China has rejected the World Health Organization’s proposal for a second phase of its investigation into the origin of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Zeng Yixin, the vice minister of the Chinese National Health Commission, told reporters in Beijing Thursday that he was extremely surprised when he read the proposal offered by the U.N. health agency includes audits of laboratories in the city of Wuhan, where the virus was first detected in late 2019 that led to more than 192 million infections around the globe, including 4.1 million deaths. 

Zeng said the WHO’s origin-tracing proposal lacks “common sense” and displays a disrespect toward science that makes it “impossible” for Beijing to accept. 

A team of WHO researchers visited Wuhan earlier this year to research the initial cause of the virus. The team concluded the virus likely jumped from animals to humans and that it was “extremely unlikely” that it leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology as some experts have speculated. But WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has criticized China for not fully cooperating with investigators by not sharing raw data, and has called for a continued probe of all theories, including a lab accident.

Chinese officials and news outlets have begun speculating that the virus may have escaped from a U.S. military laboratory, a theory that has been widely dismissed by the scientific community.

Meanwhile, a new study says that two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine are effective against the highly contagious delta variant of the disease. In a study published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at Public Health England found that two doses of the Pfizer vaccine are 88% effective at preventing symptomatic disease caused by the delta variant, compared to 93% against the alpha variant. The researchers also say two doses of AstraZeneca vaccine are 67% effective against delta, compared to 74% against the alpha variant.

A single dose of Pfizer is just 36% effective against delta, the researchers say, while one shot of AstraZeneca was just 30% effective. 

A study posted online Tuesday suggests that Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot COVID-19 vaccine may be less effective against the emerging variants of the coronavirus, compared to either of the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, Reuters and AFP.
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Tanzania’s main opposition party, the Party for Democracy and Progress, also known as Chadema, says police have detained their leader Freeman Mbowe.  Mbowe was arrested before he was scheduled to speak at a conference to announce demands for constitutional reforms.

The statement from Chadema’s Communication Director John Mrema, shared on Twitter, says Freeman Mbowe and 10 other Chadema members were rounded up at night in Tanzania’s northwestern port city of Mwanza.

“The party condemns the repression of the rights of Tanzanians with the strongest force. These are signs that the dictatorship that existed during the rule of President John Magufuli continues,” the statement said.

Mbowe was approached by an army of police officers in his hotel when he arrived at 2:30 am Wednesday and was arrested together with other leaders of the party, according to local reports.

While other Chadema members were taken to the Mwanza police station, there has been no information about Mbowe’s whereabouts so far.

“We want the police to come out and say where the chairman is and why he was arrested,” the opposition party statement said.

The deputy chairperson of Chadema, Tundu Lissu, pleaded for action in support of the country’s civil society.

“Calling for political reforms is no breach of any law,” he said. Lissu said that he urges “Tanzania’s dev’t [development] partners to stop subsidizing the CCM [Chama Cha Mapinduzi] dictatorship & to support democracy,” in a Twitter post Wednesday.

The Chama Cha Mapinduzi is the country’s ruling party and the second longest ruling party on the continent.

On Monday, Mbowe said the party would not leave the city until the new constitution conference takes place, telling the government if it intends to prevent them from organizing the conference they should enhance their skills to fight the people.

 
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U.S. first lady Jill Biden heads to Alaska Wednesday on the first stop of a trip that will see her lead the official U.S. delegation at the Olympics in Tokyo. 

In Alaska, Biden is scheduled to tour a medical center and call attention to the need for access to health care in rural areas. The White House said Biden will also encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. 

At the Games in Tokyo, Biden is scheduled to attend Friday’s opening ceremony. 

Joining her in the U.S. delegation is Raymond Greene, the chargé d’affaires and interim at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. 

“Our team will be following very strict safety and health protocols, limiting engagement with the public, keeping our footprint as small as possible,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday. “Our COVID team at the White House, as well as health officials at the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and the government of Japan, all agree that the stringent protocols and health measures in place will help keep our delegation safe.” 
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Some members of Haiti’s opposition say they will not support Prime Minister-designate Ariel Henry, whom President Jovenel Moise named to the position a day before he was assassinated. Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph has led the country since the president was killed inside his private residence in the early hours of July 7.  

On Saturday, the influential CORE group issued a statement, calling for the formation of a “consensual and inclusive government.” The CORE group is comprised of ambassadors from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, the European Union, Brazil, and the representatives of the United Nations, as well as the Organization of American States.  

“To this end, we encourage Prime Minister-designate Ariel Henry to pursue the mission he was charged with to form this type of government,” the statement said.  

“Although Haiti faces grave danger, the members of the group express their hope that together, the political, economic and civil society actors of the country will support their officials as they work to reestablish security,” the statement added.    

Henry, a 71-year-old neurosurgeon, addressed the nation on Sunday, identifying himself as prime minister and promising to announce his Cabinet soon.  

“In short order, I will announce the members of my consensual government who will occupy their posts for a brief period of time, until we hold elections to choose our next president,” Henry said. “Over the past few days, I have met with leaders from all sectors of civil society as well as politicians and members of the private sector. I intend to continue these discussions because it is the only way to unite as a Haitian family.”   

In response to a question posed by VOA Creole during a Port-au-Prince press conference on Friday, Joseph denied wanting to stay in power.    

“I do not have any personal ambitions. I am not a member of any particular political party. Jovenel Moise named me charge d’affaires, Jovenel Moise named me foreign minister, and it is under Jovenel Moise that I became prime minister. I have no ties to any political party,” Joseph told VOA.

It was not clear when Joseph would step down.  

Opposition rejects CORE group, PM designate 
 
Former Senator Serge Jean Louis of the Fron Nasyonal Demokrasi (FND) party rejected outright the CORE group’s statement Monday.  

“I am almost sure that no one in the opposition supports this because it’s a road to nowhere. This is just another PHTK government (the party of Moise) – with the same orientation,” he told VOA.    

Lawyer Caleb Jean Baptiste, who heads a legal group dedicated to defending prisoners and human rights, also rejected the CORE group statement.    

“The CORE group is not Dessalines (Haitian revolutionary war hero), it is not Henry Christophe (Haitian revolutionary hero), it is not Haitian, they are interfering in our country, they are violating the OAS charter, they are violating all the agreements that we have signed and ratified, the CORE group does not have the right to do that,” Jean Baptiste told VOA.  

VOA Creole reached out to both Henry and Joseph for comment but did not get a response.   

Funeral preparations 

Meanwhile, in Cape Haitian, preparations for Moise’s funeral on Friday are under way. VOA Creole’s reporter in the northern city saw stands being built to accommodate VIPs who will be attending the official ceremony on Friday.  

VOA also visited the cemetery where the president will be laid to rest next to his father, Etienne Moise, who passed away on October 4, 2020. It was the president’s desire to be buried next to his father, his family said.    

First lady Martine Moise returned to Haiti on Saturday from Miami, where she was treated for wounds sustained during the attack that resulted in her husband’s death. Dressed in black, protected by an anti-bullet vest and with her arm in a sling. She was greeted at the airport by Joseph, with whom she has been in frequent contact since the assassination.  
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U.S. President Joe Biden hosts Jordan’s King Abdullah at the White House Monday with several key regional issues on the agenda, as well as a show of support for the Jordanian leader after a challenge to his rule. 

“It will be an opportunity to discuss the many challenges facing the Middle East and showcase Jordan’s leadership role in promoting peace and stability in the region,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. She called Jordan “a key security partner and ally of the United States.” 

Monday’s meetings are expected to include discussion of the situation in Syria, where a decade of conflict has pushed more than 1 million Syrians into Jordan, as well as neighboring Iraq, where U.S. forces have been the target of attacks by Iran-backed militias. 

Other topics include efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal, dormant Israel-Palestinian peace talks, and the Trump-era Abraham Accords that saw Israel normalize relations with four Arab states. 

Abdullah’s in-person visit with Biden is the first by a Middle East leader since the U.S. president took office in January. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is scheduled to go to the White House next week, and the Biden administration is planning a visit for Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. 

Last week, a Jordanian security court sentenced two former officials to 15 years in prison for allegedly conspiring with the king’s half-brother, Prince Hamzah, to instigate unrest against the monarch while seeking foreign assistance.

The former officials were arrested in April, and Hamzah was placed under house arrest, though he was never charged. All three denied the accusations against them. 

Some information for this report came from the Associated Press and Reuters. 
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The leader of the Taliban said Sunday that his movement is committed to a political settlement to end decades of war in Afghanistan, even as the insurgents battle in dozens of districts across to country to gain territory. 

The statement by Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada came as Taliban leaders were meeting with a high-level Afghan government delegation in the Gulf state of Qatar to jump-start stalled peace talks. The Kabul delegation includes the No. 2 in the government, Abdullah Abdullah, head of Afghanistan’s national reconciliation council. 

The talks resumed Saturday, ahead of the four-day Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which in many parts of the world is expected to start Tuesday. A second session took place Sunday afternoon. 

Washington’s peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who is in Qatar, previously expressed hope for a reduction in violence and possibly a cease-fire over Eid al-Adha. 

Akhundzada said that “in spite of the military gains and advances, the Islamic Emirate strenuously favors a political settlement in the country, and every opportunity for the establishment of an Islamic system.”  

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is what the Taliban called their government when they ruled the country for five years, until their ouster by a U.S.-led coalition in 2001. 

Still, there are few signs of a political agreement on the horizon. Battles between the Taliban and government forces are continuing in dozens of provinces, and thousands of Afghans are seeking visas in hopes of leaving the country. Most are frightened that the final withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops after nearly 20 years will plunge their war-ravaged nation into deeper chaos. With the U.S. withdrawal more than 95% complete, Afghanistan’s future seems uncertain. 

Militias with a brutal history have been resurrected to fight the Taliban but their loyalties are to their commanders, many of them U.S.-allied warlords with ethnic-based support. 

This has raised the specter of deepening divisions between Afghanistan’s many ethnic groups. Most Taliban are ethnic Pashtuns and in the past there have been brutal reprisal killings by one ethnic group against another. 

In a sign of how little progress has been made in negotiations, both sides are still haggling over terminology, unable to agree on the name for the nation. The Taliban are insisting on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Kabul wants the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. 

Meanwhile Akhunzada’s statement demanded an Islamic system without explaining what that meant. 

He promised to support education, but for girls he said the “Islamic Emirate will … strive to create an appropriate environment for female education within the framework of sublime Islamic law.” 

He didn’t say how that differed from the educational institutions that have been created during the last 20 years and whether women would be allowed the freedom to work outside their home and move freely without being accompanied by a male relative. 

He said the Taliban have ordered their commanders to treat civilians with care and to protect institutions and infrastructure. Yet, reports have emerged from areas coming under Taliban control that schools have been burned, women have been restricted to their homes and some government buildings have been blown up. 

The Taliban have denied reports of such destruction, saying that the footage being shown is old and accused the government of being engaged in disinformation and propaganda. 
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