Ghana’s essential workers, including police, health care workers and military personnel cast their votes Tuesday ahead of next Monday’s national elections.President Nana Akufo-Addo is facing 11 challengers, including former president John Mahama. The opposition leader is expected to be the president’s strongest rival in the West African nation’s election. The Congo-based media outlet AfricaNews cites a recent survey by the Center for Democratic Development that shows incumbent President Akufo-Addo held a slight lead over Mahama. Both candidates made reviving Ghana’s economy a cornerstone of their campaigns. The Electoral Commission said so-called Covid-19 ambassadors will be located at all 311 voting centers to make sure voters follow protocols, including wearing masks, getting temperature checks and are sanitizing their hands.Ghana has confirmed more than 51,600 coronavirus case and 323 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, which tracks COVID-19 globally.
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Month: December 2020
DOJ Investigating Possible White House Bribery-for-Pardon Scheme
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating a potential crime involving bribery and presidential pardons, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday.The document released by the chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, is heavily redacted with the names of the people involved blacked out.It describes federal prosecutors seeking access in late August to the contents of digital devices seized by the government.The court’s permission was needed because the contents of the devices included email conversations with a lawyer and may have been protected by attorney-client privilege. The prosecutors argued that that privilege was breached when the materials were shown to third parties.The prosecutors told the court they expected to find evidence that certain individuals illegally “acted as lobbyists to senior White House officials … to secure a pardon or reprieve of sentence’” for someone whose name is also redacted in the document.The document also cites “a related bribery conspiracy scheme” involving offering “a substantial political contribution in exchange for a pardon or reprieve of sentence.”The document indicates the prosecutors were given permission to access the devices in order to use the material to confront any subject or target of the investigation. However there has been no public reporting to date to suggest anyone has been charged with a crime related to the probe. The White House declined a VOA request for comment on the matter. Hours later, Trump tweeted, “Pardon investigation is Fake News!”Pardon investigation is Fake News!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2020Separately Tuesday, the New York Times reported that President Donald Trump has discussed with advisers the prospect of granting preemptive pardons to his sons Eric and Donald Jr., as well as his daughter, Ivanka, and personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. ABC News also reported Tuesday that Trump aides have discussed such pardons. In a tweet, Giuliani denied having discussed a potential preemptive pardon for himself with Trump. “NYT lies again. Never had the discussion they falsely attribute to an anonymous source,” Giuliani posted. Neither Giuliani nor any of the Trumps have been charged with a federal crime, and it is unclear how exactly a preemptive pardon would hold up legally. A president can issue pardons for federal crimes, but not for state or local crimes. Trump has issued a few high-profile pardons and commutations for his allies. Trump Has Granted Fewer Pardons, Commutations Than Previous Presidents Trump’s pardoning of Michael Flynn Wednesday was the 45th time the President has used his clemency power Last week, he pardoned Michael Flynn, who briefly served as national security adviser at the beginning of Trump’s term. In July, Trump commuted the sentence of his longtime adviser Roger Stone.
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US CDC Advisers Prioritize Health Care Workers, Nursing Home Residents for Vaccine
Healthcare workers and nursing home residents should be among the first Americans to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, members of a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee determined Tuesday. The panel voted 13-1 to give a vaccine, as soon as it’s approved, to the some 24 million Americans who are healthcare workers or nursing home residents, while supplies are still limited as production ramps up. The decision from the CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices comes as the U.S. records record numbers of coronavirus cases across the country. The U.S. recorded 4.36 million cases of COVID-19 in November — roughly double the number from a month earlier. The state of Florida surpassed 1 million cases Tuesday. The Trump administration has said that 20 million people could be inoculated by the end of this year. The FDA is considering an emergency request from Pfizer to authorize the use of its vaccine. Moderna said Monday it also would apply for emergency use authorization of its vaccine. FILE – A nurse prepares a shot that is part of a possible COVID-19 vaccine developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., in Binghamton, New York, July 27, 2020.Hours after Moderna’s announcement, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the agency would announce its decision up to a week after it decides on Pfizer’s application. Dr. Larry Corey of the University of Washington, who leads vaccine clinical trials in the U.S., has said once Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines are approved, they could make 50 million doses in January. The advisory committee met one day after nearly 139,000 new coronavirus cases and 826 deaths were reported in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins University. As it has for months, the U.S continues to lead the world in coronavirus infections, with nearly 13.7 million of the world’s 63.6 million cases. Over 270,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the U.S., more than any other country, according to Johns Hopkins, which reports over 1.4 million deaths worldwide. In Europe, which is also experiencing surges in coronavirus infections and related deaths, BioNTech and Moderna have applied to the European Union for approval of their vaccines, the EU said on Tuesday. EU officials are expected to decide on at least one of the vaccines by the end of December. BioNTech has already filed a similar application with the FDA. Its vaccine is under review in Australia, Canada, Japan and other countries. Since it began nearly a year ago, the coronavirus pandemic has dramatically increased the number of people who are experiencing extreme poverty, according to the United Nations. The U.N. said in its annual humanitarian report that 235 million people, or one in 33 people, will require basic needs like food, water and sanitation in 2021, a 40% increase from this year. The report said the greatest need for humanitarian assistance next year is in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia. The U.N. contributed a record $17 billion in 2020 for humanitarian response worldwide, the report said.
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Five Killed When Car Plows into Pedestrian Zone in Germany
Five people, including 9-month-old baby, were killed in Germany on Tuesday when a car plowed into a pedestrian street, according to local police. At least 14 other people were injured. Police in the southwestern town of Trier arrested the driver, a 51-year-old Trier native, who was intoxicated and appeared to be suffering from psychological problems, prosecutor Peter Fritzen said at a news conference. Police said there does not appear to be a political motive behind the incident, but Trier Mayor Wolfram Leibe warned that authorities “should not pass premature judgment.” In a statement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered condolences. “My sympathy goes to the families of those whose lives were so suddenly and violently torn away from them. I am also thinking of the people who suffered injuries, in some cases very serious ones, and I wish them strength,” she said. Germany has tightened security in pedestrian zones across the country since an attack on a Christmas market in Berlin in 2016 left 12 people dead.
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Biden Vows Economic Recovery ‘For All Americans’
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, facing a flagging economy staggered by the coronavirus pandemic, vowed Tuesday to build a “new American economy that works for all Americans” when he takes office January 20. “I know times are tough, but I want you to know that help is on the way,” Biden said in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, as he introduced his key economic advisers, including former Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen as his nominee for Treasury secretary. Biden urged Congress, where negotiations have deadlocked for months on more coronavirus aid to workers and businesses, “to pass a robust package of relief” in December before newly elected lawmakers take office in January. But he acknowledged that any new aid “is likely to be — at best — just the start,” and promised to put forth new spending proposals once he starts his four-year term. K-shaped recoveryWith tens of thousands of new coronavirus cases being recorded every day in the United States, Biden said the economic fortunes for Americans have been uneven, part of what economists are calling a K-shaped recovery. “For those at the top,” Biden said, “jobs have come back, and their wealth is rising. But for those in the middle and the bottom, it’s a downward slide. They’re left figuring out how to pay bills and put food on the table.” He said, “Almost one in every six renters was behind on rent payments as of late October.” He said his team of economic advisers “will create a recovery for all and get this economy moving again.” Janet Yellen, U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to be treasury secretary, speaks as Biden announces nominees and appointees to serve on his economic policy team at his transition headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, December 1, 2020.Yellen, if confirmed by the Senate, would be the first woman to head the Treasury Department in its 231-year history. She called the effect of the coronavirus on the U.S. economy, the world’s largest, “an American tragedy. It’s essential we move with urgency.” She called for programs to simultaneously address racial and gender inequality in the workplace and the effects of the pandemic to unleash workers’ “limitless potential.” Biden named his key economic officials on Monday but introduced each of them individually. He praised the group as a “first-rate team that will get us through the ongoing economic crisis and help us build our economy back better than before.” In addition to Yellen, Biden named Neera Tanden, currently president of the Center for American Progress, a liberal Washington public policy research and advocacy group, as director of the government’s Office of Management and Budget. If confirmed, Tanden would be the first woman of color and first South Asian American to head the agency. Already, some Republican senators have attacked Tanden’s nomination and signaled they could attempt to block it, saying she was a Democratic partisan who in the past has often attacked them. Biden also named Adewale (Wally) Adeyemo, a longtime economic policy official, to be Yellen’s deputy, the first African American to hold the second-ranking position at the Treasury Department. The president-elect picked labor economist Cecilia Rouse, dean of Princeton University’s public and international affairs school, as chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers. She would be the first Black person and the fourth woman to hold the job. Biden named two other economists — Jared Bernstein and Heather Boushey — as members of the Economic Council. UnemploymentMany of the 22 million jobs lost as the virus swept into the United States from China and Europe have been recovered. While the number of layoffs of workers totaled in the millions several months ago, for much of October and November, more than 700,000 newly unemployed workers filed for unemployment compensation each week — even now, a level unseen in records that date to the 1960s. Biden’s latest appointments underscore the incoming president’s promise to create a top rung of officials that demographically “looks like America,” one staffed with numerous female appointees and people of color. Biden’s nominees for top positions contrast with the largely white, male-dominated roster of top officeholders in the outgoing administration of President Donald Trump. On Sunday, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris named an all-female communications team, to be headed by campaign communications director Kate Bedingfield, and Jen Psaki as press secretary.
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Facebook Oversight Board Announces First Six Cases
Facebook’s oversight board has announced the first cases it’s going to examine to determine if it will overturn the social media giant’s decisions to delete content. Created in October, the board’s apparent role will be to assess cases of Facebook and Instagram users who say their content was wrongly removed. “As the Board cannot hear every appeal, we are prioritizing cases that have the potential to affect lots of users around the world, are of critical importance to public discourse or raise important questions about Facebook’s policies,” the board said in a statement accompanying the announcement Tuesday. Of the first six cases the board will review, three involve so-called hate speech, a nudity case, a “dangerous individuals” case and a case about potential misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic. Reuters reports that since October, the board has received 20,000 cases for possible review. The COVID-19 case involved a post that was removed for “violence and incitement” because it was critical of France’s coronavirus strategy of “purportedly refusing authorization for use of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin against COVID-19 but authorizing promotional mail for remdesivir.” “Facebook removed it for violating its policy on Violence and Incitement, and in its referral indicated to the Oversight Board that this case presents an example of the challenges faced when addressing the risk of offline harm that can be caused by misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic,” the case synopsis says. Hate speech casesHate speech cases include a post by former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, which said, “Muslims have a right to be angry and kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past.” Facebook says it was hate speech, but the poster said it was posted to draw attention to Mahathir’s “horrible words.” Another alleged hate speech post is of “two well-known photos of a deceased child lying fully clothed on a beach at the water’s edge” accompanied by Burmese text asking why there has been “no retaliation against China for its treatment of Uighur Muslims, in contrast to the recent killings in France relating to cartoons,” according to the synopsis. The poster argued the content should not have been removed because it “meant to disagree with people who think the killer is right and to emphasize that human lives matter more than religious ideologies.” The third hate speech case involves the removal of content showing the destruction of churches in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. The poster said, “their intention was to demonstrate the destruction of cultural and religious monuments.” In a case Facebook says violated its nudity policy, a post about breast cancer prevention was removed for showing breasts. Another case is about the removal of an alleged quote attributed to Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels, which the poster said made a point about current politics. The 20-member board will be divided into five-member panels to which the cases will be assigned, according to USA Today. The board said it is seeking public comment on the cases through December 8. Then, the board has 90 days to decide about each case.
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‘We Know What Needs to Be Done’: Young ‘Mock COP’ Delegates Deliver Climate Vision
World leaders should commit to a climate-smart recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, recognize a new human right to a healthy environment and make the deliberate destruction of nature a crime, youth climate activists urged on Tuesday.”Every moment of inaction makes things worse for our generation” as climate change impacts and nature losses surge, young representatives of more than 140 countries warned in a statement negotiated during two weeks of online talks.The youth-led “Mock COP” event was organized after the COP26 U.N. climate negotiations, due to be held in Glasgow last month, were delayed a year by the pandemic, with young people vowing to push ahead to develop climate policy if adults could not.”We know what needs to be done. What is lacking is political will to do it,” said Kelo Uchendu, 24, a Nigerian engineering student and delegate at the conference.As the talks ended Tuesday, researchers with the independent Climate Action Tracker reported that if all national governments met the 2050 net-zero emissions targets they have set or are considering, global warming goals remained within reach.Those targets include U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, as well as Chinese President Xi Jinping’s pledge of carbon-neutrality by 2060.With net-zero or similar aims now planned or in place in 127 countries, planetary heating could be limited to 2.1 degrees Celsius, putting the 2015 Paris Agreement goal of keeping it to “well below” 2C far closer than before, Climate Action Tracker said.But the world would still exceed the lower Paris aim of 1.5C of warming since pre-industrial times, which scientists say is key to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.And interim emissions reduction targets that would drive rapid action are insufficient, analysts said.”Long-term goals are good but it’s clear that governments need to act more quickly in the short term,” said Kat Kramer, charity Christian Aid’s climate change lead, in a statement.She urged “a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, ending ecosystem destruction and building resilience of communities vulnerable to climate impacts.”In a final statement like those produced at U.N. talks — and similarly issued in the form of a legal treaty that could be formally adopted by countries — young “Mock COP” delegates said all national climate plans should be aligned with the 1.5C goal.Delegates also called for 30% of land and oceans to be conserved, more safeguards for Indigenous people and for every country to ensure clean air through stronger regulation.Other demands included a stronger youth voice in decision-making, better education on climate change and more mental health services for youth struggling with “eco-anxiety.”Nigel Topping, Britain’s high-level climate action champion for the postponed COP26 talks who received the statement, said government leaders had been pressed into faster action on climate threats largely because of youth campaigning.”You’re sending a loud signal — and a very professional one — of expecting more from leaders around the world. Never underestimate how significant that is,” he told delegates.Participants said they would push their home governments to turn some of the statement’s language into new laws, particularly now that responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have made clear that big, rapid policy shifts are possible.”Getting countries to adopt this treaty would make a huge impact,” Uchendu, from Nigeria, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an online interview.David R. Boyd, a U.N. special rapporteur on human rights and the environment, said new policies would be crucial to avoiding the worst impacts of climate change, from growing hunger and poverty to more extreme weather and rising seas.”We know conclusively that we are on the precipice … and this has terrible consequences for people’s human rights,” he said.
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Horse Racing Returns to Mali’s Hippodrome After COVID Shutdown
Mali’s iconic Hippodrome in Bamako recently reopened its traditional horse races on Sundays after closing in March due to COVID-19.For jockeys like Mahamadou Tangara, the closure meant a complete loss of income. On any given Sunday, a jockey can win between $91 (50,000 francs) and $182 (100,000 francs) in prize money. No work means no winnings, Tangara said, adding that he felt nothing but difficulty for those eight months of shutdown.The races started up again November 15 — and immediately, the sport’s large, loyal audience returned to the track. Yacouba Dansoko, a sports journalist and race announcer, spoke about the importance of the races to the Malian public, saying that in terms of the audience, it’s No. 1. Soon after the races reopened, COVID-19 cases again rose sharply in Mali. Some jockeys and organizers wear masks, but most of the audience appears indifferent to COVID precautions. Officials are now discussing new COVID-19 countermeasures, which could include shutting down the races. The jockeys would lose their livelihood again, but Dansoko said the community is ready to accept the shutdown if it means saving lives.
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China Space Agency: Lunar Probe Successfully Lands on Moon
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has announced its Chang’e-5 spacecraft, designed to collect lunar samples and return them to Earth, successfully landed on the near side of the moon. China state media report the spacecraft arrived at the preselected landing area Tuesday and sent back images to the CNSA. The spacecraft – composed of orbiter, lander, ascender and returner components – was launched a week ago. The CNSA said the lander-ascender combination of the Chang’e-5 probe began a powered descent from about 15 kilometers above the lunar surface. They say the probe touched down on the north of the region known as Mons Rumker in Oceanus Procellarum, also called the Ocean of Storms, on the near side of the moon. Under ground control, the lander carried out a series of status checks and settings, preparing for about 48 hours of work on the lunar surface. The space agency said about 2 kilograms of samples are expected to be collected and sealed in a container. Then the ascender will take off and dock with the orbiter-returner combination in orbit. After the samples are transferred to the returner, the ascender will separate from the orbiter-returner. The orbiter is expected to carry the returner back to Earth. The returner is scheduled to reenter the atmosphere and land at Siziwang Banner in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
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Clash Kills Somali Soldiers, Civilians and Al-Shabab Militants
At least 15 people were killed early Monday morning in the central Somalia town of Ba’adweyene in the most recent attack by al-Shabab militants.The insurgents’ assault on a military base on Ba’adweyne’s outskirts left four soldiers dead, along with 11 civilians who had joined the battle, an official with Somalia’s Ministry of Information told VOA Somali on Tuesday.The ministry also said in a statement that 51 militants were killed and six were captured, with regional officials sharing photos of the militants on social media. The statement said an al-Shabab commander was captured in the fighting.Meanwhile, al-Shabab claimed on its website Tuesday that it had overrun the military base, killing 53 soldiers and seizing six vehicles outfitted with guns. The militant group published photos of weapons purportedly seized from the base, including anti-aircraft and B-10 recoilless rifles mounted on vehicles.VOA Somali could not independently verify the exact death toll from the fighting.Somali government officials did not say how many militants were involved in the attack on the base outside Ba’adweyne, a town 200 kilometers from the regional capital, Galkayo. A ministry official said the militants apparently arrived at the scene on foot, killing the four soldiers. Armed residents joined in the fighting and helped troops regain control, several residents told VOA Somali in phone calls. The residents are not being named for security reasons.Meanwhile, the government commended the residents for supporting government troops in battling al-Shabab.“This is a testament that if the public supports the army, enemy attacks and plots can be stopped,” the ministry statement read.Al-Shabab aims to overthrow the internationally supported government and establish an extremist Islamic state in Somalia.This report originated in the VOA Somali Service, with Harun Maruf reporting from Washington and Abdiwahid Maolin Isak from Galkayo, Somalia.
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After Protests, France Moves to Amend Security Law Text
For weeks, NGOs including the press freedom group Reporters Without Borders, have expressed concerns over the draft bill, especially its Article 24, which would make it a criminal offense for anyone to disseminate images that — according to the text — might “harm the physical or mental integrity” of police officers. Those found guilty could be punished by a year in prison or a fine of up to $53,000. Lawmakers from President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling party said Monday they would propose a “complete rewrite” of part of a draft law that would restrict the filming of police. The announcement came from majority leader Christophe Castaner, to reporters.Castaner said the majority failed to convince the public opinion that this text was not against the freedom of press, the right to inform and the legitimate control of police force. Therefore, a complete rewrite, the lawmaker said, is necessary.In a rare rebuke, even the European Commission declared last week that news media must be able to work freely. Opposition lawmakers welcome the announcement of the rewrite but demand further actions and the complete withdrawal of the so-called Global Security bill.Adrien Quatennens, an extreme-left MP from Northern France, explained that President Macron’s ruling majority did not understand the people’s will and the issue remains with the entire bill, not only its article 24 The French Senate will vote on the Global Security bill in January and the government says it will ask France’s high court to review — and possibly strike down — the bill.
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Thailand Rap Group Pens Soundtrack to Pro-Democracy Protests
Thailand’s most famous — some would say infamous — rap group is back with a vengeance.Rap Against Dictatorship shot to fame in 2018 with its debut track, “What My Country’s Got,” a politically charged invective skewering the country’s then-military junta. The video has garnered 94 million views on YouTube.The musical group launched its latest track, “Reform,” on YouTube a few weeks ago amid new anti-government protests roiling the capital, Bangkok. Its video has already attracted more than 7 million views. While taking on the same broad themes of state oppression, impunity and hypocrisy, the new song, like the protests themselves, takes aim at not just the government but the country’s once untouchable monarchy.MessageThailand’s youth have been taking to the capital’s streets by the thousands almost daily since July to demand the resignation of 2014 coup leader-turned-Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha and a new constitution stripped of the privileges it gifts the military.Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha waves as he attends an agreement signing ceremony for purchase of AstraZeneca’s potential COVID-19 vaccine at Government House, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Bangkok, Nov. 27, 2020.Since August, though, the “mob,” as the protesters call themselves, has been turning its ire increasingly at a royal palace it accuses of working together with the military to keep Thailand’s conservative elite in power and in wealth. They want King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s assertive reign brought firmly in check by new rules that would keep him out of politics and open the ledger on a lavish lifestyle paid for with their taxes.The protesters are flouting strict criminal defamation laws meant to shield the royal family from rebuke and a constitution that demands reverence to break through generations-old taboos.”Reform” is their soundtrack.R.A.D., as the music group is known, plays often to the protest crowds and performed its new track live for the first time at the “Mob Fest” event on Nov. 14. Fans at their latest shows already know the lyrics by heart.Tattep “Ford” Ruangprapaikitseree is one of the protest movement’s lead organizers and addresses the crowds on many days.”We speak on the microphone…. They [R.A.D.] speak through the song. But [it’s] the same idea,” he told VOA.”In the movement we have the demands,” he said, “and this song is like the messenger … to deliver [the] message in the protest.”The music track “Reform” brims with scorn for Prayut and thinly veiled jabs at the monarchy with references to pawns and kings, royal decrees and feudal rule. It hints at the protest movement’s 10-point reform plan for the monarchy and makes repeated passes at how the government and royals are spending the people’s tax dollars.My generation”This song is telling about [how] Thai people want to reform the monarchy, want to have a better life,” said Skan “Skanbombomb” Aryurapong, who directed the video for “Reform.”FILE – An audience member, second from right, raps with members of Rap Against Dictatorship on stage in Bangkok, Oct. 27, 2018. The group has touched a nerve with an impassioned and now-viral music video lobbing fiery rhymes at the ruling junta.No lawsuits followed from the probe. This past August, though, police did arrest founding member Dechathorn “Hockhacker” Bamrungmuang over a protest he attended the month before and charged him with sedition before releasing him on bail.After a two-year hiatus, authorities have also started charging protesters again with royal defamation, which carries a sentence of up to 15 years in jail. Skan and Pongsatorn said the group had a lawyer examine the lyrics to “Reform” for any potential legal traps. But the song is still raw and angry and vintage R.A.D.”We say what’s in people’s minds,” Pongsatorn said. “They want to say it but they don’t dare to say it because nowadays we still have something that pressures us, like a big wall that stops people from saying what they think, like government or laws.”R.A.D. wants to tear that wall down. Pongsatorn admits it may be too much to expect one song to change any minds, but he hopes it will kindle the conversations that could.”This can be a starter, because the song’s name is ‘Reform,'” he said, “and when people hear it, even [if] they are on [the] opposite side, they will have the idea of reform in their minds and later they will see other information and they can make judgments, they can make decisions later.”
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US Senators Propose New Bipartisan Coronavirus Aid Relief Deal
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Tuesday proposed a $908 billion coronavirus relief package in a new attempt to help unemployed workers and boost the flagging American economy as the number of virus infections soars by tens of thousands a day.Congress and the White House approved $3 trillion in relief early this year, but since then, despite lengthy negotiations, Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been unable to agree on the size of a new aid package or who would get the assistance.The new aid proposal unveiled by centrist senators is closer to the $500 billion deal that Republicans had sought and well short of the $2.2 trillion Democrats had been advocating.It is unclear whether the plan can be passed through both the Senate and House of Representatives before the current Congress’ term expires and a new Congress is seated on Jan. 3.Republican President Donald Trump had pushed for a new package larger than even Democrats had called for, but that was before Trump lost his bid for re-election a month ago to Democratic challenger Joe Biden.As president-elect, Biden has called for more federal coronavirus relief aid, but not spelled out the details of what he supports. Trump has stopped talking about new aid, instead focusing on his long-shot legal effort to overturn his electoral defeat to keep Biden from being inaugurated for a four-year term January 20.The new aid proposal would provide a $300-a-week federal boost in unemployment assistance to tens of millions of unemployed workers for four months on top of less generous state jobless aid. National $600 weekly assistance favored by Democrats expired at the end of July and has not been renewed.People line up in their cars in the parking lot of St. James Presbyterian Church in Littleton, Colorado, to receive food donations from Food Bank of the Rockies ahead of Thanksgiving, Nov. 25, 2020.The bipartisan agreement attempts to bridge past aid disagreements, calling for $240 billion in funding for state and local governments that Democrats want although it is opposed by most Republicans. The accord envisions a six-month moratorium on some coronavirus-related lawsuits against businesses and other entities — a Republican plank opposed by most Democrats.Small businesses would get $300 billion while $50 billion would help pay for distribution of coronavirus vaccines after they are approved by health regulators.Economists are warning of new dire problems for the economy if more aid is not approved. Several relief programs are set to expire at the end of the year, with 12 million Americans on pace to lose their jobless benefits. Eviction protections for renters and loan payment delays for student borrowers are also set to end.One of the lawmakers pushing for a compromise, Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, told CNBC, “If there’s one thing I’m hearing uniformly, it’s Congress, do not leave town for the holidays leaving the country and the economy adrift” as the remaining aid ends.Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine told reporters, “We recognize that families all across America are struggling, that businesses are closing, that hospitals are overwhelmed. It is absolutely essential that we pass emergency relief.”
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2 Pedestrians Killed, At Least 15 Injured in German City
Police in the western German city of Trier say at least two people were killed and 15 others were injured when a car sped through a pedestrian area in the city’s center.At a news briefing from the scene, Trier police spokesman Karl-Peter Jochem told reporters that authorities received a call in the early afternoon about the car and the motorist was hitting people at random.Witnesses told local media the dark grey Range Rover knocked people into the air.Jochem said police were able to stop the car, and they arrested a 51-year-old man, a German national, at the scene. The spokesman said they believe he acted alone and was being questioned as to a motive.Police said the city center had been cordoned off and helicopters were circling overhead.Parents were asked to pick up their children early from school, a local newspaper reported.Municipal authorities warned people to stay away from the city center. Local first responders and police remained at the scene.Germany has tightened security on pedestrian zones across the country since a deadly truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market in 2016 that killed 12 people and injured dozens.Trier is 200 kilometers west of Frankfurt, on the west-central border with Luxembourg.
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Nigerian Officials Worry as Citizens Flout Coronavirus Rules
In Nigeria, authorities are worried that COVID-19 may spike again, as millions ignore safety measures such as wearing facemasks and social distancing. Timothy Obiezu reports from Abuja.
Camera: Emeka Gibson
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US Center for Disease Control Advisers Meet to Prioritize Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution
Members of a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee meet Tuesday to determine who should get inoculated first against the coronavirus once a vaccine receives final approval.The CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices wants to inform the public about its recommendation before a decision is announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, committee chairman Dr. Jose Romero told CNN on Tuesday.The FDA is considering an emergency request from Pfizer to authorize the use of its vaccine. Moderna said Monday it also would apply for emergency use authorization of its vaccine.The CDC has already recommended that front-line health care workers and support personnel receive the first doses. The CDC also said residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities should be among the first to receive vaccinations.Hours after Moderna’s announcement, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the agency would announce its decision up to a week after it decides on Pfizer’s application.Dr. Larry Corey of the University of Washington, who leads vaccine clinical trials in the U.S., has said once Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines are approved, they could make 50 million doses in January.The advisory committee meets one day after nearly 139,000 new coronavirus cases and 826 deaths were reported in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins University.As it has for months, the U.S. continues to lead the world in coronavirus infections, with more than 13.5 million of the world’s 63.3 million cases. Over 268,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the U.S., more than any other country, according to Johns Hopkins, which reports 1.47 million deaths worldwide.In Europe, which is also experiencing surges in coronavirus infections and related deaths, BioNTech and Moderna have applied to the European Union for approval of their vaccines, the EU said on Tuesday. EU officials are expected to decide on at least one of the vaccines by the end of December.BioNTech has already filed a similar application with the FDA. Its vaccine is under review in Australia, Canada, Japan and in other countries.Since it began nearly a year ago, the coronavirus pandemic has dramatically increased the number of people who are experiencing extreme poverty, according to the United Nations.The U.N. said in its annual humanitarian report that 235 million people, or one in 33 people, will require basic needs like food, water and sanitation in 2021, a 40% increase from this year.The report said the greatest need for humanitarian assistance next year is in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia.The U.N. contributed a record $17 billion in 2020 for humanitarian response worldwide, the report said.
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Amid Dual Pandemics, HIV Innovation Continues in Africa
Thabani Raymond Kalala, or “coach,” as he prefers to be called, was diagnosed with HIV six years ago. He lives in a small town in rural South Africa, but this year, as societies across the globe went into viral lockdowns, his world expanded. The 33-year-old community development worker was part of a pilot project called Coach Mpilo — the word means “life,” or “health” in isiZulu. As a “coach,” he works with 54 newly diagnosed men and boys, supporting their battle against HIV and boosting them, in ways big and small.The launch of the project, earlier this year, coincided with the beginning of global shutdowns to stop the spread of coronavirus. However, he says, that hasn’t slowed down progress. “I think the program has been successful,” he told VOA by phone from his rural village along South Africa’s southern coast. “However, the challenge is, we had to cut down many people, actually we had to cut down many coaches. … We need to try, I’m not sure if this is possible, but if we can get more coaches, because the program has been very successful to such an extent that even the facilities that we work in have seen the difference that we’ve been doing.”Laboratory technicians test a blood sample for HIV infection at the Reproductive Health and HIV Institute (RHI) in Johannesburg, Nov. 26 2020.This small initiative is one of the ways that, 40 years after the emergence of AIDS, the nation with the world’s heaviest burden of HIV continues to innovate. The coaching program will soon be fully funded, for about $1 million a year, from the $90-billion U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.Those funds, which cover about 4,000 “players” and 50-plus coaches across South Africa, go a long way. Organizers say the results have been astonishing in terms of getting participants to stay on their medication. “I think this has been like a revolutionary program for us because it has never happened before where HIV-positive men come together, and support each other in a way that is very sincere and honest and which has, like, a brotherly kind of relationship,” said project coordinator Silver Shabalala. “We’ve seen that. I mean, the retention rate for Coach Mpilo in the six months that we piloted the project, it was a 98 percent retention. We retained almost 4,000 men that had been lost to treatment. And if you look at (Department of Health), their retention is almost like 24 percent, during COVID. So this was really something that was amazing in terms of the retention rate.”On Tuesday, Dr. Deborah Birx, the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy, said the dual pandemic has not stopped progress. Today’s HIV drugs can beat the virus down to undetectable levels in the blood, meaning it cannot be transmitted. The U.S. funded effort against AIDS has saved more than 20 million lives, resulted almost 3 million babies being born HIV-free and helped raise the number of people in treatment. But, she says, doctors can’t do it alone. That’s why they need community partners. “In some cases and in some countries we’re actually seeing more stigma and more discrimination among key populations,” she said via teleconference — echoing comments made by coaches and participants in the Coach Mpilo program. “This is not getting better. If anything, the structural barriers that exist now are getting higher and more difficult to address. And that’s why we have to put effort not only into setting up these peer-led services, but protecting those peer-led services so that they can be successful.”“Coach” Kalala has one message for the world during this very strange time. It’s precisely the kind of thing a coach would say — words that resonate well beyond his small town of Mtwalume, and well beyond one pandemic, or even two. “People shouldn’t feel sorry for us,” he said. “We’re just ordinary human beings, like every other, every other person who takes TB treatment, who takes BP treatment, you know. I think support is very important. Do not stigmatize.”
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Most European Governments to Ease Pandemic Rules Over Christmas Holiday, But Fearfully
All Europeans want is a merry and bright Christmas season, just like the ones they used to know. And under public pressure some governments are easing their pandemic restrictions in a bid to salvage something of the holiday spirit.But as some governments plan to soften restrictions by increasing the number of separate households permitted to socialize and allowing people to travel, others are still grappling with how far they should go in easing lockdowns or lifting curfews, fearing that having a merry Christmas will likely mean suffering a miserable new year.Scientists across the continent, which already accounts for a quarter of the world’s coronavirus cases and deaths from COVID-19, the disease triggered by the virus, are warning of a doubling in infection rates, if the regime for the holiday is too liberal.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week said it was important for European states to coordinate any easing of pandemic restrictions. “We will make a proposal for a gradual and coordinated approach to lifting containment measures. This will be very important to avoid the risk of yet another wave,” von der Leyen said.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, top, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, European Council President Charles Michel and Eurogroup President Paschal Donohoe attend a virtual meeting in Brussels, Nov. 26, 2020.Despite her call for coordinated action, national governments are making up their own minds without synchronizing approaches — as they have ever since the pandemic first struck the continent earlier this year. Many European governments say they have little choice but to ease pandemic restrictions, fearing that if they maintain stringent rules, their citizens will only ignore them. People who have elderly relatives with not many Christmases left to enjoy are unlikely to heed warnings to observe tight restraints, officials worry.As a result, some countries that have tight pandemic restrictions in place are planning to abandon them for a few days at least, including “whack-a-mole” strategies aimed at suppressing local outbreaks of contagion. They include England. Others, like Italy, though, are still struggling to decide.A patchwork of strategies is emerging. Take ski resorts for example. Italy’s prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, has said Italian resorts should remain closed over Christmas and the New Year holiday. Italian officials say he’s mindful that earlier this year, when the pandemic first appeared, the ski resorts in the Tyrol region in northern Italy and western Austria acted as super-spreaders. More than an estimated 6,000 people, from 45 countries, who contracted the coronavirus in March, either went on vacation in the Tyrol or came into contact with someone who did.A chairlift is pictured in front of the Geisler group massif at the Dolomites mountains near Bressanone, autonomous region of South Tyrol, northern Italy’s German-Italian speaking region, Nov. 26, 2020.Ski resorts and overseas vacationsGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel wants all resorts across Europe closed during Christmas. That, though, is something Austria and Switzerland are not prepared to do. Both countries are desperate for the resorts to generate some income and have said cable cars, restaurants and bars will operate, but with social distancing rules in place and mask-wearing required.“When someone uses a lift, it is similar to when they use public transport,” Sebastian Kurz, the Austrian chancellor, said last week. France, too, is planning to allow ski resorts to operate but without the use of lifts or cable cars. Some countries, including Germany, will require any of their citizens or residents returning from vacations abroad to quarantine for at least 10 days.Aside from ski resorts and overseas vacations, European countries are also trying to balance contradictory demands. They want to stem the spread of the virus but limit the economic fallout. The nations are also fearful of widespread non-compliance if they are too strict.Christmas and New Year’s restrictionsFrance is easing coronavirus lockdown rules incrementally ahead of the holiday. On Saturday, small businesses were allowed to reopen and places of worship permitted to hold services for up to 30 people. The French, who were required to stay within a kilometer of their homes, are now allowed to travel up to 20 kilometers away from their residences. After December 15, the current broad lockdown will be lifted, but a curfew will remain in place between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. local time except on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Unhindered travel will be permitted, allowing people to spend Christmas with family, but restaurants, bars and gyms won’t be allowed to reopen until January 20, and then only if the epidemic remains contained.“I call upon your sense of responsibility,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a nationwide broadcast last week. “This will certainly not be a Christmas like the others,” he warned, urging the French to wear masks and wash their hands.People line up outside a shop in Bayonne, southwestern France, Nov. 28, 2020. Non-essential shops around France are opening their doors as part of a staggered relaxing of lockdown restrictions.The Spanish government is yet to finalize Christmas plans. But Madrid is likely to impose a limit of six people at parties. It is encouraging all social gatherings in the run-up to the holiday to be held outside. Traditionally Spain celebrates the Feast of the Three Kings, marked by local parades on January 5, but the government has said the celebrations should not go ahead this time.In Italy, Conte, his ministers and regional heads of government have been debating what to allow and what to restrict, including whether midnight church services can go ahead. The country’s contagion rate has slowed in some regions but in others, transmission rates are alarming and Italy’s death toll is as high as the country experienced in the first wave of the pandemic in March and April.Many restrictions are likely to remain in place in Italy and what rule easing that will be seen will be less than during Italy’s summer. “It will be a different kind of Christmas; sacrifices are still necessary in order not to expose ourselves to a third wave in January with a high number of deaths,” Conte cautioned Italians. Final decisions on Christmas rules will be issued later this week.Germany is to continue with its current strategy dubbed “lockdown light.” Bars, restaurants and entertainment venues are likely to remain shuttered and travel discouraged. “Daily cases are still far too high, and our intensive care units are still very full,” according to Chancellor Merkel. But she has approved a temporary reprieve over Christmas with up to 10 people allowed to meet at a time between December 23 and New Year’s Day.People wearing protective face masks are seen at Schloss Strasse shopping street, amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Berlin, Germany, Dec. 1, 2020.British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has decided to ease some pandemic rules in England, although privately ministers acknowledge that will prompt another surge of new cases, just as the country’s lockdown has been slowing the rate of infections. The government’s scientific advisory panel has warned the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions over Christmas will increase infections “potentially by a large amount.”In a document published last week, the panel said, “Substantial mixing of people over a short period of time, especially those who do not make contact regularly…represents a significant risk for widespread transmission.” “The prevalence could easily double during a few days of festive season,” it added.A man wearing a face mask walks past the Debenhams flagship department store on Oxford Street, during the second coronavirus lockdown in London, Dec. 1, 2020.All four nations of the United Kingdom, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, are planning to try to coordinate Christmas coronavirus rules and are intending to relax some over the holiday season. In England, people will be allowed to celebrate in three-household “Christmas bubbles” for a five-day period over the season; but, those households cannot meet up inside pubs, hotels, stores, theaters or restaurants.Restrictions on church services are due to be lifted, allowing Christmas services. Last week, Prime Minister Johnson told lawmakers, “I can’t say that Christmas will be normal this year — but in a period of adversity, time spent with loved ones is even more precious for people of all faiths and none.”Some British Cabinet ministers are pressing for more easing — so, too, are backbench lawmakers from Johnson’s ruling Conservative party. Local government minister Robert Jenrick acknowledges the softening of restrictions will likely “drive some higher rate of infection.” Nonetheless he’s pushing for stores to remain open 24 hours a day in the run-up to Christmas, if they so wish.
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After Arriving in Cambodia, Kaavan No Longer World’s ‘Loneliest’ Elephant
An Asian elephant dubbed the “world’s loneliest” has encountered another of his species for the first time in eight years after having been flown to a Cambodian wildlife sanctuary from years of abusive captivity in a Pakistan zoo.The Austrian-based animal welfare group Four Paws International, which arranged for the relocation of Kaavan the elephant, released Tuesday a picture of him touching another elephant with his trunk in Siem Reap, Cambodia.“We can now officially call him the “former loneliest elephant in the world”! Seeing Kaavan interacting with other elephants is a huge moment for us but more importantly for Kaavan,” tweeted the Austrian group.#FreeKaavan 🐘: First contact in 8 years!
We can now officially call him the “former loneliest elephant in the world”! Seeing Kaavan interacting with other elephants is a huge moment for us but more importantly for Kaavan. 💕We are extremely moved! pic.twitter.com/x5k60XTORP
— FOUR PAWS (@fourpawsint) In this photo released by Cambodia’s Environment Ministry, Kraavan walks at Kulen Prom Tep Wildlife Sanctuary in Oddar Meanchey province, Dec. 1, 2020.In addition to Four Paws, American actor/singer Cher and her animal welfare group Free the Wild helped secure Kaavan’s release.Cher arrived in Pakistan on Friday where she also met with Prime Minister Imran Khan. Aslam said she also spent time at the Islamabad Zoo to provide “moral support” for the elephant.“Cher has arrived and is so grateful for the help and support from the people of Pakistan to allow Kaavan to move to Cambodia and live out the rest of his life in peace and with dignity,” Free the Wild co-founder Mark Cowne said in an email to VOA.Pop singer Cher gestures in front of the crate of Kaavan the Asian elephant upon his arrival in Cambodia from Pakistan at Siem Reap International Airport in Siem Reap, Nov. 30, 2020.An initial medical examination conducted in September by experts at Four Paws showed the elephant’s nails had cracked and were overgrown due to improper care and an insufficient enclosure with flooring that damaged its feet.The report also found Kaavan overweight and suffering from a stereotypical behavior because of his loneliness, the cause of his shaking head back and forth for hours, said Dr. Amir Khalil of the Austrian group.The vet, who accompanied the elephant on his journey to Cambodia, told VOA before departing Pakistan the animal had lost weight, with an improved health condition, citing several months of training and treatment Kaavan underwent at the zoo.
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EU Leader Hopes COVID-19 Vaccinations Start in December
The European Union said Tuesday it could be vaccinating citizens against COVID-19 by the end of the month if medical officials grant emergency approval of two vaccines candidates. European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels EU member states are working on logistics for the distribution of millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccine and if all goes well, she said, “the first European citizens would be vaccinated by the end of December.”Her comments came as U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech announced they have applied for conditional approval of their coronavirus vaccine with the European Medicines Agency. The companies said in a statement that the submission on Monday completes the rolling review process they initiated with the agency on October 6.The move comes a day after another U.S company, Moderna said it was asking U.S. and European regulators to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine. Both companies applied with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency approval in November.In a statement, the European Medicines Agency said it would convene a meeting on December 29 to decide if there is enough data about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech for it to be approved.The agency also said Tuesday it could decide as early as January 12 whether to approve a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna.Last week, the EU said it had signed deals to acquire more than a billion doses of a total of six potential vaccines, including the two currently being considered for approval in Europe.
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UN Goal to End HIV/AIDS Remains Elusive
Four years ago, governments around the world committed to U.N. goals that would end the AIDS pandemic. VOA’s Carol Pearson tells us why these goals are so elusive, and how a major city succeeded.
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Facebook, Google ‘Zones Without Human Rights’ in Vietnam, Amnesty Says
Facebook and Google are becoming “zones without human rights” in Vietnam, Amnesty International warned Tuesday, accusing the tech giants of helping to censor peaceful opposition and political freedom in the country. Amnesty warned that although they were “once the great hope for the rise of freedom of expression in the country, social media platforms are rapidly becoming areas without human rights.” Information Minister Nguyen Manh Hung said last month that tech companies were complying with demands to remove “bad news, propaganda against the party and the state” at a faster rate than ever before, according to state media. FILE – Vietnam’s then-acting Minister of Information and Communication Nguyen Manh Hung attends the World Economic Forum on ASEAN at the Convention Center in Hanoi, Vietnam, Sept. 12, 2018.The same article states that this year Facebook complied with 95% of government requests and YouTube, 90%. A Facebook spokesperson told AFP that the platform is working hard to defend freedom of expression around the world. “Over the past few months, we have experienced additional pressure from the Vietnamese government to limit more content, however we will do our best to ensure that our services remain accessible, so that people can continue to express themselves,” he clarified. Google and the Vietnamese authorities did not respond to AFP’s requests. Communist Vietnam has long imprisoned its dissidents but has been criticized in recent years for targeting users of Facebook, a social network popular with activists in the country where independent media is banned. The social network admitted earlier this year that it was blocking content deemed illegal by the authorities, while its latest transparency report reveals an increase in six months of nearly 1,000% of content censored by order of the government. Amnesty International said in a report published Tuesday that it had collected the testimonies of 11 activists whose publications were banned by Facebook in Vietnam this year. The human rights organization also said that three other people have suffered similar censorship of their content on YouTube, owned by Google. One of them, Nguyen Van Trang, who fled an arrest warrant in Vietnam for his involvement in a pro-democracy group, said that Facebook had since May restricted the visibility of all its publications about Communist Party boss Nguyen Phu Trong and senior member Tran Quoc Vuong. Trang also said that some of his posts on controversial issues such as the land dispute have been made inaccessible by YouTube in Vietnam. Obstruction of ‘the progress of a nation’ “I am angry,” he told AFP. “For activists, these platforms play an important role in influencing people on progressive values like democracy, human rights, civil society.” “The compromise of Facebook and Google is not only to block information, but also to hamper the progress of a nation, where the inhabitants do not have many opportunities to participate in political activities,” he added. Vietnam is now the country that generates the most revenue for Facebook and Google in Southeast Asia, according to industry experts. More than 53 million people use Facebook in Vietnam, more than half of the population. The platform is also an important marketing tool for the local economy.
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UN Appeals for $35 Billion for Global Aid in 2021
The United Nations appealed Tuesday for a record $35 billion to provide life-saving humanitarian support for 160 million people next year, as the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has pushed millions into extreme poverty worldwide. “Conflict, climate change and COVID-19 have created the greatest humanitarian challenge since the Second World War,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a recorded message for the launch of the appeal. He called on donors to help those at greatest risk “in their darkest hour of need.”A student of the Emile Dubois high school takes part in a COVID-19 antigen test in Paris, France Nov. 23, 2020.The U.N. says the actual need is even higher — some 235 million people, or one in every 33 people on the planet, requires aid or protection. This is a 40% increase over 2020. There are more than 63 million confirmed cases worldwide of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, which has been tracking the pandemic’s spread. Nearly 1.5 million people have died and tens of millions have lost jobs and livelihoods during the lockdowns imposed to stop the virus from spreading. “It’s not the disease itself, nasty as it may be … that is most hurting people in vulnerable countries. It’s the economic impact,” U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock told reporters. “Rising food prices, falling incomes, drops in remittances, interrupted vaccination programs, school closures — these hit the poorest people in the poorest countries hardest of all.” The U.N. has already warned about alarming levels of hunger in seven countries that could tip into famine next year without assistance. They are Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen. Two weeks ago, the U.N. released $100 million from an emergency fund in a bid to prevent further deterioration.Women wait with children in a ward at a malnourishment treatment center in Yemen’s northern Hajjah province, Nov. 22, 2020.But dozens of other countries are facing extreme challenges and require increased support. Lowcock said that for the first time since the 1990s, global levels of extreme poverty will rise, threatening to reverse decades of progress. “Unless there is support for the poorest countries, their hangover from the pandemic is going to be long and harsh, and it will bring with it chaos and anarchy,” he said.Mark Lowcock, the U.N. Humanitarian Affairs Emergency and Relief Coordinator, address United Nations Security Council with a report on Yemen, Oct. 23, 2018 at U.N. headquarters.Lowcock said this is not in the interest of wealthier countries. And while $35 billion may sound like a lot of money, the world’s richest nations have pumped trillions of dollars into their economies to keep their societies afloat. “As we approach the end of a difficult year, we face a choice as a global community: Are we going to let this pandemic unravel decades of progress, or are we going to act now to do something about it?” he asked. This year, U.N. humanitarian programs have reached nearly 100 million people in 25 countries. In its 2020 humanitarian appeal, which was revised to include funding for the COVID-19 response, the U.N. asked donors for $39 billion. As of the end of November, it had received $22 billion, leaving some programs severely underfunded.
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Photo of Texas Doctor Comforting Elderly COVID-19 Patient Goes Viral
Joseph Varon, a doctor treating coronavirus patients at a Texas hospital, was working his 252nd day in a row when he spotted a distraught elderly man in the COVID-19 intensive care unit. Varon’s comforting embrace of the white-haired man on Thanksgiving Day was captured by a photographer for Getty Images and has gone viral around the world. Varon, chief of staff at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, told CNN he was entering the COVID-19 ICU when he saw the elderly patient “out of his bed and trying to get out of the room.” “And he’s crying,” Varon said. “So I get close to him and I (ask) him, ‘Why are you crying?'” “And the man says, ‘I want to be with my wife.’ So I just grab him and I hold him,” Varon said. “I was feeling very sorry for him. I was feeling very sad, just like him.” “Eventually he felt better, and he stopped crying,” Varon told CNN on Monday. “I don’t know why I haven’t broken down,” the doctor said. “My nurses cry in the middle of the day.” Varon said the isolation of the COVID-19 unit was difficult for many patients, particularly the elderly. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus. “You can imagine,” he said. “You are inside a room where people are coming in spacesuits. “When you are an elderly individual, it’s more difficult because you are alone,” he said. “Some of them cry. Some of them try to escape,” he said. “We actually had somebody who tried to escape through a window the other day.” Varon said the elderly man in the picture is “doing much better.” “We are hoping that before the end of the week he’ll be able to get out of the hospital,” he said. Take precautions, doctor saysVaron also had a message for people who are not taking precautions amid the pandemic. “People are out there in bars, restaurants, malls,” the doctor said. “It is crazy. People don’t listen and then they end up in my ICU. “What people need to know is I don’t want to have to be hugging them,” he said. “They need to do the basic things — keep your social distance, wear your masks, wash their hands, and avoid going to places where there are a lot of people,” he said. “If people would do that, health care workers like me could hopefully rest.”
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