The Burkina Faso-developed malaria vaccine is not the only solution to the mosquito-borne disease being tested in the country. Scientists in the West African nation have been breeding genetically modified mosquitoes that may reduce the ability of mosquito populations to spread malaria. Henry Wilkins reports from Bobo Dioulasso on Burkina Faso’s cutting-edge research.
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Month: May 2021
A Record 55 Million People Displaced Last Year
The Internal Displacement Monitoring Center reports the number of people displaced inside their own countries because of conflict, violence and weather-related disasters reached an all-time high of 55 million by the end of 2020.Experts tracking these events thought sanity would prevail during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in fewer conflicts and triggering fewer forced displacements. They also hoped global efforts against climate change to prevent disasters would protect more people.However, the secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, Jan Egeland, says the verdict is in and it is not good. He says last year, conflict and disasters caused more than 40 million new displacements, with some people being forced to move many times out of their homes.”Forty million times a child, a woman, or a man was displaced in 2020,” said Egeland. “That is more than one person per second, and it is continuing, so…a lot of people have been displaced also in 2021 while we speak.”The report says Syria has the highest number of internally displaced people, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo and Colombia. It says sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa generated 90 percent of all new conflict-related displacements.Children displaced by the conflict play on metal railings at the elementary school where they now live with their families in the town of Abi Adi, in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia Tuesday, May 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)The director of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, Alexandra Bilak, says escalating violence in Ethiopia and strengthening of extremist groups in Mozambique and Burkina Faso fueled some of the world’s fastest growing displacement crises.”In Ethiopia, we are looking at over half a million new displacements that were triggered by violence in the Tigray region alongside, as you know, reports of human rights violations and abuses,” said Bilak. “But across the rest of the continent, we saw how armed groups exploited simmering disputes and expanded their influence across the Sahel, as well as in Nigeria, Somalia and Mozambique.”Weather-related events, primarily storms and floods, were responsible for 98 percent of all new disaster displacements recorded last year. The report says nearly 70 percent took place in South Asia and East Asia, and the Pacific.Elsewhere, it says the Atlantic hurricane season was the most active on record, with 30 main storms. It notes hurricanes Laura, Eta and Iota alone triggered 2.7 million new displacements across 14 Central American and Caribbean countries.It adds 1.7 million displacements were recorded in the United States from devastating wildfires and hurricanes. Authors of the report cite this as an important reminder that high-income countries are just as exposed to disasters as low-and-middle-income countries.
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Bulgaria’s Former Leader Battles Corruption Claims as Caretaker Government Starts Clean-Up
Bulgaria’s caretaker government appears poised to approve a series of freedom-of-information requests from the country’s media which are likely to fuel explosive allegations of corruption against former prime minister Boyko Borissov and a group of his business associates, say local journalists.
And the caretaker prime minister, Stefan Yanev, who has been in power for just over a week has been quick to shake up the country’s bureaucracy, making key political appointees in ministries, state agencies and public companies long dominated by people with close ties to Borissov, who was in office for all but two years since 2009.
“The dismantling of Borissov’s State has begun,” proclaimed this week Kapital, an investigative news site credited with major corruption exposes including of the state-owned Bulgarian Development Bank, which restricted loans in recent years to just eight private companies, all of which are tied to business oligarchs connected to Borissov.
Kapital and other news organizations have inundated the caretaker government with freedom-of-information requests and their editors say they are hopeful of approval.
‘Armani-clad tough guy’Borissov has been dogged by allegations of corruption and ties to organized crime since first emerging in politics in the early 2000s, when then U.S. ambassador John Beyrle warned in a diplomatic cable, which was subsequently leaked, that the bodyguard-turned-politician was “implicated in serious criminal activity.”
His predecessor as American envoy to Sofia, James Pardew, dubbed Borissov an “Armani-clad tough guy” in another leaked diplomatic cable.FILE – Bulgaria’s then-prime minister Boyko Borissov puts on a protective face mask as he arrives for the fourth day of an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, July 20, 2020.His three stints as prime minister were roiled by scandals and he was forced from office earlier this month when his conservative GERB party failed to win a majority in parliamentary elections in April and found none of the other parties willing to form a government coalition with him.
His electoral setback is largely put down to the avalanche of corruption allegations that started last year, prompting the rise of major streets protests and the emergence of anti-establishment and anti-corruption parties wanting him gone. Protesters were infuriated when a photograph surfaced showing Borissov in bed with a pistol handy and a stash of 500 euro notes overflowing from a bedside drawer.
Earlier this month the Bulgarian parliament heard testimony from an agri-businessman, Svetoslav Ilchovsky, who claimed sectors of the economy are ruled over by businessmen associated with Borissov and they have turned Bulgaria into a ‘captured state.’
Ilchovsky said he was forced to sell grain and other agricultural products at half-price to those close to GERB, helping to boost their profits. Ilchovsky alleged also that the Borissov associates have been busy embezzling European Union funds. “There is not a single EU-funded project in the agricultural sector where some fraud has not happened,” he told the panel.
“I paid money willingly, I lost money, I did everything so I could buy some time and wait until their time [in office] is over,” Ilchovsky added. He told an investigative commission that ministers had personally threatened to damage his business unless he complied. Other businessmen have stepped forward to add to the allegations.
Bulgaria’s president, Rumen Radev, appointed a caretaker government led by Stefan Yanev, a political ally, ahead of rerun parliamentary elections called for July 11. Radev has warned that another inconclusive vote in July risks seeing Bulgaria fall into a “political and constitutional crisis.”Newly-appointed caretaker Prime Minister Stefan Yanev, left, shakes hands with Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev during an official ceremony in Sofia, Bulgaria, May 12, 2021.Borissov has said he won’t run to try to lead the next government, saying he doesn’t want to “divide”the nation, although he has hinted he may be a candidate for the presidency in elections slated for later on the year.
Borissov’s defense
Borissov last Thursday dismissed allegations that GERB has extorted money from businesses using threats during its time in power. “They have paid people to stand up and say certain things,” Borissov told a press conference. He denies knowing any of the businessmen who accuse him and his party of extortion and fraud, describing the charges as part of a bigger scheme initiated to discredit his party.
“I know every step they’ll take and I am preparing to respond with even greater force,” Borissov said. He added: “Every single person who has ever attacked me has lost.”
EU officials are taking note of the claims of widespread defrauding of agricultural projects funded by Brussels. How the dismantling of so-called ‘Borissov’s State’ fares could well have repercussions for what conditions they place on the 18.3 billion dollars Bulgaria is scheduled to get the country from COVID recovery funds, an official told VOA.
In March, when congratulating Bulgarians on their National Day, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed that Bulgaria was an enduring friend but emphasized in his remarks the importance of a “commitment to freedom, human rights, democratic and accountable institutions.” In recent weeks the U.S. State Department has focused on the security aspects of its relationship with Bulgaria, a NATO member. Veronica Anghel of the European University Institute says the Biden administration is likely to seek “to balance security interests and the rule of law in Central and Eastern Europe.”
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Top US, Russian Diplomats Meet Face-to-Face at Arctic Summit
Climate change and cooperation among Arctic states are among the topics of discussion Thursday in Reykjavik, Iceland, as the Arctic Council holds a ministerial meeting.“We value our strong international cooperation through the Council to address the climate crisis and keep the Arctic region peaceful,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said ahead of Thursday’s talks.Earlier in the week, Blinken urged the global community to avoid militarizing the Arctic, and said Russia has advanced “unlawful maritime claims” in the region.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said this week that Western countries should not claim rights to the Arctic, and that Russia is responsible for ensuring its Arctic coast is safe.The Arctic dispute is over the so-called Northern Sea Route, a shipping lane that runs through Russia’s northern coast in the Arctic. Russia considers the Northern Sea Route vital to its economic and military interests and requires foreign vessels to obtain permission from Moscow to navigate it. The United States has dismissed Russia’s claims of jurisdiction over parts of the route as illegitimate.Russia is taking over the chairmanship of the Arctic Council, and has set goals for highlighting sustainable economic development and promoting Indigenous cultures and languages.On the sidelines of the Arctic Council gathering, the big focus Wednesday was on a meeting between Blinken and Lavrov.Blinken said the United States is ready to work with Russia to advance areas where the two nations have “intersecting interests,” while continuing to defend U.S. interests and respond if Moscow acts aggressively against Washington and its allies.”There are many areas where our interests intersect and overlap, and we believe that we can work together and indeed build on those interests — whether it is dealing with COVID-19 and the pandemic, combating climate change, dealing with the nuclear programs” in Iran and North Korea, as well as the peace process in Afghanistan, Blinken said Wednesday.”Our position is clear: We are prepared to discuss all issues on the table with an understanding that our discussions would be honest, factual and with mutual respect,” Lavrov said, adding he is ready to discuss “the Russian (diplomatic) missions in the U.S. and the U.S. missions in Russia.”It was the first face-to-face meeting for the top U.S. and Russian diplomats and comes at a time of heightened tension between their countries. The meeting also set the stage for a planned summit next month between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, holds a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, not pictured, at the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland, May 19, 2021.The meeting between Blinken and Lavrov lasted about an hour and 45 minutes, said to be longer than expected.“The Secretary made clear that Russia should release American citizens Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed so they can return home to their families,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement, adding that Blinken also raised “deep concerns” over Russia’s continued military deployments in and near Ukraine, and the health of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny and the repression of opposition organizations.European energy security is at the top of the U.S. agenda as Russia’s controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which connects Russia and Germany, nears completion.Wednesday, the State Department announced its plan to sanction Russian vessels and entities involved in the building of Nord Stream 2.But the U.S. is waiving sanctions on the company in charge of the project, Nord Stream 2 AG, and CEO Matthias Warnig, a German national, citing U.S. national interest.The move is seen as a bid to improve relations with Germany. The Biden administration has been seeking to strengthen U.S.-German bonds and the transatlantic relationship.”I think our actions today have demonstrated that we continue to oppose the pipeline projects but that we also are cognizant of the president’s commitment to rebuild relations with our European allies and partners,” a senior U.S. official said.German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas praised the decision.”We see this as a constructive step which we are happy to further discuss with our partners in Washington,” he said Wednesday during a press conference.Russia has previously defended the project as economically feasible.The U.S. has been warning about the security risks of Russian energy export pipelines, in particular Nord Stream 2. U.S. officials said if they were completed, those projects would undermine European security and strengthen Russia’s ability to use its energy resources to coerce the United States’ European partners and allies.Russian officials said Wednesday the latest U.S. decision to waive sanctions would normalize ties between Moscow and Washington.Donald Jensen, director for Russia and strategic stability at the U.S. Institute of Peace, said he does not believe the State Department’s announcement to waive sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and its CEO “was taken primarily with an eye toward improving the atmosphere around the Blinken-Lavrov meeting.”“I expect that the U.S. administration still intends to take a tough line on Russia’s threatening behavior toward Ukraine, interference in our elections and other areas,” Jensen said. “Nevertheless, the favorable reaction in Moscow to the decision suggests the Kremlin sees the pipeline decision as a concession which it will hope to repeat in other areas.”
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New Zealand Spending Plan Includes Rebuilding Antarctic Base
New Zealand plans to rebuild its Antarctic base and spend billions more on welfare payments as part of a spending program aimed at lifting the economy out of a coronavirus slump.The government on Thursday unveiled its annual budget, which indicated the economy is doing much better than forecast after the pandemic first hit.That’s thanks in large part to the nation’s success in stopping the spread of the virus, as well as strong international demand for the nation’s milk and other agricultural exports.Treasury figures indicate the nation’s economy is expected to grow by 2.9% this year and rise to 4.4% growth by 2023. That follows a sharp plunge and quick recovery last year, which ended in an overall economic contraction of 1.7%.The budget plan includes $344 million New Zealand dollars ($247 million) to rebuild Scott Base in Antarctica, which has been used by scientists since it first built in 1957.”The outdated buildings and facilities that keep the residents alive in the coldest, driest, windiest place on earth have deteriorated,” Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said. “Doing nothing would eventually lead to the closure of the base.”The project would involve demolishing the existing 12 buildings, which were built in the early 1980s, and replacing them with three large, interconnected buildings. The rebuilt base could accommodate up to 100 people at a time.One of the new buildings would be used for accommodation and dining, one for science, and one for engineering and storage. A windfarm that produces renewable electricity would be overhauled.The project still needs final signoff from both New Zealand and its Antarctic treaty partners. Under the plan, bulldozers would be shipped to Antarctica in the first year and construction would take another six years.Due to its proximity to Antarctica, New Zealand has been a stop-off point from the days of the earliest explorers through to current U.S. missions. New Zealanders have also been involved in exploration and research for generations.Other new spending proposed in the budget includes a boost in benefits for welfare recipients and more money for health care.”Previous economic downturns have made inequality worse. We’re taking a different approach,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “By investing in those who need it the most, we are driving recovery by reducing need, at the same time as providing stimulus for our economy.”Proposed new infrastructure spending includes an overhaul of the rail network, with 60 new trains and 1,900 new wagons. Officials say the plan will create about 450 jobs and reduce emissions by moving freight from trucks to trains.Treasury figures indicate unemployment is forecast to peak at 5.2% this year before declining, much less than the 10% rate predicted last year.The government also plans to borrow less than anticipated, with net government debt reaching a peak of 48% of GDP before declining, down from last year’s forecast of 55%.”In the face of this one-in-100-year shock, the New Zealand economy has proved to be remarkably resilient,” Finance Minister Grant Robertson said.Opposition Leader Judith Collins said the budget lacked the ambition needed to grow the economy and reduce debt, and offered nothing to middle-income earners.The budget’s approval in Parliament is seen as a formality because Ardern’s Labour Party holds a majority of the seats.
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Kenya’s President Names Country’s First Female Chief Justice
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has appointed Court of Appeal Judge Martha Koome as the East African country’s first woman chief justice and head of the judiciary.The announcement was made Wednesday in a special Gazette Notice — an official publication for notifying the actions and decisions of the government — hours after parliamentary approval.”In exercise powers conferred by … the constitution. I, Uhuru Kenyatta, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defense Forces appoint Martha Karambu Koome to be the chief justice of the republic of Kenya,” Kenyatta’s announcement said.She replaces David Maraga, who made history by leading the Supreme Court when it annulled Kenyatta’s 2017 reelection victory citing “illegalities and irregularities” and ordering a fresh election.Before that historic decision, it was unprecedented in Africa for an opposition party to succeed in getting a court decision to overturn a president’s election.Kenyatta won the second election after the opposition boycotted participation, saying the electoral authority had not implemented adequate reforms to ensure free and fair polls.Koome won the chief justice position over nine other candidates, including some of the country’s most prominent lawyers and academics. The candidates were interviewed live on TV by the Judicial Service Commission in April.Koome, 61, has had a distinguished career with more than 33 years in private legal practice and as a member of the judiciary.Her appointment has not been without controversy. One of the candidates, lawyer Fred Ngatia, cast aspersions on how the commission members chose Koome, saying the process had been rigged. Makau Mutua, a Kenyan law professor working in the U.S., is seeking orders to compel the judicial commission to release the results of each candidate in order to give the selection process legitimacy.None of the sitting Supreme Court judges applied for the position of chief justice, raising speculation that they were afraid to take up the mantle due to the pressure that Maraga received following the annulment of Kenyatta’s reelection. Maraga said he received death threats following the Supreme Court’s 4-2 decision against Kenyatta.The Supreme Court judges failed to make a decision over an opposition petition to stop the fresh election after unknown assailants shot and seriously wounded the police officer who was the driver for the deputy chief justice the previous day.FILE – Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta appears on a screen as he speaks during a virtual bilateral meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department in Washington, April 27, 2021.Calling the judges “crooks,” Kenyatta vowed to revisit the annulment of his victory once reelected and since then the judiciary’s budget has been reduced. Kenyatta has also refused to appoint 40 judges who had been approved by the Judicial Service Commission in order to help reduce the backlog of cases before the courts.Koome now faces the task of adjudicating any challenge to the upcoming presidential election to be held in August 2022.She studied law at the University of Nairobi, graduating from the Kenya School of Law in 1987 with a distinction, and then was admitted to the roll of advocates.She joined the International Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya and was elected chair of the organization. Koome led the civil rights organization in championing the establishment of the family division of the High Court, as well as the enactment of laws to protect the rights of families and children. She served on the council of the Law Society from 1993 to 1996 and has also been treasurer of the East Africa Law Society.Koome was appointed as a judge in 2003 and served on the African Union Committee on the Rights and Welfare of Children between 2005 and 2010. She headed the Land and Environment Division of the High Court.Koome obtained a Master of Laws degree from the University of London in 2010 and in 2012 she was appointed to the Court of Appeal.
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Top US, Russian Diplomats Meet in Iceland to Cooperate on ‘Intersecting Interests’
The United States says it is ready to work with Russia to advance areas where the two nations have “intersecting interests,” while continuing to defend U.S. interests and respond if Moscow acts aggressively against Washington and its allies.”There are many areas where our interests intersect and overlap, and we believe that we can work together and indeed build on those interests — whether it is dealing with COVID-19 and the pandemic, climate change, the nuclear programs” in Iran and North Korea, or the peace process in Afghanistan, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met on the sidelines of the Arctic Council Ministerial session in Reykjavik, Iceland.”Our position is clear: We are prepared to discuss all issues on the table with an understanding that our discussions would be honest, factual and with mutual respect,” Lavrov said, adding he is ready to discuss “the Russian [diplomatic] missions in the U.S. and the U.S. missions in Russia.”It was the first face-to-face meeting for the top U.S. and Russian diplomats and came at a time of heightened tension between their countries. The meeting also set the stage for a planned summit next month between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.The meeting between Blinken and Lavrov lasted about one hour and 45 minutes, said to be longer than expected.“The Secretary made clear that Russia should release American citizens Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed so they can return home to their families,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement, adding that Blinken also raised “deep concerns” over Russia’s continued military deployments in and near Ukraine, the health of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny and the repression of opposition organizations.Role of sanctionsEuropean energy security was at the top of the U.S. agenda as Russia’s controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which connects Russia and Germany, nears completion.Wednesday, the State Department announced its plan to sanction Russian vessels and entities involved in the building of Nord Stream 2.But the U.S. is waiving sanctions on the company in charge of the project, Nord Stream 2 AG, and CEO Matthias Warnig, a German national, citing U.S. national interest.The move is seen as a bid to improve relations with Germany. The Biden administration has been seeking to strengthen U.S.-German bonds and the transatlantic relationship.”I think our actions today have demonstrated that we continue to oppose the pipeline projects but that we also are cognizant of the president’s commitment to rebuild relations with our European allies and partners,” a senior U.S. official said.German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas praised the decision.”We see this as a constructive step which we are happy to further discuss with our partners in Washington,” he said Wednesday during a press conference.Russia has previously defended the project as economically feasible.The U.S. has been warning about the security risks of Russian energy export pipelines, in particular Nord Stream 2. U.S. officials said if they were completed, those projects would undermine European security and strengthen Russia’s ability to use its energy resources to coerce the United States’ European partners and allies.Russian officials said Wednesday that the latest U.S. decision to waive sanctions would normalize ties between Moscow and Washington.Donald Jensen, director for Russia and strategic stability at the U.S. Institute of Peace, said he did not believe the State Department’s announcement to waive sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and its CEO “was taken primarily with an eye toward improving the atmosphere around the Blinken-Lavrov meeting.”“I expect that the U.S. administration still intends to take a tough line on Russia’s threatening behavior toward Ukraine, interference in our elections and other areas,” Jensen said. “Nevertheless, the favorable reaction in Moscow to the decision suggests the Kremlin sees the pipeline decision as a concession which it will hope to repeat in other areas.”
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US Waives Sanctions on Firm Working on Germany-Russia Pipeline
The U.S. will waive sanctions against the German company leading construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, according to a State Department report sent to Congress on Wednesday. The report noted that while the German firm Nord Stream 2 AG and its CEO had violated U.S. law in their work with Russia to build the natural gas pipeline linking the two countries, it was in U.S. national interest to waive the sanctions. The report noted that sanctions would be imposed on several Russian ships and companies for their work on the project. Russia and some U.S. lawmakers reacted to the decision before it was officially announced. FILE – The Nord Stream 2 gas line landfall facility is seen in Lubmin, Germany, Sept. 7, 2020.Nord Stream 2 is a multibillion-dollar underwater gas pipeline project linking Russia to Germany. Work on the pipeline was suspended in December 2019 after it became a source of contention between Russia and the West. Nord Stream officials said Russia resumed construction on the gas pipeline in December. The United States has opposed the joint international project because of possible threats to Europe’s energy security. Nord Stream 2 is intended to double the annual gas capacity of an existing Nord Stream pipeline. In a statement Wednesday, U.S. Senator Jim Risch, a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the decision wrong and contradictory. “The administration seems to be suggesting it is somehow in the United States’ best interest to allow this Russian malign influence project to be completed,” the statement said. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in his confirmation hearing earlier this year that he was “determined to do whatever we can to prevent that completion.” The Biden administration has placed increased sanctions on many Russian officials, particularly after the arrest of opposition leader Alexey Navalny. But when asked about the pipeline last month, Biden called it a “complicated” issue that was “still in play.”US Further Punishes Russia for Cyberattacks, Election Meddling Action taken by the Biden administration includes expelling 10 Russian suspected spies The Kremlin responded to the Axios report before the official announcement, calling it a “positive signal.” “The appearance of such publications is quite positive in itself,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call. “It’s much better than reading that new sanctions are on their way.”
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Malawi Burns Expired COVID-19 Vaccine Amid Concerns of Low Uptake
Malawi has burned nearly 20,000 doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine after slow uptake led to their expiration. Malawi authorities are struggling to administer more doses set to expire in June and are training heath workers to visit and inoculate people in villages.The public incineration of the vaccine Wednesday in the capital was held in front of officials from the Treasury, anti-corruption bureau, the auditor general’s office and health rights activists. Speaking during the event at Kamuzu Central Hospital, Health Minister Khumbize Kandodo-Chiponda said the destruction was aimed to build public confidence in the safety of the vaccination program. “It has been very difficult to convince Malawians about the vaccine initially because of misinformation, disinformation and negative propaganda. So, we just wanted to assure Malawians that indeed what we had said that we are going to destroy them, it is happening now,” she said. Kandodo-Chiponda said the move is also in line with government policy, which prohibits the use of any expired health commodities. The expired vaccines were part of 102,000 vaccines Malawi received from the African Union on March 26 with an expiration date of April 13. The health secretary, Dr. Charles Mwansambo, said despite the slow uptake of the vaccine, the expiration was also because of the vaccine’s short shelf life by the time the government received the donation. He said although remaining doses are expected to expire in June and July, the government will see to it that the vaccines do not expire again. “We have a policy where we say, ‘First expiry, first out.’ So, for those vaccines expiring [at the] end of June, they are the ones that we use first. And the ones [at the] end of July, we will use them later, so we don’t see this happening again,” he said. He said to increase vaccine uptake, the government has trained additional health workers to reach out to communities normally unable to access medical facilities that are providing vaccines. In addition, he said, the government has increased the number of vaccination centers across the country. George Jobe, the executive director for the Health Equity Network, says low vaccine uptake is more prevalent in rural areas where myths and misconceptions about COVID-19 are prevalent. “In the cities, we saw huge numbers of people queuing [up] to be vaccinated,” he said. “But in the communities, we need to do more sensitization responding and clarifying on the misconceptions.” Minister of Health Chiponda says Malawi is expected to receive about 900,000 additional doses of AstraZeneca vaccines under COVAX facility in June.
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Cameroon Regional Councils Starved of Resources to Solve Anglophone Separatist Crisis
Cameroon’s regional councils this week called on the central government to grant promised autonomy and funds that they say would help resolve the country’s separatist conflict. The regions have yet to receive a promised 20% of the state budget this year and the power to recruit state workers like hospital staff and teachers.
Atem Ebako, vice president of the Southwest regional executive council, says he has nothing to present as an achievement since he officially took office on January 21.
Ebako says the central government in Yaounde continues to strengthen its grip on power, contrary to Cameroon’s decentralization code.
“I have been given a job to do. I have not been given the resources to do that job. Yes. You come to my office, it is well equipped, but is that what my people want? For me to have an equipped office? No. Give me the money, give me the human resources, give me the materials, give me the competencies. I will start doing the job,” he said.
Ebako said without the resources, the regional executive councils are serving no purpose.
Cameroon announced special status for its troubled Northwest and Southwest regions after a grand national dialogue called by President Paul Biya in 2019. The talks involved the government, youths, clergy, representatives of some separatist groups and others to find solutions to the crisis in the regions, where most people speak English.
Participants decided that the two areas would have regional bodies responsible for economic, health, social, educational, sports and cultural development affairs.
The bodies were meant to give the regions more autonomy and weaken support for armed groups that want the regions to separate from the rest of Cameroon and its French-speaking majority.
The government said it would give about 20% of its $9 billion state budget to the regions to manage. But so far, that hasn’t happened.
Cho Ngu Ernest, director for human resources for regional and local authorities in Cameroon’s ministry of decentralization, says many government ministers are reluctant to transfer resources to the regions as stated in the country’s decentralization code and constitution.
“It is not easy to relinquish power, but the prime minister, head of government, acting on high instructions of the president of the republic, has asked the minister of decentralization to make sure that all those decrees to enable the regions to function be sent to him with immediate effect because the intention of the head of state is to bring development to the grassroots,” Ernest said.
Cameroonian-born political analyst Jean Pierre Manga, who lectures at the University of Bangui in the Central African Republic, says Cameroon’s unity is under threat unless the central government provides resources to the regional councils.
He says the central government in Yaounde is noted for always depriving grassroots populations of resources, warning that Cameroon’s unity will continue to be threatened if the central government does not stop preventing civilians from freely participating in their own local development. Manga added it was high time for power to be truly relinquished as spelled out in the constitution.
Cameroon’s separatists have been fighting since 2017 to create an independent English-speaking state in the majority French-speaking country’s western regions.
The separatist conflict in Cameroon has killed more than 3,000 people and displaced more than 550,000, according to the United Nations.
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Thousands Join Paris Police Rally Against Violence, Insecurity
After protests against police violence in France, tens of thousands of officers and their supporters staged their own rally Wednesday in Paris, demanding tougher measures against violence and insecurity that have targeted their ranks.Police, politicians and ordinary Parisians braved a mix of sun and pelting rain to protest outside France’s National Assembly.Loren Bazan, 29, whose parents are in the military, said he wanted to show solidarity with the police — who have died just doing their daily jobs, because they were police.Earlier this month, an officer was killed during an anti-drug operation in Nice. Another worker was killed as she entered the police station outside Paris in a suspected Islamist terrorist attack — one of several such attacks targeting French police in recent years.Police aren’t the only ones raising alarm about growing insecurity in France. Members of France’s military community – active and retired – have published a pair of open letters recently, warning of what they allege could be a brewing civil war fueled by growing Islamism.One officer who agreed to be interviewed but declined to give his name, said France’s police force is committed to protecting citizens but isn’t treated the way it deserves. He worries peace is unraveling in France.Police keep order at Worker Day demonstrations in Paris, where they were booed, May 1, 2021. (Lisa Bryant/VOA)The demonstration offered a counterpoint to allegations of police violence and racial profiling that have surged with the Black Lives Matter movement.Politicians from a rainbow of parties were out in force — ahead of regional elections next month and presidential and legislative ones next year. But the welcome wasn’t always warm. Some booed French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin as he arrived.Darmanin said he was simply there to support the officers during a difficult time. There’s nothing more normal, he added, than supporting officers in a republic.A supporter of the May 19, 2021, police protest holds a sign in Paris. Translated, it reads, “Illegitimate violence of delinquents forces the legitimate force of police.” (Lisa Bryant/VOA)Not everyone agreed with that sentiment. Some French experts said it was highly unusual for him to be present.But one demonstrator, Ludovic, said he believed Darmanin came as an ordinary citizen. He said police needed more political support.Members of France’s main opposition party, the far-right National Rally, were also present, along with leftist politicians. But the far left France Unbowed party refused to attend, saying it did not share the police demands.
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As Myanmar Borders Remain Closed, Thai Youth Group Sends Support
Since the military coup in February, thousands of people in Myanmar’s ethnic states have been displaced by renewed conflict between the national army and ethnic armed organizations. With reports of daily shelling and regular airstrikes, many are fleeing to the border with Thailand where a youth group is trying to help. Tommy Walker reports from Mae Sot, Thailand.
Camera: Tommy Walker
Video editor: Marcus Harton
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Nicola Sturgeon Sworn in Again as Scotland’s First Minister
Nicola Sturgeon took the oath of office Wednesday to return as Scotland’s first minister following an election earlier this month that saw her Scottish National Party (SNP) win a resounding election victory, allowing her to push ahead with plans for a second independence referendum. The SNP won 64 seats in the Scottish parliament, just one short of an overall majority. But the Green Party, which also supports independence, won eight seats, more than enough to allow Sturgeon and her party to control the political agenda in Scotland. In a statement issued following her swearing in and the announcement of her Cabinet, Sturgeon called the coming parliamentary term “unquestionably the most important one the nation has faced since devolution, (when Scotland was allowed to form its own parliament) more than 20 years ago.” She said recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, the “ongoing tests posed by Brexit,” and climate change are among her top priorities. But, she added, “As I have made clear, when the crisis is over and the time is right, Scotland must and will have the chance to choose its future in line with the unquestionable democratic mandate for that choice.” Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during the weekly question time debate in Parliament in London, Britain, May 19, 2021, in this screen grab taken from video. (Reuters TV via Reuters)British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his ruling Conservative Party, which is in the minority in Scotland, strongly oppose a referendum, saying the issue was settled in 2014 when Scots voted against independence, by a margin of 55 percent to 45 percent. But issues such as Brexit, which a majority in Scotland opposes, and Johnson’s overall unpopularity in Scotland have brought the topic back in recent years. Sturgeon believes the recent elections give her a mandate to pursue it. Under the 1998 Scotland Act — which created the Scottish parliament and devolved some powers to Edinburgh from London — all matters relating to the “Union of the Kingdoms of Scotland and England” are reserved for the U.K. parliament. Under the act, the U.K. parliament can grant the Scottish government authority to hold a referendum, a process that was used to allow the 2014 plebiscite to go ahead and which Sturgeon said should unfold again for a new referendum. A poll conducted for the Scotsman newspaper shows 49 percent of those surveyed would not support Scottish Independence, with 42 percent saying they would. Eight percent were undecided.
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Nigeria’s Rising Insecurity Dangerous to Economy, Experts Warn
Nigeria’s chamber of commerce has warned that increasing violence and abductions are turning off investors and damaging the economy. Officials says unless security is improved, the economy will not recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Timothy Obiezu reports from Abuja, Nigeria.
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Misinformation Clouds Uganda’s Effort to Vaccinate Refugees
Uganda, which hosts nearly 1.5 million refugees and asylum-seekers, began coronavirus vaccinations this week in the camps and settlements. But vaccine hesitancy among refugees poses a challenge. Ugandan authorities have received 964,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine and inoculated 453,000 people as of May 16. FILE – Uganda’s Minister of Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng and other officials greet the country’s first consignment of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine provided through the global COVAX initiative, at the airport in Entebbe, March 5, 2021.Now, the government is extending COVID-19 vaccinations to refugees, most of whom are from South Sudan. In Bidibidi settlement, the vaccination team is first targeting older people, age 50 or higher. To get them to the clinic, the health team is going to door to door. Moses Lomoro, a village health team member, says face to face interactions helped erase a lot of fears among the elderly. “After getting a vaccine, some people have a reaction,” he said. “Someone can have a fever and vomiting. So, these rumors have scared some of the community members. And also, other people, they have access to social media and give false information.” Before the vaccination, health workers carry out a counselling session in which each recipient reads and signs a consent form. The consent form reads, in part: “As with any vaccine, there is no certainty that I will become immune or that I will not experience any adverse events from the vaccine. I voluntarily assume full responsibility for any events that may result due to vaccination.” Mary Nyoka, 65, has concerns over the form. She says, I have pressure, ulcers and malaria. We are already old enough, are they giving us a vaccine to kill us? She says, so, I’m scared, they are making us sign a consent form. Dr. Charles Onek, a medical officer with the International Rescue Committee says the community has had many fears that have affected the vaccination process. “People have been wondering, if I get a severe form of reaction and maybe, I succumb to it, or I die. Will I be compensated? So, that answer has never been very clear,” he said. “People are talking that if you receive a COVID vaccine, especially for men, you become impotent. No, this has been a myth and we have always been talking about it.” In the settlements, the different health centers use what they call, “boda boda talk talk” to pass on messages about coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease. Balizina Emmy, a clinical officer at Swinga Health Centre III, says they are making progress through these messages. “It is kind of challenging, because, it has not been happening with other vaccines. This is somehow special. This is a new thing in the vaccination system. We try to talk to them and explain to them the reason as to why they should consent. More so, because of these side effects,” he said. An elderly woman and her daughter leave the Bwama Health Centre III, at Bwama Island – Lake Bunyonyi, in Western Uganda, Apr. 28, 2021, after receiving her COVID-19 vaccination.Ugandan doctors say they will have to reset their messages to show and convince not just refugees, but even locals that any risks associated with the vaccine are minimal compared to getting COVID-19, which carries the risk of death.
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International Team to Study Columbus DNA to Determine His Origin
An international team of scientists gathering in Spain Wednesday will launch a project to determine once and for all where famed explorer Christopher Columbus came from by examining his DNA.While Columbus has long been claimed by Italy, there is also speculation he may have been Spanish, Portuguese, Croatian or even Polish. There is little known about his early history, and the project is designed to settle the question.In 2003, a team from the Spanish University of Granada’s medical school established, through DNA research, that bones in a tomb in the cathedral of Seville were those of Columbus, settling a dispute with the Dominican Republic which claimed his body was buried there. At that time DNA technology was not advanced enough to determine much else. Breakthroughs in the technology since then, however, have made it possible to now roughly ascertain the area of person’s ancestry. The bones of Columbus, his son Hernando and his brother Diego are to be examined at Granada University, with genetic material sent to laboratories in Italy and the United States.To kick off the project, the University of Granada is hosting a gathering what it is calling the first world meeting of Columbus researchers, who are presenting evidence for their different theories about the explorer’s origins. The scientists and historians brought with them documentation, artifacts and reportedly even some genetic material.Columbus’s four transatlantic voyages on behalf of Spanish monarchs between 1492 and 1504 opened a door to Europe’s colonization of the Americas, then known as the New World.Columbus died on May 20, 1506, and was buried in the Spanish city of Valladolid.
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EU Slams Belarus For Shutting Independent News Site
The European Union has slammed Belarus for its closure of the country’s biggest independent online news publication, Tut.by, as one of its reporters left prison after serving six months for her reporting on the death of a protester killed during a crackdown on demonstrations against authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka. In a statement on May 19, an EU spokesman called the blocking a day earlier of the popular news site an “act of continued repression and intimidation” against independent media. Belarusian authorities also raided Tut.by’s offices in Minsk and other regions, and the homes of its journalists and employees, breaking the door leading to the apartment of Maryna Zolatava, the site’s editor in chief. The Minsk-based Vyasna (Spring) human rights group said on May 19 that 12 women and two men who worked for the publication had been detained. “The harassment of journalists must stop and all those detained must be immediately released, together with all political prisoners,” EU spokesman Peter Stano said in the statement. “The EU continues to stand by the people of Belarus in their call for respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms and will continue to support civil society and independent media,” he added. The EU statement came hours after Katsyaryna Barysevich was released from a penal colony in the southeastern city of Homel on May 19 after serving her sentence for articles she wrote on the death of Roman Bandarenka, who was protesting against Lukashenka’s victory claim in an August 9 presidential election that the opposition says was rigged. The articles included medical details that contradicted official statements that Bandarenka was drunk at the time of his death.Barysevich told journalists after her release that her incarceration “failed to break” her and that she looked at the absurdities of her situation to ease her mind.”I learned to look calmly at all of the crazy things around me. I cannot say that somebody broke me, or that I entered a jail in November as one person and left it as a different one. To my big surprise, it turned out that I am a very strong person…. There was a moment on the first day [of my arrest] when I wanted to cry but when I saw 19- and 20-year-old students in my cell… I understood that crying is not an option for me,” Barysevich said.
“I had a brown card that is given to individuals with the status of ‘inclined to extremism,’ so I was transported handcuffed along with two women sentenced to nine years and 10 years in prison for murder. They were laughing that they were not handcuffed, while I was!” she said. The doctor, Artsyom Sarokin, was handed a suspended two-year prison term and ordered to pay a fine of 1,450 rubles ($555) for disclosing the information to Barysevich. The Committee for the Protection of Journalists condemned the raids on the offices of Tut.by and its affiliates across the country, as well as the homes of the company’s editors. A total of 14 employees from the media group were detained as suspects in an alleged tax evasion case. “It’s clear that authorities’ only real motive is to censor Belarus’ premier independent news website out of fear of its reporting. Authorities must release all Tut.by employees immediately and without charge, and should allow the outlet to work freely,” Gulnoza Said, the New York-based watchdog’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, said in a statement. A co-owner of Tut.by, Yulia Charnyauskaya, also was detained on May 18 but rushed to a Minsk hospital with heart problems, where she spent several hours. Her current whereabouts are unknown, Vyasna says. A Tut.by co-founder, Kiryl Valoshin, told Current Time on May 18 that there is sizeable support in Belarus for the publication, which has over 3 million online users. But he said he doubted that an escalating crackdown on the media and civil society in the country following protests over a disputed presidential election last August will stop any time soon. “Unfortunately, let us admit that the level of violence and lawlessness in the country is so high that even the possible closure of Tut.by will not make its supporters do something more than express their thoughts on social networks,” Valoshin said, adding that he hopes Tut.by will be able to continue operating in some form. Belarusian authorities have stepped up their repression of journalists and bloggers ever since the start of mass protests sparked by the presidential election. Tut.by has been under pressure for months. Outrage over what was seen as a rigged vote to hand Lukashenka a sixth term in office brought tens of thousands onto the streets to protest the outcome. Security officials have cracked down hard on the demonstrators, arresting thousands, including dozens of journalists who covered the rallies, and pushing most of the top opposition figures out of the country. Some rights organizations say there is credible evidence of torture being used by security officials against some of those detained. Lukashenka, who has run the country since 1994, has denied any wrongdoing with regard to the election and refuses to negotiate with the opposition on stepping down and holding new elections. The European Union, United States, Canada, and other countries have refused to recognize Lukashenka, 66, as the legitimate leader of Belarus and have slapped him and senior Belarusian officials with sanctions in response to the “falsification” of the vote and postelection crackdown.
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South Korean President to Meet Biden at White House
South Korean President Moon Jae-in on May 21 will be the second world leader to meet face-to-face with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House, marking what may be his final visit to the United States and last chance to fulfill campaign pledges before his term ends. The discussions between the two leaders arrive just a few weeks after the Biden administration finalized its monthlong review of North Korea policy, one that signals a departure from previous administrations by pursuing a “calibrated, practical approach,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. This shift in rhetoric — one that strays from Obama-era strategic patience while refraining from making flashy deals — has yielded a “sense of calm” as Moon and Biden prepare to engage in talks, said Jean Lee, director of the Korea program at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. “When you use that rhetoric, that fire and fury, it gives North Korea the justification to test, and when they have that, it means the arsenal gets that much stronger,” Lee said. “The steadiness being exuded consistently by the Biden administration is designed to avoid this escalation of tensions we saw in the early parts of the Trump presidency.” Moon welcomed this open-ended approach in a nationally televised speech marking his four-year anniversary on Monday.FILE – This handout photo taken and released by the presidential Blue House on May 10, 2021 shows South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivering a special address during a press conference marking the 4th anniversary of his inauguration.Issuing a call to action to restore inter-Korean dialogue at the upcoming summit, he vowed to do everything he could to “restart the clock of peace.” “I will consider the remaining one year of my term to be the last opportunity to move from an incomplete peace toward one that is irreversible,” Moon said. North Korea is expected to be near the top of the meeting agenda. But while the two leaders have mutually vowed to work toward the ultimate goal of achieving a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, experts say Biden’s incremental approach may potentially frustrate Moon, who has less than a year in office to follow through with his promised goals of securing a peace regime. Despite these slight variances in timelines though, upholding the alliance between the U.S. and Republic of Korea will unwaveringly remain the top priority, said Kim Heung-kyu, who teaches political science at Ajou University and is the director of the China Policy Institute. Lee echoed these observations, adding that North Korea will be closely watching the summit and that the joint meeting will “send a signal to the North that Moon has Biden’s ear, which is a position of strength that Moon is keen to establish.” The Moon-Biden summit will mark Biden’s second in-person meeting since he took office in January.FILE – Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and U.S. President Joe Biden hold a joint news conference in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, April 16, 2021.The first was also with an Asian leader, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, which serves as a strong indicator of the Biden administration’s broader commitment to forging peace and security across the Indo-Pacific region, bolstering the U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral security alliance, and preparing to strike back at China’s growing influence.Some of Washington’s larger agenda items may have South Korea walking on a tightrope, though, and will heavily depend on “to what extent South Korea decides to participate,” said Park Won-gon, who teaches North Korea studies at Ewha University in Seoul. FILE – A protester sits next to a statue symbolizing a wartime sex slave to demand full compensation and an apology for wartime sex slaves near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Jan. 8, 2021.”With Korea-Japan relations still deadlocked, Biden is trying to make headway with the trilateral alliance before granting Korea and Japan space to find common ground on policies,” Park added. When it comes to China, Moon and Biden will likely home in on its ability to directly sway North Korea’s policy. Kim said that “in this sense, the two administrations will hope that China helps complete the picture instead of complicating it by conveying to North Korea messages that instill a positive influence on the regime.” Apart from getting North Korea to join the negotiating table, experts project vaccine shortage issues may also be a topic of discussion Moon may want to push for.FILE – South Korean senior citizens receive their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a vaccination center in Seoul, South Korea, Apr. 1, 2021. (Chung Sung-Jun/Pool via Reuters)The heated issue has in part caused his approval ratings to nosedive in recent months and starkly contrasts with South Korea’s acclaim as a pandemic-era paragon for its rigorous test-and-trace program. This upcoming summit’s success, unlike that of conventional summits, might be determined by whether Moon manages to procure faster access to vaccines, a South Korean official told Reuters. The summit may also open up a conversation on how South Korea and the U.S. can partner in the near future to play a role in global vaccine development and distribution. But in the meantime, the more immediate challenge for Biden and Moon involves reaching a mutual decision on engaging North Korea while ensuring their timelines align. “The challenge for Moon and Biden during this summit will be managing their differences behind closed doors while presenting a united front so that North Korea can’t drive a wedge between them,” said Lee. Juhyun Lee contributed to this report.
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Taiwan, Once an Icon for COVID Control, Grapples Now with First Serious Outbreak
Taiwan, which captured world attention last year for going more than 200 consecutive days without a local COVID-19 case, is shutting things down for the first time to contain its worst coronavirus outbreak since the global pandemic began. The government’s Central Epidemic Command Center announced more than 1,200 cases from Friday through Wednesday including a record single-day count of 333 cases. Command center officials say infected cargo pilots introduced COVID-19 in mid-April followed by spread among “hostess bars” in a densely populated quarter of Taipei. More than 150 of the 260 cases reported Tuesday were linked to that district. Taipei’s mayor has targeted migrant workers, often helps staff the bars, for virus testing. “A lot of spread is through the underground, two vectors, one of which is underground industries, which was my nightmare, and the second one was of course potential illegals or people who came in without checking,” said Sean Su, an independent political analyst in Taipei. On Saturday, the command center ordered all public spaces, including cinemas, libraries and recreation centers, to close through May 28. Most schools had closed or moved classes online by Tuesday. Shops, eateries and offices can stay open if they follow epidemic prevention rules such as social distancing. Streets that are usually packed with pedestrians, scooters and vehicular noise have taken on the quiet aura of a holiday.People wear face masks to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus as they line up at a rapid Covid testing center after the COVID-19 alert rose to level 3 in Taipei, Taiwan, May 18, 2021.If daily caseloads remain above 100 per day, the government will eventually consider a hard lockdown where everyone must stay at home except to do essential business. Though it’s still legal to go outside, many people used social media groups over the weekend to urge relatives, colleagues and fellow school parents to stay home. “We’ve seen a lot of what could be called informal networks,” said Wu Chia-yi, associate professor in the National Taiwan University College of Medicine’s nursing faculty. “They’re actually playing the role of reminders and encouragement, and the effectiveness isn’t bad. This networking is a way for everyone to remind one another.” About the only place sure to draw crowds are supermarkets. Panic buying resurfaced over the weekend for the first time since early 2020, when Taiwan reported lower levels of local caseloads. Shelves had emptied of toilet paper, face masks, disinfectant alcohol and some packaged foods by Monday morning. Taiwan, one of the last developed and populous places in the world to experience a big COVID-19 spike, dodged the disease last year through quarantines, contact tracing and strict border controls. More than 5 million doses of vaccines from U.S. pharmaceutical company Moderna are due to teach Taiwan this month, the command center said in April. Taiwanese still largely trust the government’s judgment on how to contain the virus and determine the severity of shutdowns despite inevitable losses of business in the service sector, Su said. “Our health minister is working very hard, and he has told us all along to wear face masks,” said Yang Jie, 69, who went out walking Monday in suburban Taipei with her 3-year-old grandson instead of sending him to a daycare center that would place multiple children in one room. But people will grow angrier as the threat of COVID-19 and the inconveniences of closures, said Chen Yi-fan, an assistant diplomacy professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan. “We are forced to take care of children because the schools are all shut down right now, so a lot of working parents aren’t getting compensation from the government, and instead they have to beg their supervisors to let them stay at home,” Chen said.
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Grand Day for the French: Cafe and Bistro Terraces Reopens
It’s a grand day for the French. Cafe and restaurant terraces reopened Wednesday after a six-month coronavirus shutdown deprived residents of the essence of French life — sipping coffee and wine with friends. The French government is lifting restrictions incrementally to stave off a resurgence of COVID-19 and to give citizens back some of their signature “joie de vivre.” As part of the plan’s first stage, France’s 7 p.m. nightly curfew was pushed back to 9 p.m. and museums, theaters and cinemas reopened along with outdoor cafe terraces. President Emmanuel Macron, among the first to take a seat at a cafe terrace, was seen chatting with Prime Minister Jean Castex, who was attending a movie later in the day. Actress Emmanuel Beart went to a movie theater opening in the center of Paris where her latest film “L’Etreinte” (“The Embrace”) was showing — among the scores of movies produced during the shutdown.Parisians wait for the early first cinema screening and one year delay premiere of ‘Mandibules’ by French director Quentin Dupieux in Paris, May, 19, 2021.France is not the first European country to start getting back a semblance of social and cultural life. Italy, Belgium, Hungary and other nations already have started allowing outdoor dining, while drinking and eating indoors began Monday in Britain’s pubs. Eateries in France have been closed since the end of October, the longest time of any European country except Poland, where bars and restaurants reopened Saturday for outdoor service after being closed for seven months. Some French cafe and restaurant owners have spent days preparing for Wednesday’s milestone, even though rain is forecast for large swaths of the country, including Paris. Still, the government has put limits on how much fun can be had. Restaurants are can fill only 50% of their outdoor seating areas and put no more than six people at a table. Movie theaters can only seat 35% of capacity, while museums must restrict entries so there is 8 square meters of space (86 square feet) per visitor. Starting June 9, the French government plans to extend the curfew until 11 p.m. and to permit indoor dining at restaurants and bistros starting. The final phase of the three-stage reopening plan is scheduled for June 30, when the curfew will end and all other restrictions will be lifted, if pandemic conditions allow. France has recorded more than 108,000 deaths due to COVID-19, among the highest tolls in Europe. But deaths, admissions to critical care units and the coronavirus infection rate are now on the decline. “What counts is the dynamic,” Health Minister Olivier Veran told BFMTV. Vaccinations “have changed the givens.” About 40% of France’s adult population has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. Rain or shine, restrictions or not, a good number of people are expected to take advantage of their new freedom on Wednesday. At least that’s what Jérôme Haeffelin, the owner of Le Ponthieu, a Right Bank bistro in a crowded district of Paris, hopes. He invested 20,000 euros ($24,000) to create an outdoor terrace. “We’ll try hard to enforce (the rules), to stack the odds in our favor and stay open in the long run,” Haeffelin said.
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Top US, Russian Diplomats to Meet in Iceland
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are set to meet Wednesday on the sidelines of the Arctic Council ministerial in Reykjavik, Iceland. It will be the first face-to-face meeting for the top U.S. and Russian diplomats and comes at a time of heightened tension between their countries. The meeting will also set the stage for a planned summit next month between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The U.S. State Department said Wednesday afternoon’s session “will provide an opportunity to test the proposition of whether we can achieve a relationship with Moscow that is more stable and predictable.” Blinken on Tuesday urged the global community to avoid militarizing the Arctic. The United States has previously accused Russia of requiring foreign ships to seek permission to pass through the region and to allow Russian maritime pilots to board the vessels while threatening violence against noncompliant ships. “We’ve seen Russia advance unlawful maritime claims, particularly its regulation of foreign vessels transiting the Northern Sea route, which are inconsistent with international law,” Blinken said at a joint media briefing with Iceland’s foreign minister. Blinken’s remarks came a day after Lavrov warned Western countries not to claim rights to the Arctic. “It has been absolutely clear for everyone for a long time that this is our territory, this is our land,” Lavrov told reporters in Moscow. “We are responsible for ensuring our Arctic coast is safe.” As climate change accelerates the melting of the Arctic’s ice sheet, the Arctic becomes more accessible. In recent years, Putin has made Russia’s Arctic region a higher strategic priority, raising tensions with Arctic Council members over its investments in military infrastructure and mineral extraction. The United States has recently been at odds with Russia over Moscow’s jailing of Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, Russia’s buildup of military forces near Ukraine, and a cyberattack on the largest U.S. gas pipeline by hackers believed to be in Russia. Russia says its government was not involved in the cyberattack. It has accused the United States of trying to interfere in its domestic issues, including the jailing of Navalny.
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US Warship Again Sails Through Sensitive Taiwan Strait
A U.S. warship has again sailed through the sensitive waterway that separates Taiwan from its giant neighbor China, at a time of increased tensions between Taipei and Beijing.The U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur conducted a “routine Taiwan Strait transit” on Tuesday in accordance with international law.”The ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military will continue to fly, sail, and operate anywhere international law allows,” it said.Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said the ship had sailed in a southerly direction through the strait and the “situation was as normal.”The U.S. Navy has been conducting such operations every month or so, to the anger of China which always denounces them.The United States, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but is its most important international backer and a major seller of arms.Military tension between Chinese-claimed Taiwan and Beijing have spiked over the past year, with Taipei complaining of China repeatedly sending its air force into Taiwan’s air defense zone.Some of those activities can involve multiple fighters and bombers.China has said its activities around Taiwan are aimed at protecting China’s sovereignty. Taiwan’s government has denounced it as attempts at intimidation.
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Africa Financing Summit in Paris Ends With Calls for Funding, Vaccines
A Paris summit on supporting African nations hard-hit by COVID-19’s fallout wrapped up Tuesday with sweeping calls for massive financial and vaccination support for Africa — and a broader sea change in relations between donor nations and the continent. French President Emmanuel Macron called earlier for a new deal for Africa. Among the goals he and other leaders outlined were doubling COVID-19 vaccination targets for Africa by the end of 2021 under the COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme; persuading International Monetary Fund member states to triple so-called special drawing rights monetary reserves for Africa to $100 billion; and giving Africa the ability to produce and distribute COVID-19 shots at home. Macron said this moment could be seized to respond to broader, long-standing — and, so far, unaddressed — challenges facing Africa. He said an economic and strategic new deal with Africa would not happen overnight, but the talks had triggered a new dynamic. French President Emmanuel Macron holds a news conference with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Senegal’s President Macky Sall and President of Congo Democratic Republic Felix Tshisekedi in Paris, May 18, 2021.The same message was heard from Senegal’s President Macky Sall. He said a paradigm shift is under way in Africa’s relationship with richer nations — from having programs imposed on it to co-constructing what is needed. That offers hope, he said, because Africans know their problems better than anyone. More than a year in the making, this meeting — gathering leaders from Africa, Europe and global financial institutions — was backdropped by a series of bleak statistics on the pandemic’s toll on Africa. If the continent has been less hard hit by the pandemic than other places, it is suffering in many other ways, with tourism and other revenues drying up. Africa’s economy is expected to grow just over 3 percent this year — about half the world average. It faces a nearly $300 billion spending shortfall over the next few years. Experts fear millions more Africans may tip into poverty — and less than 3 percent of Africans have been vaccinated against the virus. There is no durable exit from the continent’s economic crisis, IMF Chief Kristalina Georgieva said, without beating the health crisis. She said ramping up the vaccination campaign will generate trillions of dollars in additional output benefiting not only Africa but also richer economies. “We have worked on the pathway to accelerate the exit from the health crisis, and to sum it up, it would require 40 percent vaccinations of everyone everywhere by 2021 — that is very important for Africa — 60 percent vaccinations by the middle of 2022. And then we have a hope of turning this page,” Georgieva said.Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, who is also African Union chair, said having Africans manufacture and supply COVID-19 vaccines could help overcome the reluctance among some of being inoculated with foreign shots.He called for greater debt relief and market access for the continent — and for international financing to take into account its fight on terror. But he also said African governments need to do their share by establishing good governance, fighting corruption and supporting Africa’s youth. Tuesday’s financing summit wraps up two days of high-level talks on Africa. On Monday, IMF members states agreed to clear billions of dollars Sudan owes the institution as part of broader support for Khartoum’s democratic transition, and Macron announced scrapping Sudan’s $5 billion debt to France.
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Macron Plans First Visit to Rwanda this Month
French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday he would make his first visit to Rwanda at the end of this month, a possible breakthrough in relations overshadowed by France’s role during the 1994 genocide. “I confirm I am going to Rwanda at the end of the month. The visit will be one of politics and remembrance but also economic,” Macron said at the end of an Africa summit in Paris. He added he had agreed with his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame, whom he met on the sidelines of a summit meeting on Monday, “to write a new page in relations”. His visit will be the first trip by a French president since Nicolas Sarkozy visited the country in 2010. Kagame told journalists from the France 24 television channel and RFI radio Monday that Rwanda and France have a “good basis” to create a relationship after a landmark report acknowledged France bore overwhelming responsibilities over the 1994 genocide. “We are in the process of normalization,” he added. Macron moved to repair ties with Rwanda by commissioning a report by historians into the role of French troops in the genocide, in which about 800,000 people were killed. It concluded in March that France had been “blind” to preparations for the massacres of members of the Tutsi ethnic group by the Hutu regime, which was backed by France. Kagame has in the past accused France of “participating” in the genocide, but he said he accepted the findings of the French commission that Paris was not complicit in the killings. “It’s not up to me to conclude that this is what they should have said,” Kagame said. “It is something that I can accommodate.”
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