International
UN chief deplores failure of multilateralism to fight Covid
AFP/Editor
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres gave a stern assessment Monday of the international community’s failure to mount a coordinated response to the Covid-19 pandemic, saying multilateralism is falling short both on vaccines and economic rescue measures.
“Advancing an equitable global response and recovery from the pandemic is putting multilateralism to the test,” Guterres said in a speech to the global body’s Financing for Development Forum.
“So far, it is a test we have failed.”
As an example of the grim picture, the Portuguese national pointed out how just 10 countries are receiving approximately 75 percent of the world’s available vaccines.
“Many countries have yet to start vaccinating their health care workers and most vulnerable citizens,” Guterres said.
“A global vaccine gap threatens everyone’s health and wellbeing,” he added. “We need equitable access to vaccines for everyone, everywhere.”
A similar “lack of solidarity” on the economic recovery front means massive disparities between countries as they battle against the pandemic, Guterres said.
While some nations have mobilized multi-trillion-dollar relief packages, many developing states face “insurmountable debt burdens that will put the (UN’s Sustainable Development Goals) completely out of reach if not corrected,” Guterres said.
Even in 2019 prior to the pandemic, 25 countries were spending more on debt service than on education, health, and social services combined, the UN chief said.
“Development assistance is needed more than ever, and I urge donors and international institutions to step up,” he said.
Guterres said the United Nations welcomes the Group of 20’s support for an extension of a temporary suspension of debt service repayments, “but I urge a further extension into 2022.”
Since the start of the pandemic a year ago, about 120 million people have slid back into extreme poverty, while the equivalent of 255 million full-time jobs have been lost, Guterres added.
International
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore
Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday but continues to pose a threat to parts of the U.S. East Coast with potentially dangerous flooding, according to meteorologists.
Although the hurricane’s eye is expected to remain offshore, experts are concerned about Erin’s size, as strong winds extend hundreds of kilometers beyond the storm’s center.
In its 18:00 GMT bulletin, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) lifted tropical storm warnings for the Bahamasand Turks and Caicos Islands, but kept them in effect for parts of North Carolina.
Erin was located several hundred kilometers southeast of North Carolina and was moving northwestward.
“This means there is a risk of potentially life-threatening flooding of 60 to 120 centimeters above ground level,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan.
He also warned of the possibility of destructive waves, combined with storm surge, that could cause severe damage to beaches and coastal areas, making roads impassable.
International
Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking
Three U.S. naval vessels are moving toward the coasts of Venezuela, according to international media reports on Tuesday, after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump is ready to combat and curb international drug trafficking.
Reports indicate that the ships will reach Venezuelan waters within the next 36 hours as part of a recent U.S. deployment aimed at countering international narcotics operations.
The announcement coincides with Leavitt’s statement that Trump is prepared to “use the full extent of his power” to halt drug flows into the United States. The naval deployment involves approximately 4,000 military personnel.
“The President has been clear and consistent. He is ready to use every element of U.S. power to prevent drugs from flooding our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela—it is a narco-terror cartel,” the spokesperson said during a press conference.
International
Cuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing
Salvadoran national Otto René Rodríguez Llerena was released after serving a 30-year prison sentence for his involvement in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Cuba in 1997, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
During his trial, Rodríguez Llerena admitted to placing an explosive device at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel under the orders of anti-Castro exile leaders. He was arrested the following year when he returned to Havana with another load of explosives that failed to detonate.
“The Cuban government reiterates its commitment to combating terrorism, respecting human rights, and the need for the international community to hold accountable those who promote such acts,” the statement read.
He was released on August 15 and is the second Salvadoran to complete his sentence. In December of last year, another Salvadoran, Ernesto Cruz León, was released after planting bombs at tourist centers, one of which killed an Italian tourist identified as Fabio Di Celmo.
A third Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, also received a 30-year sentence from Cuban courts in 2010 after being extradited from Venezuela through Interpol for actions against Cuba.
Rodríguez Llerena had requested conditional release in 2016, arguing that his actions had not caused any direct fatalities, but no further information was released about his situation until now.
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