Pope Francis has called on the world’s nations to share COVID-19 vaccines, saying that walls of nationalism must not be built in the face of a pandemic that knows no borders. He urged international cooperation so everyone can receive needed health care and vaccines.In his Christmas message to the world, delivered indoors rather than, as customary, the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis said that in these times of darkness and uncertainty due to the pandemic, there are some lights of hope, like the discovery of vaccines against COVID-19. But in order for these lights to shine and bring hope to the entire world, the pope added, they must be made available to all.US Vaccine Rollout’s Next Challenge: Verifying Who is ‘Essential’ Officials want to ensure no one cuts the linePope Francis urged the world’s nations to ensure that vaccines are provided for everyone, especially for the most vulnerable, in all the regions on our planet.“We cannot allow closed nationalisms to prevent us from living like the true human family that we are, the pope said, adding that “we cannot allow the virus of radical individualism to win and make us indifferent to the suffering of others.”The pope focused much of his message Friday on the coronavirus pandemic before turning to the world’s hot spots and nations of concern. He urged the world to work together, irrespective of differences.Pope Urges Help for Poor at Low-key Christmas Eve Mass Curbed by PandemicHe notes that Jesus himself was born a poor outcastThe pope said, “At this moment in history, marked by the ecological crisis and grave economic and social imbalances only worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, it is all the more important for us to acknowledge one another as brothers and sisters.”Pope Francis spoke of the need to be generous, supportive and helpful, especially towards those who are vulnerable, the sick, those unemployed or experiencing hardship due to the economic effects of the pandemic, and women who have suffered domestic violence during these months of lockdown.“In the face of a challenge that knows no borders,” the pope said, “we cannot erect walls. All of us are in the same boat.”In his message, Pope Francis also turned his thoughts to the many children who all over the world, particularly in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, still pay the high price of war.
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Month: December 2020
US Designation of Vietnam as Currency Manipulator Could Spur Talks, Changes, Analysts Say
Analysts say this month’s U.S. designation of Vietnam as a currency manipulator will spur talks between the two countries that could see Vietnam buy more U.S. goods or reduce government intervention in the foreign exchange rate.The designation came about because the U.S. Treasury Department determined, according to its semiannual report on major U.S. trading partners’ macroeconomic and foreign exchange policies, that Vietnam – as well as Switzerland – is a currency manipulator. The department determined that Vietnam’s currency was undervalued by 4.7% in 2019.FILE – A woman counts Vietnamese dong bank notes in the office of a local company in Hanoi.Vietnam and the United States are expected to reach a currency-related agreement over the next year, two experts said. The two sides get along politically today despite old baggage from their war that ended in the 1970s.“Basically, it’ll now be a period where the U.S. will have discussions with Vietnam to try to resolve the situation,” said Rajiv Biswas, a senior regional economist with IHS Markit, a London-based market analysis firm. In Washington, he said, “They won’t immediately just start taking action in terms of policy measures.”Hanoi might agree to buy more U.S. goods or intervene less in its foreign exchange rate and let the free market decide, experts say. Inaction by Vietnam over the next year could prompt U.S. officials to levy import tariffs.About a quarter of Vietnam’s economy rests on exports, the result of low manufacturing costs and government incentives to promote foreign investment by the likes of Ford, Intel and Samsung Electronics. Vietnamese exports include smartphones as well as garments, shoes and automotive parts. The United States was Vietnam’s top trading partner in 2019 in both imports and exports.Other countries labeled currency manipulators have patched things up with the United States by agreeing to buy American products. Taiwan, for example, was reportedly planning more purchases of U.S. goods late last year to reduce its U.S. trade surplus and avoid being labeled a manipulator.In February 2019, Vietnam-based budget carrier Vietjet Air agreed with U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing to buy 100 additional 737 MAX planes.“Once Boeing gets its MAX planes in order, Vietnam will order more,” said Jack Nguyen, a partner at the business advisory firm Mazars in Ho Chi Minh City. “We made a huge order to Boeing, so we’re trying to balance the trade.”The United States dubbed China a manipulator in August 2019 but removed that label in January of this year after China agreed to an initial trade deal auguring well for American businesses.Hanoi and Washington will probably start talks toward an “enhanced bilateral engagement” calling on Vietnam to do something with its currency rate and “address any significantly large trade surplus with the U.S.,” SSI Research of Hanoi said in a December 21 summary of economic trends in Vietnam. Vietnam’s central bank has said it’s willing to work with Washington. “The country is also willing to coordinate with the U.S. side to discuss relevant issues based on the spirit of cooperation and mutual benefits, towards fair and harmonious commercial ties between the two sides,” VGP News said.Vietnam would find it hard to snap up a lot of American imports or bring down the trade gap in the near term, Biswas said. It would be easier for now, he said, to intervene less in the foreign exchange rate.China, like Vietnam, depends heavily on manufactured exports and its communist government controls the currency exchange rate. China and the United States are separately entrenched in a trade dispute that has sent tariffs soaring on both sides since 2018. U.S. President Donald Trump is not personally targeting Vietnam, scholars believe, though American officials are warily watching Vietnam as a place where China-based factories have relocated to avoid tariffs tied to the Sino-U.S. trade dispute.From the U.S. side, “this is perhaps just a little sort of a warning to Vietnam to not enjoy the benefits of supply chain too much,” said Song Seng Wun, an economist in the private banking unit of Malaysian bank CIMB.
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UN Rights Office Alarmed at Uptick in Violence Ahead of Central African Republic Elections
The United Nations human rights office warns the increase in violence ahead of Sunday’s elections in the Central African Republic presents serious risks to the civilian population and threatens to disrupt the electoral process. U.N. officials say escalating violence is creating mayhem in the Central African Republic and could scare people away from the polls. The U.N. office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates at least 55,000 people have been forcibly displaced within Central African Republic and an unknown number of other people reportedly have sought safety in neighboring countries.U.N. human rights spokeswoman Liz Throssell tells VOA her office is deeply alarmed by reports of armed violence, which is being stoked by political grievances and hate speech.“The violence comes amid an extremely tense political situation in the run-up to elections as you can imagine…There have been in recent days numerous reports of attacks against the security forces, against the political candidates who are standing for election and against the officials who are responsible for running the elections on Sunday, that are due to take place on Sunday,” Throssell said.Clashes between armed groups and security forces are taking place across a wide area, including neighborhoods near the capital, Bangui. Six civilians reportedly have been killed. The deaths have not all been verified. The United Nations, so far, has confirmed one civilian dead and 12 others wounded.Throssell blames much of this current crisis on the proliferation of hate speech, which is being widely spread on social media. She notes this extremely worrying and dangerous problem is not new. “It is something that does stem back a number of years with particular groups being targeted, with people whipping up sentiments against different groups, different ethnicities, different factions…Hate speech is really, in a way, a catalyst for further violence in what is already a very fragile, very tense situation in the Central African Republic,” Throssell said.The U.N. human rights office is appealing to neighboring countries, the African Union, and the Economic Community for Central African States to use their influence to ensure a peaceful resolution of this crisis.
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SKorea, Japan, Indonesia Record Highest Daily Increases in COVID Cases
South Korea, Japan, and Indonesia recorded the highest daily increase in coronavirus cases Friday as a third wave of COVID-19 hit the countries.In South Korea 70% of the more than 1,200 new cases were in the greater Seoul area, where half the country’s 52 million people live.In Japan, with 884 cases reported Friday nationwide, Tokyo had the largest number of infections.Indonesia reported its biggest daily rise in deaths, with 258 fatalities and 7,259 infections, bringing the country’s total numbers to 20,847 and 700,097, respectively.Mexico on Thursday became the first Latin American country to launch a COVID-19 vaccination initiative, offering hope to a nation that has lost more than 120,000 people to the pandemic.A 59-year-old head nurse at the intensive care unit at Mexico City’s Ruben Lenero hospital was the first to get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, in keeping with the country’s strategy to focus first on health care workers.“This is the best gift that I could have received in 2020,” Ramirez said after being inoculated in a ceremony broadcast by national media.Chile will immediately start inoculations of health care workers after receiving the first 10,000 doses of a 10 million-dose order of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine Thursday, officials said.Also Thursday, Costa Rica was preparing to vaccinate two senior citizens in a home near San Jose, while Argentina received about 300,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine.The United States is about to complete its second week of vaccinations with about 1 million inoculations, mainly among health care workers and elderly residents of nursing homes. The numbers, however, are far short of the goal set by Operation Warp Speed, the federal government’s effort to mass produce millions of doses of vaccines, to inoculate 20 million Americans by the end of the year.U.S. Operation Warp Speed chief adviser Dr. Moncef Slaoui has warned that it would take longer to administer the doses.The Trump administration has reached a deal worth $2 billion to secure an additional 100 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which would boost the nation’s supply to 200 million doses by mid-July.With surges throughout the U.S. leading to 327,000 COVID-19 deaths and 18.5 million coronavirus infections, according to Johns Hopkins University, the speed with which immunizations can be administered becomes increasingly important.California became the first U.S. state Thursday to record 2 million coronavirus cases.Iran said it has U.S. approval to transfer funds to pay for coronavirus vaccines, Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said Thursday.The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control gave permission for the transfer of $244 million to a Swiss bank to pay for initial imports of 16.8 million doses of vaccines from COVAX, the multiagency group set up to assure fair access to vaccines for all countries.U.S. authorities announced on Thursday that passengers arriving from Britain should test negative for COVID-19 before departure, after the discovery of a new and more contagious strain of the novel coronavirus.China on Thursday became the latest country to suspend all travel with Britain.
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Russian Opposition Activist Reportedly Detained for Questioning
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his supporters said that police raided the apartment of an associate Friday morning and detained her for questioning.”Today, police came to Lyubov Sobol’s apartment at 7 am,” Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Fund chairman Ivan Zhdanov said in a tweet.Zhdanov and Navalny’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmyash, said that the phone of Sobol was turned off and they did not know anything of her whereabouts.Sobol has announced her plans to run in parliamentary elections next year.Navalny said on Twitter that the police raid was a response to a telephone call he made Monday to a poisoning expert with the FSB. On the call he said he impersonated an official with the Kremlin’s Security Council and got the expert to admit that Navalny was poisoned back in August.According to Navalny, Sobol, a lawyer by training, attempted to speak to the FSB agent, who he named as Konstantin Kudryavtsev.The FSB has denied Navalny’s allegations of poisoning.However, Western governments have said Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, a Soviet-designed nerve agent.
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Nigerians Mark Christmas Under New Coronavirus Restrictions
Nigerian authorities this week announced the country is officially seeing a second wave of the coronavirus after it recorded its highest daily number of COVID-19 infections Dec. 17. Authorities are imposing new restrictions on public gatherings and have warned those celebrating the Yuletide holiday to avoid parties, gatherings and Christmas caroling. But some Nigerians are finding ways to spread joy during the holiday season while still keeping a safe distance by organizing remote caroling and singing from their balconies. Timothy Obiezu reports from Abuja.
Camera: Emeka Gibson Producer: Rod James
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Trial of Hong Kongers Detained in China Begins Monday, Supporters Say
Ten of 12 Hong Kong people captured by China at sea as they tried to flee by boat four months ago will go on trial in the mainland city of Shenzhen on Monday, supporters said on Friday.The case has attracted great interest in Hong Kong and abroad as a rare instance of the Beijing authorities arresting people trying to leave the financial hub at a time of growing concern about the prospects for the city’s high degree of autonomy.The families had asked this week for 20 days’ notice to allow them to attend the trial, given a 14-day COVID-19 quarantine upon entering mainland China.Instead, the families of seven detainees were notified of the trial date by government-appointed lawyers, a support group said.”Obviously (the Chinese authorities) are rushing during the Christmas period so as to minimize international backlash,” said Beatrice Li, sister of detainee Andy Li.Beijing’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Twelve Hong Kongers were intercepted by the Chinese coastguard on Aug. 23 on a boat believed to be bound for Taiwan.Two underage suspects will undergo private hearings on a separate date, Chinese authorities said earlier this month.All were facing charges in Hong Kong linked to anti-government protests in the former British colony, including rioting and violation of a national security law Beijing imposed on the city in June.In their mainland trial, they face charges of illegally crossing the border and organizing an illegal crossing, which could carry sentences of up to seven years.The Hong Kong government has said the defendants must face justice on the mainland before returning to Hong Kong, where they are expected to be further investigated for the suspected protest-related crimes.
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Britain and EU Reach Brexit Trade Deal
Britain and the European Union finally agreed to a free trade deal Thursday, just days before the Brexit transition period comes to an end. As Henry Ridgwell reports, the deal is yet to be ratified – and there could be more surprises ahead.
Camera: Henry Ridgwell
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Ex-Japan Prime Minister to Face Questioning in Parliament Over Funding Scandal
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was set Friday to correct statements he had made in parliament related to a political funding scandal that has also cast a pall over the current premier.Abe apologized Thursday for repeated false denials that his political funding group had subsidized cherry blossom viewing parties for his supporters, in possible violation of the country’s strict political funding laws.Japan’s longest-serving leader denied he had known anything about the payments, maintained innocence and pledged to work to regain public trust. The apology came after his secretary was summarily indicted over the issue and fined 1 million yen ($9,650).This marks a dramatic reversal of fortunes for Abe, one of the country’s political blue bloods, whose grandfather and great-uncle also served as premiers. He quit on health grounds in September after serving nearly eight years as prime minister.The scandal could also damage his successor, Yoshihide Suga, who was Abe’s right-hand man throughout his term and has defended his boss in the parliament.Suga, who has been beset by other controversies and seen his support ratings slide less than a year before the next lower house election must be called, also apologized Thursday for making inaccurate statements.Abe had appeared for voluntary questioning by prosecutors Monday about the issue and again denied his involvement, media said. Abe did not discuss in detail his dealings with the prosecutors during a news conference Thursday.His statements to parliament contradicted the findings of the prosecutors at least 118 times, several domestic media reported, citing a parliamentary research bureau.Politicians in Japan are forbidden from providing anything to constituents that could be construed as a gift. The rule is so strict that two ministers in Abe’s Cabinet quit in quick succession last year for giving things such as melons, crabs and even potatoes to voters in their constituencies.
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Hank Adams, Indian Rights Visionary, Dies at 77
Hank Adams, one of Indian Country’s most prolific thinkers and strategists, has died at age 77.Adams was called the “most important Indian” by influential Native American rights advocate and author Vine Deloria Jr., because he was involved with nearly every major event in American Indian history from the 1960s forward.He was perhaps best known for his work to secure treaty rights, particularly during the Northwest “fish wars” of the 1960s and ’70s.Henry “Hank” Adams, Assiniboine-Sioux, died December 21 at St. Peter’s Hospital in Olympia, Washington, according to the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.”Hank’s a genius. He knows things we don’t know. He sees things we don’t see,” attorney Susan Hvalsoe Komori said when Adams was awarded the 2006 American Indian Visionary Award by Indian Country Today.”Adams was always the guy under the radar, working on all kinds of things,” said the late Billy Frank Jr., Nisqually and chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.Focus on treaty rightsAdams was born in Wolf Point, Montana. Toward the end of World War II, his family moved to Washington state, where he attended Moclips-Aloha High School near the Quinault Nation. He played football and basketball and served as student body president and editor of the school newspaper and yearbook.In 1963, Adams joined the National Indian Youth Council, where he began to focus on treaty rights just as the fish wars were beginning and Northwest tribes were calling on the federal government to recognize their treaty-protected fishing rights.Adams had so many personal connections with people from that era, such as Mel Thom, Clyde Warrior and Willie Hensley. It was while Adams was working with the youth council that he first met Marlon Brando. The actor would be prominent later in the Frank’s Landing protests.Also through the youth council, Adams began working at Frank’s Landing, on Washington’s Nisqually River, with Billy Frank and others who were striving to advance the treaty right to fish for salmon.”That turned into a civil rights agenda,” Adams said in an interview. “It had been brutal from 1962 onward, and there were just a few fishermen down there, fighting with their families for their rights.”To make a point, Adams refused induction into the military because the U.S. was failing to live up to its treaty obligations. (He eventually served for two years in the U.S. Army.)As Washington state’s fishing-rights wars heated up in the 1960s, Adams was often working with Frank and other Northwest leaders on a strategy of civil disobedience through “fish-ins.” Frank told a story about a 1968 fishing protest in Olympia “where all the police are.” But not everyone was supposed to be arrested. Frank said it was the job of Adams, the “visionary,” to protect them all. But when the arrests were made, “here comes our visionary.””I said, ‘What are you doing here? You’re supposed to get us out. You’re the strategist, thinking way out into the future,’ ” Frank said.Treaty protected fishing rightsIt was from those many trips to jail that eventually treaty-protected fishing rights were upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Boldt decision affirmed the tribal right to fish in the usual and accustomed places in common with other citizens.Adams’ role in the trial, which took place in Tacoma, Washington, was unprecedented. He was a lay lawyer representing tribal fishing people and the last person to speak at trial. The judge considered Adams the most informed person to explain both the treaty and the people.As the court case made its way through the process, Adams and Billy Frank found a way to meet with Judge George Boldt in chambers.”We don’t want to talk to you about the case,” Adams recalled at the 40th anniversary dinner of the Boldt decision. Instead, the pair met with the judge to tell them that Montana Senator Lee Metcalf was an admirer of the judge, who was also from Montana. They swapped Montana stories. And, the joke was the case could be resolved if it was just Montanans in the room.The Supreme Court affirmed treaty rights and the Boldt decision in a series of cases in 1975.Trail of Broken TreatiesShortly before the 1972 election, a caravan of American Indians traveled from points across the country to Washington to protest broken treaties. After failed negotiations for housing, the protest ended up at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. And when the bureaucrats left for the day, the protesters remained.Adams was also instrumental in resolving the 1972 takeover of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.Richard Nixon’s special assistant, Leonard Garment, said Adams’ role was essential. He said the story could have been tragic, with some in the administration calling for a military assault on the building.Adams was both a public foil and a behind-the-scenes negotiator. The Trail of Broken Treaties submitted a plank of 20 proposals. Adams called the Nixon administration’s response “almost totally devoid of positive comment.”But privately Adams and Garment worked on a resolution. Adams’ reward for being an intermediary? He was arrested in 1973 and his home searched for “government documents.””Plus they took my typewriter, which I’d had since 1968 during our encampment on the Nisqually River,” Adams said.A federal grand jury refused to indict Adams (along with journalists who had been reporting on the incident), and eventually Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus ordered the material returned. He “directed the FBI to return everything that they’d taken from me and particularly my typewriter,” Adams said with a laugh.Wounded KneeAdams played a similar role during the standoff at 1973 Wounded Knee. He said a government helicopter flew him to White Clay, Nebraska, where he was to meet with the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service.After that meeting, Adams was set to meet in Denver with Marlon Brando. The Justice Department was supposed to drive Adams back to the airport, but “they ran out of gas within sight of the airport.” Adams laughed. “The federal government doesn’t run out of gas. They didn’t want me to meet with Marlon Brando” and stir up public support for the occupation.Using social media, Adams was meticulous over the years in his documentation of family histories, often used to help people grieve over the loss of family, or to call out people who lied and claimed Indigenous ancestry. He continued to monitor and press for treaty rights — and for Leonard Peltier’s release from prison.Adams’ family said a funeral is not possible at this time, but it will coordinate a memorial in the near future.
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US Vaccine Rollout’s Next Challenge: Verifying Who is ‘Essential’
As U.S. industries push for their workers to receive early access to COVID-19 vaccines, local health departments and pharmacies face the challenge of verifying the identity of essential workers to ensure no one cuts the line.The vaccination campaign under way is now focused on hospital staff and nursing homes, tightly controlled environments where verification is relatively simple. But beginning in January or February, Americans employed in a range of industries will be eligible for inoculation, provided they are essential front-line workers.The absence of a plan to verify vaccine candidates’ jobs and confusion over who qualifies as essential raise the risks of fraud and disorganization.Who decides which worker is essential?The criteria to qualify as an essential, front-line worker varies from state to state. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that roughly 30 million essential workers will be next in line for a shot. An additional 57 million essential workers will be vaccinated later.The lack of clear guidelines will significantly complicate the verification process as those workers seek shots.The United States has two authorized COVID-19 vaccines, one from Pfizer-BioNTech and another from Moderna. The vaccines are rolling out as hospitals reach peak capacity and deaths have exceeded 328,000.The U.S. Department of Homeland Security in March published a list of essential U.S. workers during the pandemic.The list covers nearly 70% of the U.S. labor force and has provided little clarity to health officials trying to distribute initially limited doses of vaccines.Many states over the summer began developing their own priority lists, at times deferring to the importance of local industries. States generally have broad discretion when it comes to vaccine distribution.This has resulted in a patchwork of guidelines across the country, with companies complaining that their workers are considered essential in one state, but not in another.A panel of experts that advises the CDC on Sunday recommended that people 75 and older and workers including first responders, teachers, food and agriculture, manufacturing, U.S. Postal Service, public transit and grocery store workers should have the next priority for the vaccines.Some U.S. states have signaled they will nevertheless continue with the distribution plans they originally drafted.Michael Einhorn, the president of New York medical supply distributor Dealmed, criticized health officials’ decisions to prioritize essential workers for the next phase of the vaccine, rather than distributing it along age lines.”There will be people trying to cut the line and commit fraud to get a vaccine,” said Einhorn, whose company has been involved in flu shot distribution.How will eligibility be confirmed for essential workers?It is not clear yet how health departments and pharmacies will verify the identity of a significantly larger and more diverse group of people eligible for the next round of vaccines.Pharmacy operators CVS, Walgreens and Kroger each referred to state and local guidelines when asked how they would verify essential workers.”If the jurisdiction requests support from Walgreens, Walgreens will distribute a voucher or authorization form that the individual can use to schedule an appointment for a vaccination,” a Walgreens spokesperson said in a statement.CVS said it would share more information once it got closer to the next phase of vaccine distribution in the first quarter of 2021.Kroger in a statement said it would require customers to make an online appointment and use a screening tool to manage the verification process.”In some instances, the state will identify and verify the individuals before they are referred to us for vaccination,” a Kroger spokesperson said.States have not outlined how they will verify workers’ identities.A spokesperson for North Carolina’s health department on Thursday said the state would rely on self-attestation and the “hope that people will respect that the prioritization is in place.”Companies pushing to have their workers vaccinated are exploring different options.The Consumer Brands Association, which represents food, beverage, personal care and household product companies, and the Food Industry Association, representing food retailers, said they were developing template letters for employees to verify their essential worker status.”We understand states may have different designation standards, but (we are) working to provide our members with a resource to help reduce confusion,” a spokesperson for the Food Industry Association said in a statement.
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USGS: 6.3-Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Philippines
A 6.3-magnitude quake struck the Philippines on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, with residents in the capital, Manila, reporting buildings shaking and Christmas Day Masses interrupted, but there were no reports of damage.The quake struck in Batangas province on the main island of Luzon at a depth of 114 kilometers (70 miles) at 7:43 a.m. local time (2343 GMT), according to USGS.The agency initially said the quake’s strength was 6.2 and 108 kilometers deep.In the coastal city of Calatagan, about 90 kilometers south of Manila and near the epicenter, people attending Mass remained calm as the earthquake hit, police chief Major Carlo Caceres told AFP.”There was a pause in the church service, but the people did not panic,” Caceres said. “This area is quake-prone and people are more or less used to them.”There were no reports of damage or casualties in the area, he added.”The office furniture and equipment swayed, but nothing was broken,” said policeman Allan Megano in the nearby town of Balayan.The Philippines is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
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Pope Urges Help for Poor at Low-key Christmas Eve Mass Curbed by Pandemic
Pope Francis celebrated a low-key Christmas Eve Mass made somber by the coronavirus pandemic and said people should feel obliged to help the needy because Jesus himself was born a poor outcast.The Mass was celebrated Thursday in a rear section of St. Peter’s Basilica with fewer than 100 participants and only small number of cardinals and bishops. It is usually held in the main section of the basilica and attended by up to 10,000 people, including the diplomatic corps representing nearly 200 countries.Everyone except the pope and the small choir wore a mask during the Mass, which began two hours earlier than usual so that even the limited number of people who attended could return home by a 10 p.m. curfew.”The Son of God was born an outcast, in order to tell us that every outcast is a child of God,” Francis said in his homily.Francis said Christmas should make everyone reflect on “our injustice towards so many of our brothers and sisters” instead of pursuing “our endless desire for possessions” and ephemeral pleasures.”God came among us in poverty and need, to tell us that in serving the poor, we will show our love for him,” said the 84-year-old pope, celebrating the eighth Christmas of his pontificate.In his Christmas messages, Francis promised to visit Lebanon and South Sudan as soon as he could.The pope traditionally mentions countries in his Christmas Day message, but he singled out those two nations with Christmas Eve messages because of difficulties each has faced this year.”I am deeply troubled to see the suffering and anguish that has sapped the native resilience and resourcefulness of the Land of the Cedars,” Francis said, referring to Lebanon, which has been struggling with a deep economic crisis and the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion on Aug. 4 that killed about 200 people.In a separate message written jointly with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who is the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican communion, and Church of Scotland moderator Martin Fair, the three church leaders committed to making a previously delayed trip to majority Christian South Sudan “as things return to normalcy.”He is scheduled to visit Iraq March 5-8.On Friday, the pope will read his “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message from a hall inside the Vatican instead of from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Square, an event that usually attracts tens of thousands of people.Italians are under a nationwide lockdown for much of the Christmas and New Year holidays. Non-essential shops will be shut between Dec. 24-27, Dec. 31-Jan. 3 and Jan. 5-6. On these days, people are allowed to travel only for work, health or emergency reasons.The restrictions mean people will not be able to go to St. Peter’s Square or the basilica. All papal events between Dec. 24 and Jan. 6 are taking place indoors with little or no public participation and being livestreamed on the internet and broadcast on television.
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Residents of Kenya-Somalia Border Area Fear Conflict Amid Diplomatic Tensions
There is growing concern the tensions between Kenya and Somalia may erupt into fighting, due to a military buildup along the two countries’ borders.The Somali federal government has sent troops to the border town of Beled-Hawo, while forces from Somalia’s Jubaland region, which enjoys a good relationship with Kenya, are stationed in the nearby Kenyan town of Madera.Mohamed Maaalim Mahamud is the Mandera County senator. He said his people should not bear the brunt of the bad diplomatic relations between the two countries.“We don’t want a situation where these two forces fight and our people’s lives are in danger,” Mohamud said. “We have now Kenya and Somalia relations apparently is not good for the last two days but this should not be borne to Mandera people.”Hundreds of fighters allied to Jubaland Interior Minister Abdirashid Janan have been stationed in Madera for months. Last March, these forces launched a cross-border attack in Beled Hawo, killing dozens.On Tuesday, Madera residents took to the streets to demand the Jubaland forces to leave and stop endangering their lives.The protest took place after the Somali government sent hundreds of soldiers to secure the Beled-Hawo area.Fifty-year-old Jamaa Warsame is one of the elders in Beled-Hawo.He said the residents of the town cannot afford to flee their homes this time of the year.Warsame said that during this time it’s really hot, dry and there is drought. He says, we are so much against any conflict this time. He said we would like to urge our government that is in control of the area to find a solution and reach an agreement with those who are opposing it so that we can enjoy the peace we have now.Last week, Somalia cut diplomatic ties with Kenya. The federal government accuses Kenya of interfering with its internal affairs — an accusation that Kenyan official deny.George Musamali is the head of the Center for Risk Management in Africa. He says any conflict between Kenya and Somalia would be felt beyond the border area.“We have always been having incursions across the border inside Kenya, the place has always been volatile and now we are seeing build up of forces along the border,” Musamali said. “Then this is going to make a major threat for security in the entire area and it’s going to affect not only Kenya, it’s going to affect the Great Lakes region in general. I believe we need to have a diplomatic solution to this row as opposed to bringing forces along the border clearly indicating that there is hostility.”For its part, the Jubaland government has insisted on the withdrawal of government forces in the neighboring Gedo region, a demand that the government in Mogadishu has refused to accept.
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With Choir in Hard Hats, Fire-ravaged Notre Dame Rings in Christmas
For the first time since a fire that nearly destroyed it, the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris played host to a Christmas Eve choral concert, an annual tradition in France.In a concession to the fact that the Gothic cathedral is still being rebuilt, the choristers wore construction hard hats and boiler suits, and there was no audience.The concert was recorded at the cathedral earlier this month and was broadcast on French television just before midnight Thursday.The choristers performed classical pieces by composers Mozart and Schubert, but also a more light-hearted repertoire, including Jingle Bells.”It was very moving,” said cellist Gautier Capucon, describing the experience of recording the concert. Along with an organist, he provided the musical accompaniment for the choir.”It was the first time we had all been back at Notre Dame cathedral since the fire, so it was a moment full of emotion,” he said in an interview with television station franceinfo.The cathedral, a landmark of Gothic architecture dating to the 13th century and a major tourist attraction, caught fire on April 15, 2019. The blaze destroyed the spire and roof.French President Emmanuel Macron undertook to restore the cathedral within five years.But to date, most work on the site has focused on making the building safe, including clearing up toxic lead from the roof and spire that melted in the fire.In the meantime, Notre-Dame is closed to the public and masses are canceled.In April this year, seven people were allowed to attend a religious ceremony in the cathedral to mark Good Friday, when Christians commemorate the death of Jesus Christ.
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Stranded in England, Truckers Spend Christmas in Their Cabs
Aside from the occasional miniature tree and paper chains hung from cabs, there was little festive cheer for the thousands of truckers stuck on an old airfield in southeast England on Christmas Eve.Several thousand cargo trucks have been trapped for days around the southern English port of Dover since France closed borders with Britain in a bid to stop the spread of a new coronavirus strain.Army personnel were going from truck to truck, conducting rapid coronavirus tests that give results in 40 minutes as part of measures to try to start up travel again.Pawel, 34, a driver from Poland, had just been tested and said his plan was to go to Folkestone 42 kilometers (26 miles) away, take the Eurotunnel and go home to his family.”It’s impossible,” he told AFP of his three days at the Manston airfield, on the outskirts of Ramsgate, where many trucks have been parked while the travel crisis is sorted out.”I’ve no words to describe what we’re feeling here. All of our families are waiting for us. Heartbreaking.”He said drivers were furious with France for shutting their borders in response to the emergence of a new, potentially more contagious variant of the coronavirus. On his way back, he said, he will retaliate by not stopping there “for the food, for petrol, for anything.””Ninety percent of people here are also not going to stop in France,” he said.French officers give a COVID-19 test to a trucker at Dover, England, Dec. 24, 2020. Some freight from Britain and passengers with negative virus tests have begun arriving in France, after France relaxed a two-day blockade over a virus variant.Hot food and hornsOn the airfield, a cold December wind blew in from the Channel.The poorly lit site, run by the Department of Transport with the help of the armed forces, was a bewildering maze of trucks.Drivers were hoping to get to ports after spending days going nowhere but said it was unclear which ferries would run to clear the backlog, both on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.At one point, they sounded their horns together in frustration.There were free catering vans offering items ranging from burgers to Thai food. Some said they were unhappy about the food, but others said it was plentiful, with volunteer groups bringing around hot fare, including from the Polish community.”That was very nice. We were so thankful for this,” Pawel said.There were also mobile toilets that seemed clean, though drivers complained they were full.”We got stuck. It’s been three days,” said Valery, 37, a driver from Kyiv, who had not been tested yet.”They herded us in here and told us to stay. We need to get home already. Maybe we will make it for New Year’s?”There are no facilities, no showers, nothing,” he complained.Long waitOther drivers said there were showers, but it was a long walk to find them.Radko Ivanov, 56, from Bulgaria, angrily asked troops to be tested and complained that other drivers in smaller trucks were maneuvering to jump the queue.”The situation is terrible,” he said, complaining of a lack of organization. “I must guess what I got to do.”As of lunchtime on Christmas Eve, there were still 3,200 trucks at the site and at least 1,800 drivers had been tested, according to the armed forces.Altogether, 320 military personnel were conducting tests at Manston, at the port of Dover and on the M20 motorway.At Manston there were three army units including a deployment of engineers from nearby Maidstone.Two Sikh volunteer groups were distributing food in the evening on the M20, where many other stranded drivers were parked.
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Report: Sudan Security Forces Who Killed Kassala Protesters Never Held Accountable
Sudanese security forces who killed seven Sudanese protesters in Kassala two months ago were never held accountable, according to a recent report released by Human Rights Watch.Mohamed Osman, an assistant researcher with HRW’s Africa Division, said Sudan’s transitional government must bring all perpetrators of human rights abuses to justice to prevent further abuse from occurring in the country.The unrest on October 15 was triggered by Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s decision two days earlier to fire Kassala Governor Saleh Ammar, who belonged to the ethnic group Bani Amir. Ammar had just been appointed to the post in July.Excessive force documentedOsman said his organization documented several cases of excessive use of force, including lethal force by the Rapid Support Forces, the Sudanese army and the Central Reserve police who were deployed to the streets of Kassala town for crowd control.“Five of them were killed in front of Kassala hospital, for instance, in which they were attacked by elements of the Rapid Support Forces. In all these killings we documented forensic reports that indicate the sustained lethal gunshots in the upper parts of the body, so basically the report is rounding up cases [that] resorted to excessive use of force, failing to uphold and respect freedom of assembly and right to life,” Osman told South Sudan in Focus.One day after the crackdown, Sudan’s information minister announced the attorney general’s office would investigate the events.Under international law, Sudanese authorities are obligated to respect and protect human rights, Osman said.“The fact that these violations were committed by officials puts Sudan under obligation to thoroughly investigate and prosecute perpetrators,” but that hasn’t happened, according to Osman. He said the victims in Kassala have joined “a very long list of families and victims in Sudan,” not only in terms of crimes committed during ousted President Omar al-Bashir’s rule, but during the military’s violent crackdown on the June 3, 2019, Khartoum sit-in, when more than 100 civilians were killed.Despite repeated promises made by Sudan’s government to investigate and punish members of the armed forces accused of committing crimes, very little has been done, Osman said.“We see numerous committees being formed by authorities, but we are not seeing any substantial outcome, and that’s definitely very worrying,” Osman told VOA.Attorney general opens criminal caseSudan Attorney General Tag el-Sir el-Hibir said the Office of Public Prosecution in Kassala immediately opened a criminal case against the accused forces and investigated the incidents of October 15.The law was applied “under Article 130 and I think Article 186 of Sudan’s criminal law, which addresses charges pertaining to crimes against humanity in some cases,” el-Hibir told South Sudan in Focus on Thursday.The attorney general confirmed the accused “are affiliated with the military establishment” but added that all “investigations and procedures are complete, and now we are in the stage where the accused should be handed over to stand trial.”Waiting on military responseEl-Hibir said he wrote to the military asking that the accused be stripped of their immunities and handed over to the relevant Office of Public Prosecution and is awaiting their response.Osman said it is critical for the transitional government to carry out widespread security sector reform.“Seeing groups like the RSF and the army doing what law enforcement would do, we are seeing these forces with their own records of abuses from counterinsurgency in the conflict areas all the way to June 3, doing something they’re not trained for,” Osman told VOA.
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Suspected Russian Hackers Used Microsoft Vendors to Breach Customers
The suspected Russian hackers behind the worst U.S. cyberattack in years used reseller access to Microsoft Corp. services to penetrate targets that had no compromised network software from SolarWinds Corp., investigators said.Updates to SolarWinds’ Orion software were the only known point of entry until Thursday, when security company CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. said hackers had gained access to the vendor that sold it Office licenses and had used that to try to read CrowdStrike’s email. It did not specifically identify the hackers as being the ones that compromised SolarWinds, but two people familiar with CrowdStrike’s investigation said they were.CrowdStrike uses Office programs for word processing but not email. The failed attempt, made months ago, was pointed out to CrowdStrike by Microsoft on December 15.CrowdStrike, which does not use SolarWinds, said it had found no impact from the intrusion attempt and declined to name the reseller.”They got in through the reseller’s access and tried to enable mail ‘read’ privileges,” one person familiar with the investigation told Reuters. “If it had been using Office 365 for email, it would have been game over.”Many Microsoft software licenses are sold through third parties, and those companies can have near-constant access to clients’ systems as the customers add products or employees.Be on guardMicrosoft said Thursday that those customers need to be vigilant.”Our investigation of recent attacks has found incidents involving abuse of credentials to gain access, which can come in several forms,” said Microsoft senior director Jeff Jones. “We have not identified any vulnerabilities or compromise of Microsoft product or cloud services.”The use of a Microsoft reseller to try to break into a top digital defense company raises new questions about how many avenues the hackers, whom U.S. officials have alleged are operating on behalf of the Russian government, have at their disposal.FILE – This Feb. 11, 2015, photo shows FireEye offices in Milpitas, Calif.The known victims so far include CrowdStrike security rival FireEye Inc. and the U.S. departments of Defense, State, Commerce, Treasury and Homeland Security. Other big companies, including Microsoft and Cisco Systems Inc., said they found tainted SolarWinds software internally but had not found signs that the hackers used it to range widely on their networks.Until now, Texas-based SolarWinds was the only publicly confirmed channel for the initial break-ins, although officials have been warning for days that the hackers had other ways in.Microsoft reportReuters reported a week ago that Microsoft products were used in attacks. But federal officials said they had not seen it as an initial vector, and the software giant said its systems were not utilized in the campaign.
Microsoft then hinted that its customers should still be wary. At the end of a long, technical blog post Tuesday, it mentioned seeing hackers reach Microsoft 365 Cloud “from trusted vendor accounts where the attacker had compromised the vendor environment.”Microsoft requires its vendors to have access to client systems in order to install products and allow new users. But discovering which vendors still have access rights at any given time is so hard that CrowdStrike developed and released an auditing tool to do that.After a series of other breaches through cloud providers, including a major set of attacks attributed to Chinese government-backed hackers and known as CloudHopper, Microsoft this year imposed new controls on its resellers, including requirements for multifactor authentication.The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the National Security Agency had no immediate comment.Also Thursday, SolarWinds released an update to fix the vulnerabilities in its flagship network management software Orion following the discovery of a second set of hackers who had targeted the company’s products.That followed a separate Microsoft blog post Friday saying that SolarWinds’ software had been targeted by a second and unrelated group of hackers in addition to those linked to Russia.The identity of the second set of hackers, or the degree to which they may have successfully broken in anywhere, remains unclear.Russia has denied having any role in the hacking.
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Sudanese Church Leaders Preach Caution About COVID-19 on Christmas
Church leaders in Sudan are asking people to strictly follow government and World Health Organization guidelines this Christmas to avoid spreading the coronavirus.Some churches have suspended the traditional midnight prayer service to avoid transmission of the virus.The Reverend Shimal Kuwa, head of the Christ Church in the Isba neighborhood of Khartoum, instructed his clergy to stay home Christmas Eve, but said the church would hold a Christmas service on Friday morning.“Our new strategy for this celebration is that we don’t expect mass gathering, but we as church leaders will be praying tonight. Let the faithful stay home, pray at home and celebrate Christmas at their home. Tomorrow we don’t expect many congregants and those who will be coming will have to strictly wear face masks,” Kuwa told VOA’s South Sudan in Focus.FILE – Graffiti depicting the importance of face masks, part of a COVID-19 awareness-raising campaign, are pictured with the Arabic hashtag “Stay aware” on a wall in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on April 8, 2020.Sudan’s High Committee for Health and Emergencies, a body tasked with monitoring the country’s health situation, instructed all mosques and other places of worship to conduct prayers in open spaces.Abuna Mujahid, a leader in the Pentecostal Church of Sudan, said no church should violate the government directives.“As the church, the Bible teaches us to respect the authorities because we believe the civil authorities are given by God. And the health instructions given are not only in Sudan but worldwide,” Mujahid told VOA.Father Philip Baptist Abbaker, a Catholic priest at Saint Charles Luwanga Parish in Jebel Aulia, said he would celebrate the Eucharist midnight Mass Thursday afternoon. He said the church would provide soap and water in addition to sanitizers for congregants at the church entrance.“We know the corona now is a problem, so we arranged to keep the distance and all Christians have to wear masks,” Abbaker told South Sudan in Focus.Salma Gabriel, 41, a Sudanese Christian in Omdurman, thanked the government of Sudan for allowing her group to hold a Christmas carol procession on Thursday.“This is the first of its kind after the ouster of the previous regime, and as the church, that is already a celebration. We will go for prayer tomorrow morning,” Gabriel said.Sudan’s military ousted longtime President Omar al-Bashir in 2019 following months of nationwide protests calling for political and economic reforms.Sudan has recorded more than 20,000 COVID-19 cases and nearly 1,500 deaths, including those of 15 medical doctors.
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Burundi Journalists Released via Presidential Pardon
Four journalists imprisoned for a year in Burundi on charges that rights groups condemned as baseless have been released after receiving a presidential pardon, according to a decree seen Thursday by AFP.The journalists were working for IWACU, the isolated African country’s last independent media outlet, when they were arrested in Bubanza province in October 2019 while covering an incursion of rebels from neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo.Agnes Ndirubusa, Christine Kamikazi, Egide Harerimana and Terence Mpozenzi were charged with threatening state security and sentenced in January to 2½ years in prison, a verdict upheld on appeal in June.But they were pardoned by a decree signed Wednesday by President Evariste Ndayishimiye, who was elected in May.IWACU’s founder and head, Antoine Kubarahe, said their release was “a great relief.””These four colleagues, I repeat, were guilty of nothing. They were doing their job,” he told AFP.”I am happy they will be reunited with their families on Christmas Eve,” he added, thanking the “great outpouring of support in Burundi and around the world” for their cause.”May their freedom open a new chapter for Burundi’s media,” he said.The European Union’s ambassador to Burundi, Claude Bochu, tweeted that the pardon was a “relief and an excellent sign for the new year!”The EU has imposed sanctions on Burundi since 2015, but their relationship has been warming of late.Ndayishimiye’s election had raised hopes for a more open political environment in Burundi after 15 years of Pierre Nkurunziza, whose rule was marked by violence and brutality against dissidents. Nkurunziza died in June.In October, 65 human rights groups issued a joint statement demanding the journalists be released.”Their continued detention on baseless charges is a stark reminder that, despite a recent change in leadership, the Burundian government has little tolerance for independent journalism,” the group said.On Reporters Without Borders’ annual press freedom index, Burundi ranks 160th out of 180 in the world.
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After Months of Haggling, Britain, EU Reach Trade Deal
When Britons voted in 2016 to leave the European Union after 47 years of membership, Brexiters said striking a free trade deal with the Eu would be simple and “one of the easiest in human history.” It didn’t turn out that way. But Thursday, after four years of talks marked by fractiousness and ill-temper and amid accusations of bullying, delusions and bad faith, there was some holiday cheer after London and Brussels finally struck a deal that will limit the economic damage both Britons and Europeans would have suffered in the absence of any agreement. Both sides compromised and moved away from frequently emphasized ‘red lines’ to reach the deal. Britain formally exited the EU last January but had a year-long transition period allowing for free trade and free movement of people to continue uninterrupted until December 31. Pro-Brexit headline writers immediately announced “Merry Brexmas” and praised Prime Minister Boris Johnson for delivering what he said he would. “The war is over,” beamed Nigel Farage, Brexit Party leader. He added: “It’s not perfect, but goodness me, it’s still progress.” The pound rallied modestly on the news of the deal, but then slipped back.Johnson proclaimed the deal, with an estimated overall value of $900 billion, the biggest trade agreement ever signed by the EU. “Everything that the British public was promised during the 2016 referendum and in the general election last year is delivered by this deal,” a Downing Street official said. Using similar language to what Brexiters promised more than four years ago during the Brexit referendum campaign, he added: “We have taken back control of our money, borders, laws, trade and our fishing waters.”
Johnson tweeted a photograph of himself in Downing Street with two thumbs up. “The deal is done,” he announced.The deal is done. pic.twitter.com/zzhvxOSeWz— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) December 24, 2020Later at a press conference in London Johnson appeared triumphant, saying: “We have taken back our laws and destiny.” He added the deal will “protect jobs across this country” by allowing goods to be sold “without tariffs and quotas” in the EU. He said Britain will now control every “jot and tittle of our regulations.”
The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen dubbed the deal “fair and balanced,” as she announced, with obvious relief at a press conference in Brussels, “we have finally reached a deal.”European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are seen on a computer screen while giving live a statement on the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 24, 2020.She said the EU and Britain also will cooperate when it comes to climate action and security. She said the negotiations had been a “long and winding road” but added, “we have a good deal to show for it.” Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, said he was happy the clock is “no longer ticking.” He added that today is a “day of relief” but one tinged by “some sadness.” British politicians who opposed Brexit said they were relieved a deal had been struck, but they warned Britain would be losing a lot from exiting the bloc. Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, tweeted: “Before the spin starts, it’s worth remembering that Brexit is happening against Scotland’s will. And there is no deal that will ever make up for what Brexit takes away from us. It’s time to chart our own future as an independent, European nation.” Before the spin starts, it’s worth remembering that Brexit is happening against Scotland’s will. And there is no deal that will ever make up for what Brexit takes away from us. It’s time to chart our own future as an independent, European nation.— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) Britain’s chief Brexit negotiator David Frost gives a thumb up as he arrives at the British Embassy during negotiations, in Brussels, Dec. 24, 2020.For days both sides had indicated they were on the verge of a breakthrough. And starting Saturday, diplomats were telling reporters a deal was “imminent.” An announcement had been planned for Wednesday, and then early Thursday morning, only for hours to pass and diplomats to say some tweaks in the 2,000-page agreement were still necessary. The delay in announcing a deal in the past 24 hours was mainly because of fishing quota numbers when it emerged the European Commission had been using out of date figures to calculate the reduction in the amount of fish stocks that EU fishermen will be permitted to catch in British waters as part of the trade deal. The deal gives British exporters “zero-tariff, zero-quota” access to Europe’s Single Market. Any future disputes between Britain and the EU will not be adjudicated by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), a key point for Brexiters, who said if the ECJ policed the agreement it would undermine British sovereignty. FILE – Trucks queue to embark aboard the freight shuttle at Eurotunnel terminal in Coquelles near Calais, France, Dec. 16, 2020.But British firms will have curtailed rights to sell services to the EU after January, affecting the banking and insurance sectors. Service industries account for 80 percent of total British economic output. Some international banks likely will shift more of their operations to EU countries because of the deal, analysts say. Beginning in January there also will be additional customs checks on food, chemicals and medicines exported to the EU by Britain, which will add red tape and costs for British firms, likely reducing their price competitiveness, say analysts. FILE – Fishing boats are moored adjacent to the South Pier of Bridlington Harbour fishing port in Bridlington, north east England, Dec. 11, 2020.On fishing in British waters, Britain made major concessions allowing the EU fishing industry to give up only 25 percent of its current quota, a change that will be phased in over the next five and a half years, meaning that the EU fishing catch in British waters will decline 4.5 per cent annually. Even though politicians breathed a sigh of collective relief on both sides of the English Channel, the “deal is far from the deep and ambitious relationship” both sides said they were aiming for shortly after the 2016 Brexit referendum, according to Sally Jones, a trade expert at Ernst & Young, an Anglo-American multinational professional services consultancy. The hugely complex deal now will be pored over by trade lawyers and businesses. The agreement runs to more than 1,000 pages, plus hundreds of pages of annexes that cover future arrangements for trade, security and fishing, as well as scientific cooperation and regulatory alignment The biggest sticking points in the haggling during the last few years between London and Brussels have been over regulatory alignment and fishing. Both sides were at loggerheads over shared regulatory rules, competition and safety standards, workers’ rights and environment laws and restraints on state subsidies to private businesses. Europeans were determined to ensure British firms did not secure an unfair competitive edge over EU rivals. Lower standards and watered-down regulations mean lower costs and lower prices for finished goods. FILE – British Union flag waves in front of the Elizabeth Tower at Houses of Parliament containing the bell know as “Big Ben” in central London, March 29, 2017.The British Parliament will have to ratify the deal, but it already has recessed for Christmas. British lawmakers are likely to be recalled on December 30 to approve the last-minute agreement.
An EU official told Reuters news agency a provisional application of the deal will need to be approved by member states because there’s not enough time for the EU Parliament to ratify the agreement before the December 31 deadline, when Britain’s transition period.
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Republican Lawmakers Block Effort to Pass Trump’s Stimulus Demands
Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives blocked a Democratic attempt Thursday to pass President Donald Trump’s demand for $2,000 stimulus payments to millions of Americans who have been hard hit by the U.S. coronavirus pandemic.Late Tuesday, the outgoing president demanded an increase in direct payments from $600 to $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for couples, despite broad opposition within the Republican Party.Thursday House Democratic leader Steny Hoyer sought the unanimous approval of Trump’s proposal from House members but House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy denied the approval, ending an unusual 12-minute pro forma session.Trump Vetoes Defense Spending BillBoth the House and Senate passed the bill with veto-proof majorities, meaning they could override the president’s vetoTrump had suggested Tuesday he will not sign into law a $900 billion emergency COVID-19 aid bill unless lawmakers approve larger stimulus payments. A Trump veto would likely trigger a brief, partial federal government shutdown beginning Dec. 29 and delay delivery of the $600 stimulus payments in the bill when millions desperately need assistance.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Senate Republicans are opposed the larger $2,000 checks, saying they are too costly and poorly targeted.Trump’s efforts to change the relief package come as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office on Jan. 20. The bill had been approved by the House and Senate by wide, bipartisan margins.Biden Addresses COVID-19 Bill, Holiday Pandemic Precautions President-elect Joe Biden called the $900 billion coronavirus aid bill a ‘down payment’ on a broader relief bill he plans to introduce when he takes office in JanuaryWithout Trump’s signature, unemployment benefits for those who lost jobs due to the pandemic would expire as soon as Saturday, followed by a partial government shutdown beginning Tuesday.Earlier this month, Congress approved a $2.3 trillion catchall spending bill that includes the $900 billion in COVID-19 aid and $1.4 trillion to fund the government through the next fiscal year.The House is scheduled to return to Capitol Hill on Monday, and the Senate Tuesday, for a vote to override Trump’s veto of the measure. Democrats are contemplating a second stopgap bill to at least keep the government operating until Biden is sworn into office Jan. 20, according to two aides, who spoke anonymously to address the private talks.
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Taiwan Lawmakers Approve Imports of Additive-Fed US Pork
Taiwan’s parliament on Thursday approved measures that pave the way for imports of U.S. pork
containing a leanness-enhancing additive, despite objections by the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party which says the move is a health risk.
President Tsai Ing-wen’s decision in August to permit imports of U.S. pork containing ractopamine, banned in the European Union and China, has roiled Taiwan politics. The KMT has staged noisy protests and flung pig entrails in parliament on one occasion last month to protest against the plans.
The government says nobody will be forced to eat the pork and that the move brings Taiwan into line with international norms. Major Taiwanese food firms have already pledged not to sell pork made with ractopamine.
But with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party having a majority in parliament, the KMT was never going to be able to block the administrative measures that allow ractopamine pork.
“Ractopamine pork is poison pork,” KMT lawmaker Lai Shyh-bao told parliament, holding up a large sign reading the same message. Premier Su Tseng-chang told reporters the government would protect people’s health. “We have seen that importers have publicly said they will not import ractopamine pork,” he added.
The KMT cancelled plans for public protests against the decision outside parliament after Taiwan reported on Tuesday its first locally-transmitted COVID-19 case since April.
The issue is extremely sensitive for Taiwan’s government as the United States is the Chinese-claimed island’s most important international backer and supplier of arms.
Taiwan’s government hopes the easing of U.S. pork imports will pave the way for a long-hoped for free trade deal with Washington. The de facto U.S. embassy in Taiwan has decried “disinformation” from politicians about food safety.
Pork is Taiwan’s most popular meat, with average per capita consumption of around 40 kg. Most pork consumed in Taiwan is domestically reared.
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Malian Refugees Return to Camp They Fled in Burkina Faso
The U.N. refugee agency says improved security has allowed 3,000 refugees from conflict-ridden Mali return to a camp in Burkina Faso they abandoned nine months ago following attacks by armed extremists. Some 9,000 Malians in Burkina Faso’s Goudoubo refugee camp fled in terror when they came under fire by armed extremists in March. About 5,000 made the difficult decision to return to Mali, a country still in turmoil. The U.N. refugee agency assisted them upon arrival.Many of the remaining refugees fled to the nearby town of Dori, where they have been living under dire conditions. UNHCR spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo told VOA that national authorities have reinforced security in and around Goudoubo, making it possible for the refugees to return to the camp.“For the 3,000 that have returned back to the camps, they were relocated in 31 convoys in buses and trucks to the camp. So, another 150 refugees arrived on their own in motorcycles and in tricycle taxis. And, others moved on foot, accompanying their cattle,” she said.Mantoo said another 2,100 refugees are expected to move back to Goudoubo from the Mentao camp this month. She said the Malians will have better access to services in the camp. She said 1,500 new shelters have been built, health clinics have been refurbished, schools are welcoming students and returning refugees have begun reopening small businesses.“But despite the welcome relocations, we are continuing to warn that attacks by armed groups in the Sahel will lead to further displacement in the region that is already hosting 2 million IDPs and hundreds of thousands of refugees. Across the Sahel, refugees and internally displaced people and their hosts are subjected to brutal violence, rape, execution. It is really horrible and now the pandemic is adding a new layer of hardships,” said Mantoo.Burkina Faso is at the epicenter of one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement and protection crises. The UNHCR says more than one million people in the country are internally displaced and more than 20,000 Malians have taken refuge there.
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