U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading back to Europe, this time to Germany, France and Italy, to discuss a range of bilateral issues and attend meetings on Libya and combating the Islamic State terrorist group. VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington. Produced by: Marcus Harton
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Month: June 2021
World Bank, African Union Partner to Buy, Distribute 400 Million COVID-19 Shots
The World Bank announced a partnership with the African Union Tuesday to finance the acquisition and distribution of COVID-19 vaccine for 400 million people in Africa.In a remote news conference via Zoom, World Bank Managing Operations Director Axel van Trotsenburg said the World Bank is providing $12 billion to not only acquire but deploy 400 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — a single dose shot — in support of the Africa Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) initiative.The announcement comes a day after African finance ministers and the World Bank Group met to fast-track vaccine acquisition on the continent and avoid a third wave of COVID-19.Van Trotsenburg said the bank is making the financing available in an effort to address the imbalance in vaccine access between the world’s wealthy and not-so-wealthy nations. He said, “Less than one percent of the African population has been vaccinated. Africa has been marginalized in this global effort to get a vaccine. We have to correct this unfairness; and given that this is a global pandemic, we need global solutions and global solidarity.” The project will be a big step toward helping the African Union meet its goal to vaccinate 60% of the continent’s population by 2022. Van Trotsenburg said the regional effort complements the work of the World Health Organization-managed COVAX vaccine cooperative and comes at a time of rising COVID-19 cases in the region.The World Bank has already approved operations to support vaccine roll outs in 36 countries. By the end of June, the World Bank expects to be supporting vaccination efforts in 50 countries, two thirds of which are in Africa.
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Coalition of Countries Calls for Access to Uyghur Internment Camps in Xinjiang Region
A coalition of 41 countries is calling for access to internment camps in China’s Xinjiang region to check on the situation of an estimated one million Muslim Uyghurs who allegedly are being detained under abusive conditions. Canada issued the cross-regional joint statement at the U.N. Human Rights Council Tuesday. In her delivery, Ottawa’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Leslie Norton, stressed the urgency of getting to the bottom of this human rights situation. “Credible reports indicate that over a million people have been arbitrarily detained in Xinjiang and that there is widespread surveillance disproportionately targeting Uyghurs and members of other minorities and restrictions on fundamental freedoms and Uyghur culture,” she said. “There are also reports of torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, forced sterilization, sexual and gender-based violence, and forced separation of children from their parents by authorities.” Norton urged China on behalf of the coalition to allow immediate, unfettered access to Xinjiang for independent observers, including the U.N. high commissioner for human rights. This follows a similar request made by rights chief Michelle Bachelet at the opening of the council session Monday. “I continue to discuss with China modalities for a visit, including meaningful access, to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and hope this can be achieved this year, particularly as reports of serious human rights violations continue to emerge,” she said. Beijing has described the detention camps as vocational centers aimed at stopping religious extremism and terrorist attacks. FILE – A perimeter fence is constructed around what is officially known as a vocational skills education center in Dabancheng in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China, Sept. 4, 2018.China said it welcomes a visit by the high commissioner to China, including Xinjiang — but on condition that it be a friendly visit and not a so-called “investigation” under the presumption of guilt.
China also responded quite differently to the joint statement that demanded access to the camps in Xinjiang. Minister Jiang Duan simply ignored it. Instead, he conveyed his deep concern about the serious human rights violations suffered by indigenous people in Canada. His statement was supported by seven countries — Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Venezuela, Iran, Syria, and Sri Lanka. “Historically, Canada robbed the indigenous people of their land, killed them, and eradicated their culture… We call for a thorough and impartial investigation into all cases where crimes were committed against the indigenous people, especially the children,” said Jiang Duan.The Canadian ambassador acknowledged that indigenous people still faced systemic racism, discrimination, and injustice, but added her government was working to right these wrongs.
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US to Miss July 4 COVID Vaccination Goal of 70%
The United States will miss President Joe Biden’s goal of having 70% of U.S. adults partially or fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by the July 4 Independence Day holiday, but the White House says it expects to hit that mark “in a few extra weeks.”In a new assessment Tuesday of the country’s vaccination effort, COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said the federal government expects that 70% of those 27 and older will have gotten at least one vaccination shot by the July 4 holiday, which he described as “a remarkable achievement.”“The virus is in retreat,” Zients said, with the country regaining a sense of normalcy. “We are entering a summer of joy, a summer of freedom.”Now, he said, a renewed effort is being made to inoculate more younger adults in the 18-to-26 age group. Many of the younger adults, for various reasons, have shown little interest in getting vaccinated, especially since the number of new coronavirus cases and deaths has fallen sharply in the country in recent weeks and many businesses have reopened without facemask and social distancing restrictions that had been in place for more than a year.“Our effort does not end on July 4,” Zients said. “It’s more important than ever that they get the shot,” along with others who have yet to be inoculated. The coronavirus causes the COVID-19 disease.Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, “We are seeing a dramatic decline in deaths and hospitalizations.”She said that with the proven success of available vaccines, including against variants of the original coronavirus, “At this point, every death is entirely preventable.”But Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert and Biden’s chief medical adviser, warned there is a “real danger” for the U.S. if there is “a persistent reluctance” to get vaccinated.Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, May 11, 2021.Overall, since the pandemic first spread widely in the U.S. in March 2020, the nation has recorded more than 602,000 deaths and 33.5 million infections, more than in any other country, according to the Johns Hopkins University. Biden, who set the 70% vaccination goal for the July 4 holiday, has not publicly acknowledged it is unlikely to be met.Like on many divisive political issues in the U.S., a sharp split has developed on getting vaccinated, with numerous Democratic states that voted for Biden in last November’s election showing higher vaccination rates than Republican states that voted for his predecessor, President Donald Trump. Some of the lowest vaccination rates have been recorded in southern states that Trump won handily and where skepticism is widespread about the need to be vaccinated. Four states – Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama in the South, and Wyoming in the West – all have yet to reach a 50% vaccination level. A total of 16 states and the national capital city of Washington have topped 70% with at least one shot administered.Trump and former first lady Melania Trump, who both contracted the virus, were privately vaccinated before he left office in January, but Trump often downplayed the spread of the infection in the U.S. Both Biden and first lady Jill Biden were vaccinated on live television before he took office. They have made numerous appeals to Americans to get the shot.Zients said 70% of Americans 30 and older already have received at least one shot. But the pace of inoculations has fallen markedly in recent weeks, even though plenty of shots are available at 81,000 vaccination sites across the country.The White House is planning a large July 4 celebration on the South Lawn with about 1,000 guests expected to attend a picnic and watch a fireworks display celebrating the country’s 1776 independence from Britain.Even as Biden likely misses the 70% vaccination rate for adults, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said this week, “We’ve made tremendous progress in our vaccination efforts to date, and the ultimate goal has been to get America back to normal … and we’re looking forward to doing that even here at the White House.”
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UN Urges Afghan Parties to Return to Peace Talks
The U.N.’s top official in Afghanistan warned Tuesday that time is running out to prevent a “worst-case scenario” and urged the warring parties to abandon violence and make peace. “There is only one acceptable direction for Afghanistan – one acceptable direction – away from the battlefield and back to the negotiating table,” Deborah Lyons told a high-level meeting of the U.N. Security Council.She appealed to the council, as well as regional countries, to push the Taliban and Afghan government negotiators to resume U.S.-brokered peace talks in Doha, Qatar, which began in September, but then stalled.Turkey, Qatar and the United Nations had planned to host a conference in Istanbul in April in order to get those negotiations restarted, but the Taliban ignored the invitation.Instead, Taliban-driven attacks and violence has surged. The U.N. says civilian casualties are up by nearly 30% in the first three months of 2021 over the same period last year, and there have been multiple attacks on schools, aid workers and minority communities.Surge in fightingLyons said that more than 50 of Afghanistan’s 370 districts have fallen to the Taliban since early May.“Most districts that have been taken surround provincial capitals, suggesting that the Taliban are positioning themselves to try and take these capitals once foreign forces are fully withdrawn,” she said.The United States announced in mid-April that it plans to withdraw its remaining troops by mid-September. The drawdown began on May 1 and is likely to end ahead of schedule, in July. NATO forces are also leaving Afghanistan. Since the withdrawals have begun, fighting has intensified between Afghan security forces and the Taliban.FILE – Men pray near the graves of relatives killed in May bombings, at a cemetery on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, June 2, 2021.Lyons said the announcement of the departure of international troops “sent a seismic tremor” through the Afghan political system and society. She said that while the decision to leave was expected, its speed was not.“All actors have had to adjust to this new reality that is unfolding,” she said. Lyons warned that if the Taliban continue their military campaign it would lead to increased and prolonged suffering and violence, and risk gains.“It should be emphatically clear that any efforts to install a militarily imposed government in Kabul would go against the will of the Afghan people, and against the stated positions of the regional countries and the broader international community,” she said.US pledges continued supportThe U.S. ambassador said that Washington’s commitment to Afghanistan’s safety and security would continue. “We will use our full diplomatic, economic, and assistance tool kit to support the peaceful, stable future the Afghan people want and deserve,” Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told council members. “And we will continue to support the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces in securing their country.”Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister said his government was not a party to the agreement signed by the United States and the Taliban in Doha in February 2020, but has engaged in good faith, while the Taliban have not.Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar said the group has not cut ties with international terrorism or reduced violence, and has not pursued any serious engagement with the government.“This situation calls for a serious review and assessment as to where we, as the international community, are with the peace process,” he told the council.Council members expressed support for a continued U.N. role in Afghanistan after the foreign forces leave. They will consider the U.N. Assistance Mission’s (UNAMA) mandate in September.
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Malawi Launches Campaign to Eradicate Malaria By 2030
Malawi’s government Tuesday announced a goal to eliminate malaria, a leading cause of death in the country, by 2030. The mosquito-spread parasitic disease accounts for about 15% of Malawi’s hospital admissions. Speaking during a televised launch of a nationwide anti-malaria initiative known as ‘Zero Malaria Starts with Me’ campaign, President Lazarus Chakwera said statistics on malaria infection in the country are worrying.He said malaria contributed about 36% of all out-patient department cases and 15% of all hospital admissions in Malawi.”This creates a lot of work for our health workers and pressure on drugs in our public health facilities. And additionally, malaria remains the leading cause of death in Malawi claiming six lives every day,” said Chakwera.UN Calls for Action to Achieve a Malaria-Free WorldThis year’s commemoration of World Malaria Day celebrates progress being made in eliminating diseasePresident Chakwera said last year, Malawi registered 6.9 million malaria cases – more than a third of the total population — and lost 2,500 lives because of the disease. It killed more Malawians than any other disease, including COVID-19.The Malawi leader said his administration is committed to do whatever it takes to create a malaria-free country.”And admittedly this commitment cannot be government’s alone. Malaria is a collective problem that demands collective strategy,” said Chakwera. “By collective strategy I am referring to private sector players and development partners who need to put money where their mouth is and join their resources to ours so we finance this fight together.”Chakwera announced what he called ‘ten commandments’ which would help in preventing and cure the disease.These include, clearing all breeding grounds for mosquitoes, timely taking of prescribed malaria medication and sleeping under a mosquito net.”My administration will distribute 9,258,645 mosquito nets in 25 districts, and also indoor residual spraying in the districts of Nkhata-bay, Nkhota-kota, Balaka and Mangochi,” said Chakwera. “Currently only 55% of Malawians sleep under mosquito nets, and we need to get to a 100% to prevail.”The initiative is part of the global campaign to end Malaria by 2030.The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative, launched in 2005, is among the financiers of the campaign.Malawi Rolls Out Africa’s First Malaria Vaccine for Children
As the World Health Organization marks World Malaria Day, April 25, Malawi has launched the pilot phase of Africa's first ever malaria vaccine.The WHO chose Malawi, alongside Ghana and Kenya, because of the high numbers of malaria cases and treatment facilities. The pilot phase aims to vaccinate 360,000 children per year, 120,000 of them in Malawi.
The program’s team leader in Malawi, Monica Batista, explained how malaria personally affected her.”When I first started working for malaria, it was not a personal issue for me,” said Batista . “That all changed just six months ago when I lost a dear friend to malaria. Now the fight against malaria is personal for me. I understand what it feels like to lose a loved one to this preventable disease.”She said the U.S. government has for the past 15 years contributed about $270 million towards malaria prevention and control activities in Malawi.”The strides we have made against malaria, though significant, are delicate and incomplete,” said Batista. “To defeat malaria, we will need a more concerted effort among the private sector, the public sector and civil society together as a whole.”She said the launch of Zero Malaria Starts with Me campaign serves as a call to action.
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Mouse Plague Forces Evacuation of Australian Prison
Officials in Australia’s New South Wales state say a plague of mice that has been tormenting farmers for several months has now forced the evacuation of hundreds of inmates from a rural jail.
New South Wales Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Severin said mice have done significant damage to the infrastructure at the Wellington Correctional Center, including gnawing through wires and ceiling panels.
“The health, safety and well-being of staff and inmates is our number one priority, so it’s important for us to act now to carry out the vital remediation work,” he said.
Severin said up to 420 inmates and 200 staff from the jail will be moved to other facilities in the next few weeks.
The facility is in a rural area that has been battling a mouse plague for several months after recent heavy rains relieved the country’s worst drought in 50 years. The rain brought in one of the largest ever grain crops, but also provided ample food to the rapidly reproducing rodents. Australian media report that just one pair of mice can produce on average, up to 500 offspring in a season.
The mice have done millions of dollars in damage to crops, prompting the government last month to offer farmers the use of bromadiolone, a highly toxic mouse and rat poison currently banned in Australia. Some farmers and environmentalists have warned of the unintended consequences from its use to native animals.
The Reuters news service reports mice are believed to have arrived in Australia along with the first European settlers. They are well suited to the country’s often harsh climate. They can survive long periods of dry weather and when the weather turns, they thrive and rapidly reproduce as food and water becomes available.
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As Taliban Extend Territorial Gains, US Suggests Slower Afghan Pullout
Fierce fighting continues to rage across Afghanistan, where officials reported Tuesday security forces had reversed some of the recent advances by the Taliban, as U.S. and NATO allies wind up two decades of military presence in the country.Taliban insurgents have dramatically expanded their area of control since the foreign troop pullout process formally started on May 1, overrunning about 60 districts and inflicting heavy casualties on U.S.-trained Afghan security forces.“Most districts that have been taken surround provincial capitals, suggesting that the Taliban are positioning themselves to try and take these capitals once foreign forces are fully withdrawn,” according to Deborah Lyons, special representative and head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).“We must accept the reality — increased conflict in Afghanistan means increased insecurity for many other countries, near and far,” Lyons told a U.N. Security Council meeting Tuesday in New York.The insurgent gains have fueled fears that a Taliban return to power is inevitable after all international soldiers leave Afghanistan by a September 11 deadline.Washington reaffirmed Monday, however, that the U.S. troop drawdown was still on pace to conclude in line with President Joe Biden’s orders.“We will complete the withdrawal of all U.S. forces out of Afghanistan with the exception of those that will be left to protect the diplomatic presence, and that it will be done before early September,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters.“Those two things are constant and would not change,” he said.The U.S. military said last week the withdrawal is more than halfway done.FILE – U.S. troops patrol at an Afghan National Army base in Logar province, Afghanistan, Aug. 7, 2018.Kirby also said, though, that American military leaders are closely studying and looking at the emerging Afghan situation in case it requires “changes made to the pace or to the scope and scale of the retrograde” process.“We are looking at a range of options. I am not at liberty to confirm any specific one right now. But, again, our support for the Afghan forces once the retrograde is complete will be largely financial,” Kirby stressed.Afghan authorities said Tuesday government security forces evicted the Taliban from several districts in northern and northeastern provinces of Balkh, Baghlan and Kunduz during overnight fighting, killing dozens of insurgents.Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected official claims as propaganda. He wrote on Twitter that his group retained control of all the recently captured districts.It was not possible to seek independent verification of either of the statements, and both sides often issue inflated claims about their battlefield activities.Residents in embattled Kunduz Tuesday told VOA the Taliban seized control of the Sher Khan dry port located at the country’s border with Tajikistan that serves as a major trade route.Ajmal Omar Shinwari, a newly appointed spokesman for the Afghan security sector, told a news conference in Kabul the government was determined to retake all lost districts.Shinwari said a comprehensive plan had been worked out to manage the security across Afghanistan, noting the government would require more than a week to implement the plan.More than half of 407 Afghan districts across the country’s 34 provinces are controlled or threatened by the Taliban.The surge in Taliban attacks has prompted Afghan officials to call on civilians and former anti-Taliban militias to pick arms in support of government forces to help evict the insurgents from their areas. This, in turn, is raising fears of another round of civil war that gripped Afghanistan in the 1990s and enabled the Islamist Taliban to seize power in Kabul.Afghan forces for years relied on close U.S. air support to contain insurgent advances but that cover is no longer available to them.Jonathan Schroden, a military operations analyst with the U.S.-based research and analysis organization the Center for Naval Analyses, said the Taliban’s military push is not surprising.“It makes sense for them strategically to test the Afghan security forces to see how they perform in the absence of U.S. support,” he told VOA.“Their success in overrunning rural districts has exceeded most people’s predictions and their presence at the gates of some provincial capitals is concerning.”Jonathan noted, though, the Taliban likely will find attacking, seizing, and holding provincial capitals to be significantly more difficult than overrunning lightly defended rural terrain. “And that’s where the Afghan security forces are going to have to dig in and make their stand.”Meanwhile, President Ashraf Ghani and the chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, along with other senior officials, will travel to Washington this week for a crucial meeting Friday with President Biden at the White House.Ghani’s aides said that during his first face-to-face meeting with Biden, the Afghan leader will discuss, among other issues, continued assistance for Afghan forces.Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah will travel to Washington for a crucial meeting with President Joe Biden on June 25, 2021.The White House said Sunday Biden “looks forward to welcoming” the Afghan leaders and will reassure them of U.S. diplomatic, economic and humanitarian support for the turmoil-hit country as the drawdown continues.“The visit by President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah will highlight the enduring partnership between the United States and Afghanistan as the military drawdown continues,” it said.The U.S.-led military drawdown is a product of a February 2020 deal Washington negotiated with the Taliban to end what has been the longest war in U.S. history, costing more than $2 trillion and the lives of more than 2,400 American soldiers.The agreement also encouraged the Taliban to start direct talks with Afghan government representatives last September in Doha, the capital of Qatar, to arrange a peace deal to end the war between the Afghan adversaries. But those negotiations have had little success nor have they eased the violence in Afghanistan.The Taliban currently control 124 Afghan districts, while 186 are contested, according to the Long War Journal’s ongoing study of the security situation in Afghanistan. The project is part of Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies.Ghani warned Tuesday the Taliban were making a “strategic mistake” in increasing the violence rather than seeking a political settlement to through the Doha dialogue process.”If Afghanistan is to be engulfed in the intensified conflict, no one in the region will be spared,” Ghani told an international conference via a video link. “The consequences will be spread, and we need to understand that type of threat to our well being, and our collective interest very clearly.”The Afghan president reiterated he was not interested in power and willing to hold early elections to ensure “orderly succession” in a bid to promote a political reconciliation with the Taliban.“I once again call on Taliban to accept the will of the people as a magnetization of the injections of Almighty God that we must make decisions collectively and move together,” Ghani said.The Islamist insurgent group previously has also rejected such offers by Ghani, denouncing him and his administration as an outcome of the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan.
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Augmented Reality Event Honors Breonna Taylor’s Memory
After the shooting death of Breonna Taylor in 2020, her sister Ju’Niyah Palmer not only had to deal with her loss, but also with attacks and death threats on social media. After learning about this, two digital artists from California created a safe virtual space for the African American family to share their memories and go through the grieving process. Genia Dulot has the story.Camera: Genia Dulot
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Nassib Becomes First Active NFL Player to Come Out as Gay
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib on Monday became the first active NFL player to come out as gay.
Nassib, who is entering his sixth NFL season and second with the Raiders, announced the news on Instagram, saying he wasn’t doing it for the attention but because he felt representation and visibility were important.
“I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay,” Nassib said in his video message from his home in West Chester, Pennsylvania. “I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now, but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest.
“I really have the best life. I got the best family, friends and job a guy can ask for. I’m a pretty private person, so I hope you guys know that I’m really not doing this for attention. I just think that representation and visibility are so important.”
Nassib added in a written message that followed the video that he “agonized over this moment for the last 15 years” and only recently decided to go public with his sexuality after receiving the support of family and friends.
“I am also incredibly thankful for the NFL, my coaches, and fellow players for their support,” Nassib wrote. “I would not have been able to do this without them. From the jump I was greeted with the utmost respect and acceptance.”
Nassib, whose announcement came during Pride Month, added that he was donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project, a nonprofit that seeks to prevent suicides among LGBTQ youth.
“The NFL family is proud of Carl for courageously sharing his truth today,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “Representation matters. We share his hope that someday soon statements like his will no longer be newsworthy as we march toward full equality for the LGBTQ+ community. We wish Carl the best of luck this coming season.”
Nassib’s announcement also was greeted by Brian Burke, president of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. Burke has been a major proponent of LGBTQ rights for more than a decade since his late son Brendan came out as gay.
“Proud to support Carl and his decision to come out as the first active gay player in the NFL,” Burke said. “I hope other sports executives will join me in publicly expressing their support as well.”
The Raiders showed their support, writing, “Proud of you, Carl,” on their repost of Nassib’s message on Twitter and adding a black heart emoji.
DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, tweeted: “Our union supports Carl and his work with the Trevor Project is proof that he — like our membership — is about making his community and this world a better place not for themselves, but for others.”
Penn State coach James Franklin said he and his wife Fumi were inspired by Nassib’s announcement to donate $10,000 to the Trevor Project.
“I am very proud of Carl for his courage and voice,” Franklin said. “This announcement doesn’t surprise me because if you know Carl, you know his strength. Carl’s story continues to add chapters which will have an impact well beyond the field of play.”
Nassib led the nation with 15½ sacks in 2015, Franklin’s second season in State College, and he was a cornerstone of the program’s path back to contention.
“Carl’s brave announcement will forge a path for others to be true to their authentic self,” Franklin added. “I was proud of Carl when he led the nation in sacks, but I’m even more proud of him now.”
Former All-Pro linebacker Shawne Merriman commended Nassib and suggested teammates and opponents won’t have a problem with his announcement.
“Congrats to Carl Nassib on coming out that’s a big step, I think that most players are concerned if you can play or not,” Merriman tweeted.
In a post saying he was proud of Nassib, Hall of Famer Warren Moon said he played with several gay football players in a storied pro career that spanned from 1978 to 2000 but none were “comfortable enough to go public.”
“They were great teammates, & obviously very talented. As long as they helped us win and were great teammates, their sexual preference was never a issue,” Moon wrote. “We live in a different time now where diversity is much more accepted. Cheers Carl, and I hope this lets other athletes know, its OK to say who you are…”
Added fellow Nittany Lions alum and Giants running back Saquon Barkley, “Much respect brudda.”
Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, a leading LGBTQ advocacy organization, called Nassib’s “powerful coming out is a historic reflection of the growing state of LGBTQ visibility and inclusion in the world of professional sports, which has been driven by a long list of brave LGBTQ athletes who came before him.”
Ellis said Nassib’s story “will not only have a profound impact on the future of LGBTQ visibility and acceptance in sports, but sends a strong message to so many LGBTQ people, especially youth, that they too can one day grow up to be and succeed as a professional athlete like him.”
More than a dozen NFL players have come out as gay after their careers were over.
Former University of Missouri defensive star Michael Sam was the first openly gay football player ever selected in the NFL draft, going in the seventh round to the then-St. Louis Rams in 2014. But he never made the final roster and retired in 2015 having never played in an NFL regular-season game.
Nassib is a sixth-year pro who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2016 in the third round (65th overall) out of Penn State. He played two seasons for the Browns and two for Tampa Bay before joining the Raiders in 2020. He has 20 1/2 sacks in 73 career games.
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Duterte Threatens to Arrest Filipinos Who Refuse COVID Vaccination
The Philippine president has threatened to order the arrest of Filipinos who refuse COVID-19 vaccination and told them to leave the country if they would not cooperate with efforts to end a public health emergency.President Rodrigo Duterte, who is known for his public outbursts and brash rhetoric, said in televised remarks Monday night that he has become exasperated with people who refuse to get immunized amid a health crisis then help spread the coronavirus.”Don’t get me wrong. There is a crisis being faced in this country. There is a national emergency. If you don’t want to get vaccinated, I’ll have you arrested and I’ll inject the vaccine in your butt,” Duterte said.”If you will not agree to be vaccinated, leave the Philippines. Go to India if you want or somewhere, to America,” he said, adding he would order village leaders to compile a list of defiant residents.Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra acknowledged on Tuesday that there was no Philippine law criminalizing refusal to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. “I believe that the president merely used strong words to drive home the need for us to get vaccinated and reach herd immunity as soon as possible,” Guevarra said.A human rights lawyer, Edre Olalia, raised concerns over Duterte’s threat, saying the president could not order the arrest of anybody who has not clearly committed any crime.Duterte and his administration have faced criticism over a vaccination campaign that has been saddled with supply problems and public hesitancy. After repeated delays, vaccinations started in March, but many still opted to wait for Western vaccines, prompting some cities to offer snacks and store discounts to encourage people to get immunized with any vaccine. Duterte blamed the problem on wealthy Western countries cornering vaccines for their own citizens, leaving poorer countries like the Philippines behind. Some officials said the bigger problem was inadequate vaccine supply more than public hesitancy.Duterte also walked back on an earlier remark that required people to wear plastic face shields over face masks only in hospitals as an added safeguard. After experts briefed him on the threat of more contagious coronavirus variants, Duterte declared it mandatory for people to continue wearing face shields indoors and outdoors.The Philippines is a COVID-19 hotspot in Asia, with more than 1.3 million cases and at least 23,749 deaths.
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Australia Urged to Repatriate Islamic State Widow from Syrian Camp
Family members of alleged Islamic State militants held in Syrian camps are urging the Australian government to repatriate dozens of its citizens.Kamalle Dabboussy’s Sydney-born daughter Mariam and her three young children are being held at the al-Roj refugee camp in north-east Syria. They are among about 60 Australians stranded there. The Australian government has said it was too dangerous for diplomatic staff to visit the region to try to bring them home. Dabboussy believes the security situation is stable enough for his daughter and grandchildren to be brought home, but he has warned that volatility in the region could return at any time. It is estimated that 10,000 suspected widows and children of former Islamic State fighters are among 70,000 people held in the al-Roj and al-Hawl detention camps, according to Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy, a U.S.-based foreign policy think tank, most are Iraqi and Syrian nationals. They were taken to the facilities after the jihadist group was defeated in 2019. Charities have said the camps are beset by violence, food shortages and a lack of medical care. There are concerns that women and children are at risk of exploitation. The United States and the European Union have warned that the camps could breed a new generation of militants. Dabboussy told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that his daughter and three grandchildren should be brought home.
“Whatever you think of the women these children should not be in prison. These children should be in a safe environment at school getting on with their lives,” he said. “Every day they face dangers. Every day these children lose some of their childhood.” Mariam Dabboussy said she was tricked into traveling to Syria while on a family holiday to Turkey in 2015. Her husband, Kaled Zahab, an Islamic State fighter, was killed in an airstrike on a terrorist training camp. She has said she was forced to remarry twice after his death. Germany and Finland have begun repatriating their citizens, allowing a total of five women and 18 children to return, according to reports. German media said three of the women were being investigated for allegations of belonging to the Islamic State and the Belgian government has just announced it will soon bring its citizens home. Kamalle Dabboussy has urged Australia to follow their lead. He has written about his experiences trying to secure his daughter’s return in a book called “A Father’s Plea.” The government in Canberra has no comment on Mariam Dabboussy’s case, but Defense Minister Peter Dutton has said previously that Islamic State widows held in camps in Syria were “not innocent women.”
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Blinken Heads to Europe for Libya Conference
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels Tuesday to Germany where he will take part in a conference on Libya and discuss with his German counterpart ways to counter Holocaust denial and antisemitism. Germany and the United Nations are hosting Wednesday’s Berlin conference, seeking to build on earlier efforts to bring about a lasting halt in fighting in Libya and support a stable government. U.S. Special Envoy for Libya Richard Norland said the talks would provide momentum for steps that need to be taken soon in order for elections to be held in December, including establishing a constitutional and legal basis for the vote. Norland told reporters Monday the conference will also feature an emphasis on foreign fighters leaving Libya. Libya has experienced political instability since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi from power. Rival governments operated in separate parts of the country for years before a cease-fire deal in October that included a demand for all foreign fighters and mercenaries to leave Libya within 90 days, or about 3 months.Libyans mark the 10th anniversary of their 2011 uprising that led to the overthrow and killing of longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi, in Benghazi, Libya.“On the foreign forces, you’re quite right that forces have not departed yet, and our basic position is we should not wait until after the elections to try to make some progress on this goal,” Norland said. “One of the reasons elections are so important is so that a fully empowered, credible, legitimate Libyan government can turn to foreign actors and say, ‘It’s time to take your troops out.’” Norland said those attending the Berlin conference would also discuss “destabilizing actions by armed groups and terrorism,” citing recent attacks in Libya claims by Islamic State militants. U.S. State Department officials also highlighted the need to counter those who are denying or distorting the Holocaust, which will be the subject of talks between Blinken and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas this week. “As knowledge of the Holocaust wanes, nefarious individuals, organizations, and occasionally governments engage in Holocaust denial and distortion for all manner of ends,” U.S. Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues Cherrie Daniels told reporters. Daniels said promoting greater education about the Holocaust, its consequences and its origins will help government officials and the public “recognize modern manifestations of anti-Semitism and even other forms of hatred” and push back against them. Defeating Islamic State will be the focus of another conference co-hosted by Blinken and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio as Blinken visits Rome on a later stop during his European trip. Blinken is also due to take part in a ministerial meeting in Italy concerning Syria and the humanitarian needs in that country. The European trip also takes Blinken to France to meet with President Emmanuel Macron, following up on U.S. President Joe Biden’s recent meetings with allies in the region to boost trans-Atlantic relations. “This is really an opportunity for Secretary Blinken to reiterate the President’s message and speak with our oldest ally about areas of cooperation, including global security, again, the pandemic’s — recovery from the pandemic, and repairing and modernizing our alliances,” Acting Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Reeker told reporters Monday. Blinken is also scheduled to visit the Vatican, where Reeker said the agenda for meetings includes combatting climate change and human trafficking.
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UNESCO Panel Recommends Listing Australia’s Great Barrier Reef as ‘In Danger’
A special committee with the United Nations’s cultural agency says Australia’s Great Barrier Reef should be placed on a list of World Heritage sites that should be designated as “in danger.” The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s World Heritage Committee, or UNESCO, recommended the 2,300-kilometer-long coral reef system should be placed on the list because it has deteriorated due to climate change. Australian officials denounced the recommendation. Environment Minister Sussan Ley said Tuesday that Canberra opposes the designation and accused the World Heritage Committee of “a backflip on previous assurances” and that it would not take such an action before its formal meeting next month. Ley said she and Foreign Minister Marise Payne had spoken by phone to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay about the decision, which she called “flawed” and a decision influenced by politics. “This sends a poor signal to those nations who are not making the investments in reef protection that we are making,” she said. But Richard Leck, the head of oceans for World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia, said in a statement the recommendation “is clear and unequivocal that the Australian government is not doing enough to protect our greatest natural asset, especially on climate change.” The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s biggest coral reef system that brings an estimated $4.8 billion annually in tourism revenue. Climate change has driven temperatures in the Coral Sea higher in recent decades, leading to three mass “bleaching” events since 2015, destroying at least half of the Reef’s vibrant corals and prompting the Australian government to downgrade its long term outlook to “very poor.”
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N. Korea Gives Mixed Messages on Talks with US
North Korea on Tuesday downplayed the possibility of talks with the United States, several days after its leader Kim Jong Un hinted at the possibility of dialogue. Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of the North Korean leader, said in a statement that the United States appears to have the “wrong” expectation about her brother’s recent comments. “It seems that the U.S. may interpret the situation in such a way as to seek comfort for itself. The expectation, which they chose to harbour the wrong way, would plunge them into a greater disappointment,” she said in the statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. At a ruling party meeting last week in Pyongyang, Kim Jong Un said his country must be prepared for both “dialogue and confrontation.” White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday told the ABC television network news program This Week that Kim’s comments were an “interesting signal” but that he wanted clearer signs from Pyongyang. He also reiterated that Washington wants to resume direct negotiations on North Korea’s nuclear program. On ABC, @JakeSullivan46 says Kim Jong Un’s declaration that he is ready for both dialogue and confrontation is an “interesting signal.” pic.twitter.com/AaqOk1Rvlx— William Gallo (@GalloVOA) June 20, 2021The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden completed its North Korea policy review last month, saying it was open to talks but insistent that North Korea must give up its nuclear weapons. During a visit this week to Seoul, Sung Kim, the U.S. envoy for North Korea, said he hopes North Korea will positively respond to meet “anytime, anywhere without preconditions.” US Envoy Offers to Meet North Korea ‘Anywhere Anytime’The Biden administration has previously promised a “practical, calibrated approach”The U.S. envoy is meeting this week with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, to portray a unified stance on the North Korean issue. Despite the flurry of diplomatic activity, Kim Yo Jong’s statement suggests there has been little progress on resuming talks, some analysts say. “We’ve been waiting for follow up signals from Pyongyang after Kim Jong Un’s recent remarks to help clarify his meaning. Kim Yo Jong’s statement starts to do that. While she doesn’t fully shut out the idea that diplomacy can resume, she appears to suggest it’s not likely for now,” said Jenny Town, a Korea specialist at the Washington-based Stimson Center. North Korea has boycotted talks with the United States since 2019. At a summit with Kim Jong Un in February of that year, former U.S. President Donald Trump rejected an offer in which Pyongyang would dismantle a key nuclear complex in exchange for Washington lifting most sanctions. Since then, the coronavirus pandemic has upended the equation. North Korea went into a severe lockdown in January 2020, cutting off almost all contact with the outside world and even restraining trade with its economic lifeline, China. “Paranoid about the pandemic, North Korea has severely limited outside contact for a year and a half. It has been eking out national ‘self-reliance’ with discreet support from China, but border closures have caused much economic disruption,” pointed out Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. At a meeting with senior leaders, Kim Jong Un last week formally acknowledged his country is facing a “tense” food situation.North Korea Hints at ‘Prolonged’ COVID Lockdown World health crisis becoming ‘worse and worse,’ the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un saysSeveral foreign media reports, quoting sources inside North Korea, suggest massive price spikes and increasing food shortages. However, confirmation of such stories is difficult since most foreigners, including aid workers and diplomats, have left the country during the pandemic. “Kim feels the need to address domestic suffering by convening high-profile government meetings more frequently than his father and grandfather. These meetings are largely political theater to cover up failures of economic planning and oppressive social control,” Easley said. North Korea insists to the outside world that it has found no coronavirus cases within its borders — an almost impossible assertion that has been widely disputed by experts. A major outbreak could be devastating for North Korea, an impoverished country that lacks adequate health infrastructure and medical supplies.
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New Yorkers to Head to Polls Tuesday for Mayoral Primary
New York City is preparing for primary elections Tuesday, with residents voting to replace term-limited Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has been in power since 2014. Democrats in New York City will choose between former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, former city sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia, former de Blasio administration attorney Maya Wiley, and New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer. Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 11 MB480p | 15 MB540p | 21 MB720p | 49 MB1080p | 87 MBOriginal | 96 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioPolicing and crime have been topics of great debate among the Democratic candidates, as protests against the New York Police Department have been held consistently over the past year. Adams currently leads in the polls, according to The Associated Press, but he is running on his public safety record as a former police captain — a platform that may alienate some voters. Republican candidates include Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, a nonprofit street patrol group, and businessman Fernando Mateo. For the first time in the city’s history, New York residents will use a ranked-choice voting system for the mayoral primary. Instead of picking one candidate, voters will rank up to five candidates in order of preference. Officials expect it could be weeks before the results of the primary are known. As in the U.S. presidential election, many absentee ballots will have to be counted before the results are finalized.Additionally, ranked-choice voting could make early predictions of the front-runner less reliable. While initially only the first-choice votes will be counted, second- and third- choice votes will be counted as well, leaving room for a trailing candidate to catch up later in the count. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 8.3 million people live across the five boroughs of New York City.
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US, S. Korea Consider Ending Controversial N. Korea Coordinating Group
The United States and South Korea have agreed to consider scrapping a working group established to coordinate North Korea policy, Seoul’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday, after it became seen as a way for Washington to block inter-Korean projects. During talks between U.S. special representative for North Korea Sung Kim and his South Korean counterpart Noh Kyu-duk on Monday, the two agreed to “look into terminating the working group” while reinforcing coordination at other levels, the ministry said in a statement. On Monday Kim said he was willing to meet with the North Koreans “anywhere, anytime without preconditions” and that he looks forward to a “positive response soon.” He was scheduled to meet with South Korean Unification Minister Lee In-young, who handles relations with the North, on Tuesday. The working group was set up in 2018 to help the two allies coordinate their approaches to issues such as denuclearization talks, humanitarian aid, sanctions enforcement and inter-Korean relations amid a flurry of diplomatic engagement with North Korea at the time. When asked last year about Seoul’s proposals such as reopening individual tourism to its northern neighbor, U.S. ambassador to South Korea at the time, Harry Harris, said that “in order to avoid a misunderstanding later that could trigger sanctions … it’s better to run this through the working group.” Though Harris added that it was not the United States’ place to approve South Korean decisions, the remarks caused controversy in Seoul and a former aide to South Korean President Moon Jae-in later told parliament the working group was increasingly seen as an obstacle to inter-Korean relations. The Moon administration would see ending the working group as a goodwill gesture from new U.S. President Joe Biden, said Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a Korea expert at King’s College London. “From a South Korean perspective, this was basically a mechanism for the U.S. to block inter-Korean projects during the Trump years,” he said. “It would be a clever political move for the Biden administration to end the group, since consultation between Washington and Seoul will take place anyway.”
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World Bank Says Zimbabwe’s Economy on Recovery Path
In a report this month, the World Bank predicts Zimbabwe’s economy will grow 3.9% this year even as the country sees an alarming rise in poverty levels, especially in urban areas. The report says a record 7.9 million Zimbabweans are “extremely” poor, earning less than 30 U.S. dollars a month.As of June 18, 2021, Richard Luzani, 41, is one of many unemployed Zimbabweans hoping the economy will recover and the coronavirus pandemic will end soon and he gets employment. (Columbus Mavhunga/VOA)Forty-one-year-old Richard Luzani is one of many unemployed Zimbabweans hoping the economy will recover and that the coronavirus pandemic will end soon.Each day he pushes a cart full of water buckets while selling the scarce precious liquid in Hatcliffe — one of the poorest suburbs of Harare. He works with his 58-year-old father, Weluzani.“I wish I could a get any formal job,” Luzani said. “I am just barely making a living from this hustle of selling water so that my family can survive. But so far everything is down.”He said on a good day they go home with $5 each — but other days, nothing.That is not case with 40-year-old Tafadzwa Gamanya in Goromonzi, a rural area about 50 kilometers east of Harare.A World Bank report says Zimbabweans living in rural areas are doing better than their counterparts in the urban areas thanks to subsistence farming. So is Gamanya.Tafadzwa Gamanya from Goromonzi district is one of the Zimbabweans living in rural areas who are doing better than their counterparts in the urban areas thanks to subsistence farming and good rains. (Columbus Mavhunga/VOA)“This year is much better for us here. We had good rains. We have enough water to irrigate our crops until the next rain season,” Gamanya said. “I have maize and sweet potatoes; my peas are at flowering stage. I sell my vegetables to get money for sugar, for tea which we have with sweet potatoes. Our maize is enough for this year. We have nothing more to ask or cry for.”Last week, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government said the number of food insecure Zimbabweans has drastically fallen because of the good rains the country has enjoyed during the 2020/2021 agriculture season.Mukami Kariuki, who heads the World Bank in Zimbabwe, says the economy could recover faster depending on how the pandemic and regional economy perform.Mukami Kariuki, the head of World Bank in Zimbabwe, says the country’s economy could recover faster depending on how the coronavirus pandemic and regional economy perform. (Photo courtesy of World Bank)“Zimbabwe’s economy is expected to grow faster than its neighbors, rising from 3.9% in 2021 to 5.1% in 2022,” Kariuki said. “By comparison, the average growth rate for sub-Saharan Africa in 2021 is 2.8%. So overall, we note that the recovery of the country is on a positive trend and if sustained, this momentum will impact positively on the lives and livelihoods of people of Zimbabwe.”An upward swing would be welcome news for Richard Luzani and millions of Zimbabweans like him. The World Bank reports 49% of the country’s population now live in poverty due to both the pandemic and ailing economy.
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Japan Begins Workplace Vaccination Program
Thousands of Japanese companies began the rollout of their workplace vaccine programs Monday, inoculating company workers and their families. Some of the companies had been critical of what they said was the government’s slow pace of Japan’s COVID-19 inoculation campaign. Toyota and Suntory are among the companies participating in the workplace program with vaccines provided by the government. Thousands of people are expected to receive shots through the initiative, which is beginning just weeks before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics. Organizers of the Olympics announced Monday that they will allow a limited number of spectators into venues holding Olympic events, capping the number at 10,000 people, or 50% of a venue’s capacity. The decision comes just days after health experts told the government that banning all spectators was the “least risky” option for holding the games in light of a surge of new COVID-19 infections in the Japanese capital and across the country. Record in IndiaIn India, the government announced it had given 7.5 million coronavirus vaccine doses Monday — a new single day record for inoculations. The country also saw its lowest daily number of new COVID-19 cases in about three months — 53,256 new infections. FILE – A worker handles boxes of COVID-19 vaccines, delivered as part of the COVAX equitable vaccince distribution program, at Ivato International Airport, in Antananarivo, Madagascar, May 8, 2021.U.S. officials say the deliveries have been delayed due to legal, logistical and regulatory requirements in both the United States and the recipient countries. “What we’ve found to be the biggest challenge is not actually the supply — we have plenty of doses to share with the world — but this is a Herculean logistical challenge,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Global numbersTaiwan recorded its lowest number of new COVID-19 infections since May 15. Health officials announced 75 new infections Monday. On Sunday, Taiwan received 2.5 million COVID-19 vaccines from the United States. Indonesian health officials said Monday the country has passed 2 million confirmed coronavirus infections. They also announced the country’s largest one-day jump in new coronavirus infections — 14,536. Authorities say they are tightening restrictions to try to stop the spread of the virus for two weeks in 29 “red zones” across the country where infection rates are high. There are more than 178 million global COVID-19 infections as of Monday, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The U.S. has the most with 33.6 million, followed by India with 29.9, and Brazil with 17.9. Brazil became the second country, behind the United States, to record more than half a million COVID-19 deaths.
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US Supreme Court Unanimously Rules Against NCAA Limitations
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that the NCAA cannot limit the compensation that student-athletes can receive, as long as it is related to their education. In a 9-0 ruling, the court upheld a lower court ruling that expanded education-related benefits for U.S. college athletes beyond athletic scholarships. Such benefits could include free computers, graduate school tuition, study abroad programs, musical instruments and tutoring. The ruling allows schools to offer such perks to compete for the attention of college-bound athletes. The NCAA determines the rules and regulations of U.S. collegiate competitions at schools across the country, including restrictions on athlete compensation. The NCAA argued in court that such limits help maintain the amateur aspect of college sports and distinguish it from professional athletics. Despite this argument, the high court determined that the regulations are anticompetitive and violate the Sherman Antitrust Act, which prevents organizations from holding a monopoly over a market. The court did not address other issues that critics of the NCAA and previous lawsuits had raised, such as the organization’s rule that athletes cannot be paid for the use of their name, image and likeness.Public support has grown in recent years for such compensation, which athletes could receive through opportunities such as brand deals or paid appearances. In fact, the NCAA is in the process of amending its rules to allow this without regulation. FILE – Justice Neil Gorsuch speaks during an interview in his chambers at the Supreme Court in Washington, Sept. 4, 2019.Members of Congress and several states legislators are also proposing varying levels of change to the compensation of NCAA athletes. Justice Neil Gorsuch, who penned the opinion for the court, wrote that in most other U.S. industries, the NCAA’s business model would be illegal. “Price-fixing labor is ordinarily a textbook antitrust problem because it extinguishes the free market in which individuals can otherwise obtain fair compensation for their work,” Gorsuch wrote. The Biden administration officially expressed its support for student-athletes in March, when it filed a brief with the Supreme Court detailing why it agreed with the lower court ruling.
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Russia and Myanmar Junta Leader Commit to Boosting Ties at Moscow Meeting
Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, and Myanmar’s junta leader committed to further strengthening security and other ties between the two countries at a Moscow meeting on Monday.Myanmar’s junta leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, flew to the Russian capital on Sunday to attend a security conference this week. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier on Monday said President Vladimir Putin would not be meeting Min Aung Hlaing, Interfax reported.Rights activists have accused Moscow of legitimizing Myanmar’s military junta, which came to power in a Feb. 1 coup, by continuing bilateral visits and arms deals.Russia says it has a long-standing relationship with Myanmar and said in March it was deeply concerned by the rising number of civilian deaths in Myanmar.Defense ties between the two nations have grown in recent years with Moscow providing army training and university scholarships to thousands of soldiers, as well as selling arms to a military blacklisted by several Western countries for alleged atrocities against civilians.Myanmar’s state-run MRTV devoted the first 10 minutes of its nightly newscast to a report of Min Aung Hlaing’s Russia trip, from him being met by officials at the airport to his meeting with the Security Council. It showed a smiling Min Aung Hlaing in a business suit, posing for pictures, shaking hands and exchanging gifts with members of the council before attending a ceremony at a Buddhist temple in Moscow. The MRTV report said Min Aung Hlaing and Patrushev discussed cooperation between the two countries on security measures, Myanmar’s current affairs and agreed to maintain a good relationship between their two militaries.
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Somalia, Congo, Afghanistan, Syria Among Most Dangerous for Children in Conflict
Somalia, Congo, Afghanistan and Syria top the list of the most dangerous conflict zones for children, the United Nations said Monday, accounting for nearly 60% of all violations among the entries on its annual blacklist of countries where children suffer grave abuses. “Children can no longer be the last priority of the international agenda nor the least protected group of individuals on the planet,” Virginia Gamba, U.N. special representative for children in armed conflict, told reporters Monday at the report’s launch. “We need to give children an alternative to violence and abuse. We need peace, respect for children’s rights, and democracy.” Gamba said the most widespread violations in 2020 were the recruitment and use of children by security forces and armed groups and the killing and maiming of children. FILE – Children play outside their family’s shelters at an Afghan refugee camp in Islamabad, Pakistan, Feb. 13, 2020.”We are extremely alarmed at the increase in the abduction of children by 90% compared to previous years, as well as the increase in rape and other forms of sexual violence, registering an increase of 70% compared to previous years,” she added. More than 3,200 children were confirmed abducted in conflict situations in 2020, and at least 1,268 were victims of sexual violence, the report said. Of the worst offenders, Gamba said Somalia had the “most violations by far,” primarily perpetrated by al-Shabab terrorists. In Afghanistan, she said the Taliban was responsible for two-thirds of violations, and the government and pro-government militias the rest. Myanmar also ranked high on the list of grave violations, including for the highest numbers of children recruited and used, while Yemen has among the highest figures for children killed or maimed. FILE – Ahmed Abdo Salem, a 2-year-old Yemeni child displaced by conflict and suffering from malnutrition (weighing only five kilograms), is measured at a health clinic in the war-ravaged western Hodeida province, Feb. 15, 2021.Attacks on schools and hospitals remained high last year at 856, mostly in Afghanistan, Congo, Syria and Burkina Faso. “Education against girls was particularly targeted,” Gamba said. As with everything else in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic only complicated matters. The report found, for example, that the use of schools by militaries rose last year. Many schools were closed temporarily because of the pandemic, making them easy targets for military occupation and use. New to the list are Cameroon, Burkina Faso and the Lake Chad Basin region. The report contained some good news. Due to advocacy efforts, armed groups and security forces released 12,643 children. And the number of actors engaging with Gamba’s office, signing on to action plans and making new commitments toward children is growing. FILE – Flag-draped caskets of seven children who were killed by unidentified assailants in a classroom of a secondary school are pictured during their mass funeral in Kumba, Cameroon, Nov. 5, 2020.However, human rights groups have criticized the report over the years, saying that double standards apply to the creation of the blacklist and that some countries escape accountability. “We strongly urge the (U.N.) Secretary-General to reconsider his decision and hold parties to conflict all over the world to the same standard,” Inger Ashing, CEO of Save the Children International, said in a statement. “Secretary-General (Antonio) Guterres is letting warring parties implicated in the deaths and maiming of children off the hook by leaving Israel, the Saudi-led coalition (in Yemen) and other violators off his ‘list of shame,'” said Jo Becker, children’s rights advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “His repeated failure to base his list on the U.N.’s own evidence betrays children and fuels impunity.” Responding to the criticism, Gamba said that regarding Israel, violations carried out during the recent fighting in Gaza would be examined in next year’s report. She added that she did not experience any political pressure from parties in terms of who would be listed.
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EU Imposes New Sanctions on Myanmar
The European Union announced Monday a fresh round of sanctions against Myanmar military officials, the third since the junta seized power in a February coup.This round targeted eight individuals, three economic entities and the War Veterans Organization, according to a statement from the EU. “The individuals targeted by sanctions include ministers and deputy ministers, as well as the attorney general, who are responsible for undermining democracy and the rule of law and for serious human rights violations in the country,” the statement read.”By targeting the gems and timber sectors, these measures are aimed at restricting the junta’s ability to profit from Myanmar’s natural resources, while being crafted so as to avoid undue harm to the people of Myanmar,” it went on.The United States also sanctioned parts of the country’s gem industry in April. The United Nations formally condemned the coup on Friday, with member states calling for an end to the violence and for respect of the will of the people as expressed in the November election. While the resolution does not have the power to impose an international arms embargo, it did call on “all member states to prevent the flow of arms into Myanmar” as the military’s violent crackdown on protesters continues.About 900 civilian protesters have been confirmed killed and 6,000 arrested since the military seized power February 1, a move rejecting the outcome of the November elections that overwhelmingly gave power to the National League for Democracy party.
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Zimbabwe’s Economy on Recovery Path, Says World Bank
In a report this month, the World Bank predicts Zimbabwe’s economy will grow 3.9% this year even as the country sees an alarming spike in poverty levels, especially in urban areas. The report says a record 7.9 million Zimbabweans are “extremely” poor, earning less than 30 U.S. dollars a month. But as Columbus Mavhunga reports from Harare, the government says good rains are expected to help lift the agro-based economy with a bumper harvest. Camera: Blessing Chigwenhembe
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