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October
U.N. Food Agency WFP Wins 2020 Nobel Peace Prize
Written by Nur YasminThe United Nations food agency, the World Food Programme (WFP), won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its efforts to combat hunger and improve conditions for peace in areas affected by conflict.
The Rome-based organization says it helps some 97 million people in about 88 countries each year, and that one in nine people worldwide still do not have enough to eat.
“The need for international solidarity and multilateral cooperation is more conspicuous than ever,” Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, told a news conference.
The WFP is a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict, with the COVID-19 outbreak further boosting its relevance, she said.
“The coronavirus pandemic has contributed to a strong upsurge in the number of victims of hunger in the world,” the Nobel committee said in its citation.
“Until the day we have a medical vaccine, food is the best vaccine against chaos ...
“There is an estimate within the World Food Programme that... there will be 265 million starving people within a year, so this is also a call to the international community not to under-fund the World Food Programme.”
The World Food Programme said this was “a proud moment ... nothing short of a feat”.
The prize is worth 10 million Swedish crowns, or around $1.1 million, and will be presented in Oslo on Dec. 10.
October
US Imposes New Sanctions On Iran's Financial Sector
Written by Nur YasminThe United States on Thursday imposed new sanctions on Iran's financial sector, targeting 18 banks to further hinder Iran's earnings. Washington is increasing pressure on Tehran in the weeks leading up to the US election.
The move froze the US assets of blacklisted banks and prohibits Americans from dealing with them. This means foreign banks risk losing access to US markets and financial systems.
However, the US Treasury Department said in a statement that the ban does not apply to transactions in the sale of agricultural commodities, food, medicine, or medical equipment to Iran because it understands the Iranian people's need for basic human goods.
However, analysts say secondary sanctions could increasingly deter European and other foreign banks from working with Iran, even on permitted humanitarian transactions.
"It is like a blow to the face for Europeans, who have gone to great lengths to show America that such efforts seriously threaten humanitarian aid or trafficking for humanitarian missions to Iran," said Elizabeth Rosenberg of the Center for a New American Security study.
"They also want ... to make it difficult for any future president to abandon these steps and engage in nuclear diplomacy," added Rosenberg, referring to the possibility that former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden could beat Republican President Donald Trump in US elections on November 3.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have escalated since Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018 from his predecessor's 2015 Iran nuclear deal and began reimposing US sanctions reduced under the agreement.
Trump has reinstated sanctions ranging from selling oil to shipping and financial activity.
Although the US sanctions exclude food, medicine, and other humanitarian supplies, many foreign banks have been prevented from doing business with Iran - including humanitarian mission deals.
Washington's latest move to target Iran's 18 major banks will allow the US Treasury to target entire sectors of the Iranian economy. These banks include Amin Investment Bank, Iranian Keshavarzi Bank, Maskan Bank, Refah Kargaran Bank, Bank e Shahr, Eghtesad Novin Bank, Gharzolhasaneh Resalat Bank, Iranian Hekmat Bank, Zamin Iran Bank, Karafarin Bank, Khavarmianeh Bank, United Bank Iran Mehr Credit, Pasargad Bank, Saman Bank, Sarmayeh Bank, Tosee Taavon Bank, Tourism Bank, and Islamic Regional Cooperation Bank. (Antaranews)
October
US Warns China Against Taiwan Attack, Stresses US 'Ambiguity'
Written by Nur YasminThe U.S. national security adviser warned China on Wednesday against any attempt to take Taiwan by force, saying amphibious landings were notoriously difficult and there was a lot of ambiguity about how the United States would respond.
Robert O’Brien told an event at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas that China was engaged in a massive naval buildup probably not seen since Germany’s attempt to compete with Britain’s Royal Navy prior to World War One.
“Part of that is to give them the ability to push us back out of the Western Pacific, and allow them to engage in an amphibious landing in Taiwan,” he said.
“The problem with that is that amphibious landings are notoriously difficult,” O’Brien added, pointing to the 100-mile (160-km) distance between China and Taiwan and the paucity of landing beaches on the island.
“It’s not an easy task, and there’s also a lot of ambiguity about what the United States would do in response to an attack by China on Taiwan,” he added when asked what U.S. options would be if China moved to absorb Taiwan.
O’Brien was referring to a long-standing U.S. policy of “strategic ambiguity” on whether it would intervene to protect Taiwan, which China considers its province and has vowed to bring under its control, by force if necessary.
The United States is required by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, but it has not made clear whether it would intervene militarily in the event of a Chinese attack, something that would likely lead to a much broader conflict with Beijing.
O’Brien’s comments come when China has significantly stepped up military activity near Taiwan and when U.S.-China relations have plunged to the lowest point in decades in the run-up to President Donald Trump’s Nov. 3 re-election bid.
O’Brien repeated U.S. calls for Taiwan to spend more on its own defense and to carry out military reforms to make clear to China the risks of attempting to invade.
“You can’t just spend 1% of your GDP, which the Taiwanese have been doing - 1.2% - on defense, and hope to deter a China that’s been engaged in the most massive military build-up in 70 years,” he said.
Taiwan needed to “turn themselves into a porcupine” militarily, he said, adding: “Lions generally don’t like to eat porcupines.”
On Tuesday, the senior U.S. defense official for East Asia called Taiwan’s plan to boost defense spending by $1.4 billion next year insufficient.
He said it needed to invest in capabilities including more coastal defense cruise missiles, naval mines, fast-attack craft, mobile artillery, and advanced surveillance assets.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, in a response provided to Reuters, said they will “strive for an adequate budget” in accordance with their needs to build a solid national defense force. (Reuters)
October
World Health Organization (WHO) stated that about one in 10 people might be infected with the Coronavirus (COVID-19). This makes a large part of the world's population vulnerable to the COVID-19 disease caused by this deadly virus.
As reported by Channel News Asia, Tuesday, WHO emergencies expert, Mike Ryan, said that the Corona pandemic has soared in several Southeast Asian countries, as well as increasing in parts of Europe and the East Mediterranean region.
"Our current best estimates tell us about 10 percent of the global population may have been infected by this virus. It varies depending on the country, it varies from urban to rural, it varies depending on groups. But what it does mean is that the vast majority of the world remains at risk. We are now heading into a difficult period. The disease continues to spread,” Mike Ryan's statement was delivered while giving an explanation to the WHO Executive Board in which the United States (US) launched a covert attack to China for what he called a failure to provide accurate and timely information about Corona.
WHO and other experts claimed that the Coronavirus, which is believed to have emerged on a food market at Wuhan city, China late last year, came from animals. WHO deployed a number of its experts on an international mission to China to investigate the origins of the Coronavirus, for being considered by Chinese authorities.
US Assistant Secretary of Health, Brett Giroir, stated that it was imperative for the 194 WHO member countries to receive regular and timely developments so that all countries can be involved in the process and have confidence in the results.
Germany, speaking for the European Union, said that an expert mission has to be deployed immediately, while Australia supporting a swift investigation.
Meanwhile, Russia's Deputy Health Minister, Alexandra Dronova, called for an evaluation of the legal and financial impact of the US government announcing its effective exit from WHO in July next year. (CNA)
October
The blast that devastated large parts of Beirut in August was one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions in history, experts say.
As reported by BBC.com on Monday, the Sheffield University, UK, experts team said the best estimate for the yield is 500 tons of TNT equivalent, with a reasonable upper limit of 1.1 kilotons. This puts it at around one-twentieth of the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945.
The team mapped how the shockwave propagated through the city. The group hopes its work can help emergency planners prepare for future disasters.
"When we know what the yield is from these sorts of events, we can then work out the loading that comes from that. And that tells us how to construct buildings that are more resilient," Dr. Sam Rigby from Sheffield's Blast and Impact Engineering Research Group stated
"Even things like glazing, in Beirut, glazing damage was reported up 10km away from the center of the explosion, and the research Group knows falling glass causes a lot of injuries," he said.
The 4 August explosion was the result of the accidental detonation of approximately 2,750 tonnes of improperly stored ammonium nitrate. The blast led to some 190 deaths, as well as more than 6,000 injuries. (BBC)
October
Debt Cancellation Needed To Help Poorest Countries: World Bank
Written by Nur YasminThe COVID-19 pandemic could trigger a debt crisis in some countries, so investors must be ready for granting some form of relief that could also include debt cancellation, World Bank President David Malpass was quoted as saying on Sunday.
“It is evident that some countries are unable to repay the debt they have taken on. We must therefore also reduce the debt level. This can be called debt relief or cancellation,” Malpass told Handelsblatt business daily in an interview.
“It is important that the amount of debt is reduced by restructuring,” Malpass added.
He pointed to similar steps in previous financial crises such as in Latin America and the so-called HIPC initiative for highly indebted countries in the 1990s.
Rich countries last month backed an extension of the G20’s Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI), approved in April to help developing nations survive the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen 43 of a potential 73 eligible countries defer $5 billion in “official sector” debt payments.
Amid warnings the pandemic could push 100 million people into extreme poverty, Malpass renewed his call for private banks and investment funds to get involved too.
“These investors are not doing enough and I am disappointed with them. Also, some of the major Chinese lenders did not get enough involved. The effect of the aid measures is therefore less than it could be,” the World Bank head said.
Malpass warned that the pandemic could trigger another debt crisis as some developing countries had already entered a downward spiral of weaker growth and financial trouble.
“The enormous budget deficits and debt payments are overwhelming these economies. In addition, the banks there are getting into difficulties due to bad loans,” Malpass added. (Reuters)
October
U.S. President Trump and Melania Tests Positive For COVID-19
Written by Nur YasminU.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for COVID-19 and would immediately quarantine and begin the “recovery process.”
“We will get through this,” Trump tweeted.
Trump’s positive test follows news that Hope Hicks, a top adviser and trusted aide, had tested positive for the new coronavirus.
Hicks travels regularly with the president on Air Force One and, along with other senior aides, accompanied him to Ohio for the presidential debate on Tuesday and to Minnesota for a campaign event on Wednesday.
Trump, who is tested regularly for the virus that causes COVID-19, has kept up a rigorous travel schedule across the country in recent weeks, holding rallies with thousands of people in the run-up to the Nov. 3 election, despite warnings from public health professionals against having events with large crowds.
Trump has come under sharp criticism for his response to the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 200,000 people in the United States alone. The president has touted his management of the crisis. (Reuters)
October
GAVI Provides $150m To Poorer Countries For COVID-19 Vaccines
Written by Nur YasminThe GAVI vaccine alliance’s board has approved up to $150 million to help 92 low- and middle-income countries prepare for the delivery of future COVID-19 vaccines, including technical assistance and cold chain equipment, it said on Thursday.
The initial funds will help establish the COVAX facility at an operational level and ensure routine immunisation programmes continue in eligible countries, GAVI said in a statement.
In all, 168 countries have joined the COVAX global vaccine facility, led by GAVI and the World Health Organization (WHO), including 76 wealthy or self-financing countries, it said. COVAX aims to deliver 2 billion vaccine doses by the end of 2021. (Reuters)
October
India's Covid-19 Infections Rise To 6.31 Million
Written by Nur YasminIndia’s coronavirus case tally increased by 86,821 in the last 24 hours to 6.31 million by Thursday morning, data from the health ministry showed, as the country eased more restrictions to combat the economic hit from the pandemic.
Deaths from coronavirus infections rose by 1,181 to 98,678, the ministry said.
The South Asian nation on Wednesday permitted states to open schools and movie theaters. The country’s richest state Maharashtra, home to financial hub Mumbai, said it would also allow bars and restaurants to operate fully.
India reported its worst economic contraction in decades for the quarter to June as the COVID-19 pandemic forced many businesses to close and the country to impose one of the strictest lockdowns to prevent the virus from spreading. (Reuters)
September
Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Becomes New Kuwait Leader
Written by Nur YasminKuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah became the emir of the new ruler of the oil-rich nation on Tuesday night, according to state media reports, occupying the highest position after decades of service in the security service.
Sheikh Nawaf, 83, has served as crown prince since 2006, leaping over the traditional order between the Al Jaber and Al Salam descendants of the royal ruling family.
State television carried a speech by Anas Khalid al-Saleh, the Minister of Home Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister of Kuwait, announcing that Sheikh Nawaf was sworn in hours after the death of Sheikh Sabah, as quoted by The New Arab.
Sheikh Nawaf, like Sheikh Sabah, was born before Kuwait discovered the oil fields that made this small country one of the richest countries in the world. Born June 25, 1937, Sheikh Nawaf became governor of the Hawalli region of Kuwait and later became the country's interior minister, a position he held for nearly a decade.
Sheikh Nawaf served as the Kuwaiti defense minister starting in 1988. He was cast in 1990 when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and occupied the country for seven months. On February 24, 1991, US and allied forces invaded Kuwait and ended 100 hours later.
America only suffered 148 deaths from fighting during the entire campaign, while more than 20,000 Iraqi soldiers were killed. Sheikh Nawaf served as Minister of Social Affairs and Labor after the war, then as Deputy Chief of the Kuwaiti National Guard and again as Minister of the Interior. He became crown prince under Sheikh Sabah in February 2006.
Shaykh Nawaf is married, has four sons and one daughter. (RRI)
