Top Asian News 12:11 p.m. GMT

Hundreds of Myanmar lawmakers under house arrest after coup

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Hundreds of members of Myanmar’s Parliament were under house arrest Tuesday, confined to their government housing complex and guarded by soldiers a day after the military seized power in a coup and detained senior politicians including the country’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. One of the detained lawmakers said he and about 400 others spent a sleepless night, worried they might be taken away, but were otherwise OK. They were able to speak with one another inside the compound and communicate to the outside by phone, but were not allowed to leave the housing complex in Naypyitaw, the capital.

Pakistan orders man acquitted in Pearl murder off death row

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Pakistani-British man acquitted of the 2002 gruesome beheading of American journalist Daniel Pearl off death row and moved to a so-called government “safe house." Ahmad Saeed Omar Sheikh, who has been on death row for 18 years, will be under guard and will not be allowed to leave the safe house, but he will be able to have his wife and children visit him. “It is not complete freedom. It is a step toward freedom," said Sheikh's father, Ahmad Saeed Sheikh, who attended the hearing. The Pakistan government has been scrambling to keep Sheikh in jail since a Supreme Court order last Thursday upheld his acquittal in the Wall Street Journal reporter’s death, triggering outrage by Pearl's family and the U.S.

WHO team visits animal disease center in Wuhan, China

WUHAN, China (AP) — World Health Organization experts visited an animal disease center in the Chinese city of Wuhan on Tuesday as part of their investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. Team member Peter Daszak told reporters later they had “excellent facilities, very informative meeting,” and he tweeted the team met with staff in charge of the health of livestock in Hubei province, toured laboratories and had an “in-depth” discussion along with questions and answers. Further details of the visit were not announced. The team members were wearing full protective gear during Tuesday's visit, a further indication of the work China has put into preparations for the WHO visit to Wuhan, where the first COVID-19 illnesses emerged in late 2019.

EXPLAINER: How Nobel Peace Prize nominations come about

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Belarusian opposition figures, Hong Kong-pro-democracy activists, the global Black Lives Matter movement, a jailed Russian opposition leader and an American voting rights champion are among this year's nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. There is no shortage of causes or candidates for the Norwegian Nobel Committee to consider for what arguably remains the world’s most prestigious prize. But getting a nomination isn't the same being in the running for the award. Here's a look at the Nobel nomination process: WHO CAN NOMINATE CANDIDATES FOR THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE? Heads of state or politicians serving at a national level, university professors, directors of foreign policy institutes, past Nobel Prize recipients and members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee are among those deemed qualified to submit a nomination for the prize.

Top Chinese diplomat urges closer ties with US under Biden

BEIJING (AP) — China’s top foreign policy adviser is urging closer ties with the U.S. under the Biden administration, while saying Washington must “effectively respect China’s position and concerns on the Taiwan issue.” The head of the ruling Communist Party’s office on foreign affairs, Yang Jiechi, said the sides will have their differences but should not allow them to derail relations. In remarks Tuesday to the influential U.S. National Committee on United States-China Relations, Yang continued the positive tone China is taking toward the new U.S. administration following heightened tensions under former President Donald Trump. Ties sunk to a new low over differences on trade, human rights and Taiwan, the self-governing democracy that China claims as its own territory and threatens to bring under its control by military force.

56 homes lost, more threatened in Australian wildfire

PERTH, Australia (AP) — An out-of-control wildfire burning northeast of the Australian west coast city of Perth has destroyed at least 56 homes and was threatening more Tuesday, with many residents across the region told it is too late to leave. The 7,000-hectare (17,000-acre) blaze, which has a 80-kilometer (50-mile) perimeter, began on Monday and raged through the night near the town of Wooroloo, with the shires of Mundaring, Chittering, Northam, and the city of Swan affected. The losses were expected to grow as teams continued their damage assessments, Western Australia state Department of Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said.

AP PHOTOS: Virus uncertainty for China's Year of Ox vendors

WUHAN, China (AP) — Vibrant red lanterns line an alley in Wuhan, China, but customers only trickle in. Around the corner, Gong Linhua recalled earlier years when her store was packed and the street outside was brimming with snack carts. “This is the first time in 20 years of business that I’ve been in this situation,” said the seller of Lunar New Year decorations. At 60, she is contemplating retirement if the economy doesn’t pick up. Even in China, where COVID-19 is largely under control and economic growth accelerated to 6.5% in the last three months of 2020, the recovery is uneven and fresh outbreaks are dampening business for some.

China arrests suspects in fake COVID-19 vaccine ring

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Chinese police have arrested more than 80 suspected members of a criminal group that was manufacturing and selling fake COVID-19 vaccines, including to other countries. Police in Beijing and in Jiangsu and Shandong provinces broke up the group led by a suspect surnamed Kong that was producing the fake vaccines, which consisted of a simple saline solution, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The vaccines were sold in China and to other countries, although it was unclear which ones. The group had been active since last September, according to state media. “China has already reported the situation to the relevant countries,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing Tuesday.

Japan concerned over EU COVID-19 vaccine supply uncertainty

TOKYO (AP) — Japan is concerned about delays in the distribution of European-made coronavirus vaccines, an official said Tuesday, as it struggles to obtain enough doses to allow it to host the Olympics this summer. Taro Kono, the Cabinet minister in charge of COVID-19 vaccines, said the EU's lack of clarity in its supply schedule is affecting Japan's preparations. “Our vaccine supply schedule has not been finalized even now,” Kono said. Last month, the EU announced export controls on coronavirus vaccines made in the bloc under a so-called transparency mechanism requiring producers to prioritize existing contracts with the EU. The Pfizer vaccine is expected to be the first to receive Japanese government approval later this month.

Afghan officials: Bombings in Kabul kill 2, including cleric

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Separate explosions, set off by sticky bombs attached to cars, killed at least two people in the Afghan capital on Tuesday, including a prominent cleric who headed an Islamist nonprofit organization, officials said. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani denounced the cleric's death as a “”terrorist attack on the dignity and bright future of Afghanistan." No one immediately claimed responsibility for the Kabul attacks, which also wounded five people. The first bomb was attached to a military vehicle in central Kabul and wounded two military personnel, said Ferdaws Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief. An hour later, the second bomb, in the northern part of the city, killed two people, including cleric Mohammad Atef, and wounded two others.