Displaced children play at an internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Nov. 20, 2021, the World Children's Day. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua/IANS)
The European Union (EU) said the funding will improve preparedness and response systems for future disease outbreaks as well as health and nutrition emergencies, reports Asian Lite News
In order to support the healthcare system and combat infectious diseases in Afghanistan at a time when the country is facing an economic crisis under the Taliban, the European Union has pledged 10 million euros to the World Health Organization (WHO) to aid the country, Pajhwok News reported.
The funding will improve preparedness and response systems for future disease outbreaks as well as health and nutrition emergencies, according to a statement issued by the EU office in Kabul on Thursday,
The long-lasting cooperation between the EU and WHO has contributed to stronger and more resilient health care in Afghanistan, it said.
The increased financing is intended to improve health care in all 34 provinces, benefiting almost 2 million people. The additional funding expands on the previous EU-WHO collaboration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by integrating and improving diagnostic and infectious disease management and response in Afghanistan, the EU stated, according to Pajhwok News.
Afghan children sit around a fire in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua/IANS)
“The EU is deeply committed to protecting Afghans from disease outbreaks and other health and nutrition emergencies. Building on our ongoing cooperation with WHO in Afghanistan, the new funding helps to strengthen public health across the country and ensure the well-being of Afghans,” said EU Chargee d’Affaires a.i. to Afghanistan, Raffaella Iodice, reported Pajhwok News.
Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, the country’s economic situation has deteriorated. The Afghans have repeatedly complained of lack of basic amenities under the Taliban government and the country is now heavily dependent on humanitarian aid. (ANI)
Photo taken on Feb. 9, 2021 shows the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie/IANS)
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vowed on Thursday that the House bill would go nowhere in the Senate…reports Asian Lite News
The battle lines are drawn as the Democrats will take on the Republicans in the Senate on Monday for excluding Ukraine in the legislation the House of Representatives passed on Thursday to provide $14.3 billion in aid to Israel, pairing it with cuts to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) funding that Democrats strongly oppose.
The Republican-led House passed the legislation providing $14.3 billion in aid to Israel in its war against Hamas, but Democrats say the legislation is dead on arrival in the Senate, as President Joe Biden has vowed to veto it, media reports said.
The 226-196 vote was mostly along party lines. A dozen Democrats voted with nearly all Republicans in support of the measure; just two Republicans — Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia — joined most Democrats in opposing it, USA TODAY said.
Spearheaded by the newly elected heavy right winger Speaker Mike Johnson, the legislation is said to be very narrow in scope to pass muster in the Senate dominated by the Democrats.
The slim GOP majority in the House (222- 213) got little help from Democrats, who mostly say they favour aid to Israel but voted against the cuts to funding for the IRS.
“The cuts to IRS funding is a poison pill,” Democrats said as it was designed to ramp up enforcement and catch tax cheats, bringing in more revenue.
Democrats say a new Congressional Budget Office report claims the IRS funding would add nearly $27 billion to the deficit.
Historically, the GOP has opposed taxes, particularly to the rich, whereas the Democrats have played Robin Hood to impose taxes on the rich to fund social welfare programmes for the urban middle class and the poor.
A major clash is in the offing in the Democrat-dominated Senate over much-needed Israel aid. Biden and Senate Democrats are backing a broader approach, pushing for $106 billion for both Israel and Ukraine aid and humanitarian aid for Gaza, as well as funding for US border operations, in one package, CNN reported.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vowed on Thursday that the House bill would go nowhere in the Senate.
“I am glad that the president issued a veto threat over this stunningly unserious proposal,” Schumer said in a floor speech. “The Senate will not be considering this deeply flawed proposal from the House GOP.”
House Speaker Johnson told reporters the GOP’s opposition to IRS provisions was based on Americans’ feelings that they wanted Congress to get its fiscal house in order. “If Democrats in the Senate or the House or anyone else want to argue that hiring more IRS agents is more important than standing with Israel at this minute, I’m ready to have that debate,” he said.
Despite Democratic leaders’ whipping members to vote ‘NO’, 12 Democrats broke with their party and backed the bill. Among them were a handful of Jewish Democrats.
Congress is barreling toward a November 17 deadline to fund the government in the first big litmus test for Johnson. The House and the Senate are taking divergent approaches to the appropriations process. The lawmakers are moving toward another short-term funding bill. Aid to Israel may end up attached to a stopgap measure if it doesn’t pass the Senate.
“There’s a growing recognition that we’re going to need another stopgap funding measure,” Johnson told reporters, adding that his preference is a short-term bill through January 15 but that he’s still sounding out members for ideas.
In November, the government launched negotiations to agree how much the TV licence would cost, part of a five-year funding settlement due to begin in April 2022…reports Asian Lite News
Britain’s government will cut the BBC’s funding by ordering a two-year freeze on the fee that people pay to watch the broadcaster, the Mail on Sunday reported.
The future of the licence-payer funded British Broadcasting Corporation is a perpetual topic of political debate, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government most recently suggesting its funding needs to be reformed.
Set against an inflation rate expected to reach a 30-year high of 6% or more in April, freezing the licence cost at its current 159 pounds would provide some relief to consumers battling sharply rising costs of living.
But it would also be a large blow to the BBC’s finances as it tries to compete with privately funded news outlets and the likes of Netflix and other entertainment streaming services funded by consumer subscriptions.
In November, the government launched negotiations to agree how much the TV licence would cost, part of a five-year funding settlement due to begin in April 2022.
The Digital, Media, Culture and Sport department declined to comment when asked about the Mail on Sunday report.
Culture secretary Nadine Dorries said that the licence fee settlement would be the last such agreement and tweeted a link to the Mail on Sunday article.
“Time now to discuss and debate new ways of funding, supporting and selling great British content,” she said on Twitter.
The BBC declined to comment on Dorries’ tweet or the Mail on Sunday report.
The opposition Labour Party said the funding cut was politically motivated.
“The Prime Minister and the Culture Secretary seem hell-bent on attacking this great British institution because they don’t like its journalism,” said Lucy Powell, Labour lawmaker and culture policy chief.
The BBC’s news output is regularly criticised by UK political parties. Its coverage of Brexit issues – central to Johnson’s government – has long been seen as overly critical by supporters of leaving the European Union.
Last week, one Conservative lawmaker said BBC coverage relating to parties in Johnson’s Downing Street residence during coronavirus lockdowns amounted to a “coup attempt” against the prime minister.
The programme will help cities like Nairobi, Kuala Lumpur, and Bogota, develop low-emission public transport systems, renewable energy generation, sustainable waste management, new climate-smart buildings codes and climate risk planning, reports Vishal Gulati
The government on Thursday launched the new Urban Climate Action Programme (UCAP) to support the cities and regions in developing countries most impacted by climate change to accelerate their transition to net zero.
Backed with 27.5 million pounds of new UK government funding as part of the country’s International Climate Finance commitment, the programme will support cities across Africa, Asia and Latin America to take action to tackle climate change and create a sustainable future, by helping them to become carbon neutral by 2050 and prepare low-carbon infrastructure projects.
The programme will help cities like Nairobi, Kuala Lumpur, and Bogota, develop low-emission public transport systems, renewable energy generation, sustainable waste management, new climate-smart buildings codes and climate risk planning.
To date over 1,000 cities and regions across the world — over a fifth of the global urban population — have committed to slashing their emissions to net zero by 2050.
Today, as part of the UN COP26 climate summit’s Cities, Regions and Built Environment Day in Glasgow, the UK called on cities yet to make commitments to step up and set a net zero target that will help protect the places where people live and work, future proofing the world for future generations.
Business and Energy Minister Martin Callanan said: “From our homes and workplaces to our towns and cities, the buildings we live in are a fundamental part of our daily lives, but also a significant source of global emissions.
“That’s why at COP26 today we are calling on cities, regions, governments and businesses to seize the moment and set bold net-zero targets as we work together as a global community to end our contribution to climate change.”
The world’s urban buildings, including homes, workplaces, schools and hospitals, are responsible for around 40 per cent of global carbon emissions. By 2050, 1.6 billion people living in cities will be regularly exposed to extremely high temperatures and over 800 million people living in cities across the world will be vulnerable to sea level rises and coastal flooding.
Accelerating the transition to net zero emissions for the world’s cities will therefore be vital to achieving the goal of keeping global warming to close to 1.5 degrees.
Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Hands said: “By 2050 urban areas will be home to two thirds of the world population, with the speed and scale of urbanisation set to lock in high-carbon infrastructure and inequality if we do not act now.
“The UK’s new programme will provide invaluable support to cities across Africa, Asia and Latin America to help them grow sustainably, and make them resilient to climate risks, securing a greener future for generations to come.”
UCAP will follow on from the flagship Climate Leadership in Cities programme, which was funded by the UK and successfully supported megacities in Latin America and Asia to develop ambitious climate action plans consistent with the Paris Agreement — including developing pathways to net zero by 2050 and committing to ambitious interim targets by 2030 to keep 1.5 degrees within reach.
As the first major economy to legislate to end its contribution to climate change by 2050, the UK is already taking action to tackle emissions from the built environment sector.
As heating for homes and workspaces makes up almost a third of all UK carbon emissions, reducing these emissions is key to achieving the goal of net zero by 2050.
📢Press Release: Backed with £27.5 million of UK government funding, the Urban Climate Action programme will support cities across Africa, Asia and Latin America to tackle climate change.⬇️https://t.co/W2OzGI1RdO
Through the recent heat and buildings and net zero strategies, the UK government has set out how the UK will deploy the low-carbon technology needed to decarbonise homes, workplaces and public spaces.
To address emissions from the wider built environment, the UK government is investing 3.9 billion pounds through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, the Home Upgrade Grant scheme, Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Boiler Upgrade Scheme and Heat Network Transformation Programme.
Since 2001, research progressed, enrolment of female students as well as research burgeoned on topics from cancer to geology…reports Asian Lite News.
The withdrawal of US forces and return of the Taliban in Afghanistan has stoked much fear and dejection among research scientists who predict huge losses not only in terms of funding but also of science.
During their reign from 1996-2001, the fundamentalist group brutally enforced a conservative version of Islamic Sharia law, characterised by women’s-rights violations and suppression of freedom of expression, Nature reported.
But after they were overthrown in 2001 by a US-led coalition and a new government elected in 2004, international funding including from the World Bank, the US Agency for International Development and other organisations poured into Afghanistan and universities thrived.
Since 2001, research progressed, enrolment of female students as well as research burgeoned on topics from cancer to geology.
But with the regime now taking over again, scientists fear for their lives and the future of research. While many are fleeing out of the country, those who remain face lack of funding and the threat of persecution for being involved in international collaborations, or because of their fields of study or their ethnicity, the report said.
News reports claim that billions of dollars in overseas finance for Afghanistan’s government, such as assets held by the US Federal Reserve and credit from the International Monetary Fund, have been frozen.
“The future is very uncertain,” geologist Hamidullah Waizy, a researcher at Kabul Polytechnic University was quoted as saying.
“The achievements we had over the past 20 years are all at great risk,a added Attaullah Ahmadi, a public-health scientist at Kateb University in Kabul.
In the last 20 years, some three dozen public universities have been established or re-established since 2010, and tens more private universities have been set up.
Even the student population at public universities grew to 170,000 in 2018 from 8,000 in 2001, and one-quarter of these were women, the report said.
Further, the number of research papers also increased to 285 in 2019 from 71 in 2011, according to Scopus – a database of peer-reviewed literature.
But now “there will be a stagnation of science and research progress”, Shakardokht Jafari, a medical physicist at the University of Surrey in Guildford, UK, who is originally from Afghanistan.
While many researchers have gone into hiding, or plan to cross into neighbouring countries, some are also seeking asylum overseas. In August alone, humanitarian organization Scholars at Risk (SAR) in New York City received more than 500 applications from people in Afghanistan, the report said.
So far, 164 institutions globally have agreed to host scholars, and SAR has appealed to US and European governments to fast-track visas and continue evacuation flights, said Rose Anderson, director at SAR.
However, several researchers report that the Taliban is in discussion with university heads about restarting classes. There are also suggestions that women might be allowed to continue their studies, although the Taliban has ordered that women and men be taught separately, and some universities have proposed introducing partitions in classrooms, the report said.
“This huge funding package will make the ambition of owning a home a reality for families by making it realistic and affordable.”…reports Asian Lite News.
Thousands of people will be helped onto the housing ladder as funding worth £8.6 billion is allocated across the UK on Tuesday.
Part of the largest single investment in affordable housing in a decade, the Affordable Homes Programme funding will deliver around 119,000 homes, including 57,000 for ownership, 29,600 for social rent and 6,250 affordable rural homes.
The government said this cash injection could support up to 370,000 jobs across the country for homebuilders, SME developers, and wider businesses supporting the house building industry such as electricians and plumbers. This is expected to generate up to £26 billion of other private and public investment, it added.
Around half of the new homes from this £8.6 billion funding will be available for affordable home ownership, helping more young people and families to get a foot on the housing ladder.
The funding will also deliver nearly 30,000 homes for Social Rent, which are typically 50 to 60% of market prices, providing secure, affordable housing to people who need it most. It will also deliver new supported housing for some of the most vulnerable, providing much needed homes for older or disabled people with support needs.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick MP said: “Creating more opportunities for home ownership is central to this government. This £9 billion funding is a landmark moment for our Affordable Homes Programme and will ensure good quality housing for all as we build back better after the pandemic.”
“This huge funding package will make the ambition of owning a home a reality for families by making it realistic and affordable.”
He added: “We are also ensuring tens of thousands of new homes for rent are built in the years ahead, including social rent, so those on the lowest incomes can enjoy good quality, secure rented homes, built and managed by reputable providers.”
We just announced the 𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 in a decade.
The funding allocations are taken from the £11.5 billion Affordable Housing Programme which will deliver up to 180,000 new affordable homes should economic conditions allow.
Nearly £5.2 billion of the package announced today will be delivered outside London by Homes England, the government body responsible for housing delivery. The Greater London Authority (GLA) will deliver homes within London.
Nearly 90 new partnerships – made up of councils, housing associations and private providers – successfully bid for their share of programme funding.
CEO of Homes England Peter Denton said: “Not only does today’s announcement give our new Strategic Partners the funding, flexibility, and confidence they need to build much needed affordable homes across the country, it also establishes a large network of organisations looking to share their skills and capabilities to expand the affordable housing sector and transform communities.”
