The World Health Organization’s Europe director Hans Kluge said Thursday the continent is in the midst of what he calls the COVID-19 “pandemic paradox,” in which vaccine programs offer remarkable hope, while emerging variants present greater uncertainty and risk. Speaking at a news briefing from his headquarters in Copenhagen, Kluge said a total of 35 countries in the European region have already administered 25 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. FILE – Hans Kluge, World Health Organization regional director for Europe, attends a meeting in Moscow, Russia, Sept. 23, 2020. (Sputnik/via Reuters)But he said continued high rates of transmission and emerging variants of the coronavirus have raised the urgency of the task to vaccinate priority groups. “The increasing expectation of science and vaccine development, production and equitable distribution, is not being met as fast as we would all like,” he said. Kluge also noted the controversy over vaccine shortages that prompted tension between European Union officials and drug manufacturers. He said WHO has “no doubt that manufacturers and the producers are also working 24/7 to bridge the gap, and that I will remain confident that the delay which we are seeing now is going to be made up by extra production in the near future.” WHO’s Europe director also said COVID-19 restrictions do appear to be having an effect, but it is too soon to relax them. Kluge said he understands the strain the current situation is putting on communities. “This paradox, where communities sense an end is in sight with the vaccine, but at the same time are called to adhere to restrictive measures in the face of a new threat, is causing tension, angst, fatigue and confusion. This is completely understandable in these circumstances,” Kluge said.
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Month: January 2021
‘Little to No Progress’ in Global Corruption Fight, Watchdog Says
Most countries have made “little to no progress” in tackling corruption in nearly a decade, a new report by Transparency International says. The Berlin-based nonprofit group ranks countries on a scale of zero to 100, with 100 being the least corrupt.According to its report, more than two-thirds of the 180 countries had a score below 50.“The data shows that despite some progress, most countries still fail to tackle corruption effectively,” the group said in a statement.The least corrupt countries are Denmark and New Zealand, with both scoring 88. They were followed by Finland, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland, with scores of 85.The most corrupt countries were South Sudan and Somalia, with scores of 12 each, followed by Syria with a score of 14, and Yemen and Venezuela with scores of 15. The United States scored 67, its lowest since 2012.
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Pakistan Supreme Court Acquits Prime Suspect in US Journalist Daniel Pearl’s Murder
Pakistan’s highest court Thursday acquitted the British national convicted in 2002 of plotting the kidnapping and beheading of American journalist Daniel Pearl.
The court cleared Ahmed Omar Sheikh and his three Pakistani accomplices in the case of all the charges, ordering that Sheikh and others be immediately freed from jail, if not wanted in any other case.
A police vehicle moves through the entrance of the Central Prison in Karachi, Pakistan, Jan. 28, 2021.The four men have spent 18 years in prison in Pakistan for the gruesome murder of the Wall Street Journal reporter.
“The judgment says that they should not have been in prison even for one day,” the men’s attorney, Mehmood Sheikh, no relation with Omar Sheikh, told reporters outside the Supreme Court.
An anti-terrorism tribunal in the Pakistani province of Sindh, where the crime occurred 18 years ago, had sentenced the British-born Sheikh to death for masterminding Pearl’s killing. His three accomplices were given life sentences.
FILE – Pakistani police escort Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who was convicted in the 2002 killing of American journalist Daniel Pearl, as he exits a court in Karachi, Pakistan, March 29, 2002.In April 2020, however, an appeals court in Sindh overturned the verdict, reducing Sheikh’s sentence to seven years in prison for kidnapping only and allowing him to be freed for time served. The ruling ordered that Sheikh’s accomplices be freed.
Pakistani authorities have since prevented the four men from walking free.
The April judgement prompted the parents of the slain U.S. journalist and the provincial government to swiftly file appeals in the Supreme Court to seek restoration of the 2002 convictions, leading to Thursday’s outcome.
“The judgement of the Supreme Court is that these four people who were accused of kidnapping Daniel Pearl and allegedly murdering him, that judgement which was given by the trial court in 2002 has been set aside finally and put to rest,” attorney Sheikh explained. FILE – Undated file photo of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. (Photo by Wall Street Journal/AFP)The Pearl family’s lawyer, Faisal Siddiqi, noted the three-judge Supreme Court panel ruled 2-to-1 in favor of upholding Sheikh’s acquittal.
“Thursday’s decision is a complete travesty of justice and the release of these killers puts in danger journalists everywhere and the people of Pakistan,” the Pearl family said in a statement released by Siddiqi.
“We urge the US government to take all necessary actions under the law to correct this injustice,” they added. The Committee to Protect Journalists also criticized the court ruling.“We are deeply disappointed that Pakistan’s Supreme Court has acquitted and ordered the release of Ahmad Saeed Omar Sheikh, despite overwhelming evidence of Sheikh’s involvement in the kidnapping of Daniel Pearl, which led directly to his murder,” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “Daniel Pearl deserves justice and Sheikh deserves to pay for his crime. Journalists everywhere are less safe today due to this decision.”Pearl was visiting Pakistan to report on Islamist militant networks in the country following the September 11, 2001 terror strikes on U.S. cities before being kidnapped in Karachi, the capital of Sindh, and beheaded days later.
Washington said last month that it “stands ready to take custody of Omar Sheikh to stand trial insisting the U.S. “cannot allow him to evade justice for his role in Daniel Pearl’s abduction and murder.” But legal experts in Pakistan maintain that the country’s laws do not allow another country to undertake such an intervention.
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COVID Fatigue Risks Sparking Surge of Infections in Africa
The World Health Organization warns COVID-19 fatigue in Africa has the potential to drive and produce subsequent new waves of this deadly infectious disease. WHO reports a cumulative total of 3.5 million cases of coronavirus in Africa and 88,000 deaths. In the past week, the WHO reports more than 175,000 new COVID-19 cases across Africa and 6,200 deaths. The U.N. health agency says cases and deaths are surging because of the appearance of more contagious variants of COVID-19 on the continent.The WHO says the 501Y.V2 variant first identified in South Africa has now spread to Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, the French Indian Ocean region of Mayotte and in 24 non-African nations. It says a new strain detected in Britain also now has been found in Gambia and NigeriaFILE – Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa.WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti says the fear of these COVID-19 mutants circulating widely in other African countries keeps her awake at night. “In addition to the new variants, COVID-19 fatigue in the population and the aftermath of year-end gatherings and travel risk powering a perfect storm and driving up Africa’s second wave and overwhelming health facilities,” said Moeti.Moeti says Africa is at the crossroads and urges people to double up on public health measures to keep the virus from spreading. These include wearing masks, handwashing and social distancing.The WHO reports only a few African countries–the Seychelles, Mauritius, Morocco and South Africa have received a small quantity of COVID-19 vaccines. WHO Program Area Manager, Immunization and Vaccine Development, Richard Mihigo says he expects this woeful situation to turn around soon for the better.“With the latest announcement that was made through the COVAX facility, we are really hoping that the first doses may be rolled out in Africa probably by mid-next month and by March, we will definitely see most of the countries starting vaccinating, with targeting the high-risk group,” Mihigo said.While waiting for the vaccines to become available, Mihigo says WHO will be working with countries to make sure they are prepared to immediately begin inoculating their populations against COVID-19.
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Blinken Cites Yemen, Russia, China Among Top State Dept. Priorities
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the humanitarian crisis in Yemen — as well as U.S. relations with Russia and China — are among his immediate priorities. VOA Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington.
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Kenya Denies Role in Somalia’s Internal Conflict
Kenya has denied accusations by Somalia that it is stirring up a conflict between the Somali federal government and Jubaland state, where fighting killed more than 20 people this week. Somalia insists its neighbor is behind the political tension and insecurity.Speaking to reporters in Nairobi Thursday, Kenya government spokesman Cyrus Oguna said his country has nothing to do with the tension between the Mogadishu administration and Jubaland federal state.”As a country, we want to state very clearly and categorically that we will not accept to be drawn into the internal politics of Somalia. We are therefore calling on all Somali leadership to desist from dragging Kenya into their domestic issues. We will, however, continue to push for peace and therefore urge all leaders in Somalia to create an environment that will facilitate the resolution of the conflict through dialogue,” he said.On Monday, Jubaland forces and Somali government troops clashed in the town of Beled Hawo, on the Kenya-Somalia border.The fighting claimed the lives of 21 people, most of them children, and at least 30,000 people have fled their homes, according to the local aid agencies in the region.Mustaf Abdullahi’s nieces were injured in Beled Hawo and are receiving treatment in Mogadishu.“My sister’s house was hit by mortar in the Monday fighting in Beled Hawo. Some of the children were injured and five died. The two girls have received a lot of help and they will be in the hospital for at least 60 days. One of the girls is injured in the stomach and has a broken hand. The other one has suffered a broken hand and a leg,” said Abdullahi.The damaged facade of the Hormuud building is seen after fighting between the Somali federal army and Jubaland state forces in Beled Hawo, in the Gedo region of Somalia Jan. 25, 2021. (SHAFIE A. MAGAN @ShafiMagan)Visiting the town Thursday to assess the situation, Somalia’s information minister, Osman Dubbe, told journalists his country wants peace but will defend itself from any internal and external attack.“We will defeat anyone who attacks us. We will defeat both our enemies inside and outside of the country. We want peace, we want good neighborliness, we want brotherhood, but some people do not want to understand that. We want our towns to be peaceful. We want Jubaland, Gedo, and Beled Hawo to be peaceful. When some people refuse to understand that, then the option open for us is to defend ourselves,” he said.Somalia accuses Kenya of arming the Jubaland forces to attack government positions, an accusation denied by Kenyan officials.
Kenya’s spokesman Oguna said Kenya helps Somalia and a peaceful Somalia is beneficial to his country.“If this is a country where they run into a situation of violence, how then can we be the same country that is destabilizing that country? Yet this is where they run for refuge. It beats logic. Honestly, it will be counter-productive for Kenya to destabilize Somalia in any way,” he said.Kenya hosts 270,000 Somali refugees and tens of thousands live and work in small towns and cities.The East African nation is one of the African countries with a military presence under the AMISIOM is supporting the Somali government in their fight against terror group al-Shabab which has threatened to overthrow the internationally recognized government.
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Indigenous Tree in Pakistan Touted to Improve Health Among Malnourished
As part of an ongoing project in Pakistan’s Sindh province, efforts are underway to integrate a uniquely nutritious and drought-resistant tree called Moringa, into the local diet to help alleviate malnutrition. Muhammad Saqib has details from Matiari in Sindh province in this report narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.
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New US Defense Secretary Says Germany ‘Highly Valued’ as Host for US Troops
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III said Wednesday he values Germany as a station for U.S. troops, leading to speculation he may reverse a decision by the Trump administration to pull troops out of the country.
Austin made the comments in an introductory call to German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. A summary of the call posted to the Defense Department website said Austin “expressed his gratitude to Germany for continuing to serve as a great host for U.S. forces, and expressed his desire for a continued dialogue on U.S. force posture in Germany. “
Last year, then-President Donald Trump ordered the reduction of the U.S. military contingent stationed in Germany by more than 25%, and the Pentagon had been studying how that could be done.
The Associated Press reports that in the German Defense Ministry’s readout of the call, Austin “emphasized that Germany is highly valued as a station and that American soldiers feel very comfortable here.” He added that “the U.S. continues to consider its presence in Germany as an important part of joint security.”
About 34,500 U.S. troops are stationed in Germany, which includes key U.S. military facilities like the Ramstein Air Base and the headquarters for U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command.
The U.S. readout said Austin noted the importance of Germany to the NATO Alliance and expressed his desire for continued consultation.
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President Jovenel Moise Will Not Resign on Feb. 7, Haiti’s Ambassador to US Tells VOA
President Jovenel Moise will not be stepping down on Feb. 7, Haitian Ambassador Bocchit Edmond told VOA in an exclusive interview Wednesday.Opposition leaders are calling for nationwide protests in the days leading up to Feb. 7, the day in 1986 when dictator Jean Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier was overthrown. Feb. 7 is also the date that the Haitian constitution stipulates newly elected presidents be sworn in.Moise was sworn in on Feb. 7, 2017, for a five-year term, the ambassador noted. But the opposition insists the president’s term should end this year.”They know squarely it is not true because they know the constitution states the president’s term lasts five years, and the president was sworn in on Feb. 7, 2017, for five years, which is going to be 2022,” Edmond said.The opposition, which accuses Moise of being a corrupt autocrat who has not done enough to curb the rash of kidnappings that have terrorized the nation, says a transition government should take control of the country after Feb. 7.Edmond thinks that is a bad idea.”It is time for Haiti to leave that cycle — that cycle of using illegitimate people to replace elected officials,” he told VOA. “Every time we have elections, we have to reverse the electoral votes. We have to ask the president to go, (only) to be replaced by a transitional government, which has never served the good of the Haitian people.”The Moise government’s plan is to hold a referendum on a new constitution in April 2021, followed by legislative and presidential elections in September. But the Provisional Electoral Council (KEP) named by the president faces criticism for not being representative of civil society, and the opposition vows to boycott any elections organized by it.”What about those who want to go to elections? They are also citizens. They have the same rights. That’s the issue,” Edmond said. “But at the end of the day, what I always invite my fellow citizens to understand (is) we will never have agreement on all the issues. There will always be disagreement. But the most important thing is, let us work on what we agree upon.”But the opposition announced that the nationwide mobilization in all 10 departments of the country will begin Jan. 28-31, followed by a general strike on Feb. 1 and 2, then again on Feb. 7 to force the president to leave power.“Stop fighting me,” Moise said in a national address earlier this week. “We fight too much. We don’t need to fight against each other. Let’s fight for each other.”Asked how the Moise government will deal with mass demonstrations on Feb. 7, Edmond reaffirmed the people’s right to peacefully protest, as guaranteed by the constitution.”The government will respect the right of the people to protest peacefully. But any society in any country, whenever protesters are trying to behave in a disorderly manner — burning public goods, burning public property — the police has to step in and put a stop to it,” Edmond told VOA. “We will always support the right of the people to protest peacefully on any issue because this is a right recognized by the constitution.”There are concerns, however, about the lack of security and possible attempts by law enforcement to target civilians taking to the streets. Protesters and journalists, including VOA Creole reporters in Port-au-Prince covering the demonstrations, say police often target them with tear gas and behave aggressively toward them, despite no evidence of illegal behavior on their part.Mario Joseph, a lawyer for the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Port-au-Prince, denounced the national police Wednesday as a “tool of repression.” He alleged their goal is to force the people to accept a 2022 presidential departure date.Joseph said article 134-2 of Haiti’s amended constitution states clearly that the president’s term will end on Feb. 7, 2021.”BAI is extremely concerned that the corrupt PHTK (Pati Ayisyen Tet Kale ruling party) government has weaponized the PNH (national police force) to use bullets, (tear) gas, physical aggression, arbitrary arrests and imprisonment to crush popular protests,” Joseph said during a press conference Wednesday.”On the other hand, the government used the PNH to protect the G-9 (gang) militants, who call themselves ‘legal bandits’ during their protest on January 22, during which they demanded President Moise fire the Social Affairs minister,” he said.Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe replaced Social Affairs Minister Nicole Altidor on Tuesday, announcing the decision on Twitter. But it is unclear if the decision was in direct response to the G-9 protesters’ demand. Mwen enstale aprè midi a nouvo minis (pa enterim) Zafè sosyal ak Travay la, Marie Gislhaine Mompremier. Mwen mande minis la pou li remete ministè a sou de pye l, pou li aplike politik ak priyorite gouvènman an kòmsadwa. Paske lapè ak lòd dwe vit retounen nan ministè sa a. @MASTHtpic.twitter.com/4izoe7mSoa— Joseph Jouthe (@JoutheJoseph) January 27, 2021Edmond cast doubt on allegations that the national police apply two different standards when moderating protests, but he stopped short of refuting it outright.”Not being a security expert, I don’t want to say anything that could be misinterpreted,” he said. …”But what I know (is), whenever the police behave badly, there is always a way to complain through the inspector general’s office of the national police.”Looking ahead to Feb. 7, Edmond told VOA the government would only observe the protests as long as they remain peaceful.
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Blinken Cites Yemen, Russia, China Among Top Priorities
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the humanitarian crisis in Yemen — as well as U.S. relations with Russia and China — are among his immediate priorities. VOA Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington.
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Report: Guinea Worm Disease Cases Drop Despite COVID-19 Restrictions
Human Guinea worm cases in six African countries dropped to 27 in 2020, about 50% less than what was recorded the year before, despite COVID-19 challenges, the Carter Center announced Tuesday.Animal cases fell by 20% over the same period.“The numbers we are seeing are very encouraging,” said Jason Carter, chair of the center’s board of trustees.In Chad, cases dropped to 36 from the 48 recorded in 2019 — the most significant decline for a single nation.The central African country’s significant decline in cases was attributed to “recommitted country and community efforts, innovation, and aggressive, science-based interventions,” said Dr. Kashef Ijaz, Carter Center vice president of health programs.Although these figures are only provisional, Ijaz said the dramatic reductions may be an early indication that a corner is being turned in the most Guinea worm-endemic country.”Ethiopia recorded 11 cases, while South Sudan, Angola, Mali and Cameroon recorded one case each.The reduction in cases comes on the back of an overwhelmed public health system worldwide due to the coronavirus.“In contrast, the Guinea Worm Eradication Program is not dependent on the delivery of pharmaceuticals because there is no vaccine or medicine to treat the disease,” said the Carter Center press release, which also credited a community-centered approach to dealing with the disease.“I have been so impressed with the way entire communities in every country where we work to embrace the responsibility for safeguarding their own health,” said Adam Weiss, director of the center’s Guinea Worm Eradication Program.“People who live in the villages are the heart of the program,” he added. “Foreigners like me are a very small part of the operation.”Out of the program’s 1,026 employees, 1,000 are Chadian. The program also enjoys the services of nearly the same number of volunteers in the villages.These volunteers and community staff members, along with creating awareness through education, also monitor for “infections, filtering drinking water, and protecting water sources from contamination.”Foreign staff in Guinea worm-endemic areas research, coordinate and train local staff.Guinea worm disease is an ancient disease that disables victims. It is “usually contracted when people consume water contaminated with tiny crustaceans (called copepods) that carry Guinea worm larvae,” the statement said.In animals, dogs are the most affected, with more than 1,500 recorded cases in Chad, Ethiopia, and Mali, followed by domestic and wild cats, as well as baboons, according to the 2020 figures.The Atlanta-based Carter Center, founded in 1982 by former President Jimmy Carter, focuses on neglected tropical diseases for human and animal infections.
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Afghans Want Biden White House to Push for Cease-fire in Afghanistan
Some Afghans say they are hoping the new U.S. administration will push the Taliban to agree to a cease-fire. Meanwhile, the Afghan government has welcomed the new U.S. administration’s announcement that it is reviewing the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement. VOA’s Gul Rahim Niazman reports from Mazar Sharif, Afghanistan.
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Tanzanian President Expresses Doubt on Coronavirus Vaccines
Tanzanian President John Magufuli has warned his health ministry against rushing to adopt COVID-19 vaccines, suggesting the vaccines may not be safe or effective.In a speech Wednesday in Western Tanzania, Magufuli expressed doubt about vaccines produced by Western countries.“If the white man was able to come up with vaccinations, then vaccinations for AIDS would have been brought, tuberculosis would be a thing of the past, vaccines for malaria and cancer would have been found,” said the president.Magufuli directed the Ministry of Health to adopt a vaccine only after it is certified by Tanzanian experts.He said Tanzanians must not be used as guinea pigs in vaccine trials.Little is known about the state of the coronavirus in Tanzania, as the president has declared the country to be “COVID-free” and officials refuse to keep track of coronavirus infections or deaths.The president has told officials to promote herbs to remedy COVID-19 symptoms.Maguflui told those in attendance Wednesday that they should continue to put their trust in God, saying that they “have lived for over one year without the virus because our God is able, and Satan will always fail.”The United States is currently warning Americans to avoid all travel to the East African country, assigning the country a Level 4 alert, the highest advisory level.
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As UK Hits 100,000 COVID Deaths, Government Vows to ‘Learn Lessons’
Looking through family photographs at his home in Leeds, England, Gordon Bonner, 86, said he was lost in a “hinterland of despair and desolation.” It’s been nine months since Muriel, his wife of 63 years, died from COVID-19. He was called to her bedside for the final moments.“I sat for the next hour and watched Muriel drown in her own body fluids,” Bonner said. “It was the most harrowing experience of my life. And it will haunt me, and I’ll tell you why. Such was her fight for oxygen that she was sucking at the air, and I can still see her face now and her lips formed a perfect circle as if she was sucking through a straw.”The retired army major was not allowed inside the chapel at nearby Rawdon Crematorium for Muriel’s final committal.”We had to stand in the car park, and I had to watch as six strangers came out, unloaded the coffin, took her into the crematorium chapel,” he said. “And the last I saw of her was the tail end of her coffin as the doors closed.”Bonner’s haunting account is one among a horrifying number of stories of loss and grief shared by families across the country.Britain became the first European country Tuesday to report 100,000 coronavirus deaths over the course of the pandemic. A quarter of those have occurred in just the past three weeks as a mutant, more infectious strain of the virus has ripped across the nation.Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson gives a COVID-19 briefing from Downing Street in London, Jan. 27, 2021.It means that Britain now has the highest coronavirus death rate per capita in the world, an unenviable position for a country whose state-funded National Health Service is a source of global pride. Prime Minister Boris Johnson told lawmakers Wednesday that he shared the nation’s grief.“I mourn every death in this pandemic, and we share the grief of all those who have been bereaved,” Johnson said during the weekly prime minister’s questions. “I and the government take full responsibility for all the actions I have taken, we’ve taken during this pandemic to fight this disease and, yes, Mr. Speaker, there will indeed be a time when we must learn the lessons of what has happened, reflect on them and prepare.”He rejected opposition calls for a judicial public inquiry to begin immediately. “I don’t think that moment is now when we are in the throes of fighting this wave of the new variant, when 37,000 people are struggling with COVID in our hospitals,” said Johnson. “And I think what the country wants is for us to come together as a parliament and as politicians and to work to keep the virus under control, Mr. Speaker, as we are, and to continue to roll out the fastest vaccination program in Europe.”Teddy bears sit at tables in the Bap cafe after it was restricted to takeout sales only amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Altrincham, England, Jan. 27, 2021.Johnson announced an extension of school closures in England until at least March 8, alongside the enforced quarantine of travelers arriving from high-risk countries, who will be required to pay for their own accommodation in allocated hotels.Critics say Johnson has done too little, too late. “The prime minister was slow into the first lockdown last March,” opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer told members of parliament Wednesday. “He was slow in getting protective equipment to the front line, slow to protect our care homes, slow on testing and tracing, slow into the second lockdown in the autumn, slow to change the Christmas mixing rules, slow again into this third lockdown.”Failure to prepareProfessor Lawrence Young, an expert on infectious diseases at Britain’s University of Warwick, said years of underinvestment in the National Health Service was partly to blame.“We suffered from not having an adequate public health infrastructure in this country; we didn’t get test, trace and isolate right, and that’s still a big challenge for this country, so keeping a lid on infections by effective testing and tracing and then encouraging people to isolate is really important. And we didn’t get border control right,” Young told VOA.Medical workers move a patient between ambulances outside the Royal London Hospital amid the spread of the coronavirus disease pandemic, London, Jan. 27, 2021.While Britain leads Europe in coronavirus deaths, it is way ahead in its vaccination program. Close to 7 million people have received their first vaccine doses, far more than any other European state. “It should mean that come March time, we’re in a much stronger position in terms of being able to review the current lockdown restrictions,” Young said.Vaccine shortageHowever, there are growing concerns about a vaccine shortage. Pharmaceutical firms AstraZeneca and Pfizer warned the European Union this week of delays as production systems are scaled up to meet demand. The EU has threatened to block exports of vaccines produced in Europe and has demanded transparency from the drug companies over their production and delivery schedules.AstraZeneca said Wednesday that the delay in supplying vaccines to the EU was a result of the bloc’s placing its order for 300 million doses in August, three months after Britain had invested in the vaccine.Meanwhile, the British government’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, warned the public to be prepared for further bad news. “Unfortunately, we are going to see quite a lot more deaths over the next few weeks before the effects of the vaccines begin to be felt,” Whitty told reporters Tuesday.
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Lawmaker Quota for Women Is Too Low, Somali Minister Says
Somalia’s prime minister this month announced a 30% quota for female lawmakers chosen in February’s indirect election by Somali clans. If upheld by the clans, it would raise the number of female representatives by 6%, but women’s groups see even that slight jump as doubtful in patriarchal Somalia. Mohamed Sheikh Nor reports from Mogadishu.
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German Parliament Marks Holocaust Remembrance Day
A German survivor of the Holocaust Wednesday urged lawmakers during a special session of the German Parliament to “take care of our country.”Charlotte Knobloch, 88, told lawmakers that the lives of Jews in Germany are still far from normal, nearly eight decades after Nazis murdered 6 million European Jews in the Shoah — another name for the Holocaust.Knobloch also warned of democracy’s fragility and asked lawmakers to protect the achievements of the last decades for Jews and non-Jews and defend Germany against extremists. She said right-wing extremism is the greatest threat of all.Resurgence of Antisemitism Haunts UN Holocaust Memorial CeremonySomber United Nations ceremony in tribute to those who perished in Nazi death camps is dominated by fear that lessons of Holocaust were being lost and forgottenThe session was held to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 76 years after the Soviet army liberated the Auschwitz death camp in occupied Poland.At one point in her speech, Knobloch addressed members of the hard-right Alternative for Germany political party, Parliament’s largest opposition group with nearly 100 seats. She accused many of the group’s members of “picking up the tradition” of the Nazis.”I tell you — you lost your fight 76 years ago,” Knobloch said. “You will continue to fight for your Germany, and we will keep fighting for our Germany.”Knobloch is the former leader of Germany’s 200,000-strong Jewish community that survived the Holocaust.Also attending the session was Marina Weisband, a Jewish immigrant from Ukraine who also warned about resurging anti-Semitism in Germany.In the presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and other officials, Rabbi Shaul Nekrich wrote the last 12 letters of the Sulzbacher Torah Scroll, one of Germany’s oldest torah scrolls.Since 1996, Germany has officially marked Holocaust Remembrance Day every January 27 with a solemn ceremony at the Bundestag, featuring a speech by a survivor and commemorations across the country.
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