Canada has been dragged into the EU's vaccine chaos with Pfizer and Moderna both cutting back deliveries from Europe while Brussels goes to war on jab exports to rescue its own stumbling vaccine roll-out.
With no home-grown vaccines in Canada and no jabs being shipped from the United States, the country is reliant on factories in Europe to supply the doses.
But Moderna's next shipment will be one-third smaller than expected - with only 168,000 jabs arriving instead of 250,000 - while Pfizer deliveries have seen a month-long slowdown because of delays at a manufacturing plant in Belgium.
A Canadian government source told the Toronto Star that the EU's new checks had hampered the delivery of Moderna supplies to countries such as Canada.
Only 3.1 jabs per 100 people have been handed out in Canada so far, even lower than the EU's figure of 4.2 and far below America on 13.5 or Britain on 20.0.
With Brussels now haranguing manufacturers and snooping on exports from the bloc, Canadians fear that supplies will be restricted further - with Justin Trudeau's government under pressure for failing to get written promises from the EU.
The pace of Canada's vaccine programme has been even slower than the much-criticised roll-out in the EU, with both languishing far behind Britain and the United States
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, pictured, has come under pressure over a slow vaccine roll-out and for failing to get firm guarantees from Brussels that the EU will not hold up shipments
While Canadian trade minister Mary Ng said the government had received verbal reassurances from Brussels, the lack of a formal guarantee has caused concern.
Canada is not one of the countries exempted from the EU's export ban, a list which includes some developed countries such as Norway, Switzerland and Israel.
The EU has approved at least one shipment to Canada since bringing in the controversial checks on January 29, but deliveries are still smaller than expected.
Asked about possible vaccine delays, German MEP Peter Liese told CBC last night that the Canadian government should 'pick [up] the phone and call Joe Biden'.
'Trump made the export ban, and Biden is not Trump. Biden wants co-operation and we need co-operation,' he said.
Brussels imposed the crackdown last month after feuding with AstraZeneca over delayed supplies to Europe while Britain was still getting its full quota of doses.
AstraZeneca pointed to the UK's swifter action in signing a contract with the firm - after the EU also lagged behind Britain and America in agreeing a deal with Pfizer.
While the UK and US have made strong starts to their vaccine programmes, the EU's has been widely pilloried and the pace of Canada's roll-out is even slower so far.
Only this month did Trudeau announce plans for vaccine production to begin in Canada, and the Novavax jab set to be manufactured has yet to be approved by regulators - with the factory not expected to be ready until July.
Canada is also set to tap into the global Covax scheme, drawing criticism for using a programme intended to help poorer countries.
Opposition parties and anti-poverty groups such as Oxfam blasted the government after Canada became the only G7 nation to buy into the scheme.
Through Covax, Canada is to receive 1.9 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, in addition to 20 million doses secured directly from the British-Swedish firm.
Care home resident Margaret Watson, 94, gets a shot of a coronavirus vaccine in Winnipeg
Canada's supplies from Europe have come under pressure just as the EU goes to war with manufacturers over deliveries to the bloc (pictured, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen)
Meanwhile, the province of Manitoba has bypassed Trudeau's government to order two million doses of a vaccine candidate that is currently in early trials.
Manitoba premier Brian Pallister said his government had agreed to buy the doses from Alberta-based Providence Therapeutics.
Pallister, a Progressive Conservative, has criticised Trudeau for the slow rollout - saying that 'I just want a Canadian home field advantage for us'.
Trudeau admitted last week that 'there is a lot of anxiety' over vaccine supplies, but insisted that 'we are very much on track'.
Vowing that all adults in the country of 37million will be able to get a vaccine by September, Trudeau said he still expects to get four million doses from Pfizer and two million from Moderna by the end of March.
Pfizer said last month that delays to its shipments to Canada would continue until mid-February because of changes being made at its Belgian plant.
Meanwhile, a Moderna vaccine shipment was due to arrive this week with only 78 per cent of the expected doses.
And the next shipment due to arrive in the week of February 22 will be 82,000 doses short of the promised 250,000, according to the National Post.
Like other countries, Canada is also set to start squeezing a sixth dose out of Pfizer vials which were originally labelled as containing five.
Changes at Pfizer's manufacturing plant in Belgium (pictured) have led to delays in vaccine supplies to the Canadian government
Trudeau has also spoken to Biden about a Pfizer plant in Michigan which Canada's health regulator has approved as a possible supplier for the country.
But the US government has an agreement with Pfizer in which the first 100million doses produced in America will be owned and distributed by the US government.
'We're focused on ensuring that the American people are vaccinated, that we are getting as many shots in the arms of Americans as possible,' White House press secretary Jen Psaki said last week.
Anita Anand, the Canadian federal procurement minister, has said the doses that are emerging from the Michigan plant are for distribution in the United States.
Canada has piled up 817,163 confirmed cases and 21,088 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
While infection numbers have steadily fallen since the start of the year, officials in Ontario fear that new variants could lead to a resurgence in the coming weeks.
As a result, aggressive vaccination and 'sticking with stay-at-home' will be needed to prevent a third wave, according to a panel of scientists in the province.
Ontario and other Canadian provinces have so far focused on vaccinating healthcare workers, long-term care residents and staff, and remote indigenous communities.
Australian Open players savoured the atmosphere of a crowd hours before Melbourne Park closes its doors to fans because of a snap five-day lockdown.
The sight of unmasked spectators and the sound of raucous cheers at the Grand Slam has been a glorious reminder of the best parts of live sport at a time when empty stadiums and piped fan noise on TV are the norm.
From midnight on Friday until Wednesday people must stay at home, schools are closed and gatherings are banned as Victorian premier Daniel Andrews said a "short, sharp circuit breaker" was needed to combat an outbreak of the UK strain of coronavirus.
It meant that fans were still allowed into Melbourne Park on Friday to watch players including Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, and will be able to get behind home hope Nick Kyrgios when he takes on Dominic Thiem (08:00 GMT).
The Kyrgios match is in the evening session Australian time and organisers have told ticket-holders they must be home by midnight, if they are not kept away by the impending lockdown.
Those fans will be missed - and not just by Kyrgios, who said the crowd spurred him on in his thrilling five-set win on Wednesday.
"It's rough. It's going to be a rough few days for I think everyone. But we'll hopefully get through it," 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams said.
"It's not ideal. It's been really fun to have the crowd back, especially here. It's been really cool," she added. "But, you know what, at the end of the day we have to do what's best. Hopefully it will be all right."
Three-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka urged fans on John Cain Arena to give her a rendition of local chant "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi! Oi! Oi!", telling them: "Thanks for coming out, it's so great to play in front you."
Former world number three Grigor Dimitrov added: "I mean, clearly it's unexpected. [But we are] still being very fortunate to be able to play a Grand Slam tournament in the middle of a pandemic."
The players will enter a biosecure 'bubble' from Saturday morning similar to ones they have experienced at tournaments for much of the pandemic, whereby they are not allowed to leave their hotels or the tournament grounds.
"They've been doing this all year," Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said.
"The last five days have been a unique experience for them and the next five will be back to what they know."
Before this outbreak - involving found 13 cases stemming from a quarantine worker at a Melbourne hotel - Victoria had not had a local infection for 28 days and the state had largely eliminated the virus.
Last year, in Australia's winter, Melbourne locals endured one of the world's longest and strictest lockdowns to overcome a second wave that led to more than 90% of Australia's 29,000 cases and 909 deaths.
Preparations for the Grand Slam had been mired in controversy, with locals concerned about the influx of so many international players during a global pandemic, and complaints from some players about strict quarantine measures.
The build-up last week was disrupted when a worker at one of the tennis quarantine hotels tested positive, with warm-up events paused and players having to be tested. And the Australian Open itself is being held three weeks later than usual so that players could quarantine for 14 days.
Up to 30,000 fans have been allowed in each day - around 50% of the usual attendance - although the actual numbers attending have fallen well short of that and only 21,000 came through the gates on Thursday.
Fans who had already bought tickets will get their money back and Friday's night session is still open, despite Andrews encouraging Victorians to stay at home.
"It's entirely up to our fans to make their choice," Tiley said. "They'll be coming to a Covid-safe environment... but they will get a refund if they are not comfortable coming."
In a second such incident in China since 2018, performers for a state TV show wore outfits depicting Africans and darkened their skin with makeup.
China’s state broadcaster has come under fire once more for a performance featuring dancers made up to look African during its annual gala show to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
During CCTV’s four-hour show which typically draws hundreds of millions of viewers, performers appeared on stage wearing outfits that approximated African clothing and had darkened their skin with makeup.
“The New Year Gala director team is just stupid and vicious,” said one of a number of users who took to Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media platform, to criticise the skit.
“Is there any difference between Chinese people doing blackface and white people slanting their eyes to make fun of Asians?”
One would think the Chinese govt has learned from the backlash against the blackface last time (https://t.co/5DN7AzTMOA). What this says is just how insulated the CCP's info environment has become. https://t.co/GeeXUSJbYj
Another part of the event showed Chinese performers in ancient Egyptian costumes as well as in Spanish dress, which a journalist has described as a ham-handed appropriation of other cultures.
The gala sparked similar controversy in 2018 over a skit featuring actress Lou Naiming. She appeared on stage in colourful garb, her face and arms coloured brown, carrying a fruit basket on her head and accompanied by someone costumed as a monkey.
Organisations and advocates for Africans in China also criticised the show, which aired on Thursday evening.
“While supporters of the practice allege that blackface centers on empathy & realism, it’s difficult to disassociate it from a long history of minstrelsy & fixation on problematic caricatures,” Black China Caucus, an activist group, said on Twitter.
Complaints of racism also erupted in 2018, when Chinese actor Lou Naiming (centre) performed a skit, where actors also wore blackface [Stringer/Reuters]“Next year, we hope organisers decide to end this practice & hire some of thousands of Black people living in many parts of China.”
The show, which this year focused on celebrating Chinese medical workers and the country’s space programme, has been a television staple since it was first broadcast in 1983.
Racism directed at Africans in China has also been on the rise.
Last year, several Africans living in China were subjected to humiliation, as they were singled out and chased down by police officers who accused them of being infected with the coronavirus.
Democrats have concluded their arguments that Donald Trump incited the 6 January Capitol riot, warning "he can do this again" if he is not convicted.
Impeachment prosecutors on Thursday used rioters' own words to link Mr Trump to the violence while arguing the riot had caused long-term harm as well.
Democrats also presented accounts from police, staff, intelligence officials and foreign media to pursue their case.
The former president's defence team will present their arguments on Friday.
The Democratic-led House of Representatives impeached Mr Trump last month, accusing him of inciting the riot. Lawmakers from the House have been presenting their case to senators this week.
Mr Trump's lawyers have argued he was using his right to freedom of speech when declaring last November's presidential election fraudulent.
A two-thirds majority is required to convict Mr Trump in the evenly split 100-seat Senate, but an acquittal looks likely as the vast majority of Republican senators have remained loyal to him so far.
If Mr Trump is convicted, however, the Senate could also vote to bar him from holding elected office again.
The violent riot at the US Capitol, which saw five people lose their lives, was an attempt by Trump supporters to stop the election result being certified.
On Wednesday the trial was shown new footage of the violence Mr Trump is accused of inciting. Democrats sought to detail how Mr Trump sparked the attack on the Capitol and took senators step-by-step through the events of 6 January.
On Thursday, they embarked on the final point of their prosecution: the harm they say Mr Trump caused to property, people and democracy.
"Because impeachment, conviction and disqualification [from office] is not just about the past. It's about the future," Congressman Ted Lieu told the trial, after arguing Mr Trump also showed no remorse for his actions.
"It's making sure that no future official, no future president does the same exact thing."
House prosecutor Joe Neguse made the case that Mr Trump was "not just some guy" making a controversial speech - he was a president addressing supporters who were "poised for violence [and] he struck a match".
Democrats showed clips of rioters themselves saying they had come to Washington DC because they believed that was what then-President Trump wanted.
Fellow House manager David Cicilline used video and court documents to illustrate the harm done to "Congress and the Democratic process".
He added that some rioters admitted they planned to murder Vice-President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, while others spoke of "sealing" lawmakers in the basement where they hid and "turning on the gas".
"Never did any of us imagine that we would face mortal peril by a mob riled up by the president of the United States," Mr Cicilline said.
He also shared accounts from staff who were in the Capitol during the riot. One staff member, he says, quit her job afterwards. Another employee, who is a mother of three, said "the insurrection shattered all my sense of security at work".
Impeachment: The basics
What is impeachment? Impeachment is when a sitting president is charged with crimes. In this case, former President Trump is accused of having incited insurrection
What has already happened? The House of Representatives voted to impeach Mr Trump for a second time on 13 January, a week before the end of his term. The Senate is now holding a trial
So what does it mean? As he is no longer president senators can vote to bar him from holding public office again - but only if he is convicted
Democrats also argued Mr Trump's conduct caused "long-term harm" to both domestic security and the nation's international standing.
Impeachment manager Diana DeGette argued threats from domestic extremist groups "were and are made worse by President Trump's refusal to take accountability and his refusal to forcibly denounce what his own FBI identified as some of the most dangerous elements of our country".
On the international level, Congressman Joaquin Castro said American allies were shocked by the attack while adversaries mocked the US.
"The world is watching and wondering whether we are who we say we are," said Mr Castro.
Lead impeachment manager Jamie Raskin concluded by outlining questions for Donald Trump's defence team, as Mr Trump himself has refused to testify:
Why did President Trump not tell his supporters to stop the attack on the Capitol as soon as he learned of it?
Why did President Trump do nothing to stop the attack for at least two hours after the attack began?
Why did he do nothing to send help to overwhelmed and besieged law enforcement officers for at least two hours after the attack begin?
On 6 January, why did President Trump at any point that day do nothing to condemn the violent insurrection and insurrectionists?
If a president incited a violent insurrection against our government, would that be a high crime and misdemeanour?
Senators may get their wish of a speedy trial
The House impeachment managers have finished presenting their case over the course of about 13 hours.
Donald Trump's defence team will now get its turn. His lawyers will have up to 16 hours over two days to offer a rebuttal, although they're already saying they plan to wrap up by Friday evening.
They feel like they're winning - and, if listening to Republican senators is any indication, they're probably right.
After Trump's side finishes, senators will have up to four hours to present written questions to the legal teams.
That will be followed by a debate and vote over whether to allow witnesses - if either side wants them. If they don't, or if the vote fails, both sides will make brief closing arguments followed by the final vote on Trump's fate.
All told, this could wrap up as early as Saturday night or by Monday at the latest - less than a week from start to finish.
That stands in stark contrast to Trump's last trial, which took three weeks, or President Andrew Johnson's proceedings in 1868, which had witnesses and took more than two months.
Most of the Senate seems ready to move on as soon as possible - and it looks like they'll get their wish.
Mr Trump's Attorneys Bruce Castor and David Schoen will have up to 16 hours over the next two days to set out their defence, although they are not expected to use all that time.
Earlier on Thursday, Mr Schoen accused the Democrats of making "movies" and presenting the case as an "entertainment package" with the video and audio footage they showed the Senate.
After Trump's team concludes their case, the Senate will have up to four hours to ask written questions of both sides.
If no witnesses are called, a vote on conviction could take place as early as this weekend.
The head of Myanmar’s new military government has warned civil servants to return to work and urged people to stop mass gatherings to avoid spreading the coronavirus, as a sixth day of protests against army rule spanned the country.
Meanwhile, the US has imposed sanctions on Myanmar’s acting president and several other military officers as Washington seeks to punish those it deems responsible for the military coup in Myanmar.
The February 1 coup and the detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, along with scores of others, have prompted the biggest demonstrations since a 2007 “Saffron Revolution” that ultimately became a step towards democratic reforms in a country that spent decades under military rule after a 1962 coup.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing addressed the protests for the first time in public on Thursday, blaming “unscrupulous persons” for work stoppages in a growing civil disobedience movement by medics, teachers, railway workers and many other government employees.
“Those who are away from their duties are requested to return to their duties immediately for the interests of the country and people without focusing on the emotion,” he said.
In a statement issued by the army’s information service, he also urged people to avoid gatherings, which he said would fuel the spread of the coronavirus.
Protesters, however, gathered across the country on Thursday.
Hundreds of workers lined a road in the capital, Naypyidaw, chanting slogans against the military government and carrying placards supporting Aung San Suu Kyi, who had spent some 15 years under house arrest during a struggle against previous military governments before the troubled democratic transition began in 2011.
Thousands also demonstrated in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city.
“What a joke! He must be completely delusional to ask people who are protesting against him to come back and work,” said one Twitter user, who identified as Nyan Bo Bo, in response to Min Aung Hlaing’s statement.
The protests have revived memories of almost half a century of direct army rule, punctuated by bloody crackdowns, until the military began relinquishing some power in 2011.
Demonstrators wave National League for Democracy party flags during a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar [AP Photo]Joining trade unions and groups of workers already taking part in the movement, some police officers in Kayah State broke ranks and joined the protesters – calling themselves “the police of the people”.
Soe Aung, a human rights activist who participated in a 1988 student uprising that ended in a violent military crackdown, said this movement has much broader support.
“I think that the military will not be able to use its might in full extent,” Soe Aung said.
“The time is different, the world is different,” the activist added, noting the “strong statements” by the international community against the coup.
Sanctions
On Thursday Washington blacklisted eight individuals, including the defense and home affairs ministers, imposed additional sanctions on the top two military officials and targeted three companies in the jade and gems sector, according to the Treasury Department’s website.
“The US Department of Treasury designated 10 individuals and three entities, for their association to the military apparatus responsible for the coup. Three entities, wholly owned subsidiaries of a conglomerate owned or controlled by the Burmese military have also been designated,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
“Additionally, as the President announced the US government has also taken steps to prevent the generals from improperly accessing more than $1bn dollars in Burmese government funds held in the US, the Department of Commerce is also taking immediate action to limit exports of sensitive goods to the Burmese military and other entities associated with the recent coup.
“In addition, we’re freezing US assistance that benefits the Burmese Government, while maintaining our support for our healthcare civil society groups, and other areas that benefit the Burmese people directly. We will also continue our support for the Rohingya and other vulnerable populations,” Psaki said.
Min Aung Hlaing and other top generals are already under US sanctions imposed in 2019 over abuses against Rohingya Muslims and other minorities. Sanctions could also target military holding companies with investments spanning banking, gems, copper, telecoms and clothing.
The United Kingdom, meanwhile, said it was also considering measures it could apply to punish the coup.
Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters also demonstrated outside the Chinese embassy in Yangon, accusing Beijing of supporting the military government despite Chinese denials. They held up pictures of Aung San Suu Kyi to demand her release.
The military launched the coup after what it said was widespread fraud in a November election, won by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) in a landslide. The electoral commission had rejected those claims.
Aung San Suu Kyi, who was swept to power following a historic election victory in 2015, faces charges of illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios.
Former minister Kyaw Tint Swe, regarded as her right-hand man, was arrested in another sweep overnight, a senior NLD official said. He had been one of her representatives in crunch talks with the military before the coup.
NLD information committee member Kyi Toe said Kyaw Tint Swe and four other people linked to the removed government had been taken from their homes overnight, and the top leadership of the former electoral commission had all been arrested.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners rights group said at least 220 people had been arrested since the coup.
Al Jazeera’s Scott Heidler, who has reported extensively on Myanmar, said sanctions and a potential return to pariah status to most of the outside world could undo the economic progress Myanmar – one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia – has made since the election in 2015.
“But for now, the message and the goal for the protesters are clear: get as many people as possible out on the streets, while at the same time, drawing in more international attention and involvement,” Heidler said.
The United Nations’ top human rights body is to consider a resolution on Friday drafted by the UK and the European Union condemning the coup and demanding urgent access for monitors.
The text “strongly deplores” the coup, in language that appears to be somewhat watered down from an initial draft circulated informally that would have condemned the coup, but still calls for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other officials, as well as access for UN human rights monitors to the country.
Aung San Suu Kyi, 75, won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for campaigning for democracy and remains hugely popular at home despite damage to her international reputation over the plight of the Rohingya.
Complaints of racism also erupted in 2018, when Chinese actor Lou Naiming (centre) performed a skit, where actors also wore blackface [Stringer/Reuters]
Demonstrators wave National League for Democracy party flags during a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar [AP Photo]