THE CONSEQUENCES OF A NEGATIVE UNHRC VOTE MARCH 26 - 28, 2021 GIANT SHIP BLOCKING SUEZ VOL: 4- ISSUE 240 A LOVED BEYOND . CANAL COULD TAKE ‘DAYS, 30 EVEN WEEKS’ TO FREE COMPREHENSION HOT TOPICS PAGE 05 COMMENTARY PAGE 08 LITERARY LIVES PAGE 11 Registered in the Department of Posts of Sri Lanka under No: QD/130/News/2021 UK and US sanction military-owned Myanmar conglomerate LONDON- Britain and the United States on Thursday (25) an- nounced sanctions against military-owned conglomerate Myan- mar Economic Holdings Ltd (MEHL) as part of "further meas- ures" targeting the regime after a coup. "Today's sanctions target the military's financial interests to help drain the sources of finance for their campaigns of repres- sion against civilians," British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement. Washington announced shortly afterwards it was imposing sanctions on MEHL and also the Myanmar Eco- nomic Corporation Limited (MEC). The Myanmar military "controls significant segments of the country's economy through these holding firms," said a treasury department statement. The companies dominate many key sec- tors of the economy, including trading, natural resources, alco- hol, cigarettes, and consumer goods. "These sanctions specifically target the economic resources of Burma's military regime, which is responsible for the overthrow of Burma's democratically elected government and the ongoing repression of the Burmese people," said the US. "These sanctions are not directed at the people of Burma." Britain said the designation came in response to evidence that the MEHL contributed funds to support the country's armed forces "in their campaign on ethnic cleansing against the Roh- ingya in 2017". The new sanctions follow last month's designation of nine members from Myanmar's ruling military junta who Britain said were directly responsible for human rights violations com- mitted by the police and military during the recent coup. -AFP - Petros Giannakouris/AFP/Getty Pfizer begins testing its Members of the Presidential Guard parades and ceremonies attended children in traditional costumes in 1830 after nearly a decade of make their way to the Parthenon by foreign dignitaries, though the from the 1821 conflict and other warfare against overwhelming odds. vaccine in young children before a flag-raising ceremony pandemic forced officials to scale wars. French Rafales and American Americans, including a nephew of WASHINGTON - Pfizer has begun testing its COVID-19 vac- marking the 200th anniversary back events. In a sunny interlude F-16s were also part of the show, George Washington, were among cine in children younger than 12, a significant step in turn- of the 1821 revolution and war of to cloudy weather that later turned while a cannon on Lycabettus Hill volunteer combatants. At the time, ing back the pandemic. The trial’s first participants, a pair of independence on Thursday (25). to snow, a parade of tanks, artillery overlooking Athens had earlier fired a the Ottoman Empire extended 9-year-old twin girls, were immunized at Duke University in Greece celebrated 200 years and overflying jets and helicopters salute of 21 shots. Britain, France and through the Balkans and modern-day North Carolina on Wednesday (24). since the start of its independence marked the occasion in the capital, Russia were instrumental in helping Turkey to North Africa, the Arabian Results from the trial are expected in the second half of the war with the Ottoman Empire with alongside mounted troops and Greece attain its independence peninsula and the Caucasus year, and the company hopes to vaccinate younger children early next year, said Sharon Castillo, a spokeswoman for the pharmaceutical company. Moderna also is beginning a trial of its vaccine in children 6 months to 12 years of age. Both com- panies have been testing their vaccines in children 12 and older, World’s poorest face vaccine delays and expect those results in the next few weeks. AstraZeneca last month began testing its vaccine in children six months and older, and Johnson & Johnson has said it plans to extend trials of its vaccine to young children after assessing through Covax program its performance in older children. Immunizing children will help schools to reopen as well as Some of the world’s poorest countries was not immediately clear how those deliv- March and April,” the UNICEF spokesper- help to end the pandemic, said Dr. Emily Erbelding, an infec- have been warned to expect delays in the eries would be affected. son said. Covax – a collaboration between tious diseases physician at the National Institutes of Health who delivery of COVID-19 vaccines through the “The Covax facility has informed par- UNICEF, the World Health Organization, oversees testing of COVID-19 vaccines in special populations. UN-backed Covax program after a double ticipants allocated volumes of the [Oxford/ the vaccine alliance Gavi and the Coalition An estimated 80% of the population may need to be vacci- blow of technical problems at a South Ko- AstraZeneca] vaccine produced in South for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations nated for the United States to reach herd immunity, the thresh- rean manufacturing plant and setbacks in Korea that shipment volumes will be lower – uses purchases by wealthier nations to old at which the coronavirus runs out of people to infect. Some securing export licences from the Indian than planned in March,” a UNICEF spokes- fund vaccine supplies to poorer and mid- adults may refuse to be vaccinated, and others may not produce government, UNICEF has said. person said. dle-income countries. a robust immune response. Up to 90m doses of the Oxford/Astra- The UN organization said it was working It has so far distributed 28m doses of Pfizer had initially said it would wait for data from older chil- Zeneca vaccine may be affected by the to confirm whether doses from the Serum the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine manufac- dren before starting trials of its vaccine in children younger twin issues, which came after reports on Institute of India, the largest supplier to tured by the Serum Institute, and said it than 12. But “we were encouraged by the data from the 12 to 15 Wednesday (24) that India had put a tem- Covax, were subject to an export ban but was expecting an additional 40m doses to group,” said Castillo, who did not elaborate on the results so far. porary hold on vaccine exports amid a rise said it understood there had been a “set- be available in March and up to 50m doses -New York Times in new cases there. back in securing export licences”. in April. Some of the countries expecting doses “We understand that deliveries of COV- The Serum Institute is contracted to sup- through Covax over the next week are ID-19 vaccines to lower-income economies ply 1bn vaccine doses to Covax this year, South Sudan, Mauritius, Iraq, Bosnia and participating in the Covax facility will likely and received $300m in funding support Herzegovina and Yemen, where the gov- face delays following a setback in securing from Gavi and the Gates Foundation to as- Fire at Saudi oil terminal after ernment on Wednesday declared a health export licences for further doses of COV- sist it in expanding its capacity. emergency as a second wave of infections ID-19 vaccines produced by the Serum In- -The Guardian projectile hit takes off. UNICEF said on Thursday (25) it stitute of India expected to be shipped in -Read more on page 4 RIYADH - A fire broke out at an oil terminal in southern Saudi Arabia after it was hit by a projectile, the energy ministry said Friday (26), the sixth anniversary of a Riyadh-led military inter- vention in Yemen. "A projectile attack on a petroleum products distribution ter- Quote for Today minal in Jizan... resulted in a fire in one of the terminal's tanks," Trending News the ministry said in a statement published by the official Saudi Idealism increases in direct proportion to Press Agency, adding that no casualties were reported. USA: Confronted by North Korea’s defi- survived a nerve agent poisoning, has one’s distance from the problem. It did not say who was behind the strike on Thursday (25), but ant missile tests and continued nuclear deteriorated rapidly in recent days with -John Galsworthy it comes as Yemen's Huthi rebels increasingly mount attacks on program, President Joe Biden is weigh- undiagnosed back pain and numbness Word for Today the kingdom's energy installations. ing whether to step up pressure or to in one leg, his lawyers claim. The attack comes after Saudi Arabia on Monday(22) offered open a new diplomatic initiative. Concatenation [kon-kat-n-ey-shuhn] the Huthis a "comprehensive" UN-supervised ceasefire, as part Mauritania: An intruder tries to seize -Homes and businesses in Alabama are -noun - a series of interconnected or inter- of a series of fresh proposals aimed at ending the catastrophic a plane at the airport in the country’s dependent things or events six-year conflict. damaged and some even levelled as a capital Nouakchott before being ar- But the Huthis swiftly dismissed the initiative as "nothing tornado touches down near Birmingham, rested,, with the man’s family saying he Today in History new" as they reiterated their demand that a Saudi-led air and leaving residents to contend with piles of dreamed of studying in the US. sea blockade on Yemen be completely lifted. debris and loss of electricity and authori- 1971 - East Pakistan declares its independ- ties to assess the severity of the devasta- Ukraine: The country registers a re- Riyadh led a military coalition into Yemen in March 2015 to ence from Pakistan to form Bangladesh and prop up the internationally recognized government, but it has tion.