The U.S. Senate’s confirmation of U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has raised hope on the other side of the Atlantic. Yellen said the U.S. administration remains committed to working to resolve digital taxation disputes, a remark that Europeans are reading optimistically.In this file photo taken on Dec. 1, 2020, Janet Yellen speaks during a cabinet announcement event at The Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware.Overall, Yellen explained that the new administration supports the call for tech companies to pay more taxes, a statement that won praise from French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, who spoke at the World Economic Forum.“I think it is very good news that the new Secretary for the Treasury Janet Yellen just explained that she was open about the idea of thinking about a new international taxation with the two pillars: First of all, digital taxation and, of course, also a minimum taxation on corporate tax,” Le Maire said. “I think we are on the right track. There is a possibility of finding an agreement on this new international taxation system by the end of this spring 2021.”German Finance Minister and Vice-Chancellor Olaf Scholz addresses a press conference following talks via video conference with Germany’s state premiers in Berlin on Dec. 13, 2020.The comments echoed those by German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz. He told Reuters on Tuesday he hopes an international agreement on digital taxation will happen by summer.Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon are dubbed as GAFA in France by those who criticize what they say are the multinationals’ longstanding avoidance of European taxes.For years, former U.S. president Donald Trump had opposed any proposal to tax the tech giants.The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) hosted the international talks over digital taxation. Members postponed a deadline for an agreement into 2021 after the U.S. pulled out of talks in June last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.The French finance minister said it is a matter of fairness.“The winners of the economic crisis are the digital giants,” Le Maire said. “How can you explain to some sectors that have been severely hit by the crisis and that are paying their due level of taxes that the digital giants will not have to pay the same amount of taxes? This is unfair and also inefficient from a financial point of view.”Last October, the OECD warned that tensions over a digital tax could trigger a trade war that could wipe out one percent of global growth every year.
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Month: January 2021
Malawi’s Former President Welcomes Biden Administration, Criticizes Rival
Peter Mutharika is certain he won reelection last June, in a poll which he insists was rigged and which triggered violent protests.But instead of pursuing his case through the courts, he invited the new president and his wife over for a chat and some coffee.Landlocked Malawi is Southern Africa’s poorest nation, and was rocked by political protests over the June poll, which was a redo of a February poll that courts invalidated. But after months of protests and challenges, Mutharika folded and says he’ll never run for office again.“I thought we needed peace in this country after 11 months of violence,” Mutharika said. “So that’s what happened, and I think my people are so glad, that they acted responsibly and accepted that we should go on, let them take the government and let Malawi go on in peace.”Malawi’s newly elected President Lazarus Chakwera takes the oath of office in Lilongwe, Malawi, June 28, 2020.President Lazarus Chakwera acknowledged, broadly, some of his shortcomings late last year, said he accepted criticism for his handling of the pandemic and other pressing issues.”Someone asked if I have done enough,” Chakwera said. “No, I will be the first one to tell you that I have not done enough, and this country has not done enough.”One thing Chakwera’s government was quick to do shortly after taking office was to freeze Mutharika’s bank accounts amid a corruption investigation. The former president is accused of taking part in a $6 million scheme to illegally import cement.When asked about it by VOA, Mutharika denied his involvement in the purchase.Mutharika, who remains leader of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, called out his rival for what he sees as his biggest stumble — dealing with coronavirus.He said the government has failed to provide enough tests and economic assistance for citizens affected by viral restrictions.“They need to do more,” Mutharika said. “We probably need some kind of lockdown at some point. We also need to have resources to assist those families in terms of buying food and nutrition.”The former president did note the government is encouraging the use of face masks and urging people to social distance, steps he said were good for the fight against COVID-19.The 80-year-old statesman added that he would not hesitate to take the vaccine when it arrives in Malawi, which has yet to happen.And finally, Mutharika says he’s encouraged by political change in a major donor nation, the U.S.President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy in the State Dining Room of the White House, Jan. 22, 2021, in Washington.“We’ve already seen President Biden reversing so many things, going back to COP-25, for example, and also getting the United States back into the World Health Organization,” Mutharika said. “So, there are changes, and I assume that Africa, the previous government probably was not very active in Africa. I assume that perhaps the new government will be more active in Africa, as Democrats normally tend to do.”He did, however, offer some praise for the Trump administration, noting that Malawi was one of four countries that Melania Trump graced during her only tour of Africa, in 2018.
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Britain Surpasses 100K COVID-19 Deaths
Britain’s health department reported Tuesday the nation’s death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 100,000 people.
In a televised news briefing from his office, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “It’s hard to compute the sorrow contained in that grim statistic, the years of life lost, the family gatherings not attended, and for so many relatives the missed chance, even to say goodbye,”
The health department said more than 100,000 Britons have died within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test. The government figures show Britain has the fifth highest death toll globally and reported a further 1,631 deaths and 20,089 cases on Tuesday.
Britain is the fifth country in the world to record 100,000 virus-related deaths, after the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico, and is by far the smallest in terms of population.
The U.S. has recorded more than 400,000 COVID-19 deaths, the world’s highest total, but its population of about 330 million is about five times Britain’s. Worldwide, more than 2.1 million people have died from COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Britain is speeding up its vaccine distribution with more than 6.8 million people receiving their first dose of vaccine and more than 472,000 receiving both doses as of Monday.
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Ugandan Opposition Leader Bobi Wine Freed From De Facto House Arrest
Ugandan security forces have ended their de facto house arrest of opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine.
Soon after the departure of a joint security force that had blocked access to his home for twelve days, Bobi Wine received visitors Tuesday.
They included 61 of the newly-elected legislators under the National Unity Platform that he heads.
The police and soldiers withdrew earlier in the day, in line with a court order that said authorities should either charge Wine with a crime or let him go free.
Wine says his de facto house arrest served to expose the regime that is presiding over Ugandans.
“Where you are seated right now, there were tents of soldiers. They jumped over the fence and took over our compound. They could not allow my wife to access our garden. I will not talk so much about the stress and experience. All I can say is that we are here, Wine said, interrupted by applause. “And we are not giving up. All the stress only made us strong and proved to us that [President Yoweri] Museveni is so scared of us.”
VOA reached out to the Ugandan police and government for comment on Wine’s remarks but received no response.
Official election results showed longtime President Yoweri Museveni winning 58% of the vote in last week’s election. His National Resistance Movement won an overwhelming majority in parliament in the poll.
But Wine has rejected the results as fraudulent and declared himself president-elect.
The NUP says it has evidence of widespread election irregularities. Museveni has rejected the allegation, calling the election “the most cheating-free” in Uganda’s post-colonial period.
Wine said Tuesday the party might go to court to challenge the presidential election outcome, but said more action will be needed to remove Museveni, who he considers illegitimate.
“Should we go to court, it should be another front to expose the regime. But most importantly, our energy, our hope and our power is within the people of Uganda. Mr. Museveni should not be president of Uganda. And we encourage the people of Uganda to use all legal and all non-violent means and ideas that they have to free themselves from the Museveni dictatorship,” Wine said.
Sendi Ismail, a supporter of Wine who managed to get into the compound, couldn’t contain his excitement.
“He says, for me to believe, I had to first get in here. He says, that’s when I believed that it’s true, our president has been released by those who were holding him at home. What still pains me is that they are still on the way, as you get here,” Sendi said.
The police still maintain a roadblock on the way to Wine’s home, with military and police patrol vehicles occasionally driving through the area.
As Wine was speaking, a police helicopter was hovering over his house.
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Somali Journalists Worry About Arrests Ahead of Elections
The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS), a press freedom group, says at least 14 journalists have been arrested and a radio station attacked in the country in just three weeks. The group condemned the latest attacks on media organizations and their workers, which come as Somalia prepares for parliamentary and presidential elections.
Since the beginning of this year, at least 14 journalists have been arrested across Somalia, either for airing views that upset local administrations or for reporting security incidents authorities wanted to keep quiet.
Osman Aweys Bahar is one of the arrested journalists. South West federal state security officers stormed his radio station in the town of Barawe, taking him into custody and pulling the FM station off the air.
“They arrested me because we aired the opinions of the public, complaining about the bad governance of Barawe town on the radio, Bahar said. “I was in jail for four days and the four days I was behind bars the radio was off the air. I was released after elders intervened on the issue but they told me to continue with my work and to stop airing the voices of those opposing the administration.”
On Wednesday of last week, authorities in Galmudug federal state arrested two journalists. Abdiweli Jamaa, the director of the office of president, told VOA the two reporters were arrested for sharing sensitive security details and the president’s activities in Puntland state.
“These journalists have directly violated media laws and regulations that are preventing the journalists from interfering with the peace of the people, reporting on something that injures the peaceful existence of the people. If you check their social media pages they reported something that has effects on the security of the region and its leaders and this kind of reporting brings a lot of problems,” Jamaa said.
The journalists were released the following day.
The SJS, which fights for the rights of journalists and free media, says it’s worried about the rising number of detained journalists.
Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, the secretary-general of the organization, says the upcoming elections are a key factor driving the arrests.
“There are a lot of uncertainties surrounding this election and journalists are trying to get the news out and to feed information for the public interest. But unfortunately, the authorities do not want to see that. That’s why you see they are targeting journalists, they are targeting local radio stations including radio in Beledweyne. Also, since they are local complaints, uprisings in various states the local authorities are trying to suppress these voices,” Mumin said.
The current Somali government mandate ends February 8 with no end in sight to the disagreement over how to conduct the parliamentary and presidential elections.
The growing tension has increased the appetite for news, but may lead to further problems for Somali journalists as they try to keep the public informed.
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Italian Prime Minister Resigns
Italy’s prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, resigned Tuesday after weeks of turmoil in his ruling coalition, leaving Italy rudderless as it battles the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
He tendered his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella, the effective head of state in in Italy. Through his general secretary, who formally announced the resignation, Mattarella invited Conte to stay on in a caretaker capacity pending discussions on what happens next.
Mattarella’s office says the president will begin consultations with party leaders late Wednesday to determine the next steps.
Conte lost his absolute majority in Italy’s Senate, despite winning two votes of confidence in parliament last week.
The defection of a crucial ally, former premier Matteo Renzi, greatly stymied the government’s ability to effectively manage the pandemic and its effect on the country’s already weak economy.
For 15 months, Conte headed the European country in collaboration with its largest party in parliament, the 5-star Movement, and Matteo Salvini’s League party. But bickering led to the withdrawal of Salvini after he failed to win the premiership and that first government collapsed.
President Mattarella has reiterated the need for strong leadership as the country grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic and a weak economy.
Italy has the fourth-highest number of infections in Europe, at more than 2.4 million, and the second-highest number of deaths, at more than 85,000, behind Great Britain, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
Mattarella could decide to find someone else to form the coalition he needs in parliament. He also has the option to dissolve parliament paving the way for fresh elections two years early, according to the Associated Press.
Another former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who heads a centrist opposition party, could supply crucial support for the next government.
In a statement, Berlusconi called for a “new government that would represent substantial unity of the country in a moment of emergency.” The statement also suggested early elections.
But Conte still enjoys support from the Democratic Party, which is lobbying for a reappointment despite the inability to work with the 5-Star Movement.
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Indian Farmer Protesters Breach Historic Red Fort
A two-month long protest by Indian farmers erupted into chaos as thousands of demonstrators breached the iconic Red Fort complex after breaking police barricades and swarming into the heart of the Indian capital on a convoy of tractors. Police fired tear gas shells, water cannons and used batons to disperse groups of protesters who diverted from the routes along which they had been allowed to hold a unique rally, riding on thousands of tractors to mark their opposition to three contentious farm laws. One group of farmers clambered onto the ramparts of the Red Fort from where the prime minister traditionally delivers his annual Independence Day address. They waved flags of farm unions and religious flags, even hoisting a farm union flag alongside the national flag on one the historic buildings.Others marched into central New Delhi where many government buildings are housed, tearing through police barricades, waving sticks and shouting slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Farmers gather in front of the historic Red Fort during a protest against farm laws introduced by the government, in Delhi, India, Jan. 26, 2021.At least one protester died and several police personnel were injured in the mayhem that unfolded in New Delhi on Republic Day, which features a military parade to mark the anniversary of India adopting its constitution. The mayhem unfolded after the parade. Police said the protester died when the tractor in which he was riding overturned. Buses and police vehicles were damaged by protesters hurling stones.Tens of thousands of angry farmers have been camped on Delhi’s borders since late November, demanding the rollback of the three laws the government says will bring much-needed reform into the agricultural sector, but which farmers fear actually will hurt their livelihoods. Sleeping in tractors, trucks and makeshift tents, and cooking on the roadside, they have turned highways leading into the city into gigantic protest sites and vowed not to return until their demands are met for scrapping the laws.The farmers have not been allowed to enter New Delhi so far, but police permitted them to drive thousands of tractors along the city’s outskirts after union leaders gave assurances the rally would be peaceful. Farmers participate in a protest march towards the capital during India’s Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi, India, Jan. 26, 2021.The head of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, Bhanu Pratap Singh, which is spearheading the protest, told reporters that “anti-social” elements had infiltrated the protests. Several rounds of negotiations between the government and the farmers have failed to resolve the deadlock. Last week, union leaders turned down the government’s latest offer to put the laws on hold for up to 18 months. The farmers say laws aimed at opening up the sale of agriculture produce to private companies actually will hurt their incomes and strip away the safeguard provided by the government, which buys food grains such as rice and wheat at what is called a “minimum support price.” In Outreach to Protesting Farmers, Modi Defends Controversial Farm LawsPrime minister says farmers should return to negotiating tableThe government says the new laws will bring private investment into the farm sector and help to modernize it.Opposition leaders have blamed the government for passing the laws hastily without adequate consultation, either with political parties or farmers representatives. Analysts say the protest highlights the growing frustration among farmers. Nearly half the country’s 1.3 billion people depend on farming, but agriculture accounts for just 15 percent of India’s gross domestic product. “Today’s happenings are a very unfortunate development, but it also shows a lack of sensitivity on the side of the government in handling an issue on which a very large section of India is feeling very aggrieved,” says political analyst Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
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Netherlands Police, Protesters Clash for 3rd Straight Night Over COVID-19 Restrictions
Police and protesters in the Netherlands clashed for a third consecutive night Monday after the government imposed a curfew to slow the spread of COVID-19.
At least 150 people were arrested across the country Monday as protests turned to rioting with demonstrators in some areas setting fires, throwing rocks and looting stores.
In the city of Rotterdam, police responded with tear gas and similar scenes played out in Amsterdam, where water cannons were used on rioters. Unrest was reported in smaller municipalities as well, including Haarlem, Geleen and Den Bosch. Officials say 10 police officers were injured in Rotterdam.
The protests began Saturday after the government imposed the first curfew since World War II. Officials took the action following a warning by the National Institute for Health (RIVM) regarding a new wave of infections due to a more easily transmissible variant strain of the coronavirus, originally identified in Britain.
But many argued the steps were not necessary as the nation has seen steady overall declines in new infections over the last several weeks.
Monday, Prime Minister Mark Rutte condemned what he called the “criminal violence” “What we saw has nothing to do with fighting for freedom. We didn’t take all these measures for fun, we did so because we are fighting against the virus and it’s the virus which is actually robbing our freedom.”
Schools and non-essential shops in the Netherlands have been closed since mid-December, following the closure of bars and restaurants two months earlier.
More than 966,000 confirmed cases and 13,600 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in the Netherlands since the start of the pandemic.
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Iran Hosts Taliban to ‘Exchange Views’ on US-backed Afghan Peace Process
Senior leaders of Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgency traveled to Iran Tuesday to “exchange views” on U.S.-brokered peace negotiations between warring Afghan parties.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the insurgent team had been formally invited to Tehran for bilateral meetings “to review (the) Afghan peace process.”
Iran’s official media quoted Khatibzadeh as saying that the Taliban’s visit was “part of Tehran’s policy to reach out to key Afghan parties in the Afghan peace process.”
He said Taliban visitors held talks with senior government officials and they were also scheduled to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.
FILE – Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar speaks, bottom right, talks at the opening session of the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, Sept. 12, 2020.Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy chief and head of the group’s political office in Doha, Qatar, was leading the delegation.
An official Taliban statement said its delegation in meetings with Iranian officials would discuss relations between the two neighboring countries and “the current political and security situation of Afghanistan and region.” It did not elaborate further.
Analysts say Iran’s move to host the Taliban could be an attempt to demonstrate to U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration that Tehran is keen to play its part in promoting Afghan peace to improve ties with Washington.
“(The) Taliban’s trip to Iran is more for Iran’s diplomatic benefits vis-a-vis the new U.S. administration,” said Torek Farhadi, a former Afghan advisor and political commentator.
“Iran shows it can also be helpful in the Afghan peace process…and show positive cooperation in the region. Iran wants to impress Washington,” Farhadi wrote on Twitter.
Intra-Afghan Talks
The Taliban is currently engaged in negotiations in Doha, Qatar, with a team of negotiators representing the Afghan government, where the two sides are tasked to agree on a political power-sharing deal that would permanently end deadly hostilities in Afghanistan.
Afghan Official: 600 Freed Taliban Prisoners Rearrested The development could pose a fresh challenge to US-backed Afghan peace efforts The so-called intra-Afghan dialogue has stemmed from a February 2020 peace-building agreement former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration struck with the Taliban to wind down nearly two decades of Afghan war.
The pact, which requires all U.S. and NATO troops to leave Afghanistan by May 2021, has reduced the number of U.S. soldiers to 2,500 from nearly 13,000 a year ago.
However, President Joe Biden’s new administration has said it intends to “review” the U.S.-Taliban deal.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan conveyed the decision to his Afghan counterpart on Friday.
A White House statement quoted Sullivan as saying his team wants to assess whether the Taliban was living up to its commitments to cut ties with terrorist groups, to reduce Afghan violence and to engage in “meaningful negotiations” with the government and other stakeholders” in the country.
Taliban See Ghani as ‘Obstacle’ to Afghan PeaceIn apparent rebuttal, Afghan president refuses to relinquish power, again vowing to transfer power to his ‘elected successor’ Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s government, which was kept out of the U.S.-Taliban accord, has been critical of the document, saying it gave “too much” concessions to the insurgents and emboldened them to intensify battlefield violence instead of reducing it.
Ghani’s national security advisor, Hamadullah Mohib, on Sunday denounced the Taliban as a “terrorist group,” alleging the insurgents “do not want peace through talks and instead they are preparing to intensify battlefield attacks” in the upcoming summer fighting season.
Sullivan’s opening contact on Friday with Mohib by phone, however, is being hailed by leaders in Kabul and raising hopes Washington will press the Taliban to cease hostilities in favor of peace talks.
“A new chapter in our relationship with America has opened and it will continue…a quick review of the (U.S.) deal with the Taliban will be done… and then a fundamental consultation will be done with us,” Ghani told a cabinet meeting on Monday.
The Taliban has denied allegations it is behind the increase in violence and instead blames Kabul for lunching new operations against insurgent-held Afghan areas to try to subvert the U.S.-backed peace process.
Mohammad Naeem, the Doha-based spokesman for the Taliban, while speaking to VOA this week stressed the need for the Biden team to stick to the February 29 agreement. He said the document is kept to ending Afghanistan’s “foreign occupation” and years of bloodshed.
“It is in everyone’s interest for the agreement to be implemented as it is. We reiterate to fulfil our commitments outlined in the pact and demand the same from the other side,” Naeem said.
Al-Qaida Gaining Strength
But a new U.S. report says the al-Qaida terror network is “gaining strength” in Afghanistan while continuing to operate with the Taliban under the protection of the Afghan insurgent group.
The findings are part of a January 4 summary by the U.S. Department of Treasury about its programs to combat terrorist financing and activities.
It says al-Qaida “capitalizes on its relationship with the Taliban through its network of mentors and advisers who are embedded with the Taliban, providing advice, guidance, and financial support.”
The Treasury’s report notes “as of May 2020, the Taliban and al-Qaeda [sic] maintained a strong relationship and continued to meet regularly.”
The insurgent group has not immediately commented on the Treasury Department’s findings but it has rejected previous such allegations.
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Argentina Set to Receive More Russian COVID-19 Vaccine
Argentina is set to receive another batch of a Russian vaccine against COVID-19 on Tuesday, just days after Vice-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner became the country’s latest leader vaccinated with the Sputnik V vaccine.
The vice president was given the shot three days after President Alberto Fernández was given his first dose.
Argentina is one of the largest countries to begin vaccinating its citizens with Sputnik V vaccine, which its developers claim is more than 90 percent effective against COVID-19.
Argentina approved the use of Sputnik V for people 60 years of age and older last week, as it expands the vaccination program to a larger segment of the population.
Argentina is also awaiting the first batch of vaccine created AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
The South American country is working on obtaining the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine while still having access to the Covax equitable distribution of vaccine, which is run by the World Health Organization.
So far, Argentina has recorded more than 1.8 million confirmed cases and 47,034 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University Covid Resource Center.
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South African President Urges Wealthy Nations Not to Hoard COVID-19 Vaccines
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Tuesday wealthy countries should not hold onto excess stockpiles of COVID-19 vaccines, and that the world needs to work together to fight the pandemic. FILE – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visits the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) treatment facilities in Johannesburg, April 24, 2020.Ramaphosa told a virtual meeting of the World Economic Forum that those who have hoarded vaccines need to release them “so that other countries can have them.” “The rich countries of the world went out and acquired large doses of vaccines,” Ramaphosa said. “Some countries even acquired up to four times what their population needs … to the exclusion of other countries.” The South African leader said the world is not safe if some countries are vaccinating their people, but others are not. Fighting emerging strainsU.S. pharmaceutical company Moderna said Monday its COVID-19 vaccine appears to produce virus-neutralizing antibodies against new variants of the coronavirus found in Britain and South Africa. In a statement, the company said it conducted studies to ensure the two-dose regimen of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is protective against emerging strains of the virus detected to date. The company says it will continue a clinical strategy “to proactively address the pandemic as the virus continues to evolve,” including testing the effectiveness of an additional booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine. The recent emergence of several coronavirus variants, which have shown to be more transmissible — and in the case of a strain first identified in Britain, possibly more lethal — has made vaccinations a top issue for health officials. Scientists said last week that while the British variant was associated with a higher level of mortality, it was believed that existing vaccines were still effective against it. However, a more contagious South African variant may reduce the effectiveness of current vaccines, scientists said. The news from Moderna comes as the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases around the world approaches 100 million. Indonesia’s Health Ministry announced Tuesday the country’s total number of infections had surpassed 1 million. The milestone comes weeks after Indonesia launched an effort to vaccinate two-thirds of the country’s 270 million people. New US travel requirements In the United States, new rules go into effect Tuesday requiring all travelers aged two years or older, including U.S. citizens, to show a negative COVID-19 test or proof of recovery from the disease before they will be allowed to board a U.S.-bound flight. FILE – Travelers queue with their luggage in the departures hall at Terminal 2 of Heathrow Airport in west London on Dec. 21, 2020, as a string of countries around the world banned travelers arriving from the UK.President Joe Biden on Monday reimposed an entry ban on foreign travelers who have recently been in Brazil, Britain and much of Europe. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday at a news briefing, “With the pandemic worsening and more contagious variants spreading, this isn’t the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel.” Health officials in the state of Minnesota also said Monday they had detected the first known U.S. case of the Brazilian coronavirus variant in a patient who recently returned after traveling to the country.
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Peru Company Approved to Sell COVID-19 Test Kits That Detect Variants
A Peru-based company says it has developed a COVID-19 molecular test kit that can detect the variants of the virus found in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil. The director of BTS Consultores Research, Milagros Zavaleta says the CavBio can detect the variants in a swab sample but does not distinguish the type of variant. The low-cost COVID-19 test kits became available for sale after Digemid, the government organization that oversees the safe access to medicines, authorized the BTS production plant to operate. The director of BTS says the company is in talks with clinics and laboratories to sell the kits, which could prove beneficial, with more countries experiencing a second wave of COVID-19 cases, including variants of the virus. Peru has confirmed more than 1,093,000 coronavirus cases and 39,608 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University COVID Resource Center.
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Ghana Pays Final Respects to Former President Jerry Rawlings
Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo, lawmakers and a host of dignitaries on Tuesday will pay final respects to former President Jerry John Rawlings, Ghana’s longest serving leader. Large crowds of mourners have already paid their respects to Rawlings, whose body lay in state at the Accra International conference center. Rawlings, who was 73-years old, died in November of last year, but his cause of death has not been revealed. His burial was partly delayed because Ghana’s political leaders disagreed on some logistics of his funeral. Rawlings had a checkered past in Ghana, having led a military junta before coming to power in coup in 1992. Rawlings was twice democratically elected to two four-year terms. Funeral service for Ghana’s former President is set for Wednesday.
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A Former Paramilitary Leader in Colombia is in Custody in the South American Country
A former paramilitary leader in Colombia is in custody in the South American country Tuesday, a day after being deported from United States, where he served a 16-year sentence for drug trafficking. A spokesman for Colombia’s Ministry of Justice said 74 year-old Hernán Giraldo faces charges related to massacres, murder, kidnapping, rapes and drug trafficking. Giraldo, who was known as “the boss” for his heavy-handed leadership, is wanted under dozens of warrants for crimes committed under his command by the Tayrona Bloc of the Self-Defense Units of Colombia, a far-right militia that operated in northern Colombia. Giraldo was sentenced to 40 years in Colombia after confessing to hundreds of crimes affecting more than 10,000 victims while in custody in the United States. Giraldo’s sentence was reduced because he helped the government under a program to prosecute paramilitary groups. Giraldo’s lawyers are seeking leniency from Colombia for his time served in the United States and his earlier cooperation with the government.
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Nigerians Laud Biden Reversal of Trump’s Travel Ban on Muslim, African Countries
Abuja resident Joseph Abba wished to honeymoon with his wife in the United States after their wedding in 2018.He readied their documents and applied for a visa but says his visa was denied, even though he met the basic requirements.”As an applicant, the pain of being refused, even when you know you’re qualified, is something else,” Abba said. “Having known the already concluded decisions even before going for the interview, it’s a discouragement on the applicant.”Nigeria was one of several African nations included in the travel bans imposed by former U.S. president Donald Trump. As a result, travel between Nigeria and the U.S. became almost impossible.The Trump administration said the restrictions were imposed because of terrorism concerns, saying the countries on the list did not meet minimum security standards.But critics like Abba doubt security issues were the real reason.Trump was highly criticized in his early days in office for derogatory comments about Africa countries.”Nigeria is not the only country in the world that is having insecurity as a problem. Insecurity is just like the pandemic, it’s a global problem,” Abba said.On his first day in office, Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, signed 17 executive orders, including one that overturned the travel restrictions.Nigerian business owners like Taiwo Charles, who runs a travel agency in Abuja, welcomed the move.”It’s a big relief for entrepreneurs like me, especially in the travel industry, who can now begin to see so many opportunities coming up and then begin to enjoy the benefits of influx between Nigeria and America,” Charles said.With travel made easier once again, Nigerians like Abba said they will begin to visit the United States again, and travel companies are expecting to see a rise in revenue.
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Brexit Bites for British Businesses as Border Delays Slow Trade
Despite making up just 0.1% of Britain’s economy, fishing played an outsized role in the brinkmanship leading up to December’s Brexit agreement between London and Brussels.
Many Brexit supporters saw regaining control of the country’s sovereign waters as totemic. A month since the agreement was signed, many fishermen say they feel betrayed.
Under the deal, a quarter of European boats’ fishing rights in British waters will be transferred to British boats over the next five years.
That is not good enough, said Phil Mitchell, skipper of the 23-meter-long trawler Govenek of Ladram, which operates from Newlyn Harbor in Cornwall, England. He believes many fishermen feel they were exploited by the “Leave” campaign.
“They were happy to use us for their campaign, and when push comes to shove, we’ve had the shove, and we’ve been dumped on from a great height,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised Britain would regain full control of its waters.
“The fact now is that we’re worse off than before Brexit because it’s all written in that we won’t be able to get (control of fishing rights) back. And it’s just a travesty. Boris, the betrayer, has completely sold us down the river,” he added.
Nearly half of the fish caught by British boats is exported to the European Union, a trade worth over $1.8 billion in 2019. Brexit has brought new border checks, paperwork and costs.FILE – Fishing boats are moored at the South Pier of Bridlington Harbor fishing port in Bridlington, Dec. 11, 2020.Allan Miller runs AM Shellfish from Aberdeen, Scotland, another hub of Britain’s fish industry. He said delivery times of live brown crab, lobster and prawns to Europe had doubled, meaning lower prices, while some of the product does not survive the increased journey time.
Miller was one of several seafood exporters to stage a protest outside Parliament in London this month, using articulated trucks to block traffic around Westminster.
“Live shellfish, it’s got a sell-by date. It’s alive or dead,” Miller said. “Unless the government does something, a lot of these businesses will be out of here. They’ll be finished.”
Johnson insists the problems will be ironed out.
“Insofar as there are problems at the moment caused by teething problems, people not filling in the right forms or misunderstandings. And when it’s not people’s fault, of course, we’re going to compensate and to help out. And funds have been put in place to do that,” Johnson told reporters January 18. “But be in no doubt that there are great opportunities for fishermen across the whole of the U.K. to take advantage of the spectacular marine wealth of the United Kingdom. … There is scope for fishermen, fishing communities, fishers across the U.K. to take advantage of the increase in quota,” Johnson added.
It is not just fish that are floundering. Other sectors are warning of significant disruption. New tax rules have prompted some European retailers to stop selling to British customers, while some shipping firms have paused their cross-Channel operations.
Edward Velasco, British import manager at the pan-European fruit and vegetable supplier Rodanto, said problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic have been compounded.
“We’ve had the added challenge of Brexit and the added documentation that requires hauliers have an extra cost in coming here. They don’t know if the drivers are going to get back within a certain amount of time. If they’re not, if the wheels are not moving, they’re losing money. And ultimately, so are we,” Velasco told Reuters news agency.FILE – Trucks bound for Britain wait on the access ramp to the Channel Tunnel in Calais, northern France, before leaving for England, Dec. 17, 2020.Supermarkets in Northern Ireland have faced shortages owing to extra checks on goods shipped from mainland Britain. So, is it teething troubles, or an inevitable consequence of Britain’s decision to quit the European Union?
“It depends which sector you’re talking about, whether these are teething problems or they are structural and endemic to the consequences of having signed the EU-U.K. Free Trade Agreement,” said analyst Rem Korteweg of the Clingendael Institute in the Netherlands.
“Where I think there are teething problems is in the issue, let’s say, of small-order transports. So, this question of ‘groupage’ that hauliers are now facing, where they have to sign forms for every single shoebox or crate that is in their container, I think those things can be simplified,” Korteweg told VOA.
He added, “Where I don’t think we’re currently facing teething problems — and things are much more structural — is, for instance, in the health and sanitary, and phytosanitary and food safety checks, for instance, with fish exports. Because that is the consequence of leaving the Single Market, that there is now a regulatory border.”
Britain insists Brexit will offer economic opportunities outside the EU. Its strategy was given a boost this week as Japanese carmaker Nissan pledged to keep building cars in Britain and invest millions of dollars building a new factory to make batteries for electric vehicles.
From 2027, all British and European carmakers will have to source batteries from either Britain or the EU or face tariffs on their exports.
“Brexit gives us the competitive advantage not only within the United Kingdom but outside the United Kingdom, also,” Nissan’s Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta said Thursday following the announcement.
The government hopes other companies will soon follow Nissan’s lead and invest in its vision of a “Global Britain.” But a month on from the signing of the EU-U.K. Free Trade Agreement, many businesses say Brexit has so far brought extra costs and little benefit.
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