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Time Running Out For Missing Indonesian Submarine

Zoe Maven
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Time Running Out For Missing Indonesian Submarine

Rescue teams from several countries were battling against time on Friday to find a missing Indonesian Navy submarine lost in the Bali Sea with 53 crew which is rapidly running out of oxygen if not already.

According to reports, Search helicopters and more navy ships left Bali and a naval base in Java at first light heading to the area where contact was lost with the 44-year-old KRI Nanggala-402 on Wednesday.

Indonesia’s navy said it was investigating whether the submarine lost power during a dive and could not carry out emergency procedures as it descended to a depth of 600-700 metres which is well beyond its survivable limits.

Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Yudo Margono said an aerial search had earlier spotted an oil spill near the submarine’s last location and that an object with “high magnetic force” had been spotted “floating” at a depth of 50-100 metres.

Officials say if the submarine was still intact, it would only have enough air to last about another 15 hours until early Saturday morning as the diesel-electric powered submarine could withstand a depth of up to 500 metres but anything more could be fatal.

An Indonesian defence expert Connie Rahakundini Bakrie said the crew could still be found alive but that if the submarine is in a 700-metre sea trough, it will be difficult for them to survive because underwater pressure will cause cracks and ruptures of the steel hull.

Germany’s Parliament Approves Act For Covid-19 Emergency Powers

Zoe Maven
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Germany’s Parliament Approves Act For Covid-19 Emergency Powers

German parliament’s upper house has approved a controversial Infection Protection Act, being the last hurdle before the passage of the law with the president’s signature.

Police clashed with protesters in Berlin on Wednesday as they tried to disperse a rally against the coronavirus lockdown while parliament debated the controversial law.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government had asked parliament for temporary powers to enforce a nation-wide coronaries lockdown after several regions failed to impose agreed curbs.

The draft law presented to the cabinet, says a compulsory national emergency-brake will be introduced if the number of new infections per 100,000 residents in a district or city exceeds 100 for three consecutive days within a week.

The measures include curfews between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., as well as limiting private gatherings to one household plus one other person.

No shops barring the essential ones will remain open. Opening of cultural and recreational facilities such as theatres, museums and zoos will be prohibited.

Also, Schools will have to return to distance learning if the virus incidence rises above 165 per 100,000 for three consecutive days.

The change to the law will apply until June 30.

Millions Face Hunger As Myanmar Crisis Worsens – UN

Zoe Maven
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Millions Face Hunger As Myanmar Crisis Worsens – UN

The United Nations says at least 3.4 million more people will struggle to afford food in the next three to six months with urban areas worst affected as job losses mount.

According to a World Food Programme (WFP) analysis, areas affected are manufacturing, construction and services and food prices rise while more poor people have lost their jobs and are unable to afford food.

WFP country director Stephen Anderson said in a statement that concerted response is required now to alleviate immediate suffering, and to prevent an alarming deterioration in food security.

The WFP said market prices of rice and cooking oil had risen by 5 per cent and 18 per cent since the end of February, showing families in the commercial capital of Yangon were skipping meals, eating less nutritious food, and going into debt.

The agency added it plans to expand operations, tripling to 3.3 million the number of people it assists, and is appealing for $106 million.

Food insecurity is rising sharply in Myanmar in the wake of the military coup and deepening financial crisis with millions more people expected to go hungry in coming months,.

Myanmar’s army seized power on Feb.1, plunging the Southeast Asian nation into turmoil and cracking down on mass protests and reportedly killing over 700 people.

Iran Urges Boosting Trade, Security Cooperation With Pakistan

Zoe Maven
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Iran Urges Boosting Trade, Security Cooperation With Pakistan

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called for the enhancement of security and economic cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad.

Speaking while with visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Rouhani said Security is a common concern for the two countries, and it is essential to boost cooperation in this regard.

The Iranian President urged for the promotion of Tehran-Islamabad ties in trade, energy and border markets, adding it is necessary for both sides to implement the signed agreements to further cooperation.

He also stressed the need to promote security along the Iran-Pakistan borders, adding that Iran stands ready to work with Pakistan towards the peace process in Afghanistan.

On his part, the Pakistani Foreign Minister, expressed happiness and hailed the relations between the two countries as “cordial” while calling for the promotion of all-out ties.

Iran and Pakistan will hopefully witness a new chapter in their ties, especially in the fields of trade and economy, said Qureshi.

He also backed the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as a “big diplomatic achievement”.

The two countries also signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday to establish joint border markets in efforts to strengthen cross-border economic exchanges.

The agreement, which was signed by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Qureshi, aims to promote economic relations between the two countries and the welfare of border residents.

The border markets will be administrated based on the agreements and protocols between the two sides.

French Fishermen Block British Shipments In Brexit Protest

Zoe Maven
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French Fishermen Block British Shipments In Brexit Protest

French fishermen on Thursday blocked lorries carrying UK-landed fish as they arrived in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Europe’s largest seafood processing centre.

The men have been angered by the slow issuance of licenses to fish inside British waters after Brexit and gathered as part of a protest action against the delay.

Britain’s post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union allowed the bloc’s fishermen to keep fishing deep into British waters, but only once they had received a license.

Bruno Margolle, who heads the main fishermen’s cooperative in Boulogne-sur-Mer said least 80% of the French fleet in the northern Hauts-de-France region, were still waiting, months after these licenses were expected to be issued.

He said many of the skippers struggling to obtain a license were unable to meet the British demand for electronic data showing they had fished in UK waters during the five years running up to Britain’s 2016 referendum on EU membership.

Margolle added that French fish stocks risked being depleted if French fishermen could not cross into British waters with some fishermen keeping their boats tied up in port.

The British government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) says Britain maintains an evidence-based approach to licensing EU vessels using information supplied by the European Commission,

Meanwhile, The French government late on Thursday urged the European Commission to take “firm and determined action” to ensure Britain applies the deal.

Three Of Seven Kidnapped Clergy In Haiti Freed

Zoe Maven
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Three Of Seven Kidnapped Clergy In Haiti Freed

Three of seven Catholic clergy who were kidnapped in Haiti earlier this month have been released, amidst a rise in violence and ongoing political crisis.

Father Loudger Mazile, spokesman for the Bishop’s Conference for the island nation, said the French were not released and that here were no lay people among those released.

A total of 10 people were abducted in Croix-des-Bouquets, a town northeast of the capital Port-au-Prince, in mid-April, including the seven clergy—five of them Haitian, as well as two French citizens, a priest and a nun.

The kidnapped victims were reportedly on their way to the installation of a new parish priest when they were abducted, with the kidnappers demanding a $1 million ransom for the group.

Authorities suspect an armed gang called “400 Mawozo”—which is active in kidnappings—is behind the abduction, according to a police source.

Kidnappings for ransom have surged in recent months in Port-au-Prince and other provinces, reflecting the growing influence of armed gangs in the Caribbean nation.

Haiti’s government resigned and a new prime minister was appointed in the wake of the clergy kidnappings, and President Jovenel Moise said it will help address insecurity and continue discussions on political and institutional stability.

W.H.O Urges African Nations To Keep Expired Covid Vaccines

Zoe Maven
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W.H.O Urges African Nations To Keep Expired Covid Vaccines

The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged African countries not to destroy Covid-19 vaccines that may have passed their expiry date but to keep hold of them and wait for further guidance.

The appeal comes after Malawi and South Sudan said they would destroy over 70,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab because they expired in mid-April.

Malawi said it planned to destroy more than 16,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which were manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), because their expiry date was 13 April.

South Sudan, meanwhile, planned to discard some 59,000 doses for the same reason.

But the Africa Centres for Disease Control (Africa CDC) said it had been assured the doses were safe to use although the final decision on whether to use expired jabs rests with national drug regulators,.

The vaccine doses were reportedly donated to 13 African countries through a partnership between the African Union (AU) and the telecommunication company MTN Group.

The AU bought one million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from South Africa, which had stopped using the jab amid doubts over its effectiveness against a new variant that had become dominant in the country.

The Africa CDC sent the doses to countries in late March, a few weeks before they expired.

Apparently, many vaccines can be used up to 36 months after manufacture, but because Covid-19 jabs are so new there is not enough data to prove their effectiveness over longer periods.

U.S. Weighs Anti-Graft Task Force For Central America

Zoe Maven
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U.S. Weighs Anti-Graft Task Force For Central America

The Biden administration is contemplating creating a task force of officials from the U.S. Justice and State Departments and other agencies to help local prosecutors fight corruption in Central America’s Northern Triangle countries.

U.S. special envoy for Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, Ricardo Zuniga, said the U.S has authority from Congress to craft lists of Central American officials involved in corruption, revoke their travel visas and impose financial sanctions on them.

Zuniga said the task force under consideration would focus on corruption cases and helping prosecutors in those countries move forward. He added it was important for the United States to show that they are on the side of those who are victims of corruption.

He also said the United States was disappointed with the collapse of anti-corruption bodies in Guatemala and Honduras, which he called setbacks to efforts to fight impunity.

Zuniga spoke on Thursday, just days before Vice President Kamala Harris, is due to hold a virtual meeting on Monday with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei to discuss solutions to the increase in migration to the U.S. border with Mexico.

With apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexican border at their highest level in two decades, Biden is ramping up efforts to ease a humanitarian crisis that has been one of his first major tests.

U.S. officials are trying to ensure that a $4 billion aid package being put together for the region does not fall prey to graft.

Lawyers Representing Zuma Withdraw From Corruption Case

Zoe Maven
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0
Lawyers Representing Zuma Withdraw From Corruption Case

In another blow to former South African President Jacob Zuma, Lawyers representing him and led by Eric Mabuza, have filed a notice seeking to withdraw from the case.

The lawyers did not provide any reason for the withdrawal but the move has further embattled the former South African President after the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that he was entitled to pay for his legal fee.

The same court later ordered Zuma to pay back an estimated $2 million in lawyers’ charges that he has received over the years from the state.

Zuma is facing 16 charges of fraud, graft, and racketeering relating to the purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats, and military equipment.

He’s being accused of collecting bribes of four million rands in a $3.4-billion arms deal with French aerospace and defense giant Thales in 1999, when he was deputy president.

Zuma is also facing other legal battles, including a pending court judgment on whether he should be jailed for refusing to testify at a state commission of inquiry which is probing graft.

The commission has heard testimony that Zuma allowed members of the controversial Gupta family to influence his cabinet appointments and state contracts in favor of their businesses.

However, Zuma has refused to testify at the commission, where he has been implicated by several witnesses including people who were Cabinet ministers when he was president.

African Presidents Arrive In N’Djamena For Déby’s Funeral

Zoe Maven
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0
African Presidents Arrive In N’Djamena For Déby’s Funeral

African Leaders are arriving in the Chadian capital N’Djamena ahead of the funeral of the late Chadian president Idriss Déby who reportedly died after sustaining injuries on the front lines against rebels.

The late Chadian President’s funeral is slated for April 23, at the Place de la Nation in the capital which will then move to the Grand Mosque also in N’Djamena before the mortal remains are taken to Amdjarass city for burial

Already, Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum arrived in the Chadian capital N’Djamena, as has Guinean head of state Alpha Condé and Mali’s interim president Bah Ndaw.

Other heads of state include those of Burkina Faso, as well as Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo with more presidents expected to arrive Thursday night and Friday morning.

President Emmanuel Macron of France, the former colonial power, is also attending the ceremony along with a dozen other heads of state and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

The funeral, complete with military honours, is scheduled to take place in the morning in N’Djamena’s main square, La Place de la Nation.

The death of President Déby, who’s been in power for 30 years, has opened a period of uncertainty for Chad which is being threatened by the rebellion and also within the regime.

Chad, with a well respected fighting force, is central to the West’s fight against jihadists in the Sahel, where myriad Islamist extremist groups operate.

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