WHO, advisers urge China to release all COVID-related data after new research

WHO, advisers urge China to release all COVID-related data after new research
Dominic Dwyer, a member of the WHO team tasked with investigating the origins of the coronavirus disease, walks at their hotel in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. (File/Reuters)
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Updated 19 March 2023

WHO, advisers urge China to release all COVID-related data after new research

WHO, advisers urge China to release all COVID-related data after new research
  • WHO officials say such information represents a new lead into the investigation of COVID’s origins

LONDON: Advisers to the World Health Organization have urged China to release all information related to the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic after new findings were briefly shared on an international database used to track pathogens.
New sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as additional genomic data based on samples taken from a live animal market in Wuhan, China in 2020 were briefly uploaded to the open access GISAID database by Chinese scientists earlier this year, allowing them to be viewed by researchers in other countries, according to a Saturday statement from the WHO’s Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO).
The sequences suggested that raccoon dogs were present in the market and may have also been infected by the coronavirus, providing a new clue in the chain of transmission that eventually reached humans, according to the WHO.
Access to the information was subsequently restricted “apparently to allow further data updates” by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the statement added.
WHO officials discussed the matter with Chinese colleagues, who explained that the new data were intended to be used to update a preprint study from 2022. China’s CDC plans to re-submit the paper to the scientific journal Nature for publication, according to the statement.
WHO officials say such information, while not conclusive, represents a new lead into the investigation of COVID’s origins and should have been shared immediately.
“These data do not provide a definitive answer to the question of how the pandemic began, but every piece of data is important in moving us closer to that answer,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday. “These data could have – and should have – been shared three years ago.”
“We continue to call on China to be transparent in sharing data, and to conduct the necessary investigations and share the results,” he said.
SAGO was tasked by the WHO to continue to investigate the origins of the pandemic that has killed nearly 7 million people worldwide.
The Chinese CDC did not immediately respond to the WHO’s latest statement.

’TOO EARLY’ FOR CONCLUSION
When asked by Reuters why the sequences were not uploaded before, George Gao, professor at the Institute of Microbiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and former head of the Chinese CDC, said the data uploaded were “nothing new.”
He added that GISAID, the Munich-based pathogen database, took down the sequences, not the Chinese scientists, and that he was in contact with WHO.
It’s “too early for any conclusion,” he added in an emailed statement. “All this must be left for scientists to work on, NOT for journalists or public. We are eager to know the answer.”
A spokesperson for GISAID said it does not take down data. They said the sequences had been “recalled” and “are currently being updated with newer and additional data as part of a manuscript currently under review”.
The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan was shut down by Chinese authorities after the novel coronavirus emerged in the city in late 2019. The market has since been a focus of study of whether the virus had infected several other species before jumping to humans.
The WHO and other scientists have also said they cannot rule out the possibility that the virus emerged from a high-security laboratory in Wuhan that studies dangerous pathogens. China denies any such link.
The 2022 preprint paper said that a small portion of 923 samples collected from the stalls and sewage systems in and around the market tested positive for the virus; no virus was detected in 457 animal samples tested. The paper said initially that raccoon dogs were not among the animals tested.
The new analysis suggests “that raccoon dog and other animals may have been present before the market was cleaned as part of the public health intervention,” the SAGO statement said.


Elizabeth Holmes enters Texas prison to begin 11-year sentence for notorious blood-testing hoax

Elizabeth Holmes enters Texas prison to begin 11-year sentence for notorious blood-testing hoax
Updated 8 sec ago

Elizabeth Holmes enters Texas prison to begin 11-year sentence for notorious blood-testing hoax

Elizabeth Holmes enters Texas prison to begin 11-year sentence for notorious blood-testing hoax
  • Blood-testing hoax raised nearly $1 billion from enthralled investors
  • Flaws in Theranos’ technology were exposed in a series of articles in The Wall Street Journal
BRYAN, Texas: Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes entered a Texas prison Tuesday where she could spend the next 11 years for overseeing a blood-testing hoax that became a parable about greed and hubris in Silicon Valley.
Holmes, 39, could be seen from outside the prison’s gates walking into the federal women’s prison camp located in Bryan, Texas, wearing jeans, a brown sweater and smiling as she spoke with two prison employees accompanying her.
The minimum-security facility — where the federal judge who sentenced Holmes in November recommended she be incarcerated — is about 150 kilometers northwest of Houston, where she grew up aspiring to become a technology visionary along the lines of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
As she begins her sentence, Holmes is leaving behind two young children — a son born in July 2021 a few weeks before the start of her trial and a 3-month-old daughter who was conceived after a jury convicted her on four felony counts of fraud and conspiracy in January 2022.
She was free on bail up until Tuesday, most recently living in the San Diego area with the children’s father, William “Billy” Evans. The couple met in 2017 around the same time Holmes was under investigation for the collapse of Theranos, a startup she founded after dropping out of Stanford University when she was just 19.
While she was building up Theranos, Holmes grew closer to Ramesh, “Sunny” Balwani, who would become her romantic partner as well as an investor and fellow executive in the Palo Alto, California, company.
Together, Holmes and Balwani promised Theranos would revolutionize health care with a technology that could quickly scan for diseases and other problems with a few drops of blood taken with a finger prick.
The hype surrounding that purported breakthrough helped Theranos raise nearly $1 billion from enthralled investors, assemble an influential board of directors that include former Presidential cabinet members George Shultz, Henry Kissinger and James Mattis and turned Holmes into a Silicon Valley sensation with a fortune valued at $4.5 billion on paper in 2014.
But it all blew up after serious dangerous flaws in Theranos’ technology were exposed in a series of explosive articles in The Wall Street Journal that Holmes and Balwani tried to thwart. Holmes and Balwani, who had been secretly living together while running Theranos, broke up after the Journal’s revelations and the company collapsed. In 2018, the US Justice Department charged both with a litany of white-collar crimes in a case aimed at putting a stop to the Silicon Valley practice of overselling the capabilities of a still-developing technology — a technique that became known as “fake it ‘til you make it.”
Holmes admitted making mistakes at Theranos, but steadfastly denied committing crimes during seven often-fascinating days of testimony on the witness stand during her trial. At one point, she told the jury about being sexually and emotionally abused by Balwani while he controlled her in ways that she said clouded her thinking. Balwani’s attorney steadfastly denied Holmes allegations, which was one of the key reasons they were tried separately.
Balwani, 57, was convicted on 12 felony counts of fraud and conspiracy in a trial that began two months after Holmes’ ended. He is currently serving a nearly 13-year sentence in a Southern California prison.
Maintaining she was treated unfairly during the trial, Holmes sought to remain free while she appeals her conviction. But that bid was rejected by US District Judge Edward Davila, who presided over her trial, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, leaving her no other avenue left to follow but the one that will take her to prison nearly 20 years after she founded Theranos.
Attorneys representing Holmes did not immediately respond when contacted by The Associated Press for statement on Tuesday.
FPC Bryan, a minimum-security prison camp located encompasses about 37 acres (15 hectares) of land and houses about 650 women — including “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jennifer Shah, who was sentenced earlier this year to 6 1/2 years in prison for defrauding thousands of people in a yearslong telemarketing scam.
Most federal prison camps don’t even have fences and house those the Bureau of Prisons considers to be the lowest security risk. The prison camps also often have minimal staffing and many of the people incarcerated there work at prison jobs.
According to a 2016 FPC Bryan inmate handbook, those in the Texas facility who are eligible to work can earn between 12 cents and $1.15 per hour in their job assignments, which include food service roles and factory employment operated by Federal Prison Industries.
Federal prison camps were originally designed with low security to make operations easier and to allow inmates tasked with performing work at the prison, like landscaping and maintenance, to avoid repeatedly checking in and out of a main prison facility. But the lax security opened a gateway for contraband, such as drugs, cellphones and weapons. The limited security has also led to a number of escapes from prison camps.
In November, a man incarcerated at another federal prison camp in Arizona pulled out a smuggled gun in a visitation area and tried to shoot his wife in the head. The gun jammed and no one was injured. But the incident exposed major security flaws at the facility and the agency’s director ordered a review of security at all federal prison camps around the US.

Kremlin: Putin, Erdogan to meet in foreseeable future

Kremlin: Putin, Erdogan to meet in foreseeable future
Updated 30 min 54 sec ago

Kremlin: Putin, Erdogan to meet in foreseeable future

Kremlin: Putin, Erdogan to meet in foreseeable future
  • Ankara has conducted a diplomatic balancing act since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February last year

MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Wednesday President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan would hold a meeting in the foreseeable future, although it was not yet agreed when and where the meeting would take place.
Putin congratulated his “dear friend” Erdogan after the latter’s victory in Turkiye’s presidential election on Sunday.
Ankara has conducted a diplomatic balancing act since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February last year, opposing Western sanctions on Russia while retaining close ties with both Moscow and Kyiv, its Black Sea neighbors.


Allegations of Afghanistan war crimes led to US warning -Australian defense chief

Allegations of Afghanistan war crimes led to US warning -Australian defense chief
Updated 31 May 2023

Allegations of Afghanistan war crimes led to US warning -Australian defense chief

Allegations of Afghanistan war crimes led to US warning -Australian defense chief
  • 4-year investigation found in 2020 that Australian special forces allegedly killed 39 unarmed prisoners and civilians in Afghanistan

SYDNEY: Australia’s defense chief said on Wednesday the United States warned him in 2021 that allegations Australian special forces soldiers killed prisoners and civilians in Afghanistan may trigger a law prohibiting assistance from the United States.
The United States is Australia’s biggest security alliance partner.
Chief of Defense Force, Angus Campbell, told a parliamentary committee that he had received a March 2021 letter from the United States defense attache in Canberra outlining the US concern.
A four-year investigation, known as the Brereton report, found in 2020 that Australian special forces allegedly killed 39 unarmed prisoners and civilians in Afghanistan. Australia referred 19 current and former soldiers for potential criminal prosecution as a result.
Campbell, responding to questions by the committee, confirmed he had received the letter from the US defense attache, and it said “that report, because it had credible information of allegations of what the United States would call gross violations of human rights, may — may — trigger Leahy Law considerations with regards to the relationship between the United States Armed Forces and a partner unit or organization.”
There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the US Embassy in Canberra.
Campbell said the unit in question was either special operations command or the special air services regiment. An Australian soldier had his posting adjusted as a result of the “the question of whether Leahy Law issues may be, may emerge,” he added.
Leahy Law prohibits the US government from using funds or assisting units of foreign security forces where there is credible information of gross violation of human rights.
According to a US government fact sheet, assistance can be resumed if a government takes effective steps to bring those responsible to justice.
Campbell said the defense minister at the time and current Defense Minister Richard Marles were not aware of the letter.
Australia’s military involvement in Afghanistan began in September 2001 and continued until mid-June 2021, the longest engagement by Australia in an armed conflict.


Beijing blames US ‘provocation’ for South China Sea fighter jet incident

Beijing blames US ‘provocation’ for South China Sea fighter jet incident
Updated 31 May 2023

Beijing blames US ‘provocation’ for South China Sea fighter jet incident

Beijing blames US ‘provocation’ for South China Sea fighter jet incident
  • US defense leaders have complained that China’s military has become significantly more aggressive over the past five years

WASHINGTON/BEIJING: Beijing blamed US “provocation” Wednesday for an incident last week when a Chinese plane crossed in front of an American surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea.

“The United States’ long-term and frequent sending of ships and planes to conduct close surveillance on China seriously harms China’s national sovereignty and security,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said when asked about the incident, demanding Washington “immediately stop this form of dangerous provocation.”

The US military said Tuesday that a Chinese fighter jet flew aggressively close to a US reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea, forcing the American pilot to fly through the turbulent wake.

The Chinese J-16 fighter pilot “flew directly in front of the nose of the RC-135,” which was conducting routine operations in international airspace last Friday, US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement. It called the Chinese move an “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver.”

US defense leaders have complained that China’s military has become significantly more aggressive over the past five years, intercepting US aircraft and ships in the region. And tensions with China have only grown in recent months over Washington’s military support and sales of defensive weapons to self-governing Taiwan, China’s assertions of sovereignty to the contested South China Sea and its flying of a suspected spy balloon over the US

In a further sign of the tensions, China said its defense chief will not meet with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin when the two men attend a security conference in Singapore this coming weekend. Austin is scheduled to address the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday, while Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu will speak at the gathering on Sunday.

Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said China informed the US that it was declining Austin’s invitation to meet while they were at the conference. He said Beijing’s “concerning unwillingness to engage in meaningful military-to-military discussions” will not diminish the Defense Department’s commitment to seeking open lines of communication with the Chinese army.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Tuesday blamed the US, saying Washington should “earnestly respect China’s sovereignty and security interests and concerns, immediately correct the wrongdoing, show sincerity, and create the necessary atmosphere and conditions for dialogue and communication between the two militaries.”

In a visit to the Indo-Pacific last summer, US Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with US and other partner forces has increased significantly over that time, and the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.

China frequently challenges military aircraft from the US and its allies, especially over the strategically vital South China Sea, which China claims in its entirety. Such behavior led to a 2001 in-air collision in which a Chinese plane was lost and pilot killed. Beijing deeply resents the presence of US military assets in that region, and regularly demands that American ships and planes leave the area.

In the statement Tuesday, the US Indo-Pacific Command said America will continue to “fly, sail, and operate — safely and responsibly — wherever international law allows,” and expects all other countries to do the same.


‘We want to be free’: Filipinos demand right to divorce

‘We want to be free’: Filipinos demand right to divorce
Updated 31 May 2023

‘We want to be free’: Filipinos demand right to divorce

‘We want to be free’: Filipinos demand right to divorce
  • The Philippines is the only place outside the Vatican where divorce is outlawed
  • Legal process can cost as much as $10,000 or more with no guarantee of success

MANILA: Philippine mother-of-three Stella Sibonga is desperate to end a marriage she never wanted. But divorce in the Catholic-majority country is illegal, and a court annulment takes years.
The Philippines is the only place outside the Vatican where divorce is outlawed, with the Catholic Church — which holds great influence on Philippine society — opposing the practice as against its teachings.
Those in favor of legalizing divorce say the ban makes it difficult to escape violent or otherwise abusive spouses, or even for couples to amicably cut ties.
People wanting to end their marriage can ask a court for an annulment or a declaration that the nuptials were invalid from the start, but the government can appeal against those decisions.
The legal process is slow and expensive — cases can cost as much as $10,000 or more in a country plagued by poverty — with no guarantee of success, and some people seeking a faster result fall for online scams.
“I don’t understand why it has to be this difficult,” said Sibonga, who has spent 11 years trying to get out of a marriage that her parents forced her into after she became pregnant.
Sibonga’s legal battle began in 2012, when she applied to a court to cancel her marriage on the basis of her husband’s alleged “psychological incapacity,” one of the grounds for terminating a matrimony.
After five years and $3,500 in legal fees, a judge finally agreed. The former domestic worker’s relief was, however, short-lived.
The Office of the Solicitor General, which as the government’s legal representative is tasked with protecting the institution of marriage, successfully appealed the decision in 2019.
Sibonga said she requested the Court of Appeals to reverse its ruling, but is still waiting for an answer.
“Why are we, the ones who experienced suffering, abandonment and abuse, being punished by the law?” said Sibonga, 45, who lives near Manila.
“All we want is to be free.”
The most powerful opponent to divorce in the Philippines is the Catholic Church, which is also against abortion and contraceptives.
Around 78 percent of the country’s 110 million people are Catholic, according to official census data, and many politicians are wary of contradicting the Church on sensitive social issues.
But Congress has scored significant wins in recent years.
A controversial birth control law was passed in 2012, despite strong opposition from the Church.
And in 2018, majority and opposition parties in the House of Representatives approved a divorce bill that later stalled in the Senate. It was the first time such a proposal had got that far.
Surveys conducted by polling company Social Weather Stations show a shift in Philippine attitudes toward divorce.
In 2005, 43 percent of Filipinos supported legalizing divorce “for irreconcilably separated couples,” while 45 percent disagreed.
The same survey in 2017 showed 53 percent in favor, while only 32 percent disagreed.
A group of lawmakers is now leading a fresh push to legalize divorce, with several bills filed in the House and the Senate.
“We are not destroying any marriage,” said Edcel Lagman, a congressman and author of one of the bills.
Lagman said divorce was for “dysfunctional marriages beyond repair” and legalizing it would enable women and their children to escape “intolerant and abusive husbands.”
Before he was elected, President Ferdinand Marcos said the country should consider allowing divorce, but insisted it should not be easy.
The burdensome process for getting a court order to end a marriage has spawned online scams offering to secure a quick ruling without time-consuming court appearances.
AFP fact checkers found numerous Facebook posts spreading false information about the legal process for annulment in order to attract clients, underscoring a growing global trend of fraudsters profiting off disinformation.
One victim said she was charged the equivalent of $2,400 for an annulment service that turned out to be fake.
She is now considering converting to Islam in the hope of securing a divorce under Muslim law.
“I’m really trying every possible option just to be single again,” she said on the condition of anonymity.
“Annulment takes so long, it’s so expensive and it’s not guaranteed, so I’m seeking a more convenient way.”
Family law specialist Katrina Legarda said the number of people falling for bogus services showed there was a “dire need” for new legislation.
But Father Jerome Secillano, of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said the nation should be “proud” to be the only country outside the Vatican “holding on to the traditional concept of marriage.”
“There will always be imperfections in a relationship,” he said.
Secillano said divorcing an abusive partner would “perpetuate the violence” because the perpetrator would go on to abuse their next partner.
“You are not actually curing the disease itself,” he said.
Sibonga was raised a Catholic, but stopped attending church to avoid accusations of adultery.
She has a long-term boyfriend, but cannot tie the knot with him until her first marriage is legally terminated.
That her case has dragged on for so long is not unusual in the Philippines, where a creaky justice system can take years to resolve even minor issues.
“People think that because I am still technically married, I’m a sinner,” she said.
“They really believe that what God has united cannot be separated. Really? Even if your husband is trying to kill you, even after everything he’s done, divorce is still not allowed?“
Sibonga said her relationship with her husband had been traumatic and had pushed her to attempt suicide twice.
She does not want her children to marry until divorce is allowed.
“I told them they can cohabitate and have as many children as they want, but I won’t ever consent to them getting married,” she said.
“I just don’t want them to end up like me.”