Libya’s long path to peace after the permanent cease-fire

24th October 2020

Libya’s warring factions signed a permanent cease-fire agreement on Friday, but any lasting end to years of chaos and bloodshed will require wider agreement among myriad armed groups and the outside powers that support them. Acting UN Libya envoy Stephanie Williams said the cease-fire would start immediately and all foreign fighters must quit Libya within three months. As a first commercial passenger flight in more than a year crossed front lines from Tripoli to the eastern city of Bengha...

Germany Turns 30

24th October 2020

Futuristic architecture, a colourful subculture, eclectic cuisine, an intense party scene – Berlin is truly one of the open capitals of the world. Walking though the vibrant streets today is difficult to picture the high, concrete wall slicing through the city until just three decades ago. View and Download your free edition of CD Pro here:

MDB Strengthens Economic Presence to Support Business Regeneration

23rd October 2020

The Malta Development Bank (MDB) has over the past few months established and maintained a strong presence in the Maltese economy by providing the necessary support to businesses during these troubled times. Liquidity has been one of the biggest challenges for local entrepreneurs, and by supporting access to credit, the MDB is providing a lifeline to these businesses and at the same time helping the country’s economic recovery. View and Download your free edition of CD Pro here:

Chain Proaction

23rd October 2020

Some of the most enduring scenes of the coronavirus pandemic involve people battling it out over rolls of toilet paper. The images from supermarkets around the world provided plenty of material for hilarious memes but they were also an incisive metaphor for the fragility of global trade. Business planning is so intertwined with everyday life that when people’s routines changed overnight, we were caught with our pants down. View and Download your free edition of CD Pro here:

EU calls for more transparency from WHO

23rd October 2020

The European Union wants the World Health Organization to become more transparent about how states report emerging health crises, a draft proposal on reforming the U.N. agency says, following criticism of China's initial handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper, drawn up by the German government after discussions with other member states, is the latest to outline the EU's months-long plans to address the WHO's shortcomings on funding, governance and legal powers....

Who’s fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh, and why does it matter?

22nd October 2020

Fierce fighting has broken out between Azerbaijan and its ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, a new and dangerous eruption of a decades-old conflict. View and Download your free edition of CD Pro here:

Experts suggest women aged 50-60 at greatest risk of ‘long Covid’

22nd October 2020

Women aged 50-60 are at greatest risk of developing “long Covid”, analysis suggests. Older age and experiencing five or more symptoms within the first week of illness were also associated with a heightened risk of lasting health problems. The study, led by Dr Claire Steves and Prof Tim Spector at King’s College London, analysed data from 4,182 COVID Symptom Study app users who had been consistently logging their health and had tested positive for the virus. In general, women were twice as...

The 10 ‘Organising Principles’ underpinning relaunched UK-EU talks

22nd October 2020

Britain and the European Union have agreed to resume talks on reaching a trade deal to govern their future relations, setting out a new set of “organising principles” for intensified talks to begin on Thursday. The principles, as set out in a British government statement, are: 1. The parties have agreed to intensify negotiations. Talks will take place across all negotiating tables concurrently. Negotiations will take place daily including weekends, unless both sides agree otherwise. 2....

A Supply of Optimism

22nd October 2020

The European surplus of trade in goods swung from €83.5 billion in the first quarter this year to €48.9 billion in the second quarter. Official data shows that the balance in goods has been on an upward trend for the past few years, both intra- and extra-EU. Then Covid-19 happened. View and Download your free edition of CD Pro here:

UN warns less than half of women globally have jobs

21st October 2020

The 'World's Women 2020 report' has found a severe lack of progress in women's rights and job market participation. The dire situation has only been made worse by the pandemic and ensuing lockdowns, the UN has reported. The World's Women 2020" report found that the world has only achieved modest gains in terms of women's rights and economic empowerment and that according to measures of employment and domestic violence, the situation has not improved since the first report 25 years ago....

Study finds air pollution killed nearly half a million new-borns in 2019

21st October 2020

Some 476,000 infants across the world died from the adverse effects of exposure to air pollution in 2019, a new global study has found. The State of Global Air study released Wednesday said nearly two-thirds of those deaths were related to the burning of poor-quality fuels for cooking. Some 236,000 new-born infants are estimated to have died of air-pollution related causes in sub-Saharan Africa and more than 116,000 in India. Pakistan also had more than 50,000 ne...

Recovery & Resilience Facility

21st October 2020

European Economy and Finance Ministers reached a political agreement on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the main instrument of the €750 billion recovery package negotiated by EU leaders in their meeting between 17 and 21 July. View and Download your free edition of CD Pro here:

World trade rebounding slowly, outlook uncertain – UN report

21st October 2020

The value of global trade is set to fall by 7% to 9% in 2020 from the previous year, despite signs of a fragile rebound led by China in the third quarter, a United Nations report said on Wednesday. No region was spared by an estimated 19% year-on-year plunge in world trade in the second quarter, as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted economies, the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said. Global trade recovered somewhat in the third quarter, when it was estimated at about 4.5% ...

Global powers push to end Nagorno-Karabakh fighting

21st October 2020

Armenia's president headed to Brussels for talks with the European Union and NATO military alliance on Wednesday in a renewed drive to end the heaviest fighting since the 1990s over the mountain enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. As part of a wide diplomatic push from major global powers, the Azeri and Armenian foreign ministers also flew to Moscow for talks with Russia, which has brokered two ceasefires but failed to end clashes killing hundreds of people in the last month. The warring sides' ...

Access to food grossly unequal as coronavirus adds to challenges

20th October 2020

A new report by the World Food Programme, known as the Cost of a Plate of Food 2020, has once again exposed the inequality around the world of accessing the simplest plates of food. South Sudan is once again top of the list, with basic ingredients costing a staggering 186 percent of a person’s daily income. Seventeen of the top 20 countries featured in the index are in sub-Saharan Africa. “This new report exposes the destructive impact of conflict, climate change and economic crises, now ...

Budget 2021: MUT sees no solution to growing problem of lack of teachers

20th October 2020

The Malta Union of Teachers highighted the lack of a longer-term vision in yesterday's budget, particularly aimed at solving the growing problem that Malta’s lack of teachers is creating. Young people need more incentives to encourage them to embark on a career in education, the MUT said. The Union acknowledged the unusual circumstances of this year’s budget and said it would be expressing further reactions once it analysed in more detail the budget estimates for the Education Ministry. ...

Divided world is failing COVID-19 challenge, says frustrated U.N. chief

18th October 2020

A divided world has failed to rise to the challenge of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said and warned concerted action was needed to prevent millions of people being pushed into poverty and hunger. The former Portuguese prime minister said far more could have been done if countries had worked together to combat the disease, which has killed more than one million people. "The COVID-19 pandemic is a major global challenge for the entire international...

Suspect in teacher’s beheading in France identified as Chechen teen

18th October 2020

A suspect shot dead by police after the beheading of a history teacher near Paris was an 18-year-old Chechen refugee unknown to intelligence services who posted a grisly claim of responsibility on social media minutes after the attack, officials said Saturday. France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said authorities investigating the killing of Samuel Paty in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine on Friday arrested nine suspects, including the teen’s grandfather, parents and 17-year-old brother. C...

Turkey defies EU, US and NATO – Greek media

17th October 2020

As the European Union sent out another strongly worded statement on Friday regarding Turkey’s infringements in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey continued on its path of defiance to the West with the reported missile test launch of the Russian-made S-400 anti-aircraft system on the shores of the Black Sea, to the vehement protestation of the US. Ekathimerini reports that at the same time that the Turkish Oruc Reis research vessel continued its course within the ...

WHO warns Europe case surge ‘of great concern’

16th October 2020

At a press conference in Copenhagen, the WHO’s regional director for Europe Hans Kluge told reporters it was time to “step up the measures” as rising case numbers on the continent were of “great concern”. But he said the situation was not as bad as the peak in March and April, and stressed that full-on lockdowns “where every corner of our society and economy has been halted” should be avoided. “The collateral damage on the people was too much,” he said, encouraging governments not to “hol...

What’s behind Thailand’s protests?

15th October 2020

Thailand’s government banned gatherings of more than five people on Thursday in the face of three months of escalating demonstrations that have targeted King Maha Vajiralongkorn as well as Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. HOW DID THE PROTESTS START? Anti-government protests emerged last year after courts banned the most vocal party opposing the government of former junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha. After a pause during measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, protests resum...

Thousands more underfed children may die due to COVID

15th October 2020

An extra 10,000 children per month may die this year from malnutrition due to the COVID-19 crisis, the head of the World Health Organisation warned. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a U.N Food and Agriculture (FAO) conference that due to the pandemic he expected a 14% rise in cases of severe child malnutrition this year - or 6.7 million more people - mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. “We cannot accept a world where the rich have access to healthy diets while the poor are left be...

WHO warns young people may not get vaccine until 2022

15th October 2020

World Health Organization’s chief scientist, Soumya Swaminathan, has indicated that young, healthy people may have to wait until 2022 to get a vaccine and, that a despite the many vaccine trials being undertaken, speedy, mass shots were unlikely. “Most people agree, it’s starting with healthcare workers, and frontline workers, but even there, you need to define which of them are at highest risk, and then the elderly, and so on,” Swaminathan said. “There will be a lot of guidance coming ou...

UN report offers rare glimpse into finances of Somali Islamists

15th October 2020

Somalia’s Islamist insurgents are moving millions of dollars through the formal bank system and appear to be investing in businesses and real estate, according to a United Nations report offering a rare glimpse into their finances. Al Shabaab has for years been battling Somalia’s internationally-backed government to impose strict Islamic law in the anarchic Horn of Africa nation. “Al Shabaab remains in a strong financial position and is generating a significant budgetary surplus, some of ...

WHO fears spike in deaths after global COVID-19 surge

15th October 2020

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday warned against any complacency in the coronavirus death rate, saying with the increasing number of cases, mortality would also rise. New cases are hitting 100,000 daily in Europe. Nearly 20,000 infections were reported in Britain, while Italy, Switzerland and Russia were among nations with record case numbers. While deaths globally have fallen to around 5,000 per day from April's peak exceeding 7,500, WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan ...

IEA says oil producers may struggle to gauge demand amid second wave

14th October 2020

Global oil stocks which rose during the height of the pandemic are being steadily reduced, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Wednesday, but a second wave is slowing demand and will complicate efforts by producers to balance the market. OPEC+ producers - OPEC members and others including Russia - plan to boost supply by 2 million barrels per day (bpd) from January and the IEA predicts a ceasefire in Libya will raise output there to 700,000 bpd in December from 300,000 bpd currentl...

Malta: Women record highest increase in employment rate over 10 years

14th October 2020

The employment rate in the 20 to 64 age group stood at 76.8 percent in 2019, higher than the national European 2020 target of 70.0 percent. The latest Labour Force Survey by the National Statistics Office finds that the biggest growth was registered among females with a surge from 40 percent to 65 percent since 2009. The employment rate among men grew by five percent from almost 80 percent over the same period. The service industries were the main contributors to the growth in employment in the...

World Bank board approves $12 billion for COVID-19 vaccines, treatments in developing countries

14th October 2020

he World Bank said its executive board approved $12 billion in new funding for developing countries to finance the purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments for their citizens. The financing plan, part of $160 billion in total resources that the multilateral development lender has pledged to provide to developing countries through June 2021 to help them fight the coronavirus pandemic, was first reported by Reuters in late September. The World Bank said the f...

China and Russia elected to U.N. rights council

14th October 2020

China and Russia were elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday, but support for Beijing dropped by more than 20 percent compared with a 2016 vote and Saudi Arabia failed in its bid to win a seat on the Geneva-based body. The 193-member U.N. General Assembly also elected Ivory Coast, Gabon, Malawi, Cuba, Bolivia, Uzbekistan, France and Britain to the 47-member council. Senegal, Nepal, Pakistan, Ukraine and Mexico were re-elected for a second three-year term. Council membe...

Herd immunity is scientifically and ethically problematic – WHO

13th October 2020

The World Health Organization (WHO) has strongly denied that achieving a herd imunity would a viable option to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic , describing this option as "scientifically and ethically problematic". With the number of infections, hospitalisations and deaths rising across Europe and much of the rest of the world, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made a strong case against the idea of aiming for herd immunity without vaccinations. "Herd immunit...

UN calls Development Banks to stop backing fossil fuel projects

13th October 2020

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged development banks to stop backing fossil fuel projects, raising the pressure on the state-backed lenders ahead of a climate change summit France is hosting next month. Environmental campaigners have for years been demanding publicly-listed commercial banks in Europe, the United States and Asia stop financing new coal-fired power stations, oil exploration or natural gas infrastructure. But the world's development banks, whos...

Major operation breaks Mafia network in Palermo

13th October 2020

Italian Police registered a major breakthrough in their fight against Mafia infiltration whith the arrest of 20 people including bosses and members of their clan. The twenty will be facing multiple charges including associating themselves with the mafia, drug trafficking, robberies, extortion, financial crime, attempted murder and other damages. Earlier this year, Palermo magistrate Piergiorgio Morosini said the lockdown "has caused a liquidity crisis that will be hard to reverse" for m...

Malta ‘essential partner’ in combatting global threats- US Charge d’Affaires

11th October 2020

Malta is an essential partner in combatting global threats, newly-appointed US Chargé d’Affaires Gwendolyn Green told International journal CorporateDispatchPRO. (You can download your free copy here). “Regional security is one of the cornerstones of our relationship with the government of Malta,” she added. In a Q&A published in full on Foreign Policy analysis issue of specialised journal CorporateDispatchPRO, the US Chargé d’Affaires weighed in on diplomatic relations wit...

‘Real and imminent’ extinction risk to whales

10th October 2020

More than 350 scientists and conservationists from 40 countries have signed a letter calling for global action to protect whales, dolphins and porpoises from extinction. They say more than half of all species are of conservation concern, with two on the "knife-edge" of extinction. Lack of action over polluted and over-exploited seas means that many will be declared extinct within our lifetimes, the letter says. Even large iconic whales are not safe. "Let this be a historic moment wh...

Nearly three million migrants stranded by COVID-19 – UN report

10th October 2020

Coronavirus border closures and restrictions have stranded nearly 3 million migrants around the world who want to return home but cannot, the U.N. migration agency said on Friday, adding some had been “warehoused” in unhygenic settings. The International Organization for Migration report is the most comprehensive to date on the issue, covering more than 100 countries. It includes only migrants who want to return but are unable to do so because of the COVID-19 restrictions -- such as seafarer...

Mulan flounder previews Hollywood’s next red scare

10th October 2020

by PETE SWEENEY VIA REUTERS BREAKINGVIEWS Mulan’s problems preview a coming red scare for Hollywood. Disney was slammed for filming the $200 million movie based on Chinese folklore in the restive Xinjiang region, where Beijing is putting Muslim ethnic minorities in camps. The movie, released this month, has been largely panned by Chinese viewers anyway. It’s a prelude to a trade-war trial for studios. China’s fast-growing film market is the largest outside North America, worth 64.3 billi...

Anniversary of Halle terror attack commemorated in Germany

9th October 2020

People observe a minute of silence at the market place as church bells start to ring at 12:01 in commemoration of the time when the assassin fired the first shot during one year anniversary of the Halle terror attack, in Halle, Germany, 09 October 2020. The suspect, a 27-year-old German Neo-Nazi Stephan Balliet went on rampage shooting and killed two people on 09 October 2019 in front of the synagogue and a Kebab shop in Halle during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Candles and flowers a...

Members of the public should stick to official channels of information – Malta Chamber

9th October 2020

As schools have been gradually reopening their doors throughout this week, and students have been finding their places in their new educational lives, The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry has commendsed the effort done by all stakeholders involved. The process has been generally orderly and given the extraordinary situation we find ourselves in, both educators as well as students and their parents have been professional in most cases. At the same time, The Malta Chamber ...

Angst-ridden end to 2020 is written into options

9th October 2020

by SWAHA PATTANAIK VIA REUTERS BREAKINGVIEWS Nails bitten to the quick will soon be bitten to the knuckle. The next three months bring a U.S. presidential election, the endgame of tetchy trade talks between Britain and the European Union and more. With central bankers like Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell keeping bond markets on a tight leash, investors will express their angst through foreign exchange markets instead. It’s already starting to show. Two big dates could generate large ...

WHO reports record one-day rise in global coronavirus cases as Europe records the highest total so far

9th October 2020

The World Health Organization reported a record one-day increase in global coronavirus cases on Thursday, with the total rising by 338,779 in 24 hours led by a surge of infections in Europe. Europe reported 96,996 new cases, the highest total for the region ever recorded by the WHO. Global deaths rose by 5,514 to a total of 1.05 million. The previous WHO record for new cases was 330,340 on Oct. 2. The agency reported a record 12,393 deaths on April 17. As a region, Europe is now rep...

Female vote key but policies lacking in New Zealand election

8th October 2020

New Zealand’s upcoming general election has the rare distinction of providing a choice of two female candidates as the country’s next leader in a poll that could be decided by the female vote. Yet there is growing criticism that neither incumbent Jacinda Ardern nor challenger Judith Collins have policies to address the fact that women - who make up half the 5 million population - have been disproportionately negatively affected by the coronavirus pandemic. “There has been a frightening si...

Sub-Saharan Africa to contract 3.3% this year, World Bank says

8th October 2020

The coronavirus crisis is expected to drive a 3.3% contraction in sub-Saharan African economies in 2020 and could push 40 million people into extreme poverty, the World Bank said on Thursday. The Washington-based lender said growth in the region would recover in 2021, with economies growing by 2.1%, below 2019's growth of 2.4%. "The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a large toll on economic activity in sub-Saharan Africa, putting a decade of hard-won economic progress at risk," the bank said. ...

South Asia faces worst ever recession, tipping millions into poverty – World Bank

8th October 2020

Millions of people in South Asia are being pushed into extreme poverty as the region where a quarter of humanity lives suffers its worst-ever recession due to the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Bank said on Thursday. The multi-lateral lender forecast a record economic contraction of 7.7% for South Asia this year, and said workers in the informal sector were being hit hardest, and private consumption was unlikely to recover quickly from the blow. "The impact on l...

Top global traders push to cut shipping emissions

8th October 2020

Some of the world's biggest commodities and energy players on Wednesday launched an initiative to cut and track emissions from the ships they charter as efforts intensify to reduce the maritime industry's carbon footprint. About 90% of world trade is transported by sea, and the UN shipping agency - the International Maritime Organization (IMO) - aims to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by 50% from 2008 levels by 2050. Carbon emissions from shipping rose in the six-year period to 20...

World food price index rise 5% year-on-year in September -FAO

8th October 2020

World food prices rose for a fourth month running in September, led by strong increases for cereals and vegetable oils, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday. The Food and Agriculture Organization's food price index, which measures monthly changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar, averaged 97.9 points last month versus a downwardly revised 95.9 in August. The August figure was previously given as 96.1. The Rome-based FAO also said in a stateme...

Australia immigration law ‘to require English test’

8th October 2020

Australia will require foreign partners of existing residents to pass an English language test before gaining a permanent visa, its government says. The controversial immigration requirement, if approved by parliament, would apply from mid-2021. It would also force the partners of applicants to prove a level of English proficiency. Critics have called the change "discriminatory", but the government says it will build "social cohesion". "We will require an applicant and a sponsor to ...

WHO says Europe must go beyond science to survive Covid crisis

8th October 2020

The World Health Organization has said European countries will need to “move beyond biomedical science” to overcome Covid-19 as “pandemic fatigue” and new infections rapidly rise across the continent. Hans Kluge, the WHO’s Europe director, said that while fatigue from months of uncertainty and disruption was measured differently in different countries, aggregated survey data from across the region suggested that in some cases it it had reached levels of over 60%. Medical science alone wou...

Prince William launches global environment prize

8th October 2020

Britain’s Prince William will on Thursday launch a multi-million-pound global prize aimed at solving some of the world’s greatest environmental problems. The Earthshot Prize will award five one-million-pound ($1.29-million) prizes each year for the next 10 years under the categories of protecting and restoring nature, cleaner air, reviving oceans, waste-reduction and climate change. Nominations open on Nov. 1 ahead of the first awards ceremony in the autumn next year. William, grandson...

Navalny cloud may yield green energy silver lining

8th October 2020

by DASHA AFANASIEVA AND GEORGE HAY VIA REUTERS BREAKINGVIEWS Angela Merkel is in an unenviable position. The German chancellor suspects that Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned with Novichok by his own government. That makes Berlin’s landmark gas pipeline partnership with Moscow, Nord Stream 2, even more controversial. The intense awkwardness may in time be seen as useful. In an ideal world, Merkel would take a principled stand similar to her 2015 decision to allow mass Syrian im...

WHO warns Europe experiencing ‘coronavirus fatigue’

7th October 2020

Covid is taking an emotional toll across Europe with rising levels of apathy among some populations, the World Health Organization is warning. Survey data reveals the scale of this "pandemic fatigue", estimated to have reached over 60% in some cases. Many people are feeling less motivated about following protective behaviours after living with disruption and uncertainty for months, says the WHO. Dr Hans Henri Kluge, WHO's regional director for Europe, says fatigue is to be expected at ...