the next PDM meeting.

In a reference to the government's plan of introducing a constitutional amendment for open ballot in the upcoming Senate polls, the PPP chairman said the government's "desperation" was clear as it was "trying to change rules to rig Senate elections because they can see their defeat".

"God-willing, Senate elections will show [that the] government is on shaky ground," he added.

Bilawal also used the occasion to reiterate that the establishment "must leave political battles to the politicians now or risk being drawn into controversies".

"Only a government chosen by the people can deliver for the people," he concluded.

After a meeting of the leadership of its member parties, the PDM had given a deadline to Prime Minister Imran to step down by January 31, with the warning that a march on Islamabad would otherwise result in the ouster of the PTI government.

“In case the government does not step down, the date of the long march will be announced on Feb 1. We ask the people of Pakistan to start preparations for the long march from today,” PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had told a presser after presiding over the meeting.

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As PDM deadline for govt to quit passes, Bilawal says opposition 'must now force removal of puppets'

PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday called upon the joint opposition to "force the removal of puppets", after the January 31 deadline set by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) for Prime Minister Imran Khan to quit passed without any signs of the government retreating.

"The selected PM has failed to resign by the deadline set by PDM," Bilawal said in a series of tweets, adding that the opposition alliance had given "this illegitimate regime the opportunity to step aside respectfully and allow for a transition to democracy with free, fair and transparent elections".

He said the Pakistani people faced historic poverty, unemployment and inflation because the incumbent government had been "forced on them".

"The joint opposition must now force the removal of puppets," he wrote, emphasising that the PPP believed in relying on democratic tactics and that sustained joint efforts inside and outside the parliament would "ultimately succeed" in sending the government home.

Bilawal said the plan of staging a long-march against the government and moving a no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran will "hopefully be discussed" in the next PDM meeting.

In a reference to the government's plan of introducing a constitutional amendment for open ballot in the upcoming Senate polls, the PPP chairman said the government's "desperation" was clear as it was "trying to change rules to rig Senate elections because they can see their defeat".

"God-willing, Senate elections will show [that the] government is on shaky ground," he added.

Bilawal also used the occasion to reiterate that the establishment "must leave political battles to the politicians now or risk being drawn into controversies".

"Only a government chosen by the people can deliver for the people," he concluded.

After a meeting of the leadership of its member parties, the PDM had given a deadline to Prime Minister Imran to step down by January 31, with the warning that a march on Islamabad would otherwise result in the ouster of the PTI government.

“In case the government does not step down, the date of the long march will be announced on Feb 1. We ask the people of Pakistan to start preparations for the long march from today,” PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had told a presser after presiding over the meeting.

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Petrol price in Pakistan goes up by Rs2.70 for February

The government on Sunday announced that the price of petrol for February will go up by Rs2.70 per litre.

According to a notification by the Prime Minister Office, light diesel oil will also see a rise in price by Rs3, high speed diesel will cost Rs2.88 dearer and kerosene will be priced Rs3.54 more expensive per litre.

The new prices will take effect at midnight and as has become recent practice, may undergo revision before February 15.

A similar revision was done on January 15 for the remaining two weeks of the month.

 

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11 killed as car bombs explode in Turkish-held north Syria

Eleven people lost their lives after car bombs exploded in two separate incidents in Turkish-held northern Syria on Sunday. According to a monitoring group, the deceased included six civilians.

The first attack took place near a cultural centre in the town of Azaz and killed six civilians, including a young girl, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

An AFP reporter at the scene saw a mangled car ablaze, black smoke billowing into the sky.

A man rushed away from the site of the blast, carrying what appeared to be a child wrapped in a bloodied cloth.

In the second incident, a car bomb targeted a checkpoint of pro-Ankara rebels near the town of Al-Bab, killing five fighters, the Observatory added.

Areas of northern Syria held by Turkish forces and their Syrian proxies are regularly rocked by such bombings.

There is usually no claim for them, although Turkey routinely blames Kurdish fighters it accuses of being "terrorists" linked to its outlawed Kurdistan Workers´ Party (PKK).

On Saturday, explosives planted in another vehicle took the lives of eight civilians including four children in the city of Afrin, which Turkish forces and their proxies seized from Kurdish forces in 2018.

Syria´s war has killed more than 387,000 people and displaced millions since starting in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

It has since evolved into a complex conflict involving jihadists and foreign powers.

 

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UAE updates Abu Dhabi entry rules in bid to curb coronavirus spread

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has updated its entry rules for citizens to enter the emirate from within the country, as the country steps up measures to contain the novel coronavirus from spreading.

According to the Abu Dhabi Emergency Crisis and Disasters Committee, the new procedures will be in effective since Monday, February 1, 2021.

PCR tests

According to the new rules, those who take a COVID-19 PCR test and their results come out negative, will be allowed into the emirate for 48 hours from the receipt of the result.

However, those who remain in Abu Dhabi for four or more days will have to take another PCR test on Day 4. For those who have to stay in the emirate for eight days or more, another PCR test must be taken on Day 8.

DPI test

For those taking a Diffractive Phase Interferometry (DPI) test, they will be allowed into the emirate for 24 hours from the receipt of the negative result. However, these tests are only valid for entry into the emirate once and cannot be used consecutively.

For those who wish to remain in Abu Dhabi for 48 hours or more will have to take a PCR test on Day 3 and another one must be taken on Day 7, if the persons wish to stay in Abu Dhabi for more than eight days.

Exemptions

The entry testing procedures will apply to all Emiratis and expats except for those who have either received COVID-19 vaccines during the trials or as part of the national vaccine programmes. They must however prove their vaccinated status through the Alhosn app, which must display a golden star or the letter E.

The Committee also explained that those who do not take the tests according to the schedule will be fined.

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