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Első próbálkozásra nem sikerült megnyitni a Boris Susko igazságügyi miniszter leváltásáról szóló rendkívüli ülést, a parlament döntésképtelen, a Smer és az SNS képviselői nincsenek jelen. 9:40 órakor ismét megpróbálják megnyitni az ülést. (denníkN)

Credit: WHO/Lindsay Mackenzie

By Oritro Karim
NEW YORK, Aug 20 2024 (IPS)

On August 15th, the Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Farhan Haq, stated at a press briefing at the United Nations Headquarters that the Mpox epidemic continues to surge in the Democratic Republic of Congo and spreads throughout Africa. The alarming frequency of these cases constitutes a global health concern. Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is an epidemic that has grown exponentially in severity over the past two years. Originating in Central Africa in 1970, rates of infection have risen significantly since late 2023, with a new variant of the infection, known as clade 1 Mpox, infecting over 17,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These cases have generated increasing alarm, so much so that the World Health Organization has declared Mpox to be a worldwide public health emergency. Shortly after this declaration, the first case of clade 1 Mpox was reported in Sweden which greatly elevated global concern of a worldwide epidemic.

Mpox, once thought to be a primary concern for solely the Democratic Republic of Congo, has begun to spread to neighboring countries and has been rising in rates of death due to infection. The director-general for the Worldwide Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, states, “ The emergence of a new clade of Mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighboring countries are very worrying. On top of outbreaks of other Mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives”. It is imperative for the world to understand the graveness of the Mpox epidemic and funnel resources into stopping rates of infection as well as providing widespread access to treatment.

Although most fatalities have remained in the Democratic Republic of Congo, reports of infection have increased dramatically in Burundi, Nigeria, Central African Republic, and the Republic of Congo. There have even been reports of mpox spreading over Asian borders in small quantities, into Taiwan, Pakistan, and the Philippines. It is interesting to note that the World Health Organization had organized an effort in combating the 2022-2023 Mpox outbreak for a different clade, and when that effort had concluded, a different clade had arisen and began to infect people all throughout Africa.

It is apparent from this prior development that a long-term effort is needed to combat Mpox as it is a disease that is resilient to change and will continually evolve. Dr. Tedros states that “stopping these outbreaks will require a tailored and comprehensive response, with communities at the center, as always”. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust for these changes accordingly and continue to treat Mpox with the seriousness it deserves.

Recently, the director-general has authorized for an emergency use vaccine to be distributed in lower income countries. This is a crucial first step as Mpox cases are most prevalent in underdeveloped or developing African countries. Furthermore, it is important to target the countries of highest concern first in order to stop the spread to other parts of the world.

Currently the World Health Organization has set up specific efforts in order to combat Mpox. One such example is that WHO has released 1.4 million dollars from their emergency contingency fund to fight this epidemic, expecting to release more in the coming weeks. Additionally, WHO is working with vaccine manufacturers around the world in order to find the most effective and accessible treatments. Furthermore, there has been a focus put into surveillance of the disease and exactly how many are infected. This will be particularly crucial in the process of fighting Mpox as right now, the number of infected people are approximations as many cases have not been reported. Although the current efforts by WHO are a step in the right direction, there is much more action needed to eradicate the Mpox epidemic. It is important that donors contribute to this effort as WHO estimates that about 15 million dollars will be needed for their multi step plan.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Seit dieser Saison arbeitet Star-Trainer José Mourinho in der Türkei. Doch noch muss sich der Portugiese an die neuen Umstände gewöhnen. Auch sportlich läuft es bei Fenerbahce noch nicht nach Wunsch.

La Fédération de l’industrie horlogère indique ce mardi que les exportations de montres ont connu une hausse de 1,6% le mois dernier.

Could the Arab Spring scenario from Egypt repeat in Bangladesh as well?. This is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. Give attribution to: Rayhan9d

By Randa El Ozeir
TORONTO and DHAKA , Aug 20 2024 (IPS)

“I hope the outcome [of the recent revolution in Bangladesh] would be different. I hope the end result will not be the same”, says Shireen Huq, women’s rights and human rights activist and Founder of Naripokkho organization, to IPS about the many similarities with the Arab Spring.

The recent revolution in Bangladesh that led to dismantling the autocratic ruling of Sheikh Hasina, many hundreds of young lives, including at least 32 children, were lost at the hands of the police and the auxiliary forces. According to a recent report conducted by the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commission, “There are strong indications, warranting further independent investigation, that the security forces used unnecessary and disproportionate force in their response to the situation.”

The Islamists (Muslim Brotherhood Party) came to power through parliament elections in the Muslim-majority Egypt in 2011 on the heels of the Arab Spring and got an elected president in 2012. The military came back staging a coup and re-seized power in the country in 2013 and put the current president as head of state. Could this scenario repeat in Bangladesh as well?

I spoke with Huq who believes that there is a real issue of religiosity among young people in Bangladesh. However, this would not necessarily lead to supporting fundamentalist forces. “We saw that the fundamentalist forces were active in the protest. It is uncertain at this time to what extent they will be able to navigate the situation and get some advantage out of it. Hopefully, the interim government will be able to maintain their hold on the situation and keep it in the right direction.”

Disappointment with leaving women out of the interim government

However, Huq is disappointed that women have not been represented in the interim government, although some discussions were held initially.

“The garment industry has been led by a majority of the female workforce. During this uprising and these protests, we saw hundreds and thousands of women on the streets. This has been also unprecedented as women will outnumber not only in numbers but also in energy, in force. Two young men have been taken [in the government] from the movement, so this is a little bit worrying. But I am not worried on the whole about women’s rights being further eroded. If anything, I am hopeful that women’s rights will be further advanced”, stated Shireen Huq.

In 2018, Huq and her organization, which consists mainly of feminists, many in their middle ages, developed a women’s manifesto that they are currently sending to all members of the interim government to set the expected priorities for women. “We have to wait and see. We have to give young women space to organize themselves the way they want. They will sort out how they want to build their own space, their own structures and their own organizations.”

Hundreds of thousands of female Bangladeshis took to the street during the recent uprising that dismantled the autocracy in the country. This is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. Give attribution to: Rayhan9d

In her article titled “Living on Revolution Time”, Anne Alexander, Founder of MENA Solidarity Network, wrote that rulers “will always seek to tip the scales back, to restore their capacity to rule by any means they can. In a very real sense, therefore, “revolution time” is always borrowed time.”

The overthrown Awami league is a big political party in Bangladesh and has plenty of supporters including among the grassroots. They made a failed attempt for a comeback on the 15th of August, the date when the independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated in 1975.

First Reforms then Democracy

What the world saw in Bangladesh embodies the analysis of Martha C. Nussbaum in her book titled Anger and Forgiveness, “Awakening people to the injustice of society’s treatment of them is a necessary first step toward social progress… Sometimes the legal structure is itself unjust and corrupt. What people need to do is not just to secure justice for this or that particular wrong, but, ultimately, to change the legal order.” (p. 211, 212)

Social justice and reforms appear to occupy a primordial place on the youth agenda in Bangladesh, while democracy takes a back seat, for the time being. “Democracy is definitely one of the major goals, but it is not only democracy which is popularly understood as elections,” clarifies Huq. “What is on the agenda right now is ‘reforms’. The slogan from the streets is also ‘Reform of the State’ in every sector. The success of the interim government, to some extent, is to deliver on those reforms. Democracy is equality and justice in the real sense of the term. Social justice and democracy will go hand in hand.”

Student demonstrators held their ground rejecting calls for swift elections and voiced the planning of their own political party. No doubt there is a generational gap when it comes to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who was considered as the Father of the Nation. Youth don’t have any memory of previous times. “Hasina has used her father in every possible way,” says Huq. “I think it is my generation who is lamenting the inability of young people to make that separation, so they attacked his statues and his portraits which wasn’t probably necessary. There is a lot of pent up anger, not only about the autocracy of his daughter, but also about the misdeeds during her time.”

We are living in an era of acceleration around the world with the prevalence of technology and the pace of life. New generations seem to have lower inertia compared to previous generations and we are witnessing many youth revolutions. Huq thinks revolutions can be infectious. “I am not saying what is happening in Pakistan is because of Bangladesh, but it is interesting that it is happening in South Asia, and maybe we’ll see something happening in India as well, [it is] much-needed in India.”

Despite the great momentum of the revolution’s energy, Huq worries about India’s intervention and interference. “I think some warnings have been issued about that. If India really wants for Bangladesh to prosper and to do well, then the best thing it can do is to keep its hands off.”

Randa El Ozeir, is a Canadian-Lebanese journalist who writes on health issues, women’s rights and social justice.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Bei der rechtskonservativen Partei der Europäischen Konservativen und Reformern (EKR) ist ein Machtkampf um die Führungsposition entfacht. Bislang führt die italienische Premierministerin Giorgia Meloni die Partei. Nun will allerdings der frühere polnische Premier, Mateusz Morawiecki, die Spitze übernehmen.

Az észak-koreai hadsereg tisztségviselője lehet az a férfi, akinek gyalog sikerült átkelnie a két ország közti elaknásított zónán, és Dél-Koreába jutott.

Aujourd'hui dans l'Expresso : Tensions entre Bruxelles et Budapest, querelle politique en Italie autour d’un prétendu complot de la gauche visant la sœur de Giorgia Meloni, Mateusz Morawiecki souhaite remplacer Giorgia Meloni à la tête des CRE.

Az euró jegyzése kedden reggel hét órakor 394,30 forintra gyengült az előző este hat órai 394,45 forintról. Az eurót 1,1077 dolláron jegyezték kedden reggel, minimálisan magasabban a hétfő esti 1,1069 forintnál. (mti)

Ein Segelunternehmen wollte seiner Kundschaft einen wunderschönen Ausflug bieten. Doch der fröhliche Trip wurde zum Desaster. Ein Tornado traf das Schiff, woraufhin dieses sank. Sechs Menschen werden vermisst, darunter auch Tech-Unternehmer Mike Lynch.

Aus Shiloh Jolie-Pitt wird offiziell Shiloh Jolie: Ein Gericht hat der Tochter von Brad Pitt und Angelina Jolie nun offenbar erlaubt, den Namen ihres Vaters abzulegen.

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Alors que l'héritage antifasciste est remis en cause par les gouvernements nationalistes de plusieurs pays des Balkans, la Slovénie prend le contre-pied et inscrit les chants partisans au registre de son patrimoine immatériel.

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- Articles / Une - Diaporama, Courrier des Balkans, Serbie, Personnalités, Médias, Une - Diaporama - En premier

Son émission hebdomadaire, 24 minutes avec Zoran Kesić, est devenue un rendez-vous incontournable en Serbie depuis 2013. Avec humour, le présentateur passe au peigne fin l'actualité de la semaine, donnant à voir toute l'absurdité du jeu politique. Portrait.

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Le délai accordé par la Commission européenne à la Hongrie pour répondre aux questions concernant l’assouplissement des conditions d’entrée pour les ressortissants russes et biélorusses a expiré ce lundi 19 août.

En proposant un contre-projet à l’initiative UDC, le président du Centre, Gerhard Pfister, met la politique en ébullition. Tollé assuré en pleines négociations avec l’UE.

Die Ungarn sorgen sich um den Plattensee: Vertraute von Premier Viktor Orban riegeln Strände und Häfen für reiche Touristen ab. Wo früher Campingplätze und Parks waren, versperren nun Luxushotels und Yachthäfen den Zugang.

Die politische Krise, die in Bulgarien seit mehr als drei Jahren andauert, droht in eine Verfassungskrise umzuschlagen. Präsident Rumen Radev weigerte sich am Montag (19. August), eine neue Übergangsregierung zu ernennen und vorgezogene Parlamentswahlen abzuhalten. 

Zypern wird den ehemaligen Landwirtschaftsminister Costas Kadis als neuen EU-Kommissar vorschlagen, teilte die Regierung in Nikosia am Montag (19. August) mit. Welches Ressort er besetzen wird, ist noch unbekannt.